First intended to listen to Kerry Livgren's first solo album (while he was still in Kansas) 34 years ago when I was still a schoolboy, but I just never got round to buying it, and over the years I simply forgot about this album, that is until a few days ago when I checked out 'The Mask of the Great Deceiver' with Ronnie James Dio (RIP) on vocals (above). This track is magical and I'm almost certain that I've heard it a few times over the years, but this could just be my imagination.
What about the rest of the album? Well, I also really like the other track with Dio on vocals, 'To Live For the King' (below):
Just think it's great how Kerry Livegren got Dio to do the vocals on these two tracks around the time when the latter was busy with Black Sabbath recording 'Heaven and Hell'. Had the honour of seeing Ronnie James Dio on the Sabbath 'Mob Rules' tour at Stafford Bingley Hall in 1982, and as Dio at Castle Donington in the late 1980s and at Warsaw Stodoła in the mid-2000s. Absolutely loved the last of these gigs, my first ever gig at the Stodoła.
What about the non-Dio tracks on the 'Seeds of Change' album? Well, 'How Can You Live' (below) has Steve Walsh on vocals and comes across as a kind of (mellow-type) Kansas track, so I was bound to like this one (Kansas are one of my favourite bands despite having seen them only once in Berlin in 2004).
Finally, the fourth track that I really like from 'Seeds of Change' is the now almost cryptically titled 'Ground Zero' with David Pack of Ambrosia (if I'm honest, I can't remember this band) on lead vocals and some absolutely amazing female background vocals (trust me on this - it's really incredible):
Yes, I think I can safely say that I'm happy to have finally caught up with Kerry Livgren's 'Seeds of Change' album, and, as a result, I'll also be checking out his AD and Proto-Kaw projects.
No comments:
Post a Comment