18 December 2012: A Jethro Tull Christmas


The Jethro Tull Christmas Album is the 21st studio album released by Jethro Tull, on 30 September 2003 (see 2003 in music). The songs are a mix of new material, re-recordings of Tull's own suitably themed material and arrangements of traditional Christmas music. In 2009, the live album Christmas at St Bride's 2008 was included with the original album on CD.
Ian Anderson about the song Birthday Card at Christmas: "My daughter Gael, like millions of other unfortunates, celebrates her birthday within a gnat’s whisker of Christmas. Overshadowed by the Great Occasion, such birthdays can be flat, perfunctory and fleetingly token in their uneventful passing. The daunting party and festive celebration of the Christian calendar overshadows too, some might argue, the humble birthday of one Mr. J. Christ. Funny old 25ths, Decembers…"

11 Dec 2012: Matt Stevens (Spencer Park Music Sampler)& Organic Space



UK prog guitar virtuoso Matt Stevens offers a grab bag of his solo recordings, Yonks (his collaboration with producer and electronica artist, Lextrical), and his band The Fierce And The Dead on the Spencer Park Music Sampler 2012. Matt is on a roll lately and his talent is being recognised as an important artist by the UK prog press.
Some of the stuff hasn't been released before, making it worthwhile for his longtime followers.
Matt Stevens: Spencer Park Music Sampler 2012 Download it for free from his website.
Tracks:
  1. The Fierce And The Dead - On VHS 04:52
  2. Matt Stevens - Sand (Part 2) Extended Mix 05:29
  3. Yonks - Yonks 8 05:27
  4. Matt Stevens - Frost 02:47
  5. Matt Stevens - Dolls House (Dandelion Radio Sessions Version) 14:01
  6. The Fierce And The Dead - 666...6 04:42
  7. Matt Stevens - Eleven 02:35
  8. The Fierce And The Dead - Andy Fox 06:09
Influences:




04 December 2012: Octane Twisted - Porcupine Tree

Recorded in a concert at the Riviera Theater, Chicago, on April 30, 2010. The 2 disc set consists of The Incident played in its entirety, and songs recorded at the band's 2010 show at the Royal Albert Hall.