A year after John Cale's 'Paris 1919' LP, Lou Reed released 'Rock 'n' Roll Animal' on RCA Records in February 1974, shortly after I started working for a design company that had this as one of their account. (*See story below) 

Opening the album was a seven minute version of 'Sweet Jane', that had an intro added by Steve Hunter and played with Dick Wagner as a twin guitar 3 minute lead in to the spine tingling classic riff and Lou Reed walking on stage to great applause. 

The video is very grainy but the sound is spot on. 'Rolling Stone' editor Timothy Ferris described 'Rock 'n' Roll Animal' as "a record to be played loud" - so you know what to do >

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--   R C A   --

* During the summer of 1974 we were asked to provide various slides for a General Meeting presentation featuring RCA artists. Lou Reed had just released a new album 'Sally Can't Dance' and we therefore recreated his name in the same style as the record cover for his slide.

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"The idea is not to live for ever, it is to create something that will"  A N D Y   W A R H O L 

Mentor and manager of the Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol is very much a part of that Sixties Art Rock band as original members Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, Moe Tucker and John Cale. Following their debut LP with Nico and a second album Cale left the group in 1968, as did Reed, two years later.

John Cale was a miner's son born in Wales, a talented multi instrumentalist he moved to the United States in 1963 to continue his musical education. 

In 1973 he created his most “accessible” and most critically acclaimed album: 'Paris 1919'.

I have only recently discovered this record. Learning from reviews that: "Paris 1919’s songs are populated with field marshals, the ghosts of dead soldiers, decadently dilapidated movie stars and fallen nations. Hardly the stuff of Rock 'n' Roll. In fact, it’s easy to write it all off as pretentious. Yet, beneath the lush orchestrations and heady historical and literary references, 'Paris 1919' is a deeply felt and personal album. It inspires awe while keeping listeners lyrically at arms length. It invites you to get close, but not too close, much like John Cale himself. 'Paris 1919' demands to be heard yet understanding it may take a lifetime".  

Here then is the title track from this "baroque Art Rock masterpiece." - a very English sound and a lost gem. No more to say, other than check out other tracks from the album on YouTube >>> 

There's also a 2011 'live' version of this song available here. 

An alternative (and occasional) music posting highlighting something out of the ordinary. Perhaps of limited appeal, unconventional, experimental or just far-out ! Call it what you like (or switch it off, if you don't like). 

Stanley Kubrick's movie 'A Clockwork Orange' is listed as a1971 film release. Which is confusing because while the film premiered in New York City on 19 December 1971, it was not released in the UK until 13 January 1972. So, by my reckoning, I wouldn't have seen it at the cinema until February. 50 years on and the dystopian tale that used a soundtrack of Ludwig Van Beethoven played on a moog synthesizer by 'Switched-On-Bach' creator Walter (but now Wendy*) Carlos, sounds as weirdly remarkable as ever. 

Certain restrictions on showing the movie may have resulted in videos not remaining on YouTube for terribly long. I hope this stays long enough for you to enjoy the film's irony of 'Ode to Joy'.

Warning: Video contains disturbing (if distorted) scenes and images

 

  < 'Viddy this - all you devotchkas and malchicks'  >  

 

*All reference to Walter Carlos in history has been erased to read Wendy. This interview goes some way to explaining this transition: < story > 

  

Having signed off last week with a reference to anti-consumerism in a Janis Joplin song, here's another from 20 years later expressing the same sentiment.

According to the band, the lyrics are "an attack on the hollowness of a lifestyle centred around the consumerism which is offered by capitalism, describing how society expects young people to conform". 

30 years ago yesterday 'Generation Terrorists' was released on 10 Feb 1992. The 5th single taken off the album was 'Motorcycle Emptiness' which came out in June as a 3:35 minute edit. The album version was 6:09 long [and there was a short edit - official video, filmed in Japan at 5:06] - see today.  

At the time I had bought the 4-track CD digi pak [6:09 version] and I had a cassette recording of the album before later picking up the CD cheaply, plus I have the 5:06 take on a Greatest Hits CD. I guess you could say I well and truly consumed this track.   

Ironically the last line of the song is "Everlasting Nothingness" - quite the opposite I think !

Today's Star Track artists are the Manic Street Preachers >

This video has Richey Edwards in it, who mysteriously disappeared in 1995 [aged 27] - it's quite a story if you're interested - [finding a single link to this isn't easy, so I'll leave it you to look it up]. There's also a neat video, minus the band but plus the lyrics and is the [6:09] version. Sing along here

- NME listed 'Generation Terrorists' as the 18th greatest debut album from the last 50 years !

   

Concluding my trilogy of tripping back in time and going to San Francisco (flowers in your hair optional) and the final 'J' artist to be connected.

Big Brother & the Holding Company formed in 1965, appearing live from late that year they went on to become the house band at the Avalon Ballroom. 

Feeling the need for a strong vocalist, manager Chet Helms suggested an old friend from his Austin, Texas days: Janis Joplin. She was considering joining The 13th Floor Elevators at that time, however she traveled to San Francisco and debuted with Big Brother at the Avalon on June 10, 1966.

"It took a while for some of the band's followers to accept the new singer. Her music was completely different from their very experimental and unconventional sound, but with Joplin, they became more disciplined musicians, their songs adopted a more traditional structure and the band started to increase its popularity in the San Francisco psychedelic scene". 

Janis Joplin left the band in 1968, following the recording of the album 'Cheap Thrills', to pursue a successful solo career. 

In September and October 1970, she recorded tracks including 'Cry Baby' for the album 'Pearl', posthumously released in 1971, three months after her death on October 4, 1970.

 

Released as a single and in the charts June 1971, the B-side was the final song she recorded: 'Mercedes Benz' (as in 'Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?') - a rejection of consumerism !

-   P  O  S  T  E  R  S   -

" were the main avenue for advertising events "

Some of the amazing creative art posters from the San Francisco psychedelic era © 1967.

(Top left) Big Brother & the Holding Company at the Avalon Ballroom.

(Top right) A 'New Year Bash' promoted by Bill Graham at the Fillmore Auditorium, involving Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead & Quicksilver Messenger Service. 

(Bottom left) RCA Victor advert for "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane. 

(Bottom right) Janis Joplin in concert at the Avalon.