Our journey around the houses today begins with a song by The Doors. Released on their fifth album Morrison Hotel they returned to their roots and played a powerful blues-rock on this song. I didn't listen to this song for a long time and I'm amazed at how fresh it still sounds today.
I couldn't resist presenting you with Status Quo's version as well.
We don't need to say much about Madness, and their biggest hit speaks for itself.
Alan Price was a key member of The Animals and after he left the band he formed The Alan Price Set and had chart success with this number.
For no particular reason, I was watching old videos of The Doors again a few days ago and realized what a presence Jim Morrison was. The fact that he has achieved cult status is certainly also due to his clothes, especially his leather trousers. In music, leather generally stands for freedom, rebellion and wanting to be different. The more I thought about it, the more musicians came to mind who celebrated the leather look and gave me the idea of presenting this in a small series.
At the end of the 60's, Jim Morrison was the idol of many who wanted to be different. His metaphorical lyrics, hypnotic gestures and radical attitude to life made him a superstar. However, he also knew how to present himself visually and so his leather trousers became the outfit of his rebellion.
To stand out in the whole glam scene, Alvin Stardust decided to dress completely in black leather. His music is strongly reminiscent of early rock ‘n’ roll and what could be more obvious than to dress like this?
In the wake of new wave, a Belgian singer emerged at the end of the 70s who was also a huge chart success dressed in leather. Plastic Bertrand is just a footnote in music history, but even his song and outfit are memorable.
Sometimes it takes re-issues to remember a band that I listened ages ago. This happened when I got the news that the albums by Australian post-punk band These Immortal Souls was released a few days ago. Formed in 1987 in London from the ruins of Crime And The City Solution, an another underrated band by Rowland S. Howard they brought us back an almost impossible combination of blues and punk. I remember their first album was on heavy rotation in the gothic scene back then. And I have to admit that that I liked their music in these days but wasn't a huge fan of them. But listening to the albums decades later I can got aware that they were more than a post-punk epigone. Howard is croaking the lyrics Cave-stylish but his guitar is sharper than many others and their influences are massive. On These Immortal Souls it sounds like the Doors had a session with Bowie. Not the music for every day but ace from time to time.
A few days ago I watched Coppola's movie against war Apocalypse Now once again and it still shows in a radical way an useless war and normal people moving into madness. The beginning and at the end of this movie is shimmed with The Doors epic song The End. Conceived as a another song about a lost love Morrison and Manzarek made a shaman-like excursion into sound. Starting low and measured to erupt in the middle and to slow down again. I can't explain why this untypical song is often named as a trademark of The Doors because most of their songs have a more heavy and bluesy note. Probably just because it is a great song that fits into an era 50 years gone.
Thinking about new Austrian music I chimed in electronic music. Most of it very good and was featured during the last months. But is there a scene of classic rock music coined with guitar, bass and drums? If I listen to Hackmonocut I have to say yes! He is an Austrian artist located in Linz, started his career in 2012 and he describe his music as Alternative Rock-Noir songs; full of irony and social criticism.
And indeed, it's something you should watch out for. Superb post-punk with the inspiration of The Doors, The Velvet Underground and Nick Cave. Dead Born Sister is starting as a ballad that could be in the repertoire of the last named. At the end the guitars take over control to the great finish. Their sound is mostly dark and grundgy but they create a great atmosphere of intention.
All in all Hackmonocut is a band I would follow their upcoming outputs.
A couple of new artists arrived throughout the last weeks that are worth to named in this series. Let's start on this rainy Sunday with Ryan David Orr. He's an American singer/songwriter based in Lakeside, Arizona. Learned to play fiddle and guitar in his youngest days. After some experiments in grunge music he returned to his folk roots. Rootstime Magazine, Holland describes his music this way: "Ryan David Orr has a warm, beautiful voice with which he intimates feelings of sorrow or joy...similar to that of Chris Martin (Coldplay), Damien Rice, or Ryan Adams." And I agree. Ryan David Orr - Margaret Ryan David Orr - Lucky Is Enough London based LAZYFLUX showed up with their self called Alternative Trip Rock. They name Pink Floyd as their influence and right - on some songs they try to do it in this way. I'm not into long organ parts and that's what they should use it less. But Zanzibar Bazaar is a great song. Starting with a bubbling guitar they move more to the times when bands like Red Guitars were famous. LAZYFLUX - Zanzibar Bazaar
The House The Old is the project of Imran Siddiqui, a singer/songwriter from Virginia. Nothing more or less a very good arranged rock song that should be played on classic rock stations. 'Missing' takes a stand against violence on women - a campaign he started over his homepage.
Meditative Jam is the way Jim Dennis describes his music. Located in California you may think it's inspired by the westcoast sound. But it's different. Based on blues pattern he plays longer improvisations on them. In the back there were drums that oscillate between early The Doors and zappaesc drumming. Worth to listen to.
Let's finish for today with Eddy Bayes. Like many other singer/songwriters he used to play in pubs in London in his earlier days. Since moving stateside he developed his very own style. Torn between the influences of John Martyn, Beck and Tracy Chapman he found his music home. His fine songs were supplemented by the cello played by Abi Loutoo.
