STEVE TIBBETTS-HIS ECM RECORDS YEARS.
Steve Tibbetts-His ECM Records Years.
Ever since Minnesota born composer and guitarist Steve Tibbetts signed to ECM Records in 1981, the pioneer of sound-forming has only released nine albums for Manfred Eicher’s Munich-based label. These albums document the career of a musical innovator who was introduced to music at an early age.
Steve Tibbetts was born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1954, and growing up, was introduced to the music of the Kingston Trio, Pete Seeger and Johnny Winter by his father, who worked at the University of Wisconsin School for Workers and also taught labour law around the state. Sometimes, Steve Tibbetts’ father invited anything up to twenty union workers and organisers to the family home, where they would eat, and later, would enjoy an impromptu jam session. Initially, Steve Tibbetts would watch as his father and his friends played an assortment of instruments, including autoharps, banjos, flutes, guitars, psalteries and recorders. Before long, Steve Tibbetts found the confidence to standup and take part in the musical evenings, which were good practise for the future.
By 1975, Steve Tibbetts was a student at Macalester College, and spent much of his time listening to music with friends in his dorm. Days were whiled away smoking and listening to everything from John Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders, to Mountain, and sometimes, Paul McCartney and Todd Rundgren. When Steve Tibbetts heard an album that was recorded solely by Todd Rundgren, he believed that he could record a similar type of album. Usually, that would’ve been easier said than done.
Fortunately, Steve Tibbetts was offered a work-study placement at Macalester College’s recording studio, and this allowed him to learn how a studio operated. It was akin to a musical apprenticeship and would prove invaluable as Steve Tibbetts learnt how to operate the equipment, splice and join tape and between 1975 and 1976 record his debut album. By then, the recording studio had become a second home for Steve Tibbetts, and although latterly, he was no longer officially a student, he completed his eponymous debut album in Macalester College’s recording studio.
Steve Tibbetts.
Having completed his eponymous debut album, Steve Tibbetts was released in 1977 on the Cuneiform label. By then, one of the tracks on Steve Tibbetts, Jungle Rhythm, was being used by the ice hockey team the Bay Area Bombers. There was even a rumour that Clive Davis at Arista was interested in signing Steve Tibbetts, and he spent the best part of two weeks waiting for the phone to ring. Despite that disappointment, Steve Tibbetts sold enough copies of his debut album that he was able to but an eight-track tape recorder and set up his own recording studio.
Yr.
In his new recording studio, Steve Tibbetts recorded his sophomore album Yr on his new eight-track tape recorder, and once the album was completed, he began shopping the album to record labels. This proved a thankless task, as Steve Tibbetts the rejection letters dropped through his letterbox. Eventually, they numbered 200, and it wasn’t until 1980 that Frammis released Yr, which was heard by one of the most influential men in European jazz and experimental music.
This was Manfred Eicher, the founder of the Munich-based label ECM Records, who spotted Steve Tibbetts’ potential and signed him in 1981. Since then, ECM Records has been home to Steve Tibbetts, who continued to pioneer sound-forming on his major label debut.
Already, Steve Tibbetts had realised that it was possible to use the recording studio itself as a tool for creating sounds, and this was something that he would pioneer during his career. However, having signed to ECM Records in 1981, he was soon in the studio with Manfred Eicher, who took charge of production.
Northern Song.
Previously, Steve Tibbetts had spent a great deal of time recording his first two albums, but that wasn’t the way that ECM Records’ founder and in-house producer worked. He was used to working quickly, and recording albums over a two or three days. This way of recording worked for most of the artists signed to ECM Records and the label had released many critically acclaimed albums. However, when Steve Tibbetts’ third album and ECM Records’ debut Northern Song was released in 1982, the reviews of what was an adventurous, ambitious and thoughtful album were scathing and critics were far from impressed by the album. For Steve Tibbetts and Manfred Eicher who produced Northern Song, this was a huge blow.
Safe Journey.
Two years later, in 1984, multi-instrumentalist Steve Tibbetts returned with his fourth album Safe Journey. By then, he had returned to his tried and tested way of recording an album, and had spent months recording Safe Journey, which was released to critical acclaim and was the most eclectic album of his career. It featured elements of folk, jazz, modern classical, psychedelia, rock and world music which were combined to create an ambitious and innovative album. Safe Journey was the album that launched Steve Tibbetts’ career at ECM Records.
Exploded View.
When Steve Tibbetts recorded his fifth album Exploded View, he was once again joined by percussionist Marc Anderson, who had played on every album since Northern Song. Marc Anderson’s percussion played an important role in the sound and success of Exploded View, which was released in 1986, and was another eclectic and melodic album, which has been inspired by African, Indian and Moroccan rhythms, and to some extent, the psychedelic and progressive music of the late-sixties and seventies. However, stealing the show was Steve Tibbetts delivers a series of explosive and inventive performances on guitar during this carefully crafted album of soundscapes. It was released to critical acclaim and further enhanced Steve Tibbetts’ reputation.
So did the reissue of Steve Tibbetts’ ECM Records’ debut Northern Song in 1988, which resulted in the album being reappraised by critics. Not for the first time, critics rewrote history, after realising that Northern Song was an ambitious and groundbreaking release that showcased a pioneering musician as he embarked upon his career. Seven years later, and Steve Tibbetts was about to release his sixth album, and fourth for ECM Records, Big Map Idea.
Big Map Idea.
Despite his star being in the ascendancy, Steve Tibbetts seemed in no hurry to release a new album, and his sixth album Big Map Idea wasn’t released until 1989. It was worth the wait and featured a myriad of exotic and ethnic instruments that play their part in an intriguing, mysterious and to some extent, mystical album that is full of twists and turns, as the music on Big Map Idea ebbs and flows, and gradually reveals its secrets. Critics hailed the album as a welcome addition to Steve Tibbetts’ burgeoning discography
The Fall Of Us All .
The next addition to Steve Tibbetts’ discography was The Fall Of Us All, which was released in 1994, five years after Big Map Idea. By then, Steve Tibbetts continued to explore and pioneer sound forming and used the recording studio as an instrument as he continued to create ambitious and innovative music.
Proof of that was The Fall Of Us All, which was another eclectic album that veered between explosive, urgent, uplifting and spiritual as Steve Tibbetts fused elements of Arabian music, art-pop, Eastern sounds, modal jazz, psychedelia, rock and even rock ’n’ roll. The Fall Of Us All was released to widespread critical acclaim and hailed as one of Steve Tibbetts’ finest hours.
Following the success of The Fall Of Us, Steve Tibbetts wasn’t tempted to rush release a new solo album and decided to spend the next few years collaborating with other artists. This included recording a new album with Nepalese Buddhist nun Ani Choying Drolma. In 1997, Steve Tibbetts and Ani Choying Drolma they released their first collaboration Chö, which was well received by critics.
After completing Chö, Steve Tibbetts began recording a new album with Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player, Knut Hamre. Eventually, Steve Tibbetts and Knut Hamre completed the album Å, which was released to plaudits and praise in 1999.
A Man About A Horse.
Eight years after the release of his last solo album Steve Tibbetts returned with A Man About A Horse, which was his sixth release for ECM Records and his eighth solo album. A Man About A Horse was another album with an Eastern influence, and finds Steve Tibbetts eschewing Western scales as the he carves fluid, jagged, rocky and experimental soundscapes. Joining Steve Tibbetts on what was another groundbreaking offering, were percussionists Marc Anderson and Marcus Wise, who play a part in the sound and success of A Man About A Horse. It seemed that Steve Tibbetts’ music was maturing like a fine wine.
Two years after releasing his eighth solo album, Steve Tibbetts and Nepalese Buddhist nun Ani Choying Drolma returned in 2004 with their sophomore album Selwa, which was the followup to their 1997 album Chö. Selwa was an almost flawless collaboration where Eastern and Western music combines seamlessly. It was without doubt, the finest collaboration of Steve Tibbetts’ twenty-seven year career.
After the release of Selwa, Steve Tibbetts didn’t seem in a hurry to release a new album, and preferred to work slowly, as he honed and perfected another ambitious and innovative album. Steve Tibbetts remembered recording Northern Song, which had been in a matter of days, and the scathing reviews were a reminder of the album. That taught him an important lesson, and since then, he worked at his own speed and did things his own way.
Natural Causes.
That was the case when he recorded Natural Causes with his friend Marc Anderson during 2008. In 2010, Steve Tibbetts released his ninth album Natural Causes, which was his first solo album in eight years, and was very different from previous albums. Steve Tibbetts had switched to his father’s Martin D-12-20 12-string acoustic guitar on Natural Causes, which was recorded when he was rethinking his approach to music. This resulted in him studying Bach, Bartók and music theory on a daily basis as he tried to improve himself as a musician.
This paid off, and Natural Causes was released to widespread critical acclaim. Just like his previous albums for ECM Records, Steve Tibbetts was joined by Marc Anderson and they deployed an eclectic array of exotic instruments that accompanied the Martin D-12-20 12-string acoustic guitar. The resulting album, Natural Causes, featured enchanting and captivating multilayered soundscapes that were full of Eastern sounds and was another welcome addition to his discography.
Life Of.
Following the release of Natural Causes, Steve Tibbetts’ fans were already looking forward to his tenth solo album, but deep down, they knew that they were in for a long wait. Steve Tibbetts seems to only release a new solo album every eight years. He had released The Fall Of Us All in 1994, with A Man About A Horse following in 2002 and Natural Causes in 2010. The smart money was on Steve Tibbetts returning with his tenth solo album in 2018. That was the case, with Life Of, being released by ECM Records in May 2018, which marks the octennial appearance of musical pioneer Steve Tibbetts.
For his tenth solo album Life Of, Steve Tibbetts composed thirteen new soundscapes which he decided to record in St. Paul, which was where he had recorded so many of his previous albums. This time, though, it was just a small band that would accompany as he recorded Life Of.
Although Steve Tibbetts is a talented multi-instrumentalist, he decided that he would only play piano and his father’s fifty year old Martin D-12-20 12-string acoustic guitar, that had served him so well on Natural Causes during the recording of Life Of. Joining Steve Tibbetts, was his old friend and percussionist Marc Anderson, who had played on every solo album he had released for ECM Records. The only other musician that joined Steve Tibbetts and Marc Anderson was cellist Michelle Kinney also adds the drones that feature on Life Of. Together, the three musicians began recording what was Steve Tibbetts’ tenth solo album, Life Of which was then mixed at his old alma mater Macalester College. Gradually, Life Of took shape, and was released in May 2018.
The music on Life Of is a quite different from some of Steve Tibbetts’ earlier albums, and features a much more understated and minimalist sound. Life Of features elements of ambient, avant-garde, experimental music, jazz and world music as Steve Tibbetts and his band carefully crafted, understated and minimalist dreamscapes.
They veer between melancholy to meditative and ruminative as the music invites reflection. Other times, the music is broody and moody, or dark and dramatic, while other dreamscapes are cinematic, hopeful, melodic and rich in imagery as Steve Tibbetts and his band paint pictures during Life Of which is a powerful and poignant album that is almost flawless.
Just like Steve Tibbetts’ previous albums, Life Of is a captivating and rewarding album from a musical pioneer whose enjoyed a long and illustrious recording career that has lasted five decades including the ECM Records years.
Steve Tibbetts-His ECM Records Years.
BERT JANSCH-1965-1975.
Bert Jansch-1965-1975.
Although folk singer Bert Jansch was born in Springburn, Glasgow on the ‘3rd’ of November 1943, he spent his formative years living in West Pilton, in Edinburgh, where he later, embarked upon a career as a professional musician. Before long, Bert Jansch was regarded as one of the leading lights of folk scene and looked destined for a long and successful career.
As 1965 dawned, folk singer Bert Jansch was signed to the Transatlantic label, and had released his eponymous debut album to critical acclaim on the ‘16th’ of April 1965. Eight months later, he released the followup It Don’t Bother Me to plaudits and praise. It looked as if the twenty-two year singer was about to enjoy a successful solo career.
With things looking good for Bert Jansch, he returned to the studio in early summer 1966, and was once again, joined by his friend John Renbourn as he recorded Jack Orion. When this third album of traditional folk was released in September 1966, the reviews were mixed. While some critics were won over by the album, and continued to fly the flag for the folk singer, others felt it was a weaker album than its predecessors. Despite that, Bert Jansch’s star was still in the ascendancy.
As 1967, dawned little did Bert Jansch realise that this would one of the most important year of his career. He entered the studio to record his fourth album Nicola in April 1967, which was Bert Jansch’s first folk rock album. When it was released in July 1967, many reviews were positive, but some weren’t sure about the new direction Bert Jansch’s music was heading. Bert Jansch had realised that his music had to evolve to stay relevant, and increase his fan-base. However, this wasn’t the only change made during 1967.
In 1967, Bert Jansch was one of the cofounders of Pentangle, which joined included his friend John Renbourn, Danny Thompson, Danny Cox and Jacqui McShee. They would combine disparate musical genres including blues, folk, folk rock and jazz over the next few years.
Having joined Pentangle, Bert Jansch’s solo career was put on hold as the new band began honing their sound and playing live. Then in 1968, Pentangle released their critically acclaimed debut album The Pentangle on the ’17th’ May 1968. It was followed by another album of folk rock Sweet Child, which was released on the ‘1st’ of November 1968 to plaudits and praise. After this, Bert Jansch’s thoughts turned to completing his sixth solo album.
Bert Jansch had started recording his sixth album in October 1968, and completed the album in November, just after Pentangle released Sweet Child. Two months later, Birthday Blues, which was produced by Shel Talmy, was released in January 1969 and was hailed as one of Bert Jansch’s finest albums. However, it would two years before Bert Jansch returned with the followup to Birthday Blues.
Buoyed by the response to Birthday Blues, Bert Jansch joined the rest of Pentangle and recorded the album Basket Of Light with producer Shel Talmy. When it was released on the ‘28th’ October 1969, it was to critical acclaim as the album reached number forty-three in Britain. Nowadays, Basket Of Light which finds Pentangle fusing folk jazz and fusion is now regarded as a minor classic, and one the Pentangle’s finest hours.
Meanwhile, Bert Jansch was working on his seventh album Rosemary Lane, between June 1970 and January 1971. Despite working on the album on and off for the best part of seventh months, Rosemary Lane, which was produced by Bill Leader received mixed reviews. This was a blow for Bert Jansch who had invested so much of his time into recording Rosemary Lane.
Two months later, and Bert Jansch was back in the studio, and spent three weeks during March 1971, recording Reflection, which was a genre-melting album. Reflection found Pentangle combining Celtic music, country, folk, folk rock, gospel and even funk on what was an ambitious and eclectic album, but one that didn’t find favour with all the critics. Some were unsure of Reflection, and their reviews were far from positive. It was a case of deja vu for Bert Jansch after the response to Rosemary Lane.
Despite the reviews of Rosemary Lane, Pentangle eventually returned to the studio and began work on their sixth album Solomon’s Seal. By then, Pentangle’s contract with Transatlantic had expired amidst arguments and wrangling over royalties. This resulted in Pentangle signing to Warner-Reprise, who had distributed their albums in America. Pentangle released Rosemary Lane on Reprise in September 1972, but the reviews were poor and so were the sales. Things weren’t looking good for Pentangle.
They got even worse when Bert Jansch announced his intention to leave Pentangle on On New Year’s Day, 1973. Melody Maker ran the story Pentangle to split in the first edition of 1973. It was the end of an era, that had ended with a disappointing swan-song that sold badly.
By then, the members of Pentangle had all spent the advances that they had received from Reprise, and owed the company significant sums of money. It would take the band until the early eighties before the advance was paid off. That was still to come, and in 1973, Bert Jansch was looking for a new record label.
He was no longer signed to Transatlantic, and had signed to Pentangle’s old label Reprise. Bert Jansch’s debut for his new label was Moonshine, which was released on Reprise in February 1973. It was produced by Danny Thompson, and saw Bert Jansch combine baroque folk and folk rock which found favour with the critics. However, after just one album, Bert Jansch left Reprise and signed for Charisma Records.
By then, Bert Jansch had written Chambertin which was one of two songs he recorded with Danny Thompson in early 1973 The other was John Renbourn’s Lady Nothing, which later, became part of Bert Jansch’s nine album L.A. Turnaround.
Having signed to Charisma, Bert Jansch began writing the rest of L.A. Turnaround, which was produced by former Monkee, Michael Nesmith, and released to widespread critical acclaim in September 1974. L.A. Turnaround was an album of blues, country rock, folk and folk rock and was hailed as , Bert Jansch’s finest hour.
Buoyed by the critical acclaim and commercial success that L.A. Turnaround, Bert Jansch returned with Santa Barbara Honeymoon in October 1975. It was a good, but not great album and was a disappointing followup to L.A. Turnaround. For Bert Jansch it was a case of what might have been as Santa Barbara Honeymoon failed to build on L.A. Turnaround.Santa Barbara Honeymoon was Bert Jansch’s tenth album since he released his debut in 1965, and was a somewhat disappointing way to close the first decade of his career.
Despite that, the first decade of Bert Jansch’s career was the most prolific and successful of a career that spanned five decades. During the period between 1965 and 1975, Bert Jansch divided his time between his solo carer and his former band Pentangle and by 1975 was regarded as one of the top British folk musicians.
This was just the start for Bert Jansch, who nowadays is regarded as one of the most influential folk musicians of his generation, who between 1965 and 1975 released some of his finest solo albums and was a member of the inimitable and pioneering Pentangle.
Bert Jansch-1965-1975.
THE LIFE AND TIMES Of LARAAJI.
The Life and Times Of Laraaji,
Laraaji’s career has spanned five decades, and during that period, the American multi-instrumentalist has released around forty albums and countless collaborations. Many of these albums were self released by Laraaji on cassettes, and feature his unique and inimitable genre-melting sound. This is best described as a fusion of ambient, avant-garde, experimental and psychedelia which is hypnotic, mesmeric and meditative which features the zither, Mbira and piano. However, Laraaji is best known as a zither player, and as is the man who transformed and reinvented this oft-overlooked traditional instrument.
Having bought a zither in a local pawn shop in the early seventies, Laraaji set about converting it into an electronic instrument. This he succeeded in doing, to the bemusement of traditionalists who saw the zither as an acoustic instrument. Soon, that was no longer the case, as Laraaji began experimenting and playing his newly adapted zither like a piano. Nobody had ever seen this before, not even Brian Eno.
He and Bill Laswell were walking through Washington Square Park, when they came across Laraaji sitting cross-legged on top of a blanket with his eyes closed, played his zither using the open tunings he favoured. Brian Eno watched for a while and realising he was watching a talented musician wrote a message, which he left for Laraaji.
The next day, Brian Eno and Laraaji met and discussed ambient music and electronics. Three weeks later, Laraaji, recorded Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance) at Apple Studios, in Green Street, New York. Once the album was recorded, Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance) was released later in 1980. This album it was hoped would launch Laraaji’s career, and transform the busker’s fortunes.
While Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance) was released to critical acclaim, and is nowadays, considered a cult classic, it didn’t change Laraaji’s life. Three years after Brian Eno ‘discovered’ Laraaji, the zither player back self-releasing albums.
It was only much later that Laraaji’s music was discovered by a wider audience, and in 2017 he released Bring On The Sun and Sun Gong on the All Saints’ label. Tracks form Bring On The Sun and Sun Gong were remixed and re-edited for the Sun Transformations’ album was released by the All Saints label for Record Store Day 2018. These remixes and edits show anther side to Laraaji’s music, and hopefully will introduce this remarkable musician’s music to a new audience. The Laraaji story began in 1943.
In The Beginning.
Laraaji was born Edward Larry Gordon in Philadelphia in 1943, and at early age, moved with his family to New Jersey. That was where Larry studied violin, piano, trombone and took singing lessons. At high school, Larry played in the school band and orchestra. Music was part of his life, and he was exposed to an eclectic range of music.
His family attended the local Baptist church, where Larry heard choral and gospel music, as well as negro spirituals. At home though, he heard very different music.
Larry sat and absorbed everything from jazz to R&B and rock ’n’ roll. However, it was the great piano players that especially inspired Edward Larry Gordon, including Oscar Peterson, Fats Domino and Ahmad Jamal. Over the next months and years, Laraaji spent much of his time listening to music. Still, though, he continued to play the violin, piano, trombone and sang. Music was Larry’s passion and it was no surprise that having graduated from high school this talented multi-instrumentalist 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 DC. During the next few years, Larry totally immersed in music, and where he first discovered marijuana in his second year and also psychedelic drugs. They would play a part in opening Larry’s consciousness during his spiritual awakening, while he would later use marijuana as an aide to the creative process. Before that, it seemed that Larry was destined to pursue a career in music. However, that wasn’t the case.
Laughter: Is The Best Medicine.
After graduating from Howard University, Larry decided not to pursue a career in music, which was a huge surprise to his friends, including this he had studied alongside. Instead, Larry decided to pursue a career as a standup comic. His love of comedy began in college, and 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, the Bitter End 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, Larry had not option to make his debut as a solo artist. He was well received, and this was the start of Larry’s new comedy career. Soon he became a regular on New York’s thriving comedy circuit. However, 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. Soon, she was sending Larry to auditions, and before long, he found himself appearing on television commercials, theatre and even films.
On The Big Screen.
One of these films that Larry appeared in was Putney Swope, which was a comedy directed by Robert Downey which examined the of role race and advertising in America. Putney Swope was very different to anything Larry appeared in before, as much of the film was improvised. This which was new to Larry, but something he coped with in a film, the chairman of an advertising company dies, and the firm’s executive board must elect someone to fill the vacant position. However, each member, is unable to vote for himself, and Swope who was the token African-American on the board is unexpectedly elected chairman. He decides to do things his way, and fires all the staff, apart from a lone white employee. Swope then renames the company Truth and Soul, Inc. and no longer accept represents companies selling tobacco, alcohol, or war toys. The film must have made a big impression on Larry, because when Putney Swope was released it inspired him 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 meditate properly He soon was practising meditation and calisthenics. Larry was also using piano exercises as an outlet which was 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. Soon, Larry was starting to realise just what he could do with music and art now that he had discovered meditation. Discovering meditation was akin to the first part of Larry’s spiritual awakening. Before long, the next part of Larry’s Meditation spiritual awakening took place.
Spiritual Awakening.
Around 1974 or 1975, Larry found himself was living not far from JFK airport, and decided to go out for a walk in the evening. On his return home, he started hearing what he describes as: “the music of the spheres.” This was akin to a cosmic symphony where the music was joyous and celebratory. Larry became part of the music and was at one with the music. The whole experience had a lasting effect and was his spiritual and cosmic awakening.
Suddenly, he understood things that had previously puzzled him. Things now started to make 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, and decided to 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. When Larry heard this, he realised this what he had experienced and was why he was able to describe the music so vividly. His teachers told him that he had reached such a high level of consciousness that he was now able to see things differently from most people. It seemed his spiritual and cosmic awakening was almost complete. Now he decided that he wanted to recreate the music that he heard that night near JFK Airport.
At last, Larry was able to put his musical education to good use. He had always played music, even when he was working as a comedian and actor. Latterly, he’d been playing the Fender Rhodes, but was fed up having to transport such a heavy instrument. One night as he was preparing to go onstage, he told his “cosmic ear” that he would: “like a lighter instrument to share his musical consciousness with the world.”
A few days later, Larry found himself in a pawn shop where he was ready to pawn his guitar when suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice told Larry to swap his guitar for a stringed instrument in the shop window. This he realised was an autoharp, which he was unable to play. However, Larry decided to swap his guitar for the autoharp, and he after that, he headed home, where he was determined to master this new instrument.
A Musical Voyage Of Discovery Begins.
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 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, and he discovered that the possibilities were endless. He was able to begin creating the music that he had 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 which seemed to him the way to play the autoharp. That was until he met Dorothy Carter who was a 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 where he met another innovator.
At the Boston Globe Music Fest, Larry met Steven Halpern who is one of the pioneers of new age music. Meeting Steven Halpern exposed him to music that he never new existed, and changed Larry’s way of thinking. He realised that music didn’t need to follow the structures that he had been taught as a child and at university. Music didn’t need to have a beginning, end or even a melody. Instead, it could be a freeform stream of consciousness. Larry also learnt that there was always 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.
The old saying that the world is a stage proved to be the case for Larry, who made his debut as a busker on the streets of New York in 1978. He had released his first album Celestial Vibration in 1978, which he hoped would introduce his music to a wider audience.
A year later, Larry was still busking and had self-released his sophomore album Lotus-Collage in 1979. However, he was busking abet in a different location. This proved fortuitous, while other said it was fate.
Enter Brian Eno.
Larry was now busking in Washington Square Park and on that fateful day, he sat on top of a blanket, cross-legged and with his eyes closed, played his zither using the open tunings he favoured. As a result, he never saw Brian Eno standing watching him play. The man who many called The Godfather of ambient music was transfixed as he watched Larry play. Little did Brian Eno realise when he walked through the park with Bill Laswell that he would come across a fellow innovator. Recognising the potential that Larry had, Brian Eno wrote a message on a piece of paper which Laraaji as he was now calling himself found later.
The next day Brian Eno met with Laraaji and the two men spoke about ambient music and electronics. Straight away, they got on and three weeks Laraaji, was heading to Apple Studios, in Green Street, New York where he recorded Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance).
Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance).
When Laraaji arrived at Apple Studios, he brought with him his zither and dulcimer, and five tracks that he had composed. With Brian Eno taking charge of production the five tracks that became Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance) were recorded, which was the latest instalment in this groundbreaking series.
Later in 1980, Laraaji was preparing to release Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance), which it was hoped would launch his career and transform him from an underground artist to a successful experimental musicians. The only worry was in the post punk days, the snarling angry young gunslingers in the music press weren’t exactly accommodating to music that didn’t fit their particular agenda. However, some critics gave Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance) a chance, and realised that this was a groundbreaking album where elements of ambient, avant-garde, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, New Age and world music were combined by Laraaji on this future cult classic.
Despite the critically acclaimed reviews of Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance), the album wasn’t a huge success and didn’t transform Laraaji’s career. It was disappointing for Laraaji who over the next few years, continued to record new music, often late at night in his flat not far from Columbus University which was where a young man called Barrack Obama was studying.
The Eighties.
In 1981 Laraaji returned with his new album, I Am Ocean which was released on the Celestial Vibration label, and was the much-anticipated followup to Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance). However, it failed to make much of an impression upon its release. Later in 1981, Laraaji was back to self-releasing his next album Unicorns in Paradise. This was something he would do regularly throughout his five decade career.
A year later, when Laraaji released Rhythm N’ Bliss in 1982, it was on the Third Ear label. This was the start of a period when Laraaji was a prolific artist, who often self-released his own music on cassettes which are now sought after.
1984 was one of the most prolific years of Laraaji’s career. He released a triumvirate of albums including Om Namah Shivaya on the Celestial Vibration label and self-released Sun Zither. However, one of the most important albums he released at this period was his epic album Vision Songs Volume 1.
Unlike previous albums, which featured freeform songs where Laraaji enjoyed the opportunity to improvise, Vision Songs Volume 1 featured eighteen gospel inspired songs where he wrote and sang the vocals. This was a stylistic departure from Laraaji, who had released his debut album Celestial Vibration six years previously in 1978. By 1984, Laraaji who was a talented and versatile multi-instrumentalist who wasn’t afraid to innovate.
Laraaji continued to innovate during the remainder of the eighties, and was a truly prolific recording artist between 1985 and 1989. He often recorded and released several albums during a year, which he self-released. This included 1986s Once Upon A Zither, and the following year, Zither Bliss, White Light Music and Urban Saint which were released during 1987. However, as the eighties gave way to the nineties, Laraaji’s profile was rising.
The Nineties.
By 1992, Laraaji had signed to All Saints Records and recorded an album with Canadian producer Michael Brook. That album was Flow Goes The Universe which was released to plaudits and praise.
In 1994, Laraaji was part of Channel Light Vessel, when they released their debut album Automatic. This was then first of several projects Laraaji would work on during the nineties.
This included Laraaji’s 1995 collaboration with the Japanese reggae fusion band Audio Active. It was released by All Saints Records and introduced Laraaji’s music to a new audience.
The same year, 1995, Laraaji and Roger Eno’s album Islands was released to critical acclaim. Soon, Laraaji was working with some of the leading lights of the experimental music scene.
Before that, Laraaji was part of Channel Light Vessel, when they released their sophomore album Excellent Spirits on All Saints Records. It was becoming a home from home for Laraaji.
Laraaji’s next collaboration was with Bill Laswell, and in 1998, they released Divination/Sacrifice. It featured two musical pioneers at the peak of their powers.
A New Millennia.
So did Celestial Reiki which was a collaboration between Laraaji and Jonathan Goldman that was released in 2000, as the new millennia dawned. By then, Laraaji was nearly fifty-seven and had been making music for four decades.
While many musicians start to slow down in their late-fifties, that wasn’t the case with Laraaji. In 2000 he released Shiva Shakti Groove, with Celestial Zone and My Orangeness following in 2002. That same year, Laraaji and Jonathan Goldman released their second collaboration Celestial Reiki II which also featured Sarah Benson.
Two years passed before Laraaji returned with a triumvirate of self-released albums in 2004. This included Water and Soft Zither, Laughter: The Best Medicine and Chakra Balancing Music. In a Celestial Water Garden followed in 2006, and was the only solo album Laraaji realised until Ambient Zither in G Pentatonic and Mountain Creek Water in 2007. As Laraaji approached his sixty-fifth birthday, he self-released Sonic Portals. After that, it was three years before Laraaji returned.
In 2011, the experimental music duo Blues Control and Laraaji released their collaboration FRKYWS, Volume 8. Blues Control were the latest in a long line of artists to collaborate with Laraaji and the results were impressive.
Over the next few years, Laraaji the master of celestial music continued to make and release music. He also masterminded what he described as: “seriously playful laughter workshops” which he believed were therapeutic. He had showcased this form of therapy on his Laughter: The Best Medicine album, which featured five untitled tracks. However, the next album Laraaji released was very different.
This was the genre-melting album Professional Sunflow which was a collaboration between Laraaji and Sun Araw, which was released in June 2016. Critics were impressed by this latest collaboration from Laraaji, whose recording career now spanned six decades.
Having re-signed to All Saints Records, Laraaji released Bring On The Sun and Sun Gong on as a two CD set, while Bring On The Sun and Sun Gong were released on vinyl as two separate albums. However, when Laraaji’s new collection of blissed out percussive jams and ruminative hymnals was released to widespread critical acclaim in late September 2017, and hailed as one of seventy-five year old musician’s finest albums. However, the big question what was next for Laraaji?
Following the success of Bring On The Sun and Sun Gong, a decision was made for remixers and DJs to remix and edit tracks from Laraaji’s latest collection with a view to releasing them as an album for Record Store Day 2018. This it was hoped would bring Laraaji’s music to a wider audience.
Sadly, for too long, Laraaji’s music has slipped under the musical radar. Maybe part of the problem was Laraaji’s decision to self-release much of his music? This meant that the majority of record buyers never got the opportunity to discover many of his albums. That is a great shame as consistently Laraaji released albums of quality music. The music was variously beautiful, cerebral, dreamy, ethereal, melancholy, mystical, soulful, spiritual, thought-provoking and uplifting..
Forty years after Laraaji released his debut album Celestial Vibration, the man who reinvented the zither is still writing, recording and releasing albums. Recently, Laraaji’s music has started to find the wider audience that it deserves a true musical pioneer goes from strength-to-strength musically.
The Life and Times Of Laraaji,
MOUNTAIN-THEY COULD’VE BEEN GIANTS OF ROCK.
Mountain-They Could’ve Been Giants Of Rock.
Mountain were the band who could’ve and should’ve become one of the biggest hard rock band of the seven tie but left the field clear for the unholy trinity of hard rock. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple continued to write their way into musical history while Mountain would only play a walk-on part in the history of hard rock. However, things might have been very different.
The Mountain story began in Long Island in 1969, when former Vagrants guitarist Leslie West, decided to form a new band, which would allow him to further hone his sound. Initially, the new band was called Leslie West Mountain, and featured drummer Ken Janick, keyboardist Norman Landsberg and guitarist Leslie West. Initially, the band played which played blues and R&B around Long Island, and quickly became a popular draw on the local live scene. However, Leslie West who was heavily influenced by Cream, soon, became disillusioned with blues and R&B, and preferred the sound of their classic album Disraeli Gears.
When Leslie West looked at Disraeli Gears, he realised there was a familiar face in the credits, Felix Pappalardi. He had produced Leslie West’s first band The Vagrants, and was now producing Cream. This inspired the members of Leslie West Mountain to go and see Cream in concert at the Filmore East.
When the members Leslie West Mountain arrived at the Filmore East, they took all dropped LSD before the curtain rose. Even in their altered state, the members of Leslie West Mountain realised that compared to Cream, they weren’t in the same ballpark as the legendary British power trio. That night, the members of Leslie West Mountain realised that they needed to practise.
That was what they spent the next weeks and months doing. Meanwhile, the British blues bands like Fleetwood Mac and John Mayall Bluesbreakers plus Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton continued to influence American music. So did the British Invasion bands, including The Kinks, Rolling Stones and The Who. They inspired and influenced Leslie West Mountain, and so did the British blues explosion.
Leslie West Mountain wanted to move away from blues and R&B, towards a much heavier, hard rocking sound. This took time and practise, but the band were getting there. Especially when bassist Felix Pappalardi joined the band and became its vocalist. The lineup was almost complete.
Before that, Mountain was asked to play at The Woodstock Music and Art Fair on Saturday, August the ’16th’ 1969. This was only Mountain’s third gig, but when they took to the stage 9:00 pm and played for hour nobody had any idea that the group was in its infancy. Especially as Mountain left the stage at 10:00 pm, having written their name into music history.
The only thing that let Mountain down was their drummer, who was the weak link. Many within the music industry who had run the rule over the band realised this, and eventually, Corky Laing replaced Ken Janick. Mountain’s classic lineup was complete.
With a lineup of drummer Corky Laing, bassist and vocalist Felix Pappalardi, guitarist Leslie West and keyboardist Steve Knight who had replaced Norman Landsberg, Mountain hit the road. The new lineup of Mountain began honing their sound, and Felix Pappalardi was already looking like an inspired choice for frontman.
It was no surprise when blues Mountain signed their first recording contract in late-1969. What was a surprise was it was a small label like Windfall Records. The would release Mountain’s debut album in 1970.
Climbing!
Mountain spent late 1969 and early 1970 recording nine compositions at the Record Plant Studios. The four members of Mountain combined elements of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock on what later became Climbing! It was produced by Felix Pappalardi and released in March the ‘7th’ 1970.
Before that, Mississippi Queen was released as a single in February 1970, and reached twenty-one on the US Billboard 100. Mississippi Queen is now regarded as a classic rock single, and has been covered by many bands. However, Mountain’s original is regarded as the best, and was just the start. However, this wasn’t the end of the commercial success for Mountain.
Meanwhile, Mountain released Climbing!, to widespread critical acclaim and critics praised songs of the quality of Mississippi Queen and Theme For An Imaginary Western. They were part of what was a hugely successful album.
Climbing! charted on the US Billboard 200, and continued to climb until it reached seventeen on the US Billboard 200 in 1970. This was enough for Climbing! to be certified gold. Little did Mountain realise that they had released a rock classic, Climbing!
Nantucket Sleighride.
Buoyed by the success of their debut album, Mountain began work on their debut album Nantucket Sleighride. Eventually, the members of Mountain had written nine new songs including the title-track dedicated Nantucket Sleighride.
It refers to the experience of being towed along in a boat by a harpooned whale, and the song Nantucket Sleighride is was dedicated to Owen Coffin. He was a teenage sailor who was on the whaler Essex when it was rammed by a sperm whale and sank in 1820. After the sinking, Owen Coffin was shot and eaten by his shipmates.
Nantucket Sleighride was joined eight other songs, including Tired Angels a homage to Jimi Hendrix and Travellin’ In The Dark (To EMP), which was written for Felix Pappalardi’s mother Ella. Felix Pappalardi even wrote Taunta (Sammy’s Tune) for his pet poodle. These songs and the rest of the album were recorded at The Record Plant, New York, and were produced by Felix Pappalardi in late 1970.
In January 1971, Nantucket Sleighride was released to plaudits and praise and hailed a classic as Mountain fused blues rock and hard rock with psychedelic rock. Given the critical response to Nantucket Sleighride, things were looking good for Mountain.
The Animal Trainer and The Toad was chosen as the lead single, but stalled at seventy-six in the US Billboard 100 in early 1971. However, Nantucket Sleighride reached sixteen in the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold. Mountain had just enjoyed their most successful album, and after just two albums had sold over a million units. Now they had to build on this.
Flowers Of Evil.
Having just enjoyed two successful studio albums, many groups would’ve stuck to what looked a winning formula and written a third album. However, Mountain decided that the first side of their third album Flowers Of Evil would be recorded in the studio and the second side feature the band live.
Bassist and vocalist Felix Pappalardi played a huge part in the writing of the first side of Flowers Of Evil. He wrote King’s Chorale and cowrote Flowers Of Evil with David Rea. The other three songs, One Last Cold Kiss, Crossroader and the epic Pride and Passion were penned by Felix Pappalardi and his wife Gail Collins. These songs were recorded at The Record Plant, New York, and produced by Mountain during September 1971. They were joined on side two by two tracks that featured Mountain live.
Mountain had played the Filmore East, on September 1971, where the recorded the twenty-five minute suite ream Sequence. It sounds as it it’s been inspired by Cream, as Mountain improvise their way through what was their live Magnus Opus. A guitar solo from Leslie West gives way to a cover of Roll Over Beethoven, Dreams Of Milk and Honey, Variation and Swan Theme. During the four-part suite, Leslie West unleashes blistering guitar licks and vocalist Felix Pappalardi channels the spirit of Robert Plant. It’s a potent and heady brew, and gets even better as Mountain’s theme tune Mississippi Queen closes the set on a high,
Flowers Of Evil was released in November 1971, and found favour with critics. They were won over by an album where Mountain successfully combined blues rock and hard rock with psychedelic rock in the studio and on the stage. Buoyed by the critical response to Flowers Of Evil, Mountain watched with interest as the album.
When Flowers Of Evil was released the album reached just thirty-one in the US Billboard 200. While this was ordinarily a respectable chart placing, it was a disappointment for Mountain whose first two albums had been certified gold. However, there was always the next time for Mountain.
Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On.
After the release of Flowers Of Evil, Mountain headed out on tour, and the latest stop in their schedule was Britain. It was another successful tour for Mountain, who on their return home, were about to spring a surprise.
In February 1972, Mountain was no more after the band announced their intention to split-up. They had been together just three years and released three albums which sold in excess of one million copies in America alone. Mountain, it seemed, were bowing out while they were at the top.
Although Mountain wanted to call time on their career, Windfall Records had other ideas. They scheduled the release of another live album for April 1972.
This was Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On, which takes its title from JRR Tolkien’s 1937 novel The Hobbit. Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On featured four tracks that were recorded between 1969 and 1972.
Long Red and Waiting To Take You Away which Mountain recorded at The Woodstock Music and Art Fair on Saturday, August the ’16th’ 1969. Although this was only Mountain’s third gig, they sound a much experienced band. These two songs hinted at what was to come from Mountain.
This included Crossroader which featured on their 1971 sophomore album Nantucket Sleighride. Mountain recorded this live version in January 1972. Crossroader features a much tighter and more versatile group than the one that took to the stage at The Woodstock Music and Art Fair.
Mountain kept the best until last on Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On, and close the album with an eighteen minute version of Nantucket Sleighride that was recorded at The Academy Of Music, New York, on December the ’14th’ 1971. It’s a genre-melting epic where Mountain improvise and transform what started life as a six-minute song into an eighteen minute epic as Mountain bowed out on a high.
Just like their three previous albums, Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On was well received by critics. It was a hard rocking album where Mountain switch between and combine blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic. It was another potent and heady brew from Mountain.
Sadly, when Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On was released in April 1972, it reached just sixty-three in the US Billboard 200. This meant that Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On was Mountain’s last successful.
Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On is also Mountain’s most underrated album and is a hidden gem in their discography. BGO Records’ recent remastered reissue of Flowers Of Evil and Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On as a two CD set, is a welcome one, previously, record companies have focused on Mountain’s first two albums. However, there’s more to Mountain than just two albums.
While Climbing! and Nantucket Sleighride are regarded as classic albums, all too often the other two albums released by the classic lineup of Mountain are overlooked.Flowers Of Evil showcases a tight, versatile and hard rocking band in the studio and on the stage. Their swan-song Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On, documents Mountains’s three year career in just four songs. Mountain came a long way in just three years since they took to the stage at The Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Sadly, Flowers Of Evil brought the curtain down on Mountain’s career and by February 1972, when they announced that they had split-up.
Just like many groups, Mountain’s couldn’t resist a comeback, and reformed in 1973 band returned with their fifth album Avalanche in November 1974. It featured the debut of guitarist David Perry, who replaced keyboardist Steve Knight. However, Avalanche stalled at a lowly 102 in the US Billboard 200, and bassist and vocal Felix Pappalardi left Mountain for good. After this, this Mountain split for the second time.
That was the last that was heard of Mountain when they reunited in Leslie West and Corky Laing reformed Mountain, with ex-Savoy Brown guitarist Miller Anderson and bassist Keef Hartley). Mountain’s lineup changed in 1984 when Miller Anderson was replaced by Mark Clarke who was a member of Mountain when the group recorded Go For Your Life. It was released in March 1985 and stalled at a lowly 166. This was a long way from Mountain’s first two albums which were certified gold. Not long after the release of Go For Your Life Mountain split-up once more, and nothing was heard of the band for seven years.
Nothing was heard of Mountain until 1992 when Leslie West and Corky Laing decided to reform the band. The pair tried several different lineups before Mark Clarke returned, and in 1996 and Mountain recorded and released Man’s World which failed to chart. This was a first for Mountain, and in 1998 Mountain split-up again until 2001.
After reforming in 2001, Mountain released their comeback album Mystic Fire. Just like Man’s World, Mystic World failed to chart, and it was five years before Mountain returned with a new album in 2007.
That was Masters Of War, an album of Bob Dylan cover versions. Sadly, history repeated itself when Masters Of War failed to chart, and that was the last studio album Mountain released. They continued to play live until 2010, when Mountain played what proved to be their final live show. It was the end of an era.
After forty-one years, fallouts, comebacks and eight studio albums Mountain were no more. The band that could’ve rivalled Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. However, Mountain released two classics Climbing! and Nantucket Sleighride which are both underrated albums and a reminder of Mountain’s glory days.
Mountain-They Could’ve Been Giants Of Rock.
THREE DECADES OF POPOL VUH.
Three Decades Of Popol Vuh.
In West Germany in the early seventies, a number of groundbreaking bands were formed including one of the most important, innovative and influential bands in the history of German music, Popol Vuh. Over the next three decades Popol Vuh. established a reputation for releasing ambitious and innovative music that influenced the next generation of musicians. This was the case from the release of Popol Vuh’s 1970 debut album Affenstunde, right through to their twentieth album Messa Di Orfeo, which was released in 1999 and was their swan-song.
By 1999, Popol Vuh was regarded as one of the legendary German bands. and were held in the same regard as Can, Cluster, Harmonia, Kraftwerk, Neu and Tangerine Dream, who Florian Fricke later joined. Just like each of these bands, Popol Vuh’s music has played an integral and important part in German musical history. Part of Popol Vuh’s success, was keyboardist Florian Fricke.
Florian Fricke was born in Lindau Am Bodensee, West Germany on the ‘23rd’ of February 1944. Growing up, Florian Fricke learnt to play the piano, and quickly, had mastered the instrument. When he left high school, Florian Fricke studied piano, composition and directing at the Conservatories in Freiburg and Munich. By then, Florian had two new passions.
The first was music, which was one of Florian Fricke’s passions in life. Especially new music, and this included free jazz, which Florian Fricke embraced. He through himself into this new musical genre, and quickly, realised its potential and possibilities. However, there was more to Florian’s life than making music.
In his spare time, Florian Fricke had started to make short films. Although it was just a hobby, he would later become a film critic for the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. By then, he had already some experience as a critic.
When he was a student, Florian Fricke was the music critic for Der Spiegel, a German magazine. Music and art seemed to dominate Florian Fricke’s life.
That was the case when Florian graduated. In 1967, Florian Fricke met film director Werner Herzog, and the two became friends, Just a year later in 1968, Florian Fricke landed a part in Werner Herzog’s film, Lebenszeichen. This was just the start of their relationship. They would reunite in 1972, but before that, Florian Fricke formed Popul Vuh in 1970.
Joining Florian Fricke in Popol Vuh, were percussionist Holger Truelzsch and fellow synth player Frank Fiedler. All the nascent group took its name from an ancient, sacred, Mayan manuscript. With a name in place, Popol Vuh began work on Affenstunde, the first of twenty albums they released.
From the earliest days of Popol Vuh, Florian Fricke established himself as the group’s leader. He had been one of the first musicians to own a Moog II synth which wasn’t an easy instrument to “tame.” Florian Fricke, a talented keyboardist soon got to grips with what was cutting edge technology. However, it was the Moog II would be used extensively on Popol Vuh’s debut album Affenstunde.
Recording of Affenstunde took place at Bavaria Music Studio, in Munich, where Popol Vuh were joined by Bettina Fricke. She produced Affenstunde with Gerhard Augustin and the producers guided the nascent group through their debut album. It featured just four tracks that were innovative and influential tracks. Especially Affenstunde, a near nineteen minute epic, which took up all of side two.
When Affenstunde was released later in 1970, the album was described variously as space rock and cosmic music. It was very different to much of the music being released. While there were other like-minded groups releasing similarly innovative and influential music very few would enjoy the longevity of Popol Vuh.
Just a year later, in 1971, Popol Vuh returned with In den Gärten Pharaos, which was a precursor of ambient music. Popul Vuh deployed Florian’s Moog II and add a myriad of experimental electronic sounds on In den Gärten Pharaos which was perceived variously as groundbreaking, experimental and thanks to the African percussion, exotic. Vuh, which took up side two of In den Gärten Pharaos was perceived as kosmische musik at its most spiritual. In den Gärten Pharaos was the first classic album of Popol Vuh’s long and illustrious career.
Popol Vuh’s third album, Hosianna Mantra was released in 1972, but passed many critics and record buyers by. By them, Popol Vuh’s lineup changed for the first time, and . Florian Fricke was the only remaining original member of the band left. Over the next three decades there were many more changes in the lineup, which is is best described as fluid.
That didn’t seem to matter as Hosianna Mantra featured music that was timeless, spiritual and innovative. Sadly, it went almost unheard of outside Germany. It was only later, that Hosianna Mantra found the audience it so richly deserved. However, Hosianna Mantra wasn’t the only album Popol Vuh released during 1972 after Florian Fricke renewed his friendship with Werner Herzog.
By 1972, Werner Herzog was producing the conquistador movie Aguirre, The Wrath Of God and needed someone to provide the soundtrack. That’s where Popol Vuh came in. Not only did Popol Vuh provide the soundtrack to He needed someone to provide the soundtrack to A Aguirre, The Wrath Of God, but Heart Of Glass in 1976 and 1979s Nosferatu The Vampyre. The combination of Popol Vuh and Werner Herzog proved a successful one. Popol Vuh were already experienced and accomplished when it came to composing soundtracks. This would stand Popol Vun in good stead later in their career.
Before that, the German music scene was thriving during the seventies, and Popol Vuh released an album every year of the seventies. Very rarely, did they disappoint. The nearest they came was with 1973s Seligpreisung which received mixed reviews from critics.
Popol Vuh more than made up for this with 1974s Einsjäger und Siebenjäger which is now recognised as one of their best albums of the seventies. The followup Das Hohelied Salomos was released in 1975, and featured Popol Vuh showcasing New Age music. Constantly, it seemed Popol Vuh reinvented their music. However, later in 1975, Popul Vuh returned to the world of soundtracks and penned the soundtrack to Werner Herzog’s latest film, Aguirre, The Wrath Of God. The soundtrack, Aguirre became Popol Vuh’s seventh album since 1970.
In 1976, Popol Vuh returned with their eighth album, Letzte Tage–Letzte Nächte was released to critical acclaim, and ensured that Popol Vuh were seen as purveyors of ambitious, exciting and groundbreaking music. Partly, that was down to Popol Vuh’s determination to push musical boundaries to their limits.
Popol Vuh’s reputation was further enhanced when they recorded the soundtrack to Werner Herzog’s movie Herz aus Glas in 1978.
Later in 1978, Popol Vuh released Brüder des Schatten–Söhne des Lichts which they had recorded in August of 1978. When it was released on Brian Records, critics embraced the Gerhard Augustin produced album. Despite the critical acclaim lavished on their albums, still many people were unaware of Popol Vuh.
Fortunately, Popol Vuh were about to write and record the soundtrack to another film directed by Werner Herzog, Nosferatu. This exposed Popol Vuh’s music to a wider audience, and Nosferatu was hailed as one of their finest soundtrack albums, and Popol Vuh’s penultimate album of the seventies.
Die Nacht der Seele, which was subtitled tantric songs, was released to critical acclaim in 1979, and was a fitting way for Popol Vuh to close the seventies. Incredibly, Die Nacht der Seele was Popol Vuh’s twelfth album since they formed in 1970.
During the eighties, Popol Vuh were no longer as prolific as they were during the seventies, and only released four albums. The first was Sei Still, Wisse Ich Bin, which was released in 1981, two years after Die Nacht der Seele. It was well worth the wait as Die Nacht der Seele saw Popol Vuh reinvent themselves once again on another ambitious and innovative album which was released to widespread critical acclaim. However, after Die Nacht der Seel, it was another two years before Popol Vuh returned.
When they did, it was with Agape-Agape. The album was released on the Norwegian label Uniton. Agape-Agape found Popol Vuh creating music that was variously, beautiful, captivating, dramatic and as one would expect from Popol Vuh, groundbreaking. It won the approval of critics, but didn’t find a wide audience. Sadly, neither did Florian’s debut solo album.
After thirteen years as a professional musician, Florian Fricke somewhat belatedly, released his much-anticipated debut album Die Erde Und Ich Sind Eins in 1983. Despite his status as one of the most innovative German musicians of his generation, Florian Fricke found himself releasing Erde Und Ich Sind Eins as a private pressing. Just like Popol Vuh, he wasn’t getting the credit he deserved. Meanwhile, Can, Kraftwerk and Neu! were receiving all the plaudits. Despite that, Popol Vuh and Florian Fricke continued to make music.
1985 saw Popol Vuh release the fifteenth album of their career, Spirit Of Peace which was released on the French label, Spalax. Despite its quality, and how highly regarded their music was by some critics, Popol Vuh albums weren’t selling in vast quantities. So when Warner Herzog used We Know About The Need The as part of the soundtrack to Dark Glow Of The Mountains, this was welcomed by Popol Vuh.
Two years later, and Popol Vuh Walter Herzog were reunited.Walter Herzog was directing Cobra Verde. He needed someone to compose and record the soundtrack to Cobra Verde. By then, Popol Vuh were had plenty of experienced writing and recording soundtracks. They had also worked extensively with Walter Herzog so it made sense that they provide the soundtrack. However, the Cobra Verde soundtrack was released to mixed reviews. This was disappointing for Popol Vuh who didn’t release another album during the eighties.
It wasn’t until 1991 that Popol Vuh released another album. Again, it was a soundtrack album. This time, the soundtrack was for the film For You and Me and was described as: “a celebration of world music.” For You and Me showcased Popol Vuh’s versatility and ability to switch between genres. However, some critics didn’t seem to “get” the music, and again, reviews were mixed., and it was another four years before Popol Vuh returned.
Before that, Florian Fricke released another solo album. This time, it was an album of classical music. Florian Fricke Plays Mozart was released in 1992, and showcased another side to the Popol Vuh leader. Unknown to some people, Florian was a keen student of classical music and had studied music at the Conservatories in Freiburg and Munich, and just as comfortable playing classical music than working with Popol Vuh. So in his down time from Popol Vuh, Florian often composed piano pieces, However, in 1995 Popol Vuh returned with their eighteenth album.
City Raga had been recorded at the New African Studios, in Munich by Florian Fricke, Guido Hieronymus, and Maya Rose who had composed the seven tracks. This latest lineup of Popol Vuh were joined by Daniel Fichelscher and the Kathmandu Children’s Choir. The result was a captivating album from Popol Vuh.
Another two years passed before Popol Vuh returned with their nineteenth Shepherd’s Symphony-Hirtensymphonie. Again, Popol Vuh’s lineup had changed. They were still a trio featuring Florian, Guido Hieronymus and Frank Fielder, who would later collaborate with Florian Fricke. Before that, the latest lineup of Popol Vuh headed off into the studio.
The three members of Popol Vuh made their way to Afro Sounds Studio, in Munich and between September 1995 and March 1996 recorded Shepherd’s Symphony-Hirtensymphonie. It was released in 1997 and wowed critics.
Popol Vuh’s swan-sonn was Messa Di Orfeo which was recorded at an audio-video light installation in the Labyrinth of Molfetta, Bari, Apulia on the ‘20th’ of September 1998. The album was written, directed and produced by keyboardist Florian Fricke with Maya Rose taking charge of vocals and featured a recitation from Guillermina De Gennaro. It plays its part in an album that is a mixture of cinematic music and drama where Popol Vuh combine elements of ambient, avant-garde , Berlin School, and electronic music. There’s even elements of New Age and world music that provided the soundtrack to audio-video-light installation that was a one-off.
Sadly Messa Di Orfeo was Popol Vuh’s swan-song and German music was in mourning when Florian Fricke passed away ahed just fifty-seven in 2001. German music mourned the passing of one of its pioneers Florian Fricke,
Throughout a career that spanned three decades Florian Fricke led Popol Vuh as they released music that was innovative and influential. Constantly, Popol Vuh pushed musical boundaries, and constantly reinvented their own music and their back catalogue is best described as eclectic. Maybe, that’s because Popol Vuh’s lineupwas constantly evolving?
With a lineup that can only be described as fluid, Popol Vuh release some of the most groundbreaking music of the seventies and eighties. That period, was what many regard as the golden era of German music.
Sadly, Popol Vuh often didn’t get the credit they deserve, and instead, Ash Ra, Can, Cluster, Kraftwerk and Harmonia received the plaudits. To some extent, Popol Vuh, who were much more prolific than most of their contemporaries, are the forgotten group of the golden era of German music. However, that is starting to change and Popol Vuh are starting to receive the credit for a glittering career where they released innovative and influential music.
Three Decades Of Popol Vuh.
ØYWIND TORVUND-THE EXOTICA ALBUM.
Øyvind Torvund-The Exotica Album.
Label: Hubro Music.
With some albums, nothing is as at seems as a myriad of disparate sounds assail the listener leaving them wondering what was that I heard? It was, wasn’t it? Surely not? It was. This argument rages on as they contemplate the music that they’ve just heard. That is the case with Øyvind Torvund’s new release The Exotica Album, which has just been released on Hubro Music.
The Exotica Album was commissioned by the Bit20 Ensemble and premiered at Oslo’s Only Connect festival in May 2017, and features the Ensemble conducted by Trond Madsen and stars saxophonist Kjetil Moster and Jorgen Traeen on electronics. They’re part of an album where nothing is as it seems, and is very different to the majority of albums being released during 2019.
There’s everything from choruses of whistling leads that sound as if they’ve been inspired by old Disney movies the synthesised sounds of jungle animals and beautiful lush and sensuous strings. They’re joined by synths that imitate strings, distortion, jabs of piano, distorted percussion, stabs of an Alpine horn, a spiritual jazz saxophone and what’s meant to resemble bird song, but is actually the sound of a short wave radio. Meanwhile, bongo drums and a ring modulator prove unlikely partners in a duet that is part of the wider musical picture.
Listen carefully, to the various collages and there’s elements of everything from avant-garde and exotica to bursts of electronica as well as nature and cartoon music. Then there’s Kontiki lounge music on The Exotica Album, which is like nothing that has been released during 2019. It’s been inspired by an eclectic selection of musicians from the past sixty years.
The Exotica Album is like an album made by two of the leading lights of electronic music Karl-Heinz Stockhausen and G.M. Koenig along with free jazz giant Sun Ra, exotica composers Les Baxter and Martin Denny plus collage pioneers John Zorn, Otomo Yoshihide and Christian Marclay. However, in reality, The Exotica Album is a new recording from Øyvind Torvund and some of his musical friends.
With such a talented cast of musicians, it’s no surprise that The Exotica Album is no ordinary album. Instead, it’s an ambitious, playful and imaginative album of otherworldly genre-melting music that also has an innocence and optimism. That makes a welcome change from the cynicism that is prevalent on so many albums in 2019. That isn’t the case with The Exotica Album where
Øyvind Torvund who mangoes to combine early electronic modernism with exotica an album of experimental and innovative music from a musical pioneer whose abstract compositions and improvisations are a reminder of other musical eras, and show that there’s still musicians who are willing to push musical boundaries to their limits and beyond in pursuit of musical excellence.
Øyvind Torvund-The Exotica Album.
IF YOU’RE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION-SOUL, POLITICS AND SPIRITUALITY IN JAZZ 1967-1975.
If You’re Not Part Of The Solution-Soul, Politics and Spirituality In Jazz 1967-1975.
Label: BGP.
By the late sixties, jazz like the blues was at a crossroads and both genres risked becoming irrelevant to a new breed of record buyers. The problem was, that jazz was no longer as popular as it had once been, and was facing competition from soul and rock music.
Soul music had grown in popularity amongst many of jazz fans. They were won over by the diverse nature of soul music, and how it often provided a voice for the downtrodden and disenfranchised. The other threat to jazz’s very future came from rock music, which over the last few years had undergone an intellectualisation, and had grown in popularity amongst college students, who previously, had been fans of jazz music. However, with fusion in its infancy, jazz like the blues was no longer as popular and many musicians were struggling to make a living. Jazz had to evolve or risk becoming irrelevant.
The only option for jazz musicians was to reinvent the genre, and make it more relevant to life in the late-sixties. It was make or break for jazz.
Much had been happening in America during the late-sixties, and the land of the free was still a country divided by race. The Civil Rights’ movement continued their fight for racial equality, but still, discrimination was rife in America. That was despite the best efforts of the Civil Rights movement in America,
Many African-Americans were part of the Civil Rights movement and had devoted themselves to, and had been working towards the day when America would be fully integrated since the wary sixties. That was the day that they had long dreamt about. Sometimes, it seemed tantalizingly close, other times, it looked as if their dream of integration and equality was out of reach. However, the members of the Civil Rights movement were never going to give up on that dream. Their American Dream was integration and equality.
Things started to change after The Civil Rights Act 1964 was enacted. It banned discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex, or national origin in employment practices. The Civil Rights Act 1964 also ended unequal application of voter registration requirements, and prohibited racial segregation in schools, the workplace and in public accommodation. This was a huge step forward for the African-Americans population.
So was the implementation of The Voting Rights Act of 1965, which restored and protected voting rights for minorities. This was a hugely important piece of legislation. Another important piece of legislation was The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which removed racial and national barriers to immigration, and expanded opportunities for immigrants from regions other than Europe. The third piece of important piece if legislation was The Fair Housing Act 1968, which banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. It looked as if progress was being made in America.
Especially as many African-Americans made a conscious decision to re-enter politics, even in the deep South. Other young African-Americans became involved in the Civil Rights’ movement. It looked as if this was a new beginning in America.
While America was changing, there was widespread rioting in many of America’s inner cities. This began in the African-American communities in 1964, and lasted right through to 1970. By then, the nascent Black Power movement’s influence was growing.
The Black Power movement’s roots can be traced back to the mid-sixties. By 1966, different groups within the Civil Rights movement had embraced the slogan Black Power. This included SNCC and CORE during the nineteen day March Against Fear in June 1966. Both organisations embraced the slogan Black Power, using it as way to describe trends towards militancy and self-reliance. Elsewhere, the Black Power movement started to gain and promote more of a sense in black pride and identity as well.
Among the most public faces of the Black Power movement were the Black Panther Party, which had been founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966. They adopted their own dress code, created a ten point plan, openly displayed firearms, used the clenched fist as a symbol of solidarity and used the slogan: “power to the people.” However, the Black Panther Party adopted the ideology of Malcolm X, the former member of the Nation of Islam, and used a: “by-any-means necessary” approach to stop inequality.
By 1968, the militant calls for Black Power were growing louder. It was a frustrating and worrying time for all African-Americans, not just those involved in the Civil Rights’ Movement.
The Civil Rights Act of 1968 had been filibustered as the year dawned. This had happened several times before, and most likely, would’ve happened again. However, when The National Advisory Commission On Civil Disorders in 1967 published its report on the ‘1st’ March 1968, it recommended that: “a comprehensive and enforceable federal open housing law” was a possible remedy to the civil disturbances. It looked as if there was a solution to what had been a long running problem.
Ironically, as The Senate debated The Civil Rights Act of 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in Memphis, on April the ‘4th’ 1968. This lead to the worst ever wave of civil unrest. Suddenly, filibustering was a thing of the past. The House passed The Civil Rights Act of 1968 on April ’10th’ and President Johnson signed it a day later on the ‘11th’. Although this was an important day for African-Americans, the death of Martin Luther King Jr, who had been an inspirational figure for many within the Civil Rights’ Movement. It was a sad and sobering day for those within the Civil Rights movements and African-Americans who wondered what the future held for them?
Meanwhile, a number of jazz musicians realised that the music they played and loved had to change to survive. They began to reinvent jazz music, and as inspiration, took their cue from what was going on in America, and in the communities they lived in. In doing so, they provided a voice for the downtrodden and disenfranchised using their music.
That was the case with the ten musicians and bands that feature on If You’re Not Part Of The Solution-Soul, Politics and Spirituality In Jazz 1967-1975, which was recently released by BGP, an imprint of Ace Records. It features the Joe Henderson Quintet, Johnny Hammond Smith, Catalyst, Harold Vick, Johnny Lytle, Eddie Jefferson, Gary Bartz NTU Troop and Funk Inc and features myriad of ideas that were being put forward during this time.
If You’re Not Part Of The Solution-Soul, Politics and Spirituality In Jazz 1967-1975 opens with the Joe Henderson Quintet’s If You’re Not Part Of The Solution which lends its name to the compilation, and sets the bar high for what follows.
This includes Hammond organist Johnny Hammond Smith’s call for Black Feelings and the meandering cosmic sound of Catalyst’s Celestial Bodies. They’re joined by the Clifford Jordan Quartet’s ruminative homage to John Coltrane, and Harold Vick’s H.N.I.C. where the tempo increases and breezes along combining power and passion.Johnny Lytle’s Tawhid sounds as if it’s been inspired by Miles Davis, while Eddie Jefferson’s Bitches Brew has a much more innovative and experimental sound.
Africans Unite finds Gary Bartz NTU Troop combining elements of jazz, funk and fusion on a track that is the perfect introduction to one of music’s best kept secrets. Azar Lawrence’s Warriors Of Peace and Funk Inc’s Let’s Make Peace, And Stop The War which closes If You’re Not Part Of The Solution-Soul, Politics and Spirituality In Jazz 1967-1975 are both innovative tracks full of social comment. This is the perfect way to close the compilation.
If You’re Not Part Of The Solution-Soul, Politics and Spirituality In Jazz 1967-1975 is another lovingly compiled compilation from BGP, which focuses on what was hugely important time for America, and also jazz music. Both were in crisis, and something had to be done.
During the period that If You’re Not Part Of The Solution-Soul, Politics and Spirituality In Jazz 1967-1975 covers, the Civil Rights movement fought for racial equality and end to discrimination. Meanwhile, many African-Americans realised that something had to be done, and many political and spiritual outlets were founded. Similarly, many jazz musicians were determined to be part of the solution to the problems facing African-Americans in the land of the free.
They used their music to provide a voice for the downtrodden and disenfranchised. This includes the musicians and bands on If You’re Not Part Of The Solution-Soul, Politics and Spirituality In Jazz 1967-1975, This period was a turning point for jazz, which was no longer as popular as it had been a few years earlier, and was in crisis. However, thanks to the efforts of innovative and inventive musicians who created groundbreaking music this was the start of an exciting time for jazz music, which is documented on If You’re Not Part Of The Solution-Soul, Politics and Spirituality In Jazz 1967-1975.
If You’re Not Part Of The Solution-Soul, Politics and Spirituality In Jazz 1967-1975.
HOLDING THINGS TOGETHER-THE MERLE HAGGARD SONGBOOK.
Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook.
Label: Ace Records.
For the latest instalment in their Songwriter Series, Ace Records turn the spotlight on the late Merle Haggard, who was one of the finest exponents of the Bakersfield Sound. Hag as he was known, eschewed the increasingly slick and homogenized country music that was coming out of Nashville in the early sixties. That sound wasn’t for Merle Haggard, who was one of the pioneers of the Bakersfield Sound, which provided an alternative for fans of country music.
By then, Merle Haggard was already a prolific songwriter who had enjoyed a string of hit singles. Merle Haggard was also blessed with a unique and truly memorable voice that could breathe life, meaning and emotion into the songs he recorded.
In total, Merle Haggard recorded over 100 singles which charted on the Billboard country Charts between 1962 and 1990. Around three-quarters of these songs plus many album tracks were written by Merle Haggard. Many of these tracks were then covered by other country artists, and a new generation of rock stars who had been playing them live. They then decided to cover one of Hag’s songs, which features on Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook,which was recently released by Ace Records as part of their Songwriter Series.
The best way to describe Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook is an eclectic selection of songs that features everyone from Gram Parsons, Bettye Swann, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Grateful Dead, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tammy Wynette, Tammy Wynette, Brenda Lee, Dean Martin, Dolly Parton, The Everly Brothers, Country Joe McDonald, Hank Williams Jr and Emmylou Harris. This all-star cast play their part in the success of Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook, which is a truly eclectic collection of songs.
Opening Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook is The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis who contributes a cover of Swinging Doors. It gives way to the Singing Cowboy, Roy Rogers who contributes Okie From Muskogee. Things get soulful when Bettye Swann, one of soul’s best kept secrets, delivers an emotive reading of Just Because You Can’t Be Mine. There’s a return to country music with Tammy Wynette’s cover of The Legend Of Bonnie And Clyde.
Gram Parson features three times on Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook. This includes on The Byrds’ Life In Prison from their album Sweetheart Of The Rodeo. He also was a member of The Flying Burrito Bros when they recorded White Line Fever and The International Submarine Band when they laid down I Must Be Somebody Else You’ve Known. These three tracks are a reminder of a truly talented singer who never got the opportunity to fulfil his huge potential.
There’s a number of other familiar faces on Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook, including Lynyrd Skynyrd who contribute Honky Tonk Night Time Man. They’re joined by Brenda Lee who covers Everybody’s Had The Blues, the Grateful Dead interpret Mama Tried and Dean Martin delivers a version I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am. Other familiar faces include Dolly Parton who covers Life’s Like Poetry and The Everly Brothers Sing Me Back Home. Elvin Bishop’s version of I Can’t Hold Myself In Line, Country Joe McDonald’s reading of Rainbow Stew and Hank Williams Jr’s rendition of I’d Rather Be Gone are all welcome additions. So are Living With The Shades Pulled Down by George Thorogood and The Destroyers and Emmylou Harris’ poignant and powerful cover of The Bottle Let Me Down which closes Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook on a high.
While many music fans and even critics remember the man who many simply referred to as Hag, as a giant of country music and one of the finest purveyors of the Bakersfield Sound, his songs were covered by all types of singers and bands. There’s everything from country, blues, psychedelia and soul on Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook which was recently released by Ace Records. It’s a truly eclectic selection of songs penned by Hag, and even features Holding Things Together by Merle Haggard and The Strangers. Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook a reminder of a truly talented singer and songwriter who was one of the giants of country music, and is a welcome inductee into Ace Records Songwriter Series.
Holding Things Together-The Merle Haggard Songbook.
JETHRO TULL- THE FIRST ELEVEN ALBUMS.
Jethro Tull The First Eleven Albums.
By April 1978, Jethro Tull was still one of the most successful British bands of their generation, and were about to release their eleventh album of their career, Heavy Horses. It was the second album in a trilogy of folk rock albums and Jethro Tull hoped that Heavy Horses, would build on the success of Songs From The Wood which had been released in February 1977. It was the first instalment in Jethro Tull’s folk rock trilogy, which was a new chapter in their career which began fifteen years earlier.
The origins of Jethro Tull can be traced to Blackpool, Lancashire, in 1962, where Ian Anderson formed his first group Blades, which was originally a four piece, featuring Ian Anderson on vocals and harmonica. A year later in 1963, Blades was a quintet and in 1964 the group was a sextet who played blue-eyed soul. However, by 1967 blades decided to spread their wings and head to London.
Having moved to London, the band split-up within a short time, and only Ian Anderson and bassist Glen McCornick were left. This proved a blessing in disguise as they were soon joined by blues guitarist Mick Abrahams and drummer Clive Bunker. This was the lineup that featured of Jethro Tull that featured on their debut album This Was. That was still to co
Before that, the nascent band had to settle on a name, and various names were tried, only to be rejected. Then someone at a booking agent christened the band Jethro Tull, after the eighteenth century agriculturist. Little did anyone realise that the newly named Jethro Tull would become one of the biggest bands in the world over the next decade.
Not long after becoming Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson acquired his first flute. Up until then, he had played harmonica and was trying to learn to play the guitar. Soon, , Ian Anderson realised that wasn’t a great guitarist, and having realised that the world had enough mediocre guitarists, decided to expand his musical horizons and bought a flute. Little did he realise this would be one of Jethro Tull’s trademarks.
After a couple of weeks, Ian Anderson had already picked up the basics of the flute. He was learning as he played. While this wasn’t ideal, it was the only way that possible. Especially with things happening so quickly for Jethro Tull who would soon release their debut single.
Sunshine Day was penned by Mick Abrahams, with Derek Lawrence taking charge of production. However, when their debut single was pressed, Jethro Tull realised that an error meant the single was credited to Jethro Toe. To make matters worse, Sunshine Day wasn’t a commercial success and failed to trouble the charts. Despite this disappointment, thing got better when Jethro Tull released their debut album This Was.
This Was.
Recording of This Was took place at Sound Techniques in London, with the sessions beginning on the ‘13th’ of June 1968, and finishing on the ‘23rd’ of August 1968. By then, Jethro Tull had only £1,200 was spent recording their debut album This Was. This money would soon be recouped when This Was released.
Prior to the release of Jethro Tull’s debut album This Was critics had their say on the album. The majority of the critics were impressed by This Was which was a fusion of blues rock, R&B and jazz. This pleased Jethro Tull and their management, who decided to launch This Was at the Marquee Club, in London.
Jethro Tull was only the third band to launch their debut album at the Marquee Club, and would follow in the footsteps of the Rolling Stones and The Who. Both bands were amongst the biggest bands in the world by 1968, and so would Jethro Tull.
On the ‘25th’ October 1968 Jethro Tull released This Was, which reached number ten in the UK. Three months later, Jethro Tull released This Was in America on the ‘3rd’ of February 1969 and it reached sixty-two in the US Billboard 200. This was seen as a success by Island Records in Britain and Reprise in America. Jethro Tull had made inroads into the most lucrative music market in the world. It was a successful start to Jethro Tull’s career, which was about to enter a period where critical acclaim and commercial success were almost ever-present. However, there was a twist in the tale.
By then, Mick Abrahams left the band after he and Ian Anderson disagreed over the future direction of Jethro Tull. The sticking point was that Mick Abraham wanted Jethro Tull to stick with blues rock, while Ian Anderson realised there was no real future in blues rock. He wanted to take Jethro Tull to explore a variety of musical genres. As a result, Mick Abrahams left Jethro Tull and was replaced by Michael Barre. Little did either Mick Abraham nor Michael Barre realize that Stand Up marked the start of a period where Jethro Tull would sell over sixty-million albums.
Stand Up.
With new guitarist Michael Barre onboard, work began on Jethro Tull’s sophomore album Stand Up, which was a much more eclectic album to This Was. Ian Anderson who was now Jethro Tull’s primary songwriter, penned nine of the ten tracks and drew inspiration from everything from blues rock, Celtic, classical, folk and rock. These ten tracks became Stand Up, which was recorded over three months in 1969.
Recording of Stand Up took place at Morgan Studios and Olympic Studios. The sessions began on the ‘17th’ of April 1969, and continued through to the ‘21st’ of May 1969. Three months later, and Stand Up was released.
Before the release of Stand Up in September 1969, the reviews of Jethro Tull’s sophomore album were positive, with the musicianship and production receiving praise from critics. They also noted that the Jethro Tull’s music was starting to evolve, although Stand Up still featured blues rock sound. Elsewhere on Stand Up, Jethro Tull had started to expand their musical palette and this struck a nerve with critics and record buyers.
On Stand Up’s release in the UK on the ‘1st’ of August 1969 Jethro Tull’s sophomore album. topped the charts. When Stand Up was released on the ‘29th’ of September 1969 it reached number twenty in the US Billboard 200 Charts and was certified gold. This was the start of a golden period in Jethro Tull’s career.
Benefit.
Following the commercial success of Stand Up, Jethro Tull returned to Morgan Studios, in London, on the ‘3rd’ of September 1969 and spent the next five months recording ten new tracks which were penned and produced by Ian Anderson. By the ‘25th’ of February 1970 Jethro Tull had completed Benefit, which was much more experimental and darker album and the first album of the progressive rock years.
Before the release of Benefit, the critics had their say on Jethro Tull’s third album, which they noted had a much more experimental sound as the band flitted between progressive rock and folk rock. Ian Anderson had allowed Jethro Tull more freedom to express themselves as he also wanted Benefit to have a live sound. This shawn through, as does Benefit’s darker sound which Ian Anderson claimed was because of the pressure of a forthcoming American tour, and his disillusionment with the business side of the music industry. However, the new sound didn’t affect sales.
Jethro Tull released Benefit on the ‘20th’ of April 1970, and it reached number three in the UK, and eleven in the US Billboard 200 Charts. Just like Stand Up, Benefit was much more popular stateside than in the UK. It seemed American record buyers “got” Jethro Tull more than their British counterparts. This would the case when Jethro Tull released their first classic album, Aqualung.
Aqualung.
By December 1970, Jethro Tull had just returned from a gruelling American tour, and were about to head into the studio to record their fourth album Aqualung. This wasn’t ideal, and already, Ian Anderson wasn’t enjoying the months away from home. He missed his friends and family which was one of the downsides of being a member of one of the most successful rock bands in the world. To make matters worse, while his friends and family were readying themselves for the forthcoming festive season, Ian Anderson and the rest of Jethro Tull were about to begin recording their fourth album, and their second progressive rock album, Aqualung.
Despite Jethro Tull’s gruelling touring schedule, Ian Anderson’s creativity hadn’t been stifled, and he returned with the lyrics to the band’s most ambitious and cerebral album, Aqualung. It was a concept album that examined ”the distinction between religion and God.” This seemed an unlikely subject for an album, even a seventies concept album. However, Aqualung, which feature two new band members was a game-changer of an album.
Joining Jethro Tull arrived at Island Studios in December 1970, where Ian Anderson and Terry Ellis took charge of production were new recruits, keyboardist John Evans and bassist Jeffrey Hammond. Both were looking forward to recording their first album with their new band, which was another album of progressive rock that featured elements of folk rock. Aqualung took until February 1970 to complete, but was worth the wait as it was Jethro Tull’s most cerebral and philosophical album and also their most successful album.
Once Aqualung was completed, neither Chrysalis in Britain, nor Reprise in America wasted time in releasing Jethro Tull’s fourth album. Given the subject matter, there must have been a degree of trepidation amongst the executives at both record companies as concept albums were controversial. However, a concept album that examined ”the distinction between religion and God” could prove hugely controversial and there could be a huge backlash against the album given its subject matter.
As copies of Aqualung were sent out to critics, executives at Chrysalis and Reprise awaited their reviews with bated breath. They need not have worried as most of the reviews were positive, with critics remarking upon the quality of the music, the standard of the musicianship and Ian Anderson’s thought-provoking and cerebral lyrics. Many critics hailed Aqualung as Jethro Tull’s finest album and a progressive rock classic. Record buyers agreed.
On the release of Aqualung on the ‘19th’ of March 1971, it reached number four in the UK. Meanwhile, Aqualung reached seven in the US Billboard 20 and was certified triple platinum in America. Elsewhere, Aqualung reached number five in Germany, and was certified gold and Jethro Tull’s fourth album sold seven million copies worldwide. This transformed Jethro Tull’s fortunes, who now one of the biggest rock bands in the world.
For the two new members of Jethro Tull, this must have been hard to take in. Suddenly, they were part of a band who had just sold over seven million albums which must have seemed surreal for the newcomers. Meanwhile, another member of Jethro Tull decided to call it a day after the success of Aqualung.
Drummer Clive Bunker had been a member of Jethro Tull since the early days and it wasn’t going to be easy to replace him. He had decided to bow out after Jethro Tull’s most successful album, and must have known that following up Aqualung wasn’t going to be easy.
Thick As A Brick.
After the commercial success and critical acclaim of Aqualung, critics, record company executives and the record buying public wondered what Ian Anderson had in-store for the fifth Jethro Tull album?As always, it was a case of expect the unexpected.
What nobody expected, was that Ian Anderson would pen one lengthy track that took up both sides of Thick Of A Brick. Side one of the original album featured Thick as a Brick Part I, while side two featured Thick as a Brick Part II. This song of two parts comprised Jethro Tull’s latest concept album which was recorded at Morgan Studios, in London during December 1971 and was the first to feature new drummer, Barriemore Barlow.
Following critics conclusion that Aqualung was a “concept album,” Ian Anderson decided to have some fun at the critic’s expense. He decided to “come up with something that really is the mother of all concept albums.” Among his influences were Monty Python and the movie Airplane. Just like Airplane poked fun at the cinema goers, filmmakers and critics, Thick Of A Brick saw Jethro Tull poke fun at their audience and music critics. However, Jethro Tull weren’t laughing at their audience, they were laughing with them and maybe, were laughing at other groups.
Later, Ian Anderson would say Thick As A Brick was a reaction against the concept albums being released by groups like Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. That would explain why Ian Anderson produced an album that he later described as “bombastic” and “over the top.”
Thick As A Brick was recorded in a day. It was meant to be an adaptation of an epic poem written by a fictional eight year old prodigy, Gerald Bostock. Ian Anderson even went as far as giving the fictional Gerald Bostock a co-credit. The poem was meant to be pseudo Homeric, but with a bombastic, humorous style. The album came wrapped in a cover that replicates a comedic newspaper and features the poem penned by the child prodigy. Although Thick As A Brick’s album cover and the album had spoof written all over it, many people didn’t get Jethro Tull, or more specifically, Ian Anderson’s unique style of humour. It was way too subtle.
With Thick As A Brick complete, and the fictional Gerald Bostock’s epic poem brought to life, copies of the album were sent out to critics. They hailed the album one of Jethro Tull’s finest. The music on Thick As A Brick was groundbreaking, innovative, slick and sophisticated. Most critics were won over by music that was complicated, but tinged with subtle humour. Incredibly, some critics failed to find the funny side of Thick As A Brick, and bought it hook, line and sinker. They failed to see that Jethro Tull were poking fun at the concept album, and laughing along with their audience at what Ian Anderson perceived as its pomposity. However, what very few critics overlooked was Jethro Tull’s first true progressive rock offering.
Thick As A Brick marked the completion of Jethro Tull’s move towards progressive rock which they had toyed with on their two previous albums. On Thick As A Brick they embraced progressive rock fully, on album which featured numerous musical themes, changes in time signature and tempo shifts. This proved popular with their legion of fans.
When Thick As A Brick was released on the ‘10th’ of March 1972 it reached number one in Australia, Canada and the US Billboard 200 charts. Back home in Britain, Thick As A Brick reached number thirteen which wasn’t unlucky for Jethro Tull. Thick As A Brick proved to be Jethro Tull’s most popular album in Britain and was certified silver. Meanwhile Thick As A Brick was certified gold in America and Ian Anderson’s parodic concept album saw Jethro Tull triumph again, as they became progressive rock pioneers.
A Passion Play.
In March 1973, Jethro Tull returned to Morgan Studios, where they began work on their sixth album A Passion Play. It was another concept album where individual songs were arranged into a single continuous piece of music that followed the progress of the spiritual journey of Ronnie Pilgrim in the afterlife. Just like Aqualung, it was an ambitious and innovative album that was cerebral and through-provoking.
By the time work began on A Passion Play, the members of Jethro Tull were contemplating moving to France to escape the punitive tax rates that were imposed on high earners like rock stars. Jethro Tull had even identified the Château d’Hérouville as a potential venue to record A Passion Play which was meant to be a double album.
Eventually, Jethro Tull had only enough material for three sides of the double album, and they decided that A Passion Play should be a single album. One of the tracks, The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles seems to have been inspired by Prokofiev’s Peter and The Wolf, while other parts of A Passion Play are reminiscent of to T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and John Milton’s A Passion Play, as Jethro Tull decided to head further down the road marked progressive rock. However, they also incorporated elements of traditional English folk music and played an array of disparate instruments on A Passion Play which was scheduled for release in July 1973.
Prior to the release of A Passion Play, critics had their say on Jethro Tull’s sixth album, but the majority of reviews were highly critical of the album. Although none of the critics were won over by A Passion Play, but record buyers were.
Despite the poor reviews, A Passion Play still reached thirteen in the UK on its release on the ‘13th’ of July 1973 and was certified silver. Ten days later, A Passion Play was released in North America on the ‘23rd’ of July 1973 and reached number one in Canada and the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold. Jethro Tull had triumphed over adversity for Jethro Tull, and had now old in excess of five million albums in America alone.
War Child.
Following the criticism of A Passion Play, it looked as like the end of the road for Jethro Tull, and it was rumoured that Ian Anderson was going to disband the group. However, eventually, Jethro Tull returned in October 1974 with a new album War Child.
Some of the tracks that hadn’t been used on Aqualung and A Passion Play resurfaced on War Child, which had been recorded in Morgan Studios, London, and in the Château d’Hérouville. Despite the poor reviews of A Passion Play, it was a much more relaxed Jethro Tull that recorded the new tracks at Château d’Hérouville that would feature on War Child.
It was meant to be a double album that accompanied a film project The War Child, which was described as a metaphysical black comedy based on a teenage girl in the afterlife, who meeting characters based on God, St. Peter and Lucifer who were portrayed as shrewd businessmen. However, the film was abandoned after failing to find a major movie studio willing to finance it. This left just War Child.
When War Child was finished, it followed in the footsteps of A Passion Play, and was another album of orchestrated album of progressive rock that sometimes, headed in the direction of a more traditional rock sound. However, just like A Passion Play, critics disliked War Child, and wrote scathing reviews of the album. No longer were Jethro Tull the darlings of the critics.
Despite that, War Child was released on the ’14th’ of October 1974, and reached fourteen in the UK and two on the US Billboard 200. This was enough for another gold disc for Jethro Tull, who knew that they needed to change tack for their next album.
Minstrel In The Gallery.
By the time Jethro Tull began work on their eighth album Minstrel In The Gallery, they were one of the biggest selling groups of the seventies. However, this came at a cost to songwriter-in-chief and lead vocalist, and the constant cycle recording an album and then touring it, had cost him his marriage. Commercial success and critical acclaim had come at cost, by April 1975, Ian Anderson’s marriage to Jennie Franks had ended in divorce. It wasn’t a good time for the Jethro Tull frontman.
When Ian Anderson began work on what became Minstrel In The Gallery, it proved a cathartic experience, he wrote about his divorce, and the pressures of having to constantly, write, record and tour. These songs were recorded between the ‘5th’ of May 1975 and the ‘7th’ of June 1975 at Maison Rouge Mobile Studio, in Monaco. Ian Anderson had brought onboard a string quartet, to replace the orchestra that featured on the two previous albums. This he hoped would help transform Jethro Tull’s fortunes. Once Minstrel In The Gallery was completed, it was scheduled for release in September 1975. Before that, the critics had their say.
The reviews of Minstrel In The Gallery were hardly glowing and some critics slated the album. Rolling Stone’s unnamed critic didn’t hold back. Their review called Minstrel In The Gallery “instantly forgettable.” However, Rolling Stone weren’t alone, and only a few reviews were favourable and the majority of the reviews were mixed. No longer was Jethro Tull’s fusion of progressive rock, folk rock and hard rock as popular amongst the critics. It was a different case with the record buying public, who had the final say.
On its release in Britain on the ‘5th’ of September 1975, Minstrel In The Gallery reached number twenty and was certified sliver. Three days later, Minstrel In The Gallery was released on the ‘8th’ of September 1975 and reached number two in the US Billboard 200, and was certified gold. Meanwhile, in Austria, Germany, Norway and Sweden, Minstrel In The Gallery sold well and Jethro Tull were still one of the biggest bands of the seventies, thanks to Minstrel In The Gallery.
Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die!
After the gruelling Minstrels In The Gallery tour, bassist Jeffrey Hammond was exhausted. Life with Jethro Tull seemed to be a schedule of record an album, then tour the album. It was non-stop and Jeffrey Hammond wanted to slow down, so, after the Minstrels In The Gallery tour, he announced he was leaving to become an artist. For Jethro Tull, this presented a problem, as they were about to record their ninth album Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die!
Fortunately, John Glascock was recruited and joined Jethro Tull just in time to record their latest concept album Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die! at Radio Monte Carlo, using the Maison Rouge Mobile Studio. This wasn’t the same studio that Jethro Tull had used to record Minstrels In The Gallery. However, Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die! which was recorded between the ’19th’ of November 1975 and the ’27th’ of January 1976 was a very different album to its predecessor.
Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die! told the story of Ray Lomas, an ageing rock star, who had retired from music, when the music he played fell out of fashion. Still, Ray Lomas was a greaser who wasn’t going to have a makeover. Not even when he went onto the “Quizz” show and won the jackpot. Even money however, didn’t bring Ray Lomas happiness.
After winning the money, Ray Lomas tries to commit suicide, and like the Sleeping Beauty, he falls into a deep sleep. When Ray Lomas wakes up, the greaser fashion is back in style, and he makes a comeback. Never did he lose faith that his style would come back into fashion. This was the story that Too Old To Rock ’N’ Roll: To Young To Die was attempting to tell and which featured on cartoon printed on the album cover. However, not everyone was impressed by Jethro Tull’s latest concept album.
Critics on hearing Too Old To Rock ’N’ Roll: To Young To Die weren’t impressed with the album, and felt that the plot lacked clarity and Ian Anderson may have been a gifted lyricist, but wasn’t a storyteller. The reviews of Too Old To Rock ’N’ Roll: To Young To Die ranged from poor to mixed, but not all of these reviews were an honest reflection on the music on the album.
The rise of punk, which was the antithesis to progressive rock, resulted in groups like Jethro Tull being labelled musical dinosaurs by a new breed of gunslinger critics. They perceived Jethro Tull as remnants of the music’s past and slated their albums. This affected sales of Too Old To Rock ’N’ Roll: To Young To Die.
When Too Old To Rock ’N’ Roll: To Young To Die was released on the ’23rd’ of April 1976, it stalled at fifteen in the UK. Three weeks later, on the ’17th’ of May 1976 Too Old To Rock ’N’ Roll: To Young To Die reached number fourteen in the US Billboard 200, and this time there was no gold disc for Jethro Tull. By then, Jethro Tull realised that they had to change direction and soon, the folk rock years would begin.
Songs From The Wood.
Following the disappointment of Too Old To Rock N’ Roll: Too Young To Die, Jethro Tull decided to reinvent their music and move in the direction of folk rock. This new era began at Morgan Studios, in London where between September and November 1976 Jethro Tull recorded the nine songs that became Songs From The Wood.
It’s an album that is rich in imagery from medieval Britain, while Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain seems to have inspired Ian Anderson as he wrote Songs From The Wood. Songs Jack-In-The Green, Cup Of Wonder and Ring Out Solstice Bells are full of medieval imagery and transport the listener back in time to another time and another place. Meanwhile, Velvet Green and Fire At Midnight showcase what’s best described as an ornamental folk arrangements while Pibroch (Cap in Hand) has a much more experimental sound. However, despite the strong folk influence on Songs From The Wood, Ian Anderson was quick to dismiss this description as irrelevant, and instead saw the album as Jethro Tull reaffirming their British identity.
With Songs From The Wood complete, critics had their say on Jethro Tull’s first folk rock album. The majority of the albums were positive, and this made a change from recent Jethro Tull albums which had been slated by critics. It looked as if their luck was changing.
When Songs From The Wood was released on ’4th’ of February 1977, it reached number twenty in the UK and eight in the US Billboard 200. This was enough for gold discs on both sides of the Atlantic, as Jethro Tull announced their return with Songs From The Wood which marked the start of the folk rock years.
Heavy Horses.
Buoyed by the success of Songs From The Wood, Jethro Tull began work on their second folk rock album, Heavy Horses. Although Ian Anderson was still Jethro Tull’s songwriter-in-chief Martin Barre and David Palmer who both contributed to Heavy Horses. Mostly, though, Heavy Horses was an album written by Ian Anderson and which featured telluric, imaginative and esoteric themes than those that feature on Songs From The Wood.
Journey Man saw Ian Anderson writing about how humans have to conform each and every day of their life. On a lighter note, Rover was dedicated to Ian Anderson’s dog and …And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps for his cat and No Lullaby was written for his young son, James. However, other songs found Ian Anderson contemplating the ever-changing and disappearing world which prove poignant and powerful. Meanwhile, Acres Wild and Weathercock find Ian Anderson hoping and pleading that better days are ahead for planet earth. Then there’s Heavy Horse, which is the second of two complicated suites that is comparable to the music on Aqualung, as it progresses from a piano led ballad to the galloping arrangement which Ian Anderson knew that the older and more experienced lineup of Jethro Tull would cope with admirably as they began recording their eleventh album in May 1977.
This time, Maison Rouge Studio, in Fulham, London, was where Jethro Tull recorded their much-anticipated eleventh album Heavy Horses between May 1977 and January 1978. By then, Jethro Tull’s rhythm section featured drummer and percussionist Barriemore Barlow, bassist John Glascock and guitarist Martin Barre. John Evan played piano and organ while David Palmer played pipe organ, keyboards and took charge of the orchestral arrangements. Ian Anderson played flute, mandolin, acoustic and occasionally electric guitar. Augmenting Jethro Tull was Curved Air violinist Darryl Way who featured on Acres Wild and Heavy Horses. He played his part on what was another carefully crafted, cerebral and thought-provoking album.
On Songs From The Wood, Jethro Tull decided to reinvent their music again, by eschewing the folk lyrical content that featured on their previous album, Songs From The Wood. It was replaced by a much more realistic outlook at a wold that was changing, and changing fast. Despite that, Heavy Horses was dedicated by Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull to the: “indigenous working ponies and horses of Great Britain.”
With Heavy Horses completed, critics were keen to hear the followup to Songs From The Wood, and were pleasantly surprised to hear Jethro Tull at their tightest for many years rocking hard on an album of folk rock that sometimes headed in the direction of progressive rock. It seemed that progressive rock wasn’t in Jethro Tull’s past despite their recent reinvention as a folk rock band. However, Jethro Tull unlike many of their contemporaries weren’t willing to embrace punk and post punk in an attempt to win back listeners.
Instead, Jethro Tull stuck to their guns, and recorded Heavy Horses which was the folk rock album they had always intended to record. Granted, it was a harder rocking album and much more progressive album than Songs From The Wood, and won that found favour with critics.
Just like Songs From The Wood, critics lavished praise and critical acclaim on Heavy Horses and especially the instrumental arrangements, esoteric, cerebral and thought-provoking lyrics and when Jethro Tull decided to kick loose and rock hard. However, winning over critics was only half the battle, and Jethro Tull had still to win over record buyers with Heavy Horses.
They need not have worried, because when Heavy Horses was released on the ’10th’ of April 1978, it reached twenty in the and nineteen in the US Billboard 200. This was enough for a silver disc in the UK and a gold disc in America. However, that wasn’t the end of the story of Heavy Horses which was also certified gold in Canada. Record buyers just like critics in Britain and North America had been won over by Jethro Tull’s latest folk rock album.
Heavy Horses which was the second of Jethro Tull’s folk rock trilogy, continues where Songs From The Wood left off, and finds Ian Anderson continuing their return to form. They were once again enjoying commercial success and critical success and had now sold in excess of seven million albums in America alone. Jethro Tull had come a long way since their early days as a blues rock band, and were still one of the most successful British bands of the seventies.
Ironically, Jethro Tull was still more popular in America than in Britain, where record buyers never seemed to ‘get’ their music. That was the case during their progressive rock years, and also when they reinvented themselves as a folk rock group. This began with Songs From The Wood, which was the next chapter in Jethro Tull’s folk rock years and continued on on their eleventh album Heavy Horses. The chameleon like Jethro Tull had returned with another carefully crafted, cerebral, progressive and thought-provoking folk rock album which features them at their hard rocking best on the last chapter in the first eleven .
Jethro Tull The First Eleven Albums.
TIM MAIA- THE FIRST TEN ALBUMS: 1970-1978.
Tim Maia-The First Ten Albums: 1970-1978: .
By 1978, charismatic Brazilian singer-songwriter Tim Maia’s career was at a crossroads and he was worried about what the future held for him. Tim Maia found himself financially embarrassed, after a couple of musically barren years.
He had spent much of the money he earned on cars, musical instruments and the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle. This Tim Maia had embraced almost defiantly over the last few years, and this proved to be part of his undoing,
Things had been going from bad to worse over the last few years as he found himself being chased by bailiffs and debt collectors on a daily basis. It was a far cry from the critical acclaim and commercial success that Tim Maia had enjoyed earlier in his career. That seemed a long time for Tim Maia who was still only twenty-eight.
Tim Maia, who was born in Rio De Janeiro on September the ‘28th’ 1942.Tim Maia was the eighteenth of nineteen children. Aged just six, Tim Maia earned a living delivering homemade food which his mother cooked. This Tim Maia hoped would be the nearest he ever got to an ordinary job. After that, Tim Maia decided to devote himself to music which offered him an escape from the grinding poverty that was around him.
It turned out that Tim Maia was a prodigiously talented child, who wrote his first song as an eight year old. By the time he was fourteen, Tim Maia had learnt to play the drums and formed his first group Os Tijucanos do Ritmo. They were only together for a year, but during that period, Tim Maia took guitar lessons and was soon a proficient guitarist. This would stand him in good stead in the future.
In 1957, Tim Maia domed vocal harmony group, The Sputniks who made a television appearance on Carlos Eduardo Imperial’s Clube do Rock. However, the group was a short-lived, and Tim Maia embarked upon a solo career. This lasted until 1959, when seventeen year old Tim Maia made the decision to emigrate.
Tim Maia decided to head to America, which he believed he was the land of opportunity and headed to New York with just twelve dollars in his pocket. On his arrival, Tim Maia who was unable to speak English, managed to bluff his way through customs, telling the officials that he was a student called Jimmy. Incredibly, the customs officer believed him and Tim Maia made his way to Tarrytown, New York, where he lived with extended family and started making plans for the future. By then, Tim Maia had decided he would never return to Brazil.
During his time in New York, Tim Maia held down a variety of casual jobs and it has been alleged that he even augmented his meagre earnings by committing petty crimes. However, Tim Maia also learnt to speak and sing in English, which lead to him forming a vocal group The Ideals.
During his time with The Ideals, they decided to record a demo which included New Love which featured lyrics by Tim Maia. When The Ideals entered the studio, percussionist Milton Banana made a guest appearance. Sadly, nothing came of the demo, although Tim Maia later resurrected New Love for his album Tim Maia 1973. Before that, things went awry for Tim Maia and he was eventually deported.
Confusion surrounds why and when Tim Maia was deported from America, and there’s two possible explanations. The first, and more rock ’n’ roll version is that Tim Maia was arrested on possession of cannabis in 1963, and deported shortly thereafter. That seems unlikely given how punitive penalties for possession of even a small quantity of cannabis were in the sixties. Indeed, it’s highly unlikely that Tim Maia would’ve deported, without having to serve a jail sentence first. This lends credence to the allegation that Tim Maia was caught in a stolen car in Daytona, Florida, and after serving six months in prison, he was deported back to Brazil in 1964.
Now back home in Brazil, Tim Maia’s life seemed to be going nowhere fast. He was fired from several jobs, and was also arrested several times. It was no surprise when Tim Maia decided to move to São Paulo, where he hoped that he could get his career back on track.
Having moved to São Paulo, Tim Maia, hoped he would be reunited with Roberto Carlos who had been a member of The Sputniks. Ironically, it was Roberto Carlos who Tim Maia had insulted before he left The Sputniks. Despite leaving several messages, Roberto Carlos never returned Tim Maia’s calls and he had no option but to try to make his own way in the São Paulo music scene.
Tim Maia’s persistence paid off, and soon, he had featured on Wilson Simonal’s radio show, and then appeared alongside Os Mutantes on local television. Despite making inroads into the São Paulo music scene, Tim Maia was determined to contact Roberto Carlos and sent him a homemade demo. Eventually, Tim Maia’s persistence paid off.
When Roberto Carlos heard the demo, he recommended Tim Maia to CBS who offered him a recording deal for a single, and an appearance on the Jovem Guarda television program. However, when Tim Maia’s released his debut single Meu País in 1968, it failed to find an audience.
Tim Maia tried a new approach with his sophomore single and recorded These Are the Songs, in English. It was released later in 1968, but again, commercial success eluded Tim Maia. Things weren’t looking good for the twenty-six year old singer.
Fortunately, Tim Maia’s luck changed when he wrote These Are the Songs for Roberto Carlos, which gave his old friend a hit single. At last, things were looking up for Tim Maia.
Things continued to improve when Elis Regina became captivated by Tim Maia’s song These Are the Songs. This led to Elis Regina asking Tim Maia to duet with her on the song. Tim Maia agreed and they recorded the song in English and Portuguese, which the song featured on Elis Regina’s 1970 album Em Pieno Veroa. Recording with such a famous Brazilian singer gave Tim Maia’s career a huge boost, and soon, he was offered a recording contract by Polydor.
Having signed to Polydor in 1970, and somewhat belatedly recorded his debut album Tim Maia 1970. Although it showcased a talented, versatile and charismatic singer, who married soul and funk with samba and Baião. This groundbreaking album spent twenty-four weeks in the upper reaches of the Brazilian charts and launched Tim Maia’s career.
The following year, Tim Maia returned with his sophomore album Tim Maia 1971, where elements of soul and funk were combined with samba and Baião There were even hints of jazz, psychedelia and rock, during what was an ambitious and innovative album of genre-melting music which was released to critical acclaim and commercial success. Tim Maia 1971 also featured two hits singles Não Quero Dinheiro (Só Quero Amar) and Preciso Aprender a Ser Só. Tim Maia’s star was in the ascendancy, and it looked as if he was well on his way to becoming one of the biggest stars in Brazilian music.
After the success of his sophomore album, Tim Maia headed to London to celebrate after years of struggling to make a breakthrough. For the first time in his career he was making a good living out of music, and Tim Maia was determined to celebrate and enjoy the fruits of his label. However, it was during this trip to London, that he first discovered his love of the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle.
Realising that he was only here for a visit, Tim Maia embraced the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and almost defiantly, lived each day as if it was his last. He hungrily devoured copious amounts of drugs and alcohol which became part of Tim Maia’s daily diet. Fortunately, his new-found lifestyle didn’t seem to affect Tim Maia’s ability to make music. That was until Tim Maia discovered a new drug that would prove to be his undoing.
In London, Tim Maia discovered LSD He became an advocate of its supposed mind opening qualities. He took 200 tabs of LSD home to Brazil, giving it to friend and people at his record label. Little did Tim Maia know, but this was like pressing the self destruct button.
Over the next two years, he released two further albums, Tim Maia 1972 and Tim Maia 1973 which were released to critical acclaim and commercial success in Brazil. The only problem was that after the success of Tim Maia 1973, Tim Maia became unhappy at the royalty rate he was receiving from his publisher. This lead to him founding his own publishing company Seroma, which coincided with Tim Maia signing to RCA Victor
They had offered Tim Maia the opportunity to record a double album for his fifth album. He was excited by this opportunity and, agreed to sign to RCA Victor, and soon, began work on his fifth album. Somehow, Tim Maia was still seemed able to function normally on his daily diet of drink and drugs. Before long, he had already recorded the instrumental parts, and all that was left was for Tim to write the lyrics.
Seeking inspiration for the lyrics, Tim Maia decided to visit one of his former songwriting partners Tibério Gaspar. That was where Tim main found the book that would change his life, but sadly, not for the better. The book was Universo em Desencanto (Universe in Disenchantment), which revolved around the cult of Rational Culture who didn’t believe in eating red meat or using drugs. Given Tim Maia’s voracious appetite for drink and drugs, he seemed an unlikely candidate to join the cult. However, sadly, he did.
Straight away, the cult’s beliefs affected Tim Maia and his music. Ever since he joined the cult of Rational Energy, he beam fixated on UFOs, Tim was now clean-shaved, dressed in white and no longer drank, ate red meat, smoked or took drugs. Always in his hand was a mysterious book. Tim Maia was a changed man, and even his music changed.
The lyrics for his fifth album, and RCA Victor debut, were supposedly about his newly acquired knowledge that came courtesy of Universo em Desencanto. With the ‘lyrics’ complete, Tim Maia’s vocals were overdubbed onto what became Racional Volumes 1 and 2. With the album completed, Tim took it to RCA Victor who promptly rejected the album.
RCA Victor’s reason for rejecting the album was that it wasn’t of a commercial standard. To make matters worse, the lyrics made absolutely no sense. There was only one small crumb of comfort, and that was that Tim Maia’s voice was improving. That hardly mattered for RCA Victor, who weren’t going to release the album. For RCA Victor, Racional Volumes 1 and 2 was huge disappointment.
That was until Tim Maia offered to buy the master tapes from RCA Victor, so that he could release the album independently. RCA Victor accepted his offer, which allowed them to recoup some of their money. Having bought the master tapes, Tim Maia set about releasing Racional Volume 1 in 1975. Sadly, it didn’t enjoy the same critical acclaim and commercial success of Tim Maia’s four previous albums. Suddenly, many of Tim Maia’s fans thought he was no longer the artist he once was.
After releasing Racional Volume 1 in 1975, Tim Maia returned in 1976 with his sixth album Racional Volume 2. Lightning struck twice when Racional Volume 2 failed to impress the critics and was a commercial failure. Nowadays, Racional Volumes 1 and 2 are cult classics, whereas in 1976 they tarnished Tim Maia’s reputation. Maybe this was the wakeup call he needed?
In 1976, Tim quit the cult after the release of Racional Volume 2. By then, he had fallen out with its leader and felt as if he had been duped. So much so, that Tim Maia wanted the master tapes to Racional, Volumes 1 and 2 destroyed. The two albums were part of his past, and now Tim Maia was ready and wanted to move forward.
Tim Maia’s music changed after Tim Maia Racional, Volumes 1 and 2 as he entered what was the most prolific period of his career. This began with the release of Tim Maia in 1976, which saw the thirty-four year old combine soul, funk and MPB (música popular brasileira). However, although Tim Maia proved reasonably popular upon its release, it didn’t match the success of his first four albums.
After the disappointment of his previous album, Tim Maia returned in 1977 with eighth album which he once again, decided to call Tim Maia. It found Tim Maia combining soul, funk and Latin influences on what’s an underrated album. Sadly, Tim Maia failed commercially and thirty-five year old Tim Maia was a worried man.
Ever since he had been signed by Polydor and received his first advance, Tim Maia had lavished large sums of money on everything from cars and musical instruments to his continued love of the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle. The rest of Tim Maia’s money was used to pay various fines he ran up, and to pay lawyers bills that had accumulated over the last few years. This came at a price, and by 1977, Tim Maia realised that he was insolvent. Almost every day, Tim Maia was forced to play a cat and mouse game as he left his flat as bailiffs and debt collectors who were constantly chasing him for unpaid bills. It was a worrying time for Tim Maia. However, Tim Maia knew that if he could record another successful album then all his financial problems would be solved.
Fortunately, there was still a small sum of money left from the advance Tim Maia had received from Polydor, and he decided to use this to record his ninth album. Unlike previous albums, he decided to record the album in English, which was something Tim Maia had always dreamt of. Using the last of his advance, he put a band together and recorded Tim Maia en Ingles. When the album was released in early 1978, Tim Maia en Ingles sold less than 10,000 which was nothing compared to what his other albums had sold. This was another financial disaster for Tim Maia whose finances went from bad to worse.
With no money, and his popularity at an all-time low, the future wasn’t looking good for Tim Maia who watched as Brazil was won over by disco. The film Saturday Night Fever had just been released in Brazil, and records by Chic, Gloria Gaynor, KC and The Sunshine Band and Kool and The Gang were filling dancefloors in clubs across the country. Little did Tim Maia that two of the leading lights of Brazilian music were hatching a plan for him to record a disco album.
Lincoln Olivetti was one of the top arrangers in Brazil, while Guti Carvalho one of the country’s leading producers and they were keen to record a disco album with Tim Maia. They were both aware that the maverick singer was one of Brazil’s most talented singers, but were also aware of the reputation of being unpredictable. Their job was to harness Tim Maia’s talent and help him record an album where he reached the heights of his first four albums. However, to do that, required the backing of a record company.
Guti Carvalho approached Warner Bros in the hope that they would be interested in signing the flawed genius Tim Maia. However, they were well aware of his past and knew what had happened when he signed to RCA Victor. However, eventually, they decided to take a chance on Tim Maia, and he signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. His debut for his new label was Disco Club, which was arranged by Lincoln Olivetti and produced by Guti Carvalho.
Backed by a band that featured top musicians, the initial recording sessions went well until there a problem arose. When Tim Maia went to listen to the playback of Pais E Filhos he wasn’t impressed by what he heard, so producer Guti Carvalho opened the microphone to ask Miguel Cidrás to listen to the playback. Not knowing the microphone was open, Tim Maia explained that he felt his voice was being overpowered by the strings, and would rather have one of his friend arranging the strings. Miguel Cidrás heard every world and raced into the studio and grabbed Tim Maia by his tie and through him to the ground and it’s alleged started choking him. It took Guti Carvalho and Piau to get Miguel Cidrás off of Tim Maia.
As Tim Maia gasped for breath, he made it clear that he wanted Miguel Cidrás to play no further part in the session. He was gone for good as far as Tim Maia was concerned. Meanwhile, Miguel Cidrás was furious at this act of disrespect, but Warner Bros realised that the session couldn’t continue with him and at great expense paid the Argentinean arranger off. Things only lightened up when Tim Maia’s friend Mauricio do Valle arrived at the session and produced a large bag of cocaine. Suddenly, things started to return to normal.
After that, Tim Maia’s tenth album Disco Club began to take shape, and over the next few days and weeks, the musical maverick recorded what was one of his finest albums. It combines disco with funk, soul, MPB and occasionally jazz and rock. Disco Club’s slick, polished and hook-laden sound found an audience across Brazil when it was released later in 1978. Tim Maia’s Disco Club became one of the most successful albums of his career.
The Brazilian soul man was back with what’s one of the finest album that Tim Maia released during a career that spanned three decades and thirty-four albums. Disco Club marked the return of the maverick soul man whose career had been a roller coaster since making a commercial breakthrough with Tim Maia 1970.
Since then, he had embraced become one of the most successful Brazilian singers of the early seventies, defiantly embraced the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle, joined a cult and spent all the money that had earned. That was why Tim Maia found himself playing a game of cat and mouse with bailiffs and debt collectors before releasing Disco Club. However, apart from joining the cult, Tim Maia enjoyed every minute of the past eight years Tim Maia knew he was only here for a visit and set out to live life to the full.
That was just as well as Tim Maia passed away on March the ‘15th’ 1998, aged just fifty-five. Sadly, by then, Tim’ Mai’s shows and behaviour had become predictable, and that had been the case since his 1976 post-Racional comeback.
Tim Maia was never the same man or musician after his dalliance with the cult of rational behaviour. However, Disco Club was one of the finest albums Tim Maia released after his post-Racional comeback. Just like his first four albums Disco Club is a poignant reminder of one of Brazilian music’s most talented sons at the peak of his power.
Since his death in 1998, Tim Maia’s music has been a well-kept secret outside of his native Brazil, and even within Brazil, many people still aren’t aware of Tim Maia’s music. However, older record buyers still talk about the maverick singer-songwriter in hushed tones and remember the flawed genius that was Tim Maia who could’ve, and should’ve, been a huge star outside of his native Brazil. Sadly, something held him back, and stopped Tim Maia from enjoying the widespread commercial success and critical acclaim that his music richly deserved. That is despite Tim Maia being a hugely talented singer, songwriter, musician and producer who was capable of producing several classic albums, during his long and eventful career.
Tim Maia-The First Ten Albums: 1970-1978: .
NICOLETTE LARSON-THE WARNER BROS YEARS.
Nicolette Larson-The Warner Bros Years.
Nowadays, far too many people are scared to follow their dream and instead, settle for second best and the drudgery of working 9-5. Sadly, it’s only much later, when it’s too late, that they realise what they gave up and what might have been. Nicolette Larson was determined that wasn’t going to happen to her and after spending three semesters at the University Of Missouri and working various dead-end jobs, left to pursue a career in music. This must have left her friends and family shaking their heads and sagely saying that it was a decision that Nicolette Larson would live to regret.
How wrong they were. Over the next few years, Nicolette Larson sang backing vocals for Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Eric Anderson, Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young. Later, she added harmonies on albums by Marcia Ball, Norton Buffalo and Rodney Crowell. By then, Nicolette Larson had been signed to the country division of Warner Bros, and in 1978 her debut album Nicolette was certified gold. It was the next chapter in the Nicolette Larson story, which began twenty-six years earlier.
Nicolette Larson was born in Helena, Montana on July the ’17th’ 1952, and led a somewhat a nomadic existence growing up. This couldn’t be helped, as her father worked for the US Treasury, and was often transferred to other towns and cities. Sometimes, Nicolette was just starting to make friends and settling into a new school, when the Larson family were on the move again. By the time Nicolette Larson graduated high school, the Larson family were living in Kansas City, Missouri. Next stop for Nicolette Larson was the University Of Missouri.
Having enrolled at the University Of Missouri, it wan’t long before Nicolette Larson realised that student life wasn’t for her. After spending what must have been three long semesters studying at the University Of Missouri, Nicolette Larson decided to leave academia behind.
Things didn’t get much better for Nicolette Larson, over the next few weeks and months, worked a variety of dead-end jobs in Missouri. She waited tables and experienced the nine to five drudgery of working in an office. Eventually, Nicolette Larson decided to follow her dream, and pursue a career in music.
This Nicolette Larson knew wasn’t going to be easy, and was going to take time, persistence and dogged determination. It also meant that she would need to leave Missouri behind, and head to one of America’s musical cities, and eventually, settled on San Francisco, which had a thriving music scene.
That had been the case since the birth of rock ’n’ roll. Nicolette Larson’s first job in San Francisco, was in one of the city’s many record stores. In her spare time, Nicolette Larson volunteered at the Golden Gate Country Bluegrass Festival.
As Nicolette Larson watched the artists perform at the Golden Gate Country Bluegrass Festival, she became even more determined to become a singer. So much so, that she was willing to travel to Canada to make her debut opening for vocalist Eric Anderson in Vancouver, British Columbia. Buoyed by having made her professional debut as a singer, Nicolette Larson returned home, and began looking for work as a singer.
Fortunately, Hoyt Axton was looking for backing singers to join his band, Hoyt Axton and The Banana Band, who were due to open for Joan Baez on her 1975 Diamonds and Rust tour. Nicolette Larson passed the audition, and joined Hoyt Axton and The Banana Band the tour. During the tour, Nicolette Larson made a big impression on Hoyt Axton was also producing country rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen’s album Tales From The Ozone. He was looking for singers to add backing vocals.
Nicolette Larson and Guthrie Thomas fitted the bill, and they both made her debut on Tales From The Ozone. It was released in 1975, and was just the first of a number of artists Nicolette Larson worked with. Often though, Nicolette Larson worked with Guthrie Thomas, and other times she worked alone.
Having worked with Hoyt Axton and Guy Clark in 1976, soon word was spreading about this new backing vocalist Nicolette Larson who was working with some big name musicians. This included Billy Joe Shaver, Gary Stewart, Jesse Colin Young, Jesse Winchester Mary Kay Place and Rodney Crowell. Nicolette Larson recorded another album with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. However, in 1977 Nicolette got the opportunity to work with two of the biggest names in music.
The first was Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris who was about to record her 1977 album Luxury Liner. She brought Nicolette Larson onboard to sing backing vocals on the album. Her finest moment on the album came on Hello Stranger, where Nicolette features prominently and plays a starring role. During the recording sessions for Luxury Liner, Nicolette Larson met Linda Ronstadt and the two women became firm friends. This resulted in Nicolette getting the opportunity of a lifetime.
One day, Neil Young phoned Linda Ronstadt to ask if she could recommend a female vocalist to sing on what became his American Stars ’N’ Bars album. Little did Linda Ronstadt know, that she was the third person Neil Young had asked that question. Just like the first two, Linda Ronstadt replied “Nicolette Larson.” That made Neil Young’s mind up, and Nicolette Larson got the call to head to his ranch and cut vocals for American Stars ’N’ Bars.
Joining Nicolette Larson for the American Stars ’N’ Bars’ sessions, was Linda Ronstadt, and the pair harmonised, while Neil Young laid down the vocals and played guitar. When Stars ’N’ Bars was released, Nicolette and Linda Ronstadt were billed as The Bullets. However, only one of The Bullets would return to sing on Neil Young’s next album.
In November 1977, Neil Young was recording Comes A Time in Nashville, and Nicolette Larson was asked to join what was an all-star cast. She contributed harmonies on eight of the ten tracks on Comes A Time was released in October 1978, and played an important part in Nicolette’s future.
Before that, Nicolette Larson continued to work as a backing vocalist, and 1978 got off to a good start when Emmylou Harris’ Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town album reached number three in the US Billboard 100, and was certified gold. Meanwhile, Nicolette Larson also added harmonies to albums by Marcia Ball, Norton Buffalo and Rodney Crowell before Neil Young’s Comes A Time was released in October 1978. However, it wasn’t the most successful album Nicolette Larson featured later in 1978.
That honour fell to The Doobie Brothers’ Minute By Minute, where Nicolette Larson added harmonies on two tracks. When Minute By Minute was released on ‘1st’ December 1978 it reached number one album, was certified triple platinum and won four Grammy Awards. However, by the time Minute By Minute was released Nicolette Larson’s career had begun.
By then, Nicolette Larson had already signed to the country division of Warner Bros. This came about after she had worked with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen and Neil Young. Executives at Warner Bros realising that Nicolette Larson was a talented artist with huge potential, wasted no time in signing her to their country division. They then paired Nicolette Larson with a top producer Ted Templeman.
Nicolette Larson had already worked with Ted Templeman before, on The Doobie Brothers’ album Little By Little. He was already one of the most successful producers of the late-sixties and seventies. He had worked with Van Morrison, Little Feat, The Doobie Brothers, Captain Beefheart, Montrose, The Beau Brummels and Carly Simon. Ted Templeman next assignment was producing Nicolette Larson’s debut album Nicolette.
Nicolette.
Having signed to Warner Bros, work began on Nicolette Larson’s debut album Nicolette. The ten tracks that were chosen for the album, were all cover versions as Nicolette Larson wasn’t known as a songwriter. As a result, Nicolette Larson and Ted Templeman began choosing songs that would suit Nicolette’s voice.
This included Neil Young’s Lotta Love; Jesse Winchester’s Rhumba Girl; Sam Cooke’s You Send Me; Lauren Wood’s Can’t Get Away From You; Bill Payne’s Give a Little; Adam Mitchell’s French Waltz and Bob McDill’s Come Early Mornin’. They were joined by Bob Hillard and Burt Bacharach’s Mexican Divorce; Holland, Dozier, Holland’s Baby Don’t You Do It; Adam Louvin’s Angels Rejoiced and Glen Frey and JD Souther’sLast in Love which would close Nicolette. Before that, these Nicolette was recorded with an all-star band
When it came to recording Nicolette, a huge cast of musicians and backing vocalists were involved in the recording. This included musicians who Nicolette had previously worked with. Both Linda Ronstadt and Michael McDonald added backing vocals on Nicolette. Meanwhile, members of Little Feat and The Doobie Brothers, two the most successful bands of the seventies made guest appearances alongside bassist Klaus Voormann; guitarist Herb Pedersen, Memphis Horns’ saxophonist Andrew Love and Eddie Van Halen laid down a guitar solo on Can’t Get Away From You. Meanwhile, Ted Templeman took charge of production of Nicolette which was completed in time to be released in the autumn of 1978.
The release of Nicolette was scheduled for September the ‘29th’ 1978, but before that, critics had their say on Nicolette. The reviews of Nicolette were all positive, with Nicolette Larson’s blend of pop, rock, soul, country and folk proving popular amongst critics. Critical acclaim accompanied the release of Nicolette which reached number fifteen in the US Billboard 200 and number one in the Canadian charts. This resulted in gold discs in America and Canada. That wasn’t the end of the commercial success.
Meanwhile, Lotta Love had reached number eight on the US Billboard 100 and number one on the US Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Across the border in Canada, Lotta Love reached number four, and number one in the Adult Contemporary chart. This was the perfect start for Nicolette’s carer.
The followup to Lotta Love, Rhumba Girl reached forty-seven in the US Billboard 100 and thirty-eight on the US Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Meanwhile in Canada, Rhumba Girl reached fifteen and number four in the Adult Contemporary charts. Soon, two hits would become three.
The final single from Nicolette, Give A Little reached number nineteen in the US Billboard’s Adult Contemporary charts. That was the third hit single from Nicolette which had just been certified gold. This was the perfect start to Nicolette Larson’s solo career, and was no surprise to those who had heard her debut album, which whetted the listener’s appetite for her sophomore album.
In The Nick Of Time.
For In The Nick Of Time, Ted Templeman returned to produce the album. Ten tracks were chosen, including Just in the Nick of Time which Nicolette cowrote with Ted Templeman and Lauren Wood. She had written Can’t Get Away from You for Nicolette, and contributed Breaking Too Many Hearts and Fallen to In The Nick Of Time. They were joined by songs from successful songwriting partnerships.
Just like Nicolette, In The Nick Of Time featured a track from Holland, Dozier, Holland, Back in My Arms. It was joined by Dancin’ Jones which Lieber and Stoller wrote with John Sembello and Ralph Dino. They were joined by Michael McDonald and B.J. Cook Foster’s Let Me Go, Love; Richard Torrance and John Haeny’s Rio de Janeiro Blue; Bobby Troup’s Daddy; Karla Bonoff’s Isn’t It Always Love and Lowell George’s Trouble. These songs would become In The Nick Of Time, where Nicolette, was once again, joined by an all-star band.
At the core of Nicolette’s band for the recording of In The Nick Of Time, once again were Little Feat’s guitarist Paul Barrere and keyboardist Bill Payne. They were joined by The Doobie Brothers’ live drummer and percussionist Bobby LaKind. Making guest appearances were The Memphis Horns; guitarist Ronnie Montrose; keyboardist Van Dyke Parks and Michael McDonald who duetted with Nicolette on Let Me Go, Love. This glittering array of musical talent joined Nicolette and producer Ted Templeman in recording In The Nick Of Time. However, could and would it match the commercial success and critical acclaim of Nicolette?
That was never going to be easy. Nicolette had received critically acclaimed reviews, and was certified gold. Throughout Nicolette, her enthusiasm is infectious. It was as if she was determined to grasp this opportunity with both hands. That was the case, as she brought each song to life, breathing meaning into the lyrics. However, the reviews of In The Nick Of Time weren’t as positive
Partly, this was because music was changing, and so were the critics. A new breed of cynical, gunslinger critics turned their guns on any type of music that was remotely establishment sounding. This included progressive rock, classic rock and even singer-songwriters like Nicolette Larson. Many albums didn’t stand a chance, and weren’t judged on their merits. Instead, the critic’s prejudice affected their judgement, and this didn’t bode well for Nicolette Larson’s sophomore album In The Nick Of Time.
On the release of In The Nick Of Time in 1979, the album stalled at forty-seven in the US Billboard 200, and seventy-one in Canada. There were no gold discs for Nicolette Larson this time around. To add to the disappointment neither the lead single Dancin’ Jones nor the followup Back in My Arms charted. This was a huge disappointment as In The Nick Of Time was an album that deserved to fare much better?
In The Nick Of Time was very different album to Nicolette, and found the twenty-seven year old singer widening her musical horizons. Whether this was Nicolette Larson’s decision is another matter? There was no need for her to change direction as Nicolette had just sold over 500,000 copies. Despite that, a quartet of dance-floor friendly tracks were added to In The Nick Of Time, which featured everything from disco, jazz, soul, pop and AOR. This executives at Warner Bros hoped would be a winning formula.
While disco was still popular when In The Nick Of Time was recorded, by July 1979 it was a musical pariah by the time the album was released. The decision to reinvent Nicolette Larsson as a disco diva backfired.
The problem with In The Nick Of Time was that it wasn’t the album that Nicolette Larson’s fans expected. They didn’t want to hear dance tracks, even ones as good as those on In The Nick Of Time. Instead, they liked the ballads, soulful songs and jazz-tinged tracks on In The Nick Of Time, and wanted an entire album of similar songs. Essentially, if Nicolette Larson had released another album of AOR, country, folk, pop and rock maybe In The Nick Of Time would’ve been a more successful album? As a result, Nicolette Larson knew that she would have to reinvent herself on her third album Radioland.
Radioland.
Following the disappointing performance of In The Nick Of Time, work began on Radioland. Ted Templeman was retained to produce Radioland which featured nine songs from a variety of songwriters and songwriting partnerships.
This including the Andrew Kastner penned How Can We Go On and Straight From The Heart, and who teamed up with Larry John McNally and Nicolette Larson to write When You Come Around. Lauren Wood who had contributed to Nicolette Larson’s two previous albums contributed Been Gone Too Long. These songs were joined by Adam Mitchell’s Fool For Love; Lowell George’s Long Distance Love; Allen Toussaint’s Tears, Tears And More Tears; Sumner Merings’ Radioland and Annie McLoone’s Ooo-Eee. These songs became the album that could make or break Nicolette Larson’s career…Radioland.
When work began on Radioland, many of the same musicians that worked on Nicolette Larson’s first two albums were present. Little Feat’s guitarist Paul Barrere and Bill Payne who this time around, played synths. They were joined by The Doobie Brothers’ guitarist Patrick Simmons and their live drummer Bobby LaKind, who added percussion. Making a guest appearance was Linda Ronstadt who added backing vocals. Meanwhile, the rhythm section two top session players, drummer Rick Shlosser and bassist Tiran Porter, who provided Radioland’s heartbeat. Just like Nicolette’s two previous albums, Ted Templeman took charge of production. Little did he know it would be for the last time.
Reviews of Radioland were mainly positive, with critics much more impressed by the change in sound. Stylistically, it was closer to Nicolette Larson’s debut album as element of pop, rock and soul joined funk, fusion and jazz on an album where ballads and rubbed shoulders with uptempo tracks. Radioland was a return to form from Nicolette Larson.
Despite this, when Radioland was released in 1980, the album stalled at sixty-two in the US Billboard 200, and failed to chart in Canada. Sadly, it was a familiar story with the singles Ooo-Eee, When You Come Around and Radioland failing to troubled the charts. This was hugely disappointing for Nicolette and Ted Templeman. Indeed, for Ted Templeman it was the last time he worked with Nicolette Larson. His swan-song was Radioland. It’s one of the most underrated albums of Nicolette Larson’s career which was definitely at the crossroads.
All Dressed Up and No Place To Go.
A year after the release of Radioland, Nicolette Larson began work on her all-important fourth album All Dressed Up and No Place To Go. There was a lot riding on this album, which had the potential to make or break her career.
This time though, there was no sign of Ted Templeman who had produced Nicolette Larson’s first three albums. He had stepped down, although he is given a credit as executive producer of All Dressed Up and No Place To Go. Replacing Ted Templeman was singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Andrew Gold. He was tasked with transforming Nicolette Larson’s fortunes on All Dressed Up and No Place To Go.
For All Dressed Up and No Place To Go Nicolette Larson and Andrew Gold chose ten tracks which were a mixture of cover versions and new songs. This included Nicolette Larson and Andrew Gold’s I Want You So Bad. It was joined by Andrew Gold’s Still You Linger On, Andrew Kastner’s Just Say I Love You, Lowell George’s Two Trains and Paul Barrere’s Love, Sweet, Love. They were joined by Allee Willis and Patrick Henderson’s Talk To Me; Craig Doerge, Jackson Browne and Rosemary Butler’s I’ll Fly Away (Without You); Ivor Raymonde and Mike Hawkers I Only Want To Be With You; Kathy Wakefield and Leonard Caston’s Nathan Jones and Gary Ogan and Leon Russell’s Say You Will. These tracks would become All Dressed Up and No Place To Go which was Nicolette Larson’s fourth album.
Recording took place at Sunset Sound, in Los Angeles between October 1981 and January 1982. This time around, Nicolette Larson’s band featured a rhythm section of drummer Rick Schlosser, bassist Scott Chambers and guitarist Fred Tackett. That was apart from on Want You So Bad, where drummer Michael Botts and bassist Bob Glaub and guitarist John McFee replaced the usual rhythm section.
Joining the rhythm sections were Mark Jordan who switched between organ and Fender Rhodes; Billy Payne on synths; Arno Lucas on congas, tambourine and timbales; conga player Bobby LaKind, trumpeter Lee Thornberg and saxophonist Jim Horn. Meanwhile, producer Andrew Gold also played acoustic, electric and slide guitar, piano, percussion synths and added backing vocals. Other backing vocalists included Linda Ronstadt, Valerie Carter, Julia Tillman, Maxine Willard and Wendy Waldman. They spent three months recording All Dressed Up and No Place To Go which Nicolette Larson hoped would transform her career.
Critics on hearing All Dressed Up and No Place To Go were impressed with what was slick, carefully crafted and tasteful album that played to Nicolette Larson’s strengths. This was her versatility and her ability to breath life and meaning into the lyrics of a wide variety of songs. That was the case on All Dressed Up and No Place To Go.
Given the quality of music on All Dressed Up and No Place To Go, the albums should’ve transformed Nicolette Larson’s career. Sadly, the album stalled at seventy-five in the US Billboard 200 and ninety-five in Australia. When I Only Want To Be With You was released as the lead single it reached fifty-three in the US Billboard 100 and gave Nicolette Larson a top ten hit in the US Adult Contemporary charts when it reached number nine. This was a small crumb of comfort for Nicolette Larson, whose fourth album hadn’t reached the audience it deserved. This was a huge disappointment for Nicolette Larson and producer Andrew Gold.
For Nicolette Larson the disappointing sales of All Dressed Up and No Place To Go spelt the end of her time at Warner Bros. After four albums she left Warner Bros later in 1982, and after that, signed to MCA Records, where she released …Say When in 1984. Sadly, Nicolette Larson never ever replicated the success of her 1978 debut album Nicolette.
After the released of Nicolette in 1978, which was certified gold and featured three hit singles, it looked as if this was the start of a long and successful career for Nicolette Larson. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.
The decision to combine disco with AOR, gospel, jazz, pop rock and soul on 1979s In The Nick Of Time was one which Nicolette Larson would regret. Maybe this was part of a plan to market Nicolette Larson to a much wider audience? However, when it failed to replicate the success of her debut album Nicolette, twenty-seven year old Nicolette Larson’s career was at the crossroads.
This might never have happened if whoever was advising Nicolette Larson hadn’t encouraged her to change direction musically. While it’s a slick and electric album, the excursions into dance music on In The Nick Of Time alienated part of her core audience. When this happened, it was difficult for Nicolette Larson to win her former fans back
When Nicolette Larson returned in 1980 with Radioland, some of the music was much more like that on Nicolette. However, there was still the occasional dance track on the third and final Nicolette Larson album that was produced by Ted Templeman. Lightning struck twice when Radioland failed to chart. Maybe after the commercial failure of In The Nick Of Time, producer Ted Templeman should’ve been replaced, and new blood brought in?
Andrew Gold was brought onboard for All Dressed Up and No Place To Go and was responsible for a slick and carefully crafted album were Nicolette Larson showcases her talent and versatility. Sadly, despite All Dressed Up and No Place To Go being one of the finest albums of Nicolette Larson’s career, it never enjoyed the success it deserved.
Sadly, that was the story of Nicolette Larson’s career, and a singer who had potential and talent to become one of the greatest singers of the late-seventies and early eighties never fulfilled her potential. However, the four albums that Nicolette Larson released on Warner Bros features the best music of her career.
Sadly, Nicolette Larson’s career was cut tragically sort. Fifteen years after the release of All Dressed Up and No Place To Go, Nicolette Larson passed away on December the ‘16th’ 1997, aged just forty-five. That day, music lost a truly talented singer who could’ve and should’ve gone on to enjoy a long and successful career. Sadly, that wasn’t to be. However, Nicolette Larson left behind a rich musical legacy, including the four albums she released on Warner Bros, including All Dressed Up and No Place To Go.
Nicolette Larson-The Warner Bros Years.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TRASHCAN SINATRAS.
The Life and Times Of The Trashcan Sinatras.
Nowadays, very few bands get to celebrate their tenth anniversary, never mind their twentieth or thirtieth. Especially bands formed in the eighties. Many were short-lived affairs, who released a couple of albums, before calling it a day. Some crashed and burned amidst rancour and anger. Often, money was at the heart of the problems. Others bands retired, after lifestyle problems intervened. However, there was another problem with eighties bands.
During the eighties, many bands became reliant upon a ‘sound.’ At the heart of it, were drum machines and synths. This sound, didn’t have the longevity that guitar bands would enjoy. Many of them, are still going strong, including Scotland’s very own Trashcan Sinatras who were formed in 1986. However, during these thirty-three years the Trashcan Sinatras have had more than a few ups and downs.
That was when in Irvine, in Ayrshire The Trash Can Sinatras were born. The original lineup featured a rhythm section of drummer Paul Forde, bassist Frank Reader and guitarist George McDaid. Completing the lineup was guitarist and vocalist Davy Hughes. With the lineup in place, the band started thinking of a name for the nascent band. It was then the band’s thoughts turned to memories of a music class at school.
Memories came flooding back of the students improvising on a myriad of makeshift instruments. This included some trash cans. It was then that someone mentioned Frank Sinatra. Suddenly, The Trash Can Sinatras were born. The newly named band then began to hone their sound. However, by late 1986, early 1987 a few changed in The Trash Can Sinatras’ lineup.
Among the newcomers were lead guitarist Paul Livingston and rhythm guitarist John Douglas. They were joined by drummer Stephen Douglas. That wasn’t the of the changes. Davy Hughes switched to bass and Frank Reader switched to acoustic guitar and became The Trash Can Sinatras’ vocalist. This would the lineup of the band until 1998. However, with a settled lineup in place, The Trash Can Sinatras began playing live.
Initially, The Trash Can Sinatras were a covers band, who played on the Ayrshire pub and club circuit. This was where The Trash Can Sinatras honed and tightened their sound. It was akin to a musical apprenticeship, and one that stood them in good stead. Especially one night in Kilmarnock, where the Trash Can Sinatras’ lives were changed forever.
For The Trash Can Sinatras, the gig in Kilmarnock started off as just another booking. Little did they realise that Simon Dine was in the audience. He watched with interest, as The Trash Can Sinatras worked their way through their set. By then, The Trash Can Sinatras were regarded as a band with potential, who were destined for greater things. Soon, A&R executives would be catching the shuttle from London. So Simon Dine decided to steal a march on the competition.
Before long, The Trash Can Sinatras s were signing with Go! Discs. After signing on the dotted line, The Trash Can Sinatras decided to invest their advance wisely. They bought their own recording studio in Kilmarnock, which they called Shabby Road. This made sense, and would pay off in the long run.
Especially since The Trash Can Sinatras were about to head into the studio to begin recording their debut single and album. This would take time, but eventually, was worth it.
Cake.
The benefit of owning their own recording studio, meant that The Trash Can Sinatras weren’t watching the clock, and knowing that every hour was costing the band money. Instead, the Trash Can Sinatras could spend as long as they wanted working on the ten songs that they had written for their debut album, Cake.
At Shabby Road studios, The Trash Can Sinatras were joined by several session musicians. They augmented the Trash Can Sinatras, adding strings, keyboards, piano and percussion. The two other people who joined The Trash Can Sinatras, were producers Roger Bechirian and John Leckie.
Roger Bechirian produced Obscurity Knocks, Thrupenny Tears, The Best Man’s Fall and Funny. John Leckie who mixed Cake produced Even The Odd and Circling The Circumference. The Trash Can Sinatras produced Maybe I Should Drive, Only Tongue Can Tell, You Made Me Feel and January’s Little Joke. Once the ten tracks were completed, Cake was released in 1990.
It had taken the best part of three years to complete Cake. However, it was well worth it. Critical acclaim accompanied the release of Cake. The Trash Can Sinatras’ lyrics were cerebral and witty; while their tight, Byrdsian harmonies were the perfect foil for Frank Reader’s vocals. The result was pop perfection from Irvine’s soon to be famous five. A great future was forecast for The Trash Can Sinatras, who were regarded as Scottish music’s next big thing.
When Cake was released on June 25th 1990, the album reached seventy-four in the UK, and 131 in the US Billboard 200. This was helped by the success of the lead single Obscurity Knock. It reached number eighty-six in the UK, and number twelve in the US Modern Rock charts. The followup Only Tongue Can Tell reached number seventy-seven in UK, and number eight in the US Modern Rock charts. Later, in 1990, the only disappointment came when Circling The Circumference failed to chart. However, Cake had been a successful debut album for The Trash Can Sinatras.
After the release of Cake, The Trash Can Sinatras embarked upon their first tour of the UK and North America. With Cake spending three months on the US Billboard 200, The Trash Can Sinatras’ spent much of their time touring America. It was a far cry from playing cover versions in a Kilmarnock pub. However, the story was only beginning.
I’ve Seen Everything.
Three years passed before The Trash Can Sinatras returned in 1993, with their sophomore album I’ve Seen Everything. By then, bassist George McDaid had left, and was replaced by Davy Hughes. He and the rest of The Trash Can Sinatras penned the fourteen songs new songs that became I’ve Seen Everything. They were recorded at the band’s Shabby Road studio, in Kilmarnock.
Joining The Trash Can Sinatras at Shabby Road, was a new producer, Ray Shulman. He seemed an unlikely choice to produce The Trash Can Sinatras. Ray Shulman was the former bassist of pioneering progressive rockers Gentle Giant. Their music was very different to The Trash Can Sinatras. Despite this, it proved a successful partnership.
When I’ve Seen Everything was released in 1993, plaudits and praise accompanied the release of this masterclass in perfect pop. The Trash Can Sinatras had matured as a band since their 1990 debut album Cake. Their witty wordplay and harmonies were still trademarks of the band’s sound on what was an eclectic album, I’ve Seen Everything. It was released in 1993.
I’ve Seen Everything reached number fifty, but failed to chart in America. This was disappointing for The Trash Can Sinatras. However, Hayfever reached number eleven in the US Modern Rock charts and sixty-one in the UK. The followup single was I’ve Seen Everything. Despite its undoubtable quality, it failed to chart. For The Trash Can Sinatras this was another disappointment. However, headed out on tour, determined to win fiends and influence people.
A Happy Pocket.
After another three years, The Trash Can Sinatras returned with their third album, A Happy Pocket in 1996. It featured another fourteen songs from the pen of The Trash Can Sinatras. They had recorded and produced the album at Shabby Road, where they were joined by some of their musical friends. This included former Love and Money keyboardist Paul McGeechan and violinist David Crichton. However, one difference was that this time round, several mixers were used on A Happy Pocket.
Rather than employ one person to mix A Happy Pocket, different mixers were used. This included Larry Primrose who mixed six song and engineered two. Hugh Jones and Helen Woodward mixed four of songs; while Vincenzo Townsend engineered and mixed I Must Fly and Steve Whitfield mixed Make Yourself At Home. Using so many different mixers was something that critics commented on.
While A Happy Pocket was well received by critics, they felt that it didn’t quite match the quality of their first two albums. They were now regarded as cult pop classics. Part of the problem was the overuse of overdubbing and the mandolin. The other problem was using so many different mixers. This some critics felt, resulted in A Happy Pocket sounding like a compilation, rather than an album. Some critics felt some of the tracks had an unfinished sound, and were almost like demos.
However, A Happy Pocket featured several tracks that featured The Trash Can Sinatras at their very best. Especially, The Safecracker, Twisted and Bent, How Can I Apply…? and The Therapist. These tracks featured musical masterclasses from The Trash Can Sinatras, and featured hooks aplenty. It was against this backdrop that A Happy Pocket released.
When A Happy Pocket was released in 1996, the album failed to chart. Neither did any of the singles. The lead single was The Main Attraction, which was followed up by Twisted And Bent and How Can I Apply…? To Sir, With Love was the final single released from A Happy Pocket, and not only did it fail to chart. This was just the start of a period where nothing seemed to go right for The Trash Can Sinatras.
After the release of A Happy Pocket, The Trash Can Sinatras decided not to tour North America. Instead, they toured the UK and Japan, where they were a popular band. However, on their return, The Trash Can Sinatras were in for a surprise, and not a pleasant one.
In 1996, Go! Discs was acquired by Universal Music. One of the first things that happens after the takeover, is a record company’s roster is examined with a fine tooth comb. There are always casualties. Sadly, one of the casualties were The Trash Can Sinatras. They were dropped by Universal. This was a huge blow for the band.
So was the loss of bassist Davy Hughes. He departed in 1996, and returned in 2001. Before that, things would get a lot worse for The Trash Can Sinatras.
Especially when The Trash Can Sinatras realised that they would have to sell their beloved Shabby Road studios. Now they had lost the studio where they had recorded their first three albums. This could prove expensive in the long run. However, worse was to follow.
So perilous was The Trash Can Sinatras’ finances, that they had no option but to declare bankruptcy. It was a huge blow, and one that many bands wouldn’t recover from. However, The Trash Can Sinatras weren’t most bands.
For the next three years, The Trash Can Sinatras decided to keep a relatively low profile. They didn’t play live until 1999, when they toured the UK and Ireland. The Trash Can Sinatras then released their first live album, Chewing A Brick. Later in 1999, The Trash Can Sinatras embarked upon a tour of Japan. During that tour, they released a cover of Randy Newman’s Snow on Sony Japan. Not long after this, a new era began for The Trash Can Sinatras.
After all that had happened during the last few years, The Trash Can Sinatras decided to head to Hartford, Connecticut where they would record their fourth album, and then play a series of live dates. The recording sessions took place between March and June 2000. During that period, around twelve songs were recorded. This was more than enough for an album. However, when The Trash Can Sinatras returned home and listened to the ‘album’, the band realised that it was much too dark and subdued an album. This wasn’t what they wanted. So a decision was made to scrap the album, and start again.
Weightlifting.
2001 was when The Trash Can Sinatras began work on what became Weightlifting. During that year, they wrote new songs and recorded demos at Riverside Studios, in Glasgow. This was a new experience. Previously, The Trash Can Sinatras had recorded at their Shabby Road studio. Now the meter was running as The Trash Can Sinatras recorded their demos. Over the next year, twelve songs were recorded. This was the start of the comeback.
In 2003, The Trash Can Sinatras decided to return to the live circuit in earnest. They started playing concerts and festivals across Scotland. By then, The Trash Can Sinatras’ fourth album was well on its way to completion.
What became Weightlifting, featured twelve songs which were written by the band. These songs were produced by The Trash Can Sinatras and Simon Dine. Once the album was recorded, it was ready to mix,
Andy Chase of The Ivy, who was also a respected producer, was hired to mix Weightlifting. When he had finished mixing Weightlifting, the album was scheduled for release in August 2004.
Before that, The Trash Can Sinatras headed out on tour. They played in Spain, London and then headed to America in March 2004. The Trash Can Sinatras played a sellout show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, and then headed to Austin, Texas to play at the South By Southwest festival. Again, The Trash Can Sinatras played a barnstorming set, and the comeback continued. However, there was a surprise in store.
When critics received copies of Weightlifting, they realised that the band had changed their name. Weightlifting was the first album from the newly renamed Trashcan Sinatras. It was also a carefully crafted album of joyous jangle pop. Fittingly Welcome Back opened the album, and set the tone for what was a return to form from the Trashcan Sinatras. They stuck to what they knew, and refrained from gimmicks in their latest pursuit of hook-laden perfect pop. Among the highlights, were string drenched, soulful ballads like Got Carried Away, What Woman Do To Men and A Coda.There’s brief excursions into heavy metal, stoner and a pastor sound. Mostly, it’s the Trashcan Sinatras doing what they do so well, jangle pop. With critical acclaim accompanying Weightlifting, things were looking good for the Trashcan Sinatras.
After a summer spent touring and promoting their fourth album Weightlifting, the Trashcan Sinatras were almost ready to release their first album in eight years. When Weightlifting was released on 31st August 2004, the album failed to chart in the UK and America. To add the Trashcan Sinatras’ woes, neither of the singles, All The Dark Horses nor Wild Mountainside charted. It was a disappointing result for an album that oozed quality. However, weren’t beaten. Not by a long shot.
In The Music.
Following the release of Weightlifting, there were a couple of changes in the Trashcan Sinatras’ lineup. Bassists Davy Hughes had left the band in 2005. His replacement was Grant Wilson joined in 2006, but departed in 2008. Replacing Grant Hughes on bass was Frank DiVanna. However, with a settled lineup, the Trashcan Sinatras returned in 2009, with their long-awaited fifth album In The Music.
The Trashcan Sinatras had written ten new songs for In The Music. They had been recorded with producer Andy Chase, who had mixed Weightlifting .Recording of In The Music took place at Stratosphere Sound, New York between November 2007 and February 2008. Further sessions took place in Martha’s Vineyard in July 2008. That was when Carly Simon added backing vocals to Should I Pray? Once the album was complete, the release was scheduled for 2009.
Before that, critics had their say on In The Music. It was well received by even the hardest nosed critics. They were won over by the album’s much more understated, grownup sound. The songs were carefully crafted and the music was lush, polished and soulful. Some critics regarded the album as almost flawless, and a mature and magnificent album of pop perfection. Surely this would get the Trashcan Sinatras back onto the charts?
The Trashcan Sinatras were taking no chances, and embarked upon a tour that began in July 2009 and lasted four months. By November 2009, the tour was over and In The Music had been released on 14th September 2009. Lightning struck twice, and In The Music failed to chart. For the Trashcan Sinatras, it was another in a long line of disappointments. As a result, seven years passed before the Trashcan Sinatras returned with Wild Pendulum,
Wild Pendulum.
In October 2014, The Trashcan Sinatras announced that they were about to begin recording their sixth album. Wild Pendulum would be a thoroughly modern album, which the band announced, fans could pre-order via PledgeMusic. Fans could buy various packages, and would received updates of the project. It was written and recorded during 2015.
As usual, the twelve songs that became Wild Pendulum, were written by the Trashcan Sinatras. The album was then recorded at ARC Studios, in Omaha, Nebraska. That was where the Trashcan Sinatras got to work.
The rhythm section featured drummer and percussionist Stephen Douglas, bassist Frank DiVanna and rhythm guitarist John Douglas. Paul Livingston played lead and acoustic guitar, Stevie Mulhearn added keyboards and Francis Reader took charge of vocals. Augmenting the Trashcan Sinatras’ core band were Nathaniel Walcott on piano, organ and clarinet and guitarist Simon Dine who also adds “sonic scenery. Producer Mike Mogis played guitars, pedal steel and percussion. However, there were still pieces of the jigsaw missing.
So series of guest artists were drafted in. Pianist Ben Brodin played on All Night; harmonica player Dustin Arbuckle plays on Ain’t That Something and vocalist Susan Sanchez who features on I’m Not The Fella and What’s In The Box? Just like previous Trashcan Sinatras albums, strings play an important part. So a string section were brought onboard. Wild Pendulum was nearly complete. Christopher Thorn then took care of some addition recording at Fireside Sound in L.A. Now Mike Mogis could mix the album and Howie Weinberg mastered Wild Pendulum in Laurel Canyon. Once this was complete, the Trashcan Sinatras could make an important announcement.
The Trashcan Sinatras announced that Wild Pendulum was complete, and ready for release in January 2016. That was the plan.
Unfortunately, the release of Wild Pendulum was delayed until March 2016. However, the Trashcan Sinatras were out of luck. There was yet another delay, and the release was put back again. For the Trashcan Sinatras it was a frustrating time. Especially, as they were about to embark upon some sonic experimentation on their long-awaited, and much-anticipated sixth album, Wild Pendulum.
When Wild Pendulum was released, it was quite unlike previous Trashcan Sinatras’ albums. Their last couple of albums were a reminder that the Trashcan Sinatras were one of the finest indie pop bands of their generation. Their unique and enchanting brand of jangle pop had flitted in and out of their fan’s lives for the past thirty years. During that period, The Trashcan Sinatras had steadfastly refused to change direction. Why should they? They were, without doubt, one of the finest purveyors of jangle pop. Despite this, the Trashcan Sinatras’ last three albums hadn’t matched the commercial success of their first two alums. So they decided to change direction.
For Wild Pendulum, Simon Dine of Adventures In Stereo, a longtime confidant of the group was drafted in to add some ‘sonic scenery.’ This was a stylistic departure from the Trashcan Sinatras. So was Simon Dine’s use of samples, loops, found sounds and horns. Combined with Mike Mogis’ much richer and fuller arrangements, Wild Pendulum was step into the unknown for the Trashcan Sinatras. It may have been one short step for mankind, but a giant leap for the Trashcan Sinatras.
Some things hadn’t changed though. Still the Trashcan Sinatras were capable of carefully crafting hook-laden, perfect pop. Let Me Inside (Or Let Me Out) which opened Wild Pendulum, was a statement of intent. The Trashcan Sinatras old and new sounds combined. From there, Best Days On Earth is a beautiful and joyous anthem. The hooks haven’t been spared on Ain’t That Something, which features Trashcan Sinatras’ trademark harmonies play. This results in a melodic and memorable anthem. Equally memorable is Autumn, a musical epic, where swathes of the lushest strings sweep above Francis Reader’s vocal. Variety it seems is the spice of life for the Trashcan Sinatras.
All Night finds the Trashcan Sinatras heading for the dance-floor. This is a first. Who would’ve ever believed The Trashcan Sinatras would ever make a dance track? They have; but do it their way. Normal service is resumed on Family Way wheres pizzicato strings accompany Francis, as he combines clever wordplay, hooks and harmonies. It’s a potent combination, and is a reminder of everything that’s good about the Trashcan Sinatras. After this, it’s all change.
The tempo drops on I’m Not The Fella. It’s reminiscent of Prefab Sprout in their prime, as the Trashcan Sinatras roll back the years. Cinematic describes Waves (Sweep Away My Melancholy), where Francis Reader paints pictures with the lyrics against a much fuller arrangement. All too soon, Wild Pendulum is almost over. I See The Moon has a much more understated sound and this allows Francis Reader tender, thoughtful vocal to take centre-stage as he reflects, and delivers a needy, hopeful vocal on this pensive ballad. The Trashcan Sinatras have kept one of the best until last, on what’s their best album since Cake in 1990.
Despite Wild Pendulum being the best album the Trashcan Sinatras have released in twenty-six years, it passed record buyer by. On both sides of the Atlantic, Wild Pendulum failed to chart. This was the Trashcan Sinatras’ fourth consecutive album to fail to chart. Twenty-three years had passed since the Trashcan Sinatras’ 1993 sophomore album I’ve Seen Everything charted. Given the quality of Wild Pendulum, this must have been a massive disappointment for the Trashcan Sinatras.
Especially since tweaked their sound, and given it a moderne makeover. To some extent, the Trashcan Sinatras had reinvented themselves on Wild Pendulum. Sonic scenery, samples, loops, horns and found sounds have been combined on Wild Pendulum. There’s even a dance-track on Wild Pendulum. That was a first. It sits side-by-side with anthems, beautiful ballads and perfect pop. Still, the Trashcan Sinatras were one of the finest purveyors of perfect pop extraordinaire. This thee Trashcan Sinatras have been doing since 1986.
As the Trashcan Sinatras celebrated their thirtieth anniversary, sadly, the wider record buying public have yet to discover the delights of the Trashcan Sinatras. They’re still one of music’s best kept secrets. That’s a great shame, as the Trashcan Sinatras are one of the most talented Scottish bands of the last thirty years.
They seemed destined for greatness, but sadly, their career has taken a few twists and turns. The Trashcan Sinatras were dropped by their record company; had to sell their recording studio; were declared bankrupt; had to change their name and even abandoned an album. That’s not forgetting several changes in lineup. Still though, the Trashcan Sinatras come back for more, and recently, have come back stronger.
What better way for the Trashcan Sinatras to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary, than with a new album like Wild Pendulum. It featured Irvine’s finest purveyors of jangle pop at their pioneering best, as they reinvent themselves. To do that, the Trashcan Sinatras combined hooks and harmonies with samples and sonic scenery. One thing that hadn’t changed, was the Trashcan Sinatras’ use of clever wordplay. It’s been a trademark of the Trashcan Sinatras’ music for thirty years. Hopefully that will continue to be the case in the future, as the Trashcan Sinatras continue to do what they do best, make music.
That’s what the Trashcan Sinatras have been doing for the past thirty-three years, and during that period, Irvine’s most famous sons, the Trashcan Sinatras, have been one of the finest purveyors of flawless jangle pop. Long may that continue to be the case.
The Life and Times Of The Trashcan Sinatras.
IRMA THOMAS-IN BETWEEN TEARS RECORD STORE DAY 2019.
Irma Thomas-In Between Tears-Record Store Day 2019.
Label: Reel Music.
There’s not many artists whose career spans six decades but Irma Thomas’ does. The Soul Queen of New Orleans released her debut single (You Can Have My Husband But) Don’t Mess With My Man on the Ron label in 1960, and since then, has recorded for some of the best know soul labels, including Minit, Chess and Imperial. Irma Thomas was a contemporary of artists like Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick, but unlike her contemporaries, never found the mainstream success they enjoyed. Despite that, Irma Thomas has enjoyed a longevity that is the envy of many singers.
Sadly, her longevity didn’t translate into commercial success, but Irma Thomas is a hugely respected artist who has released over a dozen albums and over thirty singles. One of these albums was Irma Thomas’ third album In Between Tears, released in 1973 on the Fungus record label. In Between Tears was recently rereleased by Reel Music for Record Store Day 2019. It’s a reminder of what was Irma Thomas’ comeback album.
In Between Tears was Irma Thomas’ first album in four, long years. After a hurricane wreaked havoc on her beloved New Orleans in 1969, she had to move Los Angeles. Once there, her musical career was put on hold, with Irma Thomas working in the retail sector. That was until 1973, when Irma Thomas released the single She’ll Never Be Your Wife on the Fungus label. Her comeback was complete when she entered the studio with producer Swamp Dogg to record In Between Tears.
For In Between Tears, Swamp Dogg wrote all but one of the tracks. He also put together a tight and talented band. The rhythm section included bassist Robert Popwell, drummer Squirm and guitarist Duane Alman and Jesse Carr. Swamp Dogg played piano, Paul Hornsby organ and The Swamp Dogg Band supplied the strings. In total, seven tracks were recorded. They became In Between Tears.
When In Between Tears was released in 1973, Irma Thomas’ comeback album wasn’t the success that she had hoped. However, like so many albums that aren’t a commercial success on their release, they’re only appreciated years later. That was the case the In Between Tears.
Back in 1973, people were wondering why In Between Tears hadn’t been a bigger commercial success. Had Irma Thomas’ absence from the music industry affected her music, or was it the change in style and sound on Between Tears? After all, Swamp Dogg has his unique production style, one that wasn’t necessary suited to Irma Thomas.
After four years away from the recording studio, Irma Thomas had lost none of her enthusiasm, energy and talent. On In Between Tears she delivers each song with a mixture of emotions. One minute she’s heartbroken and despairing, the next, she’s feisty, full of defiance and bravado. During some songs, there’s a world-weary sound to her voice, as if she’s lived a dozen lives, when in reality, she was only thirty-two. This demonstrates one of Irma’s talents, the ability to bring the story behind the lyrics to life. When she does this, she becomes a masterful storyteller. Of the nine songs on the album Swamp Dogg, aka Jerry Williams Jr. wrote of cowrote eight of them. Not only that, but he produced the album as well. With a crack band behind her, the result was an album that deserved to do so much better. Unlike many albums, this album is long on quality and short on filler.
Sadly, In Between Tears wasn’t a commercial success. That’s no refection on the music on In Between Tears. Maybe the partnership betweenThe Soul Queen of New Orleans and Swamp Dogg was doomed to failure? Swamp Dogg had his trademark production style which didn’t exactly fit with Irma Thomas’ elegant and sophisticated style. Despite this unlikely musical marriage, In Between Tears worked. It allowed Irma Thomas to step out of her comfort zone and demonstrate her versatility. As she did this, she was transformed into a master storyteller, one who sounded like she’d lived the lyrics a thousand times. Providing a dramatic backdrop was Swamp Dogg’s band. Together, they created In Between Tears, a true hidden gem in Irma Thomas’ back-catalogue.
Since its original release in 1973, In Between Tears has been rereleased several times, by a variety of labels. The latest label to do this is Reel Music pm Record Store Day 2109. This is a welcome reissue, and one that gives music fans everywhere, the opportunity to discover In Between Tears, a cult classic from Irma Thomas’ The Soul Queen of New Orleans.
Irma Thomas-In Between Tears-Record Store Day 2019.
TOMMY HUNT-THE COMPLETE MAN: 60s NYC SOUL SONGS.
Tommy Hunt-The Complete Man: 60s NYC Soul Songs.
Label: Kent.
Mention the name Tommy Hunt, and many soul fans will think of the music that the Pittsburgh-born singer recorded for Scepter in the early sixties. That was where Tommy Hunt came to prominence as a solo artist. However, this wasn’t Tommy Hunt’s first encounter with fame.
He was a member of The Flamingos when they released their biggest hit single I Only Have Eyes for You in 1959. Just a year later, Tommy Hunt left The Flamingos, citing the age-old excuse musical differences. Leaving a successful group could’ve been a disaster for Tommy Hunt, but this wasn’t the case.
Just a few days after leaving The Flamingos, Luther Dixon signed Tommy Hunt to Scepter. Soon, Lady Luck had smiled on Tommy Hunt, when a radio DJ mistakenly spun Human, the B-Side of Parade Of Broken Hearts, which gave him his biggest hit of 1961.
A year in 1962, Tommy Hunt released And I Never Knew as a single, which featured the debut of Bacharach and David’s I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself on the B-Side. It would later be recorded by everyone from Dusty Springfield to Art Garfunkel. However, in 1962 it was Tommy Hunt who first recorded this future classic for Scepter.
Many of Tommy Hunt’s Scepter recordings featured on a Kent compilation The Biggest Man which was released in 1997. Twenty-two years later, and Kent, an imprint of Ace Records released The Complete Man: 60s NYC Soul Songs which features twenty-five tracks from Tommy Hunt, including more from the Scepter and Dynamo vaults plus his highly regarded mid-sixties Atlantic and Capitol singles. The Complete Man: 60s NYC Soul Songs is a veritable feast of soulful music.
Among the tracks from the Scepter vaults on The Complete Man: 60s NYC Soul Songs are the Billboard 100 hit The Door Is Open, the album track You’re So Fine and the rare alternate B-Side How Young Is Young.
They’re joined by various unissued tracks including Van McCoy’s What’s The Matter Baby which Tommy Hunt originally recorded in 1963 with a different arrangement. Lonely For You was written by Van McCoy and Luther Dixon who signed and produced Tommy Hunt on Scepter, and just like One Of These Days is a quality beat ballad. Girls Are Sentimental and Who You Gonna Thrill Tonight are both the type of romantic ballads recorded in New York studios circa 1962. Just like the other newly found tracks, they’re all orchestrated.
It’s not just ballads on The Complete Man: 60s NYC Soul Songs, Tommy Hunt works his way through various uptempo soul songs. Among them are Oscar Brown Jr’s The Work Song, Never Love A Robin’ and from the Scepter vaults The Pretty Part Of You which is a 100 Club favourite.
They’re joined by Tommy Hunt’s four immediate post-Scepter recording. This includes I Don’t Want To Lose You and Hold On which were recorded in Chicago and released on Atlantic in 1965. Then I’ll Make You Happy and The Clown were issued on Capitol in 1966. It’s the first time these four cuts have been released and the sound quality is of the highest standard, as one expects from a Kent release. Many of the other tracks on The Complete Man: 60s NYC Soul Songs have never been released on CD before, so this is the first time Tommy Hunt fans will be able to enjoy this latest veritable feast of soulful delights from the Pittsburgh-born soul man.
Tommy Hunt-The Complete Man: 60s NYC Soul Songs.
TONY BANKS-HIS LIFE AFTER GENESIS.
Tony Banks-His Life After Genesis.
All too often, Tony Banks has been referred to as “the keyboard player from Genesis.” This is doing the sixty-seven year old a huge disservice. Tony Banks is a multi-instrumentalist, whose just as comfortable playing guitar as his playing piano, Hammond organ, synths or Mellotron. Seamlessly, Tony Banks could switch between musical instruments. That and his ability to innovate, played an important part in Genesis’ success. However, while Genesis dominated a large part of Tony Banks’ career, it’s just part of the story.
By the Genesis split-up in 1998, after thirty-one years together, Tony Banks was already an established solo artist. He released his debut album A Curious Feeling in 1979. After that, Tony Banks released another nine albums. They showed the different sides to Tony Banks.
As well as solo albums, Tony Banks released soundtracks and orchestral albums. Then there’s the albums Tony recorded with his Bankstatement and Strictly Inc. projects. These albums show Tony Bank’s versatility and ability to innovate over five decades. During this period, Tony Bank’s career has taken a few twists and turns.
A Curious Feeling.
For the past twelve years, Tony Banks had concentrated on making Genesis one of the biggest bands. He had cofounded the band in 1967, and by 1979, the only original members of the band were Tony and Mike Rutherford. The most recent departure was guitarist Steve Hackett, who left in 1977. This left Tony, Mike and Phil Collins, whose first album was a trio was 1978s …And Then There Were Three… The following year, Tony released his first solo album, A Curious Feeling
Before heading off to Polar Music Studios, Stockholm, Sweden, Tony Banks had written eleven tracks. They became A Curious Feeling, a progressive rock concept album. The concept for the album was Daniel Keyes’ short story Flowers for Algernon. Recording of A Curious Feeling took place during the spring and summer of 1979. Accompanying Tony were drummer Chester Thompson and vocalist Kim Beacon, while Tony Banks and David Hentschel produced A Curious Feeling. It was released on 8th October 1979.
When A Curious Feeling was released, the reviews were scathing. This was no surprise. 1979 was the height of the post punk era. Critics slated anything that represented the musical establishment. Tony never stood a chance at the hands of the the new breed of gunslinger critics. They neither to recognised nor were willing to acknowledge the quality of music on A Curious Feeling.
Despite the protestations of the gunslinger critics, A Curious Feeling reached number twenty-one in Britain and number 171 in the US Billboard 200. Tony Banks was vindicated in his decision to release his debut album. However, it would be five years before he released the followup.
The Wicked Lady.
After a gap of five years, Tony Banks released the first of two albums during 1983. The first was a remake of the soundtrack to Wicked Lady. It had originally been released in 1945, and featured Margaret Lockwood. An estimated 18.4 million million people saw The Wicked Lady, which was based on Magdalen King-Hall’s novel The Life and Death of the Wicked Lady Skelton. Thirty-eight years later, and Tony Banks collaborated with the National Philharmonic Orchestra on the remake of The Wicked Lady.
While Tony Banks featured on side one of the remake of The Wicked Lady, the National Philharmonic Orchestra featured on the second side. This unlikely collaboration found favour with critics.
When The Wicked Lady was released in April 1973, critics were impressed by the Tony Banks produced soundtrack. Especially, the second side. Its drama and complexity found favour with critics. Tony’s vision and creativity had been put to good use on The Wicked Lady. However, later in 1983, Tony released the followup to A Curious Feeling, The Fugitive.
The Fugitive.
Just like A Curious Feeling, Tony wrote the nine tracks on The Fugitive. This time around, Tony recorded The Fugitive closer to home. The Farm in Surrey, Genesis’ studio, was the venue for the recording of Tony’s sophomore album. To coproduce The Fugitive, Stephen Short was drafted in. Recording began in 1982.
Tony began recording the album at home, on an eight-track studio in 1982. He laid down the basic tracks. Then in 1983, recording began at The Farm. This time around, Tony took charge of the vocals. He was joined by Genesis’ touring guitarist Daryl Stuermer, bassist Mo Foster and drummer Steve Gadd. On Charm, no drummer was used. Instead, Tony used a Linn LM-1 drum machine. Eventually, the nine tracks were complete, and The Fugitive was released in late June 1983. By then, Genesis were preparing release their eponymous album in October 1983.
It was a battle of the albums, one that The Fugitive lost. Reviews of The Fugitive were mixed. Some critics like the sparseness of the arrangements, and were won over by Tony’s vocals. Up until then, they were a well kept secret. That was until The Fugitive was released.
The Fugitive was released in late June 1983, and stalled at number fifty in the British charts. After just two weeks, The Fugitive disappeared from the charts. Since then, The Fugitive has become a rarity. So did Tony Banks solo albums. Genesis were on the cusp of worldwide domination, where commercial success and critical acclaim was omnipresent.
Soundtracks.
So it wasn’t until 1986 that Tony Banks next released an album. Soundtracks featured tracks from two soundtracks that Tony Banks had been involved with. The first was Starship. It was released in December 1984, and is also known as Lorca and the Outlaws. Quicksilver was the other soundtrack. Tony was just one of a number of artists who contributed tracks to Quicksilver. Tracks from both these albums made their way onto Soundtracks.
When Soundtracks was released in March 1986, reviews were mixed. Critics noted that the quality of music was mixed, with the poppier sounding tracks lacking that all important hook. Given the reviews, it was no surprise when Soundtracks wasn’t a commercial success. Maybe this was why Soundtracks wasTony Banks’ final soundtrack album? For his next album, Tony was inspired by the success his friend Mike Rutherford was enjoying with his “other” band.
Bankstatement.
When he wasn’t busy with Genesis, Mike Rutherford was busy with his new group, Mike and The Mechanics. They were enjoying commercial success and critical acclaim. This inspired Tony Banks to form his own band, Bankstatement.
Essentially, Bankstatement were a trio featuring Tony, Alistair Gordon and Australian born singer-songwriter Jayney Klimek. Each of the three vocalists shared vocal duties. They were augmented in the studio by a band that included former Genesis guitarist Steve Hillage. He co-produced Bankstatemen with Tony. Recording took place during 1988 and 1989. A total of eleven songs penned by Tony Banks were recorded. These songs became Bankstatement, which was released in August 1989.
On the release of Bankstatement, the album was well received by critics. They recognised the quality of what was carefully crafted pop songs. Despite the reviews, neither Bankstatement, nor the three singles charted. Following the commercial failure of Bankstatement, the project never released a followup. Instead, Tony’s next album was his third solo album, Still.
Still.
Five years had passed since Tony released The Fugitive, his second solo album. Since then, he had been busy with Genesis and released an album with Bankstatement. A solo album was overdue. So in 1990, Tony Banks began recording what would become Still.
Unlike Tony’s two previous solo albums, Tony didn’t write each of the entire album Instead, Tonye wrote seven and cowrote Red Day On Blue Street and I Wanna Change The Score with Nik Kershaw. Tony cowrote Another Murder of a Day with Fish from progressive rock band Marillion. They were just two of the guest vocalists on Still.
The other two vocalists were Jayney Klimek and Andy Taylor of Duran Duran. Along with Nik Kershaw and Fish, recording of Still got underway in 1990, and was completed in 1991. The album was scheduled to be released later in 1991.
Originally, Still was going to be called Still It Takes Me by Surprise, after one of the tracks on the album. However, it was shortened to Still, and released in April 1991. Reviews of Still were mixed. However, Giant Records had high hopes for Still. They promoted the album heavily. Despite their best efforts, Still didn’t sell well in Britain. That was the case a year later, when Still was released in America in April 1992. Since then, Still is regarded by some as Tony Banks best albums. Following the disappointing sales ofStill, Tony Banks would to reinvent himself.
Strictly Inc.
The latest reinvention of Tony Banks came in 1995, when he released Strictly Inc. It was a collaboration between Tony and Jack Hues, the lead singer of Wang Chung. They were joined by a rhythm section of drummer John Robinson, bassist Nathan East and guitarist Daryl Stuermer. Jack Hues played guitar and Tony took charge of keyboards. Ten tracks were recorded between 1994 and 1995, and became Strictly Inc. which was released later in 1995.
Strictly Inc. was released on 11th September 1995. Critics weren’t impressed by Strictly Inc. The highlight of the album critics said, was Tony’s keyboard playing. Layers of keyboards were stacked one on top of another, melting seamlessly into one. They were augmented by Jack’s vocals. However, critics felt that vocals were no match for Tony’s keyboards. Unsurprisingly, when Strictly Inc. was released it failed commercially. That was despite Strictly Inc. bearing the band member’s names.
That was against Tony Bank’s wishes. He wanted Strictly Inc. not to feature the band member’s names. While this would’ve added an air of mystery, it would’ve also meant that cynical critics couldn’t take a swipe at Tony. They weren’t impressed by Strictly Inc. Nor were record buyers. So much so, that Virgin Records never bothered to release Strictly Inc. in America. Given the response of critics to Strictly Inc,Tony decided to reinvent himself yet again.
Seven: A Suite For Orchestra.
In the nine years between Tony Banks releasing Strictly Inc. and the release of Seven: A Suite For Orchestra in March 2004, a lot had happened. Genesis had split-up in 1998. After thirty-one years together, the trio went their separate ways. Five years later, Tony began work on Seven: A Suite For Orchestra in 2003.
Seven: A Suite for Orchestra was a first for Tony Banks. He had never released a classical album. Tony penned the seven suites, and played piano on Spring Tide, The Ram and The Spirit of Gravity. Accompanying him were the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Mike Dixon. Producing Seven: A Suite For Orchestra was Tony and Nick Davis, who Tony knew from his work engineering and producing Genesis. The pair finished Seven: A Suite For Orchestra was completed in 2004, it was released in March 2004.
When Seven: A Suite For Orchestra was released in March 2004, some critics were surprised by this stylistic departure from Tony Banks. However, Tony had written soundtracks and orchestral pieces before. He took this further on Seven: A Suite For Orchestra. Despite this, Seven: A Suite For Orchestra didn’t catch the imagination of record buyers. It was too far removed from what people expected of Tony Banks. Sales were disappointing, and successful continued to elude Tony Banks. It was too far removed from what people expected of Tony Banks. So much so, it would be eight years before Tony returned with the followup to Seven: A Suite For Orchestra.
Six: Pieces For Orchestra.
It wasn’t until April 2012 that Tony Banks returned with his second classical album, Six: Pieces For Orchestra. Eight years had passed since the release of Seven: A Suite For Orchestra. However, Tony had been busy.
He wrote the six suites on Six: Pieces For Orchestra. Again, Tony and Nick Davis co-produced Six: Pieces For Orchestra. It features the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. They’re conducted by Paul Englishby. Two soloists play an important part in this evocative, haunting and bewitching album. It features two of Tony Banks’ finest classical works. This is further proof, if any was needed of Tony Banks versatility and ability to reinvent himself.
This versatility allowed Tony Banks to reinvent himself several times between the release of A Curious Feeling in 1979 and Six: Pieces For Orchestra in 2012. During that period, Tony Banks solo career has taken numbers twists and turns. He’s released three solo albums, two soundtrack albums, two, orchestral albums and formed two bands, Bankstatement and Strictly Inc. In total, Tony Banks has released nine albums between 1979 and 2012. That’s pretty good going, considering Tony Banks was still a member of Genesis until 1998.
This meant that up until 1998, Tony Banks had fit his solo career around Genesis’ recording and touring schedule. They were one of the most successful bands on planet rock. Genesis’ albums sold by the million, so Genesis’ took priority. Solo careers and side projects were when the band had some downtime. During that period, Phil Collins enjoyed a hugely successful solo career, while Mike Rutherford’s band Mike and The Mechanics were also enjoying commercial success. However, Tony Banks never reached the same heights as his bandmates and friends.
While Tony Banks is undoubtably a talented and versatile musician, he never enjoyed the commercial success his talents deserved. Maybe his constant determination to reinvent himself musically worked against him? If he had forged out his own unique sound, then maybe Tony Banks’ would’ve gone on to enjoy commercial success and critical acclaim? This might have taken a couple of albums, but would’ve paid off in the long run. It certainly paid off for his former bandmates in Genesis, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford. However, this wasn’t for Tony Banks. Instead, he wanted to explore new musical frontiers.
Tony Banks went on to write soundtracks, classical albums and formed two short-lived bands. Each of these projects took Tony Banks’ career in a different direction. Even his three solo albums A Curious Feeling, The Fugitive and Still are quite different stylistically, and show different sides to Tony Banks’ music.
It’s a career where Tony Banks has explored everything from art rock, classical, pop, progressive rock, rock, soft rock and symphonic rock. No two albums were the same, as Tony Banks sought to reinvent himself. He certainly succeeded in doing so during a long and varied career.
Sadly, Tony Banks didn’t come close to enjoying the commercial success that came Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford’s way. However, throughout his solo career, Tony Banks was a musical maverick, who created ambitious and pioneering music. To do this, Tony Banks often flitted between, and combined disparate musical genres. The result was ambitious music that pushed musical boundaries. Sometimes this music failed commercially and divided the opinion or critics and record buyers. Maybe, part of the problem was Tony Banks had the safety net of Genesis?
Given the success Genesis enjoyed, Tony Banks wasn’t relying on his solo career putting food on the table. So he was able to experiment, and sometimes, indulge himself musically? Virgin Records and Atlantic, who released Genesis albums in Britain and America respectively, were willing to indulge a member of one of their most successful signings by releasing albums Bankstatement and Strictly Inc.
Both albums failed commercially and weren’t well received by critics. The cost of these albums would be a drop in the ocean compared to what Genesis were earning for Virgin Records and Atlantic. However, while Strictly Inc. was a low point in Tony Banks’ career, at least he was willing to head in new directions musically, and release ambitious music.
That was the case throughout Tony Banks’ thirty-three year solo carer. Constantly, Tony Banks released ambitious and pioneering music, where he continually pushed musical boundaries, and in the process proved that there was life after Genesis.
Tony Banks-His Life After Genesis.
THE LIFE AND CAREER OF NORMA WINSTONE.
The Life and Career Of Norma Winstone.
There aren’t many British jazz singers who have enjoyed the longevity, commercial success and critical acclaim that Norma Winstone MBE has. Her career has lasted over fifty years. Despite all the commercial success, critical acclaim and awards, the seventy-seven year old singer shows no signs of slowing down. Norma Winstone isn’t just a talented singer, but also a gifted lyricist. Many people will find this ironic, as Norma Winstone is best known for her wordless improvisations which have been a trademark of her career.
Norma Winstone was born on the ’23rd’ of September 1941, in Bow, in East London, which was devastated by a German bombers during World War II. However, as normality returned to London in the post war years, the young Norma Winstone started to play the piano. This would stand her in good stead later in life
By the early sixties, Norma Winstone started singing in bands in the clubs around Dagenham in Essex. Over the next few years, Norma Winstone served what was akin to a musical apprenticeship, as she became a familiar face on the London club scene. That was where Norma Winstone learned to control her vocal which wasn’t just pure but at times powerful. This she had honed on the club scene, and by the time she met pianist and composer Michael Garrick in 1968, was ready to move on.
Michael Garrick had spotted Norma Winstone’s potential the first time he first heard her sing that night in 1968. After she came of the stage, Michael Garrick introduced himself to Norma Winstone and asked her to sit in with his band at a forthcoming gig. When she agreed, he wrote out a list of songs that she had to learn.
On the night of the concert, Norma Winstone took to the stage with Michael Garrick’s band, and began singing the songs she had been asked to learn. Michael Garrick was so impressed after hearing her sing, that he asked her to sing a few more songs and take over from the saxophonist who had recently left the band. The only problem was that when Norma Winstone looked at the parts, there were no lyrics. Instead, there were some written melodies, and on occasions the saxophonist had riffed on a lone chord. Many singers would’ve been put off by the lack of lyrics. Not Norma Winstone who started to improvise, using the vowel based wordless improvisation that she would become famous for. Those in the audience had witnessed musical history being made.
A year after joining forces with Michael Garrick in 1968, Norma Winstone made her recording debut on the Joe Harriott and Amancio D’Silva Quartet’s 1969 album Hum Dono. This was the first of over 150 appearances Norma Winstone would make over the next fifty years.
In 1970, The Michael Garrick Sextet With Norma Winstone released the British jazz classic The Heart Is A Lotus. A year later, Norma Winstone was voted the top vocalist in the Melody Maker jazz poll. Having sung on two important British jazz albums, Norma Winstone was now an award-winning vocalist.
The following year, 1972, Norma Winstone released her much-anticipated debut solo album Edge Of Time. It featured the great and good of British jazz, on what’s regarded as one of Norma Winstone’s finest solo albums. However, it would be a while before Norma Winstone released the followup.
After releasing Edge Of Time, Norma Winstone was a member of Ian Carr’s Nucleus when he recorded the jazz rock concept album Labyrinth, which was based on the Greek myth about the Minotaur. When Labyrinth was released in 1973, the album became a cult classic and introduced Norma Winstone to a new audience. So did the years she spent with a new band Azimuth.
By 1977, Norma Winstone was a member of the British jazz trio Azimuth, which featured pianist John Taylor and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler. Azimuth released their debut eponymous debut album to widespread critical acclaim in March 1977 and it was hailed a British improv classic.
Azimuth returned with the atmospheric improv of The Touchstone in 1978. The group’s third album was Départ which was a collaboration with American guitarist Ralph Towner, which was released in 1980. It would be another five years before Azimuth returned with a new album.
Over the next five years, Norma Winstone worked on a number of projects, but still found time to record Azimuth’s fourth album. This was Azimuth ’85, which was released in March 1985. Nothing more was heard of Azimuth until 1995 when they released How It Was Then… Never Again which was the band’s swan-song.
Two years later, Norma Winstone returned with her long-awaited sophomore album Somewhere Called Home in 1987. It was released to the same critical acclaim as Edge Of Time fifteen years earlier in 1972.
Norma Winstone seemed in no rush to release her third solo album, and over the next eight years, recorded albums with Vocal Summit and the Norwegian jazz band Fairplay. She also recorded Freedom Jazz Dance with Mona Larsen which was credited to NormaMona, when it was released in July 1995. However, later in 1995, Norma Winstone released her third solo album Well Kept Secret in 1995. It had been well worth the wait, and featured Norma Winstone at her very best.
Just three years later, in 1998, Norma Winstone returned with her fourth solo album Manhattan In The Rain which was released to critical acclaimed. So was Norma Winstone’s collaboration with pianist John Taylor .. Like Song, Like Weather when it was released a year later in 1999. As the new millennia approached, Norma Winstone was one of the top female jazz singers not just in Britain, but Europe.
As new millennia sawed, this was the start of one of the busiest periods of Norma Winstone’s career. She worked on other artists and groups albums, and collaborated on several projects. This included Songs and Lullabies which was a collaborations between Fred Hersch and Norma Winstone which was released in 2003. The same year, Norma Winstone, Glauco Venier and Klaus Gesing released the album Chamber Music. It was just the latest project that featured Norma Winstone’s vocals.
While she was kept busy over the next three-year, Norma Winstone was joined by The NDR Big Band on her 2006 album It’s Later Than You Think. The same year, Norma Winstone renewed her acquaintance with the man who gave her big break, Michael Garrick. Norma Winstone became the featured vocalist on the Michael Garrick Jazz Britannia Orchestra’s 2006 album Children Of Time. It was like old times for the two old friends and colleagues.
On the ‘23rd’ of February 2006 and then on the ‘14th’ of December 2006, Norma Winstone joined forces with the Stan Tracey Trio and Bobby Wellins to record twenty tracks that later became the double album Amoroso…Only More So. The album featured what was essentially a British jazz supergroup, who sadly, released only album in 2007. The same year, Norma Winstone was awarded an MBE for her services to music.
In 2008, Norma Winstone returned with her fifth solo album Distances, which marked her return to ECM Records. Just like previous albums, Distances was released to plaudits and praise.
It was a similar case when the Michael Garrick Jazz Orchestra which featured Norma Winstone released Yet Another Spring in July 2009. This was forty years after Norma Winstone first sat in with Michael Garrick’s band in 1969. A lot had happened since then, and Norma Winstone was regarded as one of the legends of British jazz.
Two years later in 2011, Here’s A Song For You was released by Mike Gibbs with The NDR Big Band featuring Norma Winstone. By then, Norman Winstone had featured on around 150 albums, and had just celebrated her seventieth birthday. However, she wasn’t ready to retire.
The following year, Kenny Wheeler, another of Norma Winstone’s old friends invited her to part in a new project he was working on with the London Vocal Project. That was how Norma Winstone found herself at the Red Gables Studio, London between the ‘4th’ and ‘8th’ of June 2012. During that four-day period, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone and London Vocal Project recorded the album Mirrors, which was released in 2013. However, the next project Norma Winstone would work on, was a solo album.
Dance Without Answer was released on ECM Records in 2014, and found favour with critics who lauded the album. Despite the quality of the music on Dance Without Answer, it would be the best part of four years before Norma Winstone released the followup .
Over fifty years after seventy-six year old Norma Winstone’s singing career began, the veteran singer and lyrics released the critically acclaimed album Descansado: Songs For Films on ECM Records in 2018. It featured her trademark wordless improvisations and on other tracks, showcased a talented vocalist, who wrote some poignant and powerful lyrics. They were a reminder, if any was needed that Norma Winstone is much more than just a talented singer, and is also a gifted lyricist.
Many people will find this ironic, as Norma Winstone is best known for her wordless improvisations. That has been the case throughout a long and illustrious career of one of the greatest British jazz vocalists of her generation, Norma Winstone.
The Life and Career Of Norma Winstone.
THREE DAY WEEK-WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT 1972-1975.
Three Day Week-When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975.
Label: Ace Records.
In 1973, both Britain and America were experiencing one of the worst years since the end of World War II. The Vietnam War still raged, while the civil rights movement continued to fight for equality and an end to the racial discrimination that blighted America. To add to America’s woes, the Watergate investigation continued, that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon on August the ‘9th” 1974.
Meanwhile, 1973 started badly when Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath took Britain into the EEC in January 1973. This the Europhile Prime Minister claimed was the finest moment of his career. However, Britain joining the EEC was much to the chagrin of many politicians and voters.
The British public were denied a vote until the 7th’ 1975, when they voted to remain members of the EEC. Meanwhile, Britain was facing yet another crisis. This was nothing new, during a four-year long depression.
By October 1973, there was a Three Day Week in Britain, after the Conservative government limited pay rises. This resulted in a miners strike.
The miners had threatened to strike in early 1972, and were awarded a pay rise. In doing, so this meant that the three-day week Prime Minister Edward Heath threatened to introduce in manufacturing and industry to hold onto Britain’s energy reserves was averted. While what many business leaders and politicians were relieved, others realised that Edward Heath had given into the union barons, who would be back for more.
And so it proved to be, after the miners slipped from the top of the industrial league to eighteenth. By then, civil servants, medical staff, railway and dock workers were on strike, and the miners withdrew their labour again. The superannuated union barons were causing chaos, and on New Year’s Day 1974 the three-day week began.
It lasted until the ‘7th’ of March 1974, and for that period, there were power cuts and blackouts in houses across Britain. Suddenly, the demand for candles and torches was on the rise. Even television was affected and the three channels closed down at 10:30 pm, and many people decided to have an early night. Nine months later, and nurses and doctors noticed that there was spike in the birth rate.
Much has been written and said about the three-day week, but it has never inspired a compilation. That is until recently when Ace Records released Three Day Week-When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975. It’s lovingly compiled compilation that features twenty-six eclectic tracks.
The Strawbs open Three Day Week-When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975, with Part Of The Union which is tinged with a sense of ambivalence. This must have struck a nerve with many people as the single arched number two in Britain.
Small Wonder contributed the rocky Ordinary Boy, while The Kinks’ When Work Is Over and The Sutherland Bros Band are both welcome additions.
Despite the inspiration for the compilation, there aren’t many overtly political songs. The exceptions are Phil Cordell’s Londonderry, the Edgar Broughton Band’s Homes Fit For Heroes and Pheon Bear’s War Against War, which was released in 1973, but sounds as of it’s from the early sixties folk boom.
There’s a number of familiar faces on Three Day Week-When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975 including The Troggs’ who contribute I’m On Fire. It’s joined by Mungo Jerry’s Open Up, Hawkwind’s Urban Guerilla and What Ruthy Said by Cockney Rebel.
Other songs tap into the feelings of the time, ranging from a sense of despair and helplessness to irreverence like Lieutenant Pigeon’s And The Fun Goes On. It’s joined by Robin Goodfellow’s Why Am I Waiting which features a vocal filled of frustration. Climax Chicago’s Mole On The Dole and I Feel So Down by Barracuda will bring back memories of what it was like to live through this time.
Very different is the Northern Soul Dance from Wigan’s Ovation. This was a private press released in 1975, at the height of the Northern Soul boom.
Closing Three Day Week-When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975 is Stardust by Davis Essex. It’s the title-track from the 1974 film, which was the followup to That’ll Be The Day, which features the further adventures of Jim Maclaine and had the ts tagline: “Show me a boy who never wanted to be a rock star and I’ll show you a liar.” It was the perfect antidote to what was a depressing time for many British people.
Three Day Week-When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975 which was compiled for Ace Records by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs of Saint Etienne. This is the latest lovingly curated and eclectic compilation that takes as its inspiration events in recent history in Britain, America and France.
The period Three Day Week-When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975 covers, saw Britain lurch from one political crisis to another. This included the three day week which is wrongly romanticised. Britain was teetering on the brink, as strikes caused chaos and unemployment and inflation rose. However, still British artists and bands continued to create some of the best music being released between 1972 and 1975.
British bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple as Genesis,enjoyed commercial success in North America, as rock and progressive bands flew the flag for British music. They were amongst the biggest and most successful British bands, That was just part of the story of British music during this period, and as Three Day Week-When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975 shows while Britain teetered on the brink, the music scene was thriving vibrant and eclectic during what was a golden period.
Three Day Week-When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975.
ROGER WATERS-THE SOLO YEARS.
Roger Waters-The Solo Years.
Following the departure of Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd, bassist Roger Waters became the group’s creative force. This was the case from Pink Floyd’s third album, Ummagumma, which was released in 1969, right through to 1983s The Final Cut. After the release of The Final Cut, Roger Waters left Pink Floyd. It was a bitter breakup. However, things had been coming to a head for some time.
Richard Wright, one of the founding members of Pink Floyd had been sacked from the band. As a result, he didn’t feature on The Final Cut. It was the only Pink Floyd album that he didn’t feature on. This was just the tip of the iceberg.
Pink Floyd had been a group divided since 1978. That was when the members of Pink Floyd found out the perilous state of their finances. Some of the investments made on their behalf went south. Amid accusations of financial negligence, Pink Floyd needed to recoup some of the money they had lost. So, Roger Waters presented the other members of Pink Floyd with two propositions.
The Wall.
The first was the script to The Wall, Pink Floyd’s 1979 concept album. Roger Waters’ other proposition was The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking. After giving both propositions some consideration, The Wall won out, and The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking became Roger’s 1984 solo debut album. However, from that day on, things weren’t well within Pink Floyd.
Keyboardist Richard Wright’s contribution to The Wall was criticised by Roger Waters. He was accused of not contributing enough and being uncooperative. Eventually, a deal was struck that Rick Wright would remain a member of Pink Floyd until The Wall was complete. That was just as well.
When The Wall was released in 1979, on 21st March 1983, it was to critical acclaim. Soon, The Wall became Pink Floyd’s biggest selling album. Incredibly, The Wall outsold even Dark Side Of The Moon. In Britain, The Wall reached number three and was certified double platinum. Across the Atlantic in America, The Wall reached number one on the US Billboard 200, selling twenty-three million copes, resulting in the album being certified platinum twenty-three times over. This was just the tip of the iceberg.
Elsewhere, The Wall reached number one in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Holland and New Zealand. This resulted in The Wall being certified eleven times platinum in Australia; diamond in France; seven times platinum in Germany; fourteen times platinum in New Zealand; three times platinum in Switzerland, two times diamond in Canada; fourteen times platinum in New Zealand. If The Wall was Rick Wright’s swan-song, it was a profitable one. Roger Water’s final album with Pink Floyd never came close to being the same commercial success.
The Final Cut.
Nearly four years passed before the release of The Final Cut. This was the first Pink Floyd album without Rick Wright. Most of the lyrics and music was penned by Roger Waters. Just like The Wall, The Final Cut was a very personal album for Roger. It was exploring what Roger believed was the betrayal fallen servicemen, including his father, who died while serving during World War II. The only other member of Pink Floyd to contribute to The Final Cut was David Gilmour. He cowrote Not Now John. Mostly, The Final Cut was Roger Water’s work. It was scheduled for release on 21st March 1983.
On the release of The Final Cut, it was accompanied by a short film. It was produced by Roger Waters and directed by Willie Christie. The film featured four songs from The Final Cut, The Gunner’s Dream, The Final Cut, The Fletcher Memorial Home and Not Now John. However, despite the final and what was a powerful and moving album, The Final Cut didn’t win favour with critics and cultural commentators. Reviews were mixed, as the release date loomed.
When 21st March 1983 came around, The Final Cut was released. The Final Cut reached number one in Britain and number six on the US Billboard 200. This resulted in a platinum disc in Britain and The Final Cut was certified double platinum in America. Elsewhere, The Final Cut hadn’t sold in the same vast quantities as The Wall. However, at least The Final Cut was certified gold in Austria, France and Germany. Pink Floyd didn’t even bother touring The Final Cut. Instead, they turned to their various solo projects.
The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking.
In Roger Waters’ case, this was The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking. This was the project he had presented Pink Floyd with in 1978. It was another concept album from the pen of Roger Waters. It’s set in California, and focuses on a man in the throes of a midlife crisis. He’s on a road trip through California, where he dreams of committing adultery with hitchhikers. Other times, he’s beset by fears and paranoia. All this takes place between 04:30:18 AM to 05:12 AM. To bring this to life, Roger called upon some of his musical friends.
This included guitarists Eric Clapton and Ry Cooder. They were joined drummer and percussionist Andy Newmark, percussionist Ray Cooper and saxophonist David Sanborn. Pianist Michael Kamen co-produced The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking. It was recorded between February and December 1983. Once the recording was complete, The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking was released on 30th April 1984.
Before the release of The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking, the critics had their say. Reviews were mixed. Some critics were impressed with The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking. Others hated it, and didn’t shy away from saying so. One of the fiercest critics was Rolling Stone magazine. They gave The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking their lowest rating. This was a huge body blow for Roger Waters. He wanted his solo career to get off to a successful start.
When The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking was released on 30th April 1984, it stalled at number thirty-one on the US Billboard 200, where it was certified gold. In Britain, The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking reached just number thirteen in Britain. The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking hadn’t been the success Roger had hoped.
Things went from bad to worse for Roger. He was due to The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking in 1984 and 1985. The tour began in Stockholm on June 16th 1984. Eric Clapton was part of Roger’s new band. They were going to play new songs, songs from The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking and Pink Floyd classics. However, quickly, it became apparent that the tour wasn’t a success.
Ticket sales were poor, and some of the concerts at larger venues were postponed. It was only when Roger began playing smaller venues, that the sold out signs went up. Eventually, when the tour was over, Roger Waters realised he had lost £400,000 on the tour. That was a conservative estimate. To add to Roger’s problems, the ghost of Pink Floyd was still making its presence felt.
Pink Floyd-The End Of The Roger Waters’ Years.
Following the release of The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking, Roger Waters announced that Pink Floyd would not be reuniting. The only problem was, he hadn’t discussed this with the other members of Pink Floyd. He also wanted to dismiss Pink Floyd’s manager Steve O’Rourke. In his place, Roger employed Peter Rudge to look after his affairs. For the other members of Pink Floyd, all this came as a surprise. However, Roger Waters wasn’t finished.
He wrote to EMI and Columbia, and told them that he had left Pink Floyd, and wanted to be discharged from his contractual obligations. Roger Waters had left Pink Floyd, and in the process, tried to wreck the possibility of the band rising like a phoenix from ashes. This was bound to end up in either tears, or court.
Later, Roger Waters said that, if he other members of Pink Floyd made an album using the band’s name, he thought that they would be in breach of contract. This could result in their royalty payments being suspended. Further, Roger alleged that the other members of Pink Floyd had forced him from the band, by threatening to sue him. While all this was going on, Pink Floyd and its members past and present were in a state of flux. Nobody was making music. A resolution had to be found. So, Roger Waters headed to the High Court in London.
Roger Waters wanted to dissolve Pink Floyd, and also prevent the use of the band name. He believed the band were “a spent force creatively.” However, he was in for a surprise.
His lawyers discovered that the Pink Floyd partnership had never been formally confirmed. It was therefore impossible to dissolve something that never existed in the first place. Despite this, Roger Waters returned to the High Court.
This time, he was trying to stop the other members of the band using the Pink Floyd name. Again, he lost out, and Dave Gilmour stated that “Pink Floyd would continue to exist.” With that, the leadership of Pink Floyd passed from Roger Waters to Dave Gilmour. Roger Waters returned to his solo career.
Radio K.A.O.S.
With Pink Floyd returning to the studio, so did Roger Waters. He had penned another concept album Radio K.A.O.S. It was based upon key policies of late eighties politics, especially monetarism. Roger also takes aim at the then Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. He was an outspoken critic of Thatcher on The Final Cut. Four years on, and he was equally outspoken. Other subjects Roger tackles include the Cold War, eighties popular culture and world politics. These subjects are seen through the eyes of Billy.
On Radio K.A.O.S., Billy is a mentally and physically disabled man from Wales. His brother Benny, is sent to prison after protesting against the government after he loses his job as a miner. This Benny is told, is the result of market forces. With Benny in prison, there’s nobody left to look after Billy. So he has to live with his uncle David in Los Angeles. Radio K.A.O.S. eavesdrops on Billy’s Billy’s mind and worldview, as he converses with Jim a DJ at a fictitious L.A. radio station, Radio K.A.O.S. This story is brought to life by Roger and what he called his Bleeding Heart Band.
Between October and December 1986, Radio K.A.O.S. was recorded at the Billiard Room, London. Accompanying Roger, was a large band. This included many well known names, including guitarist Andy Fairweather Low, vocalist Paul Carrack and saxophonist Mel Collins. Clare Torry who featured on Great Gig In The Sky, from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon, featured on two tracks. Surely with such an all-star band accompanying Roger, Radio K.A.O.S. would be released to critical acclaim and commercial success?
The first most people knew about Radio K.A.O.S. was a press release from EMI, on on 6 April 1987. It announced that Roger Waters’ sophomore solo album, Radio K.A.O.S. would be released on 15th June 1987, and originally, it was hoped that this rock opera would become a film, stage show and live album. First of all, Radio K.A.O.S. would be released as a studio album.
Just like The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking, reviews of Radio K.A.O.S. were mixed. At least Rolling Stone were more positive about Radio K.A.O.S. However, it was a long way from Pink Floyd’s glory days.
So were the sales of Radio K.A.O.S. It stalled at number fifty in the US Billboard 200 and number twenty-five in Britain. Elsewhere, Radio K.A.O.S. didn’t sell in vast quantities. To rub salt into the wound, five months later, on 7th September 1987, Pink Floyd returned with their first album since Roger Waters left, A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. This coincided with the Radio K.A.O.S. tour
The Radio K.A.O.S. tour began in mid-August 1987, and finished at the end of November 1987. Everywhere he went, copies of Pink Floyd’s comeback album, A Momentary Lapse Of Reason were for sale. It had been released on 7th September 1987, reaching number three in Britain and in the US Billboard 200. A Momentary Lapse Of Reason was certified gold in Britain, and four times platinum in America. Having sold four million copies in America alone, the success continued throughout the world. Gold and platinum discs came Pink Floyd’s way. In Canada, Australia and New Zealand, through Europe, A Momentary Lapse Of Reason was a huge success. As the Radio K.A.O.S. winded its way across the globe, Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Lapse Of Reason continued to outsell Radio K.A.O.S. Roger’s solo career wasn’t the commercial success he had hoped.
Later, Roger admitted that he wasn’t a fan of Radio K.A.O.S. He felt the album sounded “too modern.” That was down to Roger and Ian Ritchie’s production. It spoiled Radio K.A.O.S. for the man who masterminded the project. Maybe that’s why Radio K.A.O.S. wasn’t a huge commercial success? However, Roger hoped that his next album would see him rubbing shoulders with his old comrades commercially.
The Wall-Live In Berlin.
To celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall eight months earlier, Roger Waters performed The Wall-Live In Berlin on 21st July 1990. Roger Waters financed the project, and put together an all-star cast. Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, The Scorpions, Snowy White and Bryan Adams were just some of the names that made a guest appearance. The concert was staged in what had been no man’s land between East and West. 350,000 people watched the sellout show which recorded and filmed. It would be released a month later on 21st August 1990.
This was a really fast turnaround. The Wall-Live In Berlin was recorded, produced, mastered and marketed within a month. This was a big ask. Ultimately, it proved too ambitious.
Having financed the project himself, the plan was that once Roger Waters had recouped his expenses, the profits from the live album and film, profits would go the Memorial Fund For Disaster Relief, a British charity founded by Leonard Cheshire. However, it was a case of the best laid plans of mice and men.
Sales of The Wall-Live In Berlin were disappointing. In Britain, The Wall-Live In Berlin reached number twenty-seven. Across the Atlantic, the album stalled at just number fifty-six in the US Billboard 200. Elsewhere, sales were disappointing. They failed to meet the projections. This had disastrous consequences for the charity.
With the sales not meeting expectations, the charity incurred heavy losses. This resulted in the trading arm of the charity, Operation Dinghy, being wound-up a couple of years later. By then, Roger Waters had released his third studio album, Amused To Death which was recently released on double vinyl by Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings.
Amused To Death.
Just like his two previous albums, Amused To Death was a concept album. Roger had been working on Amused To Death since 1987. The inspiration for Amused To Death came from Neil Postman’s book Amusing Ourselves To Death.
By the time the concept was complete, it revolves around the a monkey who randomly switches between television channels. As channels change, different subjects are discussed. Among them are the Gulf War, World War I, the bombing of Jordan and Libya, and the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. A total of fourteen tracks feature on Amused To Death. It was recorded between 1987 and 1992.
Recording Amused To Death at various London studios. This includes The Billiard room, Olympic Studios, CTS Studios, Angel Studios and Abbey Road Studios Just like Roger’s two previous solo albums, Amused To Death features a large backing band.
Some feature throughout Amused To Death, others feature on just one or two tracks. Many are well known names. Among them are guitarists Jeff Beck, Andy Fairweather Low, Steve Lukather and B.J. Cole, bassist Randy Jackson and drummer Jeff Porcaro. John “Rabbit” Bundrick plays Hammond organ, while vocalists include Don Henley and Rita Coolidge. Once the tracks were recorded, it was mixed in QSound.
There was a reason for this. It was to enhance the spatial feel of the album. Especially, the sound effects used on Amused To Death. There’s a rifle range, sleigh bells, cars, planes, horses, crickets and dogs. They come to life on Amused To Death. It was produced by Roger and Patrick Leonard. Given the problems with production on Radio K.A.O.S. he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. It had proved a costly mistake, one they weren’t going to repeat.
After five years of work, Amused To Death was released on 7th September 1992. Given the reception The Pros and Cons Of Hitchhiking and Radio K.A.O.S. received, Roger awaited the reviews with bated breath. Reviews were favourable of what was a cerebral, poignant and thoughtful album.
After the favourable reviews, Amused To Death reached number eight on the British charts. This resulted in a silver disc, marking sales of 60,000. While it was a far cry from his days with Pink Floyd, it showed that Roger Waters’ solo career was on the right track.
In America, this proved to be the case. Amused To Death reached number twenty-one on the US Billboard 200. He even enjoyed a hit single, when What God Wants, Part I reached number four on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. After three albums and eight years, Roger Waters was forging a successful solo career. Record buyers awaited Roger Waters’ fourth studio album.
In The Flesh-Live.
They waited a year. A year became two, three, four, five and six. Still there was no sign of Roger Waters’ fourth studio album. He returned on 5th December 2000, with a new live album, In The Flesh-Live.
This was a double album featuring recordings from Roger Waters’ three year In The Flesh Tour. It features tracks from what Roger Waters the two classic albums he had worked on: “Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall” There’s also tracks from his most recent solo album Amused To Death.” These tracks were recorded between the 16th and 27th June 2000 at concerts in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Irvine, California and Portland, during the American leg of the tour. They would eventually become part of a sprawling twenty-four track double album In The Flesh-Live.
James Guthrie was brought onboard to produce In The Flesh-Live. It was to be released as a LP, CD, DVD and SACD. This meant that a stereo and 5.1 mixes were required. This could’ve proved time-consuming. However, the album was ready for released on 5th December 2000. The only problem was that the reviews were mixed.
Rolling Stone magazine, especially took a dislike to In The Flesh-Live. They found very little merit in the album. The opinion of other critics was divided. Reviews ranged from lukewarm to mixed, while some critics praised the album. As usual, record buyers had the last say on In The Flesh-Live.
When In The Flesh-Live was released, it stalled at a lowly 136 in the US Billboard 200 and 170 in the UK. This was the least successful album of Roger Waters’ solo career. Elsewhere, sales of In The Flesh-Live were disappointing. The only places where the album reached the top twenty were Holland, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland. Commercially, In The Flesh-Live had been a disappointment for Roger Water.
Ça Ira,
After the disappointment of In The Flesh-Live, nothing was heard of Roger Waters until 2005. Then in 2005 Roger Waters released Ça Ira, a three act opera that was also a concept album about the early part of the French Revolution. .
Ça Ira had been written by two friends of Roger Waters, Étienne Roda-Gil and Nadine Roda-Gil. They asked Roger Water to set their French libretto to music. This he agreed to do, and brought Rick Wentworth onboard to co-produce Ça Ira. It was ambitious project that was eventually completed in 2005. The release of Ça Ira was scheduled for the 26th of September 2005.
Before that, reviews of Ça Ira were mixed. Although Roger Waters’ composition was praised, the opera was regarded by critics as too narrative. This made staging the opera difficult, and means that the flow is constantly disrupted. Meanwhile, critics were divided about Ça Ira’s plot. Some critics regarded the plot as either to difficult to follow, or too simplistic. There was no consensus to the reviews of Ça Ira, as the release loomed.
Upon the release of Ça Ira, it was only a commercial success in one country. Sales in France were minimal, and Ça Ira stalled at 187. In Poland, Ça Ira reached number twelve and was certified platinum. This was seen as a Pyrrhic victory, given the time and money it took to write and record Ça Ira. For Roger Waters, it was another disappointment,
After Ça Ira, Roger Waters seemed to be in no hurry to return to the recording studio. The years passed by and still, there was no sign of a followup to Amused To Death. Meanwhile, Rogers’ former comrades had been busy.
In 2014, Pink Floyd returned with a new album The River. This was Pink Floyd’s first solo album in twenty years. It was released to critical acclaim and commercial success. Still, there was no sign of Roger Water releasing a new studio album. However, Roger Waters was about to release a new film version of the The Wall.
Roger Water: The Wall.
Roger Waters had toured The Wall between 15th September 2010 and 21st September 2013. The six legs of this 219 date tour took just over three years and grossed US $458.6 million. Some of the concerts had had been filmed and recorded. They would eventually become the version of The Wall that was premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2014. It would be just over a year before the film and soundtracks were released. Before that, the spotlight shawn on another member of Pink Floyd.
David Gilmour-Rattle That Lock.
David Gilmour had been busy. The man who replaced Roger Waters as Pink Floyd’s creative force, had recorded a new solo album, Rattle That Lock. It was due for release on the 18th of September 2015. This was the fourth album of David Gilmour’s career that began in 1978.
Since then, David had been juggling his solo career alongside his work with Pink Floyd; playing on albums by some of the biggest names in music and his successful production career. That explained why David had released just four albums in thirty-seven years. Each had been commercially successful. Rattle That Lock was no different, and released to critical acclaim. Soon, Rattle That Lock was well on its way to being certified gold. This was the first strike in the battle of the Pink Floyd solo albums.
Roger Water: The Wall.
Just elven days after the release of Rattle That Lock, the concert film of Roger Waters: The Wall was released on 29th September 2015. However, the soundtrack wasn’t released until 20th November 2015. Maybe Legacy who were releasing Roger Waters: The Wall weren’t wanting the release of the two albums billed as a shootout between the two former bandmates? If that was the case, this was a wise move.
Roger Waters: The Wall didn’t replicate the commercial success of previous albums. The album stalled at a disappointing 134 in the US Billboard and fifty-three in the UK. In Australasia, Roger Waters: The Wall reached thirty-eight in New Zealand and forty-six in Australia. Across Europe, the album reached twenty-nine in Austria; twenty-two in Germany; eleven in Norway and twenty in Switzerland. This was a disappointing outcome. Especially as David Gilmour’s Rattle Than Lock was selling well across the world and would be certified gold in the UK. Just like at the High Court, David Gilmour had triumphed again.
Since the release of Roger Waters: The Wall in November 2015, there is still no sign of Roger Waters releasing a new studio album. He’s now seventy-three, and twenty-four years have passed since the release of Amused To Death. It was the third solo album from Roger Waters. Nowadays, it seems that Roger Waters prefers touring than recording.
He’s embarked upon several lengthy tours, with In the Flesh and Roger Waters: The Wall both lasting three years. These tours find Roger Waters playing to huge audiences that span several generations. Night after night, he rolls back the years, combining music from his years with Pink Floyd his solo material. This includes his trio of solo albums, The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking, Radio K.A.O.S. and Amused To Death. They’re ambitious and complex albums that took several years to write and record. Despite this, they never received the recognition they deserved.
Some critics didn’t seem willing to give Roger Waters’ solo albums a fair hearing. Led Zeppelin and to some extent Black Sabbath had been down the same road. They had suffered at the hands of the self-same critics and publications, and had been left shaking their heads.
What must have proved disappointing for Roger Waters, were the sales of his three albums. They never found the audience they deserved. Especially in in the lucrative American market. Only The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking was certified gold. That was as good as it got for Roger Waters in America. It wasn’t much better in Britain, with Radio K.A.O.S. and Amused To Death being certified silver. It was a long way from his days with Pink Floyd, when Roger Waters was able to decorate his walls with gold, platinum and diamond discs. However, he was never going to replicate the success of Pink Floyd.
No one member of Pink Floyd was capable of doing that. This success came as part of a collective, that became one of the most pioneering bands sixties and seventies. Alas, Pink Floyd ended in tears and tantrums. An appearance at the High Court in London spelt the end of Roger Waters’ time with Pink Floyd.
Life after Pink Floyd wasn’t as successful for Roger Waters. He may have been Pink Floyd’s leader after the departure of Syd Barrett, but none of the music the band made would’ve been possible without Dave Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. No man is an island. Maybe Roger Waters only realised this after his departure from Pink Floyd. However, Roger Waters still managed to release a triumvirate of ambitious and to some extent, underrated studio albums during his solo years which has spanned the last four decades.
Roger Waters-The Solo Years.
THIS IS LOWRIDER SOUL 1962-1970.
This Is Lowrider Soul 1962-1970.
Label: Ace Records.
Between 1962 and 1970, there was an increase in popularity of soulful ballads in Southern California. These slow jams were played in the clubs in Southern California and could be heard in cars during this eight year period. Initially, it was the Mexican, Central and South American immigrants who had settled around east Los Angeles that embraced the soulful ballads. Their popularity has grown since then.
Since then, the popular of soulful ballads has grown, and now, are favourites of soul fans and record collectors around the world. Some record buyers were drawn to the music after being fascinated by the titles of the songs that were finding favour amongst the lowrider set.
The lowrider scene was named after the members love of classic American automobiles, which were customised as used to cruise the streets of LA. This became really popular between the early sixties and the dawn of the seventies which is the period that Ace Records’ new compilation This Is Lowrider Soul 1962-1970 covers.
This Is Lowrider Soul 1962-1970 features twenty-four tracks including the blue eyed soul of Aesop’s Fables’ 1967 single on Atco, Take A Step. This is the start of what’s a soulful compilation.
Doo wop is represented on This Is Lowrider Soul 1962-1970 by The Vows’ I Wanna Chance, while The Four Tees’ sweet soul harmony ballads One More Chance is a welcome addition.
There’s numerous lowrider classics including Brenton Wood’s Where Were You, Lee Williams and The Cymbals’ Til You Come Back To Me, Barbara Mason’s Oh, How It Hurts, The Whispers’ As I Sit Here and The Ambassadors’ I Really Love You. These classics are joined by some lesser known tracks that ooze quality. Among them are The Lovelles’ Pretending Dear, The Attractions’ Find Me, The Charmels’ As Long As I’ve Got You, Jeff Dale’s Don’t Forget About Me Baby, The Webs’ It’s So Hard To Break A Habit, Reuben Bell with The Casanovas’ It’s Not That Easy and Crying All By Myself by William Bell.
Closing This Is Lowrider Soul 1962-1970 is I’m Just Passing Time by Melvin Hicks and The Versatiles which closes the compilation is soulful style.
It’s a welcome reminder of the lowrider scene scene which became popular in the early sixties and grew in popularity right through to 1960. That is the period that Ace Records’ compilation This Is Lowrider Soul 1962-1970 covers.
This Is Lowrider Soul 1962-1970 us a lovingly compiled compilation that features everything from lowrider classics to unreleased sings and some lesser known slow jams that literally ooze quality. All these classy cuts make This Is Lowrider Soul 1962-1970 a must-have for anyone who likes soulful ballads, slow jams and smoochy music.
This Is Lowrider Soul 1962-1970.
MANCHESTER-A CITY UNITED IN MUSIC.
Manchester-A City United In Music.
Label: Ace Records.
Mention Manchester, and most people think of two things music and soccer, and specifically God’s own team Manchester City who for too long, were perceived as the city’s second team. That wasn’t always the case and isn’t the case any more.
Between 1966 and 1975, Manchester City won eight honours, starting with the Second Division in the 1965-1966 season. This was the start for the renaissance men, and soon, a team that over the next few years featured Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee, Francis Lee and the enigmatic and occasional genius Neil Young were soon winning games and friends across England and Europe.
Meanwhile, across the city Tommy Docherty who was appointed manager of Manchester United in 1972, saved the from relegation from Division One in 1973. His luck ran out when the team were relegated in 1974. However, Manchester United were promoted at the first attempt in 1975 and won the FA Cup in 1976 when they defeated Southampton. Manchester won the FA Cup two more times over the next ten years as Manchester City’s fortunes faded.
Fast forward to 2019 and Manchester City look as if they could win the quadruple that has evaded every other team in Premier League history. Manchester City are back on top, but it’s a different game and not the game that was played at Maine Road. Money has changed, and some would say ruined football which helped make Manchester famous the world over.
So did music, including the many of the forty-five artists and bands on Manchester-A City United In Music, a two CD set which has just been released by Ace Records. Manchester-A City United In Music features many familiar faces, cult songs, hidden gems and what will be new names to many music lovers. It’s a veritable musical feast and the perfect reminder to one of the Britain’s great sporting and musical cities. Here’s why;
Disc One.
Opening disc one of Manchester-A City United In Music is Dirty Old Town by folk singer Ewan MacColl which features Peggy Seeger. They’re joined by sixties stars Freddie and The Dreamers who contribute If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody while The Hollies’ Baby That’s All is a welcome addition. So is Crawling Up A Hill by John Mayall and The Blues Breakers who over fifty years later are still going strong. It’s a similar case with future Vinegar Joe front-woman Elkie Books’ Nothing Left To Do But Cry.
Among the other familiar faces on disc one are Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders’ whose The Game Of Love is joined by Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames’ In The Meantime and Herman’s Hermits’ This Door Swings Both Ways. Progressive rockers Barclay James Harvest’s Mocking Bird is a reminder of a band that sometimes don’t receive the credit they deserve. It’s a similar case with 10cc who released a string of carefully crafted and polished hit singles and successful albums. A reminder of 10cc at their very best is Life Is A Minestrone. Closing disc one is Mr Cool by Sweet Sensation from the 1975 album Sad Sweet Dreamer which is an oft-overlooked album.
Disc Two.
Disc Two of Manchester-A City United In Music opens with Orgasm Addict by Buzzcocks and gives way to You’re A Bore and Slaughter and The Dogs and John Cooper Clarke and The Curious Yellows’ Innocents. I’m In Love With The Girl On The Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk by The Freshies is included and so is Leave The Capitol by The Fall who were led by the inimitable Mark E Smith.
Welcome additions include Joy Division’s Dead Souls, New Order’s classic Thieves Like Us and Simply Red’s Come To My Aid. They’re joined by The Stone Roses’ anthemic I Wanna Be Adored, Inspiral Carpets’ This Is How It Feels, the Happy Mondays’ Kinky Afro and Johnny Marr’s New Town Velocity. Closing Manchester-A City United In Music is one of the compilations highlights, is the swaggering anthem Rock ‘n’ Roll Star by Oasis. It closes Manchester-A City United In Music on a resounding high.
For anyone who wants to know more about the Manchester music scene over the past fifty years, then Manchester-A City United In Music is a good place to start. This lovingly compiled two CD set features forty-five eclectic tracks that show the different sides to the Manchester music scene.
Manchester-A City United In Music features superstars, new names, familiar faces and forgotten heroes of yesteryear. They’re joined one hit wonders and nearly men on a compilation that has been five years in the making. It’s been well worth the wait, and Manchester-A City United In Music is another winner from Ace Records and joy to behold like Neil Young’s winner in the 1969 FA Cup Final.
Manchester-A City United In Music.
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