That's What It Sounded Like When They Started

 

Today, Ian Kevin Curtis would have celebrated his 60th birthday. He was the lead singer and creative force behind Joy Division. One of rock music’s all-time greatest cult bands, they released just two albums, never really sold many records, and never played in stadiums, but they went on to influence entire generations of musicians. A small, slight man who worked at Manchester City Council by day, was a devoted family man by night, and transformed into a rock provocateur at the weekends.

Curtis didn’t just sing about loneliness, depression and self-doubt – he actually experienced these feelings first-hand. They were triggered by the conflict between his family life and his life as a musician, an affair that destroyed his marriage, and his fragile health, which was marked by epileptic seizures. These became increasingly severe as Joy Division grew more successful.

One of my biggest mistakes was holding Joy Division’s first EP, An Ideal For Living, in my hands at my favorite record shop and not buying it, because I thought the cover featured too much Nazi symbolism. Even after almost 50 years, this EP is still well worth a listen. Songs that are unrivalled in their blend of emotion and rebellion.

Joy Division - No Love Lost

Joy Division - Leaders Of Men

Joy Division - Warsaw

Monday's Long Song

 

A few days ago Acid Jazz Records who are always good for a surprise – a remix by The Fatback Band. The Fatback Band or later only Fatback were probably one of the last disco bands from NYC. In the mid seventies the got critical acclaim for their funk inspired songs. 

Now Joaquin ‘Joe’ Claussell, a Brooklyn based producer and DJ made a remix of their most successful single (Do The) Spanish Hustle. Claussell retains the rhythmic structure and trumpets of the original, but replaces the disco groove with a pumping bass, kick drums and a Latin flair. A thoroughly successful reinterpretation of a fine but forgotten song.

New Song On Sunday

A couple of years ago Alewya Demisse, a British singer/songwriter, producer, artist and model, released some remarkable songs. Now she's back with her first album Zero in which she celebrates her musical diversity and ethnic heritage. Having grown up in Sudan as the daughter of an Egyptian father and an Ethiopian mother, fragments of this background can be found in her songs. She can best be compared to M.I.A., without, however, adopting her rebellious stance.

Her songs sound more like a fusion of Afro-electronic rhythms, Arabic soundscapes and urban pop aesthetics. Above all, it is her versatile voice that lends the songs a special sparkle. I wouldn’t be surprised if this were to become the next big thing.

From Mont Ventoux To Todmorden

 

In 2023, the Nuremberg-based band Konformer released one of the best LPs of the year with their debut album. After a three-year hiatus, they have now released their second album, which they have simply titled Konformer II. 

Not much has changed. The three members continue to play instrumental music whose driving sound is a direct nod to krautrock, before drifting off into psychedelic realms. But these days, it’s quite something to maintain the standard you set on your debut. 

They do have one unique selling point. I don’t know of any other band that has written a song named after the town – Todmorden – where they’re due to play in two months’ time.

Clap Your Hands

 

Today’s episode delves largely into the world of hip hop and dancehall. We start with Missy Elliott, who was probably the first woman to take on a leading role in hip hop at the turn of the millennium. Rarely has a singer and producer pulled so many rhythmic masterpieces out of her sleeve as she has.  

In 2003, the Jamaican dancehall singer Sean Paul scored a global hit with Get Busy, which could be heard on every radio station in Germany at the time.

The Cure, too, couldn’t resist using handclaps in their songs during their more upbeat phase.

That's What It Sounded Like When He Started

 

In 1979, at a time when punk had turned the entire British music scene on its head and DIY was all the rage, a student from the Midlands took to the stage. Joe Jackson, who had until then been studying classical composition in London, did not fit in at all with the zeitgeist of the time.

By combining catchy power-pop melodies with punk-inspired, reggae-influenced energy, he has released a new wave classic with his debut album. Few albums from that era have stood the test of time as well as Look Sharp. The lyrics strike a balance between cynical, self-deprecating humor and a surprising degree of vulnerability. Rather than simply venting his anger, Jackson dissects the banalities of superficial romances and the media with a sharp, articulate eye for detail, culminating in one of the best lines of all time Pretty women out walking with gorillas my street. From my window out staring while my coffee goes cold.

Joe Jackson - Is She Really Going Out With Him

Joe Jackson - Sunday Papers

Joe Jackson - Fools In Love

Joe Jackson - One More Time

The Harder They Come

 

Just over 50 years ago, the German music magazine Sounds began promoting reggae more actively. I still remember a series by Teja Schwaner in which he explained the origins of reggae to German readers, going far beyond Bob Marley. Ska, and its gradual slowing down over several hot summers in Jamaica, evolved into rocksteady, characterized by it's dominant bass lines. 

This series also featured a film that depicted the era and the music scene in Jamaica quite realistically. The Harder They Come tells the story of Ivan Martin, a poor young man from rural Jamaica who seeks musical success in the big city and ultimately meets a violent end.

In these times it was impossible to watch the movie at my place and so I got the soundtrack instead. This soundtrack was my gateway to classic reggae and to Jimmy Cliff (who also plays the lead role in the film), The Slickers, many others, and later to dub. The soundtrack was released 54 years ago, and it’s time to revisit it.

Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come

The Slickers - Johnny Too Bad

Jimmy Cliff - Many Rivers To Cross

Jimmy Cliff - You Can Get It If You Really Want It