So Long Marianne

 

Earlier this morning I read in the newspaper that Marianne Faithfull died yesterday at the age of 78. Convent schoolgirl, Jagger friend, 60's icon, high-class groupie, drug addict, actress, ageing diva: the career of Marianne Faithfull had many faces. She made her first musical appearance in 1965 when she turned the song As Tears Go By, composed by Jagger/Richards, into a veritable hit. 

She continued to release albums in the years that followed, but they were no longer able to build on her successes. Until she was successful again in 1979 with Broken English. The album was full of songs about pain, anger and rage and was carried by her used and broken voice, which was probably what made it so successful. However, the damage to his own body has left its mark. Also in her voice, which had not only dropped an octave, but now also sounded smoky and brittle. But it was precisely the combination of vulnerability, life experience and the will to persevere that lent her singing a peculiar expressiveness.Probably the only album I heard back then that wasn't inspired by punk and new wave.

She released many albums later but there is only one I can remember is Negative Capability from 2018 produced and arranged with the help of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. 

In the autumn of her career, she turned to film and theatre, mainly interpreting works by Brecht and Weil. She fell ill with coronavirus during the pandemic and did not recover until her death.

Rest in peace, Marianne

Queen Of The 14th Street

 

Today DECIUS will release their second album Vol. II /Splendour  & Obedience). I'm not sure if I can call them a band or more a project by members of Fat White Family and Warmduscher. Anyway, it took a longer time to get into their music since they released their first album two years ago. Not that their music has a lot of charm but it took a longer time to see the beauty of their combination of acid house, disco and techno. Most of the songs are stamped with a reduced rhythm and the spectacular voice by Lias Saoudi. It is one of those albums that grows the more you listen to. Sometimes I think it is the kind of music Depeche Mode try to make.

I'm In Love With A German Film Star

 

Another year, another new album by Andy Bell. Pinball Wanderer will be released in four weeks and he has released a cover version as an appetizer in advance. The fact that he chose a song by The Passions from 1981 may come as a surprise at first, but it makes sense, as the original's echoing guitar is very similar to the way he plays.

What's much more surprising is that the collaboration with Neu!'s Michael Rother and One Dove's Dot Allison has turned this song into a pearl.

Justin Robertson added also a few superb remixes of a song that sounds like an early highlight of the year. You can listen to them all here.

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

From time to time I go online just to see what has happened musically on that day in the past. It's always amusing to see which basically unimportant events are mentioned on various sites. What makes it interesting for me is that albums or songs are mentioned that were released on a certain day. I'm often reminded to listen to them again or what memories I have of them. Here are some songs that were released years ago this week, with no direct connection between them. We'll see if this becomes a series.

Loggins and Messina were an American country-pop duo and became famous in the early-mid seventies with some great songs. I own only their live album On Stage from 1974 where this song is from. It shows how good the Westcoast sound could be in these days.

Joan Armatrading was in the early eighties one of the best opportunities to new wave and independent music. Blessed with a great voice and well arranged songs she had her time rightly.

The Small Faces were ace and still the best mod band in the sixties.

Rockabilly returned with The Stray Cats and Dave Edmunds at the controls. The sound of this summer.

In 1981 Talking Heads released Remain In Light one of the best albums this year and this song is still great.

Shleep

 

Today Robert Wyatt will turn 80 - a day to remember him. He was the drummer of prog-/art-rock band Soft Machine. They released several critical highly acclaimed records but I have to admit that they still aren't my cup of tea. Wyatt left the band in the early seventies and formed another bands to release his eclectic sounds. Many of his releases were also recommended as one of the best recordings ever. For me he made only one record that I play from time to time is Shleep.

On this record he returned after a while of absence and new additional musicians. Most of the songs have a very slow mood and songs that shows his abilities of songwriting. Musicians like Brian Eno, Paul Weller and Phil Manzanera made most the songs more than superb. Surely not everyone's taste but a smart look into another galaxy of music.

Monday's Long Song

 

I will also continue this long series, as there are and will be enough long songs that are worth mentioning here. Today's song is another collaboration between Acid Pauli and the Berlin DJ and producer Nico Stojan.

Acid Pauli is the stage name of Martin Gretschmann, who in his early years was a permanent member of The Notwist, perhaps the best German team from Upper Bavaria in the nineties. He was responsible for the band's electronic sound and the sound snippets used. At the beginning of the century he founded his own electronic project Console and has been releasing electronic gems as Acid Pauli for several years.

Vola comes along with a dragged-out rhythm, the samples used seem to be from another galaxy and all in all the song has a meditative undertone, which is certainly not a bad thing. For me, a good start to the series this year.

New Songs On Sunday

 

Hello everyone, I'm back after my self-imposed time-out in South East Asia. I had a wonderful time recharging my batteries, thinking about many things and making plans for the current year. To give my life a purpose, last autumn I took on a reading mentorship at a primary school to teach young people, most of whom have a migration background, the German language so that they have a better start in life. In addition, I will be working several days a week at the cash desk in a local outdoor pool during the summer months. Just to have a bit more structure and fixed appointments. It remains to be seen whether I will then find the time to help out occasionally in a property management company. I will also have to look for a new flat in the next few months as my apartment is being sold. So there's a lot to do and I won't get bored.

I haven't listened to much music over the last few weeks. Neither old nor new and I've been wondering whether I should stop this blog, as I've often lost inspiration over the past year. But I will continue until I make another decision or realize that interest in my music has waned.

Back to music. My inbox is overflowing and I'm currently sorting through most of it. One release fascinated me. Tunng, a British band that has been making music for over twenty years, returns to their roots with Love You All Over Again and skilfully combines electronic sounds with folk and samples. What is actually unimaginable, they manage to do amazingly well in an impressive way. The songs radiate a harmonious and warm atmosphere that sounds like they're out of time. A good record for the current year.