The Allman Brothers are one of those true American music treasures, and there have been numerous tribute albums released through the years in their honor, including 2002’s A Jam Band Tribute To The Allman Brothers and even…ahem…2009’s Chartbuster Karaoke. Clear some space on your CD shelve, ABB fiends, ‘cause here comes one more tribute disc!
On May 27th, 2014 Cleopatra Records will release Midnight Rider – A Tribute To The Allman Brothers Band, a twelve-song collection that features new performances of some of the band’s most classic tunes, including “Midnight Rider,” “Statesboro Blues,” “Ramblin’ Man,” and “Whippin’ Post,” among others. Cleopatra has lined up some fine talent, as well, ranging from blues guitarists like Ronnie Earl, Debbie Davies, Eli Cook, and Eric Gales to classic rockers like Pat Travers and Leon Russell, old friends of the band like Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie), Molly Hatchet, and the Artimus Pyle Band to talented fretburners like Sonny Landreth and Robben Ford. You’ll find the complete list of artists involved and the songs they cover below. The timing is opportune, as All My Friends, a recently-released Gregg Allman tribute album, is selling like flapjacks and has topped the blues chart for a couple of weeks as of this writing.
“The Allman Brothers were a central part of my roots,” states guitarist Steve Morse, in a press release for the album. “Living in Georgia much of my life, they were the local legends that everybody loved. They had the swing, the inventive double guitar parts, the ability to jam just long enough to keep the audience, and that golden voice of Greg’s! When my instrumental rock band, the Dixie Dregs, played, we often played ‘Jessica,’ which automatically makes any audience start moving and smiling. I’ve been lucky enough to sit in with many of the members at various times, and we have shared a lot of common ground. I’m still a fan!”
Midnight Rider tracklist:
1. Pat Travers – “Midnight Rider”
2. Oak Ridge Boys, Tinsley Ellis & Kevin McKendree – “Ramblin’ Man”
3. Molly Hatchet – “Melissa”
4. Artimus Pyle Band – “Blue Sky”
5. Jimmy Hall & Steve Morse – “Whipping Post”
6. Roy Rogers, John Wesley & Jim Eshelman – “Jessica”
7. Robben Ford & Martin Gerschwitz – “One Way Out”
8. Debbie Davies & Melvin Seals – “Soulshine”
9. Eli Cook – “Statesboro Blues”
10. Eric Gales – “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed”
11. Commander Cody & Sonny Landreth – “Southbound”
12. Leon Russell, Reese Wynans & Ronnie Earl – “I’m No Angel” (Greg Allman solo track)
Audio Fidelity has earned a reputation for the company’s carefully-crafted 24k gold compact discs, which precisely and perfectly capture the original sound of the music. Yeah, they cost twice that of a normal CD, but what you’re getting is a defect-free 24 karat gold-plated disc mastered from the original analog master tapes and pressed from a laser-etched glass master. It’s a high-tech process, Bunkie, and an Audio Fidelity 24k disc offers up the music the way that it was supposed to be heard.
On June 3rd, 2014 Audio Fidelity will make the move into compilation albums with the release of two Legends volumes as hybrid SACDs. The Legends series is based on the old Time Life album series, but fancied up as only Audio Fidelity can do. The first two titles – Crank It Up! and Get It On! – are both seventeen-song collections of some of the best classic rock tunes, re-mastered for the first time for these special hybrid SACD releases. While most compilation albums of this sort are put together using the highly-compressed radio edits of songs, Audio Fidelity took the time to dig up the best available individual master recordings of each song for the Legends series.
Although the hardcore collector most likely has their favorite among the songs on these two Legends albums, for the casual fan or young fanatic looking to get some classic rock into their life, this is the way to hear these tracks. The two volumes include classic tunes from the Grateful Dead, the Rascals, Little Feat, Buffalo Springfield, Deep Purple, The Doors, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and many others. Full track listing for each album below.
Crank It Up! Tracklist:
1. Chicago – “Does Anybody Really Know”
2. The Doobie Brothers – “Listen To the Music”
3. The Rascals – “Good Lovin'”
4. Rod Stewart – “Tonight's the Night”
5. Jackson Browne – “Running On Empty”
6. Phil Collins – “In the Air Tonight”
7. The Zombies – “Time of the Season”
8. Ace – “How Long”
9. Little Feat – “Dixie Chicken”
10. Grateful Dead – “Truckin'”
11. Stephen Stills – “Love the One You're With”
12. Buffalo Springfield – “For What It's Worth”
13. America – “Sister Golden Hair”
14. The Pretenders – “Back On the Chain Gang”
15. Foreigner – “Feels Like the First Time”
16. Elton John – “Daniel”
17. The Moody Blues – “Nights In White Satin”
Get It On! Tracklist:
1. The Troggs – “Wild Thing”
2. Deep Purple – “Smoke On the Water”
3. Norman Greenboum – “Spirit In the Sky”
4. T. Rex – “Bang A Gong (Get It On)”
5. Fleetwood Mac – “Go Your Own Way”
6. Manfred Mann's Earth Band – “Blinded By the Light”
7. Eric Burdon and War – “Spill the Wine”
8. The Kinks – “Lola” (live)
9. The Doors – “Light My Fire”
10. Foghat – “Slow Ride”
11. Alice Cooper – “School's Out”
12. Brownsville Station – “Smokin' In the Boy's Room”
13. The Doobie Brothers – “China Grove”
14. Foreigner – “Hot Blooded”
15. Bad Company – “Can't Get Enough”
16. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Free Bird”
17. Greatful Dead – “Casey Jones”
The company offers its 24k CDs, hybrid SACDs, and 180 gram virgin vinyl reissues through the Audio Fidelity website and also offers subscriptions so that members can buy at a discount.
Well, this is certainly a cool little collectible for the faithful…on May 27, 2014 Cleopatra Records will release Gimme Some Skin, a special Iggy Pop 7” box set in a limited-edition of 1,000. The set will include seven individual 7” vinyl records that feature exclusive new tracks along with classic Stooges songs circa 1972-73.
The 45rpm records come packaged with a color booklet with in-depth liner notes, a custom 7” record adaptor, and a collectible patch. Here’s the complete tracklist for this one-of-a-kind Iggy fan’s wet dream, which is currently selling for $47.99 on Amazon:
1. “I Can’t Explain” b/w “Lonely Boy”
2. “Cock In My Pocket” b/w “Tight Pants”
3. “I Got A Right” b/w “White Christmas (Guitar Stooge Mix)”
4. “Money (That’s What I Want)” b/w “Open Up and Bleed” (single edit)
5. “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (fast version) b/w “Johanna”
6. “Gimme Some Skin” b/w “I’m So Glad”
7. “Louie Louie” / “Scene of the Crime”
They’ll forever be known as the “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” band, but Iron Butterfly released six studio and a live album over the course of their initial ten-year run. Formed in 1966 by keyboardist/vocalist Doug Ingle and guitarist Danny Weiss, Iron Butterfly became known as one of the leading progenitors of the era’s psychedelic-rock sound. Unlike almost all of the pop-psych bands of the 1960s, though, Iron Butterfly evinced a sound befitting its name, bringing a sonic tonnage to its material that was shared only by a few like-minded fellow travelers as Blue Cheer.
Aside from a lone 1970 album and 2011’s Fillmore East 1968, there hasn’t been a heck of a lot of live Butterfly recordings floating around collectors’ circles. That oversight will be corrected on May 27th, 2014 when Purple Pyramid – a subsidiary of Cleopatra Records – releases Live At The Galaxy 1967, a rare concert document from the psychedelic-rock legends. The album was recorded at the historic Galaxy Club in Los Angeles, just a few doors down from Whiskey A Go-Go on the infamous Sunset Strip and features the early band line-up which recorded Iron Butterfly’s 1968 debut album Heavy.
The band at the time included Ingle on lead vocals and keyboards, guitarist Weiss, bassist Jerry Penrod, percussionist and singer Darryl DeLoach, and drummer Ron Bushy. Live At The Galaxy 1967 will be released on both compact disc and, in June, on glorious colored 180 gram vinyl. The album is of special interest to fans as it’s a rare document of the early band; Weiss, Penrod, and DeLoach left Butterfly shortly after the January 1968 release of Heavy, replaced by guitarist Erik Brann and bassist Lee Dorman who, along with Ingle and Bushy, represented the best-known and most successful band line-up that recorded the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968) and Ball (1969) albums.
“Every big name act that was in L.A. came to see us play at the Galaxy,” Ron Bushy remembers in a press release for the album. “There was Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, etc.” A&R reps from Atlantic Records were also at the show, and promptly signed the band and hustled them into the studio to record Heavy. Six of the twelve performances captured by Live At The Galaxy 1967 are from Heavy, including the band’s signature “Iron Butterfly Theme,” while only two of the other half-dozen songs would be released later, providing long-time fans with some previously unreleased gems from the enigmatic band.
Live At The Galaxy 1967 track listing:
1. Real Fright
2. Possession
3. Filled With Fear
4. Fields of Sun
5. It’s Up To You
6. Gloomy Day To Remember
7. Evil Temptation
8. So-Lo
9. Gentle As It May Seem
10. Lonely Boy
11. Iron Butterfly Theme
12. You Can’t Win
I dunno…it sure seems like Universal Music is going back to the well one too many damn times with the upcoming reissue of Bob Marley’s Legend. The original album was released in May 1984, almost three years to the day following the reggae giant’s tragic death. Legend has been on the charts in one form or another ever since, selling better than 15 million copies in the United States and over 27 million copies worldwide, making it not only the best-selling reggae album in history, but one of the top 20 sellers in any musical genre.
Scheduled for July 1st, 2014 release, Marley’s Legend 30th Anniversary Edition is a two disc set that reprises the original 16-song “greatest hits” collection on the first disc, and a special 5.1 mix of the album done by Grammy® Award winning producer Bob Clearmountain on a super-duper special Blu-Ray Pure Audio Disc™. This second super-duper special disc includes the original studio take of “No Woman No Cry” instead of the previously-used live version as well as two previously-unreleased alternate takes on “Easy Skanking” and “Punky Reggae Party” that were both recently discovered sitting under a lamp or a doily or something in the Marley vault.
The two-disc 30th anniversary set is accompanied by a 28-page casebound book featuring extended liner note by writer Christopher Farley, author of the bio Marley, as well as forewords from Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, rare photos and stuff. Legacy 30th Anniversary Edition will also be released as a tri-color (yellow, green, and red) double-gatefold vinyl LP with “a higher fidelity sound quality that is closer to the original source” (so says the label press release, and since the original material was all recorded in analog and released on vinyl, this makes sense) that is probably cooler than the CD reissue.
Like I said, I have my doubts that this Legacy 30th Anniversary Edition is entirely necessary considering that the Legend “Deluxe Edition” CD was released in 2002 with a second disc of rarities, which themselves were later released as a standalone CD as the Legend “Rarities Edition” in 2009…and don’t forget the atrocious Legend Remixed set that came out in 2013!
Truth is, kids, Bob Marley was one of the most important musicians of the 20th century, and the original Legend album – with great songs like “Is This Love,” “Buffalo Soldier,” “Get Up Stand Up,” “I Shot The Sheriff,” and the wonderful “Redemption Song,” among many others – is required listening for anybody that loves rock ‘n’ roll or reggae music. Everything else just smells like exploitation to me, so buyer beware…
It seems that even the bootleggers had a hard time pinning down the legendary Captain Beefheart (a/k/a Don Van Vliet) since there seems to be a lack of the artist’s live material available for purchase. There are a handful of European shows of dodgy legal (and sonic) provenance released via fly-by-night labels, a misbegotten effort that did little to extend the good Captain’s musical legacy.
Rhino Handmade had a nice little 1978 vintage radio broadcast available on a limited basis, but there were no authorized live records released during Beefheart’s major label career that I’m aware of…and since the few Beefheart boots and semi-boots appear and disappear without warning, there’s not much available for the collector to spend their hard-earned coin. Thanks to Gonzo Multimedia, however, fans of the Captain have reason to rejoice with the May 13th, 2014 (U.S.) release of Harpo’s Detroit Dec 11th 1980, a 17-track live recording from the infamous Motor City venue and a show that the Reverend likely attended (mass beer consumption has dulled otherwise vivid memories of many Detroit nights).
Captured live on tape during the 1980 tour for their Doc At The Radar Station album, Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band at the time included guitarists Jeff Moris Tepper and Richard Snyder, bassist Eric Drew Feldman, and drummer Robert Williams. While the set is heavy on material from Radar Station, comprising six of that album’s twelve songs, it also includes such Beefheart favorites as “Abba Zabba,” “Safe As Milk,” and “Bat Chain Puller” as part of the set list.
Growing up north of Los Angeles in the desert community of Lancaster, California Van Vliet found a kindred spirit as a teenager with fellow musician and oddball Frank Zappa. He began performing as Captain Beefheart in 1964, joining the existing Magic Band line-up that had been formed by Alexis Snouffer in 1965. Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band released their critically-acclaimed debut album Safe As Milk on the Buddah Records label in 1967, but Buddah execs shied away from that album’s follow-up, Strictly Personal, which was subsequently released in 1968 by producer Bob Krasnow’s Blue Thumb Records.
The third time’s a charm, as they say, and after being dumped by both Buddah and Blue Thumb, Beefheart and crew were signed to Zappa’s Straight Records, where they were provided complete artistic control, resulting in the classic 1969 album Trout Mask Replica. Beefheart and one form or another of the Magic Band would record a total of thirteen studio albums before Van Vliet retired from music after the 1982 release of Ice Cream For Crow. Van Vliet turned to painting as his chosen form of expression, a career that proved to be more commercially successful than music, and in which he was equally as influential.
As Captain Beefheart, Van Vliet influenced a generation of musicians to follow, and one can hear his impact on artists as diverse as Sonic Youth, the Residents, They Might Be Giants, and Tom Waits, among many others. Van Vliet passed away in 2010 after a lengthy illness, but his musical legacy is still growing, and the release of this live set from Harpo’s is a welcome one, indeed! For more info on the Captain and the Magic Band, check out the Radar Station website.
1. Nowadays A Woman's Gotta Hit A Man
2. Abba Zabba
3. Hot Head
4. Ashtray Heart
5. Dirty Blue Gene
6. Best Batch Yet
7. Safe As Milk
8. Doctor Dark
9. A Carrot Is As Close As A Rabbit Gets To A Diamond
10. One Red Rose That I Mean
11. Bat Chain Puller
12. My Human Gets Me Blues
13. Sugar And Spikes
14. Sheriff Of Hong Kong
15. The Dust Blows Forward, The Dust Blows Back-Kandy Korn
16. Suction Prints
17. Big Eyed Beans From Venus
Until his death in 2008 from cancer, British singer and musician Colin Cooper had enjoyed a lengthy and rewarding career. Enamored of music from an early age, Cooper first taught himself harmonica before moving on to clarinet, saxophone, and guitar – multi-instrumental skills that would serve him well down the road. His first band of note was the early-1960s outfit Colin Cooper's Climax Jazz Band, but it was with the mid-60s mod band the Hipster Image, and its Alan Price-produced single "Can't Let Her Go" b/w "Make Her Mine," that Cooper got his first taste of fame.
The Climax Blues Band
In 1968, Cooper formed the Climax Chicago Blues Band with guitarists Pete Haycock and Derek Holt, the band riding the British blues wave to become one of the island's top live draws. They released their self-titled debut in 1969 to critical acclaim, following it up quickly with Plays On later that year, their sophomore effort edging into the Billboard Top 200 albums chart in the United States. Somewhere along the line they dropped the "Chicago" from their name (the American band of that name ridiculously claiming that fans would confuse the bands), and throughout the 1970s, the Climax Blues Band would release a slate of well-regarded albums that included 1972's Rich Man, the following year's FM Live, and 1974's Sense of Direction, which would deliver the band's first Top 40 charting U.S. disc.
As the band strayed from its British blues roots towards a more rock 'n' roll oriented musical direction, Cooper's deep vocals were at the forefront of albums like 1976's Gold Plated, which scored a number three hit with "Couldn't Get It Right," which propelled the album to number 27 on the Billboard Top 200 charts, destined to become the Climax Blues Band's best-selling collection. Throughout the remainder of the decade, the band would hover in the upper reaches of the album charts with works like 1978's Shine On and 1980's Flying The Flag. Although they'd never again match the success of Gold Plated, the band carried on throughout the 1980s and '90s, even after Haycock and Holt left to forge their own various solo successes, with Cooper remaining on the microphone.
Colin Cooper Project's From The Vaults
The blues remained Cooper's first love, and he would push the band back towards its blues roots throughout the late 1980s and well into the new millennium, releasing albums like 1994's Blues From The Attic and 2003's Big Blues (The Songs of Willie Dixon) to great response. During this same period, Cooper showed his loyalty to the blues by recording a number of blues and roots-rock covers in his home studio, songs that he'd crafted to perfection with impromptu performances on his steel Dobro guitar at local pubs. Although they were never performed with commercial release in mind, the best of these homespun demos have been collected under the Colin Cooper Project banner and recently released on CD as From The Vaults.
From The Vaults kicks off with Taj Mahal's "Cake Walk Into Town," the song provided a spry, up-tempo performance, Cooper's jaunty vocals approximating Mahal's original funky drawl, his lively guitar-picking providing a sparse, but engaging framework for the song. Cooper's deep voice is perfectly suited to the material, and late-period Climax Blues Band guitarist Lester Hunt adds some elegant electric guitar as a fine counterpoint to Cooper's acoustic, Piedmont blues-flavored Dobro. A reading of Robert Johnson's "Rambling On My Mind" is closer in spirit to Eric Clapton's laidback cover than to the blues legend's Delta-dirty original, an upbeat arrangement replete with finger-picked strings and a walking rhythm capturing the restless spirit of Johnson's lyrical intent nonetheless.
Visiting The Tony Joe White Songbook
Cooper tackles three separate Tony Joe White songs, beginning with "Sidewalk Hobo." The guitarist does an admirable job of capturing the swamp-blues malevolence that lies quietly at the root of White's unique brand of Americana. Cooper's warm vocals lack White's native twang, but he makes up for it with a sonorous baritone and clever fretwork which tells its own story with emotional strength and imagination. Cooper's guitar playing is magnificent here, a feat which parallels his work on White's "Boeuf River Road." Jazzier in nature than its predecessor, Cooper's breathless vocals remind of J.J. Cale, as does his slippery guitar playing, the two intertwining to create a simply mesmerizing vibe.
Cooper's final foray into the Tony Joe songbook, "The Family," is more roots-oriented, adding a Marshall Tucker Band feel to the song. It's probably the weakest of the three performances, Cooper's vocals more spoken than sung, but that's a minor quibble, indeed…the song provides a fine example of Cooper's acoustic guitarplay as he plays off Hunt's stunning electric fretwork. Cooper's knowledge of the Piedmont blues form is put on display with his cover of the Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry gem "Livin' With The Blues." Cooper's warm vocals are matched with an accomplished bit of Dobro-pickin' that would have done ol' Brownie proud, Cooper's lovely acoustic tones matched, seemingly, in the mix by Hunt's electric doppelganger.
Key To The Highway
His mastery of Piedmont blues established, Cooper acquits himself nicely on a reading of John Lee Hooker's "One Roomed Country Shack." Actually written by jump blues pianist Mercy Dee Walton and recorded by everybody from Buddy Guy to Al Kooper and Shuggie Otis for the Kooper Session album, here it's a slow-tempo blues dirge with Cooper's breathless guitar substituted for Walton's emotional piano playing. Cooper perfectly captures the original song's vibe, however – a smoky jazz feel combined with heartbreak vocals and a smothering ambiance.
Cooper lets his harmonica fly on Tampa Red's classic "It Hurts Me Too," layering in lonesome, wailing harp notes beneath the shuffling, optimistic guitar line. Tampa Red was an influential acoustic wizard, but Cooper holds his own with the song's intricate, upbeat rhythms and overall atmosphere. Again taking his cue from Mr. Clapton, Cooper's cover of Big Bill Broonzy's "Key To The Highway" is delivered closer to the original than to Clapton's Derek & the Dominos version, his chiming fretwork and a ramblin' delivery capturing Broonzy's reckless spirit like nobody since Muddy Waters. Willie Nelson's "I Didn't Sleep A Wink Last Night" might seem like an odd choice, but Cooper discovers the restless blues at the heart of the song, peppering the country legend's lyrics with minimal, jazz-flecked fretwork to deliver an euphoric, early-morning setting for the performance.
The Reverend's Bottom Line
From The Vaults closes out with Cooper's take on Chicago bluesman Eddie Boyd's 1953 classic "Twenty Four Hours," a perfect after-hours bookend to the preceding Willie Nelson tune. Establishing a tearful feel from the beginning, Cooper's mournful guitarplay supports and amplifies the song's tale of romance gone wrong. Whereas Cooper voice has always been his calling card, his guitar playing and natural feel for the material display the artist's affection for the blues and talents far beyond his reputation.
Colin Cooper had the misfortune, perhaps, of being a good guitarist in a band that featured two great, underrated instrumentalists in Haycock and Holt, but From The Vaults shows that he clearly could hold his own. Although Cooper's performances on From The Vaults were clearly recorded for his personal entertainment, it's good that they've been released for his longtime fans to enjoy. If you're a fan of the Climax Blues Band, especially the outfit's earlier, blues-tinged material, you'll find a lot to like in Cooper performances. If you're a blues fan with nothing but a passing knowledge of Cooper and the CCB, you should give From The Vaults a listen…the collection definitely frames Cooper's talents in a different light as well as displaying his love and deep knowledge of the blues overall.
(Click here to buy the Colin Cooper Project's From The Vaults from Amazon.com)
On March 11, 2014 Excitable Pressworks will proudly release That Devil Music: Best Rock Writing 2014, an anthology of writing about rock 'n' roll and the good folks that make the music.
That Devil Music: Best Rock Writing 2014 offers artist interviews, essays, articles, and album reviews that cross the entire spectrum of rock music, from classic rock and heavy metal to punk, prog-rock, and beyond. Inspired by Da Capo's annual Best Music Writing series (which was discontinued in 2011), That Devil Music is focused entirely on rock 'n' roll and includes articles on Big Star, Imagine Dragons, Greg Prevost, Clutch, Emitt Rhodes, the Replacements, Jimbo Mathus, and much more!
That Devil Music: Best Rock Writing 2014 was edited by veteran music critic Rev. Keith A. Gordon and features the work of a diverse group of two-dozen talented writers including talents like Steve Morley, Tommy Hash, Fred Mills, Denise Sullivan, Jason Gross, and Lee Zimmerman, among others. The book reprints vital and exciting material from the previous year from publications like Blurt magazine, Paste magazine, Perfect Sound Forever, Metal Injection, and the That Devil Music.com website. That Devil Music: Best Rock Writing 2014 is a 252-page, 5.5" x 8.5" trade paperback that features incredible Tim Shawl front and back cover artwork.
That Devil Music: Best Rock Writing 2014 is available directly from Excitable Press for the price of $14.99 in the US or £9.99 in the UK - we'll even pay the postage - by using the helpful PayPal buttons below:
Sadly, British music journalist and infamous rocker Mick Farren passed away last July, collapsing on stage while performing with a new line-up of his legendary 1960s-era band the Deviants. An influential rock critic from an era where writing about music actually swayed opinions, Farren's work for noted U.K. weekly New Music Express and for the International Times earned him a reputation as an insightful critic and writer. It was Farren's tenure with the Deviants that cemented his rock 'n' roll legacy, however, the notorious cult band releasing three influential and ground-breaking albums between 1967 and 1969.
Before his death, Farren had all but finished his final album, working with Deviants bandmate Andy Colquhoun on The Woman In The Black Vinyl Dress, released by Gonzo Multimedia in the U.K. “The initial vocal tracks were laid down by Mick in February 2012 at Brighton Electric," says Colquhoun in a press release for the new album. "Jaki Miles-Windmill added backing vocals, and some percussion at this session. I took the vocal tracks to my studio, Cybermusik, and overdubbed guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and more backing vocals, and also put the poetry in a song structure.” Colquhoun put the album together over a six month period, mixing the album in August 2012. The Woman In The Black Vinyl Dress was released on October 28th, 2013.
Farren's legacy extends far beyond music. A prolific writer, he had penned nearly two-dozen books during his lifetime, including several novels, books of poetry, a couple of autobiographical books, and four well-received books on Elvis Presley. For five years, from 2003 to 2008, Farren was a columnist for CityBeat in Los Angeles. From the 1970 release of Mona – The Carnivorous Circus, his solo debut, Farren has never strayed far from music. Through the years, he would record a number of albums, including the acclaimed Vampires Stole My Lunch Money, which included Chrissie Hynde (later of the Pretenders) as well as a handful of albums with a reunited line-up of the Deviants.
During his storied career, Farren also collaborated with artists as diverse as Wilko Johnson of Dr. Feelgood, Wayne Kramer (ex-MC5), Lemmy of Motorhead, and Hawkwind, among many others. His final collaboration with Colquhoun on The Woman In The Black Vinyl Dress represents the last entry in his artistic canon and a fitting swansong to an influential and free-thinking rock 'n' roll legend.
