www.glennhughes.com
Release date:
October 29, 2012 - UK/Europe [CD/DVD - Limited Edition - Mascot Records M 7398 5]
October 29, 2012 - UK/Europe [CD - Mascot Records M 7398 2]
October 29, 2012 - UK/Europe [VINYL LP - Mascot Records M 7398 1]
October 30, 2012 - USA [CD - J&R Adventures PRAR935488]
December 19, 2012 - Japan [CD - Avalon MICP11078]
Glenn Hughes (Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)
Joe Bonamassa (Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Vocals)
Jason Bonham (Drums & Percussion, Backing Vocals)
Derek Sherinian (Keyboards)
Produced by: Kevin Shirley
Executive Producer: Roy Weisman
Mixed by: Kevin "Caveman" Shirley @ The Cave - Malibu, CA
Mastered by: Bob Ludwig @ Gateway Mastering - Portland, ME
Recorded at: Revolver Studio - Thousand Oaks, CA
Orchestration on 'Afterglow'by: Jeff Bova
Engineer: Jared Kvitka
Second Engineer: Josh LaCount
Jump to the lyrics by clicking here.
Black Country Communion the Anglo-American rock group comprising vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner), Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Alice Cooper, Billy Idol) and blues-rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, release their third album, 'Afterglow'.
Just like its two predecessors, 'Afterglow' was overseen by Kevin Shirley, whose catalogue of hit records for Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Journey, The Black Crowes and many more has made him the hottest producer that rock music has to offer. Shirley - who had the idea of putting Hughes and Bonamassa together in a band together after seeing them jamming onstage in Los Angeles back in November 2009 - is the group's unofficial 'fifth member'.
The additions of Jason Bonham, esteemed son of Led Zeppelin's John, who took his father's place when the legendary group made musical history by reuniting at London's O2 Arena in December 2007, and the in-demand Derek Sherinian, made them a force to be reckoned with. An air of expectancy and excitement greets the unveiling of 'Afterglow'.
When issued in September 2010, BCC's self-titled debut was described by Classic Rock magazine as "Possibly the best hard rock album of 2010", whilst Mojo magazine awarded it 4 stars. Music Radar hailed the disc as "a potent and stomping collection of riff-heavy rockers that will undoubtedly stun listeners."
During its first week of release in the UK the album hit the No. 1 spot in the Official Top 40 Rock Album Chart. It was voted No. 3 in Classic Rock magazine's "Critics Album of the Year" poll, and listeners of Planet Rock Radio crowned BCC as the "Best New Band of 2010".
Issued a mere nine months later, in time for a well received slot at the High Voltage Festival in London, 'Black Country Communion 2' was darker and deeper than its predecessor. Once again it topped the UK's Rock Album Chart. The band were also the recipients of the "Best Breakthrough Act" award at Classic Rock magazine's prestigious Roll Of Honour ceremony. Acknowledging that more than a single listen was required to fully appreciate its "depth and artistry", the same magazine rightly called 'BCC2' "one stone-solid classic song after another".
This time with Bonamassa busy notching up the miles to promote his biggest solo record to date - 'Driving Towards The Daylight' reached Number Two in the UK's Top 40 Album Chart - BCC (the distinctive name is a reference to the industrial area in the Midlands of Great Britain where both Hughes and Bonham were born and raised) had far more time to prepare 'Afterglow' - and it shows.
"There were six months to write this album, and I'm really excited by the way it came out," comments Glenn Hughes, the man responsible for the bulk of its contents. "I wanted to make a record that stood up to the first two, but not to repeat either of those records. There would be absolutely no point beginning it with a song like 'Black Country' [the distinctively energetic track that kicked off the debut]."
The band assembled to record 'Afterglow' in a studio in Westlake Village, about 70 miles outside of Hollywood, during five supremely productive days. Its 11 songs are set to delight all fans of high quality hard rock, also those that admire singers of distinction. Hughes is not known as The Voice Of Rock for nothing.
In terms of content, 'Afterglow' expands upon the progression that took place between 'BCC' and 'BCC2'. Rich in hooks, melodies and choruses, it's nonetheless another of those highly rewarding albums that bears additional fruit with repeated spins.
"I wanted this album to have more acoustic moments than the previous two," explains Hughes. "I wanted to hear more of Derek [Sherinian] and I wanted the more angelic voice of Glenn as well as the more aggressive one which is there on songs like 'Crawl' and 'Midnight Sun'. Above all, I wanted more drama."
Hughes shares lead vocals with Bonamassa on the song 'Cry Freedom'. "The vocal sound that Kevin got on this record is second to none - it's his best work yet with BCC," believes Hughes. "We butted heads a little on the first and second albums, simply because we're both control freaks, but this was the record on which Kevin and Glenn became friends."
Indeed, Hughes speaks of Shirley in the most glowing terms. "Kevin only needs three hours of sleep per night; he's hyper and super-intelligent. He cracks the whip but he also knows exactly what he's talking about when it comes to music."
Black Country Communion hope to tour 'Afterglow' at the start of 2013.
BIG TRAIN
“It’s very quirky and British-sounding. Jason Bonham is an incredible timekeeper. I love the way he provides the engine room on that song.
THIS IS YOUR TIME
“Let’s give Jason Bonham a little more love. He writes his songs on an iPhone whilst driving his car, which is completely nuts. It really helps the groove factor. He emailed me some footage of him playing this song. He wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics. It has a huge chorus, too. Jason is not just a brilliant drummer – he’s a great songwriter.”
MIDNIGHT SUN
“I had my wallet stolen in a Starbucks and arrived late at the studio. When I got there the guys were fooling around with a song that sounds quite a lot like The Who, thanks to those Rabbit Bundrick-style keyboards. I picked up my bass and joined in. It’s quite a romp; there’s a definite vibe of Moon and Entwistle.”
CONFESSOR
“The first album had ‘No Time’, which was slow and groovy. I wrote ‘Confessor’ that way too, but when Jason heard it he insisted upon playing it – in his own words – like his dad would have done. We’re a democratic band and I went along with that. When he turbo-d it up it really came to life.”
CRY FREEDOM
“I sang this one alone originally until Kevin pointed out that the album didn’t have a song with split vocals. Joe and I sing well together. I’ve never had a problem sharing a microphone with other great singers. We really let rip off one another on this one, which has a ZZ Top/Humble Pie kind of a vibe.”
AFTERGLOW
“[At more than six minutes long] it’s an epic song. I was adamant that this album should have a proper title instead of a number. I played it to the band right at the end of sessions – purposely so. When they heard it on acoustic guitar, everybody agreed that it should name the album.”
DANDELION
“I wrote it slower than we recorded it; maybe I had too much coffee that day. Had we done it that way then maybe it would have sounded a bit dirge-like. Jason sets the tempos – he’s got a really good ear for the way that a song should sound.”
THE CIRCLE
“It’s one of my favourites on this record. It gives me the chance to use my ‘breathier’ voice. Kevin asked me to sing it an octave higher than I intended, and it worked. The high voice in the chorus is not my falsetto, it’s my upper register natural voice. I’m singing about being powerless; being in a dreamlike state. People have spoken about my voice and bass playing for so many years, I hope that this time they notice my lyrics because I’m very proud of them.”
COMMON MAN
“That’s another of the songs that came from Jason. When he sang me its melody acapella I could hear myself singing it. It could have been a song from Deep Purple’s ‘Stormbringer’ album; he wrote it for my voice.”
THE GIVER
“When you listen to the end of the song, if people are trying to figure out what key it’s in, I’m playing a capo [a device that raises the pitch of notes] on the fifth fret. When I wrote it, I deliberately held back from completing it because it needed Joe’s input. Kevin helped as well.”
CRAWL
“Some people may know that this song was going to be on ‘BCC2’ but we held it over because there simply wasn’t enough room. To me, it fits this album a lot better. It’s a really aggressive song – it’s dangerous and angry. I love it. It’s a great way to finish the record.”
'The Voice Of Rock' is a true original. No other rock musician has carved such a distinctive style blending the finest elements of hard rock, soul and funk. That astonishing voice is Hughes' calling card. He's known as a singer's singer, with 80+ gold and platinum albums and collective sales of over 100 million units to his name.
Hughes has been at the forefront of the music scene since first achieving success in 1970 with his band Trapeze, before going on to worldwide recognition in 1973 when he joined one of the most popular bands in the world, Deep Purple.
Hughes' R&B-infused bass lines and explosive vocal range blazed throughout the band's hugely successful world tours and albums, including their classic 1974 release, Burn.
Following Deep Purple's split in 1976; Hughes made countless guest appearances as a vocalist, bass guitarist and songwriter on other artists' albums, including Black Sabbath's Seventh Star.
Since 1992, Hughes has toured extensively in Europe, Asia and South America in support of solo albums, including the acclaimed Soul Mover and his most recent release, First Underground Nuclear Kitchen, both featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
Web: www.glennhughes.com
Part prodigy, part virtuoso, (the rest being mercilessly honed guitar skills and tireless work ethic) Joe Bonamassa has built his reputation as one of the world's greatest guitar players since his career started, at age 12, performing with B.B. King and John Lee Hooker.
Heavily influenced by British and Irish rock legends including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Rory Gallagher, Bonamassa went on to tour and performed with Buddy Guy, Foreigner, Bad Company, Joe Cocker and Gregg Allman before beginning his recording career in the early '90s with Bloodline, a hard-charging rock-blues band with the sons of Robby Kreiger (The Doors), Miles Davis and Berry Oakley (The Allman Brothers Band).
When he went solo as a singer/songwriter, Bonamassa recorded his critically acclaimed debut album, A New Day Yesterday, with legendary producer Tom Dowd.
Barely into his 30s with twenty years of experience in the music business and recording a total of ten albums on his own independent label J&R Adventures (six of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard's Blues Chart), Bonamassa sold out London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall in less than a week in 2009 for a stunning performance filmed for the DVD Joe Bonamassa: Live From Royal Albert Hall, featuring a guest appearance by Eric Clapton.
"Always on the road," Bonamassa performs his transformational live act at more than 200 concerts around the world each year. In 2010 he toured in support of the Billboard blues #1 (and #39 on the Top 200 Chart) album Black Rock, and also reunited with Eric Clapton at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago.
Web: www.joebonamassa.com
The legacy of Led Zeppelin lives on in Jason Bonham, British drummer and son of Zep's legendary John Bonham. Inheriting the best of his father's skills while mastering his own distinctive and dynamic technique, Bonham blasted onto the world stage at age 17 with the band Air Race, opening for huge draws like Queen, Meat Loaf and AC/DC.
In 1988, Bonham took his father's spot in the televised, first-ever Led Zeppelin reunion at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary Concert. Later that year, Bonham toured with Jimmy Page and recorded his album, Outrider.
Earning a gold record on the track "Wait for You" from his solo album The Disregard of Timekeeping, Bonham went on to team up with Paul Rodgers, Slash, David Gilmour and Jeff Beck to record the Grammy-nominated album, Tribute to Muddy Waters.
Bonham has made a career of entertaining audiences around the world, touring with The Healing Sixes and Foreigner and rejoining his late father's band members for the most anticipated concert of all time, 2007's Led Zeppelin reunion at London's O2 Arena. In 2006, Bonham recorded the year's top Billboard blues album, You and Me with Joe Bonamassa.
Web: www.jasonbonham.net
A versatile keyboardist who mixes technical proficiency with distinctively raw power, Derek Sherinian has toured and recorded with some of the biggest names in rock. Sherinian got his big break in 1989, touring with legendary shock-rocker Alice Cooper in support of the multi-platinum albums Trash and Hey Stoopid.
In 1991, Sherinian caught the attention of Gene Simmons, joining Kiss for their Revenge tour and recording Alive III. Moving into progressive rock, Sherinian joined Dream Theater in 1994, recording three albums and performing on two world tours.
Going solo in 1999, Sherinian has recorded six albums, teaming up with legends including Billy Idol, Slash, Al DiMeola, Steve Lukather (Toto) and Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne) to create a catalogue of music that fuses hard rock intensity with dynamic, jazz-infused flair.
Web: www.dereksherinian.com
