CREAM-CLASSIC ALBUM SELECTION.
CREAM-CLASSIC ALBUM SELECTION.
Nowadays, Cream are regarded as the first British supergroup. Cream were formed in July 1966 and were together for just over two years. During that period, Cream released a quartet of albums, Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, Wheels Of Fire and Goodbye. These albums sold over fifteen million copies worldwide, and influenced everyone from Jimi Hendrix and The Jeff Beck Band to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Even today, many musicians cite Cream as an influence. So it’s fitting that fifty years after they were formed that Commercial Marketing released the Classic Album box set. It documents Cream’s short, but illustrious successful career.
The Cream story began in July 1966. Eric Clapton who was regarded as the greatest British blues guitarist of his generation, was looking beyond life with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. That was the group Eric Clapton had joined after his departure from The Yarbirds
By July 1966, Eric Clapton was in his second spell with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. He originally joined in April 1965 and was a Bluesbreaker until August 1965. Three months later, Eric Clapton returned to the fold in November 1965. For the next eight months, Eric Clapton was a Bluesbreaker. During this period, John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers recorded their classic album Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton in April 1966.
Three months later, and Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton was released by Decca on the 22nd July 1966. Critical acclaim accompanied what’s regarded as a British blues classic. It reached number six in the UK charts. This should’ve been a reason to celebrate. However, Eric Clapton was neither happy nor feeling fulfilled musically.
Instead, he felt constrained musically. Eric Clapton was unable to stretch his legs within John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. There was certainly no room for invention. This was frustrating for Eric Clapton. So much so, that he was even considering forming his own band. However, Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton had just been released and looked like being the band’s most successful album. For Eric Clapton, his nascent career was at a crossroads.
To take his mind off his problems, Eric Clapton decided to go and see blues guitarist Buddy Guy in concert. That night, Buddy Guy took to the stage with a trio. When Eric Clapton saw the trio live, he was so impressed that he decided to form a new band. They would also be a trio, Cream.
Having made the decision to leave John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton began looking for musicians to join his band. He knew drummer Ginger Baker, who was a member The Graham Bond Organisation. Ginger Baker was tiring of Graham Bond’s drug addiction and bouts of instability. So much so, that he was considering his future.
When Eric Clapton approached Ginger Baker about joining his trio, the answer was yes. However, there was a catch. Eric Clapton had to agree to hire The Graham Bond Organisation’s bassist Jack Bruce.
Eric Clapton already knew Jack Bruce and played alongside him on two occasions. The first came in November 1965 when Jack Bruce sat in with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers during November 1965. More recently, Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce were part of Steve Winwood’s band Powerhouse, which also featured Paul Jones. During the two sessions, Eric Clapton had been impressed by Jack Bruce proficiency and prowess as a bassist. Jack Bruce who had previously enjoyed working with Eric Clapton, agreed to join the band. However, he was surprised that Ginger Baker had recommended him to Eric Clapton.
During their time with The Graham Bond Organisation, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce had a volatile relationship. The two members of the rhythm section were known to argue onstage. Sometimes, things got so bad that they traded blows. However, that was the past. Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce agreed to put their differences aside. A musical truce was declared. Suddenly, there was peace in our time. All for the good of the new group.
With the lineup complete, the nascent band set about establishing the ground rules. They envisaged that songs would be collaborations, with each member playing a part in writing the lyrics and music. Next on the agenda was a name for the group. It didn’t take long for them to come up with the name Cream. The music press had been describing the new band as the: “cream of the crop” of British musicians. Cream was essentially the first British supergroup. They were about to make what was their unofficial debut.
This took place on the 29th of July 1966, at the Twisted Wheel nightclub in Manchester. That night, it was hosting the Sixth Annual Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival. Cream were special guests, and in absence of new material, ran through a set of blues covers. Little did those in the audience realise that they had just witnessed history being made.
Just three months later, in October 1966, Cream took to the stage with another legend of sixties music, Jimi Hendrix. He was a fan of Eric Clapton’s was keen to jam with his new band on his arrival of London. Little did anyone realise that by the end of the sixties, both Cream and Jimi Hendrix would’ve become two of the biggest names of the late-sixties music scene.
Later in 1966, Cream were still experimenting musically. They had yet to decide who would be the group’s lead vocalist. Eric Clapton’s shyness meant he was reluctant to take charge of the lead vocals. Instead, Jack Bruce became Cream’s lead vocalist. However, during Cream’s lifetime, Eric Clapton would add harmonies and the lead vocal on a number of tracks.This included a track on Cream’s debut album Fresh Cream.
Fresh Cream.
Almost straight away, work began on Cream’s debut album, which later became Fresh Cream. It featured ten songs. They were a mixture of new songs and cover versions.
The new songs included Jack Bruce’s N.S.U. and Dreaming. He cowrote Sleepy Time Time with his first wife and songwriting partner Janet Godfrey. She cowrote Sweet Wine with Ginger Baker, who wrote the instrumental Toad. Other songs included a cover of song Cat’s Squirrel, which was arranged by Cream and a quartet of blues classics.
This included Willie Dixon’s Spoonful. Cream decided to cover Robert Johnson’s From Four Until Late which Eric Clapton arranged. It was joined by Rollin’ and Tumblin’ which Muddy Waters penned using his real name, McKinley Morganfield. The final blues classic was Skip James’ I’m So Glad. These songs were recorded over a three month period.
Recording of Fresh Cream took place between July and October 1966 at two separate studios in London. Some sessions took at Rayrik Studios, while others took place at Ryemuse Studios. Drummer Ginger Baker joined bassist Jack Bruce in the rhythm section. He also played harmonica, piano and took charge of seven of the eight lead vocals. Guitarist Eric Clapton added the lead vocal on Four Until Late. Meanwhile, Robert Stigwood produced what would later became Fresh Cream. It was completed by October 1966.
The release of Fresh Cream was scheduled for the 9th of December 1966. Before that, Cream released their debut single Wrapping Paper in October 1966 . It was penned by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown, but didn’t feature on Fresh Cream. Wrapping Paper showcased a psychedelic pop sound that Cream returned to. This proved popular and reached thirty-four in the UK charts. Things were looking good for Cream.
Nearer the release of Fresh Cream, critics had their say on the nascent supergroup’s debut album. Nearly every critic lavished praise and plaudits on Fresh Cream. They were won over by an album that ranged from blues rock to psychedelia and a much more hard rocking sound. Cream’s debut was an eclectic and accomplished album. Especially the psychedelic sound of N.S.U, the bluesy Sleepy Time and the Jack Bruce penned ballad Dreaming. Four Until Late shakes off his shyness and makes his debut on lead vocal on the cover Robert Johnson’s Four Till Late. However, one of Cream’s finest moments on Fresh Cream was their reinvention of I’m So Glad. It’s transformed into something that Skip James could never have envisaged. Given the critical reaction to Fresh Cream, it seemed that the future looked bright for Cream.
They prepared to release Fresh Cream on the 9th of December 1966 on Robert Stigwood’s new independent record label, Reaction Records. The same day, Cream released their sophomore single, I Feel Free. Just like their debut single, it didn’t feature on Fresh Cream. Despite that, I Feel Free reached number eleven in the UK and fifty-three in Australia. Meanwhile, Fresh Cream reached number six in the UK, ten in Australia and twenty in France. This resulted in Fresh Cream being certified gold in Britain and France. The success continued when Fresh Cream was released in America.
The American version of Fresh Cream was released by Atco. It featured a slightly different track listing. I Feel Free opened the album, with the British version of Fresh Cream following. This proved popular among American record buyers. Fresh Cream eventually reached thirty-nine in the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold. For Cream, this meant that their debut album Fresh Cream had been certified gold in three different continents. Critics wondered how they could they followup such a successful album? Cream returned with a classic album, Disraeli Gears.
Disraeli Gears.
Following the success of Fresh Cream, Cream headed out on tour. In March they landed in America, to play their first American tour. They were part of a package tour, and were booked to play nine dates at the Brooklyn Fox Theater in New York.
Each day, Cream played three times. However, the early concerts weren’t well received. DJ turned promoter Murray the K wasn’t impressed. He placed Cream at the bottom of the bill. Towards the end of the run, they were reduced to playing just one song during each set. The New York part of their American tour had been a disaster. They wouldn’t forget Murray the K in a hurry.
Having returned home from their American tour, Cream’s thoughts turned to their sophomore album. They had been writing what later became Disraeli Gears for some time.
When Cream was formed, the plan had been for the band to collaborate on songs. Alas, none of the eleven tracks on Disraeli Gears were written by the three members of Cream. They arranged the traditional song, Mother’s Lament. Sometimes, the members of Cream wrote alone. Jack Bruce wrote We’re Going Wrong and Ginger Baker penned We’re Going Wrong. Mostly, the members of Cream wrote alone or formed songwriting partnerships with other musicians and songwriters.
Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton cowrote Sunshine Of Your Love with Pete Brown. It would become one of their known songs. So would Strange Brew, which Eric Clapton wrote with Felix Pappalardi Gail Collins penned. Meanwhile,Jack Bruce wrote Dance the Night Away, SWLABR and Take It Back with Pete Brown. Eric Clapton wrote just the one song. This was Tales of Brave Ulysses with Martin Sharp. However, Eric Clapton arranged Arthur Reynolds’ Outside Woman Blues. It was one of just three covers on Disraeli Gears. Another was World Of Pain, which the Felix Pappalardi and Gail Collins songwriting partnership wrote. Just like the rest of Disraeli Gears, it was recorded in New York, during May 1967.
The prestigious surroundings of Atlantic Studios, New York were where Cream began work on Disraeli Gears. This time around, Felix Pappalardi had replaced ‘musical impresario’ Robert Stigwood. Twenty-seven year old was a classically trained musician who having turned his back on classical music, became a successful singer, songwriter, bassist and producer. One of his biggest projects was producing Disraeli Gears. It was a much more complex album than Fresh Cream.
Ginger Baker played drums and percussionist and joined his cohort, bassist Jack Bruce in the rhythm section. Jack Bruce also played harmonica, piano and took charge of seven of the eight lead vocals. Eric Clapton switched between lead guitar, rhythm guitar and twelve-string guitar. He also added the lead vocal on Strange Brew, World of Pain and Outside Woman Blues. It seemed that Eric Clapton was well on his way to overcoming his shyness, as Cream changed direction musically.
Critics realised this when they received their promotional copies of Disraeli Gears. It took its name from a malapropism which alluded to the former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Eric Clapton had been taking about buying a racing bike during a car journey. Mick Turner who was driving the car responded that it should have: “Disraeli Gears” when he meant derailleur gears. That malapropism gave birth to tittle of the album critics were holding. When they listened to Disraeli Gears, they soon realised that Cream were moving away from the blues’ roots.
That was apart from on the cover of Blind Boy Reynolds’ Outside Woman Blues and Take it Back. It had been inspired by American students burning their draft cards. These were the only bluesy tracks on Disraeli Gears. Mostly, Cream moved towards psychedelia on Disraeli Gears. Tracks like Strange Brew, Sunshine Of Your Love, Dance The Night Away, Tales Of Brave Ulysses and We’re Going Wrong found Cream embracing psychedelia on an album that stood head and shoulders above the competition. Critic acclaim accompanied the release of Disraeli Gears.
On 2nd November 1967, Cream released their sophomore album Disraeli Gears. In Britain, Disraeli Gears reached number six and was certified platinum. Meanwhile, Disraeli Gears reached number two in France and twenty in Norway. Halfway round the world, Disraeli Gears reached number one in Australia and was certified platinum. However, Disraeli Gears was a huge success across North America. It reached number ten in Canada and number four in America. By then, Disraeli Gears had sold over a million copies. This resulted in Cream receiving their first platinum disc in America. However, that wasn’t the end of the success for Cream.
They released Sunshine Of Your Love as a single in January 1968. It reached seventeen in the UK, eighteen in Australia, three in Canada and five in the US Billboard 100. This resulted in Sunshine Of Your Love being certified gold in Britain, Australia and America. After just two albums, Cream were one of the biggest bands in the world. They were keen to build on this success, and began work on their third album, Wheels Of Fire.
Wheels Of Fire.
For their third album Wheels Of Fire, Cream decided to release a double album. This was no ordinary album. The first album was recorded in the studio, while the second disc was entitled Live At The Fillmore. Wheels Of Fire was an ambitious project for one of the most successful bands in the world.
Some of the tracks that became part of disc one of Wheels Of Fire had already been recorded. Others were still to be recorded. A total of nine tracks were chosen.
This included White Room, As You Said, Politician and Deserted Cities of the Heart which were penned by the Jack Bruce and Pete Brown songwriting partnership. Ginger Baker formed a songwriting partnership with Mike Taylor, and cowrote Passing The Time, Pressed Rat and Warthog and Those Were The Days. They were joined by two cover versions, Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon’s Sitting on Top of the World and Booker T. Jones and William Bell’s Born Under A Bad Sign. These nine songs were recorded between July 1967 and June 1968.
The Wheels Of Fire sessions took place at a variety of studios. This included the IBC Studios during July and August 1967. From there, Cream headed Atlantic Studios, New York. They spent January and February of 1968 recording at the famous studios. Later in 1968, Cream returned to Atlantic Studios, New York during June 1968. During the various sessions, Cream used a myriad of instruments.
Each member of Cream had expanded their musical arsenal. Ginger Baker played drums and percussionist. He also added bells, glockenspiel, timpani and add the spoken word part on Pressed Rat and Warthog. Bassist Jack Bruce played acoustic guitar, calliope, cello, harmonic and recorder. Jack Bruce took charge of the lead vocals. Meanwhile, Eric Clapton laid down the guitar parts. Augmenting Cream, was Felix Pappalard, who played organ pedals, Swiss hand bells, tonette, trumpet and the viola. This left just Live At The Fillmore to be recorded.
Despite being entitled Live At The Fillmore, only Toad was recorded at the Filmore in San Francisco on 7th March 1968. However, Toad is transformed and becomes a sixteen minute epic where Cream stretch their legs and improvise. At last, Eric Clapton had the freedom he missed so much during his last spell with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. After the show at the Filmore, Cream headed to another venue in San Francisco, Winterland.
Just like at the Filmore, Cream were due to play two shows each night. On first show of 8th of March 1968, Cream’s set included Traintime a Jack Bruce composition. It made it onto Live At The Fillmore. Two nights later, Cream played two more shows at Winterland. During the first show, Cream covered Robert Johnson’s Crossroad and Willie Dixon’s Spoonful. Eric Clapton’s takes charge of the vocal on Crossroads. Later in the set, Cream cover and transform Willie Dixon’s Spoonful. Cream enjoy the opportunity to improvise and take the song in new directions over a sixteen minute period. This was a tantalising taste of Cream live.
Critics agreed when they received their copies of Wheels Of Fire. They were won over by what was an ambitious double album of studio and live recordings. Cream seemed to be maturing as a band. Especially live, where they enjoyed deconstructing and reconstructing songs. That was the case with Spoonful and Toad, which featured Cream at their best live. Critical acclaim preceded the release of Wheels Of Fire
Wheels Of Fire was released during July 1968, and quickly became Cream’s most successful album. It reached number three in the UK, two in France, fifteen in Germany and sixteen in Norway. In Australia, Canada and America, Wheels Of Fire reached number one. This resulted in Wheels Of Fire being certified platinum in Australia, America and British. For Cream this should’ve been a reason to celebrate.
Sadly, all wasn’t well within Cream. It hadn’t been for some time. Musically, the three members of Cream were no longer on the same page. Eric Clapton was now interested in the music that Bob Dylan was producing. He also cast envious glances at Bob Dylan’s former backing band, The Band. He was interested in their music, and the way that it was heading. Meanwhile, the truce Eric Clapton had been brokered between Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker was over. Their arguing was putting pressure on the very future of Cream. It was almost inevitable that the three members of Cream would decide to call it a day.
What had hastened the demise of Cream was when Eric Clapton read a review of Cream in the contrarian publication, Rolling Stone. The reviewer in what was nothing more than a hatchet job of review, resorted to name calling. Cream the reviewer said were a: “master of the blues cliché.” When Eric Clapton read the review, he decided that it was the end of road for Cream.
They embarked upon a Farewell Tour that began in Oakland on 4th October 1968. The tour ended fifteen days later at the Forum, Los Angeles, on the 19th of October 1969. That show was recorded, and became part of of Cream’s final album, Goodbye Cream.
Goodbye.
For their fourth and final album, the three members of Cream returned to London to record three tracks at IBC Studios in London. This included Badge, which Eric Clapton wrote with Beatle George Harrison. Doing That Scrapyard Thing was penned by the Jack Bruce and Pete Brown songwriting partnership. It had been a source of successful song’s during Cream’s lifetime. Ginger Baker contributed What a Bringdown. This meant that each of the members of of Cream wrote new song on their swan-song.
Joining Cream at IBC Studios, was producer Felix Pappalardi. When recording Badge, Doing That Scrapyard Thing and What a Bringdown at IBC Studios, keyboards were used extensively. This was a first. Cream were innovating to the end. Cream also used a Leslie speaker on Badge and Doing That Scrapyard Thing. This added to the psychedelic sound of both tracks. The three tracks that were recorded at IBC Studios became half of Goodbye.
The rest of Cream consisted of a trio of live tracks. They had been recorded at the Forum, in Los Angeles, on the 19th of October 1969. Skip James’ I’m So Glad, Jack Bruce and Pete Brown’s Politician and Walter Vinson and and Lonnie Chatmon’s Sitting on Top of the World featured Cream at their very best.
So much so, that when critics heard Goodbye, they hailed the live tracks as better as those on Wheels Of Fire. This was a glimpse of what Cream were capable of producing live. Similarly, the three songs recorded at IBC Studios were regarded as groundbreaking, and saw Cream reinventing their music. Badge critics said, was the standout track, and without doubt one Cream’s finest hours. It looked as if Cream were about to bow out at the top.
By the time Goodbye was released in March 1969, Cream had been dissolved. They played a farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall, in London. Despite this, Goodbye reached number one in the UK, three in France, nine in Germany and seven in Norway. In Australia, Goodbye reached number six. Meanwhile, Goodbye reached number five in Canada and number two in America. This resulted in Goodbye being certified platinum in the UK and gold in America and Australia. Cream bowed out at the top, with their fourth albums in just under three years.
Each of these albums were released to critical acclaim and went on to sell in vast quantities. Cream’s four albums were certified gold and platinum on three continents. Britain’s first supergroup became one of the country’s most successful bands. Cream sold over fifteen million copies of Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears and Wheels Of Fire and Goodbye. That’s why, nowadays, Cream are regarded as rock royalty.
They were also the first British supergroup. Other followed in Cream’s wake. However, Cream achieved more than most in just under three years. Each of their albums found Cream’s music evolving as they continued to create groundbreaking music. This ranged from blues rock to hard rock and psychedelia. All this can be heard on Commercial Marketing’s recently released Classic Album box set. It documents Cream’s short, but illustrious successful career. The quartet of albums Cream’s released between December 1966 and March 1969 can be found in the Classic Album Selection box set. It’s the perfect introduction to the first, and many say best British supergroup, Cream.
CREAM-CLASSIC ALBUM SELECTION.
JODI-POPS DE VANGUARDIA.
JODI-POPS DE VANGUARDIA.
Innovator, pioneer and visionary are just three of the words that were used to describe German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. His career spanned six decades and nowadays, he’s regarded as one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th Century. Karlheinz Stockhausen was also one of the pioneers of electronic music, aleatoric music, serial composition, and musical spatialisation. He was also a highly respected academic who taught and influenced many musicians and composers.
This included members of Can, Jean-Michel Jarre, Tom Constanten of the Grateful Dead, avant-garde musician Jon Hassell, composers Gerald Shapiro and Gerald Barry. Students travelled from far and wide to study under Karlheinz Stockhausen. Among them, were brothers, Joern and Dirk Wenger, who had travelled all the way from Paraguay to study under Karlheinz Stockhausen.
After the demise of their band The Rabbits, Joern and Dirk Wenger were keen to complete their musical education. Having heard The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, the brothers were inspired to create their own experimental music. However, they wanted to take this further. So they travelled from Asunción in Paraguay, to study arts at the Folkwang University of the Arts. That was where they encountered Karlheinz Stockhausen. He taught the two brothers music. The time the Wenger brothers spent studying under Karlheinz Stockhausen was a hugely important and influential part of their musical education.
After their time studying under Karlheinz Stockhausen, the Wenger brothers returned home and began building their own studio. This they christened the Jodi Experimental Studio. The Wenger brothers then spent their time recording what they called spontaneous pop. Some of their recording found their way onto Jodi’s 1971 debut album, Pops de Vanguardia.
Nowadays, Pops de Vanguardia is a real rarity that’s much in demand among record collectors. Given demand outstrips supply, prices of original copies of Pops de Vanguardia are prohibitive, and beyond the budget of most record collectors. Recently, though, Out-Sider Music, an imprint of Guerssen Records reissued Pops de Vanguardia complete with five bonus tracks. They’re a reminder of the Wenger brothers’ spontaneous pop.
Its roots can be traced to Joern and Dirk Wenger’s childhood in Asunción, Paraguay. Their family were industrialists who owned a factory that made paint related products. That factory would later play an important part in the Wenger brother’s musical career.
When they were growing up, their father and grandfather brought a variety of musical instruments into the family home. They taught Joern and Dirk how to play these instruments. Before long, Joern, the eldest brother, could play piano, guitar, violin, bandoneon and solfege. Soon, both brothers had mastered several different instruments. Like teenagers the world over, music began to play an important part in the Wenger brothers’ lives. It offered an escape from the reality of growing up in Paraguay.
Following a coup d’état on the 4th of May 1954, Paraguay was ruled by dictator Alfredo Stroessner. That was the case until 1989. During this period, Paraguay expanded economically and underwent a degree of modernisation. However, the Stroessner regime was an oppressive one. Human rights abuse was commonplace and those that opposed the Stroessner regime did so at their peril. As a result, Paraguay wasn’t the ideal place for the Wenger brothers to embark upon a musical career.
Just like in other countries ruled by dictators, artists, writers and musicians were viewed with a degree of suspicion by the authorities. They were often seen as subversives. However, Joern and Dirk just wanted to make music. That was what they wanted to pour their youthful energy and enthusiasm into. However, they too had a dream.
The Wenger Brothers dreamt of building their own recording studio, and were determined to make this a reality. They had even identified the perfect site for their studio. This was within a disused part of the family factory. With that part of the factory not being used, the two brothers were given permission to turn their dream into reality in 1966.
Once the studio was complete, it was christened the Jodi Experimental Studio. The brothers took the first two letters of each of their christian names (Joern and Dirk) and combined this to create the Jodi name. Joern was sixteen, and Dirk who was nineteen, set about experimenting musically and creating what they called spontaneous pop.
The Jodi Experimental Studio became a musical laboratory, where the two brothers were able to experiment with a myriad of different musical instruments. They were also able to experiment with the latest music recording techniques. There was only one problem.
Paraguay didn’t have a music industry as such. This meant that Joern and Dirk didn’t have access to much of the equipment musicians elsewhere took for granted. Especially effects units. This meant that the brothers had to work out a way to replicate reverb or echo. To do this, Joern and Dirk often laboured long into the night seeking a solution. Usually, they managed to do so as their creativity blossomed.
This continued during 1967. The two brothers immersed themselves in an eclectic selection of music seeking inspiration. Two albums made a big impression on them, The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Sometimes, the Wenger brothers listened to the Bee Gees and James Brown, other times to Little Richard, Louis Armstrong or Oscar Peterson. For the Wenger brothers this was part of their musical education. However, some of these artists would inspire and influence Joern and Dirk when they decided to form their first band.
Up until then, the Wenger brothers had spent most of their free time experimenting musically. They were dedicated to honing and perfecting their songs. Now two brothers were ready to record and release their first EP. To do that, required a little help from their friends.
When they decided to form their first band, the Wenger brothers were still at school. So they decided to enlist some of their friends from the Goethe School, in Ascuncion. Gilberto González, Naldo Nardi, Rodrigo Campos and Willy Schubeius joined the Wenger brothers in their new band, which they named The Rabbits.
Joern who was three years older than his brother Dirk, became The Rabbits de facto leader. He played organ while his brother Dirk played one of the two sets of drums. Gradually, the nascent garage band’s music began to take shape. While Joern and Dirk had spent months honing their sound in the studio, the rest of the band had some catching up to do. Soon, though, The Rabbits were on the same page. Now they could record their debut EP.
For The Rabbits’ Lo Más Nuevo EP, they decided to record Never Funny, Buscándote, Gloria and Todos Los Instantes. On these tracks, The Rabbits combined elements of psychedelia a and garage rock. Once the recording was complete, The Rabbits took the EP to the Guarania label.
When the Guarania label was formed on August 13th 1955, it became Paraguay’s very first record label. Just under fourteen years later, and it would release copies of The Rabbits’ debut EP. Only 300 copies of the Lo Más Nuevo EP were pressed and released later in 1969. Alas, there was no followup.
Not long after the release of the Lo Más Nuevo EP disbanded. This was the end of the first chapter in the Wenger brothers’ career.
The next chapter began when the Wenger brothers travelled from Ascuncio in Paraguay to Germany. Their destination was the Folkwang University of the Arts. That was where the brothers studied arts. Their music teacher was none other than
composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. He was already regarded as a musical pioneer and one of the most innovative and influential composers of his generation. Studying under Karlheinz Stockhausen was the perfect way to complete the Wenger brothers’ musical education.
After completing their studies at Folkwang University of the Arts, the Wenger brothers returned home and began work on their next project. This they called Jodi, after their recording studio where the project came to fruition.
Between 1969 and 1971, Joerk Wenger wrote much of what later became Pops De Vanguardia. Some of the material had been recorded before the sessions in 1969. Some were recorded as far back as 1966. Each of the twelve tracks were recorded at the Jodi Experimental Studio.
Two reel-to-reel recorders were used to record the Wenger brothers. Joern plays the majority of the instruments, including guitar and organ. He also takes charge of the lead vocals. Meanwhile Dirk plays drums and percussion. Eventually, Jodi had enough material for an album. These twelve songs would become Pops De Vanguardia, which was released later in 1971.
Before that, critics had their say on Jodi’s debut album. Sadly, the critics didn’t understand the eclectic and innovative nature of Pops De Vanguardia. With its groundbreaking fusion of garage rock and psychedelia, Pops De Vanguardia was way ahead of its time.
When Pops De Vanguardia was released later in 1971, the album failed commercially. Just like the critics, record buyers never understood the album. Pops De Vanguardia passed record buyers by. That’s despite Jodi showcasing a new and groundbreaking sound on Pops De Vanguardia.
Opening Pops De Vanguardia is Experimento (Experiment), which literally bursts into life. The experimental psychedelic rock of the previous track continues. Guitars and the rhythm section explode into the life, and with Joern’s vocal, power the arrangement along. Washes of swirling Hammond and bursts of bubbling bass are added. Later, so are flamboyant flourishes of Hammond organ. Jodi play with freedom and confidence. So much so, that Joern whistles during another blistering and memorable psychedelic rocker. It’s another heady brew from Jodi, and one to drink deep.
Recuerdos De Un Amigo Ruso (Memories Of A Russian Friend) is another psychedelic track. A lone piano is played, the tempo quickening as the rhythm section, chirping, choppy guitars and Joern’s urgent vocal combining. It’s a mixture of drama, urgency and emotion. Later as Joern scats, the arrangement becomes melodic. Soon, though, the emotion returns and memories come flooding back on this poignant psychedelic song.
Just a lone guitar plays before the drums, vocal and washes of Hammond guitar enter on Reflexiones Heladas (Icy Reflexions). Joern stabs at the Hammond organ as effects transform his vocal, and add a lysergic sound. Later, as he vamps the arrangement is rocky and psychedelic. Again, effects are used, but used sparingly. They help create the groundbreaking psychedelic rock sound that Jodi pioneered in Paraguay.
The tempo increases on Onda Suave (Mild Wave). A scrabbled guitar joins the bass to create an understated arrangement. They provide the backdrop for Joern’s lead vocal and harmonies. It’s the interplay between the lead vocal and harmonies that are key to sound and success of another memorable and melodic song.
Washes of swirling Hammond organ are joined by a scorching guitar and drums on Primavera Amarilla (Yellow Spring). Stabs and swirling washes of Hammond organ join the bristling, searing guitar licks. Meanwhile, Dirk keeps a steady beat, adding occasional drum rolls and fills. Soon, they’ve locked into a groove and are playing with an inventiveness. This materialises when Joerk unleashes an ascending effects laden organ solo. Effects are added to the guitar as innovative instrumental unfolds. It’s a marriage of R&B, rock and psychedelia and is without doubt, one of the best instrumentals you’ve never heard.
An urgent scrubbed guitar drives and powers the arrangement along Arrivederci along. It’s accompanied by Joern’s vocal and multi-tracked harmonies. They’re reminiscent of Big Star, and a generation later, the Teenage Fanclub. Meanwhile, effects launched above the arrangement, adding a futuristic and cinematic sound. Jodi continue combine garage rock, psychedelia with proto-punk to create groundbreaking and melodic musical fusion.
Jodi showcase their versatility on Jodi-Ritmo (Jodi Rytmus). Joern’s guitar has a surf rock sound. Meanwhile, he unleashes a snarling proto-punk vocal. Behind him, the the rhythm section and percussion add to the sense of urgency. Later an organ is added, augmenting and briefly replacing the vocal. When it returns, it continues to showcase the bravado fuelled, proto-punk style vocal that Rotten, Strummer, et al would later claim as their own. However, this was nothing new, as Joern Wenger was one its pioneers.
Flourishes of swirling organ are to the fore on Imagen En Rojo (Red Image). They’re joined by the rhythm section. Dirk’s drums keep a steady beat. Meanwhile, Joern lays down a bass line and plays the organ. It plays a starring role, swirling, stuttering and breezing along, on this R&B inspired instrumental which sounds as if was recorded in Memphis, not Ascuncion. Jodi were it seems, a truly versatile band.
Sueño De La Catedral (Cathedral Dream) is an organ driven track where Jodi showcase their psychedelic rock sound. This they do with an organ that replicates the sound of a cathedral organ. They’re never played this way. Joern powers his way across the keyboard, adding flamboyant flourishes and delivering a vampish vocal. Dirk lays down the heartbeat, while Joern is transformed into Lizark King on one of Jodi’s finest moments.
Guitars are at the heart of Fantasmas Del Sonido (Sound Fantasm), and with the rhythm section helping to drive the arrangement along. Soon, they’ve locked into a groove. Joern lays down the guitar and bass lines. Meanwhile, Dirk plays drums and percussion. All the years two brothers have played together has paid off. They’re a tight unit, who don’t necessary stick to the script. Sometimes, it seems their playing is inventive and off the cuff. Occasional fills and flourishes are added, during this driving, genre-melting instrumental. Everything from surf rock, R&B and rock have been combined to create one of the great lost instrumentals.
It’s all change on Cancion Cariñosa (Loving Song). Jodi return to their melodic garage rock sound. Again, the guitar and vocal play leading roles. Joern’s vocal is tender and heartfelt. He plays his guitar with speed and accuracy, using the occasional effect to produce a variety of sound.This range from a chirping to choppy sound, on what’s a hook-laden paean.
The psychedelic sound of Jodi returns on Espiritu Fosforecente (Glowing Spirit), which closes Pops de Vanguardia. A choppy, effects laden guitar combines with washes of Hammond organ and drums. Joern’s vocal is deliberate and powerful, as Jodi draw inspiration from Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, the Rolling Stones and even Cream. It’s an experimental fusion of rock and psychedelia. This proves a potent and heady brew that proves irresistible. Jodi it seems have kept the best until last on Pops de Vanguardia.
That’s not the end of Out-Sider Music’s reissue of Pops de Vanguardia. It comes complete with five bonus tracks. This includes three previously unreleased tracks, a track from a private EP and Buscándote from The Rabbits’ 1969 EP Lo Más Nuevo. It’s two magnificent minutes of psychedelic rock at its very best.This is a tantalising taster of The Rabbits Lo Más Nuevo EP, which nowadays is almost impossible to find.
The other bonus tracks include Sentimental Moment (Momento Sentimental) and Awake (Despierte). Both memorable and melodic reminders of late sixties guitar pop. Little Butterfly (Pequeña Mariposa) is a beautiful and timeless indie pop song. However, the best of the bonus tracks is Poor Man, Rich Man. Jodi combine blues, psychedelia, rock and effects. Joern sounds not unlike John Lennon, on this innovative and genre-melting track. It’s a reminder of a truly talented group, Jodi which featured the Wenger brothers Joern and Dirk.
Pops de Vanguardia was just the start of Jodi’s career. Jodi went on to release two further albums. They transformed the career of Jodi, when commercial success and critical acclaim came their way. Their music was popular across South America. This was a far cry from 1971, when Jodi released their debut album Pops de Vanguardia.
Critics failed to understand what was a groundbreaking album of where Jodi combined elements of blues, garage rock, indie rock, proto-punk, psychedelia and rock. There were even elements of avant-garde and experimental musical on Pops de Vanguardia. It’s was an ambitious album that deserved to find a much wider audience upon its release in 1971. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.
Since then, a new generation of record buyers have discovered the music of Jodi. Their rarest album is their debut album Pops de Vanguardia. It wasn’t a commercial success, and very few copies of the original album exist. Those that do, are prized possessions among record collectors. So Out-Sider Music’s recent reissue of Jodi’s debut album Pops de Vanguardia is a welcome one.
Jodi’s debut album Pops de Vanguardia showcases the combined and considerable talents of the Wenger brothers. It should’ve been the album that launched their career. Instead, it failed commercially, purely because the critics failed to understand Jodi’s ambitious, groundbreaking and genre-melting album.
Nowadays, though, Jodi’s debut album Pops de Vanguardia is belatedly receiving the recognition it deserves. So much so, that Pops de Vanguardia is regarded by some musical connoisseurs as a lost genre classic.Pops de Vanguardia is a true musical hidden gem that showcases the versatile and multitalented Wenger brothers, as they embarked upon a new chapter in their musical career as Jodi.
JODI-POPS DE VANGUARDIA.
THE STAINED GLASS-THE STORY OF ONE OF SAN FRANCISCO’S SEMINAL LOST GROUPS.
THE STAINED GLASS-THE STORY OF ONE OF SAN FRANCISCO’S SEMINAL LOST GROUPS.
Sometimes, despite their undoubtable talent, a group fails to make the impact their talent and music deserves. It’s only, much later, that critics and record buyers belatedly realise how innovative a group they were. That was the case with The Stained Glass, who originally, started life as The Trolls. They were without doubt, way ahead of their time. Sadly, record buyers neither understood, nor appreciated The Stained Glass’ music. It pass record buyers by, and as a result, The Stained Glass split-up in 1969, just four years after they were formed in 1965.
Nowadays, critics, cultural commentators and record buyers realise and appreciate the importance of The Stained Glass’ music. They were musical pioneers, who could and should’ve enjoyed commercial success and critical acclaim . Sadly, it wasn’t to be, in 1967, the dream was over for one of San Francisco’s seminal lost group’s. Things had been very different just two years previously.
The Stained Glass’ story begins in San Jose in 1964. Rodger Hedge had just started at San Jose University. He’d arrived from Southern California, where he’d played bass and guitar in the Sen-Sa-Shuns. They were a successful band, who’d supported the Righteous Brothers and Beach Boys. Opening for the Beach Boys must have been ironic, as Rodger had auditioned as their bass player. That wasn’t to be. He enjoyed a successful period in the Sen-Sa-Shuns. That gave him a taste of what a career as a musician would be like. So, on arrival at University, Rodger decided to form a band. He advertised locally, and straight away, Jim McPherson answered the advert.
Jim was a native of Chicago, and was studying radio and television journalism at San Jose University. Originally, he was a bassist, but when he realised how good Rodger was, switched to rhythm guitar. The next member to join the band was drummer Dennis Carrasco.
Dennis was recommended by Barry Wineroth of The Jaguars. He tipped Rodger and Dennis off about this musical prodigy. Unlike Rodger and Jim, Dennis was a native of San Francisco, but had lived in San Jose since 1960. He was younger than his prospective bandmates. In fact, he was still at Blackford High School. The age gap didn’t matter. As a drummer, Dennis was one of the best in San Jose. He’d started off playing in marching bands and after that, was working with The Stratatones and Blue Flames. With the Blue Fames, Dennis recorded some sessions. None of them were ever released. Now his luck looked like changing. Before that, they needed another member.
Although Rodger Hedge was a good guitarist, the band felt they needed another guitarist to play lead guitar. There were two candidates. One was John Sharkey, of the local group Syndicate Of Sound. The other was Bob Rominger, who’d recently moved to San Jose from Albuquerque, Mexico. He was a talented player, capable of unleashing some flashy licks. There was a problem though. Bob had only played in pickup bands. Despite that, he got the gig as lead guitarist. The band was complete. All they needed was a name. They hit upon The Trolls.
From their early days, The Trolls found work easy to come by. Originally, The Trolls played around the San Francisco area. Having established a reputation as a talented and popular band, they started playing further afield. Their performances featured mostly cover versions, with Rodger and Jim sharing lead vocal duties. Then after a while, The Trolls started adding their own original material.
Jim McPherson was The Trolls’ songwriter. He was influenced by the British invasion groups. The Kinks, Beatles, Animals, Rolling Stones and Zombies inspired Jim as a songwriter. So did Paul McCartney, who Jim admired, for the way he structured songs. This seemed to rub off on Jim. However, Jim’s songwriting style is more like Bob Dylan. Perceptive, descriptive, surreal and left-field describes Jim’s songwriter. He was part poet and philosopher. Occasionally, Rodger pitched in with a song, Mostly, it was Jim who wrote The Trolls’ songs. This includes the first songs they recorded.
Such Good Friends and She’s Not Right were the first songs The Trolls recorded. They originally featured on an acetate that was sent to local labels. Eventually, The Trolls released Such Good Friends and She’s Not Right, which has a strong British influence. On both tracks, The Trolls could easily be mistaken for one of the British Invasion groups. Not longer after The Trolls recorded their first two tracks, they released their first single.
The two songs chosen were the ballad How Do You Expect Me To Trust You and the harmonica driven Walkin’ Shoes, with its surreal, enigmatic lyrics. There’s still a British Invasion influence, on Walkin’ Shoes. With lyrics that sound like a homage to The Kinks, a bluesy Rolling Stone sound, especially with the harmonica, The Trolls seemed to have decided if you can’t beat the British Invasion groups, join them. However, apart from some radio play on local radio, The Trolls debut single passed almost unnoticed.
Despite their single failing commercially, The Trolls were one of the most popular live bands. They’d captured people’s imaginations and were winning them over with their mixture of covers and new songs. Despite their popularity, when The Trolls played in the Bay Area Battle of The Bands, it was to a disappointingly small audience. However, there was one man in the audience that would play a part in The Trolls’ future, Rene Cardenas.
Until Rene Cardenas saw The Trolls at The Battle of The Bands, he’d been publishing manager for Trident Productions. Having seen The Trolls live, he decided to form his own company, Jackson Square Productions. The date was 25th April 1966. That day, Rene Cardenas promised to get The Trolls signed to a label. Two weeks later, The Trolls were on their way to Columbia’s Sunset Boulevard Studios, where they’d work with respected arranger Bernie Krause.
At Sunset Boulevard Studios, Bernie Krause helped the band hone their material. He made a number of suggestions, including changing some of the lyrics to Broken Man, a fusion of pop, psychedelia and blues. The other tracks recorded were Second Day and Lonely Am I, which was penned by Bob Rominger. Following the sessions at Sunset Boulevard Studios, The Trolls made a decision that could’ve had a huge impact on their career. They changed their name.
The Trolls were now called The Stained Glass Window. That proved somewhat cumbersome, so they became The Stained Glass. However, that was a result of the word Window being left off the group’s paperwork. Ironically, this mistake worked in their favor. Given the enigmatic nature of the group’s lyrics, this added to the mystery that surrounded the group. The only problem was, would people realize that The Trolls and The Stained Glass were one and the same?
Even after the change of name, The Stained Glass were busy. The Bay Area had many venues, all of which were on the look out for popular bands. A popular band meant a full venue and profitable night. Gradually, The Stained Glass found themselves playing to an older audience. Granted they were still playing to younger people, but mostly, their audiences were older. This suited their baroque infused fusion of pop and psychedelia. The Stained Glass were opening for bigger bands and it looked like a breakthrough was imminent. It wasn’t. The deal with Columbia wasn’t going to happen.
When Columbia passed on The Stained Glass, their manager Rene Cardenas started looking elsewhere. He used his contacts, and The Stained Glass were signed to RCA Victor by the second week in June 1966. Everything looked as it was going well. Then Rene and the RCA Victor producer assigned to The Stained Glass, said they had to record a cover of If I Needed Someone. Written by George Harrison and taken from The Beatles’ Rubber Soul album, this seemed strange. After all, hadn’t Rene been a fan of The Stained Glass’ own songs? Maybe RCA Victor and Rene thought a cover of a Beatles song equalled a hit single. On the B-Side was a remake of The Trolls’ How Do You Expect Me To Trust You? Just before If I Needed Someone was released, it featured on the B-Side of The Beatles’ Yesterday and Today. Despite The Beatles’ version being released first, The Stained Glass’ single was a success in the Bay Area. This resulted in a tour round the East Coast, before The Stained Glass recorded their second single for RCA Victor.
At RCA Victor’s New York studio, The Stained Glass recorded My Buddy Sin. Best described as a baroque tinged track, it’s an example of Jim McPherson’s songwriting skills. The band’s songwriter in chief had done it again. Vanity Fair, The B-Side, is an underrated track. Influenced by The Kinks and Beatles, pop and psychedelia combine on a three minute slice of pop perfection. So good is this track, it could’ve come from the pen of Ray Davies. When the single was being recorded, the group didn’t like My Buddy Sin. They felt the addition of the harmonica spoilt the track. It, they felt, took the edge of the song. On its release, in September 1966, My Buddy Sin failed to chart. It would be another five months before The Stained Glass entered the studio.
When The Stained Glass entered the studios in February 1967, they realized what being signed to a record company entailed. RCA Victor wanted them to record songs by other songwriters. None of them were suitable. Then they hit upon We Got A Long Way To Go, which was penned by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. It was totally different to the type of songs the group usually recorded. During recording effects were used to create feedback and sustain. This is very different from previous singles. There’s still a psychedelic sound as pop and rock combine. Full of hooks, would this be The Stained Glass breakthrough single?
On the release of A Long Way To Go, with Corduroy Joy on the B-Side, it didn’t result in the elusive hit single for The Stained Glass. Not long after this, with the lack of success frustrating the band, Rodger Hedge, who’d founded the band was asked to leave. This marked the beginning of the end for The Stained Glass.
Their final single was Mediocre Me, with The Beatles’ inspired A Scene In-Between on the B-Side. Both were penned by Jim McPherson. Sadly, the single failed to chart nationally, but reached number six on KDON’s chart. That’s a small crumb of comfort for one of San Francisco’s most innovative and pioneering groups. Not long after Mediocre Me’s release RCA Victor didn’t renew The Stained Glass’ contract.
This proved to be a blessing in disguise. The Stained Glass signed to Capitol Records and released two critically acclaimed albums. Their debut was Crazy Horse Roads, which was released in 1968. However, disaster struck just before the album was finished. Bob Rominger left the band. For The Strained Glass, this was a blow. Despite this, the album was completed and ready for release later in 1968.
Despite critics lavishing praise on Crazy Horse Roads, the album failed commercially. For The Stained Glass, this was another huge disappointment. They were down, but not out and later, began work on their sophomore album. However, the times and lineup was changing.
Joining were keyboardist and guitarist Lance Libby, percussionist Louie Schiavo and In 1969, Bob Rominger left after and was replaced by southpaw guitarist Tom Bryant. He was a member of The Stained Glass when they recorded their sophomore album Aurora. It was released to critical acclaim in 1969 but failed commercially. After that, The Stained Glass changed their name to Christian Rapid and spent the next three years touring. They never recorded another album. Aurora marked the end of the The Stained Glass’ story.
The story of The Stained Glass is a familiar one. They were a talented, innovative and pioneering group, but their music was way ahead of its time. That was the case with The Stained Glass, who started life as The Trolls. Quite simply, The Stained Glass were ahead of their time. People neither understood, nor appreciated what they were doing. Sadly, their music failed to make the impact it should’ve. It’s only years later, that people realise how innovative a group The Stained Glass were. From their early days as The Trolls, their music was ahead of the musical curve. Influenced by the British Invasion, The Kinks, Beatles, Animals, Rolling Stones and Zombies inspired The Trolls and The Stained Glass. The other thing that made The Trolls and The Stained Glass standout were their lyrics.
Many of the songs were written by the enigmatic poet philosopher Jim McPherson. He too was influenced by the British Invasion groups. His lyrics are pensive, perceptive, descriptive, surreal and cryptic. Influenced by Ray Davies, Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan, Jim could’ve and should’ve been a hugely successful songwriter. Sadly, just like The Trolls and The Stained Glass, Jim McPherson’s talents went unnoticed for too long. Now a new generation have discovered the music of The Trolls and then The Stained Glass, who between 1965 and 1967, were one of San Francisco’s most innovative lost groups.
That’s why The Stained Glass’ music was such essential listening. That’s the case with all musical pioneers. The Stained Glass were true musical pioneers, who could’ve gone on to could and should’ve enjoyed commercial success and critical acclaim. They fused blues, pop, psychedelia and rock to create their take on pop-psych. This was way ahead of its time musically. So much so, that record buyers failed to understand The Stained Glass’ music. However, that was only part of the problem.
Unfortunately, The Stained Glass were signed to the wrong label, RCA Victor. They tried to make them something they weren’t. On another label, The Stained Glass might have prospered and become the success story they deserved to be. Sadly, that never happened and after four years of trying to catch lightning in a bottle, The Stained Glass called time on their career. The Stained Glass became Christian Rapid, who spent the next three years touring. This resulted The Stained Glass being consigned to San Francisco’s musical history.
Over a generation later, and The Stained Glass’ music was rediscovered by a new generation of record buyers. This resulted in a resurgence in interest in The Stained Glass’ music. Interest in The Stained Glass has continued to grow. That’s still the case today. Nowadays, The Stained Glass’ music is being heard by a much wider, and appreciative audience who have discovered one of San Francisco’s seminal lost groups.
THE STAINED GLASS-THE STORY OF ONE OF SAN FRANCISCO’S SEMINAL LOST GROUPS.
THE INDEPENDENTS- WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?
THE INDEPENDENTS- WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?
When Charles Jackson first met Marvin Yancy at Chicago’s Black Writer’s Workshop in 1971, he was already twenty-six, and had been working as an art director for Playboy magazine. That was why Charles Jackson had moved to the Windy City in the late sixties. However, Charles had ambitions beyond working as an art director.
In his spare time, Charles Jackson wrote songs. This wasn’t new. Charles had been writing songs for years. He had always been regarded as an artistic child, as he grew up in Greenville, Carolina. However, by 1971 Charles was beginning to realise he had so much he wanted to say via his music. It was his true passion. So Charles went in search of likeminded people.
That was how Charles Jackson found himself at Chicago’s Black Writer’s Workshop, and met with Jerry Butler. He was in the process of choosing songs for his new album, and had decided to record an album of songs penned by members of Chicago’s Black Writer’s Workshop. When Jerry Butler came to choose the songs for his album Jerry Butler Sings Assorted Sounds With The Aid Of Assorted Friends And Relatives, three of Charles Jackson’s songs were chosen. This included It’s Real What I Feel, a duet with Brenda Lee Eager. It reached number sixty-nine in the US Billboard 100 and eight in the US R&B charts. So pleased was Jerry Butler with Charles’ songs, that Walk Easy Me Son was chosen for The Sagittarius Movement. Already, it looked as if Charles was about to embark upon a successful songwriting career. However, what about if he became part of a songwriting team?
Around this time, a twenty-one year old Marvin Yancy attended the Chicago’s Black Writer’s Workshop. He had played the organ in a local church, but was an aspiring songwriter. Marvin Yancy had written songs under the alias of Maurice Barge, and would soon meet his future songwriting partner.
When Charles Jackson and Marvin Yancy began talking, and realised they had much in common. It was only a matter of time before Charles Jackson and Marvin Yancy began to write songs together. When they began to write together, they proved a potent partnership, encouraging each other to even greater heights. Two heads were definitely better than one. Little did Charles and Marvin know that some of these songs would hit potential.
Having penned some songs, Charles hit on the idea of forming a group. Secretly, he had dreamed of becoming a singer. So Charles approached Marvin about forming a group. Marvin Yancy agreed, and the pair began the search for the rest of the nascent group.
It didn’t take long, before the search was over. Benjamin and Company, had been stalwarts of Chicago’s soul scene. However, the band that Ben Hernandez had founded had split-up. Two former members of Benjamin and Company, Helen Curry and Maurice Jackson were singing together in a local club when Charles Jackson saw them. Straight away, he realised that here were the missing pieces in his musical jigsaw.
Charles Jackson approached and asked Helen Curry and Maurice Jackson about joining his nascent band. They were interested, and agreed to join Charles and Marvin’s new band, which they called The Independents.
When Maurice Jackson joined The Independents in 1972, he was already twenty-eight. He was born in Chicago in 1944, and embarked upon a musical career in the early sixties. In 1963, Maurice made his recording debut. Since then, he had moved between labels but never enjoyed any major success. So Maurice decided to put his solo career on hold, and joined The Independents with Helen Curry.
Just like Maurice, commercial success eluded Helen Curry. She had released a quartet of singles between 1968 and 1969, but they all failed commercially. So when she joined Benjamin and Company it was a new start. Sadly, the band split-up, and Helen and Maurice found themselves treading water. That was until they met Charles and Marvin, and joined their new group, The Independents.
Soon, the newly formed Independents were soon signed to Wand Records, which would be home to them for the next two years. The record contract came about through a contact at the Chicago’s Black Writer’s Workshop. However, before long, The Independents were replaying Wand’s faith in them.
In April 1972, The Independents were preparing to release their debut single for Wand. The song that chosen, was Just As Long As You Need Me, which was penned by Maurice Barge and Jimmie Jiles. It’s a beautiful ballad with lush strings and harmonies accompanying the lead vocal. When Just As Long As You Need Me was released, it reached number eighty-four in the US Billboard 100 and number eight in the US R&B charts. Following the success of their debut single, The Independents began work on their debut album.
Just As Long As You Need Me featured on The Independents’ debut album, The First Time We Met. It was a highly accomplished and polished album, that was released later in 1972, and came complete with an endorsement from Jerry Butler. The First Time We Met reached number 127 in the US Billboard 200 and sixteen in the US R&B charts. However, The First Time We Met also featured another hit single.
Seven months after the release of Just As Long As You Need Me, The Independents released I Just Want to Be There as a single. It was a heart wrenching ballad, with a lush arrangement that featured strings, horns and harmonies. There was almost a Philly Soul sound to I Just Want to Be There. On the flip-side was Can’t Understand It. Both songs were penned by Charles Jackson and Marvin Yancy. When I Just Want to Be There was released in November 1972, the single reached just thirty-eight in the US R&B charts. This was slightly disappointing. However, it was just a blip.
The Independents hit a musical home run with their third single Leaving Me. Just like their first two singles, Leaving Me was another ballad, which The Independents seemed to specialise in. On the flip-side of Leaving Me was Baby I’ve Been Missing You a glorious stomper. With both sides oozing quality, surely The Independents couldn’t fail?
When Leaving Me was released in 1973, it reached twenty-one in the US Billboard 100 and one in the US R&B charts. Leaving Me which was penned and produced by Charles Jackson and Marvin Yancy sold over 500,000 copies and was certified gold. With Leaving Me having crossed over, it should’ve been skies the limits for The Independents.
For their fourth single from the album from The First Time We Met, the ballad Baby I’ve Been Missing You was released as a single later in 1973. It was penned by Charles Jackson and Marvin Yancy. The B-Side Couldn’t Hear Nobody Say (I Love You Like I Do) was a Maurice Barge and Jimmie Jilies song. When Baby I’ve Been Missing You was released, it reached forty-one on the US Billboard 100 and four in the US R&B charts. The Independents had found a winning formula and were sticking to it.
Later in 1973, The Independents had finished their sophomore album Chuck, Helen, Eric, Maurice. It featured songs like The Same Old Way, the wistful ballad In The Valley Of My World, One Woman Do Right Man and Lucky Fellow. They showcased a truly talented band who looked like they had the world at their feet. There was a problem though.
Maurice Yancy didn’t want to tour the album. There was only one option, bring onboard a singer to replicate Maurice. The man who was given the job, was another Chicago born singer Eric Thomas. Having learnt The Independents’ songs, he headed out on tour. Then when he returned home, The Independents became a five piece.
By then, the soul-baring ballad It’s All Over had been released as a single. Just like the B-Side Sara Lee, it was penned by Charles Jackson and Maurice Yancy. When It’s All Over was released, it reached number sixty-five in the US Billboard 100 and twelve in the US R&B charts. 1973 had been another successful year for The Independents.
For their first single of 1974, The First Time We Met was chosen. This was guaranteed to confuse record buyers. The First Time We Met was the title of The Independents’ debut album. However, no such track featured on the 1972 album. Two years later, and The First Time We Met was released as a single, with Show Me How on the B-Side. Both songs were penned by Charles Jackson and Maurice Yancy songwriting team. However, The First Time We Met stalled at just number twenty on the US R&B charts, and never troubled the US Billboard 100. This was no reflection on the quality of the single. Instead, the title was blamed, as leading record buyers to think they already owned the song. As a result, they missed out on a really classy ballad which featured The Independents at their emotive best. Despite the disappointing performance of The First Time We Met, the future still looked bright for The Independents.
Later in 1974, The Independents toured Europe, but only played US military bases. This was disappointed their fans. However, The Independents were keen to begin work on their third album, which would see them jump onboard the disco bandwagon.
Arise and Shine (Let’s Get In On), a Charles Jackson and Maurice Yancy song was chosen as The Independents’ next single. It was an excursion into soulful disco. This was quite different from the heartfelt, emotive ballads The Independents specialised in. However, the new five piece Independents suited the new sound. I Found Love On A Rainy Day was another dance-floor friendly track from the pen Charles Jackson and Maurice Yancy. However, their first disco single Arise and Shine (Let’s Get In On), reached just number nineteen on the US R&B charts. It failed to trouble the US Billboard 100. Although Arise and Shine (Let’s Get In On) was slightly more successful than The First Time We Met, The Independents were no longer enjoying the same success they’d enjoyed earlier in their career.
When The Independents released Let This Be A Lesson To You later in 1974, this impassioned ballad proved to be their swan-song. Just like the flip-side No Wind, No Rain, Let This Be A Lesson To You was penned by Charles Jackson and Maurice Yancy. When the single was released it reached eighty-eight in the US Billboard 100 and seven on the US R&B charts. At least The Independents bowed out with a top ten single.
With The Independents story at end, Charles Jackson and Maurice Yancy continued to work as producers. Their time with The Independents had established their careers as songwriters and producers. Over the next few years, they wrote and produced for everyone from The Notations to Natalie Cole. However, despite the commercial success and critical acclaim they enjoyed, Charles Jackson and Maurice Yancy must have wondered what heights The Independents could’ve reached?
The Independents enjoyed eight hit singles in the US R&B charts, and five in the US R&B charts. This included four top ten singles, including the number one single Leaving Me. It was one of The Independents’ trademark ballads, which was certified gold after selling over 500,000 copies. This was one of the finest moments of The Independents career. Sadly, their career was short-lived and The Independents were together between 1972 and 1974. For The Independents, it was a case of what might have been
THE INDEPENDENTS-WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?
GARY BARTZ-JU JU MAN AND LOVE SONG.
GARY BARTZ-JU JU MAN AND LOVE SONG.
By 1976, saxophonist Gary Bartz’s reputation was on the rise.This came as no surprise to those within the jazz community. Already, Gary Bartz had played with some of the biggest names in jazz. Especially before he formed his own band in 1969.
Baltimore born Gary Bartz had started his career playing with Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln in 1964. This came about when Gary happened to meet Max Roach in Baltimore a few years earlier. The two men swapped numbers and kept in touch. Eventually, Gary decided to move to New York. Max Roach had given him his number, and told Gary to phone him when he arrived in New York.
Upon his arrival in the Big Apple, Gary Bartz phoned Max Roach. He took the young saxophonist under his wing, and even brought him into his band. For Gary Bartz, this opened doors that might have remained closed.
In 1965, Gary Bartz spread his wings and joined Art Blakeley’s Messengers. Gary who could play alto and soprano saxophone became the Messengers’ new alto saxophonist. He made his recording debut on Art Blakey’s 1966 album Hold On I’m Coming. This was the start of a prolific recording career.
Two years later, and Gary Bartz was back working with Max Roach. He played on his 1968 album Members, Don’t Git Weary. The same year, Gary played on Roy Ayers’ Stoned Soul Picnic, and on Helen Merill’s A Shade Of Difference. Gary also joined McCoy Tyner’s band and was a member from 1968 until 1976. However, the most significant release of 1968 was Gary’s debut as bandleader.
The Gary Bartz Quintet released their debut album Libra in 1968. It had been recorded on May 31st and June 15th 1967 at Plaza Sound Studios, New York. Libra was released in 1968 by Milestone Recordings. They would also release Gary’s next release, Another Earth in 1969. That was the year Gary release one of his most famous bands, Gary Bartz NTU Troop.
Over the five years, Gary Bartz NTU Troop would release six groundbreaking albums. That was no surprise, Gary was aided and abetted by all-star cast that included Andy Bey, Ron Carter, Stafford James and Woody Shaw. However, throughout the life of Gary Bartz NTU Troop, their lineup, just like the music would evolve. Gary Bartz NTU Troop’s debut album featured a sextet. It was released their debut album as the seventies dawned.
This was Home, which was released on Milestone Records in 1970. This was followed by the release of two of Gary Bartz NTU Troop’s finest albums during 1971, Harlem Bush Music-Uluru and Harlem Bush Music-Taifa. Both were innovative, genre-melting albums where elements of avant-garde were combined with free jazz, jazz funk and post bop. These two albums brought Gary Bartz NTU Troop to the attention of Prestige.
Gary Bartz NTU Troop signed to Prestige and released their fourth album Ju Ju Street Songs in 1972. It was another ambitious album. This time though, the music moved in the direction of fusion. It seemed that Gary Bartz NTU Troop were a musical chameleons, their music constantly changing to ensure it stayed relevant.
That was the case when they released Follow, The Medicine Man was released in 1973. Everything from jazz-funk and fusion to avant-garde and soul could be heard on Follow, The Medicine Man. Later in 1973, Gary Bartz NTU Troop returned with a double live album. I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies had been recorded Montreux Jazz Festival, in Switzerland on Saturday, July 7th 1973. By then, the lineup featured Gary, Howard King and Stafford James. Despite being reduced to a trio, the Gary Bartz NTU Troop produced a show-steeling performance, which is replicated on I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies. This proved to be their swan-song.
Although one further album was released, it didn’t bear the Gary Bartz NTU Troop name. Instead, when Singerella-A Ghetto Fairy Tale was released in 1974, it was credited to Ntu Gary Bartz. This was the only album that Ntu Gary Bartz released. After this, Gary Bartz returned to his solo career.
Accompanied by some top New York based session players, Gary Bartz bang work on sophomore album. This would become The Shadow Do. It was released on Prestige in 1975, and was the start of a new chapter in the career of Gary Bartz.
This continued in when Gary Bartz released Ju Ju Man in 1976 and Love Song in 1978. They’ve recently been released by Fresh Sounds Records on the one CD. Ju Ju Man and Love Songs feature Gary Bartz at the peak of his musical powers.
Ju Ju Man.
After the release of The Shadow Do, Gary Bartz began work on his third solo album. He wrote the title-track Ju Ju Man and Pisces Daddy Blue. The other three tracks were cover versions. This included Rogers and Hart’s My Funny Valentine, John Coltrane’s Straight Street and Billy Strayhorn’s Chelsea Street. These five tracks would become Ju Ju Man, which was recorded by some top session players.
Recording of Ju Ju Man took place at Sage and Sound Studio, Hollywood, Los Angeles during 1976. Accompanying Gary Bartz, were a rhythm section of drummer bassist Howard King and Curtis Robertson. He switched between acoustic and electric bass on Ju Ju Man. The other members of the band were pianist Charles Mims Jr, and vocalist Syreeta whose vocal features on My Funny Valentine. On Ju Ju Man, Gary Bartz showcased his versatility. The reedman played alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, synths and added vocals. Taking care of production was Pat Britt. Once the five tracks that became Ju Ju Man were completed, the album was released later in 1976.
Before that, critics had their say on Ju Ju Man. They were won over by what was the strongest album of Gary Bartz’s solo career. It had a much more traditional jazz sound. There were neither diversions into avant-garde nor free jazz, like in the days of the Gary Bartz NTU Troop. This much more traditional sound, was the perfect showcase for Gary Bartz and his band.
That was the case from Ju Ju Man, where vocals pay homage to John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Just like the rest of Ju Ju Man, the rhythm section drive and power the arrangement along. Pianist Howard King plays a starring role. However, it’s Gary’s blistering, braying saxophone that steals the show. Soon, though it’s all changed.
My Funny Valentine has an understated and later sultry arrangement. It’s the perfect accompaniment for Syreeta’s soulful vocal. As she takes her bow, Straight Street unfolds, and showcases a much more tradition jazzy sound, Again, Gary is at the heart of the action, as he delivers one of finest best solos on Ju Ju Man. There’s no letup, as Gary and drummer Howard King take centre-stage on Pisces Daddy Blue. Soon, the rest of the band are playing their part. However, Howard King’s piano plays a starring role, as Gary plays with controlled power on what’s blues-tinged slice of straight ahead jazz. It’s another of the highlights of Ju Ju Man. It closes with Chelsea Bridge where Gary switches to alto saxophone. There’s a slow, sparse wistful sound for much of the track. Later, the tempo increases and Gary plays with intensity and passion on what’s a quite beautiful track.
Given the consistency and quality of Ju Ju Man, it was no surprise that critics hailed the album the finest of Gary Bartz’s career. This more traditional sound seemed to allow him to showcase his considerable talents. However, given that many regarded this as the sound jazz’s past, how popular would Ju Ju Man be?
Later in 1976, Prestige released Ju Ju Man. Despite the critical acclaim that had preceded the release of Ju Ju Man, the album failed to chart. It still found a small but loyal audience who had followed Gary Bartz’s career closely. They released that the majority of music fans had missed out on his finest solo album so far.
Music Is My Sanctuary.
That was until the release of Music Is My Sanctuary in 1977. This was the first album Gary Bartz released on Capitol Records. It was also a big budget recording.
For Music Is My Sanctuary, some of the top session players were brought onboard. So were one of the most successful production teams, the Mizell brothers. However, it would be a familiar face that played a starring role on Music Is My Sanctuary, Syreeta.
She added the vocal on the anthemic title-track. It would later become synonymous with Gary Bartz. Similarly, Music Is My Sanctuary is regarded as one of Gary’s finest hours.
It found him following in the footsteps of Donald Byrd, as he combined elements of funk, soul, jazz, fusion and even disco. This looked like being the album that brought Gary Bartz to the attention of the wider record buying public.
Music Is My Sanctuary won over the majority of critics. That was apart from jazz purists. They turned turned their back on Music Is My Sanctuary, disappointed and disapproving of the direction Gary Bartz’s music was heading.
Despite bring released to mostly critical acclaim, Music Is My Sanctuary failed to make much of an impression on the charts. The album had been released a year to early.
Later, though, Music Is My Sanctuary would be regarded as one of Gary Bartz’s finest hour, with the title-track becoming a classic, and a favourite of DJs and compilers. However, the followup to Music Is My Sanctuary, would be another accessible album that should’ve appealed to a wider audience, Love Song.
Love Song.
Despite the disappointing sales of Ju Ju Man and then Music Is My Sanctuary, Gary Bartz began work on his next solo album, Love Song, later in 1977. For his fourth solo album he penned two new songs Afterthoughts and Love Song, which lent its name to the album. They were joined by Earl Shuman and Leon Carr’s Prelude and Lonely Girl; Eddie Holman and James Solomon’s Interlude And Don’t Stop Now; Ivy Jo Hunter, Jack Alan Goga and Jeffrey Bowden’s You and George Cables’ Interlude And Just Suppose. These six songs would become Love Song, which was recorded in the familiar surroundings of Sage and Sound Studio in L.A.
When recording of began later in 1977, the same rhythm section accompanied Gary Bartz. Drummer Howard King and basset Curtis Robertson were joined by guitarist Carl McDaniels. They were joined by keyboardist George Cables and vocalist Rita Greene. She would feature on Love Song and Interlude And Just Suppose. Adding backing vocals, were Clydie King, Shirley Matthews and Billy Thedford. Meanwhile, Gary played alto saxophone, soprano saxophone and added vocals. He also decided to take charge of production on Love Song. The result was a very different album than Ju Ju Man.
Critics realised this when they received their gold stamped promo copies in 1978. Love Song wasn’t just a jazz album. Elements of soul, R&B and pop shawn through on an album that featured familiar tracks. That’s apart from Love Song a sultry, soulful and jazzy track. The soul came courtesy of Rita Green’s vocals, which were augmented by harmonies. So were the familiar strains of Prelude and Lonely Girl, where jazz meets soul. Gary’s alto sax and harmonies play leading roles as the rhythm section provide a slow, steady backdrop. Soon, though, the tempo rises.
What doesn’t change on Interlude and Don’t Stop Now is that soul meets jazz. There’s a tougher, slightly funkier sound as the tempo ebbs and flows. This allows the band to stretch their legs. You has a similar sound as the two preceding tracks. It’s jazz-tinge and soulful, as the backing vocalists and Gary’s saxophone play leading roles.
Then on Interlude and Just Suppose, the tempo drops as Rita Green returns. Before that, it’s just Gary accompanied by the keyboards. When Rita’s vocal enters, the track heads in the direction of jazz funk. Later, when her vocal drops out, futuristic synths and then keyboards take the track in the direction of fusion and then jazz funk. This nine minute epic finds Gary at his most inventive, as he embraces the role of producer. Afterthoughts which closes Love Song, is a short track penned by Gary. With the piano for company, Gary produces an understated, late night, jazzy sound. Its melancholy sound is a reminder of another of Gary’s albums, Ju Ju Man. It hadn’t found the audience it deserved. Would Love Song?
Critics found Love Song a very accessible and listenable album. It was also a much more eclectic album. There was much more than jazz on Love Song. Elements of soul, R&B, pop, funk, fusion and jazz funk can be heard. This soulful, funky, jazzy and dance-floor friendly album should’ve meant that Love Song appealed to a wider audience.
Sadly, it wasn’t to be. When Love Song was released later in 1978, the album failed to find the wider audience it deserved. Just like Ju Ju Man, it found an audience within the jazz, soul and R&B community. They welcomed this much more eclectic sounding album from Gary Bartz. However, it would only be later that Gary Bartz’s music was discovered by the wider record buying public.
Many people were introduced to Gary Bartz’s music through Music Is My Sanctuary, which later, became a favourite of compilers. This lead to record buyers digging deeper into Gary Bartz’s back-catalogue.
Many started at the beginning, with the Gary Bartz Quintet’s 1968 album Libra. After this, record buyers discovered Gary’s 1969 debut solo album Another Earth. This was just the start. There was still Gary Bartz NTU Troop and Ntu Gary Bartz’s back-catalogue to discover. Eventually, they made their way to Gary’s solo career. The Shadow Do was Gary’s long-awaited sophomore solo album. However, it was his next album Ju Ju Man, that was one of Gary Bartz’s finest albums.
Ju Ju Man was very different to previous albums, and was an album of straight ahead jazz. This many jazz fans thought was yesterday’s sound. However, Gary Bartz was perfectly suited to this sound. It was the perfect showcase for one of the most talented reedman of his generation. Whether he was playing alto saxophone, soprano saxophone or clarinet, Gary Bartz played with power, passion inventiveness and control. Time after time, he came into his own. This was the case on 1977s Music Is My Sanctuary, and its followup, Love Song.
Backed by a tight, talented and versatile band, backing vocalists and Rita Green, Gary Bartz showcases his versatility on Love Song. The music is funky, jazzy, soulful and dance-floor friendly. It should’ve won over dancers, DJs as well as anyone interested in soul, jazz and funk. Alas, it wasn’t to be, and Love Song remained one of the hidden gems in Gary Bartz’s back-catalogue.
Nowadays, Gary Bartz’s music has found a wider audience. Still, though, there are many people yet to discover Gary Bartz’s music. A good starting place is Ju Ju Man and Love Song. They’ve recently been released by Fresh Sounds Records on the one CD. This is the perfect place to start in a voyage of discovery through Gary Bartz’s back-catalogue. Ju Ju Man and Love Song feature Gary Bartz, one of finest reedman of his generation at the peak of his musical powers.
GARY BARTZ-JU JU MAN AND LOVE SONG.
LEE HAZLEWOOD-COWBOY IN SWEDEN.
LEE HAZLEWOOD-COWBOY IN SWEDEN.
By 1969, Lee Hazlewood’s career was no longer going to plan. The man who had been around since the birth of rock ‘n’ roll was suddenly regarded as yesterday’s man. Suddenly, he was no longer in demand as a producer. Especially by a new generation of up-and-coming musicians. A few that had worked with Lee Hazlewood, including Gram Parsons, but weren’t willing to repeat the experience. This made matters worse for Lee Hazlewood’s ailing record company LHI Records.
Five years had passed since LHI Records last enjoyed a hit single. Since then, commercial success eluded LHI Records, which couldn’t buy a hit single. To make matters worse, Lee Hazlewood had alienated the president of Bell Records, who used to distribute LHR Records’ releases. Lee Hazlewood was fast running out of friends in the music industry.
To make matters worse, Lee Hazlewood’s successful partnership with Nancy Sinatra ended in 1968. Lee Hazlewood tried to replicate his formula with Anne-Margaret. However, Lee but to no avail. This left Lee Hazlewood looking to forge new musical partnerships.
Some musical partners had only a short and unhappy experience with Lee Hazlewood. This included Gram Parsons, when he was a member of The International Submarine Band. Other up-and-coming musicians were put off working with Lee Hazlewood because of his jealousy, temper and possessiveness. Especically when it came to his partner Suzi Jane Hokom.
In 1968, Suzi Jane Hokom received an invitation to meet The Beatles while they were in New York. Lee Hazlewood was extremely possessive and controlling when it came to Suzi Jane Hokom. He decided to accompany her to the meeting with The Beatles, whose music he disliked. This didn’t stop Lee Hazlewood asking The Beatles to producing artists for their Apple label. When the answer was a firm no, Lee Hazlewood stormed out of the meeting.
A year later, music’s one-time golden boy was running out of friends in the American music industry. Lee Hazlewood’s record company was on its last legs. It seemed that Lee Hazlewood’s career had stalled in America. However, he still had a few friends overseas.
Although Lee Hazlewood’s star no longer shawn as bright in America, he was still a regarded as a celebrity elsewhere. This included in Russia, where Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ had proved popular. So much so, that later in 1969, a Russian official contacted Lee Hazlewood to tell him that they wanted to present him with a wood cabin in honour of These Boots Are Made for Walkin’. Lee Hazlewood decided to head behind the Iron Curtain to receive his honour.
Meanwhile, Swedish film director Torbjörn Axelman contacted Lee Hazlewood about a possible project. This meant that en route to Russia, he would have to take a detour via Sweden.
Lee Hazlewood had been invited to appear as a guest on In Town Tonight. It was filmed in the Swedish capital Stockholm. That was where Lee Hazlewood met Torbjörn Axelman. The two men were introduced by Gunilla Nilars, who worked with Torbjörn Axelman. When the two men began talking, it soon became apparent that they had much in common. This was the start of a long friendship and working relationship.
One of the projects that Lee Hazlewood and Torbjörn Axelman worked on, was Cowboy In Sweden. Lee Hazlewood would provide the soundtrack for Cowboy In Sweden, which was recently reissued by Light In The Attic. Cowboy In Sweden marked the start of a new chapter in Lee Hazlewood. He decided to move to Sweden with Suzi Jane Hokom.
Moving to Sweden suited Lee Hazlewood for a number of reasons. His record company, LHI Records, was on its last legs, and would fold in 1970, after 305 releases. Lee Hazlewood also had unresolved tax problems. The other reason was his son who was a teenager, was almost old enough to be drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. For Lee Hazlewood this brought back memories. He had fought in the Korean War, and was keen that his son wouldn’t have to follow in his footsteps. Moving to Sweden ensured that his son avoided being drafted. This made the move to Sweden all the more appealing. So the Hazelwood family headed to Sweden.
Once his family had settled in Sweden, Lee Hazlewood began work on the film Cowboy In Sweden. He would costar with Swedish actress, Nina Lizell in what proved to a somewhat surreal film.
Just so the viewer doesn’t forget that he is the Cowboy In Sweden, Lee Hazlewood sports a black stetson and cowboy boots. He wanders through a series of dreamscape. They’re akin to a series of individual videos rather than part of a cohesive film. However, this adds to the surreal, lysergic nature of the film. So do the absurdist skits, and the sight of Lee Hazlewood sitting discussing both Swedish culture and weather between songs. Critics wondered if this was an ill-fated attempt at comedy? They also wondered why the music seemed to bear no relation to the scenes in Cowboy In Sweden?
Cowboy In Sweden.
There was a reason for this. Unlike most soundtracks, Lee Hazlewood didn’t record the music especially for Cowboy In Sweden. Instead, Lee Hazlewood chose ten tracks he had recorded the music over the past couple of years. During this period, Lee Hazlewood had travelled extensively and recorded songs in different European European and American cities.
Paris.
Lee Hazlewood’s musical adventure began in Paris, France in 1968. This was one of the country’s where Lee Hazlewood’s star still shawn bright. It was also where he recorded the hurt-filled ballad Forget Marie, at CBS Studios. Later in 1968, Forget Marie made its debut on Lee Hazlewood’s 1968 album Love and Other Crimes. Alas, when the album was released on LHI Records, commercial success eluded the album.
Two years later, in 1970, Lee Hazlewood decided to include Forget Marie on the soundtrack to Cowboy In Sweden. It joined songs that he had recorded in London in 1969.
London.
The following year, 1969, Lee Hazlewood travelled to London to work with American producer Mel Talmy. Both men shared the same lawyer and musically, had much in common. They both wrote and produced. Recently though, Mel Talmy was way ahead in the success stakes. He had produced hits for The Kinks and The Who. However, by 1969, was turning his attention to the new wave of British folk music.
Recently, Mel Talmy had been working with many of the British folk groups and artists, including Pentangle and Bert Jansch. However, despite concentrating on folk music, Mel Talmy was keen to produce an album with Lee Hazlewood.
The two men album began work on a new album for Lee Hazlewood’s LHI Records. Ten tracks were recorded, and became Forty, an album of pop, rock and balladry. It was released on LHI Records later in 1969, but failed commercially. Two of Forty’s highlights were the ballads, The Night Before and the string-drenched What’s More I Don’t Need Her. They would find their way onto Cowboy In Sweden. So would a number of songs recorded in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles.
Despite commercial success continuing to elude LHI Records’ releases, Lee Hazlewood was still in demand as a producer. He was hired to produce Waylon Jenning’s Singer Of Sad Songs and then Eddy Arnold’s Standing Alone. It was arranged by Clark Gassman, who would collaborate with Lee Hazlewood on his next round of recordings.
The songs that Lee Hazlewood recorded with Clark Gassman were Pray Them Bars Away, Cold Hard Times and Easy and Me. Although this trio of songs didn’t bring commercial success to Lee Hazlewood’s door, their inimitable wistful, orchestrated country sound would prove perfect for the soundtrack to Cowboy In Sweden.
So would two tracks Lee Hazlewood had recorded with two of the female singers he had worked with. This included Ann Margaret. Lee Hazlewood and Ann Margaret had recorded an album together, The Cowboy and The Lady. It was released on LHI Records in 1969, but failed to commercially. The other song Lee Hazlewood decided to include on Cowboy In Sweden, was by his partner Suzi Jane Hokom, For A Day Like Today. This proved to be the last song Lee Hazlewood and Suzi Jane Hokom recorded together. It was released as a single June 1970 and featured on Cowboy In Sweden. By then, Suzi Jane Hokom and Lee Hazlewood’s relationship was over.
She had agreed to star in Cowboy In Sweden. However, rather than travel to Sweden, it was decided that Suzi Jane Hokom should shoot her part in California. She dawned a long white dress as her part was filmed during a gloomy, smoggy day in San Bernardino. This was apt. Suzi Jane Hokom and Lee Hazlewood’s relationship was almost over. They had been through so much personally and professionally.
Whilst together, the pair had founded and run LHI Records. Suzi Jane Hokom and Lee Hazlewood both enjoyed solo careers and recorded together. Then in 1969, they both featured in Cowboy In Sweden. By the time it was released, their relationship was at an end. Before that, Lee Hazlewood had to complete the soundtrack to Cowboy In Sweden.
Stockholm.
Having chosen much of the soundtrack for Cowboy In Sweden, Lee Hazlewood for Cowboy In Sweden still required three tracks. He wrote and recorded these songs during his stay n Stockholm.
The first of these songs was the anti war protest song, No Train To Stockholm. During the same session, Lee Hazlewood recorded Hey Cowboy, with his costar Nina Lizell. The final song, was the traditional song Vem Kan Segla (I Can Sail Without The Wind). Lee Hazlewood wrote English lyrics to the song that would close Cowboy In Sweden. For songwriter Joe Cannon this was a disappointment,
Joe Cannon had written Me and The Wine and The City Lights. Lee Hazlewood had covered the song during a session at T.T.G. Studios, L.A. on the 16th of April 1970. It’s another ballad, which is produced by Lee Hazlewood and Larry Marks. It has a much more contemporary cinematic sound that shows a very different side to Lee Hazlewood. Alas, the song missed the cut and for Lee Hazlewood it was an opportunity lost. Thankfully, Me and The Wine and The City Lights features on Light In The Attic’s reissue of Cowboy In Sweden. So do alternate versions of Easy and Me and Pray Them Bars Away. However, back in 1970 the film and soundtrack to Cowboy In Sweden were about to be released.
Upon the release of Cowboy In Sweden, the film flopped. It found a small audience in Sweden, thanks to the popularity of Lee Hazlewood. The few reviews of Cowboy In Sweden that were published weren’t exactly complimentary. Words like surreal and trippy were used. Critics accused Cowboy In Sweden of lacking cohesion and narrative. Lee Hazlewood’s latest venture into film hadn’t been a success. Nor was the soundtrack to Cowboy In Sweden.
When Cowboy In Sweden was released in 1970, it was through Lee Hazlewood’s ailing LHI Records. The company was dying a death, and would fold later in 1970. Lacking the budget to promote Cowboy In Sweden properly, the album never stood a chance. Just like the film, the soundtrack to Cowboy In Sweden flopped. However, that wasn’t the end of the story.
Much later, there was a resurgence in popularity in Lee Hazlewood’s music. This included the soundtrack to Cowboy In Sweden. The only problem was that the album was something of a rarity. Copies of the original album were extremely difficult to find. If they became available, the prices were usually prohibitive to most record buyers. That was a great shame.
Cowboy In Sweden, which is essentially a compilation of Lee Hazlewood’s solo material and collaboration showcases a talented singer, songwriter and producer. Especially on the ballads, where Lee Hazlewood comes into his own. His voice is perfect for singing country, especially the melancholy string-drenched What’s More I Don’t Need Her and the hurt-filled Forget Marie. They part of what’s a truly underrated, hidden gem of an album. Sadly, it failed to find the audience it deserved.
By then, Lee Hazlewood’s career had stalled, and he was viewed by many as yesterday’s man. Many thought that his best years were behind him. He certainly didn’t replicate the success of the early part of his career. Music was changing, and changing fast. The problem was, Lee Hazlewood had kept up with the changes.
Many of the new generation of musicians wanted to write and produce their own music. The ones that musicians who wanted to work with a producer, chose not to work with Lee Hazlewood. They had heard the stories, about how he wasn’t the easiest person to work with. Sometimes, his temper of jealousy got the better of him. Especially when working with the new generation of up-and-coming artists. That was a great shame, as Lee Hazlewood had so much musical experience, and could’ve mentored these artists.
Later, though, the next generation of artists found inspiration in Lee Hazlewood’s music. By then, there had been a resurgence in popularity of his music. Lee Hazlewood’s music was starting to find a new audience. They appreciated the music that he wrote, recorded and produced during a forty-eight year career. This includes the music on Cowboy In Sweden.
The music on Cowboy In Sweden was recorded in four countries on two continents during a two year period. They’re a reminder of, and introduction to, Lee Hazlewood a truly talented singer, songwriter and producer who for a year, was a Cowboy In Sweden.
LEE HAZLEWOOD-COWBOY IN SWEDEN.
JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON-ORPHEE.
JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON-ORPHEE.
It was whilst studying languages and literature at university in Reykjavík, that Jóhann Jóhannsson’s musical career began. He was just eighteen when he joined his first indie rock band in 1987. Over the next few years, Jóhann Jóhannsson played with several indie rock bands in Reykjavík’s vibrant and thriving music scene. Little did Jóhann Jóhannsson realise that this was the start of a long and successful musical career.
Eventually, Jóhann Jóhannsson would become known worldwide as a composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. This didn’t happen overnight.
Jóhann Jóhannsson was twenty-seven when he wrote the music to Kristín Ómarsdóttir’s play Margrét Mikla. This was a breakthrough for Jóhann Jóhannsson. He would go on to write the music for film, television, theatre and dance. This included the television program Corpus Camera in 1999. The same year, Jóhann Jóhannsson cofounded a think tank in 1999.
Thirty year old Jóhann Jóhannsson was one of the cofounders of the Kitchen Motors think tank. It was a both an arts organisation and record label. Kitchen Motors also encouraged artists from different disciplines to collaborate. This meant jazz and classical musicians could collaborate with electronic and even punk musicians. For Jóhann Jóhannsson these musical experiments would influence his future career.
As the new millennia dawned, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s career began to take. Between 2000 and 2002, he wrote eleven soundtracks. This included everything from feature films to television programs and plays to contemporary dance. It was one of the busiest periods of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s career. Despite this, he found time to release his debut album Englabörn in 2002.
This was the start of another chapter of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s career. He was working on a variety of different projects. One of the them, was writing and recording the soundtrack to Tim Shore’s short film Keepsake. It was released in Britain in 2003, and was the first project Jóhann Jóhannsson worked on outside of his native Iceland. For Jóhann Jóhannsson this was an important project.
Following Keepsake, Jóhann Jóhannsson managed to juggle his solo career while writing for film, television, theatre and dance. He released his sophomore album Virðulegu Forsetar in 2004. After this, Jóhann Jóhannsson began working on what was another first for him.
He had never before written and recorded a soundtrack album. Dís which was released in May 2005 was a first. This may have been the first, but wasn’t the last soundtrack album Jóhann Jóhannsson would write and record. Not when his star was in the ascendancy.
That was the case with Jóhann Jóhannsson’s solo career. After just two solo albums, he was signed to British independent label, 4AD. They released Jóhann Jóhannsson third album BM 1401, A User’s Manual in September 2006. It was lauded as an innovative album from what critics were calling a rising star of Icelandic music. Little did the critics realise that Jóhann Jóhannsson had spent seven years working long and hard to establish himself in his native Iceland. This was beginning to pay off as his music found an audience outside of Iceland.
Still though, the majority of the music Jóhann Jóhannsson was composing for film, television, theatre and dance was for being used within Iceland. That would change during 2008.
Jóhann Jóhannsson had written the score to Marc Craste’s short film Varmints. It was released in 2008, and was well received by critics and cultural commentators. So much so, that later in 2008, Varmints won the award for the Best Original Score at the Rhode International Film Festival and Sapporo Short Film International Film Festival. Buoyed by this success, Jóhann Jóhannsson scheduled the release of his new album for the autumn 2008.
On 31st October 2008, Jóhann Jóhannsson released Fordlandia. This was meant to be the second part in a trilogy about he technology and industrial archeology. Just like the first instalment, A User’s Manual, Fordlandia was released to critical acclaim. For Jóhann Jóhannsson this was the perfect way to round off what had been one of the most successful years of his career.
After the success of Fordlandia, Jóhann Jóhannsson decided to release an album of music that featured on the award winning short film Varmints. This became And In The Endless Pause There Came The Sound Of Bees. It was released on the 11th December 2009, and is captivating, beautiful and haunting fusion of electronics and orchestral music. For Jóhann Jóhannsson the Varmints would open doors to other soundtrack work.
Before that, Jóhann Jóhannsson returned with a new solo album, The Miners’ Hymns on the 15th September 2011. The album had been recorded in Durham Cathedral, England and accompanied American filmmaker Bill Morrison’s film The Miners’ Hymns. This wasn’t the only film Jóhann Jóhannsson was working on.
Jóhann Jóhannsson had been busy on a variety of projects. He continued to juggle a myriad of disparate projects. Many of them came to fruition during 2012, with one bringing another award the way of Jóhann Jóhannsson.
During 2012, several films featuring a soundtrack that was written, recorded and produced by Jóhann Jóhannsson were released. This included Free The Mind and Copenhagen Dreams. Jóhann Jóhannsson was responsible for the soundtrack to a quartet of feature films, including So Yong Kim’s For Ellen, Phie Ambo’s Free The Mind, Camilla Magid’s White Black Bo and Lou Ye’s Mystery. It was Mystery that won Jóhann Jóhannsson the award for the Best Original Score at Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Awards. 2012 had been one of the most productive and successful years of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s career.
It wasn’t going to be easy to surpass the success of 2012. That was despite Jóhann Jóhannsson’s soundtrack to Prisoners receiving praise and plaudits during 2013. However, when Jóhann Jóhannsson was asked to write, record and produce the soundtrack to The Theory of Everything, that proved to be a game-changer.
Jóhann Jóhannsson’s soundtrack to The Theory of Everything was nominated for some of the most prestigious awards. This included an Academy Award for Best Original Score, BAFTA Award for Best Film Music and Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. The other award The Theory of Everything was nominated for during 2014 was the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. That was the award that Jóhann Jóhannsson won. Suddenly, he his name was all over the televisions and press. Everyone seemed to know the name Jóhann Jóhannsson. It was a far cry from when he was playing in indie rock bands during his university days in Reykjavík.
After his success with the soundtrack to The Theory of Everything,Jóhann Jóhannsson returned in 2015 with another soundtrack. Sicario was released on the 18th September 2015 and soon, was being nominated for some of the most prestigious awards. This included the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. Alas, this time, Jóhann Jóhannsson was out of luck. Despite this he released a new album later in 2015.
Jóhann Jóhannsson released his new album End of Summer in December 2015. It was a collaboration with Hildur Guðnadóttir and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe that documented Jóhann Jóhannsson’s journey to the Antarctic Peninsula. During that journey, he discovered tranquil scenery and watched how the landscape changed with the seasons. On his return home, Jóhann Jóhannsson sculpted an album of soundscapes that documented what had been a truly memorable and life affirming journey and experience. They became End Of Summer, the latest addition to his burgeoning discography.
The next addition was the soundtrack to the psychological science fiction film Arrival. It was premiered at the Vienna Film Festival on September the 1st 2016. Just over two months later, Arrival was released on the 11th of November 2016. Since then, it’s been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. By then, Jóhann Jóhannsson had released a new solo album Orphée on Deutsche Grammophon.
On Orphée, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s attention turns to the beauty and the process of creation. Orphée features Jóhann Jóhannsson tracing a path from darkness into light. Inspiration for Orphée comes from the opéra bouffe Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld). It was written by Ludovic Halévy, and later, revised by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux. The score was written by Jacques Offenbach and became the first full length operetta. Its first performance came in 1858. Since then, this ancient and famous tale has been retold countess times.
Everyone from Ovid’s to Jean Cocteau have told the story of the legendary Greek musician, poet and prophet Orpheus. His story is one of death, rebirth, change and the transient nature of memory. For some, the story of Orpheus is also one about artistic creation, and the elusive nature of beauty. Especially beauty’s relationship with an artist. Another part of the story of Orpheus is when he’s about to leave the underworld, he turns back to rescue his wife Eurydice. This lead to the theory that art is created through transgression. That has been the case with many artists, including Jóhann Jóhannsson.
Throughout his long and illustrious career, Jóhann Jóhannsson has not been afraid to transgress musical rules and norms. This is something many musicians are afraid to do. Especially those without a formal musical education. They’re unsure when it’s possible to break musical rules. Jóhann Jóhannsson, who is a talented multi-instrumentalist does, and has been since releasing his debut album.
Ever since, Jóhann Jóhannsson has transgressed musical rules. This includes combining disparate musical genres, including some that aren’t natural bedfellows. A good example of this was BM 1401, A User’s Manual where Jóhann Jóhannsson combined a sixty-piece string quartet with electronics alongside the original tape recordings of IBM’s singing computer. The result was what was without doubt, a truly ambitious and groundbreaking album. Since then, Jóhann Jóhannsson has contemned to release ambitious albums. Orphée is no different.
Indeed, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s decision to put the story of Orpheus to music was an ambitious one. He was starting from square one, and had to compose the fifteen tracks that covered all the subjects examined within the story of Orpheus. Then Jóhann Jóhannsson had to find the right musicians to help him tell the story that became Orphée.
To do that, Jóhann Jóhannsson brought onboard the Theatre Of Voices choir, the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, The Lyndhurst Orchestra and cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir. Jóhann Jóhannsson played electric organ, piano, pipe organ and electronics. With the personnel in place, work began on Orphée.
Recording took place at several places. The Lyndhurst Orchestra recorded their parts at the Air Lyndhurst Hall in London. Other sessions took place at the Sct. Lukas Kirke, Copenhagen and Danmarks Radio Studios, where Jóhann Jóhannsson had recorded Arrival. Eventually, Orphée was completed and became the latest addition to Jóhann Jóhannsson’s burgeoning discography.
It was also one of the highlights of Orphée discography. The Icelandic composer had surpassed previous solo albums. It found Jóhann Jóhannsson at his most creative. Just like an artist, dug deep into his pallet. However, Jóhann Jóhannsson pallet includes an array of disparate sounds. Throughout Orphée, he deployed everything from a cello and choir to an array of strings. This ranged from a quartet to an orchestra. However, where Jóhann Jóhannsson differed from many of his contemporaries, is he used effectively a myriad of a electronics. They become part of a truly captivating album.
Throughout Orphée, Jóhann Jóhannsson showcases his inventiveness and ability to innovate. He constantly pushes musical boundaries, and occasionally moves beyond these boundaries. The result is an ambitious genre-melting album. Partly, that’s because of the way the album is structured. Harmonic and melodic elements appear, disappear and reappear. That is the case throughout Orphée. Despite this, each of the fifteen tracks has a timeless quality. They’re also all very different
Throughout Orphée, the music constantly changes. On Flight From The City, the music is thoughtful and ruminative, inviting introspection. It’s a similar case on Song For Europe, where Jóhann Jóhannsson’s inventiveness shines through. Buried amidst the swathes of mournful strings is a sample of speech. They work well together as the stings combine drama, sadness and beauty. This isn’t the last time that Jóhann Jóhannsson uses samples of sound effects.
A sample of water is effectively on The Drowned World. It’s just one of numerous layers of music that are combined to creature a mesmeric, melodic and cinematic soundscape. Then on A Deal With Chaos, a speech sample is combined with a cello and electronics. Remembering Miles Davis’ famous maxim, Jóhann Jóhannsson neither fears space nor silence. When all that’s left is a crackling electronics, it’s adds an element of drama. This less is more approach has been used effectively throughout Jóhann Jóhannsson’s solo career.
A Pile Of Dust has a dark, dramatic and cinematic sound as the arrangement builds and becomes ethereal and elegiac. Suddenly, the track is transformed and beauty shines through. There’s a similar beauty and sense of hope on A Sparrow Alighted Upon Our Shoulder as the strings sweep. This soon changes.
Fragment I which features a pipe organ, has a much more thoughtful and reflective sound on Fragment I. The mood changes again On By The Roes, And By The Hinds Of The Field. Strings and a piano combine, before Jóhann Jóhannsson deploys effects and electronics. Suddenly, it sounds as if the rain is tumbling down. Soon, the pastoral sound and ethereal beauty returns. However, things change.
The Radiant City is an emotional roller coaster. There’s a sense of sadness and melancholy as Jóhann Jóhannsson plays the piano. He adds to this what sounds like washes of synths and a couple of samples. Together, they add an atmospheric hue. It’s a similar case with Fragment II as the arrangement builds. So does the drama, as the track reaches a crescendo. Similarly, the arrangement to The Burning Mountain drones and builds before meandering melodically along. Sometimes, there’s a futuristic sound, which provides a contrast to the traditional sound of the pipe organ. Again, this is another example of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s inventiveness which is omnipresent throughout Orphée.
De Luce Et Umbra has a wonderfully wistful, string-drenched. They tug at the heartstrings add a sense of sadness. Despite this, beauty also shines through. Strings are to the fore on Good Morning, Midnight, which has a thoughtful, melancholy and slightly futuristic sound. This is a result of Jóhann Jóhannsson electronics. He never overuses them, Instead, they’re used sparingly which proves effective. The strings have been put to good use throughout Orphée. That’s the case on Good Night, Day where swathes of strings probe and create a wistful, ruminative backdrop. Not for the first time, it has a cinematic sound and invites reflection. However, Orphic Hymn which close Orphée, is very different to everything that’s gone before. Its ethereal sound is truly beautiful, and would be difficult to surpass.
Jóhann Jóhannsson ensures that Orphée ends on a high. However, it’s been an almost flawless album, where Jóhann Jóhannsson combines elements of classical and electronic music with ambient, avant-garde, Baroque and minimalism. Other influences includes the music of Bernard Hermann, Ennio Morricone and Michael Nyman. Then there’s the music of classical composers like Shostakovich and Prokofiev. All these influences can be heard throughout Orphée.
The music on Orphée ranges from melodic and mesmeric, to atmospheric, beautiful, ethereal and elegiac. Other times, there’s a degree of darkness and drama. Sometimes, there’s a sense of melancholia and sadness on Orphée. It’s an emotional roller coaster to cherish and treasure. That’s even for people with no interest in classical music. There’s much more to Orphée than classical music. Orphée is a genre-melting album that’s the finest album of his fourteen year solo career.
Indeed, Orphée is a career defining album from Jóhann Jóhannsson, as he makes his debut on Deutsche Grammophon. Maybe this is the start of a new and exciting chapter in Jóhann Jóhannsson’s career. He’s now one of Icelandic music’s most successful composers, musicians and producers. Jóhann Jóhannsson also creates music that’s ambitious, inventive and innovative. That’s the case throughout Orphée, which is a career defining album from Jóhann Jóhannsson.
JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON-ORPHEE.
GANDALF-TO ANOTHER HORIZON AND MAGIC THEATRE.
GANDALF-TO ANOTHER HORIZON AND MAGIC THEATRE.
Nowadays, Gandalf is regarded as one of Austria’s most accomplished, innovative and successful musicians. Gandalf who is a talented multi-instrumentalist, is also one of Austria’s most prolific artists. He has released over thirty albums between 1981 and 2016. That’s despite not releasing his debut album until he was twenty-nine.
Before that, Gandalf had travelled extensively. His travels took him all over the world, including to India. The constant travelling certainly broadened the mind of Gandalf. He also realised that music was a universal language. It was something that people in different countries and continents shared a love of. Gandalf experienced this firsthand.
As he traversed the globe, Gandalf made a living making music. He was the twenty-first Century equivalent of a travelling minstrel. It was during his travels that Gandalf realised that he wanted to make a living as a musician.
This came as no surprise to many that knew Gandalf. He had grownup in the small town of Pressbaum, in Lower Austria. That was where Heinz Strobl was born on the 4th of December 1952. It would be much later when Heinz adopted the Gandalf moniker. Before that, Heinz proved to be a gifted and natural musician as he grew up.
That was despite having no formal musical education. Heinz could pickup an instrument and soon, was playing along to a song on the radio or a record that was playing. Soon, he could play the piano and guitar. By the time he headed off on his travels, Heinz had mastered a number of different instruments.
On his return from what was the modern equivalent of a Grand Tour, Heinz had mastered a myriad of instruments that he had discovered on his travels. This included a sitar, saz, charango, bouzuki and balaphon. They would play an important part in Heinz’s future musical career.
Initially, Heinz began playing with various rock bands during the seventies. During the seventies, progressive rock was at the peak of its popularity. Heinz was a member of a couple of progressive rock bands. This however, was all part of his musical apprenticeship.
As the seventies gave way to the eighties, Heinz decided to reinvent himself, and adopted the moniker Gandalf. This stemmed from Heinz’s love of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings. Little did he realise that his new moniker would feature on over thirty albums. This included the albums Gandalf would release for WEA. Two of these albums were To The Horizon and Magic Theatre, which were recently rereleased by Esoteric Recordings. These albums would showcase Gandalf’s unique and inimitable style.
Journey To An Imaginary Land.
It began to take shape on Gandalf’s debut album Journey To An Imaginary Land. It was released on WEA in 1981, and marked the debut of Gandalf who later described himself as a “painter of musical landscapes.”
This is quite fitting, Having written the six tracks that became Journey To An Imaginary Land, Gandalf began painting these “musical landscapes” using his has extensive musical palette. It included everything from acoustic and electric instruments to the traditional, ethnic instruments that Gandalf had discovered and collected on his travels. Included in Gandalf’s palette, were various synths and samplers. They would play an important part in not just Journey To An Imaginary Land, but Gandalf’s future albums.
With his impressive array of instruments, Gandalf began recording and Journey To An Imaginary Land at Beginning Soundstudio. He arranged, recorded and produced the album. Gandalf played each and every instrument, including the synths that play such an important part in Journey To An Imaginary Land. Once the album was recorded, Gandalf mixed his debut album. It was then delivered to WEA, who Gandalf was signed to.
WEA scheduled the release of Journey To An Imaginary Land later in 1981. Before that, critics received a copy of Gandalf’s debut album.
Journey To An Imaginary Land was well received by critics, who were won over by what was hailed an innovative and progressive album. It was a fusion of eclectic musical instruments, influences and genres. When they’re combined by Gandalf, the result is a groundbreaking and genre-melting album, Journey To An Imaginary Land. It features elements of ambient, avant-garde, Berlin School, electronica and folk. When they are combined, they become part of what’s a captivating, mythical and symphonic musical journey that gradually unfolds over forty-five minutes. It’s an ambitious and accomplished album. Especially considering it was Gandalf’s debut album.
Buoyed by the reviews of Journey To An Imaginary Land, Gandalf eagerly awaited the release of his debut album. When Journey To An Imaginary Land was released later in 1981, the album failed to find an audience. Suddenly, Gandalf’s dream of making a living as a professional musician were dashed. However, after the initial disappointment, Gandalf was determined that his sophomore album would be his breakthrough album.
Visions.
Following the commercial failure of Journey To An Imaginary Land, it was a case of back to the drawing board for Gandalf. He wrote fifteen new tracks that would eventually become Visions. They would be recorded at Beginning Soundstudio, later in 1981.
As recording began, Gandalf again showcased his versatility. He played six and twelve string acoustic guitar, bass, mandolin, organ, percussion, six and twelve string electric guitar, sitar and played synths. Gandalf also deployed a vocoder and sequenced Visions. The only instruments he didn’t play, were the flute and tabla. So he drafted in flautist Robert Julian Horky and Jatinder Thakur to play the tabla. Meanwhile, Gandalf took charge of arranging and producing Visions. When the album was complete, Gandalf mixed Visions, which would be released later in 1982.
Before that, the critics had their say on Gandalf’s much anticipated sophomore album. Visions met with their approval. It was another progressive album where the music had mystical and mythical sound. There was also a cinematic sound, with Visions sounding like the soundtrack to a movie. Just like on Journey To An Imaginary Land, musical genres melted into one on Visions.
Especially, elements of ambient and acoustic music which were combined with electronica. Other influences included The Berlin School of electronic music and the music Gandalf discovered during his travels continued to influenced him. On Visions, this included the music he heard in India. So much so, that Gandalf used traditional Indian instruments, including a sitar and tabla. They became part of what was another ambitious album from Gandalf.
Later in 1982, WEA released Visions. It marked a change in fortune for Gandalf. Visions was a commercial success and transformed the fortunes and career of Gandalf. No longer was he struggling to make a living out of music. Instead, Gandalf’s star was in the ascendancy as his thoughts turned to his third album, To Another Horizon.
To Another Horizon.
Despite having just enjoyed a successful album, Gandalf wasn’t about to rest on his laurels. He headed back into Beginning Soundstudio to record seven tracks that would become his third album, To Another Horizon. It was a cerebral concept album.
On To Another Horizon, Gandalf who was the father of three young children, looked at the threat posed to the world by nuclear weapons. Gandalf looked at how who the planet was being slowly eroded. The other things subject that inspired Gandalf on To Another Planet was science fiction. These three subjects were part of what was a very different album from Gandalf.
Although Visions had been a commercial success, Gandalf decided to change direction musically. On To Another Horizon, Gandalf’s music headed in the direction of progressive rock and space rock. This was a stylistic departure for Gandalf as he began work on To Another Horizon.
Another departure was that Gandalf brought onboard additional musicians. Drummer Egon Gröger and bassist Heinz Hummer became Gandalf’s rhythm section. They were joined by pianist and organist Peter Aschenbrenner, flautist Robert Julian Horky and vocalist Helmut Kappel a.k.a. N.A.O. Meanwhile, Gandalf played guitar, mellotron, organ, percussion, synths and wind chimes. He also programmed the drum machine, arranged, recorded, produced and later, mixed To Another Horizon. This marked a new chapter in Gandalf’s career.
It would’ve been easy for Gandalf to stick to a winning formula, and record Visions II. However, that wasn’t the way Gandalf operated. He was a pioneer, who recorded ambitious and innovative music. This had been the case since he recorded Journey To An Imaginary Land, and continued on Visions. To Another Horizon was no different.
Prior to the release of To Another Horizon, WEA sent critics copies of the album. Although some critics were surprised by Gandalf’s stylistic departure, they welcomed his decision to reinvent his music. That was a brave and bold move. There was no chance that Gandalf’s music would become stale. Not when he had produced an ambitious concept album that straddled various themes and genres.
While To Another Horizon marked a move towards progressive rock and space rock, Gandalf also incorporated elements of Krautrock and classical music and folk. Just like his first two albums, Gandalf combined elements of ambient, Berlin School, eighties electronica and experimental music were combined on To Another Horizon. It was a cerebral concept album featuring progressive music that thematically, was captivating.
That was no surprise. The music on To Another Horizon featured some of the best of Gandalf’s carer. It ranged from dramatic and cinematic to progressive on March Of No Reason. Then as Natural Forces Getting Out Of Control glides along, the music becomes futuristic urgent and dramatic. It’s as if Gandalf is desperate to get his message across and plays with urgency and passion. However, Requiem For A Planet has a pastoral, wistful sound. It’s as if Gandalf is mourning for a world troubled by conflict and that’s being eroded and polluted. Flight Of The Crystal Ships showcases Gandalf’s new progressive rock sound. He unleashes scorching, crystalline guitars before the track takes a sci-fi sound and the Flight Of The Crystal Ships continues on its journey. So does Gandalf, as he prepares to deliver a message.
To Another Horizon: The Divine Message has an understated, thoughtful sound, before a futuristic vocoded vocal delivers Gandalf’s message. This gives way To Another Horizon: Change Of Consciousness. It features an understated, Eastern sound that’s mesmeric and later, rocky. This continues on To Another Horizon: Creation Of A New World. As it ebbs and flows, synths and guitars play leading roles. Cosmic Balance has an dreamy, ethereal quality. It’s best described as a progressive fusion of ambient and electronica. Peace Without End closes To Another Horizon and has a pastoral quality before a guitar is added and the track takes on a progressive rock sound. Just like on previous tracks, Gandalf combines different musical genres during what’s without doubt, the most progressive and eclectic album of his career.
It won over critics, who called To Another Horizon Gandalf’s finest hour. His decision to change direction could’ve backfired. This wasn’t the case. Instead, To Another Horizon more progressive sound introduce Gandalf’s music to a much wider audience. This resulted in the most successful album of Gandalf’s three album career. However, he was about the ring the changes again on Magic Theatre
.
Magic Theatre.
Buoyed by the success of To Another Horizon, Gandalf began work on his fourth album, Magic Theatre. Gandalf composed the nine tracks that eventually became Magic Theatre. It saw Gandalf’s music head further in the direction of progressive rock and take and showcased a symphonic rock sound.
Just like on To Another Horizon, Gandalf brought onboard sone session musicians. Drummer Egon Gröger joined bassist and flautist Robert Julian Horky in the rhythm section. Pianist and saxophonist Peter Aschenbrenner was also drafted in as work began at Beginning Soundstudio during July 1983.
As usual, Gandalf juggled a variety of roles. He arranged, recorded and produced Magic Theatre, and played bass, guitar, keyboards and synths. Gandalf also added a variety of effects to Magic Theatre. The sessions lasted two months, and by August 1983, Gandalf’s fourth album Magic Theatre was complete.
It wasn’t until 1984 that Gandalf’s concept album Magic Theatre would be released. Magic Theatre had been inspired by Hermann Hesse’s 1927 novel Steppenwolf. It featured a Magic Theatre.
Within the Magic Theatre, there’s a corridor that features several doors. They all lead to different chambers of the subconscious. Each of these seven chambers are represented by a track on Magic Theatre. The book’s protagonist, Harry Haller visits five of these chambers seeking redemption. In each chamber, he has to conquer his concerns and fears. This Gandalf sets out to do between the opening track Entrance-The Corridor Of The Seven Doors and the closing track exit. Just like previous Gandalf albums, it’s an ambitious, cerebral album where he combines disparate musical genres.
On Magic Theatre, Gandalf moves further down the road marked progressive rock. There’s also a symphonic rock sound on several tracks. Elsewhere, Gandalf combines elements of acoustic and ambient music with classical, Eastern and electronica combining. Meanwhile, the book’s protagonist confronts fears and concerns. His emotional responses are replicated on Magic Theatre. It’s akin to an emotional roller coaster.
Having made his way down The Corridor Of The Seven Doors in the Magic Theatre, Harry Haller enters Door 1-Reflections From Childhood. Once through the door, the music veers between elegiac, ethereal and pastoral. After this, Harry passes through Door 2 to the Castles Of Sand and the music becomes rueful and ruminative, and later, melancholy and wistful. However, when Harry makes his way through Door 3 he suffers from a Loss Of Identity In The Labyrinth Of Delusions. As a result, there’s an element of darkness and drama. Suddenly, it sounds as if Harry is struggling to overcome his fears and concerns. Meanwhile, elements of free jazz, progressive rock and experimental music combine to replicate Harry’s state of mind on this powerful track.
Things change though, as Harry heads through Door Four and encounters The Magic Mirror. Suddenly, the darkness and drama of the previous track disappears, and is replaced by a much more melodic progressive rock track. It glides along, with synths and guitars playing leading roles. Now there’s hope, where previously there was none. Suddenly, as Harry heads through Door Five, he’s Beyond The Wall Of Ignorance. The music ebbs and flow, beatifically and blissfully showcases ethereal and Eastern sounds. That is not the end of the story.
Beyond The Wall If Ignorance is the sixth door. Behind it, is what Harry’s come in search of, Peace Of Mind. He achieves this, and it’s reflected in what’s without doubt, the most beautiful track on Magic Theatre. Flourishes of piano, a flute and Spanish guitar reflect Harry’s newfound Peace Of Mind. Then when Harry makes his way through the seventh door, he drinks deep from The Fountain Of Real Joy. It’s genre-melting tracks where ambient, acoustic, jazz, progressive rock and fusion combine. To this, Gandalf adds samples and effects. Soon, with his Peace Of Mind restored, Harry heads for the Exit. This is another genre-melting track that gradually builds, and reaches a crescendo. By then, Exit takes on a joyous, celebratory sound, as if Harry has been reborn and is ready to begin his life again.
For Gandalf, Magic Theatre was a powerful, poignant and realistic portrayal of Hermann Hesse’s 1927 novel Steppenwolf. Through the medium of music, Gandalf hoped to introduce the book to a new audience.
Critics hailed the Magic Theatre a musical triumph. It was an ambitious album that was full of pitfalls. However, Gandalf brought Steppenwolf over just forty-five minutes. During that period, the chameleon like Gandalf continued to reinvent his music.
That had been the case throughout his career. Magic Theatre was no different. It was as if Gandalf was scared that if he stood still musically, his music would cease to be relevant. There was no chance of that happening. He was musical pioneer, who combined a disparate selection of musical genres, instruments and influences. Gandalf also drew inspiration from many sources, including his travels and literature. Both played their part the sound and success of Magic Theatre.
Upon the release of Magic Theatre, the Gandalf success story continued apace. The album sold well, and found an audience not just in Austria, Italy and Germany, but across Europe and into Britain. Gandalf was making up for lost time.
He was twenty-nine when he released Journey To An Imaginary Land. It was the only album that failed to find an audience. Since then, Visions, To Another Horizon and Magic Theatre all brought success to Gandalf’s door. This was just the start of a long and successful career for a true musical pioneer, who would release over thirty albums. However, many music fans regard Gandalf’s early as some of the best of his forty-five year recording career. This includes To The Horizon and Magic Theatre, which are the perfect introduction to Gandalf, a music pioneer and “painter of musical landscapes.”
GANDALF-TO ANOTHER HORIZON AND MAGIC THEATRE.
SUSANNA-TRIANGLE.
SUSANNA-TRIANGLE.
Four years after the release of her previous solo album Wild Dog, Susanna recently returned with her much-anticipated, eleventh album Triangle. It was released on Susanna’s own SusannaSonata label, and is no ordinary album. Not by a long chalk.
Instead, Triangle is a twenty-two song cerebral epic, where Susanna muses and meditates on mortality and religion. The result is what Susanna describes as: “music for lost souls,” where “nothing is holy, nothing is sacred.” It’s a powerful album, that invites reflection and introspection. Triangle is also an introduction to a multitalented and versatile artist.
Susanna and The Magical Orchestra.
That has been the case since Susanna came to prominence with Susanna and The Magical Orchestra, which she cofounded with Morten Qvenild in 2000. Since then, Susanna and The Magical Orchestra’s unique fusion of indie pop, jazz and electronica has grown in popularity.
The song that introduced many music falls to Susanna and The Magical Orchestra was a captivating cover Dolly Parton’s Jolene. It was released as a promo single in 2004. This was a tantalising taste of what Susanna and The Magical Orchestra were capable of.
List Of Lights and Buoys.
Later in 2004, Susanna and The Magical Orchestra returned with their much-anticipated debut album List Of Lights and Buoys. It featured a mixture of cover versions, including Who Am I, Jolene and Distance Blues And Theory and new songs. Most of the new songs were penned by Morten Qvenild and Susanna. These songs became Susanna and The Magical Orchestra’ debut album, List Of Lights and Buoys. It was released to critically acclaim on Rune Grammofon.
Melody Maker,
Two years later, and Susanna and The Magical Orchestra returned with their sophomore album Melody Maker. Just like their debut album, new songs rubbed shoulders with cover versions. This time though, there were only two new songs. The rest were cover versions, including some old favourites and classic songs. They were given a makeover by Susanna and The Magical Orchestra.
This included Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, AC/DC’s It’s A Long Way To The Top, Scott Walker’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right and Sandy Denny’s Fotheringay. They all featured on Susanna and The Magical Orchestra’s 2006 sophomore album Melody Maker. So did a cover Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart. It helped introduce Susanna and The Magical Orchestra’s music to a wider audience.
The understated reinterpretations of familiar and classic songs on Melody Maker, won over critics and music fans alike. Many of these familiar songs took on a new meaning, that caught the imagination not just of critics and record buyers, but program makers too.
Especially, Susanna and The Magical Orchestra’s cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart, It came to the attention of the makers of the American drama series, Grey’s Anatomy. The song featured in the third series of Grey’s Anatomy in 2007 and also featured in the third series of British drama Skins in 2009. Suddenly, Susanna and The Magical Orchestra’s music was being introduced to a much wider audience. By then, Susanna’s solo career was well underway.
The Solo Years Part One.
Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmo.
Susanna’s solo career began in 2007 when she released her critically acclaimed debut album Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos on Rune Grammofon. It was an album of original songs which Susanna wrote or cowrote. This showcased not just a talented singer, but an equally talented songwriter. However, for her sophomore album Flower Of Evil, Susanna took a very different approach.
Flower Of Evil.
Rather than writing another album of new songs, Susanna decided to release an album that featured just two new compositions and twelve cover versions. Susanna thought songs like Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak. Sandy Denny’s Who Knows Where the Time Goes? Lou Reed’s Vicious, Harry Nilsson’s Without You, Black Sabbath’s Changes and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ Don’t Come Around Here No More were all ripe for reinvention.
And so it proved to be. Susanna’s understated covers of these familiar, and in some cases, classic songs won over critics and music fans upon the release of Flower Of Evil in 2008. The same critical acclaim that accompanied the release of Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos accompanied the release of Flower Of Evil. Just two albums into her solo career, and Susanna was being hailed by critics as one of music’s rising stars.
Susanna and The Magical Orchestra-Part Two-3
Despite the response to Flower Of Evil, Susanna put her solo career on hold, and began work on Susanna and The Magical Orchestra’s third album, 3. It was released in June 2009, and featured mostly songs penned by Susanna and Morten Qvenild. Their less is more approach proved successful once again. The understated arrangements allowed the ethereal beauty of Susanna’s impasioned vocals to centre-stage on what was a captivating and alluring album from Susanna and The Magical Orchestra. Since then, Susanna and The Magical Orchestra have yet to release the followup to 3. However, Susanna has been busy with a variety of other projects.
Susanna and Giovanna Pessi-If Grief Could Wait.
Two years later, Susanna returned in 2011 with two new project. This included If Grief Could Wait, Susanna’s collaboration with Swiss harpist Giovanna Pessi.
For If Grief Could Wait, Susanna had penned two new songs. They joined eleven songs from the pen of Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen and Henry Purcell. These songs were reinterpreted by Susanna and Giovanna Pessi, The result was a quite beautiful fusion of baroque, balladry and jazz. It was released on ECM, and released to plaudits and praise during in 2011. So was Susanna’s other project Jeg Vil Hjem Til Menneskene.
Susanna Wallumrød-Jeg Vil Hjem Til Menneskene.
For Jeg Vil Hjem Til Menneskene, Susanna was billed as Susanna Wallumrød as she reinterpreted the poems of Norwegian modernist poet Gunvor Hofmo. To do this, Susanna was joined by some of the great and the good of Norwegian music. This included her husband, Helge Sten, who produced Jeg Vil Hjem Til Menneskene. It was ambitious mixture of folk, rock and Nordic music that brought new life and meaning to Gunvor Hofmo’s poems. This won the approval of critics and cultural commentators. 2011 had been a successful year Susanna. So she hoped would 2012, as she resumed her solo career.
The Solo Years Part Two-Wild Dog.
Four years after the release for her critically acclaimed sophomore album Flower Of Evil, Susanna returned with her third album Wild Dog in 2012. It marked the coming of age of Susanna as a songwriter. Everything she had previously written seemed to have been working towards this.
On Wild Dog, Susanna was at her most introspective as she reflected not just on the themes of hurt and heartbreak, but loneliness and longing. Occasionally, the lyrics are almost otherworldly and prove to be intriguing. Mostly, though, Wild Dog was a poignant and powerful album emotively where Susanna combined indie pop and jazz. When Wild Dog was released in March 2012, it was to critical acclaim. This was becoming a habit, and one that continued.
Later in 2012, Susanna won one of the most prestigious awards in Norwegian music, a Gammleng Award. Susanna’s award came on one of the toughest categories, the Open Category. She was up against some of Norway’s most talented musicians. Despite this, Susanna triumphed for the first, but not the last time.
Susanna and Ensemble Neon-The Forester.
A year later, and Susanna was back with not just a new album, but a new band, Susanna and Ensemble neoN. Their debut album was The Forester. It was another album of songs written by Susanna.
Again, Susanna was in a reflective mood, as she pondered the human condition. This she did in her own unique way. One minute she was strong and seemingly invincible, the next an element of vulnerability seems to creep in. Despite this, there’s poetic quality and profoundness to the music on The Forester. Critics agreed when The Forester was released in September 2013. Later that year, Susanna was crowned one of Norway’s most talented singer-songwriters.
When the list of nominees for the most prestigious Norwegian musical award the Spellemannprisens were published later in 2013, Susanna’s name was on the list. She had again, been nominated for the Open Category. Despite being up against an impressive array of talented musicians, Susanna won her second award in two years. Now she had a Spellemannprisen to sit alongside her Gammleng Award.
Jenny Hval and Susanna-Meshes Of Voice.
Although Susanna’s recording career only began in 2004, ten years later, she was about to release the eighth album of her career. This was Meshes Of Voices, a collaboration with Jenny Hval. It began with the two singer-songwriters exchanging letters, and eventually, resulted in them writing fifteen songs. They became Meshes Of Voices.
It was recorded in 2009, but lay unreleased until 2014. That was when Susanna decided to release Meshes Of Voices on vinyl, By then, she had founded her own label SusannaSonata in 2011, Since then, the label had released her two award winning albums, Wild Dog and The Forester on SusannaSonata. Meshes Of Voices was the latest album to be released by SusannaSonata.
Initially, Meshes Of Voices was a vinyl only release. Susanna it seemed was testing the market, to gauge the response to Meshes Of Voices. Critics and cultural commentators spoke as one, calling Meshes Of Voices one of the finest Norwegian albums of 2013. Jenny and Susanna were like yin and yang on Meshes Of Voice. Their voices are made for each other. They bring out the best in each other, driving each other to greater musical heights. That’s apparent throughout Meshes Of Voice, which was one of the finest albums of Susanna’s ten year career.
After the success and critical response to Meshes Of Voices, Susanna decided to release the album on CD and as a double LP. This resulted in a much wider audience hearing Meshes Of Voices. It also resulted in Susanna receiving another prestigious award.
This was the Radka Toneff Memorial Award. It’s awarded to singers who act in the spirit of the famous Norwegian jazz singer Radka Toneff. In 2015, Susanna was recipient of this prestigious award and 25,000 Norwegian kroner. For Susanna, this was another highlight of her career. So would her next solo album, Triangle.
The Solo Years Part Three-Triangle.
Four years had passed since Susanna released her last solo album Wild Dog. She decided to release the followup during 2016, so began work on what would become an epic album, Triangle.
For what would eventually become Triangle, Susanna wrote twenty-one of the twenty songs. The other she cowrote with her husband Helge Sten. He would later coproduce Triangle with Fredrik Wallumrød, Anja Lauvdal, Heiða Karine Jóhannesdóttir Mobeck and Susanna. The recording of Triangle took place at a variety of studios and locations.
This included during a trip to L.A. Other sessions took place at the Uranienborg Church, Henie Onstad Arts Centre and a mausoleum. This isn’t the first time Emanuel Vigeland Mausoleumat has been used as a makeshift studio. Its atmospheric, double-barrelled room was used by Huntsville when they recorded their 2013 album Past Increasing, Future Receding album. However, for Susanna recording in a mausoleum was a first.
She was used to working at her Sonatta Studios and at Audio Virus Lab where much of Helge Sten’s work takes place. Indeed, he mixed part of Triangle and mastered the album at Audio Virus Lab. Further recording sessions took place at Sisu Sound and Engfelt and Forsgren Studio. At these various locations, Susanna was joined by a vast cast of musicians. Their raison d’être was to provide a backdrop for Susanna on the twenty-two tracks. Meanwhile, Susanna deployed a myriad of instruments, effects and electronics.
Throughout her career, Susanna has combined traditional instruments with technology. On Triangle, Susanna played keyboards, synths, autoharp and a piano. She also used a sampler, samples, effects, electronics and noises. They would provide the backdrops to her vocals throughout Triangle.
Despite the vast cast of musicians and instruments used on Triangle, the songs have understated backdrops. This is a continuation of Susanna’s less is more musical philosophy. It’s served her well throughout her career, and has aways proved successful. Triangle was no different.
Where Triangle is different is Thematically. It finds Susanna musing and meditating on mortality and religion. They’re the threads that run through this cerebral album. It’s been described by Susanna as: “music for lost souls,” where “nothing is holy, nothing is sacred.”
On this album of “music for lost souls,” Triangle’s arrangements benefit from a understated and spartan quality. This comes courtesy of a myriad of eclectic musical instruments. That’s not forgetting Susanna’s arsenal of electronics, effects, samples and instruments. They help hone and cultivate the understated backdrops for Susanna’s vocals. However, for much of the time, it’s just the piano that accompanies Susanna as she captivates with some of her most cerebral and ruminative music.
Throughout Triangle, Susanna’ vocals range from emotive, expressive and heartfelt to cathartic and confessional. Often there’s a tenderness to the vocals. Other times, beauty is omnipresent. Sometimes though, there’s an elegiac or ethereal quality to Susanne’s vocals. Occasionally, there’s vulnerability in her voice. Especially on the ballads, which are among Triangle’s finest moments. This includes We Don’t Belong, Texture Within, For My Sins, Triangle and Ebb And Flow. There’s a darkness to a couple of the ballads Decomposing and Sacred Revolution. Away from the ballads, Pyramid is a hauntingly beautiful instrumental. It benefits from a dreamy cinematic quality. However, throughout Triangle, Susanne reminds the listener that she’s a truly talented and versatile vocalist. She seamlessly switches between a wide range of subject matters, including morality and different aspects of religion.
Constantly, Suzanne probes and questions throughout Triangle. Much of the time, there’s a spiritual quality as she probes and ponders the subjects of mortality and religion. The subject of religious is examined throughout Triangle. That is the case from Holy/Sacred to the meditative We Don’t Belong, where the lack of permanence seems to strike fear into the heart of Susanna. Shepherd has a pastoral and elegiac sound. For My Sins, a stark piano lead track is akin to a confessional, while Burning Sea is one of the most experimental sounding tracks. It has a cinematic Old Testament sound to it. It’s akin to a 21st telling of one of the scriptures. This experimental sound continues on In The Need Of A Shepherd. Very different is Born Again, with its joyous, celebratory sound. Its call and response style has been inspired by gospel music. This is all part of Susanna examination of the subject of religion. To do this, she takes a different approach to others that have walked down this road before.
As Susanna digs deeper in search of answers to her questions, she explores the subject magick on Triangle. Throughout Triangle, she make references to the four elements, earth, water, air and fire. Indeed, in ten of the tracks on Triangle, Susanna references water. She reference fire on Burning Sea and The Fire. Other references to the occult can be found on Pyramid, Before The Altar and Hole. During Hole, Susanna sings of the “gods of violets” and “there’s a hole underground… something that pulls me back down.” However, this examination of magick on Triangle is part of part of what Susanne calls “music for lost souls.”
Life is full of lost souls searching for meaning in life. Many of these lost souls turn to religion. This they believe will bring meaning to their meaningless and empty lives. A few however, turn to magick, in their search for meaning. It’s a similar case for this looking to fill a void in their lives.
Again, many people fed up of that empty void in their lives, turn to religion. Meanwhile, a few are drawn to magick. This is just one of many ways lost souls try to fill a void. These two subjects, religion and magic are examined by Susanna during her critically acclaimed, genre-melting solo album Triangle. It’s one of the reasons why Susanna won the Kongsberg Jazz Award.
It’s the eleventh album Susanna has released since 2004. Triangle is also one of her finest. It features understated, spartan arrangements. They come courtesy of Susanna’s arsenal of electronics, effects, samples and instruments. When they’re combined, they help hone the stark, understated and beautiful backdrops. Often, they’re a mixture of different musical genres and influences. This includes elements of ambient, avant-garde, chamber folk, drone, electronica, experimental, gospel and indie pop. The result is music that’s cerebral as Susanna muses and meditates on mortality and religion.
As she does, the music on Triangle is variously beautiful, cinematic, emotive, expressive, heartfelt and hopeful. Especially as Susanna’s vocals take centre-stage. She breathes life, meaning and emotion into the songs on Triangle. Susanne is at her best on the ballads. This is where she comes into her own, as she delivers a series of vocal masterclasses. Other times, the music on Triangle changes and becomes dark, melancholy and wistful. It’s part of what’s a captivating and cerebral album, Triangle.
That’s not all. Triangle is ruminative and invites reflection and introspection on Susanna musing on mortality and religion.The result of Susanna’s musings can be found on Triangle, and are what she describes as: “music for lost souls,” where “nothing is holy, nothing is sacred.”
SUSANNA-TRIANGLE.
SVEN GRUNBERG-HINGUS.
SVEN GRUNBERG-HINGUS.
From the sixties, right through to the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Eastern Europe was a musical hotbed. The problem was, very few in the West realised this. That, to some extent, this still the case. Most music lovers have yet to discover the music that came out of Eastern Europe during this period. This music came courtesy of a myriad of talented artists and groups. Sadly, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Across Eastern Europe, the Communist Party ruled with an iron fist. Musicians like writers, poets and artists were scene as a threat to the status quo. Musicians had to be on their guard. They never knew when the state censors would arrive at concerts. Some bands became experts at avoiding the state censors, who were known to chastise a group for singing: “yeah, yeah, yeah.” This wasn’t exactly the best environment for creating music. Nor making money.
In many parts of Eastern Europe, releasing albums was neither possible nor profitable. Estonian prog rock band Mess realised this in the seventies.
Sven Grünberg and Härmo Härm formed Mess in 1974. By then, Sven was eighteen, and studying in the Tallinn music school, where he was studying composition. Sven would Mess’ songwriter, keyboardist and lead vocalist. Härmo, who was twenty five, invented a variety of devices that Mess used to make music.
Gradually, Mess’ lineup took shape. Their lineup would eventually include Andrus Vaht, Elmu Värk, Ivar Sipra, Matti Timmermann and Sven Grünberg. Messa were soon a popular and prolific live band. They toured the country, but in doing so, attracted the ire of the state.
Messa were an outspoken group. Their music Messa contradicted Soviet ideology. This was a dangerous road to go down, and impacted on Mess’ career.
While Mess were a prolific live band, they never released a studio album. That’s not to say they didn’t enter the recording studio. They did. The problem was, they couldn’t release their music. It wasn’t until well after the Berlin Wall fell, that Messa finally released an album.
That came in 1995. That’s when German label, Bella Musica released an album of Mess’ recordings entitled Sven Grünberg’s Proge Rock Group Mess. At last, progressive rock fans were able to hear Estonia’s legendary prog rock Mess. This however, wasn’t the end of the Mess story.
No. Another nine years and then another album of Mess’ music was released. This was Küsi Eneselt, which was released on Strangiato Records. It featured seven tracks originally recorded between 1975 and 1976, at Eesti Raadio, by Lepo Sumera and Sven Grünberg. Küsi Eneselt was like being transported back to another time and place. Mess like so many bands across Eastern Europe during this period, were articulating what the ordinary people were feeling and thinking.
Back in 1976, Sven Grünberg must have becoming frustrated by Mess’ situation. With Mess not being able to release an album, people were unable to hear who Mess had grown and evolved as a group. They had come a long way since 1974. So had Sven.
His course at Tallinn music school helped him improve as a musician and composer. He had come a long way in the last two years. What he needed though, was a showcase for his talents. It looked like Mess wasn’t going to showcase his skills.
That proved to be the case. By 1977, Sven Grünberg decided to embark upon a career as a composer. This would prove to be a stylistic departure for Sven.
In 1978, Sven Grünberg wrote his first film scores. They weren’t for blockbuster films though. Instead, Linalakk ja Rosalind and Klaabu were short animated films. That didn’t matter. Sven had a foothold in the Estonian film industry.
A year later, Sven’s big breakthrough came. He was asked to penned the score to Hukkunud Alpinisti’ hotell. It was directed by Grigori Kromano, and released in August 1970. Hukkunud Alpinisti’ Hotell was well received by critics. Sven’s career as a composer was going places.
As a new decade dawned, Sven was back writing the score for short, animated films. This included Nike Kutse and Karsumm. They were released during 1980 and provided a showcase for Sven’s musical talents. However, by now, Sven was looking to broaden his horizons.
Still Sven was composing the scores for films. In 1981, he provided the score to Avo Paistik’s short, animated film, Klaabu kosmoses. However, now, Sven felt was the time to release his debut album, Hingus on the U.S.S.R. state label Мелодия.
For Hingus, Sven Grünberg had written and recorded three tracks. Breath (1979-1980) is an epic track featuring four movements; I, II, III and IV. These four movements last twenty-three minutes. Following Breath is Journey (1980). That’s a fitting title to what’s a captivating musical journey. Closing Hingus, is Flower Of Light (1978), another epic. It lasts nearly eighteen minutes. These tracks were recorded in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn.
In Tallinn, Sven Grünberg played every internment on Hingus. Literally, Sven becomes a one-man band, playing keyboards, synths, harpsichord, hand-bells, tambourines and castanets. Sven also engineered the Hingus sessions. Seven years after forming Mess, Sven Grünberg was about to release an album, Hingus which was recently reissued by Bureau B.
When Hingus was released in 1981, the album was popular is some quarters. A new generation knew Sven from his film scores. However, still Sven Grünberg was remembered as a member of Mess. They were still remembered as one of the best progressive rock bands in not just Estonia, but the rest of the U.S.S.R. Unsurprisingly, former fans of Mess embraced Sven’s debut album Hingus. While it was very different from Mess’ music, it proved popular. So much so, that Hingus was repressed in 1982, 1984 and 1985. No wonder.
The main theme on Breath (1979-1980), is a man and the world around him. Over Breath’s four movements, a variety of sounds emerge. There’s the sound of a waterfall, a brook and the earth breathing. Sven examines how we face the universe in Breath. It’s cerebral and pensive piece of music in four movements.
As Part I opens, washes of dramatic, bubbling, sci-fi synths can be heard. Underpinning the arrangement is an acoustic organ. This brings to mind the sound of a cathedral. The sound is big and bold. Hovering in the middle of the arrangement is a buzzing sound. It’s as if a U.F.O. has landed. Especially as the arrangement takes on a sci-fi sound. From there, it becomes mellow and laid-back. However, there’s still an ominous sound lurking in the shadows. As sounds flit in and out, the acoustic organ dominates. These sounds might be in its shadow, but it provides as cinematic sound. So do a myriad of bubbling,shimmering and pulsating sounds. Later, the arrangement veers between ethereal and dramatic. By then, it’s apparent that for the four years before releasing Hingus, Sven was composing soundtracks. He’s capable of creating cerebral and cinematic music.
Part II of Breath opens with the sound of the organ playing in the distance. Gradually, it grows in power and drama. Sven stabs of the organ, and gushing gasps of music emerge. Soon, this begins to dissipate, and the music becomes crystalline and elegiac. Later, it becomes mellow and pensive, before reaching an explosive crescendo.
Flourishes of harpsichord open Breath Part III. Its elegiac sound is a contrast to the sheer power of the acoustic organ. It bellows out washes of music, before giving way to the harpsichord. Gradually, the arrangement takes on an Eastern sound. Synths are shimmer, before rumbling ominously. That’s the signal for the acoustic organ to make its entrance. Just like previous tracks, there’s a prog rock influence. That’s the case when the glacial synths, harpsichord and bells unite. However, you’re always aware that the raw power of the acoustic organ will roar in. It does. As it dominates the arrangement, the other instruments are unable to Breath. It’s as if the organ represents the state in the U.S.SR., as it crushes the hopes and dreams of musicians like Sven.
As the fourth and final part of Breath unfolds, the sound of the acoustic organ dominates the arrangement. That’s until a cymbal crashes. From there, an ethereal wash of music descends. So does what sounds like a helicopter. It hovers above the arrangement, as the organ makes a comeback. By now, the listener is expecting it roar back to life. That’s not the case. Sven seems to be toying with the listener. Elements of ambient, avant garde and experimental music play their part in the understated, genre-melting arrangement. By the end of Part IV, nature is merging with the human soul. So not only is this is Part IV mellow and understated, but cerebral.
Journey (1980) ibuilds on the Part IV of Breath. It’s no ordinary Journey. Instead, it’s a Journey to the most remote part of infinity, where a journey can begin again. With the backstory in mind, the listener is captivated as another understated, meandering arrangement unfolds. Washes of synths shimmer and glisten. A drum pulsates and lo-fi synth glides across the arrangement. It’s your guide on this captivating Journey. The synths are elegiac, ethereal and glacial. They’re mellow, understated and ambient sound cocoons the listener. It’s also a meandering,mellow and understated arrangement that’s sure to captivate. Without doubt its ethereal beauty is the highlight of Hingus.
Whereas Breath was an epic in four parts, Flower Of Light is a near eighteen minute epic, consisting of six parts. Again, the music is cerebral and cinematic. A droning, futuristic, sci-fi sound beeps and squeaks. The first of a trio of melodies unfolds. They merge into one, creating an otherworldly soundtrack. From there, Sven creates an understated moody but still futuristic sound in part two. Space is left within the arrangement as the synths are like yin and yang. By the third movement, the arrangement becomes more complicated. Gradually, a dramatic, space-age five-part polyphony emerges. It’s hard to believe this track is thirty-four years old. If The Orb or Underworld created it today, they would be hailed conquering heroes. Sven it seems, was ahead of his time, creating music that was innovative and timeless. As part four unfolds, a change occurs. A buzzing, bubbling, pulsating sound emerges. Washes of synths shimmer. Then part five takes on an understated sound. Musically, Sven creates the sound of flower blossoming. In the background, birds cheep, creating a hopeful, even joyous sound. There’s a similar sense of hope and joy in part six. Here, Sven reflects on the past and the future. New opportunities arise as the door is firmly open. All the listener has to do is go through the door to the future. Flower Of Light an innovative and enthralling musical journey, brings to an end Hungus, Sven Grünberg’s debut album.
Sadly, when Hingus Sven Grünberg released Hingus in 1981, very few people in the West were aware of the album. That’s still the case. It was only when the Berlin Wall fell on 1989, that Eastern Europe opened up to Westerners. While those from the West of Europe have embraced much of Eastern culture, Eastern popular music seems to have been eschewed. That’s a great shame.
Back when Sven Grünberg released Hingus in 1981, Eastern Europe was a musical hotbed. Very few people in the West realised this. That, to some extent, this still the case. Most music lovers have yet to discover the music that came out of Eastern Europe during this period. Ironically, Eastern Europe had an equally eclectic and vibrant music scene. Much of it was underground, given the supposed anti-establishment nature of some of the music. This had been the case with Sven’s previous group Mess. However, after Mess disbanded, Sven reinvented himself as a composer for films, television and theatre.
That’s what Sven had been doing since graduating from Tallinn music school. He was already establishing himself as an up-and-coming composer. However, still he wanted try and establish a career as a solo artist. Hingus was the first step in Sven Grünberg’s solo career.
With its fusion of ambient, avant grade, electronic, progressive rock and cinematic sounds, Hingus was a groundbreaking album. Sven Grünberg took the music from his past and present, and created music that could’ve been created in the future. Flower Of Light sounds like a lost track from The Orb or Underworld. It’s not. It was created by Sven thirty-four years ago and is a truly timeless and innovative track. That’s the case throughout Hingus.
From Part I of Breath, right through to Flower Of Light, Sven Grünberg pushes musical boundaries. In doing so, he creates music that’s variously cerebral, elegiac, ethereal, futuristic, hopeful, melodic and otherworldly. Other times, the music on Hingus is ambitious, bold and dramatic. Always, the music on Hingus is captivating and enthralling. That’s why Sven Grünberg’s debut Hingus deserves to be heard by a much wider audience. Bureau B’s recent reissue of Hingus will introduce Sven Grünberg’s debut album to a whole new audience.
When Sven Grünberg released Hingus in 1981, it was on the U.S.S.R. state label Мелодия. While it found an audience within the U.S.S.R., very few people in the West heard Hingus. If they had, Sven Grünberg might have enjoyed a much more successful solo career. While he released three further albums, 1988s OM, 1993s Milarepa and 1995s Prana Symphony, it was as a composer for film, television and theatre that Sven Grünberg became famous for. However, at least belatedly, Mess, the group Sven Grünberg formed in 1974, and his debut album Hingus, are beginning to receive the recognition and audience they deserve.
SVEN GRUNBERG-HINGUS.
ZAKARY THAKS-TEXAS GARAGE KINGS.
ZAKARY THAKS-TEXAS GARAGE KINGS.
During the sixties, garage bands sprung up all over Texas. Some recorded a handful of singles, before disappearing. Others never got that far. Many recorded just the one single, and played a handful of gigs, before calling it a day. Nowadays, they’re long forgotten. They however, played just a walk-on part in the history of Texan garage rock. However, fifty years later, one name looms large in the history of Texan garage rock, Zakary Thaks. They’re now regarded as the Kings of Texan garage rock. Their story began in the early sixties, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
That’s where, one summer, a group of school friends decided to form a band. This wasn’t unusual. Groups sprung up on a regular basis in the port of Corpus Christi. Nobody took any notice when a new band was formed. After all, groups came and went. The Riptides were just the latest rock ’n’ roll group to be formed in Corpus Christi.
It was at the home of guitarist Pete Stinson, that The Riptides were formed. The initial lineup featured vocalist Chris Gerniottis, drummer Rex Gregory, bassist Wayne Harrison and guitarists Pete Stinson, Shelby Jordan and Glenn Jauer. This was the lineup of The Riptides that played at local parties.
Not long after The Riptides formed, they changed their name. There was, a well known surf rock band with the same name. So, The Riptides became The Marauders, who were soon, establishing a reputation as one of Corpus Christi’s best up-and-coming band.
When The Marauders played live, their music was influenced by the recent British Invasion. Initially, it was just The Beatles that influenced The Marauders. Soon, they discovered The Kinks and The Yarbirds. Their driving rock sound appealed to The Marauders. It played a huge part in shaping The Marauders’ sound. So did blues, rock and surf rock. That’s not surprising. Corpus Christi was a popular surf resort, and The Marauders were on their way to becoming one of its most popular bands. Especially with a new guitarist, John Lopez, onboard.
John Lopez had no formal guitar lessons. A self-taught guitarist, his playing style is remembered as fiery. It was a case of John taming the tiger that was his guitar. With the flamboyant guitarist onboard, The Marauders dispensed with instrumentals and instead, relied more upon Chris Gerniottis’ vocals.
This proved a minor masterstroke. With each performance Chris’ confidence grew. He was inspired by the the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Eric Burdon of The Animals. However, it was Keith Yelf of The Yarbirds that Chris modelled himself on. Things it seemed, were looking up for The Marauders. Then Rex Gregory had to leave the band.
Rex hadn’t been doing well at school. So, his father took him out of school, and sent him to Houston. This left The Marauders without a drummer. His replacement was David Fore. He was a better fit. While Rex was essentially a jazz drummer, David was more suited to garage rock. David was what The Marauders had been looking for. Maybe he was the final piece in the jigsaw?
That looked like being the case. Then a few months later, Rex returned. This presented The Marauders with a dilemma. David was a better drummer. They couldn’t get rid of him. So, they offered Rex the chance to become The Marauders’ bassist. Rex agreed. However, nobody thought to tell Wayne Harrison. The first he knew, was when he arrived at their concert at The Carousel. Wayne wasn’t pleased, and decided to leave The Marauders, who were about to change their name again.
Having been first The Riptides and then The Marauders, at last, the group were going to settle on a name. This came about when Chris Gerniottis was reading a teen magazine. In the letters page, he came across the name Zakary Thaks. It sounded much better than The Marauders. There was an air mystery and intrigue to Zakary Thaks. This change of name coincided with a change in fortune for Zakary Thaks.
With their new name, things started to look up for Zakary Thaks. The Carousel, where Rex made his debut on bass, became their new headquarters. Zakary Thaks became ostensibly the house band, playing at dances. Quickly, their popularity grew, with Zakary Thaks appearing on a local television show, Teen Time. It was at Teen Time that Zakary Thaks discovered what was definitely, the final piece of the musical jigsaw.
That was Stan Moore. He was the drummer for a rival group The Last Fyve, when Zakary Thaks first heard him play. Straight away, they realised he was what Zakary Thaks had been looking for. Although David Fore was a good drummer, Stan Moore was better. Chris and the rest of Zakary Thaks knew the importance of a good drummer. The rhythm section was central to the future success of Zakary Thaks. Stan Moore could improve Zakary Thaks’ rhythm section. So, an approach was made to Stan Moore, and he became Zakary Thaks’ new drummer. At last, the final piece in the jigsaw was in place. Now, Zakary Thaks were set to become Kings of Texan garage rock.
With their new drummer in place, Zakary Thaks style continued to evolve. Folk-rock and blue-eyed soul influenced Zakary Thaks. Among the groups influencing Zakary Thaks, were The Byrds and The Young Rascals. With their constantly evolving set list, Zakary Thaks took part in a battle of bands at The Carousel.
Given The Carousel was Zakary Thaks unofficial headquarters, they didn’t want to loose face on their home turf. They didn’t. Instead, Zakary Thaks were approached by Carl Becker, who worked with a small airline. Carl and his brother-in-law Jack Salyers had setup J-Beck Records and wanted tor to manage Zakary Thaks. Part of the deal included Zakary Thaks making their debut recording. An added bonus was that Carl and Jack promoted concerts, and would be able to get Zakary Thaks regular gigs. After consulting their parents, Zakary Thaks agreed, and the next step in the rise of Zakary Thaks began.
Realising that Zakary Thaks were bristling with energy and enthusiasm, Carl and Jack soon got the band regular bookings. Zakary Thaks were well received by the audience. They were obviously a talented band. So, soon, Carl and Jack suggested Zakary Thaks write their debut single.
After some time, Zakary Thaks returned with what would become their debut single, Bad Girl. Fittingly, given Zakary Thaks’ love of the British music, the B-Side was a cover of The Kinks’ I Need You. Bad Girl marked the beginning of Zakary Thaks’ recording career began in mid-1966.
Bad Girl was released on J-Beck Records in mid-1966. Bad Girl, an explosion of teenage angst, that’s influenced by the British Invasion, struck a nerve. It became a local hit in Texas. It hit the top of the charts just at the right time.
By then, Zakary Thaks had just supported The Seeds. The Seeds were in disarray, and were blown away by Zakary Thaks. Despite this, The Seeds’ lead singer, Mike Taylor, would later write Zakary Thaks’ sophomore single Please Me. Before that, Zakary Thaks played at a battle of the bands at the Aqua Festival, in Austin, Texas. By then, Zakary Thaks’ star in the ascendancy. Now was the time to record the followup to Bad Girl.
Carl Becker took Zakary Thaks to Gold Star studios, Houston. That’s where recording of Zakary Thaks’ sophomore single Please took place. With its folk rock sound, Please was a stylistic departure for Zakary Thaks. This change of style didn’t please the members of Zakary Thaks. Mike Taylor, who was now working alongside Carl, convinced Chris this was the way to go. He acquiesced and Please, with Won’t Come Back on the B-Side became Zakary Thaks’ sophomore single.
Please didn’t quite replicate the success of Bad Girl. Inwardly, Zakary Thaks thought they’d released the wrong song. At the same session, they had recorded two rocky tracks, She’s Got You and It’s The End. Both were penned by members of Zakary Thaks. Again, there’s a strong British Invasion influence, as Chris oozing attitude, and accompanied by a moody, rocky backdrop, struts his way though the track. Despite these blistering performances, both tracks were rejected by Carl Becker, who was currently negotiating with Mercury Records.
After the success of Bad Girl locally, Chris decided to lease the single to a major label. Eventually, after some contractual problems, he struck a deal with Mercury. Bad Girl was released by Mercury in October 1966. Due to the nationwide release of Bad Girl, Carl put a followup single on hold. By then, Zakary Thaks had met one of their musical heroes.
The Yarbirds were on what became their last American tour, before Jeff Beck quit the group. On 30th October 1966, The Yarbirds played at Corpus Christi, at the Memorial Coliseum. Somehow, Carl had convinced the promoter to let Zakary Thaks open the bill. The next day, at the airport Zakary Thaks, who were en route to Houston, to a recording session, met Jeck Beck. Having met their hero, Zakary Thaks boarded a flight to Houston.
At Gold Star studios, Houston, Zakary Thaks recorded Passage To India, which was very different to their previous recordings. Its modal, Eastern influenced riffs were almost a homage to The Seeds. Other tracks recorded at the Gold Star sessions, included Won’t Come Back and Face To Face. Once the recording sessions were over, Zakary Thaks returned home.
With three new tracks to show for their trip to Houston, Zakary Thaks hoped one would be their third single. That wasn’t to be. Carl Becker rejected the songs. However, after Face To Face was reworked in late December 1966, and then January 1967. With Carl’s help, Zakary Thaks nailed Face To Face. It would give Zakary Thaks’ another hit single.
Released in February 1967, Zakary Thaks’ long awaited third single, Face To Face, which had Weekday Blues on the flip side, caught the attention of DJs. Across the Gulf Coast, Face To Face received heavy airplay. However, during this period, members of Zakary Thaks’ rhythm section were working overtime.
Following his departure from The Seeds, Mike Taylor was touring as Michael. There was a problem. He was without a band. So, when he needed a rhythm section, who did he call? Zakary Thaks. They accompanied him live, and played on I’d Only Laugh, People Sec IV and Gotta Make My Heart Turn Away. Of this trio of tracks, the Dylan tonged People Sec IV, was released as a single. Meanwhile, Face To Face, Zakary Thaks’ was riding high in the charts.
With another hit single in Face To Face, featuring on television, constantly playing live and working with Mike Taylor, things were looking good for Zakary Thaks during the first half of 1967. To onlookers, this was pretty good going, considering Zakary Thaks were still in their final year at high school. However, Zakary Thaks’ next single marked a change in the group’s fortunes.
By June 1967, Zakary Thaks released their next single. This wasn’t a new song. Won’t Come Back had been recorded at Gold Star Studios, in December 1966. It was paired with a rerecorded version of their debut hit single, Please. However, it failed to match the commercial success of Face To Face. This was a huge disappointment. Still, Zakary Thaks were busy playing live, appeared on television and even had a documentary made about them. Then in the spring 1967, Carl Becker announced he was leaving J-Beck Records.
For Zakary Thaks this was a worrying time. Lofton Kline, formerly of The Poco-Seco Singers took over A&R duties for Zakary Thaks. This resulted in a change of sound. Zakary Thaks’ releases took on a more polished sound. Instruments were layered, and the production style was much more noticeable. This is apparent on Zakary Thaks’ final single for J-Beck Records.
Recording of the Mike Taylor penned, Can You Hear Your Daddy’s Footsteps began in April 1967. Then when Lofton took charge of A&R, he decided that overdubbing should take place. It was well worth the extra effort. The vocal arrangement, where harmonies interact with the lead vocal, is much more complex. Then there’s the blistering guitars, and driving rhythm section. On the B-Side was the reflective, baroque influenced Mirror Of Yesterday. With its heavily orchestrated arrangement, this marked a change in style from Zakary Thaks. This wasn’t the only change about to happen. Little did one of their number realise, that Can You Hear Your Daddy’s Footsteps was Zakary Thaks’ swansong.
Eventually, Can You Hear Your Daddy’s footsteps was released in November 1967. It failed to replicate the commercial succes of earlier singles. Zakary Thaks’ recording career seemed to have stalled. Maybe, the loss of Chris Becker had affected Zakary Thaks more than they realised? Lofton, although well intentioned, maybe, seemed to be taking Zakary Thaks in the wrong direction? Then there was a problem with Chris Gerniottis.
For some time, there had been tension within Zakary Thaks. Eventually, it came to a head in January 1967. John Lopez, Stan Moore and Pete Stinson decided the time had come to fire Chris Gerniottis. Chris seemingly a believer in the maxim get your retaliation in first, joined Zakary Thaks’ fiercest rivals Liberty Bell. Zakary Thaks. Replacing Chris in Zakary Thaks was Maxine Sands. However, her time as Zakary Thaks lead singer was short-lived. Pete Stinson joined the U.S. Army and Zakary Thaks split-up. Can You Hear Your Daddy’s Footsteps proved to be Zachary Thaks’ final single for J-Beck Records.
There was subsequent talk of the remaining members of Zakary Thaks forming a new band. However, John Lopez joined The Farm. He played with The Farm until Zakary Thaks reformed in May 1968 as a trio. This being the age of the power trio, drummer Stan Moore, bassist Rex Gregory and guitarist John Lopez became the latest incarnation of Zakary Thaks.
Not long after reforming, Zakary Thaks released a new single, Green Crystal Ties, which featured My Door on the B-Side. Both sides were psychedelic rockers, and despite their indisputable quality, failed commercially. For the newly reformed Zakary Thaks, this was a disappointment. Maybe their luck would change when they became a quartet?
Liberty Bell disbanded in January 1969. This left Chris Gerniottis without a group. Differences were put to one side, and Chris Gerniottis rejoined Zakary Thaks. With three becoming four, Zakary Thaks signed to Carl Becker’s new label Cee Bee Records.
In March 1969, Zakary Thaks recorded what would prove to be the final single of their career. Originally, Everybody Wants To Be Somebody was destined to be the single. However, the B-Side Outprint had more of the original Zakary Thaks’ sound. Sadly, that proved to be wishful thinking. Zakary Thaks sunk without trace. The group that had been, Kings of Texan garage rock split up in June 1969. The dream may have been over for Zakary Thaks, but they had written their way into garage rock history.
Thirty-six years after Zakary Thaks split-up, they’re still remembered as Kings of Texan garage rock. That’s despite releasing six singles. Three of these singles, Bad Girl, Face To Face and Won’t You Come Back are remembered as Texan garage rock classics. They’re a tantalising reminder of Zakary Thaks, the Kings of Texan garage rock,
ZAKARY THAKS-TEXAS GARAGE KINGS.
MIROSLAV VITOUS-THE BASS.
MIROSLAV VITOUS-THE BASS.
In 1967, twenty year old Miroslav Vitous was playing alongside Clark Terry in a Chicago club. It was just the latest gig for the up-and-coming Czech bassist. He had made America his home in 1966, when he won a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music, in Boston. Now he was putting into practise everything he had learnt at the Prague Conservatory and then Berklee College of Music. As he played, Miroslav Vitous didn’t see a familiar figure in the audience…Miles Davis.
After the set finished, Miroslav Vitous was approached by Miles Davis. After introducing himself and complimenting him on his performance, Miles Davis told Miroslav Vitous how his band had been booked to play at The Village Gate for a week during August 1967. However, his regular bassist, Ron Carter was unavailable. Would Miroslav be willing to deputise for Ron Carter at The Village Gate? This was a huge break for the young bassist.
Just under a year later, the lineup of Miles Davis’ band began to change. Bassist Ron Carter left. Not long after his departure, Miroslav received a call from Miles Davies. By then, his music was changing, and moving towards fusion. Within this new sound, Miles Davis envisaged the bass playing just “repetitive motifs.” This was a very specific and disciplined role. Miroslav wanted more freedom and to be able to express his creativity.The two musicians were on different pages musically. As a result, Miroslav Vitous proved to be just a temporary replacement for Ron Baker until Miles Davis could secure the services of Dave Holland.
After leaving Miles Davis’ employ, Miroslav Vitous’ services were in demand. He joined Stan Getz’s band, which included tenor saxophonist Chick Corea. This proved to be a another lucky break for Miroslav.
Not long after this, Chick Corea got the chance to record an album for the Solid State label. He decided to record to put together a trio. Its lineup included Chick Corea, Miroslav Vitous and drummer Roy Haynes. They recorded Now He Sings, Now He Songs, which was released to critical acclaim later in 1968. Nowadays, Now He Sings, Now He Songs is regarded as one of the most important and influential trio albums.
Later in 1968, Miroslav Vitous joined Roy Ayers when he was recording Stoned Soul Picnic. This was just the followup to Virgo Vibes, which had found favour with critics. So did Stoned Soul Picnic, with its fusion of soul and jazz. It was released in 1968, the same year Miroslav Vitous made his recording debut as part of flautist Herbie Mann’s band.
Having joined Herbie Mann’s band in 1968, Miroslav Vitous made his debut on Windows Opened. When it was released in 1968, it was hailed a classic. The following year, Herbie Mann released Live At The Whisky A Go Go in 1969. Miroslav Vitous and Roy Ayers were part of the band on this memorable live album. It was just one of the albums Miroslav Vitous played on during 1969.
Among the others were Jack DeJohnette’s eclectic and genre-melting album The DeJohnette Complex. It was released in 1969. So was Wayne Shorter’s Super Nova. Miroslav Vitous was chalking up the credits and proving the go-to-guy for anyone looking for a bassist. However, Miroslav Vitous was looking beyond a career as a sideman, and one as a solo artist.
The opportunity arose when Herbie Mann was setting up his Embryo Records label. He had managed to secure a distribution deal with Atlantic Records. Now, Herbie Mann began adding to Embryo Records’ small roster. One name he was keen to add the roster was Miroslav Vitous.
That was how Miroslav Vitous found himself making his way to A&R Studios, New York in November 1969. That was where Herbie Mann was waiting to produce his debut album. It’s an album that would eventually be released under three different titles. This includes The Bass, which was recently remastered and rereleased by BGO Records. It was the album that Herbie Mann hoped would launch the career of the Miroslav Vitous.
He was already more than a musician. Miroslav Vitous was also a composer, and had written most of his debut album. This included Mountain In The Clouds, Epilogue, Infinite Search, I Will Tell Him On You and When Face Gets Pale. The only composition that Miroslav Vitous decided to cover, was Eddie Harris’ classic Freedom Jazz Dance. It would prove the perfect showcase for Miroslav Vitous’ all-star band.
Despite being a month short of his twenty-second birthday, some of the biggest names in jazz accompanied Miroslav Vitous on Bass. That was no surprise. He was already an experienced and well respected musician. Miroslav had played alongside Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Roy Ayers, Herbie Mann and Jack DeJohnette, and had more than held his own musically. So when it came to putting together a band, Miroslav was able to choose from the creme de la creme of jazz,
They joined Miroslav Vitous and producer Herbie Mann at A&R Studios, in New York. This included drummer Jack DeJohnette, whose album The DeJohnette Complex Miroslav had played on. Jack DeJohnette slotted into the rhythm section alongside This included one of the musicians Miroslav Vitous had played alongside bassist Miroslav Vitous and guitarist John McLaughlin. They were augmented by Herbie Hancock on electric piano and tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson. During the session, Joe Chambers was brought in to deputise for Jack DeJohnette on When Face Gets Pale. For the rest of the recording, the band remained unchanged. Backed by such an experience and talented band, and with Herbie Mann taking charge of production, the album was soon complete.
As the sixties gave way to the seventies, Herbie Mann’s Embryo Records began preparing for the release of Miroslav Vitous’ debut album in spring of 1970. By then, Miroslav had decided to name his debut album Infinite Search. It featured six of the tracks that had been recorded, Freedom Jazz Dance, Mountain In The Clouds, When Face Gets Pale, Infinite Search, I Will Tell Him On You and Epilogue. Before the release of Infinite Search, copies of this carefully sequenced album were sent to critics.
They lauded Infinite Search, which hailed as an ambitious, progressive and innovative album. Accompanied by some of the biggest names in jazz, bandleader Miroslav Vitous pioneered the nascent fusion sound. To do this, he combined fusion with elements of free jazz, modal jazz and a hint of bebop. There’s a fluidity, invention and energy to the all-star band’s playing. Other times, the rhythm section probe or drive the music forward, as they play with an urgency. Sometimes, the music is rhythmic, dramatic or melodic. However, other times, the music is thoughtful, understated, languid and mellow. Infinite Search was a captivating and groundbreaking album that showcased the nascent fusion sound.
That was the apparent from the opening bars of Eddie Harris’ Freedom Jazz Dance through to the closing notes of Epilogue. Miroslav Vitous gave his audience a foretaste of the new fusion sound that saved jazz from obscurity and irrelevance.
Accompanied by critical acclaim, Infinite Search was released in the spring of 1970. The album wasn’t a huge seller, but found an audience within the jazz community. Especially those who had latched onto the emerging fusion sound. It was already growing in popularity.
By 1972, fusion’s popularity had soared, and in the process, had saved jazz from obscurity and irrelevance. Pre-fusion, jazz’s popularity was at all-time low. However, since the birth of fusion, the genre’s popularity had soared. One of the genre’s most popular bands was Weather Report. Miroslav Vitous confounded Weather Report with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter. As their popularity grew, so did interest in Miroslav Vitous’ solo albums.
This resulted in Hör Zu Black Label a German experimental label licensing Infinite Search from Atlantic Records. They owned Herbie Mann’s Embryo Records. Previously, Hör Zu Black Label had released a myriad of jazz, progressive and avant-garde albums. Their back-catalogue included everything from Alice Coltrane to Karlheinz Stockhusen to Soft Machine. However, Hör Zu Black Label didn’t plan to rerelease Infinite Search exactly.
Instead, they decided to give Infinite Search a new title. It became The Bass. The track listing was also totally resequenced. That wasn’t the end of the changes. A seventh track was added, Cerecka to The Bass. By now, it was a very different album.
Upon its release by Hör Zu Black Label in 1972, the track listing was Mountain In The Clouds, Epilogue, Cerecka, Infinite Search I Will Tell Him On You and When Face Gets Pale. This is the track listing that features on BGO Records’ recently reissue of The Bass. It was released scheduler for release by the Hör Zu Black Label later in 1972.
Just like two years earlier, The Bass was released to critical acclaim and found an audience within the jazz and fusion communities. This groundbreaking album had found a new audience for the second time.
That was no surprise. Fusion was still popular in 1972, and Miroslav Vitous continued to pioneer the genre. He was enjoying a successful solo career and was still a member of Weather Report until 1974. By 1976, fusion was no longer as popular.
Despite this, Warner Bros decided to released The Bass in Europe in 1976 as Magical Shepherd. To give the album broader appeal, a bonus track was added, New York City. Its disco-tinged sound was meant to appeal to dancers and DJs. Alas, that wasn’t the case and Magical Shepherd wasn’t the success that Warner Bros. had hoped for.
Despite this, The Bass was still a groundbreaking album, and one that pioneered the nascent fusion sound. Forty-five years later, and The Bass is regarded quite rightly regarded as innovative and influential fusion classic. Not only did The Bass launch Miroslav Vitous solo career, and helped popularise fusion, it ensured that jazz remained relevant and saved it from potential obscurity.
MIROSLAV VITOUS-THE BASS.
JOHN WETTON-THE OFFICIAL BOOTLEG-ARCHIVE VOLUME 1.
JOHN WETTON-THE OFFICIAL BOOTLEG ARCHIVE VOLUME 1.
For the best part of fifty years, artists and record companies have been plagued by bootleggers smuggling recording equipment into concerts. This started when bootleggers began smuggling tape into concerts. Often the tape recorders were hidden under coats or in bags. As a result, the sound quality was often poor quality. This forced a rethink by the bootleggers.
Eventually, they realised that they had place their tape recorders in places where they could they could best capture the sound quality. After all, they planned to release recordings on vinyl. This marked the birth of the first rock bootlegs.
Little did anyone realise that this was the start of an underground record industry, that would do untold damage to the music industry. However, in the early days, there was an element of cloak and dagger to buying bootlegs.
Some of these recordings were sold almost clandestinely in small record shops. Other bootlegs labels sold their releases via mail order. Usually, record buyers sent their money to a Post Office Box. They eventually received their bootleg album. This included some of the biggest recording artists of the day. Everyone from Bob Dylan to Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones to Pink Floyd fell victim to the bootleggers.
Especially, as bootlegging became an underground industry. The recording equipment used by bootleggers was improving, and some went as far as investing in top of the range professional equipment. This meant recordings were much more professional sounding. It was a worrying time for the music industry. They were caught on the hop, and soon, seemed to be fighting a losing battle.
The bootleggers had nurtured contacts with pressing plants, concert arenas and even record companies. Some of the contacts within record companies smuggled out recordings of unreleased material. These stolen recordings were then released by the bootleggers. This was just the latest worrying trend.
Another was that some bootleggers seemed to have access to a band’s soundboard at concerts. Some bootleggers were able to setup recording equipment onstage. Questions were asked about the road crew? Had they been involved, and did they facilitate the recording of these bootlegs? They often proved costly.
Especially if these bootlegs were released just before a band planned to release a live album. This could prove costly. Efforts were made find the bootleggers. Sometimes this proved successful. Mostly, though, it was a costly and frustrating cat and mouse game.
This has continued for decades. Often, a few bootleggers are caught, and inroads are made into the supply chain. Still, though, bootleggers continue to prosper. This is no victimless crime. It costs record companies and artists money. However, over the years, some artists have fought back, including John Wetton.
Recently, John Wetton released The Official Bootleg Archive Volume 1, a six CD box set through his own website. It’s a collection of three of John Wetton’s previously released Official Bootlegs, which have been out of print for the best part of ten years. These three concerts were recorded between 1996 and 1999. The first is Live In Argentina 1996 which features on discs one and two. Live In Osaka 1997 features on discs three and four. On discs five and six, is Live At The Sun Plaza Tokyo 1998. With his tongue firmly in his cheek, John Wetton decided to call this box set The Official Bootleg-Archive Volume 1. It’s the latest addition to John Wetton’s burgeoning back-catalogue.
John Wetton served his musical apprenticeship in Bournemouth, where he grew up. That’s where he first met Richard Palmer-Jones. They were members of The Corvettes, The Palmer-James Group, Tetrad, and Ginger Man. After that, John Wetton joined Mogul Thrash. That’s where he made his breakthrough.
Mogul Thrash-Mogul Thrash.
Mogul Thrash were a prog rock band, who had evolved out of Brotherhood. They released their debut single Sleeping in the Kitchen in 1970. Then a year later, Mogul Thrash released their eponymous debut album in 1971. It was produced by Steampacket founder Brian Auger. On its release, Mogul Thrash was well received by critics. The future looked bright for Mogul Thrash. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.
As Mogul Thrash was released, the group were locked in a legal battle with their management. It didn’t end well. Mogul Thrash had no option but to disband. So, 1971s Mogul Thrash proved to be group’s only album. For bassist John Wetton, and the rest of Mogul Thrash, this was a huge disappointment. Mogul Thrash looked like they were going places. Luckily, Family were looking for a bassist.
John Wetton fitted the bill. Not only could he play bass, but he was a guitarist and vocalist. So, the multitalented twenty-two year old joined Family. He played on their next two albums, starting with Fearless
Family-Fearless,
Family’s fifth album, was released on 29th October 1971. This marked John Wetton’s Family debut. He played bass, guitars, and keyboards. Family were almost getting three musicians for the price of one. He would more than play his part in Fearless’ sound and success.
On its release, Fearless was well received by critics. The new lineup of Family seemed to have gelled quickly. Fearless was littered with highlights, including Spanish Tide, Save Some for Thee and Take Your Partners. So, it’s no surprise that Fearless sold well.
After its release, Fearless climbed the British and American charts. Eventually, it reached number fourteen in Britain and number 177 in the US Billboard 200. This was a first for Family. Never before had any of their albums charted in America. John Wetton it seemed, was Family’s good luck charm.
Bandstand.
After the success of Fearless, Family returned to the studio, and recorded Bandstand at Olympic Studios, London. This was where they had recorded Fearless. Just like Fearless, Bandstand was produced by George Chkiantz and Family. However, it marked a change in style for Family.
Bandstand was released in September 1972. It marked a stylistic departure for Family. Their music moved towards the mainstream. Partly, this was because Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney had accepted the standard method of songwriting. It made life a lot easier. However, this move towards the mainstream risked alienating Family’s fans.
Prior to Bandstand’s release, critics had their say. Critics liked Family’s more mainstream sound. The album was released to near critical acclaim. A few contrarian critics disagreed. However, the people that mattered were the record buying public.
As Bandstand hit the shops, the members of Family wondered how their new sound we he received? When the dust settled, Bandstand had reached number fifteen in Britain and number 183 in the US Billboard 200. This was almost the same as Fearless. It seemed their new sound had neither lost, nor gained, Family any new fans. However, before long, Family had lost their bassist.
By 1972, John Wetton had attracted the attention of King Crimson. They were prog rock royalty, and one of the biggest and most innovative bands of the prog rock era. So, when John was asked to join King Crimson, he couldn’t say no. He made his debut on Larks’ Tongues In Aspic.
King Crimson-Larks’ Tongues In Aspic.
Larks’ Tongues In Aspic was King Crimson’s fifth album. The album marked an almost new lineup of King Crimson. This was the third lineup in the group’s history. Joining Robert Fripp were bassist John Wetton, ex-Yes drummer Bill Bruford, percussionist Jamie Muir and David Cross, who played violin, viola, Mellotron, electric piano and flute. This new lineup saw the band head in a new direction.
King Crimson incorporated different instruments, including percussion and African mbira. They moved away from their jazz sound, to a fusion of prog rock and experimental music on what became Larks’ Tongues In Aspic.
It was released in March 1973, to critical acclaim, reaching number twenty in the UK and number sixty-one in the US Billboard 200. With a new lineup and having released their strongest album in recent years, King Crimson looked as if they were about to become one of the biggest bands of the early seventies.
Starless and Bible Black.
Just about every prog rock band released a concept album. Starless and Bible Black, which is a quotation from the first two lines of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, was King Crimson’s concept album. The album is a commentary on the sleaziness and materialism that was blighting society. Richard Palmer-James, a former member of Supertramp, cowrote four of the songs on Starless and Bible, which saw King Crimson take a different approach to recording.
Unlike previous albums, there’s no drums on Starless and Bible. Despite the lack of drums, drummer Bill Bruford played percussion and cowrote three tracks. While he played on Starless and Bible, Jamie Muir didn’t. He’d left the band. Another change was that only the first two tracks on Starless and Bible, The Great Deceiver and Lament recorded in the studio. The rest of the tracks were recorded live, with the applause edited out. This was a very different approach from previous King Crimson albums.
Despite this, Starless and Bible Black was well received. Some critics hailed Starless and Bible Black as King Crimson’s best album since their debut. With its fusion of prog rock and experimental music, it was an ambitious and groundbreaking album. On its release in March 1974, it reached number twenty-eight in the UK and number sixty-six in the US Billboard 200. With King Crimson having released two consecutive critically acclaimed albums, it looked as if they were about to join the royalty that included Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. However, that wasn’t to be.
Red.
Having just released to consecutive critically acclaimed albums, Larks’ Tongues In Aspic and then Starless and Bible Black, critics and fans wondered what direction King Crimson seventh album Red would take? Being King Crimson, fans and critics had learnt to expect the unexpected. The first change was in the lineup. After their 1974 summer tour, David Cross left King Crimson. This meant the band was now a trio consisting of Robert Fripp, bassist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford. They cowrote much of Red.
Red featured just five tracks. Recording of Red began on 30th June 1974 at Olympic Studios, London and finished in August 1974. Four of the songs on Red were recorded live. The exception was One More Red Nightmare, which was recorded live. In the studio, Robert Fripp played guitar and mellotron. He was joined by bassist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford. They were augmented by a variety of musicians who often, played on just one track. These musicians played their part in not only what’s a landmark album, but an album that marked the end of an era.
On its release in October 1974, Red reached just number forty-five in the UK and number sixty-six in the US Billboard 200. Critics hailed Red as an innovative album. There are obvious similarities with Larks’ Tongues In Aspic and Starless and Bible Black in sound and quality. One change was the lack of the acoustic guitars that featured on previous albums. With its fusion of prog rock and classic music, Red proved to be a hugely influential and innovative album. Sadly, it was the last King Crimson studio album to feature John Wetton.
Uriah Heep-Return To Fantasy.
Having left King Crimson, John joined Uriah Heep. They had already realised seven albums since their 1970 debut …Very ‘Eavy …Very ‘Umble. John was brought in to replace Gary Thain. He joined just in time to play on their eighth album Return To Fantasy. John it seemed had the Midas touch.
Return To Fantasy was recorded at Lansdowne Studios and Morgan Studios, London. Just like previous albums, Gerry Bron took charge of production. Initially, Mick Box thought found that the chemistry he had with Gary Thain was missing. However, soon, John was making his presence felt, playing bass, mellotron and adding backing vocals. He played an important part in Return To Fantasy’s success.
When critics heard Return To Fantasy, they hailed it a vast improvement on 1974s Wonderworld. Return To Fantasy was the album critics knew Uriah Heep were capable of recording. Critical acclaim accompanied Return To Fantasy’s release.
It wasn’t just critics who loved Return To Fantasy. So did the recording buying public. On its release on 30th June 1975, Return To Fantasy reached number seven in Britain and was certified silver. Return To Fantasy reached number thirty-eight in the US Billboard 200 charts, selling 450,000 copies. The new lineup of Uriah Heep had just released their biggest selling album, Return To Fantasy. The problem was following it up.
High and Mighty.
Nearly a year later, Uriah Heep released High and Mighty on 8th June 1976. It was the last Uriah Heep album to feature vocalist David Byron. He had been battling with alcohol. Sadly, his drinking was beginning to affect the band. So, he was sacked after the release of High and Mighty.
What didn’t help, was that High and Mighty wasn’t well received by critics. Some critics slated the album. They weren’t impressed by the move towards the mainstream. Nor did the lack of lengthy tracks please critics. The longest song on High and Mighty was just under six minutes. This was quite unlike Uriah Heep. So was the chart placing.
High and Mighty stalled at number fifty-five in Britain. This was their lowest chart placing since their sophomore album, Salisbury. Across the Atlantic, American record buyers turned their back on Uriah Heep, with High and Mighty reaching number 161 in the US Billboard 200. For Uriah Heep, something had to give.
David Byron was sacked by Uriah Heep. John Wetton decided that this also was the time to part company with Uriah Heep. He had plenty of session work and collaboration to keep him busy.
For the next couple of years, John was kept busy. John played on Roxy Music’s 1976 album Viva! He also accompanied Bryan Ferry on 1976s Let’s Stick Together, 1977s In Your Mind and 1978s The Bride Stripped Bare. This wasn’t John’s only collaboration with members of Roxy Music.
Previously, John had played on Andy McKay’s 1977 album, Score. Then in 1978, Phil Manzanera asked John to play on his 1978 album K-Scope. The pair had worked together on Phil’s 1975 debut Diamond Head. So, this was no surprise. Neither was John joining a new band UK.
UK-UK.
UK were another prog rock supergroup. Their lineup included John, Yes drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Eddie Jobson and guitarist Allan Holdsworth. This was the lineup that recorded two critically acclaimed albums. The first was UK.
Recording of UK took place between December 1977 and January 1978. It was released in March 1978. Although critics gave UK glowing reviews, referring to the music as innovative and progressive, UK passed record buyers by. The four members of UK were going to give up.
Danger Money.
Nearly a year to the day, UK returned with their sophomore album, Danger Money. It featured a new lineup of UK. Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth had left the group. Replacing them was Terry Bozzio. So, with UK reduced to a trio, they returned to the studio.
The new lineup were set record six songs at Air Studios, London. These songs were penned by John and Eddie. They were recorded between November 1978 and January 1979. Once Danger Money was recorded, it was ready for release in March 1979.
History repeated itself, when Danger Money was well received by critics, but failed to chart. At least Nothing to Lose reached number sixty-seven in the British charts. Despite this modicum of success, it was a frustrating time for groups like UK. They certainly weren’t lacking in talent. Far from it. UK were a hugely talented group. Part of the problem was the changing musical landscape.
The nihilist sound of punk and post punk was polluting the airwaves. Many critics were little more than cheerleaders for the talentless punks. It truly was the great rock ’n’ roll swindle. Its victims were talented prog rock groups who punks referred to as dinosaurs. However, little did they realise that in three years time, John Wetton would have the last laugh. Before that, UK released their swan-song.
Night After Night.
Danger Money was John Wetton’s final studio album with UK. He featured on their live album Night After Night. It was recorded during UK’s tour of Japan, in early June 1979. The album was recorded at Nakano Sun Plaza and Seiken Kan, in Tokyo. It was released in September 1979.
This was perfect timing. UK were about to head out on tour, supporting Jethro Tull on their American tour. So, the release of Night After Night was timed to coincide with the American tour. Sadly, Night After Night wasn’t a commercial success. This resulted in John leaving UK.
John Wetton-The Solo Years
Caught In The Crossfire.
Following his departure from UK, John decided that now was the time to embark upon a solo career. So he began work on what became Caught In The Crossfire.
Given John Wetton is a talented multi-instrumentalist, he was able to record much of Caught In The Crossfire himself. He played bass, guitars, keyboards and added vocals. To play the drum and percussion parts, John drafted in Simon Kirke of Bad Company. Another guest artist, was saxophonist Malcolm Duncan. They played their part on Caught In The Crossfire, John Wetton’s long-awaited debut album.
On its release in 1980, Caught In The Crossfire was well received by critics. Although quite different from his work with Family, King Crimson and Uriah Heep, it showed John’s versatility and ability to create ambitious and innovative music. Although the album sold well, it wasn’t a huge success. Despite that, ecord buyers awaited John’s sophomore album. It would be a long time coming.
There was a reason for this. John was a busy man. He worked with Roger Chapman on their 1980 album Mail Order Magic and 1981s Hyenas Only Laugh for Fun. The former Family frontman had reinvented himself as a solo artist. However, later in 1981 John joined Wishbone Ash, where he replaced Martin Turner.
Wishbone Ash-No Smoke Without Fire.
With Martin Turner leaving Wishbone Ash, the English rock group found themselves with a problem. They had an album to record, but had no bassist. This was where John Wetton came in. He joined in time to record No Smoke Without Fire.
No Smoke Without Fire was a stylistic departure for Wishbone Ash. Previously, their music had taken on an American influence. Some fans didn’t take to this. What they wanted was Wishbone Ash to return to the prog rock of their past. Other fans wanted Wishbone Ash to return to their hard rocking best. With Derek Lawrence returning as producer, for the first time since 1972s Argus, they did both.
When No Smoke Without Fire was released later in 1978, the album has hailed Wishbone Ash’s heaviest album to date. Critics welcomed the inclusion of prog rock epic The Way Of The World. Wishbone Ash many thought were back.
Sadly, The Way Of The World stalled at number forty-three in Britain, and failed to chart in America. For John Wetton and the rest of Wishbone Ash, this was a huge disappointment. Especially considering The Way Of The World was John’s only album with Wishbone Ash. He left the group to join Asia.
Asia-Asia.
Asia were another British prog rock supergroup. Its lineup featured John, guitarist Steve Howe and keyboardist Geoff Downes. They were both members of Yes. The final piece of the jigsaw was Carl Palmer, or E.L.P. With Asia’s lineup complete, they began working on their eponymous debut album.
Recording of Asia took place at the Townhouse Studios, London. For the five months between June and November 1981, the four members of Asia recorded nine tracks. Eventually, the album was finished and ready for release on 18th March 1982.
After their five months of hard work, reviews of Asia were mixed. This some critics felt, didn’t bode well for the release of Asia. They were wrong.
On its release, Asia’s 1982 eponymous debut album sold eight million copies worldwide, and reached number one in the US Billboard 200 charts. This lead to Asia being certified platinum four times over. John Wetton it seemed had the Midas touch.
Alpha.
Following the commercial success of Asia, the four members of the band started work on their sophomore album Alpha. John and Geoff penned nine of the ten tracks. The other track, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, was a John Wetton composition. These tracks were recorded between February and May 1983.
It was never going to be easy following up Asia. The album had sold eight million copies. Unsurprisingly, Alpha wasn’t as popular. Again, reviews of Alpha were mixed. Critics pointed towards the change in sound. Asia, just like Family had done a decade earlier, had moved towards the mainstream. Part of Asia’s appeal, was their progressive sound. While it was less prominent, Alpha was still a commercial success.
On its release on 26th July 1983, Alpha reached number six in the US Billboard 200 and number five in Britain. This resulted in Alpha selling two million copies worldwide. Alpha was certified platinum in America and gold in Britain. Sadly, after Alpha, Asia never reached the same heights
Astra.
There was a gap of two years between Alpha, and Asia’s third album Astra. It marked the end of an era. Astra was the last album to feature founding member John Wetton. He didn’t return until 2008s Phoenix. No wonder. All wasn’t well within Asia.
Astra had been two years in the making. Recording started in 1983. However, John left in September 1983, and was replaced temporarily by Greg Lake. He featured during some of Asia’s live shows. When John returned, Steve Howe departed. This was blamed on the tension between Steve and John. Replacing Steve, was Mandy Meyer, who brought a harder edge to Asia’s sound.
Asia’s new lineup spent much of 1984 and 1985 recording Astra. The band moved between studios. Eventually, Astra was finished, and ready for release in November 1985.
When critics heard Astra, reviews were mixed. While some critics weren’t impressed, other called Astra a solid album. The jury were well and truly out. As usual, the record buying public had the deciding vote.
On its release, Astra stalled at number sixty-seven in the US Billboard 200 and number sixty-eight in Britain. This was a far cry from Asia and Alpha.
Following Astra, John Wetton left Asia. While they enjoyed a degree of commercial success, Asia never reached the same heights. The lineup of Asia with John, Steve Howe, Geoff Downes and Carl Palmer proved to be the classic lineup of Asia. We wouldn’t see their likes again until 2008s Phoenix. By then, John Wetton was enjoying a successful solo career. Before that, John and members of rock royalty collaborated on an album.
John Wetton and Phil Manzanera decided to collaborate on an album where rock met pop. The resultant album, Wetton Manzanera was released on 1987. It was well received by critics. However, there was still no sign of John releasing his sophomore album. Eventually, it would be released in 1994.
Battle Lines.
Fourteen years after John Wetton released his debut solo album Caught In The Crossfire, he returned with his sophomore album Battle Lines in 1994. It marked the return of a musical innovator.
Throughout his career, John was also an early adopter of technology. That was the case on Battle Lines. He made good use of the new technology that had become available. Keyboard parts were programmed and samples were used to create orchestral arrangements. With its mixture of technology and traditional instruments, Battle Lines was a captivating album.
Critics agreed. Battle Lines veered between beautiful and elegiac, to dramatic and innovative. Genres melted into one, as with elements of folk, folk rock, progressive rock and rock shine through. John and his small, talented band made a welcome return on Battle Lines.
Battle Lines, John Wetton’s long awaited sophomore album found him evolving musically and as a musician. This ensured his music continued to stay relevant in an ever-changing musical landscape. John’s fans welcomed the release of Battle Lines, but the album failed to find a wider audience. Despite this, John returned with a live album in 1995.
Chasing The Dragon.
This was Chasing The Dragon, Johhn Wetton’s first live album. It was recorded during John’s 1994 Japanese tour. During the tour, John played songs from Caught In The Crossfire and Battle Lines. When the tour arrived in Osaka and Tokyo, John ensured that the tapes were running. These shows were recorded, and later, became Chasing The Dragon.
It features fifteen tracks from the Osaka and Tokyo shows. This included Heat Of The Moment, Caught In The Crossfire, In The Dead Of Night, Only Time Will Tell, Hold Me Now and Battle Lines. John revisited the King Crimson back-catalogue on Starless and Book Of Saturday. This also made Chasing The Dragon an attractive proposition for King Crimson fans upon its release in 1995.
Upon its release, Chasing The Dragon proved popular. Alas, not enough for the album to chart. It was a similar story to John’s previous albums. Despite this, John continued to record and release live albums. This includes The Official Bootleg-Archive Volume 1.
Live In Argentina 1996.
The first of the three concerts that features on The Official Bootleg-Archive Volume 1, in Live In Argentina 1996. It was recorded on 19th of October 1996, at Broadway Theatre, Buenos Aries, during John’s South American tour.
That night, John Wetton was accompanied by a small band. John plays bass, acoustic guitar and takes charge of lead vocals. He’s joined by drummer Thomas Lang, guitarist Billy Liesegang and keyboardist and vocalist Martin Orford. With his band, John works his way through seventeen tracks.
The show opens with In The Dead Of Night, and includes Sole Survivor, Only Time Will Tell, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, Hold Me Now, Caught In The Crossfire, Battle Lines and closes with Don’t Cry. Disc two opens with Thomas Lang’s Drum Solo. It’s a six minute drumming masterclass that’s a reminder of rock’s over-indulgent glory days. Thomas is important member of this small, but tight and talented band. Their performance was recorded for posterity.
Alas, seven years passed before the release of Live In Argentina. It was released in 2003, complete with a number of spelling mistakes on the sleeve notes. These have been rectified on the remastered version of Live In Argentina on The Official Bootleg-Archive Volume 1. However, it’s not alone.
Live In Osaka 1997.
Live In Osaka 1997 features on discs three and four of The Official Bootleg-Archive Volume 1. It was recorded on the 2nd of October 1997, at the Club Quattro, Osaka, Japan during John’s Japanese tour. That night, he and his band worked their way through eighteen tracks.
For the Japanese tour, there was a new member of John Wetton’s band. Keyboardist and vocalist John Young replaced Martin Orford. Apart from that,drummer Thomas Lang and guitarist Billy Liesegan joined John who switched between bass and acoustic guitar, whilst adding vocals during the eighteen song set.
This time around, The Last Thing On My Mind opens the set. After this, Sole Survivor, I Can’t Lie Anymore and Battlelines follow. They give way to John Young’s Solo. The keyboardist enjoys in moment in the spotlight, before John delivers some of his finest songs, including like The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, The Night Watch and Hold Me Now. Later, the Osaka audience are privileged to hear another Thomas Lang’s Drum Solo. John then follows this with Easy Money and In The Dead Of The Night. Closing the show are Starless and Don’t Cry, which like so many of the sings, prove the perfect showcase for John’s considerable talents. However, despite recording the show in 1997, it was six years before it was eventually released.
Live In Osaka was released in 2003, the same year as Live In Argentina. Since then, Live In Osaka has never been released..until now. It’s been remastered and is the perfect companion to Live In Argentina. However, John Wetton has kept a rerecording of one of his favourite concerts until last, Live At The Sun Plaza Tokyo 1999.
Live At The Sun Plaza Tokyo 1999.
Discs five and six of of The Official Bootleg-Archive Volume 1 feature Live At The Sun Plaza Tokyo 1999. The concert was recorded during a concert that took place on 5th August 1999. That night, a different lineup of John Wetton’s band accompanied him.
For the 1999 Japanese tour, John’s band featured a new drummer Steve Christey. He was joined by guitarist Billy Liesegan and keyboardist Martin Orford who had returned to the fold. They accompanied John who took charge of lead vocal and switched between acoustic guitar as he worked his way nineteen tracks.
Opening the concert was The Circle Of St. Giles, which featured on his 1997 album Arkangel. It gave way to The Last Thing On My Mind, Sole Survivor and Battle Lines. John like during the two previous concerts was playing some of his best, and best loved tracks. After Book Of Saturday came Martin Orford’s Solo. The keyboardist gives a dazzling display before the baton passes to John.
More old favourites, including The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, Hold Me Now and Only Time Will Tell follow. So do In The Dead Of The Night and Easy Money. However, for the final three songs of show, John’s kept back Starless, Heat Of The Moment and Don’t Cry. He then takes his bow, on what he remembers as one of his favourite concerts.
I Live At The Sun Plaza was released a year later, in 2000. John Wetton’s fans welcomed the release of this latest live album. However, before long, it was out of print. It was a similar story with Live In Argentina and Live In Osaka 1997.
So it made sense to reissue this trio of live albums. After all, these three Official Bootlegs have been out of print for over ten years. This meant newcomers to John Wetton’s music were unable to discover Live In Argentina, Live In Osaka 1997 and Live At The Sun Plaza Tokyo 1999. John decided that the time had come to rectify this. Each of the three concerts were remastered and are reissued as part of The Official Bootleg-Archive Volume 1. It’s a six CD box set that has recently been released by the Primary Purpose label.
The Official Bootleg-Archive Volume 1 box set is a reissue that will appeal to many music fans. This includes fans of Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Uriah Heep, UK and Asia. Then there’s John Wetton’s loyal fans, who have followed his solo career closely over the past four decades. Especially during the nineties, when the three concerts on The Official Bootleg-Archive Volume 1 were recorded. They’re sure to bring back memories of John Wetton live, in the late nineties, which was one of the most fruitful periods of his solo career.
JOHN WETTON-THE OFFICIAL BOOTLEG-ARCHIVE VOLUME 1.
THE KRAUTROCK AND PROGRESSIVE BOX SET.
THE KRAUTROCK AND PROGRESSIVE BOX SET.
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, the late-sixties was the start of a golden age for music. It continued right through the seventies. During this period, some of the most important music ever recorded was released. This included countless classic albums. These classic albums ranged from classic rock, psychedelia, heavy rock, pop and even soul. That’s not forgetting two often misunderstood genres, progressive rock and Krautrock.
Despite being somewhat misunderstood, progressive rock was one of the most popular genres from the late-sixties through to the end of the seventies. That was the case in North America, Europe and especially in Britain. No wonder. Many of the best and most successful progressive rock bands were British. This included some of the giants of British progressive rock, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Jethro Tull and Emerson Lake and Palmer. Meanwhile, in Germany another misunderstood musical movement was blossoming, Krautrock.
Across Germany, this new musical movement was producing some of the most inventive and innovative music of the seventies. Despite this, much of this music failed to find an audience. This wasn’t helped by many within the music press failing to understand never mind cover the music properly. As a result, groups like Can, Neu!, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Amon Düül II, Cluster and Harmonia was largely unknown outside of a small coterie of discerning record buyers.
It was only much later, that Krautrock began to find the audience it so richly deserves. Since then, it’s grown in popularity. Still, though, most people know very little about Krautrock, and can only name a few bands. It’s a similar case with progressive rock, with many people able to name some of the genre’s giants. After that, they start to struggle. What they need is an introduction to progressive rock and Krautrock.
That’s what the good people at the Music Brokers label have spent time compiling. The result is The Krautrock and Progressive Rock Box Set. It’s a mammoth six CD set that features many well known name. However, don’t expect to find Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Jethro Tull. Nor Can, Cluster, Kraftwerk or Neu! Despite that, The Krautrock and Progressive Rock Box Set features many familiar faces.
Representing progressive rock are Steve Hackett, Atomic Rooster, GTR, Gong, Van Der Graaf Generator, Third Ear Band, Ginger Baker, Anthony Philips, Blonde On Blonde and Hawkwind. Krautrock is represented by Annexus Quam, Birth Control, Cosmic Jokers Hölderlin, Embryo, Mythos and Sergius Golowin. They were part of the burgeoning Krautrock movement, and far too often, their music is often. Not on The Krautrock and Progressive Rock Box Set. It features fifty-nine tracks which are spread across six CDs.
Disc One-Looking For An Answer In The Sky.
Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett opens disc one with Watcher Of The Skies. It was originally released as a single by Genesis in 1972 and featured on the Foxtrot album. Twenty-four years later, Watcher Of The Skies featured on his 1996 Genesis Revisited album. It’s foretaste of the progressive rock delights still to come on The Krautrock and Progressive Rock Box Set.
Giles, Giles and Fripp’s I Talk To The Wind is taken from their 1968 album, The Cheerful Insanity Of Giles, Giles And Fripp. It’s a beautiful, dreamy mixture of folk rock and progressive rock. So too is God If I Saw Her Now, a track from Anthony Phillips’ 1977 album The Geese And The Ghost. It too has an understated sound. Joining Anthony Phillips is his old Genesis bandmate Phil Collins. Despite his presence, the album wasn’t a huge success.
Very different to the two previous tracks is Atomic Rooster’s 1970 single Friday The 13th. It features Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Friday The 13th is much quicker, and features a rockier sound. This shows another side to progressive rock. So too does the music of Rick Wakeman. He pioneered and legitimised the use of synths in progressive rock during the early seventies. Thirty years later, Rick Wakeman and The New English Rock Ensemble released a new album in 2003, Out There. One of its highlights was The Mission, which showcased the skills of a musical pioneer.
So were Steve Hackett and Steve Howe. They were among the musicians who pioneered progressive rock in the early seventies. By 1986, they were part of GTR, when they released their eponymous debut album. It featured The Hunter, which was one of GTR’s finest moments. While GTR released just one album, Gong were prolific and enjoyed an enviable longevity. Their music is a mixture of musical genres and influences, including fusion, progressive rock, psychedelia and space rock. An example of this is Gong’s OM Riff a track from their 1987 album Shapeshifter. Just like the rest of disc one, OM Riff shows that progressive rock popularity continued way past the seventies.
Disc Two-The Unanswerable Passion Of The Strands.
Just like Gong, Van Der Graaf Generator who open disc were formed in 1967, and broke up in 1978. The classic lineup of Peter Hammill, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton and David Jackson were reunited in 2004 and released the album Present in 2005. A year later, David Jackson left in September 2006. Van Der Graaf Generator’s first studio album as a trio was Trisector in 2008. It featured Lifetime, where the veteran progressive rockers roll back the years. Suddenly, it’s the seventies, when progressive rock was King.
Fission Trip were formed by John Billings and Michael Clay thirty years after the golden age of progressive rock. They’ve released just the one album, Volume One in 2005. It features King Crimson vocalist Adrian Belew. He can be heard on Santa Maria, which is an introduction to this sadly, short-lived band. Audience released a quartet of studio albums between 1969 and 1972. Their 1969 eponymous debut album featured Heaven Was An Island, where elements of jazz and progressive rock are combined by Audience. They’re a vastly underrated band.
Third Ear Band’s career began in 1967. Thirty years later, they released the Magic Music. It featured Gog and Magog, where Elements of modern classical, improv, trance and neofolk are combine to create a captivating track. Gong’s very own space whisper Gilli Smyth, a.k.a. Mother Gong contributes the genre-melting The House Is Not The Same. She and her band combine free jazz, psychedelia and progressive rock on a track from 1994 live album Tree In Fish. Mother Gong, just like Third Ear Band, Fission Trip and Audience shows a different side to progressive rock.
Disc Three-Visions And Marmalade Thoughts.
Opening disc three are Cressida with To Play Your Little Game. This was a track from their 1970 eponymous debut. It’s melodic as hints of jazz and psychedelia combine with progressive rock. Cressida only released two albums in the early seventies, but made a welcome comeback in 2013 with their album Choices.
Warhorse only released two albums between 1970 and 1971. Their 1970 eponymous debut features the rocky ballad No Chance. It’s an introduction to another talented band who should’ve gone on to greater things. It’s a similar case with Audience, who return with Poet, a ballad track from their 1970 eponymous debut album. Field Of Eternity is an understated and thoughtful acoustic instrumental from Anthony Philips’ 1978 album Parts And Pieces. Blonde On Blonde’s The Rut is taken from their third and final album Reflections On A Life. Psychedelia meets progressive on this moody, ruminative track.
Slapp Happy were an Anglo-German avant-pop group were formed in 1972 in Hamburg. In 1998, they released the album Ça Va, which featured Scarred For Life. With its avant-pop sound, its very different to many of the tracks on disc three. So is Stroking The Tail Of The Bird, Daevid Allen’s collaboration with Gilli Smyth and Harry Williamson. It’s a beatific ambient track that was the title-track from their 1990 album. Hawkwind were one of the pioneers of the space rock sound. Their music evolved over the years. However, their space rock roots can be heard on Clouded Vision, an understated track from their 1997 album Distant Horizons. It’s part of what’s the most eclectic disc of The Krautrock and Progressive Rock Box Set…so far.
Disc Four-Phosphorescent Creatures On German Skies.
Walpurgis open disc four with Hey You Over There, a track from Queen Of Saba. It was released on the Ohr label in 1971, and is a fusion of blues rock, psychedelia and progressive rock. Sadly, Queen Of Saba was the only album Walpurgis released, and their career is a case of what might have been?
Birth Control’s released their eponymous debut album in 1970. A year later, they returned with one of their finest albums Operation. It was released in Ohr, and featured Stop Little Lady and The Work Is Done. Both tracks feature Birth Control at their hard rocking best, at the start of what was a long and successful career. Atlantis also enjoyed successful career. They were formed in 1972, and later that year, the progressive rockers released their eponymous debut album on Vertigo. In 1975, Atlantis released Get On Board, which featured Change My Mind. It’s one of the highlights of what’s a melodic and accessible progressive rock album. Three years later, in 1978, Atlantic released their swan-song, Top Of The Bill. That was fitting, as they were one of the most successful German progressive rock bands. He’s Got A Gun In His Hand is a reminder of Atlantis just before they took their final bow.
Unlike Birth Control and Atlantis, Annexus Quam’s career lasted just two albums. They released their debut album Osmose on Ohr in 1970. It featured Osmose 1, where Krautrock is combined with avant-garde, experimental and improv. The result was ambitious and innovative track that’s part of an album that later, would be hailed a cult classic. A year later, Annexus Quam returned with their sophomore album Beziehungen, which featured Troubluhs El E Isch. Just like the music Osmose, it’s ambitious and groundbreaking. Sadly, the album failed to find an audience until much later. Like so much Krautrock and Berlin School music, it was way ahead of its time.
Originally, Hölderlin were a folk band who played covers of songs by Pentangle and Fairport Convention. This soon changed as they became part of Düsseldorf’s thriving and eclectic music scene. Suddenly, Hölderlin’s music was transformed. It became lysergic and cosmic as the music moved towards progressive folk. There’s more than a hint of this on their 1972 debut album Hölderlins Traum, which features Requiem Für Einen Wicht. For Hölderlin, this was the start of a musical journey that lasted eight albums. However, disc four is just a tantalising taste of what Krautrock has in store for the newcomer to the genre.
Disc Five-5: Trippin´ On Krautrock Lands.
The adventure through Krautrock continues on disc four with Embryo’s Got No Time. This is a track from the Munich jazz-rockers 1970 debut album on Ohr. It’s a mesmeric genre-melting track where elements of avant-garde and ambient combine with improv and jazz.
When Mythos released their 1972 eponymous debut album on Ohr, tracks like Hero’s Death epitomised the Kruatrock sound. By the time Mythos released their sophomore album Dreamlab in 1975 their music had changed. It had taken on a much more experimental sound, and was reminiscent of Manuel Göttsching’s 1975 album Inventions For Electric Guitar. Mythos certainly hadn’t stood still and were determined to stay relevant.
Swiss born author Sergius Golowin released his Lord Krishna Von Goloka album on Ohr in in 1973. It featured Die Weisse Alm, that’s variously dreamy, lysergic and mediative. Walter Wegmüller was a Swiss painter and musician who released the cult album Tarot in 1973. Both Die Hohepriesterin and Die Sterne have a trippym hypnotic and captivating. Sadly, these tracks are the nearest most people come to hearing Tarot. It’s one of the rarest Krautrock albums, with copies changing hands for up to £600. Another rare album is the Cosmic Jokers’ 1974 eponymous album where Krautrock meets psychedelia on the two lengthy jams. One of them is Galactic Joke, which is uber trippy Krautrock. Some of the tracks on disc four are the most psychedelic Krautrock tracks ever recorded.
Disc Six-Isolated Mansions On Faraway Weekends.
Opening the sixth and final disc in The Krautrock and Progressive Box Set is Carmen’s Stepping Stone. It’s a track from the Anglo-American band’s 1973 debut album Fandangos In Space. Carmen successfully fuse folk rock with progressive rock to create a melodic and memorable track.
Space rockers Hawkwind released Choose Your Masques in 1982. The title-track is a slice of psychedelic space rock from Hawkind, who were in the midst of one of the most prolific periods of their long career.
In 1972, Wallenstein released their sophomore album Mother Universe on Pilz. The title-track, like the rest of the album, married folk rock with progressive rock and Krautrock. This resulted in one of Wallenstein’s finest albums. A year later, in 1973, Wallenstein released Cosmic Century. It featured Silver Arms, the final part of the three part suite The Symphonic Rock Orchestra. It’s a ten minute progressive rock epic.
Mogul Thrash are one of the many bands who released only one album. That was their 1971 eponymous debut album. It featured Elegy where Mogul Thrash unleash a musical masterclass combining fusion and progressive rock. The same year Mogul Thrash released their debut album, Blonde On Blonde released their swan-song Reflections On A Life. It features the wistful sounding Sad Song For An Easy Lady,
The final track on The Krautrock and Progressive Box Set is Guy Evans’ Der Traum Von Julius. This is a track from his 1983 album The Long Hello Volume Four. It’s a compelling mixture of free jazz and progressive rock, that’s shows the enduring nature of this misunderstood genre, progressive rock.
It outlasted many other musical movements. This included punk, who the gunslinger critics forecast was the future of music in 1976. Progressive rock the misguided gunslinger critics called musical dinosaurs. How wrong they were.
Over the next forty years, progressive rock’s popularity continued. Many of the giants of progressive rock continued to tour and record and release new music. Meanwhile, new progressive rock bands were formed and released albums. That’s still the case today. However, there’s more than progressive rock on The Krautrock and Progressive Box Set.
There’s also progressive folk, space rock and psychedelia. The Krautrock and Progressive Box Set is about much more that progressive rock. This includes Krautrock.
Over the last few years, Krautrock has grown in popularly. Nowadays, Krautrock is more popular than ever. Many of the albums that failed to find an audience first time round, are now regarded as classics. This includes a number of albums from artists that feature on The Krautrock and Progressive Rock Box Set. Some of these artists and bands are often overlooked by compilers, so the inclusion of Anexus Quam, Birth Control, Cosmic Jokers Hölderlin, Embryo, Mythos and Sergius Golowin is to be welcomed.
They show a very different side to the Krautrock that Can, Cluster, Harmonia, Kraftwerk and Neu! These are the groups that most people are familiar with. That’s no surprise, as they’re Krautrock royalty. However, that is just the tip of the Krautrock iceberg. There’s much more to discover. It’s a similar case with progressive rock. Most music fans know Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Jethro Tull and Emerson Lake and Palmer. However, they may not have heard of Steve Hackett, Atomic Rooster, GTR, Gong, Van Der Graaf Generator, Third Ear Band, Ginger Baker, Anthony Philips, Blonde On Blonde and Hawkwind. Now is the perfect opportunity to do so. Especially for newcomers who want an introduction to Krautrock and progressive. The perfect place to start is The Krautrock and Progressive Rock Box Set a mammoth six CD set.
THE KRAUTROCK AND PROGRESSIVE BOX SET.
ADELBERT VON DEYEN-NORBORG AND ATMOSPHERE.
ADELBERT VON DEYEN-NORBORG AND ATMOSPHERE.
After Adelbert Von Deyen released his debut album Sternzeit on Günter Körber’s Sky Records in 1978, the label became his home for the next nine years. This was the most productive period of Adelbert Von Deyen’s career. His creativity blossomed and he released eight studio albums and one live album. This included his sophomore album Norborg in 1980, and his third album Atmosphere in 1979. Both were recently reissued by Bureau B, and mark the next chapter in the career of Adelbert Von Deyen, who originally, began making music as a hobby.
By 1977, Adelbert Von Deyen was working as a retoucher for a Berlin newspaper. While this kept him busy during the day, Adelbert had plenty of free time in the evenings. Wanting to put his free time to good use, Adelbert decided to take up a hobby. The hobby Adelbert Von Deyen chose was music.
This was no surprise, as at that time, Berlin had a thriving music scene. Many of the Krautrock bands, were formed in Berlin. Meanwhile, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and Manuel Göttsching were pioneering the Berlin School of electronic music. However, Adelbert Von Deyen didn’t just want to listen to the music being made in Berlin, he wanted to make music.
The type of music Adelbert Von Deyen wanted to make was electronic music. So he began to working out what type of equipment he would need to buy. Having made a “shopping list” of equipment, Adelbert headed out and bought a second hand synth, a Revox A77 tape recorder and keyboards. Little did he realise that this was just the first of numerous shopping trips he would make.
Having started making music in the evenings as a hobby, gradually Adelbert Von Deyen was bitten by the music making bug. Soon, he was adding new pieces of equipment to his home studio. This meant making sacrifices. Sometimes, when Adelbert hadn’t enough money to buy new pieces of equipment, he borrowed from the funds from the bank. Adelbert was dedicated to making music.
When he returned from work each night, Adelbert Von Deyen began making music. He often worked late into the night, and sometimes, into the early hours of the morning as he perfected his elegiac soundscapes. This took time, patience and determination.
After eight months, Adelbert Von Deyen had finished his first compositions. He decided to tape the compositions, and send a copy to various German record companies. Maybe he hoped, one of the record companies would interested in his album? This was a long shot. Adelbert Von Deyen was a new artist, who had only been making music for eight months. However, it was a case of fortune favouring the brave.
One of the record companies Adelbert Von Deyen had sent his tape to, was Hamburg based Sky Records. They had been formed just three years earlier, in 1975 by Günter Körber. Since then, Sky Records’ had only released eighteen albums. However, Sky Records had released albums by Bullfrog, Streetmark, Wolfgang Riechmann, Michael Rother, Cluster, and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. This was already an impressive roster, and one that many musicians were keen to sign to.
Sky Records had already established a reputation for releasing groundbreaking music. Just like most record companies, Sky Recordswere being sent many tapes during 1978. Usually, the tapes would range from good and bad to indifferent. One of the tapes that Günter Körber had been sent was Adelbert Von Deyen’s. Having listened to the tape, Günter Körber made the decision to add a new name to the Sky Records’ roster,.. Adelbert Von Deyen.
Sternzeit,
Günter Körber contacted Adelbert Von Deyen to offer him a recording contract. Sky Records were willing to record Adelbert Von Deyen’s debut album worldwide. The as yet unnamed album became Sternzeit, which featured a distinctive cover painted by Adelbert Von Deyen.
Sky Records’ release of Sternzeit rewarded all the time and effort Adelbert Von Deyen’s had spent recording his debut album. From March to August 1978, Adelbert worked on the two lengthy tracks that became Sternzeit. They were Per Aspera Ad Astra ,which was a three-part suite, featuring Mental Voyage, Stellardance and Astral Projection. Then on the second side of Sternzeit was the title-track a twenty-five minute epic. These tracks were recorded in Adelbert new home studio.
Although Sternzeit was recorded in his home studio, Adelbert Von Deyen had access to an enviable array of equipment. This included a myriad of strings including an ARP Odyssey. They were joined by synth strings, an organ, electric piano and electric guitar. Adelbert Von Deyen played each instrument, and produced Sternzeit. Once the album was recorded, it was mixed at Star-Studio, in Hamburg. Now Sternzeit was ready for release.
When Sternzeit was released later in 1978, it was well received by critics. Sternzeit sold reasonably, well and certainly was more successful than many Krautrock and Berlin School albums. It was only later that Adelbert Von Deyen’s music would receive the credit and critical acclaim it deserved. By then, Adelbert Von Deyen had an enviable back-catalogue.
Norborg.
After the commercial success of Sternzeit, Adelbert Von Deyen was able to give up his job as a a retoucher for a Berlin newspaper and devote his energies to making music. This was a dream come true. Adelbert Von Deyen had also become something of a celebrity in his home town of Lübeck. He began to receive fan mail from record buyers, and was being booked to sign autographs. However, Adelbert Von Deyen wasn’t going to let his newfound celebrity status go to his head. Not when he had music to make.
When Adelbert Von Deyen had signed with Günter Körber’s Sky Records, the contract specified that he must deliver one album each year. So Adelbert Von Deyen’s thought’s turned to his sophomore album. Part of the inspiration for one of the tracks came something that happened during a short holiday after the release of Sternzeit.
To celebrate the success of Sternzeit, Adelbert Von Deyen decided to book a short holiday in Nordborg, on the Danish island of Alsen. This would allow Adelbert to recharge his batteries. He had spent the best part of a year juggling his full-time job and recording his debut album. Sometimes, Adelbert had worked into the wee small hours of the morning. So he was due a break. Little did Adelbert realise as he journeyed to Norborg, that his short break would later, provide the inspiration for his much-anticipated sophomore album.
On his return to Lübeck, Adelbert Von Deyen began work on his sophomore album, which he decided to call Norborg. His holiday provided plenty of inspiration for an album. On Side One, which Adelbert decided to call Moonrise, he decided to replicate sounds of life on Norborg from the moment the moon begins to rise. To do this, Adelbert decided to recreate the sound of nature and the elements taking their toll on Norborg. He remembered the wind blowing, eddying and swirling. Meanwhile, Seagulls cry and protest as they battled the buffeting wind. Other times, Adelbert remembered a calmness that descended. This brought with it a sense of serenity that he planned to replicate in a ruminative, ethereal and elegiac soundscape. It would invite introspection and reflection. Then on the B-Side, Adelbert planned to recreate a ferocious blizzard that he had witnessed during his break. This he decided to call Iceland. Having plotted the ideas for his sophomore album, Adelbert Von Deyen headed into his Turm-Studio, in Lübeck.
That was where Adelbert Von Deyen kept his enviable array of instruments. He was gradually adding new equipment to the studio. He would play on Norborg, a variety of instruments. This would include his ARP Odyssey, It was joined by a Farfisa String Orchestra, Hohner Electronic Piano, Farfisa Organ and Rhythm-Computer. These instruments were recorded into a Revox A 77 Taperecorder and mixed using a Roland Mixer. Gradually, the album began to shape.
Eventually, Norborg was completed. By then, Adelbert Von Deyen had written, recorded, played each instrument, produced and mixed Norborg. This was quite incredible, considering Adelbert was still a relative newcomer to music. He was making up for lost time.
With Norborg complete, Adelbert Von Deyen turned his attention to the album cover. Just like Sternzeit, Adelbert painted a picture that became the album cover to Norborg. This distinctive painting depicts perfectly the music on Norborg.
Now that the album was completed, Adelbert Von Deyen delivered the album to Günter Körber at Sky Records. Just like Sternzeit, he was won over by the music on Norborg. Its release was scheduled for later in 1979.
Before that, copies of Norborg were sent to critics. They too, were won over by the music on Norborg and the album received critical acclaim. That was no surprise.
Norborg is evocative, ethereal, elegiac and has a cinematic quality. So much so, that it’s possible to imagine the moon rising over Norborg as nature and the elements take centre-stage on Moonrise. Synths swirl, replicating the gusts of eddying winds, before the sound of seagulls battle the buffeting winds. Meanwhile, Adelbert Von Deyen continues to improvise, sculpting and carefully creating the ruminative, introspective, meditative and sometimes dramatic soundscape that is Moonrise.
Iceland where Adelbert Von Deyen recreates the ferocious blizzard he witnessed during his holiday in Norborg. What follows is the perfect musical storm. To create this, he deploys his arsenal of instruments effectively and creates an authentic sounding soundscape. It builds, ebbing and flowing, veering between dramatic to wistful and melancholy. Always, there’s a cinematic quality to this second ambient soundscape. It finds Adelbert successfully combining ambient, avant-garde, Berlin School and electronica on much-anticipated sophomore album Norburg. Its ethereal beauty was sure to find an audience.
That proved to be the case. When Norborg was released by Sky Records later in 1979, it was to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. Norborg sold reasonably well, outselling many similar albums. It also surpassed the success of Adelbert Von Deyen’s debut album Sternzeit. The Adelbert Von Deyen success story would continue into the eighties.
Atmosphere.
Having released Norborg, there was no chance that Adelbert Von Deyen would rest on his laurels. He was already contemplating his third album. This would be an album where Adelbert sonically explored the subject of Atmosphere, which lent its name to the album. To help Adelbert on what was essentially a concept album, he enlisted the help of a few musical friends.
This included drummer Wolfgang Zabba Lindner. In the early seventies, he had previously been a member of the progressive rock band Tomorrow’s Gift. They released their eponymous debut album in 1970, with their sophomore album Goodbye Future following in 1973. That marked the end of Tomorrow’s Gift’s recording career. However, in 1974 Wolfgang collaborated with Carsten Bohn on an experimental percussive album Vollbedienung Of Percussion. It was released in 1974 and hailed an innovative album. Six years later, he joined forces with Adelbert Von Deyen.
When work began on Atmosphere, Adelbert Von Deyen headed to Studio Norgaard in August 1979. This would become a second home for him. Apart from the drums on Time Machine and Silverrain, Adelbert deployed his trusty synths on Atmosphere Part I and Atmosphere Part II. Both were four part suites, where swathes of glacial and ethereal synths were layered and glide elegiacally as sustained drones are added. Sometimes, they seem omnipresent as they last for minutes on end. Just like drums beats and a myriad of effects, they play an important part in the sound and success of Atmosphere. Adelbert worked tirelessly honing and sculpting the atmospheric soundscapes. Eventually, after eleven months work, Adelbert completed his work on Atmosphere in June 1980. He dispatched the tapes to Lars Hidde in Hamburg
At the Star Studio, Hamburg, Lars Hidde added a few finishing touches to Atmosphere. After that, he mixed and mastered Atmosphere. Now that Adelbert Von Deyen’s third album Atmosphere was completed, it was sent to Günter Körber at Sky Records.
Having listened to Atmosphere, he scheduled the release for later in 1980. Günter Körber liked what he heard, and decided to that Time-Machine should be released as the lead single. This would test the water, and give some indication of whether Atmosphere would be a commercial success.
Upon the release of Time-Machine, the instrumental gave Adelbert Von Deyen his first hit single. Eventually, 50,000 copies of Time-Machine were sold. Adelbert Von Deyen’s had never been higher. This bode well for the release of Atmosphere. Before that, the critics had their say on Adelbert Von Deyen’s third album.
The critics spoke as one, calling Atmosphere, Adelbert Von Deyen’s finest album. Many critics referred to the album as an epic, others went further, calling Atmosphere a Magnus Opus. No wonder.
Atmosphere begins with the pulsating, hypnotic Electro-Krautrock of Time-Machine. Synths buzz, adding an almost futuristic sound, while swathes glacial synths add the melody. Silverrain with its ethereal, ambient sound, meanders melodically along. Beauty is omnipresent on this atmospheric soundscape. Atmosphere Part 1 is a three part cinematic soundscape, where Sunrise gives way to Altitude Flight and Astralis. Swathes of glacial synths and drones combine with sound effects to create a soundscapes that are variously elegiac, crystalline, dramatic, moody and futuristic. Always, they captivate with their timeless and cinematic sound. It’s a similar case with Atmosphere, Pt. II, which is a five part sci-fi suite. What follows is a voyage of discover as Skywards gives way to Spaces of Infinity then Crystal Clouds, Voices of Infinity and Dawn. Without doubt, this twenty-two minute epic is one of the finest moments not just of Atmosphere, but Adelbert Von Deyen’s three album career. Record buyers agreed.
Upon Atmosphere’s release later in 1980, record buyers across Germany sought out Adelbert Von Deyen’s third album. It had received ringing endorsements from each and every critic. They confidently told record buyers that Atmosphere was Adelbert Von Deyen’s finest hour. When record buyers heard Atmosphere, they too agreed that Atmosphere was indeed, Adelbert Von Deyen’s Magnus Opus. In Germany, Atmosphere became Adelbert Von Deyen’s biggest selling album.
Elsewhere, Adelbert Von Deyen’s music was growing in popularity. Especially in Britain and France, where both Krautrock and Berlin School were popular. The Adelbert Von Deyen success story continued. He had come a long way in just two years.
By 1980, Adelbert Von Deyen was well on his way to becoming one of Germany’s most successful musicians. He was helping popularise the music of the Berlin School. This he did with his hit single Time-Machine. It sold 50,000 copies and was a staple of German radio for part of 1980. Suddenly, many German record buyers were hearing the music of the Berlin School for the first time. It wasn’t new. The Berlin School had been around since the early seventies. However, very few of its practitioners had enjoyed widespread commercial success.
Time-Machine and the album it was taken from, Atmosphere were the exception rather, than the rule. Suddenly, it looked liked Adelbert Von Deyen was about to become one of the biggest names in German music. He certainly had the talent.
Proof of this is the music on Norborg and Atmosphere, which were recently reissued by Bureau B. Both album were the result of many months of hard work and dedication. In his home studio, gradually, Adelbert Von Deyen. honed and sculpted two of his finest albums, Norborg and Atmosphere. They’re variously atmospheric, cinematic, elegiac and ethereal. Occasionally an element of drama and darkness is introduced. So too are futuristic, sci-fi sounds. Sometimes the soundscapes reveal a melancholy, wistful sound. They’re sometimes ruminative and invite introspection and reflection. There’s also beauty, sense of melancholia and wistfulness Norborg and Atmosphere. Both albums reveals nuances secrets and subtleties aplenty, on two classic albums from Berlin School pioneer Adelbert Von Deyen.
He’s one of the few artists whose first three albums are now regarded as genre classics. Sternzeit in 1978 started the ball rolling, with Norborg following in 1979. It became Adelbert Von Deyen’s second classic album. However, Atmosphere was Adelbert Von Deyen’s finest hour. It was his Magnus Opus, and the album all of his future albums would be compared too. With its mixture of ambient, avant-garde, Berlin School, electronica, experimental and Krautrock, Atmosphere was a career defining album from Berlin School pioneer, Adelbert Von Deyen.
ADELBERT VON DEYEN-NORBORG AND ATMOSPHERE.
GEOFF MULDAUR-IS HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME AND MOTION.
GEOFF MULDAUR-IS HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME AND MOTION.
After leaving Paul Butterfield’s Better Days in 1975, Geoff Muldaur decided to resume his solo career. So he signed to Warner Bros. and began work on what would be the followup to his 1964 debut album Sleepy Man Blues.
Later in 1975, Geoff Muldaur released his much anticipated sophomore album, Is Having A Wonderful Time on the Reprise Records imprint. It was an eclectic album with widespread commercial appeal. So was the second album Geoff released for Reprise Records. This was his third album Motion, which was released in 1976. Sadly, it was the last album Geoff Muldaur would release on Reprise Records.
Forty years after Geoff Muldaur released Motion, it’s receiving a welcome reissue. Both Is Having A Wonderful Time and Motion have been digitally remastered and are being reissued by BGO Records on one disc. These two albums were another chapter in the career of Geoff Muldaur.
He was born in Pelham, New York, on August 12th 1943. Growing up, Geoff Muldaur developed a love music. This lead to Geoff learning to play the guitar. Soon, he developed into a talented blues guitarist. Little did he realise that this would be how he would make a living.
Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band.
Geoff Muldaur’s musical career began in the early sixties, while he was living in Boston. That was where he first met Jim Kweskin, who founded Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band. It would eventually become a nine piece band, that nowadays, is regarded is the original Americana band.
To create this new sound, Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band incorporated a variety of different musical genres into their music. Elements of blues, country, folk were combined with the influence of the jug bands of the thirties and even ragtime and rock ’n’ roll.This unique fusion of musical genres and influences made Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band stand out from the crowd.
During the early sixties, Boston’s music scene was thriving. A number of jug bands played in the pubs and clubs of Boston. However, Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band were a cut above the competition. They were a tight and talented band who were young, enthusiastic and energetic. It was only a matter of time before a record company signed them up.
That proved to be the case. In 1963, Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band signed to Vanguard. Later in 1963, Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band released their eponymous debut album. Its mixture of blues, country, folk and ragtime was well received by critics, and found favour within the folk community. The only downside was that the album hadn’t reached a wider audience. However, when Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band returned to the studio, their number would have risen from five to seven.
In 1964, Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band recruited a new vocalist and violinist, Maria D’Amato. Soon, Geoff Muldaur began a relationship with Maria D’Amato, and later in 1964, the pair married. By then, Geoff had released his debut solo album Sleepy Man Blues on Prestige Folklore.
The Solo Years Begin-Sleepy Man Blues.
Given Geoff Muldaur’s love of blues music, it was no surprise that he decided to record a blues album for Prestige Folkways. For the twenty-one year old blues guitarist and vocalist, this could be the perfect showcase for his considerable skills. Especially if he chose the right songs.
For his debut album Sleepy Man Blues, Geoff Muldaur decided to record twelve blues songs by some giants of the Delta Blues. This included Lonnie Johnson’s Jelly Roll Baker; Blind Willie Johnson’s The Rain Don’ Fall On Me; Bukka White’s Sleepy Man Blues, Good Gin Blues and Aberdeen, Mississippi Blues; Jim Jackson’s This Morning She Was Gone and I Have Had My Fun. They were joined by Robert Hick’s Motherless Chile Blues; Peg Leg Powell’s Georgia Skin Game and Sleepy John Estes’ Everbody Ought To Make A Change and Drop Down Mama. These songs were recorded with bassist Fritz Richmond and Eric Von Schmidt on mandolin and harmonica. Once the twelve songs were recorded, they became Sleepy Man Blues.
Upon its release later in 1964, Geoff Muldaur’s debut album Sleepy Man Blues was well received by the critics. The album found a following within the blues and folk community. However, it failed to make much of an impression with the wider record buying public. So Geoff returned to Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band.
Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band.
A year later in 1965, the Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band returned to the studio to record their sophomore album. It featured the debut of vocalist and violinist Maria Muldaur. When the album was completed, it became Jug Band Music.
Later in 1965, Vanguard released Jug Band Music. It was a similar to story to Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band, with the album being well received by critics. Especially the cover of Memphis, where the song is rem imagined by Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band. Despite a resurgence in interest in folk music, Jug Band failed to find a wider audience. Despite this Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band were influencing a number of band, including members of the Grateful Dead.
After the release of Jug Band Music, Jim Kweskin decided to launch his solo career during 1966. The recorded and released his debut album Relax Your Mind in 1966. Then in 1967, work began on Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band’s third album See Reverse Side For Title.
By then, Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band had signed to Elektra, which home to many of music’s rising stars. Executives at Elektra hoped that Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band would become the label’s latest rising stars. However, music was changing, and changing fast. Folk rock and psychedelia had overtaken folk in popularity. This didn’t bode well for the release of See Reverse Side For Title in 1967.
Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band decided not to change their trademark sound. However, they decided to use a heavier production style. This they hoped would make the album relevant and appeal to a new audience. However, the results were somewhat mixed. When See Reverse Side For Title was released, the album wasn’t the commercial success Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band had hoped.
It was the end of the line for Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band. They split-up after the release of See Reverse Side For Title. Meanwhile, Maria and Geoff Muldaur signed to Reprise.
Maria and Geoff Muldaur.
Maria and Geoff Muldaur could’ve and should’ve enjoyed much more critical acclaim and commercial success than they did. Geoff was a talented and versatile guitarist. Although blues was his first love musically, he could seamlessly flit between genres. So could Maria as she breathed life and meaning into lyrics. She did this on the two albums Maria and Geoff Muldaur recorded and release two albums for Reprise.
The first of these was Pottery Pie in 1970. When it was released in 1970, commercial success eluded Pottery Pie. However, the couple weren’t lacking in talent, and surely, a success couldn’t be far away?
Two years later, and the followup Sweet Potatoes was released. While reviews of Sweet Potatoes were mostly positive, history repeated itself. Again, commercial success passed Sweet Potatoes by. However, by then Maria and Geoff’s relationship was at end. They would divorce later in 1972. By then, a new chapter in Geoff’s career had begun.
Paul Butterfield’s Better Days.
Next stop for Geoff Muldaur was the Paul Butterfield’s Better Days. This was the group Paul Butterfield formed after the break-up of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. For Geoff, Paul Butterfield’s Better Days would be his musical home for the next few years.
Joining Paul and Geoff in the lineup of Paul Butterfield’s Better Days were Amos Garrett, Bill Rich, Chris Parker and Ronnie Barron. With its stellar, multi-talented lineup, Paul Butterfield’s Better Days were the band that should’ve become one of the biggest bands of the seventies.
Sadly, the story of Paul Butterfield’s Better Days is one of what might have been. They released just two studio albums during 1973. The first was Better Days, with It All Comes Back following later in 1973. Of the two albums, Better Days is considered one of the great lost albums. It showcases the considerable talents of what was more than a blues rock band.
Paul Butterfield’s Better Days’ combined various sub-genres of
blues, including boogie-woogie, cosmopolitan, New Orleans and rural with country, R&B and even, soul. Their unique sound, meant that Paul Butterfield’s Better Days became a popular live draw. However, by 1975 Geoff time with Paul Butterfield’s Better Days was over. Geoff Muldaur decided to resume his solo career
The Solo Years-Part Two.
Later in 1975, Geoff Muldaur signed to Warner Bros. Never before had he been signed to a major label. This was unknown territory. However, Warner Bros had the financial and marketing muscle to bring Geoff’s music to the attention of the wider record buying public. So he began work on the followup to his 1964 debut album Sleepy Hollow Blues.
Is Having A Wonderful Time.
For his sophomore album Is Having A Wonderful Time, Geoff Muldaur wrote Why Should I Love You? The other eight songs were cover versions. They were an eclectic selection of songs, including some that would be familiar to many record buyers.
None more so than Carl Smith, Gary Jackson and Raynard Miner’s Higher and Higher, which gave Jackie Wilson a hit single. It was joined by Al Lewis and Al Sherman’s Livin’ In The Sunlight (Lovin’ In The Moonlight); Andy Razaf and Don Redman’s Gee Baby Ain’t I Good To You; Dorothy Love Coates’ 99 1/2 and Robert Denham and Miklós Rózsa’s I Want To Be A Sailor. The other songs Geoff chose were Pam Carrier and Merl Saunders’ Wondering Why, Walter Vinson’s Jailbird Love Song; Huey “Piano” Smith and John Vincent’s High Blood Pressure and Bobby Charles’ Tennessee Blues. These nine songs were recorded A&R Studios, New York.
To produce what became Is Having A Wonderful Time, Geoff Muldaur was joined by producer Joe Boyd and engineer John Wood. Both were vastly experienced and successful. This was the perfect partnership to kickstart Geoff’s career. Joining him, was a huge all-star band.
At least sixty musicians and backing vocalists would eventually work on Is Having A Wonderful Time. The band’s lineup changed from track to track. However, on every track Geoff Muldaur was working with top musicians. This ranged from musicians Geoff had played with previously, a few of his friends and many of New York’s top session players. It was an impressive and enviable array of musical talent.
Included in Geoff’s all-star band, were drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, bassist Ron Carter, guitarists Amos Garrett, lead guitarists Cornell Dupree, Billy Butler and Richard Thompson. John Cale formerly of the Velvet Underground, played viola; Bob Siggins of Jim Kweskin and The Jug Band played banjo and Geoff’s ex-wife Maria Muldaur played violin and added backing vocals. They were joined by a horn section, backing vocalists and The Capitol City Stars. With such an abundance of talent on display, Warner Bros. must have had high hopes for Is Having A Wonderful Time, once it was completed.
With Is Having A Wonderful Time completed, now the might of Warner Bros’ marketing machine could get behind the album. It was due to be released later in 1975 on Warner Bros’ Reprise Records’ imprint. Before that, critics had their say on Is Having A Wonderful Time.
On receiving their copies of Is Having A Wonderful Time, critics discovered a truly eclectic album. Geoff Muldaur transports the listener back in time, as he croons his way through Livin In The Sunlight and Gee Baby Aint I Good To You. This gives way to the funky blues of 99 1/2. Jazz and blues then combine on I Want To Be A Sailor, as Geoff delivers a needy, hopeful vocal. Higher and Higher is totally transformed as the tempo is dropped, and horns punctuate what becomes a joyous ballad. It’s followed by Wondering Why, a spacious, jazz-tinged ballad, where Geoff breathes meaning and emotion into the lyrics. Jailbird Love Song finds Geoff and band seamlessly fusing elements of blues and country to create a heady musical brew. The same can be said of High Blood Pressure where elements of boogie-woogie, blues and jazz combine head-on, Closing Is Having A Wonderful Time, is a beautiful, understated cover of Bobby Charles’ Tennessee Blues. Without doubt, the best has been kept until last on this captivating album.
Given the quality and variety of music on Is Having A Wonderful Time, it was no surprise that the album received critical acclaim from the critics. This was half the battle. However, how would record buying public react?
Is Having A Wonderful Time was released later in 1975. Alas, the album wasn’t a success and failed to even trouble the charts. Geoff Muldaur’s genre-melting album Is Having A Wonderful Time, slipped under the musical radar. For Geoff, this was a huge disappointment.
Motion.
Despite the disappointing sales of Is Having A Wonderful Time, Geoff Muldaur began work on the followup album, Motion. He chose another nine songs. This included a couple of familiar songs, Southern Nights and I Don’t Want To Talk About It. These tracks had given Glen Campbell and Rod Stewart hit singles. Now was the time for Geoff to rework them. Among the other tracks he decided to record on Motion, were Let It Out, Since I’ve Been With You Babe, What Do You Want The Girl To Do? Motion, When You Touch Me This You, Why Don’t We Live Together and Hooray For Hollywood. These songs were recorded with a different producer, Trevor Lawrence.
He replaced producer Joe Boyd, who had produced Is Having A Wonderful Time. Another change was that the huge, all-star band had been scaled back. Maybe Warner Bros. were having second thoughts about Geoff Muldaur and were scaling back the budget?
Still though, Geoff Muldaur was accompanied by a tight, talented band. Their lineup changed throughout the album. However, what had changed was the quality of musicians in Geoff’s band. It included drummers Jim Keltner and Ed Greene; bassists James Jamerson and Klaus Voormann plus guitarists Dean Parks, Dennis Coffey and Jesse Ed Davis. They were joined by saxophonist Bobby Keys, keyboardist Dr John and Bonnie Raitt who featured on two songs, Since I’ve Been With You Babe and Motion. Geoff and his new band and producer got to work. Eventually, nine songs were recorded and became Motion.
Reprise Records scheduled the release of Motion later in 1976. Before that, critics received copies of Motion. They had given Geoff’s previous album their seal of approval. Geoff and executives at Warner Bros held their breath while they awaiting the reviews. Bad reviews had the potential to kill an album.
Motion opened with Let It Out, a driving and irresistible fusion of blues, country, funk and rock where Geoff sound not unlike John Fogerty. Since I’ve Been With You Babe is another uptempo track, where Bonnie Raitt proves the perfect foil to Geoff. They combine to create a slick, radio friendly track. What Do You Want The Girl To Do is the first of the ballads on Motion, and marries elements of AOR with country and soaring gospel harmonies. It’s one of the highlights of Motion. So too is Motion, which is another ballad. It marks the return of Bonnie Raitt, who provides the perfect accompaniment to Geoff’s vocal on this understated and beautiful ballad. After this, it’s all change.
The tempo rises on When You Touch Me This Way, where the hooks haven’t been rationed as rock combines with funk. Geoff’s band create a funky backdrop as sultry and soaring harmonies accompany him. This results in another slick, radio friendly track. It’s a similar case with Why Don’t We Live Together, where elements of AOR, country and pop stylings combine seamlessly. Southern Nights is then reinvented as the tempo drops, and Geoff delivers a languid, heartfelt cover. He stays true to the original of I Don’t Want To Talk About It. So much so, it’s as if he’s lived the hurt and heartache. Closing motion is a string-drenched cover of Hooray For Hollywood. It bursts into life, with a piano, harp and harmonies playing a leading role as Geoff Muldaur takes his bow with this dance-floor friendly track.
Critics were won over by Motion, which continued to showcase Geoff Muldaur’s versatility. He was equally at home on the uptempo tracks as he was on the ballads. Motion was a slick, polished album that was commercial and radio friendly. More so than its predecessor, Is Having A Wonderful Time. Surely, the much more commercial, radio friendly Motion would transform the fortunes of Geoff Muldaur?
Sadly, it wasn’t to be. History reposted itself and Motion failed to chart. It was the wrong album at the wrong time. Again, music was changing, and changing fast. Rock was still King, but disco was growing in popularity by 1976. Punk had just reared its ugly head and the repercussions were already being felt. Sadly, it was a similar case for Geoff Muldaur.
Following the commercial failure of Motion, Geoff Muldaur was dropped by Warner Bros. He been with the label since 1975, and released two hugely underrated albums, Is Having A Wonderful Time and Motion. They’ve been digitally remastered and have recently been reissued by BGO Records on one disc. This is the perfect opportunity to discover two hidden musical gems.
They’re two very different albums. On Is Having A Wonderful Time, Geoff and his band combine elements of blues, boogie-woogie, country, folk, gospel, R&B and rock. Then on Motion, Geoff is steered in different directions by his new producer Trevor Lawrence. Motion takes on a much slicker, radio friendly, commercial sound. Geoff combines AOR and country with gospel, pop and rock. Ballads rub shoulders with uptempo tracks on Motion which should’ve caught the imagination of the record buying public. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.
After just two albums, Is Having A Wonderful Time and Motion, Geoff Muldaur left Warner Bros. It was a case of what might have been for Geoff Muldaur? He was and still is a hugely talented and versatile vocalist. That’s apparent from his much anticipated sophomore album Is Having A Wonderful Time, and the followup Motion. They showcase the different sides to Geoff Muldaur on two hidden musical gems, Is Having A Wonderful Time, and the followup Motion.
GEOFF MULDAUR-IS HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME AND MOTION.
JETHRO TULL-STAND UP AND AQUALUNG BOX SETS.
JETHRO TULL-STAND UP AND AQUALUNG BOX SETS.
When Jethro Tull were formed in December 1967, little did they realise that this was the beginning of a adventure that would last five decades. Jethro went on to release thirty-eight studio albums. This includes their debut album This Was.
Just fifteen months after they were first formed, Jethro Tull released This Was in February 1969. It reached number ten in Britain and sixty-two in America. For a relatively new group, this regarded as a success.
Seven months later, Jethro Tull released their sophomore album Stand Up in September 1969. It reached number one Britain and gave Jethro Tull their first gold disc in America. Commercially Stand Up was a landmark album, and taste of what was in store for Jethro Tull in the future.
The commercial success continued when Jethro Tull released their third album, Benefit in April 1970. It followed in the footsteps of Stand Up, and was certified gold in America. This would pale in comparison compared to the success of their fourth album, Aqualung.
Jethro Tull released Aqualung in March 1971. Aqualung sold three million copies in America, and was certified triple platinum. This surpassed the success of their three previous albums. Not only was Aqualung was the most successful album of their career, but it marked the coming of age of Jethro Tull. It became classic album, and regarded as one of the most important albums of Jethro Tull’s career.
Aqualung is one of two Jethro Tull box sets that were recently released as box sets by Chrysalis. The first is Stand Up-The Elevated Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition which was remixed by Steven Wilson. It’s part of a two CD and one DVD set. Meanwhile, Aqualung-40th Anniversary Adapted Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition is a two CD and two DVD set.. Both Stand Up and Aqualung were important albums in the long and illustrious career of Jethro Tull.
The origins of Jethro Tull can be traced to Blackpool, in 1962, That’s when Ian Anderson formed his first group Blades. Originally a four piece, featuring Ian Anderson on vocals and harmonica, they became a quintet in 1963 and sextet in 1964. By that time, they were a blue eyed soul band. After three years, the band decided to head to London.
Having moved to London, the band split-up within a short time. Just Ian Anderson and bassist Glen McCornick were left. This proved a blessing in disguise. They were soon joined by blues guitarist Mick Abrahams and drummer Clive Bunker. This was the lineup that featured on their debut album This Was. That was still to come.
Before that, the band had to settle on a name. Various names were tried. Then someone at a booking agent christened them Jethro Tull, after the eighteenth century agriculturalist. Not long after that, Ian Anderson acquired his first flute.
Up until then, Ian Anderson played just harmonica and was trying to learn to play the guitar. He realized wasn’t a great guitarist though. So, decided the world had enough mediocre guitarists, decided to expand his musical horizons. So he bought his flute. Little did he realize this would be one of Jethro Tull’s trademarks. After a couple of weeks, Ian had picked up the basics of the flute. He was learning as he played. Not long after this, Jethro Tull released their debut single.
Sunshine Day was penned by Mick Abrahams, with Derek Lawrence producing the single. On its release, the single was credited to Jethro Toe. It seemed thing weren’t going right for Jethro Tull. The single wasn’t a commercial success and failed to chart. Despite this disappointment, thing got better when they released their debut album This Was.
This Was.
Recording of This Was took place at Sound Techniques in London. The sessions began on 13th June 1968, and finished on 23rd August 1968. Unlike later albums, Jethro Tull recorded This Was on a tight budget. Only £1,200 was spent recording Jethro Tull’s debut album This Was. This money would soon be recouped when This Was released.
Having released their debut album This Was in 25th October 1968, it reached number ten in the UK. This Was was well received by critics. They were won over by Jethro Tull’s fusion of blues rock, R&B and jazz. This lead to This Was being launched at the Marquee Club.
Jethro Tull were only the third band to launch their debut album at the Marquee Club. The other two were The Rolling Stones and The Who. Both were now amongst the biggest bands in the world. They had certainly conquered America. So would Jethro Tull.
When This was released in the US on 3rd February 1969, it reached just number sixty-two in the US Billboard. 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.
Prior to the recording of Stand Up, Jethro Tull’s sophomore album, Mick Abrahams left the band. Mick and Ian Anderson disagreed over the future direction of Jethro Tull. The problem was, Mick wanted Jethro Tull to stick with blues rock. Ian Anderson realised there was no real future in blues rock. He wanted to take Jethro Tull in different directions, exploring a variety of musical genres. So Mick left Jethro Tull and was replaced by Michael Barre. Neither Mick nor Michael realised that Jethro Tull’s sophomore album Stand Up would be a game changer for the band.
Stand Up-The Elevated Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition.
Following the departure of Mick Abrahams, who was replaced by Michael Barre work began on Jethro Tull’s sophomore album. It would be very different to This Was.
Stand Up was a much more eclectic album. Ian Anderson, who was now the primary songwriter, penned nine of the ten tracks. He drew inspiration from everything from blues rock, Celtic, classical, folk and rock. The 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 at Morgan Studios on the 17th April 1969. Unlike many bands in the late sixties, Jethro Tull were a disciplined and organised band. Each morning, they arrived at the studios around 9am, and would work until 5pm. By then, they would worked on at least one, but more likely two songs. This disciplined and organised approach worked. Before long, the early sessions produced A New Day Yesterday, Back To The Family, Fat Man and Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square. Everything was going well until April 24th, when Jethro Tull were told that Morgan Studios was double booked.
Olympic Studios was free, so Jethro Tull made the journey to South London. It was well worthwhile, with Jethro Tull recording Bourée during their brief stay at Olympic Studios. The next day, April 25th, Jethro Tull returned to Morgan Studios.
Recording continued through to May 1969. Stand Up was almost finished. Three months later, Jethro Tull briefly reconvened at Morgan Studios in August 1969. Soon, Stand Up was ready for release in September 1969. Before that, critics had their say on Stand Up.
Before the release of Stand Up in September 1969, reviews of the album were positive. The musicianship and production were praised. So were Ian Anderson’s lyrics. Some of the songs dealt with his relationship with his parents. Especially on Back To The Family and For A Thousand Mothers. Other songs, including Fat Man and Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square, are best described as observational poetry. Then on We Used To Know, Ian Anderson remembers the early days of the band as they struggled to make a breakthrough. Ian Anderson it seemed, was already maturing as a songwriter. Meanwhile, Jethro Tull’s music was beginning to evolve.
Whilst there was still a blues rock sound on Stand Up, Jethro Tull were expanding their musical palette. Elements of Celtic, classical, folk and rock can be heard throughout the album. The blues rock of This Was, can be heard on A New Day Yesterday and Nothing Is Easy. Elsewhere, Jethro Tull stretch their legs musically. Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square combines elements of traditional Celtic with folk music. This folk sound features on Fat Man and Reasons For Waiting. However, on Bouree Back To The Family and Look Into The Sun Jethro Tull move towards folk rock. It’s combined with a more traditional rock sound on We Used To Know and For A Thousand Mothers. This new and more eclectic sound struck a nerve with critics and record buyers.
On its release in September 1969, Stand Up reached number twenty in the US Billboard 200 Charts and number twenty in Britain. This resulted not just in the start of Jethro Tull’s first gold disc of their career and the beginning of a golden period in their career.
The album that marked the beginning of this golden period was recently released as The Elevated Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition of Stand Up. Disc one features the original album remixed and remastered by Steven Wilson. He has remastered several Jethro Tull albums, and as usual, has done a good job. Stand Up certainly has’t become a victim of the loudness wars. However, remastering was only part of Steven Wilson remit.
Steven Wilson’s remixes result in a quite different album. His mix is larger, wider and has a more open sound the than original album. There’s a greater degree of separation, while some instruments sounding much clearer. That’s apparent from A New Yesterday, which is a taste of what’s to come. However, there lies a subject that will always provoke debate, remixing an entire album. Maybe the way to view The Elevated Edition isn’t as a replacement to an original copy, but something to complement it.
Complimenting the remastered and remixed version of Stand Up on disc ore are six bonus tracks. This includes the 1969 single mono version of Living in the Past and the Morgan version of Bourée. There’s also four tracks recorded for a BBC Session, Bourée, A New Day Yesterday, Nothing Is Easy and Fat Man. These were likely recorded in June 1969, just as Jethro Tull were completing recording Stand Up. They’re welcome additions and complete disc one.
Disc two features Jethro Tull in concert at the Stockholm Konserthurst, 9th January 1969. Other tracks include mono single versions of Living in the Past and Driving Song. The DVD features 5.1 surround mix, a flat transfer of the original stereo album, film footage and Jethro Tull live at the Stockholm Konserthurst,on 9th January 1969. However, by December 1969, Jethro Tull were about to record another album in this golden period, Benefit.
Benefit.
Following the commercial success of Stand Up, Jethro Tull returned to the studio in December 1969. Ian Anderson had written ten new tracks. These ten tracks were recorded at Morgan Studios, London. For the first time, Ian Anderson was the sole producer of a Jethro Tull album. He started as he meant to go on, producing what would become a much more experimental, and darker album, Benefit. It was completed in January 1970 and release in April and May 1970.
Before the release of Benefit, the critics had their say. They remarked upon the much more experimental sound of Benefit. Ian Anderson had allowed Jethro Tull more freedom to express themselves. He also wanted Benefit to have a live sound. This shines through. So, does Benefit’s darker sound. This 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, this didn’t affect sales.
When Jethro Tull released Benefit in the America. It was released 20th April 1970, and reached number eleven in the US Billboard 200 Charts. This meant another gold disc for Jethro Tull. However, how would British record buyers react to Benefit?
Already, Jethro Tull were more popular in America, than in Britain. Stand Up, Jethro Tull’s previous album was more successful in America, than Britain. It seemed American record buyers “got” Jethro Tull more than their British counterparts. Benefit just reinforced this. Upon its release on May 1st 1970, Benefit reached number three in Britain. While there was no gold disc, Jethro Tull were on a roll, and about to release a classic album.
Aqualung-40th Anniversary Adapted Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition.
By December 1970, Jethro Tull had just returned from their American tour. They were on a gruelling schedule, where they recorded an album, then embarked upon long, exhausting tours. It wasn’t ideal, and already, Ian Anderson wasn’t enjoying the months away from home. He missed his friends and family. However, this was one of the downsides of being a member of one of the most successful rock bands in the world. So, while others were readying themselves for the forthcoming festive season, Ian Anderson and the rest of Jethro Tull were about to begin recording their fourth album, Aqualung.
Despite Jethro Tull’s gruelling touring schedule, Ian Anderson’s creativity hadn’t been stifled. Far from it. Ian returned with the lyrics to Jethro Tull’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 members, would transform Jethro Tull’s fortunes.
As Jethro Tull arrived at Island Studios in December 1970, two new members made their debut. Keyboardist John Evans and bassist Jeffrey Hammond were the latest recruits to Jethro Tull. Right through to February 1970, Jethro Tull recorded their most cerebral and philosophical album. Aqualung was produced by Ian Anderson and Terry Ellis. It was 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 some trepidation amongst the executives at Chrysalis and Reprise. After all, concept albums were controversial. However, what about a concept album that examined ”the distinction between religion and God?”
As copies of Aqualung were sent out to critics, executives at Chrysalis and Reprise awaited their reviews with baited breath. They need not have worried. Most of the reviews were positive. Reviews remarked upon the quality of the music, the standard of the musicianship and Ian Anderson’s lyrics. Many critics hailed Aqualung Jethro Tull’s finest album. It was certainly one of their most eclectic.
Throughout Aqualung, Jethro Tull combined progressive rock with folk, blues, hard rock and even psychedelia. The music features Jethro Tull at their most cerebral as they explore the distinction between religion and God.
On Aqualung, Ian Anderson comes of age as a songwriter. Sometimes, his lyrics are introspective, other times, there’s irreverence to them. Both sides of Ian Anderson can be heard the case on My God, Hymn 43 and Wind-Up. Other times, the lyrics are observational and character based. An example is Cross-Eyed Mary, about a teenage prostitute and Aqualung which tells the story of an elderly homeless man. A couple of songs Ian Anderson based on his own experiences. This includes Cheap Day Return, which he based upon visiting his critically ill father. This song would become part of Aqualung, a classic and cerebral album. Aqualung was music for the mind, and music that critics and record buyers worldwide would embrace.
On the release of Aqualung on 19th March 1971, it reached number seven in the US Billboard 200, and was certified triple platinum. Across the Atlantic, Aqualung reached number four in Britain. Elsewhere, Aqualung reached number five in Germany, and was certified gold. In total, Aqualung sold over seven million copies. Forty-five years later, Aqualung 40th Anniversary Adapted Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition has been reissued by Chrysalis.
The 40th Anniversary Adapted Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition of Aqualung follows a similar formula to Stand Up. Disc one features a remastered and remixed version of the original album. Again, Steven Wilson appears to have taken great care with the remastering. It’s certainly not over loud and has a punchiness. Comparing the album to the 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition version, the remix version seems slightly larger and wider. There’s also a slightly more open sound than the 2011 remaster. This remix also benefits from a greater degree of separation, while some of the instruments much clearer. However, this remix won’t suit everyone, and just like the remix of Stand Up is bound to promote debate. That’s why the 40th Anniversary Adapted Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition of Aqualung should be seen as something to compliment the original album. It’s definitely not a replacement for the original album, which was how Jethro Tull intended the album to sound. Having said that, it’s a worthwhile addition to a collection and would make the perfect companion to the 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition of Aqulung.
There’s much more to the 40th Anniversary Adapted Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition of Aqualung than a remix of the original album. This includes disc two, which features sixteen “associated recordings” from 1970 and 1971. This includes alternate takes of Slipstream, an early version of My God, Wind Up and Up The ‘Pool. There’s also the original EP Stereo Mixes of Life is a Long Song, Up The ‘Pool, Dr. Bogenbroom, From Later and Nursie. Other songs includes include Lick Your Fingers Clean, Just Trying To Be, a version of Wondering Aloud recorded on 13th December 1970 and Take 2 of Slipstream. Some of the songs are work-in-progress, and it’s interesting to compare them to what they eventually became. Some of the songs never found their way onto Aqualung, This will make them an interesting musical document for fans of Jethro Tull. So will the two DVDs.
DVD one features the Steven Wilson 5.1 surround and stereo mixes of the Aqualung, and associated recordings 1970-1971. In total, thirty-nine tracks feature on DVD one. This includes the “associated recordings” from 1970 and 1971. Then on DVD two, there’s flat transfer of the original album and EP, plus stereo and quadrophonic mixes. There’s also a promotional film of Life Is A Long Song promotional film with new remixed stereo soundtrack. Both the flat transfer of the album and the quadraphonic mixes are interesting musical artefacts from a musical point of view. They’re a fascinating insight into Aqualung, the album that transformed Jethro Tull. They were 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. This doesn’t happen often, even in the seventies, the heyday of the album. However, after the success of Aqualung, another member of Jethro Tull decided to call it a day.
Drummer Clive Bunker had been a member of Jethro Tull since the early days. He was part of the furniture, and replacing him wasn’t going to be easy. However, at least Clive Bunker had been able to enjoy what was the most successful album of Jethro Tull’s career, Aqualung. Following up Aqualung many critics said, wasn’t going to be easy.
Jethro Tull returned in 1972 with their fifth Thick As A Brick on the 3rd March 1972. It reached number one in Britain and five in America, where it was certified gold. Following up Aqualung hadn’t been easy. However, the Jethro Tull success story continued.
It lasted five decades. During that period, Jethro Tull released thirty-eight studio albums, nine live albums and fifteen compilations. They sold over sixty million copies. That figure continues to rise with the release of reissues.
This includes The Elevated Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition of Stand Up which were both remixed by Steven Wilson and released by Chrysalis. Stand Up is a CD and one DVD set. The 40th Anniversary Adapted Edition-Remixed and Remastered Edition of Aqualung is a two CD and two DVD box sets. Both are released in book form, and feature lengthy, detailed and informative sleeve notes. They will tell the listener everything about Stand Up, which was Jethro Tull’s breakthrough album and their classic album Aqualung. It marked a coming of age for Jethro Tull, and was the most successful album of their long and illustrious career.
That’s why Chrysalis Stand Up and Aqualung were remastered and remixed by Jethro Tull. This has provoked debate among critics and music fans. Should any album, never mind a classic album be remixed? After all, surely the original album is how Jethro Tull meant Stand Up and Aqualung to be heard? If not, why wait so long to do something about it? Therefore, are the remixes of Stand Up and Aqualung purely a money making exercise, and yet another attempt to make music fans to buy copies of albums they already own? That may sound cynical. However, it’s what many music fans are saying about remixed albums. There is another point of view.
Many people, this critic included, welcome the remixed versions of Stand Up and Aqualung. They’re welcome additions, and compliment the original albums. The remix brings new life to both albums, as Steven Wilson makes good use of 21st Century technology to give Stand Up and Aqualung a welcome makeover. Add to this, the release of myriad of different formats, bonus tracks and concerts, make Stand Up and Aqualung welcome additions to any music collection. They’re certainly not a replacement to the original version of Stand Up and Aqualung and weren’t meant to be. Instead, they belong on a collection beside the original version Stand Up and Aqualung. This will allow the listener to compare and contrast the remixed versions of Stand Up and Aqualung, to the originals, which were two of the most important albums of Jethro Tull’s five decade career.
JETHRO TULL-STAND UP AND AQUALUNG BOX SETS.
THE CHARLATANS-WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
THE CHARLATANS-WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
Between 1964 and 1969, The Charlatans’ star shawn bright. During that period, The Charlatans were larger than life mavericks. They dressed like 19th Century outlaws, and embraced the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle. L.S.D. and pot were part of The Charlatans’ diet. It fuelled The Charlatans as they took San Francisco by storm. Commercial success and critical acclaim looked a formality. It wasn’t to be.
By 1969, The Charlatans were no more. They were just the latest band that should’ve enjoyed widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. However, for whatever reason, commercial success passes these bands by. That was the case with The Charlatans whose story begins in the summer 1964.
That’s when The Charlatans were formed in San Francisco, by autoharp player George Hunter, and bassist Richard Olsen. Soon, they were joined by lead guitarist Mike Wilhelm; keyboardist Mike Ferguson and drummer Sam Linde. With the lineup complete, The Charlatans began to practice. Before long the the band realised they had a problem.
The Charlatans had an achilles heel. This was drummer Sam Linde. He just wasn’t good enough for the band moving forward. So a decision was made to replace Sam Linde. His replacement was none other that Dan Hicks. With a new, improved lineup in place, The Charlatans moved forward.
When The Charlatans began to play live, they looked like a cross between 19th Century, wild west outlaws and Victorian dandies. This image wasn’t just thrown together. It was carefully cultivated. Despite this, it soon began to prove popular with the audience at their gigs. They arrived dressed in similar attire. Little did The Charlatans realise that their stage clothes would influence the a generation.
With the hippie counter culture about to blossom, The Charlatans image would go on to influence a generation. They would dress like dandies and outlaws. By then, The Charlatans a familiar face in the San Francisco music scene.
In June 1965, The Charlatans had secured a six week residency at at the Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada.. For this residency, two members of The Charlatans had to produce a concert poster. What Mike Ferguson and George Hunter came up with, is regarded as the first psychedelic rock poster. Since then, ordinal copies of The Seed have become prized items among collectors of psychedelia. However, the Red Dog Saloon residency marked a first for The Charlatans.
During the residency, the five members of The Charlatans took L.S.D. for the first time. It wouldn’t be the last. Soon, The Charlatans had a penchant for acid, and were tripping whenever they could. Despite their penchant for acid, The Charlatans weren’t an acid rock band. They were much more than that.
Instead, The Charlatans’ music would veer between folk rock, country rock and psychedelia over the next four years. Their recording career should’ve began in September 1965.
Fresh from their residency at the Red Dog Saloon, The Charlatans had an audition Autumn Records September 1965. They didn’t sign to Tom “Big Daddy” Donahue’s label. He was a local DJ, promoter and producer. However, The Charlatans didn’t sign to Autumn. There were disputes between Tom “Big Daddy” Donahue and The Charlatans over what they would record and money. Soon, though, it became apparent that The Charlatans had had a close escape.
Autumn Records was teetering on the edge of insolvency. Financially, the cupboards were bare. Eventually, Warner Bros. bailed Autumn Records out, and The Charlatans lived to fight another day.
As 1966 dawned, The Charlatans signed to Kama Sutra Records. The Charlatans wasted no time in recording a number of songs. Once the recording sessions were complete, The Charlatans had decided that they wanted to release Codine as their lead single. That executives at Kama Sutra Records said wasn’t going to happen.
They obviously hadn’t listened to Buffy Sainte-Marie’s song about the dangers of drugs. Mistakenly, executives at Kama Sutra Records thought that Codine glorified or encouraged drug taking. So Codine wasn’t releases as a single. It features on he Limit Of The Marvellous. So does The Shadow Knows and 30-20 as The Shadow Knows E.P.
Instead of Codine, The Shadow Knows was chosen as the lead single. On the B-Side was 32-20. When The Shadow Knows was released by Kapp Records in October 1966, the label failed to adequately promote The Charlatans’ debut. Unsurprisingly, The Charlatans debut single failed. This was The Charlatans’ one and only release on Kama Sutra Records. The remainder of the songs weren’t released until 1996, when they resurfaced on the Amazing Charlatans’ album.
Following their departure from Kama Sutra Records, The Charlatans’ lineup changed. Mike Ferguson was sacked in 1967, and replaced by Patrick Gogerty. Not long after this, Dan Hicks vacated The Charlatans’ drum stool. He moved to rhythm guitar and became the lead vocalist, singing many of his own compositions. It was a time of transition for The Charlatans.
During this period, The Charlatans were mostly playing live. They didn’t have a record contract, and watched as many of their contemporaries signed with record companies and enjoyed successful careers. This was galling as The Charlatans had played at the Fillmore Auditorium, California Hall, Avalon Ballroom and Longshoreman’s Hall. They were a popular live draw, and had been since their live debut in 1965. By 1968, The Charlatans must have wondered if a record contract would elude them?
By then, The Charlatans had embraced the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle fully. Their dropped L.S.D. and smoked pot regularly. Many who enjoyed the same diet of drugs would become acid casualties. Not The Charlatans. They were still one of San Francisco’s top live bands. Then in 1968, one of The Charlatans called it a day.
In 1968, Dan Hicks decided to form his own band, Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks. This was always going to happen. It was almost written in the stars. Dan Hicks was a talented singer, songwriter and musician. He seemed destined for greater things. However, this left a huge void in The Charlatans. Filling it wouldn’t be easy.
Worse was to come. Throughout 1968, arguments were commonplace within The Charlatans’ camp. Gradually, the escalated, and reached a breaking point. However, Mike Wilhelm, Richard Olsen and Terry Wilson had a cunning plan.
To all intents and purposes, it looked as if they had decided to disband The Charlatans. However, the cunning plan was that shortly afterwards, they would reform The Charlatans without George Hunter. It was a musical coup d’état. This would ultimately backfire on The Charlatans.
At first, things looked up for The Charlatans. They drafted in a new keyboardist and vocalist, Darrell DeVor. Not long after this, The Charlatans secured a deal with Phillips, and began recording their debut album.
Recording of what became The Charlatans took place at Pacific High Recorders, San Francisco. Dan Healy co-produced what became The Charlatans with the band. Eleven songs were recorded. Five were cover versions and six were written by members of The Charlatans Mike Wilhelm penned Ain’t Got the Time and The Blues Ain’t Nothin’; while Richard Olsen contributed When I Go Sailin’ By. New recruit Darrell DeVore wrote Easy When I’m Dead, Time to Get Straight, Doubtful Waltz and When the Movies Are Over. However, when the album was released, The Charlatans luck changed.
By then, music had changed, and the music on The Charlatans was beginning to sound dated. As a result, The Charlatans failed commercially. So did the the Van Dyke Parks’ penned lead single High Coin. To make matters worse, one of The Charlatans had been busted on a drugs charge.
Drummer Terry Wilson had been caught in possession of marijuana. In 1969, this was a serious offence in America, where the drug laws were quite strict. So when Terry Wilson received a prison sentence he had to leave The Charlatans. This resulted in a u-turn from two members of The Charlatans.
Mike Wilhelm and Richard Olsen agreed to join a reunited lineup of The Charlatans. Mike Ferguson who had previously been sacked returned. So did George Hunter who had been ‘misled’ into thinking that The Charlatans had disbanded in 1968, even was willing to let bygones be bygones. Even Dan Hicks returned to the fold.
While The Charlatans continued as a quintet until the end of 1969, the writing was on the wall. The Charlatans’ music was regarded as outdated, and yesterday’s sound. It was almost inevitable that The Charlatans would split-up at the end of 1969. This was the end of the road for The Charlatans.
Four years earlier, the future looked bright for The Charlatans when they enjoyed their six week residency at Red Dog Saloon. When they returned to San Francisco, The Charlatans looked as if they were going to join the elite of city’s music scene. They had the talent, and their music which veered between country rock to folk rock and psychedelic rock should’ve found a wider audience.
Sadly, The Charlatans struggled to get a record deal. The time they spent at Kama Sutra Records resulted in The Charlatans recording the best music of their five year career.
Little did Kama Sutra Records realise that, they had captured The Charlatans at the peak of their powers. At that moment in time, their music was bang on trend. That was the time to release an album, not 1969.
When The Charlatans released their eponymous debut album for Phillips in 1969, their music hadn’t evolved. Instead, it sound outdated to record buyers who had moved on musically. Sadly, The Charlatans hadn’t. They came late to the party with an album that would’ve fared better if released in 1967. However, by then, the end was neigh for The Charlatans.
Despite getting the classic quintet together, The Charlatans’ story was over by late 1969. Their musical legacy amounted to one album, two singles and material they had recorded for Kama Sutra Records. It was a case of what might have been.
Fiver years earlier, ,usical mavericks The Charlatans, had taken San Francisco by storm. They should’ve found fame and fortune. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. After several breakups, makeups and changes in lineup, The Charlatans, called time on a career that promised much, but ultimately, through bad luck and misfortune, came to little.
THE CHARLATANS-WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
BEVERLEY MARTYN-WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?
BEVERLEY MARTYN-WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?
It was fifty-one years ago, when Beverley Martyn made her recording debut. Back then, she was a member of The Levee Breakers, a jug band that featured Mac McGann, Johnny Joyce and Beverley Martyn. They released their debut single Babe, I’m Leaving You on Parlophone in 1965. Beverley was just sixteen and already, The Levee Breakers were a regular fixture on the folk circuit. It looked like Beverley Martyn was destined for a great things. However, since 1965, Beverley has only released two solo albums.
Beverley Martyn somewhat belatedly released her debut album No Frills in 1998. It was sixteen years later, before Beverley Martyn returned with The Phoenix and The Turtle in 2014. Since then, folk’s reluctant star hasn’t returned with the followup to The Phoenix and The Turtle. However, back in the mid-sixties, it looked as if Beverley Martyn was destined for commercial success and critical acclaim.
The Solo Years.
A year after The Levee Breakers released their debut single, Beverley Martyn’s solo career began in 1966, when she signed to the newly formed Deram Records. This was a new imprint of Decca Records. It’s raison d’être was to showcase stereo. The pop and rock music Deram were about to release would feature more space. This would allow record buyers to hear the difference between mono and stereo. So executives at Deram began the search for the what would be Deram’s first single. It had to fit the vision they had for their new label. The single chosen was Beverley Martyn’s debut single Happy New Year. It featured Beverley and what would later be regarded as an all-star band,
Accompanying Beverley were future members of Led Zeppelin John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page. Then there was Nicky Hopkins who had collaborate with The Beatles and Rolling Stones. Drummer Andy White was best known as having played the drums on The Beatles’ Love Me Do. He went on to forge a career as one of the top session musicians. Each of these musicians featured on Beverley Martyn’s debut single.
Released as Beverley, Happy New Year wasn’t the commercial success many people envisaged. Worst was to come. Picking Up The Sunshine, Beverley’s sophomore album was recorded, but not released. However, Beverley’s luck was changing.
It was during this period, Beverley met Bert Jansch. He taught Beverley how to play guitar and encouraged Beverley to write her own songs. Meanwhile, Beverley was relying on other people to write songs for her. Donavon wrote her third single Museum. Denny Cordell who would produce Joe Cocker, The Move, Procul Harum and The Moody Blues was drafted in to produce Museum. Sadly, Museum wasn’t a commercial success. So, Beverley moved to New York with another stalwart of the folk scene Paul Simon.
Paul Simon was a regular on the British folk scene. He’d arrived a few years earlier. Back then, he was an up-and-coming folk singer. Now with Art Garfunkel, he was about to record Bookends. This was Simon and Garfunkel’s fourth album. Recorded in New York, Beverley wrote Fakin’ It. She also sings a line in the song. Things were looking up for Beverley. Especially when she appeared at the 1967 Monterey International Pop Music Festival. However, two years later, Beverley would meet the man she recorded two critically acclaimed albums with, John Martyn.
John Martyn and Beverley Martyn.
He who was already an established name of the British folk circuit. H had already released two solo albums, 1967s London Conversation and 1968s The Tumbler. Beverley and John would release two albums in 1970.
Stormbringer was released in February 1970, with Beverley penning four tracks and John six. Recording of Stormbringer took place in Woodstock, with Joe Boyd producing Stormbringer. Upon its release, Stormbringer wasn’t the success Island Records had hoped for, but nowadays is regarded as a British folk classic. Despite the failure of Stormbringer, John and Beverley entered the studio again.
This time it was in London. That’s where The Road To Ruin, the followup to Stormbringer, was recorded. It was released in November 1970, and it features one of Beverley’s finest songs, Primrose Hill. It’s a song about what Beverely calls the “joys of domesticity.” Apart from Primrose Hill, Beverley cowrote three songs with John for The Road To Ruin They had just written and recorded another British folk classic. Sadly, on the release of The Road To Ruin, the album failed commercially. This proved to be the end of John and Beverley’s collaboration.
Island Records decided that with John and Beverley’s two albums failing commercially, it would be best to market John as a solo artist. Right through until John Martyn was recording Grace and Danger in 1980, Beverley divided her time between spending time with her family and working on John’s solo albums.That came to an end in 1980.
John and Beverley Martyn were divorced whilst John was recording Grace and Danger. It proved to be a highly personal album, which featured a cathartic outpouring of emotion from John. After their divorce in 1980, Beverley took a break from music, concentrating on her family.
The Comeback.
By the nineties, Beverley’s family had grownup, and she decided the time was right to make a comeback. This began with Beverley supporting Loudon Wainwright III. Then in 1998, Beverley released her long awaited debut album No Frills. It was released to widespread critical acclaim. Beverly Martyn was back.
Over the next few years, Beverley worked with some of the biggest names in music. This includes Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Levon Helm of The Band, Richard Thompson, Dave Pegg and Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention and British folk guitarist Davy Graham. Then in 2004, a new generation were introduced to Beverley Martin’s music.
Fatboy Slim sampled Primrose Hill from John and Beverley Martin’s 1970 album Stormbringer. It featured on North West Three, a track from his Palookaville album. This introduced Beverley to another generation of music. For many musicians, they’d have rushed out a new album. Not Beverley. That isn’t her style. It wasn’t until 2014 that Beverley releasedThe Phoenix and the Turtle.
At the time of its release, Beverley described The Phoenix and the Turtle “as a very personal album.” It featured songs that she had written throughout her fifty year career. This includes the first song she wrote, Sweet Joy. Reckless Jane was a song Beverley and Nick Drakes started to write. Sadly, they never finished it. Belatedly, Beverley finished the song. When The Levee Breaks and Going To Germany were songs Beverley used to sing with her first group The Levee Breakers. Women And Malt Whiskey was a song based on Beverley’s late husband John Martyn. Along with Potter’s Blues, Nighttime, Mountain Top and Jesse James, these nine tracks became The Phoenix and The Turtle, Beverley Martyn’s sophomore album, which was recorded in Wales and California.
When The Phoenix and The Turtle was released in 2014, it was to the same critical acclaim that accompanied No Frills in 1998. The nine songs were variously beautiful, poignant and wistful. Heartbreak and hurt sits side-by-side pathos and melancholia. Beverley’s lyrics have a cinematic quality and each of the songs to life. As a result, The Phoenix and The Turtle is like a series of musical journeys, where Beverley takes on the role of narrator on a captivating album that was the finest album of Beverley Martyn’s solo career.
Nearly two years have since Beverley Martyn released The Phoenix and The Turtle. Theres no sign of her returning with her third solo album. That is a great pity, as Beverley Martyn is a hugely talented singer-songwrter. Just like a fine wine, Beverley Martin has improved with age. She’s now sixty-nine, and it’s fifty years since Beverley Martyn made her recording debut. That was the start of her career that promised much.
Sadly, Beverley Martyn’s discography amounts to just four albums. However, it’s a case of quality rather than quantity.
Nowadays, the two albums Beverley and John Martyn released, Stormbringer and The Road To Ruin are both regarded as British folk classics. Nearly a generation later, Beverley Martyn released two solo albums No Frills and The Phoenix and the Turtle. They were a reminder of a truly talented singer-songwriter who had the potential to one of the finest British folk singers of her generation. Sadly, that never came to pass, and nowadays, the Beverly Martyn is one of unfullfied potential and what might have been.
BEVERLEY MARTYN-WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?
SYLVIE-EN ANGLAIS…ET EN AMERICAIN.
SYLVIE-EN ANGLAIS…ET EN AMERICAIN.
Sylvie Vartan was just seventeen when she embarked upon a career as a ye-ye singer. Little did she realise that this was the start of a five decade career, where Sylvie would be crowed queen of French pop. By then, she was one of the most successful of the new generation of French singers. This success was set to continue.
Ye-ye’s popularity didn’t last for ever. Towards the late sixties, its popularity began to dwindle. That marked the end of many ye-ye singers’ career. However, unlike many of her contemporaries, Sylvie went on to enjoy a long and successful career.
It’s spanned five decades, and during that period, Sylvie released over fifty albums. This resulted in Sylvie becoming one of the biggest names in French music. Her music also found an audience outside of France. Especially, Sylvie’s English language recordings.
Just like many ye-ye singers, Sylvie recorded in French and English. That was the case throughout the sixties. Nearly all of Sylvie’s English language recordings feature on En Anglais…Et En Americain, which was recently released by Ace International, an imprint of Ace Records. It documents the period between 1962 and 1968, when Sylvie’s star was in the ascendancy and she was one half of France’s golden couple. That was still to come.
Before that Sylvie was born on August the 15th 1944 in Iskretz, Bulgaria. Life was tough for the Vartan family in post war Bulgaria, so they moved back to France in 1952, where her father was born.
In Paris, life was tough for the Vartan family for the first couple of years. The family lived in just one room. Eventually, things began to improve for the Vartan household, where music was omnipresent.
Sylvie’s father George was a composer and pianist. Music was a constant in the Vartan household. Later, Sylvie’s brother who was seven years her senior began to play the French horn. Soon, he switched to the trumpet, and later, joined a jazz group. Meanwhile, Sylvie was struggling to learn French. Soon, though she would master not just French, but English too,
In high school, Sylvie’s language skills improved. She became fluent in French, and later English. Her love of English novels helped her learn English. So did her love of American jazz, which her brother introduced her too. Later, Sylvie started going to the movies and later, discovered jazz and later, rock ’n’ roll. This she preferred to French music. Sylvie’s love of music, movies, art and literature would result in her becoming fluent in English. So much so, that later, she was equally comfortable recording in English and French.
Despite her love of music, Sylvie never contemplated a embarking upon a musical career. That was until her brother Eddie decided to he no longer wanted to study law. Upon leaving university, he got a job working in A&R at Decca Records.
One of the artists Eddie was responsible for was Frankie Jordan. He was going to cover the John D. Loudermilk penned Out Of Gas in French. To make the song work, it needed a female vocalist to provide the counterpoint. Eddie Vartan decided that Sylvie would be perfect for the part.
First he had to persuade his parents to all seventeen year old Sylvie to sing on the Panne D’essence. They eventually agreed, and Sylvie made her recording debut on Panne D’essence. The single was released in late 1961, and became a hit.
The success of the single resulted in Sylvie having to appear on French television. This lead to Sylvie being given the nickname collégienne du twist by the press. Soon, the the twisting schoolgirl would leave the Victor Hugo High School and embarked upon a musical career.
This began when Sylvie signed with RCA Victor, and released the E.P. Quand Le Film Est Triste. It featured a cover of another John D. Loudermilk song Sad Movies (Make Me Cry). The E.P. was released in December 1961, and gave Sylvie her first hit single as a solo artist.
In 1962, the hits kept coming for Sylvie. She enjoyed hits with covers of What’d I Say, The Locomotion and Baby It’s You. There’s an unreleased alternate take of the ballad Baby It’s You. This was one of Sylvie’s earliest English language recordings. It features on En Anglais…Et En Americain, This version of Baby It’s You is a reminder that although Sylvie’s career was in its infancy, she was already a talented vocalist. Her music was about to reach a much wider audience in 1963.
Especially as music began to play an important part in the life of French youths. Pop and rock music grew in popularity. Meanwhile, the ye-ye scene began to explode. So did Sylvie’s popularity. She was well on her way to becoming one of the stars of French music. So much so, that Sylvie travelled to Nashville to an album record with The Jordanaires, A Nashville.
When Sylvie returned to Paris, having recorded A Nashville, an EP was released. This was Sylvie À Nashville 1, which features Since You Don’t Care. Later in 1963, Paul Anka offered a number of songs to Sylvie. One of these, was one of her first English language recordings, (I’m Watching) Every Little Move You Make. It was released later in 1963, and gave Sylvie a hit single. By then, she was part of French music’s golden couple.
Earlier in 1963, Sylvie had met French singer Johnny Hallyday, and the pair embarked upon a high profile relationship. They would later marry two years later in 1965. During that two year period, Sylvie’s career had blossomed.
1964 was a huge year for Sylvie. She shared the bill with The Beatles in Paris. This was a huge step, considering her career only began in 1961. Now she was rubbing shoulders with musical royalty. She was also a prolific artist.
During 1964, Sylvie release her eponymous album Sylvie Vartan. It featured He Understands Me, which Sylvie would release again in 1995. She also released her Sha La La EP, which featured the Paul Anka penned USA. However, one of Sylvie’s most-anticipated releases of 1964 was her A Nashville album in 1964.
Most of the songs on A Nashville had been recorded in French. That is apart from Love Has Laid His Hands On Me, Since You Don’t Care and I Wish You Well. They’re part of an album that features Sylvie maturing as a singer, on an album where she flitted between different styles. Already Sylvie was a versatile and hugely popular singer with an international fan-base. This would continue to grow in 1965.
In March 1965, Sylvie released I Made My Choice as a single, with One More Day as the B-Side. This was a high profile release, with the might of RCA Victor getting behind the single. This includes a round of television and radio appearances, including an appearance on Shindig and the Tonight Show in America. RCA Victor were trying to launch Sylvie’s career the lucrative American and Canadian market.
To help do this, Sylvia released the LP Gift Wrapped From Paris in 1965. Some of its highlights were I Can’t Make Him Look At Me, My Boyfriend’s Back, Alley Oop and It’s Not A Game, One More Time and Encore Une Fois. Gift Wrapped From Paris introduced Sylvie to an even wider audience internationally.
Back home, Sylvia continued to release singles and EP’s throughout 1965. This included the Quand Tu Es Là, which featured an emotive reading of It’s Not A Game. The Dans Tes Bras EP featured Sylvie’s heartfelt cover of Gonna Cry. Sylvie was a prolific and popular artist. She also recorded the ballad Another Heart and delivers a needy vocal Thinking About You. These two tracks from 1965 are welcome additions to En Anglais…Et En Americain compilation. 1965 had been another successful year for Sylvie.
As 1965 drew to a close, was crowned France’s top female pop singer for the third consecutive year. Sylvie now an international star, whose music had made inroads into the European and Japanese markets. However, the biggest change in her life was she had married Johnny Hallyday. The pair were regarded as French music’s golden couple. Soon, two would become three.
Before that, Sylvie’s brother became her manager in March 1966. By then, Sylvie was pregnant and expecting her first child. Still, she continued to release singles and her album Sylvie. Later in 1966, Sylvie gave birth to her son David Hallyday on August 14th 1966. Then as 1966 gave way to 1967, Sylvie’s successful career continued.
Still Sylvie continued to enjoy hit singles in 1967. She also released a new album, Ballade Pour Un Sourire. This was quite different to her earlier ye-ye sound. Sylvie who was still just twenty-three was maturing as a singer, and reinventing herself.
That’s one of the reasons why she has enjoyed such longevity. The success that she had enjoyed since 1961 continued. Sylvie’s singles were hits, and early seven years after her career began, she returned with a new album, Sylvie Vartan. This was the eighth album of her career. However, this was just the start for Sylvie.
Eventually, Sylvie would release around fifty studio and live albums. Her career has spanned five decades. The Ace International compilation En Anglais…Et En Americain features Sylvie’s English language recordings the period between 1962 and 1968. As well as featuring singles and tracks from EP’s and albums, En Anglais…Et En Americain includes a number of previously unreleased bonus tracks.
This includes You Please Me So, Stupid Cupid, Baby It’s You, Whirlpool and Friends In Need Are Friends Indeed. These tracks show different sides to Sylvie. They also document how she evolves and matures as a singer. Especially by 1965
That’s when Sylvie released her single I Made My Choice. This is a beautiful song that’s bristling with emotion. However, two of the best of the previously unreleased tracks are I Heard Somebody Say and Gonna Cry. They were recorded during the sessions for Sylvie’s 1965 album Gift Wrapped From Paris. Both tracks are welcome additions to En Anglais…Et En Americain, which was recently released by Ace International, an imprint of Ace Records.
For the newcomer of Sylvie, then En Anglais…Et En Americain is the perfect introduction to her music. It features twenty-five ylvie’s English language recordings the period between 1962 and 1968. They range from singles, tracks from from EP’s and albums and a number of unreleased tracks. These songs document the first six years of the Sylvie’s long and illustrious career.
During this period, Sylvie was one of French music’s most successful artists. She won the title of the best French pop singer on serval occasions. Sylvie’s music became popular across Europe and as far afield as Japan and North America. Already she was an international artist, who enjoyed commercial success and critical acclaim. That’s no surprise.
Sylvie was a hugely talented and versatile vocalist, who was capable of breathing emotion and meaning into a song. This does throughout the twenty-five songs on En Anglais…Et En Americain. It charts and charts the rise and rise of the Queen of French Pop, Sylvie.
SYLVIE-EN ANGLAIS…ET EN AMERICAIN.
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