Talking to Classic Rock, guitarist Mick Box said: “ The present set includes all the classic Heep songs, plus a few not heard in a while, especially in the UK. On top of that, as it is the Into The Wild tour, we play four songs from that CD”.

Box also says the band are planning for a hectic 2012.

“We’ll continue this tour, in the 54 countries where we play. Hopefully, we’ll also fit in some songwriting into the schedule, and then start recording  a new album by the end of the year. The Heep rock ‘n’ roll circus will carry on proving that we are one of the hardest working bands in the business.

See Heep at:

Thu. 1: Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall

Fri. 2: Holmfirth Picturedrome

Sat. 3: Brighton Centre

Mon. 5: Bristol O2 Academy

Tue. 6: Bournemouth Academy

Thu. 8: London Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Sat. 10: Oxford Academy

Sun. 11: Glasgow ABC

Mon. 12: Newcastle Academy

Tue. 13: Wavendon Stables

Find out more at www.uriah-heep.com

Words: Malcolm Dome

One of the great bands of the past quarter-of-a-century, Queensryche have littered the years with some truly wonderful albums, including Operation: Mindcrime and Empire. Sadly, Dedicated To Chaos (Roadrunner) won’t be joining this elite. To be honest, it’s a huge disappointment. Especially when last album American Soldier (2009) was actually quite impressive. The problem is that the songs all sound half-formed, the production is too sparse and the band perform as if they’re none too sure what to do. Queensryche claim they let the spontaneity flow. Maybe they also needed to be a little more prepared for the studio?

Bai Bang are Swedish, and are the latest in a string of excellent AOR-style bands that particular country seems to be throwing out at an alarmingly furious rate to the rest of the world. At time reminiscent of Crashdiet, at others similar to Europe, on Livin’ My Dream (AOR Heaven) this lot show they can write really memorable tunes and deliver enough sleaze to avoid being too sugary or smooth. Another winner from the SWAOR division (that’s Swedish AOR, by the way).

Airrace should have been big in the 1980s. Now, it’s too late for them to really have mega success. But they keep making good albums. Back To The Start (Frontiers) continues this tradition. Essentially British, it also has an international melodic hard rock flavour. This lot write potent anthems, with Keith Murrell’s vocals proving powerfully provocative and Laurie Mansworth showing on lead guitar why he was once regarded so highly – and still should be.

John Wetton has a history that makes him among the most respected musicians around. The list of bands whom he’s graced down the years goes from King Crimson to Uriah Heep to UK to Asia. Raised In Captivity (Frontiers) shows his pedigree as he calls on mates like Robert Fripp, Eddie Jobson, Tony Kaye, Geoff Downes, Steve Hackett and Mick Box to help him out. Not an immediately vibey album, it improves subtantially after a few plays. While understated, it has class and delivers the rockier area of Wetton’s diversity.

The problem with the soundtrack CD for Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (Reprise) is that you have to wade through some utter rubbish to find the few gems here. Now, if only you could make this an EP, then you could ditch the nonsense and stick with Mastodon (who’ve covered ZZ Top’s Just Got Paid), Black Veil Brides and Goo Goo Dolls. Oh, and perhaps throw in Theory Of A Deadman as a bonus, As it is, you have to pay over the odds for those four isolated, albeit entertaining, moments.

Good to see two more Kansas albums getting the reissue treatment from the estimable Rock Candy label. Both 1982’s Vinyl Confessions and Drastic Measures (1983) see the band moving away from their more progressive roots and into a more AOR direction. Yet you can still hear the inimitable Kansas style, and vocalist John Elefante (who made his debut on …Confessions) certainly proved a worthy successor to Steve Walsh. Sure, there’s a more Christian strain to some of the lyrics. But that doesn’t detract from two crackers.

Finally, to an excellent book. Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History (Chronicle) certainly lives up to the title. It follows Def Leppard’s career through the cameras of Ross Halfin, who started shooting the band in their very early days and captured them on stage, off stage and in all sorts of situations and moods. Whilst there are short essays from all of the band (and others), it’s the photos which tell the story – and they do it brilliantly. It’s hard to think there will ever be a better book on Leppard.

It’s the first time the band have ever done this, and you can see events unfold on the Prog Stage on July 25 – Heep come on stage at 5pm, with guest Micky Moody on slide guitar.

To get us all in the mood, here’s guitarist Mick Box’s track by track guide to the album:

The Wizard – “The original has a kettle noise on it – did you know that? It was the first song on which we did downtuning. Ken (Hensley) came up with it on guitar in the back of a van. I think it captured people’s imagination at the time.”

Traveller In Time – “I came up with the riff, and then everyone piled in with their parts. Like a lot of this album, it came together so quickly and easily.”

Easy Livin’ – “That was a phrase we had during the days when we travelled around the world in private jets with bodyguards. It all happened when we went to the pub one day for inspiration, and Ken stayed behind in the studio. By the time we got back, he’d come up with this song.”

Poet’s Justice – “This was as funky as we ever got. It’s been great having this back in the set. I love the way we had a majestic choir at the start, and get funky.”

Circle Of Hands – “We went through a phase when we went to seances. We did the whole nine yards – until it got too scary. That’s where the title came from. It’s also the first time Ken played slide guitar on a Heep song.”

Rainbow Demon – “This is really grindy, rather like Gypsy. And it certainly motors along at a good speed.”

All My Life – “I was jamming the riff in the rehearsal studio, and everybody seemed to like it. It’s very short, but it certainly powers along.”

Paradise/The Spell – “You have to take these two songs together. It was our attempt at getting all proggy and conceptual. I like the feel these have, although it’s challenge to play live, because of the way one leads into the other.”

Find out more about High Voltage at www.highvoltagefestival.co.uk

And all the info on Heep is at www.uriah-heep.com

Words and photo: Dave Ling

We can reveal that High Voltage attendees are in for a bit of a treat. MTWA had been rehearsing with Ted Turner, co-guitarist of the group’s original line-up, for a few days before our arrival.

“It’s like putting on an old shoe, which is odd cos Martin looks a bit like an old shoe these days,” quips Ted (no relation to the other Turner).

“When you’ve played as many gigs as we have, two or three runs through the songs is all it takes, the magic comes back very quickly,” agrees Martin.

Martin Turner is looking forward to seeing many of his old friends at High Voltage. “ZZ Top supported Wishbone in the States when we first started out, and we loved them dearly,” he says, “and Greg Lake is a fellow West Country man.”

Besides joining Martin for the climax of the Argus set and the show’s encores, Ted Turner will be playing a solo set in the backstage area’s VIP Tent in promotion of Eclektic Value, his brand new debut solo CD. Given that the album was recorded alone, can we assume it’s a one-man show?

“No, actually. There will be other players there. I’m still working out what I will be doing – so it’ll be completely new, even to me.”

The prospect of a spot at High Voltage was enough to cause Mick Box, Heep’s ever-smiling guitarist, to interrupt a family holiday. The show’s concept, a festival for older-but-wiser-rock fans, is something that’s close to his heart.

“Only two words need to be said: ‘At last!’” he beams. “This is something that we’ve needed for a long, long time – the fact that thousands of fans have bought tickets is vindication of that.”

“Bands playing real music, without sequencers or tapes… imagine that,” says singer Bernie Shaw with mock astonishment.

So which High Voltage bands are the members of Heep looking forward to checking out?

Shaw: “Dweezil Zappa, Foreigner and ZZ Top.”

Russell Gilbrook (drums): “Heaven And Hell, ZZ Top, Foreigner and ELP.”

Trevor Bolder (bass): “Joe Elliott’s Down ‘N’ Outz and ZZ Top.”

Phil Lanzon (keyboards): “I want to see Uriah Heep doing Demons And Wizards. They are doing that, aren’t they?”

Box: “I’ve been doing so much travelling, I just want to see my bed!”

Our line-up shot below shows (left to right): Mick Box, Dave Wagstaffe, Martin Turner, Danny Wilson, Bernie Shaw, Ray Hatfield, Ted Turner, Phil Lanzon, Russell Gilbrook and Trevor Bolder (Micky Moody not pictured).

This week I watched a DVD of Gran Torino, the new Clint Eastwood film. I have been a fan of his like most people from the Dirty Harry days, and this one does not disappoint. This is Eastwood’s fourth directorial feature in the span of two years, and he tells the story of a Korean War vet’s reluctant friendship with a Hmong teenage boy, and his immigrant family. Set in Detroit, it tackles the shifting cultural and economic landscape of not only the Motor City, but America as well.

Eastwood stars as Walt Kowalski, an unabashed bigot, who never heard a racial insult he didn’t love. Walt refuses to abandon the neighbourhood he’s lived in for decades, despite its changing demographics, as he clings desperately to a mindset long since out of step with the times. When his Hmong neighbour Thao tries to steal his prized car as part of a gang initiation, Walt is forced to grapple with the world around him.

There is nothing subtle about Walt’s bigotry, and Eastwood does a remarkable job of finding the humour in Walt’s equal opportunity racism. Walt offers all that he has to Thao and his family, namely wisdom and protection. When tragedy strikes the family, this  eventually serves as Walt’s trigger, to play out his final act. It stars Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang and Ahney Her. There are some classic Eastwood lines in there, and it is very watchable. It’s difficult to think that he is 78 years old, and the energy he must have, not just on an acting level, but also on the director level, is nothing short of incredible and inspiring.

EMI have featured in my recent blogs fairly regularly over the last couple of weeks, and here we go again. Pink Floyd have just taken them to court, launching a legal action over payment of online royalties, and the marketing of their music. The band signed to EMI in 1967, and are disputing the way payments for their digital sales are calculated. Pink Floyd’s back catalogue is the most lucrative in pop music apart from that of  the Beatles, and their lawyer, Robert Howe QC, told the court that the musicians wanted, “To know where they stand as a matter of contract”. Mr Howe said EMI contend that the sale of individual tracks from albums, “Only applies to the physical product and does not apply online”. He added that the practice, “Makes no commercial sense”, and contravenes agreements signed by both parties.

Well the very latest to follow on from the above is that there has been a high court ruling that Pink Floyd tracks have be removed from digital music services like iTunes. Their record deal, signed with EMI before legal downloads came along, said individual songs must not be sold without the band’s permission. They argued that the same rule should apply to digital sales as well as CDs. EMI disagreed but a judge has sided with Pink Floyd. The ruling is part of a long-running battle between the two sides over £10m in unpaid royalties. EMI has been ordered to pay £40,000 costs. The band were not present to hear the judgment at the High Court in London.

The issue of selling individual tracks online has been a thorny one for many artists, who want their albums to be seen as complete works.  It is believed to be one reason why the Beatles, whose catalogue is also owned by EMI, have not appeared in download stores like iTunes.  AC/DC are among others who have objected to their albums being split up. Pete Jenner, who managed Pink Floyd when they first signed with EMI in the 1960s, said releasing complete albums was important to the band. “Clearly in cases like the Floyd, there was a coherence in the content as an album,” he told BBC 6 Music. “Tracks were dropped because they didn’t fit in with the whole thing. I think that was quite common, especially in the ’70s and ’80s.” Mr. Jenner, now emeritus president of the International Music Managers’ Forum, predicted that the ruling would be significant. “I think it will give the artists some ammunition to get the record companies to be a bit fairer with the royalty treatment they give artists for digital work.” I guess this is the start of many shakes ups that will happen within the record industry with this internet explosion.

Uriah Heep’s ex-lead vocalist John Lawton has asked me to appear in a film he is acting in called Love.net! This is being filmed by Miramar films Bulgaria, and John kindly offered me a cameo role. The producer is Matey  Konstantinov and the director is Ilian  Djevelekov. There will be some musical, as well as acting, scenes together. I filmed some of my talking parts with John this week and I have another day of filming before we go to Tbilisi, Georgia for a concert next week.

Love.net is a movie which follows the parallel stories of a number of characters who are trying to change their lives via the internet , or are simply having fun online. There are also stories of several couples who mеet through dating sites. Love at first virtual glance! This is a lot of fun, coupled with a lot of hard work, and to be honest it is way out of my comfort zone, but thus far it has been an enjoyable experience. I now have an added respect for the acting world, that I did not have or even appreciate before. It has been good to work with John again!

I have been listening to the incredible Friday Night In San Francisco, live CD featuring Al Di Meola/John McLaughlin. What fantastic, mind-boggling performances from them both; at times they almost sound telepathic. Every time I listen to this CD I am totally blown away, as the musicianship on guitar is of the highest order.

I have also had on my stereo an Australian band called Cold Chisel that had as their lead vocalist Jimmy Barnes. In Australia they were the biggest band around at one point, apart from INXS and Midnight Oil. By way of introduction, if you are interested in listening to them, I would get their Chisel: Best Of Cold Chisel CD. They are a bunch of talented musicians and have some really good songs. When I lived in Sydney they had broken up, but reformed and recorded a cool CD called The Last Wave Of Summer.

Funnily enough, Heep covered a song of theirs called When The War Is Over on our Raging Silence CD. This, however, had nothing to do with me, as it was suggested by our producer Richard Dodd. Cold Chisel do have some excellent well crafted songs and they are worth a listen. It is a shame they are not around anymore, as on their live shows, they had this really raw rock edge to them, mostly coming from the pipes of Barnes.

Well the overall winner of this year’s Cruft’s dog show here in the UK was a Hungarian Vizsla called Yogi! This is the first time a Vizsla has ever won this overall prize, and my only interest to be honest is the fact that my seven-and-half-month dog Elvis, is… a Hungarian Vizsla. They are beautiful dogs and very intelligent. Elvis has integrated into our family very well, and is a big part of what we do now. I have never walked so much in my life, but I love it.

Football: Spurs won against Blackburn Rovers 3-1 with Defoe scoring one and Pavlyuchenko scoring twice. This has strengthened our position in fourth place in the Premier League, but we have some hard games coming up against Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. It will still be a fight to the end of the season for that coveted final Champions League spot.

Here we are in March 2010, but in March 1969 the Kray twins were found guilty of the murder of John McVitie. The Kray twins, Ronald and Reginald, ruled the East End of London with violence, along with their own code of ethics. The jury deliberated for six hours and 55 minutes before returning the unanimous guilty verdict for the murder. The Old Bailey trial was the longest and most expensive ever held in a London court. The Kray twins were both sentenced to life imprisonment, with a recommendation they should be detained for a minimum of 30 years, the longest sentences ever passed at the Old Bailey for murder.

After the verdicts, the judge turned to the jury and thanked them for the “Devoted and selfless attention” they had given to the evidence. He also added: “You set a standard with which I shall judge all juries in the future”. I remember well the stories of the Krays, as I was a young boy growing up in Walthamstow which was in the East End of London, and they were to be feared and revered. Reginald Kray died in October 2000, after 31 years in jail. Ronald had died in jail in 1995.

I cannot believe this, but researchers have produced a mobile phone that could be a boon for prying bosses wanting to keep tabs on the movements of their staff. Japanese phone giant KDDI Corporation has developed technology that tracks even the tiniest movement of the user and beams the information back to HQ. Activities such as walking, climbing stairs or even cleaning can be identified, the researchers say. The company plans to sell the service to clients such as managers, foremen and employment agencies. Surely there must be negative consequences, when applied to employee tracking or sales force optimisation. This is really Big Brother to the hilt.

They say that the aim of the new system, according to KDDI, is to enable employees to work more efficiently, and managers to easily evaluate their employees’ performance while away from the office. My thought on this is quite simple and that is, I really do think that new technology should be used to improve our lives, and not to spy on us. However I am sure this will see the light of day somewhere!

I read a book this week called Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. Schlosser visits the state-of-the-art labs, where scientists recreate the flavours and smells of everything from cooked chicken to fresh strawberries, and he speaks to workers at meat packing plants with some of the worst safety records in the world. He explores the links between Hollywood and the fast food trade, and the tactics used to target ever younger consumers, in a meticulously researched and powerfully argued account. This book reveals the full price of our appetite for instant gratification. It is a fantastic read, and it will make you think twice before you bite into that next hamburger. It still hasn’t stopped me, though!

Sadly this is the last column I will be writing for the Classic Rock website, as I was commissioned for 25 columns and this is number 25. It has been an interesting project to do, and it really has made me disciplined to reach the deadline each week. I thank all of you who have taken the time to read this, as it is much appreciated. I have had some really positive feedbacks, so that has spurred me on to continue to write these each week on my own website.  If you would like to continue to read these columns then please click on www.mick-box.net, and they will be there each week. I would like to thank Geoff Barton and Malcolm Dome for their dilligent work in getting these posted up, and hopefully I will see you all next week on my website.

‘Appy days!

www.uriah-heep.com

www.mick-box.net

Classic Rock would like to thank Mick for his excellent series of columns over the past 25 weeks. It’s always been a fun read. Who takes over from him? Stay tuned…

One of my all time favourite live CDs is Steely Dan Alive In America, recorded during their 1993-1994 tours. I have been a fan since their first CD Can’t Buy a Thrill. They enjoyed two Top 10 hits with singles taken from this album titled Do It Again and Reeling In The Years. I remember doing a TV show in Sydney, Australia with Uriah Heep, called Hey Hey It’s Saturday, which was a hugely popular show over there, and the famed guitarist Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter was on the same show playing Reeling In The Years. It has a fabulous solo, and I really enjoyed seeing him play.

Walter Becker (bass) and Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards) have been the core members of Steely Dan and they created a sophisticated, distinctive sound with accessible melodic hooks, complex harmonies and time signatures. Their second album, Countdown To Ecstasy, released in 1973, was a critical hit, but it failed to generate a hit single. However on their third album, titled Pretzel Logic, released in the spring of 1974, they returned to the singles charts with the massive hit single Rikki Don’t Lose That Number. In 1975 they recorded Katy Lied and in 1976 The Royal Scam. But in 1977, when they recorded the album Aja, their sound became more polished and jazzy, and this reached the Top Five within three weeks of its release, becoming one of the first albums to gain platinum status.

In 1980 they released Gaucho and during the summer of 1981 Becker and Fagen announced they were parting ways. They both went on to record solo albums. I would highly recommend Alive In America and it deserves a place in anyone’s CD collection.

Interesting to read in The Times newspaper some statistics regarding the record industry. In 1977 the global music industry was worth $45 billion, and it’s now worth $20 billion. Quite a significant drop there. However 150 million singles were sold last year, which is up from 115 million in 2008. 129 million albums were sold in the UK last year which is actually down from 134 million. The UK record industry generated revenue from albums and singles of £1.06 billion, of which singles generated £13 million. Interestingly, 70 percent of all music consumed in the USA, France, Germany and the UK came through digital channels. Most revenues from digital platforms in those countries accounted for only 35 percent of industry revenues.

The BPI claim that music piracy will cost the industry £1.2 billion between 2008 and 2012. The number of regular illegal file shares in the UK is 7.3 million. There is no doubt that the record industry is in serious trouble, but the likes of EMI are optimistic about their future despite troublesome debts. Chief Executive Elio Leoni-Sceti said that he accepted that the issues around debt are not easy, but he was confident that the label would cope. He said the EMI are a leaner, fitter organisation now, and that they have removed bureaucracy and left their baggage behind. He also said that they have got better at listening to both the consumers and their artists. On a personal note, I hope that he is right, as EMI Publishing have the publishing rights for every song I have written. Doh!

Love the article about the mobile phone now being the doctor in your pocket. Smartphones will soon be diagnosing illness, as well as advising on cures. Soon mobile apps can even provide life saving home treatment for millions.

There are already over 2,000 health related apps on offer. You can test your hearing, how to resuscitate someone, you can track your diabetes glucose results, carbohydrate intake and insulin doses. Electronic scales can upload your weight on to your mobile, and an app can advise you what to eat that day. As you can imagine many corporations are racing to be a part of the mobile health revolution. Still, the amount of times I forget to charge my battery, or leave the phone somewhere like in my car, I guess I could be in real trouble here! As reported, I guess we are all in danger of becoming ‘iPho-chondriacs’.

Well, my football team, Spurs, are hanging on to the fourth spot in the Premier League, with a 2-1 win over Everton (Bah! – Everton Fan Ed.). Pavlyuchenko scored, and so did Modric, whose goal was stupendous. He said it was one of the best he had ever scored. He is such a great player and is involved in everything out there on the pitch. He is super-inventive and a hard worker. He is fast becoming one of my favourites. I sure hope Pavlyuchenko keeps banging them in too. He is playing with confidence and is on fire at the moment.

I did a really cool interview this week in London with Banger Films from Toronto Canada, with Sam Dunn. This is the company that did the recent Iron Maiden film: Flight 666, and the soon-to-be released Rush documentary, in which I am interviewed as well. They have also filmed the award-winning Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and Global Metal. The interview I did is for a new TV series on the history of heavy metal directed and produced by Scott McFadyen and Sam Dunn, called Metal Evolution. This will air on VH1 Classic in the USA and will be released on other TV networks and DVD around the world. It will be the ultimate exploration of the vast, multi-generational phenomenon that is heavy metal music and will serve as the definitive visual document for generations to come.

The series features the acclaimed Heavy Metal Family Tree originally shown in Headbanger’s Journey and Season One will present episodes on the pre-history of metal, early metal, power metal, shock rock, hair metal, thrash metal, grunge and nu metal. Using the family tree as his road map, the series will follow metalhead turned anthropologist Sam Dunn around the world as he explores the history, myths and complexities of metal. If Headbanger’s Journey served as an introduction to this controversial music, then Metal Evolution is the Master’s programme. My part in this programme is how hard or heavy rock evolved into heavy metal. It was a good interview and most enjoyable.

I was reading England national football manager Fabio Capello’s comments in The Times yesterday, before the international match against Egypt. He says that football players’ scandals are a result of them getting too much money too young. No kidding! They get £100,000 a week whether they play well, badly, indifferently, score in their own goal or are off for weeks with injury. Where is the incentive in that?! Surely somewhere down the line, clubs have to put a performance-related payment in place. Still it is not bad work if you can get it, eh?!

On a totally different note I read that in the UK, there was a Government project to get heavy drug users into work. Now I am afraid this has failure written all over it in my book. There was a cost of £12,000 for every addict that was given a job. Fewer than one in 10 heroin and crack addicts who signed up for the £13million Government scheme were able to hold down employment. A Member of Parliament was reported to say that progress had been slow and expensive. No surprise there, then!

Comedian and actor Eddie Izzard set himself the insane challenge of running 43 marathons in seven weeks. That is a distance of 1,100 miles. The 47-year-old comedian did this for the charity Sports Relief. What a fantastic achievement: he is a shining example to us all, and it was truly a feet of endurance! Sorry, I could not resist it!

I was shocked to read that extra-small condoms for 12-year-olds are going on sale in Switzerland. The condom is called a Hotshot (nice name) and has been produced after government research showed 12-14 year old boys did not use protection when having sex. I am sorry, but at that age it should just be for peeing out of. What has happened to the moral fibre of our society? Anyone agree?

I have been playing the Nice CD Five Bridges which is really cool! The Nice consisted of keyboard player Keith Emerson, bassist/vocalist Lee Jackson, drummer Brian Davison and guitarist David O’List. The Five Bridges suite, commissioned for the Newcastle Arts Festival, was premiered with a full orchestra conducted by Joseph Eger on October 10, 1969 (the recorded version is from October 17 at Croydon’s Fairfield Hall). The title refers to the city’s five bridges spanning the River Tyne (two more have since been built). This CD also has their second single where they created an arrangement of the Leonard Bernstein song America. Emerson described it as the first ever instrumental protest song.

On stage the performances were bold and violent, with Emerson incorporating feedback and distortion. He manhandled his Hammond L-100 organ, wrestling it and attacking it with daggers (which he used to hold down keys and sustain notes). Nice were bathed in controversy when Emerson burned an American flag on stage during a performance of  America.

I needed a bit of a musical livener one day this week, so I put on Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell. Pantera is an American heavy metal band from Arlignton, Texas, formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul (drums) and Dimebag Darrell (guitar), then known as Diamond Darrell, in 1981. Completing the line-up was bassist Rex Brown and vocalist Phil Anselmo. The line-up was together for 16 years, but in the year 2001, the band broke up. Sadly in 2004, Dimebag was shot and killed on stage at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, by a mentally ill gunman, named Nathan Gale, while performing with Vinnie and his new band, Damageplan. He is sadly missed in the guitar world for sure. Cowboys From Hell is full of energy, and soon gets your blood pumping.

A weird no-frills flight snack cost a man a ton of money. The man flying on Ryanair Airlines from Krakow Poland to the East Midlands, UK, purchased on board the aircraft a scratch card and won £8,930 (10,000 euros). He was told that he would have to collect his winnings directly from the company that runs the competition as it was a large sum and he promptly ate the ticket, thereby ruling out any chance of claiming the prize. He must have drunk his duty free on the flight to have been that stupid.

This Friday night on BBC TV, channel BBC4, there was a veritable feast of music programmes on heavy metal. I was one of the people being interviewed on the main programme, Heavy Metal Britannia, but unfortunately I was out that evening with my wife Sheila having dinner and seeing a film. However, I have recorded it as it was on Sky TV, and I will watch it later. By all accounts from the texts I received it was a good programme. The film we saw was called Chloe, and it was based on Anne Fontaine’s 2003 French film Nathalie. It is about a middle-aged doctor Catherine (Julianne Moore) who becomes suspicious of an affair, when her husband David (Liam Neeson) repeatedly comes home late with shoddy explanations. Unable to prove it, she hires escort Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) to seduce him, and then report back to her what happens. As the deception goes on, and Catherine realises the mistake she has made, Chloe becomes more entangled in her life than she had ever imagined. This film will not win any awards, and lasts for 90 minutes, but it is more than watchable mostly due to the lovely Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried.

In the FA Cup Spurs drew 0-0 with Fulham, so there will be a re-match. Pavlyuchenko’s fire was not burning so bright in this game. Still, at least we are in with a chance to progress to the next round!

This is interesting, as lip-reading on mobile phones is to become a possibility, and put an end to noisy phone calls. This technology could see an end to the bane of many commuters – like people talking loudly on their mobile phones. The kit for this is still very much in the prototype stage, but the device could allow people to conduct silent phone conversations. The technology measures the tiny electrical signals produced by muscles used when someone speaks, and then the device can record these pulses, even when a person does not audibly utter any words. It can then use them to generate synthesised speech. The software translates the signals into text, which can then be spoken by a synthesiser. This could also help people who have lost their voice due to illness or accident, or to take it a step further than that, you can speak in your mother tongue, and the text could be translated into another language. Technology is surely travelling faster than the speed of light.

A big thanks goes to Pierre Schultz, who was the highest bidder for our Wake The Sleeper double bass drum skins, in my Shirt Off My Back Cancer Charity auction. His support is much appreciated.

That’s it for this week, and hopefully I will see you again next week for the next instalment!

‘Appy Days!

Mick

www.uriahheep.com

www.mickbox.com

It was nice to hear that music group EMI has said it is now not considering selling London’s Abbey Road studios. They released a statement saying that the studios should stay under its ownership. The firm added it had rejected an offer for the historic building last year, and was working with ‘third parties’ about funding a ‘revitalisation project’. This ends days of speculation, after it was reported that struggling EMI would sell Abbey Road to ease debts, as I reported in my last blog. EMI bought the property for £100,000 in 1929, and The Beatles used Abbey Road for 90% of their recordings, even naming an album after the studios in 1969. So this is good news, as many recording studios are going out of business in light of the digital revolution, in much the same way as a lot of record companies have disappeared or amalgamated.

I read an article in The Times newspaper under the heading of  ’Floss regularly, and vote Silvioun’, which was placed under a picture of the stunning Nicole Minetti, who is an Italian dental hygienist. The former dancer will be contesting elections for Silvo Berlusconi’s party. She met the Italian Prime Minister when she was treating his two broken teeth. I loved the following comment: “If he’d been suffering from a groin strain, she’d be in the cabinet by now!” If you saw her picture, you would fully understand why!

Interesting to read that transport experts were puzzled by the large number of emergency call-outs to London’s number 25 bus service, which runs at night between Oxford Circus and Ilford, Essex. An investigation found the bus route is a favourite with homeless people, who get to sleep in the warm for the two-hour journey at a cost of £2.

I am very proud of my wife Sheila, as she is a Trustee at the Whitechapel Mission in the East End of London for the homeless. They do a wonderful service supplying them with shelter, food, blankets, clothes, a post box, days out, advice for benefits and housing, all with a smile and a welcome.  The Mission is run by Tony and Sue Miller, the most wonderful couple who dedicate their lives to making the lives of those at the bottom of the rung in society a bit better. Now that’s what I call rock’n'roll.

Singing ‘rewires’ damaged brains. Apparently, patients who have strokes are being taught to sing to help them recover their speech. Scientists from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in San Diego say that by singing, patients use a different area of the brain from the area involved in speech. If a person’s ’speech centre’ is damaged by a stroke, they can learn to use their ’singing centre’ instead. It has been shown that the brain responds to this ‘melodic intonation therapy’. During the sessions, patients are taught to put their words to simple melodies. Music might be an alternative medium to engage parts of the brain that are otherwise not engaged. The power of music! How wonderful!

There have been many examples over the years where vocalists who have a stammer when talking, but sing perfectly well seemingly unaffected by the stammer that affects their speech. Thanks to charities like Nordoff Robbins, music can be used as a prescription to reach people whose lives are constrained by illness, disability, trauma or exclusion. So everyone really can make music. I feel so good when I hear about the music therapists who unlock creativity and expression in people who may have difficulty expressing and communicating, and so I make no apology for promoting the good works of Nordoff Robbins. It started as a collaboration between the American pianist and composer Paul Nordoff (1909-77) and British educationalist Clive Robbins (b.1927). Today, it is a national UK charity (no. 280960) with sister organisations in several other parts of the world.

I was first introduced to this charity by my UK agent for over 40 years, Neil Warnock of The Agency Group Of Companies. He has been a huge supporter, and I often get invites to attend many of the yearly functions in support of this worthy cause. It is so heart-warming to hear from the parents of kids who have been helped by this charity at these events – and I can assure you there is not a dry eye in the house.

It pains me to write this but on February 28, 1985, 25 years ago, my mate David Byron passed away. He was a supreme vocalist who inspired many people to start singing, including such diverse artists as Morten Harket of A-Ha and King Diamond. He had bucket loads of charisma, and then some to spare. He was also a good songwriter and contributor to all things Heep. I came up from the grassroots with David, and we achieved so very much together from the early days of bands like The Stalkers and Spice – and eventually making Uriah Heep a world-class band that travelled the world. He is sadly missed on all levels, but his music lives on.

David was one of the few vocalists that I can honestly say lived inside every lyric and melody that he sang. His vocal delivery was top class, believable and cut straight to the heart. Here is a website that you can visit to see just how much he was revered by rock fans all over the world: www.david-byron.com. I will have a quiet moment and reflect on all the wonderful times we shared together.

I had to smile when I read that a Nigerian had been arrested in Geneva Switzerland with – wait for it – 123 condoms stuffed with cocaine weighing 1.7kg (3.7lb) in his stomach. The man was one of six people in a French-registered car that went through a red light near Geneva. Four of the travelling party had swallowed drugs. The condoms are the equivalent of 5.5m (18ft) long. Now just how big was that man’s stomach? I don’t envy the job someone will be given of retrieving the evidence. You certainly wouldn’t want him to come into your restaurant, with an all you can eat for £4.95 sign on your door, would you! He will surely have red light fever for the rest of his life.

There’s a report that I was reading that consumers were confused by copyright laws that mean it is still illegal to copy a CD on to their computer. Consumer focus reports that the copyright law is outdated and millions were unaware they were breaking laws. A legal expert said that there was no danger of individual consumers being prosecuted for copying music and films for their own use, as commercial operations are the focus of law enforcement. The current state of the law means that it is illegal for somebody to copy a CD or DVD on to a computer or an iPod for their own use. This copying to a different device is known as format shifting.

In a poll of 2,026 people, some 73% said that they did not know what they could copy or record. Jill Johnstone of Consumer Focus called for the law to be updated, to take the advance of technology into account. “The world has moved on and reform of copyright law is inevitable, but it is not going to update itself,” she said. However, IT lawyer Nick Lockett, of DL Legal, said that nobody was being prosecuted for the technical breach in the law. Those who set up commercial operations were more at risk of prosecution, he added. He said a similar issue arose when video recorders allowed people to record a television show and watch it later in the day, which at the time was illegal. An amendment to copyright laws only came after video recorders had been on the market for some time.

One argument against allowing people to shift their music or films on to a different format was that the artists could claim that these works only had a limited lifespan, and so people should pay them again for having the work on a different format. Separate proposals to disconnect so-called peer-to-peer file sharers has caused concern among internet campaigners. This is when people share music or films, even though only one of them has bought the original. So the discussion goes on, and probably will for some time yet, but one thing is for sure: the law has definitely fallen behind new developments in technology. The shame is that with the explosion of the internet, record companies had the chance to reinvent the music industry, much like the movie industry reinvented itself with copyrights etc, but for some reason this did not happen.

One of my heroes, Cassius Clay, on this day (as I write), February 25, in 1964, was crowned the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. It was one of the biggest upsets in boxing history as he beat Sonny Liston. Liston had built his reputation on two first-round knockouts of Floyd Patterson, and in the boxing world he was thought to be invincible. Clay had come into the fight after suffering his greatest humiliation to date, being knocked down by UK’s own Henry Cooper, with a stunning left hook.

Clay was a 7-1 underdog in the betting stakes, and was seen as no match for Liston. Liston, known as The Dark Destroyer, said he couldn’t lose, but in round three he was forced to retreat with his left eye pouring with blood. Clay was announced the winner, after Liston retired at the end of the sixth round in Miami. When the bell rang for the start of the seventh round, Liston stayed on his stool in the corner of the ring, saying he did not want to continue. Shortly after the fight, Clay surprised the sports world by announcing that he had joined the Nation Of Islam, and had changed his name to Muhammad Ali. His boxing career lasted 20 years, during which he won 56 fights and scored 37 knock-outs. In December 1981, Ali decided to retire from the ring, and Parkinson’s disease was later diagnosed. Even with this disability, he is still involved in so much charitable work, and he continues to be, as he always said, The Greatest.

In the FA Cup Spurs beat Bolton on their return match 4-0. They now advance to the last eight teams in the cup. The score-line flatters Spurs, as there were two own goals from Bolton, but Roman Pavlyuchenko scored the other two goals, and is on fire at the moment.

This has to be the neighbour from hell: a bongo player in Brighton has racked up more than £5,000 in fines after ignoring court orders to stop. She has spent two years keeping neighbours awake with her nightly drumming. She is jobless, and her latest fine is for £2,000 for breaching her latest noise abatement order. She has also had her bongos, TV, stereo and CD collection confiscated.

Apparently neighbours were suffering from constant shouting, fighting, banging and loud music. Now if it’s noise she wants, she can be chained to my 100-watt Marshall Amplifier and Cabinet on stage, and get an earful of my wah-wah through a distortion pedal, if she likes!

On the subject of noise, I remember a story that involves that late great Who drummer, Keith Moon. Legend has it that he was in a hotel lobby in the USA, it was packed with people checking in, and Moon was walking around with a huge ghetto blaster on his shoulder at full volume. The hotel manager soon came over, and said that the noise was disturbing the customers, and could he please stop. Moon just said: “Follow me to my room and we will discuss it.”

The hotel manager, wanting some peace in his reception, obliged and followed him to his room. Moonie asked him to wait outside while he went in to get something from his room and closed the door. The next second he’d had blown the door off its hinges with explosives and calmly walked past the extremely shocked hotel manager in the corridor. He just said: “Now that’s noise!” They did not stay there that night! What a legend!

It was interesting to find out that Matt Goss, from the former pop band Bros (Bros were Matt and twin brother Luke, and bassist Craig Logan), is having success in Las Vegas as Frank Sinatra, in a Rat Pack-inspired show. He has a residency at the world famous Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino, after spending many a year in the doldrums after bad business deals and the band splitting up. Good luck to him!

Bros had Top 10 hit songs with songs like the cringeable When Will I Be Famous and I Owe You Nothing almost 20 years ago, and it would seem that bassist Logan came off best up to this point, as he was awarded £1 million in unpaid royalties. That is apart from once being engaged to Danni Minogue, dating Geri Halliwell and Cat Deeley. He also became a record company executive for Sony BMG before moving into music management and at one point looked after Pink. Luke, the other brother, lives in Los Angeles and is a movie star having main roles in Hellboy 11 and the forthcoming movie Tekken. He has also been nominated for two MTV movie awards. All’s well that ends well, then! It is nice to hear stories like this when fortunes have been turned around, when everything in your life goes pear shaped.

Played the Jimmy Page and David Coverdale CD titled Coverdale Page, which I have not listened to for quite a while – and I love it. From the first song Shake My Tree all the ingredients are there. Great guitar sounds and riffs and Coverdale’s signature breathy but powerful vocals. This is a really good rock CD and some of it was even recorded in the famous Abbey Road recording studios mentioned above. The main body of musicians apart from Page (guitar) and Coverdale (vocals) are Jorge Casas (bass guitar) and Denny Carmassi (drums), plus a few other added musicians on various songs.

It is all written by Page/Coverdale and the CD has real depth, with each song really strong. If I have one complaint, it would be that Jimmy does not play many solos, but apart from that he is in fine form and there are many wonderful guitar parts. Coverdale is singing up a storm on this one, and it is produced and mixed by Page, Coverdale and Mike Fraser who also engineered it. If you haven’t already got it, then it is worth adding to your collection.

Coverdale actually auditioned for Uriah Heep at one point. He came down to rehearsals with a bottle of brandy in his hand and we jammed all afternoon. It was really good and even then he had a powerful presence as well as a powerful voice. Shortly after that he had the opportunity to form Whitesnake and that was where the story ended.

We played a while back with Whitesnake in Klamm Castle in Austria and it was good to meet David again, as I had not seen him for many a year. His bass player is called Uriah Duffy (I guess his parents were Heep fans) and we met Uriah at the Klamm show for the first time. He is a nice guy and fits into the band well. Also on the bill in the afternoon was the Grammy-award-winning 73-year-old, Kris Kristofferson. I got on really well with him and just as he was going on stage I said to him: “Have a good one.” He looked at me and said in that low drawl of his: “Don’t tell me what kinda show to have, boy.” We all fell about laughing!

Kristofferson was also wearing the most fantastic, beaten-up, lived-in-all-your-life pair of cowboy boots that I had ever seen. He went down fantastically well and it was a joy to see him play, and sing, from the side of the stage. Earlier he said he liked what he heard from Heep’s soundcheck, and that he was a new convert. He stayed for most of our show and then had to leave, but before he left, he wrote a note that was given to me by my guitar technician Christos, as I came off the stage, that read: ‘Thanks – you have a new fan. I wish I could’ve stayed for the whole set. I loved what I heard. We got a long drive ahead, but I will be listening to your records. I’m afraid I’m not supposed to these days. Hope to see you down the road. Peace, Kris.’ What a star!

The note is proudly framed and hanging on my office wall. He has a new CD out now called Closer To The Bone and he has written such fantastic classic songs as Me And Bobby McGhee and Help Me Make It Through The Night. In the early days he was always trying to pitch his songs, and one day he managed to grab Johnny Cash’s attention, when he unexpectedly landed his helicopter (he worked as a commercial helicopter pilot at that time for a South Louisiana firm called Petroleum Helicopters International, based in Lafayette, Louisiana) in Cash’s yard, and gave him some tapes including the song Sunday Morning Coming Down, which Cash went on to record. The man has style. All that, and he is a movie star too! A true legend!

I have been playing a lot of Joe Satriani at home as I have most of everything that he has done. I do not think for me he will ever better the song Always With Me, Always With You from his first CD Surfing With The Alien, as this song has such a beautiful melody. He is an incredible player, and I first met him when he replaced Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple, and we did a German tour with them. He did a good job and brought smiles back on stage to the Purps. Some of his playing was phenomenal.

One day we had our dressing room next to his guitar warm-up room. Now in Germany you can speak through the plugs in the wall and it echoes into the next room. I am not going to tell you how we discovered this, for that you will have to wait for the book. One night when we came off stage pretty high-spirited after a great show, and we had a couple of celebratory drinks, we could hear Joe warming up next door. That was the cue to get down and yell through the plug socket: “If you don’t have it right now, Joe, you never will.” Then we heard the guitar playing stop and start up again. Once again in a big doomy type voice this was repeated, and the guitar stopped again. The next minute we heard Joe in the corridor telling the tour manager that he was hearing voices. At this point our dressing room was uncontrollable! He is a lovely guy and an amazing guitar player.

I will, however, never forgive him and G3 (Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen) for ruining one of my favourite songs by Neil Young called Keep On Rocking In The Free World on their live CD of the same name. It is the biggest widdly fest ever (to put it politely), and ruins the song completely! Saying that, the live version of Always With Me, Always With You on this CD is superb and brings the house down.

Yipeee! Microsoft shuts down a global spam network. Microsoft has won court approval to shut down a global network of computers which it says is responsible for more than 1.5bn spam messages every day. A US judge granted the firm’s request to shut down 277 internet domains, which it said were used to ‘command and control’ the so-called Waledac botnet.

A botnet is a network of infected computers under the control of hackers. The firm said that closing the domains would mean that up to 90,000 PCs would stop receiving orders to send out spam. A recent analysis by the firm found that between December 3-21 last year ‘approximately 651 million spam e-mails attributable to Waledac were directed to Hotmail accounts alone’. It said it was one of the 10 largest botnets in the US. Machines in a botnet have usually been infected by a computer virus or worm. Typically, users do not know their machine has been hijacked. Microsoft said that although it had effectively shut down the network, thousands of computers would still be infected with malware, and advised people to run anti-virus software. It would appear that this is impossible to police fully, but it is nice that at least a small bit has been stopped.

This Saturday, while I was waiting for my son Romeo to have his snowboarding lesson, I sat and had a coffee and read the newspapers like you do! I was quite thrilled to read in one of the rags that The Kinks where set to reunite. Ray Davies and his brother Dave seem to have healed a long-standing rift. Ray, 65, and guitarist Dave, 63, last played together in 1996. They are now in talks about reuniting this year for concerts. It would be fantastic to hear those hits again like You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset, Sunny Afternoon, All Day And All Of The Night, Tired Of Waiting and Dedicated Follower Of Fashion.

The idea to re-form came when Ray and Mick Avory, the drummer, were listening to old tapes of their music. Ray is quoted as saying: “It’s in the works, but it’s all up to Dave.” We played with them once in Switzerland at a huge festival and after their show there were some arguments going on backstage, and they quickly disappeared in waiting limousines. The upside of this was that they left all of their rider in the dressing room (portable caravan) untouched. We were there all day and all of the night, to use one of Ray’s lyrics, so we helped ourselves. Well, it would have been rude not to!

Well, Carly Simon has finally come clean after a 38-year guessing-game on her song You’re So Vain and who it was about. It was rumoured that the catty lyrics were about ex-boyfriends such as Mick Jagger, Cat Stevens, Kris Kristofferson and Warren Beatty, but nobody really knew for sure. However it was actually written about David Geffen who was head of her record company, Elektra, at the time. She solved the riddle of this by whispering his name backwards in a reworked version of the song for her new album Never Been Gone.

Well, that’s it for another week and I hope to see you back here for next week’s instalment!

‘Appy days!

Mick

www.uriah-heep.com

www.mick-box.net

Just before I left for Russia, Rammstein received a five star review of their UK Wembley Arena performance,, and it was basically the same show that we saw in Hamburg, which is pretty spectacular. It starts with the two guitarists (Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers) smashing through a wall, closely followed by the vocalist Till Lindermann. A wall of fire ignites across the floor and then there are baby dolls suspended in mid air, with sinister green lasers shooting from their eyes. There is a foam machine that Lindermann straddles, and a boat that sails over the heads of the audience with one of the band members in it, and this is directed by the hands of the audience, much in the same way as stage divers do, as it is resting on their hands. There is an exploding tin bath and so many explosions and shooting fire that it is incredible.

Now here’s the bit that made me wonder, as it reports that a fan in a hoodie burst through security on to the stage, and Lindermann turned a flame thrower on him and the kid ran away with his clothing on fire. The stage hands doused him down with fire extinguishers.  This must have been a plant, and part of the show, or they have some serious insurance.  Still it is a very powerful show musically, and they have been successfully playing this industrial strength metal music now for 15 years. Two of Heep’s crew, Ian ‘Scampi’ Bintliff  (tour manager/lighting engineer) and Christos (guitar tech/stage manager) went to see them in Manchester, and they came away suitably impressed for the second time.

Californian scientists think they may have discovered the part of the brain which makes people fear losing money. The author, Dr .Benedetto De Martino of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech),  conducted an experiment which discovered that Amygdala is an area of the brain that is important for normal emotional responses, and for how we perceive our environment. It plays a subtle role in helping people to learn the attributes of good things and bad things. Most people have been found to have a bias against losses, but this study shows very clearly that when the Amygdala is damaged, this loss aversion disappears. 

Well I am pleased to announce that the Amygdala part of my brain is fully intact, and untouched, as I was taught at a very early age by my mother (God rest her soul), that money was too hard to come by than to gamble it away. I have known some gamblers in my time, and it has always ended in tears. I do remember my first time in Las Vegas back in the early ’70s, when I played there with Heep. We stayed at the famous Caesar’s Palace Hotel and once checked into my room, I had a look around the millions of one arm bandits as we knew them to be, and eventually sat at a table, and watched a game of Black Jack, which I soon found out to be card game we played in the UK for fun, called Pontoon or 21.

I was there for quite a while observing, and there was a guy on the end of the table obviously down on his luck, and eventually one of the guys in a monkey suit and no neck, came over and had a word with him. The guy said he wanted to borrow some more money, but monkey suit said he had used all of his credit. The guy obviously beaten said okay, and he would go to his room. He was then informed that there had been a lock put on the door, and all of his belongings kept against what he owed. He then said he would just drive home then, but his car was also impounded against debts owed. He was a drained and sorrowful figure when he left the table, and it was horrible to watch. I remember also going to my room, and in the elevator I overheard two couples happily discussing what they had lost that evening. One guy was saying he had a great night and only dropped US$ 250, and the other guy said he was down US$ 750. Mum’s advice was always the best!

Back to our recent Russian trip, and boy did I have trouble sending last week’s blog from Russia on time. When we arrived on Sunday at the hotel in Yekaterinburg, the Wi Fi internet connection was down. I eventually managed to sweet talk a girl on reception, that if I put my information on a dongle, we could go to the business centre of the hotel, and put the dongle in their main frame computer, and send from there. For some reason, as I am writing this, I keep thinking there are some sexual overtones in the above sentences a la those Carry On films which starred Sid James and Barbara Windsor, but I can assure you it was all above board. After a quick dinner in a nearby restaurant, I went back to the hotel to try and do this. It turned out to be impossible, as all the computer would show was gobbledegook. We tried this many times, and after a couple of hours of trying, it was 3am and I gave up defeated. I notified Malcolm Dome of my plight, by sending a quick mail from my hand held HTC, and the promise of I will try in the morning. At 12 midday, the hotel Wi Fi luckily started working, so I was able to connect and send the blog. 12 midday in Yekaterinburg  is 7am in the UK, as we were five hours ahead, so in the end the blog wasn’t too late.

Monday, February 15, 2010

A late start for everyone, and very few showings at breakfast this morning. We have not stopped since we have been here, so we all made good use of the rooms and slept in. The crew went down to the venue at midday, and the band met at 1pm in the lobby. We were taken to the same restaurant as last night for lunch. Then we went to a music shop for an autograph session. Out in force at the shop were the Urals Beatles Fan Club, whom we had seen before. Last time they gave us our own Urals Beatles membership cards, and made us honourable members, and Russell Gilbrook was presented with his this time. They also gave us an apple made of Green Ural stone with our names on the box, and I was also presented with a jewellery box by a young lad and his father, made of the same stone, which was nice. They even made one for Lee Kerslake, and I will give it to him on my return. In case you are wondering Lee is doing fine and we talk quite often, and always have a good laugh.

The autograph session was mobbed, and we signed many vinyl records, CDs, pictures and two guitars. Straight from there we went to the sound check, which went without a hitch. At the signings there were also the interpreters that we had the last time we played there, and back then they showed us around the Church Of The Blood. This was a house on the site where the Romanov family were murdered. (Apart from Anastasia who got away and was never found). This site is where the Church Of The Blood now stands, with the canonised bodies of the Romanov family. We were taken up to the top of the church tower and rang the bells. This was a very special thing to do, as no one is allowed up there except the clergy, and yes they were very loud, and the intro to Hells Bells by AC/DC, did spring to mind.

We are on stage at 7pm tonight so there is always a bit of hanging about to do after the sound check. The show was great and a good way to end the tour. Both Bernie Shaw and I had beautiful girls come up on stage from the audience to give us roses, and overall the tour was a great success. I have to say that to a man and to a woman, we all thought that seven days away from home with everything we have packed in, felt like seven weeks. In total we had six flights in seven days, and four shows in five days. With all of this constant travelling, and one minute you are in the freezing cold outside, and the next minute you are uncomfortably warm inside, Bernie ended up with a sore throat and a rotten dry cough. Luckily he made it through the shows.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

We arrived at Yekaterinburg Airport with plenty of time to check in, and everything went pretty smoothly. We have to pick up the suitcases and equipment in Moscow to clear it through customs with our carnet, which documents every last piece of equipment down to the last jack plug, so that customs know that what we arrived with, we are departing with. Luckily we have a four-hour layover to do this. At the check in at Yekaterinburg, we had to laugh when we were given our boarding passes. Some of the spellings of our names was hilarious. Charlotte Evans: Sharlota Evans; Brian West: Bryan Vest; Ian Bintliff: Yan Bintliff; Russell Gilbrook: Russell Bruck, Michael Box; Mikhael Boks;  Phillip Lanzon: Filip Lanzon; Bernie Shaw: Berni Shau. All of the others were okay but anywhere else in the world, you would not be able to fly if your ticket even has one letter misplaced. Once on the Urals flight they brought around the food box, and I had the fish and rice. Phil and I noticed the dates on some of the food packets, and in most countries it is usually the sell by date or use by date. The selection of processed meats in a packet were okay, but on the crackers it read 21.12.2009, the Chocolate 02.10.2009 and the small piece of cake 04.02.2010. Phil tried the crackers and they were so hard, that he was only a small bite away from a trip to the dentist. I wanted a cup of tea, and they had in the box, a Pickwick Ceylon tea bag. This was looking good, until the  stewardess bought along the water which was tepid at the outset and just plain cold when it got to us. Now I was desperate for a cuppa, but cold tea is not on. Still we arrived okay at Moscow airport and checked everything through to London from Moscow.

We remembered that the last time we were in Moscow Airport, we discovered an Indian restaurant called Paprika. As we had some time left, we headed for the Indian restaurant, which was really excellent last time, and well worth a revisit. This way if the plane food was in anyway iffy, we would have already eaten. It was a British Airways flight back to London, which was pretty much the same plane as we came out on. It must be one of their oldest planes, because they had the old 1960s type TV’s suspended from the ceiling at various intervals, and there were even ash trays in the armrests. Still we arrived back to London, and by the time we get home, for some of us lucky ones it would have been a 16 hour journey, and for others not so lucky 18-19 hours.

On the football front, while I was away Spurs lost to Wolves for the second time this season 1-0, and they drew in the FA Cup against Bolton 1-1 with Defoe getting our goal. We are as they say consistently inconsistent!

On the British Airways flight over to Moscow, on the 1960s suspended TV sets as explained above, they played the movie The Invention of Lying starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner and Rob Lowe. I was lucky enough to have downloaded this movie before I left on to my iPod, so I could enjoy it without getting a creak in my neck. With my Bose noise cancelling headphones on, I was in my own little cinema. Basically the film is about what if humanity was incapable of lying? What if everyone, everywhere always told the truth? This is the world in which Mark Bellison (Gervais) lives. He’s overweight, snub-nosed, and a struggling writer who develops scripts for a history-themes documentary company. The film is worth it just for Jennifer Garner who is a darling. Mark’s blind date Anna (Jennifer Garner) confesses she needs to go upstairs and masturbate before their date, because she’s never going to sleep with a “Chubby, snub-nosed loser.” Things get better and deeper when Mark tells his first lie to pay his rent and moves on to the invention of God or, as he calls him, “The man in the sky.” The scene in which Mark writes 10 commandments on two pizza boxes and delivers the good news to the multitudes is Gervais at his best. Then the trouble starts, as the question is, will Anna see past Mark’s physical shortcomings and accept him for the man he is inside? This is where the movie gets bogged down in the mechanics of a romantic comedy. Still I enjoyed it, and it made the flight time disappear, helped somewhat by a couple of Bloody Marys.

During the week I played the new Foreigner CD Can’t Slow Down. The line up for Foreigner now is: Mick Jones, guitar; Kelly Hansen, lead vocals ; Jeff Pilson, bass and vocals; Tom Gimbel, sax, guitars, vocals; Michael Bluestein, keyboards and vocals; Brian Tichy, drums. I really enjoyed this CD and the songs are well crafted. I especially like Kelly Hansen’s vocals, that have just a hint of Lou Gramm in them, but enough of his own identity and power. Lyrically they do not have a Dirty white Boy, Cold As Ice or Juke Box Hero, but overall it is a most enjoyable CD. Mick Jones, Hansen and producer Marti Frederiksen do most of the song writing. It is well worth a listen.

This Thursday I was meant to take my son Romeo and two school buddies of his for football training, with Tottenham Hotspur’s coaches. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to the pitches being waterlogged. So I had the three boys all day to entertain. In the end we decided to go and see a film. The only one they could all agree on, and that they had not seen before, was Percy Jackson And the Lightning Thief. Now this was fun, with lots of visual effects, and it was full of adventure that the boys all thought was fantastic. It is directed by Chris Columbus who was responsible for the first two Harry Potter films, and is an adaption of Rick Riordan’s first novel. The effects are impressive, but there is humour, pop culture references (even a mention of Mick Jagger) and some of the performances were hammed up, which made it all work very well. It’s a clever idea, juxtaposing ancient Greeks with contemporary American culture, and it kicks into action straight away.

Percy a teenager lived with his mum Sally and her deadbeat boyfriend, Gabe Ugliano, in New York, before he discovered that his absent father was Poseidon, God of the Sea. Percy goes from a dyslexic troubled teen to a teenage demigod, and is soon off on an adventure to stop the gods of Mount Olympus destroying the Earth, with Zeus misplacing his lightning bolt. He saves his mother from the underworld, while battling wicked Medusa, multi headed dragons, and the leather-clad, hell-raising Hades. It was good fun and it kept the boys entertained for two hours so everyone was happy. The film is for nine to 14 year olds, but I enjoyed it for Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth) who has the most amazing blue eyes and she is a corker to boot.

I was sent this URL by our monitor engineer Peter Foulkes, and I thought it was good enough to share, as it did make me smile!

Joe Satriani – A Critique by Nigel Tufnel (Spinal Tap) 

It is a sign of the times, to see that the EMI Music Group have put Abbey Road Recording Studios up for sale. Business analysts regard the move as a sign of EMI’s growing desperation. The studios are not a listed building and occupy prime space in an expensive part of London, thereby making it attractive to developers. It would be a sad day if the studio was closed down, as it has had such a huge place in rock ‘n’ roll history.

I guess this reflects the digital revolution, and indeed if there is a role any longer for large corporate studios. EMI have owned these studios for almost 80 years. In 1931 Edward Elgar recorded Land of Hope And Glory there. This has been Heep’s stage outro music for years now. These studios are one of the few studios able to hold an entire orchestra, and many of the soundtracks to the biggest blockbusters have been recorded there, such as Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter. I have just read that the National Trust is also considering whether it should launch a campaign to buy the North London complex and that 61-year-old British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, has expressed interest in buying the Studios. Webber has probably brought more musicians to record there than anyone else, because of the capacity to record large orchestral productions, with great facilities that includes three major recording studios within the building. He has recorded Jesus Christ Superstar, Love Never Dies and his upcoming sequel to The Phantom Of The Opera at Abbey Road.  If this fails I guess the best we can hope for, is that a rich music fan would buy it, and turn it into a museum. I might give Paul McCartney a call, and see if he would be interested, as this would be the ultimate in Beatles memorabilia (The studio has now been taken off the market – Ed).

Sad to see that Doug Fieger lead singer of the Knack, and co-writer of the song My Sharona with bandmate Berton Averre, has died at the age of 57. He had battled cancer for five years and died in his own home in California. What a simple, infectious riff that song had.

Whilst in Russia I had the chance to watch another film directed by Quentin Tarantino on my iPod called Inglourious Basterds. The story begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz)…. Inglourious Basterds. The story begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). She however escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Lieutenant Aldo Raine, played by Brad Pitt, organizes a group of soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. They are known to their enemy as ‘The Basterds’, and they are ordered by Raine  to collect scalps from every German that they kill. He demands that every soldier under his command bring him at least 100 scalps.

Raine joins forces with the German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich.  Shosanna fuelled by the hate of  Nazi Colonel Hans Landa, after the execution of her family, carries out her own revenge plan that takes place in the very cinema she owns. Tarantino sure knows how to create tension and suspense, and this film is just full of it. He does killing very well too, and has made it into an art form. It is well worth a look!

I have just received in the post from our management office a copy of our new Official Bootleg series (Live at Sweden Rock Festival 2009). This is a CD documenting some of that evenings performance. It is a fantastic package, and Ioannis has done us proud once again with some fantastic artwork. I will throw it in my car CD player when I go for my next  drive, as this is where I play most of my CDs to get a judgement call on how good it sounds. This is the first of many of these Official Bootlegs that we hope to release fairly regularly.

It was nice to see that my mate Robert Fields, with his book called Minstels, Poets And Vagabonds: A History Of Rock Music In Glasgow,  made it to number one in the Amazon ‘History of Music’ book charts. I wrote the forward for this book, and it is such a thrill that all of Roberts hard work has paid off.  It is well worth a read, and you can feel the love and passion Robert has for the Glasgow rock scene.

This Sunday my team Spurs played Wigan in  a Premier League Match. This was an away game at Wigan and we won 3-0. Jermaine Defoe got the first goal in the 26^th minute. With 20 minutes to go Defoe was substituted for the Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, who scored the other two goals on the 83^rd and the 92^nd  minutes. On our home ground earlier in the season we beat Wigan 9-1, so this season we have scored 12 goals against Wigan and had one goal scored against us. This is unheard of, certainly in Spurs world. We are presently fourth in the Premier league, but Manchester City in fifth place have a game in hand, so they are snapping at our heels, and it will be a fight to the end for this fourth position.

Whatever next! I read in the Sunday Times today an article about stressed out dogs popping a doggy version of the anti depressant drug Prozac. This has been launched in the USA, and is soon to be available in the UK. It will be used to treat a canine compulsive disorder, in which faulty genes combine with stress, to produce excessive licking, whimpering and tail chasing. The drug is called Reconcile and comes in beef flavoured chewy form, and it is also expected to curb compulsive pacing, chewing and dribbling. In my book most breakthroughs in dog behaviour are achieved with tasty titbits. To be honest if dogs were not carried around in hand bags, dressed up in the latest fashion, and treated as accessories, that would help. If you treat a dog like a dog, everything should be fine. The world has officially gone mad. At least in the dog world that is.

I hope you have enjoyed the above, and if so I hope to see you next week for more of the same.

‘Appy days!

Mick

http://www.uriah-heep.com/

http://www.mick-box.net/

Tuesday, February 9,  2010

I spent the morning packing, and then spent the afternoon in a cold, wet football field with my son Romeo, watching him play for his school ‘A’ team at football. The score was 1-1 and they played very well. Romeo was put in goal for half the match, and made a couple of magnificent saves, so I was proud as punch. We drove home, and then I left for Heathrow Airport. I was staying in a hotel overnight, as it was a stupid early flight the next morning. I had a nice bottle of wine with Bernie Shaw, as we were celebrating the fact that he was going to be a daddy again, which is fantastic news, and then everyone arrived one by one and off to bed.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

We were up early to get the shuttle bus to the airport, and then we checked in. This took quite a while with all of the equipment and excess baggage to be paid, and we had just enough time to grasp a quick coffee and a sandwich before boarding the British Airways flight to Moscow. The flight was three hours and 30 minutes long, and passed reasonably quickly with everyone getting some much-needed shut-eye. There are always forms for everyone to fill out before you land, and in usual Heep style, all we could rustle up between us were two pens, and there was information being shouted and passed up and down the aisles of the plane.

I noticed in the duty free BA magazine an interesting sports watch that you could purchase on board. It is a Breo Roam sports watch, which is like a watch within a bracelet. The description is just wonderful and surely must have been written by an estate agent. It reads:  ‘The Roams’ simple, stylish and bold design means that this fantastically good value watch is set to become a firm favourite. The watch is made from tourmaline, which is said to have various health benefits including increased concentration, natural detoxification, improved sleep, vitality and mood. They come in two colours:  black or pink. All this for only £10.’ I was tempted to purchase one each for my entire family, and then I thought: ‘”Nah, what a load of old poppycock.” It did make me smile though!

Moscow airport has changed so much since our first visit in 1987. Back then it was black, dark, and grubby-looking, but now it is a lot better and much cleaner and brighter. I did notice signs everywhere that read: ‘Beware of private taxi drivers. Fraud is possible when paying. No safety guaranteed.’ It took some time for the equipment to clear through customs, but everything went relatively smoothly. I see what they mean about the taxi drivers, as there were hordes of them asking you if want a taxi when you clear customs, and they are continually being moved on by police and having their IDs checked. It was quite funny to watch, because as they were ushered out of the airport through one door, they all came in through another!

We met the promoter’s representatives and then jumped into waiting vans to get to the domestic airport which is across town. One of the promoter reps we had worked with before back in the 90s; his name is Peter Smirnoff. What a great name for a Russian being named after a brand of vodka! It was a bit of a shock once outside with so much snow everywhere, and boy was it cold. With the horrendous Moscow traffic from the international airport to the domestic airport, which was across town, it took the best part of three hours, so it was lucky that we had four hours and 30 minutes to do this.

We checked in for the Aeroflot Rostov flight, and even had enough time for a quick burger and chips before boarding the flight. Once on the flight we sat down and noticed people were staring at us. We soon found out why, because we were featured in the in-flight magazine with a third of a page picture and article advertising the Heep tour. This soon started a stampede of autograph signings which kept us busy for a while. The flight was an hour and 45 minutes and, as we arrived, we were met by a TV crew, as the promoter had arranged this to make the morning news, so that the people actually knew we were there. After waiting for our bags and equipment to arrive, it was off to the hotel where we arrived at approximately 1.30am. They always ask you for your passport on check in at the hotels over here, along with your immigration form, but the trick is to remember to pick it up on departure. There were a few fans after autographs waiting in the hotel foyer, and we signed everything from old vinyl albums, CDs, pictures, tickets and a guitar.  One guy gave us a whole Tupperware container of Blinis, which was nice. However, once everyone had checked in and dropped their bags in their rooms, it was down to the bar for a nightcap. Or in some cases the entire hat shop!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

It was up for an early breakfast and then the crew went down to the venue at 11.30am. Some opted to stay in bed, but I had to go to a radio station (Radio Rostov) to do a live interview. I was picked up by the promoter at 1pm and off we went. It was only 20 minutes away and quite an enjoyable interview, which included a phone in with questions from fans for me to answer on air. It is always strange doing interviews with interpreters, as you have to keep your answers short so that they can interpret correctly. I learnt this years ago as I used to give really long in-depth answers to questions and then look at the interpreter’s face which usually had a look of horror mixed with panic all over it.

After the interview it was back to the hotel at 3pm to meet everyone else to go to lunch and then on to the sound check. I had to grab my stage clothes quickly from my room, as we were staying down at the venue, due to an early stage time of 7pm. The sound check went well and then we relaxed backstage, until we got the call that the show was ready to start, albeit 30 minutes late. We hit the stage running and the crowd were extremely receptive from the off. Half way through the opening song, Wake The Sleeper, everyone had rushed down to the front of the stage which was great.

It was a fantastic show and we really enjoyed it. On the flight over the airlines had trashed my amplifiers and pedal board which had to be rebuilt by Christos, my guitar tech, but somehow a gremlin was still in there; on Lady In Black my Hofner acoustic kept cutting out, as a connector on the floor board had broken. For half the song Christos had to sit on the stage and hold it in with his hand with a wrinkled grimace on his face, much to my amusement.

After the show, with many autographs and pictures taken, we were ushered into vans and taken to a restaurant for dinner. Trevor Bolder and I had a couple of vodkas and decided to go back to the hotel. Everyone else stayed and then some of the party went to the hotel bar to continue. There were some stunning girls in the hotel foyer when Trevor and I came back, and it was obvious they were ladies of the night. As we were getting in the lift we were asked if we wanted to join them, but we politely declined and went to bed.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Today we had an 8.30am bus call as we have a two hour drive to Krasnador. Now they had told us it would be two hours but in fact it ended up being over four hours long. The bar had obviously taken its effect on some of the party as we did not leave until 9am, and it wasn’t long before the snoring started once the bus had hit the road. Both Trevor and I admitted we felt a bit groggy this morning after drinking the vodka, which is like rocket fuel, so I can report that we have still not got the hang of drinking it yet, but we will Keep On Trying as one of our earlier songs suggests. It is so wickedly strong. However, we got away lightly compared to some of the party for sure.

We arrived at the hotel and the crew went straight down to the venue, while we had a quick lunch and a shower before going to a record shop for an autograph session. This went very well and we signed a lot of old vinyl – and to our surprise a lot of Wake The Sleeper and Celebration CDs. After this, is was on to the sound check and to get ready. The show was brilliant and the crowd were fantastic. Unfortunately, the security were heavy-handed with people who just wanted to enjoy themselves, which is a throwback to the old days. Afterwards, we had dinner at the hotel, and for some it was an early night as we were up at 6.30am to make the flight for Moscow in the morning.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

One thing you have to get used to in Russia is this constant bending of the truth. For instance they had allowed one hour to travel to the airport, when in fact it was only 20 minutes. We could have had an extra hour in bed, because even the gate to check in at the airport was not open for a further hour. I must say that after a few days this all gets quite draining, but it goes with the territory, and you end up just going with the flow. Either that, or you end up losing your voice shouting at people, who just shrug their shoulders back at you as nothing gets done.

When the gate opened it was noticed that Peter Smirnoff’s flight ticket read March 13, instead of February 13, which caused a lot of fuss. Eventually this got sorted out; luckily for Peter, as at one point they were not going to let him on the flight. Anyway we all checked in and went through security and on to the plane. While we were on the ground a stewardess announced there was an unidentified bag left at the check in. They thought because of the problem with Peter’s ticket that maybe it was his bag untagged. Now this caused such a fuss that they closed down Krasnador Airport, and evacuated everyone thinking it may be a bomb. The bomb squad arrived with sniffer dogs along with the FBI, and Peter was taken off the plane to identify his baggage. Luckily for him he could identify it and it was tagged, so all was okay and the bomb squad took away the unidentified bag.

This took at least an hour, so we were left waiting on the plane wondering if we would ever see Peter again. There was a huge sigh of relief when he came back on board, and the plane eventually took off. Because of the flight delay, plus the horrendous traffic from the airport to the hotel, this put our arranged schedule in disarray. The crew went straight to the venue and the band had a quick lunch and showered, before going to an autograph session in a music shop. Unfortunately we were two hours late, but the people were still there, and it was mobbed. It went very well, and we signed autographs and had lots of pictures taken with the fans, and then the shop owners. I was given a present of a nice hand-knitted scarf with the latest UH logo on it, some flowers (roses) and four small religious icons that folded into a little wooden book. These were given to me by Yuri, an associate of Father Sergei who sends me emails from time to time. I was also given a major Russian rock magazine called In Rock that Heep featured heavily in. I was on the front page, and there was a four-page article with more pictures. There was also a half-page advert for our tour with a picture of the band. On top of that there was a small article on the late David Byron along with his picture, and an article on Praying Mantis, a band Bernie used to be in. There was also a picture of him with them. Plus there was a review of the Celebration CD as a feature.

After the signing it was on to the sound check, which went without a hitch, and then a press conference and a TV interview that Phil Lanzon and I did. The concert was fantastic, and the audience were fired up and chanting our name long before the intro tape started. It was great to see so many young people in the audience and they knew every song and lyric, old and new, which was brilliant. After the show it was back to the hotel bar, and a couple of celebratory drinks as the show was a success, and off to bed.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Well, as it was Valentine’s Day we had all sent flowers home, which we arranged from Russia, and these all arrived okay which was nice.  We had a late check-out from the hotel, and a late breakfast before we went to Moscow airport to catch a plane to Yekateringburg, where the next show is on Monday.

In Moscow we were staying in the very plush Hilton hotel where the staff, mostly beautiful females, treated us very well, and they were very nice, smiley and helpful. After breakfast I decided to have a nice shower and pack and get ready for the journey. In my bathroom there was a luxury shower and a bath so I was spoilt for choice. I opted for the shower as it was quicker, but there the plan fell to bits. There was no hot water. I ran it for 20 minutes to no avail. I then had to run the bath which was only lukewarm, but that was the best it was going to get, so I had to make do. Other than that it was a pleasant stay and one I would repeat.

One of the changes in Moscow airport, apart from the others I have mentioned previously, is that you can get a soya latte in Costa Coffee there. Now that went down well, I can tell you. On these domestic flights we have travelled on S7 airlines.  They used to be called Siberian Airlines but they changed their name. All the aeroplanes are a shocking lime green colour, and the poor staff have to wear lime green knitted sleeveless jumpers as part of their uniform, which to be honest look naff. The planes are okay though, and even the food is served in lime green boxes, which is mostly chicken and noodles or fish and rice.

We arrived on time in Yekateringburg in the Urals, and were met by the promoters and taken to the hotel. Tonight is a night off so we are going out to dinner to have a relaxing evening as it seems that we have been pretty non-stop since we arrived in Russia. Up to now it has been a three-hour time difference between Russia and the UK, but it is now five hours in front of the UK, which really messes up our sleep time. Enter the dreaded jet lag!

Well that’s all for now, and I will finish off our Russian trip and everything else that happens in Boxworld next week.

‘Appy Days!

Mick

www.uriah-heep.com

www.mick-box.net

I was so disappointed that my team Spurs drew 1-1 with Birmingham City last Saturday, that it has taken me until now to write about it. Jermain Defoe put us in front in the 69^th minute (his 17th goal of the season) and then we had a goal scored against us in the 90^th minute, which is quite simply appalling. What a lack of concentration. We are still fourth in the Premier League, but with Liverpool in fifth, and after their 2-0 win against Bolton Wanderers, they are only one point behind us. Had we won this match we would have been four  points clear. It is going to be a tight run race for fourth position what with Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa snapping at our heels. That is why it is so important for us to win these games, and not throw points away as we did on Saturday. (I do apologise to those who read this blog, who are not into football, but I ask you to please allow my indulgence, as it is close to my heart. However I hope you agree that there is enough content in the blog to keep everyone happy, so please read on!)

After that bit of disappointment in the football, and as is the ying and yang of life, the doorbell rang today, and I signed for a parcel from Hofner Guitars Germany. Graham Stockley of Hofner had sent me one of their Galaxie CT retro electric solid bodied guitars, in a delicious creamy white colour. Now, this is the same guitar that I bought as my first real guitar back in the 60s, so I was thrilled to get it. My original one was bright red, and I learnt my entire Hank Marvin of The Shadows repertoire on this guitar. I used to play Apache, FBI, Man Of Mystery, Wonderful Land, Sleepwalk and many more. I am sure I have a few pictures of me with this guitar somewhere, and I will have to dig them out and show Graham.

Early in the week I had a splendid meal in a gastro pub, and then I went to see a French subtitled movie with my wife Sheila, directed by Jacques Audiard called A Prophet. The film is about Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) who is 18 years old, and is just beginning a six-year jail sentence. Malik cannot read or write, but he soon figures out the prison system. This film won the Grand Jury prize at Cannes last year, and is an astonishing and disturbing tale of this young man’s prison education. Tahar Rahim, the 28-year-old French Algerian who plays the apparently naive new inmate, is a revelation in his first film role. A Corsican mobster Cesar Luciani (Niels Arestrup) who rules the prison makes him an offer that he literally cannot refuse. If Malik does not murder another inmate Reyeb (Hichem Yacoubi), a fellow Arab, Luciani will have him killed. If he does what he is asked, he will be given the protection of the Corsican Mafia for the duration of his sentence. However Malik is a clever individual, and at the same time that he learns to read and write, he exploits a friendship with another French-Arab prisoner, now released, to pursue his own drug deals, and quietly invest in a power base within the prison. It is a compelling gangster movie that is two hours and 30 minutes long, but it holds your attention with some very powerful scenes that stay with you.

Canadian Neil Young, 64, is doing very well on the awards front, as he was given an gong in the UK New Year’s Honours list. The Queen gave him the Order of Canada, which is the second highest honour that can be awarded to a Canadian. Then in Los Angeles at the Convention Centre, Young was named the MusiCares Person Of The Year, for his influential artistic accomplishments and philanthropic work. Young was honoured by the US Recording Company for his charity work, including his support of Farm Aid and the Bridge School Concerts, which raise money to provide services for children with severe physical and speech impairments. Young has two sons who have cerebral palsy. Sir Elton John took to the stage and performed Young’s song Helpless, and told the audience that Young was his hero.

Actor Jack Black was the host for the evening, and other performers included James Taylor, Elvis Costello, Keith Urban, John Fogerty, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crowe and Norah Jones. Young’s former bandmates – Stephen Stills, David Crosby and Graham Nash – took to the stage last. Crosby said: “We made some of the best music of our lives with you, man.” Previous winners of the award were David Crosby himself, Aretha Franklin, Neil Diamond and Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys.

MusiCares was established by the US Recording Academy in 1989 to provide assistance to musicians in times of financial, medical or personal emergency. It was typical of Young to comment dryly: “It’s been a great night. It wore me out. Now I’ve got to go back and try and write some more songs.”  It has been quite a week for Young as he also won the first Grammy of his career, taking Best Art Direction on a Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, for Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972). Also at the 52nd Grammy’s, the other awards of interest to me were: Best Rock Instrumental Performance: Jeff Beck for A Day In The Life from his Performing This Week… Live At Ronnie Scott’s CD; Best Metal Performance: Judas Priest for Dissident Aggressor, a track from their A Touch Of Evil – Live CD; Best Hard Rock Performance: AC/DC for War Machine from their CD Black Ice; Record Of The Year/Best Rock Performance/Best Rock Song: Kings Of Leon for Use Somebody; Best Contemporary Blues Album: The Derek Trucks Band for All Ready Free; Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance: Bruce Springsteen for Working On a Dream; Best Rock Album: Green Day for 21^st Century Breakdown; Best Male Country Vocal Performance: Keith Urban for Sweet Thing, from his CD Defying Gravity. Urban is one of my favourite of the modern country artists, along with Toby Keith. The Derek Trucks CD All Ready Free is just wonderful, and you will find some stunning guitar playing on there.

This week being played loudly in the Box household is the wonderful Mick Ronson CD Heaven And Hull. What a cool album. Mick was an incredible talent and is sadly missed. Some of the fine musicians playing and singing on this CD are Joe Elliott, David Bowie, Peter Noone, Martin Chambers, Rene Wurst, John Webster, Mick Curry, Keith Scott, Sham Morris, Chrissie Hynde, John Mellencamp, Martin Barker, Ian Hunter, Peter Kinski, and it is all held together by Mick himself. It even includes a live version of All The Young Dudes from the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert and Wembley Stadium, with Ian Hunter, David Bowie, Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor.

I have also been playing Mountain with Leslie West (guitar/vocals), Corky Laing (drums), Steve Knight (keyboards), and Felix Pappalardi (bass/vocals). Any comparison to Cream would be futile, seeing as Felix Pappalardi produced Cream’s Disraeli Gears, as well as the Mountain albums. Mississippi Queen is probably one of their most recognisable songs. What a powerhouse that song is, and right from the cowbell intro, into the heavy riff it roars out of the speakers. They did not have as many good songs as Cream, but they sure did have their moments. Leslie West is a good player, and he has always had a distinctive guitar sound.

Gave Alice Cooper’s Hey Stoopid the first airing for a long time, and I really enjoyed it. There is some cool guitar playing, and a really clear production. I don’t usually like productions like this but in this instance it works. The duties fell to Peter Collins and he did a great job. There are lots of guest appearances from the likes of Ozzy, Joe Satriani, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Slash, Stevie Vai21 and Vinnie Moore. On most of the tracks the band consists of bass: Hugh McDonald, drums: Mickey Curry, keyboards: Robert Bailey and guitars: Stef Burns.  We have toured with Alice many times, and he is a complete gentleman. He was the first to air our Wake The Sleeper CD on his radio show in the USA. We played a concert in Estonia in a castle with Alice, and the setting was just superb. It was a magical evening, and seeing his show and the theatrics in those surroundings, was fantastic.  He is the consummate professional and by all accounts an excellent golf player too.

It is nice to revist some CDs that you have not heard in a while, to find they are still as good as you thought they were when you first bought them. One of these is the Australian rock band the Baby Animals, and their self-titled CD, recorded in 1991. The band are Suze DeMarchi: vocals/guitar, David Leslie: guitar, Eddie Parise: bass, and Frank Delenza: drums. The CD was produced by Mike Chapman in New York and engineered by Kevin Shirley. I love this CD, and it is well worth a listen, as I am sure you will agree. Good songs, good playing, good vocals and this all adds up to an excellent CD. Highly recommended, and a high reading on the on the Boxometer.

They also have another CD called Shaved and Dangerous, which is worth checking out. Unfortunately, Perth-born DeMarchi’s touring schedule was cut short when she experienced throat problems, which required her to undertake surgery for her vocal cords. She married guitarist Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme, but the Baby Animals have long since broken up, which is a shame.

On a different note I also revisited Black Stone Cherry’s self-titled first CD. I heard this in the studio when we were recording our CD Wake The Sleeper. The first song, The Rain Wizard, came powering out of the computer speakers, and that got my interest. From that first song on, this CD is full of energy and great riffs. The band are from Kentucky USA, and are composed of Chris Robertson: vocals/guitar, Ben Wells: guitarbacking vocals, John Lawhon: bass/background vocals, and John Fred Young: drums/backing vocals. They have another CD titled Folklore And Superstition which is just as good too, but I do favour their first CD. Robertson has a powerful and instantly recognisable voice which is great, and it is as big as the band at full tilt.

This will probably only interest readers from the UK, but Katie Price, aka the model Jordan, has married cage fighter Alex Reid in Las Vegas after going out with each other for seven months. She was previously married to pop singer Peter Andre: looks like she is putting out the fire with gasoline in my book. Still it will keep the tabloids full over the next year, as Reid has just won the recent Celebrity Big Brother.

One of Spurs’ strikers, Robbie Keane, has gone on loan to Celtic Football Club for the rest of this season. This has depleted us in the striker department, which is a bit of a worry, as we try and keep fourth position in the Premier League. I was telling this on the phone to our manager Martin Darvill in Los Angeles (who is a Leeds fan, and Keane played for them once) and he said: “No surprise there then, as he has had more clubs than Arnold Palmer.” This did make me laugh, as Celtic will be Keane’s seventh club. However, on his debut, it did not go very well as Kilmarnock beat his new club in the Scottish Clydesdale Bank Premier League for the first time in 32 attempts. They won 1-0 with Keane missing two clear chances. Doh!

February 3 marked the anniversary of the death of Buddy Holly. Aged 22 years old, he died in a plane crash in the USA. He was killed alongside the Big Bopper 28 years old and Ritchie Valens, 17 years old. The single-engined Beechcraft Bonanza plane took off from Clear Lake, Iowa at 01.00am local time, and early reports from the scene, suggest the aircraft spun out of control during a light snowstorm. Only the pilot’s body was found inside the wreckage, as the performers were thrown clear on impact.

Holly hired the plane after heating problems developed on his tour bus. All three were travelling to Moorhead, Minnesota, the next venue in their Winter Dance Party Tour. Holly had set up the gruelling schedule of concerts, covering 24 cities in three weeks, to make money after the break-up of his band, The Crickets. Holly is often described as the most influential of the early rock’n'roll musicians, and has been cited as such by John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles. He was a big influence on my own career, and his songs are unbelievably good, and they have stayed with me forever. Buddy was a great rhythm guitar player, and he played the first tobacco sunburst Fender Stratocaster I had ever seen. The solo on his song Peggy Sue, which is all on chords, was fantastic, and was always one you had to learn. He was truly an amazing talent.

Well, on to the football rematch between Spurs and Leeds in the FA Cup we won 3-0. The match was at Elland Road and Jermain Defoe got a hat trick. After striker Keane’s departure to Celtic I am delighted that he has hit this sort of form. We are now in the last 16 teams in the FA Cup.

I read an interesting article in The Times newspaper about mosquitos, and how they find some people irresistible, whereby others go unscathed. Scientists have discovered that they are attracted to chemicals in human sweat. Now when Uriah Heep play open air festivals in Scandinavia, (sometimes in wooded areas with lakes and fjords) once we hit the stage, and the lights go up, they usually have a field day. Phil Lanzon and I usually come off worse, and at the end of the show we have a John Merrick (Elephant Man) competition to see who has the worse bites. I am sure when they see us two, they start screwing on extensions to their receptors, to get us good and proper, as we really do take a pounding. It does not affect the other guys so much, even though we are all covered in that disgusting smelling spray, to prevent these attacks. However this does give credence to what the researchers have said.

As we all know, malaria is transported this way, and kills its victims by damaging red blood cells, and clogging capillaries that feed the brain and other organs. Hence my interest on this matter, seeing as we tour in over 48 countries. I remember sitting around a pool in Chicago, with a few of my friends who were serious weight lifters, and a mosquito would land on their arm, and they would pump up the muscle to overload, and watch it explode. All this while keeping a conversation going and sipping their beer. Now where’s that gym membership!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Well with bags packed and cabs booked, we were ready to fly to Greece for the start of an action-packed touring year, for the first Heep shows of 2010.

Trevor Bolder stayed with me the night before, and we travelled in together. Our cab driver Gordon (who I have used for years) arrived at 7.30am, warning us that there were huge traffic delays due to an accident on our route, so we had to take a ridiculous detour to avoid it, that made us 30 minutes late. Not the best way to start, but hey these things happen. We made the flight, so ‘appy days! The first show was in Thessaloniki, so we had to fly to Athens (three hours and 20 minutes) then have a two-hour layover, before getting the 45-minute flight to Thessaloniki. Everything went smoothly, and all of our suitcases and equipment arrived. We met the promoters, and were taken to the hotel. The weather was pretty much the same as in England, which is rainy, grey and dull.

We all checked into our rooms and dinner was arranged at the hotel. We could not understand why people were walking around the hotel in masks and dressed up in odd costumes, but we eventually found out that it was the Greek version of Halloween. I knew I did not drink that much wine on the flight over, however I did notice on the drive from the airport that there was a huge firework display going on in the main part of the city. We all had a less than average dinner, and called it a night after that long journey. It is two hours on from London time, so the best way to adjust was bed after a belly full of food and wine.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Most of us made it down for breakfast, and shortly after that the crew went down to the venue. The venue was next door to the hotel, and you could walk there so that was cool. I was able to get online at the hotel so I spent a lot of the afternoon doing my usual office duties, and keeping on top of everything. The sound check was at 4pm and it went without any problems. This is the first show of the year after a fairly (in our book) lengthy lay off, so there was an extra air of excitement, and the levels of energy in the dressing room were pretty high. Once we hit the stage, it was as if we had never been away. The Thessaloniki audience were fantastic. You could feel the energy from the audience, and it was electric. We came off stage buzzing. There were plenty of celebratory drinks all round, and a good night was had by all.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

After a healthy breakfast, it was down to reception with our bags, and jump into the waiting vans, and off to the airport. We caught the plane to Athens, and then checked into the hotel, and the band went for lunch while the crew as per usual went down to the venue to set everything up. The sound check was at 5.30pm, and we stayed down at the venue, because there were a number of interviews to do (which Phil and I did) and then we went out to dinner. After dinner it was back to the venue to get ready for the show. From the opening bars of Wake The Sleeper the audience were totally with us, and it was a fantastic vibe. I have never heard an audience sing as loudly as that, and even better they were in tune. It seemed like most of the songs had a built-in choir. It was a great night, and it is always good to play in Greece as they are as passionate about their rock music as we are about playing it.

The venue was packed with a lot of people outside who could not get in, so they left the front doors open, so that those that were outside could hear it. After the show, on the side of the dressing room, there was a shower cubicle, and Bernie Shaw decided to take a shower. When the water was hot enough, he dived into the shower grabbing what looked like shampoo and soap in little bottles. After a few moments there were some choice expletives coming from the shower, when he realised he had dowsed himself in salad dressing. The dressing had been put out separately next to our deli tray. Still after a good laugh, a quick drink, and a bite of pizza, we went back to the hotel bar for those that needed a nightcap, while others opted for the early bath and bed. Oh yes, and Spurs drew 0-0 with Aston Villa. Liverpool won, so we now sit fifth in the Premier League. By all accounts we had the better of the game, and Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said: “Every time we pulled the trigger, it seemed to take a deflection or hit somebody, but overall I thought we were terrific.”

Sunday, February 7, 2010

We had our usual breakfast and then left for the airport. We arrived there in plenty of time to check in and sit down and have a coffee. The journey home was pleasant enough, and thankfully all of our suitcases and equipment arrived okay. We are leaving for Russia on Wednesday, so we were glad everything arrived back okay, as it is always a worry, that if it gets lost, we will not have it to fly to the next show.

We are glad to have those two shows under our belt, and now we cannot wait to play all the shows we have in the date-book for this year thus far! Greece was a fantastic start!

See you next week,

‘Appy Days!

Mick Box

www.uriah-heep.com

www.mick-box.net