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doogie
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funk brothers
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Just seen that Ray and the boys have these dates

April 5th, 2007 - THE BROCK UNIVERSITY Center for the Performing arts - St. Catharines, Ontario

April 21st, 2007 - - THE WOLF DEN - Mohegan Sun Casino -Uncasville, CT (Free Show!)

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Gene
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Anyone know where to find the Funk Brothers schedule one the internet?

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UK Dave
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http://www.bobbabbitt.com/bookings.htm

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RAY MONETTE
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ALSO, THIS IS A NICE SITE RUN BY OUR ROAD MANAGER.
http://www.steinbergsound.com/funkbrothers/index.htm

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Doug
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The Funk Brothers sound really good. I listened to "What's Going On" on the Funk Brothers website, it was awesome! Ray, this is a great gig for you. Are you guys adding more on to your tour schedule this year?

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RAY MONETTE
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THANKS FOR THE GOOD WORDS DOUG,

MORE SHOWS ARE BEING ADDED AS WE SPEAK. THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR WHEN ALL THE DATES FOR THE SEASON COME IN. I'LL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS THINGS HAPPEN.

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RAY MONETTE
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WELL IT LOOKS LIKE WE WILL BE GOING TO EUROPE GANG.
THERE ARE TWO ANCHOR DATES ON THE BOOKS IN COPENHAGEN,AND HELSINKI ON NOV. 7&8. THEY WILL BE ADDING MORE DATES BEFORE THAT,AND I'M SURE ONE OF THEM WILL BE IN ENGLAND.
I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED.

RAY

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UK Dave
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Get the beers ready lads. Ray's coming to town!! smile

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RAY MONETTE
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THE EUROPEAN TOUR HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL MAY. I'LL KEEP YOU UPDATED.

WE JUST DID A GIG IN CLEVELAND AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES,WITH MARY WILSON,MARTHA REEVES,AND BEN E. KING. WHAT A REUNION!!
I WANTED TO SEE IF I COULD POST A PIC.
HERE GOES......
m.jpg

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ray monette
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HERE'S URIEL JONES AND BEN E. KING.
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RAY MONETTE
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THIS IS COOL!! I'LL HAVE TO POST SOME RARE EARTH SHOTS TOO.

HERE'S URIEL,BABBITT,MARY WILSON,AND EDDIE WILLIS WITH TOWEL.
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Mike
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Ray,

Thank you for those pictures. Now I'm really pumped up for the show in Milwaukee in February :)

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UK Dave
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Great to see you back on the forum Ray. It seems an age since you were here last.

I'm happy to wait till May to see the Funks. May is a better time to tour than cold, dark and dismal November. If I have to travel to London it will be much more pleasureable heading towards summer.

The photos are great. Nice to see Mary Wilson looking so well.



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RAY MONETTE
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HI DAVE,

I AGREE.....MAY SOUNDS A LOT BETTER.

MARY IS NOT ONLY BEAUTIFUL.....SHE'S A BEAUTIFUL PERSON.

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Mike
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Feb 1st...Milwaukee, WI

WOW! What can I say!? Truly one of the best concerts I've been to. Song after great song. And after the show was over, I had the pleasure of chatting with Ray and he gracious signed my copies of "One World" and "Willie Remembers". As if that wasn't enough...Ray took my friend and I backstage to meet The Funk Brothers. Talk about being in the presence of musical royalty.

Ray, I can't thank you enough for your generosity. I'm looking forward to seeing The Funks again in the future. smile

Fellow fans and forum members, do NOT miss out on seeing these guys play.


 



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Richard
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Sounds like you had a great night Mike. Can't wait till Ray and the boys hit these shores later in the year.

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Mike
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Richard wrote:


Sounds like you had a great night Mike. Can't wait till Ray and the boys hit these shores later in the year.


Rich,

I had a fantaastic time. What could be better than seeing such a great group of musicians & singers perform...plus they did Get Ready & Losing You in the style of The Temptations. That was cool. And best of all...I got to chat with Ray. One hell of a nice guy! And as if that wasn't enough...Ray graciously took my friend and I backstage to meet The Funks. They were just as nice.

THANK YOU RAY!

Rich, when The Funks hit your side of the pond...GO SEE THEM! biggrin



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UK Dave
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I was really interested to read your comments Mike. I'm like Richard...can't wait for the Funks to reach the UK.

This could be a good year. I'm off to a charity concert in London in March. Russ Ballard is appearing alongside Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone, Russ' first proper live UK appearance in 32 years!! I think RE are featuring at least one of Russ' songs on their forthcoming new CD. Also, another favourite of mine, Glenn Hughes (ex Trapeze, Deep Purple) is appearing too. Glenn released a good cover of I Just Want to Celebrate a couple of years ago and Peter Rivera will know him through touring on the Voices of Rock tour.

The icing on the cake, the prospect of seeing Ray in concert later in the year!!!

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RAY MONETTE
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HERE'S A FEW PICS FROM THE MILWAUKEE SHOW.funksmilwaukee029.jpg

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Anonymous
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funksmilwaukee033.jpg

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Anonymous
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funksmilwaukee035.jpg

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Anonymous
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funksmilwaukee038.jpg

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Anonymous
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funksmilwaukee149.jpg

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RAY MONETTE
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THIS IS MIKE AND I BACKSTAGE AFTER THE SHOW.canon009.jpg

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Jocko D
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I'm looking forward to catching the Funk Brothers myself. Pollstar has two dates listed for Pound Ridge, NY this coming May.
UK Dave, Sounds like a great show coming up with Russ, Rod and Colin. You're in for a treat to say the least.
Some years ago I saw a Glenn Hughes show at a small club in Queens, NY. He put on a great show so you'll definitely have an unforgettable night this coming March.


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Mike
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I'll tell ya...if The Funks come to your neck of the woods, go and see em!
I had such a great time, as did my friend who went with me. Great music and a guaranteed good time. I got so into it that when they played Ain't Too Proud To Beg and What's Going On...It felt like David Ruffin and Marvin Gaye were there in spirit...and those 2 guys are among my favorite soul singers.

That last picture...Ray's in the black shirt but who is the guy in the blue shirt, he looks vaguely familiar biggrin

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UK Dave
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Thanks Jocko

I'm looking forward to seeing Russ. I've waited 32 years for this...even if he is only going to be doing just two or three numbers.

Glenn Hughes is great. I loved Trapeze though I never saw them, nor did I see him in DP, but I've see him solo many times (even met him once) and also seen him with Joe Lynn Turner in the Hughes Turner Project. Great singer, great basssist...and I'm sure he must be a Rare Earth fan, having chosen to cover I Just Want To Celebrate!

Nothing would please me more though than to catch Ray, Peter and Gil playing live one day...and not necessarily in the same band. That would be one dream too many I think. Still, stranger things have happened :)


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Jocko D
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UK Dave, Over the years I've enjoyed reading your posts and I'm well aware of your connection with Russ, Rod, Colin, the band Argent, etc. I know others here on the forum also have a liking for this great music. I'm sure you're very excited about the upcoming show and I'm truly happy for you.
I know the feeling very well and it's one of the best in the world. Back in the old days some times I was so overwhelmed with excitement I couldn't sleep for weeks leading up to certain concerts. Many sleepless nights before a Rare Earth show I can tell you that. Don't forget to give us a review of this show because I know it will be awesome. I'm sure the ones who couldn't be there will enjoy reading about the show.
Never saw Glenn with Trapeze but I caught him with the DP Mach III line-up a number of times. First time was on the Burn tour with special guests Savoy Brown. At first I was very disappointed due to the loss of Ian and Roger. Mach III won me over that first night. Before the encore a second full drum kit was brought out to the stage. Jeff Beck, Timmy Bogart and Carmine Appice jammed together with DP for about forty-five minutes. Man was that a night to remember.


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Mike
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Glenn Hughes, Deep Purple, Beck-Bogert-Appice...great stuff!

Back to The Funks. If you get the chance, go and see them! It's everything a live performance should be. Great sound, great players and singers and most of all...it's FUN! I hope to see them again the next time they come to Milwaukee or Chicago...maybe they'll come closer to home. Regardless...it was FUN.

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UK Dave
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Sounds like a great show Mike. Looking at Ray's photos I presume the Funks are fronted by a handful of name vocalists. I'm wondering if these vocalists vary depending on time and venue. Were Mary Wilson, Matha Reeves and Ben E King singing at the concert you attended?

What a shame Edwin Starr passed away. He was resident in the UK not too far from me. What a shock when he passed away. It would have been nice to see him sing with the Funk Brothers.

Ray, I can't help wondering if you play "6 by 6" which was released by Earl Van Dyke. It got a lot of airplay in Britain but never charted. I bought the single then sold it on.... I wish I'd kept it as it's one of those (pre-eBay) Motown rarities. I got it back when I bought the Funk Brothers CD last year, but those vinyl 45s have a bit of character about them don't you think? Those were the days when you used to flick through a stack of 45s looking for anything with a Motown or Invictus label or whatever. If you were looking for a particular artist and knew the record label, it didn't half make life easier. CDs might be more compact and convenient but they aren't so much fun....especially the CD album sleeves with my fading eyesight!!!!

On another matter, we just had the Brit Awards tonight on TV. It was hosted by the Osbournes. Towards the end, Sharon Osbourne just lost it and started seriously swearing her head off at one of the award presenters and one of the bands. It was embarrassing, not even funny. We've got a big problem with young people getting drunk and causing problems over here. The Brit Awards tonight didn't help one bit. He might be a wrinkly but thank god for Paul McCartney who brought a bit of dignity to the proceedings at the end of the show!

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RAY MONETTE
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HI DAVE,

WE HAVE OUR IN HOUSE VOCALISTS,WHO ARE TERRIFIC!! THAT'S WHO MIKE SAW AT THE MILWAUKEE SHOW. MARCIA WARE,DELBERT NELSON,AND DONNA CURTIN.AT THE SAME TIME,WE WILL HAVE GUEST VOCALISTS FROM TIME TO TIME.

WE HAVN'T DONE 6 BY 6 AS OF YET.WE'RE DOING A SHOW HERE AT HOME(IN DETROIT) ON MARCH 9. IT'S A 50TH YEAR CELEBRATION,AND WE'RE DEDICATING IT TO EARL.

ALSO......WE WILL BE IN PALM DESERT ,CA. IN APRIL FOR TWO WEEKS,FOR A CORPORATE AFFAIR.IT WILL GIVE US A CHANCE TO WORK UP MORE SONGS ON OUR OFF TIME.LORD KNOWS THERE'S A FEW TO CHOOSE FROM!

I AGREE WITH YOU ON THE 45'S.NOT ONLY WERE THEY MORE FUN,BUT THEY WERN'T AS STERILE AND LESS HUMAN AS CD'S.LET'S HEAR IT FOR ANALOG!!

RAY

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Jocko D
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Just checked the Pollstar website again and it has the Funk's playing a few gigs in Europe this coming May. I knew the gig Pollstar previously listed for Pound Ridge, NY was too good to be true. I'll have to see if I can catch up w/the Funk's later on this year in the states.


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RAY MONETTE
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JOCKO,

CHECK IT AGAIN. NEW GIGS ARE COMING IN.LOOKS LIKE MAY IS IN NY.

RAY

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UK Dave
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Hi Ray

May is NY? I thought that was for Europe and the UK? :)

Never mind....they say the best things in life are worth waiting for. Don't leave it too long or Richard and myself will be old enough to qualify for free bus travel to the gig :)

By the way...did you see that Prince is having a hip operation?? All that activity on stage must have taken it's toll!!!






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Jocko D
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UK Dave, According to the Pollstar website the Funks will be in Europe in May so you guys are definitely in for a treat. What I was referring to was two additional dates listed on Pollstar for Pound Ridge, NY. However, the two dates previously listed for Pound Ridge, NY no longer appear on the website.   


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UK Dave
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Thanks Jocko. How do I find the pollstar website?

Hey, a bit of action here. We just had an earthquake in England a few minutes ago. The house and all the furniture was shaking for several seconds. It's way past midnight so most people are in bed (not visiting music websites!!) so I put the radio on to confirm. I had to smile when the BBC were unable to get in touch with anyone from the UK and it took a call to the Geographical people in the USA to tell us that it was centred near Kingston-on-Hull and measured 4.7 on the Richter scale. Nothing compared to other countries, thank god, but obviously our Seismic people slept through it!! Typical.

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Jocko D
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Dave, The Pollstar website is www.pollstar.com. Back in pre-internet days Pollstar was an excellent source for concert info and it still is today. Years ago I had a connection within Pollstar so I used to receive their literature on a regular basis. Very thorough coverage of the entire concert industry. Today the website provides a wealth of info for free and there is also an optional premium membership available.

I'm glad the earthquake wasn't serious and I hope all our other friends in the UK were not effected by the quake.  


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UK Dave
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Thanks Jocko

I'll visit the Pollstar site.

The quake measured 5.3 apparently. There's currently a phone-in on the local radio station and one guy phoned in to say he woke up to feel "the whole house shaking" adding that he thought "his wife had fallen out of bed". The DJ burst into laughter and asked him "If you were expecting any breakfast this morning, you've got no chance". smile

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RAY MONETTE
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HI DAVE,

SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE "WHOLE LOT OF SHAKING GOING ON",BUT AT LEAST IT WASN'T WORSE.THE TEN YEARS I LIVED IN L.A. WE HAD A FEW OF THOSE.I REMEMBER ONE THAT SHOOK THE HOUSE AND RATTLED THE WINDOWS.I RAN INTO MY SON'S ROOM WHERE HE WAS TAKING A NAP,AND HE WAS SOUND ASLEEP.I DIDN'T WAKE HIM,AND IT WAS OVER IN 40 SECONDS.SCARY STUFF!!

POLLSTAR IS A GREAT SITE.WHAT A HUGE JOB THEY HAVE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THE ARTIST ITINERARIES.WE HAVE THE DATE IN N.Y.,AND ALSO TWO OTHER DATES IN EUROPE BESIDES THE TWO  LISTED IN MAY.I DON'T KNOW THE CITIES YET.HOPEFULLY,THERE WILL BE MORE.
POLLSTAR SHOULD BE UPDATED SOON.
ONE THING......THEY DON'T LIST CORPORATE DATES.WE GET MANY OF THOSE.
ANYWAY......WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO GET OVER THERE BEFORE YOU GUYS HAVE TO TAKE THE BUS.LOL.

RAY

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UK Dave
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"Whole Lot of Shaking Going On". Nice one Ray, I liked that smile


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Jocko D
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Just checked the Pollstar website again and they added a date for May 25th in Katonah, NY. I'm really looking forward to attending this gig. According to Pollstar the Funk's will be in Europe in mid May so you guys on the other side of the pond will get to see them before me.


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Mike
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Jocko D wrote:

Just checked the Pollstar website again and they added a date for May 25th in Katonah, NY. I'm really looking forward to attending this gig. According to Pollstar the Funk's will be in Europe in mid May so you guys on the other side of the pond will get to see them before me.

You'll have a great time :)

I canm hardly wait to see The Funks again. Not just because I was fortunate to meet Ray and The Funks but because I had a good time and the music was superb. In my top 3 of all concerts I have attended.



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UK Dave
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Jocko D wrote:

UK Dave, Over the years I've enjoyed reading your posts and I'm well aware of your connection with Russ, Rod, Colin, the band Argent, etc. I know others here on the forum also have a liking for this great music. I'm sure you're very excited about the upcoming show and I'm truly happy for you.
I know the feeling very well and it's one of the best in the world. Back in the old days some times I was so overwhelmed with excitement I couldn't sleep for weeks leading up to certain concerts. Many sleepless nights before a Rare Earth show I can tell you that. Don't forget to give us a review of this show because I know it will be awesome. I'm sure the ones who couldn't be there will enjoy reading about the show.
Hi Jocko
Off topic but here is the review as requested:
The show took place on Thursday evening and wow what a belter. I underestimated the time it would take me to get to London, find my hotel, then cross London to the venue. That meant I missed the opening act Thunder. I arrived as Fish (ex Marillion vocalist) was performing with his touring band. He turned in a good set though not totally my thing. Next up were The Zombies. This was my reason for being there. They played three songs including Time of the Season and She's Not There, Keith Airey playing a blinding lead guitar solo on the latter based on Santana's heavier cover version. Colin Blunstone and Keith Airey then left the stage and Russ Ballard was introduced to great applause, for his "first UK appearance in 32 years". This saw him re-united with Rod Argent (keys) and Jim Rodford (bass) and they performed a rousing version of Hold Your Head Up. Steve Rodford (drums) ably filled in for Bob Henrit, the only missing member of the original Argent line-up.
Marillion then played an acoustic set. It was only three fifths of the band though, Peter Treweas(?) on bass, Steve Hogarth (keys, vocals) and Steve Rotheray (guitar). Excuse me if I got their names wrong, I'm not an expert on Marillion. Amazingly they  played Sympathy by Rare Bird, a song which we discussed on this forum which I couldn't recall. Of course once I heard the song I knew it immediately!!
Glenn Hughes was next up, having flown over from LA. He was joined by Deep Purple's Ian Paice on drums, Thunder's guitarist and Glenn Hughes' keyboard player. They played Mistreated, at the end of which GH started to show off his vocal acrobatics. He can certainly hit the high notes but I felt a bit embarrassed for him. It went on and on and Ian Paice looked truly annoyed. He rested his elbow on one of his tom toms and hid his face in despair. Like me, I think he was wishing he'd end the song. After that Thunder's vocalist joined the line-up to sing David Coverdale's part in a brilliant version of Purple's Might Just Take Your Life.
Russ Ballard then came back and played his original version of Since You Been Gone. He was clearly enjoying himself and announced that he'd forgotten how much he enjoyed performing. He pretty much stayed on stage after that for the remainder of the night playing acoustic guitar for Lulu (do you know her in the US?) She might be 60 but she doesn't look a day over 40. She was a bit out of place in a rock band line-up but she went down an absolute storm. Last up was Roger Daltrey, again backed up by Russ Ballard, both of them playing acoustic guitars.
For the final song all the artists were invited on stage for a rousing version of With A Little Help From My Friends (the Joe ****er version). Strangely Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Jim Rodford and a couple of Marillion didn't re-appear. However it was fun watching all the vocalists trying to upstage each other. Fish and his Marillion successor Steve Hogarth seemed to enjoy the experience of singing together while Glenn Highes and Lulu were also fully exercising their lungs.
All in all a good night out and I just hope Russ Ballard doesn't go back into hiding. At least we have a couple of his songs to look forward to on the new Rare Earth CD!!!





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UK Dave
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Hey
I just read my post and it wasn't me that put the asterisks in Joe's surname. That is hilarious censorship :)

I'm sure you all know his name. It rhymes with Rocker!!!

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John
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Dave

I just heard about this joe ****er hahaha.  I will check to see if I can change any profanity settings as this is censor**** gone too far. 



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Anonymous
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my dog is a ****er spaniel

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Mike
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Soem sites do censor depending on country and slang. For example: I used ot moderate @ a UK based website. The word "b-i-t-c-h-i-n-g" was changed to "pregnant dogging". I know the term "b-i-t-c-h" is used for a female dog but yikes.

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RAY MONETTE
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WELL,IT TOOK A WHILE,BUT THE FUNK BROTHERS LIVE DVD,CD IS SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE IN JUNE.
THE LABEL IS EAGLEROCK RECORDS. HERE'S A LINK TO THE SITE. YOU CAN SEE A PREVIEW OF "DANCING IN THE STREET" THERE. http://www.eagle-rock.com/eaglerockUSA/media_detail.php?media_id=937

RAY



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Chicago Tommy
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Ray,

WOW, can't wait to get myself a copy. I wanted to call and wish you a Happy Birthday (May 07) but it will have to be Belated wishes. JR has my e-mail and phone, I'ld like to catch-up.


Regards,


-Tommy



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Ivan..
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Wow!! Sounds and looks great Ray.. Man, There's nothin' like the groove you cats make!! The two Guitar parts together make this great forward motion.. One playing a busier pattern and another hitting 2 and 4!! It just makes it groove like mad..

Say, what are the two voicing's you're playing? Is it the same major chord each time, with the lower voice on 2, and then an upper voicing of the same major chord on 4? It's a wonderful texture..

I'll be picking up a copy!! Thanks for posting!!

Ivan.......................

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Mike
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RAY MONETTE wrote:

WELL,IT TOOK A WHILE,BUT THE FUNK BROTHERS LIVE DVD,CD IS SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE IN JUNE.
THE LABEL IS EAGLEROCK RECORDS. HERE'S A LINK TO THE SITE. YOU CAN SEE A PREVIEW OF "DANCING IN THE STREET" THERE. http://www.eagle-rock.com/eaglerockUSA/media_detail.php?media_id=937

RAY


Oooh yes! Thank you for sharing that information with us. The release date for late June will make a perfect birthday gift 10 days later! stereo.gif 



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Cathy
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Can't wait! Looks like it should be great.  BTW, looks like Ray has a My space page.  Maybe he can add us on as a friend?!

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