Turkish Delight’s “Volume 2” celebrates the absolute joy that Escape Music co-owner Khalil Turk has for the kind of music he loves so much and has spent the last thirty and then some years championing. Indeed, his enthusiasm for a new band or a new song today is no different from when I first met him in the mid-80s.
I lost count of the number of phone calls he made to me when I was working for Kerrang! magazine, where he would excitedly tell me: “Dave, you just have to listen to this, it’s brilliant, you’ll love it … before playing me something over the phone – new and often obscure – he had picked up on his international record buying trips. Nine and a half times out of ten he’d be right! Khalil’s quality control has been such that the record label he co-founded with fellow melodic rock enthusiast Barrie Kirtley in 1995 remains reliably and solidly in place all these years later. Escape continues to deliver monthly doses of quality hard rock, melodic rock and AOR to a very devoted following.Khalil had first entered the music business in the early 90s, effectively as a talent scout for the German owned Long Island label. However, after the company folded, Turk felt that, rather than looking at opportunities with other labels, he had the enthusiasm and more knowledge of the inner workings of the music business to put something together himself alongside the equally enthusiastic and astute Kirtley. We’ve seen hundreds of solid album releases from a huge variety of acts, including Axe, Steve Walsh (Kansas), John Elefante (Kansas), Lonerider, Shadowman, Alliance, Pinnacle Point, Mass, Heartland, Grand Illusion, Overland, Last Autumn’s Dream, Punky Meadows, ColdSpell, Chris Ousey, Ozone, Hurricane, Lonerider and Touch, to name just a few, as well as reissues from Aviator, Sugarcreek, Jon Butcher Axis, Franke And The Knockouts, FM, Tantrum and Surrender, Zon, Hanover Fist etc. ever since.So here we are, over twenty five years since that first Escape Music album appeared hot off the presses (Heartland’s “III” album in November 1995, if you’re asking) and this collection of songs, personally chosen by Khalil, reiterates that pure joy he still possesses for the music he is utterly immersed by. With material from the pens of Fredrik Folkare (Eclipse), Peter Hallgren, Dan Reed (Dan Reed Network) Lee Small (Phenomena/Lionheart/Sweet), Steve Morris (Export/Ian Gillan/Heartland), Mike Slamer (City Boy/Steve Walsh/Seventh Key), Mick Devine (Seven), Steve Newman (Newman/Compass) and Tommy Denander (Radioactive/Steve Walsh) there’s also a list of musicians culled from Khalil’s contact book that, quite frankly, is very impressive. Just a few names appearing on “Turkish Delight Volume 2″ to throw at you include Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen, Ted Nugent, Ring Of Fire), James LaBrie (Dream Theatre, solo), Billy Sheehan (Talas, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big), Ralf Sheepers (Primal Fears, Gamma Ray), Jean Beauvoir (Crown Of Thorn, solo), Jules Galli (Levara), Jeff Scott Soto, Chris Childs (Thunder), Kai Hansen (Helloween, Gamma Ray, Iron Savior, Unisonic) Andrew Freeman (Great White, Last In Line), Dennis Stratton (Iron Maiden, Lionheart), Steve Mann (MSG, Lionheart), Josh Devine (One Direction, Levara), Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Journey), Paul Taylor (Winger, Alice Cooper, The Road), Marc Storace (Krokus, solo), Robin McAuley (Grand Prix, MSG), Dino Jelusick (JeluSick, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Dirty Shirley, George Lynch), Ben Cristo (Sister Of Mersey, Black Diamond), Jerome Mazza (Pinnacle Point, solo), Tony Harnell (TNT, Morning Wood, Westworld, Starbreaker, solo), Laurence Archer (Grand Slam, Thin Lizzy, solo) and Rudy Sarzo (Quite Riot, Ozzy Osbourne). This is a cast of thousands. Well, it at least appears that way! It’s a very interesting package and, as Khalil would surely say, you’ll love it!” (Dave Reynolds). Release date: July 14, 2023
1. No One Knows Your Name 4:19
2. Come On 4:06
3. Destiny 4:43
4. I Am Ready 5:03
5. Crazy 4:27
6. Hold Your Future 4:39
7. Future 4:41
8. Higher 3:24
9. Don’t Surrender 4:50
10. Fahrenheit 451 4:28
11. Throwing Bones 3:40
12. We Carry On 3:56
Robin Mc Auley (MSG/Black Swan/solo)
James LaBrie (Dream Theater/solo)
Dino Jelusick (JeluSick/Trans Siberian Orchestra/Dirty Shirley/ George Lynch)
Marc Storace (Krokus/solo)
Jeff Scott Soto (Talisman/W.E.T/Sons Of Apollo/Journey/Yngwie Malmsteen)
Ralf Sheepers (Primal Fears/Gamma Ray)
Jean Beauvoir (Crown of Thorn/ solo)
Jerome Mazza (Pinnacle Point/Kansas)
Dan Reed (Dan Reed Network)
Tony Harnell (TNT/Morning Wood/Westworld/Starbreaker/solo)
Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen/Ted Nugent/Ring Of Fire)
Jules Galli (Levara)
Andrew Freeman (Great White/Last In Line)
Lee Small (Phenomena/Lionheart)
Mick Devine (Seven/The Roads)
Paul Taylor (Winger/Alice Cooper/The Road)
Kai Hansen (Helloween/Gamma Ray/Iron Savior/Unisonic)
Paul Logue (Edens Curse/James LaBrie)
Keith Atack (Atack/Bonnie Tyler)
Mohammed Alsadeqi (Osiris)
Billy Sheehan (Mr Big/The Flood/ Winery Dog)
Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake/Thin Lizzy/Journey)
Rudy Sarzo (Quite Riot/Ozzy Osborne)
Wayne Banks (Saxon/Brazen Abbot/Robin Gibb)
Takeaki Itoh (Pinnacle Point)
Mike Slamer (Streets/Seventh Key/Steve Walsh/City Boy)
Dennis Stratton (Iron Maiden/Lionheart)
Laurence Archer (Grand Slam/Thin Lizzy/solo)
Ben Cristo (Sister Of Mersey/Black Diamond)
Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed/Eclipse)
Peter Hallgren
Tommy Denander (Steve Walsh/Radioactive/Overland/Chris Ousey)
Steve Mann (MSG/Lionheart)
Steve Morris (Ian Gillan Band/Heartland/Lonerider)
Chris Childs (Thunder/Lonerider/Tyketto)
Charlie Calv (Angel/Shotgun Symphony)
Nick Foley (Atack)
Michael T.Ross (Hardline/Missing Persons/XYZ/Lita Ford)
Kjell Haraldsson (Glen Hughes)
Josh Devine (One Direction/Levara)
Johan Kullberg (Hammerfall)
Steve Newman (Newman)