A Distant Shore

 

In 1982, the music scene diverged. Grandmaster Flash brought us hip hop with The Message, new wave synth pop conquered the charts, The Pogues brought us their version of Irish music, The Smiths were a big hit with their melancholy and Primal Scream were working on a new sound. 

But one album stands out from the crowd in retrospect. Tracey Thorn, who some people knew from the Marine Girls, an English post-punk band, released her debut album. 

She had already written some of her own songs back then, which she didn't want to release with the Marine Girls and only recorded with herself on guitar and a few overdubs. Basically, they are very personal love songs in which she used her expressive voice to prevent them from coming across as cheesy. 

Whenever I was looking for an album that contained calm and great songs, I regularly turned to this one. Even today, the album is still convincing and gave me an idea of what this voice is capable of. And anyone who dares to cover Velvet's Femme Fatale without failing can't be bad.

Tracey Thorn - Small Town Girl

Tracey Thorn - Femme Fatale

Tracey Thorn - New Opened Eyes

Live Music On German TV

 

Another post in a long living series of live music in German Television. Back then in the early 80's the airplay in radio stations for modern music for young people were a desert. I can remember when we were lucky that local radio station played rock music for just one or two hours each day. Me and my friends switched to AFN, the local radio station for American soldiers close to my town. It got better in the beginnings of the 80's when also local TV stations made formats for young people. Beside Beat-Club which were featured at this place for several times, Bavarian TV produced a format for twens where political and social themes were discussed by young people. I remember the first discussions about HIV and new right wing fascists in Germany that impressed me much and built the tenor of the thoughts and meanings I have right now. It was usual that after the discussions a band played a short live concert that was featured on TV. Searching for clips from Live From Alabama, an old concert hall in Munich, I found a lot of live performances that are worth to be featured now and during the next weeks. One of those was a concert by Everything But The Girl from May 1985 and it shows the abilities of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt playing songs from their first albums. They were great at this time and never lost anything of their attraction during the last decades. A footage that is superb for me.

Monday's Long Song

 

The release of Horace Andy's new album prompted me to listen to the music of Massive Attack again after a long time during the weekend. When people talk about one of their best albums they seldom name their second one Protection. For me it also a highlight of Massive Attack's output and not only they were lucky to replace Shara Nelson by Tracey Thorn. Protection had except the title track no song that reached high position in the charts but the whole album has a very special mood for relaxing. In 1996 they made together with Mad Professor a remix album on a dub floor. This version of the song is one of the highlights of this project.

Massive Attack - Protection (Radiation for the Nation Mix)

Sister

These days Tracey Thorn released her newest album after several years and it is the kind of thing I expected. It continues at the place she arrived with the album before. Electric beats as a fundament for her voice. Now the beats were still programmed that way but she was assisted by some musicians of Warpaint and Corinne Bailey Rae. Music with warm synths, bells and a snarling bass like New Order; and Tracey Thorn with theirs floats above all still in such a way clarify, light and sure voice.

 

And as a bonus for Adam:

Spring

Yesterday my youngest brother living in Mannheim visited me on his way back from Munich. I was really happy to see and talk to him. Because he's also addicted in music we talked about what was new and impressive during the last year. Then he played an artist that I really forgot over the years. Ben Watt is known as a part of Everything But The Girl with his wife Tracey Thorn. After working with EBTG Watts immersed himself in the world of underground electronic music both as a DJ and a recording artist/producer. Searching for his musical output I found this House track that was played in some clubs I used to got:

Another project was releasing some so called Deep Folk mixtapes. Mostly based on acoustic instruments he made compilations that lasted about 30 minutes and it is a more than relaxing music.

In 2014 he returned to his jazz-folk roots and released his first solo record since 1983 Hendra together with Bernard Butler formerly of the band Suede. I don't know why almost no one named this record last year although is is full of dark, relaxed and inspired folk music played on a very high level.

Thank you, Martin.