New SBs and new MERSEYBEAT

Keep on Truckin'

FLS continues work on the new truckin' LP by Chris Sprague.

New Frank Lee Sprague song "Speeding Truck" soon to be recorded for the LP. It will feature the extraordinary lead guitar playing of the master of Merseybeat.

Party on.

CD Single!
Mood:  energetic

New CD Single by Frank Lee Sprague!!!

WFR345
June 26th 2006

 She’s Good – Publicity

Imagine yourself at a dance, bored people at the sidelines milling about, sick and tired of the same old cookie-cutter beat.  The deejay announces, “Folks, we’ve got a new one here by Frank Lee Sprague, called ‘She’s Good.’”  And then you hear the thump and cascade of crashing drums, the warm voice of the singer telling us about his girl, the kinetic sound of surging guitars, and suddenly people rush to the dance floor. 
June 2006 brings us the latest gift from Frank Lee Sprague, “She’s Good,” the perfect summer song, an anthem expressing the joy and passion of love.  “She’s Good” bursts with life and confidence, a thoroughly timeless work, imbued with the song craft of classic 60’s British Invasion hits and with the feel and sound of a modern day Bobby Fuller. 
 Over the last few years, Frank Lee Sprague has recorded and released his widely acclaimed albums, Merseybeat, Cavern, and Fulton Avenue, while also revered by fans for his long-time work as leader of the fabulous rock ‘n’ roll duo, the Sprague Brothers.  With “She’s Good,” Frank demonstrates once again his prowess as vocalist and remarkably inventive and powerful lead guitarist.  Frank’s brother, Chris, sings impressively arranged harmonies, while David Raven provides that unforgettable beat on the drums.   
 Listen to “She’s Good.”  It will reach inside your soul and make you dance. 

www.amazon.com

www.wichitafallsrecords.com

www.frankleesprague.com

New review of CAVERN
While you're enjoying the new DVD "Merseybeat Live!"and partyin' with the new Frank Lee Sprague CD single "She's Good" be sure and check out the newest, bestest review of Frank's LP "CAVERN"!

http://www.lostinthegrooves.com/gary17

Check it out here!

"Perhaps it was the most untimely demise of original dreamer Freddie Garrity. But did I really neglect to mention when last we took the virtual Ferry cross the Mersey that none other than Frank Lee Sprague yes, he the still-taller half of those supremely rooty-rockin Sprague Brothers (not to mention an authentic cousin of The Man Who Invented Sixties Music Himself, I kid you not!!) -- has been very busy indeed on the side, helping keep the meaty, big and bouncy spirit of the M-Beat alive and very thriving here in Century 21?

I hardly wouldve believed it possible myself UNTIL, that is, I heard for my own a deceptively, disarmingly charmful little disc called Cavern, and on it some of the best, most magnificently melodic p-o-p this side of your fave rave Searchers EP of yore.

And also, here I felt I was the only lad left on the block who thought a certain P. McCartney wrote many of his best songs EVER for..... Peter and Gordon. But Frank Lee too has obviously been listening lots to I Dont Want To See You Again, as well as to some of the more rough n tumblest circa-62 cellar sounds this side of The Big Three. When not channeling a certain Jane Asher as muse, that is.

Alas, the dank, sweaty, musty, subterraneanly homesick aura of those magic long-gone days and particularly nights beat again right there deep down in Frank Lee Spragues very own Cavern.

Meet you there soon?"

Gary Pig Gold, June 2006

New CD Single!
Yo! Check out the new CD Single from Frank Lee Sprague: "She's Good" is an all out rockin', party song! It's sure to set your Summer rockin' and rollin'!

DVD now available!
The new live concert DVD "Merseybeat Live!" is now available! Go to www.frankleesprague.com and navigate to the "store" page, or just check out Amazon.com! Party on!

Video from new DVD!
Mood:  celebratory
Check out the new video from "Merseybeat Live!", the new DVD available at Amazon.com

Available at Youtube.com
and at myspace.com/frankleesprague

or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3X9Zo1WLD8

Video

Vox Novus
A composition by Frank Lee Sprague has been chosen by Vox Novus for inclusion in their "60 X 60" program. Here are the program notes they included:

"An original American composer, Frank Lee Sprague was born in Wichita Falls, Texas and began to compose at the age of eight. He wrote String Quartet in B-flat Major in 1994 and debuted it in Los Angeles to rave reviews. His Symphonic Poem, is his best-known score. Sprague’s other noteworthy works are currently being published, including Concerto for Violin with Orchestra, Guitar Quintet, Symphony No. 2, Pirate Music Suite for Strings, Quartet No. 2, etc. His music is described as lyrical and tonal, with passionate and original writing marked by exclusive modulations and chord techniques. Various works by Sprague have been recorded and performed around the world which landed him acclaimed articles in such periodicals as Washington Post, Playboy Magazine and features on such radio programs as NPR’s All Things considered and All Songs considered. The aleatoric work “Organ Madness” by Frank Lee Sprague was written and recorded using a new technique in which the MIDI information for percussion is applied to a tonal instrument. This is only one of many new innovations the composer has created and applied to his works. The result is a piece with momentum and atonality that propels the listener onward until the short journey ends with a fade."

Check out the entire program at
http://www.voxnovus.com/60x60/2005/Concert_Pacific_Rim_Program.htm
Pacific Rim Program

Goldmine!!!
Mood:  a-ok
Spreading the news:
Out now: Goldmine #671, cover date April 14

Goldmine Magazine teams up with Wichita Falls Records to present an all Merseybeat issue! Go to your local newsstand now and get your copy of Goldmine issue #671 cover date April 14th 2006. This gear mag is filled with Macca info and on page 31 you'll find the new ad from Wichita Falls Records featuring 2 releases from Frank Lee Sprague!


Paul McCartney took time to chat with Goldmine about his tour, recording his new album, Chaos And Creation In The Backyard, and share a few memories of a little band he used to be in that you may have heard of. A post-Wings McCartney U.S. discography by Tim Neely is included.

Plus an interview with guitar great Ray Russell, a preview of rare Buddy Holly memorabilia going up for auction, the connection between Jamaica and the British Beat, the recordings of Joe Meek, and reviews of Joe Cocker, Peter Green, Vashti Bunyan and much more.

Review of new LP!
Mood:  chatty
An intimate, soul-baring acoustic collection of exquisite songs, crafted with precision, shows a new side to the profoundly-talented, taller Sprague brother.

Of the multi-talented Frank Lee Sprague I've written about at length within these pages, so I'll submit that there is much goodness that has come and has yet to come from the taller Sprague brother, this acoustic-based collection of searingly endearing songs the latest example.

Working within the softer confines of popular song, Sprague has master-crafted a dozen musical perceptions seeded with honesty and the rich, textured melodies he is famous for. Pouring his heart out over adept acoustic guitar work, Sprague speaks directly to the listener, creating a heartfelt connection with all the trimmings of the real-life emotions he is singing about.

Sprague creates enticing soundscapes with little instrumentation, employing echo and complex chord changes and melody shifts to bring his creations to life. This is no more evident than on the opening track, "Another World," a paean to all-encompassing love that can make the rest of the world stand still. A beautifully-placed key change towards the end of the song elevates its considerable charm.

All-encompassing love is the topic at hand on Fulton Avenue, fueling the gorgeous "When I'm Without You." Happiness may not be a given, though, as this album proves; sometimes love encompasses and communicates loss. In "My Dream Was You," the object of the singer's affection is a woman who now exists only in his dreams. In "All Too Well," the singer ruminates over a love that takes a lifetime to reveal its complexities. Even the instrumental "The Devil's Joke" tells a nameless story of love over a lazy, Latin-tinged beat punctuated by nimble guitar turns and the wisp of a world music whistle. There is no singing, but there is mood and perception, and it rings true.

The vaguely-psychedelic "Mixed Up" is sort of a he said, she said examination of a love that tumbles up wet and dry. Love could go this way, or that, or even there. In these songs, Sprague examines every nook and cranny of the complexities of the heart that sometimes result in a tearful goodbye, as in the closing "Turning My Back on You," which features some sublime harmonies amidst the keen observational bent Sprague brings to all of Fulton Avenue's songs.

Fulton Avenue comes full circle with Sprague's version of Tim Moore's "Second Avenue," recast here as "Fulton Avenue." It's a beautiful, quiet song that neatly segues from "Turning My Back on You." The singer and his love have grown apart, he remains committed to her memory, but he, and she, have moved on to their second chances.

Sprague used to live on Fulton Avenue. His work here proves that the streets on which we live are immaterial to the way we live our lives, to how we achieve our promise, to how hard we strive for success and true love, and to how we accept our fates and move forward. Fulton Avenue turns out to be a collective metaphor for our lives, a grand statement delivered by a master craftsman working in his zone.

Alan Haber
April 2, 2006

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