FabricationsHQ - Putting the Words to the Music
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  • 2023 Reviews
  • 2023 Featured Album Reviews
    • Heavy Metal Kids - The Albums 1974-1976
    • Anchor Lane - Call This a Reality?
    • Doomsday Outlaw - Damaged Goods
    • Hayley Griffiths - Far From Here Hayley Griffiths Band - MELANIE
  • 2022 Reviews
  • 2022 Featured Album Reviews
    • Moon City Masters - The Famous Moon City Masters
    • Steve Hill - Dear Illusion
    • Kira Mac - Chaos is Calling
    • EBB - Mad & Killing Time
    • The Commoners - Find A Better Way
    • Rebecca Downes - The Space Between Us
    • Erja Lyytinen - Waiting For The Daylight
    • Chris Antonik - Morningstar
    • The Milk Men - Spin The Bottle
    • SiX BY SiX - SiX BY SiX
    • Jeff Berlin - Jack Songs
    • Keef Hartley Band - Sinnin' For You The Albums 1969-1973
    • Toby Lee - Icons Vol.1
    • Montrose - I Got The Fire : Complete Recordings 1973-1976
    • Orianthi - Live From Hollywood
    • Valeriy Stepanov Fusion Project - Album No. 2
    • Dan Reed Network - Let's Hear It For The King
    • Ali Ferguson - The Contemplative Power Of Water
    • Edgar Winter - Brother Johnny
    • Joe Satriani - The Elephants Of Mars
    • Dave Cureton - State Of Mind
    • Larry McCray - Blues Without You
    • Tears for Fears - Tipping Point
    • Kris Barras Band - Death Valley Paradise
    • Dan Patlansky - Shelter of Bones
    • Black Lakes - For All We've Left Behind
    • Wille & The Bandits - When The World Stood Still
    • LALU - Paint the Sky
    • Various Artists - Revolt Into Style 1979
  • 2021 Reviews
  • 2021 Featured Album Reviews
    • Dave Bainbridge - To The Far Away
    • Lachy Doley - Studios 301 Sessions
    • Mark Pontin Group - Kaleidoscope
    • The Mentulls - Recipe For Change
    • Plush - Plush
    • Wayward Sons - Even Up the Score
    • Pat Metheny - Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)
    • Steve Hackett - Surrender Of Silence
    • Sweet Crisis - Tricks On My Mind
    • Amanda Lehmann - Innocence and Illusion
    • Chantel McGregor - Shed Sessions Volume One & Volume Two
    • Troy Redfern ...The Fire Cosmic!
    • NWOCR - Volume One
    • Jeff Kollman - East of Heaven
    • The Damn Truth - Now Or Nowhere
    • Dennis DeYoung - 26 East Vol 2
    • Mark Lettieri - Deep: The Baritone Sessions Vol 2
    • Reach - The Promise Of a LIfe
    • Jane Getter Premonition - Anomalia
    • Mason Hill - Against The Wall
    • Lyle Workman - Uncommon Measures
    • Robert Berry - 3.2 : Third Impression
    • Lifesigns - Altitude
    • Jason Bieler and The Baron Von Bielski Orchestra - Songs For The Apocalypse
  • 2020 Reviews
  • 2020 Featured Album Reviews
    • McCartney III
    • Gary Barlow - Music Played By Humans
    • Storm Warning - Different Horizons
    • Reb Beach - A View From The Inside
    • Lykantropi - Tales To Be Told
    • King King - Maverick
    • Jakko M Jakszyk - Secrets & Lies
    • Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains
    • Fish - Weltschmerz
    • Dyble Longdon - Between A Breath And A Breath
    • Jim Kirkpatrick - Ballad of a Prodigal Son
    • Abel Ganz - The Life of the Honey Bee & Other Moments of Clarity
    • Toby and the Whole Truth - Ignorance is Bliss (25th Anniversary Edition)
    • Everyday Heroes - A Tale of Sin & Sorrow
    • Skintrade - The Show Must Go On
    • Robert Jon & The Wreck - Last Light on the Highway
    • Pat Metheny - From This Place
    • Anchor Lane - Casino
  • Selected 2023 Gig Reviews...
    • The Wilson Brothers - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
  • Selected 2022 Gig Reviews...
    • WinterStorm Rock Weekender - Troon
    • Jack J Hutchinson - Bannermans, Edinburgh
    • Paul McCartney - Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury 2022
    • Daryl Hall - Ryman Auditorium, Nashville
    • Joe Bonamassa - SEC Armadillo, Glasgow
    • Dan Patlansky - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • Eric Gales - Oran Mor, Glasgow
  • Selected 2021 Gig Reviews...
    • Sweet - The Garage, Glasgow
    • The Damn Truth - Now Or Nowhere Record Release Experiment Live
    • Anchor Lane - Lockdown Live, DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • Laurence Jones - Live From Camden, Powerhaus, London
    • Joe Bonamassa - Austin City Limits, Live Stream
    • Todd Rundgren - Clearly Human Virtual Tour, "Pittsburgh"
  • Selected 2020 Gig Reviews...
    • Jared James Nichols - Garage G2, Glasgow
    • Oscar Cordoba Band - Blue Arrow, Glasgow
    • Rebecca Downes Band - The Ice Box, Glasgow
    • Ben Poole Trio - Room 2, Glasgow
    • Sensational Alex Harvey Experience - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • The Aristocrats - Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
    • Fat Suit - Drygate, Glasgow
    • Francis Dunnery's It Bites - St Lukes, Glasgow
  • Selected 2019 Gig Reviews...
    • WinterStorm Rock Weekender IV - Troon
    • Hawkwind - 02 Academy, Glasgow
    • Opeth - SWG3 Galvanizers, Glasgow
    • Félix Rabin - Nice 'N' Sleazy Glasgow
    • Anchor Lane - G2, Glasgow
    • Stray - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
    • Danny Bryant - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
    • Talon - Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow
    • Lifesigns - Smiles of Musical Travel
    • A Whole Lotta Rock 3 - featuring Rattlesnake Tattoo, Prestwick
    • Chantel McGregor - Hard Rock Cafe Glasgow
    • Pete Way Band - Customs House Hotel, Greenock
    • Raintown and Katee Kross - Village Theatre, East Kilbride
    • Danny Vaughn - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • NR Rocks 2019 - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • Arran Rock 'N' Blues Fest 2019
    • Cheap Trick - 02 Academy, Glasgow
    • The Blind Lemon Gators - Tolboth, Stirling
  • Muirsical Conversations...
    • Rebecca Downes (December 2022)
    • Chris Antonik (November 2022)
    • Pat Travers (October 2022)
    • Robert Berry (August 2022)
    • JW-Jones (August 2022)
    • Mike Ross (July 2022)
    • Dan Patlansky - March 2022
    • Bernie Marsden (December 2021)
    • Robin George (November 2021)
    • Dennis DeYoung (June 2021)
    • Robert Berry (March 2021)
    • Dan Reed (February 2021)
    • Steve Hackett (January 2021)
    • John Verity (September 2020)
    • Steve Hackett (July 2020)
    • Gary Moat (March 2020)
    • Steve Hackett (October 2019)
    • Rebecca Downes (May 2019)
    • Ben Poole & Wayne Proctor (January 2019)
    • Dan Reed (November 2018)
    • Del Bromham (October 2018)
    • Brian Downey (September 2018)
    • Raintown - Paul Bain & Claire McArthur Bain (May 2018)
    • Hamilton Loomis (December 2017)
    • Alan Nimmo (October 2017)
    • Erja Lyytinen (September 2017)
    • Suzi Quatro (September 2017)
    • Biff Byford (August 2017)
    • Dan Patlansky (June 2017)
    • Graham Bonnet (May 2017)
    • Simon Thacker (April 2017)
    • Sari Schorr (March 2017)
    • Stevie Nimmo (February 2017)
    • Dan Reed (February 2017)
    • Adam Norsworthy (January 2017)
    • Colin James (December 2016)
    • John Lees (October 2016)
    • Sari Schorr (August 2016)
    • Mike Vernon (August 2016)
    • Wayne Proctor (July 2016)
    • Laurence Jones (April 2016)
    • Chantel McGregor (March 2016)
    • John Young (January 2016)
    • Michael Schenker (November 2015)
    • Martin Barre (October 2015)
    • Chris Norman (September 2015)
    • Joanne Shaw Taylor (August 2015)
    • Fee Waybill (July 2015)
    • Ian Anderson (June 2015)
    • John Lodge (June 2015)
    • John Lawton (May 2015)
    • Steve Hackett (May 2015)
    • Manny Charlton (April 2015)
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    • Paul Young (July 2014)
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    • Lee Kerslake (December 2013)
    • Pat Travers (September 2013)
    • Steve Hunter (August 2013)
    • Joy Dunlop (March 2013)
    • Gwyn Ashton (Dec. 2012)
    • Greg Lake (October 2012)
    • Ned Evett (August 2012)
    • Steven Lindsay (July 2012)
    • Dave Cureton (June 2012)
    • Jon Anderson (May 2012)
    • Jeremey Frederick Hunsicker (March 2012)
    • Amy Schugar (Feb. 2012)
    • Robert Fleischman (November 2011)
    • Ivan Drever (Sep. 2011)
    • Michael Sadler (June 2011)
    • James Evans (April 2011)
    • Alyn Cosker (Nov. 2010)
    • Scott Higham (Nov. 2010)
    • Kevin Chalfant (Oct. 2010)
    • Francis Dunnery (Sep. 2010)
    • Duncan Chisholm (Aug 2010)
    • Barbara Rubin (July 2010)
    • Alan Reed (June 2010)
  • FabricationsHQ Q&As With...
    • Jeff Kollman - August 2021
    • Lyle Workman (March 2021)
    • Jason Bieler (February 2021)
    • Félix Rabin (February 2020)
    • Chantel McGregor (August 2019)
    • Greig Taylor (July 2019)
    • Adam Norsworthy (June 2019)
    • Erja Lyytinen (March 2019)
  • Muirsical Articles...
    • 2019AB?
    • The Fool Guitar - The Fool Story
    • Alex Harvey - Framed in Words. And pictures
    • Home of a Ramblin' Band (Allman Brothers Band Big House Museum)
    • Journey - That Time Forgot
    • KISS - Elder Statesmen, Elder Statement?
    • Phil Lynott - Remembering Pt. 3
    • Freddie Mercury - The Days of His Life
    • Gary Moore - Last Exit
    • Mott - Without any of the Hoople-la
    • Muirsical Six of the Best
    • Music Town: A Decade of the Darvel Music Festival
    • Pat Travers - The Forgotten Power Trio
    • Playing Tribute
    • Gerry Rafferty - Humblebum to Multi-Million Seller
    • Cliff Richard - The Rock and Roll Juvenile
    • Slade - Thanks For the Memories
    • The Sweet - A Cut Above the Rest
    • Talon - On Eagles Wings
    • Wild Horses - Thoroughbreds or also-rans?
  • A Personal Journey: Definitive Edition (eBook)
  • Steve Perry (vocalist): One in a Million (eBook)
  • A Writer's Muirsings...
    • A Writer's Muirsings: Introduction
    • Superbowl XLVII MVP: Beyoncé (February 2013)
    • Michael Jackson: The Alternative Verdict (Nov 2011)
    • True Colours (November 2010)
    • It's a New Language, Old Bean (October 2010)
    • Finger Pointing (July 2010)
    • Suffer the Little Children (April 2010)
    • Hey 'Banker', can you spare a dime? (February 2010)
  • Author Bio & Site Info
  • Contact FabricationsHQ
Writing the Wrongs of a Year We’d All Rather Forget
2020 in Review and the FabricationsHQ Roll of Honour
​2020 is a year we will all be glad to see the back of, albeit while there is vaccinated light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel the first third, if not a lot longer, of 2021 isn’t going to seem much different.
Add in a Kingdom one side of the Atlantic (with a now decisive and yet assuredly divisive Brexit Agreement) and a set of States on the other, both of which are as far from United as it’s politically possible to be, and you have the recipe for a 2021 that, in the early going at least, is going to be as unpalatable 2020 was.

But in a year where many have suffered from worry of work/ income to isolation and mental health concerns, music continues to be a great unifier and even healer.
And that's in a year where live performances became all but non-existent after February 2020, other than the numerous Social Media ways many artists and bands found to deliver Lockdown Live gigs (to help reclaim some lost live revenue) in front of not much more than an audio technician and a camera or two.

There were far too many excellent Lockdown gigs in 2020 to list them all here but special mention for pay-to-view or later officially released lockdown live product from Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar, King King, Catfish and Erja Lyytinen…
​2020 also seems to have delivered more music than any other recent year, although that could be simply what it feels (or indeed ‘sounds’) like in a predominately isolated, pandemic ridden world – or a genuine musical increase in defiance to, and in the face of, such a virulent ten months and more.

Either way FabricationsHQ had never found itself busier, which, perversely, became part of the 2020 problem.
Other priorities took precedence in such worrying and indeed tragic times including the loss of an elderly parent, a good friend and a number of acquaintances to Covid-19.

The more poignant perspective and bigger pandemic picture however is I’m simply one of millions to suffer such sad losses.

Music review, band promotion and artist support therefore became a great help, but also a great problem, in terms of trying to cover everything that came FabricationsHQ’s way; the end result was a compromise of having to promotionally pick and musically choose, something that has now become a necessary and guiding principle of FabricationsHQ.

Outside of the juggernauts of music news coverage, such as Rolling Stone, the above consideration is no different to many of the music sites and review blogs out there, but in FabricationsHQ’s case it’s a two-fold necessity.

First, while FabricationsHQ is undeniably a rock orientated site, I’ve always prided myself in FabricationsHQ’s eclectic, genre spanning approach and musical nous.
Classic & contemporary rock, blues, blues-rock, Celtic/trad.folk, progressive rock/metal, melodic pop/rock, roots/country, World Music, instrumental, singer-songwriter and jazz-rock/ fusion have all been and will continue to be covered but such a wide spanning remit means as many albums, EPs and interview opportunities will be politely declined as taken on or promoted
– hence it becomes more about who and what we feel deserves and/ or needs the exposure as opposed to those who don’t need to be featured on every music magazine or website every News Day of the week.

Secondly, there’s been an increased demand on my services over the last couple of years, which I take as the highest compliment.
Artists and/ or their management are approaching me direct for Press Sheets, various bits of wordery, pre-release listens-on-trust, off-the-record chats and album liner notes, the latter of which underlines and reinforces the width and scope of FabricationsHQ’s well-written and well considered commentaries and musical knowledge (Modesty? Never met the word).

Commissioned or requested CD liner notes delivered thus far for artists have included trad. Scottish folk, classic rock, blues and instrumental fusion, with more to follow.

Returning to the sadder side of 2020, we lost an inordinate amount of artists and musicians who made a significant contribution and/ or impact in the annals of rock and roll and the wider musical picture, from jazz to country, including Neil Peart, Lyle Mays, Bill Withers, Kenny Rogers, Steve Priest, UFO greats Paul Chapman & Pete Way, producers Martin Birch & Keith Olsen, Julie Felix, classic Uriah Heep alumni Lee Kerslake & Ken Hensley, Spencer Davis and Leslie West, to name but fourteen of a near 170 greats.

While many losses were down to being of an age, carrying a long illness or having "lived the life," it didn’t make the passing of the likes of Eddie Van Halen any easier, although Ed’s old mate did his Diamond Dave damnedest to put a reminiscing smile on proceedings…
Picture
​From a personal and ‘Muirsical’ point of view, with plenty of time to think about it in a not-travelling-far and lockdown ridden 2020, I seriously considered stepping back from the music writing/ support side of life – not through any lack of enjoyment of what I was doing (far from it) but due to sheer workload (as mentioned earlier) and, disappointingly, the lack of intelligence or craft that has been manifesting itself over the last few anybody-can-be-anything-on-the-Internet years.

Not, of course, the aforementioned Rolling Stone or the myriad of professional and amateur on-line publications that are well-written and highly knowledgeable about their music, but the not-insignificant number that have writers (I use the word "writers" in its loosest sense) that wax in the most unlyrical of grammatically atrocious terms.

One promotional associate, who has a background in teaching and English, upon reading one such epistle, confirmed that "if it had been written by a 10 year old I was teaching it would have been returned with red line overmarks and the request for it to be done again."
Similarly, an artist of no small song writing calibre admitted that while delighted to be able to pull out a great quote from an album review for promotional purposes, said review "read so badly I thought it had been written in another language, perhaps Dutch, then had an iffy Google translation into English" (it hadn’t).
 
These self-same reviewers take on every and all comers, writing ‘em up as fast as they get them (and it shows) in an attempt to be in with the in crowd of bigger named PR teams, artists, labels and agencies.

The results are badly written, must be first out the gate reviews (sometimes within hours of receiving review copy), many of which are guaranteed to use the word "awesome" and rate said review as 10/10 or given five stars, while buying into the hype and media saturation of a product that is, on many occasions, a decent or good but not great (and certainly not awesome) offering.

The related King's New Clothes scenario is an artist or band that can raise their profile not on musical content or quality, but on how much money they have available for PR and Media, aligned with the 21st century musical truism "it’s not what you know but who you know."

In interview mode, those same reviewers/ sites tend to talk more about themselves or their company and talk up the artist rather than proffering insightful, interesting or challenging questions (many times these interviews are unedited, low-view YouTube uploads, which only succeed in putting themselves forward for an Amateur (half) Hour or Mutual Back-Slapping award.

In other shoddy journalism words, there is no critical review or insightful interview, just glowing fan-boy or fan-girl appraisals and buddy chat, respectively.

And, yes, all the above is, as some may have gathered, as much a 'write' to reply as it is an observation.

Some artists and albums thoroughly deserve such glowing reviews of course, and many have featured on FabricationsHQ, with specific choices listed below in FabricationsHQ’s Roll of 2020 Honour (plus a couple of Dishonourable awards – FabricationsHQ has always carried a healthy dose of humour and a soupçon of cynicism).
One such honourable nod goes to the seemingly ageless Blue
Öyster Cult, who got their mojo, or rather their Symbol, back with their first studio album in nineteen years...

FabricationsHQ has always, first and foremost, delivered well-rounded and well-written critical appraisals that accentuate the positive.
Such critiques tend to fly in the face of what some PR and promotional teams want to see or read, but in a twist of respected acknowledgement, they tend to be the very reviews a band or management will take, use and appreciate.
On a number of occasions through 2020 a band, label or management has acknowledged and thanked FabricationsHQ for those reviews while the PR or publicity gurus completely ignored them (a personal favourite was from a band manager who wrote "I’d rather have one well-written critical appraisal than ten overly gushing, badly written ones").


And that’s why FabricationsHQ will continue; to write the wrongs of others and ensure the most deserving bands & artists, from the unsigned to the household name, get the well-written, well-informed, critically appraised exposure.

Wishing all a peaceful, good and safe New Year and see you at a gig again sometime in the (hopefully near) future – once we are all vaccinated up the wazoo.

Ross Muir/ FabricationsHQ
2020 in Review


Special thanks to Nelson McFarlane & Adam Norsworthy for their valuable review contributions.
And to Mary Stevenson Muir (1930-2020) – thanks for everything, mum.

FabricationsHQ 2020 Roll of Honour
Classic Rock based Album of the Year: Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains
Blues Rock based Album of the Year: Jim Kirkpatrick - Ballad of a Prodigal Son
Contemporary Rock based Album of the Year: Anchor Lane - Casino

Blues based Album of the Year: Chis Bevington Organisation - Sand & Stone
Singer-songwriter Album of the Year: Rosie Abbott - Magnified
World Music album of the Year: Simon Thacker’s Ritmata - Tàradh
Roots/ Country album of the Year: Cormac Neeson - White Feather Deluxe Edition
Progressive Rock Album of the Year: Abel Ganz - The Life of the Honey Bee & Other Moments of Clarity
Progressive Metal Album of the Year: Sons Of Apollo - MMXX
Instrumental (rock) Album of the Year: Reb Beach - A View From the Inside
Instrumental (jazz/fusion) Album of the Year: Pat Metheny - From This Place
Debut album of the Year: Everyday Heroes - A Tale of Sin & Sorrow
Live Album of the Year: Ben Poole - Trio /// Live '19

Lockdown Album of the Year: Birdmens - Lockdown Loaded
On-line Lockdown performance of the Year: Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar - The Empire Theatre, Ontario

The Kings New Clothes Award: AC/DC - Power Up
The Ego Has Landed (just in time for Xmas) Award: Gary (taxes for) Barlow - Music Played By Humans
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