TOBB's CD now available on iTunes!!

[lisalee66]

GREAT NEWS! TOBB'S first CD "Live At Smuget" is now available on iTunes! Just in case you don't know who they are...they're the amazing Norwegian band that Bill has recently performed with in Norway & Russia. We all know that if Bill picks 'em, they've gotta be great! LOVE these guys! You will too....go check it out;-)

[billfleck]

Thanks, Lisa. Just went over there and grabbed it. GREAT stuff. I especially like their version of "Walk the Dinosaur." Kicks ass!

Bill F.

[Bill]

Guys, This is an old album but you gotta' love the pocket these guys play in and their horns are awesome. We were in a rehearsal hall the other day in Moscow and when they walked in it was, "Oh yeah! Home!!" The Russian gig was pretty cool considering some sound problems on stage but the guys pretty much threw down. Erik Smith, the drummer, tore it up. I can't wait to catch more gigs with TOBB. Between them and the Sons I'm totally covered. Way cool. Bill

[lisalee66]

Bill, Yeah I'm pretty sure their new album is due to be released somewhere around Christmas, if I remember the posting correctly. One of the tracks being "Sweet Marie" which you guys recorded together?
They have a sample of it posted on their Myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/theoriginalbullshitband

[BiggerThanElvisFan]

Great material! Thanks for sharing, LisaLee66. Puts a smile on one's face. Pocket. Bill is right about that.

[billfleck]

Gotta say, the album rips it up. The only cut I'd jettison is "Fire and Rain"...in my view, there's only one way to do that, and that's been done (this coming from a guy who really isn't a James Taylor fan).

The rest, though, particularly "Play That Funky Music" and "Walk the Dinosaur," is A++

FWIW,
Bill F.

[billfleck]

Bill, Yeah I'm pretty sure their new album is due to be released somewhere around Christmas, if I remember the posting correctly. One of the tracks being "Sweet Marie" which you guys recorded together?

The sample over there is kickin'....I like the stacked background vocals, too. I'm glad to hear this song will get an official airing somewhere...it really deserves it.

Bill F.

[lisalee66]

The only cut I'd jettison is "Fire and Rain"...in my view, there's only one way to do that, and that's been done (this coming from a guy who really isn't a James Taylor fan).


FWIW,
Bill F.

Bill, I hear ya'...but there's even something about this one that makes me love it. Call me crazy but it reminds me of Christopher Cross. No one can do this one like JT (yes i AM a fan), but I'm enjoying their take on it.
Lisa

[lisalee66]

The rest, though, particularly "Play That Funky Music" and "Walk the Dinosaur," is A++

FWIW,
Bill F.

Play That Funky Music...AWB meets Norway...love it!

[rpro]

The only cut I'd jettison is "Fire and Rain"...in my view, there's only one way to do that, and that's been done (this coming from a guy who really isn't a James Taylor fan).


Bill F.

Bill,

I disagree, Fire and rain was nicely done with beautiful brass. I will however say the flanger on the guitar was a little thick, and nearly drowned out the vocals.

Play that funky music white boy had a really good groove as opposed to the old four on the floor tempo Red Cherry recorded it with.

Robert

[karegranat]

Hi, all!

First and foremost I would like to take the opportunity to thank Bill for his kind words concerning our band, TOBB, and likewise we feel very privileged to play with such a distinguished artist! We had a blast joining him and Tamara again in Moscow, after our very successful Norway tour earlier this spring. It is a thrill of a lifetime to gig with a musician that has been an icon through our musical upbringing, a dream come true!

Also, it´s so nice to read your opinions on our live CD, and we sincerely thank you for buying it from iTunes. And if you like it, please tell a friend!:)

The album is, as Bill mentioned, a few years old, and was recorded primarily as a promotion tool to get more gigs. Nevertheless, we feel it turned out well and it reflects the way we sound on stage. There are absolutely no overdubs on the CD. We also managed to film a few of the songs from the concert, and if you go to our myspace or facebook page, you can check them out. Actually, (correct me if I´m wrong, Bill) these clips was where Bill noticed us the first time, so one can say that the recording has served its purpose!:)

As most of you already know, we are in the process of making another album. This time a studio album with original material, and Bill is participating on his own song, Sweet Marie! At our first meeting in march, Bill invited us to do some recording next time he was in Norway, for our tour. Sweet Marie was this hidden gem on youtube, so we asked Bill to try that song, since it had never been recorded before. We prepared a backing track and presented it to Bill when he got back over for our gigs. He was very pleased about it, and the next day he and Tamara came to my studio outside of Oslo to record vocals, together with our lead vocalist Knut Anders Sørum (Bill only calls him "Pipes"!). He is not the guy from the live CD, however, who quit some time back. Anyway, the recording session was nothing short of magical, and having Bill in my studio booth singing world class vocals all day really put things into perspective! Now I know why it takes 35 years of studio experience to get 35 years of studio experience Needless to say, the recordings were awesome, from all three vocalists, and when we went on tour, Bill recorded a fabulous organ part from an already rigged Hammond B3 on stage. On a day off between gigs, we recorded the horns, which is a brand new arrangement from our trombonist, Torbjørn. So, the album is in the making and hopefully finished by the end of the year, and we will of course let you know when a release date is decided.

Well, I should round this off now, but let me express my best wishes for the Sons tour, and we all sincerely hope that it goes well.

And, again, thanks so much for buying, listening and talking about our CD! More to come soon!

All the best from Javed in TOBB!

[billfleck]

I disagree, Fire and rain was nicely done with beautiful brass. I will however say the flanger on the guitar was a little thick, and nearly drowned out the vocals.

Looks like you're right--last I looked, they hadn't removed it from the CD.

Guess I'm not Simon after all...

Bill F.