Chris has just uploaded another news update to his website www.chrisfrancis.net. 

The next appearance of the Chris Francis Band "will take place at the Music Live Show at the Birmingham N.E.C. Saturday November 22nd 2003. The show runs from the 21st to the 23rd and features all the top new gear and a plethora of amazing musicians from around the world. Visit MusicLive for information. We will be opening up for the Guitarist of the Year contest at around 11.00 am, so come down and rock out with us".

Gary Hughes "Once & Future King - Part 2"
Japanese Chart Position Update - 1st October

In the latest chart news, Gary Hughes new solo project "Once & Future King - Part 2" has risen to number 13 in the Japanese Heavy Metal charts and to number 73 in the main Rock & Pop charts.

Japanese Chart Information courtesy of

JAPAN

Gary Hughes "Once & Future King - Part 2"
Japanese Chart Position - 24th September

Gary Hughes new solo project "Once & Future King - Part 2" has entered the Japanese Heavy Metal charts at number 14 and number 85 in the main Rock & Pop charts after just three days of release.

Japanese Chart Information courtesy of

JAPAN

"ONCE & FUTURE KING - Part 2"
SAMPLES

Never Say Goodbye TEN Fansite Web Address Changes

Peter from Never Say Goodbye has asked me to let you know that the website address has changed to http://www.never-say-goodbye.com.

REVIEW SNIPPETS FOR
GARY HUGHES - ONCE & FUTURE KING - Part 1

"This is truly a killer album!!" - 92/100 ( Album Of The Month ) - Metal Reviews 

"Gary Hughes has written and recorded great songs, but what he has done here with 'Once And Future King' is by far his finest work to date. SIMPLY BRILLIANT!" - CD PICK OF THE MONTH - The Atomic Chaser's Rockers And Rollers

"...Not to be missed!" - 6/6 - RockReport

"One of the best concept albums I have ever heard - and certainly one of the catchiest." - 93/100 - MelodicRock.Com

"Without a doubt, these releases are going to be one of the most anticipated releases of 2003 by FRONTIERS RECORDS" - 9/10 - Strutter Magazine

"Truly great concept albums are few and far between, especially those in the hard rock / heavy metal arenas. If you, like me, think it's been too damn long since a classic concept album has hit the streets, fear not: Gary Hughes' "Once and Future King" nicely fills the void." - 4/4 - RoughEdge.com

"... the songs are of such high quality and the album overall is excellent and highly enjoyable, ..." - 7.5/10 - RevelationZ Magazine

Other Scores
94/100 - Metal Coven, 8/10 - Metal1.info, 4/5 - BloodDawn, 7/10 - Rock United, 7/10 - DarkScene

Gary Hughes "Once & Future King - Part 1"
Japanese Chart Position - 20th August

Gary Hughes new solo project "Once & Future King - Part 1" still appears to be selling well in Japan. The album is now in its fifth week since release and has remained in the Heavy Metal chart for all that time. The album is currently sitting at number 30 in the chart.

Japanese Chart Information courtesy of

JAPAN

ENZIGN EXTEND CONTRACT  FOR 2ND ALBUM

UK rockers Enzign, which features Ten guitarist John Halliwell, recently signed an extension to their contract with Z Records. The contract extension will include a 2nd album which is currently in the writing stages and is pencilled for a summer 2004 release. 

The bands debut Cast The First Stone has been a huge success across Europe which prompted both parties to secure details for  the forthcoming albums release.

Chris has just uploaded another news update to his website www.chrisfrancis.net. This includes news of a 'live' appearance of the "Chris Francis Band" !

For those who are too lazy to visit Chris' site I've also included a summary of the news item on my Chris Francis solo page.

Latest Update from Paul Hodson now on-line

Just uploaded to the Hodson website www.hodson.uk.com , Paul has written his latest letter to the fans.

Gary Hughes "Once & Future King - Part 1"
Japanese Chart Position - 6th August

Unfortunately, "Once & Future King - Part 1" has now slipped to number 11 in the Japanese Heavy Metal charts.

So to all the Japanese fans who visit the site ... go order your copy now ! 

Japanese Chart Information courtesy of

JAPAN

Gary Hughes "Once & Future King - Part 1"
Japanese Chart Position - 30th July

Gary Hughes new solo project "Once & Future King - Part 1" is currently sitting at number 6 in the Japanese Heavy Metal charts ( up from 41 ). In addition, the album is also at number 120 in their main Rock & Pop chart.

"ONCE & FUTURE KING - Part 1"
SAMPLES

Samples of ALL the tracks from Gary Hughes forthcoming "Once & Future King - Part 1" album are now available from this site in both WMA & MP3 format. 

Click Here for the samples or check out the new 'SOLO' section of the site from the menu.

Paul Hodson Competition Winner 

At the end of last year the official TEN website TEN Online, in conjunction with TEN Of The Best, ran a competition for a lucky fan to win the signed Hawaiian shirt as worn by Paul Hodson on the 2001 tour.

The questions and answers are as follows.

1. In which band did Paul first start working with Bob Catley? HARD RAIN

2. Which member of Slade has Paul worked with for 15 years in various recording projects ? JIM LEA

3. Paul guested on an album called 'A Man with a Vision'. Who was the artist ? JOHN PARR

Ten Of The Best would like to congratulate the winner Paul Quinton & would like to thank all who took the time to enter.

Bob Catley - When Empires Burn
OUT NOW

	The new Bob Catley album "When Empires Burn" is now available at all good record stores. The CD was written and produced by TEN's own Paul Hodson.  BUY NOW from Now & Then Records Amazon UK
Paul Hodson has also just completed a tour with Bob Catley

John Halliwell Interview

To celebrate the official release of Enzign - Cast The First Stone, John talks to TEN Of The Best about all things Enzign. Click Here To Read Interview.

Bob Catley - When Empires Burn
Samples Now Available

1 minute MP3 samples of the new Bob Catley solo album ( written, produced, & featuring TEN Keyboard Player PAUL HODSON ) have been put together for your listening pleasure at http://www.hodson.uk.com/  Listen ... Enjoy ... and go pre-order the album now !! Pre-order available from Now & Then Records Amazon UK

Enzign - Cast The First Stone
(co-written, co-produced & featuring TEN guitarist JOHN HALLIWELL)
Officially Released 28th April

Buy Now from Z Records Amazon UK

Enzign 2003 Z Records ZR1997084 Produced  & Mixed by  John Halliwell  & Mark Sumner

1. Cast The First Stone   2. 6th Sense   3. Midnight   4. I Had To Fall   5. Dangerous In Daylight   6. Close The Door   7. Holding A Gun   8. Keepers Of The Kingdom   9. Lazarus 10. The One 11. Endless Seas

Bob Catley - When Empires Burn
(written, produced, & featuring TEN keyboard player PAUL HODSON)
Release Date 26th MAY

Pre-order available from Now & Then Records Amazon UK

May 26th will see the release of the new solo album from one of the UK`s best loved singers. Bob Catley`s fourth album, When Empires Burn is already being described as his best work to date by the lucky few who have heard the completed recordings. The album was written and produced by Bob`s long time keyboard player, Paul Hodson (also of Ten) and is a natural progression from the style of his previous three albums but with a heavier, classic rock feel akin to the best work of Dio - Rainbow Rising, Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell and Dio Holy Diver.

When Empires Burn not only marks a change in the songwriting department but is also the first to feature Bob`s touring band of guitarist Vince O`Regan, bassist Al Barrow and drummer Jamie Little. The album will contain eleven tracks; The Torment (intro), Children Of The Circle, Gonna Live Forever, The Prophecy, I`ll Be Your Fool, Every Beat Of My Heart, When Empires Burn, Meaning Of Love, This Is The Day, Someday Utopia and My America but there will be a limited edition initial pressing of 10,000 copies which will contain two extra tracks, Heaven Can Wait and the demo version of When The Earth Lies Still (a track set for inclusion on Bob`s next solo album). This special edition will also be released in digipack form

The following extensive UK tour is also taking place around the release of the album -
Bob Catley with Special guest Danny Vaughn (acoustic) except 5/6/7 June.

23 May - The Brook - Southampton - 023 8055 5366
24 May - The Rock Cafe 2000 - Stourbridge - 01384 390918
25 May - THE GODS - Penningtons - Bradford - 01274 224488
26 May - The Limelight Club - Crewe - 01270 251929
27 May - Trillians - Newcastle upon Tyne - 0191 232 1619 / 0191 232 1619
28 May - The Witchwood - Ashton-under-Lyne - 0161 344 0321
30 May - The Underworld - London - 08700 600 100 / 020 7734 8932 / 020 7403 3331
31 May - The Bullingdon - Oxford - 01865 244516
1 June - Tamworth Assembly Rooms - Tamworth - 01827 312563
2 June - The Charlotte - Leicester - 0871-22-00-260
3 June - Renfrew Ferry - Glasgow - 0141 429 1010
4 June - The Boardwalk - Sheffield - 0114 279 9090
5 June - TJ's - Newport - Gwent - 01633 216688
6 June - The Soundhouse - Colchester - 01206 562453 / 01206 562453
7 June - Rock City Nottingham - 0115 9588484

Further European dates are being planned for September. Details to be announced closer to the time

Enzign - Cast The First Stone
AVAILABLE NOW

Enzign - Cast The First Stone (ZR1997084) is now available to buy from ZRECORDS ONLINE STORE.

Enzign - Cast The First Stone - Track Listing

The track listing has been finalised for the forthcoming ENZIGN debut.
The running order is:

01: Cast The First Stone
02: The 6th Sense
03: Midnight
04: I Had To Fall
05: Dangerous In Daylight
06: Close The Door
07: Holding A Gun
08: Keepers Of The Kingdom
09: Lazarus
10: The One
11: Endless Sea

An interview with John Halliwell has recently been posted at www.ontherocks.de

ENZIGN European Release Date Set

ENZIGN  now have a scheduled release date set in Europe for April 28th. We are  now able to display the front cover of "Cast The First Stone"!  Songs currently set to be included on the highly anticipated debut include: Cast The First Stone; Sixth Sense; Lazarous; I Had To Fall; Dangerous In Daylight; Holding A Gun; Close The Door; Seasons; Spin Doctor; Shadow Of Your Love and The One

ENZIGN - FULL MP3 TRACK AVAILABLE AT Z RECORDS WEBSITE

Now available at the Z Records website is the Enzign track "The One", which is a full track from their forthcoming debut album "Cast The First Stone" 

TEN OF THE BEST - EXCLUSIVE

Thanks to John Halliwell, TEN Of The Best can present this exclusive band picture of Enzign, featuring John Halliwell ( Guitars/Vocals ), Mark Sumner ( Vocals/Bass ), & Matt Pearce ( Drums/Percussion ).

Left to Right : Mark Sumner, John Halliwell, Matt Pearce

Z Records are proud to announce the signing of ENZIGN, the brainchild of TEN guitarist John Halliwell and dynamic new lead singer Mark Sumner. 

Based in North West England ENZIGN have developed a classic guitar edged sound with huge harmonies and dramatic overtones. 

The bands debut "Cast The First Stone" has now been completed and a release is planned for late Spring/early Summer 2003. The album was written, engineered, produced and mixed in Churchill Studios in Southport, Merseyside. 

Over the last 2 years many of the songs were written and recorded in the spare time between John’s busy Ten schedule of recording, rehearsing and touring.

THUNDER TO TAKE REQUESTS FOR UPCOMING TOUR !

UK Rock Legends, Thunder have asked their fans via their website to select a support band for their upcoming tour in May. I think that TEN deserve to open Thunder in May, if you think this too, please email : support@thunderonline.com and insist that TEN open for them...

Gary Hughes Update from Now & Then Records

Gary Hughes, the mastermind behind TEN, spent the entire year of 2002 writing and recording his most ambitious project to date: an immense rock opera entitled "Once and Future King" in two CD's based on the myths and legends of King Arthur.

For this task he has put together a tremendous cast of characters which - as of today - includes: Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), Lana Lane, Sean Harris (Diamond Head), Dougie White (Rainbow/Cornerstone/Malmsteen and now Praying Mantis!), Bob Catley (Magnum) and special guest Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon) on keyboards. Further guests will be confirmed in the next couple of weeks. The music has been supplied by the various bandmates in Ten, meaning that this release will be the first time to sample the recorded delights of new guitarist Chris Francis within the frame of the band.

Cover artwork will be supplied by the legendary Chris Achilleos. This will be the first album artwork he has done since Whitesnake`s "Lovehunter" in 1979. He was so impressed with Gary`s work that he decided to get involved despite saying he wouldn`t do anything directly music related again.

Chris`s work has included book covers for authors Edgar Rice Borroughs, Micheal Moorcock, Robert E. Howard, J. R. R. Tolkien etc., from Dr. Who to Star Trek. In the motion picture world he was 'discovered' through his work with the cult animated film Heavy Metal in 1980. Since then he has worked with animator Ray Harryhausen on Clash of the Titans and with Ridley Scott on Blade Runner. Chris also produced concept designs for the films Heavy Metal and Willow.

"Once And Future King" will be released as two separate CD`s with a gap of a few months between them. An exact release date for the first offering from this very special project will be announced soon.

Bob Catley Update from Now & Then Records

After three studio albums as a solo artist and after the hugely successful come back album with MAGNUM, Bob Catley took some hiatus in order to refresh and re-establish his solo career as well. 

His new solo album entitled "When Empires Burn" is taking shape with a more live feel and a band approach. This time the songs are written by a new amazingly talented songwriter: Paul Hodson, ex HARD RAIN and new keyboard player for TEN. Still the sound style will be epic and melodic with a much improved production !

The musicians appearing on the album are Bob himself, Paul Hodson on keyboards, Vince O`Regan on guitar, Al Barrow on bass (who also supplied the artwork!) and Jamie Little on drums.

The songs being recorded for consideration are My America, This is The Day, Heaven Can Wait, When Empires Burn, I'll Be Your Fool, Children Of The Circle, Gonna Live Forever, Meaning Of Love, Prophecy, Every Beat Of My Heart and Someday Utopia. 

Bob is also planning a UK and European tour starting in late may to launch the release of the album planned for early June. A single will be released prior to the album and will feature "I`ll Be Your Fool", a bonus track from the above mentioned titles plus a couple of special acoustic versions of songs. More details will follow once the song choice has been settled upon.