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| FIREFALL ACOUSTIC 'TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES' CD | |
‘COLORADO TO LIVERPOOL – A Tribute To The Beatles’ In 2005 Jock Bartley and Steven Weinmeister were asked to perform, as FIREFALL ACOUSTIC DUO, a few acoustic Beatles songs on a top radio station in Denver, Colorado. They had a great time doing so and the positive response led the station to ask them to appear a second time. After a third time of singing and strumming their favorite Fab Four songs on air, they kept hearing ‘When’s the CD going to come out?’
It made sense, although as everyone knows, over the decades so many ‘covers’ of Beatles songs should never have been made or released. But even so, Steve and Jock were excited by the prospect and felt up to the task. Why? Because their love and respect of The Beatles’ timeless music would guide those sessions.. and because it was so much fun to play and sing those songs. And so in January of 2007, they began in earnest to record acoustic versions of some of their favorite Beatles songs. | |
As it turned out, many of the tunes they picked were not the hugely successful ‘singles’ that still permeate the world’s consciousness. They picked a number wonderful ‘album cuts’ - songs they grew up on in the 1960s, songs they learned how to sing harmonies with.. songs as Steven has said, ‘that are in our DNA.’ Songs like ‘Girl,’ ‘Norwegian Wood,’ ‘I’ll Be Back,’ ‘You’re Gonna Lose That Girl’ and ‘No Reply.’ Some of these FIREFALL ACOUSTIC recordings are straight forward and uncomplicated, like they’d be in someone’s living room or live on the radio. And then on others like ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ ‘Come Together’ and ‘Within You Without You,’ Jock and Steve have treated them in new and different directions, creating surprising and satisfying versions of those classic songs. Their version of ‘Come Together’ features a swampy acoustic slide guitar groove; their ‘Eleanor Rigby’ is a medieval Madrigal of layered acoustic guitars and mandolin; ‘Within You Without You’ is a high string acoustic guitar raga with tablas and udu that captivates and soars; and their version of ‘Girl’ features John Magnie of the Subdudes on accordion that will transport listeners to the streets of Paris.
The Beatles are the best band ever. Their songs are some of the most brilliant and emotional music ever composed; their original recordings between 1965 and ‘69 are as magical and transcendent as recordings can be. Steven and Jock have treated these eleven Beatles songs with love, reverence and the upmost care. They humbly offer these acoustic versions of Beatles music, paying tribute to their musical and cultural heroes. The smiles and pure joy they both experienced in the studio comes through on every cut. ‘COLORADO TO LIVERPOOL – A Tribute To The Beatles’ will be released on September 4, 2007. It will be available for sale and on-line down load. |
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1. WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU Harrison 2. GIRL Lennon & McCartney 3. NORWEGIAN WOOD Lennon & McCartney 4. YOU’RE GONNA LOSE THAT GIRL Lennon & McCartney 5. ELEANOR RIGBY Lennon & McCartney 6. HERE COMES THE SUN Harrison 7. NO REPLY Lennon & McCartney 8. I NEED YOU Harrison 9. COME TOGETHER Lennon & McCartney 10. I’LL BE BACK Lennon & McCartney 11. I DON’T WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY Lennon & McCartney |
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| ALLOW 2-4 WEEKS SHIPPING | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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* Shipping is calculated at the time of the order for any order inside the Continental United States at $2.75. ADDITIONAL SHIPPING CHARGES will be required for shipments to Hawaii, Alaska, all US territories, APO and FPO military addresses and ALL OTHER COUNTRIES. This additional ship cost is $2.75 per CD via airmail; $5.50 is the total ship cost per item for orders outside the Continental US. Example: 2 CDs shipped to Europe = $11.00 US, 3 CDs shipped to Japan = $16.50 US). These orders outside the Continental US will not be processed until the additional shipping is received via Paypal.
** 2.9% Sales tax is added for Colorado Residents. *** Domestic shipments of 6 or more CDs may require additional shipping. **** APO and FPO military addresses require a US Customs declaration form and are considered international by the US Postal service |
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| Here’s what people are saying about this CD: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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“EXCITING AND UNEXPECTED, YET TOTALLY FAMILIAR.”
“It is indeed a tricky path to walk when you decide to follow in the footsteps of giants, but FIREFALL ACOUSTIC not only manages to navigate that historic stroll, they actually create a sidestep or two of their very own. The vocals, the instrumentation, the production, the harmonies, the arrangements, they all blend together effortlessly, like a handful of old friends getting together to reminisce, laugh, play and embrace a magical, musical relationship that can’t be duplicated, but can surely be appreciated. Do I like you, FIREFALL? Nah, I love you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.” GISÈLE GRIGNON – Dayinrock.com, Los Angeles, CA. |
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“At a time where Beatles songs are being used to sell diapers and to advertise sale items at Target - something the Beatles themselves never allowed to happen when they were in control of their catalogue – FIREFALL ACOUSTIC is paying tribute to the Beatles catalogue the way the songs were meant to be taken, with great respect and for the sake of fun. No "mash-ups" here, and no "sound-a-likes." This is simply two guys with dead-on vocals and exceptional guitar work paying homage to the four guys who changed the world 40 plus years ago. The harmonies throughout this collection are very refreshing, especially at a time in music where harmonies seem to be a forgotten art. Kudos to FIREFALL for having such a fun time celebrating the art of The Beatles.”
MARK SAXON - East Coast Project Manager, Songwriters Guild of America, New York City, NY |
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“This is a great piece of work. The acoustic arrangements really make these songs fly, takes them to another level. The production of the disc and the singing and playing are sooooo goooood. It's an invigorating CD that's been spinning constantly in my CD player since I received it."
PETER HOLMSTED - Hemifran Productions, Sweden |
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“What FIREFALL ACOUSTIC has set out to do, as the title of this album expresses, is simply to present a tribute to the Beatles, not to mimic or try to improve upon their renditions. Offering a light yet reverential treatment of classic Beatles tunes without overt fanfare or overly dramatic renderings, COLORADO TO LIVERPOOL is a quiet, uplifting homage. ‘Come Together,’ featuring a stripped-down sound and inauspiciously haunting vocals, is arguably the best of the album; the melancholy rendering of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ will have even doubters acknowledging the acoustic accomplishments of Bartley and Weinmeister. Relaxing and almost Celtic in places, Firefall Acoustic has somehow managed to beautifully create the most difficult of cover albums. Humbly presenting their own work, while acknowledging the greatness of the creators, this duo has built a beautiful salutation to the greats of music history.”
ZACH FREEMAN - Blogger News Network www.bloggernews.net/111148 |
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“We are living in a new era of John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Wherein the original recordings of the Fab Four were once ubiquitous and considered untouchable, nowadays their remarkable canon has become a bottomless repertory from which a wide array of artists can choose to reinterpret. It's fitting that two members of FIREFALL, a 70s super-group noted for their hits "You Are The Woman," "Just Remember I Love You" and vocal harmonies that matched their much acclaimed contemporaries Fleetwood Mac and the Beach Boys, have upped the ante with an spirited acoustic collection which cleverly highlights some of the Beatles lesser known compositions. Jock Bartley and Steven Weinmeister make the wise decision not to imitate the Beatles, nor their sacred records, but rather render the songs in their own voices and style -- not an easy task for these avowed Beatle-maniacs. The only knock on this collection is that it's not longer. Firefall's effort will appeal to Beatle fans old and new, and emerges as a fine tutorial for gigging singers/guitarists who wish to embellish their repertoire with some of the greatest and most timeless pop songs ever written. Perhaps it's not that far from Liverpool to Colorado after all.”
TOM SEMIOLI - www.minor7th.com |
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“Colorado To Liverpool" serves up a group of timeless songs humbly executed with love by two of the planet's biggest Beatles fans, Firefall’s Jock Bartley and Steven Weinmeister. From the world-feel of "Within You Without You" and Parisian setting of “Girl” ..to the taunting "You're Gonna Lose That Girl" and the Madrigal treatment of "Eleanor Rigby" ..from the swampy slide guitar version of “Come Together” to the duly countrified "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party," Firefall Acoustic's strong affections and effectuations come shining through for all the world to enjoy on this CD. It’s a absolute joy!”
ARCHER - “Breakfast With The Beatles” Denver, Colo. |
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“In one sense, ‘Colorado To Liverpool’ a reminder of the folk side of the Beatles, but it also stands as a celebration of great rock and roll as delivered in a no-frills environment. Choice cuts abound, but Firefall's "Within You, Without You" is an absolute stand-out, keeping the Beatles' Eastern mysticism and raga sound in tact without sounding dated -- a testament to the Beatles -- and to Firefall Acoustic, as interpreters.”
PETER JONES - Colorado Community Newspapers, and former reporter for Billboard Magazine and National Public Radio |
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“I’ve always been a huge skeptic about Beatles ‘cover’ songs. But FIREFALL ACOUSTIC’s ‘COLORADO TO LIVERPOOL,’ is a glorious surprise. It sounds refreshing and new, though these timeless songs and melodies are forty years old. The acoustic versions of these Beatles songs are exciting, unexpected and yet totally familiar. FIREFALL was one of the premiere vocal bands of the 1970s. With this loving and respectful acoustic CD, they have done their musical heroes, the Beatles, great justice. Everyone, young and old, will love it.”
JAMES SPENSER - Razor Entertainment |
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