Released next Friday (28th April), Graham Bonnet’s “Anthology” is the first all encompassing, career spanning career retrospective from this highly respected singer and song writer, from his first hits of the late 1960s, right up to the Graham Bonnet Band in 2017. Few frontmen can claim to have had such a lengthy and far-reaching career, first finding fame as part of The Marbles duo, who enjoyed a hit with the Bee Gees’ ‘Only One Woman’ in 1968, followed by a solo career across the 1970s, again enjoying further success with the Bee Gees on the disco flavoured ‘Warm Ride’. He achieved what was possibly his greatest success when he replaced Ronnie James Dio in 1979 for “Down To Earth” in Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. Worldwide hits followed with the single ‘All Night Long’ and Russ Ballard’s ‘Since You Been Gone’, represented here with the latter single’s non-album B-Side, ‘Bad Girl’. Solo success beckoned with the song ‘Night Games’, plus Russ Ballard’s ‘S.O.S.’, from the “Line-Up” album in 1981, backed-up by a stellar line-up that included Cozy Powell and Jon Lord, as well as guest appearances from Status Quo’s Rossi and Parfitt. Graham briefly joined The Michael Schenker Group for 1982’s “Assault Attack”, represented here with the non-album B-Side ‘Girl From Uptown’. Recognizing that his greatest success to date was with the melodic hard rock of Rainbow, Graham formed Alcatrazz in a similar mould, with a then little known Swedish guitarist called Yngwie J. Malmsteen, and the “No Parole From Rock ‘N’ Roll” LP, producing ‘Island In The Sun’, and ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’. Sadly, this line-up only lasted one studio and one live in Japan album, where Alcatrazz had quickly built a huge following, and from where ‘Since You Been Gone’ is taken. Graham evidently had a knack for finding highly influential guitar talent, recording second Alcatrazz opus with Steve Vai and the “Disturbing The Peace” album, featuring ‘God Blessed Video’, the anti-drink-driving song ‘Will You Be Home Tonight’ and ‘Skyfire’. A third and final Alcatrazz record produced ‘Blue Boar’ from “Dangerous Games” before the singer hooked up with Chris Impellitteri and the band Impellitteri (‘Stand In Line’ & ‘Tonight I Fly’). Graham has subsequently recorded with Forcefield (‘Hit And Run’ & ‘Let The Wild Run Free’), Japan’s Anthem, the Taz Taylor Band and the super group Blackthorne that he formed with guitarist Bob Kulick in 1993, represented here by ‘Afterlife’, ‘We Won’t Be Forgotten’ and ‘Don’t Kill The Thrill’. Over the years, Graham has also found time to reunite with Impellitteri, and more recently for successful shows with Alcatrazz and The Michael Schenker Group. Now fronting the Graham Bonnet Band, represented here by an unreleased version of the Rainbow hit ‘All Night Long’, plus new songs ‘My Kingdom Come’ and ‘Mirror Lies’, this “Anthology” is completed by a DVD of many rare video clips taken from across Graham’s career, and includes some track-by-track intros from Graham, filmed especially for this collection.
Order Graham Bonnet’s Anthology 1968-2017: 2CD/1DVD Boxset here. DISC ONE CD: 1. ONLY ONE WOMAN 2. IT’S ALL OVER NOW BABY BLUE 3. WARM RIDE 4. BAD GIRL – Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow 5. NIGHT GAMES 6. S.O.S. 7. GIRL FROM UPTOWN – The Michael Schenker Group 8. ISLAND IN THE SUN – Alcatrazz featuring Yngwie J. Malmsteen 9. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR – Alcatrazz featuring Yngwie J. Malmsteen 10. SINCE YOU BEEN GONE (LIVE) – Alcatrazz featuring Yngwie J. Malmsteen 11. GOD BLESSED VIDEO – Alcatrazz featuring Steve Vai 12. WILL YOU BE HOME TONIGHT – Alcatrazz featuring Steve Vai 13. SKYFIRE – Alcatrazz featuring Steve Vai 14. BLUE BOAR – Alcatrazz 15. STAND IN LINE – Impellitteri 16. TONIGHT I FLY – Impellitteri 17. MIDNIGHT CROSSING (1989 Demo)* 18. HIT AND RUN – Forcefield 19. LET THE WILD RUN FREE – Forcefield 20. ALL NIGHT LONG (2015 VERSION) – Graham Bonnet Band*
DISC TWO CD: 1. LOOK DON’T TOUCH 2. AFTERLIFE – Blackthorne 3. WE WON’T BE FORGOTTEN – Blackthorne 4. DON’T KILL THE THRILL – Blackthorne 5. BREAKAWAY 6. KILLER 7. HUNTING TIME – Anthem 8. HUNGRY SOUL – Anthem 9. LOVE IN VAIN – Anthem 10. PERFECT CRIME – Impellitteri 11. FIGHTERS FIST – Taz Taylor 12. RADIO LUXEMBOURG – Taz Taylor 13. YOU ARE YOUR MONEY (DEMO) – Elektric Zoo* 14. LOST IN HOLLYWOOD 15. MY KINGDOM COME – Graham Bonnet Band** 16. MIRROR LIES – Graham Bonnet Band**
DISC THREE DVD: 1. IT’S ALL OVER NOW BABY BLUE 2. DANNY 3. ONLY YOU CAN LIFT ME 4. WARM RIDE 5. CAN’T COMPLAIN 6. I’M A LOVER 7. THE WAY THAT IT IS 8. ANTHONY BOY 9. NIGHT GAMES 10. ISLAND IN THE SUN – Alcatrazz featuring Yngwie J. Malmsteen 11. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR – Alcatrazz featuring Yngwie J. Malmsteen 12. GOD BLESSED VIDEO – Alcatrazz featuring Steve Vai 13. STAND IN LINE – Impellitteri 14. STAND IN LINE (Alt. version) – Impellitteri 15. THE MIRROR LIES – Graham Bonnet Band 16. STAND IN LINE – Impellitteri 17. TONIGHT I FLY – Impellitteri 18. LEVIATHAN – Impellitteri 19. ALL NIGHT LONG – Impellitteri 20. SECRET LOVER – Impellitteri 21. SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW – Impellitteri 22. GOODNIGHT AND GOODBYE – Impellitteri 23. SINCE YOU BEEN GONE – Impellitteri