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From http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/aug/19/orb-pink-floyd-david-gilmour written by
Sean MichaelsAmbient house duo use prog-rock guitarist's jam sessions as basis for forthcoming album Metallic Spheres
After leaving Roger Waters to tour Pink Floyd songs on his own, David Gilmour has entered into an altogether different collaboration – with the Orb. The ambient house act have completed their tenth studio album, and it's 
chock full of Gilmour's guitar.
Metallic Spheres, due on 4 October, is credited to the Orb "featuring David Gilmour". The 10 songs began with Gilmour alone in the studio, jamming with producer Youth. The Orb's Alex Paterson took these unfinished tracks and manipulated them. Youth's bass and keyboards appear alongside Gilmour's lap steel and electric guitar, described in a press release as, er, "discernible".
The Orb's most recent album, last year's Baghdad Batteries, sank with nary a trace. According to David Gilmour's blog, the Pink Floyd frontman did not work "with" the Orb – he was just mucking about with Youth, the former bassist in Killing Joke, and Paterson decided to cut and paste this work into an entire LP. Royalties from the album will reportedly go to the legal campaign of Gary McKinnon, a Glasgow-born hacker who is fighting extradition to the US. Gilmour has previously supported the Free Gary campaign with a cover of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's song Chicago, an ambient version of which may appear on Metallic Spheres.
In addition to CD, LP and download releases, Metallic Spheres will also be pressed in a "3D60 mix". This is a new "three-dimensional" audio format developed by Youth and two other engineers, and apparently doesn't require special equipment. More information, and samples, can be found here. For those who wish to experience the Orb in real, actual 3D, Paterson will appear next month at the Out of the Ordinary festival in Sussex.
As for Pink Floyd, although there seems little chance of a tour, Gilmour and Waters reunited for a one-off charity gig last month. Gilmour's wife, Polly Samson, recorded the concert, which you can view here.
The two-disc DVD release of the award-winning documentary about legendary Canadian trio RUSH, called "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage", has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies. (Note: Due to the fact that the set consists of two discs, it was eligible for platinum certification after shipping 50,000 copies; platinum certification for a single-disc release is 100,000 copies.)
According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" has sold around 82,000 copies in the U.S. so far.
Guitarist Alex Lifeson told The Pulse of Radio that it wasn't until he saw the film himself that he thought there was actually an interesting story to tell about the band. "It's just kind of a, you know, a success story — kids from the suburbs have a dream and they live their dream," he said. "And everybody can relate to that. There's been quite a dynamic in the band, a lot of stuff has happened, so there was a story to tell there. And I don't think I really realized there was one until we actually saw a rough cut and how they pieced it all together and the chronology and the ebbs and flows of the story."
RUSH bassist Geddy Lee told RollingStone.com that the band was initially hesitant when approached by filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen about making a documentary, saying, "We thought, 'How foolish are these guys?' We're just this dull band. I remember [drummer] Neil [Peart] asked them rather pointedly, 'What's your angle? What's the story you want to tell?' They said, 'Well, to be honest, we don't know.' We liked that and said, 'Good luck, let you know what you want us to do.'"
"Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" won the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival this past April.
RUSH began a 40-date North American tour on June 29 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The trek features the band's first-ever performance of its 1981 album "Moving Pictures" in its entirety.
The band recently released two new tracks, "Caravan" and "BU2B", online and will return to the studio after the tour to complete its next album, titled "Clockwork Angels".
Three of the remaining DREAM THEATER 
members — singer James LaBrie, guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess — have issued separate statements commenting further on the departure of drummer Mike Portnoy, the band's co-founder and leader for 25 years.
James LaBrie: "Thought I would give you time to digest the news of Mike's departure.
"Mike stated that he was burnt out with the DREAM THEATER world and needed a break.
"We have to respect where he is at and where this will lead him at this particular point in time. With that being said, we are more than pumped to continue the legacy of DREAM THEATER and jump full on into the next chapter. Rest assured, it will be great. You can count on it."
John Petrucci: "Obviously you've all heard the news of Mike's departure from DREAM THEATER by now. I felt it important to open up a line of communication in an effort to kill any rumors and to promote clarity.
"I love Mike and really hope he's happy and successful in whatever he does.
"I realize that Mike was always the one to actively stay in touch with our fans, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to try to be at least a bit more present on both mine and DREAM THEATER's websites and to let you all know that I am here.
"To me, DREAM THEATER's story is one of defying the odds, standing for true integrity in music and creating our own success through perseverance and hard work, so although Mike's leaving is heartbreaking, I still look forward to an amazing musical journey that continues on with some of the most talented and respected musicians and composers on the planet!"
Jordan Rudess: "Everyone is asking me to comment on my thoughts about Mike Portnoy leaving DREAM THEATER and this huge change that has happened in all of our lives. I have always been able to express my feelings and do my best 'talking' through music, so I decided to voice my statement in this improvisation [see video below]. Hope you 'understand.'"
Portnoy, who is currently out with AVENGED SEVENFOLD as their touring drummer, said of his decision to quit DREAM THEATER, "Please believe me that it is not a hasty decision . . . it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so . . . After having had such amazing experiences playing with HAIL!, TRANSATLANTIC and AVENGED SEVENFOLD this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in DREAM THEATER."
Portnoy added, "I love the DREAM THEATER guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them — it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break."
The drummer said that DREAM THEATER's "endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years" was the main factor in his decision. He said he wanted a "break," not a "split," but that the band decided to move forward without him.
Portnoy added in a separate post on Facebook that his current gig with AVENGED SEVENFOLD had nothing to do with his departure from DREAM THEATER, writing, "They are just as shocked as you guys."
AVENGED recruited Portnoy to play on its new album, "Nightmare", following the death last December of the band's drummer, James "The Rev" Sullivan. Portnoy was Sullivan's favorite drummer.
Singer M. Shadows told The Pulse of Radio that Portnoy has done a tremendous job filling in for their late bandmate. "He's done everything with the utmost respect for Jimmy's drumming and I think he's gained a lot of respect for Jimmy's drumming," M. Shadows said. "You know, he's had to learn these songs going, 'Man, these are complicated drum parts, this guy was a hell of a drummer.' And it's fun because, you know, Mike gets to see that, but Mike's also able to sit there and bring his own style to it."
DREAM THEATER said in its own statement, "All of us in DREAM THEATER wholeheartedly wish Mike the best on his musical journey. We have had a long and meaningful career together. It is our true hope that he finds all he is looking for, and that he achieves the happiness he deserves. He will be missed."
Legendary progressive rock veterans URIAH HEEP have announced plans to release a new live album, "Official Bootleg Volume II – Live in Budapest, Hungary 2010". The band states, "This is an official bootleg recording from our concert in the Petofi Hall, Budapest Hungary, on the 4th May 2010.
"There are going to be many more recordings from around the world, as this will be an ongoing series, giving fans the chance to hear the band in many different countries.
"These recordings are true official bootlegs in every sense and they reflect that nights performance as it happened, totally untouched. You can almost feel that you are at the concert, so put the CD on, turn it up loud, close your eyes and enjoy a night in Budapest with URIAH HEEP."
The official release date for "Official Bootleg Volume II – Live in Budapest, Hungary 2010" has not yet been announced.
"Celebration", the latest album from URIAH HEEP, was released in North America on March 16, 2010 via a new deal between DisManic Distribution and Knife Fight Media.
HEEP history has been an extraordinary journey and it was time that their greatest classics were recorded in studio by the lineup playing them live to fans all over the world for more than 20 years.
For "Celebration", the band re-recorded twelve of their most successful songs — classics like "Free Me", "Gypsy", "The Wizard", "Easy Livin'", and, of course, their all-time smash hit "Lady in Black". In addition to that, they composed and recorded two completely new songs as a special gift to their fans: "Only Human" and "Corridors of Madness", two of their best tracks in years.
URIAH HEEP's progressive heavy metal made the British band one of the most popular hard rock groups of the early '70s. Formed by guitarist Mick Box and vocalist David Byron in the late '60s, URIAH HEEP released their debut album "Very 'eavy... Very 'umble" in 1970. Since then the band has released 21 studio albums and played to millions of fans across the globe.
URIAH HEEP remains one of British rock's most consistent and long-standing acts, with album sales of over 30 million worldwide.
Drummer Mike Portnoy says that his current involvement with AVENGED SEVENFOLD had nothing to do with his decision to quit DREAM THEATER, the band he formed and led for 25 years. "I BEG of the fans to please NOT hold [AVENGED SEVENFOLD] responsible for MY decision... They are just as shocked as you guys," Mike writes on his Facebook page. He adds, "I had been contemplating this and desiring a 'break' (not split) [from DREAM THEATER] as long ago as last year. Everything else is fully explained in the press release" that Mike issued yesterday announcing his split from DREAM THEATER. Portnoy continues, "Thank you all for your support and understanding... This is the hardest thing I've ever done."
Portnoy made his live debut as AVENGED SEVENFOLD's current touring drummer on July 25 when the band played at the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Portnoy also recorded the drum parts on the group's newly released album, "Nightmare".
"Nightmare" was completed after the death of drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, who passed away last December following an overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol.
When asked in a recent interview with Goldmine about his involvement with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Portnoy said, "It's an honor for me to have been kind of hand-picked and asked to do this, because of the situation. You know, when I went in and did the album, it was something I was honored to do. I wanted to be really careful to bring The Rev's drum parts to life for this album. They lost their brother at an unbelievably early age. You know, he was only 28, so it was a tragedy that they had to endure. I wanted to go in there and carry on his legacy with the drum parts he was supposed to be playing. So, I did my job, and we had such a good time with each other on a personal level … The guys are really cool guys, and I really enjoyed making the record with them. And I told them, if I was able to tour with them, I would love to do it."
Drummer Mike Portnoy of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER has released the following statement:
"I am about to write something I never imagined I'd ever write.
"After 25 years, I have decided to leave DREAM THEATER... the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.
"To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision...it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so....
"After having had such amazing experiences playing with HAIL!, TRANSATLANTIC and AVENGED SEVENFOLD this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in DREAM THEATER.
"Please don't misinterpret me, I love the DREAM THEATER guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them... it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break.
"DREAM THEATER was always my baby...and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985... 24/7, 365... never taking time off from DREAM THEATER's never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was 'off' between cycles)... working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band.
"But I've come to the conclusion that the DREAM THEATER machine was starting to burn me out...and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DREAM THEATER spirit hungry and inspired.
"We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here and there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a 'hiatus' to recharge our batteries and 'save me from ourselves'...
"Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather... I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be...
"While it truly hurts for me to even think of a DREAM THEATER without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way...so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes.
"Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DREAM THEATER and I talked about 'always following your heart and being true to yourself'... Sadly, I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with DREAM THEATER...and I would simply be 'going through the motions,' and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.
"I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come... I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played....
"I'm sorry to all the disappointed DREAM THEATER fans around the world... I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work... I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)... but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within.
"You DREAM THEATER fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me.... (and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future Mike Portnoy projects!)"
Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have released the following statement regarding the departure of the band's drummer, Mike Portnoy:
"To all of our loyal fans and friends: It is with profound sadness — regret — we announce that Mike Portnoy, our lifelong drummer and friend, has decided to leave DREAM THEATER.
"Mike's stature in the band has meant the world to all of us professionally, musically, and personally over the years. There is no dispute: Mike has been a major force within this band.
"While it is true that Mike is choosing to pursue other ventures and challenges, we can assure you that DREAM THEATER will continue to move forward with the same intensity — and in the same musical tradition — that you have all helped make so successful, and which is truly gratifying to us.
"Fans and friends: File this episode under 'Black Clouds and Silver Linings.'
"As planned, we begin recording our newest album in January 2011, and we'll follow that with a full-on world tour.
"'The Spirit Carries On.'
"All of us in DREAM THEATER wholeheartedly wish Mike the best on his musical journey. We have had a long and meaningful career together. It is our true hope that he finds all he is looking for, and that he achieves the happiness he deserves. He will be missed."
DREAM THEATER supported IRON MAIDEN on a North American tour which kicked off on June 9 in Dallas, Texas and concluded on July 20 in Washington, D.C.
DREAM THEATER's latest album, "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", sold 40,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.
DREAM THEATER's last CD, "Systematic Chaos", opened with 36,000 units in 2007 to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 19. 2005's "Octavarium" premiered with 27,000 copies to debut at No. 36.
In addition to the standard-version CD, DREAM THEATER's tenth studio album, "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", was also made available on vinyl LP, as well as a three-disc, special-edition CD that includes the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six cover songs.
chock full of Gilmour's guitar.
