BLEEDING PARADISE

                                                  Press release February 2007 By Ralph Heibutzki

 

SAN FRANCISCO -- If the forces of reaction come knocking, only the whole truth will do -- especially when it arrives in the spoken word cocktail of Bleeding Paradise.

         Recorded in July 2006 at San Francisco's Banquet Studios, Bleeding Paradise (BeatKat Records 001) reunites proto-punk pioneer, filmmaker, and lyricist Darryl Read for a collaboration with Ray Manzarek, the Doors' former keyboardist.

         The pair last flexed their collective muse on Freshly Dug (1999), where Manzarek wove his acoustic and electric keyboard spells around Read's supercharged delivery. 

         For Bleeding Paradise, the spotlight falls on Manzarek's acoustic piano, while his deft blues, jazz and classical flourishes provide the rhythmic undertow for Read's lyrics. (The 15-track album's bonus features include 15 minutes of footage from the actual sessions, plus a 20-page booklet.)

         To many listeners, Read is best known as the windmilling drummer for Crushed Butler (1969-71), the underground British power trio now regarded among the direct forebears of the Sex Pistols.

         Now entering his fourth creative decade, Read has worked with an amazing variety of musicians -- including the late Dave Goodman, who collaborated with Darryl on his last musical CD, Shaved (2002).

         For Bleeding Paradise, Read reveals a different persona to suit the mood, from scourge of reactionary dreams (“You Can't Stop The Words,” “Beat Defenders”), to environmental sage (“The Earth's Revenge”), prince of the underground (“B-Side Night”), and fast talker of local characters past (recalling “Sam Cha Cha”). 

         Join Darryl Read and Ray Manzarek for a revolution of the mind, which unfolds right from the opening salvo of “You Can't Stop The Words”: “They...can't kill...your words...'cause they're ours.”

         Beat Defenders; heed the call from Bleeding Paradise: we need you more than ever.

         To hear the evidence yourself, check out www.amazon.com  or www.cdbaby.com  

For additional information, please visit the artists' sites: www.darrylread.com  &  www.raymanzarek.us

 

Ralph Heibutzki   11th of February 2007 

Author of: Unfinished Business the Life and Times of Danny Gatton