Clap Your Hands

 

Clap your hands for a new round of songs and the good news that I’ve found a new flat since yesterday, right across the street from where I’ve been living. The seemingly endless search for affordable accommodation looks set to come to an end once I finalise the arrangements on Saturday.. Stealers Wheel was a band formed by Gerry Refferty in the early seventies. They performed as a British version of CSN&Y and reached the charts with Stuck In The Middle OF You that later became a torture scene in Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino’s debut film.

The legacy of Gil Scott-Heron was his last album I'm New Here, a spoken word document how that would sound today. A man in the prime of his life who still had something to say

In 1977 Meat Loaf released his first album Bat Out Of Hell, An album overproduced by Jim Steinmann, whose sound is reminiscent of Phil Spector. But he clearly struck a chord with this fine record.

THAT'S WHAT IT SOUNDED LIKE WHEN SHE STARTED

It doesn’t matter how you approach Patti Smith’s Horses – whether through the lyrics, the iconic cover artwork or simply the sonic experience. All paths lead to a magnificent album that embodies the spirit of 1975 in New York.

Patti Smith spent a lot of time in small, trendy clubs reciting her poems, which were mainly inspired by the French poet Arthur Rimbaud, who was all the rage at the time. Over time, she began accompanying her poems on the guitar, and it was only a matter of time before she recorded an album. 

The honorable task of producing this fell to John Cale, who knew how to offer something fresh in contrast to the FM West Coast sound that dominated at the time. Musically, she often draws on the old rock greats like the Velvet Underground, but her lyrics go further: using simple words, Patti Smith conjures up powerful images in the listener’s mind. Images of sex, anarchy, suicide, aliens. Her voice has neither a wide range nor a beautiful tone – but it exudes a kind of uncanny charm.

The album is often cited as a precursor to punk, which is a bit of a stretch. But it makes a statement about what is musically possible, and in that sense, it is indeed punk.

Patti Smith - Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)

Patti Smith - Redondo Beach

Patti Smith - Kimberley

Patti Smith - Horses/Land of a Thousend Dances/La Mer Dances

Kinetik

 

One of the most interesting albums was released a few weeks ago by Lines Of Silence, the project led by David Little, a musician from West Yorkshire. He has already produced several albums, and on his latest release he makes effective use of Andrea Parra’s voice. 

The sound isn’t new, but the way Little incorporates his influences from Kraftwerk and Neu! is exceptionally good. Motorik drums and percussion keep the structure tight, whilst synthesizers weave their way around the underlying layers of guitar. Psychedelic drone music as it should be.

Monday's Long Song

 

Normally, I wouldn’t repeat myself here, but whenever I think of a long song, Ellis Island Sound regularly springs to mind. EIS was founded 30 years ago by Pete Astor and David Sheppard as an instrumental band. On their early albums, they broke down their krautrock-inspired songs into their constituent parts, only to reassemble them on a polyrhythmic foundation.

In 2014, they released their third album, Regions – which I consider their best – combining African vibes with the motoric rhythms of Can and a dubby bassline, resulting at times in a gloomy sound that was, however, brightened up by bursts of guitar reminiscent of Fela Kuti.

Ellis Island Sound - The Letting Go

New Song On Sunday

 

At the moment, the music press is once again hyping up a new band that’s supposed to save or revolutionize indie pop. Man/Woman/Chainsaw are a six-piece band from London who play art-punk (whatever that may be) and are set to release their debut album this coming August. To me, their music sounds more like experimental pop. On their new single, they largely do away with guitars, relying instead on pulsating synths which, enhanced by violins, create a hypnotic, danceable sound. A thoroughly enjoyable song, but certainly not a reinvention of indie pop.

Clap Your Hands

 

Welcome to a new series featuring songs that use clapping hands either to emphasize the rhythm or simply because it suits this song. 

Almost exactly 50 years ago, Steve Miller released his masterpiece Fly Like An Eagle, on which he moves between blues rock, country and atmospheric sounds. Take The Money And Run stands out from the rest of the excellent material.

That’s exactly how old Rose Royce’s Car Wash is – a funky disco hit that was played everywhere back in the day. 

John Mellencamp, who was still known as John Cougar at the time, reached the top of the charts with this simple song.

That's How It Sounded In Their Beginnings

 

Legendary hip-hop groups are a dime a dozen. N.W.A are considered the toughest, Gang Starr are the perfect duo for many, Native Tongue fans regard A Tribe Called Quest as the gold standard, whilst the alternative scene swears by the Beastie Boys or Cypress Hill. Yet many fans, despite their prolonged dry spell, still regard the political rappers of Public Enemy as ‘The Greatest Hip Hop Group Of All Time’. I agree with that to a certain extent, because as far as I’m concerned, the Beastie Boys are a cut above the rest. 

In 1986, Def Jam was the music label of the moment, and Rick Rubin made his breakthrough as a producer with the Beastie Boys, introducing a distinctly heavier sound to hip-hop for the first time. Shortly afterwards, he signed a band that had recently been formed by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. Public Enemy took their hard-hitting sound a step further. Melodies were left out; heavy drums and an electronic wail set the rhythm, which is enhanced by samples.

Lyrically, Public Enemy pick up where the Black Movement in the US left off with the Black Panthers. They describe everything that is wrong with the country – issues that were only taken up again years later by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Their debut album was far less successful in the United States than in Europe, and it was only with their second album that they achieved cult status. After a few years, it was all over and the band called it a day. 

Public Enemy - You're Gonna Get Yours

Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush The Show

Public Enemy - Miuzi Weights A Ton

It wasn't until years later that they returned to the limelight when they were commissioned to write the soundtrack for Spike Lee.