BLO-CHAPTER ONE.
BLO-CHAPTER ONE.
The first thing that strikes you about BLO’s Chapter One, the latest vinyl rerelease from Mr. Bongo Records, is the cover. Naive, psychedelic, lysergic and surreal, it’s a min-masterpiece. It’s up there with some of the best album covers in music history. So good is the album cover, that I’m sure many people will buy the album just because of the cover. I genuinely hope that’s the case, because BLO’s Chapter One is an important album in African music. BLO are regarded as the first African rock band, while Chapter One is seen as the first African rock album. Released in 1973, by Lagos City EMI, Chapter One should’ve been the start of a brilliant career. Was that the case?
BLO’s roots can be traced to The Clusters, a late-sixties, Nigerian band. Their music was a fusion of Afrobeat, psychedelia, rock and funk. Seamlessly, the music of two continents became one. African and Western became one. A glorious pot pourri of musical genres and influences, The Clusters couldn’t survive playing their own music. As a result, they’d to moonlight playing covers of The Beatles and Rolling Stones. Soon, The Clusters were being called the African Beatles. Despite this, The Clusters were struggling to survive. So, it’s no surprise that the group eventually split-up. From the ashes of The Clusters, BLO rose like a Phoenix.
Following the demise of The Clusters, three former members of The Clusters founded BLO. They were guitarist and songwriter Berkeley Jones, drummer Laolu Akintobi and bassist Mike Odumosu. When it came to naming the new group, they decided to call it BLO, an acronym of their surnames. Having formed BLO, the nascent group’s career would start at one of Nigeria’s most prestigious venues.
Rather than play a low key concert, whilst honing their sound, BLO decided to start as they meant to go on. Their debut took place around Christmas 1972, at the Lagos City Stadium. They were meant to be supporting Osibisa, who were touring Nigeria. It looked like the other way around. BLO meant to be the warmup, blew their Osbisa away. They’d ten-thousand people eating out of the palms of their hand. When Osbisa took the stage, they’d no chance. All the audience wanted, was more from BLO. Their fusion of Afrobeat, funk, rock and psychedelia caught the audience’s imagination. Buoyed by this success of supporting Osbisa on tour, BLO set about recording their debut album, Chapter One.
Fresh from supporting Osbisa, BLO were signed to EMI. For their debut album Chapter One, BLO headed to EMI’s studios in Apapa. They’d written eight songs. Vocalist Berkeley Jones, was the principal songwriter. He penned five tracks, Preacher Man, Time To Face The Sun, Don’t We Are Out Together and the instrumental, Miss Sagit. Mike Odumosu wrote We Gonna Have A Party and Chant To Mother Earth, while Laolu Akintobi contributed Beware. These eight tracks became Chapter One, which was released in 1973.
On the release of Chapter One, BLO proved to be an African phenomenon. Chapter One wasn’t a success outside Africa. Despite being seen as the first African rock album, with BLO being Africa’s first rock group, neither Europe nor America “got” BLO. Since then, and somewhat belatedly, Chapter One has been recognized as an important album. It’s also become something of a collectable, with original copies prized possessions of African music. No wonder, when you hear Chapter One.
Preacher Man opens Chapter One. It has a somewhat understated sound. Drums mark time, guitars chime and the bass meanders along. It’s as if BLO are stretching their legs. Bursts of searing guitar riffs, are the signal for Berkeley Jones vocal to enter. He sings call and response, frustration and anger filling his vocal. Behind him, machine gun guitars and pounding drums take turns to drive the arrangement along. Soon, musical genres and influences melt into one. Afrobeat, rock, psychedelia and jazz melt into one, while elements of Can, Jethro Tull and Jimi Hendrix shine through. Later, BLO kick loose, demonstrating just why they’re regarded as Africa’s first rock group. Never missing a beat, they deliver some sizzling, searing guitar licks, before a thunderous drum solo marks the arrival of BLO.
Time To Face The Sun has a languid, lysergic sound. Wah-wah guitars and percussion join the jaunty rhythm section, before a roll of drums sees the track head in the direction of rock and reggae. A heartfelt, impassioned lilting, reggae-tinged vocal is accompanied by mesmeric, then riffing, rocky guitars. From there, it’s rock all the way. It’s as if BLO have awaked out of their slumber. Now it’s time for them to unleash their magic. Like a shaman Berkeley casts a spell with his guitar. Locking into the tightest of grooves, BLO show just what they’re capable of. It’s no wonder they had ten-thousand people spellbound. This produce a truly spellbinding, enthralling opus, that deserves to be heard by a much wider audience.
Funky. That describes Beware. Chiming, crystalline guitars and the rhythm section lock into the groove, while the languid vocal is reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix. It’s half sung, half chanted. The guitar solo is Hendrix-esque. It’s as if the ghost of Jimi Hendrix has wandered into EMI’s studios in Apapa, and laid down a blistering guitar solo. Instead it’s Berkeley Jones. His fingers flying nimbly up and down the fretboard. Not once does he miss a note. Behind him, Mike and Laolu provide the track’s heartbeat. Stealing the show is Berkeley, with a mesmeric guitar solo.
We Gonna Have A Party sounds as if the party’s already started. Just a minute long, joyous, celebratory vocals are accompanied by percussion, resulting in a slice of good time music.
Don’t is driven along by the deliberate bass. Meanwhile chiming guitars accompany the vocal. Needy and pleading, harmonies accompany the vocal, as the song heads in the direction of Jimi Hendrix’s Stone Free. By now the guitars and rhythm section have conjured up a hypnotic groove. Later, they shake loose, shakers encouraging Berkeley to unleash another of his solos. This time duelling guitars take the song in he direction of classic rock. BLO are in their element, exploring every nuance and subtly of this genre-melting track, where rock, psychedelia and Afrobeat combine.
Chant To Mother Earth reminds me of Fleetwood Mac in their prime. Then it’s all change, as the chanted vocal takes the track in the direction of Arabic, Afrobeat and reggae. Here, Berkeley becomes a soothsayer, as his vocal ensures the track melts into a mesmeric groove. Later, having awoken from his procrastination, he lays down a stunning guitar solo. Somehow, this beats everything that’s gone before. Like a swaggering gunslinger, he lays down a captivating guitar solo. With the pounding rhythm section keeping him company, the solo seems to go on forever. All you can do, is kick back and enjoy the ride. Towards the end, Berkeley returns to his role as soothsayer, having produced another bewitching performance.
We Are Out Together has an almost mystical sound. A myriad of percussion sees to that. Then it’s all change. The bass and searing guitar take charge. They become one. With a crash of a cymbal, BLO threaten to kick loose. Drums pound, guitars chime and a rubbery bass solo accompanies the vocals. They’re impassioned and hopeful. Then, it’s time for the main event. Dueling guitars join forces. This time, the rhythm section want in on the act. They won’t be outdone. Everyone has to play nicely, it seems. Not everyone seems to agree. The three members of BLO seem to compete to have the last word.
Closing Chapter One is Miss Sagitt, an Instrumental, written by Berkeley Jones. Percussion then a psychedelic guitar is panned left as the rhythm section provide a pensive heartbeat. In the distance, guitars chime. They draw nearer, and trippily, are panned right to left. This gives the song an exotic, Eastern sound. Importantly, space is left within the arrangement, allowing the song to breath. A muted guitar and drums rolls join a meandering bass and percussion. Together, they play their parts in an experimental sounding song where East, West and Africa unite.
Chapter One was just the first of five albums BLO released between 1973 and 1979. A genre-melting album, Chapter One matches the quality of Terry Eze’s album cover. An eight track musical adventure, genres and influences seamlessly, melt into one. Everything from rock, Afrobeat, psychedelia, funk and jazz can be heard on Chapter One. Sometimes, there’s brief bursts of Indian and Arabian music. It’s a multicultural musical journey, where BLO showcase their considerable skills during the eight songs.
Each member of BLO is a talented musician. However, guitarist and songwriter Berkeley Jones steals the show. Not only is he a talented songwriter, but capable of unleashing mesmeric, blistering guitar solos. Sometimes, he’s transformed into a musical shaman, his guitar playing blessed with magical properties. Having said that, BLO isn’t a one man band. Berkeley Jones needed bassist Mike Odumosu and drummer Laolu Akintobi. Mike and Laolu the rhythm section, provided BLO’s heartbeat. Without them, BLO wouldn’t have existed. BLO were stronger together than apart, weaving their mesmeric musical spell. Sadly, BLO’s music never found the audience it deserved.
Hugely enjoyed commercial success and critical acclaim in Africa, they never enjoyed they never enjoyed the same commercial success and critical acclaim further afield. Neither Europe nor America discovered BLO’s fusion of rock, Afrobeat, psychedelia, funk and jazz. Like so much great music, BLO’s music, including Chapter One, was lost to a wider audience, with only a small number of enthusiasts flying the flag for one of Africa’s lost bands. Not only were BLO one of Africa’s lost bands, but they were Africa’s first and best rock band. Proof of this was BLO’s first album, and Africa’s first rock album, Chapter One, which was released by Mr. Bongo on vinyl on 1st January 2014. Standout Tracks: Preacher Man, Beware, Don’t and Chant To Mother Earth.
BLO-CHAPTER ONE.
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE.
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE.
Nostalgia it seems is the future. Everyone it seems wants to relive the music of their youth. So a few years ago, major record companies started releasing classic albums. Now it’s no longer just classic albums being released. A whole host of new reissues labels have been founded. They’re digging deep, deeper than before. Every month, they release reissues of albums from the past forty years. However, sometimes, more that one label reissues the same album. I’ve noticed that during the last year or so. This is the equivalent of two bald men fighting over a comb. The latest example of this, is Dan Hartman’s Relight My Fire, which was recently released by BBR Records. However, it was also released by Purpose Music Vaults last year. This poses two questions. Is Relight My Fire worth buying and if so, which version should you buy? Before that, I’ll tell you about Dan Hartman’s career.
During his career, Dan Hartman wrote almost 250 songs and appeared on over one-hundred albums and worked with everyone from Loleatta Holloway, Dusty Springfield, Little Richard, Diana Ross, James Brown, Tina Turner and the Average White Band. Dan also released eight solo albums between his 1976 debut album Images and his final album Keep the Fire Burning in 1994. Despite such a prolific career, many people will forever remember Dan Hartman for one song, Relight My Fire. Ironically, when Relight My Fire was released back in 1979, it wasn’t a huge commercial success. Many people think that because the song was so popular and became a timeless, dance classic that it was one of Dan’s biggest hits. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Not by a long chalk.
Relight My Fire wasn’t even one of Dan Hartman’s top ten biggest hits. Featuring the unmistakable voice of the Queen of Disco, Loleatta Holloway and with strings and horns arranged by the legendary Norman Harris formerly of M.F.S.B. and in 1979, a member of The Salsoul Orchestra, Relight My Fire should’ve been a huge hit. The only small crumb of comfort for Dan and everyone involved was it reached number one in the US Dance Charts and lit up dance floors worldwide, which it continues to do. Relight My Fire was also the title of Dan’s 1979 album, until 2o12 has been unavailable on CD. Now we’ve two versions of the album available. However, what about the man behind the music?
Dan Hartman was something of a musical prodigy. He was born in 1950 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. By aged thirteen, Dan was a classically trained pianist and managed to persuade his brother to let him join his band The Legends. Soon, Dan was writing most of the songs, which ranged from soul to rock and everything in-between. The Legends couldn’t attract the interest of record labels until Blue Sky Records, a subsidiary of Epic Records heard their demos. Steve Paul at Blue Sky Records’ previous group White Trash had recently split. He was in the process of putting together a new group, The Edgar Winter Group. Success was just round the corner for Dan.
Soon, Dan had auditioned and joined the group, playing bass, guitar and keyboards as well as co-writing half of the songs on The Edgar Winter Group’s 1972 debut album They Only Come Out At Night. It was a huge commercial success, resulting in it being certified double-platinum. Two further albums followed, 1974s Shock Treatment and 1975s The Edgar Winter Group With Rick Derringer. Three years later, The Edgar Winter Group spilt and Dan was offered a solo deal by Blue Sky Records.
A year after The Edgar Winter Group split, Dan Hartman released his 1976 debut album Images. Images was quite different from Dan’s music with The Edgar Winter Group, given its much more poppy sound. By the time he released his sophomore album Instant Replay in 1978, Dan Hartman had dived headfirst into disco, which resulted in top twenty singles in the UK with Instant Replay and This Is It. In the US, both Instant Replay the single and album were both commercial success. The album reached number eighty in the US Billboard 200, while the single reached number twenty-nine in the US Billboard 100 and gave Dan his first number one in the US Dance Charts. Having established what was his sound and style, Dan Hartman decided that his third album Relight My Fire would feature more of the same.
For Relight My Fire , Dan wrote six tracks, with poppy hooks aplenty and a dance-floor friendly sound. He enlisted a few special guests for the recording of Relight My Fire, with one track reserved for one of his favorite vocalists Loleatta Holloway. This was the title-track, Relight My Fire. Having spoked to Loleatta’s husband Floyd Smith, and Ken Cayre one of the co-owners of Salsoul Records an agreement was reached. Loleatta would sing Relight My Fire and Dan would produce Love Sensation in 1980. To arrange the song Norman Harris of the legendary Baker, Harris, Young rhythm section and a member of M.F.S.B. and in 1979, a member of The Salsoul Orchestra would arrange the track. Norman would bring in many members of M.F.S.B. for the recording of Relight My Fire. With M.F.S.B. accompanying Loleatta, including the percussive skills of Larry Washington an eight-minute Magnus Opus took shape. However, Loleatta Holloway wasn’t the only big-name to feature on Relight My Fire.
Among the other big-names to feature on Relight My Fire. Stevie Wonder, who plays harmonica on Hands Down, which opens Relight My Fire. Edgar Winter an old colleague of Dan’s from The Edgar Winter Band plays alto saxophone. The other personnel that appear on Relight My Fire include drummer Brian Blake, Craig Peyton on electric vibes, conga player Jimmy Maelens and guitarists G.E. Smith and Phil Houghton. Dan a true multi-instrumentalist plays keyboards, bass, guitar, drums and sings lead and backing vocals. Once Relight My Fire was recorded the whole album was remixed was remixed by John Luongo and Michael Barbiero. Their Progressive Mix of Relight My Fire, which features on this rerelease is perceived as the classic mix. This was after all, the era of the DJ-remixer and they were now remixing not just single tracks, but whole albums. Now that Relight My Fire was recorded and remixed, it was ready for release. Before that, this hugely innovative single Relight My Fire had to be promoted.
With Relight My Fire recorded and the title-track remixed, the single was heavily promoted in clubs. DJs like Larry Levan and Frankie Crocker instantly, saw that this was an innovative track and one that could be huge. Suddenly, DJs wanted to remix the track. So did John Luongo who’d mixed Relight My Fire with Michael Barbiero. He decided he’d like to remix Relight My Fire and came up with another classic mix that features on the rerelease the Historical 1979 remix. Like the original version of Relight My Fire it would prove to be huge, but sadly, not the huge commercial success that people thought. Lady Luck decided to intervene and suddenly disco sucked.
By the time Relight My Fire was ready for release, disco’s popularity was waning. The backlash of the Disco Sucks’ movement was being felt. Disco was no longer flavor of the month, with many record companies not even releasing disco music, and disco artists’ releases selling badly. It seemed Relight My Fire was the wrong album at the wrong time. What didn’t help was that many radio DJs had loved Dan’s work with The Edgar Winter Group and felt he’d sold out by releasing disco music. Relight My Fire didn’t get the airplay it deserved. On the release of Relight My Fire as a single, it failed to chart in both the UK and US. Its only success was in the US Dance Charts, where the original and John Luongo’s Historical 1979 remix both reached number one on the US Dance Charts. The only single from Relight My Fire to chart was Hands Down, which reached number twenty-six in the US Dance Charts. On the release of the album in 1979, Relight My Fire only reached number 189 in the US Billboard 200 and number sixty-seven in the US R&B Charts. For everyone concerned, this must have been a crushing blow. After all, here was Dan Hartman’s disco epic, derailed by the Disco Sucks backlash. Despite that, Relight My Fire has since become a true, timeless disco classic. Similarly, Dan Hartman has quite rightly become a legend of disco, as you’ll realize when I tell you about the music on Relight My Fire.
Opening Relight My Fire is Hands Down, which features none other than Stevie Wonder on harmonica and Edgar Winter on alto saxophone. From the opening bars, this is joyous, good-time party music, with poppy hooks in plentiful supply. Pounding drums, percussion and a blazing saxophone usher in Dan’s joyful vocal as this hook-laden track gets underway. Dan’s accompanied by joyous harmonies and handclaps accompanying him. This punchy arrangement is musical perection. Chiming guitars help the pounding rhythm section drive the arrangement along, as they provide the track’s heartbeat. They’re helped by dramatic bursts of keyboards, percussion, harmonies and handclaps that help create the track’s good-time party sound. It’s just an irresistible explosion of happiness. Stevie’s harmonica and Edgar’s saxophone trade musical blows towards the end of this track. They help add the icing to this delicious musical cake, which has poppy hooks aplenty.
As Love Strong opens, it’s to applause, as if Dan’s still basking in the acclaim of the opening track. The track is made to sound as if it’s recorded live. Dan becomes a preacher, the audience his believers. His voice is higher, sounding not unlike Michael Jackson. Indeed, the whole song sounds like something Michael Jackson should’ve recorded. With a thunderous beat, rock tinged guitars, soaring harmonies and banks of keyboards accompanying him, Dan fuses rock, disco and drama. It’s one of these tracks where you’re swept along by the arrangement. Gradually, it reveals its charms and subtleties, the drama growing and the song getting better over the four minutes. That pounding beat is omnipresent, while harmonies sweep in, rocky guitars, keyboards and Dan’s vocal add to the theatre and spectacle of this musical soundscape, where genres and influences are seamlessly fused.
Quite simply, Relight My Fire is Dan’s Magnus Opus. This is a near ten-minute innovative masterpiece arranged by Norman Harris and featuring Loleatta Holloway’s vocal prowess. From the opening bars, the tension builds. Philly’s finest musicians do what they’re so good at, making great music. With a meandering piano opening the track, you’ve no idea what’s about to unfold. The pulsating beat joins the mix. Soon, an explosion of synths, percussion, vibes, dancing strings and rasping horns unite. They build and build the drama for over three minutes, becoming like an unstoppable, melodic, musical juggernaut. Guitars and a pounding rhythm signal the arrival of Dan’s powerful vocal. As it reaches a crescendo, he’s joined by lush, shivering strings, harmonies and growling horns. Soon, it’s like riding a joyous, dramatic, musical roller-coaster. All you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. The only problem is keeping still. It’s impossible. You can’t. You’re swept away amidst the shivering strings, pounding beat, cascading harmonies and rasping horns. Then there’s Loleattta’s sassy, vampish vocal that accompanies Dan. Does disco get any better or more dramatic? That’s just the finishing touch to this timeless, multi-layered disco classic, that’s been lighting up dance-floors since 1979 and will continue to do so.
After a true epic track like Relight My Fire, it’s almost as if anything else will be an anticlimax. Dan doesn’t disappoint though. He unleashes Just For You, another slice of good-time, party music and becomes like a one-man band, playing every instrument except the congas. Like other tracks, a pounding rhythm section and piano are at the heart of the action, while congas, harmonies and Dan’s powerful, uplifting vocal drives the arrangement along at breakneck. Backing vocalists answer his call, while flourishes of piano add to the track’s uplifting, good-time party sound. This is definitely the album you want as the soundtrack for your next party. Making a good thing even better, is Dan’s virtuoso, jazzy performance on the piano, with punchy harmonies accompanying him. Again, poppy hooks are in plentiful supply, while Dan’s joyous, good-time, party music is guaranteed to make put a smile on your face and make your party swing.
I Love Makin’ Music could be Dan Hartman’s theme tune, given how prolific an artist he was. The tempo drops slightly, but Phil Houghton’s wah-wah guitar, Larry Washington’s congas and Craig Peyton’s electric vibes ensure this is another slice of joyful, good-time music. Dan’s vocal is sultry and sassy, with the constant pounding beat and growling horns accompanying him. Phil adds the unmistakable sound of his wah-wah guitar, while soulful harmonies interject. Later, Larry Washington’s congas and Craig’s vibes punctuate the arrangement as disco, funk and soulful harmonies are fused. This results in another hook-laden slice irresistibly catchy music from Dan Hartman.
Closing Relight My Fire is Free Ride a track that instantly grabs your attention. Guitars licks that sound as if they belong on a Chic album are joined by dramatic bursts of drums and with that, the track bursts into life. Dan’s lead vocal is accompanied by backing vocals while a driving, dance-floor arrangement unfolds. Searing, sizzling guitar, percussion and congas accompany his vocal, while electric vibes add to the drama. Rocky guitars and piano both play their part in the dramatic, pounding arrangement as soaring harmonies join the fray. It’s another breathtaking musical roller-coaster ride, one that lasts seven-minutes, with twists and turns aplenty in-store. During that journey, Dan fuses rock, funk, soul and of course disco, adding in plenty of poppy hooks and powerful, joyous vocals.
Although Dan Hartman’s third album Relight My Fire only lasts six songs, they’re six slices of pop perfection set to a pulsating disco beat. It’s uptempo, uplifting and joyous music, designed to put a smile on your face and get you up on your feet dancing. Sadly, Dan was just a year too late in releasing Relight My Fire. If he’d released Relight My Fire in 1978, not 1979, then we’d be talking about Relight My Fire as one of disco’s Magnus Opus’. Unfortunately, disco’s bubble had burst by the time Relight My Fire was released. By then, disco had lost its popularity and disco was something of a musical pariah. So, when Relight My Fire was released, it wasn’t to critical acclaim and commercial success, it was into a very different musical landscape. Now thirty-three years later, we’ve the opportunity to reassess Relight My Fire and give it the critical acclaim it quite rightly deserves.
Each of the six tracks are packed full of poppy hooks and designed to stick in your memory. Opening with Hands Down, Relight My Fire continues on its journey through good-time, party music. Love Strong sees Dan the preacher basking in deserved applause, before the album’s centrepiece and masterpiece Relight My Fire. It’s a complex, multilayered track which is like a musical roller-coaster featuring Loleatta Holloway and Dan vamping their way through the ten-minute track. After that comes three more hook-laden slices of good-time, party music, Just For You, I Love Makin’ Music and Free Ride, which closes Relight My Fire. However, that isn’t the end of both versions of Relight My Fire.
Both BBR Records and Purpose Music Vaults versions of Relight My Fire have the same six bonus tracks. This includes the Historical 1979 remix and the Progressive Remix of Relight My Fire. These six tracks and Relight My Fire. So there’s nothing between them. It’s literally a toss of the coin. The sound quality is good on both versions. They bring to life Dan Hartman’s disco Magnus Opus, and its timeless, joyous good-time music, which is full of poppy hooks aplenty. Thirty-three years after its original release in 1979, Dan Hartman’s Relight My Fire is back and sounds better than ever and is perfect music for your next party. Just remember to clear your floor beforehand, as Dan Hartman’s Relight My Fire will get your party started and make sure it goes with a swing. Standout Tracks: Hands Down, Relight My Fire, Just For You and Free Ride.
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE.
LIGHTNIN’ SLIM-HIGH AND LOW DOWN.
LIGHTNIN’ SLIM-HIGH AND LOW DOWN.
When Lightnin’ Slim recorded his 1971 album High and Low Down, it only took three days to record the album. There’s a good reason for this. Three days holidays was all Lightnin’ Slim could get from the lock factory he was working in, in Pontiac, Michigan. However, for three days in Muscle Shoals, Lightnin’ Slim was back doing what he was born to do, play the blues.
Accompanied by the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and what became The Muscle Shoal Horns, the sixty-one year old Lightnin’ Slim recorded his comeback album. His career had stalled and Lightnin’ Slim was reduced to the 9 to 5 grind of working in a lock factory. That’s until Swamp Dogg decided to rejuvenate his career.
By the early seventies, it was apparent Swamp Dogg had the Midas touch. Previously, he’d rejuvenated the career of several artists. Swamp Dogg was a songwriter, musicians and producer, who’d established a reputation as one of the most talented producers of that time. So, Swamp Dogg was the perfect producer to rejuvenate the career of Louisiana Slim, the Godfather of the gutbucket blues. However, would High and Low Down, which was recently rereleased by Alive Natural Sound Records rejuvenate Lightnin’ Slim’s career? That’s what I’ll tell you, after I’ve told you about Lightnin’ Slim’s career.
It was March 1913, that Lightnin’ Slim was born Otis V. Hicks. He was born and grew up on a farm on the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri. Lightnin’ Slim lived on the farm until he was thirteen, when his family moved to Baton Rouge. By then, Lightnin’ Slim had been taught to play guitar by his elder brother, Layfield. This lead to Lightnin’ Slim playing in bars in the Louisiana area. It wasn’t until 1954 that Lightnin’ Slim made his debut.
That was in 1954, when Lightnin’ Slim released Bad Luck Blues for Jay D. Miller’s Excello Records. This was the label Lightnin’ Slim called home for the next twelve years. Essentially, he was with Excello Records for the majority of his career. That’s where he released his 1960 debut album Rooster Blues. Five years later, in 1965, Lightnin’ Slim released his sophomore album Bell Ringer. Then a year later, Lightnin’ Slim left Excello Records and his career stalled.
For the next four years, Lightnin’ Slim dropped out of music. When he was discovered by Fred Reif in 1970, Lightnin’ Slim was down on his luck. Lightnin’ Slim was renting a room from Slim Harpo’s sister and working in a foundry in Pontiac, Michigan. This wasn’t good for his hands. He was in constant pain when he made his comeback.
This comeback took place at the University of Chicago Folk Festival in 1971. Accompanying Lightnin’ Slim was Lazy Lester, who Lightnin’ Slim had collaborated with in the past. The comeback concert lead to Lightnin’ Slim resigning to Excello Records. So, Lightnin’ Slim took three days off from his job in the foundry and headed to Muscle Shoals, where he’d record an album with a crack band of musicians and producer Swamp Dogg.
For High and Low Down, Lightnin’ Slim penned four songs, Bad Luck Blues, G.I. Blues, That’s All Right and Voodoo Blues. Lightnin’ Slim covered three Willie Dixon songs, My Babe, Oh Baby and Crazy ‘Bout You Baby. He covered Chuck Berry’s Things I Used To Do and Jerry West’s Rooster Blues. The other track was the Swamp Dogg penned Good Morning Heartaches. These ten tracks became High and Low, which was recorded in Muscle Shoals.
In the studios in Muscle Shoals, the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and what became the Muscle Shoal Horns accompanied Lightnin’ Slim. His rhythm section included bassist Bob Wary, drummer Fred Proudly and guitarist Jesse Carr. Tippy Armstrong played harmonica and Clayton Ivy piano and organ. The horn section included Charles Rose, Mike Stough, Sonny Royal and Stacy Goss. Lightnin’ Slim played guitar and sang lead vocals, while Swamp Dogg produced what became High and Low Down. It was released in 1971.
On the release of High and Low Down, the album opinions were divided about the album. Maybe they didn’t understand that Swamp Dogg was reinventing Lightnin’ Slim. He was a delta blues singer, and the delta blues was no longer as popular. So, unless Lightnin’ Slim’s music evolved, it risked becoming irrelevant. Ironically, Lightnin’ Slim’s makeover wasn’t a commercial success. The reinvention of Lightnin’ Slim hadn’t worked. After that, Lightnin’ Slim returned to work in the foundry and died three years later. This makes High and Low Down a poignant swan-song, which I’ll tell you about.
Opening High and Low Down is Rooster Blues, which literally bursts into life. Accompanied by stabs of blazing horns, the tightest of rhythm sections and a blistering guitar solo, Lightnin’ Slim unleashes a vocal full of innuendo. Then some honky tonk piano is thrown into the mix. Soon, the band unleash a glorious bluesy arrangement. A melange of horns, rhythm section, driving piano and guitars accompany Lightnin’ Slim. This seems to spur him on, before the track reaches a glorious crescendo.
Slow, moody and bluesy describes Things I Used To Do. A melancholy piano is joined by a shuffling rhythm section and reverberating guitar. Lightnin’ Slim’s vocal is despondent and full of misery. Heartbroken, he pleads “please don’t go.” Stabs of braying horns, shimmering guitar and a piano masterclass from Clayton Ivy provide the the perfect backdrop to Lightnin’ Slim’s heartbroken vocal.
Bad Luck Blues sees Lightnin’ Slim return to the first song he ever recorded. It’s given a makeover. The rhythm section provide a moody, broody, pulsating backdrop. Clayton Ivy’s piano is panned left and the guitar panned right. Smack bang in the middle is Lightnin’ Slim’s lived-in, worldweary vocal. With a sense of resignation as he sings “if it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no love at all.” At just the right time, washes of Hammond organ are unleashed. This is perfect accompaniment to Lightnin’ Slim. He sounds as if he’s lived the lyrics, and somehow managed to survive them.
My Babe is a rocking bluesy track that many people will be familiar with. It was written by Willie Dixon. The band are determined to make the song swing. They unleash the blazing horns, a driving rhythm section and crystalline guitars. This should be the perfect backdrop for Lightnin’ Slim. He throws himself into the song. He tries to mix power and sass, and make the song swing. However, is voice isn’t as strong as it once was. There’s a fragility there. The result is a good version of a familiar track. Ten years before and Lightnin’ Slim would’ve strutted his way through the track.
G. I. Blues is one of three tracks Lightnin’ Slim wrote. As it begins, Lightnin’ Slim briefly returns to his delta blues’ roots. That’s until his band plug in. They provide a steady heartbeat, while chiming and searing, blistering guitars accompany Lightnin’ Slim’s despairing vocal. The cause of his despair is his partner who’s got the “G.I. Blues.” With a voice full of longing, his parting shot is I’m going to pray to Uncle Sam, give me some place in this army please.”
From the get-go, Lightnin’ Slim’s band unleash some moody, bluesy licks on Oh Baby. Providing the heartbeat are the rhythm section, while the horns bray and blaze. What’s different is the guitar. It’s fuzzy, wah-wahing its way across the arrangement. Some critics felt its inclusion was a mistake and it continues to divide opinion. Lightnin’ Slim delivers a sassy, needy vocal. This is what was needed on My Babe. Here, Lightnin’ Slim has dropped his vocal and is singing within himself. It’s one of his best efforts and spurs the band on. Horn and guitar solos play important parts in the track’s success.
That’s All Right was written by Lightnin’ Slim. Slow, moody and bluesy, describes this track, and Lightnin’ Slim’s vocal. He’s accompanied by a grinding rhythm section, rocky guitars and a harmonica solo from Tippy Armstrong. Later, a Hammond organ is dropped in as Swamp Dogg helps Lightnin’ Slim to give this familiar track a blues rock makeover.
The band build the drama as Crazy ‘Bout You Baby reveals its secrets. The rhythm section, growling horns and crystalline guitars set the scene for Lightnin’ Slim’s vocal. It’s frustrated, angry and heartbroken. Bursts of drums, stabs of horns and searing guitars match the anger and frustration in Lightnin’ Slim’s vocal. Just like other tracks, he gives vocal and guitar masterclasses. It’s as of he’s realised his future depended on the success of High and Low Down, so was playing and singing as if his future depended upon this album.
Good Morning Heartaches was the only track on High and Low Down that Swamp Dogg wrote. Having briefly drawn inspiration from the delta blues, a glorious slice of electric blues unfolds. A grinding rhythm section, searing guitars and harmonica join grizzled horns in driving the arrangement along. With the band in the groove, Lightnin’ Slim feeds of their energy. Sadness and despair fill his vocal, before the waking harmonica answers his call. Everything just falls into place and Lightnin’ Slim and his band create what’s the highlight of High and Low Down.
Voodoo Blues written by Lightnin’ Slim closes High and Low Down. The tempo is slow, with a despondent Lightnin’ Slim accompanied by piano, crystalline, chiming guitars and the rhythm section. His soul-baring vocal is full of emotion and heartbreak. Later, Jesse Carr and Lightnin’ Slim unleash some of the best guitar licks on the album. They take centre-stage,while the rhythm section mark time. You can only marvel at their playing which seems a fitting way to close High and Low Down.
While Lightnin’ Slim’s comeback album High and Low Down wasn’t a commercial success, it was proof that he still was one the most talented blues players in America. Sadly, Lady Luck hadn’t smiled upon him. He wasn’t even making a living playing the blues. Instead, he’d been working in a foundry since leaving Excello Records. This was hot, hard and dangerous work and affected Lightnin’ Slim’s health. His hands ached, which was a disaster for a guitarist. So when he was rediscovered by Fred Reif it must have been the answer to his prayers.
Accompanied by Lazy Lester, Lightnin’ Slim made his comeback at the University of Chicago Folk Festival. This lead to Lightnin’ Slim resigning to Excello Records. They brought in one of the hottest producers of the time, Swamp Dogg. He brought onboard some of the best musicians in Muscle Shoals. Accompanied by the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and what became the Muscle Shoal Horns, the sixty-one year old Lightnin’ Slim recorded his comeback album High and Low Down which was recently rereleased by Alive Natural Sound Records. It saw Swamp Dogg reinvent Lightnin’ Slim.
High and Low Down was a fusion of delta and electric blues with jazz and rock. It saw Lightnin’ Slim follow in the footsteps of B.B. King. Lightnin’ Slim was able to showcase his lived-in, worldweary voice and his unmistakable guitar playing. Before the release of High and Low Down, great things were expected of the album. B.B. King who wrote the original sleeve-notes, sang High and Low Down’s praises. He was speaking as musician, music lover and former DJ. Sadly, he was wrong. High and Low Down sank without trace. Worse was to come for Lightnin’ Slim.
After the commercial failure of High and Low Down, Lightnin’ Slim continued to make a comeback. He continued playing live and toured America and Europe for the next three years. Then in 1974, aged just sixty-one Lightnin’ Slim died of stomach cancer. That day, one the five greatest blues musicians died. Lightnin’ Slim is up there with blues greats like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson. Sadly, Lightnin’ Slim didn’t enjoy the commercial success they did.
Despite his lack of success Lightnin’ Slim recorded some of the best blues music of the fifties and sixties at Excello Records. His back-catalogue is a musical treasure trove awaiting discovery. Part of that treasure trove is Lightnin’ Slim’s 1971 album High and Low Down, which is a hidden gem from the Godfather of the gutbucket blues. Standout Tracks: Things I Used To Do, Bad Luck Blues, Good Morning Heartaches and Voodoo Blues.
LIGHTNIN’ SLIM-HIGH AND LOW DOWN.
HARMONIA-MUSIK VON HARMONIA.
HARMONIA-MUSIK VON HARMONIA.
Forty years ago this month, German supergroup Harmonia released their debut album Musik Von Harmonia in 1974. It was released to critical acclaim and hailed a groundbreaking, genre-melting album. Musik Von Harmonia saw Harmonica fuse ambient music and Krautcock. This was unheard of, and akin to a musical revolution. Mind you, that’s not surprising, when you look at Harmonca’s personnel
Harmonia were founded in 1973, when members of two Krautrock giants, Cluster and Neu joined forces. Hans-Joachim Rodelius and Dieter Moebius had founded Cluster in 1971. Since then, they’d released two albums, 1971s Cluster and 1972s Cluster II. Both albums were a fusion of ambient, avant-garde, experimental and what became known as Krautrock. Although both albums were released to critical acclaim, like a lot of groundbreaking music, it wasn’t a commercial success. This was the same for the third member of Harmonia, Michael Rother, a member of Neu, another musical Pioneer.
By 1973, Klaus Dinger and decided to put their band on hold for a while. Neu! had just released their sophomore album Neu 2 in 1973. Just like their eponymous debut album, it wasn’t a commercial success. Whilst it too was released to critical acclaim, and perceived as groundbreaking, it wasn’t a commercial success. This was the final straw for Neu. It was just the latest setback.
Things had got so bad for Neu! that they’d run out money halfway through recording Neu 2. Necessity being the mother of invention, Neu took the songs they’d already recorded, and reworked them. Essentially, these tracks were some of the earliest remixes. These tracks were added to the ones Neu had already recorded and became Neu 2. Released in 1973, it was a case of a group being ahead of their time. So, Klaus Dinger and Michael Rotherd decided to put Neu on the back burner. This allowed Klaus and Michael to build their own studio in Forst, a small village in rural Germany. This was where Michael met Hans-Joachim Rodelius and Dieter Moebius.
Hans-Joachim and Dieter had been living in Forst for some time. They’d recorded their third album Zuckerzeit, but it wasn’t released until 1974. Cluster were establishing a reputation as a pioneering group. So were Neu! They were one of the founding father’s of Krautrock. So when Hans-Joachim and Dieter of Cluster decided to work with Michael Rother of Neu this was a tantalising prospect.
They called their new group Harmonia and began playing live. German music fans were won over by this new supergroup. Packed concert halls awaited Harmonia every night. Having played live and gotten to know each other as musicians, Harmonia began work on their debut album Musik Von Harmonia.
For their debut album Musik Von Harmonia the three members of Harmonia cowrote eight tracks. Recording of Musik Von Harmonia took place between June and November 1973. The three members of were multi-instrumentalists. Hans-Joachim played organ, piano, guitar and electric percussion. Dieter played synths, guitar and electric percussion. Michael played guitar, organ, piano and electric percussion. Harmonia was produced by the band and once it was completed, was released in January 1974.
On the release of Musik Von Harmonia in January 1974, critics realised that this was an important album. Critically acclaimed upon its release, Brian Eno was also a fan of Musik Von Harmonia. He called Harmonia “the world’s most important rock band.” Despite critics and artists realising that Musik Von Harmonia was a minor classic, the album wasn’t a commercial success. The problem was, Musik Von Harmonia wasn’t a commercial album. Just like Neu and Cluster’s first two albums, Musik Von Harmonia didn’t sell well. However, since then, just like Neu and Cluster’s first two albums, Musik Von Harmonia is perceived as classic album, one that’s influenced several generations of musicians. You’ll realise why when I tell you about Musik Von Harmonia.
Opening Musik Von Harmonia is Watussi. Rhythmic and hypnotic describes this track. Drums crack like pistols joining banks of synths. This is classic Krautrock, albeit with a twist. The twist is the ambient influence. In the background, ambient and experimental music are fused. Washes of synths, percussion and searing, blistering guitar combine with effects. This results in a mesmeric and innovative fusion of classic Krautrock with ambient, avant-garde and experimental music.
Sehr Kosmisch has a much more understated, subtle sound. It’s best described as an ambient soundscape. The music unfolds in waves, growing ever closes. The drama grows, as drums steadily pulsate. They’re akin to an army marching. Washes of synths are variously ethereal and jagged, meandering as their eerie, broody sound grows. As the arrangement progresses, the drama builds. Gone is the understated sound. There’s a still a hypnotic, pulsating sound to the dramatic arrangement. It still unfolds in waves as it builds to its crescendo, as Harmonia reinvent Krautrock with a groundbreaking track.
Sonnenschein explodes into life. Guitars reverberate, sound effects surround you and Harmonia are on the march again. As they march along, they continue to rewrite Krautrock’s rulebook. To do this, they draw inspiration from ambient, avant-garde, classical, experimental, Krautrock and world music. Hypnotic, grandiose, experimental, dramatic and impressive describes Harmonia as they continue their pioneering journey.
Dino is driven along by the drums, while guitars wah-wah and synths buzz and beep. Straight away, I can hear a similarity to Neu’s debut album. That’s thanks to the hypnotic groove created by the motorik beat which became a trademark of Kraurock. Although only half of Neu play on this track, Harmonia seem to be able to recreate classic Neu almost as good as the original group can.
Swathes of eerie, haunting synths open Ohrwurm. Add to this pizzicato strings and experimental guitar. Feedback hangs in the air, as the track takes on an avant-garde sound. It’s as if Harmonia are just jamming, seeing where this leads. This was what Can did. They called this spontaneous composition. By now, fuzzy guitars are sprayed across the arrangement. Menacingly, they hang in the air. So do the the jagged synths. It all becomes very avant-garde and experimental, but strangely melodic and compelling. Harmonia it seems, are determined to constantly reinvent their music.
Ahoi has an spacious, ambient sound. Just a melancholy keyboard and chiming guitar combine. They meander along, seemingly in no hurry. Space is left, as the keyboards and guitar keep each other company. The guitar reverberates into the distance, while a wistful piano poses questions that are never answered. Later, it’s all change. Waves of dramatic music threaten to assail you. Urgent strings, hypnotic keyboards and a myriad of percussion swagger along. By then, the arrangement veers towards discordant and disturbing, but instead, remains the rights side of dramatic. A song of two parts, it shows two equally enthralling sides to Harmonia’s music.
Veterano is a dramatic, driving fusion of Krautrock, psychedelia and rock. Synths, crunchy, punchy drums and mesmeric keyboards unite. They drive the arrangement along. Meanwhile guitars drift in and out. They’re panned hard right, and sometimes, sound hesitant. Other times they’re responsible for some peerless solos. A myriad of percussion adds to the hypnotic nature of this driving, urgent arrangement that forty years later, is truly timeless.
Hausmusik closes Musik Von Harmonia. A vintages sounding keyboard plays in the distant. It sounds like a reminder of another age. Gradually, it draws closer. Washes of synths, percussion and wailing guitars are panned right to left assailing and surrounding you. It’s as if Harmonia are determined to close their debut album on a high. This they do, mixing vintage and space-age sounds to create a soundscape that’s innovative, ethereal, multilayered and full of nuances and subtleties.
With Cluster and Neu on hold, three of the most innovative musicians of a generation joined forces to create Harmonia. Having played live, they set about recording their debut album Musik Von Harmonia. On its release, Musik Von Harmonia was critically acclaimed, but wasn’t commercially successful. For the members of Cluster and Neu, they must have been used to this. Both groups had released two albums, and although they were groundbreaking classics, weren’t commercially successful. The problem was Cluster, Neu and Harmonia were ahead of their time. People neither understood, nor appreciated these albums. Musik Von Harmonia was just the latest album to suffer this fate. Belatedly, these albums have received the credit they deserved.
Forty years after its release, Musik Von Harmonia is perceived as a groundbreaking album that’s a Krautrock classic. Harmonia fused ambient and Krautrock on Musik Von Harmonia. They also added elements of avant-garde, classical, experimental, psychedelia and rock. The result was an ambitious groundbreaking, genre-melting album, Musik Von Harmonia. It’s best described as broody, moody, eerie, ethereal, space-age, cinematic, mesmeric and hypnotic. Musik Von Harmonia is a multilayered album full of nuances, subtleties and secrets. That’s just a few of the reasons why Musik Von Harmonia is a Krautrock classic, that was way ahead of its time and belongs in any record collection. Standout Tracks: Watussi, Sehr Kosmisch, Ahoi and Veterano.
HARMONIA-MUSIK VON HARMONIA.
LOUISIANA RED-DEAD STRAY DOG.
LOUISIANA RED-DEAD STRAY DOG.
When eventually, the history of the blues is written, Louisiana Red’s name will loom large. His career began in 1949, when when he first recorded for Chess Records. Then in 1963, Louisiana Red released his debut album The Lowdown Back Porch Blues. That was the first of over fifty albums Louisiana released during the next five decades. One of these albums was Dead Stray Dog, which was released in 1976 on the Blue Labor label. Dead Stray Dog was released on 6th January 2014 by Fat Possum Records. Before I tell you about Dead Stray Dog, I’ll tell you about Louisiana Red’s career.
Louisiana Red was born Iverson Minter, in March 1932, in Bessemer, Alabama. Tragedy struck early in Louisiana Red’s life. His mother died of pneumonia not longer after giving birth. Then when Louisiana Red was five, his father was lynched by the Klu Klux Klan. After the death of his father, Louisiana Red lived with a variety of relations. This meant moving throughout America. During this period, Louisiana Red learnt to play guitar and harmonica. By 1949, he made his recording debut for Chess Records.
Having made his recording debut, Louisiana Red decided to join the army. He trained with the 82nd Airborne and became a paratrooper. By 1951, Louisiana Red was sent to Korea as part of the 3rd Infantry Division. A year later, Louisiana Red return homed and continued his career as a musician.
After leaving the army, Louisiana Red recorded another single in 1952. This time, when he recorded a single for Checker Records, Louisiana Red was billed as Rocky Fuller. Then towards the end of the fifties, Louisiana was part of John Lee Hooker’s band. He spent two years touring with John Lee Hooker. This was good experience when Louisiana Red recorded his debut album.
It was 1963 when Louisiana Red recorded his debut album Lowdown Back Porch Blues. Little did anyone realise that this was the first of over fifty albums Louisiana Red would record. He would become one of the most prolific blues artists. Later in 1963, Louisiana Red released his sophomore album Seventh Son. A year later, Louisiana Red enjoyed a his single with I’m Too Poor To Die, which reached number thirty in the US R&B Charts. Throughout the rest of the sixties Louisiana Red was just as busy, constantly touring and recording. There was no letup as the seventies dawned.
By 1972, Louisiana Red was signed to Atco Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. That year, Louisiana Red released Louisiana Red Sings The Blues. It was the only album he released for Atco. A years later, Louisiana Red’s career had stalled.
After Louisiana Red Sings The Blues, Louisiana Red’s career seemed to be going nowhere. So he contacted Kent Cooper at Blue Labor Records in 1973. Things had got so band for Louisiana Red, that he wasn’t even making a living as a musician. He was working in a factory making barrels in New Jersey. That’s when Louisiana Red decided he call Kent Cooper.
When Kent heard Louisiana Red, he realised that he sounded similar to Muddy Waters. The similarities were uncanny. However, the problem was getting Louisiana Red to find his own voice. Kent wanted Louisiana Red to forget about sounding like Muddy Waters. That would allow Louisiana Red to enjoy a long and successful career. So, Kent gave Louisiana Red a pile of songs he’d written, and encouraged him to find his own voice. This was important. Louisiana Red’s career was at stake. Eventually, they found real Louisiana Red and he signed to Blue Labor Records.
This was the perfect place for Louisiana Red. Here was a label run by two musicians. Kent Cooper was a jazz arranger and Helner Stadler was a composer. They realised that Louisiana Red was underrated blues player. John and Kent felt Louisiana Red was as good as John Lee Hooker. So, they were determined to get the best out of him for his Blue Labor debut. This they did. Sweet Blood Call, sees Louisiana Red at his very best, breathing life and meaning into the music. All the time, his ability to improvise makes Louisiana Red stand out from the rest. The title-track would go on to be the song that’s synonymous with Louisiana Red. It seemed at last, Louisiana Red had realised his potential. Would he do it again on Dead Stray Dog, his second album for Blue Labor.
For Dead Stray Dog, Kent Cooper played a huge part in the album. He cowrote nine of the twelve tracks with Louisiana Red, while Don Jonson and Kent penned Going Train Blues. Louisiana Red wrote Caught My Man and Gone and Kent wrote Riding On A Tall White Horse. Recording took just two days. The first session was on February 10th 1975 and the second and final session was on 13th March 1975. During these two sessions, it was just Louisiana Red with his acoustic and slide guitar. Producing Dead Stray Dog was Kent and Heiner. Once it was completed, Dead Stray Dog was released in 1976.
On its release in 1976, Dead Stray Dog wasn’t a commercial success. It was well received, with the real Louisiana Red shining through. The only problem was, blues music was no longer as popular. Since then, Dead Stray Dog has never been rereleased on CD. That’s until Fat Possum Records rereleased it recently. Is Dead Stray Dog a hidden gem from Louisiana Red? That’s what I’ll tell you.
Dead Stray Dog opens with the title-track. Delta and country blues are combined as Louisiana Red unleashes a powerful, frustrated vocal. He’s accompanied by his trusty slide guitar, as Louisiana Red makes the lyrics sound very personal. Especially when he sings: “if you’ve got nowhere to go, how can you call that being free?” It’s as if he can relate to the broken promises and having nothing and nowhere to go. This results in a powerful slice of vintage blues, that comes to life thanks to Louisiana Red’s despairing vocal.
As New Jersey Women unfolds, Louisiana Red’s fingers glide up and down the fretboard, making his guitar sing. That sets the scene for Louisiana Red’s angry vocal. He sings about a New Jersey Woman who mistreated him. So vivid are the pictures Louisiana Red paints that you can picture them unfolding before your eyes.
Slow and moody, Held Up In One Town features just the slide guitar before Louisiana Red unleashes a vampish vocal. He mixes drama and power, as the real Louisiana Red shines through. He sounds quite different from his early recordings. His gravelly vocal sings of escaping town, but there’s a woman who he keeps coming back to. It’s one of his best vocals, matched by a slide guitar masterclass.
A meandering, pensive guitar opens Bad Case Of The Blues. Then Louisiana Red’s powerhouse of a vocal enters. It rasps and has a lived-in, all seeing quality. That’s fitting, given Louisiana Red’s singing about a cheating woman, whose betrayed him leaving him with a Bad Case Of The Blues. Anger, emotion and frustration shine through in Louisiana Red’s vocal.
While the guitar weaves its way across the arrangement to Caught My Man And Gone. Louisiana Red gets the chance to unleash some glorious bluesy licks. As a guitar player, he’s often underrated. Here, his talent shines through. During his solo, he replicates the sound of a train. Then his playing matches the anger and frustration in his vocal. He’s angry because his partner’s left him alone. His pride’s been hurt, but by the end of the track, bravado shines through as Louisiana Red doesn’t want people to realise he’s been hurt. This says much about how in years gone by, men weren’t “allowed” or “meant” to show their feelings.
The guitar licks that open My Heart’s A Loser could just as easily come from an early blues record. What differs is the quality of the recording. Here, the quality is stunning. This allows the listener to hear a despairing, frustrated Louisiana Red. He’s got the shakes, because he’s trying to give up the whiskey he loves. His vocal is a powerful roar, while his guitar playing is peerless. Seamlessly, he switches between strumming, plucking and playing the slide. Quite simply, Louisiana Red is one of the most underrated guitarists in the history of blues music.
Riding On A Tall White Horse sees Louisiana Red’s vocal dominate the arrangement. His guitar takes back seat, as he plays sparse, repetitive licks. Later, as his vocal drops out, he unleashes some of his trademark slide guitar. That’s just an irresistible taste of what Louisiana Red’s capable of. Soon, his vocal returns and Louisiana Red unleashes another vocal powerhouse.
Moody and broody describes the introduction to Cold White Sheet. There’s a sense of melancholy and longing as Louisiana Red sings: “ I’m going back to the country, where the women wear their dresses long.” It’s as if Louisiana Red is looking for a rural idyl. Looking back to America in 1975, that rural idyl didn’t exist. It probably didn’t exist even when Louisiana Red was young. Having said that, it makes for an evocative, if controversial song. After all, the times Louisiana Red is singing about was a time of poverty, racism and disease.
Train songs have long been a favourite of blues singers. So it’s no surprise there’s one on Dead Stray Dog, Going Train Blues. Louisiana Red is accompanied by a driving guitar. He plays it at lighting speed, replicating the sound of a train, while unleashing a vocal that’s a mixture of power and emotion. All the time, he’s contemplates leaving “this town.”
Back To The Road Again finds a restless Louisiana Red thinking of leaving town. He’s discovered his partner has been cheating on him. Anger, frustration and sadness fill his vocal. It’s loud and emotive, while his chiming guitar is subtle. What follows is a soul-baring vocal and blues guitar masterclass from Louisiana Red.
Just a lone guitar sets the scene for Louisiana Red’s vocal on My Baby’s Coming Home. His partner has been gone for two weeks, due to his cheating ways. Now he realises he loves her, he doesn’t if she’ll stay. As he tells this tale, worry and emotion are ever-present. He realises he might just be about to loose her. Sadly, only now does he appreciate what he had and what he could’ve lost.
Cold Feeling closes Dead Stray Dog. This track could be the followup to the previous one. A mournful, heartbroken Louisiana Red realises he’s lost the one he loves. She’s cheated on him and their relationship is over. Accompanied by his trusty guitar, what follows in an outpouring of emotion at the love he’s lost. This seems to spur Louisiana Red on to unleash some peerless bluesy licks, closing Dead Stray Dog on an emotive high.
Whilst Dead Stray Dog didn’t enjoy the commercial success or critical acclaim of his previous album Blood Sweet Call. It’s a hidden gem that features the real Louisiana Red. With a little help from Kent Cooper, Louisiana Red found his own voice. Previously, he’d sounded just like Muddy Waters. It was as if Louisiana Red was copying Muddy Waters. That wasn’t going to result in a long and successful career for Louisiana Red. So, down on his luck, he called Kent Cooper and the pair started working together.
Dead Stray Dog was the second in a quartet of albums Louisiana Red recorded for Blue Labor Records. The music was a combination of delta and country blues. Many of the songs were about betrayal or love gone wrong. Some songs harked back to a simpler time. This includes Cold White Sheet, where Louisiana Red sounds like he’s in the wrong movie. He sounds as if modern life isn’t for him. Life’s no longer what it used to be. Others songs are hard luck stories, featuring characters whose lives had taken a wrong turning. This was ironic. Before signing to Blue Labor Records, Louisiana Red wasn’t even working as a musician. He was working in a factory. Thankfully, Kent Cooper rescued Louisiana Red and maybe even his career.
It marked a resurgence in Louisiana Red’s career. He recorded four albums for Blue Labor Records, and after that, enjoyed a long and successful career. Louisiana Red toured and recorded right up until his death in 2012, aged eighty. By then, Louisiana Red had been recognised as one of the legends of blues music. Dead Stray Dog which was rereleased by Fat Possum Records, is just one of over fifty albums Louisiana Red recorded, and is the perfect introduction to his sixty-three year career.
LOUISIANA RED-DEAD STRAY DOG.
THE BLUE NILE-HIGH.
THE BLUE NILE-HIGH.
Previously, I’ve described The Blue Nile as enigmatic, reluctant and contrarian. They could’ve and should’ve been the biggest band of their generation. However, The Blue Nile were always determined to do things their way. The Blue Nile are the complete opposite of most bands. They’re publicity shy. Describing the Blue Nile as publicity shy, is an understatement.
Indeed, since Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell and Paul Joseph Moore formed the Blue Nile in 1981, they’ve been one of the most low-profile bands in musical history. It seems that when they formed thirty-three years ago, the Blue Nile ticked the “no publicity” box. This has proved a double-edged sword, and resulted in the Blue Nile becoming one of the most enigmatic groups ever. They released just a quartet of albums during their career. Their finale was High, which saw The Blue Nile call time on their career. Even then, The Blue Nile never knew it was farewell. That proved to be the case. Before I tell you about High, I’ll tell you about The Blue Nile’s career.
The Blue Nile were formed in 1981, when two friends Paul Buchanan and Robert Bell, met Paul Joseph Moore. They all had one thing in common, they were graduates of Glasgow University. Paul and Robert had both been in a band before, Night By Night. However, they type of music Night By Night performed was not deemed commercial enough, and they were unable to gain a recording contract. This lead to the formation of The Blue Nile
Once The Blue Nile were formed, they set up their own record label Peppermint Records. It was on Peppermint Records that The Blue Nile released their debut single, I Love This Life. This single was then picked up and re-released on the RSO label. Unfortunately for The Blue Nile RSO became part of the Polygram label and I Love This Life disappeared without trace. Despite this setback, The Blue Nile kept writing and recording music.
Following the merger of RSO with Polygram, The Blue Nile continued to hone their sound. They wrote and recorded songs. Some of that material would later be found on A Walk Across the Rooftops. Then fate intervened and The Blue Nile met the man some people refer to as the fourth member of the band, recording engineer Calum Malcolm
When Callum heard The Blue Nile’s music, he alerted Linn Electronics. This was to prove a fortuitous break for the band. Linn gave The Blue Nile money to record a song that they could use to demonstrate the quality of Linn’s top-class stereo products. However, when Linn heard the track they were so pleased that decided to set up their own record label to release A Walk Across the Rooftops, The Blue Nile’s debut album.
Although the formation of Linn allowed the band to finally release their debut album A Walk Across the Rooftops., Paul later speculated whether Linn was the right label for The Blue Nile? Paul said that he felt that Linn did not operate like a record label. However, he conceded that, during that period, The Blue Nile were not like a band. So, essentially, this was a match made in heaven for the release of A Walk Across the Rooftops.
On the release of A Walk Across the Rooftops, it was released to critical acclaim. Critics described the album as a minor classic. A Walk Across the Rooftops was described as ethereal, evocative, soulful and soul-baring. It also featured the vocals of troubled troubadour Paul Buchanan. Despite the critical acclaim A Walk Across the Rooftops enjoyed, it wasn’t a commercial success, reaching just number eight in the UK. However, since the A Walk Across the Rooftops has been recognised as a classic album. So has the followup Hats.
Unlike most bands, The Blue Nile weren’t in any rush to release their sophomore album Hats. There was a five year gap between A Walk Across the Rooftops and Hats. It was worth the wait. The Blue Nile had done it again. Hats was a classic. featuring seven tracks, written by Paul Buchanan, Glasgow’s answer to Frank Sinatra He’s a tortured troubadour, whose voice sounds as if he’s lived a thousand lives. Producing Hats was a group effort, with Paul, Robert and P.J. taking charge of production duties. Guiding them, was Callum Malcolm. On the release of Hats, British and American audiences proved more discerning and appreciative of the Blue Nile’s sophomore album Hats.
On the release of Hats in the UK in 1989, it was critically acclaimed and commercial success, reaching number twelve in the UK. Then when it was released in America in 1990, audiences seemed to “get” Hats. Not only did it reach number 108 in the US Billboard 200 Charts, but The Downtown Lights reached number ten in the US Modern Rock Tracks charts. While this was a small crumb of comfort for the Blue Nile, in the UK, they remained a well kept secret. Since the release of Hats, like their debut album A Walk Across the Rooftops it’s become a minor classic. With The Blue Nile making a breakthrough in America, most bands would’ve been keen to build on this and released another album before long. Not The Blue Nile.
Seven long years passed, where Blue Nile fans wondered what had become of Glasgow’s most enigmatic trio. Then the unthinkable happened. The Blue Nile signed a million Dollar deal with Warner Bros. and along came Peace At Last, released in 1996. Gone was the sound of A Walk Across the Rooftops and Hats, with the America-influenced Peace At Last showing a different side to the Blue Nile and their music. Paul, Robert and P.J. were back, but it was a different sound. One constant was Paul’s worldweary vocal. He was still the tortured soul, who wore his heart on his sleeve. Opinions were divided among fans and critics, although it reached number thirteen in the UK. Little did anyone know that Peace At Last was their penultimate album. However, High, The Blue Nile’s final album was a long time coming.
It was eight years before The Blue Nile released another album. High was released in 2004. By then, many people had given up hope that we’d ever hear from The Blue Nile again. The band had been leading separate lives. While P.J. and Robert were content with their lives in the West End of Glasgow, while Paul had been spending his time between Glasgow and Hollywood. Now they were back and ready to record their fourth album, High.
High features nine songs written by Paul. P.J. played keyboards and synths, Robert bass and synths and Paul guitar. Callum Malcolm was the engineer and The Blue Nile produced High, which was released in August 2004.
Eight years after Peace At Last, High was a much more grownup album. Songs of family life and heartbreak sat side-by-side. Paul’s vocals were worldweary and knowing, while the music is emotive, ethereal and evocative. Critics love High. So did music lovers. High reached number ten in the UK, proving their most successful album, which I’ll tell you about.
Opening High is The Days Of Our Lives. Stabs of hypnotic, melancholy keyboards are repeated throughout the track. They provide the backdrop to Paul’s worldweary vocal. Soon, washes of synths, swathes of string and the occasional bursts of funky bass can be heard. Later, drums crack, adding to the drama, while Paul’s vocal is wistful and full of pathos. Just like he’s done so often, he makes the lyrics come alive, as he looks backwards at the past. This proves fitting, as High was their swan-song.
I Would Never was the first released from High. It has an understated, lush arrangement. That comes courtesy of washes of crystalline synths, acoustic guitar and pulsating bass. Then there’s Paul’s vocal. Glasgow’s troubled troubadour delivers a heartfelt vocal as he assures his partner “I Would Never turn my back on.” Quite simply, this is a beautiful ballad from a grown up Blue Nile.
Broken Loves opens with Paul’s half-spoken vocal accompanied by stabs of urgent keyboards. Frustration and emotion fill his voice as it grows in power and despair. The despair is caused by a relationship that’s all but over. This results in some soul searching from Paul. He paints pictures, reminiscing about their pasts. Memories from childhood seem to trigger an outpouring of emotion. His vocal becomes needy, and he’s determined they don’t give up on their relationship. Dramatic, emotive and heartbreaking, it’s an evocative description of a relationship gone wrong.
Just a lone acoustic guitar opens Because Of Toledo, as Paul delivers a world-weary vocal. Heartbroken and despondent, his life’s lost meaning and direction, because his relationship has ended. Again, Paul makes the lyrics come to life. They take on a cinematic quality. Soon, pictures unfold before your eyes, a heartbroken Paul sitting despondent, in the motel he sings about during this heartbreakingly beautiful breakup song.
Ethereal describes the introduction of She Saw The World. That’s before the tempo and drama increases. Driven along by drums, keyboards and washes of synths Paul delivers an urgent emotive vocal. Memories come flooding back as he reminisces about two people who drifted apart. Sadness fills his voice as he sings: “ She Saw The World and wanted it all.” Paul he remembers what he once had and lost. Oozing emotion, Paul’s lived-in, weary vocal and one of the best arrangements on High, result in one of the album’s many highlights.
Washes of synths shimmer, while a lone piano provides a contrast as High unfolds. Paul’s vocal is tender, but with a sense of resignation at the relationship that’s gone wrong. A drum machine provides the heartbeat as Paul’s vocal becomes a cathartic outpouring of emotion. Mixing power, passion and drama Paul lays bare his weary soul for all to hear.
As Soul Boy unfolds, drums crack and are matched by a pulsating bass and meandering guitar. Paul’s vocal is tender and needy. He delivers the some of the best lyrics on High. This includes: “let me be the one, there’s been no other one, trusted and true, for so long…I just want to be loved by you.” With an arrangement that’s reminiscent of vintage Blue Nile and Paul’s needy seductive, vocal this is The Blue Nile back to their best.
Everybody Else is quite different from the previous track. It shows The Blue Nile are determined their music stays relevant. It’s an uptempo track that’s the nearest thing to a dance track The Blue Nile produced. Paul’s vocal is accompanied by swathes of sweeping strings, pounding bass and hypnotic drums. He’s plays the role troubled troubadour to perfection, as The Blue Nile demonstrate another side to their music, on a track that’s not short of poppy hooks.
Stay Close closes High and sadly, the recording career of The Blue Nile. The tempo is dropped, a drum machine, crystalline guitar and washes of synths providing a melancholy backdrop for Paul’s vocal. He’s saved the best to last. It’s as if he knew this was farewell. Digging deep, he unleashes a soul-baring Magnus Opus. His vocal is needy as he pleads, “Stay Close to me.” However, he knows though, “you’ll go your own way.” You’re drawn into this scenario, feel and share Paul’s pain and heartache. He’s not giving up though, and delivers a heartachingly beautiful vocal on this heartbreaking paean. What a way for The Blue Nile to call time on their recording career?
Although The Blue Nile only recorded four albums in a twenty year period, it’s the quality of music that matters. These four albums were almost flawless. Certainly A Walk Across The Rooftop and Hats are classics. Peace At Last is probably the most underrated album in The Blue Nile’s back-catalogue. That brings us to High.
Having not released an album for eight years. During that period, The Blue Nile had been living separate lives. P.J. and Robert were living in the West End of Glasgow, while Paul lived a nomadic existence, flitting between Hollywood, Europe and Glasgow. He’d been involved in some high profile relationships, and by 2004, just when everyone thought The Blue Nile were no more, rose like a Phoenix from the ashes. They didn’t even have a record deal, so agreed a deal with Sanctuary Records to release High. It proved to be the most successful album of their career.
During the time they’d been away, The Blue Nile had matured as a band. Some people said they’d grownup. What had happened was life. Having been outside the bubble that was Blue Nile, P.J. and Robert had to get on with life. The Blue Nile was on a hiatus, maybe a permanent one. As for Paul, he was leading a very different life. This gave him the material for High.
On the nine songs that comprise High, you’re drawn into the album’s lush, atmospheric sound. Having captured your attention, The Blue Nile don’t let go. Before long, the listener has fallen in love. They fall in love with music that’s hauntingly beautiful, emotive, dramatic and pensive. Much of this is thanks to peerless vocal performances of Glasgow’s very own Frank Sinatra, Paul Buchanan. He plays the role of the troubled troubadour, to a tee. His worldweary, emotive, heartfelt and impassioned vocal sounds as if it’s lived the lyrics he’s singing about. Lived them not just once, but several times over. Paul’s vocal adds soulfulness to an album that references Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Tim Buckley, classic soul and seventies funk. The result is a compelling, innovative album, High.
After High, people thought that The Blue Nile would return, possibly after another lengthy break. Sadly, that wasn’t to be. The Blue Nile were no more. At least they’d did things their way. Right up until the release of High, The Blue Nile were enigmatic, almost reclusive and publicity shy. The Blue Nile weren’t exactly your normal band. Not for them the rock “n” roll lifestyle favoured by other bands. In many ways, musical fashions and fads didn’t affect them. Their attitude was almost contrarian. Albums were recorded slowly and methodically as the Blue Nile strived for musical perfection. This wasn’t a group willing to jump onto a musical bandwagon in pursuit of fame, fortune or starlets. Quite the opposite. It seemed to be their way or no way in the pursuit of musical perfection. The Blue Nile achieved that perfection four times, and ended their career on a High. Standout Tracks: I Would Never, Because Of Toledo, She Saw The World and Stay Close.
THE BLUE NILE-HIGH.
HALL OF FAME-RARE AND UNISSUED GEMS FROM THE FAME VAULTS.
HALL OF FAME-RARE AND UNISSUED GEMS FROM THE FAME VAULTS.
There aren’t many recording studios that play such an important part in their town’s history as Fame Records. It was added to the list of local landmarks and designated part of the town’s heritage. That’s what happened to the Fame Recording Studios in December 1997, when the recording studios were added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. For anyone not familiar with the history of Southern Soul, you may be wondering what makes this particular studio so important?
The story starts during late fifties when Rick Hall, Tom Stafford and Billy Sherill founded a record label, and built their first studio above the City Drug Store in Florence, Alabama. However, by the early sixties, this nascent partnership would split-up, resulting in Tom Stafford and Rick Hall needing a new studio. They decided to move to what had been a tobacco warehouse in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. As if by magic, Rick Hall soon recorded what would be his first hit single, Arthur Alexander’s You Better Move On. Wisely, he decided to invest the profit in a better studio, and moved to their current location Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The first hit single Rick Hall recorded in his new studio was Jimmy Hughes’ Steal Away. Little did Rick Hall know it back then, but soon his new studio would see artists coming from far and wide to record at Fame.
After Rick’s success with Jimmy Hughes, word got out that Fame was the place to go to record a new single or album. Quickly, everyone from Tommy Roe to The Tams, and from Joe Tex, Joe Simon, George Jackson and Clyde McPhatter right through to Irma Thomas, Etta James and Mitty Collier. Even Aretha Franklin recorded at Muscle Shoals. Indeed, it was at Muscle Shoals that Jerry Wexler brought Aretha Franklin, to record her 1967 album I Never Loved A Man the Way I Loved You. However, why did all these artists choose to head to Muscle Shoals to Fame?
Part of the reason was the session musicians that worked with Rick Hall. This included the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and Muscle Shoals Horns. They were some of the hottest and tightest musicians of that era. This included drummer Rodger Hawkins, bassist David Hood, guitarist Jimmy Johnson and keyboardist Barry Beckett. When they recorded together, they were one of the finest studio bands ever. Between 1961 and 1969, when they departed from Fame to found the rival studio Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. However, for eight years, they graced numerous hit singles and album. The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and Muscle Shoals Horns can also be found on many of the tracks on Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults.
Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records released Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults in February 2011. It featured twenty-four tracks, including twenty-one tracks which had never been released before. This includes unreleased tracks from James Barnett, Jimmy Hughes, Joe Simon, Marjorie Ingram, Clarence Carter, Otis Clay and George Jackson. Most of the tracks were produced by Rick Hall, co-founder of Fame Records. The exception is Travis Wammack’s Let’s Do It Over, which was produced by George Jackson. Many of the tracks on Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults feature The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and Muscle Shoals Horns in their prime. Back then, they when they were the hottest backing band in soul music. That’s obvious on The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and Muscle Shoals Horns which I’ll pick the highlights of.
James Barnett’s You’re So Fine opens Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults. This track was written by Lance Finney, Willie Schofield and Robert West. Originally, it was a hit for The Falcons and was meant to be the followup to his debut single Keep On Talking, which is a favourite amongst the Northern Soul community. Sadly, You’re So Fine was never released. Hook-laden, soulful and dance-floor friendly describes this hidden gem.
Jimmy Hughes enjoyed a successful spell at Fame Records before he signed for Atlantic Records. However, before he signed to Fame, he released an album in 1964 ,for Vee Jay, Stay Away. The title-track which Jimmy penned, was released as a single in 1964. It launched Jimmy’s career. In 1967, Jimmy rerecorded the single as Stay Away Pt. 1, but it was never released. Since the, the tape for Stay Away Pt. 1 couldn’t be found. Thankfully, it was found and features on Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults. Why? Well, it features a needy, pleading and soul baring vocal from Jimmy. Then on Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn’s I Worship The Ground You Walk On, which was made famous by Etta James, breathes new emotion and meaning into the track. Both tracks see Jimmy demonstrate why he enjoyed such a long and successful career.
Most people remember Big Ben Atkins for the singles he recorded for Goldwax and Josie. He never released any singles on Fame Records. Tell It Like It Is was recorded at Fame but never released. A fusion of R&B, soul and blues, Ben’s rasping, worldweary, lived vocal and blues horns prove a potent partnership. This results in one of compiler Tony Rounce’s best finds.
Joe Simon is another artist who enjoyed a long and successful career. Back in 1964, as he career began, Vee Jay sent Joe to Fame to record four tracks. This included the single Let’s Do It Over. Two of the tracks were never relaxed. One of these tracks was When It Comes To Dancing, which was written by Donnie Fritts and Dan Dan Penn. An uptempo dancer, where horns, harmonies and handclaps accompany Joe, it’s another track the Northern Soul fraternity will love.
Prince Phillip played his part in the Fame Records success story. Mostly, this was through the songs he wrote. He did enjoy a career as a singer, but only recorded one session at Fame. One of the tracks he recorded was Keep On Talking, which was written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. Rick Hall, who produced the single, leased the single to the Smash label. It epitomises everything that’s good about Southern Soul and showcases one of Southern Soul’s best kept secrets Prince Phillip.
James Gilreath enjoyed a hit single with Why Not Tonight, which was written by Jimmy Hughes. The followup was meant to be a song James wrote, Meet Me Tonight. He recorded this demo version of the song with the classic lineup of The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Their performance spurs James on, as he deliver a heartachingly beautiful slice of country soul.
Clarence Carter enjoyed two spells at Fame Records. They were before and after his time at Atlantic Records. His two contributions on Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults are both demos. The first is Tell Daddy which he wrote with Marcus Daniel and Wilbur Terrell. On this version, the lyrics differ from those on the B-Side of Clarence’s 1996 Fame single I Stayed Away Too Long and Etta’s versiom. Clarence’s other contribution is Too Weak To Fight, which he wrote with George Jackson, Rick Hall and John Keyes. Despite only being a demo, Clarence’s vocal oozes emotion and passion, as the lyrics come to life. No wonder Clarence Carter is so fondly remembered by connoisseurs of Southern Soul.
Otis Clay is one of the most underrated Southern Soul singers. His career started in 1965 at One-Derful, before he headed to Cotillion. Next at Hi Records, where he released 1972s Trying To Live My Life With You and 1977s Can’t Take It. Both are hidden gems. So are the two tracks Otis contributes to Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults. They’re from Otis’ time at Cotillion. The first track is the 1970 single I’m Qualified which was written by Rick Hall Quin Ivy. Here, Otis swaggers his way through the song, delivering a needy, impassioned vocal. Then on the Mickey Buckins penned ballad Your Helping Hand, Otis’ gospel roots shine through. These two track show two sides to one of Southern Soul’s best kept secrets.
My final choice from Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults is George Jackson’s For You. It was written by George and recorded at his home. While the sound quality isn’t as good as other tracks, George accompanied by a lone piano, delivers a heartfelt and beautiful, coo-wop tinged version of this track.
Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults was the first instalment in what’s become one of Kent Soul’s most successful compilation series. The followup, Hall Of Fame Volume 2 was released in February 2013, with Hall Of Fame Volume 3 due out in February 2014. This shows how much quality music is still awaiting discovery in Fame Records’ vaults. For compilers like Tony Rounce, Fame Records is the musical equivalent to King Solomon’s Mines. Who knows how many more instalments there will be of the Hall Of Fame series. This series started back in 2011, with Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults.
It featured twenty-four tracks, and is just a taster of the music recorded at Fame Recording Studios, Muscle Shoals. Between 1961 and 1972, it was one of the busiest studios in America. Especially between 1961 and 1969, when the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and Muscle Shoals Horns were in their prime. Many of the tracks on Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults feature the finest studio band of the sixties at their very best. They play their part in many of the song’s success. That’s why record companies sent their artists to record at Fame. The combination of producer Rick Hall and The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and Muscle Shoals Horns was a potent one. They played on a string of hit singles and many of the tracks on Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults, some of the unreleased tracks.
Twenty-one of the tracks have never been released before and in some cases, are a glimpse of what might have been. Some of the tracks, the quality is indisputable. You wonder why the songs never saw the light of day? Thankfully, through the efforts and persistence of compiler and crate-digger Tony Rounce, they’re at last being heard by a wider audience. After all, music as good as this deserves to be heard, not lie unloved in the vaults of a record company. Even if that record company is one of the greatest in the history of Southern Soul…Fame Records
Most of the tracks on Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults were recorded Fame Studios, Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It’s now a local landmark. Nowadays, Fame Recording Studios is an important part in Muscle Shoals’ history. It was added to the list of local landmarks and designated part of the town’s heritage. For anyone interested in Southern Soul, Fame Records, is synonymous with quality Southern Soul. This will be apparent when you listen to Hall Of Fame-Rare and Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults. Standout Tracks: Jimmy Hughes I Worship The Ground You Walk On, Big Ben Atkins Tell It Like It Is, Clarence Carter Too Weak To Fight and Otis Clay Your Helping Hand.
HALL OF FAME-RARE AND UNISSUED GEMS FROM THE FAME VAULTS.
SWAMP DOGG-RAT ON!
SWAMP DOGG-RAT ON!
It’s not the music that Swamp Dogg’s 1971 sophomore album Rat On! is remembered for. Instead, it’s remember for having one of the worst album covers of all time. Rat On! features Swamp Dogg sitting on the back of an oversized white rat. That epitomises Swamp Dogg since his lysergic awakening.
As the sixties drew to a close, Jerry Williams dropped acid. It was a life changing experience. The Doors of Perception, as Aldous Huxley said, had been well and truly opened. Jerry Williams changed. Psychedelics became his drug of choice. This stimulated his creativity. However, he desperately needed an outlet for this heightened creativity. So he adopted an alter ego Swamp Dogg. He was obsessed by sex, drugs, politics, culture and class. All these subjects came out in his music. His music was funny, prickly, gritty, acerbic and angry. Often, politicians felt the wrath of Swamp Dogg. The newly enlightened Jerry Williams made his debut on his 1970 album Total Destruction Of Your Mind.
When Total Destruction Of Your Mind was released in 1970, it wasn’t a commercial success. Only the single Mama’s Baby, Daddy’s Maybe charted, reaching number thirty-three in the US R&B Charts. For the newly enlightened Swamp Dogg, this was disappointing. Despite Total Destruction Of Your Mind being a groundbreaking album, it passed almost unnoticed. So Swamp Dogg set about working on his sophomore album Rat On! which was recently rereleased by Alive Naturalsound Records. Would Rat On!
For Rat On!, ten songs were written. Eight of these songs Swamp Dogg a.k.a. Jerry wrote or cowrote. He penned Predicament #2 and with Troy Davis, cowrote Do You Believe, Remember I Said Tomorrow, God Bless America For What and Do Our Thing Together. Jerry and Gary U.S. Bonds cowrote Creeping Away and I Kissed Your Face and with Charlie Whitehead, penned That Ain’t My Wife. The other two tracks were cover versions. This included Douglas Gilmore and Mickey Newbury’s She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye and the Gibb brother’s Got To Get A Message To You. These ten tracks became Rat On!
Recording of Rat On! took place at the familiar surroundings of Quinvy Recording Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Just like with the recording of Total Destruction Of Your Mind, Swamp Dogg brought together a band featuring some top session musicians. This included a rhythm section of drummer Jasper Guarino, guitarist Pete Carr and bassist and percussionist Robert Popwell. Stan Goss and Mike Stough played trumpet and flugelhorn, while Sonny Royal played baritone and tenor saxophone plus clarinet. Once Rat On! which was produced by Swamp Dogg, was recorded, it was released in 1971. Would this mark a change of fortune for Swamp Dogg?
No, it didn’t. Rat On! failed to chart. Just like Total Destruction Of Your Mind, Swamp Dogg’s unique brand of gonzo soul failed to chart. That’s despite Swamp Dogg proving he was one of the most creative and innovative musicians in America. You’ll realise that, when I tell you about Rat On!
Opening Rat On! is Do You Believe, an uptempo track where Swamp Dogg combines gonzo soul, funk and social comment. The rhythm section providing a pounding, funky backdrop, while guitars wah-wah. Swamp Dogg’s vocal is a fusion of power, passion and frustration as he sings about belief. Stabs of horns interject, adding bursts of drama. Later, as Swamp Dogg scats, this is the signal for his band to kick loose. They seamlessly fuse elements of funk, jazz, rock, soul and social comment. Swamp Dogg it seems, is picking up where he left off on Total Destruction Of Your Mind.
Predicament #2 sees the tempo drop as Swamp Dogg delivers a pensive, thoughtful vocal against a Southern Soul arrangement. His predicament is being torn between his wife and the “other woman.” He doesn’t know which way to turn. His lived-in, worldweary vocal is full of confusion. Someone’s heart is going to be broken, he knows that. Horns rasp and growl, as Swamp Dogg lays bare his soul, trying to work out which way to turn. Truly Swamp Dogg sings the lyrics like he’s lived them.
Remember I Said Tomorrow is another song full of social comment. Grizzled horns, rhythm section and hypnotic guitar line accompany Swamp Dogg. He sings about equality and bringing the American troops home from Vietnam. Passion, hope and anger fill his voice, Harmonies and honky tonk piano drift in and out. They play their part in the song’s success, as hooks and social comment collide head on.
Crystalline, chiming guitars open Creeping Away, while the rhythm section keep the tempo slow. Swamp Dogg delivers a sultry seductive vocal. Horns bray and blaze, adding to the drama. As for Swamp Dogg, he sings about “Creeping Away to see my faraway woman, she’s in Tennessee.” You can picture him catching the Greyhound bus and making the trip to Tennessee. That’s because Swamp Dogg paints pictures during this sultry slice of Southern Soul.
Got To Get A Message To You has an understated, wistful arrangement. Just the rhythm section provide a slow, melancholy backdrop before horns rasp. Having set the scene for Swamp Dogg, accompanied by backing vocalists, he breathes life, meaning and much needed soul into the Gibb brother’s track.
God Bless America For What sees Swamp Dogg tap into how many American people felt as the seventies dawned. Swamp Dogg poses the question: “is this the land of the free?” Anger, frustration and sadness fills his voice, as he combines social comment, pathos, humour and sarcasm. The lyrics are cutting, speaking for the disenfranchised and marginalised. Sadly, forty-two years later, they’re just as relevant in many countries.
Just a lone, meandering guitar panned left opens I Kissed Your Face. It’s joined by Swamp Dogg’s impassioned vocal and a clarinet. Memories come flooding back. He can remember where he was and what he saw when “I Kissed Your Face.” Poetic, evocative and beautiful describes the lyrics, while Swamp Dogg’s vocal is best described as heartfelt and wistful. Quite simply, this is a beautiful ballad, that Swamp Dogg brings to life.
That Ain’t My Wife is another heart-wrenching ballad. Stabs of growling horns and guitar punctuate the arrangement, while piano and rhythm section combine. A heartbroken Swamp Dogg sings about finding his wife in the arms of another man. With a heavy heart “he turns right around and walks out the door…That Ain’t My Wife,” he sings on this tale heartbreak and betrayal.
She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye is another tale of love gone wrong. Here, Swamp Dogg delivers the lyrics as if he’s loved, lost and lived to tell the tale. This is another cover version but Swamp Dogg, brings new life to it. Accompanied by rasping horns, clarinet, piano and rhythm section, he unleashes a vocal is full of despair and heartbreak. It’s as of his world has ended. Adding insult to injury, is that “She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye.” Just like the previous track, Swamp Dogg brings the song to life.
Closing Rat On! is Do Our Thing Together. After several ballads, it’s a bit more uptempo. Funky and soulful, chiming, crystalline guitars ring out while the rhythm section provide a pulsating heartbeat. Swamp Dogg’s vocal veers towards a vamp on this slice of gonzo soul. With lyrics full of social comment, It’s as if he’s determined to end Rat On! on a high. This he does, vocally drawing inspiration from James Brown and Sly Stone.
Rat On! saw Swamp Dogg pick up where he left off on Total Destruction Of The Mind. Just like his debut album, Rat On! was another fusion of gonzo soul and funk, albeit with diversions into jazz, psychedelia and rock. Best described as funky and soulful, Rat On surpasses the quality of Total Destruction Of The Mind. Especially the ballads. Swamp Dogg breathes life, meaning and emotion into the ballads. It’s as if he’s lived, loved and survived to tell the tale. Then when it comes to the uptempo tracks, Swamp Dogg struts and vamps his way through the lyrics. Songs come to life, as Swamp Dogg showcases his versatility as a singer and musician. The other thing Rat On! showcases is Swamp Dogg’s talents as a songwriter.
Following his psychedelic awakening, Swamp Dogg’s music were full references to sex, drugs, politics, culture and class. All these subjects came out in his music. His music was funny, prickly, gritty, acerbic and angry. Full of humour and social comment, Swamp Dogg became the spokesman for a newly enlightened generation. Then there’s his relationship songs. Songs about betrayal, making up and breaking up, it quickly becomes apparent that Swamp Dogg’s one of the most talented and underrated songwriters of the early seventies. Sadly, commercial success eluded him.
Just like Total Destruction Of The Mind, Rat On! which was recently rereleased by Alive Naturalsound Records, failed to chart. Since then, Rat On! has remained a hidden gem, better known for its record sleeve than its music. Rat On! reinforces that Swamp Dogg was one of the creative and groundbreaking musicians of the seventies. Comparisons have been drawn with Sly Stone. No wonder. Swamp Dogg, just like Sly Stone, could fuse musical genres and social comment, creating some of the most innovative music of the early seventies.
Sadly, Swamp Dogg neither enjoyed the commercial success nor critical acclaim his music deserved. Instead, Swamp Dogg’s music remained one of music’s best kept secrets. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case. Belatedly, Swamp Dogg is receiving the recognition his music deserves. Rat On! his sophomore album, like Total Destruction Of The Mind, finds Swamp Dogg at his creative zenith, producing music other musicians could only dream of. Standout Tracks: Predicament #2, God Bless America For What That Ain’t My Wife and She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye.
SWAMP DOGG-RAT ON!
LEO WELCH-SABOUGLA VOICES.
LEO WELCH-SABOUGLA VOICES.
There aren’t many artists who release their debut album at the age of eighty-one. Leo Welch has just done that. He released Sabougla Voices on 6th January 2014, on Big Legal Mess Records. Sabougla Voices is a glorious fusion of blues and gospel. Listening to Sabougla Voices, is a bit like discovering a lost classic. You wonder where Leo Welch has been the past sixty years? Moreover, you wonder where Sabougla Voices has been? Has it lain unreleased in the vaults of a record company for many years? That’s not the case though.
If Leo Welch hadn’t decided to get in touch with Big Legal Mess Records, his debut album would never have been recorded. It was only with the support of Big Legal Mess Records, that Leo Welch was belatedly, able to record his debut album. Having supported Leo and made his dream possible, Leo repaid their faith. Sabougla Voices is like a journey back in time.
The music on Sabougla Voices is a mixture of vintage blues and stripped down gospel. For part of Sabougla Voices, it’s like turning back the clock and wandered into a post war juke joint. There, Leo and his band create blues music that’s reminiscent of Magic Slim, Big Jack Johnson, Booker T. Laury and a whole host of blues greats. That’s no surprise. Leo began his career playing the blues. Later, as blues fell from favour, Leo started singing gospel. However, Leo still loved the blues and on Sabougla Voices, gets the opportunity to showcase the musical loves of his life, blues and gospel. Before I tell you about Sabougla Voices, I’ll tell you about Leo Welch’s life and career.
Leo Welch was born in Sabougla, Mississippi, in 1932, where he’s lived all his life. He was born into a large family, growing up alongside seven sisters and four brothers. It was only when Leo and his cousin Alandus borrowed their older cousin’s guitar that Leo’s musical ability became apparent.
Soon, Leo and Alandus were able to play the guitar better than its owner, R.C. Welch. They were able to play songs that were playing on the radio and entertaining their family. Gradually, Leo graduated to the fiddle and harmonica. Eventually, whenever there was a party, picnic or family gathering, Leo along his cousin R.C. Welch and Otis McCain would provide the entertainment. From there, Leo got the chance to play with professional musicians.
Whenever professional blues musicians swung through Sabougla, Leo got the chance to sit in with them. Although he more than held his own during these jam sessions, nothing ever came of them. This was the same with auctions. Always, come Monday morning, Leo was back at work. This meant logging or working at the local farm. It seemed, music wasn’t going to provide Leo with escape from the daily grind of 9pm to 5pm.
While Leo looked like he never was destined to get a break, he absorbed music. Whatever was on the radio, Leo listened to. It didn’t matter if it was soul, blues or gospel, Leo listened intently. He loved music. It was one of his passions. This was lucky, as music was changing. Blues was no longer as popular. So around 1975, Leo switched to singing gospel.
Leo had first heard gospel music at church. He also listened to gospel on the Nashville radio station WLAC. Gospel was enjoying something of a renaissance. Even better, there were plenty of venues spread across Mississippi. For Leo’s new group, Leo Welch and The Rising Souls, this meant new opportunities for Leo. He modified the blues music that he’d been playing and embarked upon a new chapter of his career. Maybe this was the break he’d been looking for?
Since then, Leo has played in two gospel groups, based in the Bruce area of Mississippi. These groups are The Spiritualaires of Bruce, Mississippi and Leo Welch and the Sabougla Voices. Away from playing live, Leo has been the host of The Black Gospel Express TV program. Then in 2013, out of the blue, Leo decided to get in touch with Big Legal Mess Records.
That was the start of the journey that lead to Leo recording his debut album Sabougla Voices. Big Legal Mess Records provided Leo with the funds to record Big Legal Mess Records. Then in summer 2013, Leo and his band headed into Dial Black Sound’s recording studios. That’s where Leo and his crack band of musicians laid down the ten tracks that became Sabougla Voices.
For the recording of Sabougla Voices, Leo and his band headed to Dial Black Sound’s recording studios. Leo’s band featured a rhythm of bassist Bronson Tew, guitarist Jimbo Malhus and drummer and organist Andrew Bryant. They were joined by Matt Patton who played bass and guitar, while Eric Carlton played piano and organ. Adding backing vocals, were The Sabougla Voices, Martha and Laverne Conley. Bruce Watson produced Sabougla Voices which I’ll tell you about.
Opening Sabougla Voices is Praise His Name, a fusion of blues and gospel. From the get-go, there’s a glorious vintage blues sound. While the rhythm section provide a driving, pounding heartbeat, guitars trade searing, crystalline licks. Leo’s at the heart of the action, unleashing his trademark guitar licks. He puts his seventy years of experience to good use as his band fuse, bluesy, funky licks. Then Leo sings call and response with The Sabougla Voices, who provide the gospel influence. His vocal is gnarled but impassioned and emotive. The harmonies provide a contrast, and are heartfelt and soulful. As Leo and the The Sabougla Voices provide joyous gospel, his band provide some blistering blues. This potent fusion ensures Sabougla Voices gets off to a storming start.
From the opening bars, You Can’t Hurry God bursts into life, proving the devil doesn’t always have the best tunes. What follows is a track whose roots are in the church. It’s a hook-laden fusion of gospel and blues. Accompanied by a honky tonk piano, handclaps and good-time, pounding beat, Leo delivers a swinging vocal that oozes sincerity and emotion. Uplifting, joyous and spiritual, it might even make a believer out of you.
Me and My Lord has a much more understated, traditional blues sound. It has more of a delta blues influence than previous tracks. That’s no bad thing. This suits the song, allowing the lyrics to take centre-stage. Again, they’ve a spiritual quality. With just acoustic guitars and understated rhythm section, Leo sings call and response with The Sabougla Voices adding sweeping harmonies. Leo is like a preacher, and The Sabougla Voices his congregation. They feed off each other giving thanks, which we should do, for music as good as this.
Take Care of Me Lord sees Leo and his band plug in, and the a rocking slice of blues unfolds. The track reminds me of the blues being released during the fifties. Just like previous tracks, the arrangement has an authentic blues sound, but the vocal is gospel-tinged. Leo’s blistering guitar is accompanied by a pounding, 4/4 beat. His vocal is worldweary and powerful, as he sings call and response as Leo confesses his sins. Meanwhile, The Sabougla Voices provide the perfect foil, as Leo lays bare his soul.
Mother Loves Her Children sees Leo slow the tempo, as he reveals his soulful side. It’s easy to imaging Leo recording the track. I can picture him sitting in the studio with just an acoustic guitar and deliberate rhythm section for company. He then delivers a slow, soulful and heartfelt vocal, as he sings about a mother’s ability to forgive the sins of her children. Leo’s vocal isn’t judgmental. No. It’s as if he finds this only natural. Emotive, powerful and cerebral, it’s also deeply moving.
Praying Time reminds me of You Can’t Hurry God. It has a similar joyous sound as it bursts into life. As Leo’s band drive the arrangement along, he sings call and response. Leo give thanks during what’s essentially a call to prayer. He ensures the song swings. Helping him every step of the way are The Sabougla Voices. They fuse soul and gospel during this hook-laden song of praise.
Somebody Touched Me is a mid-tempo track driven along by a blistering, guitar solo. Behind the guitar, the rhythm section provide the heartbeat, before Leo delivers a vocal about a religious experience. His vocal is heartfelt and sincere, as he deals with what for many people, is a very personal experience. Accompanying him are The Sabougla Voices. He sings call and response, and just like other tracks, they prove the perfect foil for Leo, helping make this song come to life.
A Long Journey has a slow, moody, bluesy sound. Leo and his band deliver a heartbreakingly beautiful track. Leo’s vocal is full of sadness and uncertainty, as he considers “A Long Journey” everyone takes. To quote Jim Morrison, “no one here gets out alive. His vocal is weary and lived-in. Guitars chime, answering his call, while drums mark time, as a maudlin, melancholy Leo contemplates that final journey.
His Holy Name is another track that sounds as if it was recorded sixty years ago. The guitars have a lo-fi sound, while pounding, rocky rhythm section almost pogo their way across the arrangement. Leo’s vocal is raw and impassioned, as shredded guitars are unleaded and the band find the groove. As for Leo, his vocal veers between gospel, funk and soul, his vocal veering between a vamp and his usual style. Quite simply, Leo and his band play their part in one of Sabougla Voices’ highlights. However, I’d have changed the running order and made this track the final track on Sabougla Voices.
Closing Sabougla Voices is The Lord Will Make A Way. It’s very different from the previous track. It’s an acoustic gospel track with a delta blues influence. Here Leo reaffirms his belief in the Lord’s ability to guide him through life. Just like so many of the tracks on Sabougla Voices Leo’s vocal is sincere, heartfelt and impassioned.
Everything they say, comes to he who waits. That’s the case with Leo Welch. That includes releasing his debut album, Sabougla Voices. He’s certainly waited long enough. Leo is now eighty-one year old, and has only just released his debut album on Big Legal Mess Records. At last, Leo Welch Mississippi music’s best kept secret made can be heard by a wider audience. Previously, Leo’s music was only heard in churches in the Mississippi area. So it’s fitting for his debut album Sabougla Voices, the music reflects Mississippi’s musical heritage.
Mostly, Sabougla Voices is a fusion of blues and gospel. This includes both delta and electric blues. Then there’s the gospel music on Sabougla Voices. It’s stripped down and understated. Just Leo and his backing vocalists The Sabougla Voices deliver some of the most joyous, uplifting and celebratory gospel music. However, during Sabougla Voices Leo takes detours via soul, funk and even rock. The result is a genre-hopping musical journey.
During the musical journey that’s Sabougla Voices, the music is variously hook-laden, joyous, celebratory, cerebral, uplifting, thoughtful and spiritual. Seamlessly Leo Welch and his band fuse musical genres. The result is Sabougla Voices, which includes music for the heart, soul and feet from the man who was once Mississippi music’s best kept secret Leo Welch. Standout Tracks: You Can’t Hurry God, Take Care of Me Lord, Praying Time and His Holy Name.
LEO WELCH-SABOUGLA VOICES.
BRIAN ENO-AMBIENT 1/MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS.
BRIAN ENO-AMBIENT 1/MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS.
After leaving Roxy Music in 1973, Brian Eno’s career changed direction. Instead, his attention turned to ambient and electronic music. This was a controversial decision, given Roxy Music were one of the most successful British bands of the early seventies. Brian Eno’s creativity was being stifled. He felt he’d much more to offer music. So, he made the decision to leave Roxy music and change direction musically. Whilst he didn’t enjoy the commercial success he enjoyed with Roxy Music, Brian Eno released a string of critically acclaimed albums. Some of his most critically acclaimed music was released between 1974 and 1983. During that period, Brian Eno could do no wrong. One of the finest albums he produced during this period, was Ambient 1/Music For Airports. It was released in 1978 and is an ambient classic, which I’ll tell you about. Before that, I’ll tell you about Brian Eno’s career up until then.
As Brian Eno’s solo career began, it was apparent he hadn’t turned his back on glam rock entirely. His 1974 debut album, Here Come The Warm Jets was a fusion of art rock, avant garde, experimental and glam rock. Here Come The Warm Jets was recorded in just twelve days in September 1973, with the help of some of rock music’s luminaries. This included Robert Fripp of King Crimson and Phil Manzqnera of Roxy Music. On its release in January 1974, Here Come The Warm Jets was well received, reaching number twenty-six in the UK and number 151 in the US Billboard 200. After Here Come The Warm Jets, Brian Eno’s music changed direction again.
Just ten months after the release of his debut album, Brian Eno returned with his sophomore album, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). It was a concept album, where Brian had been inspired by a series of postcards of a Chinese revolutionary opera, entitled Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). That’s why the subject matters included revolution in China and espionage. This was what Brian Eno did so well, create cerebral, experimental music. Accompanied by a band that featured Robert Wyatt and Phil Manzqnera, with Andy McKay of Roxy Music one of the guest artists, recording took place in September 1974. The result was an album of contrasts. Somehow, the music manages to be upbeat and dark. Essentially, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) was a concept album. Released in November 1974, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) failed to chart. Critics, however, hailed the album. They approved this progressive concept album. For Brian Eno, the lack of commercial success was surely just a minor blip. Things would improve with his third album? Surely?
Another Green World which was released in September 1975, saw a change in direction from Brian Eno. He moved further towards the ambient sound he became known for. There were less songs with lyrics. Most of the songs were ambient instrumentals. When there were songs with lyrics, they were lush, lysergic and dreamy. They were more like sonic experiments. With a band featuring John Cale and Robert Fripp, Brian Eno recorded what was undoubtably his best solo album. Critics realised this and hailed Another Green World a minor classic. Despite being critically acclaimed, Another Green World failed to chart. It seemed Brian Eno was enjoying the most creative period of his career, but apart from critics, nobody realised this. Maybe his next album Discreet Music, would mark a change in fortune for Brian Eno.
Discreet Music saw Brian Eno release what many critics describe as his first ambient albums. Previous albums were hybrids, while Discreet Music was purely an ambient album. Brian drew inspiration from Erik Satie and recorded an album of what was described as “furniture music.” This meant the music was designed to blend into the ambient atmosphere of room. You didn’t need to concentrate or focus on it to the exclusion of everything else. Side one, which features the title-track, was a thirty-minute movement designed for Robert Fripp to play against in concerts. On the second side, were Three Variations on the Canon in D Minor, by Johann Pachelbel. Brian gave the Cockpit Ensemble parts of the score and asked them to repeat these parts several times. Brian also gave them the freedom to alter the tempo and improvise. This was truly groundbreaking. Critics realised this, and plaudits came Brian’s way. His ambient debut Discreet Music was released in 1975, but failed to chart. Following the disappointing sales of Discreet Music, Brian decided to change direction again.
Just over two years later, in December 1977, Brian Eno released his fifth album, Before and After Science. It saw Brian make a brief and final return to rock music. With an all-star cast, including members of Fairport Convention, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Free, Can and Cluster, ten songs were recorded in Berlin and London. Having taken two years to make and with Bhrett Davies co-producing Before and After Science, great things were expected of the album. Especially when critics referred to the album as one of Brian’s finest albums. Sadly, that didn’t translate to album sales. Before and After Science failed to chart in the UK and reached just number 171 in the US Billboard 200. Brian’s return to rock music hadn’t worked. So his next album Ambient 1/Music For Airports was a return to ambient music.
Ambient 1/Music For Airports would prove to be the first in a quartet of the “Ambient” series. Brian came up with the Ambient term to differentiate his music from what many people referred to as “canned music.” Originally, Brian perceived the music on Ambient 1/Music For Airports as being played continually at airport to calm people down and defuse tension. This idea came to Brian when he was waiting for a plane at Bonn airport in the mid-seventies. Brian found the lack of a soundtrack uninspiring. Music like that on Ambient 1/Music For Airports was the answer. So, he recorded what he’d have liked to hear in Bonn airport.
For Ambient 1/Music For Airports four tracks were penned. Co-producer Rhett Davies, Robert Fripp and Brian wrote the opening track 1/1. Brian wrote 1/2, 2/1 and 2/2. These four tracks were recorded by a small band in London and Cologne. Robert Wyatt played acoustic piano and Brian played synths and electric piano. Vocalists included Christe Fast, Christine Gomez and Inge Zeininger. Engineers included Dave Hutchins, Conny Plank and Rhett Davies, who co-produced Ambient 1/Music For Airports with Brian Eno. Once Ambient 1/Music For Airports was completed, it was released in 1978.
When critics heard Ambient 1/Music For Airports they realised that Brian Eno had just recorded one of the best albums of his career. Some described Ambient 1/Music For Airports as a classic. They described it as innovative due to its use of tape loops and its ambient quality. Despite the reception Ambient 1/Music For Airports received, it wasn’t a commercial success. Indeed, it failed to chart. However, since then, Ambient 1/Music For Airports is seen as a classic album, which deserves to be in any self-respecting record collection. I’ll tell you why, once I’ve told you about Ambient 1/Music For Airports.
Ambient 1/Music For Airports opens with 1/2. Just a slow, spacious and pensive piano are played deliberately. Synths drone in the background, as if posing a question. This piano melody is constantly repeated. as instruments fade in and out. Chimes, synths and acoustic piano played by Robert Wyatt. Ethereal, dreamy, becalming and thoughtful, the music washes over you. It’s like a balm that massages your very soul. There’s a hypnotic and mesmeric quality to the music. You’re drawn to the music, become part of it, focusing on its hidden secrets and subtleties. Sometimes, there’s a zen like quality to the music as ambient, avant garde and experimental music combine to create a soundtrack to calm any travellers weary soul.
A celestial choir opens 1/2, their voices cascading above the arrangement. Accompanying what sounds like a choir of angels are washes of synths. They too have an elegant, ethereal sound as the arrangement unfolds in waves. Again, it washes over. It’s akin to waves washing up on a deserted beach. Both have the same relaxing and becalming quality and are nine of the best minutes of minimalist music Brian Eno ever recorded. This track is also proof that sometimes, less is more.
Just a thoughtful, pensive piano opens 2/1. Soon, ethereal harmonies descend. They’re celestial and tender, drifting in and out of the arrangement. Accompanying them are a lone piano and occasional plucked bass. It’s played slowly, deliberately and as if every note has been considered with care. Space is left within the arrangement, as if mindful of Miles Davis’ comment about the space between two notes being as important as the notes them-self. The space only heightens the anticipation of the swathes of harmonies that swoop in. Tender, beautiful and otherworldly, they’re the perfect accompaniment to Brian’s piano. Ying and yang describes them as they play their part in this ethereal celestial symphony.
2/2 closes Ambient 1/Music For Airports. This ten minute track is quite different from the previous tracks. It has a cinematic sci-fi sound. A synth creates a droning, atmospheric sound. Squelchy, spacious, dubby synths prove an atmospheric, evocative and dramatic soundscape. It brings to mind a spacecraft sailing towards a distant galaxy, going where no man has gone before. Whilst the music is still minimalist, it lacks the ethereal quality. That’s no bad thing. It offers variety, and demonstrates Brian Eno’s versatility and ability to paint pictures with music.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Brian Eno’s Ambient 1/Music For Airports, his sixth solo album, is an ambient classic. I’d go further and say that Ambient 1/Music For Airports is a classic album. Minimalist, understated, spacious, ethereal, haunting and becalming, it was an ambient Magnus Opus. That’s quite fitting. Back in 1975, Brian drew inspiration from Erik Satie for his fourth album Another Green World. On Ambient 1/Music For Airports Brian took this concept further. Much further.
Rather than record what Erik described as “furniture music,” Brian Eno expanded this concept. He recorded an album that could and would provide the soundtrack to everyday life. He envisaged this providing the backdrop at airports, becalming the weary traveller and diffusing tension. In some ways, Brian music is utilitarian. Brian also envisaged the music as providing a constant backdrop to art installations. So, Ambient 1/Music For Airports could be all things to all people. Ambient 1/Music For Airports also marked the blossoming of Brian Eno’s creativity.
A lifelong musical pioneer, Ambient 1/Music For Airports was the start of the most creative period of Brian Eno’s long career. He released another three albums in the “Ambient” series. From 1978s Music For Films, which is another classic album, Brian embarked upon a string of innovative albums. This includes 1982s Ambient 4: On Land, 1983s Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks and then 1983s More Music For Films. These albums, plus Another Green World, Discreet Music and of course, Ambient 1/Music For Airports feature the Godfather of ambient music at his creative zenith. Since then, Brian Eno has continued to release ambitious, challenging, groundbreaking and innovative music. However, one of the finest albums of Brian Eno’s solo career has to be Ambient 1/Music For Airports, a truly groundbreaking classic album.
BRIAN ENO-AMBIENT 1/MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS.
NEU-NEU!
NEU-NEU!
There aren’t many artists who after leaving one of the most pioneering groups in musical history, end up founding another groundbreaking group. That’s what happened to Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother. They had both been members of Kraftwerk, but left in 1971. After leaving Kraftwerk, they founded Neu, another German Kratrock band.
Neu went on to be one be one of the most influential groups in musical history. They’re one of the founding father’s of Krautrock. They’ve influenced everyone from Brian Eno, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Radiohead, Primal Scream and a generation of electronic music producers. However, Neu only released a trio of albums between 1972 and 1975. Their debut album was Neu!, released in 1972. It was followed by Neu! 2 in 1973 and then Neu! ’75 in 1975. These three albums were among the most influential albums released during that period. Despite being innovative and influential, Neu’s three albums weren’t particularly successful.
Just like so many other musical pioneers, Neu didn’t enjoy the success their music deserved. Maybe Neu were ahead of their time? Possibly, people didn’t understand what was essentially, a new musical genre, Krautrock. This was the case for Neu’s contemporaries Can, Cluster and to some extent, even Kraftwerk. Since then, a new generation of musicians and music lovers have discovered Krautrock. Its influence can be heard in modern music. Indeed, many musicians refer to Neu as one of the groups that have influenced them. One of the most influential albums Neu released was their debut album Neu!, which I’ll tell you about.
It was 1971 when Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother decided to form Neu. Both had been members of Kraftwerk, but not for any length of time. Klaus, a drummer, joined midway through the recording of Kraftwerk’s eponymous debut album. Michael, a bassist, joined Kraftwerk after the album was finished. When Kraftwerk was released in 1971, it wasn’t a commercial success. It only sold 30,000 copies. For the founder of Kraftwerk Ralph Hutter, this was too much. He left the band for six months. Kraftwerk carried on though.
Kraftwerk were reduced to a trio of Wolfgang Scheider, Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother. They played a few concerts, and even appeared on German television program Beat Club. However, concerts were becoming few and far between. For two members of Kraftwerk, this was becoming frustrating. Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother decided to leave Kraftwerk and form a new band.
When they founded his new band, which was based in Dusseldorf, there were debates about the band’s name. Michael though the band should have an organic name. Klaus however, had hit on the name Neu! So, the new band became Neu! To go with the new name, a pop art logo was designed and copyrighted. This new logo was seen as a comment and protest against the modern consumer society. Just like contemporaries Can, Neu weren’t afraid to combine social comment and art. Having settled on a name, Neu headed to the recording studio.
Recording of what became Neu! took place in December 1971, at Windrose-Dumont-Time Studios, in Hamburg. Four days had been booked to record the six songs that Klaus and Michael cowrote. Klaus played drums, guitar and Japanese banjo, while Michael played guitar and bass. Conny Plank, who’d produced Kraftwerk’s debut album would act as producer. He also acted as a go-between, when it came to differences of opinion between Klaus and Michael.
For the first two days, it was slow going. Nothing much was achieved. It was only only when Klaus brought along his Japanese banjo that they began to make progress. That seemed to act as a catalyst. Not long after this, Klaus first played his trademark motorik beat. That’s where Klaus plays a 4/4 drum beat with only very occasional interruptions. The effect is hypnotic and mesmeric. It can be heard on Hallogallo and Negativland. Klaus didn’t realise how influential the motorik beat would become. The sessions carried on and once they were finished, Conny Plank mixed Neu! at Star Musik Studio, in Hamburg. Now Neu! was ready for release.
On its release by Brain Records in 1972, Neu! wasn’t a commercial success. In total, it sold only 30,000 records. For Klaus and Michael this must have been hugely disappointing. They must have felt history was repeating itself again. After all, Kraftwerk’s debut album hadn’t been a commercial success. However, there was another thing the two albums had in common, they were influential and innovative albums from two of the founding fathers of Krautrock. You’ll realise that, when I tell you about Neu!
Opening Neu ! is Hallogallo, a ten minute epic. Chiming guitars, funky bass and driving drums unite as the tempo increases. It’s a track to loose yourself in. At the heart of the arrangement is Klaus’ drumming. He creates a hypnotic groove, thanks to the motorik beat. It hardly changes, except for occasional crashing cymbals. Crystalline guitars escape from the arrangement, wah-wahing into the distance. Washes of guitar create an atmospheric, ambient sound. It’s a counterpoint to mesmeric rhythm section, where the bass and drums are one. They match each other every step in the way. Later, blistering guitars and thunderous drums see the arrangement head in the direction of rock and psychedelia, as this groundbreaking, hypnotic and genre melting track introduces musical pioneers Neu!
An eerie vocal is panned right and the sound of a plane descending from the sky opens Sonderangebot. This gives the arrangement a cinematic sound. It reappears, adding to the drama of this experimental sounding track. Sound effects are utilised, before gongs and cymbals crash. Somewhere in the distance water runs, while a droning sound makes its presence felt. The moody arrangement assails you. You’re surrounded by it, unable to escape it. Cinematic, disturbing, eerie and experimental, Sonderangebot is all this and more, including innovative.
From the opening bars, Weissensee has a moody sound. It reminds me of Pink Floyd. The tempo is slow, just Klaus’ drums providing the hypnotic heartbeat. Guitars wah-wah, as if speaking in some unknown language. Together, they march along purposefully, as elements of rock, psychedelia, funk, Krautrock and ambient music create a dramatic, cinematic opus.
Side two of Neu! was entitled Jahresübersicht and is a three part piece. The first past is Im Gluck (Lucky). Straight away, it has an experimental sound. What sounds like people in a boat, chatting and laughing can be heard. This gives the track an avant-garde, ambient sound. Droning guitars arrive from faraway. Gradually, they drift in, taking centre-stage. They’re alone, wah-wahing and recreating the sound of wistful strings. Above the arrangement, birds can be heard as a boat is rowed. You wonder where to? Here, Neu draw inspiration from ambient, avant garde, classical and experimental music, creating a wistful soundscape that’s atmospheric and cinematic.
Negativland” (Negative Land) is the second track in the three part movement. It features Klaus’ trademark motorik beat. The sound of pneumatic drills, applause and a discordant symphony assail you. It has a psychedelic sound, reminiscent of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart’s Club Band. Then it’s all change. A bubbling bass combines with Klaus’ motorik beat. Shredded guitars spraying feedback add a free jazz sound. There’s an avant-garde influence as sound effects are unleashed. Neu use panning effectively, meaning the music surrounds you. By now they’re in a groove, and are exploring it fully. Rock, funk, jazz and psychedelia are combined as the Krautrock pioneers become one. It’s as if Klaus and Michael know what the other is about to do, as they create an uber funky, hypnotic, groove-laden track.
Closing Neu! is Lieber Honig” (Dear Honey). This was the final piece in this groundbreaking movement. It has pensive, spacious and melancholy introduction. Space is left, before a tender, fragile and ethereal vocal makes its entrance. Just like the arrangement, it spacious and wistful. It’s akin to a stream of consciousness, or a cathartic confessional cleansing. When the vocal drops out, a droning noise drifts in. This is the polar opposite to the rest of the arrangement. After that, the track reminds me of Im Gluck, as someone rows a boat across. That’s all you can hear, apart from the droning noise heading into the distance. The result is an enigmatic, ethereal and experimental track which poses more questions than answers.
Having left Kraftwerk to found a new band, Neu, Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother began as they meant to go on, by creating music that was pioneering. This began with their debut album Neu! Recorded over just four days in Hamburg, Klaus and Michael, with Conny Plank producing and acting as referee, created one of the most important and influential albums in the history of not just Krautrock, but music per se. Quite simply, Neu’s importance can’t be underestimated. It went on to influence everyone from Brian Eno, Iggy Pop and Brian Eno right through to Primal Scream and Radiohead. Even forty-two years after the release of Neu! it’s still cited as album that influenced the latest generation of musicians. So, you’d think that Neu! sold millions of copies?
Sadly, that wasn’t the case. When Neu! was released, it sold just 30,000 copies. Since then, Neu! has been released several times, allowing several generations of musicians and music lovers to hear the album. This includes several generations of electronic music producers. Just like Brian Eno, Can, Cluster and Kraftwerk, Neu’s music has influenced electronic music. There’s a reason for this. The music these artists produced was groundbreaking.
When Neu! was released in 1972 it was an album that was innovative, groundbreaking and totally unique as they combined disparate musical genres. They drew inspiration from ambient, avant garde, electronic, experimental, funk, psychedelia and rock to create their unique brand of Krautrock. This is no different to how a painter uses his palette to create paintings. Neu’s musical experiments were groundbreaking and unique. Proof of this was Klaus’ trademark motorik beat. That’s where Klaus played a 4/4 drum beat with only a very occasional interruption. The effect is hypnotic and mesmeric. It can be heard on Hallogallo and Negativland. This helped Neu to stand out from other Krautrock groups.
It’s also why Neu, along with Can, Cluster and Kraftwerk, are seen as the founding fathers of Kraftwerk and why forty-two years after its release, Neu! is perceived as a classic album. Indeed, just like Can’s Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi, Neu’s debut album Neu! belongs in any self-respecting record collection.
NEU-NEU!
LARAAJI-CELESTIAL MUSIC 1978-2011.
LARAAJI-CELESTIAL MUSIC 1978-2011.
Although Laraaji is one of the most innovative musicians of his generation, he remains one of music’s best kept secrets. That’s despite releasing nearly thirty albums. Many of these albums showcase Laraaji’s unique ambient sound. Best known for playing the zither, Laraaji’s music is best described as a fusion of ambient, experimental and psychedelia. Hypnotic, mesmeric and meditative also describes Laraaji’s music. That includes the music that features on Celestial Music 1978-2011, a which was recently released by All Saints Records.
Celestial Music 1978-2011 is a double album, featuring twenty tracks. Disc one is entitled Cosmic Tape Experiments and features nine groundbreaking tracks. They were recorded between 1979 and 1987, and document how Laraaji’s music evolved. On disc two, which is entitled Music Of The Spheres, it features another eleven tracks. These tracks were recorded between 1978 and 2011. There’s even collaborations with Jonathan Goldman, Audio Active, Bill Laswell and Blues Control. Quite simply, Celestial Music 1978-2011 is the most in-depth retrospective of Laraaji’s music. It’s the perfect introduction to a musician who pushed musical boundaries to their limits, and sometimes, beyond. Before I tell you about some of the music on Celestial Music 1978-2011, I’ll tell you about Laraaji’s life.
It was in Philadelphia in 1943, that Edward Larry Gordon was born. At an early age, Edward and his family moved to New Jersey, where he studied violin, piano, trombone and singing. At high school, Larry was playing in the school band and orchestra. Music was part of Larry’s life. He was exposed to an eclectic range of music. His family attended the local Baptist church, so Larry heard choral and gospel music, as well as negro spirituals. Then at home, he listened to everything from jazz, R&B and rock ’n’ roll. The great piano players inspired Larry. This included Oscar Peterson, Fats Domino and Ahmad Jamal. So it was no surprise that having graduated from high school, Larry decided to study music.
Having won a scholarship to study piano and composition, Larry headed to one of the most prestigious universities in America, Howard University, in Washington D.C. He spent the next few years immersed in music. It seemed that Larry was destined to pursue a career in music. That wasn’t the case.
After graduating from Howard University, Edward decided not to pursue a career in music. Instead, Larry decided to pursue a career as a standup comic. His love of comedy began in college. Then when he left University, Larry and his comedy partner decided to head to New York, to audition at the Bitter End, who regularly held talent shows. This was where Bill Cosby’s comedy career began. For an aspiring comedian, this seemed the perfect place to launch their new career. However, the night Larry and his comedy partner were meant to make their debut, his partner never turned up. Having been left in the lurch, he had to make his debut as a solo artist. He was well received. That was the start of Larry’s comedy career. Soon he became a regular on the New York comedy circuit. Comedy wasn’t the only career Larry had.
Through his exploits as a comedian, Larry came to the attention of Ernestine McClendon, who was a respected theatrical agent. She took Larry under her wing and guided his nascent career. Larry was sent to auditions, and soon, was appearing on television commercials, in theatre and even in films. One of these films Putney Swope. Much of the film was improvised. When it came out, it inspired Larry to look at the role of the mass media. Looking for answers, Larry read books and learnt to meditate.
To help him, he turned to teachers who taught Larry how to mediate. He soon was practising meditation and calisthenics. Larry was also using piano exercises as an outlet. This is how he discovered spontaneous music. Everything was improvised, off-the-cuff and experimental. Straight away, Larry realised the possibilities were endless. However, meditation was key to this. He could do with music and art now he’d discovered meditation. Discovering meditation was akin to a spiritual awakening. Before long, the next part of Larry’s Meditation spiritual awakening took place.
Around 1974 or 1975, Larry was living near JFK airport. One night he had been out walking, and on his return home, he started hearing what he describes as “the music of the spheres.” This was akin to a cosmic symphony. The music was joyous and celebratory. Larry became part of the music. He was at one with the music. The whole experience had a lasting effect. It was a spiritual and cosmic awakening. Suddenly, he understood things that had puzzled him. Things made sense after what Larry refers to as “a trigger for a cosmic memory.” It was as if Larry had been enlightened. However, he wanted to know more about what had happened. So, he embarked on a course of study.
To further understand what had happened to him, Larry embarked upon a study of Vedic teachings. Part of the Vedic teachings is that the yogis hear music in layers. This is what Larry had experienced, and why he was able to describe the music so vividly. His teachers told him he’d reached such a high level of consciousness that he was able to see things differently from most people. It seemed his spiritual and cosmic awakening was almost complete. Now he wanted to recreate the music he’d heard.
At last, Larry was able to put his musical education to good use. He’d always played music, even when he was working as a comedian and actor. Latterly, he’d been playing the Fender Rhodes. However, Larry was fed up having to transport such a heavy instrument. One night as he was preparing to go onstage, he told his “cosmic ear” he’d “like a lighter instrument to share his musical consciousness with the world.”
A few days later, Larry found himself in a pawn shop, ready to pawn his guitar, when out of nowhere, a voice told Larry to swap his guitar for a stringed instrument in the shop window. This was an autoharp. Now all Larry had to do was master this new instrument.
When Larry took the instrument home, he tuned it to his favourite piano chords and open guitar tunings. The effect this had, was to return it to what was essentially a zither, whose roots can be traced back the the ancient, traditional instrument the kithara. Gradually, through a process of experimentation, Larry discovered what the autoharp was capable of. Then when he added an electric pickup, this was a game-changer. The possibilities were endless. He was able to begin creating the music he’d heard that fateful night, albeit with a little help from a friend.
Not long after Larry begin playing the autoharp, he was strumming and plucking it like a guitar. That seemed the way to play the autoharp. That’s until he met Dorothy Carter. She was hammered dulcimer artist and encouraged Larry to play his autoharp with hammers. The other thing Dorothy did, was invite Larry to the Boston Globe Music Fest. That’s where Larry met another innovator.
At the Boston Globe Music Fest, Larry met Steven Halpern. It’s no exaggeration to say, that he is a pioneer of new age music. Meeting Steven exposed him to music that he never new existed. It changed Larry’s way of thinking. He realised that music didn’t need to follow the structures that he’d been taught. Music didn’t need to have a beginning, end or even a melody. Instead, it could be a freeform stream of consciousness. There was room for experimentation and improvisation within music. For Larry this changed his approach to music. Inspired and confident in his ability to play the autoharp, Larry was ready to make his debut.
They say all the world is a stage, well that proved to be the case for Larry. He made his debut as a busker on the streets of New York in 1978. A year later, Larry was playing in Washington Square Park. Sitting on top of a blanket, cross-legged and with his eyes closed, Larry played his zither using the open tunings he favoured. So he never saw Brian Eno standing watching him. The Godfather of ambient music was transfixed. He’d been walking through the park with Bill Laswell and came across a fellow innovator. Recognising the potential that Larry had, Brian Eno wrote a message to Larry on a piece of paper.
This message asked whether Larry would be interested in working with him on a recording project. For Larry this was kismet. A few weeks previously, people watching Larry play suggested Larry might like Brian Eno and Robert Fripp’s music. Here, lying at his feet when he opened his eyes after playing, was a message from Robert Eno. This Larry felt was an example of cosmic synchronicity. So he contacted Brian Eno.
The next day they met and spoke about ambient music and electronics. Straight away, they got on. Three weeks later, Larry now calling himself Laraaji, headed to Apple Studios, in Green Street, New York. That was where the five tracks that became Day Of Radiance, Laraaji’s debut album was recorded. A groundbreaking and progressive fusion of ambient, electronica, folk and world music, Day Of Radiance, was critically acclaimed upon its release in 1980. This was the first of nearly thirty albums Laraaji recorded.
Most of the albums recorded and released by Laraaji, were released independently. Granted a few were released on record labels, including collaborations with artists like Jonathan Goldman, Audio Active, Bill Laswell and Blues Control. These collaborations meant Laraaji’s music was heard be a wider audience. However, mostly, he remained one of the best kept secrets in music. Not any more. All Saints Records recently released Celestial Music 1978-2011, which I’ll pick the highlights of.
DISC ONE-COSMIC TAPE EXPERIMENTS.
Disc one of Celestial Music 1978-2011 is entitled Cosmic Tape Experiment. It features nine groundbreaking tracks. They were recorded between 1979 and 1987, which is at the start of Laraaji’s long career. This document how Laraaji’s music evolved. if you listen to the music on disc one, you’ll hear Laraaji evolve and mature as an artist. He blossoms as a musician, during the nine tracks which I’ll pick the highlights of.
Lotus Collage opens disc one of Celestial Music 1978-2011. Recorded in 1979, Laraaji plays his zither with hammers. There’s a sense of urgency in his playing. Indeed, he’s playing as if his very life depends upon it. He creates a hypnotic, mesmeric and celestial symphony. It sounds like a reflection of modern day society, everyone rushing to get somewhere. Later, the tempo slows. Space is left within the music. The music resonates into the distance. It takes on a meditative quality. It’s captivating. A zen like calm descends, as waves of music wash over you, calling and soothing you. From there the music veers between urgent and tranquil. Always, the music is captivating and enthralling.
I Am Ocean, which was recorded in 1981, has an understated blissful sounds. As Laraaji plucks the strings of his zither, the music is like ripples on a pond. Gradually the music unfolds, sharing its secrets and inner beauty. Ambient, electronica and dub are combined during two ethereal and beautiful minutes of music.
Rhythm ‘N’ Bliss is another short track. Just ninety seconds long, it was recorded in 1982. Here, drama and ethereal beauty unite. Laraaji draws inspiration from ambient, electronica, folk and rock to create a hypnotic, intriguing and irresistible track.
Sun Zither shimmers and quivers, as it meanders into being. Filters are used effectively. It’s as if they’re hiding part of the arrangement. It builds and builds, and eventually, it’s as if a cloud that was blocking the sun has moved. The filters are gone and we can hear the whole of the arrangement. It veers between melodic to discordant and experimental. Always, it’s enthralling as Laraaji innovates. After, ascending and descending scales, the tempo speeds up, as Laraaji experiments with the tape. This adds a new dimension. So does when an ambient, zen like calm descends. It’s only disturbed by Laraaji trailing his hammers across the zither’s strings. This results in a wistful, melancholy, melodic and poignant sounding track.
Choosing the highlights of disc one of Celestial Music 1978-2011 wasn’t easy. The quality of music is of the highest standard. There’s no filler whatsoever. Each track is a captivating. It’s pioneering, groundbreaking music from one of the forgotten musical innovators. That’s despite releasing nearly thirty albums. These nine tracks are just a taste of the music Laraaji recorded during the past thirty-six years. Luckily, to do Laraaji’s music justice, Celestial Music 1978-2011 is a double album.
DISC TWO-MUSIC OF THE SPHERES.
On disc two of Celestial Music 1978-2011, which is entitled Music Of The Spheres, it features another eleven tracks. These eleven tracks tracks were recorded between 1978 and 2011. Four of the tracks are collaborations, This includes collaborations with Jonathan Goldman, Audio Active, Bill Laswell and Blues Control. The other seven tracks are Laraaji pushing musical boundaries in his pursuit of creating the Celestial Music he heard that night in New York.
The Dance No.3 was recorded in 1980. Dramatically bursts into life. Confidently, Laraaji hammers the strings of his zither while an ethereal, celestial sound accompanies. Drama, beauty and seraphic, an otherworldly symphony unfolds, leaving a lasting impression.
Space Choir has an elegant, ethereal sci-fi sound. It was recorded in 1992. Here, a choir of angelic bodies cascade, whilst a droning sound challenges it for supremacy. They compete for your attention. As the angelic choir leaves space within the arrangement, bubbling synths and the ever-present drone fill the spaces in this moody, celestial and cinematic arrangement.
Staccato was recorded in 2008, and has Laraaji’s trademark ambient sound. That’s before thunderous drums enter. Thankfully, they don’t overpower the tender, melancholy sound of Laraaji’s zither. As the drums reverberate and resonate, the track is full of contrasts and polar opposites. Whilst the zither is subtle and understated, the thundering, cracking drums make their presence felt. Despite that, they prove a perfect foil for each other, playing their part in a track where the music of the past and present, results in the music of the future. This fusion of ambient and electronica results in music that’s timeless.
The final track from Celestial Music 1978-2011 I’ve chosen is As Light. It’s another track recorded in 2008. It has an experimental, ambient sound. As usual, Laraaji sets out to create groundbreaking music. It could be described as cinematic, ethereal, experimental, discordant or space-age. The arrangement shimmers, quivers as it meanders. Given the track’s moody, broody, cinematic sound, it would make the perfect soundtrack to a sci-fi film.
Disc two of Celestial Music 1978-2011, picks up where disc one left off. Right through the eleven tracks, the quality never drops. Laraaji continues to push musical boundaries to their limits, and sometimes, beyond. To do this, he combines musical genres. Just like on disc one, ambient, electronica, psychedelia and rock are combined during the eleven tracks. Four of these tracks are collaborations. Fittingly, they’re with fellow innovators, including Jonathan Goldman, Audio Active, Bill Laswell and Blues Control. These collaborations seem to inspire Laraaji to even greater heights of creativity as he creates music that’s innovative, spiritual and multilayered.
That’s fitting. After all, through his study of Vedic teachings Laraaji learnt how the yogis were able to hear music in layers. Larry himself had experienced that, back in the mid-seventies. The music he heard, he was able to describe it vividly. Fittingly, now he was creating similar cosmic symphonies. These cosmic symphonies were multilayered, and full of subtleties and nuances. This isn’t orthodox music. No. The music on Celestial Music 1978-2011 improvised and spontaneous. Sometimes, the music grows legs, heading in unexpected directions. It’s as if Laraaji has decided to through a curveball. Other times it’s a double bluff. That’s why the music music Laraaji created is best described as cinematic, space-age and celestial. It’s lush, dreamy, understated, moody, broody, trippy and lysergic. Just like Brian Eno’s music, this is music that you’ll never tire of.
Quite simply, Laraaji has created music that’s timeless. Even though some of the music was recorded in 1978, it still has a contemporary sound. It has stood the test of time and remains relevant. That will always be the case. Maybe that’s partly down to the simplicity of the music? It’s created by Laraaji with an instrument whose origins date back to the ancient Greeks. Laraaji is keeper of the flame for the zither and has taken it in a new direction. That’s why Laraaji, one of American music’s best kept secrets, will forever be perceived as a musical pioneer.
Just like numerous pioneers who’ve preceded him, Laraaji created music that many people didn’t understand. Like his mentor Brian Eno, he was ahead of his time. Only now, are people able to understand and appreciate his music. A snapshot of his music can be found on Celestial Music 1978-2011. The twenty tracks on Celestial Music 1978-2011 remind me of the changing of the seasons. Each offers something new and different. Every track toys with your emotions. It takes you on a journey, painting pictures in your mind. Sometimes, you’re taken places you never expected to go. All you need to do to enjoy this journey, is immerse yourself in the music, close your eyes and embark upon this musical journey. It’s variously melancholy, wistful, challenging, beautiful, elegant, ethereal and always, innovative. Celestial Music 1978-2011 which was recently released by All Saints Records, also features music I’d describe as meditative, mesmeric and hypnotic. This makes Celestial Music 1978-2011 the perfect introduction to Laraaji and his cosmic symphonies. Standout Tracks: Lotus Collage, Sun Zither, The Dance No.3 and Space Choir.
LARAAJI-CELESTIAL MUSIC 1978-2011.
THISELL-I.
THISELL-I.
Never before have I reviewed an album that had been recorded in a disused school. That’s until I came across Swedish band Thisell’s debut album, I. I was recorded in a disused school during a seven day period in August 2010. For seven days, Thisell, their friends, family and even pets ate, lived, slept and recorded an album in Lur village hall. Three years later, Thisell’s debut album, I, was released by German label, JellyFant Records in October 2013. This marked the final part in a story that began three year earlier in August 2010.
That’s when Thisell, a band founded by Peter Thisell, a songwriter and musician, headed to the village of Lur, in Southern Sweden. Accompanied by their friends, family and even pets, Thisell’s destination was a disused village school. It had lain unused and unloved since the sixties, when the Swedish government closed the school. Since then, the large red wooden building, had lain empty. However, although no longer any use for educational purposes, Lur village school could be transformed into a makeshift recording studios.
With a little imagination and effort, Thisell transformed Lur village school into a recording studio. Instruments and equipment filled part of the building. That was where the album would be recorded. Peter realised that this was the perfect space to record the album. The acoustics were good. It didn’t matter what the makeshift studio looked like. No What mattered what the music Thissell recorded sounded like. Other parts of the school were turned into a living space. That’s where Thisell and their friends and family ate and slept. As for Lur, it proved an inspirational plea. That was part of Peter Thisell’s plan.
Peter liked the idea of the band and their friends and family all living side-by-side. This was how albums used to be recorded. He wanted to return to this way of making an album. Lur was part of this plan. Recording an album in Lur, one of Sweden’s best kept secrets proved a stroke of genius. Near the makeshift recording studio was a lake, where members of the band could go and swim. In the evenings, having enjoyed home cooked meals, the band relaxed. They drank, swan in the lake or played played corrone. It was relaxed and informal atmosphere. This wan’t a rigid, regimented way of making an album. As a result, the album just evolved.
Over a seven day period, the eight songs that became I, were recorded. The relaxed atmosphere meant the album was recorded quicker. The session just flowed. Recording an album in such beautiful surroundings proved a masterstroke. Gradually, the songs evolved. Like a sculptor working with clay, songs took shape in the studio. Thisell worked away, gradually perfecting the songs. They took breaks for meals, returning refreshed and added the finishing touches to the eight songs. Then once this seven day period, the eight songs that became I were finished. Everyone thought that I would be released before long.
Sadly, that wasn’t the case. I wasn’t released until October 2013, when a small German vinyl only label JellyFant Records, released I. At last, Thisell’s debut album was released. It was critically acclaimed upon its release. By October 2013, the members of Thisell were living all over Sweden. They’d not seen much of each other since that week in August 2010. That would change though.
The only time the members of Thisell had spent any time together, was when they recorded the follow up to I, which is entitled II. This is the second part in what will be a trilogy of albums from Thisell. The first part in this trilogy is I, which I’ll tell you about.
Opening I is A Town Full Of Windows, which like the other tracks, is written by Peter Thisell. Wistful, melancholy and dramatic describes the arrangement. It’s slow, veering between ethereal and moody. Keyboards combine with drums. They provide the heartbeat while a cascading piano and melancholy strings tug at your heartstrings. Peter’s vocal is heartfelt, emotive and needy. He delivers the lyrics as if he’s lived them, and survived them. Full of imagery and emotions, ethereal, melancholy and beautiful describes this dramatic opus as folk and alt country unite.
Straight away, Bad Time has an authentic country sound. It sounds as if it was recorded in Nashville, not Sweden. Guitars weep, while the wistful rhythm section provide the backdrop to Peter’s vocal. With a pedal steel, fiddle and cooing harmonies for company, Peter’s delivers a weary and troubled vocal. No wonder. He’s confused, having spent time thinking. “What if love ain’t for me” Peter sings? Quite simply, Bad Time is one of the highlights of I. Not only does it showcase Peter’s skill as a singer and songwriter, but demonstrates how talented the rest if Thisell are.
Could You has a much more, understated and ethereal sound. That’s down to the guitars, strings and tender harmonies. They produce a heartachingly beautiful sound. Then when Peter’s vocal enters, it sounds not unlike Neil Young. His vocal veers between pensive and thoughtful to impassioned and heartfelt. With the strings and tender, cooing harmonies for company, the result is a truly beautiful paean.
Crystalline guitars open Into Hidden. They’re joined by an acoustic guitars, strings and Peter’s thoughtful vocal. Before long, unleashes an emotive, soul-baring vocal. It’s a tale of infatuation, and being ensnared by beauty. What follows is a cathartic confessional. Accompanied by guitars, piano and strings a mesmeric and captivating confessional that’s best described as heartfelt and ethereal.
Lay Here is another track with a country influence. Here, Thisell remind me of Wilco or The Jayhawks. That’s how good they are. From an understated arrangement, the song’s subtleties and nuances gradually unfold. The song builds, growing in drama and emotion. With the rhythm section providing the heartbeat, strings and a weeping guitar add to the emotion of this tale of what if. Peter’s vocal is tender, wistful and needy. He spells out how he loves this woman from afar, but sadly, can’t pluck up the courage to tell her how he really feels. Proof of this is the pay off, “what if I had the guts to believe.”
Just like other tracks on I, My New Best Friends has a warm, analog sound. That’s apparent from the opening bars of this ballad. Peter accompanied by piano and accordion delivers a slow, wistful vocal. His vocal is worldweary and troubled. You can imagine the lyrics unfolding before your eyes. Accompanied by harmonies, strings and guitars, Peter plays the role of the troubled troubadour to perfection. As for the lyrics, they’re among the best on I.
Over Years, Over Time is another track with an understated arrangement. Just the piano and strings accompany Peter. This means that Peter’s vocal takes centre-stage. Sometimes, he sounds not unlike a young Paddy McAloon, of Prefab Sprout. Other times, hr reminds me of Paul Buchanan of Blue Nile. However, centre-stage is where Peter’s vocal deserves to be. He goes on to delivers some of the best and most beautiful lyrics on I. They tell the story of a relationship gone wrong. It’s as if Peter has lived, loved and survived what he’s singing about. This results in a truly heartbreakingly beautiful tale of love gone awry.
Closing I is Towards The Warmth Of Life. Ethereal harmonies cascade and guitars chime, as space is left within the arrangement. This adds to the drama. So does the shredding electric guitar and deliberate drums. They set the scene for Peter’s heartfelt, seductive vocal. He’s accompanied by an arrangement where melancholy strings, cooing harmonies, scorching guitars and hypnotic drums combine. Against this backdrop, Peter delivers a poetic, seductive paean. As he does this, the rest of Thisell fuse folk, country and indie pop. This proves the perfect track to close I, as it leaves you wanting more. Much more.
Three years after Thisell recorded the eight songs that became I, in that disused school in Lur, in Southern Sweden, their debut album was released by German label, JellyFant Records in October 2013. That was game-changer for Thisell. No longer were they one of Sweden’s best kept musical secrets. Since then, Thisell’s music has found a wider audience. No wonder. From the opening bars of A Town Of Windows right through to the closing notes of Towards The Warmth Of Life, musical genres melt into one. Everything from Alt Country, Americana, country, folk , indie pop, psychedelia and classic rock melts into one. That’s why most critics were won over by I, Thisell’s debut album. Recorded in just seven days, it took three long years before I was released. It was well worth that wait.
Thisell are a hugely talented band. They were founded by singer, songwriter and musician Peter Thisell. He wrote the eight songs on I. Peter comes across as part poet, part philosopher. Tales of love and love gone wrong fill I. Full of imagery, the songs come to life as Peter delivers the lyrics. It’s as if he’s lived and survived the songs to tell the tale. He plays the role of troubled troubadour to perfection. A born storyteller, the characters come to life. Especially with the help of the other members of Thisell. Together, the members of Thisell have recorded what I’d describe as an old school album. It has a warm, vintage sound. So much so, that it reminds me of many albums recorded during the sixties and seventies. I has that classic sound that many modern albums lack. That’s why I’m already looking forward to the followup II.
The reason for this is simple, Thisell make great music. Thisell’s music is a fusion of alt-country, folk, country, psychedelia and indie pop. They’ve drawn inspiration from everyone from Neil Young, Jayhawks, Wilco, Gram Parson, Townes Van Zandt and troubadours like Tim Buckley and Leonard Cohen. Sometimes, Peter’s vocal even reminds me of Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout or Paul Buchanan of Blue Nile. Peter’s vocal has a similar worldweary, troubled sound. All these influences have played their part in one of the best debut albums I’ve heard recently.
That’s why Thisell’s debut album I is an album I can thoroughly recommend. It’s a welcome reminder that there are still groups producing music as good as this. In an age when music has become almost disposable, Thisell’s debut album I, is album to cherish. The music on I is best described as beautiful, emotive, ethereal, heartbreaking, soul-baring and cathartic. Sometimes, there’s a confessional quality to the music on I. It’s akin to eavesdropping on someone’s inner secrets. Other times, you listen as someone’s life unravels. Betrayal or love gone wrong, you’re captivated by Thisell’s ability to bring these everyday stories to life. You’re captivated by the eight songs on I, which showcases one of Sweden’s best kept secrets, Thisell. Not any more. Thisell are established a reputation as a band with a big future ahead of them. Their debut album I features eight reason why the future for Thisell looks bright. Standout Tracks:
THISELL-I.
HAITI DIRECT.
HAITI DIRECT.
Mention Haitian music, and most people will think of either voodoo or Rara. That’s two stereotypical examples of Haitian music most people think of. There is, however, more to Haitian music than that. Much more. Especially during the sixties and seventies. Back then, Haiti was enjoying one of the most rich, vibrant and eclectic periods in its history. This is documented on Strut Records forthcoming compilation of Haitian music, Haiti Direct. It’s a a double album featuring twenty-seven tracks which will be released on 27th January 2014. Haiti Direct documents the musical revolution that was happening in Haiti during the sixties and seventies. Out of merengue, compas direct was born. It begat cadence rampa which begat mini-jazz and then cadence-lypso, as Haitian music reinvented itself yet again. Another vibrant period in Haitian music began. It too, is documented on Haiti Direct, which I’ll tell you about. Before that, I’ll tell you about Haiti and its music.
Before the rich musical period that Haiti Direct documents, Merengue provided the soundtrack to life in Haiti. Merengue was a hugely popular musical phenomenon. It was a traditional type of music and dance that was popular throughout Latin America. Its origins date back to the 1800s, when Spanish and African music was fused to create Merengue. Although popular throughout Latin America, both Haiti and the Dominican Republic were claiming Merengue as their national music. However, merengue is thought to have emanated in the Dominican Republic.
It was the mid-1800s when Merengue was used to described a form of music and dance. Then nearly a century later, Rafael Trujillo, the president of the Dominican Republic, known as the The Chief, decided that Merengue would be the country’s national music and dance. Between 1930 and 1961, merengue provided the soundtrack to the Dominican Republic. So did Haiti, where another controversial politician had come to power.
Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier came to power in Haiti in 1957. He was elected Haiti’s president on a populist and black nationalist platform. Previously Papa Doc had been Haiti’s health minister, and came to power promising to improve life for the country’s middle class. They welcomed this. After all, the previous forty-two years had been turbulent. Between 1915 and 1934, America occupied Haiti. Then when the Americans left Haiti, between 1934 and 1957, there were numerous changes in government. Haiti went through one of the most turbulent periods of its political history. ironically, Papa Doc was perceived as Haiti’s saviour.
When Papa Doc came to power, his government initially, were perceived as a success. Haiti’s middle class welcomed his decision to redistribute the country’s wealth. Not only were the middle class wealthier, but they were emancipated. This however, was as good as it got.
One of the most controversial and infamous decision Papa Doc made, was establishing the Tonton Macoutes, a militia. Essentially, they were a paramilitary organisation who carried out Papa Doc’s bidding. Political opponents or dissidents were intimidated, beaten up or even murdered. Haitian’s were extorted and kidnapped by the Tonton Macoutes, who quickly, gained a reputation as Haiti’s bogeymen. They were feared and loathed by the Haitian population who ironically, had elected Papa Doc president. Meanwhile, Papa Doc set about establishing Haiti’s cultural identity.
Just like Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican Republic’s dictator, Papa Doc decided Haiti needed its own cultural identity. Papa Doc decided that this would be Merengue. There was a problem though, Merengue was inextricably linked to the Dominican Republic. That didn’t stop Papa Doc.
Haitians had been hearing Merengue on their radios since the early fifties. This came courtesy of La Voz Dominica, the Dominican Republic’s national radio station. Now, Papa Doc decided the whole of Haiti people should be able to hear its new national music, Merengue. Merengue and then the more experimental vodou jazz groups, including Super Jazz des Jeunes filled the airwaves. The government funded Haitian radio. So comprehensive was the radio coverage, that even parts of rural Haiti could hear the new radio station. With a captive audience, Papa Doc looked to influence the programming.
Songs praising Papa Doc filled the airwaves. So did songs praising his political ideology and the progress he was making. These songs were played during carnival time. They played their part in ensuring that Papa Doc held on to power. Strangely, many of these political songs weren’t recorded. So there’s no documentary evidence of them. However, while these songs praising Papa Doc were filling the airwaves, Haitian music was changing.
As the fifties gave way to the sixties, Haitian music had began to evolve. The same thing was happening around the world, including much of Latin America. In Haiti, Merengue was changing. Merengue bands relied less upon the brass section. Instead, they incorporated a salsa influence into their music. Then when they played live, their shows were much more extravagant. Shows were much more choreographed and lavish. They’re remembered fondly as spectacles. Despite this, a change was on its way. This new genre was known as compas direct.
The man credited with founding compass direct was Nemours Jean-Baptiste. This was in 1955, when he was rehearsing his band. One of the most important things he did, was slow the tempo down. Compas direct, which translates as direct beat, would be a broad musical church. It incorporated ballads, boleros, humour and troubadour vocals. Nemours Jean-Baptiste decided this new musical genre should reflect Haiti’s roots and colonial rhythms. Jazz, Cuban and ironically, the music of Dominican Republic influenced this new musical phenomenon, compas direct. For some people, however, compass direct wasn’t new.
Although compas direct was perceived as a new musical genre, for some people, it was merely Merengue after a musical makeover. While this is somewhat harsh, there’s some truth in this. Merengue’s influence on compass direct can’t be denied. Much had been changed though.
One of the most noticeable changes, was the slower tempo. Compas Direct was slower than merengue. The underlying rhythm was adapted, while the arrangement became much more complex. Swing was the final piece of the musical jigsaw. With a driving rhythm section and irresistible beat, Compas Direct became a musical phenomenon. It swept across the Caribbean and reached as far afield as North America and Europe. This was the first Haitian musical revolution. The next was cadence rampa.
Webert Sicot watched with interest as compas direct became a musical phenomenon. A classically trained saxophonist, he’d previously played with Ante, a marching band. In his spare time, Webert was working on a new musical genre, cadence rampa. It’s lead by the horns and has beat that’s similar to the Cuban mambo. There are similarities with however, compas direct. It has a similar delicacy and fluidity. Soon, cadence rampa was growing in popularity.
Rivalries between bands grew heated. It wasn’t uncommon for the bandleaders to insult each other in their songs. Soon, bands sprung up throughout Haiti. Two bands stood out from the rest though and feature on disc two of Haiti Direct. They’re Webert Sicot and Nemour’s Jean-Baptiste Ensemble. After just one listen to Webert Sicot’s Ambiance Cadence and Nemours Jean-Baptiste’s Ti Carole and you’ll understand why they vied for the title of King of cadence rampa. They provide two of the highlights of disc two of Haiti Direct. Backed by thousands of supporters, they vied with each other to become the most popular cadence rampa band. Ultimately, the man who invented the genre lost out. Nemour’s Jean-Baptiste was the most popular cadence rampa group. After that, Nemour’s Jean-Baptiste became one of Haiti’s most successful musicians. That’s until there was another change musical revolution.
By the mid-sixties, the days of the big bands were gone. Previously, bands numbered up to thirty musicians. Younger musicians, based around areas of Port-du-Prince began to form smaller bands. They played at house local house parties and were known as the hippie groups. This was because they wore platform shoes, bell-bottom trousers and shirts with large collars. As for the groups they played, in they were more like the American jazz bands. They’d fewer members, who played a smaller selection of instruments. The music mini-jazz groups played, was very different from much of the music being released in America.
Mini-jazz groups used less instruments than the cadence rampa and compas direct groups. Its roots can be found in compas direct though. The mini-jazz sound is based around a major instrument. So blazing saxophones and searing, electric guitars drive arrangements along. Two tracks that demonstrate this perfectly can be found on disc one of Haiti Direct. Les Vikings use the saxophone to drive Choc Vikings along. Then on the irresistible jazz-tinged and funky An Septieme a track from Les Dificiles De Petion-Ville the lead and rhythm guitars drives the arrangement along. These two tracks are two reasons why mini-jazz quickly, became the most popular musical genres in Haiti.
Just like cadence rampa, mini-jazz groups established a large, loyal following. By the early to mid seventies, groups toured throughout Haiti and enjoyed residencies in local clubs and theatres. This included Les Frères Déjean and Les Ambassadeurs’ Homenaje. They contribute two of the highlights of Haiti Direct. Both are horn driven tracks. Les Frères Déjean contribute and Les Ambassadeurs’ Homenaje A Los Ambajadores. The latter is a truly irresistible fusion of influences. Latin and Western music seamlessly unite. Although both groups were successful, without doubt one of the most successful mini-jazz artists was Tabou Combo, who contributes Ce Pas to Haiti Direct. They enjoyed success throughout Europe, North and South America. So successful were Tabou Combo, that one time, they filled New York’s Central Park and reached number one in France. Mini-jazz was popular right through until 1976, when music changed again.
In 1976, Haitian music evolved again. The mini-jazz lineup expanded. Horn sections were added to the mini-jazz bands. Many Haitian musicians had left the island. Some had settled in New York, Miami and Montreal. Others gravitated to the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Those that found work in the French islands were influenced by the local musicians. This included the Guadeloupe based group Exile One, who fused cadence and calypso, which was known as cadence-lypso. For the Haitian musicians, this was inspired. So they exported this back to Haiti, where adence-lypso provided the soundtrack to Haitian life. Soon, Haitian bands were adding horn sections and later, synths to their lineups. That was the final part in the musical revolution that’s documented on Haiti Direct, which I’ll pick some of the highlights of.
DISC ONE.
Disc one of Haiti Direct features thirteen tracks. This includes tracks from giants of Haitian music. There’s also more than a few hidden gems. These tracks were released between 1969 and 1978. Featuring contributions from Ibo Combo, Les Vikings, Bossa Combo, Ti Paris and Scorpio Universal, there’s everything from Merengue, compass direct, folk and mini-jazz on disc one of Haiti Direct. Eclectic, with an abundance of quality music, choosing just a few of the highlights of disc one won’t be easy. Here goes.
Choc Vikings is an instrumental track from Les Vikings’ 1971 second album Ca Pas Magie. This last album the group recorded in Haiti. After this, they settled in Guadeloupe and later, France, where they recorded another sixteen albums. One of the most prolific Haitian groups, Choc Vikings is a delicious Merengue that’s the perfect introduction to Les Vikings.
Ti Machine was the title-track to Les Animateurs’ 1972 album. Funky, jazz-tinged and psychedelic Ti Machine features a guitar masterclass from Marcellus Victor. It also reflects what a compas direct track sounds like. Based in Port Du Prince, Les Animateurs are one of Haitian music’s best kept secrets.
Les Fantaisistes De Carrefour prided themselves as being the people’s group. The group were founded in 1967 and enjoyed several hit singles. Panno Caye Nan Boi Chene is a track from their album Les Fantaisistes d’Haiti. Spacey, lysergic, experimental and innovative, biguine rhythms are combined with jazz, funk and Haitian music. The result is mesmeric, genre-melting fusion of musical influences.
Cochon St Antoine is a track from Ti Paris’ 1972 album Ti Paris et sa Guitare. This was the only album Ti released. By 1972, Ti was thirty-nine and had a reputation as one of the top twoubadou singers. He delivers a heartfelt and emotive vocal. Full of emotion he reminisces about the return of Haitians returning home from working abroad. With a raw, rural, folk sound, it’s deeply moving and demonstrates the eclectic nature of Haitian music.
One of the biggest bands in Haitian music was Tabou Combo. Not only did he enjoy a number one hit in France, but was so popular, that his concert in New York’s Central Park was a sell-out. Ca Pas finds Tabou Combo at their very best. A track from their 1969 mini-jazz album Haiti, this accordion driven track has a wonderful wistful, melancholy sound. Tabou Combo would enjoy an unprecedented longevity, lasting forty years. No wonder. Their music continued to evolve, incorporating funk and disco.
DISC TWO.
After the quality of disc one, disc two of Haiti Direct picks up where disc one left off. It features fourteen tracks. This includes tracks from giants of Haitian music. Among them are Nemours Jean-Baptiste andWebert Sicot Just like disc one, there’s several hidden gems. These tracks were released between 1959 and 1979. Featuring contributions from Raoul Guillaume, Ensemble Meridional Des Cayes, Trio Select, Les Frères Déjean and Djet-X. Once again, this allows the listener to hear an eclectic selection of Haitian music. It’s another eclectic and enthralling musical journey, with surprises aplenty in store. This makes choosing the highlights of disc two difficult.
Super Jazz Des Jeunes contribute one of the earliest songs on Haiti Direct. Cote Moune Yo is a track from their 1962 eponymous album, which showcases their unique brand of voudou jazz. Lead by Rene St. Aude, Super Jazz Des Jeunes fuse folk, jazz, big band and Haitian rhythms. This is a heady and potent brew, which represents Haitian music old and new.
Nemours Jean-Baptiste was one of the most influential musicians in Haitian history. Not only did he help develop compas direct, but he was the founding father of a musical genre, cadence rampa. He also lead one of the greatest cadence rampa bands. Ti Carole is proof of this. An infectiously catchy, genre-hopping track, everything from Latin, folk, jazz, Merengue and cadence rampa are thrown into the musical melting pot. Given a stir by Nemours Jean-Baptiste and the result is an irresistible call to dance.
Trio Select and Gesner Henry released their sophomore album Haiti in 1971. It featured Ensemble Select En Action, which has a much more understated sound than many of the tracks on Haiti Direct. This understated arrangement allows the impassioned, soul-baring vocal to take centre-stage. Delivered in the Cuban Son Montuno style, albeit with a Haitian take, it’s a quite beautiful song, which yet again, demonstrates the sheer eclecticism of Haitian music.
Les Ambassadeurs were one of the first mini-jazz groups. They released an album Proverbs, which features the hidden gem that’s Homenaje A Los Ambajadores. A delicious horn driven track with a needy, impassioned vocal it epitomises everything that’s good about mini-jazz.
My final choice from disc two of Haiti Direct is Webert Sicot’s Ambiance Cadence. Webert went head to head for the title of King of cadence rampa. Remarkably, he took the title from Nemours Jean-Baptiste, the genre’s founder. With music like Ambiance Cadence, which can be found on the 1979 album Contravention, that’s no surprise. It’s a joyous melange of musical genres. Latin, jazz, funk, mambo and compas direct influence Ambiance Cadence, which is without doubt the most infectiously catchy track on Haiti Direct.
During the twenty year period that Haiti Direct documents, Haitian music continued to evolve. After merengue had provided the soundtrack to Haitian life for so many years, Haitian music began to evolve. First of all, merengue gave way to compas direct. It gave birth to cadence rampa and then mini-jazz. Then as Haiti Direct draws to a close, cadence-lypso sees Haitian music evolve yet again. With Haitian music continually evolving, Haitian music never stood still. That meant it neither became stale nor boring. Instead, it was a golden period for Haitian music, as Haiti Direct proves.
No wonder. Haiti was blessed with some of the most innovative and creative musicians in its history. They fused musical genres and pushed musical boundaries to their limits. Among the musical influences that can be heard on Haiti Direct, are Cuban, funk, jazz, folk, free jazz, Haitian, Latin and psychedelia. During each song, musical influences and genres melt seamlessly into one. The result is spellbinding, captivating and enthralling. With each listen, you hear new sounds, influences and musical textures. Layer upon layer of music reveals itself. Musical subtleties, secrets and surprises gradually unfold. Other times, the music is infectiously catchy. Irresistible, it’s akin to a call to dance. You can’t help but submit to its charms. Truly, Haiti Direct is an eclectic magical musical mystery tour through Haitian music.
Compiled by Hugo Mendez, co-founder of the Sofrito record label and sound system, Haiti Direct, which will be released on 27th January 2014, shows that there’s more to Haitian music than voodoo and rara. Haiti Direct is proof of this. For anyone who thinks that Haitian music begins and ends with voodoo and rara, then Haiti Direct shows how wrong they are. There’s much more to Haitian music than that. Much more. Indeed, Haitian music is a treasure trove awaiting discovery. For anyone yet to discover the many and varied delights of Haitian music, then Haiti Direct is the perfect starting point. Haiti Direct may be your first compilation of Haitian music, but not your last.
HAITI DIRECT.
PETER KING-MILIKI SOUND.
PETER KING-MILIKI SOUND.
It’s almost ironic that Peter King, one of Nigeria’s best musicians, is better known in Europe and America than in his home country. Peter King’s is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most talented musicians. His name is synonymous with his Miliki Sound, a captivating fusion of African musical genres and influences. Miliki Sound was also the title of Peter King’s 1975 debut album, which was released on vinyl by the Brighton based Mr. Bongo Records on 1st January 2014. This was the first of seven albums Peter King recorded between 1975 and 2002. However, there’s much more to Peter King’s career than seven albums. Here is a man who invented a musical genre, founded his own musical school, studied at London’s prestigious Trinity College of Music and performed in the middle of a war zone. Then there was Peter’s time as a member of the African Messengers who doubled as a backing band for Diana Ross, The Four Tops and The Temptations. Action packed describes Peter King’s long career, which I’ll tell you about. After that, I’ll tell you about his 1975 debut album Miliki Sound.
Born in 1938 in the Enugu region of Nigeria. Growing up, he moved between Lagos, Port Harcourt and Lokoja. Then in 1957, aged just nineteen, Peter moved to Ibadan and joined the Roy Chicago Band. Initially, he was playing double bass andalto saxophone. After this he joined other bands in Ibadan and later, Lagos. Soon, he was playing double bass, drums and alto saxophone. When the time came to spread his wings musically, he headed to London.
1960 saw Peter moved to London to study music. He played saxophone, flute, piano, drums, double bass and violin when ge studied at various colleges. This included the Central School of Music, the Guild Hall in 1961 and Trinity College of Music in 1963. Graduating in 1966, Peter formed his first band in London, The African Messengers.
Following his graduation Peter met trumpeter Mike Falana and drummer Boyo Martins. Together, they became the African Messengers. They were they prolific group. Not only were they a prolific live act, but released numerous singles. Their best known single is Highlife Piccadilly. When they were neither playing live nor recording, they were the backing group for many Motown artists. Among them were Diana Ross, The Four Tops and The Temptations. Not content with playing in one group whilst in London, Peter King formed the Blues Builders. Like the African Messengers, The Blues Builders were a prolific live band, playing all over Europe and north Africa. However, when Peter returned home in 1969, he formed another group.
On his return home to Nigeria, Peter’s formed another group, Voice of Africa. At one point, they even played in the middle of a war zone during the Nigerian Civil War. Voice of Africa were short-lived. When Peter returned to London in 1971, it was with Shango, his latest band. They toured Britain, Europe and America, further reinforcing Peter’s reputation as a musician.
By 1971, critics were comparing Peter to some musical legends. His playing style was compared to John Coltrane, Gene Ammons and Sonny Rollins. Key to this was his ability to improvise and his tonality. Like Trane, Peter is the consummate professional. Even when he kicks loose, his playing is copybook. No wonder. Peter King was into his third decade as a professional musician. One thing he hadn’t done, was record a solo album. He would rectify this in 1975. Indeed, for the next couple of years, Lagos studios were home to Peter King. His first album was Miliki Sound, which I’ll tell you about.
For Mikki Sounds, Peter King wrote and arranged six songs. He played tenor and alto saxophone, flute, piano, violin, percussion and sang. Accompanying him were trumpeter Eddie Tantan, alto saxophonist Dudu Pukwana and tenor saxophonist Mfon Idem. Sonny Roberts produced Miliki Sound which I’ll now tell you about.
Opening Miliki Sound is Jo Jolo, a track that will be recognizable to anyone with a passing interest in Afrobeat. It’s an explosion of joyous music. The rhythm section create a pulsating, pounding beat, while percussion, piano and stabs of growling horns accompany Peter’s impassioned, pleading vocal. As the vocal drops out, the bank lock into the tightest of grooves. Then taking centre-stage is Peter and his trusty saxophone. He unleashes a frenzied, frantic solo. When it drops out, as if spent and exhausted, percussion, flute and his vocal pick up the baton. Each play their part in what is, an infectiously catchy Afro-beat classic.
Boleya Koya sees the tempo drop slights. Just drums, percussion, flute and bursts of gnarled horns join forces. Soon, Peter and his band are creating another sensual groove. This is thanks to the rhythm section who provide the arrangement’s heartbeat. Peter’s vocal is heartfelt, emotive and sincere. Add to that jazz-tinged guitars, grizzled, bluesy horns and funkiest of rhythm section, and it’s a potent combination. Here elements of jazz, blues, soul, funk and Afro-beat are combined. They’re responsible to this invitation to dance, one that you neither resist nor help submitting to.
Iya La Jole opens with a mesmeric and uplifting combination of percussion and stabs of blazing horns. Propelling the arrangement along is the rhythm section. Meanwhile, Peter’s vocal plays a crucial part in a track that’s best described as a carnival-esque slice of musical sunshine.
Dramatic and urgent bursts of horns open Ijo Olomo. It’s as if their raison d’aitre is to grab your attention. Having done this, the joyous celebratory sound of previous tracks returns. Percussion and the rhythm section provide an irresistible rhythm, while the horns bray and blaze. Peter’s playing is peerless and flawless. Like his vocal, he plays with passion and a sense of urgency. This seems to spur his band on. They rise to his level, playing with the same energy, urgency and enthusiasm.
A mass of violins, horns, percussion and the rhythm section open Elelzy. It’s an impressive wall of sound. Here, Peter plays violin which sounds slightly shrill, percussion and saxophone. Incredibly, he’s just as proficient on each instrument. As if that’s not impressive enough, he delivers the vocal. Unlike other tracks, it’s much more tender, and is also heartfelt and sincere. Then Peter’s saxophone takes centre-stage. He unleashes another flawless solo. When it’s finished, you realize just why Peter King was held in such high regard as a saxophonist by his contemporaries and peers.
Closing Miliki Sound is Gvinmi Komo. Straight away, you realize that something special is unfolding. There’s a much more understated sound. Gone are the blazing horns. Instead, the rhythm section and percussion accompany Peter’s vocal. A pounding bass drives the rhythm section along. As it provides the track’s heartbeat an alto-saxophone makes brief appearance. Later, the horns braying bid a farewell to Miliki Sound. That seems fitting, given how important a role they’ve played in the album. Having said that, they’re used much more sparingly. This proves just as effective, as Peter’s vocal cajoles and encourages the band to close the album on a high. They don’t let him down.
For anyone yet to discover Peter King’s music, there’s no better place to start than Miliki Sound. It’s easily his most accessible album. Not only that, but it’s truly irresistible album filled with delicious rhythms. Although only six songs and thirty minutes long, it’s an almost flawless album. From the opening bars of Miliki Sound right through to the closing notes of Gvinmi Komo, it’s a joyous, uplifting and irresistible musical experience. I’d describe Miliki Sound as a call to dance, one you can’t help but submit to. It’s almost mocking you, daring you to submit to its glorious rhythms. There’s more to Miliki Sound than some delicious rhythms. Much more.
Intricate, multilayered and complex, Miliki Sound which was released on vinyl by the Brighton based Mr. Bongo Records on 1st January 2014, is filled with numerous subtleties, surprises and nuances. Musical genres and influences are thrown into the musical melting pot by Peter King and producer Sonny Roberts. This included everything from Afro-Beat, soul, funk, jazz and blues. Add to this Afro-Jazz, high life and wild life. It’s a glorious and unique fusion of styles and influences. Miliki Sound also proved to be a hugely influential album. So influential, that it gave birth to a new musical genre, Miliki Sound. This is a fitting tribute to the quality of music on Miliki Sound, Peter King’s debut album. Having earlier described Miliki Sound not just as an infectiously catchy, irresistible album, I’d add to that innovative, imaginative and influential. Standout Tracks: Miliki Sound, Boleya Koya, Elelzy and Gvinmi Komo.
PETER KING-MILIKI SOUND.
RUNAWAY ORCHESTRA-RUNAWAY ORCHESTRA.
RUNAWAY ORCHESTRA-RUNAWAY ORCHESTRA.
You’ll be hard pushed to find more enchanting album than the Runaway Orchestra’s eponymous debut album Runaway Orchestra, which has been rereleased by Brighton’s Mr. Bongo Records on 1st January 2014. I was going to say the Runaway Orchestra give ten familiar tracks a makeover. That however, would be an understatement. Transformation is nearer to the truth. This is Bob Dylan, T-Rex, The Turtles and Sonny and Cher as you’ve never heard them. Runaway Orchestra is akin to alchemy. Songs are transformed majestically. They’re totally reinvented and rejuvenated. Sometimes, they’re given new life and meaning. What’s even more remarkable, is that the Runaway Orchestra is just an adjunct to Sophie Madeline’s successful solo career. Before I tell you about the music on Runaway Orchestra, I’ll tell you about Sophie’s career so far.
Away from the Runaway Orchestra, Sophie Madeline is a ukelele-playing folk singer. The ukelele wasn’t Sophie’s original choice of musical instrument. Like many people, the piano was her introduction to music. Then came the ukelele, which Sophie taught herself to play. Along with her unique, D.I.Y. approach to music, it’s fair to say that Sophie is something of a musical maverick. Eschewing traditional recording studios, her flat has doubled as a makeshift studio. That has worked for Sophie, who divides her time between Brighton and New York.
Sophie’s recording career started back in 2009, when she released her debut album, the wonderfully titled Love Life, Love Ukelele. Two years later, Sophie release her sophomore album The Rhythm You Started in 2011. Since then, Sophie has dived her time between recording her third album, playing live and recording the Runaway Orchestra’s debut album Runaway Orchestra.
For recording of Runaway Orchestra, Sophie Madeline hooked up with Tom Valentine. They chose ten cover versions, many of which most people will be familiar with. Songs by Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, T-Rex, Sonny and Cher, Pete Doherty and Wolfman were chosen. This however, was no album of slavish cover versions. Not at all. Instead, each song was given a folk makeover. Songs were slowed down, strings added, Sophie Madeline played ukelele and added her breathtaking vocals. The result was both enchanting and spellbinding. You’ll discover that, as I tell you about Runaway Orchestra.
Opening Runaway Orchestra is a cover of The Turtles’ Happy Together, which is totally transformed. The tempo is slowed way, with hypnotic drums providing the heartbeat. String are at the heart of the arrangement. They sweep in, providing the perfect accompaniment to Sophie’s tender, heartfelt vocals. Soon, the drama builds. Pizzicato strings, punchy harmonies and rolls of drums add to the drama, before the strings sweep and swirl. Brief flourishes of harp add the finishing touch to a what’s now a beautiful, dramatic and heartfelt love song.
Just an acoustic guitar and Sophie’s wistful vocal open T Rex’s Life’s A Gas. Here, the Runaway Orchestra don’t stray far from the original. Soon, the arrangement reveals its subtleties and beauty. Subtle drums, layers of melancholy strings and cooing harmonies combine. They provide melancholy backdrop for Sophie’s bravado. She’s been hurt, but tries to hide it. This she can’t do. Her hurt and heartbreak shines through, despite the bravado of her easy come, easy go attitude. Although T-Rex set the bar high, the Runaway Orchestra pay a fitting homage to Marc Bolan. Their version further reinforces the heartbreak, emotion and beauty of this timeless song.
For Lovers was recorded by Pete Doherty and Wolfman in 2004. It’s quite different to this version. It’s much more understated and thoughtful. Strings play an important part in the arrangement. Slow and lush, they’re joined by a combination of drums, flute and guitar. Seamlessly, they become one, as if forming part of some bigger picture. Sophie’s vocal suits the song perfectly, transforming it into a tender, but wistiful paean For Lovers everywhere.
Covering such a well known track as Bob Dylan’s It’s Not For You isn’t easy. After all, the definitive version has been recorded. Anything else will come up short. That said, the Runaway Orchestra’s version brings something new and innovative to the song. In doing so, they combine folk, country, Americana and rock. To do this, keyboards, keyboards, guitar and drums create a slow, pensive and spacious arrangement. The space is crucial. It’s akin to a dramatic pause, that adds to what is an evocative arrangement. As for Sophie’s vocal, it’s joyous and soulful, as she gives thanks for the love she’s found.
It’s a Beautiful Day has a much more contemporary sound than other tracks. There’s even a broken-beat influence. Sophie delivers another joyful, thankful vocal. Strings veer between subtle to lush. They’re complimented by a harp. Meanwhile, the rhythm section create a choppy arrangement, which is reminiscent of a summer’s day on the beach.
Run With Us was written by Steve Lunt and was the theme tune to eighties television show The Raccoons. It was then covered by Lisa Loughheed in 1987 and Spray in 2009. This version is quite different. Sophie’s tender, impassioned vocal is accompanied by her trusty ukelele, glockenspiel and cooing harmonies. Providing the heartbeat are drums and booming bass. Seamlessly, this all fits beautifully together, just like a jigsaw puzzle. What makes this the definitive version of the song, is the interplay between Sophie’s vocal and the cooing harmonies. They play their part in making this the highlight of Runaway Orchestra.
What makes a project like Runaway Orchestra so compelling is how a familiar song is transformed into something the writer never imagined. This is the case with The Beat Goes On, written by Sonny Bono. It’s a much more subtle song. That’s down to the understated drum arrangement. Then there’s the way Sophie’s vocal and lead melody interact. They’re like a musical ying and yang, They also play leading roles in this compelling cover of a familiar track.
The River Song has a jaunty, mid-tempo arrangement thanks to the guitar and drums. The drums are played by Miggy Barradas of The Divine Comedy. This makes sense. Their influence is all over the track. Sophie’s vocal is equal parts power and emotion, while a standup bass helps power the arrangement along. A wonderfully wistful trumpet solo, adds a jazzy twist to the arrangement. It sets the scene for the rest of this thoughtful, but quite beautiful song.
True Love Will Find You in the End was written by Daniel Johnson. Only ninety-seconds long, it’s a tantalizing glimpse of Daniel Johnson’s skills as a songwriter. Strident guitars, drums, bass and piano accompany Sophie’s vocal. Hopeful and reassuring, her vocal becomes pensive and almost unsure. A mandolin is added at just the right time, as Sophie hopes, but isn’t convinced, that True Love Will Find You in the End.
Closing Runaway Orchestra is Two Of Us written by Lennon and McCartney. It featured on Let It Be, Anthology 3 and Let It Be…Naked. Rather that reinvent the musical equivalent of the wheel, the Runaway Orchestra stick closely to the original song. Accompanied by just guitars, percussion and bass, Sophie accompanied by backing vocals delivers a heartfelt and hook-laden homage to The Beatles that’s best described as Beatles-esque.
Rather than slavishly recreate ten familiar songs, the Runaway Orchestra have taken a very different, unique and innovative approach on Runaway Orchestra. They’ve taken ten original songs and in many case, totally transformed them. The best examples are The Turtles’ Happy Together, Pete Doherty and Wolfman’s For Lovers, Bob Dylan’s It’s Not For You and Sonny and Cher’s The Beat Goes On. In the case of Happy Together, For Lovers and The Beat Goes On, I much prefer the Runaway Orchestra’s version. They’ve revitalized and rejuvenated both tracks. For Lovers with its understated, lush string drenched sound takes on new meaning as its inherent beauty shines through. On other tracks, the Runaway Orchestra take a different approach.
While many tracks on Runaway Orchestra saw the Runaway Orchestra reinvent and rejuvenate songs, other songs are akin to paying homage to the original artist. However, this is far from a slavish cover version. Instead, it’s the original with a captivating twist. Two examples are T-Rex’s Life’s A Gas and The Beatles’ Two Of Us. Both are a fitting tribute to two of Britain’s most successful groups. Along with the reinvention of familiar songs, Runaway Orchestra is an enchanting and captivating album. For anyone yet to discover the delights of Runaway Orchestra, now is the time to do so.
Playing an important part in the success of Runaway Orchestra, which was rereleased by Mr. Bongo Records on 1st January 2014, are the understated, folk-tinged arrangements which feature a compelling and eclectic selection of instruments. The piece de resistance is Sophie’s vocal. Variously tender, wistful, melancholy and joyous, it helps breath new life and meaning into the ten songs on Runaway Orchestra. What started off as a adjunct to Sophie’s solo career could turn out to be something much bigger. Given the plaudits that have come the Runaway Orchestra’s way, Runaway Orchestra can’t be a one-off. There must be a sequel to Runaway Orchestra. Surely, given the quality of music on Runaway Orchestra it won’t be long before we hear from Runaway Orchestra again? Standout Tracks: Life’s A Gas, For Lovers, Run With Us and True Love Will Find You in the End.
RUNAWAY ORCHESTRA-RUNAWAY ORCHESTRA.
EBO TAYLOR-CONFLICT.
EBO TAYLOR-CONFLICT.
When the history of Ghanian music is written, one man will loom large, Ebo Taylor. He is a colossus of Ghanian music. Ebo is best described as an innovator who went on to influence further generations of Ghanian musicians. Nearly forty years later, Ebo’s influence is still being felt not just in Ghanian music, but further afield. Thanks to reissue labels like Mr. Bongo Records, a new generation of music lovers are discovering Ebo Taylor’s music. This includes his 1980 album Conflict, which was rereleased by Mr. Bongo Records on vinyl on 1st January 2014.
Conflict is just one of the albums that have just been reissued by Mr. Bongo Records as the new year dawned. However, it’s the first of these albums that I’ll tell you about. Before I tell the music on Conflict, I’ll tell you about a pivotal figure in Ghanian music, Ebo Taylor. He was much more than a musician. Ebo was also a songwriter, arranger, producer and bandleader. Quite simply, Ebo Taylor has done it all, and that includes creating a new genre of music.
Born in Ghana in 1936, Ebo Taylor’s career started in the fifties, when he was the leader of two highlife bands in Ghana, The Stargazers and The Broadway Dance Band. These weren’t just any highlife bands. No. They were two of the best and most important highlife bands. This allowed Ebo Taylor to establish a reputation, before he decided to spread the gospel of Ghanian music in London.
By 1962, Ebo had moved to London, where he founded The Blackstar Highlife Band. Having founded his own band, Ebo could dictate musical policy. What he wanted to do, was create a fusion of musical genres and influences. This included traditional Ghanian music and other West African musical genres. To this, Ebo combined funk and jazz. What The Blackstar Highlife Band created, was a musical melting pot. Afrobeat, highlife, jazz and funk came together to form a hypnotic and enthralling fusion of African and Western music. So, it’s no surprise that The Blackstar Highlife Band became a popular group not just in London, but further afield. The effect this had on Ebo’s career was considerable. On his return to Ghana, his services as a producer were greatly in demand.
Having returned to Ghana, Ebo was like the all-conquering hero. Word had spread of the genre melting music he’d created in London with The Blackstar Highlife Band. Job offers came thick and fast. Musician, songwriter, arranger and producer, Ebo could turn his hand to anything.
Ebo was a member of the short-lived The Apagya Show Band, who released one single, Tamfo Nyi Ekyir in 1973. They also released one album, which lay unreleased for thirty-nine years. From playing, Ebo decided to move onto arranging and production.
Then in 1975, Ebo arranged C.K. Mann and His Carousel 7’s 1975 album Funky Highlife. Later that year, Ebo produced Gyedu-Blay Ambolley’s album Simigwa. It was through production that allowed Ebo to put his new ideas about music into practice. Ebo it seemed, had done just about everything in music. Two things remained, songwriting and releasing a solo album.
Two years later, in 1977, Ebo wrote several songs for Pat Thomas and Marijata’s eponymous album. Ebo was also called upon to arrange the album. This was good practice for what was about to happen. The one thing Ebo Taylor had still to do, was release a solo album. This would be rectified in 1977, when Ebo Taylor released his eponymous album Ebo Taylor on Ghanian label Essiebons. Before long, Ebo would release his sophomore album.
Twer Nyame was Ebo Taylor’s sophomore album. It was released on Phillips West-African Records. Having released two solo albums in the space of a year, it was another two years before Ebo released another album.
Ebo’s next album was collaboration with the Saltpond Barkers Choir. Me Kra Tsie was released in 1979, on Ghanian label Essiebons. This must have given Ebo a taste for collaborations, as his next album was another collaboration.
For what was his fourth album Conflict, Ebo Taylor joined forces with Uhuru Yenzu. Ebo wrote the five tracks that became Conflict. Joining Ebo and Uhuru were some of Ghana’s best musicians. This included a rhythm section of drummer Max Hammond, bassists David Lamptey and Paa Kwesi, plus Ebo who played guitars and keyboards. Adding the percussive sound were Tom Prize on congas and Arthur Kennedy who played African drums. The horn section included alto saxophonist George Amissah, tenor saxophonist George Abunuah and trumpeter Arthur Kennedy. Once Conflict was recorded, it was released in 1980.
On its release, Conflict was a success in Ghana. Sadly, it never found a wider audience. Ebo Taylor was an African phenomenon, but as far as the rest of the world concerned, he was another of African music’s best kept secrets. Thankfully, that’s changing and Brighton-based label Mr. Bongo have rereleased a remastered version of Conflict which I’ll tell you about.
Opening Conflict is You Need Love, where jazz-tinged horns open the track. They have a contemporary timeless sound. Rasping and braying, the horns have a light, airy and joyous sound. Crystalline guitars, stabs of keyboards and heartfelt harmonies spread a feel-good message. They’re the perfect accompaniment to the arrangement. Together, they’re the equivalent to a slice of musical sunshine, and a hook-laden one at that.
Love and Death has a similar jazz-tinged sound. It’s an irresistible fusion of Afro-beat and jazz. As the rhythm section provide the heartbeat, stabs of blazing horns and keyboards punctuate the arrangement. When the horns drop out, heartfelt, soulful harmonies take charge. Just like the opening track, they’re the perfect accompaniment to the arrangement. Ying and yang describes them, as Afro-beat, funk, jazz and soul melt seamlessly into one. As for the lyrics, they’re cerebral and thoughtful. I’d go as far as say that their some of the best on Conflict, which demonstrate Ebo’s skills as a songwriter.
What Is Life bursts into life. A myriad of percussion, bursts of blazing horns, stabs of keyboards and a pulsating funky rhythm section unite, before Ebo delivers the vocal with passion and emotion. He’s like a musical philosopher, one who ask the big questions. There’s none bigger than “What Is Life?” Harmonies accompany while, a cascading flute and dramatic drums enjoy add to this delicious musical melting pot. Musical genres and influences melt into one. Afro-beat, funk, jazz, Latin and soul all play their part, as Ebo plays the role of poet and philosopher. Ultimately, Ebo doesn’t provide an answer to “What Is Life?” However, as musical journeys go, it’s infectiously catchy, joyous and dance-floor friendly.
Christ Will Come has a much more understated and thoughtful sound. Just a hypnotic keyboard line, congas and percussion join the flute. They provide the backdrop to the vocal. It’s spiritual and heartfelt, reminiscent of Bob Marley in his prime. As the vocal drops out, the horns take charge, braying and blazing, while the rhythm section power the arrangement along. Horns cascade as the flute takes centre-stage. It’s played real passion. This is fitting given the spiritual quality of the vocal. Spiritual and uplifting describes this track. So does funky, jazz-tinged and timeless, as musical genres melt into one.
Victory closes Conflict. Horns contribute a celebratory sound. There’s a reason for this, Ebo and his band are celebrating a Victory. Maybe it’s the 1979 coup, lead by Jerry Rawlings? Driven along by the braying, grizzled horns and rhythm section, Afro-beat, funk and jazz is combined by Ebo’s all-star band. Then when Ebo sings call and response, the harmonies add to the celebratory nature of the track. Chiming, crystalline guitars join a hypnotic bass as this funky and strident arrangement heads to its crescendo. As it does, you can’t help but get caught up in this mesmeric musical celebration.
Thirty-three years after its release, Conflict, Ebo Taylor’s fourth album can be described using just one word…timeless. It’s hard to believe Conflict was released in 1980. The music has a contemporary sound, as everything from Afro-beat, funk, jazz, Latin and soul melt into one. On a couple of tracks, there’s a prominent jazz influence. That’s no surprise. After all, Ebo Taylor’s guitar playing is best described as jazz-tinged. It ranges from delicate and deliberate, to subtle and understated. Then there’s his vocals. They cover a gambit of emotions. One minute they’re joyous and uplifting, the next spiritual, heartfelt or impassioned. Ebo’s vocals prove the ying to the band’s yang. They play their part in Conflict, a truly genre-melting album which demonstrates Ebo Taylor at his best.
Conflict was written, arranged and produced by Ebo. The album is like a musical tapestry, where an eclectic selection of musical genres and influences play their part in the album’s sound and success. Afrobeat, highlife and other types of Western African music are joined by jazz, funk, soul and Latin music. Dense rhythms, a proliferation of percussion and Ebo’s jazz-tinged guitar are joined by braying, blazing horns. Together, they provide the backdrop for the vocals on Conflict, which was released on vinyl by Mr. Bongo Records on 1st January 2014, as part of a major reissue program.
Best described as an innovative, genre-straddling album, Conflict is one of Ebo Taylor’s finest albums. By then, 1980, Ebo was a vastly experienced musician. He’d nearly thirty years experience as a musician. So when he came to recording Conflict, he drew upon all that experience, fusing African and Western music. The result was Conflict, a potent, cerebral and timeless album, which is the perfect introduction to Ghana’s greatest ever musician, Ebo Taylor.
EBO TAYLOR-CONFLICT.
CAN-SOON OVER BABALUMA.
CAN-SOON OVER BABALUMA.
Forty years ago, in November 1974, Can released the sixth album of their career, Soon Over Babaluma. This marked the end of an era for Can. Soon Over Babaluma was the end of Can’s golden period. This golden period began with their debut album, 1969s Monster Movie and 1974s Soon Over Babaluma. For six albums, Can were one of the most innovative bands in musical history. They established a reputation as one of the most influential bands in musical history. Even today, forty-five years after Can released their debut album, Can’s influence is can be heard in music.
Founded in 1968, Can went on to become one of the most innovative, influential and groundbreaking groups in musical history. Their music is best described as a fusion of ambient, avant-garde, electronic, experimental, industrial, jazz, prig rock, psychedelia and rock. Known for their ability to improvise, Can became famous for what they referred to as spontaneous composition.
When Can headed into the studio they improvised. Feeding off each other, genres and ideas melted into one. It was spontaneous and off-the-cuff. Can played with freedom and in doing so, pushed musical boundaries to their limits and sometimes, beyond. Afterwards, the results would be edited and the result would be some of the most exciting music released between 1969 and 1979, when Can split-up.
In total, Can released eleven albums between 1969s Monster Movie and 1979s Can. During this period, Can released classic albums like Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, Future Days and Soon Over Babaluma. This was music that’s bold, challenging, innovative, inventive and influential. Expecting the unexpected, a new Can album featured exciting, innovative and progressive music, where a fusion of musical influences and genres became one. For ten years and eleven albums, Can released cutting-edge music. Sadly, in 1979, Can split-up. Thankfully, they reconvened in 1989 for Rite Time. However, five years before Rite Time, Can released Soon Over Babaluma the album which marked the end of Can’s golden period. Before I tell you about Soon Over Babaluma, I’ll tell you about Can’s career up until then.
For a three year period between 1963 and 1966, Holger Czukay and Irmin Schmidt were privileged to study music under the legendary Karlheinz Stockhausen. A true pioneer, Karlheinz Stockhausen was way ahead of time. He wasn’t just a visionary in terms of electronic music, but was fascinated by aleatoric music, where some element of piece is left to chance. Granted there will only be a certain number of outcomes, but the musician has to choose the outcome they believe is correct. Serialism was another subject Karlheinz was interested in. With serialism, a series of values are used to manipulate musical elements. This form of composition fascinated Karlheinz. So did musical spatialism, which would influence Can. Karlheinz was an evangelist, encouraging his pupils to investigate, examine and scrutinise each of these subjects. So it’s no surprise that once Holger Czukay and Irmin Schmidt had finished studying, Holger became a musical teacher.
Having settled into life as a music teacher, Holger was enjoying life as a teacher. Then when he heard The Beatles’ I Am A Walrus in 1967, he was captivated by this psychedelic rock single. With the innovative use of bursts of radio and the experimental sound and structure, Holger went in search of similar music. Soon, Frank Zappa and Velvet Underground became favourites of Holger. Inspired by what he’d heard, Holger decided to form his own band in 1968…Can.
After his time studying under Karlheinz Stockhausen, Irmnin headed to New York, where he spent time with avant-garde musicians like Steve Reich, Terry Riley and La Monte Young. Soon, Irmin was aware of Andy Warhol and Velvet Underground. This inspired him to form his own band when he returned home to Cologne.
In Cologne, Irmin a pianist and organist formed Can with American flautist David C. Johnson and bassist Holger Czukay. Up until then, the trio had exclusively played avant-garde classical music. Now their ambitions lay beyond that. Their influences included garage, rock, psychedelia, soul and funk. So they brought onboard three new members of the group which started life as Inner Space, and then became The Can. Eventually, they settled on Can, an acronym of communism, anarchy, nihilism
The first two new additions were guitarist Michael Karoli and drummer Jaki Liebezeit. Vocalist and New York-based sculptor Malcolm Mooney joined the band midway through 1968. By then, they were recording material for an album Prepare To Meet Thy Pnoom. Unfortunately, record companies weren’t interested in the album. So the group continued recording what would become their debut album Monster Movies. However, David C. Johnson left the group at the end of 1968. He was disappointed at the change in musical direction. Little did he realise he’d lost the chance to be part of a groundbreaking band Can.
Monster Movie which was released in August 1969, marked the debut of Can. It started their career as they meant to go on. A groundbreaking, genre-melting fusion of blues, free jazz, psychedelia, rock and world music, Monster Movies has a Velvet Underground influence. It’s as if Can have been inspired by Velvet Underground and pushed musical boundaries to their limits. Experimental, multilayered and an example of Can’s spontaneous composition and editing skills, Monster Movie wasn’t just the album that launched Can’s career, but saw the term Krautrock coined. The founding father’s of Krautrock Can, were just entering their golden period.
Released in 1970, Soundtracks, was Can’s sophomore album. Essentially, Soundtracks is a compilation of tracks Can wrote for soundtracks. It’s the album that marked the departure of vocalist Malcolm Mooney. He suffered a nervous breakdown. Advised by a psychiatrist to leave Can for the good of his mental health, Malcolm returned to America. This left Can without a vocalist. That is, until Holger met a Japanese busker.
It was in Munich where Holger Czukay discovered Japanese busker, Kenji Damo Suzuki. He was busking when Holger came across him. Holger realised Kenji Damo Suzuki would be the perfect replacement for Malcolm. He was thrown into the deep end and added vocal and percussion on five of Soundtracks’ tracks. The addition of Damo wasn’t the only change Can were making.
Soundtracks was a coming of age for Can. It marked a move away from the psychedelic jams of Monster Movie and a move towards their classic sound. That saw the music becoming much more experimental and avant-garde. The music took an ambient, meditative, mesmeric and thoughtful sound. This marked the beginning of what became known as Can’s classic years, when albums like Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi and Future Days were released.
Tago Mago was released to critical acclaim in 1971. This was the start of a golden period for Can. They could do no wrong. Kenji Damo Suzuki had joined the band officially. Now a permanent member of Can, the band spent a year living in a castle near Cologne recording Tago Mago. Songs started as lengthy jams and improvised pieces. Then Holger worked his magic. He edited them and they became mini masterpieces.
Seven songs featured on a double album released in February 1971. On Tago Mago’s released, it was hailed as their best album yet. Jazzier with an experimental sound, the music has a mysterious, mesmeric sound. Innovative, genres and influences melted into one on Tago Mago. Multilayered, nuances, subtleties and surprises reveal themselves. Since its release, several generations of musicians have been inspired by Tago Mago, a true Magnus Opus, that belongs in every record collection. So does the followup Ege Bamyasi.
Can were on a roll. It seemed they could do no wrong. Ege Bamyasi was released in November 1972 to critical acclaim. Recorded in a a disused cinema, which the band lived in, the result was an album that was a fitting followup to Tago Mago. Just like its predecessor, it’s an essential part of any self respecting record collection. A fusion of jazz, ambient, world music, traditional music, rock and electronica, Ege Bamyasi saw Can continue to innovate and influence musicians and music lovers. As of another critically acclaimed classic album wasn’t enough, Can enjoyed their first hit single.
Spoon was chosen as the single from Ege Bamyasi. It reached number six in Germany. That was helped no end, by the single being used as the theme to a German thriller Das Messer. It seemed nothing could go wrong for Can.
That seemed the case when Can released Future Days, in August 1973. It marked a change of direction for Can. Their music moved in the direction of ambient music. The tracks especially, demonstrate that, Future Days and Bel Air. The move towards ambient music may have surprised some Can fans. However, Brian Eno was just one artist pioneering ambient music. This move towards ambient music must have pleased Holger’s guru Karlheinz Stockhausen. He must have looked on proudly as Can released the third of a quartet of classic albums. The final album in this quartet was released in 1974.
Recorded at Inner Space Studios, Munich, Soon Over Babaluma features five tracks penned and produced by Can. Soon Over Babaluma marked a change of direction for Can. This was their first album without a lead vocalist. During this period, Can had released some of the most groundbreaking music of the late-sixties and early seventies. This continued with Soon Over Babaluma.
Can released Soon Over Babaluma in November 1974. It featured the ambient sound that Can pioneered on their previous album, Future Days. Critically acclaimed, and featuring a myriad of beeps, squeaks and sci-fi sounds, Soon Over Babaluma is like musical journey into another, 21st Century dimension. A musical tapestry where layers of music are intertwined during five tracks, Soon Over Babaluma, which I’ll tell you about, brought to a close the most fruitful period of Can’s career.
Dizzy Dizzy opens Soon Over Babaluma. Moody and atmospheric describes the arrangement. A whispery scat, scratchy strings and drums combine with crystalline, sometimes, wah-wah guitar. Soon, Can are in the groove. From this groove, the song emanates. It’s as if this is an example of Can’s spontaneous composition. Through jamming, then with Holger editing the end result the song evolves. When he’s finished this is the result, an innovative fusion of musical genres. Everything from ambient, country, electronica, folk, funk, jazz, Kraturock and rock is combine as Can continue their quest to reinvent themselves.
Can spring a series of surprises on Come Sta, La Luna. Driven along by the rhythm section, the arrangement is slow and moody. Harmonies interject, and with the piano add drama. Then there’s the return of the sinister scat. It’s as if we’re eavesdropping on someone unravelling. Meanwhile sound effects, piano and the broody vocal combine with a myriad of percussion as the arrangement takes on a jazz-tinged, ambient sound. Other times, the music is dramatic, discordant and veers towards folk, jazz and rock. Gypsy violins, melancholy horns and percussion are all thrown into the melting pot, as the music becomes cinematic and theatrical. Multilayered, full of nuances and subtleties, it’s a pioneering, groundbreaking piece of art. Describing this track as just music, doesn’t do it justice.
Splash explodes into life, allowing Can the chance to showcase their versatility. Seamlessly and peerlessly, they combine musical genres. A myriad of musical influences unite. So do a multitude of instruments. Some are transformed. In the hands of Can, their sonic possibilities seem infinite. Instruments are reinvented as Can maraud their way across the arrangement. Driven along by a thunderous rhythm section, grizzled horns, screeching strings, blistering guitars and percussion Can push musical boundaries. Avant-garde, experimental and free jazz join forces with Krautrock and Latin are added to this lysergic, musical pot pourri. Groundbreaking, defiant and bold, Can go where no group dared go before.
Chain Reaction is best described as an eleven minute epic. With a sci-fi, cinematic sound, it’s as if we’re heading on a musical journey to another dimension. Drums pound, synths bubble and searing guitars herald the start of this journey. Can lock into a groove and explore it to its fullest. Crystalline guitars chime, while the drums provide the thunderous heartbeat. Percussion and sci-fi synths augment the arrangement as the arrangement makes fleeting visits to musical genres. Funk, jazz, Krautrock, ambient and rock are all combined. As Can maraud their way through musical genres, blistering mating gun guitar licks are unleashed. Groove laden, edgy, funky, jazz-tinged, pioneering and cinematic, Chain Reaction is all this more.
Quantum Physics closes Soon Over Babaluma. Broody, moody and haunting, it’s akin to a track from a movie soundtrack. Over nine minutes, washes of eerie, haunting synths, ethereal, chilling vocals, crashing cymbals and dramatic drums play their part in the track’s cinematic sound. This could easily be the soundtrack to a film. The music conjures up pictures, that unfold before your eyes. They’re chilling, haunting, eerie, atmospheric and sometimes, sinister. Ambient, minimalist, experimental and post modern describes this track’s cinematic 21st Century sound. This seems a fitting way to end not just Soon Over Babaluma, but Can’s golden period, when they could do no wrong.
When it was released in November 1974, Soon Over Babaluma was released to critical acclaim. Sadly, it wasn’t a commercial success. Granted it found an audience, but not the audience it deserved. Like most of Can’s albums, Soon Over Babaluma was more of an underground album, rather than a widespread commercial success. It seemed that history was repeating itself all over again. Can, didn’t enjoy the commercial success their music deserved. They weren’t alone.
Can followed in the footsteps of a whole host of innovative artist who didn’t enjoy the commercial success their music enjoyed. Among them are Velvet Underground and Frank Zappa, two artists who influenced Can. A small crumb of comfort for Can was that they went on to influence several generations of musicians. There’s a reason for this.
The music Can released was pioneering. Inventive, influential and innovative, although it was only twelve years since The Beatles released Love Me Do, this was a musical revolution. Rather than evolution, Can believed in revolution. The revolution began in 1969, with Monster Movies. Through Monster Movie, Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi and Future Days Can pushed musical boundaries to their limits. Sometimes, they were pushed to breaking point and beyond. The result was music whose influence has been far reaching.
A fusion of ambient, avant-garde, electronic, experimental, funk, industrial, jazz, psychedelia and rock, Can’s music went on to influence several generation of musicians. They were won over by Can’s genre-melting music. That’s the case on Soon Over Babaluma. The music is bold, challenging, innovative, inventive and influential. As always, it’s a case of expect the unexpected. Can after all, are no ordinary band. No way. Their music is exciting, innovative and progressive, where a fusion of musical influences and genres became one. That’s how I’d describe Soon Over Babaluma, Can’s sixth album, which marked the end of their golden period of creativity and innovation.
CAN-SOON OVER BABALUMA.
BUSHMAN’S REVENGE-THOU SHALT NOT BOOGIE!
BUSHMAN’S REVENGE-THOU SHALT NOT BOOGIE!
Never before have I heard of a band named after a range of hot sauce. That’s until I came across Norwegian trio Bushman’s Revenge. The band discovered Bushman’s Revenge during a trip to South Africa back in 2003. During that trip, they enjoyed several memorable encounters with Bushman’s Revenge. It made a lasting impression. So much so, that when they discovered they’d a concert to play, but no name for their band, they decided to call their band Bushman’s Revenge. That was 2003. Now ten years later, Bushman’s Revenge are about to release their sixth album, Thou Shalt Not Boogie! It will be released on Rune Grammofon on 20th January 2014. Thou Shalt Not Boogie finds Bushman’s Revenge doing what they do best. For the uninitiated, that’s fusing free jazz, prog rock and power rock.
On Thou Shalt Not Boogie!, Bushman’s Revenge combine their love for free jazz and prog rock. Bushman’s Revenge draw inspiration from an eclectic selection of musical influences, including Sun Ra, Cream, Alice Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Cream, Black Sabbath, The Pixies and Sonny Sharrock. This is a potent and compelling combination of musical influences which sonically, describes what Bushman’s Revenge’s music sounds like. This heady brew of musical genres and influences has been winning friends and influencing people since 2003.
That’s when guitarist Even Helte Hermansen, bassist Rune Nergaard and drummer and vibes player Gard Nilssen founded Bushman’s Revenge. They shared a love of free jazz and prog rock. They’re all talented and experienced musicians, who are stalwarts of Norway’s music scene. Having honed their sound by playing live for four years, Bushman’s Revenge released their debut album in 2007.
Bushman’s Revenge released their debut album Cowboy Music in 2007. It was released on the Jazzaway label. After that, Bushman’s Revenge next four albums were released on Rune Grammofon.
You Lost Me At Hello was released in 2009, with Jitterbug following in 2010. Then in 2012, Bushman’s Revenge released two albums, A Little Bit Of A Big Bonanza and Never Mind The Botox. Bushman’s Revenge last release, was their live album Electric Komle-Live.
Just like their five studio albums, Electric Komle-Live, which was released in 2013, found Bushman’s Revenge pushing musical boundaries. It was proof, if any was needed, why Bushman’s Revenge have established a reputation as one of Norway’s most innovative and inventive bands. One of its trailblazing bands is Bushman’s Revenge, who have been working on their sixth studio album.
Recording of Thou Shalt Not Boogie took place at Athletic Sound Studios, in Halden Norway. Situated close to the Swedish border, it was founded by Kai Anderson in 1983. It’s one of the few studios to record only on tape. Their are three separate rooms within the complex, but none of the doors are kept shut. So essentially, the three rooms become one. Famed for its warm sound, which will be helped by the use of tape only, Athletic Sound Studios was the perfect place to record Thou Shalt Not Boogie.
Thou Shalt Not Boogie features just five tracks, which were written by guitarist Even Helte Hermansen. Two of the tracks, Baklengs Inn I Fuglekassa and Kugeln Und Kraut are lengthy pieces. They allow Bushman’s Revenge to push musical boundaries and fuse musical genres. During Baklengs Inn I Fuglekassa Bushman’s Revenge pay homage to one of their musical heroes, Alice Coltrane. It’s a compelling musical journey, which like the other tracks, were arranged and produced by Bushman’s Revenge. The result is one of their most ambitious and groundbreaking album of their career, Thou Shalt Not Boogie, which I’ll tell you about.
Opening Thou Shalt Boogie! is I Am An Astronaut. Wistful washes of David Wallumrod’s Hammond organ play their part in the arrangement’s ambient sound. That’s just a curve ball. Soon, it’s all change. The drama builds and there’s a change in direction. Bushman’s Revenge become a power trio. Driven along by Gard Nilssen’s drums, seamlessly they fuse prog rock and jazz. Kicking loose, Bushman’s Revenge unleash thundering drums rolls and searing, scorching guitar licks. Their love of prog rock, Black Sabbath and Cream shines through. Feeding off each other, they roll back the years, creating a track that pays year to the golden age of rock music. What a way to start Thou Shalt Boogie.
Baklengs Inn I Fuglekassa is a seventeen minute epic. As it unfolds, the arrangement is understated and thoughtful, becoming melancholy and cinematic. Then it’s all change. As Rune’s bass powers the arrangement along, the band march to the beat of Gard’s drums. Even unleashes some fiery guitar licks, as Bushman’s Revenge draw inspiration from seventies prog rock. Slow, dramatic and almost menacing, Even’s guitar playing is at the heart of the track’s success, augmented by guest artist David Wallumrod’s Hammond organ. It adds to the prog rock influence. Later, it’s all change, when the arrangement takes on a droning, hypnotic sound. There’s a free jazz influence as the track takes on a meditative, blissful Eastern sound. That’s because of the Indian struti box. Meandering along, the bass pulsates, cymbals hiss and Bushman’s Revenge to awake from their slumbers. A droning sound signals the band’s awakening as they power their way to this Magnus Opus’ dramatic, genre-melting crescendo paying homage to Alice Coltrane.
Slow and moody describes the start of Waltz Me Baby, Waltz Me All Night Long. With Bushman’s Revenge however, anything could happen. Rock, jazz, avant-garde and ambient combine to create a broody, but beautiful, cinematic sound. As drums mark time, the crystalline guitar takes centre-stage. Ethereal and wistful, the rest of the arrangement envelops it. Growing in power and drama, the Hammond organ proves a perfect foil for the guitar. Together, they create a truly captivating, beautiful and dramatic track.
Scorching rocky guitars that sound as if they’d be equally at home on a Black Sabbath album open Kugeln Und Kraut. Drums power along the arrangement while machine gun guitar licks are fired across the bows of the arrangement. Soon, Bushman’s Revenge become a tight musical unit. They’re locked in the groove, the rhythm section driving the arrangement along, augmented by the Hammond organ. Guitar licks are sprayed across the arrangement. Peerlessly, Even unleashes blistering searing licks. Mostly they’re rocky. Other times, his playing veers from funky to jazz-tinged. Similarly, the band veer between heavy metal, prog rock and jazz. Truly, they’re a hugely talented and versatile band who seamlessly, flit between musical genres, whilst proving a master of all.
Closing Thou Shalt Boogie! is Hurra For Mamma. Although it’s just a two minute track, you’re life is all the better having heard it. It’s best described as sounding like a lost Beatles track. Crystalline guitars are at the heart of the track’s success. They’re helped by a moody bass and keyboards. Together pop, psychedelia and jazz combine to create a melancholy, wistful track that leaves you wanting to hear more of Bushman´s Revenge, much more.
Thou Shalt Boogie! was the sixth album of Bushman’s Revenge’s career. Of these six albums, there’s no doubt, this is their finest album. It’s an example of a tight and talented band who have spent the last ten years honing their sound. This has paid off. On Thou Shalt Boogie! Bushman’s Revenge veer between musical genres. There’s everything from ambient, blues, free jazz, prog rock, psychedelia and rock. Sometimes, Bushman’s Revenge seamlessly switch between musical genres. They throw a series of curveballs, lulling you into a false sense of security. Then they spring a surprise.
From a cinematic sounding ambient track, Bushman’s Revenge kick out the jams and become a hard rocking power trio. At times like that, they sound as if they’ve been influenced by Black Sabbath, Cream and the New York Dolls. Other times, their music sounds as if it’s been influenced by free jazz musicians Sun Ra, Cream, Alice Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. Seamlessly, Bushman’s Revenge are capable of flitting between musical genres. Soon, you learn to expect the unexpected. You can never tell where a track is going. Even, Rune and Gard are constantly throwing curveballs during Thou Shalt Boogie! Helping them to do this was guest artist David Wallumrod. He was ying to Bushman’s Revenge’s yang on Thou Shalt Boogie!
Usually, Bushman’s Revenge are a trio. On Thou Shalt Boogie! David’s addition augmented the band’s usual sound. This worked really well. He played his part in making Thou Shalt Boogie! the best album in the ten year and six album career of Bushman’s Revenge. Like a fine wine, Bushman’s Revenge are maturing with age. Each album is better than the one that preceded it. The best of the lot is Thou Shalt Boogie! which will be released by Rune Grammofon on 20th January 2014. Quite simply, Thou Shalt Boogie! is essential listening for anyone who loves good music and is the perfect introduction to one of Norway’s best bands, Bushman’s Revenge.
BUSHMAN’S REVENGE-THOU SHALT NOT BOOGIE!
THE BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2013-PART 1.
THE BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2013-PART 1.
On the last day of the year, I always publish my list of the best albums I’ve reviewed during 2013. This year, I’ve expanded it to my top thirty albums. That’s a reflection of the quality of music released during 2013. What follows is an eclectic selection of music. It’s far from predictable. There’s a reason for that. I’ve dug deeper than most bloggers in my quest for the best music being released. What follows is the creme de la creme of music released during 2013.
ARP-MORE.
Three years after the release of his sophomore album The Soft Wave, ARP returned with More, which was released in 16th September 2013 on Smalltown Supersound. During the last three years, much has changed for Alexis Georgopoulis a.k.a. ARP. Having toured The Soft Wave, he decided to take a break from touring. Instead, he wanted to concentrate on a much wider range of projects. For Alexis, this opened up a whole new world of opportunities.
Ever since his days as a member of Tussle, the first group Alexis Georgopoulis joined, he’s always been a leading light in the American art scene. He’s an innovator, whose determined to push boundaries and challenge norms. That’s been the story of Alexis’ career and a reason why he’s been commissioned for cutting-edge projects. Just as cutting edge, was More his third album.
More is Alexis Georgopoulis best album so far. A genre-sprawling album, More draws inspiration from everything from ambient, art-rock, avant-garde, baroque, blues, classical, dub, gospel, jazz, Krautrock, pop, post-punk, psychedelia, punk, rock and rock ‘n’ roll. Then there’s influences that include Al Stewart, the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Pink Floyd, Robyn Hitchcock, Roxy Music and The Beatles. Influenced by a myriad of genres and influences, ARP’s music evokes a variety of emotions.
Veering between atmospheric and evocative to beautiful and ethereal, the twelve soundscapes on ARP’s More can also be describes as melancholy and wistful. Ranging from understated right through to dramatic, the music on More is intriguing, eclectic and mesmeric. It’s also music that’s bewitching and beautiful. The reason for that is Alexis’ different approach to making music.
Having forsaken his trusty analog synths, Alexis has found both his voice, plus a much more eclectic selection of instruments. Alexis’ voice bristles with emotion, but can just as easily have an ethereal quality. Other times, it has a wonderful worldweary, lived-in sound. Reminiscent of Bryan Ferry, Roger Waters and Robyn Hitchcock, Alexis’ newly found voice is his hidden weapon. Then there a bass, guitars, harmonies, harpsichord, horns and keyboards, plus a myriad of samples. All this and More, much, much, More went into the making of ARP’s third album, More, which is one of the finest albums I’ve heard this 2013.
ARVE HENRIKSEN-PLACES OF WORSHIP.
Ever since his career began, Norwegian jazz trumpeter Arve Henriksen has been on a mission to reinvent the jazz trumpet. Arve’s raison d’etre has been to push musical boundaries and challenge musical norms. He’s taken the jazz trumpet to destinations its previously never dared visit. That’s why twenty-two years after his first featured on Bjorn Alterhaug’s Constellations, Arve has established a reputation as a world class and innovative trumpeter. That’s why he’s the go-to-guy for anyone looking for an inventive, imaginative and innovative trumpeter. That’s apparent on his fourth album Places Of Worship
Although ostensibly a jazz album, Places Of Worship is much more than that. Arve Henriksen fuses contemporary jazz with classical, ambient and electronic music. Samples, synths and drum machines are every bit as important as what most people would consider “jazz instruments.” Without the synths, samples and drum machines, the double bass and Arve’s trumpet wouldn’t get the opportunity to shine. On Places Of Worship, Arve Henriksen combines the old and new. In doing so, he creates the music of the future.
Having called Places Of Worship the music of the future, it’s not futuristic. No.Despite that, it’s inventive, innovative and imaginative. It’s also understated, subtle and thoughtful. Melancholy and wistful, Places Of Worship is very much cerebral, mood music. The ten tracks are a thoughtful musical journey. You think about the music and what it means. Pictures are painted and you can imagine the pictures Arve Henriksen is painting. They’re variously calm, minimalistic, pastoral, ethereal, bleak and beautiful. This has allowed Arve Henriksen to continue on his journey to make inventive, imaginative and innovative music.
The ten tone poems and mood pieces on Places Of Worship are of the quality of music we’ve come to expect from Arve Henriksen. He’s not just one of the top trumpeters in Norway, but the world. A world class and innovative musician, Arve Henriksen’s raison d’etre is to push musical boundaries and challenge musical norms. He’s done that on Places Of Worship…and much more. So much so, that on Places Of Worship Arve Henriksen takes jazz music to destinations its previously never dared visit before.
ASTRO SONIC-COME CLOSER AND I’LL TELL YOU.
The sonic landscape that is Astro Sonic’s debut album Come Closer and I’ll Tell You, isn’t like most other albums. Far from it. Recorded during these three days at the Svenska Grammofon Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden, Astro Sonic use their musical palette to push musical boundaries. Seamlessly, musical genres melt into eleven sonic landscapes. Mostly improvised, Astro Sonic look to the past to create the music of the future. Drawing inspiration from ambient, avant-garde, electronica, Krautrock, synth impro and free jazz, seamlessly, musical genres unite during eleven sonic landscapes. These sonic soundscapes paint evocative pictures.
Astro Sonic sound as if they’ve sought inspiration for Come Closer and I’ll Tell You from the rugged Scandanavian landscape. Close your eyes, and you head off on a musical journey. Ethereal beauty becomes haunting, broody, moody and magnificent. Sometimes, Come Closer and I’ll Tell You is spellbinding and breathtaking. Always, it’s compelling and has you spellbound. Considering Come Closer and I’ll Tell You is Astro Sonic’s debut album, which was released in December 2013, on Hubro Music, that’s quite remarkable.
As debut albums go, Astro Sonic’s Come Closer and I’ll Tell You is one of the best I’ve heard in the last few years. Over eleven soundscapes, Astro Sonic use their musical palette to create one of the most ambitious and groundbreaking albums of 2013. To do this, they’ve drawn inspiration from a whole host of musical influences. Everything from ambient, avant-garde, EDM, electronica, free jazz, industrial, jazz, Krautrock, postindustrial, post-rock, prog rock, psychedelia and synth wave play their part in Come Closer and I’ll Tell You. When all this is combined, the result is an album that’s a cinematic musical adventure.
Cinematic is the best way to describe Come Closer and I’ll Tell You. It conjurs up pictures and scenarios. Haunting, atmospheric and evocative, many of the tracks have a futuristic, sci-fi sound. Instantly, you’re transported into this space-age, 21st Century world. Other tracks are understated, eerie, moody and broody, while others are melancholy, wistful and pensive. That adds to Come Closer and I’ll Tell You cinematic quality. Sometimes, moderne describes the music on Come Closer and I’ll Tell You. Dance music and rock are added to the mix as Astro Sonic create tomorrow’s music today. That’s the perfect way to describe such ambitious,
Ambitious, moody, broody and pensive, plus dramatic, melodramatic, melancholy and beautiful. These are just some of the words that describe Come Closer and I’ll Tell You. It’s an album that variously, washes over you, embraces you, challenges you and forces you to think, as it paints pictures in your mind’s eye. Come Closer and I’ll Tell You is best described as the soundtrack to a film that’s yet to be made. With Astro Sonic supplying the music, all you need to do, is supply the pictures to Come Closer and I’ll Tell You, one of the most evocative, atmospheric and cinematic albums of 2013.
BILAL-A LOVE SURREAL.
Born in 1979, and raised in Philly, Bilal Oliver Sayeed’s career began when he was just twenty. Having left Philly, Bilal moved a hundred miles to New York, where he began to become a familiar face within the city’s music scene. Soon, he knew artists across the hip and Nu-Soul scene, including Common, Erykah Badu and The Roots. Then when he was taking part in an after-school jam session, Bilal was discovered by Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors. Aaron arranged for Bilal to record a demo, which was shopped to record labels. Eventually, Bilal signed to Inerscope Records, where he released his debut album 1st Born Second in 2001. Since then, much has happened to Bilal. He’s released two further albums, 2006s Love For Sale and 2010s Airtight’s Revenge, and at one time, was considering quitting music. Now, three years after 2010s Airtight’s Revenge, comes his fourth album A Love Surreal. Inspired by the art of legendary surrealist painter Salvador Dail, A Love Surreal is Bilal’s most ambitious and innovative project to date.
Three years after the release of Bilal’s previous album, Airtight’s Revenge, where he started reinventing himself and his music, this continues on A Love Surreal. During the fourteen tracks on A Love Surreal, Bilal fuses musical genres and influences. There’s everything from soul, funk and jazz, through hip hop, country, sixties psychedlia and rock, including West Coast rock on A Love Surreal. The result is an album that’s a genre-sprawling, innovative album, inspired by surrealism.
Bilal was inspired by the paintings of Salvador Dail. So, he set about creating his most ambitious album to date. He set about creating an album that was “an audio art gallery or musical museum.” This was A Love Surreal, a suite of music that reflected Dali’s paintings. The other side of A Love Surreal was to investigate the many nuances of love. This was quite an ambitious challenge, but one that Bilal succeeded in. He created his “audio art gallery or musical museum.” The fourteen tracks on A Love Surreal create the backdrop for a surrealist film that’s yet to be made. Instead, the music on A Love Surreal conjurs up images in your mind’s eye. A Love Surreal is an evocative, emotive and innovative album, where Bilal takes you on a surrealist journey via soul, funk and jazz, through hip hop, country, sixties psychedlia and rock. In March 2013, BBE Music released A Love Surreal, where Bilal continues to reinvent himself and his music, with an innovative, genre-sprawling, homage to Salvador Daii.
CAMERA OBSCURA-DESIRE LINES.
There aren’t many bands who announce on their website that they’re on maternity leave. Camera Obscura do. They’re another Scottish band who do things their way. So far, that’s worked well. They’ve released five albums since they were formed in Glasgow in 1996. Their most recent album, was Desire Lines, which recently released on 4AD. Desire Lines saw Camera Obscura change direction musically.
For two albums, Camera Obscura had worked with Swedish producer, Jari Haapalainen of The Bear Company. He’d produced their third album, 2006s Let’s Get Out Of This Country, then the followup, 2009s My Maudlin Career. Despite My Maudlin Career being Camera Obscura’s most successful album, Jari was replaced as producer. Camera Obscura decided to move their music forward. They’d been accused of sticking with the same formula. Certain critics accused My Maudlin Career of sounding like Let’s Get Out Of This Country. That must have stung. So Camera Obscura headed to Portland, Oregon, where Tucker Marine produced Desire Lines. Making guest appearances, were Neko Case and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. This was a brave move for Camera Obscura. After all, they’d enjoyed the most successful album of their career with My Maudlin Career.
Camera Obscura’s decision to change producer was a risk worth taking. From an artistic point of view, Desire Lines surpasses everything that’s gone before. Sadly, it didn’t quite replicate the commercial success of My Maudlin Career. Released to critical acclaim, it still gave the band a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Another chapter in Camera Obscura’s seventeen year musical story was finished. It was the best of their career. Desire Line featured Camera Obscura at their cerebral, literate and intelligent best. Witty, quirky, but full of hurt, heartbreak and regret, Desire Lines is ethereal, elegant and beautiful. Hook-laden, slick, slices of pop perfection, Desire Lines is pop music at its best.
CHVRCHES-THE BONES OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE.
One of the most highly anticipated albums of recent years is Chvrches’ The Bones Of What You Believe. What makes the rise and rise of Chvrches so remarkable, is Chvrches were founded just two years ago in 2011. Everything has happened so quickly for Lauren Mayberry, Ian Cook and Martin Doherty. They’ve spent the last two years touring the world converting people to their unique brand of shimmering electro-pop. Britain, Europe, Canada and America gave been conquered by Chvrches. Somehow, Chvrches have also found the time to release a four singles and a trio of E.Ps, including the recently released Gun E.P. These singles were a tantalising taste of the main event, Chvrches highly anticipated debut album The Bones Of What You Believe, which was released in September 2013 on Virgin.
Released to critical acclaim, The Bones Of What You Believe is a taste of what Chvrches are capable of. One of the most highly anticipated albums of recent years, The Bones Of What You Believe, not only lived up to expectations, but surpassed them. The Bones Of What You Believe features innovative, inventive music. It’s pioneering electro-pop, full of shimmering synths and the ethereal beauty of Lauren Mayberry’s vocal. Her vocal is reminiscent of Liz Fraser of The Cocteau Twins. Along with Ian Cook and Martin Doherty, Chvrches fuse electro pop, house, synth pop, Euro Disco, indie rock and soul. Dance-floor friendly, anthemic, soulful and full of slick poppy hooks, The Bones Of What You Believe is pop perfection. That’s why Chvrches will be Scotland’s next big musical export. Many have been contenders for the title, now it looks like Chvrches with their unique sound, will claim it as their own.
Chvrches have restored my faith in modern music. I’m pleased that still, there are a group capable of making the perfect pop song. That’s what The Bones Of What You Believe is. It’s a reminder of what a classic pop song sounds like. For everyone who says pop music is dead, play them The Bones Of What You Believe. That’ll prove them wrong. Pop music is alive and kicking, and Chvrches’ debut album The Bones Of What You Believe is the future and salvation of pop music.
DOM LA NENA-ELA.
Not many people are willing to devote their life to music. No. It takes a very special person to make the sacrifices that are needed to master an instrument. Most people are unwilling to make the commitment that’s required. This wasn’t the case for Dom La Nena. From the moment the Brazilian born chanteuse first discovered the cello, it was literally love at first sight. Since then, the Brazilian born cellist and vocalist’s life has revolved around music. That was the first step in a musical journey that lead to the release Dom La Nena’s debut album Ela. It was released in October 2013, on the Six Degrees label and marked the debut of a hugely talented artist.
Ela, is a beautiful, but melancholy album. It’s a poignant and powerful window into the world of Dom La Nena. The thirteen songs feature mostly understated, acoustic arrangements. This allows Dom’s vocal to take centre-stage. You’re spellbound by each of her vocals. She’s a natural storyteller, whose worldweary, wistful voice brings the lyrics to life. Despite being sung in Portuguese and Spanish, you can feel, share and empathize with her pain and anguish. Dom sounds a complex character, whose music is a reflection of her childhood.
First of all, Dom and her family moved from Brazil to Paris. Aged just eight, she left behind her friends and had to travel across the world. She had meet new friends and make a new life. Then there was the language barrier. This couldn’t have been easy. Then five years later, she moved from France back to Brazil. Then came the biggest decision of her life. Aged just thirteen, Dom left home and headed to Buenos Aries. Leaving behind friends and family, she followed her dream of becoming a professional musician. In doing this, she sacrificed so much, maybe too much? Some would say she sacrificed her childhood? Traveling to Argentina she spent five years there. From her songs, they weren’t always happy times. Bittersweet times they were. From Argentina, Dom headed back to France. Living a nomadic existence, she never puts roots down. That’s what makes No Meu Pais autobiographical.
Indeed, many of the songs on Ela are autobiographical. Featuring articulate, intelligent lyrics, Ela is an emotional roller coaster journey that many people can relate to. After all, many people have made sacrifices that later, they wonder whether were worthwhile? In Dom’s case, it’s a journey full of highs and lows. Sadly, it seems the lows outnumber the highs. That’s why one song epitomises Dom La Nena’s music. That song is Saudade. It’s a Brazilian word that describes a deep-rooted sense of loss or longing. To me, that describes much of Dom’s music. That’s also why Dom’s music is so moving, poignant and powerful.
As an outsider looking in, Ela was an opportunity for Dom La Nena to reflect on her unorthodox life so far. I wonder whether she thinks that the sacrifices she made were worthwhile? Listening to the songs on Ela, melancholia is almost a constant companion for Dom. So often, her voice sounds melancholy, wistful and distant. It’s as if the songs bring back memories, some she’d rather forget. Maybe, Ela will prove cathartic for Dom La Nena, and this outpouring of emotion and memories will help her to move on and enjoy the next chapters in what I’m sure will be a long and successful musical journey?
DONSO-DEFILA.
The story of how Donso’s debut album Defila, which was recently released by Comet Records, begins back in 2008. That was when French electro producer and owner of Ed Banger Records, Pierre Antoine Grison met Thomas Guillaume. Pierre was sitting in his Paris flat when he heard his neighbor playing a musical instrument he’d never heard before. Intrigued and more that a little curious, he decided to find out what this instrument was?
When Pierre met Thomas, he discovered he’d been hearing a donso n’goni. It was the sacred instrument of The Hunters, a West African brotherhood. They’re famed for their mystical abilities and their powerful, spiritual music, donso trance. Thomas had been traveling between France and Southern Mali, learning not just to play the donso n’goni, but to master it. The donso n’goti was an instrument you didn’t just learn but mastered. For Thomas, it was akin to learning a craft. That’s what he been doing before he met Pierre. Soon, Thomas introduced Pierre to donso trance, which was the start of a friendship that resulted in them forming Donso and eventually, releasing Defila.
Defila is best described as a compelling and hypnotic album. An emotional musical journey, Donso are musical pioneers. On Defila, they fuse the ancient, sacred sounds of donso trance with 21st Century electronic music. Here, religious and secular sit happily side by side. The sacred sound of donso trance is fused with electro, rock, psychedelia, dub, techno and dubstep. This proves to be compelling combination of musical genres and influences. Best described as joyous, spiritual, uplifting, hypnotic and mesmeric, Defila’s eclectic music veers between moody and broody to ethereal and beautiful. Defila is all this and more. It’s also an introduction to the multitalented Donso and their equally talented friends, who are responsible for Defila, a truly genre-melting album.
HUNTSVILLE-PAST INCREASING, FUTURE RECEDING.
A mausoleum sounds an unlikely place to record an album. Even unlikelier is a mausoleum whose walls are covered with frescos painted by one of the greatest Norwegian artists of the nineteenth century. However unlikely this sounds, Emanuel Vigeland’s Mausoleum is proving a popular, but unlikely place both for Norwegian musicians. Over the past few years, the Mausoleum has been transformed into both a concert hall and recording studio. Why? The reason to this simple, its acoustics.
A truly atmospheric, double-barrelled room, daylight never finds its way into the Mausoleum. In many ways, its the antithesis of the modern recording studio. Nowadays, recording studios are light, airy places, full of the latest recording equipment. That doesn’t necessary make them a good place to record an album. That requires good acoustics, and the Mausoleum has that. This includes Huntsville’s Past Increasing, Future Receding which was released in 7th October 2013 on Hubro Music.
Past increasing, Future Receding picks up where they left off with Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars. A trio of atmospheric and evocative soundscapes, it’s minimalist music that paints pictures. Bold, brave and inventive, it’s innovative and imaginative music. I’d also describe Past increasing, Future Receding as cerebral cinematic soundscapes. Sometimes, it’s full of futuristic, sci-fi sounds, that pique your imagination. That’s why it’s articulate and intelligent music. Other times, it’s moody and broody, but can just as easily become crystalline and ethereal, as influences and genres melt into one.
Past increasing, Future Receding is an eclectic melting pot of influences and genres. Listen carefully and you’ll hear Brian Eno, Can, Neu, the Cocteau Twins, Robin Guthrie, Harold Budd and Mind Over Midi. Everything from ambient music, free jazz, Flamenco, folk and Krautrock melt magically in Huntsville’s musical melting pot. These influences and genres play their part in what’s the best album of Huntsville’s career, Past increasing, Future Receding.
Recorded in June 2012, at Emanuel Vigeland’s Mausoleum, Past increasing, Future Receding which will be released on 7th October 2013 on Hubro Music was Huntsville’s fourth album. Past increasing, Future Receding is also Huntsville’s best album. It surpasses even the critically acclaimed For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars. That was Huntsville’s Magnus Opus. Not any more. It’s been surpassed by Past increasing, Future Receding, an innovative, inventive and atmospheric album.
ISRAEL NASH GRIPKA-ISRAEL NASH’S RAIN PLAINS.
One of music’s best kept secrets is Israel Nash Gripka, who recently released his third album Israel Nash’s Rain Plains on Loose Music. A fusion of classic rock, psychedelia, alt country and folk, Israel Nash’s Rain Plains is a musical coming of age for Israel Nash Gripka. Israel Nash’s Rain Plains surpasses his two previous albums, 2009s New York Town and 2011s Barn Doors and Concrete Floors. As albums go, Israel Nash’s Rain Plains should be a game changer.
During the last seven years, Israel has concentrated on honing his sound and building a fan-base. To do this, Israel’s spent much of the last seven years on the road. So much so, that Israel is familiar with many small and medium-sized venues throughout Europe. Surely, after Israel Nash’s Rain Plans the venues will be getting bigger, as will Israel’s record sales? That should be the case. After all, Israel Nash Gripka is a talented singer, songwriter, musician and now producer. The only thing that can derail the rise and rise of Israel’s career are accusations that his music isn’t new. With its undeniable vintage sound and similarities to Neil Young, some people have wondered are we hearing the real Israel Nash Gripka?
Granted there are similarities with Neil Young on Israel Nash’s Rain Plans and Israel sounds as if he’s been influenced by the music of the late-sixties and early-seventies. That’s no bad thing though, given how much important music was recorded then, Israel is neither the first nor the last person to be influenced by this era. However, there’s much more to his music than that. There’s the Atl Country of the nineties, plus traditional country music, Americana, blues, folk, sixties-psychedelia and rock. He’s taken this eclectic selection of influences and genres, then given them his own twist. The result is Israel Nash’s Rain Plans, a refreshingly eclectic album where each track offers something different and new.
As musical journeys go, Israel Nash’s Rain Plans is one I can recommend. It’s a journey you’ll relish and revel in. Twists, turns and surprises aplenty await the unwary on Israel Nash’s Rain Plans. Each time you play Israel Nash Gripka, you’re guaranteed to hear something new. Some subtlety or nuance reveals itself. That’s no surprise though. Israel Nash’s Rain Plans is best described as a musical tapestry of influences and genres, and should be the album that transforms Israel Nash Gripka’s career.
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