Last weekend, I watched another classic of film history, The Bridge on the River Kwai. The film is about a group of British prisoners of war in early 1943 in a Japanese camp in Burma who are ordered to build a wooden railway bridge. The film glorifies the steadfastness of the British officers and the capabilities of the soldiers, which contrasts with the reality that approximately 20% of the 80,000 British prisoners died due to poor nutrition and the climatic and hygienic conditions.
What made the film unforgettable was the prisoners' march as they whistled Colonel Bogey March, a military song from the beginning of the last century.
That inspired me to look for more whistled film scores. Another one is the main theme of Sergio Leone's masterpiece The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Ennio Morricone made a perfect soundtrack to the last showdown.
In 1979, the Monty Python troupe sparked what was probably the biggest controversy over blasphemy with their film Monty Python's Life of Brian. I loved the film because of its sarcasm. The crucifixion scene remains unforgettable.
For life is quite absurd
An death's the final word
You mus always face the curtain with a bow
Forget about your sin
Give the audience a grin
Enjoy it, it's your last chance anyhow
So always look on the brigt side of death
And finally a scene from Kill Bill where Deryl Hannah attempts to kill her comatose rival and is ultimately stopped by her lover Bill.
Next follows with songs that feature whistling at some point, whether as an intro, outro, or interlude. Be sure that you won't listen to Klaus Meine whistleing.
Manchester's music scene is always good for a surprise. The last band to surprise me with their sound was Shaking Hand, a trio that has developed a fascinating conglomerate from their minimalist guitar sound. I hear echoes of Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth and Pavement at their best.
They unite unique reduced guitars with a post-punk anthem and some great hooks that I didn't listen to for a long time. I know that they are new with their first self titled album but they close the gap between new wave and 90's American independent. It is retro, fresh and full of energy and a pleasure to listen to. One of the best albums this year so far.
1975 was our last year at school, and like many of my friends at the time, I had signed an apprenticeship contract for the coming year. Knowing full well that our lives were about to change, we enjoyed the time we had left and just went with the flow. We met up a lot and played pool and pinball competitions together. We usually met in a small pub that was also popular with motorcyclists. The music played there was accordingly. I don't know how many times I had to listen to Born To Be Wild, and I can't listen to that song anymore.
Another song that I still remember from that time is Strangehold by Ted Nugent, an American guitarist and gun enthusiast. Released on his debut album, it is a song that, with its guitar playing and driving bass, is still a highlight of the then-popular guitar slinger era. Nugent was able to maintain his acquired status for a few more years, crowning it with a double live album that was powerful and unpolished. Then punk and new wave came along, and he was out of the picture, only occasionally popping up with crude statements about homosexuality and internal security in the US.
Nottingham's Sleaford Mods are back with a new album last Friday. Still angry about the world they shout their lyrics over an aggressive beat. What's new is that they included a melodic refrain in their sound. Not groundbreaking but it still good to have them back again.
Sheffield's DJ and producer Richard Barrat released today a new record. As always a collection of downtempo dancefloor tracks with great female vocals on it. But the highlight is a collaboration with Roisin Murphy. A transcendental track that starts with a gentle groove and is refined by Murphy. A relaxed cosmic journey lasting more than seven minutes.
On this day 32 years ago Harry Nilsson died from the effects of a heart attack at the age of 53. He was an American singer/songwriter and composer and was extremely well known in the 1970's. I only have one record in my collection but Schmilsson is one of those I get back from time to time. What was special about him was his voice, which spanned several octaves and made so many of his songs unique.
He also became known as a close friend of John Lennon, who praised him effusively and paved his way into the music business. In addition, his drinking binges with Keith Moon, Ringo Starr, and Alice Cooper are legendary and went down in history as the Lost Weekends.
During the last days I listened to some records which were released last year and which, for whatever reason, I didn't listen to even though they were on my list. One of those was Charge Of The Love Brigade by Escape-ism. It is the latest project by Ian Svenonius, a Detroit born author, filmmaker and musician who worked with several punk band from Washington of which Nation of Ulysses may be the best known.
His last year record is a lo-fi gem with a drum machine, guitars and organ. Sometimes it sounds like a lost Suicide tape with less synths and a voice that doesn't quite measure up to Alan Vega and would be more suited to French ye-ye songs. All in all an album which captivated me from beginning to end. It is remarkable that even today, minimalist songs can still be written that resonate.
Today's song is by a musician that few people remember today. Carolyne Mas is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. She came to my attention when she released a live album in 1980 to promote a performance at Rockpalast. Stylistically, she moves in the classic rock ‘n’ roll territory of many others, but stands out thanks to her enthusiasm for playing. Vocally, she lies somewhere between Chrissie Hynde and Patti Smith, which also benefits her songs.
She is relatively unknown internationally, as she enjoyed her greatest success in Germany. Even after 45 years, Sittin' In The Dark is still a classic rock song that continues to inspire, if only from a nostalgic point of view.
Sometimes I just sit there and shake my head. When I was researching last week's violation of international law by the crazy dictator of the United States in removing Nicolas Maduro from power, I learned that the tracksuit Maduro wore when he was presented to the public on the American aircraft carrier had since sold out. What drives people to buy these clothes, which are ultimately just an expression of a repressive state? A question I can only answer with the increasing apoliticalisation of society.
In this context, I became aware of Rawayana, a band from Caracas, Venezuela, who have just released a new album. Rawayana are very popular in Venezuela and obviously fill large stadiums and play a mixture of reggae, funk, and salsa, but they drew criticism from Maduro by referring to Venezuelan women as Veneka in one of their songs, which has since become a derogatory term.
Incidentally, this article is not related to a planned hostile takeover of 27 Leggies.
Just when you think you've heard it all, a DJ comes along and shows you that there's still so much more to discover. That's what happened to me when I recently came across Nathan Dawidowicz, an Italian/Israeli musician with Cameroonian and Polish roots. He currently lives in Berlin and performs his music in clubs there. His music is purely electronic, with tribal rhythms and drones, until after a few minutes a female voice creeps into the sound. Perhaps a little dark, but at nine minutes long, it's never boring for a second. Possibly already one of the songs of the year.
Just over four weeks ago, the eccentrics of Fat White Family released a new album. Well, it's not exactly new, as it's an album recorded live in the studio in a single day. It is an album that showcases the band at the zenith of their creative powers. Among the thirteen gems gathered here are the bewildering, anarchic crescendo of Hits Hits Hits; the disharmonious ferocity of I Am Mark E Smith; and a previously unreleased track in the form of Parisian Heatwave. On this album, Fat White Family weave together everything that defines them: chaos, brilliance, and their own unique groove.
During the last year many of our blogging community, especially Khayem and Ernie, introduced my to a lot of great new female singer and therefore many thanks. I got to know artists whom I would otherwise certainly have overlooked. As I listened to some of these discoveries again recently, I remembered an album by a singer that I always enjoyed listening to and which, inexplicably, I have never featured here before.
In 1962 Nana Mouskouri had her first Schlager successes in Germany with White Roses From Athens and became very famous with those old style pop songs. Quincy Jones who was the A&R man at Mercury at the time went to Europe to find some new talents to sign. At the time, Nana was working on an album in France, and Jones was so impressed by her voice that he arranged a recording session in New York with his label colleagues.
The result was an incredible album filled with Jazz standards and a cover by a song by Gilbert Becaud What Now My Love. The songs were sparsely orchestrated, allowing her clear soprano voice to shine through. I am not a fan of jazz, nor do I claim to be particularly knowledgeable about it, but this voice deserves to be praised.
Today, Syd Barrett would have turned 80. Being a musician in the late 1960's and early 1970's was a dangerous business. Drug use not only led to unexpected musical highs, but also to real health crashes. In some cases, however, death was not necessarily the worse fate, as the case of Syd Barrett shows. Too much LSD drove him mad and transported him to another world, from which he never returned until his death. Today he would have turned 80, providing an opportunity to look back on his musical legacy.
Barrett was the leading figure of Pink Floyd in their very early years and responsible for their psychedelic sound. I am not a great fan of the band and never really got into his solo albums but their debut is still remarkable because Barrett found a way to play a psychedelic guitar like no one before.
In 1978 Bert Jansch, a Glasgow born folk guitarist released Avocet, an album far away from everything else that has been released these days. An album with only seven songs with him on acoustic guitar, Danny Thompson on bass and Martin Jenkins on violin and flute. On this album he has set the bar very high in the folk music scene with his guitar playing. Jansch blends folk with jazz and chamber music to create a wondrous, dreamlike sound that, back when punk rock was just beginning, seemed like it came from a parallel universe. A masterpiece which is still unmatched.
I must admit that I haven't listened to much music in recent weeks and am behind in discovering new music. But that doesn't mean I won't continue this series. The intention was actually to present songs here that were released recently and don't have a musical focus or are subject to any dogma.
I was quite surprised when I read that Brinsley Schwarz had released a new album called Shouting At The Moon. His band was the spearhead of the so called pub-rock era in the mid 70's and the kind of music I enjoyed much before punk started. Brinsley Schwarz made a unique sound of classic rock and incorporated a whole lot of funk and soul in their sound.
And the essence of their sound you will find on this record. Most of the time, the tempo has been slowed down and a warm bass dominates the songs to make room for guitar and organ. The fact that Brinsley's voice cannot compete with Nick Lowe's does not detract from the songs. For many, this album will be too boring, but for me it's like an old friend dropping by after a long time.
After a good three weeks, I returned from my annual vacation in Sri Lanka at the beginning of the year. It was relaxing, but unfortunately I had problems with my back and my spinal discs the whole time and couldn't enjoy myself as much as usual, so I came back early to see my family doctor at the beginning of next week to locate the cause of my complaints and take countermeasures. I don't want to complain here, as dengue fever has been rampant in Sri Lanka since the cyclone a few weeks ago. During this time, I have seen enough people who have contracted this disease and had to be hospitalized with high fever.
For this reason, here are some songs about doctors.
Happy New Year, happiness and joy to all who follow this blog, which will continue to provide you with music and thoughts in its 14th year. To start with, I will continue a series that I launched in the middle of last year. Songs that have been in the charts in recent decades or that the writer simply likes will be presented as usual in a completely subjective selection and without comments for your enjoyment. Enjoy.
1966: Sonny and Cher
194: Otis Redding
1967: Cat Stevens
1968: Creedence Clearwater Revival
1976: Al Stewart
1974: Terry Jacks (the first song I had to translate when I was in school)
