BEEHIVE CANDY

I was first introduced to Ten Years After through their third album Stonedhenge way back in 1969. Although the album itself was quite experimental for some reason it 'registered' with me and their following four albums became firm favorites of mine and still get an airing from time to time these days. Ten Years After may have reached a wider audience as a result of Woodstock, however one way or another they would have broken through with their explosive mixture of rock'n'roll, blues and exceptional musicianship. This is Ten Years After live at the Winterland, San Francisco, California back on the 30th April 1971. Alvin Lee may have been the photographers favorite and his guitar playing is astonishing however TYA were always a band and listening to this concert I am reminded of just how much each member contributed to the overall mixtures of styles and creativity. There is even a drum solo (what would a rock gig in the early seventies have been without the obligat...

This is Nico & Tangerine Dream recorded live at the Cathedrale Notre-Dame, Reims, France, way back on the 13th December 1974. This recording was sourced from the a broadcast of the event on France Inter Radio and has been widely circulated as a silver CD boot. The majority of this recording is of Nico performing solo with a Harmonium (she was the supporting artist) however over time Tangerine Dream seem to have been 'upped' considerably in the credits. The venues audio characteristics along with Nico's haunting style have a significant effect on this recording that as a result produced music of a timeless and fascinating nature. About.com included this event in a list of 10 Infamous Concerts and had the following to say: ' Tangerine Dream —those krautrock  innovators turned new-age synth wallpaperists— picked an amazing venue for a show in December, 1974: Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral; which had historically hosted the coronations of French Kings. Unfortuna...

For lovers of instrumental music this is a stunning concert from Mogwai recorded live at The Gothic Theatre, Denver, Colorado, USA, back on the 3rd May 2006. Audio quality is superb and would pass comfortably as an official release. Five of the tracks are from the album 'Mr Beast' which was released just two months earlier on March 6th, 2006. For those of you new or unfamiliar with Mogwai, they are a Scottish post-rock band, who formed in 1995 in Glasgow. Wikipedia rather clinically states 'the band typically composes lengthy guitar-based instrumental pieces that feature dynamic contrast, melodic bass guitar lines, and heavy use of distortion and effects' . They do occasionally sing and track eight 'Cody' is a beautiful example of this dimension, however these guys are so good, that they just draw you into their layers and textures in every piece. Their style has been influenced by bands including MC5, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and post-...

The final selection for September and a shed load of great music to cover, so plenty of copying from PR material to give some background on the artists, as is always the case take it as read that we like and recommend checking out these people. The Phantom Band was pulled together from all four corners of Scotland, settling on Glasgow as PB HQ. Duncan Marquiss (guitar), Gerry Hart (bass), Andy Wake (keyboards), Rick Anthony (vocals) and Greg Sinclair (guitars) are a volatile cabal of creative contradictions: a disorientating amalgam of music, art and performance that defies categorisation and provides an object lesson in how to forge something distinct and unique from well-worn sources. Checkmate Savage won plaudits from the mainstream music press and the indie blogs alike, finding famous fans in Peter Buck and comic artist Frank Quitely, while the influential music emporium Piccadilly Records named it their album of the year. Their new album may be The Wants, but what do The Phan...

This is Flo & Eddie live in concert at The Roxy Theatre, Hollywood, California, USA back on the 26th September 1976. Flo & Eddie are Howard Kaylan, "Eddie", and Mark Volman, "Flo" aka "Phlorescent Leech". The two were the original founding members of the wonderful sixties band The Turtles. After the Turtles dissolved, Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman first joined the Mothers of Invention  as "Phlorescent Leech & Eddie". Due to contractual restrictions made early in their career, Mark and Howard were prevented from using the name "The Turtles", as well as their own names in a musical context. The Phlorescent Leech and Eddie were actual nicknames of two of the Mothers of Invention road crew. When bandleader Frank Zappa  was injured during a concert in London in 1971, Kaylan and Volman found themselves at an impasse, as the Mothers of Invention were out of action for a time. They responded to these events by recording The ...

This is Editors live at the Club Maria, Berlin, Germany on the 25th September 2009. This was just before their third album 'In This Light and on This Evening' was released (12th October 2009) and includes eight songs from that album release. Editors have so far achieved two platinum studio albums, selling over two million copies between them worldwide. Their debut album The Back Room was released in 2005. It contained hits such as "Munich" and "Blood" and the following year received a Mercury Prize nomination. Their follow-up album An End Has a Start went to number 1 in the UK Album Chart in June 2007 and earned the band a Brit Awards nomination for best British Band. It also spawned another Top 10 hit single with the release of "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors". After their continued success in the charts, sold out tours and numerous headlining festival slots, Editors received critical acclaim. Their brand of dark indie rock is habitual...

The second September edition is all over the place in a positive sort of way. Loads of different styles and moods from both new and established artists and we start with someone with real style and class. Grammy nominated Sylvia Bennett , (and we quote) the timeless smooth jazz and pop vocalist sings of love with a warmth, clarity and spirit that is enveloping and tender, showcasing the depth of her skill, talent and experience. She's sung with Lionel Hampton and she's sung for presidents - all with a singular style and intimacy that is hers and hers alone. Quoting some more however it's all pretty much 'on the nail' - 'Sylvia Bennett's big break came in the 1980's, when legendary vibraphonist (and National Arts Award Winner) Lionel Hampton took Sylvia under his wing and made her the first female singer to record with him in thirty years. She recounts, “Lionel validated me as a performer and inspired me to be the best singer I can be. He made me re...

Keeping the emphasis on rock with a capital R for a little bit longer this is Lita Ford live at the Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, California, USA back in 1992. After The Runaways split in 1979, Lita began a solo career. Her first album Out for Blood as well as the title single were released in 1983 and had no luck on the charts. The next effort, 1984's Dancin' on the Edge  achieved moderate success. It included the single "Fire In My Heart" which reached the Top 10 in several countries. The next single "Gotta Let Go" was one of Ford's biggest hits. It reached Number One on the Mainstream Rock charts. Lita Ford toured extensively and made several guest appearances on TV shows for the next four years, but had no releases; a follow-up to Dancin' On The Edge, titled The Bride Wore Black, was abandoned and never released because Ford did not like the production of the album and this upset the head of her record label, leading to Lita switching f...

We think it only fair to admit that Beehive Candy has been a little gentle just lately with our selection of live concert material.  Well to help rectify this situation who better than the multi talented and highly energised legend that is Nina Hagen . This is Nina live in concert at Rockpalast in Bonn, Germany back on the 28th August 1999. The gig consists of a number of her original songs of which some are sung in English and some covers of well known English language songs that are sung in German. All of which provides some incredible twists and turns. As I do not speak German at all (except to say please and thank you badly) I can only guess of what is being said between numbers however whatever the language one cannot mistake high energy, passion and an element of the surreal. If you are not familiar with Nina Hagen but love any of the genres described below you will I think find this introduction a fascinating experience, if you are then this is a must have (yes we do s...

Well we are a little slow of the mark this month bringing you a selection of new music, so thats our current excuse for rushing headlong through eight great new selections of music that really do take us in different directions. We start very gently with a track from 'Under The Sodium Lights' which is Drew Sullivan’s Slow Dancing Society latest ambient epic. We are told that "The album feels like a distillation of the three stunning releases that preceded it – and as such is Sullivan’s finest work to date. The delicate interplay between focused melodic details and blurred washes of sound draws the listener into a hypnotic state, where the waking world and the world of sleep cascade in and out of balance". Or to put it another way it's a great selection of music that fans of ambient and mood music should love and a wider selection of people should also check out! Under The Sodium Lights sees its official release on 30 September 2010 through Australian label ...