http://www.theboot.com/2009/11/24/ringo-starr-y-not/

Former Beatle Ringo Starr's upcoming solo album, 'Y Not,' will feature two of
Nashville's most prolific songwriters -- Gary Burr and Gary Nicholson. The three
have developed a friendship over the years, as both Garys have played with Ringo
on previous albums, as part of the famed drummer's current band, the Roundheads.

"Getting to work with your musical heroes is always a thrill, and I was excited
to write with Ringo for his upcoming record," says Nicholson, a 2006 nominee for
the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and recipient of 26 ASCAP awards. The
song he wrote with Ringo and yet another Gary -- Gary Wright (who is part of
Ringo's All Starr Band) -- is 'Peace Dream,' which also features Beatle comrade
Paul McCartney on bass guitar.

"For our song, Gary (Wright) and I went to Ringo's house in Beverley Hills and
wrote to a track that he had built with help from Joe Walsh," Nicholson recalls.
Joe, of course, plays guitar for the Eagles, and is also married to Ringo's
wife's sister.

"When (my wife) Barbara and I were in LA for an event, Ringo invited us over to
hear it, and we took our son Travis with us and got to spend the afternoon with
Ringo," Nicholson remembers. "He played us the entire new record and gave us a
great tour of his place. Really a wonderful experience."

Nicholson boasts co-writes on a laundry list of some of the biggest hits in
country music, including Vince Gill's 'One More Last Chance,' Patty Loveless'
'The Trouble With the Truth' and Montgomery Gentry's 'She Couldn't Change Me.'

Gary Burr's musical roots also go deep with Ringo, having performed with him and
also collaborated with him on the 2003 album, 'Ringorama.' Since the late '80s,
Burr has become one of Nashville's most sought-after writers, being named
Songwriter of the Year on three separate occasions by three separate
organizations: Billboard, ASCAP and the Nashville Songwriter's Association
International. Some of his most famous co-writes include Juice Newton's 'Love's
Been a Little Bit Hard on Me,' Lorrie Morgan's 'Watch Me' and Wynonna's 'To Be
Loved By You,' just to name a few.

Ringo Starr's new album, 'Y Not,' hits stores in January

http://mbouffant.blogspot.com/2009/11/23-november-frederick-county-gets.html
 
In 1974, singer-musician Gary Wright left the band Spooky Tooth for a solo
career. He went on to have success with "Dream Weaver."

http://dropoutrecords.blogspot.com/2009/11/gordon-jackson-thinking-back-rare-aci\
d.html

Singer, guitarist, and drummer Gordon Jackson released a rare album for the
Marmalade label in 1969, Thinking Back, that bore much similarity to records of
the era by Traffic and (more distantly) Family. The resemblance wasn't casual,
as several members of Traffic and Family helped out on the record, alongside
other notables like Julie Driscoll and Luther Grosvenor of Spooky Tooth;
Traffic's Dave Mason, in fact, was the producer. Thinking Back had the same sort
of loose mixture of psychedelic rock with jazz, folk, and bits of soul and world
music that characterized some of Traffic's work. The material wasn't as strong
or focused as Traffic's or Family's, but it had a nice introspective groove with
haunting, minor-keyed melodies.

please read email below and if anyone's interested in more details,
please contact Kristine - your_snow_babe@...

----- Pôvodná správa -----
Predmet:  spooky tooth
Dátum:  Sun, 8 Nov 2009 14:49:40 -0800 (PST)
Od:  Kristine <your_snow_babe@...>
Pre:  info@...



Hello
I have an original vintage vinyl album of the spooky tooth band. Was
wondering if you had a fan memrobilia place that I might be able to sell
this at.
Thank you
Kristine Casanova

http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=9538

Paul McCartney has contributed to a couple of tracks on the new Ringo Starr
album `Y Not`.

McCartney plays bass on the track "Peace Dream' and sings on `walk With You'.

"Paul was doing the Grammys, so he came over to the house and was playing bass
on `Peace Dream." So I played him this other track and Paul said, `Give me the
headphones. Give me a pair of cans.' And he went to the mike and he just
invented that part where he follows on my vocal. That was all Paul McCartney,
and there could be nothing better. He makes it bigger and he makes it fuller. It
makes the song like a conversation between us, and that was Paul's idea to do
his part one beat behind me. That's why he's a gen-i-us and an incredible bass
player," Ringo said in a statement.

Ringo produced this album himself. In fact, it is the first time he has had a
crack at production. "I was the least involved in the production of the Beatle
records," he said. "And then with my solo records, I worked with some other
great producers like Richard Perry, Arif Mardin, and Don Was. So it just seemed
like that's the way that it goes. Then suddenly, it's another point in your
life, and you say, `I'm going do this now.' So I'll be producing anything I make
from now on. That's the good news. It's a confidence thing, I suppose. And Y Not
is really another way of me saying, "Yes, I can."

The album will also feature appearances from Joe Walsh, Joss Stone, Dave
Stewart, Richard Marx, Gary Wright and Van Dyke Parks.

`Y Not' will be released on Hip-O Records through Universal in January.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ringo-starr-declares-y-not-70556107.html
For the first time ever, Starr produces himself on his most personal album yet.
Ringo is joined on Y Not by old and new friends including Paul McCartney, with
whom Starr sings on Y Not's stunning first single, 'Walk With You,' a moving new
song about the power of friendship. Ringo meets Hip-O on Starr's latest solo
effort released January 12th on Hip-O Records/UMe
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Throughout recorded history, great artists
across the universe have dared to ask "Why?" On January 12, 2010, one brave man
named Ringo finally boldly declares the ultimate answer -- Y Not.
 
For the first time in one of popular music's most enduring and illustrious
careers, Ringo Starr has decided to take charge and produce himself. The result
is perhaps the most personal and impressive album of this rock legend's entire
solo career. How on earth did Starr finally locate the absolutely perfect
producer to work with him? "Well, I looked in the mirror," Ringo says with a
smile. "And I was looking real groovy that day."
Starr's decision to take a stronger role in the recording of his latest and
greatest solo album was a significant and fortuitous one. "I didn't do it at the
start," Starr says. "I was the least involved in the production of the Beatle
records. And then with my solo records, I worked with some other great producers
like Richard Perry, Arif Mardin, and Don Was. So it just seemed like that's the
way that it goes. Then suddenly, it's another point in your life, and you say,
'I'm going do this now.' So I'll be producing anything I make from now on.
That's the good news. It's a confidence thing, I suppose. And Y Not is really
another way of me saying, 'Yes, I can.'"
The joyous result of Starr looking in the mirror is Y Not, a groovy and deeply
felt song cycle that finds Ringo leading a smaller core group of old and new
friends including longtime pal and recent brother-in-law Joe Walsh, Dave Stewart
and longtime Roundheads member Steve Dudas on guitar, Benmont Tench of Tom Petty
and the Heartbreakers on keyboards, Don Was and Mike Bradford on bass. The album
also features Starr's engineer and co-producer Bruce Sugar on keyboards, as well
as some special guests like Joss Stone, Ben Harper and Richard Marx on vocals,
Ann Marie Calhoun on violin and Tina Sugandh -- aka Tina The Tabla Girl - on
tabla and chanting. Starr's songwriting collaborators on Y Not also include
familiar and new names like Joe Walsh, Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Glen Ballard,
Richard Marx, Van Dyke Parks, Gary Nicholson plus Gary Wright and his former
Roundhead band member, Gary Burr.
 
Yet no collaborator featured on Y Not is likely to receive as much attention as
Starr's former bandmate and longstanding mate Paul McCartney, who adds a
characteristically brilliant bass part to the inspiring "Peace Dream" -- Starr's
latest heartfelt plea for peace and love -- and even more notably provides his
unmistakably fabulous vocals to "Walk With You," an exquisite new composition by
Starr and Van Dyke Parks.
 
"Walk With You" is a moving, even spiritual meditation about the lasting power
of friendship, and McCartney's inspired participation on the track was a
testament to McCartney's generosity of spirit and musical talent. "Paul was
doing the Grammys, so he came over to the house and was playing bass on 'Peace
Dream.' So I played him this other track and Paul said, 'Give me the headphones.
Give me a pair of cans.' And he went to the mike and he just invented that part
where he follows on my vocal. That was all Paul McCartney, and there could be
nothing better. He makes it bigger and he makes it fuller. It makes the song
like a conversation between us, and that was Paul's idea to do his part one beat
behind me. That's why he's a gen-i-us and an incredible bass player."
 
Indeed, there's a whole lot of genius on display throughout Y Not. Highpoints
here include "Fill In The Blanks," the album's rocking opening track written,
played and sung only by Starr and Walsh. Then there's "The Other Side Of
Liverpool," a revealing autobiographical song that explores Starr's earliest and
darkest days. "People believe I was born, was a Beatle and lived in a big
house," Starr explains. "And where I come from was a very dark, damp, violent
neighborhood. I wanted to write another little snapshot of my life, and I'm
going to do this every album. It's better for me than doing it in a book. In two
lines I can say what would take five pages. Like the song says, 'The other side
of Liverpool is cold and damp/Only way out of there/drums, guitar and amp.'"
Starr was already particularly thrilled with one early review for the first
album he produced that came from someone he helped produce too. "I just played
it for my son Zak," Starr explains. "And Zak was so great. He said, 'Dad, it's
great. This rocks! You should have been doing this forever.' It's nice coming
from your boy, especially since he's a really good drummer."
 
Listen for yourself. And hear Ringo Starr -- also a really good drummer -- doing
exactly what he should be doing today and forever.
Why?
Y Not.

http://www.woodytone.com/2009/11/17/mick-jones-early-foreigner-gear/

1958 black Les Paul Custom

> Bought in 1973.

> "He altered the electronics, first removing the middle of the three pickups on
the guitar. The other pickups have been rewired several times [this does not
seem to mean rewound]. In the middle position of a specially-wired toggle
switch, the pickups are off. In the up position, the signal goes through the
pickups, volume and tone controls. And in the down position the volume and tone
controls are bypassed, and everything is set on full. Mick uses this last
setting primarily for solos."

> He used this guitar on the first two Foreigner albums – Foreigner (1977) and
Double Vision (1978), as well as in 1974, during the last year with his
pre-Foreigner band Spooky Tooth, and when he played with Leslie West in 1975

http://thesilvertongueonline.com/?p=2854

Foreigner broke onto the now classic rock scene in 1977 winning over fans with
the classic rock anthem "Feels like the first Time". Over 30 years later,
Foreigner continues to tour and perform to a devoted fan base while earning new
fans through impeccable live performances.

Founding guitarist Mick Jones is the sole remaining member from Foreigner's
classic lineup. With all due respect to founding members, Jones has put together
a group of musicians beyond typical session players that gel together like a
band that has been performing together for decades.

Touring in support of their appropriately titled release "Cant' Slow Down",
Foreigner stops in the south to deliver an epic performance at Atlanta's premier
OTP venue Wild Bills which is rapidly becoming the venue of choice for
witnessing classic and emerging acts in an large but intimate venue.


As Foreigner took the stage, the capacity crowd was treated with a relentless
set of superbly executed hits beginning with classics "Double Vision", "Head
Games", "Cold as Ice","Blue Morning"., and "Waiting for a girl like you". Lead
vocalist Kelly Hansen, formerly of 80's rock band Hurricane, left no doubt that
he could carry the soulful and soaring lyrics of the band and won over fans with
a strong and engaging stage presence.


Midway through the 90+ minute set, the band continued to rip through their
catalog of career hits delivering "Starrider", "Feels Like the First Time",
"Urgent", and crowd favorite "Dirty White Boy". The band truly shined through
these classics and featured over the top performances by bassist/vocalist Jeff
Pilson of Dokken, Sax and Rhythm guitarist Thom Gimbel, keyboardist Michael
Bluestein, and drummer Brian Tithy. All the while Mick Jones passionately
carried lead guitar duties and shredded solo after solo from center stage with
youthful and reckless abandon. The show closed on the classic Foreigner anthem
"Juke Box Hero" with backing vocals carried by the crowd as they morphed the
song in and out of the Zeppelin classic "Whole Lotta Love".


As the crowd chanted "Foreigner, Foreigner, Foreigner" the band returned to the
stage to end the night with a three song encore of "I want to know what love
is", "Hot Blooded", and the rocking "Long Long way from home".


Whether a die hard fan of the classic Foreigner lineup or a fan of the bands
music, this now classic and youthful lineup presents a show not to miss and
ensures the music of Foreigner will forever live in rock history while
continuing to thrive in contemporary modern times.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/nov/12/frontman-kelly-hansen-brings-fine-fo\
rm-foreigner/

Frontman Kelly Hansen brings fine form to Foreigner

Though he sang, "It feels just like the first time," it was clear Wednesday
night that a Foreigner concert wasn't the first one for front man Kelly Hansen.

The singer stepped up to the Foreigner mic five years ago and has successfully
filled the void that the band's original singer, Lou Gramm, left when he quit
the group two years earlier. (Gramm took two years off in the early `90s before
ultimately leaving the group in 2003.)

While Hansen may be a stand-in in the eyes of Foreigner purists, he proved once
again last night that he has what it takes to front one of rock `n' roll's most
enduring live acts.

(And, let's face the facts: Foreigner purists are a hard group to please thee
days, considering guitarist Mick Jones is the only founding member that remains
in the band.)

To say 48-year-old Hansen sounded good would not do him justice. He sounded
great – just like Gramm back in the '70s.

Prior to the show, Jones told the Las Vegas Sun that the latest incarnation of
Foreigner sounds so good live that they could be mistaken for a recording.

"I think if you close your eyes you'd probably think you were listening to a
record," he said.

While it's not uncommon for musicians (and artists, and actors, and people in
general) to talk themselves up in advance of an event, then fall short when the
moment finally arrives, Wednesday's concert in Primm proved Jones right.

Though hits like, "Feels Like the First Time," "Cold as Ice" and "Long Long Way
From Home" were all released more than 30 years ago, Hansen, Jones and the rest
of the group sounded just like Foreigner did on their debut record.

The concert at the Star of the Desert Arena was a non-stop study of rock `n'
roll 101: The show was full of quintessential rock star poses, rock star moves,
and, yes, rock star chops.

Granted, there were no scissor kicks, but there were more than enough serious
rock-show staples to make up for it:

Hansen's pants were tighter than Mariah Carey's miniskirt. Meanwhile, his shirt
was more unbuttoned than buttoned, which allowed him to show off his chest and
quintessential rocker accessory, an oversized cross necklace.

The singer wasn't the only one wearing tight pants last night – and none of the
band members were shy about their choice of attire. At one point, Hansen
introduced one of his bandmates as, "Mr. Thom Gimbel on the sax and in some very
tight pants."

In addition to their tight pants, both Hansen and Gimbel wore sunglasses
throughout most of the show, despite the fact that the sun had long been set
when they took to the stage just after 8:15 p.m. last night. And they were
indoors.

Drummer Brian Tichy was a shameless self-promoter (or ran out of clean clothes)
and wore a Foreigner T-shirt throughout the show.

The strongest spotlight on the stage was focused upon Jones who, as the only
original Foreigner band member still in the group, was deserving of the
attention.

Hansen led the crowd in a few obligatory chants, including, "Let me hear you say
yeah! (yeah) Let me hear you say yeah-yeah! (Yeah! Yeah!) C'mon let me hear you
say yeah-e-yeah! (Yeah-e-yeah!) One more time, let me hear you say yeah..."

Though the six-piece has a totally capable keyboard player – Michael Bluestein;
more on him in a minute – Jones apparently insisted on playing the keys on two
songs last night – and didn't take his guitar off to do it. There were five
keyboards onstage: Four for Bluestein and one for Jones when he wanted it.

While bassist Jeff Plison did not demonstrate his ability to play more than one
instrument, he made up for his lack of multiple musical ability in headbanging,
hair-tossing, and Muppet-style head-dancing (think Janice-meets-Floyd Pepper).

Tichy, who may have very well been a majorette in another life, demonstrated his
dexterity by tossing drumsticks a good 10 feet into the air between counts, then
catching them time after time, without missing a beat. "Impressive" would be an
understatement.

There were grown men -- overgrown men actually (think 60-plus and pushing 240
pounds) – in the audience, completely and shamelessly rocking out on air guitar.

Also in the crowd: glow sticks; tie-dye T-shirts; couples dancing (and spinning
each other) in the aisles. Notably absent: The smell of marijuana (which was,
ahem, noted a few month back when Snoop Dogg played the very same venue); crowd
surfing; women flinging their underwear onstage and/or flashing the band. (Or,
if there was, it went sadly unnoticed by this reporter.)

If things with Foreigner don't work out, Bluestein could easily make it in a boy
band: In addition to musical talent and far-better-than-average dance moves,
even from his position behind four keyboards it was clear that he possesses the
sort of charisma that only a few very lucky (and charismatic) men have: The kind
of that allows them to wear white pants. And a choker. And the sort of headset
microphone popularized by Madonna and Britney Spears (and, yes, incoming Wynn
headliner Garth Brooks) in the `90s.

While the young heartthrob-in-waiting appears to be having a good time with
Foreigner and is a welcome addition to the group, he clearly missed his boyband
calling: Like Hansen and, to a lesser extent, Jones, Bluestein also loves the
spotlight. He indulged in a rather epic synth solo, accentuated by Harry
Potter-like theatrics where he held his left hand up over the key deck and made
like his hovering hand was controlling a magic spell of sound. Again: he missed
his calling.

Tichy eventually hijacked Bluestein's solo and, after another while, he threw
his drumsticks into the crowd, and instead opted to wail upon his kit with his
hands. Did he look like a caveman? Yes. But it was pretty awesome, too.

Prior to ditching the sticks, Tichy poured liquid of some sort (Water? Beer?
Patron?) onto the face of one of his tom-toms, which produced an effect
reminiscent of Blue Man Group whenever he hit it.

It should be noted, however, that all the theatrics didn't come without good
reason: As Jones told the Sun earlier this week, the band is in the process of
filming a music video for its single, "When it Comes to Love."

Armed with video cameras, a small army of men captured footage of Hansen's
well-practiced rock star moves (including a rather elaborate routine involving
the mic stand), as well as Jones as he relished the spotlight and the rest of
the live show.

Those who were in the crowd will be able to relive the night and perhaps catch a
glimpse of themselves on the small screen when the video is released.

The main set lasted exactly 90 minutes, including that epic keyboard-synth-drum
solo. An additional 20 minutes of rock `n' roll came courtesy of the encore yet
the band didn't immediately retreat backstage after the music was done.

Instead, they treated fans to two minutes of hand-shaking, guitar pick-throwing
and drumstick-tossing before they ultimately came together, joined arms and took
a big, sweeping bow.

Despite the abundance of what some might call rock `n' roll clichés, Foreigner
gave the sort of rock `n' roll show that the rock `n' roll gods intended rock
`n' roll bands to give.

----- Original Message -----

From: Köhler, Manfred

To: spooky_tooth@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 05:26

Subject: Betreff: [spooky_tooth] Foreigner on Howard Stern

 

Hi Gerry, all;   enjoy this yideos:   http://blogs.myspace.com/foreignermusic   ATB ===> Manfred   -------Originalmeldung-------   Von: GerardY Datum: 11/11/09 05:17:37 An: spooky_tooth@yahoogroups.com Betreff: [spooky_tooth] Foreigner on Howard Stern   http://www.howardstern.com/   FOREIGNER IS IN-STUDIO   The guys from Foreigner stopped by to promote their new album, "Can't Slow Down." Howard asked when they'd finally parted with their old lead singer, Lou Gramm, so Mick Jones said Lou left after he woke from surgery (to remove a brain tumor) and announced he only wanted to write/perform Christian music. Which everyone thought was an unusual reason for bands to break up as it's usually money, drugs or women at the root of all breakups.   Mick said the band fell apart repeatedly before they found a line-up that worked: "We had to improve on each album and that took its toll, you know?" Howard wondered how Mick retained the Foreigner name, and Mick explained that Lou blew it: "He set the precedent by leaving the band about 3 times." The band then treated the crew to an acoustic performance of their very first hit, "Feels Like the First Time." MICK JONES ON ROCK HISTORY   Howard asked if the original Foreigner line-up would ever reunite, and Mick shrugged: "Lou has sort of approached me about putting the original band back together but we've come so far with this – with this band...I've never been with guys that really click like this...certainly if we ever have a slight chance of getting into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame." Mick told the crew about hanging with the Beatles at a restaurant in Paris. The Fab Four was serviced by some very attractive fans mid-meal: "The next thing I know the table's moving." Mick said he was with his girlfriend and trying to distract her, but things took an obvious turn when the Beatles all dived below deck to return the favor.       ------------------------------------   Yahoo! Groups Links   <*> To visit your group on the web, go to:     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spooky_tooth/   <*> Your email settings:     Individual Email | Traditional   <*> To change settings online go to:     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spooky_tooth/join     (Yahoo! ID required)   <*> To change settings via email:     spooky_tooth-digest@yahoogroups.com     spooky_tooth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com   <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:     spooky_tooth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com   <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/