THE IDES OF MARCH - LAST BAND STANDING – THE DEFINITIVE 50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION
NEW DELUXE LIMITED EDITION 5-DISC SET RELEASE DATE APRIL 18, 2015
New York, NY (March 3, 2015)—2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the band that drove the 1970 Billboard smash “Vehicle” to the top of the charts: The Ides Of March. To commemorate this momentous occasion, the band will release a deluxe limited edition 5-Disc set Last Band Standing – The Definitive 50-Year Anniversary Collection on April 18 (via Ides Of March Records).
Last Band Standing is a perfectly executed celebration of The Ides Of March history and a showcase of a band still in their prime at 50 years deep. Original members Jim Peterik (also of Survivor fame and songwriter behind “Eye Of The Tiger,” and well as many other chart-toppers), Bob Bergland, Larry Millas, and Mike Borch started as group of teenagers whose love of Rock N Roll and R&B led them to showcases and bandstands around their native Chicago, eventually hitting it big nationally with “Vehicle.”
The first four audio discs contain material from across their storied career. Included are Warner Brothers albums Vehicle (1970) and Common Bond (1971), first-time-ever releases of the best of their RCA releases World Woven (1972) and Midnight Oil (1973), and choice cuts from the 90s, such as Spirit Of Chicago – an ode to the Windy City featuring some of the area’s most prominent artists – Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Dennis DeYoung (Styx), Gary Loizzo (American Breed), cult favorite Jim Ellison, and many more.
Rarities like “Like It Or Lump It” and “No Two Ways About It” have been remastered in all their mono glory, along with other highlights culled from the Ides vault, such as 1966’s Billboard charter You Wouldn’t Listen (Parrot). The audio portion is completed with brand new Ides of March tracks, including the brass driven “Who I Am,” the harmonious “Too Far To Turn Around,” and the aptly titled “Last Band Standing,” featuring Steve Cropper – the iconic songsmith of Booker T and the MG’s and organizer of the Blues Brothers.
Disc five is a live DVD of The Ides Of March performing 15 of their most iconic songs in an eleven camera shoot at the House Of Blues, Chicago on May 31, 2014. In addition to this high-energy hometown set, this DVD boasts a slew of extras: archival footage from their TV appearances in the 70's, new interviews, a look behind-the-scenes, a photo collage spanning 50 years plus an exciting new music video for the title track “Last Band Standing.”
Jim Peterik recently released his autobiography Through The Eye Of The Tiger: The Rock ‘N’ Roll Life Of Survivor’s Founding Member (BenBella Books). Showing no signs of slowing down, The Ides Of March, who continue to tour to this day, are truly worthy of the title Last Band Standing.
