Rain Dance is a new live CD taken from the same performance filmed for a potential DVD release (which has hit some technical buffers at present). The live CD was available at Rolie Band gigs. There are some minor backing vocals overdubs but apart from that it’s the raw deal, as was played at the concert.
It is an independently produced item and Gregg’s son Sean Rolie handled the remixing chores. As Gregg states” I hired him because he’s good at what he does, not because he’s my son??” The CD was given the final production by Gregg and Ron Wikso. It is initially released as a limited edition run of around 2000 copies. The CD is a document of a 2007 performance at the Sturgis Motorbike Rally concert. It features many of the old Santana favourites from the first three recordings. And there is one cut from the Abraxas Pool CD and which was re-imagined again on the Roots CD, which is Going Home. Give It To Me is also culled from the Roots CD recording. There are two newer songs Bailamos El Son and Across The Water.

The Santana back catalogue is well represented by Jingo, Soul Sacrifice, Black Magic Woman, Gypsy Queen, No One To Depend On, Oye Como Va and Evil Ways. The early band’s version of Albert King blues favourite As The Years Go Passing By with its Latinised double tempo burnout is also included. The CD timing totals around the seventy minutes of music mark.

Talking to Gregg on a blazing hot Texas morning found him reflective of the current state of the music and wider markets and wanting to represent the Rolie Band sound to fans at gigs as well thru the dwindling outlets now present for recorded music. " We are doing around ten gigs this year and we are actively looking for more. The recent gig at the Hard Rock Café was great, they showed the original Santana band at Woodstock doing Soul Sacrifice from the film, projected on a screen in front of the stage and during the conga solos, the screen lifted and we went straight in picking the song up, where they had left it.”

He also reflected on the Gregg Rolie Band, "The band are great, because we all really enjoy each other and I think the sound reflects the fun we are having. We subtitle the band; "Santana- the way you remember it” And at that gig in New York recently, we had half of the original Santana, that’s about the closest you’re ever gonna’ get, to seeing that band together again!
Michael Shrieve came down and sat in and it was fantastic!
He is such a lyrical player and he makes me smile when he would do a certain thing or a fill and I’d remember his playing style, very on the jazzier end but just so stylish. Ron Wikso my regular drummer is heavier and a real solid player too.”

He remembered the recent remixing and augmenting of the Woodstock film re-mastering by Eddie Kramer. "Carlos redid his rhythm guitar parts as they was a lot of leakage in the sound. And there was a lot of tuning problems that day- the guitar was out of tune and the tuning stuff was difficult for everybody. Carlos’ solos were great and there was no problem there. Mike Carabello and Adrian Areas did some fine tuning on guiro and the timbale cowbell patterns as well, due to the leakage during the original set.”

Rain Dance is a must for Gregg Rolie fans, Hammond B3 enthusiasts, Latin rockers and Santana completists. (by Jim McCarthy)

What a shame that Martin Orford has decided to bow out of the music industry but with The Old Road he has done it in fine style. With the help of many Prog heavyweights including Dave Meros, Nick D'virgilio, John Mitchell and John Wetton to name a few, he's produced an excellent old school melodic rock/prog album.

The strength of this album lies in it being so easily accessible with strong immediately likeable melodies, yet unlike so many albums that are so instantly appealing, still has much to offer after repeated plays. The standard of musicianship is excellent as expected with so many great players on board on the consistently strong material. Album opener Grand Designs grandiose instrumental beginnings lead into a track full of strong melodies and much excellent instrumental work. Not surprisingly the keyboard work is excellent and retro sounding like we've never left the seventies, brilliant!

Power and Speed is a powerful up tempo instrumental which after a rocking start goes into fusion territory for a while and some great guitar work from one of my favourite guitarists of recent years, John Mitchell. Ray of Hope is a short more restrained moment reminding me of Genesis in their more commercial days, not least because of vocalist David Longdon sounding a bit like Phil Collins.

Take It To The Sun is a fairly straightforward rock song with a strong vocal performance from John Wetton which is followed by the very acceptable, mainly piano, classical sounding Prelude. 

The longer tracks tend to be the best, partly for the powerful, explosive instrumental solos and the title track The Old Road is one of these with another fine performance from John Mitchell; the guitar solo section in general reminding me of IQ.

Like Take It To The Sun, Out In The Darkness is an enjoyable, fairly simple melodic rock song which is followed by perhaps my favourite track, The Time And The Season. John Wetton sings again on this powerfully melodic piece. The instrumental ending of this 11 minute track is particularly enjoyable, once again having an IQ vibe to it with some lush keyboard sounds and soaring guitar work. Endgame, while being a fitting album closer, is the least satisfactory song here, but only because it's in such good company; still it's pleasant enough.

And there we have it, a very strong collection of accessible tunes and a fine way to end an illustrious musical career. If you've enjoyed any of Martin Orford's other work then I'm sure you'll find much to enjoy here too. (by Nightfly)