CD
[CD ]
CD Box Set
[CD ]
LP Vinyl – Black Vinyl
[Vinyl ]
LP Vinyl – Pink Vinyl
[Vinyl ]
LP Vinyl – Purple Vinyl
[Vinyl ]
Digital Download / Streaming
CD
[CD ]
LP Vinyl
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- Side A
After a false start announcement in 2020 during the Covid-19 global pandemic, the new Dan Reed Network album, ‘Let’s Hear It For The King’ was finally officially announced on October 21 2021 for a March 4 2022 release through the German record label, Drakkar Entertainment, to which DRN signed in the summer of 2021.
Pre-orders were made available through the German and UK DRN stores on October 21 2021.
‘Starlight‘ was the first single, released on the same date. The promo video was shot in Portland by Dan Pred.
The full press release for the album is here.
Dan created personalised, hand-written lyric sheets for each song from Let’s Hear It For The King that will be randomly placed inside the limited-edition box sets. Happy hunting, everyone! A print of the lyrics for the title track comes with each vinyl edition.
The album was record at The Commune Studio. Portland, Oregon. USA. Starlight was originally part of the Origins recording sessions, and was recorded at Hansa Studios, in Berlin, Germany.
The album was produced by: Rob Daiker & Dan Reed; with Brion James as co-producer on ‘Let’s Hear It For The King’ & ‘I See Angels’. It was mixed by: Rob Daiker, and mastered by: Stephan Hawkes
For the first time since the eponymous debut album, the Brotherhood symbol does not appear directly on the cover as a single symbol. But, in the art & Design by Graeme Bell, the deconstructed Brotherhood symbol makes up the crown on the skull.
A new stylized logo for Dan Reed Network was also utilized, dropping the variation that has appeared on all full studio albums except ‘The Heat’.
Two songs make callbacks to the Breathless days with a hook from ‘Mind & Body’ in ‘Supernova’, and the title lyric from ‘Fire In The House’ in ‘Where’s The Revolution’.
The aforementioned press release has a detailed track by track breakdown of the album:
1. PRETTY KARMA (4:25)
Music and Lyrics by Dan ReedThis track’s intention is to shine light on how political and social tribalism, especially in the US, is in danger of creating a divide between humanity that will be hard to heal if it continues unchecked. The Left and Right share far more commonalities than differences. Unfortunately, there’s far too much money to be made on making sure people never see eye to eye and the karma, or energy, that is fostered in this environment will one day come back to haunt everyone. The aggressive musical track Dan wrote mirrors the hatred both sides hold for the other while the chorus is a reminder that it’s never too late to celebrate that which binds us together if we take the time to admit it.
2. THE GHOST INSIDE (3:51)
Music by Brion James and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Dan Reed.This song started off as a musical demo Brion James sent to Dan Reed. Dan loved the guitar riff and felt it reflected the internal battle we all have at some point in our lives with darkness, demons, regrets. It’s the voice inside telling us we can’t achieve something, or we are not strong enough to overcome something holding us back from expressing our true passion in life. Until we face the ‘ghost inside’, make peace with it, and admit our darker side is powerful and to be respected, then we’ll always be in danger of letting it define our future.
3. STARLIGHT (3:51)
Music and Lyrics by Dan Reed.This track was first composed at 4am after a long drive back from Dan Reed seeing his friends in AC/DC perform in Berlin, hence the homage to their style of Rock. Inspired by seeing people from 7 years old to 70 at the concert Reed was reminded why he loved this band since he was an aspiring musician back in high school in South Dakota playing school dances and beer bars. “It’s that constant heartbeat pulse of AC/DC that makes it the most infectious rock music on the planet.” Dan says. DRN’s version is all about the social media generation’s addiction to hunting for likes, followers, fame, and fortune. The question being what will you do with that attention? Will it all be to feed the ego only, or will you channel all the light shone upon you in a direction that feeds a bigger picture of feeding the collective soul?
4. SUPERNOVA (4:52)
Music by Melvin Brannon II and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Dan Reed.When bassist Melvin Brannon II sent Reed the original Demo of this music bed it seemed like the perfect track that harked back to DRN’s roots of the funk rock club days. What better way to respect that than to include a hook from one of the band’s earliest compositions called ‘Mind and Body’, which used to pack the dance floors in the late 80’s. The 2021 update tackles how everyone today is a rock star with the invention of the internet, something was once reserved for those fortunate enough, or cursed enough, to secure a record deal back in the day. The question remains, if everyone is a rock star then it stands to reason no one is a rock star, which is a positive thing. The sooner the myth of celebrity is dispelled, the better.
5. LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE KING (4:30)
Music by Dan Reed and Brion James. Lyrics by Dan Reed.The beginnings of this song date back to 1999 when Reed was a club owner in Portland, Oregon and composing EDM to perform at ‘Club Ohm’. Most of the lyrics were composed then with Dan pointing out the hypocrisy of the rich and famous, the politically connected, the tyrants had different rules than the common man or woman. Does humanity simply sit back and let the powers to be steam roll over them, or should we fight back and stand up against oppression and tyranny. Brion James loved the intention of the track and using the new vocal tracks Reed had created began to reshape the musical bed, taking it down the Dub Step route. Reigniting Dan to then add some rock elements on top of this new imagining, making this track not only the title track for the new album, but also a watermark of where DRN might head more in the future.
6. I SEE ANGELS (3:50)
Music and Lyrics by Brion James.This is a classic Brion James composition. Like Chill Out from DRN’s ‘The Heat’ Album, or ‘Save the World’ on their ‘Fight Another Day’ release, ‘I See Angels’ celebrates seeing the good in humanity. That even during our most decadent and debased times there are shining lights on the horizon, helping to guide us. Reed heard Brion’s version of this song and immediately fell in love with its positive message, making it the perfect track to help counterbalance the other more angst ridden, cynical, and pointed tracks on ‘Let’s Hear it for the King’.
7. HOMEGROWN (4:32)
Music by Brion James and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Brion James and Dan Reed.Brion James originally sent Reed a Demo of this track as a chilled out funky soul rap song, not intended for DRN, but Dan adored the groove and heard a way to rock the song out and give it a heavy chorus that celebrates the love and friendship one feels with the people and places that feed one’s soul as opposed to outside forces that all too often become energy vampires, sucking away our hope, compassion and empathy. That nothing can replace, nor should it, the comfort and reliability of our ‘home grown love’. When we feed off our foundation, where our beginnings sprung from, nothing can stop us from going out in the world and rekindling that energy.
8. STUMBLE (4:08)
Music by Brion James and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Dan Reed.An original Brion James funky groove that Dan Reed fell in love with and added rock guitar to. Once hearing the playfulness and power of the track, Reed knew immediately this song should tackle how religion, while preaching love and unity, too often fractures humanity in many different directions. The 3 monotheistic faiths from the Torah and New Testament all speak of their ‘saviour’ one day returning to earth and saving the day, while at the same time argue over whose saviour will is ‘the one’. This song opines about ‘what if’ all the religions are really talking about the same mountain top and are simply arguing over different paths to the reaching that crest, and through using the defamatory metaphor of them all become lovers, sex partners, and friends they will one day realise that we are indeed all one.
9. JUST MIGHT GET IT (4:16)
Music by Rob Daiker and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Dan Reed and Rob Daiker.A song that started off with a Rob Daiker track Reed fell in love with. Reed sampled a 4 Bar loop and went on to compose a slightly different song using elements of Daiker’s original song and lyrics. This track poses the scenario that ‘we are what we eat’. If we focus on negativity then this will be what we will manifest. If on the other hand we accept that all suffering, challenges, obstacles, are there to make us stronger, teach us something about ourselves, or just give us another perspective, that too will manifest a different path, one that does not have to be weighed down by depression or apathy. The real question being – Do we enjoy wallowing in self-pity and darkness, or is it simply a by-product of the environment we have come to accept as ‘normal’? Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it!
10. WHERE’S THE REVOLUTION (4:08)
Music and Lyrics by Dan Reed.Another Track that when Reed came up with the groove really reminded him of DRN’s early days of writing songs with the band back in the mid 80’s, coming up with grooves that would pack the dance floor. So again, it made sense to borrow the lyric ‘There’s a fire in the house… we have to scream and shout, until we work it out’, from the song ‘Fire in the House’ off of DRN’s first EP called ‘Breathless’. It was important to Dan to always keep in mind the band’s roots for ‘Let’s Hear it for the King’ and not get side-tracked by trying to be contemporary to what is happening currently. The difference this time is the song takes on the smouldering wreck of the social and political system of the world instead of the disagreement between a couple in a love relationship. But in the end the macrocosm or the microcosm of crossing the divide is essentially the same and a message DRN has always supported. United we stand… divided we fall.
11. ARE YOU READY? (4:10)
Music by Brion James and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Dan Reed.This hard driving song had its beginnings as a Brion James rallying cry asking one simple question… ‘Are you ready?’. Reed pondered ‘ready for what?’. Are we prepared for what we have done to this world? Are we ready to accept the repercussions of our actions to our neighbour, to our planet, and ourselves? Are we ready to fight for better conditions for all humanity, or accept things as they are? We often reach out to wise sages for insights, direction, but when realising what changes are to be made, we are faced with the question… Do we have the will and desire to feed the flames that burn us down, or do we feed the soul which can lift us up? After decades of witnessing both the beauty and ugliness of humanity’s actions that question remains unanswered. But that does not mean we should ever stop inquiring on the subject.
12. UNFUCK MY WORLD (3:58)
Music and Lyrics by Dan Reed.This heavy driving track mirrors the struggle to free one’s journey from complications, chaos, and self- inflicted harm. Don’t be afraid to ask others for assistance to help in that endeavour. We are often products of learned behaviour, not all of it positive. Asking for insights, wisdom, and lessons that can help ease our own suffering is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of great courage and strength. We do not have to tackle problems alone. We are stronger together rather than being a lone wolf. So, if the world has got you down, change your environment, shake up the paradigm, break glass ceilings, scream out loud to the heavens. Oftentimes it is traversing the unknown that shows us the answers were buried inside all along.
13. LAST DAY ON SATURN (5:35)
Music by Rob Daiker and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Rob Daiker and Dan Reed.This track was originally a Rob Daiker song that called out to Reed musically and melodically, but Reed heard it more as a song about a traveller to the stars that was missing planet earth, not dissimilar to Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’. Dan is a massive fan of all things ‘Science Fiction’ and the idea of a person running away from earth, and a broken love relationship, to terraform a planet, only to realise they were running away from themselves appealed to Reed. The lyrics from Rob’s original song had great moments of already pointing in the direction. Using the Sun’s light as both the beacon of hope, but also the thing that burns, fading both the good and bad memories of the past, seemed like an appropriate metaphor. Is our search for ‘life’, at great expense, worthy when we struggle to take care of life here on earth? Is a microbe on Mars signalling life on a planet that cannot support humans more important than the millions of creatures destroyed in our world every day? In the end maybe it’s best to ‘fly away home’.
- Formats
- CD
- CD Boxset [Limited to 250 units – contains: Bag, Sunglasses, Digipak, Key ring, Play cards, Sticker, Digitally signed Autograph card]
- Black Vinyl [Limited to 200 units – 100 in German store, and 100 in UK store]
- Pink Vinyl [Limited to 150 units – UK Store only]
- Purple Vinyl [Limited to 150 units – German Store only]
- Digital Download / Streaming
- Singles
