Joe Cocker 1944 - 2014

While I was writing the post about Udo Jürgens the breaking news arrived that Joe Cocker died last night. When I have read this I was stunned at first and shaken. I remember ver well that 40 years ago I was in the flat of an older friend of mine checking out his records and found Joe's first record. I put the vinyl on the record player and what I heard hit me like a titan wave. Never listened to a voice like this. So broken, true and mighty. After I listened to the whole record I played it once more and finally grabbed my whole mney to buy this. This voice that sounds like he gargled with glass shards led me into Soul Music - first of all into Ray Charles to explore the whole sound of the black America in these decade. His story is well known : after success he turned into drugs and alcohol and was a wreck. Down and out. On his way back to an 'ordinary' life he spent some time in Jamaika, where he recorded together with Sly and Robbie on drum and bass one of the best white reggae songs in these times. For me a hero's gone and I miss him.

R.I.P. Joe and sing for the angels now.

Bye bye blackbird (with the young Jimmy Page on guitar):

 

He always interpreted songs from other artists in his very own way, like Randy Newman's Guilty

 

or Nillson's 'Don't forget me'

 

This one's are from his record 'Sheffied Steele'

 

The Foreign Corresondent Returns - Stories About German (Rock) Music # 45

 

Back with internet access after a few days travelling the east coast of Sri Lanka. When I was checking the daily news I heard that Udo Jürgens died at the age of 80. Not that he was a rock musician at all or that I'm a huge fan of him but he and his music accopanied many ofpeople from my generation. He started singing his own songs in the tradition of the great French and Belgium singer/songwriter what they called in this times chansons. As far as I know he was the first Austrian who won the Grand Prix de la chanson (waht now sadly knows as the European song contest). Starting his career with some beautiful love songs he turned into Schlager (some kind of easy listening songs without any intelektual lyrics) to show up in the late 70s/early 80s with some songs that had a social-critically meaning. He sung some songs agaist drugs and copmlaceny. Afterwords he had some hits about singing how homesick some Greece workers feel in Germany and about your own personal freedom to do what you want. That this songs have become neglected to hyms by drunken people yelling them at Carneval makes me sad.

R.I.P. Udo Jürgens

In this block of flats we live for one year and are well-known here
However, fancy what I just found under uour front door
It is a letter of our neighbours, stands in it, we have to go out!
They mean you and I we do not fit, in this honourable house

Because we live together as a pair and are still without marriage certificate
If one has met yesterday here and one has voted
And now the community of all tenants writes to us: "You get away from here!"
(hey, hey, hey)
Since a wild marriage, this does not fit in this honourable house

Everybody has signed it; look sometimes the long list:
The woman next door who can never keep her lies for herself
And those of the ground floor, spies out daily them everybody
Also this guy who hits his daughter speaks for this honourable house

And then the thickness which spoils the dog, however, her own child forgets
The old person who always explains to us what is forbidden here in the house
And that of the first floor, he looks all the time to the window out
(hey, hey, hey)
and he indicates everybody which parks sometimes wrong, before this honourable house

The grey Don Juan, that stares at you every time in the lift shamelessly
The widow who has prevented that here a black einziehn is able
Also it from above if the gasman comes takes off them the dressing gown
They all are ashamed for us, because this is an honourable house

If you ask me, I stand this hypocrisy no longer
We pack uns're seven things and zieh'n away from this honourable house!

Viva la Viv

I just finishd reading 'Clothes, clothes, clothes, music, music, music, boys, boys, boys' by Viv Albertine and enjoyed it very much. It brought back memories to a time long gone by but still worth to remember because it was one of the best ones in our life. But it was not only the fact that I was reminded to these times I like to book becaus her direct way to articulate and telling the stories of her life from her very own side.Especially the way se discribes her relationship to -the Clash's Joe Strummer and Mick Jones.  I was always a huge fan of The Slits and I bought her first record without ever heared any note of it (I think you'll know the reason). After The Slits disbanded she was still present on records by New Age Steppers and Flying Lizards. By the way: two weeks ago she turned into 60 and I don't know many women that look still quite cute.

And Mick Jones' answer to Typical Girls

Twanging Tuesday # 49

 

 I don't need to say much about Link Wray. Just the man with the classic twanging guitar. Together with his raymen probably the best in the genre.

Enjoy

Hang My Head In Shame

2014 was a good year in music. One record that accompanied all over the year was Theosophy by Pete Molinari. There are wonderful songs on it. It's a very retro recording. Influenced by the 60s singer/songwriters, 60s London music and a little bit of American Garage Rock.

Von Spar

 

Today's tracks are from a Cologne, Germany based band called Von Spar. Wikipedia tells that they should categorized under danceable electro-punk with elements of indi-rock. The tracks I know are more influenced by late Krautrock. Their newest single sounds like laid back House in a pop mood added with some piano parts and strings. It's worth to give a listen to.

This is an older one and more House. And there is more independent in it

The Foreign Correspondent Returns - Stories About German Rock Music # 44

Spliff (I know what synonym it is for) came from Berlin. What is in it so particularly? Berlin about which it is here does not deal with today's any more overmuch. Berlin an end of 1970s was, not least because of the island situation within the Western Germany, a special case. Crowds of the young men who wanted to escape the service in the armed forces moved there and by the geographical bulkheading quite an own cultural scene which worked magically engagingly on all kinds of outsiders also originated. Pop dimensions like David Bowie, Iggy Pop or Depeche Mode made this Berlin for for some time her native country. The band is very successful during those days in Berlin. Stylistically in the political rock the seventy-year-old roots, however, one cannot hold a candle overpowering Ton Steine Scherben (another German left wing band from the 70s). When Nina Hagen from the GDR is expelled, she joins the four one and completes the Line Up of Nina Hagen Band as the troop is called. After only two albums the combo separates. From the remains arise in 1980 on the one hand the solo artist Hagen and Spliff. They had their most successful years throughout the New German Wave but their were much better than this foolish stuff.

And as Nina Hagen Band:

And the German version of White Punks on Dope by The Tubes: