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THE GOLDEN SUN
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AVALANCHE'S ANTHEM TO 'WOODSTOCK NATION'
melodic hard rock classic rock mainstream original rock political rock arena rock the road less traveled songs with a message avalanche hard rock band michael foster will there be tomorrow
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HARD ROCK BAND THAT BLENDS HEAVY BRITISH AND SOUTHERN ROCK styleS. TOUR DATES INCLUDE GIGS WITH AC/DC, DERRINGER, PAT TRAVERS BAND...AND WERE CONSIDERED AS
AVALANCHE is defined by Webster's as: "an unstoppable natural force"...and this all-original rock band certainly seems to fit that definition...overcoming the odds to produce some of the very best original hard rock anywhere! With an unorthodox strategy for success in 1978 (which included 18 months of intense rehearsals, their own record label, $75,000.00 worth of state-of-the-art stage gear, and a record on over a dozen New England radio stations for three months...all before ever playing a live gig) AVALANCHE's debut show was attended by over 3500 people..and the band was immediately playing to sold-out shows and standing room only crowds wherever they appeared. Within a month after their first gig, AVALANCHE was headlining in large club venues, and shortly after that, the band was opening tour dates and sharing concert stages on AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" tour, as well as with DERRINGER, and THE PAT TRAVERS BAND. They were also considered as a tour opener for TOTO's First U.S. Tour. A tight and well rehearsed rock-n-roll machine...this band did whatever was necessary to bring studio-quality hard rock to the live-concert stage...and they did it without the support of a major record label. Now recording again, with all the surviving members of the original lineup...here is the first new AVALANCHE music in over twenty years...as well as some of their old music too, (most of the recordings have never been available before). AVALANCHE continues to defy the odds with their staying power and persistence...and by remaining "unstoppable"...they are here NOW....for you to sample and enjoy! Click here for official Avalanche band website GOLDEN SUN RECORDS
Song Info
Genre
Rock • Rock General
Charts
Peak #37
Peak in subgenre #5
Author
Music and Lyrics: MICHAEL FOSTER
Rights
COPYRIGHT 2005 by Crystal Magic Music (ASCAP)
Uploaded
November 11, 2010
Track Files
MP3
MP3 31.4 MB • 320 kbps • 13:41
Story behind the song
Music, Lyrics, Arrangement, and Recording Produced by: Michael Foster. Rough Mix by: Michael Foster and Peter Solak. Mixed at at The Gallery Studio, East Hartford, Conn. in December, 1979. Digitally Remastered in November, 2010 by: David Pendragon at THE STUDIO in Canberra, Australia. Recorded at The Gallery Studio...East Hartford, Conn. in August, 1979. Recording Engineered by: Peter Solak. Michael Foster: 6 and 12 String Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitar and Lead Guitar, Piano, Vocals. Charles Calmese: Bass.* Mark Easton: Electric Guitar. Barry Easton: Drums. Note from Michael: This recording of "The Golden Sun" has never been heard by the public before. It is a ROUGH MIX. The 2 inch tapes that this song was recorded on were over twenty years old...and it was my hope that they were still intact enough for me to be able to actually mix this song properly. Unfortunately the 24 Track Masters were stolen from my home by an "invited guest" a few years back...a bass player who thought he would just "bulk erase" them and save himself a few hundred dollars in AMPEX 2" tape costs. In the process he erased some musical history. All that remains are the Stereo Mixdowns...so remixing this song just isn't possible. Many of our old tapes are damaged by time...and since this only a rough mix, please try to listen to this song for its content... rather than as a "finished" product. In my opinion this is the closest to being able to hear what the original group was actually like "live"...that is available anywhere. This song was actually recorded "live in the studio"... in one take...at 3:00AM, after we had spent nearly eight hours in the studio recording our second single "You Just Can't Stop It". We were tired, but in good spirits, and decided to play this just to unwind. Unknown to us, Peter, who was the recording engineer who was working with us during that period... decided to run tape before we began playing (without informing us that we were "taping")...and the song you hear here...is the result. This song was a song I wrote and spent over five years arranging with two other groups before AVALANCHE even existed. All changes in tempos, accented hits, and chords, that occur during the extended instrumental section on the second half of the song are cued by the lead guitar. The solo on this section of the song represents hundreds of hours of taping rehearsals and fine tuning...over a period of years. What you hear on this recording is the result of all that evolution, and work. We played this song exactly this way...everytime we did it live...and we ended nearly all AVALANCHE concerts with this song. It is kind of our anthem to "Woodstock Nation"...and seemed to capture the time. The entire song...as complex and varied as the parts sound... is really just an exploration of how much can be done with a simple three chord pattern. But most importantly, it is the best recorded example of just how tight and well rehearsed this original lineup was...it is one of my favorite compositions, and this is pretty much what the energy of this band is like live in concert....although most of our other stuff has more of a heavy edge. Vocals were dubbed in, and Piano and Acoustic Guitars were added about a week afterwards by me as well, and although those instruments improve the song, the heart and soul of all AVALANCHE music (and especially this track) is the total empathy we all have for each other's playing...and our total committment to what we are doing...and "The Golden Sun" is the best evidence of that fact, that exists from the original group's recordings. Although it is nearly fourteen minutes long...the song never seems to drag or stay in one spot for any real length of time...it just flows and moves with a life of it's own. I have always been grateful for that night in the studio, and the fact that...through sheer accident... this song was captured on tape. It was the last night the original band
Lyrics
THE GOLDEN SUN Written by: Michael Foster Music and Lyrics: July 1972 A few years ago...a dream appeared before my eyes. From out of California...a Golden Sun was on the rise. Brothers and sisters all rose together... hand in hand. Spreading truth and understanding all across this troubled land. And every day that passed, it seemed the dream grew ever stronger... Until it seemed to me, it really couldn' t take much longer... Before the new day would finally dawn...and rise above... Built not on hate and lies...but instead on truth and love. But lately I don't know..'cause things just seem to move too fast... As if the way the world will be has already been cast... And the Family of Man seems to be troubled and in doubt... As if caught in some quicksand...and unable to get out. And I wonder if it's not too late...for men to come together... And put an end to hate and war...and live in peace forever. Little children fight, it's said...to solve disputes...my friend... Don't you think it's time that Man has reached his Childhood's End? Vocal Bridge Open your eyes, open your ears, open your mind, forget all your fears (Repeat two additional times) We are tomorrow...hate is the past... If we all spread love now...then "The Golden Sun" will last. Instrumental Jam to End Copyright 1979, 2005 by Crystal Magic Music (ASCAP)
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navlanch
Dec 19, 2010
(I posted this on the proper page...words like this need to be shared. Thank you, Nigel.) Golden Sun (Remaster) Apologies for the delay Mike and Co.... But my sister just died and we've all been sick as a dog with viruses. Oh well... The TRUE test of a remaster is not how bright and shiney it can be made, a common misconception IMHO. The real remastering has to make it feel like it was the FINAL master of the song,and all that you had heard before was a work in progress. And if that wasn't enough of a task, it also has to make it feel like, despite knowing the song inside out, it bursts forth with a new life as though the song itself had only just been written and recorded, so it is a Herculean task, especially when taking a song so immense, so important as The Golden Sun. I must admit it was quite a shock, and it took a few moments for my old battered ears to adjust to what I was hearing. It's kind of that difference between being used to listening to a belo
WaveRoofer
Nov 12, 2010
Hey NAV & Friends. Thanx to Mike, I'm fortunate to have quite some MP3 of you guys. Just read back my comments on your tracks over the last 5 years & ya all know I've always had a possitive intake towards Avalanche Music. Classic Rock played by Classic lads is the real deal. Some of today's bands maybe act like treasure keepers, they're never the real deal, simply cause they are from another era. They know the 70's by strories, books, vids or audio. Avalanche music brings back great memories of that time. Overhere in the Norhern part of The Netherlands in 70's, in my scene, we we're into bands like Humble Pie, James Gang, GFR, Moby grape etc etc Avalanche would have been a perfect fit, but untill I subscribed to Soundclick 5 years ago I was unfamilar with the band. OK...brings me to this "Golden Sun" remix, which I gave a few spins & compared it to the original version. First of all, THIS is a classic track and definately amongst my fav Avalanche tracks. The remaster mix is ju
Ralph Atkinson
Nov 12, 2010
Hey Mike. David did a fantastic job on this. You guys were so tight! And just when you think you were rockin' as hard as possible, you find another gear...several more gears! Great classic rock. Cheers! Ralph
Frankfurt Dialog Company
Nov 12, 2010
Mike (and David here...) this is wonderful! A great powerful piece of music! I hear it all, the power, the craft, the inspiration, the skill. You did a wonderful job! Love Andreas