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 THE FINN BROTHERS |
 BILL WYMAN |
 CAMERON MICHAEL PARKS |
 SPOCK'S BEARD |
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ADRIAN BELEW
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THE
FINN BROTHERS
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WILLIAM SHATNER Has Been (Shout! Factory)
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BILL
WYMAN'S RHTYHM KINGS Just For A Thrill (Fuel)
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CAMERON MICHAEL PARKES A Tribute To Brian Wilson (Varese Vintage)
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SPOCK'S
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When
he’s not finger-snappin’ in his power pop band The Bears or
weaving complex guitar figures live and in the studio with Robert Fripp
and King Crimson, Adrian Belew further refines his muse with the occasional
solo album. Described as a conscious attempt to work in a power trio
format for the first time, Side One finds Belew performing a
range of instruments in the company of Primus bass guitarist Les
Claypool and Tool drummer Danny Carey. The resulting nine
track 33 minute 2005 CD is a devastating sonic assault touching on a
wealth of classic Belew maneuvers—combining a Crimson-esque complexity
with Belew’s unique ability to recreate the intensity of late ‘70s
Bowie or Talking Heads. Describing the M.O. of Side One, Belew
adds, “In a power trio you almost have to overplay. It forces ingenuity
and puts a lot of pressure on each player, but I enjoy that. What’s
challenging as the vocalist and guitarist is that sometimes I am triggering
guitar loops while I’m playing. We call it ‘belewyps.’
I’m my own rhythm guitar player.” Belew intends to further
his interest in the D.J. mode of drum loops and synth pads on a late
2005 release of Side Two and then plans to reunite with Claypool
and Carey for more songs on the eventually planned Side Three. Describing
his planned tour show casing material from all three CDs, Belew promises
to hook up with an unknown bass guitarist and drummer in an effort to
give a couple of musicians a break, much like the late, great Frank
Zappa did for him 
Being
six years younger than brother Tim Finn, younger brother, guitarist
Neil Finn seemed like the new guy in Split Enz back in
the late ‘70s, at least until he started writing some of their
biggest hits. Of course, it was years after those classic early Phil
Manzanera produced Split Enz albums for Chrysalis, Neil achieved stardom
with Crowded House. Re-teaming with Tim at various junctures, both have
been keeping the Enz legacy alive. Their 2005 CD on Nettwerk, Everyone
Is Here is produced more like space age ELO/Badfinger style
pop than the quirky "guitaristic" art-rock band that made
Mental Notes back in ‘76. Quibbles aside, on killer
songs like “Part Of Me, Part Of You” their unique songwriting
talents exquisitely rise again, displaying a knack for rock orchestration
and pop know-how. The layered pop sound on Everyone Is Here is
enhanced with the appearance of fine musicians like string arranger
Tony Visconti, Mitchell Froom, steel wiz B.J. Cole,
Jon Brion (guitar) and Matt Chamberline (drums). 
He
may have been immortalized as the esteemed Captain Kirk on Star Trek,
yet on his 2004 CD William Shatner bears his mortal coil
with some bizarre results. On Has Been, Shatner’s
first album in 35 years, he once again features his unique spoken word
voice backed up on a batch of freshly recorded tracks recorded recorded
in Nashville with pop luminaries such as Ben Folds (co-producer
and songwriter), Joe Jackson, Aimee Mann, drummer Matt
Chamberlain and guitarists Jon Auer, Adrian Belew and
John Mark Painter. At his best, Shatner’s spoken word vocals
are truly harrowing, especially on the Shatner / Folds track “It
Hasn’t Happened Yet”, while on the track “You’ll
Have Time” Shatner turns a truly ominous set of lyrics into a near
comic experience. Back in the ‘60s Shatner’s acting and effective
voice transformed a whole generation as well as changing the way a whole
generation watched television. Older, yet wiser, on Has Been 'ol
Bill truly lives up to his near mythic legacy. Another early 2005 release
from Shout! Factory is The ‘60s Rock Experience,
a four CD set dedicated to the fabled rock music boom of the ‘60s.
So many of the great AM and FM radio classics that shaped a generation
are gathered under one roof and is a testament to the greatest musical
renaissance of the century. Southern rock superstars The Marshall
Tucker Band are given a tribute with a 2004 double CD set on Shout!
Factory that celebrates thirty years of music making. Covering eighteen
studio albums on assorted labels, Marshall Tucker Band: Anthology
The First 30 Years features 33 Southern rock favorites and
is the most comprehensive best-of to date from the MTB. In addition
to their MTB CD set, the label has also released Marshall Tucker Band’s
first ever DVD, Live From The Garden State. 
According
to rock bass icon Bill Wyman, “I’m proud of the 31
years I was in the Rolling Stones. But I’m really proud of the
six years I’ve had the Rhythm Kings because it’s a unique
band. I can’t emphasize more that this band is totally unique because
of the variety of music we play.” On the fifth Rhythm Kings CD,
Wyman enlists top support from big names like Albert Lee, Dire
Straits founder Mark Knopfler, Tommy Emmanuel, Andy
Fairweather Low and Martin Taylor on guitars and vocals,
keyboard icon / vocalist Georgie Fame, pianist Chris Stainton
and many others on Just For A Thrill. In keeping with Wyman’s
rootsy approach to music making, the band tackles a number of originals
and standards, flavoring the music with a little bit of soul, blues,
R&B, boogie woogie, ballads and more. Wyman tastefully handles all
the bass work and even lends his unique vocal skills on several cuts
including a rousing cover of the George Harrison classic “Taxman”
and there’s also a new cover of the Stones’ 1964 classic “Down
Home Girl.” In addition to his great work with The Rhythm Kings,
Wyman has written four books and even owns a restaurant called Sticky
Fingers, to which he adds, “I’m a baby Leonardo da Vinci.
You know how wonderful he was in a whole variety of things. I’m
a bit like that in a very minuscule way. I just like that variety in
my life, but...I can’t paint.” 
Released
in 2005 by L.A. based Varese Sarabande, A Tribute To Brian Wilson
is a tasty tribute CD produced, arranged and performed by Cameron
Michael Parkes. No relation to Van Dyke Parks, the younger Parkes is
a self-proclaimed Brian Wilson fanatic and he waxes prolific on his
love of all things Wilson in the liner notes with a fitting intro and
track by tracks insights. The CD even features photos of Parkes recording
at Brother Studios back in ‘77. Producing himself, Parkes states
he “recorded this labor of love in my ‘spare time,’ usually
in the wee hours of the morning”, and on his tribute he summons
up 21 classic Wilson penned songs—from the early ‘60s surf-rock
vibe of the Brian Wilson / Jan Berry classic “Gonna Hustle You”
all the way up to and including set closing take on Wilson’s 1990
Phil Spector-sized masterpiece, “The Spirit Of Rock And Roll.”
If
at first you don’t succeed, and you then release an album as good
as Octane, then you more than live up to legend of a term prog-rock
supergroup. Following the departure of key composer and lead singer
Neal Morse, the quartet of released guitar ace Alan Morse, Nick
D’Virgilio (drums, vocals), Ryo Okomoto (keys) and
Dave Meros (bass) released the tentative Feel Euphoria
in 2003 and with the 2005 release of Octane they once again hit
new heights on record. Alan’s brother Neal is still missed,
but now with the quartet lineup finding Nick in the role of lead singer
and drummer, the band nail a new pop-prog hybrid sound filled with catchy
hooks and dramatic prog-rock overtures. The outstanding CD cover art
takes note of the group’s vintage yet newly streamlined, unleaded
approach. For their eighth album, Spock's rocks on high Octane. 
