In 1973 Roxy Music released their second album For Your Pleasure after causing a sensation in the glam rock scene with their debut. A few songs on this album Editions Of You and Do The Strand lived up to expectations for further chart success. Much more interesting, however, were the songs in which they took an experimental approach. The Bogus Man is about a mentally deranged sex offender. Ferry delivers the vocals with a similarly deranged intensity. For ten minutes, Roxy Music turns it into a playground of madness. The saxophone oscillates between delirium and free jazz, shifting from the left to the right channel. Eno uses the then-novel idea of looping to create his effects. Manzanera’s guitar weaves in psychedelic sounds, and the drums, symbolizing the stalker’s restlessness, echo the motoric beats of Can and Neu! A masterpiece far ahead of their time.
The first song of this weeks edition is a cover version of a song by John Lennon. I thought about presenting the original but for me the best version is by RoxyMusic. Recorded during their Avalon tour in 1982 in Glasgow it shows how good they were at these days. It was shown also when they covered Neil Young's Like A Hurricane.
This song was very high in the charts back in 2006. It's from Peter, Björn and John an indie-pop band from Stockholm, Sweden. A classic trio with a short-term talent to deliver concise hooks.
At last a classic from The Clash's London Calling album, where you have to listen carefully at the end of the song to hear the whistling.
Another Tuesday and a look back at which singles were released. And, as always, without words, because the songs speak for themselves, even if they only allow a sentimental look at days gone by.
I couldn't imagine that my employer would give me so much work to do in my last weeks before I retire and that I would have to finalize projects. I also had to deal with a lot of correspondence with the pension fund in order to fulfill the formal requirements for my pension. For this reason, and because I couldn't muster the time, I decided to take a break from updating this blog last week. Last Friday, as usual, I had a look through the new releases of the week to see if anything had been published that was worth mentioning. The only thing that stuck in my mind was the release of Come Undone, the latest release by Glasgow's Walt Disco. Their music is more than retro and is orientated towards the best times of David Bowie, Roxy Music,Talking Heads and glam-pop, who try to bring their music to the dance floor. Surely not groundbreaking but good and a journey back to these days.
In 1973 Roxy Music released their second album For Your Pleasure and another album with a great artwork. As known from their first album another model on the cover. What makes this cover special was the artwork with Brian Ferry's then girlfriend Amanda Lear in front of a skyline at night with a black panther at the leach. I knew Roxy Music from their debut and I bought this album without listening to one song. The music is different to their debut and only Do The Strand is like their first successful appearance. Now they had more time and equipment to create a sound that was included by Can and the slower songs are radical new and far away what they called a song in these days.
If we are talking about glam-rock and the bands that stamped this genre we should talk about a band that made the difference in these times. Roxy Music were the band that showed us a new kind of music. After times when the blues-rock bands of the late 60's slowly vanished in the mist of history and before the days punk turned everything upside-down Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry showed up with something we never heard before. Dressed in crazy outfits and suits they brought us a different kind of rock. If only a few got into their music because this weird outfit Roxy Music could name this a success. Their songs were very arty of course but still in the tradition of pure rock and they opened my ears to a very different view of music. Probably they are the link between old fashioned music and the sound of the future. Eno and Ferry went different musical roads in their future careers but in the early 70's almost nobody could beat them.
Back in 1973 Roxy Music played a short live set in German television. It was in my very young days when I saw them live and I couldn't understand their music and their outfit. They were different to all the rock stars of the generation before me. No more long hairs and dirty jeans and one step ahead of glam rock they were pioneers of modern rock. I saw them and I investigated more of their music. Roxy Music, Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry faced me to another kind of music. Since I listened to them nothing was before the way I felt for music. This was the greatest gift that they gave to me. By the way one of the greatest album covers of all time.
During the mid 70's until the early 80's Split Enz the New Zealand rock band formed by Tim Finn were successful in their native country and Australia. I remember the times when I was bored about most of popular music in the mid 70's and was looking for something new. My local record dealer introduced me to Split Enz and Second Thoughts. It was recorded in London an produced by Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera. It was handmade and well arranged music and totally different to many other artists in this decade. Before punk appeared they were one of those few bands that made the difference and I think many bands were inspired by their sound. XTC and Godley & Creme have many influences by Split Enz. And their outfit/performance like in this video were far ahead of their times.
I found this video the recent days and I played it often. It's a remix of Roxy Music's Love is the drug. A song that is a classic tune by itself is made new by the remix of Todd Terje. Always was addicted to a song with a great bass-line. Thinking about this I remembered many songs. So I decided to start a new series to feature songs that have a funky bass or have the funk in their sound.
Generally Chris Baio plays bass by Vampire Weekend. If not playing with the band he's working as a DJ and making his own thing playing some Neo-Disco. This is his first release from his upcoming album and it is a wonderful pop song with references to the early Roxy Music (which made a song called Mother of Pearl) and also his voice is close to Brian Ferry.
Back in 1973 Roxy Music appeared on German TV for a small live appearance. It was the time when they released their second album. Looking back to this show I was astonished about their appearance. I was very young and their sound was new and different and I didn't know how to handle this kind of music. I was astonished how rock musicians could wear dresses like them. In normal ways musicians shown up with long hairs and worn out jeans. But now Bryan Ferry appeared with a white suite and it was extraordinary in these times. Not only the songs were great at this time - Brian Eno made s sound that would be the basis for the upcoming electronic sounds.
For me this live concert was the initial for the upcoming music.
Enjoy this little gem.
I believe each of you has experienced at least once that by chance a song appeared and then you could not be able to ban it from your head. This happened to me these days when Brian Eno's 'Baby's On Fire' shuffled up my mobile phone on the way to work. This song was released in 1973 on Eno's first album 'Here come the warm jets' and it is a superb collaboration with Robert Fripp's guitar playing. It is a masterpiece of that so called era of art-/glam rock. When Eno left Roxy Music he started to create electronic sounds with very different kind of musicians. And he continued until now. I don't like everything he released but a lot of his stuff was ahead of his time. Sometimes it is good to back 40 or more years in music to enjoy that old songs and be surprised how good they work still. And they can't be wrong when some young dudes make a remix out of it.
There are less musicians I follow more or less since I have listened the first time to somewhat of them. One of those is Brian Eno. I know him from the early days when he formed Roxy Music - a band their type is to be assigned stylistically to the art-rock genre and was a heavy influence to the later New Romantic Scene. With his first solo recordings he left the classic rock genre to go experimental ways. I think his fist two records were underrated to most listeners but had influence to later experimental bands that play still. Ok - don't let's talk about the past. Brian Eno released a few month ago another album in collaboration with Karl Hyde. When you remember with which different kind of musicians he worked together it is no surprise that now came together with Underworld's Karl Hynde. They tried to combine both musical worlds with the African sound of bands like Fela Kuti. And the result is very worth listening to. Just listen to Witness that starts with a bumping bassline and leads us over a little piano to a smooth synth melody.
Chris Spedding is not the typical one that plays a real twanging guitar but he is one that could play it when necessary. Last Tuesday he celebrated his 70th birthday and I think that it is a good reason to pay some tribute in this way. He is one of these musicians who have become known not for own work, but for the support of other artists with her works. He is one of Britain's most versatile session guitarists. Throughout his career he played nearly every style of rock & roll and some jazz as well. One of his first appearances as a session guitarist was on Jack Bruce's first solo album Song for a tailor. His qualities are described best if you imagine with which musicians he has played and toured: John Cale, Roy Harper, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Tom Waits, Elton John, Nick Mason .... And don't forget that he was a member of Mike Batt's Wombles. He also produced the the first Sex Pistols demos. Although he reached the carts with Motor Bikin most of his other musical output missed the masses. Not that they are important in history of rock they are some pieces you ought to know if you are a bit into good guitar sound.
Back in ordinary life again after what felt like an eternity lifetime in the army. What also means back in a regular job again. My company offered me for god's sake a job in the back office, so that I didn't had any physical contacts with our customers to offer them some financial products. Week after week I more and more accustomed to the daily routine in the bank. And also day by day I got more routine to do my job. So I took the chance to get more contact to my colleges that was close to my age. Sometimes after finishing work we took the chance to spent the time on a couple of pints in one of the pubs close to our office. It was a wonderful time to do your job and nearly no one gives you any commands you have to follow exactly. In the first month after my time in the army I felt safe and harm but still knowing that something essential is missing. After a few weeks listening to what my mind and stomach told me, I knew that the next step in my life would be to look for a small apartment where I can life without any rules that my parents gave to me. Towards the end of the year a good friend offered me his apartment because he wanted to life together with his girlfriend in a bigger one. So I grabbed the chance although it was not my favorite place I wanted to life because it was in a little village close to the place I've been grown up. But the apartment was very well and cheap and so I grabbed my packs and moved away. I can still see the tears in my moms eyes, when her eldest son left his home. So I layed my hands around her and told her that I'm not going away, but only living elsewhere. She dried her tears and let me go with an unforgettable smile in her face. The basic equipment of the apartment does have cost me some of my savings, but it was worth it in any case. And then it was done: Finally to stand on my own two feet and to be responsible for me in all respects even.
What was the sound of 1981?
Joe Dolce and Shaddup you face: Just one more one hit wonder, but the sound of summer in 1981
Roxy Music - Jealous guy: Great smooth song with a genius whistle by Mr. Ferry
Soft Cell - Tainted love: The best track this year. A monument of a song
Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin: Pure pop with elements of Phil Spector's wall of sound
Billy Idol - Dancing with myself: Former Genreration-X singer starts a solo career
Visage - Fade to grey: Birth of the New Romantics?
Tom Tom Club - Genius of love: Side project from Talking Head's Tina Weymouth gave us a funky upgrade and opened our ears to the upcoming club sounds
Haircut 100 - Favorite shirts: Nick Heyward's epochal interpretation of British styled funk
Depeche Mode - Just can't get enough: Nice song that became a fan chant
Kristy MacCall - There's a guy ....: Another great pop song - it wouldn't appear here if it is not sung by her
Memorable records released in this year:
This Heat - Deceit: Arty music. This Heat combined Krautrock and other progressive stuff with also influence of dub reggae and early Can to a radical post-punk, industrial music style.
Bruce Cockburn - Inner City Front: Canadian singer-songwriter with political background brought some good songs to me.
The Lounge Lizards - same: Saxophonist John Lurie mixed Jazz like Charles Mingus with punk roots.
Trio - same: German minimalism with punk roots (more on one of the next posts)
The dB's - Stand for decibels: Jangle power pop from America
David Byrne & Brian Eno - My life in the bush of ghosts: First collaboration from two great musicians
Motörhead & Girlschool - St. Valentines' Day Massacre: Another great collaboration. It was just an EP but listen to their version of Johnny Kidd's 'Please don't touch'.
Greatful Dead - Recocknin': The hippies are back - but a wonderful relaxed double LP for the summer
Black Uhuru - Red: Reggae sounded like this in that year.
Motörhead - No Sleep Till Hammersmith: Hard rock at his highest level.
Kurtis Blow - Deuce: New sound from big apple. Never heard Rap before.
Stray Cats - same: The return of rockabilly music. Stray cat strut, Rumble in Brighton tonight, Fishnet stockings ... awesome.
Wall of Voodoo - Dark Continent: Synthesizer based new wave combined with Ennio Morricone
The Gun Club - Fire Of Love: Jeffrey Lee Pierce appears with remarkable songs like 'She's like Heroine to me'.
Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement: Groundbreaking record for electric music.
Elvis Costello - Almost blue: On step over the Atlantic ocean. Mr. McManus goes country.
Bow Wow Wow - See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah. City All Over! Go Ape Crazy: Crazy title for a record, but I loved the sound of her young and clear voice. Great songs and a cracking cover-sleeve.
Soft Cell - Non Stop Erotic Cabaret: A perfect record - timeless.
Remarkable movies in this year:
Raiders Of The Lost Arc: Harrison Ford shows us the real historic searcher
Excalibur: Back on the round table in Camelot
Das Boot: Underwater in a boat during world war II
Christiane F., wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo: Teenagers on drugs and the whole damned scene in Berlin. Based on memories of Christiane F.
Gallipoli: Peter Weir showed us the terrible fights between Australian and Turkish troops in World War I (according to 'The band played waltzing Mathilda').
The Postman Always Rings Twice: Great actors - Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange
A little looking back what was interesting in the world in 1981:
The 54 American hostages in Iran were released after 14 month; Chiang Ching ("Madame Mao") was sentenced to death after trial against the gang of four; Stardust fire in a nightclub in Altana Dublin kills 48 and injures 247; Bobby Sands a member of the IRA begins a hunger strike for political status in Long Kesh prison and was the first of 10 who died a couple of month later; Rioters throw petrol bombs, attack the police and loot shops in Brixton; Pope John Paul II was shot and nearly died by Ali Agca a Turkish gunman; Peter Sutcliff is found guilty as the Yorkshire ripper; Bangladesh President Rahman is assassinated; Seven coaches of an overcrowded passenger train fell off the tracks in Bihar, India - over 800 died; South African troops invate Angola; Egyptian president Answar Sadat was also assassinated - Hosni Mubarak was elected as the new president; Iran-Contra affair: Reagan's administration sold weapons to Iran although there was an embargo to sponsor the Nicaraguan Contras; Muhammad Ali made his last-ever fight.
Vini Rilly released in 1981 his second album with Durutti Column called LC. There is a lot of stories written about him, his career and the record. One of the best ones I've ever read was over at The 'old' Vinyl Villan before Google closed JC's blog. So just a few words to him and this record:
Vini Reilly is probably a political thinking person - if not I can't explain why he give the band this name. The Durutti Column, derived for a misspelling of the name Buenaventura Durutti, woh led a column of anarchiststs during the Spanish Civil War. nLC means 'Lotta Continua' Italian for 'continuous struggle'. It was originally taped at home on a four-track recorder and shows the abilities of Vini Reilly at his best. He is no gunslinger but it impresses me so much, when he slowly picking the strings of his guitar and the tones pour out like one pearl after the other. For me this record will ever be the place where I can go to when I need something to relax.
On the first year at grammar school I had no difficulties, so that the expenditure was low for the learning accordingly. Therefore I had much more time to spend with my mates on playing dart, billiard and cards. This was presumably one of the most lighthearted years in my life, because I had to waste no thoughts of an occupation or had to take over responsibility for others. It was also the year in I have stopped to play football in an association, because many things were more important (of course girls and lads), than to train regularly with the team.
This can maybe be a reason, why I have started to discover love songs for myself at this time. I also tried to understand the lyrics better than before - and action trick new worlds have disclosed for me. One of my favorite track in this style was performed by 10cc and still a song that stands the test of time.
In 1975 me and my mate used to hang around in a club that was frequented by a lot of American soldiers not far from were stationed. So I used to listen to a lot of American rock, soul and also ballads. One ballad that impressed me lot came from Janis Ian, an American singer/songwriter. where she she describes how it feels not to correspond as a teenager to the norm.
To those of us who knew the pain Of valentines that never came And those whose names were never called When choosing sides for basketball It was long ago and far away The world was younger than today And dreams were all they gave for free To ugly duckling girls like me We all play the game and when we dare To cheat ourselves at solitaire Inventing lovers on the phone Repenting other lives unknown That call and say, come dance with me And murmur vague obscenities At ugly girls like me At seventeen
1975 was also the year Roxy Music released 'Love is the drug' which contains a lot from soul and disco. I don't know if was it cool or not to wear an eye patch this time but years later a British one hit wonder did the same (but I don't remember his name).
Phillisound disappeared and therefor disco raised with Donna Summer, Silver Convention, Bee Gees, KC & the Sunshine Band, Earth Wind and Fire and Van McCoy.
Remarkable records that was published this year:
Bob Dylan - Blood on the tracks I'm no big fan of him but on this record were some of his greatest songs with partly his best lyrics
ACDC - High Voltage Hard rock giant rises in Australia
Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow One of the best guitar based records ever (also his collaboration with Rod Stewart a couple of years earlier)
Curtis Mayfield - There Is No Place Like America Today One of my beloved soul records ever
The Tubes - The Tubes Punks before punk started
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here Nothing to say - one of the best selling records
Man - Maximum Darkness Welsh band added with John Cippolina on guitar. Powerful rock with great improvisation.
Good year for German football. Borussia Mönchengladbach won the UEFA-cup as the first German team ever against Twente Enschede and Bayern Munich defended their title with the land masters. 'Thrila in Manila' - Muhammad Ali won against Joe Frazier by technical knock out. Arthur Ash won the Wimbledon Championship as the first black player. Motörhead was founded (thank god for). Vietnam war ends by capitulation of the south and the civil war starts in Lebanon. Fascist dictator Francisco Franko died and Spain replaced monarchy. Lynette Fromme attacks American President Gerald Ford (she was a leading member of the Charles Manson Family, who was arrestet for the Tate/La Bianca murders in 1969). First woman who became leader of the Conservative Party: Margaret Thatcher. Great movies came out: Jaws, Barry Lyndon, One flew over the cocos nest.
Now what is my favorite record from this year. It is hard to decide because there a two records that means a lot to me. The first one taught me into Reggae and Dub - the other one turned me into soul music. It was in 1975 when Burning Spear released Markus Garvey. The album is named after the Jamaican National Hero and Rastafari movement propet Markus Garvey. A dub version of it was released four month later as Garvey's Ghost. This is what roots reggae means and I play this record time by time to relax (or how the kids say nowadays: to chill).
But I decided to David Bowie for his record 'Young Americans'. For the record, which showed off his 1970s "obsession" with soul music, he let go of the influences he had drawn from in the past, replacing them with sounds from "local dance halls", which, at the time, were blaring with "lush strings, sliding hi-hat whispers, and swanky R&B rhythms of Philadelphia Soul". Because of the strong influence of black music on the album, Bowie used the term 'plastic soul' (originally coined by an unknown black musician in the 1960s) to describe the sound of Young Americans. Although Bowie was an English musician bringing up touchy American issues, the album was still very successful in the US; the album itself reached the top ten in that country, with the song 'Fame' hitting the #1 spot the same year the album was released.
