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Post by ShardEnder on Jan 26, 2017 22:41:31 GMT
I didn't see this mentioned anywhere else, but I've just been sent a link to a very promising teaser clip of rehearsals that took place recently for a new live band including the legendary producer Trevor Horn, fellow Buggles/Yes member Geoff Downes (also formerly of Asia - what a CV!) on keyboards, famed Argent frontman and later solo artist Russ Ballard, ex-Smokie vocalist Chris Norman plus a very familiar drummer from Birmingham who's been in quite a few popular bands himself, with the resulting "dream team" covering a hit song you might remember by a certain Jeff Lynne:
Watch this space...
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Post by fourlittlediamonds on Jan 27, 2017 0:01:04 GMT
Very interesting, though I'm not sure about the involvement of the ex-Smokie vocalist, never liked that band or its singer! However, I wonder how this might influence or affect the Hall of Fame "reunion" hopes? Will Jeff be issuing another cease and desist order, at least as far as ELO's songs are concerned. And out of interest, who owns the rights to ELO's back catalogue?
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Post by ShardEnder on Jan 27, 2017 1:43:00 GMT
I've managed to find out a few more details about this group...
First of all, that rehearsal footage is from last month, and was filmed at Music Bank in London ahead of an upcoming show at the 02. Furthermore, it seems as if the same line-up may be joined by Lol Creme (formerly of 10cc and also briefly the Art of Noise*) for a set at a festival in August, where they are billed as The Trevor Horn Band - a continuation of The Producers, which Lol was also a member of. However, the best news is that I located what appears to be an officially connected Facebook account with another brief video, plus hints of this being a new project with intentions to embark on a stadium tour, possibly covering venues across Europe over the course of this year. One thing for sure is that they certainly weren't practicing as early as December for a handful of dates still months away. While an official name and live dates have yet to be confirmed, it's looking pretty clear all involved are planning something massive.
As for your question, I believe there isn't much Jeff can do about this new project, and following Bev selling his 50% share in the ELO name, my understanding is that Sony now technically owns the back catalogue, or at least the master tapes. Of course, the songwriting copyright remains with Jeff, but after recently learning for my book that he spent the last few weeks of 1980 at the old family home in Birmingham with his parents, having conducted stealthy research into a certain producer with the intention of "borrowing" ideas from this person for what became Time, it wouldn't surprise me if he's now kicking himself at missing out on the opportunity to share a stage and potentially get to have studio talk with at least one of Bev's latest colleagues, though I'd rather not say too much at this point except that Mr. Blue Sky definitely admires someone involved with this mysterious band.
*Oh, and there have been clues to a reunion of this collective on the horizon as well, not to mention Trevor Horn will be singing on at least two albums scheduled for release in 2017 from other very different yet connected groups!
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Post by fourlittlediamonds on Jan 27, 2017 3:19:57 GMT
Fascinating. The Lol Creme connection is also interesting given Mike Stephens involvement with 10cc. Be interesting to see what Bev has to say about this project in due course.
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Post by livinthing on Jan 27, 2017 7:23:14 GMT
Very interesting hearing about Jeff and Trevor Horn! Late 1980, Trevor would have been with Yes as their 'temporary' lead singer. Another ELO/Yes connection is that in a couple of months I am going to see ARW in Cardiff. I believe the bass guitarist is Lee Pomeroy!
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Post by ShardEnder on Jan 27, 2017 10:32:23 GMT
During the period I mentioned earlier, Trevor was still with Yes, plus he'd already recorded several demos for what became the final Buggles album, Adventures In Modern Recording. On top of this, he'd written, rehearsed and even performed material live as part of Yes for a planned follow-up to their Drama LP, which finally surfaced three decades later as the core of Fly From Here.
Without saying too much at this point, Jeff based the sound of Time on someone he considered one of the best contemporary producers around in 1980, and he also later asked Richard to report back on what the ELO keyboardist saw at Trevor's main studio, Sarm West, after working there on large portions of Earthrise with in-house engineer Steve Lipson. While that project didn't actually use a Fairlight CMI (or at least to my knowledge), it did lead to Jeff experimenting with one for his contributions to the Electric Dreams soundtrack, since he'd learned it was a key ingredient of the new trademark sound coming from the Zang Tumb Tuum label.
Just as Trevor would typically rely on resident ZTT programmer, future Art of Noise co-founder and fellow Yes/Buggles colleague Geoff Downes' former technician, Jonathan "JJ" Jeczalik, to work this synthesiser, Jeff had his own right hand man do most of what he described himself as a job closer to being a typist than a real musician, which is how Richard came to be credited on Let It Run, Sooner Or Later and Video! - the latter was even dismissed by one critic as sounding like a poor man's Trevor Horn, but now you should have a better understanding of why this was actually quite close to the truth...
P.S. When he's not playing with Jeff Lynne's ELO or Take That, Lee Pomeroy does indeed handle the bass duties for Yes spin-off ARW, and I should also point out that Rick Wakeman's name has also popped up a lot on the site where Bev's new supergroup was first sighted. In keeping with Trevor's longstanding tradition of introducing special guests over the course of his shows, could a certain other ex-Yes member be planning to make a surprise appearance for at least a song or two?
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Post by Chippa on Jan 27, 2017 20:39:35 GMT
Lol Creme sounds like someone just told a joke about a dairy product.
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Post by pelo on Jan 29, 2017 10:32:57 GMT
I've managed to find out a few more details about this group... First of all, that rehearsal footage is from last month, and was filmed at Music Bank in London ahead of an upcoming show at the 02. Furthermore, it seems as if the same line-up may be joined by Lol Creme (formerly of 10cc and also briefly the Art of Noise*) for a set at a festival in August, where they are billed as The Trevor Horn Band - a continuation of The Producers, which Lol was also a member of. However, the best news is that I located what appears to be an officially connected Facebook account with another brief video, plus hints of this being a new project with intentions to embark on a stadium tour, possibly covering venues across Europe over the course of this year. One thing for sure is that they certainly weren't practicing as early as December for a handful of dates still months away. While an official name and live dates have yet to be confirmed, it's looking pretty clear all involved are planning something massive. As for your question, I believe there isn't much Jeff can do about this new project, and following Bev selling his 50% share in the ELO name, my understanding is that Sony now technically owns the back catalogue, or at least the master tapes. Of course, the songwriting copyright remains with Jeff, but after recently learning for my book that he spent the last few weeks of 1980 at the old family home in Birmingham with his parents, having conducted stealthy research into a certain producer with the intention of "borrowing" ideas from this person for what became Time, it wouldn't surprise me if he's now kicking himself at missing out on the opportunity to share a stage and potentially get to have studio talk with at least one of Bev's latest colleagues, though I'd rather not say too much at this point except that Mr. Blue Sky definitely admires someone involved with this mysterious band. *Oh, and there have been clues to a reunion of this collective on the horizon as well, not to mention Trevor Horn will be singing on at least two albums scheduled for release in 2017 from other very different yet connected groups! Although I didn't know about Jeff spending late 1980 studying Trevor Horn's production techniques, The Buggles influence is quite obvious on "Time". I discuss this at length in my book. However, in my opinion, Jeff Lynne must have been admiring of quite a few synth pop acts at the time. Visage, for example. Ultravox, the New Romantics in general. Ever wondered why he used those French lyrics in Hold On Tight. In my opinion this was partly due to the New Romantic's obsession with the European continent (Vienna ... fade to grey - French lyrics) and partly because the song borrows some ideas from a French chanson. Interestingly enough, Trevor Horn, in turn, seems to have been influenced by ELO to some degree when he started his first recordings. (Of course, his most important influence was Kraftwerk.) Also note that Thomas Dolby, with whom Trevor was in a band, later went on record as saying that "Time" was one of his favourite albums.
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Post by jackpunch on Jan 30, 2017 21:15:14 GMT
They are having a laugh think they could sell out stadiums mind. They could probably do a 1970s tribute weekend at Butlins though
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Post by ShardEnder on Jan 31, 2017 0:04:17 GMT
I'd be very surprised if Jeff didn't also take notice of Thomas Dolby and his previous group, The Camera Club (whose Bruce Woolley even co-wrote several notable tracks for Buggles, going on to remain another frequent Trevor Horn collaborator). A further connection is that Dolby later went on to release an album co-produced by Bill Bottrell, though I'm not so convinced by the suggestion Trevor's newest band couldn't fill larger venues - he's only played a few low key shows ever since leaving Yes in late 1980, and Buggles have just one concert to their name so far, this being the aptly titled Lost Gig in September 2010, where tickets sold for £300 each! Sure, that was a one-off charity event, but Trevor is still regarded as a major artist to those in the know, and when combined with other similarly big names, I'm in little doubt they could pack a stadium or two...
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Post by jackpunch on Jan 31, 2017 7:13:47 GMT
You honestly think they could sell out 40k stadiums. Are we talking about UK...if so, not a chance.
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Post by Timeblue on Apr 29, 2022 21:36:11 GMT
Did anything become of this?
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Post by fluffy on Apr 29, 2022 22:31:09 GMT
I like this band! they also did "Needles & Pins"
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Post by Timeblue on May 1, 2022 13:34:02 GMT
I've always admired Trevor Horn, from Buggles to FGTH and to Yes, his production qualities are second to none...
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Post by Chippa on May 1, 2022 20:16:03 GMT
I've always admired Trevor Horn, from Buggles to FGTH and to Yes, his production qualities are second to none... I was shocked when I first heard that the guy responsible for Video Killed the Radio Star, also had a short stint as a member of Yes. What an odd fit.
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