To celebrate the re-release of his Star Fleet Project, guitarist Brian May is pushing out some new and old video clips of the band at work.
The re-release is a 40th anniversary celebration of Brian May's solo side project. When May went out to recruit musicians for his Star Fleet Project, he probably didn't quite know what to expect - or have any idea of what the all-star group would produce. Of course, the biggest get was Eddie Van Halen.
The special reissue features lots of musical outtakes and behind-the-scenes conversations between the musicians. For Queen fanatics - or just guitar nuts in general - getting this reissue on vinyl seems like a no-brainer.
The Singles: Echoes From the Edge of Heaven (Sony) is a new retrospective of the amazingly fast and successful career of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as the duo WHAM! The retrospective was released worldwide on July 7, 2023.
The release is to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the WHAM! debut album Fantastic and also the recent Netflix documentary.
I have the gatefold, 2-LP edition of the The Singles on 180g black vinyl, and yes, I purchased when the package was announced. The package is a chronological look at WHAM! and their biggest hits, starting with "Wham Rap!" and ending with "Where Did Your Heart Go."
For some odd reason, "Careless Whisper" is not part of the package. A shame since it is the biggest hit that George and Andrew wrote together. Plus, the song has a huge part in both the Netflix documentary and Andrew Ridgeley's 2019 book about his time in WHAM!
Beyond radio singles, the greatest hits release also includes some popular remixes as well. After all, WHAM! created music for dance floors!
There are many versions of The Singles, including a special box that has each single as a 7" record in a little carrying case. It's super cute and crazy expensive (it also includes a book and cassette tape, too). I chose to purchase the vinyl 2LP because I did not have all the WHAM! songs for my record player yet. I already have "Careless Whisper" on one of my George Michael records, so I'm good. I won't need to purchase any more WHAM! vinyl in the future. I suspect with the rebirth of the popularity of vinyl, that was the thought process behind this new package. For folks who are lucky enough to own original pressings of Fantastic and Make It Big, there is no need for this special anniversary release, except maybe to see the great inside cover art and read the lovely liner notes.
I have been enjoying my new vinyl quite a lot. The sound is bloody fantastic and "Club Tropicana" is just perfect for summer. I pop it on and Eric just shakes his head and smiles. It's hard not to smile when an infectious and goofy track like "Club Tropicana" is pumping in the background.
From my inbox: a special YouTube find posted a couple days ago. A full Badlands concert back in 1991. So many good Jake E. Lee guitar parts here! This is a really cool find. Pump up your volume so you can hear better and enjoy. Happy Saturday!
"Shot of Poison" is Lita Ford's best song. Fight me if you disagree! Most people think "Kiss Me Deadly" is her best track but I prefer "Shot of Poison."
For my money, the track is way more catchy and rocks harder. I actually wish Hair Nation played the song more.
Last In Line will tour America this fall. The band is basically the original DIO lineup... without Ronnie James Dio of course. This makes Last In Line a super group now, featuring folks like Vivian Campbell and Vinny Appice. Of course, Vivian is also a guitarist for Def Leppard and when I saw the tour announcement yesterday, my first thought was... "How does he have the energy?"
Maybe these guys that tour relentlessly are super-human or something. All I know is I am usually exhausted by work and I'm not traveling from place to place and changing time zones constantly. My job isn't physical. I'm not in the heat.
Last In Line will tour in support of a new album called Jericho, which came out at the end of March. Clearly Last In Line couldn't tour because of Vivian's Def Leppard commitments, but the fall is fair game. Last In Line will also be part of the Rock Legends Cruise XI with Sammy Hagar and Bret Michaels in February 2024.
Good lord, I'm dying a slow death by Power Point! I'm buried in work. Someone text me if anything big in the world of Glam happens today. I feel like I'm losing my mind!
I've been waiting for this announcement: the 2024 RokIsland Fest lineup is here! The fest takes place January 17-20, 2024 in Key West, Florida.
Headliners including Night Ranger, Tom Keifer, Bret Michaels and Stone Temple Pilots. Surprises to me include Don Felder, Trixter and Bowling for Soup. See the whole lineup below. General on-sale happens July 18.
Monday, July 17, 2023 at 01:05PM 
The Singles: Echoes From the Edge of Heaven (Sony) is a new retrospective of the amazingly fast and successful career of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as the duo WHAM! The retrospective was released worldwide on July 7, 2023.