T A Y L O R   H A W K I N S

So sad to hear the news at the weekend of the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. 

BBC R6 played this song in his memory. I share it here today. 

'Cold Day in the Sun' - written and sang by Taylor from the 'In Your Honor' album [the not so loud side]

R.I.P. (Rest in Beats) 

   

With the music of Sweden's Nayad leading me back in time to Japan's Kitaro I then found myself delving deeper into the music of France's electronic artists M83.

You maybe be familiar with their track 'Outro', which has been frequently used in a number of media, including commercials, movies, trailers and television shows.  

Taken from the 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming' - Double LP from 2011 - and where there's an 'Outer' naturally there's and 'Intro' ! I'm looking at numerous videos, so spoilt for choice this week.

Here then is one pick called 'Splendor' (a real Star Track) - with other links of interest below. 

More music videos >>>

- 'Outro' music [skiing tricks] > link to 
- 'Outro' [more snowy mountains] 'The Art of Flight' > link 2

- 'Intro' [+Lyrics] Northern lights, wild fantastic video > link 3

  

   

Travelling back in time to a time of travel.

It began with 'The Silk Road: The Rise And Fall Of Civilizations'. I recall it being shown late night in the mid 1980s and the music was wonderful while the credits simply said by Kitaro. [That's all I knew - no internet or google in the 80s]. Then when I went to SE Asia suddenly there was cassettes in shop windows with this name on them. Clearly Kitaro, whoever he was, band or person, they were better known in this part of the world, so I bought up the cassettes and have been a huge fan of Masanori Takahashi (Kitaro) ever since.   

The 12-part tv series covers segments of the Silk Road within the People's Republic of China, It was first aired in Japan on 7 April 1980, with sequels being broadcast over a 10-year period. An 18-part second series was broadcast between April 1983 and September 1984, and shown in 38 countries in Asia and Europe. The popularity of the series launched the career of Kitaro who produced the theme and background music - which is almost spiritual ! 

Escorting the viewer on the ancient path travelled by Marco Polo, with evocatively named episodes like "In Search of the Kingdom of Lou-Lan", "Khotan - Oasis of Silk and Jade", "Through the Tian Shan Mountains by Rail" & "Where Horses Fly Like the Wind" the music made it quite a trip. My intro to his music is captured here, so you too can be transported. 

Just sit back, relax and imagine. 

Today's Star Track is a 'live' performance of 'Milky Way' by Kitaro ...begins quietly >

 

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). 

Here's a good example of the expression 'one thing leads to another'...

Having heard this Swedish duo on a television series accompanying music I went on to discovered other interesting psych/pop from Nayad. 

'Holy Lakes' is well worth a watch for the fascinating video alone [watch here]. While last summer, Nayad burst onto the Swedish music scene with their breakout Swedish-language single “Ingen vet” (which translates as 'Nobody Knows') > nice

This led me on to other electronic synthesizer artists (old and new) - via the ever helpful YouTube right-hand column of suggested other listening. More of the same to come ....

  

Nominated for 'Best Film' at this weekend's BAFTA awards and in 5 other categories, while also being in line for 7 Oscars - 'Belfast', written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, is a great film (or fillum).

Shot in nostalgic black and white it's a heartfelt story of turbulent times in Northern Ireland at the beginning of the troubles in 1969. With a 'back in time' soundtrack featuring the music of Van Morrison. From 'Down to Joy' to 'And the Healing Has Begun' they're not all from that time but lyrically contribute to the storytelling.

One song featured is however from 1968 and is probably one of the best 'Pop' songs ever. 

Originally recorded by Robert Knight, it reached No.13 in the US charts in 1967, but before its release here a cover version was rushed out in the UK. This version became a No.1 hit in January 1968 and personally I feel it has a bit more 'oomph' and it is this cover by Love Affair that is recreated in 'Belfast'. 

Steve Ellis sings 'Everlasting Love' - also in black & white >

Nice video > notice the blond dancer casting her spell over the boys [at the end]. 

   

   

This needs little introduction or explanation. 

Released in 1970. All these years later, the message has not changed. Edwin Starr and 'War' >

Says it all. 

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). 

HE wrote 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' in 1967 with Matthew Fisher and lyricist Keith Reid with a little help from J.S. Bach. The follow up single was 'Homburg' while albums 'Shine On Brightly', 'A Salty Dog' and 'Home' sold well, though interestingly often better in America than the UK. Band personal changes saw Fisher leave and Robin Trower come and go, leaving him the clear leader of the group. In 2003 he was awarded an OBE.

Gary Brooker, pianist and founder of Procol Harum sadly passed away last weekend.

One of my favourite tracks off the 'Home' LP has always been 'Your Own Choice'. I love the false start and piano playing and the lyrics, which end with the line 'Rest-in-peace hereafter' > Gary Brooker

   

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 >