FEATURE: One for the Record Collection! Essential April Releases

FEATURE:

 

 

One for the Record Collection!

IN THIS PHOTO: Jessie Ware releases Superbloom on 10th April

Essential April Releases

__________

NEXT month is a packed one…

IN THIS PHOTO: Holly Humberstone’s new album, Cruel World, is out on 10th April

for great new albums. I am starting out with the best of 3rd April. There are two albums that I want to get to. Arlo Parks’s Ambiguous Desire is one I would recommend that you pre-order. Parks is one of our absolute best songwriters. The new album sounds like it could shape up to be her strongest. It is one that you will want to get:

“Twice Grammy-nominated, Mercury Prize and BRIT Award-winning artist Arlo Parks releases her new album, Ambiguous Desire, via Transgressive Records.

Ambiguous Desire is Parks at her most confident and experimental, supplanting live band sessions for modular synths, ableton plugins and samplers that channel the frenetic, vibrant spaces she was immersed in, all while spotlighting the acclaimed poetry and lyricism she’s beloved for.

Reflecting on the making of the record, Parks shares, "I danced more than ever as I made this record, I made more friends than ever too, found myself in the weird underbelly of New York juke nights, unleashed, laughed and laughed and laughed. This record has desire at its centre. Desire is a life force, it’s a wanting, a yearning, a momentum - we are all alive because there is something or someone we want - desire is an engine. But it is also mysterious, tangled, random, enlightening and HUMAN."

Parks crafted the album with producer Baird (Brockhampton, Kevin Abstract). Their process unfolded between NYC’s vibrant, community-rooted nightlife and long, introspective days spent in Baird’s downtown loft. The result is Parks’ most vulnerable, self-affirming, and euphoric work to date”.

Before moving to 10th April, I will highlight Thundercat and his album, Distracted. If you do not know about this amazing American artist, I would urge you to check out his music. You can pre-order Distracted here. I think this will be among the finest albums of this year. Thundercat’s previous work has won huge critical praise. I feel Distracted will get a lot of four and five-star reviews:

“Six years to the date of his last LP, Thundercat releases his fifth studio album, Distracted, via Brainfeeder. The new album features contributions from A$AP Rocky, WILLOW, Tame Impala, Channel Tres, Lil Yachty and a previously unreleased collaboration with the dearly departed Mac Miller. Distracted was primarily created in close collaboration with a new creative partner for Thundercat - the superproducer Greg Kurstin, known for his work with some of the biggest names in pop like Adele, Paul McCartney, Sia, Beyoncé, Beck and more - with additional production turns on the record from Flying Lotus, Kenny Beats (Kenneth Blume), and The Lemon Twigs.

What Thundercat ultimately wants listeners to take from Distracted is disarmingly simple: “Just enjoy it and have fun and just know that the struggle is real and changes shape, but just to keep pushing forward.” In an era that demands constant commentary, Thundercat offers something quieter and, in its own way, more radical. He gives permission to be confused. To be tired. To be, well, distracted — and still make something beautiful out of the noise”.

There are a few albums from 10th April I want to recommend to people. Cruel World is the second studio album from Holly Humberstone. You can pre-order it here. Her amazing debut, Paint My Bedroom Black, was released in 2023. All signs point to Cruel World being a truly phenomenal album. If you are a fan already or not, this is an album that I think you need to add to your collection:

“Holly Humberstone returns with her highly anticipated second album, Cruel World. One of the defining voices of her generation, Holly delivers a record that lives in the tension between pain and pleasure, where chaos and acceptance sit side by side.

Renowned for her forensic songwriting — earning an Ivor Novello nomination for her debut EP and winning the BRIT Rising Star in 2022 — Holly has evolved into a global force whose lucid, emotionally piercing storytelling resonates far beyond her own walls.

On Cruel World, she escapes into a dark fairytale of her own making, where childhood relics, monsters and memory collide, resulting in her most immersive, introspective and compelling body of work to date”.

Another wonderful album due on 10th April is Jessie Ware’s Superbloom. Ware is a phenomenal artist and I love all of her albums. Go and pre-order this album, as it is going to sit alongside the standouts of this year. I loved 2023’s That! Feels Good!, so I am really excited to see what Superbloom offers up. An artist who always delivers something special:

“Jessie Ware returns with her new album Superbloom – the crescendo of her latest era – out via Island EMI Records.

Superbloom erupts into a glittering rush of Studio 54-inflected groove-pop. Expanding Ware’s increasingly euphoric body of work as she explores our shared craving for touch, pleasure, intimacy and connection.

The album features recent single ‘I Could Get Used To This’, hailed as her “ultimate entry into divahood” and the first track to fully capture the record’s assured, expansive spirit, carried by cascading strings and a sense of full-bodied release”.

Prior to moving to two albums from 17th April, there is one more from 10th April worth investigating. Lime Garden’s Maybe Not Tonight is one you can pre-order here. I have been following the band for a little while now. What I have heard from Maybe Not Tonight is absolutely fantastic, so this is another album I am really knee to to check out:

“Brighton four-piece Lime Garden release their self-reckoning second album, Maybe Not Tonight, via So Young Records. It includes the punch-drunk lead single, ‘23’. Fizzing with the anticipation of stepping into a club at the very start of a night out, ‘23’ sets the tone for the record in full. Bouncy basslines and looping synths pull the listener straight onto the dancefloor, conjuring the bright, ecstatic glow of possibility. Yet beneath its euphoric rush lies a distinctly mid-20s anxiety: the realisation that adulthood has arrived, whether you feel ready for it or not.

Maybe Not Tonight unfolds as a full night out, charting the pleasures and perils of partying and impulsive decisions. “The album is about a night out, from start to finish,” Howard explains. “As the night progresses, you’re having a great time, until your ex walks in with someone else. You hate the way you look but rather than going home, you press the big red button and get even more drunk. Eventually, you take yourself home full of melancholy, chaos and anger.”

Written in the aftermath of a period of intense personal upheaval, described by the band as a collective “mass breakup”, the album finds Lime Garden grappling with grief, drinking, body image and self-esteem, while leaning into a shared, self-aware hedonism. Early uncertainty fuelled a creative urgency that runs through all ten tracks.

Produced by Charlie Andrew (Wolf Alice, alt-J), with additional production from drummer Annabel Whittle, Maybe Not Tonight reflects the band’s rapid evolution. Glitchy vocal fragments, hypnotic drum lines, garage-rock guitars, detuned synths and even bongos weave together into immersive, richly detailed songs. Many began life as Whittle’s home-produced demos, drawing influence from Bon Iver, A.G. Cook, Danny L Harle and Jim-E Stack, while pulling from a wide pool of inspirations including Scissor Sisters, Magdalena Bay, The Breeders, St. Vincent, Lily Allen, The Stone Roses and New Order”.

24th April promises a lot of great albums. Let’s first get to 17th April. That is when Honey Dijon’s Nightlife is out. You can pre-order the album here. If you need some persuasion to go and grab this album, then Rough Trade have it covered:

“The Nightlife finds Honey Dijon exploring the space between house music’s past, present, and future — blurring boundaries, bending conventions, and inviting an all-star cast of collaborators to help redefine what club culture sounds like for today.

Rooted in the lineage of house yet never confined by it, the album moves effortlessly from sweat-soaked basement energy to lush strains of soul and R&B — and into unexpected spaces in between. It’s not a strictly house record; it’s an expression of nightlife itself: fearless, fluid, and in constant evolution.

At once reverent and forward-looking, The Nightlife honors the foundations of the dancefloor while pushing its possibilities outward. It captures the communal pulse, the intimacy, and the transformative power that only music at night can hold.

A love letter to the dancefloor”.

Though I am not over-familiar with Tiga and his work, I have heard about his new album, Hotlife, and am intrigued by it. You can pre-order the album here. It sounds like an album well worth seeking out. The background to the album and what Tiga had to go through gives extra weight and emotion to the music:

“Montreal icon Tiga is back from heaven with his fourth album, Hotlife, marking a new era in his immortal techno journey toward Absolute Brain Freedom. Featuring collaborators Boys Noize, Matthew Dear, Fcukers, MRD, Gesloten Cirkel, Paranoid London, Maara, and new hometown studio whiz-men Priori and Patrick Holland, Hotlife finds Tiga at the pinnacle of Music Mountain, hurling infectious dancefloor lightning at listeners below: “When I turn on the Catharsis Machine," says the storied singer-producer, “It don’t matter if you’re a rich man or a poor man, ‘cause you’re about to be a free man…"
Reclaiming his perch atop the celestial firmament of contemporary dance music was not without a compelling and relatable narrative arc. Following an arduous battle with a neurological condition he discovered and named “Vibe Fog," Tiga found himself at a crossroads: "At a certain point, it was either buy the exoskeleton and cash out my Virgin Megastore stock, or rebuild Tiga City from the ground up, brick by brick, gargoyle by gargoyle.” What has emerged is a Tiga that longtime Tiga-watchers are calling “angelic” and “terrifying,” resulting in an album that captures the distilled essence of a tastemaker pushed beyond all human limits.
"My yes/no response time to artistic choices is off the charts,” adds Tiga. “We took each second shaved off every creative decision and reinvested it into the album’s runtime. 12 songs. 60 minutes. Remarkable”.

Even though I am not a personal fan of Dave Grohl, there is no denying Foo Fighters are a legendary band who continue to release amazing albums. Your Favorite Toy is their latest. Always known for their edge and raw sound, Your Favorite Toy is up there with their most direct and kick-ass. You can pre-order it here. If you have not heard about Your Favorite Toy and what to expect, then here is some information:

“Preceded by its addictive new title track and last year’s incendiary “Asking For A Friend,” Your Favorite Toy is Foo Fighters’ 12th album — and quite possibly their hardest rocking to date. Burning through 10 absolute bangers in under 40 minutes, Your Favorite Toy demands and rewards repeat listens in equal measure. It’s Foo Fighters pushing boundaries as they pin the volume meters, adding new dimensions to their timeless signature sound”.

Gia Margaret’s Singing is an album I would recommend people pre-order. A spellbinding songwriter and voice, I have known about her music for a while. However, Singing might be Gia Margaret’s best album yet. One that I think everyone should listen to. A truly jaw-dropping artist that you cannot miss out on:

“Every artist has to discover their voice. Gia Margaret didn’t find herself until she lost hers. With a vocal injury that kept her from singing for years, she developed other musical languages, mastering the grammar of an intricate, homey form of ambient music pioneered by Ernest Hood and perfected by The Books. Now, her physical voice healed and her artistic voice honed, she comes full circle with Singing, her first vocal album since 2018’s There’s Always Glimmer. Led by soft piano lines that fall like breath on glass, the music on Singing evidences the same jeweler’s sensitivity to detail that she developed in her silence. “There was a time when I really didn’t know if I would sing again. So once I healed, there was a lot of internal pressure to come back strong,” Margaret says. “I didn’t know who I was anymore. So it felt like beginning again, and reconnecting with these very old, old parts of myself.” This feeling of intermixed alienation and rediscovery is palpable across the album.

In opener “Everyone Around Me Dancing,” she watches a party from the wings, aware of how her body keeps her from communal joy while also providing new modes of self-knowledge. Shut out from the scene, she is “closer to the ground, the planet.” In “Alive Inside,” she’s so far away from the source that she’s praying to whoever might hear (“a god, a friend that’s gone, a spirit”). As her voice rises, it seems to be trapped in a web of distortion; it’s as if in her pursuit, she’s pushing at the very boundaries of what can be said. The process of making Singing was one of learning how to trust each of those feelings. The album was partially recorded in London with Frou Frou’s Guy Sigsworth, who helped Margaret unify the spree of ideas she had for “Good Friend,” an album highlight that includes Gregorian chant by ILĀ and turntable scratches, among many other things. David Bazan and Amy Millan also make appearances, as do Kurt Vile and Sean Carey, while Margaret’s longtime collaborator Doug Saltzman plays on and co-produces much of the record. Deb Talan, previously of The Weepies, lends her voice, piano, and guitar to the album's closing—and definitive—statement, "E-Motion." Gia Margaret is always singing. Every note of this album sings a warm requiem to her past selves; every layer sings her future self into being. Across the album, she applies the lessons of speechlessness—the quasirational ways we communicate without communicating, the way formless sound can cut to the heart of things like a scalpel—to her own artistic voice”.

Julia Cumming’s Julia is the next album I want to highlight. This is going to be among the most anticipated debut albums of 2025. You may recognise Julia Cumming, as she is a member of Sunflower Bean. Putting out her own work, I do wonder what we will get from Julia. You can pre-order it here:

“Julia Cumming’s solo debut Julia opens with an unadorned declaration of independence: her voice and a piano uniting for a liberating proclamation of self that rejects doubt, misogyny, and the notion of being “too much.” Julia unlocks a creative door years in the making for the New York–born multi-instrumentalist and Sunflower Bean bassist, culminating after nearly two decades of bands, releases, labels, and relentless touring. As Sunflower Bean’s Headful of Sugar era ended in 2023, Cumming decamped to Los Angeles, where a two-year, deeply healing collaboration with producer Brian Robert Jones — her “second artistic puberty” — took shape. Drawing freely from formative influences: Burt Bacharach, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, and Brian Wilson. Julia emerges as a joyful, anti-cool coming-out: a celebration of the dorks, the misfits, and the enduring truth of being enough”.

Two more albums to recommend. Go and pre-order Kneecap’s FENIAN. A band who have been making headlines for the wrong reasons (they were not in the wrong; however, standing up against genocide caused backlash and censorship), they are not bringing us a terrific new album:

“Kneecap return to bend genre, language, and rules. The most talked about artists in the world are turning the page. A new chapter, new sounds, new manifestos. A blistering album that revels in darkness while bursting through the void with illuminated revery. This is FENIAN.

Produced by Dan Carey (Fontaines D.C., Kae Tempest, Wet Leg), FENIAN upends expectations with an expansive sonic palate, traversing acid house, trip-hop, dubstep, and more - Masters of rave and rap theatre, FENIAN represents Kneecap’s most sophisticated exploration of language and sounds.

More darkness. More confrontation. More craic. More energy. More solidarity. More absolute bangers. And more fuel for the unrelenting engine that powers this unstoppable force. For their remarkable second album, Kneecap have come out fighting.

Throughout, the sirens and alarms ring, and the chorus’s blast. Revolutionary and rebellious, confrontational and impossibly catchy, inescapably intelligent and brilliantly rendered, FENIAN doesn’t just represent the next phase in Kneecap’s trajectory but stands as a remarkable record that thrills as much as it surprises. The mayhem of their breakout year is a memory now. But Kneecap are neither dwelling on that nor merely persevering through it. In FENIAN they excel, reaching a new peak that is undeniable in its mastery.

Pressure makes diamonds, and FENIAN glistens with Kneecap’s uncut gems”.

I am ending this feature by spotlighting Miss Grit’s Under My Umbrella. You can pre-order the album here. When it comes to Miss Grit, they are an artist that you definitely need to spend time with. In terms of the music they are producing and the emotions they provoke. Under My Umbrella is going to be a cracker:

“For their second full-length album, Under My Umbrella, Miss Grit has lifted the lid on their internal world, lasering in on the anxieties and heartbreak of the past two years, following their acclaimed debut Follow the Cyborg.

On this album, Margaret Sohn – aka Miss Grit (they/she) – channels the noirish atmosphere of classic trip-hop bands, while adding a hefty dose of maximalism and a dream-pop sensibility.  The title is a nod to the iconic Rihanna song and embraces Sohn “…letting people in more on this record and trying not to shy away from that. I’m leaving the cyborg behind, I’m letting it all out.”

This record started to take shape when Sohn returned from an intense touring schedule where they’d driven themself around North America totally alone. When they returned home, Sohn found themselves yearning to capture that specific, less restrained energy of playing live.

Under My Umbrella not only presents Sohn’s gift for complex production, but also the boldness of finding your voice, and ultimately is about coming to terms with yourself, your imperfections, and your complex interior world”.

There are other albums out next month that you may also want to think about. I hope that those above are of interest and have given you some food for thought. Some guidance and discoveries. April looks like it is going to be a busy and exciting month. Some wonderful and eclectic albums that you will want to…

GO and pre-order.

FEATURE: At a Local Level: The Love and Affection for Kate Bush Around the World

FEATURE:

 

At a Local Level

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

The Love and Affection for Kate Bush Around the World

__________

I have spoken a lot…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performing live in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: TV Times via Getty Images

about the influence of Kate Bush in the music world. This huge and international representation. How some of the biggest artists of the day are embodying Kate Bush and you can see how she has affected them. However, we do not really drill down to a local level. I guess it is impossible to do that, and so many of the events and moments where Kate Bush is celebrated will go unreported. However, I do wonder whether there is capacity for more to be done when it comes to Kate Bush. In terms of size and budget. However, that is not to take anything away from the smaller tributes and acknowledgments. I read a story from the U.S. about a Kate Bush musical that has been launched in the U.S. It has finished now, but I do hope that it inspires others to do likewise:

“The Callbacks, a no-cut student musical theater group founded in spring 2024, will be performing an original musical titled “Hounds of Love” for their termly production this weekend. Written, directed and choreographed by Nathaniel Lopez ’29, the jukebox musical will feature songs by the English singer-songwriter and musician Kate Bush. The title of the musical comes from Bush’s 1985 studio album, “Hounds of Love.”

The musical follows Ella, played by Gianna Werle ’29, a recent college graduate as she navigates a new corporate marketing job. Grappling with self-doubt and uncertainty about her career path, Ella’s eccentric co-worker Jason, played by Aidan Lewinter ’28, helps her rekindle her passion for dance.

Lopez said he believes the story will be “important for our audience,” as college students.

“It is okay to do the thing you love — whether this is English, engineering, medical school or even the arts,” he said.

Lopez has been involved with The Callbacks since last fall, his first term on campus, when he performed in their cabaret show. Outside of The Callbacks, he has also been involved in the student-run Displaced Theatre Company and the Rude Mechanicals as an actor and sound technician.

To Lopez’s knowledge, this production is the first Kate Bush jukebox musical. Calling Bush a “mastermind of her music,” Lopez explained that her “theatrical” style — from her music videos to her costumes — inspired him to make a musical using her songs.

“I always thought that her music could act as great dance pieces,” Lopez said.

Lopez said this idea specifically began as a class assignment in his THEA 50: “Playwriting 1” class, where he started writing the show, which is currently in its fifth version.

Lopez is an experienced choreographer. Last term, he choreographed a dance for the theater department’s First Year Project showcase, and he said he has choreographed four musicals before.

Reflecting Bush’s music style, Lopez described the choreography of “Hounds of Love” as “surreal and abstract.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Kaley Beth Roberts

Ben Killian ’29, who will be playing Ella’s dad, added that every choice is nonetheless very “intentional.”

“I think that there’s a lot of things that Nate intentionally put in for people to notice,” Killian said.

The show marks Lopez’ debut as a director. Despite initial nervousness, Lopez said he thinks that “being the playwright of the show you’re directing makes the experience much easier.”

“It is much easier for me to give direction to my cast, as I know each character’s wants and motives,” Lopez said.

He explained that the process of putting on the show involved learning about many aspects of theater-making, including “directing, holding auditions, arranging sheet music, doing a little bit of dramaturgy and so much more.”

Jussynda Burns ’29, an ensemble member in the show, said she wanted to audition for “Hounds of Love” because she “grew to miss” the theater after a hiatus from it in college.

“Theater [has] just been a big part of my life for a long time, but I kind of stopped when I was going through the college process,” she said.

Odete Coss ’29, another ensemble member, said her involvement in the show has allowed her to expand her artistic “toolbox.”

“I’m not a singer or a dancer — I’m an actor. So being able to do [those things] and seeing that I’m not bad at [them] is really awesome,” Coss said.

Moreover, Coss described being part of the fulfillment of Lopez’ vision as highly rewarding.

“I get to help make my friend’s dreams come true,” she said.

Lopez said he is looking forward to the audience seeing his innovative use of Bush’s songs.

“I think the audience will love to see how I took pre-existing Kate Bush songs and put them in the context of an entire plot,” he said.

“Hounds of Love” will be showing at the Warner Bentley Theater in the Hopkins Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27 and at 1 p.m. on Feb. 28”.

There have been cases of Kate Bush being spotlighted in various ways around the world. I have said before how, in 2022, a Brisbane choir covered Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) and they received a thanks from Kate Bush. Baby Bushka is a San Diego, California-based eight-woman powerhouse troupe that performs Kate Bush covers. They are one of a few tribute acts or groups who perform Kate Bush songs. You know it is not only the U.S. and Australia where Kate Bush is inspiring. It does make me want to look more at what is happening around the world. The local-level salutes to this music icon. We talk about how massive artists are influenced by Kate Bush. However, there is something more compelling and interesting when we look at these smaller projects, groups and interesting events. I recently wrote about a couple of Kate Bush events in the U.K. The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever is coming up and I know last year offered some revues, charity nights and tribute acts. Given how Kate Bush continues to make an impact in music and her songs are being discovered and shared by a whole new generation, it is not a surprise that people are honouring that in their own way. If artists love Kate Bush for their reasons, things like musical in California has different dynamics and personal meanings. I don’t know if we have had a Kate Bush musical here. I also am curious what is in store this year. Given the momentum that Wuthering Heights recently gained, I suspect that something around that song will come to light. We have TikTok videos and things online. People posting clips of Kate Bush songs. However, I do love it when people go to greater lengths to show their appreciation of Kate Bush. It is a shame that there is not a forum, fan club or website where those who are doing something Kate Bush-related can post. It would be amazing to have a global map and see what is happening. Maybe Kate Bush herself would react to that. We discuss music-related connections to Kate Bush’s work. However, there are those across theatre, literature and art (and beyond) that warrant greater focus. Showing just how wide-ranging and multi-discipline her music and influence is, it is always heartening when people celebrate this woman’s work. I do think that the rest of this year will see more examples than ever of people embarking on projects or incorporating Kate Bush’s music into an original work. A representation of and emphasis on…

HER unique genius.

FEATURE: Exploring One of Kate Bush’s Most Divisive and Important Singles: Director’s Cut’s Deeper Understanding at Fifteen

FEATURE:

 

 

Exploring One of Kate Bush’s Most Divisive and Important Singles

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for 2011’s Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

Director’s Cut’s Deeper Understanding at Fifteen

__________

WHILST the only big…

album anniversary regarding Kate Bush this year is the fortieth of the greatest hits collection, The Whole Story, there are some smaller anniversaries. Director’s Cut turns fifteen in May. Its only single, Deeper Understanding, turns fifteen on 5th April, it is worth highlighting it. There are a few reasons why people; are divided about this song. One relates to the music video. The original song was included on 1989’s The Sensual World and I am surprised it did not get a single release. It only reached seventy-eight upon its release in 2011. The video for the 2011 version was directed by Kate Bush. Even though she is a remarkable director, Director’s Cut is not one of her best efforts. It seems messy and strange and doesn’t really hang together. Also, the number of musicians on Director’s Cut version is higher than on The Sensual World’s. The 1989 version had drum, bass, tupan and vocals. Maybe a little too busy the 2011 version. The other divisive aspect is the relevance of the song. If Kate Bush was mystic and prescient when she put out Deeper Understanding in 1989, maybe there was less impact in 2011. I do feel like there is something oldskool and a little dial-up modem about the 2011 version, even though technology had moved on. So it is hard to write about Deeper Understanding without addressing these points. In 2011, for The Guardian, this is what Michael Cragg wrote about Deeper Understanding: “The 2011 retwizzle is two minutes longer, seems to have a new vocal and, naturally for the music climate of today, a lot of vocal processing and vocoder. The chorus is much more explicitly meant to be a conversation between human and computer: “I bring you love and deeper understanding” croons the machine like a malfunctioning ZX Spectrum. It’s not a disaster, in fact once you get used to the vocals it’s still a great Kate Bush track, but if revisiting songs is going to mean adding an extra minute and a half of harmonica solos to each one then we may have problems.” The New Yorker added: “Where the original chattered and cracked, this version susurrates and warps, a bit more like life online”.

I will move on in a minute. However, before I get there, there are some interview archives from 1989 where Kate Bush discussed Deeper Understanding. One of the standout cuts from The Sensual World. Thanks to the Kate Bush Encyclopedia for their archive:

“This is about people… well, about the modern situation, where more and more people are having less contact with human beings. We spend all day with machines; all night with machines. You know, all day, you’re on the phone, all night you’re watching telly. Press a button, this happens. You can get your shopping from the Ceefax! It’s like this long chain of machines that actually stop you going out into the world. It’s like more and more humans are becoming isolated and contained in their homes. And this is the idea of someone who spends all their time with their computer and, like a lot of people, they spend an obsessive amount of time with their computer. People really build up heavy relationships with their computers! And this person sees an ad in a magazine for a new program: a special program that’s for lonely people, lost people. So this buff sends off for it, gets it, puts it in their computer and then like , it turns into this big voice that’s saying to them, “Look, I know that you’re not very happy, and I can offer you love: I’m her to love you. I love you!” And it’s the idea of a divine energy coming through the least expected thing. For me, when I think of computers, it’s such a cold contact and yet, at the same time, I really believe that computers could be a tremendous way for us to look at ourselves in a very spiritual way because I think computers could teach us more about ourselves than we’ve been able to look at, so far. I think there’s a large part of us that is like a computer. I think in some ways, there’s a lot of natural processes that are like programs… do you know what I mean? And I think that, more and more, the more we get into computers and science like that, the more we’re going to open up our spirituality. And it was the idea of this that this… the last place you would expect to find love, you know, real love, is from a computer and, you know, this is almost like the voice of angels speaking to this person, saying they’ve come to save them: “Look, we’re here, we love you, we’re here to love you!” And it’s just too much, really, because this is just a mere human being and they’re being sucked into the machine and they have to be rescued from it. And all they want is that, because this is “real” contact.

Roger Scott, BBC Radio 1 interview, 14 October 1989

It’s like today, a lot of people relate to machines, not to human beings, like they hear telephone [Makes ringing noise] and think “Is that for me?” I guess it playing with the idea of how people get more and more isolated from humans and spend a lot more time with machines. I suppose America’s a really good example where there are some people who never go out, they watch television all day, they’re surrounded by machines, they shop through television, they speak to people on the phone; it’s just distant contact. The idea of the computer buffs who end up going through divorce cases because their wives can’t cope with the attention the computer gets. They have an obsessive effect on people, and this track’s about one of those types.

I was playing with the juxtaposition of high tech and spirituality. I suppose one inspiration was a program I saw last year about a scientist called Stephen Hawking who for years had been studying the universe, and his concepts are like the closest we’ve ever come to understanding the answer. But unfortunately he has a wasting-away disease, and the only way he can talk is through voice process. It was one of the most moving things I’ve ever heard. He was so close to the answers to everything, and yet his body was going on him – in some ways it was the closest I’d ever come to hearing God speak! The things he was saying were so spiritual, it was like he’d gone straight through science and come out the other end. It was like he’d gone beyond words, and I do think that there is this possibility with computers that we really could learn about ourselves on levels that could take us into much deeper areas. With my music, I like to combine both the old and the new, the high tech and the compassion from the human element, the combination of synths and acoustic instruments.

Will Johnson, ‘A Slowly Blooming English Rose’. Pulse, December 1989”.

Even though it seemed like a quick process selecting the songs that would be included on Director’s Cut – the album features songs that appeared on The Sensual World and 1993’s The Red Shoes -, you feel like Deeper Understanding was a harder choice. I think the original is really good and effecting. Bush said in interviews how she had a bank of voices for the version on The Sensual World but wanted it to be this single voice. A conversation between a human and computer. She got the chance to realise this with the re-recorded version. I do like the fact that she brought her son. Bertie appeared on Aerial in 2005 and 50 Words for Snow, which was released in November 2011. Playing this computerised part, it sort of buried his lovely voice. We got a chance to hear it in its pure form for Snowflake. The longer version meant that Deeper Understanding was perhaps not an obvious choice for single. Maybe Kate Bush felt that the reliance on technology and social media coming in meant Deeper Understanding was the most relevant song. In terms of how people could relate to it. Many argue that Deeper Understanding was more effecting and potent in 1989. The longest song on Director’s Cut, why not shine a light on The Song of Solomon or Top of the City? As The Red Shoes gets mor focus than The Sensual World regarding the songs included on Director’s Cut, maybe strange Bush wanted the only single to be a reworked version of a classic from The Sensual World. Or she could have even released Flower of the Mountain. The song that pretty much inspired Director’s Cut or was a big motivator, Bush got permission to use words from James Joyce’s Ulysses that she was denied when writing The Sensual World. It would have been fascinating seeing a video for Flower of the Mountain. As Deeper Understanding was not a single the first time around, Bush might have felt it was long overdue.

I will end with a few takes on Deeper Understanding. How people reacted to the new version. Bush, as an older woman, discussing technology and how addicted we are. There is an irony on Deeper Understanding, Bush not someone who is on social media or especially bothered about smartphones and that side of things. More, this is her observing society as a whole. Uncut wrote this in their review of Director’s Cut: “Elsewhere, Director’s Cut simply marks the changes in musical fashion – most notably on the reworked “Deeper Understanding”, a song about the questionable solace of technology, which now features a multitracked, pitchshifted Kate as the voice of the computer, as though she had just heard Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak”. The Guardian wrote this: “Bush has seriously messed with "Deeper Understanding" as well, a track whose prescience about the siren's call of the internet is shivery. The computer gets a bigger voice – Bush's 12-year-old son, Bertie – and a dose of Auto-Tune, the vocal effect of choice of 21st-century R&B. It will make you smile”. This blog provided their take on Deeper Understanding: “The opening lines of “Deeper Understanding” works more powerfully in today’s age of social networking on the Internet than it did over 20 years ago: “As the people here grow colder/I turn to my computer/And spend my evenings with it like a friend.” To top it off, Bush has robotocized the chorus with a warped, more modern auto-tune effect. It’s a witty up-date to a song whose coda she also extends an extra couple of minutes with odd computer effects and a slow jam with drums, bass, harmonica and her own quirky voice”.

Pitchfork’s single review is particularly interesting: “So it’s certainly an appropriate thematic choice to herald Director’s Cut, but there’s plenty of creativity at work here. The contributions by the Bulgarian vocal ensemble Trio Bulgarka are dampened, with Bush Auto-Tuning their voices to make the lush expanses of cushion-y sound ever more opulent. At times the feeling is reminiscent of another familiar touchstone, 10cc’s plushed-out “I’m Not in Love,” at others it flits close to the luxuriant pop of Fleetwood Mac's coke-fueled soft rock work on “Storms.” It’s in the final third of “Deeper Understanding” that this version takes on a life of its own. The pliable bass thrum from former Japan member Mick Karn remains locked-down, Bush loosens her control on language altogether, and the closing harmonica drones, deployed with a similar rusty tone to those in Talk Talk’s “The Rainbow,” add a jagged edge to the natural softness. It’s a feeling heightened by Bush’s ragged vocal take, which hints at another subtle shift in her stylistic mien”. Turning fifteen on 5th April, I do think it is quite a big anniversary. This was the first new music released since 2005’s Aerial. It was a big moment in a year when Bush released two studio albums. Even if Deeper Understanding is not an obvious single selection, I do appreciate why Kate Bush wanted this song to lead. Championed by BBC Radio 2 and Ken Bruce, I instantly sprung to comparing the two versions. See Deeper Understanding as a single work. A new song. Relevant, timely and important as we get to hear Bush’s son on it, there are reasons to love…

THE 2011 recording of a wonderful Kate Bush song.

FEATURE: Broadening the Categories… Why Music Journalists and Photographers Should Be Included in Award Ceremonies

FEATURE:

 

 

Broadening the Categories…

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Neel/Pexels

Why Music Journalists and Photographers Should Be Included in Award Ceremonies

__________

ALTHOUGH there are…

PHOTO CREDIT: Gabriel Peter/Pexels

separate awards given to those in music who are not artists or songwriters, there are very few in the U.K. that include everyone. We have award ceremonies. They are mostly about artists and songwriters. Occasionally you get producers included. There is not a category for album artwork and photography. None for journalism or those who run venues or run labels. It seems like even the GRAMMYs is limited when it comes to discussing those away from the pure act of making and releasing music. Even though they recently included an album cover category, what about those who photograph artists? People, at labels and who run festivals? Those who are working tirelessly behind the scenes? To show how little music journalism is valued, where are the categories and honours for those who feature and write about the artists who get the awards?! Those who dislike awards or feel like they are pointless might say that it would be extreme and a waste of time. That is okay. They do not need to bother themselves! I do feel that there is focus on artists and not enough attention given to those away from the spotlight. Especially journalists. There are media awards but nothing at the biggest ceremonies. It brings into question the value of independent journalism. Even the biggest publications and magazines are not recognised. They hold their own ceremonies and celebrate artists. However, where are the categorises that recognise legendary and new journalists? The great stories and fantastic interviews? Photographers taking the best shots and producing essential work? We do not have a Best Album Cover category at any U.K. music award ceremonies I don’t think.

You can debate whether music award shows are watered down and politics is being censored. Controversy is not as prevalent and it feels a little timid. T.V. channels silencing anyone who does speak out. Making these nights broader and inclusive. Even some genres of music are included but seen as an afterthought. If we are going to keep up the tradition of having annual music awards, then they really do need to be more geared to the full spectrum and economy than just artists. Without the journalists, venue managers, crew, festival organisers, journalists and beyond then the industry would not be what it is! You cannot deny that. So, rather than them being overlooked or seen as inessential, it would be nice if that habit was ended. Journalism is especially important. At a time when music journalism is at risk and so many websites are closing, it is as vital as ever that we support journalism and also acknowledge how we need to keep it alive. Whilst we do not have the same proliferation of magazines and publications we did a couple or few decades ago, there are still so many examples of wonderful journalism that is not being discussed or properly honoured. It goes beyond that. Think about all the levels and layers of the music industry. Though there is a photography award ceremony held annually by Abbey Road Studios, what about integrating this into huge award ceremonies? It is a shame that photography and journalism is someone marginalised or seen as inferior. Taking nothing away from artists and how incredible they are. However, there is a vast majority of the focus put purely on music and those who make it. It seems so limiting. We do not have anything as extensive or fulsome as the GRAMMYs in the U.K. Most of our award shows are quite limited when it comes to categories.

PHOTO CREDIT: Markus Winkler/Pexels

As an independent music journalist, I see this huge gulf between what I am people like me do and these massive artists. Although it is a stretch to say there is a direct connection or they have in some way been helped by independent journalists, there is this disparity. The hard work and tireless graft and craft from journalists does not get its moment. It is not about awards and materialism. It is more about recognising the value of journalism. Or photography or these areas that are so important. It is not just me who feels like this. There are so many in the music industry that have been working for years without seeing what we do highlighted and recognised on a T.V. screen. There are issues with award ceremonies in terms of gender inequality and how certain genres and categories are not as valued as they should be. Maybe too much focus on Pop and less on, say, Rap. However, it is this narrow focus on artists and those who release music that is frustrating. It is not true that journalism is irrelevant and music fans do not need it or can do the same thing. That everyone is a photographer, so we do not need to spotlight music photographers. There is this ignorance and lack of appreciation for so many people that add so much to the industry. Global press freedom and independence is in decline. Politicisation and censorship. It is a terrible time. Music journalism faces different challenges. A lack of advertising revue and diminished access to artists (who now bypass press via social media. For that reason alone, there should be a lot more support for and recognition of, music journalism. And for so many others who do not get that special moment and experience the glitz of the BRITs or other ceremonies. It is high time that we…

BROADEN the categories.

FEATURE: Groovelines: Doechii - DENIAL IS A RIVER

FEATURE:

 

Groovelines

Doechii - DENIAL IS A RIVER

__________

THIS is one of…

PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Johnson for Cosmopolitan

my favourite songs of the past decade. I am a big fan of Doechii, and DENIAL IS A RIVER is a true modern classic. This modern Rap great at her peak! A standout from that mixtape, DENIAL IS A RIVER was released last January. The song features Doechii's therapist alter-ego, to whom Doechii narrates the conditions of her own life, such as failed relationships involving her being cheated on and developing a drug addiction. That real struggle to balance her career with her personal life. DENIAL IS A RIVER was a hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and won huge critical praise. Its video is also fascinating and received a lot of focus and interest. I am going to come to some reviews of the song. One that is a modern masterpiece in my view. I want to start with part of a Cosmopolitan interview from last year. The subject of this remarkable song came up:

“That vulnerability is also such a key component of your music. “DENIAL IS A RIVER” redefined the heartbreak song and represents a post-relationship crash-out pretty accurately. How soon after a traumatizing romantic situation can you put pen to paper?

Sometimes I have to process things before I can talk about them, because if I try to do it immediately, I’m gonna say the wrong thing. But that song took me a year to process. I didn’t want to give my ex any promo in my music. And I talked about three different exes in that song. People think it’s just one! I decided I had to talk about it for me.

Have you ever been involved with a partner who’s creatively limited you?

I only felt that way once. I was 18, and I was dating a guy who just wasn’t very supportive of my music, and it really stifled me. I stopped writing because he was just like, “That’s not cool.” I took his opinion way too seriously when really he just didn’t get it. I remember listening to SZA’s Ctrl for the first time and it literally gave me the courage to break up with him. I only bring that up because she inspired me to be vulnerable through my music in a way that I didn’t think I could be.

It happens all the time. I’ll see so many of my friends with someone and I’m like...

He literally hates you.

Have you ever made a song to help people regain power after a relationship like that?

“GIRLS,” the first song I dropped that went viral, was 100 percent about that ex. I had been working on it for a year and I played it for him, and he was like, “This sucks. What are you even talking about?” And I was like, “Oh yeah, I got to fix this.” And the girls loved it because they felt me.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

(Top) Ahluwalia top, Jacquemus pants, Diotima headscarf, Nina Runsdorf earrings, Simone I. Smith and Rainbow Unicorn Birthday Surprise bracelets. (Bottom) Bottega Veneta shirt and pants, Rainbow Unicorn Birthday Surprise bracelets, stylist’s own bracelets (left arm), Laura Lombardi ring, Home by Areeayl ring (left ring finger), For Future Reference Vintage ring (left middle finger), Charlotte Chesnais ring (left index finger).

One man’s—I don’t want to say trash, but...

No, seriously! I think it boils down to: “You’re not a creative, so you don’t understand why this is important to me. And you don’t even love me enough to support me in something that you don’t understand because you’re selfish. And this is for women—this is not for you.”

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Have you had any people you’ve written about reach out and say something?

If I’m writing about you in the negative, you can’t reach out—you’re blocked”.

DENIAL IS A RIVER is such a fascinating song. In terms of its layers and components. Doechii’s amazing vocals and the sort of conversation she has with herself through it. Rolling Stone broke down DENIAL IS A RIVER for their feature. I have seen others that dissect the verses and composition. Always interesting reading people go deep with a song:

“Ditching the formula was essential for Doechii while she was in the studio cooking up her latest mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal. She knows the appeal of a big commercial hit, something palatable and only barely creative — something almost anyone could do. But her musical interests are more deeply connected to delivering unique stories that find humor in dark situations. On the latest episode of Rolling Stone‘s The Breakdown, the Florida rapper explains how moving away from any preset expectations and carving out her own path led her to “Denial Is a River.”

“I was really afraid of how raw and honest I was being in that record,” Doechii explains. “And I know that a lot of my fans really, really love that record because I made it humorous, but it actually is very, very dark.” The song was inspired by a journal entry and the chronological flow of Slick Rick’s classic “A Children’s Story.” Doechii locked in with her engineer Jayda Love and created a gripping story about finding out her ex-boyfriend cheated on her with a man.

“This song is really just like people hearing how I am, the inner dialogue that I’m having with myself. Like, OK, maybe you should really unpack that,” she said. “This is an inner dialogue that I’m having with the voices in my head. It just seems like I’m less crazy because I do it with a funny voice.” The approach gave her structure, but didn’t take away from her strengths as a lyricist.

Love, who watched the record pour out of Doechii in the studio, shares: “I wasn’t surprised to hear how honest she was. The only surprising factor of it was just how quickly it came about. But the contents of the song were not surprising at all.”

Doechii was in the process of creating an album when an unexpected creative detour led her to Alligator Bites Never Heal. She needed that experience to break away from being codependent on her label and the opinions of everyone else around her. She had to figure out her formula for herself. “That was my version of like, all right, I’m gonna let everything go. I’m getting sober. I’m not talking to nobody. I’m not talking to my label. I’m finna be in my house. I’ma paint and I’ma write, and I’m not talking to anybody,” Doechii says. “That’s me exploding, when I exclude myself and I shut down and I get in my hermit.”

What she learned in the process was that making music was a way to streamline her healing process. “I have to make music for therapy. And for me, that’s my formula,” she says. “If it blows up on TikTok, it blows up. But I can’t make music from that place. It distracts me, and then I’m not able to tell the truth. Sometimes, those formulas that fit for pop and radio and TikTok and the internet, you’re making music for moments. Instead of making music for therapy, you dilute your message. You dilute your creativity. You lose something — you lose the story”.

I am going to finish with this review. If you have not heard DENIAL IS A RIVER then go and watch the video on YouTube. I would urge you also to check out the phenomenal mixtape, Alligator Bits Never Heal. That came out in 2024. I wonder if we will get a mixtape of album from Doechii this year:

“Doechii's "Denial Is A River" is a sharply written story of her deeply personal struggles she has faced throughout her life, especially over the past few years. All while doing so, she also incorporates so much of her signature humor within it too. She is such a dynamic and captivating storyteller, one that is simultaneously very funny and clever, but also very real and honest.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Doechii opened up about the time in her life that inspired this song. "With 'Denial Is a River,' I felt some fear there because it's really me being extremely literal and vulnerable about my situation. It is a very vulnerable thing, especially as an artist," she said. "Just a little backstory, I went through a period where I was afraid to be vulnerable in my music, which is odd for me because that’s all I usually do. I was saying to my engineer, 'I don't want to talk about my feelings because right now all I feel is negativity. All I feel is sadness. I feel anger. I'm upset with everything and everybody. And my fans don't want to hear that.' But my engineer was like, 'It's not for them, it's for you. You need to talk about it.' So, it was very scary for me to be that vulnerable on 'Denial Is a River,' which is why I think that I made it funny; so that it could be a bit easier to process the darkness of that record."

It was released in summer of 2024 on her third mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, but started gaining more traction in early 2025. She also won her first Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2025, making her only the third female artist in history to win that award, following in the footsteps of Lauryn Hill and Cardi B. I recently discovered her music and have been obsessed with it ever since. When I first saw her NPR Tiny Desk performance, I was just so blown away by her insane skill and the precision of which she performs. Everyone involved is so immensely talented. She also blew me away during her 2025 Grammy's performance of this song and "Catfish", along with the string of other late-night performances she's done recently. Doechii is truly a legend in the making and has such a bright career ahead of her.

"Denial Is A River" is written from such a cool perspective, almost as if she's breaking the fourth wall to the listener and fully dictating her inner dialogue to the audience. She raps about moving from Florida to Hollywood and getting wrapped up in the allure of it all, getting thrust into some bad situations. Doechii opens up about everything from her drug addiction to her relationship troubles. It really dives into the story of her life for the past five years or so.

It is also very conversational as well. The song's title is in reference to an old Wendy Williams quote from her radio show, "Denial is a river in Egypt and your husband is gay". Funny enough that is also a storyline in Doechii's song too, as she details the story of her boyfriend cheating on her with another man. The opening of the song is almost as if she is telling the story on a radio show too, with the host saying, "You know it's been a lil' minute since you and I have had a chat...Probably since, like, your last EP, Oh the Places You'll Go". The song was also inspired by "A Children's Story" by Slick Rick too, she told Rolling Stone that "...this is an inner dialogue that I’m having with the voices in my head. It just seems like I'm less crazy because I do it with a funny voice."

Following her breakup in 2019, she fast-forwards to 2021 when she first got signed to a record label. "I'm movin' so fast, no time to process," she says. "Wrist watch, drip drop, label want the TikToks, now I'm makin' TikTok music, what thee fuck? I need a cleanse, need a detox, but we ain't got time to stop, the charts need us".

"Denial Is A River" is one of the most popular songs from Alligator Bites Never Heal, it keeps gaining more momentum every week on the charts and on social media. It's funny how that works because the song comes from a place of being frustrated with record labels wanting her to make music that will go viral and do well on TikTok. It's really refreshing to see a song gain so much popularity that pushes back against the trends and make something with the opposite intention.

Issa Rae also makes a spoken-word cameo throughout the song too, serving as a voice of reason, like a friend or a therapist trying to talk her down from this spiral she's having. The music video similarly brings all of these emotions to life, as the perfect ode to classic 90's sitcoms with Doechii herself as the main character of it all. The song itself has a very throwback feel to it as well, which they translated so well into a visual format.

By the end of the second verse into the third, she opens up about what 2023 was like for her. "I'm stackin' lots of cheese and makin' money, my grass is really green, and honestly, I can't even fucking cap no more, this is a really dark time for me". Doechii goes on to talk about her addiction and getting wrapped up in a dangerous Hollywood lifestyle, which provided her with short-term pleasure, but was starting to have a negative impact on her mental health. "I like doin' Hollywood shit, snort it? Probably would," she sings, "What can I say? The shit works, it feels good and my self-worth's at an all-time low". She opened up about her sobriety in her acceptance speech at the 2025 Grammy's, when she won the award for Best Rap Album. "I put my heart and my soul into this mixtape," she said through tears. "I bared my life. I went through so much. I dedicated myself to sobriety and God told me that I would be rewarded and that He would show me just how good it can get."

"Denial Is A River" is also officially Doechii's first solo Hot 100 entry on the Billboard charts. On Twitter in January 2025 she wrote, "My first solo entry is a satire about one of the lowest points in my life and has no hook. A message to smaller artists: Create whatever art you want there's really no rules”.

A queen of modern Rap and Hip-Hop, I think Doechii is going to go down as one of the all-time greats. DENIAL IS A RIVER is an example of her genius. Not only in terms of the songwriting and her vocals. How she can switch emotions and characters. More of an actor rather than a singer, she also makes these phenomenal videos that are like works of art. I think she will have a career as an actor too. There are few modern artists as extraordinary…

AS Doechiii.

FEATURE: Through a Long & Sleepless Night: The Divine Comedy's Casanova at Thirty

FEATURE:

 

 

Through a Long & Sleepless Night

The Divine Comedy's Casanova at Thirty

__________

THE thirteenth…

studio album from The Divine Comedy, Rainy Sunday Afternoon, was released last year and is one of their best ever. Referring to them as a band, it is essential Neil Hannon and a cast of musicians. He has been the focal point ever since the first album in 1990. Another of their albums has big anniversaries this year. Regeneration turned twenty-five on 12th March. However, one of The Divine Comedy’s greatest and most popular albums, Casanova, was released on 29th April, 1996. The fourth album from Neil Hannon and his crew, it contains classics like Something for the Weekend and Becoming More Like Alfie. I am going to end with a review of this beautiful and hugely impressive album. One of the finest songwriters ever, this is one where Neil Hannon’s gifts are in full flight. People might recognise Songs of Love. That was used as the theme song for the incredible sitcom, Father Ted, in the 1990s. In terms of the truly great albums that arrived in 1996, this stands with the best of them. However, I think Casanova is overlooked in favour of others. It is worth shining a light on it ahead of its thirtieth anniversary. I am starting out with Beats Per Minute and their second look at an album that still sounds astonishing. The song uncovering fresh layers each time you listen:

“The 1996 record turned out to be – and remains – a great entry point. No doubt the fame from Father Ted helped make the album a commercial success (making it a gold record as well as boasting two Top 20 singles in the UK charts), but the strength of Casanova is earned in its own right – something all the more obvious in hindsight.

It’s a sad fact that The Divine Comedy’s principal songwriter and vocalist Neil Hannon is a name that remains fairly under the radar, especially as he is perhaps one of the most talented songwriters and composers out there, consistently delivering solid album after solid album in the band’s 30-some year existence. Truly a poet of his age, he has a magnificent skill of encapsulating everyday woe, everyday love, and the everyday feelings of every day into witty, deprecating couplets. He can turn an unsuspecting phrase into a magnificent weapon on a whim; the kind that can strike you both immediately and decades later with the same force.

Take the aforementioned “Songs of Love” for example; Hannon pokes fun at young couples prancing about in front of him with absolutely no regard for how miserable he is. Phrases like “Pale, pubescent beasts” are golden, but one line sticks out in particular: “Fortune depends on the tone of your voice.”

Perhaps Hannon is poking fun at himself and the love-song-writing community, but he still takes his advice to heart – something that helps distinguish him from other artists. When Hannon delivers a line, he does so entirely invested in it, regardless of how absurd, silly, or ludicrous it might be.

Casanova has a plethora of examples: On “Middle-Class Heroes” he lures in the listener as a hack psychic with a sultry voice (“Okay my pretty, just cross my palm with plastic / and I’ll see what I can do”); the ferocious “Through a Long & Sleepless Night” has him snarling and screaming during the album’s heaviest moment in a sort of post-rock/Britpop climax of noise; and on the centerpiece “Charge” he plays opposing forces of a war, seducing each other with horrific platitudes (“Baby baby, gonna set your village on fire”) in both falsetto and a deep, Barry White-like voice.

Oh, and that’s the thing about Casanova also worth knowing: it’s pretty much all about sex. The album is “inspired by the writings of the eighteenth century Venetian gambler, eroticist, and spy” (which Hannon himself details in the penultimate “Theme From Casanova”, using his best BBC voice as he ushers in a contrastingly gentle and ambling instrumental piece). The characters here are base, dick-led assholes, brimming with misogyny and undeserved huge egos: A man aims to lure a woman into a romp without telling her he’s married on “Something For The Weekend”, while on “In & Out of Paris & London” another man excuses assault and harassment, reasoning “this is not a sin – it’s not even original.” For some, the lyrics might not make for easy listening (even though a lot is left to innuendo and imagination), but it also speaks to Hannon’s skill at painting characters with depth and arcs over the course of just a song. And on the plus side, most of the horrible men meet a deserved grizzly end in some way or another.
When Scott Walker died in 2019, I honestly felt despair over losing an artist like I had felt for no other before. His music had come to be a staple for me since I first heard “Farmer in the City” through the biggest stereo speakers I ever recall seeing, feeling the pressure of the intensifying strings pushing against me. As his voice rose in the song, my heart opened and so did my mind; I had never heard music anything like this before. I promptly went out and bought Scott 1 – 4, and over the following years I consumed about everything I could in the Scott Walker universe. His loss was a sadness in me partly because it meant that there will be no more music from Walker, even though he has a rich, rewarding, and ranging catalogue. Like all good things, you love what you have, but you always want that little more.

When I first saw the biography/documentary film 30 Century Man, I recall a moment of surprise when Neil Hannon came on screen talking about how important Scott Walker was to him. “That’s the guy who does the Father Ted theme,” I thought to myself, knowing little else of his musical output at that point. It came as a great joy then to find Hannon’s music then – especially so after Walker’s death. Walker might be gone, but the ways in which Hannon emulates him, captures his nuance and style, is like having someone putting out B-sides to Scott 1-4 across their own career.

The Walker style is arguably at its most obvious on Casanova – which makes it all the more enjoyable for me to listen to. The rubber brass, marimba, and wide-spanning orchestration on “Middle-Class Heroes” makes it feel like it could fit onto Scott 2 all too perfectly. On the insomniac build of “Through a Long & Sleepless Night”, the way Hannon snarls his words is like he’s actually doing his best Walker impression. (The fact that the song also shares a title with a track from Scott only drives home the deliberate Walker emulation.) When the bass gets slinky and busy during passages on “Charge” and “A Woman of the World” there are echoes of Climate of Hunter to be heard. Final track “The Dogs & the Horses” comes complete with triumphant brass and ornate woodwind as Hannon says goodbye with the air of Oscar Wilde reaching out to the sky to use up his last breath; he’s gentle, but assured of his message throughout as his voice rises and falls with the music.

Thanks to orchestral arranger Joby Talbot, Hannon sounds truly like a timeless icon here, and that that icon is Scott Walker makes the album all the more enjoyable. I listen and content myself knowing that someone out there is still carrying the mantle of Walker’s style.

And ultimately that’s why Casanova is such a rewarding album for me: nostalgia, for both my younger self watching Father Ted, and my present self remembering the musical oeuvre of Scott Walker. There will be others who can relate to that, but it’s by no means a requirement for enjoying Casanova. The breadth of quality is wide here, every moment given due consideration from the band and worth a thesis of critical analysis. “Charge” is full of vaudeville piano breaks over a marching stomp of drums, all before the air raid sirens start bellowing and orchestra starts spiralling over the sound of gunfire; the imperialist/colonial air is there, but Hannon has his tongue wedged firmly in his cheek. (The song’s influence can also be heard clearly in Kaiser Chiefs’ 2014 epic “Cannons.”) The gloomy neo-swing jaunt of “A Woman of the World” (which is a reworked rejected first iteration of the Father Ted theme) casually ambles into cavernous depths as the Hannon explores the origin of feelings of love and hate (“Maybe I love her ’cause I’m jealous of her…Maybe I hate her ’cause I didn’t create her).

Indeed, every track here is full enough to want to break down each detail and lyrical turn: the squelchy synths and the brass riffing on the French national anthem on the darkly humorous “The Frog Princess”; the juxtaposition of the album’s most intense moments against its most whimsical and light ones; the slick 60s swing of “Becoming More Like Alfie”, with its glistening harpsichord and the surprising country twang of it’s vibrant guitar solo; and just the line “I fall in love with someone new practically every day but that’s okay,” which captures the fanatic adoration of both a serial womaniser and anyone who has ever been young and lustful”.

Maybe one of the issues is that Casanova did not fit in with the Britpop-dominating sounds of 1996. Not that The Divine Comedy were a mainstream band to begin with. They always had this somewhat underground appeal. Perhaps a bit too literate or eloquent to truly capture a foothold at the forefront, Casanova was very different to what was being proclaimed and recommended in 1996. This article explores how Neil Hannon’s work fitted into the U.K. scene in 1996. I think Casanova is an influential album that does not get enough attention:

“Even the beautiful and, to my ears, what could be seen as a pure love song in Songs Of Love isn‘t as straightforward as it appears. If you delve into the lyrics they talk of roaming the streets looking for prey whilst searching for a mate, so not quite so romantic when you look at it in that light, is it?

Starting out as the instrumental theme tune for telly comedy Father Ted, Songs Of Love did the job that A Woman Of The World was supposed to do, had TV bosses not rejected its brasher melody. With Hannon, the son of a bishop, offering up his best Frank Sinatra impression amid a 1930s Vegas showgirls routine, it’s not at all surprising why AWOTW would be rejected as the keynote track for this bucolic drama concerning the lives of priests on an island in Ireland.

Songs Of Love feels more pastoral, like a gentle love letter to Neil’s emerald homeland. You can imagine lambs frolicking through fields, maybe even picture My Lovely Horse (another Hannon composition featured in Father Ted’s A Song For Europe episode).

The shady libertine continues to be in evidence in the resolutely un-PC Frog Princess, candidly admitting “I don’t love anybody/That stuff is just a waste of time” but still chancing his arm with “Your place or mine?”. But by A Woman Of The World we see the beginnings of an about turn, maybe he loves her, maybe he hates her, maybe he needs her? Of course, he does revert to type considering the happenstance of killing her whilst in the throes of passion though of course the possibility is always there that she might get in there first.

But that is to discuss the insidious nature of intimacy I mentioned, however, is it also really an album about death? In my opinion, yes. Of the 11 stories the lyrics of seven contain allusions to or are explicitly about mortality, whilst one of the four that don’t is mainly wordless (the aforementioned Theme).

Two of the tunes deal wholly with death: The Dogs & The Horses, the album’s closing chapter, and the jaunty Charge, song five,  be a blasé treatise on trench warfare which finds Hannon channelling famous lovemen from Jim Morrison to Barry White and Prince. Midway through the latter, the composer seems to be having great fun charging into the valley of death and shooting left, right and centre, so gung-ho in fact that he’s stark bullock naked. One can almost picture him smoking a cigar with a bandana and camo paint.

The last word in dissonant denouements, The Dogs & The Horses, conversely, is a beautiful baroque slice of Scott Walker-esque melodrama featuring a deathbed vision of beloved pets coming to say one last goodbye and escort you up to the pearly gates. This is, of course, in stark contrast to our protagonist in Middle Class Heroes who is “never to heaven go”.

Maybe again here we are seeing the growth in character progressing throughout the record. We start with the unpleasant side of life but build up to a rousing finale where all is forgiven and we see our rakish hero in a slightly more sympathetic light. We realise he is an animal lover indeed, who has repented of his previous lust and life and can now enjoy an afterlife in heaven and not the hell contemplated in Through A Long & Sleepless Night, here we really feel the shift from loathsome letch to snarling old codger. Hannon never once glosses over the grubby and self-serving aspects of male desire and the album is all the better for it.

And so we leave on a note of positivity that people can change, that repentance brings deathbed redemption and that anyone can end up loved. Or, we could just listen to Neil Hannon and live our lives via the philosophy of track number nine”.

A lot of the features about Casanova are that it is this forgotten album. Rather than heralding a classic that was loved in its time, there is this sense of rewriting the narrative or giving oxygen to something that was ignored or underrated when it came out. Backseat Mafia marked twenty years of Casanova in 2016:

“Possessing a way with a melody light years ahead of his contemporaries, Hannon’s ability to pen a brilliantly accessible tune pretty reached an apex with Casanova, as it was packed full of smart pop songs that would have clogged up the upper reaches of the 90s singles charts for months on end if there was any justice in the world. Hannon’s charming arrangements and experience-soaked croon was a world away from the rip-off riffage and mock-working class bellowing of Britpop, which goes some way to explaining why Divine Comedy were considered an act of niche appeal for so long. As brilliant as Hannon’s songs were, Divine Comedy were committed to the thankless task of swimming against the tide of popularity at the time, so Casanova struggled to reach the audience numbers it deserved to.

So, 20 years after its release, does Casanova still stand up, or have the two decades weighed heavily on its shoulders?

Actually, as it turns out, it still stands up pretty well, especially when compared to the majority of albums released during the era. It remains a collection of arch pop tunes which are playful, without being lightweight, and it’s different enough to anything else going on in the mid-90s for it not to be forever tied to that decade. While not entirely ageless, tunes like “Becoming More Like Alfie”, “Something for the Weekend” and “Songs of Love” have at least aged well, and the heart-swelling “The Frog Princess” is a wonderfully resigned ballad which deserves to be hailed as a modest-masterpiece.

If Casanova has a flaw, it’s that it doesn’t really know how to end. “Theme from Casanova” would have been a charmingly tongue in cheek closing track, however it is followed by the richly orchestrated “The Dogs & the Horses”, a fine song which frustratingly just doesn’t fit in with the sex-based themes of the rest of the album. Perhaps the answer would have been to omit it from the album entirely, but it’s far too fine a piece of music to be relegated to b-side status, or even tucked away as an example of that most teeth gnashing aspect of 90s CD culture – the hidden track.

Casanova is an album that requires a little bit of time lavished on it before it reveals its charms, however when it does, it declares itself one of the finest albums of the 90s. Yes it has its flaws, but that goes for a vast amount of the albums released during that decade, and the good aspects far outweighs the bad. Casanova is by turns playful, charming, smart and on the whole considerably less knuckle-dragging than much of what my generation were subjecting themselves to at that time, and it’s appeal has endured when so many other albums released at the time have long since lost their lustre”.

On 29th April, it will be thirty years since The Divine Comedy released Casanova. There are some who feel Neil Hannon/the band released better albums. I feel Casanova is one of their most important. In terms of how it helped bring the music to wider attention. Even so, many forget about an album released in a year when so many classics came out. That is too bad, as this wonderful album deserves new love…

THIRTY years later.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Elles Bailey

FEATURE:

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Blackham Images

Elles Bailey

__________

THOUGH this is an artist…

who has released her eighth album and has been in the industry for a while, it is a name that I think she be known to more people. An incredible talent, Elles Bailey is currently on a run of tour dates across the U.K., with a couple of U.S. dates in April. Bailey is a Bristol Americana, Blues, and Roots Rock artist. Since the release of her wonderful 2017 debut album, Wildfire, she has achieved multiple #1 UK Blues albums and has won multiple U.K. Americana and Blues awards. I have included her on my blog before, though this is the first Spotlight feature. Her new album, Can’t Take My Story Away, was released in January. I shall come to some recent interviews before finishing with a review of the album. Classic Rock spoke with Elles Bailey about her new album and “fame, vanity, mental health and the childhood trauma behind her smoke’n’honey battle cry”:

“What you see is what you get with Elles Bailey. No filter. No subject off limits. No stage-managed Zoom backdrop. And, as the Bristolian singer-songwriter points out with a cackle, no personal stylist to primp her for today’s video call.

Militantly independent for the best part of a decade, Bailey is now working with label Cooking Vinyl and promoted by Madonna’s PR agency; it’s feasible that eighth album Can’t Take My Story Away could turn her into the kind of singer that Britain reads about over its cornflakes.

“Fame is not something I aspire to,” she insists. “When I look at someone like Taylor Swift, I think: ‘Every moment of their life is documented.’ That feels to me like a trauma. I love Bonnie Raitt, Imelda May, Beth Hart – who have incredible catalogues, but if they were walking down the street you might not recognise them.”

Bailey’s voice, though, is unmistakable, like dry leaves crackling on a bonfire. “On this album I was trying to find my inner Mavis Staples, my inner Janis Joplin.” She laughs at her impudence. “You’ve got to aim high, haven’t you?”

That vocal, she points out, is the silver lining of almost dying in childhood.

“Just before my third birthday, I got viral and bacterial pneumonia,” she explains. “I was intubated, put in a coma for seventeen days. I had to relearn how to walk and talk – and my voice was completely different. Back then the tubes could damage your vocal cords. But I wouldn’t change it.”

Not long after, Bailey remembers her dad playing roots music around the house. “But then you’re eight years old and you want to be Baby Spice. It wasn’t until my early twenties, when I was doing my sports psychology dissertation, that Etta James’s Something’s Got A Hold On Me came on the radio and just stopped me in my tracks. That took me straight back in – Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, that whole Chess Records scene. I was reconnecting with The Band, but also discovering this new Americana, like Jason Isbell and The Civil Wars.”

Can’t Take My Story Away, produced by Temperance Movement guitarist Luke Potashnick, celebrates the high times on the summery Growing Roots (“It takes an amazing human on the other side of a marriage to accept this is your life”) and a flower power-sounding cover of Catfish’s Better Days. “I hope to god that better days are going to come our way,” she mutters, quoting the chorus, “because it does feel like the world is fucked. But we have to be the change.”

Dig deeper, though, and you’ll find lyrics that must have hurt Bailey to put down. “Starling is about losing a friend,” she says of the closing track’s sad sweep of strings. “She took her own life when I was in my twenties. It took a long time to write about that.

“And then,” she continues, “Tightrope is about my battle with mental health, in particular with intrusive thoughts. That came on really strong in 2017, and I had no idea what it was. For years, in secret, I just felt really shameful. When I had a baby, I prepared myself, like: ‘This is going to get really bad.’ And it did. But the midwives found me help, and it was so liberating to find someone to talk to about it.”

Thankfully, alongside those songs in the tracklist is the gliding Dandelion, whose sentiment can be summed up as ‘life is a bin fire, but we’ll tough it out somehow’.

“That goes back to the pandemic, when I’d take my hour-a-day walk and see dandelions everywhere. I Googled them, and it said they can grow in the harshest conditions, and I was like: ‘That’s quite reflective of what we’re going through.’ I guess it was still in that moment where I was like: ‘We’re all gonna come out of this as better humans, and it’ll be a better world.’ I was blissfully naive. But it’s hope that gets us through, isn’t it?”

Bailey has grave concerns for the next generation of grass-roots musicians (“The industry feels really broken right now. For the upcoming artists that are three, four, five years behind me, it’s just getting harder”). But with a dynamite new album, tour dates in early 2026, her story is turning into a real page turner”.

I have admired Elle’s Bailey’s music for years now. Even though she is not a new artist, she is someone perhaps that has not reached every corner. Every home and radio station. That should change, as she is one of our most remarkable artists. I wanted to highlight this interview from Americana UK from February:

“AUK: So, you have a new album coming out. Tell me what gets your juices flowing to write songs.

EB: I think it’s something that always sits and simmers underneath. And I’m always inspired by everything around me, but I must admit, I go through phases. I’m not hugely inspired right now to write any music because I’m writing release campaigns. But the one thing is that I don’t wait for inspiration to hit; I will go and find the inspiration, if that makes sense. I’m someone who actively seeks out a song rather than waiting for a song to seek me out.

AUK: You mostly are using co-writers.

EB: That’s because I just love collaboration. I’ve always co-written because I started when I was 13 or 14, writing my own stuff. But I was in a band with my brother from a really early age, so we wrote together. I wrote for myself a bit, and then as I got into more roots music, there’s so much collaboration there. I really enjoy learning from other songwriters and hearing people’s different takes on ideas. It’s all about human connection for me, and the more the merrier.

AUK: Besides your producer, is there anyone you rely upon to critique new material?

EB: It would probably be my brother. He’s still involved and likes to give what he thinks. Sometimes my parents’ family; they’re really supportive, but what’s interesting is often they can’t hear the bigger picture. So, it’s quite nice to play them a song, and then play them the finished song.

AUK: Songwriting has always had this interesting relationship between honoring its roots and exploring paths not yet taken. Do you find a balance between continuing the tried and true in your music and stepping outside the box?

EB: I try not to think of a box. For me, I don’t think of a genre and think this is how we’re going to write today. We just write a song. I remember writing ‘Constant Need to Keep Going,’ and that was not the song I expected to come out of that songwriting session because the album didn’t really have this country feel at that point. I wrote the song with Luke (Potashnick), and it was probably the last song we were writing for the album. It came out sort of alt country, like, I’m so tired. I started today. I fall right out of bed. It was quite upbeat, a bit tongue in cheek.

PHOTO CREDIT: Blackham Images

AUK: Speaking of finding your voice, your vocals are very soulful. Did it just come out that way or did you develop a style from listening to musicians you liked?

EB: The story behind my voice is, you can hear it’s very husky, like I’ve been smoking a hundred a day. I sounded like this ever since I was in a coma when I was a child, and my voice was irrevocably changed by being incubated. When I was younger, I had a higher range and I would kind of sing over the huskiness. It was only really in my twenties that I’d started to find these sorts of levels of my voice that I didn’t realize I had. And they have gradually evolved as I’ve got stronger as a singer and more confident as an artist. I’ll listen to what other vocalists are doing and think, “Oh, I wonder if I can do something like that. ” But my voice has definitely had a unique starting point from that huskiness that wasn’t there before I got sick.

AUK: Your outfits on stage are striking, and I’ve very rarely seen you without a hat. Are hats kind of your thing?

EB: They very much used to be but not so much recently. I started wearing hats because I’d rock out so much on stage, and I’d basically headbang and give myself whiplash because I’m not very good at headbanging. So, I started wearing a hat to stop that and calm my performance down. Now, I’m definitely a lot more at home on stage as I’ve got well into my career. I don’t wear the hats so much. If you see me wearing a hat now, it’s probably because I haven’t washed my hair for four days.

AUK: What is one quality in your music that you find people really relate to?

EB: People tell me they really relate to my voice, but I think as I’ve got more confidence as an artist, that maybe my songwriting has become more personal, though at the same time more universal. I think people relate to that too. The more honest you are with yourself, actually, the more you open yourself up to be more universal, because we often experience similar things at different times in our lives”.

I am going to end with a review for Can’t Take My Story Away from Blues Rock Review. Already a contender for the album of the year, if you do not know Elles Bailey then make sure you check out her music and go and see her live if you can. She is truly one of the most talented and distinct artists out there. Growing stronger with every album, this is a singular songwriter with many years ahead:

 “It is always an exciting time for me when I am able to review great artists I am not very familiar with. Such is the case with Elles Bailey. I had heard her name a few times and may have heard some of her music previously, but I had not really listened to just how amazing a vocalist and artist she truly is. With her new studio release, Can’t Take My Story Away, that issue has resolved itself.

This is the fifth studio release for Bailey, a singer, songwriter, and musician. Exposed to music at a young age by musical parents and her dad’s personal record collection, she progressed quickly to front an indie band as a teenager. Bailey reportedly developed her soulful, bluesy voice after being stricken with pneumonia as a young child. From there, she has risen to become a multi-award-winning artist in the blues genre, winning Artist of the Year from the UK Blues Awards in 2020, 2021, and 2023. She has opened or performed with notable artists such as Don McLean, Van Morrison, Eric Gales, Mike Farris, and Walter Trout.

“Growing Roots,” the second cut of the eleven-track album Can’t Take My Story Away, offers very sing-along-friendly lyrics paired with some great guitar work. Elles Bailey sings, “It’s like I’m growing roots. They’re growing right into you.” By the way, you can catch the official video for this catchy tune on YouTube. “Better Days,” which also has an official video on YouTube, delivers more great, soulful vocals along with some really nice guitar fills. “People, I know we’re bound for better days. I said people, better days will come our way.” If this song does not lift you up, then you must be tied down tight to the ground.

Track eight of Can’t Take My Story Away is “Angel.” It is an upbeat tune with a really nice groove and an R&B feel. Bailey sings, “Whenever you’re lost to the darkness, I’ll be your angel. We all have times when we get so afraid.” “Tightrope” is a slower-paced ballad and is really nicely done. “The harder you hurt, the brighter you burn, the faster you go up in flames.” Throughout this great album, I cannot help but hear reminders of Bonnie Bramlett in her early career, and for me, that is comparing Elles Bailey to one of the greats.

As I do with many reviews, I went back and listened to other recordings to refresh my memory and expand my knowledge of the artist. I did this with Elles Bailey and simply find her career and talent to be growing stronger and stronger. For those not very familiar with her music, I would suggest checking out some of her previous works, after listening to Can’t Take My Story Away, of course. She will also be touring in Europe and the USA in 2026, and as always, live performances are often the best way to experience what an artist is truly about. We should all look forward to hearing more great music from Elles Bailey in the future.

The Review: 8.5/10”.

The brilliant Elles Bailey is such an awe-inspiring artist. In terms what she has gone through, when it came to childhood trauma and contracting viral and bacterial pneumonia and how that altered her voice. Since then, she has embarked on a music career and is this artist with so many fans behind her. She commands so much love and respect. If Elles Bailey is a new name to you, then do go and follow her, as she has…

MANY years in music ahead.

___________

Follow Elles Bailey

PHOTO CREDIT: Blackham Images

Official:

https://www.ellesbailey.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellesbailey/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@ellesbailey

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/EllesBailey

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ellesbailey/

FEATURE: Roll Up… Kate Bush’s The Tour of Life at Forty-Seven

FEATURE:

 

 

Roll Up…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performs on stage for The Tour of Life at Carre, Amsterdam, Netherlands on 29th April, 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Rob Verhorst/Redferns

Kate Bush’s The Tour of Life at Forty-Seven

__________

IT was sort of like…

The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. Kate Bush and her crew and players travelling across the U.K. and Europe for The Tour of Life in 1979. It was her one and only tour. Because the warm-up gig was on 2nd April, 1979, I want to mark forty-seven years of this spectacular. It is the build-up of the events leading to the first show that are of particular interest. I will draw in a feature I have included before. I am going to turn to Graeme Thomson’s Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush. There was a lot of preparation and build-up. To draw everything together, it was a huge process. However, given the rapturous reception from critics and the adoring crowds, it was a massive success. However, it did lose Kate Bush money, as she had to invest in it. EMI only put up a certain amount of money, but because the show was more ambitious and larger than the label could budget for, Bush had to put her own money in. I don’t think there had been any live tour since Kate Bush’s 1979 triumph. In terms of combining magic, mine, poetry and dance together with music, it was almost like a theatrical production rather than a traditional concert. Graeme Thomson suggests how there were elements of Guys and Dolls and Wacky Races. Seduction, cartoonish energy and trench-coated gangsters. Aspects of musicals and films. Thirteen people on stage and seventeen costume changes. A lot hinged on this tour. After two albums and all of this press attention and success, it could have failed. In terms of it being accessible and popular but also spectacular, the balance was just right. From the costumes and sets and lighting, through to the cuisine for the show, Bush was calling most of the shots. She was still only twenty!

It is amazing that she had the energy and maturity and focus to make sure that The Tour of Life was something truly different and representative of her. Although the first show was at the Liverpool Empire on 3rd April, 1979, there was a warm-up gig in Poole the night before. Maybe there was expectation that Bush would regularly tour and this was the first chapter. However, it was not until 2014 for Before the Dawn when she would embark on another large-scale live production. Perhaps there was something to prove after her second album, Lionheart, did not get great reviews. The Tour of Life was partly a sort of contractual obligation and what was expected. However, Bush wanted to make it both spectacular and exciting but also something she was in control of because she did not have too much say or production input into her first two albums. Hilary Walker, heads of EMI’s international division, helped crack Bush’s music outside of the U.K. Bush asked Walker to leave EMI and work with her. Not strictly her manager, Walker handled a lot of the day-to-day stuff and was this tough and straight-talking person who was there to intercept any unwanted request and make decisions that were not important or essential, as Bush was busy preparing this important tour. Whilst Bush still had some promotion in 1979 and she performed Wow in Italy and Switzerland, she was clearing a path between Lionheart and The Tour of Life. Being this successful and public artist, Bush was offered opportunities and acting roles. Two roles in horror films (one as a vampire). The opportunity to sing the theme to the James Bond film, Moonraker (which went to Shirley Bassey) – which Bush did not feel she was right to -, and she did briefly pop into the studio in February 1979 to record Magician for The Magician of Lublin, Menwhem Golan’s interpretation of Isaac Beshevis Singer’s 1960 novel. Most of the focus, however, was on preparing for the tour.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performing at the Falkoner Centre (Falkoner Centret) in Copenhagen, Denmark on 26th April, 1979 during The Tour of Life/PHOTO CREDIT: Jorgen Angel/Redferns

Bush hated seeing gigs where bands would play the songs and just walk off. If most of her live performances to this point were quite limited in terms of what she could do on stage and how dynamic they would be, The Tour of Life afforded her the chance to be more ambitious and cinematic. 2014’s Before the Dawn was less alienated in terms of the experience of a live concert and what was around it. Other artists putting out these big and multi-faceted performances that mixed different visual elements, sets and costumes. In 1979, there was a lot of Punk and New Wave. The concerts were very basic and not concerned with stimulating the senses of being this multi-layered visual and audio experience. The tour was meant to start in March 1979 but was pushed back as Bush needed more time for it to all come together to her satisfaction. Bush started preparation for The Tour of Life in Christmas 1978. Set designer David Jackson met Kate Bush at EMI’s offices to discuss the tour and sets. She was surrounded by management types and, though he prepared this portfolio for her to look at, Bush very much took the lead. It was a bit looser than he imagined and a bit impromptu and freewheeling. Despite a slightly chaotic feel and a lack of solid direction, Jackson was won over. He met Bush at East Wickham Farm in early-January to discuss the set and lighting. Even if Bush was not exactly clear with her vision and directions, she was full of ideas. Bursting with ideas and enthusiasm, it wads a case getting it all done and making it make sense. Working with wardrobe assistant Lisa Hayes for the costumes, there was also the issue of getting the musicians together. Brian Bath, Paddy Bush (her brother) and Del Palmer (her boyfriend) were in the fold having not really been part of her first two albums – Paddy was on The Kick Inside, but Lionheart was the second where producer Andrew Powell used the musicians he wanted – were core to the sound and feel of the show. The band grew larger and it was amazing she managed to balance things and did not burn out. The band were drilled for three months so things came together. Bush worked through January and February with choreographer Anthony Van Lasst on routines at The Place in Euston. This was the most collaborative aspect of the tour, as Bush was still learning dance and did need a lot of direction and input from Van Lasst.

There was the matter of the set being built. I think that took about six weeks to all form. Graeme Thomson notes how, in March 1979, things moved to The Show’s sound stage at Shepperton Film Studios. “Huge mirrors were installed at the back of the room so everyone onstage could see what was going on and how they were projecting themselves”. The musicians could see the dance and dancers. The world of music and arts/theatre coming together. Its thirteen musicians, like Del Palmer, who wondered what was happening and what they had got themselves in for! I have skipped some details regarding the nuts and bolts. However, it is clear how involved Kate Bush was and what was at stake. She put so much of her time into The Tour of Life. It was the cost of the tour that is eye-watering. Up to £250,000 in 1979 (around 1.4-1.6 million in today’s money), EMI only put up “token support funds”. Having made the label so much money, it is shocking Bush basically had to fund everything. I am not sure what they had in mind for the tour with the meagre money they stumped up! Maybe they felt a four-piece shuttled in a van was going to be what we were dealing with. However, a whole cast and crew and all this set and lighting was more realistic. There were constant battles regarding negotiating a bigger budget. The cast and crew tired before things even started! However, things had been rehearsed and everything was set for 2nd April at Poole Art Centre in Dorset. Bush was not performing for the media and their approval, it was to prove to herself she could do this and realise her expectations. The first official night – 3rd April, 1979 in Liverpool – was one of the biggest and most important (and divisive) live events ever. On 3rd April, 1979 at the Liverpool Empire Theatre, the BBC’s Bernard Clark noted how there were conflicting emotions and this unsettling mood. Not knowing whether it would be a mad and unfocused mess or a funeral. Kate Bush herself was terribly nervous and Brian Southall, representing EMI, was flying the company flag and not sure what would lie in store.

Performing every song from The Kick Inside and Lionheart (both 1978) bar Oh to Be in Love, the reviews and audience reaction spoke for itself! The relief that this exceptional and unique live extravaganza had not only come together but seemed seamless and fully-formed from that first night. Kate Bush, with her team and crew, had pulled off something truly unheard of and seismic! I have not even mentioned how she managed to deliver this triumphant performance on 3rd April, 1979, considering how the night before, after the warm-up show in Dorset, Bill Duffield was killed. He was the lighting director who tragically died after the show when he was racing around the venue to see if any clothes, bags and items had been left behind before everything was shut down. He fell through a gap in the flooring onto hard concrete. Someone had left an open panel. Faced with whether to cancel the tour or carry on, she had all that on her shoulders and in her heart and she had to go on and look unaffected and professional. Truly one of the most astonishing acts of resilience, professionalism and bravery in live music history! Forty-seven years later and you can feel and see the influence of The Tour of Life today. Major Pop artists and how they are combining multimedia aspects and multiple costume changed. Bush was not the first to do this, though she was one of the first female Pop artists to do so. Madonna definitely influenced by her. Taylor Swift and some of the biggest artists ever. The legacy Bush left, having invested huge amount of money and fought so hard to get her visions and concepts realised! I am ending with snippets of this feature from PROG that was published last year. The fact that it took five months to pull together and Bush could not write new material is perhaps a major reason it was her only tour – and it took thirty-five years before she was on the stage with Before the Dawn:

“I saw our show as not just people on stage playing the music, but as a complete experience,” she later explained. “A lot of people would say ‘Pooah!’ but for me that’s what it was. Like a play.”

Indeed it was – or perhaps several plays in one. On Egypt, she emerged dressed as a seductive Cleopatra. On Strange Phenomena, she was a magician in top hat and tails, dancing with a pair of spacemen. Former single Hammer Horror replicated the video, with a black-clad Bush dancing with a sinister, black-masked figure behind her, while Oh England My Lionheart cast her as a World War II pilot.

Like every actor, she was surrounded by a cast of strong supporting characters. As well as dancers Stewart Avon Arnold and Gary Hurst, several songs featured Drake, who performed his signature ‘floating cane’ trick during L’Amour Looks Something Like You. And then there was John Carder Bush reciting his poetry before The Kick Inside, Symphony In Blue (fused with elements of experimental composer Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie 1) and the inevitable encore, Wuthering Heights.

But at the heart of it all was Bush, whirling and waving, reaching for the sky one moment, swooping to the floor the next. Occasionally she looked like she was concentrating on what was coming next. More often, she looked lost in the moment.

“When I perform, that’s just something that happens in me,” she later said. “It just takes over, you know. It’s like suddenly feeling that you’ve leapt into another structure, almost like another person, and you just do it.”

Brian Southall was in the audience at the Liverpool Empire. Despite the fact he worked for EMI, he had no idea what to expect. “You just sat in the audience and went, ‘Wow’. It was extraordinary. Bands didn’t take a dancer onstage, they didn’t take a magician onstage, even Queen at their most lavish or Floyd at their most extravangant. They might have used tricks and props in videos, but not other people onstage.

“That was the most interesting thing about it – her handing it over to other people, who became the focus of attention. That’s something that never bothered Kate – that ‘I will be onstage all the time and you will only see me.’ It was like a concept album, except it was a concept show.”

Two and a quarter hours later, this ‘concept show’ was done and the real world intruded once again. If there was any sense of celebration afterwards, then the main attraction was keeping it to herself. “I remember sitting in the bar after the show at Liverpool and Kate wasn’t there. She was with Del,” says Southall. “She wasn’t an extrovert offstage. There were two people. There was that person you saw onstage, in that extraordinary performance, and then offstage there was this fairly shy, reserved person.”

Her reluctance to indulge in the usual rock’n’roll behaviour was both characteristic and understandable. It was a draining performance, night after night as the tour continued around Britain and then into Europe. It was hard work for everyone involved.

“We went out, but not exceptionally,” says Stewart Avon Arnold. “We weren’t out raving until seven o’clock in the morning on heroin. There’s no way we could have done the show the next day.”

They occasionally found time to let their hair down. The Sunday Mail reported that certain members of the touring party indulged in a water-and-pillow fight at a hotel in Glasgow, causing a reported £1,000 damage. EMI allegedly agreed to foot the bill, though they stressed that the singer wasn’t present during this PG-rated display of on-the-road carnage.

After 10 shows in mainland Europe, the tour returned to London for three climactic dates at the Hammersmith Odeon between May 12 and 14. The second of these shows was arranged as tribute to the late Bill Duffield. Bush and her band were joined onstage by Peter Gabriel and Steve Harley. The pair tackled various Bush songs (Them Heavy People, a renamed The Woman With the Child In Her Eyes) and played their own songs (Gabriel’s Here Comes The Flood and I Don’t Remember, Harley’s Best Years Of Our Lives and Come Up And See Me), before everyone came onstage for a cover of The Beatles’ Let It Be.

“Kate asked us all to come and sing with Peter and Steve,” says Avon Arnold. “We were onstage, singing chorus with these two icons. And I’m not a singer. It was an emotional night.”

48 hours later, the tour was over. And so was Kate Bush’s career as a live artist – at least for another 35 years”.

More than it being Kate Bush’s sole tour, The Tour of Life was a revelation and true first. As one of her dancers, Stewart Avon Arnold revealed for that 2025 feature: “She’s an innovator. She did things that had never been done before. She was the first one in this country to merge creative rock music with creative dance. She didn’t have a genre. She had a mentality”. Forty-seven after The Tour of Life started its run and wowed crowds, you can feel how it revolutionised live performance. Its mark being made on Pop tours to this very day. Something that is…

TRULY mind-blowing to behold.

FEATURE: In the Warm Rooms: Kate Bush: The Private and the Personal

FEATURE:

 

 

In the Warm Rooms

PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

Kate Bush: The Private and the Personal

__________

UNLIKE any other artist…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed on 3rd October, 1983/PHOTO CREDIT: Sunday Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

there has been, Kate Bush seems to straddle the superstar and surreal with the normal and domestic. Touching on this before, it is so hard to remain grounded and private when you are a massive success. Some major artists do love the fame and attention, though most prefer to be left alone and let the music speak. That idea that you have to be flash and out all of the time. For Kate Bush, the ambition was to make music. She did not want to be this megastar and get a load of press attention. Kate Bush is this classic example of someone who definitely can be seen as a major artist but managed to remain humble and private. Some would say hidden. With that, there was a lot of press rumours and intrusion. One of her songs, Mrs. Bartolozzi from 2005’s Aerial, is about a woman who is washing the floor and doing the laundry but is seeing the clothes flap in the breeze and entwine in the washing machine. However, she also seems like this extraordinary and almost filmic character. Bush is no stranger to the finer things in life. She lives in these incredible homes and has definitely indulged in luxury now and then. However, it is the way she conducted her life away from music. The domestic side. I am thinking back to 1983 and how she implemented life changes and had this blissful summer.  Moving away from London and to the countryside – her family home in Welling, Kent -, Bush also spent time gardening, hanging with friends and her boyfriend (Del Palmer) and going to films. She built her own studio, took up dance again and prepared one healthy meal a day. Moving to a farmhouse in the Kent countryside in 1983, this was a transformative year. Rather than rehash that old subject about Bush and the domestic, I wanted to tie it to work. How, when Bush was putting her personal life and happiness first, she was very much at her best as a creative.

That may seem obvious. If artists are contended and calm, then that will affect thew quality of their work. Prior to 1983, Bush was moving between studios, working all hours and not living the healthiest life. I feel 1983 was the first time Bush had to concentrate on her personal life, as she was on the promotional treadmill since 1978! However, as someone dedicated to work and always looking at the next album, it was perhaps a sacrifice changing things. I do wonder about London today and the lure for creatives. You have access to venues and a lot of like-minded people. However, how much of a healthy stimulus is the city? Its smog and busyness is not necessarily conducive to better mental health. However, the countryside and quieter areas might not be stimulating enough. With Kate Bush, she did produce a lot of tremendous work when she was working in London. She managed to enjoy downtime and was happy there, though I feel it was when she moved away and bought property away from the capital when she really began to feel settled and had that balance right. When Bush moved to the countryside and spent the summer of 1983 outside of the house, she did confirm she was dating Del Palmer and confirmed that commitment. I think Bush was perhaps happier when the domestic took more of a lead than the professional. Could Kate Bush ever be private and enjoy a normal life?! I feel she can now and, as she does not need to give regular interviews, she can truly be private. However, in the 1980s especially, she was never truly able to escape celebrity and the demands of the industry. The most wonderful moments and images are when you think about Kate Bush enjoying the normal and almost mundane. Her in the garden in 1983 just before Hounds of Love came together. How she and Del would watch Saturday night game shows and how he gifted her with an antique watch on her birthday. The late Del Palmer revealed how there were two sides to Kate Bush. This superstar who was one of the biggest artists in the world; someone who was just Kate around the house and had no airs and graces.

Palmer asked what she saw in him. That was him being modest. Clearly, she wanted someone who was a good influence and understood her. He was a musician and engineer for her for most of her career. Bush was singing, dancing and writing in 1983 and it was that perfect balance of work and home life. Taking her back to 1976 and a happy time then. I feel Bush was also quite settled and domestic around making The Sensual World. Towards the end of the 1980s, maybe Bush feeling she was at a stage in her life when things needed to change. In spite of the fact Kate Bush was able to find a great home and live this relatively normal and happy life away from the spotlight, she was still someone who was being written about and had professional commitments. I am strangely fascinated by the ordinariness of Kate Bush’s life, as she is this extraordinary artist who was very much at the forefront and in the spotlight for such a long time. I love all those minor details and how it has not really been written about enough. All of this harmony and focus on the personal directly feeds into her work. One might feel that too much focus on the private and personal can damage a career. However, a comparative lack of output from Kate Bush from the end of the 1980s through to 2005 was actually beneficial. Rather than produce multiple albums and the quality dipping and her career being affected, Bush was actually ensuring that her career could continue. You look at mainstream artists today and whether they are allowed a balance. Committing so much time to touring, social media and releasing music, they also live in cities and there is perhaps not the opportunity or space to focus on the domestic and their private lives, Putting that first. Few artists have the same flexibility as Kate Bush when it comes to take time between albums. However, there is something about her career that we should apply to modern artists. So much focus on constant output. How healthy is it for artists to be always be working and have to commit so much of themselves to their careers?! Even if some of Kate Bush’s best work came early in her career, I think the importance of her home and what she was doing away from music was essential when it came to her most influential work. The minor and domestic very much influenced and effected the major and commercial. Kate Bush is a major artist who has released some of the greatest albums ever, yet she has also managed to have autonomy and think about her personal life and change things for the better. A big reason to admire and highlight…

A remarkable human.

FEATURE: The Modern Embodiments of Kate Bush: Is There Anyone Who Comes Close?

FEATURE:

 

 

The Modern Embodiments of Kate Bush

Is There Anyone Who Comes Close?

__________

THERE is always talk…

IN THIS PHOTO: Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine)/PHOTO CREDIT: Linda Brownlee/The Guardian

about an artist being the new so-and-so. We all lazily compare artists to those who came before, as it makes them more identifiable and something to moor to. Maybe there are very few true originals. However, I do think that it is a disservice to the artist they are being compared to. I am not sure whether we get anyone saying a band is the new version of The Beatles. Or The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin or The Who. The Kinks. David Bowie. Maybe Madonna is being linked to newer artists. However, there have been articles and opinions when it comes to who is the new or next Kate Bush. I always say that nobody can equal her, so it is futile asking which new artist or a mainstream act who can take her place. Kate Bush is still recording and active, so there does not need to be a new version of her. However, I have talked enough about Bush’s growing influence and how so many of the great albums from the past year or so can be linked to Kate Bush in some way. Women, anyway, and how they are fans of hers or you can hear some of her work in others. Although there is nobody today who can equal Kate Bush and is exactly like her, I do think there are modern embodiments. In terms of artists who either shift between albums or have a similar trajectory. Maybe their fashion and aesthetic is similar to Kate Bush. I feel The Last Dinner Party have elements of Kate Bush. They are inspired by her and there is definitely a feel of Bush in terms of their fashion and a sense of theatricality. Darker elements in their new album, From the Pyre, reminiscent of Kate Bush. Florence + The Machine, too. Everybody Scream, their latest album, definitely channels Kate Bush. Florence Welch is someone who summons comparisons to Bush. Her vocal style and even her stage presence. One can say that Florence Welch is the closest we get to a ‘modern Kate Bush’.

Rather than distil a true original and suggest anyone can topple the queen, there is inevitable talk around Kate Bush now and whether any new artists are similar to her. I am hearing people talk about Perfume Genius and FKA twigs being Kate Bush-esque. Bold sonic ambition and experimentation. A visual aspect. Given the popularity of Kate Bush now, it is only a matter of time before there are features published asking who the new Kate Bush is. However, when it comes to someone prominent today who seems to be most like Kate Bush, I would say it is Charli xcx. I have written about her a lot, because she recorded the soundtrack from the “Wuthering Heights” film. Naturally, you got people linking Charli xcx to Kate Bush. The Guardian noted this in a recent article:

“Move over Kate Bush! The new voice of “Wuthering Heights” is Charli xcx, whose haunting soundtrack to Emerald Fennell’s new big screen reimagining of Emily Brontë’s gothic tale of love, heartbreak and haunting is poised to darken and deepen our aural landscape.

The recording artist has form with era-defining albums – 2024’s epochal Brat was a summer phenomenon that found its way into that year’s US presidential election. But inspired by Fennell’s take on Brontë’s masterpiece, the mood has turned murky and melancholy. “I think I’m going to die in this house,” intones the deep-voiced refrain on House, the pop singer’s collaboration with the legendary John Cale, which was the first track to be released from the new album. “I’d rather watch my skin bleed/ In the eye of your storm,” she sings on Chains of Love, a moody synth-pop ballad that heightened the sense of gothic romance in the trailer ahead of the film’s 13 February release for Galentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day.

“I sent the script to Charli with a view to asking her simply if she had an emotional response to it, would she like to make a song about it?” says Fennell. “And she called me and asked if she could do an album. Of course I said yes. And then she just started sending me just the most incredible things that were new, sexy, emotionally engaging.”

Charli xcx has called the sound “raw, wild, sexual, gothic and British”. It’s the acoustic equivalent of getting caught in a squall on the Yorkshire moors while wearing one of Oscar-winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran’s lavish creations”.

Many might see only minor links between Charli xcx and Kate Bush. However, it is clear that the former is a massive fan of the latter. She treads her own path. An album like BRAT is not really comparable to any Kate Bush album. Bits of Hounds of Love or The Dreaming, perhaps. However, I do thank that the way Charli xcx evolves between album and shifts course makes me think about Kate Bush. Touches of Hounds of Love, The Kick Inside, The Sensual World and The Dreaming in other Charli xcx albums. I do feel we will even hear an expansive and rich work like Aerial impact Charli xcx. In terms of a personal, eclectic and shifting style and these different looks. The way Charli xcx is this hugely engaging photographic subject. I do think of Kate Bush. I know Bush will be familiar with Charli xcx’s music and, whilst they will probably never collaborate, you cannot blame me for feeling Charli xcx is the closest we have to a modern incarnation of Kate Bush. Rather than it being about replacement and forgetting the divine Kate Bush, it someone today who seems to carry her torch. Hearing how Charli xcx talks in interviews. That combination of quick humour, sweetness, confidence and the way she deals with the press and interviewers when they are a bit sexiest or foolish. There is this boldness and experimentation in the music. Charli xcx can release sensual and beautiful music but also bombastic and strange songs. The nature and feel of her videos too. How indeliable they are. I do feel and see Kate Bush through that. Popmatters observed this in their review of Charli xcx’s latest album: “Both women were inspired by a deeply British book, channelling Celtic heritage to transform the work into something more idiosyncratic and angular. The Wuthering Heights soundtrack features Velvet Underground bassist John Cale on “House”, an eerie and ghostly recital. An austere cello bolsters the backdrop, brimming with an angular confidence. Where Bush relied on her Irish heritage to guide her, Charli XCX turns to Welsh folk music, immersing the work with memory, madness and hiraeth. “Dying for You” features textured soundscapes and a complex, multi-segmented pop number that shifts in tempo and timbre. “All the pain and torture I went through,” the vocalist screams, emulating the sensual urges felt between Cathy and Heathcliff”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Charli xcx/PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Kooiker

Other people may have different views about which modern artist seems most like Kate Bush. Anna von Hausswolff might spring to mind. However, when we look at the genius of Kate Bush and everything that makes her such an influential artist, I do turn to Charli xcx. Of course, as I say, both artists are distinct and doing their own thing. I am not sure whether Charli xcx would want to be compared so heavily to Kate Bush, even if she is influenced by her and is an obvious fan. That said, I look back at her earliest albums like 2014’s SUCKER and chart it through Charli (2019) and Crash (2022) and you can feel the same sort of shifts and sonic changes that Kate Bush had through her career Charli xcx is only thirty-three and she has decades ahead. She is a more prolific artist than Kate Bush and is involved in a lot of acting projects. There are aspects of her life and career that you cannot compare to Kate Bush. I think the way Charli xcx takes control of her career and is wrestling to have her say and make sure it is her true artistic vision even reminds me of Kate Bush right from the start. In 1978, when she fought to have Wuthering Heights released as her debut single. Charli xcx has this filmic and dramatic nature of her videos. Stylish and ambitious. A certain eccentricity and provocative nature that you can also trace to Kate Bush. It would be wonderful if the two artists met! In a way, Charli xcx has helped get Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights back in the charts and heard by a new wave of listeners. A contentious debate to introduce, you can understand why I am excited to see any artist who has that spirit of Kate Bush. In time, I do feel we will see a lot of newer artists very much taking a similar course to Kate Bush. Right now, I really feel Charli xcx has so much in her that makes me love and admire Kate Bush. Charli xcx and the depth of her sound. That quest for autonomy. A gothic nature to some of the music. Inspiration drawn from literature and film. Of course, look at other artists like Chappell Roan and you know she owes a certain debt to Kate Bush. Looking around at those challenging Pop convention and being this singular artist, who gets closest to Kate Bush? Even if nobody can ever be her – and they are not trying to be -, there are those who certainly summon the spirit and bones of Kate Bush and her remarkable music. The icon of music affecting and shaping modern music…

IN so many ways.

FEATURE: International Women’s Day: The Best Albums from Female Artists from the Past Year

FEATURE:

 

 

International Women’s Day

IN THIS PHOTO: Mitski

The Best Albums from Female Artists from the Past Year

__________

RATHER than write about…

IN THIS PHOTO: Olivia Dean for Adidas

female dominance in the industry and how they are defining the sound of today, I wanted to collate songs from the best albums made by women since last International Women’s Day. That would be 8th March, 2025. This International Women’s Day is a chance to recognise the brilliance of women right across the music industry. From studios through to promotion and venues, right to the forefront, they are making a huge contribution to the industry and economy. Last year was a stunning one in terms of albums released by female artists. This year is shaping up to be another huge one. Mitski put out Nothing's About to Happen to Me recently. That is one of the best albums of this year and another masterpiece. Hilary Duff, Charli xcx and Madison Beer have also released incredible albums. Last year, there were gems from Florence + The Machine, CMAT, Coco Jones, ROSALÍA and so many other queens. The playlist at the end of this feature recognises the brilliance of female artists and how, year in year out, they are delivering the very best music. 2026 is shaping up already to be another where they dominate. I hope the industry one day acknowledges that and there is greater parity and opportunities. That misogyny is properly tackled. I wanted to show love and respect for amazing women through music. The mixtape below are songs taken from the best albums made by women since International Women’s Day last year. Proof that they are…

RULING music.

FEATURE: Big Time: Peter Gabriel’s So at Forty

FEATURE:

 

 

Big Time

Peter Gabriel’s So at Forty

__________

ONE of the all-time…

greatest albums ever turns forty on 19th May. Peter Gabriel’s So is his fifth studio album. Many consider it to be his best. In terms of the quality of the songwriting throughout, it is undoubtably a masterpiece. Big Time, Sledgehammer, Red Rain, In Your Eyes and Don’t Give Up. The album reached the top of the charts in the U.K. and was a massive chart success all around the world. I do hope that there is a lot of celebration around the fortieth anniversary. If some critics felt Gabriel was too commercial and it was following what was popular during that time – rather than being distinct and original -, others noted how Gabriel transformed from being this cult to commercial artist without losing his brilliance and authenticity. After a run of albums more experimental, this was Gabriel making music that was perhaps more accessible but extraordinary. It happened with other artists during the 1980s who were releasing more experimental or less commercial albums then changed. Maybe because of the label, or the feeling that they needed to put something out that would sell more. Gabriel did not compromise or water his music down. The fusion of genres and the production is unlike anything else that was around in 1986 I feel. So still sounds fresh and relevant. Not dated at all. In 2012, Peter Gabriel spoke with Rolling Stone about So. That was a year when he played the album in full on stage:

“Why do you think So managed to reach a much broader audience than your previous albums? 

There was less sort of esoteric songwriting. I think they were simpler songs in some ways, but I think we caught a wave. They were done with passion and we had a really good team working on them. Then, of course, we had things like the “Sledgehammer” video, which helped enormously. It got us a wider audience. Also, the one concession I agreed to was to place an actual photo of myself on the cover rather than the usual obscured stuff I had been doing.

You also gave this one an actual title.

It was named, yeah. That was a reluctant choice. In the old days I would go through my vinyl and identity each record by the picture, not by the title. I always liked that. In some ways, I’m just a visual person. It was the idea to just do away with titles. Give the pictures space to breathe and speak for themselves. But, of course, it caused confusion in the marketplace. The American record company, Geffen, got so fed up with me that they said they weren’t going to release my fourth record unless I gave it some title. So, it was called Security in America and it had no title everywhere else in the world.

When you made So, did you try and make it more accessible, or that was just sort of a natural development?

I think that was a bunch of songs that were there at the time. With “Sledgehammer,” everyone thinks, “Oh, he must have created that to get a hit.” And it wasn’t done that way. In fact, [bassist] Tony Levin reminded me that he was packing his bags to go home, and I called him back into the studio, saying “I’ve got this one idea that maybe we can fool around with for the next record – but I like the feel.” That was “Sledgehammer.” It was late in the day and we just fell into the groove, landed a beautiful drum track on it, a great bass line and it all came together.

I think the video really helped get it to a different audience. I’ve not had many intersections with mass culture, so that was one occasion where that happened.

Did you see “In Your Eyes” as a special song when you made it?

I knew it had some heart in it, and I loved the Youssou N’Dour bit at the end. We should have put out the longer version, but we had to cut it ’cause of time constraints. But it felt so heartfelt and, yeah, I I felt it was a special song, the like of which I hadn’t heard before in the way it integrated the different influences and tried putting together this love lyric, which was, in part, based on this African idea of having an ambiguous love song that can be human love, man to woman, or man to God.

You didn’t release a follow-up to So for six years. Do you think that was a mistake? You sort of lost some momentum there.

I’m sure commercially it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I’ve never really worried about that. And to be honest, I think one of the reasons I’m still lucky enough to put out records and have audiences come to shows is cause I haven’t played that game very well. I think that consumer culture tends to be very hungry. It can’t get enough of you for a very short time and then your taste gets boring and they spit you out and take the next new thrill. And so, while it was never a predetermined strategy, I would probably recommend it to artists now if they want a long career. If you got something worth saying, if you’ve got something to put out, don’t worry about what the record company tells you. Take your time”.

In May 2021, Albumism wrote about So on its thirty-fifth anniversary. Even if this album was less experimental than his previous work, there are still styles, sounds and genres mixed together that you were not getting on other albums at the time. Peter Gabriel album to perfectly balance something that can appeal to stations and T.V. and also speak to his existing fanbase:

“Gabriel began recording So with producer Daniel Lanois in 1985 at his home studio. Although the songs were less experimental, he fused African and Brazilian styles with the elements of his art rock past, and the end results were something magical. He managed to perform the difficult task of staying true to his style of music while making the album more listenable to a wider audience.

For better or worse, the popularity of So was buoyed by the release of the album’s first single “Sledgehammer.” It was accompanied by, at the time, a groundbreaking, multiple MTV Award winning music video. “Sledgehammer” was released a month before the album and ironically it was the last song recorded for the album. Gabriel refers to the song as an homage to the music that he grew up with and his all-time favorite singer, Otis Redding. To capture the feel of the late ‘60s Stax recordings, Gabriel used trumpeter Wayne Jackson, member of The Memphis Horns, who toured with Redding. Legend has it that Jackson recorded his trumpet solo in just one take.

Upon hearing “Sledgehammer” for the first time, I was curious about what the rest of the album would sound like. I thought most of the songs would be in a similar vein, but I was pleasantly surprised when I put the needle down on the record and I heard the opening cymbals (courtesy of Stewart Copeland) on “Red Rain.” Who knew that a song about torture, kidnapping, and parting red seas could sound so amazing. Gabriel has stated that the song is also the continuing story of Mozo, a character from his first two albums.

The third track, “Don't Give Up,” is a political statement decrying the rising unemployment that prevailed during Margaret Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister of England. It also has a very interesting story attached to it. When Gabriel wrote the song, his original intent was to have it be a duet with Dolly Parton. When Parton declined, Gabriel turned to his friend Kate Bush, who immediately agreed to sing the song. As much as I would have loved to hear Parton's vocal on the song, Bush's delicate reading creates a undeniable sense of beauty that makes the song work.

The running order for So has regrettably changed over the years. When it was first released, the opening track on side two (or track 5 for you CD owners) is the timeless “In Your Eyes.” The song is also famously featured in the 1989 movie Say Anything and features the iconic image of Lloyd Dobler (played by John Cusack) holding up a boombox while this song is emanating from it. Gabriel has said that he and Cusack "were sort of trapped together in a minuscule moment of contemporary culture." The song is also noteworthy for the powerful singing of Youssou N'Dour.

After 35 years, So has sustained the reputation of a great album that does not sound the least bit dated by 1980s production values. Rolling Stone placed it at #187 in its original list of the 500 greatest albums of all-time and at #14 in the 100 Best Albums of the ‘80s. It catapulted Gabriel into international superstardom. At one time, “Sledgehammer” was the most played music video in the history of MTV, but Gabriel's talent and influence is so much greater than just that video”.

In 2024, PROG told the story of So. Maybe Peter Gabriel felt that he was no longer able to remain where he was in terms of recognition and popularity. Having to make a break towards the mainstream. Rather than selling out, this was an album that he needed to make. One that is widely regarded as one of the best ever. So inventive and timeless. Such a broad range of songs:

“Don’t Give Up is arguably Gabriel’s most powerful statement. In 1981, Margaret Thatcher’s Employment Secretary Norman Tebbit infamously used an analogy about his father being out of work in the 30s, and instead of rioting, he got on his bike and looked for work. This became interpreted popularly as telling the unemployed to ‘get on their bike’ to find a job. Gabriel’s tale of a dispirited man at the end of his tether looking for work touched a raw nerve with millions of listeners in the UK and, latterly, the world. The song, with Gabriel’s despair in the verses and Bush’s words of hope in the chorus, has gone on to be arguably Gabriel’s most loved composition.

After such high drama, That Voice Again is a beautiful, Byrds-like pop song that often gets overlooked amid the album’s plentiful highlights. Originally entitled First Stone, it sounds almost as if Gabriel had taped one of the therapy sessions that he had been going through. Musically, it’s relatively simplistic, with Rhodes playing jangling Rickenbacker over the rhythm section of drummer Manu Katché and bassist Tony Levin.

Mercy Street was another standout. Gabriel had been reading the work of American poet Anne Sexton after having become interested in her work through the book To Bedlam And Part Way Back. Sexton had committed suicide at the age of 45 in 1974, leaving a slender yet highly confessional body of work, and the gentle, lilting rhythm of Gabriel’s song supports lyrics that allude to this. Percussion for the track was recorded by Gabriel in Rio de Janeiro by seasoned player Djalma Correa. With its deeply reflective tone and affecting vocal, Mercy Street became one of Gabriel’s most popular numbers and a staple of his live set.

Big Time was a sardonic reflection on the music business. It takes the opposite viewpoint of the Jacob character in I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe); it was time, after all, to try for that future in the fire-escape trade. Gabriel wrote the lyrics examining the dichotomy of his character, and perhaps realising it was fame he craved after all. The track was an obvious choice for a later single from the album in the UK, and the second single in the US, where it reached Number 8. Clean cut and funky, this was clearly how the States liked their Gabriel.

We Do What We’re Told (Milgram’s 37) had been around for a considerable period, originally recorded as far back as 1980’s Melt and seriously in the running for 1982’s Security. As it is, it sounds like the last link with that era. Strange, undercooked and difficult, it was about Professor Stanley Milgram’s social psychology experiment from 1961: volunteers assessing how far they would be prepared to follow an authority figure, even if it was in complete opposition to their conscience or their views. Gabriel explored how people are conditioned to believe in dictators and support war. With its patter of Jerry Marotta’s processed drums and L Shankar’s squalls of violin, and two overdubbed guitar tracks by Rhodes, it’s a disquieting interlude, proving to Gabriel’s new-found audience that it was still within his power to unsettle.

This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds) was adapted from the track Gabriel had written with Laurie Anderson for her Mister Heartbreak album. On it, he worked again with Nile Rodgers.

“I recorded my part in New York,” Rodgers recalled. “In those days I was gigging, and that was the height of my life. Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember what studio, what work, where I was. I loved that sound that Daniel got.”

What Gabriel wanted Rodgers to do was to add his remarkable, rhythmical guitar playing to another skeletal idea, and one that had been inspired by the Korean video artist Nam June Paik, who used to make TV shows. He had asked Laurie Anderson and Peter Gabriel if they would like to collaborate, and they worked quickly to produce this groove.

The album closed with another of Gabriel’s most loved songs, In Your Eyes, originally titled Sagrada Familia, inspired by the cathedral in Barcelona. Alluding to Antoni Gaudí and rifle heiress Sarah Winchester, the song was multi-layered and deeply affecting. The power of the track was made real by the stunning guest vocal performance from Youssou N’Dour, who sings in his native language, Ouoloff. In Your Eyes was featured dramatically in the Cameron Crowe film Say Anything in a sequence when protagonist Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) plays it loudly from a ghetto blaster.

So was released on May 19, 1986. Sledgehammer was issued shortly before it and put Gabriel squarely into the charts and hearts of millions. With its Brothers Quay/Aardman Animation video, Gabriel showed that, after all, he was a song and dance man. Here was the flower-headed pipecleaner of Willow Farm, vamping it up for the MTV generation.

The video was a viral sensation long before such things existed. The single reached the top spot in the US. Gabriel was delighted. The most affectionate homage to the music that originated from deep within America, here was almost the ultimate tribute. An introverted white boy from a privileged British background convincingly interpreting the music of the impoverished, segregated south of America. And somehow, it not only worked, but absolutely nailed it.

So, just funky enough, just obscure enough, just nostalgic enough, fitted perfectly with the CD generation. Gabriel began to attract a breed of listener that welcomed him as a ‘new artist’. This was liberating but would ultimately prove constraining. Although a super-slick short single had always been part of Gabriel’s oeuvre, how willing would this new audience be when he was experimenting?”

I am going to finish with a review from So from AllMusic. There was quite a shift in mood from 1982’s Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel 4: Security). As it turns forty on 19th May, I know there will be some fresh features and reviews around So. You hear songs from So played widely to this day:

“Peter Gabriel introduced his fifth studio album, So, with "Sledgehammer," an Otis Redding-inspired soul-pop raver that was easily his catchiest, happiest single to date. Needless to say, it was also his most accessible, and, in that sense it was a good introduction to So, the catchiest, happiest record he ever cut. "Sledgehammer" propelled the record toward blockbuster status, and Gabriel had enough songs with single potential to keep it there. There was "Big Time," another colorful dance number; "Don't Give Up," a moving duet with Kate Bush; "Red Rain," a stately anthem popular on album rock radio; and "In Your Eyes," Gabriel's greatest love song, which achieved genuine classic status after being featured in Cameron Crowe's classic Say Anything. These all illustrated the strengths of the album: Gabriel's increased melodicism and ability to blend African music, jangly pop, and soul into his moody art rock. Apart from these singles, plus the urgent "That Voice Again," the rest of the record is as quiet as the album tracks of Security. The difference is, the singles on that record were part of the overall fabric; here, the singles are the fabric, which can make the album seem top-heavy (a fault of many blockbuster albums, particularly those of the mid-'80s). Even so, those songs are so strong, finding Gabriel in a newfound confidence and accessibility, that it's hard not to be won over by them, even if So doesn't develop the unity of its two predecessors”.

Such a phenomenal album that created this huge success for Peter Gabriel, he followed So with 1992’s As. Whilst not as acclaimed as So, it was another terrific album from Peter Gabriel. That gap of six year between albums. After the huge success of So, one might have thought he would follow it up more quickly. However, that does not take away from what he created with So. It has been great exploring…

A classic album.

FEATURE: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2026: Celebrating the Nominees

FEATURE:

 

 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2026

IN THIS PHOTO: Ms. Lauryn Hill

Celebrating the Nominees

__________

IF some are not…

IN THIS PHOTO: Shakira

are not huge fans of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and what it stands for, I do think that it important and exciting to see artists inducted. Celebrating those who have made a huge contribution to music, an artist is eligible twenty-five years after they release their first record. You can see this year’s nominees here. It is a typically broad and strong list. I would especially love Jeff Buckley and Ms. Lauryn Hill to be among the inductees. The BBC published an article reacting to the nominees:

“Phil Collins, Oasis, Pink and Shakira are among the stars who have been nominated for inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.

The 17 artists who could be admitted to the prestigious US-based institution also range from Jeff Buckley and Lauryn Hill to Mariah Carey and Wu-Tang Clan.

Artists or bands become eligible 25 years after releasing their first commercial recording.

Oasis and Carey have been nominated twice before, while Pink is now eligible, 26 years after her debut single, and Colombian superstar Shakira could become one of only a handful of musicians from Latin America to have ever been admitted.

Last year, the Miami Herald reported, external that just three out of more than 1,000 individual inductees were born in Latin America.

The Wu-Tang Clan are the only hip-hop act to be nominated

Wu-Tang Clan's nomination comes after Gene Simmons from veteran rock band Kiss recently criticised the inclusion of hip-hop artists, saying they don't "belong", external in the Hall of Fame.

First-time nominees:

• Jeff Buckley

• Phil Collins

• Melissa Etheridge

• Lauryn Hill

• INXS

• New Edition

• Pink

• Shakira

• Luther Vandross

• Wu-Tang Clan

Returning nominees:

• The Black Crowes

• Mariah Carey

• Billy Idol

• Iron Maiden

• Joy Division/New Order

• Oasis

• Sade

Collins, 75, entered as a member of Genesis in 2010, and has now been shortlisted for his solo work including 1980s hits In the Air Tonight, Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) and Easy Lover.

He would be a popular choice after his music has been discovered by a new generation, and after he has suffered a series of health problems in recent years.

Phil Collins performed seated on his last tour, and recently revealed he has a 24-hour live-in nurse

He recently told Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2 podcast Eras that "everything that could go wrong with me did go wrong", adding: "I have a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication as I should do."

He explained: "I got Covid in hospital, my kidneys started to back up, everything that could all seemed to sort of converge at the same time. And I had five operations on my knee."

Collins, the father of Emily in Paris star Lily, also said he would "love" to tour again but wasn't sure he wanted to "go as far as to launch that boat".

His last major solo tour was the Not Dead Yet Tour from 2017 to 2019, and he performed seated during the Genesis reunion world tour in 2021 and 2022.

He also told Ball he may go back into the recording studio to work on "some things that are half-formed or were never finished".

Meanwhile, Oasis will discover whether their successful reunion over the past year has enhanced their reputation as legends in the US, a country they famously struggled to fully break first time around.

But singer Liam Gallagher has repeatedly criticised the Hall of Fame, previously saying he wasn't interested in receiving an award from "some geriatric in a cowboy hat".

He added, perhaps sarcastically, that Oasis didn't deserve their nomination "as much as Mariah [Carey]".

"She smashed it," he noted.

Mariah Carey has been nominated for the past three years - could it be third time lucky?

Carey, meanwhile, has previously noted that "my lawyer got into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before me," referencing entertainment lawyer Allen Grubman - who also represented clients like Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga.

There's strong British representation on this year's list - Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order and Sade are all up for induction at the second or third attempts.

Sade last toured and released an album 15 years ago

A panel of voters normally chooses between six and eight performers to be inducted from the nominations.

The selected acts will be revealed in April, and the star-studded induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland, Ohio, in the autumn”.

To celebrate the incredible artists who have been nominated for induction and inclusion into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I have compiled a playlist of their work. Two songs from each artist. There is going to be a lot of interest around those who are selected for induction in April. I think that it is an amazing rundown of artists who are all very worthy. Here is a mixtape celebrating the remarkable…

ROCK & Roll Hall of Fame nominees.

FEATURE: And Let Me Guide You to the Purple Rain: Remembering the Iconic Prince

FEATURE:

 

 

And Let Me Guide You to the Purple Rain

PHOTO CREDIT: Everett Collection/Bridgeman Images

Remembering the Iconic Prince

__________

YOU get these artists who…

PHOTO CREDIT: Everett Collection/Bridgeman Images

have a body of music that lasts through times and will inspire and influence the odd person here and there. They have quite a large legacy, maybe. Others that spread into other areas of culture. There are a rare few artists who have inspired so many generations and areas of culture. Madonna is one. David Bowie, The Beatles. Objectively, Kate Bush too. Prince is someone who has gone down in the history books. A true icon whose music will always be loved and never forgotten. On 21st April, 2016, we received the devastating news that Prince died. Aged only fifty-seven, it was a premature and shocking death that was so hard to process. It is almost ten years since the death of Prince. I am going to write another feature or two prior to that anniversary. I will start out more general here and compile a Prince mix. I want to first get to an article from Esquire published in April 2021 that reflects on this music protegee. It is a fascinating piece about how “The Purple One's late-career protégées reflect on the lives and art he still inspires five years after his death”:

“So much of today’s music was shaped by these relationships he cultivated. From Alicia Keys to D’Angelo to Janelle Monáe, most of R&B’s biggest stars in recent decades were summoned to Paisley Park at some point. A then-unknown Lizzo appeared on Prince’s 2014 album Plectrumelectrum, and before he passed, he had offered to produce her next album. Kendrick Lamar was flown in to join Prince onstage in 2014, and the pair met in the studio for the rapper’s 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly, but ran out of time before they could record anything .

Prince approached musicians who caught his attention whenever, wherever. Pop star Rita Ora got a phone call from him at her London office, out of the blue in 2014. He found Donna Grantis—who became the guitarist in his band 3rdEYEGIRL—from a YouTube video. Soul/jazz singer Kandace Springs had been trying to contact him for a few years when he retweeted one of her recordings and then slid into her DMs.

“It was important for him to feel like he was a part of what was going on, to get different perspectives,” says La Havas. “It gave him energy to know what other people were doing and to make connections and new friends and jam with other musicians.”

But in addition to gaining insight into fresh approaches and attitudes, Prince also knew what he had to offer to these new kids. “He found a lot of fulfillment in bringing people together and helping young musicians develop their sound,” says Ora, who remembers “musicians everywhere” when he brought her to his headquarters in Chanhassen, Minnesota. “He had so much passion for music and was really invested in the growth and evolution of younger artists.”

Given his stature, Prince obviously didn’t need to open his ears—and his studio—to artists who were on the rise. Most pop stars tend to turn competitive when the next generation starts to threaten their dominance. But for him, that drive manifested in wanting to keep up on any interesting voices entering his musical territory, and then helping to cultivate their potential, creating a future for the organic, R&B-based sounds he loved.

These protégées all point to certain concepts that he emphasized, mostly having to do with independence and individuality. “He would always stress not to cover up my voice,” says Springs, “to use live instruments, even to mix my own music at the shows. Do everything you can yourself if you can. Push yourself, learn, don’t be afraid—that’s what he was best at.”

Grantis recalls a session in which Prince asked her to record a guitar solo. Thinking it was a pretty big deal, she asked if she could work out some ideas and tackle it the next day. He heard her out and said, “OK—do it now and let me know when you have it,” and then left to play ping-pong with her husband. “That moment speaks to Prince’s ability to bring out the best in all of us, challenge us musically and push us to reach our full potential.”

These women all recount fun moments with Prince—playing checkers, tweeting jokes, having “giggly” phone calls—and staying in touch with him on a regular basis for years. Springs’s last email exchange with him came just two days before his 2016 death; “I remember seeing that he was struggling at the time and asking if he was OK, and he said ‘I’m fine, miss you’.” She recalled performing as a guest at a Paisley Park show marking the thirtieth anniversary of Purple Rain, after which they ran offstage, jumped on bicycles, and rode around the parking lot as the audience got in their cars to go home.

Five years later, his wisdom continues to reveal itself. “Prince would often teach us things, or encourage us to explore certain topics, by asking questions,” says Grantis. “On a couple of occasions he asked, ‘What if we could use music to teach people?’ Although it sounded intriguing, I didn’t fully connect with the possibilities of what it meant at the time. Now, what has become clear to me is that capturing someone’s attention—whether it’s during a three-minute song, or a three-hour performance—is such a privilege. It’s an opportunity for ideas to be shared.”

La Havas, who describes Prince less as a mentor than as a “dear friend who had very valuable advice and cared enough to communicate that,” notes that our current world makes his example shine even brighter. “He was so productive—that’s what’s really sticking with me in this time we’re living in, COVID times,” she says. “He made music on his own, in his own space, 24 hours a day, and that really resonates with how I am now, knowing that I can’t really go to the studio and collaborate with people”.

Even though we mark ten years of Prince’s passing on 21st and it will be very sad, we also will share celebration. In terms of his legacy and staggering body of work. His brilliance and how he changed lives. An artist that will be remembered forever and whose music will continue to influence artists, below is just a portion of the genius that Prince left us. Ten years after his death and there remains…

NOBODY like him.

FEATURE: Pray You Catch Me: Beyoncé's Lemonade at Ten

FEATURE:

Pray You Catch Me

Beyoncé's Lemonade at Ten

__________

IT is not an exaggeration to say…

that Lemonade is one of the greatest albums of all time. Beyoncé's sixth studio album is one of the most Grammy-nominated albums in history, Lemonade won Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video at the 59th Grammy Awards. It also won a Peabody Award in Entertainment at the 76th Annual Peabody Awards and received four nominations at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards. A number one album around the world (including in the U.S.), it turns ten on 23rd April. I am going to end with some reviews for Lemonade, as it is also one of the most important and powerful albums of the past decade. Imperious, seismic and utterly beguiling, I do wonder how others will approach Lemonade a decade after its release. I am going to start out with an interview from ELLE by Melissa Harris-Perry. A look at the symbolism, power and pain of Lemonade. “The call-and-response tradition is so deeply embedded in black cultural practice, so to help understand the meaning of this moment I sent out a call of my own to writers and thinkers who centre black women and girls in their work”:

“I think it's some of Beyoncé's best work—it's honest and open, and much of it is beautiful (especially the piano ballad "Sand Castles." But if I have to pick a favorite, it would be a tie between "Hold up" and "Don't Hurt Yourself," the song with Jack White. I have to admit I'm a fan of Angry Beyoncé, liberating herself and giving people hell. I also love that she weaved reggae and funk/rock riffs into those songs, and tried other innovative things on the album, including a really good country song in "Daddy Lessons."

—Joy Ann Reid is MSNBC national correspondent and author

I'm glad she continued to tell her story from her own point of view. She created a whole album talking about what SHE wanted to talk about. Love, infidelity, intuition, anger, rage, redemption, black women's lives and losses. And none of this looks like a get the Coin 101. She looks like an artist willing to lose some fans to say what is really on her mind. It looks like an artist having her say and making it plain. Folks always want to say that Beyoncé isn't smart, but this is smart. She's given us weeks worth of material to think about. And as the co-chair of the academic wing of the Beyhive, I'm thankful. This is boss stuff right here.

—Blair LM Kelley is Associate Professor of History at N.C. State University

I was most struck by the images in several sections of the visual album of black women and girls, of all hues and dazzling hair textures and shades, in period clothing evoking antebellum Louisiana but infusing it with modern girl power. Those images were so visually rich, because they are so divorced from modernity, but the women themselves were thoroughly modern in their obvious strength and attitude. I also loved the way the gorgeous water sequences in the "Denial" section that erupts into a frenzy of jubilant, bat-wielding destruction in "Hold up." And of course the women with faces painted in a send-up to Yoruba culture adds to the notion of that inextricable link between Africa and the American slave narrative.

—Joy Ann Reid, MSNBC national correspondent and author

Beyoncé is centering the South and also connecting this to the Black global South. She is unapologetic in her Blackness, her woman-ness, and her Southerness. Lemonade is an archive of Black womanhood/girlhood honed in the South. The South emerges as the past, present, and future of Black womanhood. The visual album rejects the holding of the South as solely a place trapped in history. The project asserts a complex, variegated, and infinitely generative space of Black kinship, creativity, resistance, and freedom dreams. This is incredibly valuable intervention, as it contributes to a tradition of southern Black women writers, artists, performers, and mothers/aunties/grandmothers/godmothers sustaining families and our communities through their creative genius and unbound imagination.

—Treva B. Lindsey is Assistant Professor of Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University

What I love and will continue to love about Beyoncé is that she has always pulled from her southern Black culture. Even when others weren't aware of what she was pulling from music (New Orleans bounce, screw, and certain kinds of flow) or just choreography or even aesthetic (B'Day era), she's very much a southern Black girl and keeps all of those mores and customs out front. I find it valuable in that there's no one on her level who has managed to include so much of that culture in their work and have this kind of global appeal.

—Michael Arceneaux is a columnist at Complex”.

I am going to move to The New Yorker and their take on the globe-conquering Lemonade. A defiance of spirit and one of the most remarkable and powerful albums ever released, I feel like it is still resonating and creating shockwaves today. In terms of its legacy, it remains hugely important and relevant. Many argue that Lemonade is Beyoncé’s finest statement:

“But while the album is Beyoncé’s most naked and personal yet, “Lemonade” is also a collage of collaborative artistic effort. Even more so than her last record, she draws from every corner of popular music, new and old, to make a rich potpourri of songs. She also combines sounds and imagery from many eras to salute black life, invoking the antebellum South, Malcolm X, and the young victims of police brutality over the last three years. But, while the material is heavy, the production is often feather-light. Among her collaborators here are Diplo, the Weeknd; Ezra Koenig, of Vampire Weekend; Jack White, The-Dream, Animal Collective, James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She samples Soulja Boy and Led Zeppelin; she sings the blues. In the past, Beyoncé has sparked controversy by lifting images and ideas from other pieces of art; when the Internet takes its collective close read in the coming days, “Lemonade” will certainly generate more. Once again, she has compiled a long list of video directors to help execute the project, in addition to recruiting a number of actresses and friends to appear in the video (none of whom distract from the star for a moment). One cameo is made by Serena Williams, who appears during a fierce celebration of a song, “Sorry,” on which Beyoncé sings, “Me and my ladies sip my D’USSÉ cup / I don’t give a fuck / Chucking my deuces up / Suck on my balls / Pause / I had enough.” Beyoncé, the only woman on Earth who can rebuff her husband with a smirking reference to his own brand of cognac.

Although Beyoncé has called on a diverse group of collaborators, her younger sister Solange is notably absent from “Lemonade.” This is a curious fact, given that Solange is responsible for the most damning mark on Beyoncé and Jay Z’s public record. In 2014, she was captured by surveillance film in an elevator after the Met Gala unleashing a mysterious fit of violence at Jay Z. The footage is chilling not only because Solange is so physically explosive—kicking, punching, clawing, screaming, and resisting a bodyguard—but because Beyoncé stands by and watches the whole scene, eerily placid. Solange may not appear on “Lemonade” but her spirit looms large. Some collaborators are Solange’s friends; some of the footage was shot in New Orleans, where Solange moved, in 2013. There are shots of a group of solemn black women dressed in fanciful white dresses, calling to mind the photographs taken at Solange’s wedding. Most crucially, the project channels the rage that was on the display in the elevator that night, the footage that prompted the world to speculate about the state of Beyoncé and Jay Z’s marriage—and presumably caused Beyoncé to go into a self-imposed partial media exile for years. Last night, Beyoncé finally responded to the questions that went unanswered after that night. She seems to be saying: Yes, Solange had good reason to unleash herself on my husband like that. She did not explode in vain.

And yet “Lemonade” is not so simple as a tale of a woman scorned. At some point the project turns away from Jay Z and toward the broken marriage between Beyoncé’s parents, making you wonder whether she was talking about her mother and father the whole time. She builds a striking image of marital strife as familial heritage, refers to her father’s arms around her mother’s neck, and presents footage of both herself and her daughter, Blue Ivy, with her father, Matthew Knowles. “My daddy warned me about men like you,” she says, drawing a complicated line of pain and distrust that bridges generations.

As the project unfurls, you cannot help but wait for the tone to shift from despair to hope. And, because she is Beyoncé, whose perfectionism extends to the bonds of her personal life, it does. Jay Z, the subject of so much spite and fury, enters the frame about two-thirds into the project. We see the back of his neck, his hands stroking Beyoncé’s bare calf, he and his wife in a cautiously loving embrace. The project shifts quickly toward redemption; there is a heavy-handed image of a baptism, along with footage of Jay Z and Beyoncé getting matching tattoos on their fingers. “My torturer became my remedy,” she says, “so we’re gonna heal.” This moment is designed to signal relief. But there is a spirit of defeat here—love and hope cannot hold a candle to what she has shown us with her pain. There is a sense that Beyoncé is yet again pulling the curtain closed after letting us see so much. Healing means retreating back into herself, her soul made elusive once again”.

Before getting to a critical review, I want to move to Medium and their feature about Lemonade. They write how the 2016 album is “A Celebratory Reflection on Beyoncé’s Impactful Album on Black Women’s Healing”. I first heard the album when it came out and was instantly struck by it:

“Throughout the album’s visuals, Beyoncé adorns Black women in Southern gothic Antebellum attire of the 1800s and Yoruba traditional face paint and imagery. Setting the film in the south, particularly in Madewood Plantation House in Louisiana (a former sugarcane plantation), Beyoncé reimagines these spaces as sanctuaries for Black women to exist and live in harmony. She creates a world that centers Black women and our stories being placed at the forefront of history, including notable pop culture figures like Zendaya, Chloe x Halle, and Ibeyi, as well as the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, whose sons were victims of police brutality. Beyoncé gives a voice to the Black women who bear the brunt of the injustice that plagues black people in America every day, while simultaneously making clear that the album is for black women from all walks of life.

Lemonade remains heartbreak’s most enthralling album because it encourages us to return to love even if it has hurt us in the past. Her message contradicts what has overly infiltrated today’s society: messages that encourage hate, resentment, and bitterness as a response when one has experienced heartbreak, betrayal, pain, and loss. Lemonade is a reminder that there is no shame in choosing love every time because “true love never has to hide.” In her Grammy speech, Beyoncé said, “We all experience pain and loss, and often we become inaudible. My intention for the film and album was to create a body of work that would give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness, and our history. To confront issues that make us uncomfortable.” Further saying that “I feel it’s vital that we learn from the past and recognise our tendencies to repeat our mistakes.” This album sheds light on the complexities of Black people’s interpersonal relationships, highlighting that our history of racial trauma is something that can not be easily separated from us. This lesson is especially poignant coming from a figure like Beyoncé — someone understood by the public to “have it all.” Yet even with her “having it all,” it can never separate her from the effects and experiences of her parents, grandparents, and their grandparents.

The title, Lemonade, is about how we heal. We are the healers and the alchemists: turning something sour into something sweet, turning loss into healing and reconciliation. The album pushes us to question ourselves and say, how do we heal ourselves?

It would be a grave mistake to only think of this album as a confessional tale of infidelity. With the lens of an intersectional feminist, Lemonade is an album about working in community with other Black women, healing, reconciliation, and owning one’s heritage. As previously stated, the album serves as a reminder that the personal cannot be separated from the political. Reflecting on this, I recall the remarks of author and scholar Naila Keleta-Mae from the University of Waterloo–she stated that Lemonade is an album that displays the work of a seasoned artist, one who is thinking about her musical legacy. Lemonade is a radical album because it is an album for Black women by a Black woman–and pop stars don’t make music for Black women”.

I will end with Pitchfork and their review of Lemonade. Turning ten on 23rd April, this is an album that everyone needs to listen to. Following 2013’s Beyoncé, this was another step up in her career. An album that arrived at a time when U.S. politics was shifting. A year when Donald Trump became President and there was racial tension, police violence and abuse across the country, Lemonade made an impact and resonated. An album that also addresses Black womanhood, intergenerational trauma, and forgiveness, this masterpiece will be discussed decades from now:

“If you’ve ever been cheated on by someone who thought you’d be too stupid or naive to notice, you will find the first half of Lemonade incredibly satisfying. If you have ears and love brilliant production and hooks that stick, you'll likely arrive at the same conclusion. The run from “Hold Up” to “6 Inch” contains some of Beyoncé’s strongest work—ever, period—and a bit of that has to do with her clap-back prowess. The increasingly signature cadence, patois, and all-around attitude on Lemonade speaks to her status as the hip-hop pop star—but this being Bey, she doesn’t stop there. Via the album’s highly specific samples and features by artists like Jack White and James Blake, Lemonade proves Beyoncé to also be a new kind of post-genre pop star. (Let us remember a time, not very long ago, when Bey and Jay attending a Grizzly Bear show with Solange made headlines.)

Both of these attributes—a methodical rapper’s flow, an open-eared listener’s frame of reference—meet on the slowed-down stunner “Hold Up,” where Beyoncé borrows an iconic Karen O turn of phrase via Ezra Koenig, a touch of Jamaican flavor via Diplo (again), and a plucky Andy Williams sample to fight for her man while chiding him for doing this to her (!), of all people. From there, Bey’s just like, “fuck it—big mistake, huge” and gets (Tidal co-owner) Jack White to join her in dueting over a psychedelic soul jam and a Zeppelin sample as she scowls, “Watch my fat ass twist, boy, as I bounce to the next dick, boy.” As she accuses her husband of not being man enough to handle all of her multitudes, fury frays her voice. Even on an album stacked with some of Beyoncé’s best recorded vocal performances to date, “Don’t Hurt Yourself” has her belting to a whole other dimension—specifically, that of Janis Joplin and late-’60s Tina Turner. This won’t be the last time Bey dips into the classic vinyl on Lemonade, either: see “Freedom,” which manages to both: A) speak poignantly to Civil Rights as much as personal plight, B) sound like an Adidas commercial; this means it’s the logical choice for next single, assuming Beyoncé is still releasing those.

Bey’s genre-hopping doesn’t always sound quite as transcendent as “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” however. Though certainly memorable (not least because it finds her name-checking the Second Amendment), “Daddy Lessons”—where a country guitar-line meets New Orleans brass in service of her Southern roots—is the least interesting chapter sonically, though the parallels it draws between Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s own cheating father still make it crucial in the context of Lemonade’s narrative. It’s hard to see how Beyoncé could have done without any of these scenes to tell the story (not even “Formation” in the end-credits), and though the specific sounds may not be as forward-thinking as those of her 2013 self-titled, there are clear reasons for every musical treatment she has made here. Lemonade is a stunning album, one that sees her exploring sounds she never has before. It also voices a rarely seen concept, that of the album-length ode to infidelity. Even stranger, it doesn’t double as an album-length ode to breaking up.

Yes, after Beyoncé makes nearly half an album’s worth of glorious rage songs directed at an unfaithful partner, she gives it a little time and remembers that she was raised to value hard work and spirituality. And so, she can’t give up on her marriage, the same one she spent her last two albums (mostly) celebrating. Beyoncé even kind of sells it, surmising with a tear-inducing sincerity on relaxed-fit soul jam “All Night” that “nothing real can be threatened.” It’s an easy platitude to make, but it’s also an extremely Beyoncé way of looking at things. For a perfectionist who controls her image meticulously, Beyoncé is obsessed with the notion of realness. That’s the biggest selling point of an album like Lemonade, but there’s a quality to it that also invites skepticism: That desire to basically art-direct your own sobbing self-portrait to make sure your mascara smears in the most perfectly disheveled way. But who cares what’s “real” when the music delivers a truth you can use”.

An album that celebrates ten years on 23rd April, Lemonade is one of the most astonishing albums ever released. I do wonder whether Beyoncé will mark it or she will have anything to say about Lemonade. It is a stunning release from one of music’s greats. A timeless masterpiece from a music queen, Lemonade is one of the most astonishing albums…

WE have ever heard.

FEATURE: Groovelines: Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town

__________

A true classic…

IN THIS PHOTO: Thin Lizzy (Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham, Brian Downey and Brian Robertson) at Dragonara Hotel, Bristol in 1976/PHOTO CREDIT: Erica Echenberg/Redferns

was released on 17th April, 1976. Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back in Town reached the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on 15th May, 1976. It is one of these staples that you hear played widely to this day. Ahead of its fiftieth anniversary, I want to look inside this anthem. One that I was not fully aware of the story behind. I am going to come to some features around the track. I am going to start with this feature from Produce Like a Pro. They included The Boys Are Back in Town as one of the Songs That Changed Music:

“Irish hard rockers Thin Lizzy formed in Dublin in 1969. Drummer Brian Downey and bassist/lead vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school, long before they ever dreamed of being legendary rock icons. As the group’s de-facto leader, Lynott wrote most of the band’s material over the course of 12 studio albums between 1971 and 1983. Thin Lizzy’s first projects were rooted in blues and Celtic folk, with little indication of the heavier rock sound they’d infuse later on.

The band performed their first gig at a school hall near the Dublin Airport in February 1970. By the end of the year they’d signed to Decca Records and gone to London to record their self-titled debut LP. The album was only a modest seller and failed to chart in the UK. Unfortunately this trend continued over the course of the first four albums, even with a successful single in 1972: “Whiskey in the Jar” was Thin Lizzy’s take on a traditional Irish ballad, which Decca released against the band’s will. Despite this, it reached #1 in Ireland and #6 overall on the UK charts.

Thin Lizzy finally had a charting album with their fifth project, called Fighting, in 1975. It reached #60 in the UK, though the band continuously struggled to find any sort of commercial success. Still, however, they did well on the road, touring the US for the first time as support for Bob Seger and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

In 1976, Thin Lizzy recorded Jailbreak, which proved to be the breakthrough they’d been hoping for. “The Boys Are Back in Town” was a worldwide hit and helped fully define the band’s hard rocking, twin-guitar sound. Shortly after the album’s release, Thin Lizzy toured the US again with Aerosmith, Rush, and REO Speedwagon. This helped solidify their status in the brand new market they’d just broken into.

“The Boys Are Back in Town” is easily one of the greatest hard rock hits of all-time. Apart from its immediate commercial success and what it did for the band, the song would forge Thin Lizzy’s legacy as a progenitor of heavy metal, with bands like Metallica, Alice in Chains, Mastodon, and Testament all citing Thin Lizzy as a primary influence”.

Published in 2020, Classic Rock talked about a song that might never had been recorded, were it not for American D.J.s picking up on it and Thin Lizzy’s manager having an ear for a good track. The first single from the Irish band’s seventh studio album, Jailbreak, The Boys Are Back in Town was a big chart success and is seen as one of the best songs ever released. Jailbreak turns fifty on 26th March:

“It may be difficult to believe, but Thin Lizzy came very close to dumping what went on to be arguably the most iconic song of their career.

“We had demoed about fifteen tracks for what became the Jailbreak album, and we’d selected those we felt were the ten best ones,” explains guitarist Scott Gorham. “Then our co-manager Chris O’Donnell came down to listen to the songs, and we played him all fifteen. He picked up on something we’d titled GI Joe, but we had already rejected it as not good enough for the album.

"He liked it, and told us that we should include it. We accepted his judgement, but there was still work to be done, because the lyrics were anti-war, which wasn’t really right for us, and musically it wasn’t there. However, we sorted it all out, and GI Joe turned into The Boys Are Back In Town.”

Gorham remembers vividly when he first heard the idea that would turn into this seminal track: “I was at Phil Lynott’s house, and we were in his living room, going over songs we’d been working on for the album. At the end of the sessions, Phil played me this bass line and asked what I thought of it. He then started to scat sing some lyrical notions he had in his head. From there we fleshed out a verse and a chorus.

“It was just Phil and me involved. But the next day at a band rehearsal, all four of us – including Brian Robertson and Brian Downey – played through the skeleton of the track. Brian Downey did this shuffle on the drums, and that’s when things began to take shape. Because I got the idea from him for what became the guitar harmony you hear now. We had an eight-track recorder in the rehearsal room, which was used to demo songs, and that’s when we did the version of GI Joe which our manager heard and liked.”

However, the song still wasn’t fully realised when Lizzy went into Ramport Studios in South London during late 1975 to record the Jailbreak album with producer John Alcock. “No, it wasn’t a complete track even by this time,” Gorham recalls. “We actually still didn’t have the title. But then one day. Phil came into the studio and said he wanted to call the song The Boys Are Back Town.

"He also had the lyrics written, and I read through them, thinking: ‘Hey, now this is fucking cool!’ Brian Robertson and I then got the guitar harmonies finished to our satisfaction. Although the guitar part in the middle of the song that helped to make it work so well came from Phil. He played it on the bass, and then Brian and I adapted it to the guitar.

“I have to say that recording this track was a pretty quick process. It wasn’t easy, but nor was it too hard.”

There was no belief from the band, though, that what they had was the game changer it would soon become. “To us, this was a decent album track, no more. We certainly did not think it could be a single!”

What happened next was a happy accident, as the finished The Boys Are Back In Town took on a life of its own. “We were out in America touring in 1976. We had no fan base there, and had achieved no success at all. But two radio DJs in Louisville, Kentucky heard the Jailbreak album and began to play it on air. They especially loved The Boys Are Back In Town, and gave it multiple spins every day.

"People then began phoning the station, requesting the song. Then other radio stations picked up on it and also gave it a lot of exposure. Suddenly it was everywhere. The States, it seemed, had fallen in love with this tune”.

Finishing with this feature about a single that was released when the Jailbreak album was successful and climbing the charts. It was a really big and successful time for Thin Lizzy. I wonder how others will mark fifty years of The Boys Are Back in Town:

“In the memorable year of 1976 for Thin Lizzy, one of the many highlights was their American chart debut. In May of that year, they embarked on a US tour supporting Bachman-Turner Overdrive that, by all accounts, wowed audiences everywhere. With the Jailbreak album already climbing the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, the May 15 edition of Billboard had more good news, as “The Boys Are Back In Town” entered the Hot 100.

The vivid story song thus made the American bestsellers two weeks before it even hit the UK charts, on its way to becoming one of the most-loved rock hits of the year. Its American breakout started on KSAN in San Francisco, after which airplay spread coast to coast. But Lizzy’s opportunity to maximise their impact there was scuppered when Phil Lynott contracted hepatitis. That forced the cancellation of another crucial tour supporting Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow.

“To tell you the truth, we weren’t initially going to put ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ on the Jailbreak album at all,” guitarist Scott Gorham later confessed. “Back then you picked ten songs and went with those, because of the time restrictions of vinyl.

The hit they nearly missed

“We recorded 15 songs, and of the ten we picked, that wasn’t one of them,” Gorham went on. “But then the management heard it and said, ‘No, there’s something really good about this song.’ Although back then, it didn’t yet have the twin guitar parts on it.”

“The Boys” reached No.8 in Britain in early July. In the US, where the Hot 100 traditionally moved more slowly, the track eventually landed at No.12 later that month. It was Thin Lizzy’s first US singles chart appearance and their only major single there. “Cowboy Song,” which reached No.77 a few months later, would be their only other showing.

Nevertheless, “The Boys Are Back In Town” helped Jailbreak to become a substantial American success in its own right. It reached No.18 in a 28-week run and was certified gold, their only RIAA recognition in the US. Back in the UK, the album was on the chart for almost a year”.

Apologies for repeating any information when it comes to the story of Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back in Town and its legacy. Released on 17th April, 1976, this is a track that has been passed down the generations. One that you can play and sing the words too. It is such a catchy and instantly memorable song, it is no surprise it has endured and remains as popular now as arguably it ever was. It is clear that The Boys Are Back in Town is one of the greatest songs…

WE have ever seen.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Al Green at Eighty

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Al Green at Eighty

__________

ONE of the greatest…

PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Ochs Archives

voices ever in music history turns eighty on 15th April. I wanted to use that opportunity highlight the brilliant work of Al Green. A hugely prolific artist, he released his debut album, Back Up Train, in 1967. His new E.P., To Love Somebody, arrived in January. His first new music since 2008. He is one of the most influential and revered artists. Seen as one of the last great Soul voices and one of the best the gene has ever seen, Al Green has won eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also received the BMI Icon award and is a Kennedy Center Honors recipient. Before getting to a playlist featuring some of his best work, I want to bring in some biography from AllMusic:

“A preeminent R&B singer, Al Green specializes in a smooth soul that has found common ground between the carnal and the spiritual. Green's sensual falsetto found its match in the tight, immaculate Memphis funk shepherded by Willie Mitchell, the head of Hi Records who signed the Grand Rapids, Michigan singer after "Back Up Train" broke out of its regional hit status in 1967. With Mitchell behind the boards, Green released a series of albums that showcased how he developed into an exceptional interpreter of modern standards -- their first big hit was a transformation of the Temptations' "I Can't Get Next to You" in 1970 -- and distinctive songwriter, penning or co-writing such classics "Tired of Being Alone," "Let's Stay Together," "I'm Still in Love with You," "Call Me (Come Back Home)," and "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)," songs that defined the sultry soul of their era and acted as a foundation for the quiet storm to come. Green's hot streak came to an abrupt halt in the late 1970s due to a number of tumultuous personal issues that convinced him to leave secular music behind and become an ordained minister. Throughout much of the '80s, he focused on Christian music but in 1988, he returned to R&B by duetting with Annie Lennox on a cover of the Jackie DeShannon song "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" -- a contribution to the Scrooged soundtrack that brought Green back into the Billboard Top Ten for the first time since 1974. Green soon released I Get Joy, the first in a series of regular new records that ran until 2008 when he released Lay It Down on Blue Note. The album, which was co-produced by Questlove, was his first record to reach the Billboard Top Ten since 1973, an extraordinary capper to a career that continued to thrive with live performances that included regular sermons at the Memphis church where he serves as a pastor.

Green was born in Forrest City, Arkansas, where he formed a gospel quartet, the Green Brothers, at the age of nine. They toured throughout the South in the mid-'50s before the family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Green Brothers continued to perform in Grand Rapids, but Al's father kicked him out of the group after he caught his son listening to Jackie Wilson. At the age of 16, Al formed an R&B group, Al Green & the Creations, with several of his high school friends. Two Creation members, Curtis Rogers and Palmer James, founded their own independent record company, Hot Line Music Journal, and had the group record for the label. By that time, the Creations had been re-named the Soul Mates. The group's first single, "Back Up Train," became a surprise hit, climbing to number five on the R&B charts early in 1968. The Soul Mates attempted to record another hit, but all of their subsequent singles failed to find an audience.

In 1969, Al Green met bandleader and Hi Records vice-president Willie Mitchell while on tour in Midland, Texas. Impressed with Green's voice, he signed the singer to Hi Records, and began collaborating with Al on his debut album. Released in early 1970, Green Is Blues showcased the signature sound he and Mitchell devised -- a sinewy, sexy groove highlighted by horn punctuations and string beds that let Green showcase his remarkable falsetto. While the album didn't spawn any hit singles, it was well-received and set the stage for the breakthrough success of his second album. Al Green Gets Next to You (1970) launched his first hit single, "Tired of Being Alone," which began a streak of four straight gold singles. Let's Stay Together (1972) was his first genuine hit album, climbing to number eight on the pop charts; its title track became his first number one single. I'm Still in Love with You, which followed only a few months later, was an even greater success, peaking at number four and launching the hits "Look What You Done for Me" and "I'm Still in Love with You."

By the release of 1973's Call Me, Green was known as both a hitmaker and an artist who released consistently engaging, frequently excellent, critically acclaimed albums. His hits continued uninterrupted through the next two years, with "Call Me," "Here I Am," and "Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)" all becoming Top Ten gold singles. At the height of his popularity, Green's former girlfriend, Mrs. Mary Woodson, broke into his Memphis home in October 1974 and poured boiling grits on the singer as he was bathing, inflicting second-degree burns on his back, stomach, and arm; after assaulting Green, she killed herself with his gun. Green interpreted the violent incident as a sign from God that he should enter the ministry. By 1976, he had bought a church in Memphis and had become an ordained pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle. Though he had begun to seriously pursue religion, he had not given up singing R&B and he released three other Mitchell-produced albums -- Al Green Is Love (1975), Full of Fire (1976), Have a Good Time (1976) -- after the incident. However, his albums began to sound formulaic, and his sales started to slip by the end of 1976, with disco cutting heavily into his audience.

In order to break free from his slump, Green stopped working with Willie Mitchell in 1977 and built his own studio, American Music, where he intended to produce his own records. The first effort he made at American Music was The Belle Album, an intimate record that was critically acclaimed but failed to win a crossover audience. Truth and Time (1978) failed to generate a major R&B hit. During a concert in Cincinnati in 1979, Green fell off the stage and nearly injured himself seriously. Interpreting the accident as a sign from God, Green retired from performing secular music and devoted himself to preaching. Throughout the '80s, he released a series of gospel albums on Myrrh Records. In 1982, Green appeared in the gospel musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God with Patti Labelle. In 1985, he reunited with Willie Mitchell for He Is the Light, his first album for A&M Records.

Green tentatively returned to R&B in 1988 when he sang "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" with Annie Lennox for the Bill Murray comedy Scrooged. Four years later, he recorded his first full-fledged soul album since 1978 with the U.K.-only Don't Look Back. He was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. That same year, he released Your Heart's in Good Hands, an urban contemporary record that represented his first secular effort to be released in America since Truth and Time. Though the album received positive reviews, it failed to become a hit. Green did achieve widespread recognition eight years later with his first album for Blue Note, I Can't Stop. One and a half years later, he followed it with Everything's OK. His third Blue Note album, 2008's Lay It Down, featured an updated sound that still echoed the feel of his classic earlier soul style. It became his first Top Ten album since his '70s heyday.

Green largely stepped away from the studio after Lay It Down, contributing the occasional track to a project, duetting with Heather Headley on the 2009 album Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration and covering Freddy Fender's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" in 2018 as part of an ongoing series called Produced By. Green remained a presence on the stage, touring and continuing to give sermons into the 2020s”.

I am going to end there. The blessed and phenomenal Al Green celebrates his eightieth birthday on 15th April, and I know he will get a lot of love around the music industry. I hope radio stations salute him and his music is played widely. Below is just a selection of some of his timeless music. The kind that will move people for decades and centuries more. No doubt that Al Green is a…

PEERLESS artist.

FEATURE: Kate Bush: Them Heavy People: The Extraordinary Characters in Her Songs: Frederick Delius (Delius (Song of Summer)/Noah (The Big Sky)

FEATURE:

 

Kate Bush: Them Heavy People: The Extraordinary Characters in Her Songs

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1980 for a live performance of Delius (Song of Summer) from her third studio album, Never for Ever

Frederick Delius (Delius (Song of Summer)/Noah (The Big Sky)

__________

FOR this part of the…

PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

series where I look at characters included in Kate Bush songs, I am pairing two albums released five years apart. I will get to Hounds of Love and the second biblical character from the album I have included in this run. However, I am starting out with a real-life character from Never for Ever and a song which ranks alongside one of the best from Bush’s early career. There is a lot to discuss when it comes to Frederick Delius and Delius (Song of Summer). Let’s start off with some background to this song. I am turning to the Kate Bush Encyclopedia: “Delius (Song Of Summer)’ is a song written by Kate Bush as a tribute to the English composer Frederick Delius. The song was inspired by Ken Russell’s film Song of Summer, made for the BBC’s programme Omnibus, which Kate had watched when she was ten years old. In his twenties, Delius contracted syphilis. When he became wheelchair bound as he became older, a young English admirer Eric Fenby volunteered his services as unpaid amanuensis. Between 1928 and 1933 he took down his compositions from dictation, and helping him revise earlier works. The song was released on the album Never For Ever and as the B-side of the single Army Dreamers”. Although there is not a lot written from Kate Bush in terms of why she included Frederick Delius in a song and why she was inspired to do this, Never for Ever was a very interesting album. Released in September 1980, it went to number one in the U.K. It was the first time Kate Bush was coproducing her music. Working with Jon Kelly, although technology did play more of a role in The Dreaming (1982) and Hounds of Love (1985), you can hear some of its influence on Never for Ever. Specifically the Fairlight CMI. In terms of the options open for Bush as a songwriter, this was a really important time. A much broader palette she could work from. You can hear that on a song like Delius (Song of Summer). Whereas before Bush had to manipulate her own voice and was tied to the piano and limited as to what she could achieve on her first two albums, with the Fairlight CMI, she could programme sound effects and feed her vice through this equipment to create new worlds.

Bush was instantly attracted to the Fairlight CMI. She said how she could create this human, emotional and animal sound that did not feel like it was machine-made. If co-producer Jon Kelly was a bit more old-skool and was confused why an instrument could not be played and why it had to be fed through the Fairlight CMI, it was clear that Kate Bush knew that modern technology could take her music to new heights. She could be much more imaginative as a songwriter. It is interesting about the timing of the Fairlight CMI. It is all over The Dreaming but was a little late to impact Never for Ever. I guess she would have liked to have used it more but she was wrestling with the technology. Working out of Abbey Road Studio and there were multiple multi-track machines loaded up. Getting into this tangle, it was not always a smooth process. However, you can feel something taking shape and Bush’s music transforming. Never for Ever a big step on from 1978’s Lionheart. By all accounts, the recording and atmosphere at Abbey Road was fun and creative. Sessions did go long into the night and Bush was typically a night creature. She was experimenting and throwing quite a lot into the mix. Delius (Song of Summer) is sparser than other songs on Never for Ever, though you can feel sounds and vocal elements that were centred around the Fairlight CMI. I think in the case of Delius (Song of Summer) the Roland synthesiser provided the percussion sound. Whereas the technology might not be the most notable element of this song, I feel that you can feel Bush’s writing definitely opening up and expanding. Bass voices by Paddy Bush and Ian Bairnson. Paddy Bush playing the sitar. Such a rich composition and a quirky song, there is also this level of preciousness’ that is worth noting. How Bush was ten when she watched Omnibus and was struck enough where she would later write a song about this underrated English composer.

It is not the only example of Bush seeing something on T.V. and that leading to a song. A 1967 adaptation of Wuthering Heights inspired her 1978 debut single. In the case of Delius (Song of Summer), she kept the memory of Omnibus in her mind for a decade before letting it out through song. It makes me wonder about a certain affluence. Song of Summer is a 1968 black-and-white television episode co-written, produced, and directed by Ken Russell for the BBC's Omnibus series which was first broadcast on 15th September, 1968. I wonder how many people in the U.K. had a television and how common it was. It seems like Bush and her family watched quite a bit of T.V. and there was all this culture around. In 1968, she was living at East Wickham Farm in Welling. It was this middle-class part of Kent, so it might have been more common than other parts of the U.K. I do wonder how many of Kate Bush’s songs would have never been written were it not for television. How many ten-year-olds would have watched something as high-brow as an Omnibus show and both been engrossed and then thought of a song afterwards?! The closing line of Delius (Song of Summer), “In B. Fenby”, was written by someone who did not know she would soon meet Eric Fenby. Fenby, as this big fan of Frederick Delius, was devoted to the point where he transcribed and noted down compositions when Delius became wheelchair-bound. Bush met an older Eric Fenby when she appeared on The Russell Harty Show and performed a version of it alongside Paddy Bush (who played the part of Delius in a wheelchair).

A couple of other things to note about Delius (Song of Summer). That link to Classical music. When it comes to Kate Bush, we often hear about her influences in connection with popular music. Artists like David Bowie and Roxy Music. However, growing up in a household where there would have been Classical music played and you feel her father in particular was a fan of that genre, it is surprise that she did not explore this more. Her father was a fan of Chopin, but Bush seems to have been more inspired by other genres like Pop and Folk. However, strings and orchestration did come more into her work later. Something epic and symphonic appears on Never for Ever in the form of Breathing. The beautiful strings on The Dreaming’s Houdini. Hounds of Love’s Hello Earth operation and classical. One of these what-if questions relates to Kate Bush composing for film and T.V. I often wonder what it would be like if she did compose. You can hear her compositional flair and that sense of scale on albums like Hounds of Love, Aerial (2005) and even 50 Words for Snow (2011). I do wonder if a future album might take this even further. Though the work of Frederick Delius is not something you can directly hear in Bush’s work, it is noteworthy that she wanted to write a song about a Classical composer and, soon after, her work would become more symphonic and almost Classic in some ways. The unique subject matter is something typically Kate Bush. We talk about songs like Wuthering Heights and how inspired that is. People do not discuss Delius (Song of Summer) and its brilliance. There are not a lot of words in the song but each one is brilliantly evocative and incredible. “Ooh, ah, ooh, ah/Delius/Delius amat/Syphilus/Deus/Genius, ooh/To be sung of a summer night on the water/Ooh, on the water/“Ta, ta-ta!/Hmm/Ta, ta-ta!/In B, Fenby!”/To be sung of a summer night on the water/Ooh, on the water/On the water”. Humorous, strange and conversational, it is kudos to Bush as a producer and songwriter. Bush using Latin in the song.

I want to end this half with a fascinating article from Dreams of Orgonon that I have sourced before. The last conversation idea around Delius (Song of Summer) is Bush’s use of real-life people in her songs. Whilst most of her characters are fictional and invented by her, this is a rare case of Bush inspired by a well-known figure. However, I wonder how many people knew about Frederick Delius in 1980? A composer who died in 1934, few knew about Delius’s music and story when they heard this song on Never for Ever:

“To explain what Bush doesn’t, Frederick Theodore Albert Delius began his career as a full-time composer in Paris in 1886, channeling the influence of black music (which he discovered while failing to manage a Florida orange plantation) and European composers such as Wagner and Grieg into his own orchestral pieces (in a declaration of emotional hedonism, he described music as “an outburst of the soul” which is “addressed and should appeal instantly to the soul of the listener”). By the 1890s, he became popular in Imperial Germany thanks to the promotional efforts of German conductors. It took longer for Delius’ music to take off in his native Britain, but it eventually gained enough popular heft for Westminster to hold a six-day Delius festival in the late 1920s. By that point, Delius had contracted tertiary syphilis from extramarital affairs he’d conducted in Paris and was blind and paralyzed. In the final stage of his life, he was tended by his astonishingly dedicated wife Jelka Rosen, who gave up a genuinely successful art career to be his caretaker. Yet even with his devastating syphilis, he remained creative. From 1928 to 1934, Delius was assisted in his compositional efforts by a fellow Yorkshireman, Eric Fenby. For the duration of that time, Fenby served as Delius’ amanuensis, assisting him in the composition of some of his better-known pieces, such as the tone poem A Song of Summer, one of his more useful works for our purposes, as it provides the title of Ken Russell’s Delius biopic.

In terms of progenitors, Delius and Bush are operate in adjacent but separate traditions. Delius was heavily influenced by American music, particularly black music. He was fonder of popular music than some of his contemporaries (there’s a true-to-life scene in the film A Song of Summer where Delius jauntily enjoys listening to “Old Man River”) and was heavily influenced by his nostalgia for his plantation days. According to Delius, the black workers on the plantation “showed a truly wonderful sense of musicianship and harmonic resource in the instinctive way in which they treated a melody, and, hearing their singing in such romantic surroundings, it was then and there that I first felt the urge to express myself in music.” The implications of this statement are mixed in nature. On the one hand, channeling the innovations of black music into critically respected symphonies in the Jim Crow era was a step forward in terms of taking the musical abilities of black people seriously. Alternatively, there’s a distressing mystification of exploited black workers in Delius’ description. Their labor is something for him to enjoy personally, rather than a way for these doubtlessly persecuted people to alleviate the astounding difficulties of plantation work. As is the norm for popular music, Delius treats black people as inspirations for his own creations rather than innovators who paved the way for 20th century music.

Bush’s relationship to black music has more distance. I’ve expounded on how Bush is primarily a British songwriter influenced by English artists. Those English artists, such as Bowie and Ferry, were in turn publicly and unashamedly influenced by American black music. Bush’s own terribly white style has less to do with R&B. Lionheart is a quasi-jazz album, and Bush was a fan of Billie Holiday, but Holiday’s influence on her work isn’t nearly as obvious as the watermark of Ziggy Stardust or The Wall. It’s not that Bush doesn’t engage with the musical creations of racial minorities — she will later in her career, with results that range from well-intentioned misfires like “The Dreaming” and blatantly offensive works like “Eat the Music.” When we get to The Dreaming, we’ll have to talk about the rise of world music and Bush’s part in it, as The Dreaming pays more attention to ethnic minorities than the rest of her work (I’m going to spend a lot of the next few months arguing that The Dreaming is a flawed work of post-colonial horror). So while Delius is directly influenced by black music, Bush is only tangentially marked by it, in the same way that most artists who create popular music is going to touch on R&B or rock ‘n’ roll in some fashion. As things stand, both Delius and Bush have admiring but flawed views on black music, acknowledging its importance without fully understanding the struggles behind it.

“Delius (Song of Summer)” contains flashes of its subject’s life. “Oh, he’s a moody old man,” muses Bush, referring to Delius’ volatile behavior as reported by Fenby, then referencing Delius’ work by adding “song of summer in his hand.” The song plays out like a duet between Fenby and Delius — Fenby’s reserved nature and devout Catholicism often led to the young man becoming overwhelmed by his employer’s secularism and cantankerousness (Paddy Bush is heard gruffly saying “ta-ta-ta” and “in B, Fenby!”, quotes from Ken Russell’s film Song of Summer). The chorus, a sequence of Latin or Latin-ish phrases, sounds like a despairing yet awed prayer of elegy by Fenby: “Delius/Delius amat” (Bush continues to fail at foreign languages by attaching the third-person present “amat” to “Delius,” while also touching on Delius’ atheism), and the genuinely gut-busting rhyme of “syphilis/deus/genius,” the latter of which she pronounces in Latin. “Delius” is neither hagiographical nor harshly critical of its song — it simply evokes his ethos and how the people in his orbit perceived him.

Or at the very least, it perceives Delius according to filmmaker Ken Russell’s treatment of him. “Delius” is heavily indebted to Russell’s 1968 BBC adaptation of Eric Fenby’s memoir Delius as I Knew Him, called Song of Summer. The film is told through the perspective of Fenby (a young Christopher Gable, who Doctor Who fans might recognize), who initially approaches Delius as an admirer and quickly becomes a distant and subordinate collaborator to him. The Delius of the movie (Max Adrian, and yes Song of Summer doubles as a trivia game for Doctor Who fans) is not a legend nor a booming celebrity, but a foul-tempered geriatric has-been, confined by his illness and domineering personality. This could easily turn into a cynical story about how young creatives should never meet their heroes, but Song of Summer is smarter than that. While it doesn’t understate the fact that Delius was plainly an asshole, neither does it understate the human costs of his cruelty. There are some gorgeous scenes where Delius becomes fully animated by the power of music and creation, and Fenby, while alienated from his hero, is equally drawn in. Russell depicts two men whose struggles are both reconciled and exacerbated by the creative process. Russell’s script is imbued with psychological realness, which is granted to every character — Jelka Delius finally gets justice in an astonishing scene where she breaks down over her husband’s infidelity and cruelty. Typically for Ken Russell’s work, Song of Summer moves gracefully, with equal measures of ambivalence and clarity. Of the films Kate Bush has touched to date, this may be the best.

Recorded at Abbey Road Studio 2 during the sessions of January-June 1980. Released on Never for Ever on 7 September 1980. Music video shown during Dr. Hook and The Russell Harty Show on 7 April 1980 and 25 November 1980, respectively. Never performed live. Personnel: Kate Bush — vocals, piano, production. Roland — percussion (tongue-in-cheek credit on the album’s liner notes). Paddy Bush — Delius, sitar, bass voice. Alan Murphy — electric guitar. Ian Bairnson — bass voice. Preston Heyman — additional percussion. Jon Kelly — production, engineer. Pictures: Max Adrian & Christopher Gable in A Song of Summer (1968, dir. Ken Russell); Kate Bush in a swan dress”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush on the set of The Big Sky

I am going to move to a song from Hounds of Love that turns forty on 21st April. The fourth and final single from the masterpiece album, The Big Sky is my favourite track from Hounds of Love. If we hear God mentioned and prominent in Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), then Noah is a more fleeting reference. However, I think that it is quite relevant. I will revisit a couple of interviews with Kate Bush that I have included in Kate Bush features, as it shows that The Big Sky was a hard song to put together. The Kate Bush Encyclopedia provide these valuable archive resources:

“The Big Sky’ was a song that changed a lot between the first version of it on the demo and the end product on the master tapes. As I mentioned in the earlier magazine, the demos are the masters, in that we now work straight in the 24-track studio when I’m writing the songs; but the structure of this song changed quite a lot. I wanted to steam along, and with the help of musicians such as Alan Murphy on guitar and Youth on bass, we accomplished quite a rock-and-roll feel for the track. Although this song did undergo two different drafts and the aforementioned players changed their arrangements dramatically, this is unusual in the case of most of the songs. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, Issue 18, 1985)

‘The Big Sky’ gave me terrible trouble, really, just as a song. I mean, you definitely do have relationships with some songs, and we had a lot of trouble getting on together and it was just one of those songs that kept changing – at one point every week – and, um…It was just a matter of trying to pin it down. Because it’s not often that I’ve written a song like that: when you come up with something that can literally take you to so many different tangents, so many different forms of the same song, that you just end up not knowing where you are with it. And, um…I just had to pin it down eventually, and that was a very strange beast. (Tony Myatt Interview, November 1985)”.

The takeaway is that The Big Sky came together slowly and through different stages. Given that the track is quite child-like in nature, almost like a homework assignment! The Big Sky is the owner of clouds and gazing up. A cloud that looks like Ireland. Clouds full of rain and weather connections. Hounds of Love is full of weather and water. The Ninth Wave on the second side and Cloudbusting on the first side. What is intriguing is that one of the loosest and most joyous songs was perhaps the most challenging to get together. I guess it happens with songs, but you listen to the album version and cannot hear any of that struggle. The bass part of this song is especially fascinating.

Hounds of Love as an album is often commending because it did not feature a lot of bass. However, I think that the bassline from Youth (Martin Glover) is remarkable. So frantic, energetic and groovy, it showcases the musical diversity of Hounds of Love. The Fairlight CMI plays a big role and there are synthesisers and electronic elements. However, some of its most powerful moments arrive when more traditional and human-led performances take centre stage. Some great handclapping from Charlie Morgan and Del Palmer. Morris Pert and Charlie Morgan on percussion and drums. Alan Murphy’s guitar. Paddy Bush on didgeridoo. Even though The Big Sky only reached thirty-seven, it did get a lot of critical love. In terms of how Bush was perceived by the press at this time, Hounds of Love reset things. Just before Hounds of Love came out in 1985, many in the press wrote her off and asked where she was. 1982’s The Dreaming got some positive reviews, though many found the album too strange and off-putting. Huge singles like Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) and Hounds of Love won a lot of praise. Still picking up momentum in 1986, The Big Sky was met with acclaim. Even if Bush found it hard to get The Big Sky finished and it was this challenge, she did release it as a single. The music video is fantastic. Kate Bush directed it. After directing the Hounds of Love single video, this was her second solo effort as a director: “It was filmed on 19 March 1986 at Elstree Film Studios in the presence of a studio audience of about hundred fans. The Homeground fanzine was asked to get this audience together, and they did within two weeks. Two coaches took everyone from Manchester Square to Elstree studios early in the morning, after which the Homeground staff, who were cast as some of the aviators, were filmed, and finally the whole audience was admitted for the ‘crowd scenes’. The scenes were repeated until Kate had them as she wanted”.

When thinking about Noah in the lines, “This cloud, this cloud/Says “Noah/C’mon and build me an Ark.”/And if you’re coming, jump/‘Cause”. I have already featured biblical characters in this series. It is interesting that they feature sporadically on her albums. If God was used as this deal-broker in the most popular song from Hounds of Love, there is something more throwaway or less significant here. However, it is interesting that Bush mentioned Noah. The story of Noah in The Bible (Genesis 6–9) tells of a righteous man commanded by God to build a massive ark to save his family and pairs of every animal from a global flood, designed to purge the earth of rampant wickedness. The lyrics on The Big Sky is fascinating. I think it is this perfectly blend of this joyful, oblique and mysterious. The opening lines have always perplexed me in terms of exactly what they mean: “They look down/At the ground/Missing/But I never go in now”. I wonder exactly what those words mean. Who Bush is referring to when she sings “You never really understood me/You never really tried”. I know Bush wrote a lot of Hounds of Love in Ireland, and I am not sure whether The Big Sky was one of the songs written there. Because of the countryside and landscape of Dublin and maybe her mind thinking about clouds and the weather. The inclusion of Noah is inspired. It gives this sense of the epic and biblical to a song that could otherwise have been fluffy and infantile. It is a standout from Hounds of Love. If Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Cloudbusting and Hounds of Love are quite serious or deeper songs, I love that there is this free spirit and abandon on The Big Sky. Although it is a cloud talking to Noah rather than a physical embodiment of the biblical figure, it is another case of Bush using religious imagery to great effect.

It is interesting that Noah is perhaps more significant than we would imagine listening to the song through. For her fan club newsletter in 1985, Kate Bush spoke about The Big Sky and said this: “I used to do this a lot as a child, just watching the clouds go into different shapes. I think we forget these pleasures as adults. We don’t get as much time to enjoy those kinds of things, or think about them; we feel silly about what we used to do naturally. The song is also suggesting the coming of the next flood – how perhaps the “fools on the hills” will be the wise ones”. Bush connecting with her childhood and bringing that into the song. Also, something far grander and more serious. If Cloudbusting is a song about a machine that could make it rain, perhaps this is the result of that. A two-part epic. These seemingly harmless clouds in the sky that twist into the shape will summon something destructive. Is this literal rain or something political? Hounds of Love perhaps has fewer characters than some Kate Bush albums, though I feel they are among the most discussion-worthy. I will come to Cloudbusting and a piece of literature that inspired the song. There is also the Mother in Mother Stands for Comfort. Characters to be found through The Ninth Wave. Maybe the eponymous Hounds of Love too. However, Noah is inserted into a song that is partly whimsical and child-like. Maybe ominous in the sense that there is this coming flood, it is interesting how water is at the centre of Hounds of Love. The flood of The Big Sky and the sea and the heroine being stranded through The Ninth Wave. This article is titled Water, Music, and Transformation in The Ninth Wave by Kate Bush and makes some interesting observations: “Bush’s album skilfully frames water symbolically, historically and pop-culturally: the art of musical storytelling is accompanied by the symbolic dissection of the trope of water. With a peculiar blend of empathy, darkness, and gratitude, The Ninth Wave serves as an intriguing example of how mutability should not be perceived as a dangerous force but as a positive, or even a necessary one. Water is dangerous; there is no doubt about that, but without its transformative qualities, there would be no maturation of the individual. Since antiquity, the abyss of water has been a symbol of wisdom – mysterious, unfathomable, yet regenerative in its nature. Paradoxically, the threat that water poses functions as a catalyst for maturation. As the beginning of The Ninth Wave depicts, the destructive potential of water reveals what is indeed important for the individual trapped in dire straits, which is the connection to other human beings”. A fascinating English composer immortalised in Never for Ever’s Delius (Song of Summer) and a biblical figure treated in Hounds of Love’s The Big Sky, I wanted to pair them to show the sheer range of characters Bush uses in her songs. Kate Bush is a writer and storytelling…

LIKE no other.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Tolou

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Edwig Henson

Tolou

__________

THERE are some more recent…

interviews I want to get to, but I will start out with start out with one from 2024. Vogue Scandinavia focused on this amazing Norwegian-Nigerian artist. Tolou is someone that you need to know. I am quite new to her music, though I have been listening back to her earliest tracks. Her phenomenal debut album, Energy, came out in January. I am going to move on to interviews published close to the release of that album:

“Does musical artist Tolou believe in fate? “Girl, absolutely,” she responds with a smile, a bright blue headband holding her signature, superfine blonde microbraids back from her freckled face. “I believe in God, I believe everything has meaning, that everything happens for a reason,” the Norwegian-Nigerian 26-year-old says. Whether or not you’re also a believer, you can’t deny something powerful is at play when it comes to Tolou’s journey.

Fittingly, it all began in a church. The Arctic Cathedral, to be specific, with its imposing triangular facade jutting out from the mountainous landscape of Tromsø, the northernmost city in the world and Tolou’s Norwegian hometown. “It’s so far north, if you go on a map, it’s as north as you can get. We’re right up near the North Pole,” she giggles. Within the towering angular walls of the remote cathedral, Tolou, with her natural vocal talent, directed the youth choir. And one day, as fate would have it, legendary Haitian rapper and record producer Wyclef Jean – renowned for his work with Destiny’s Child, Whitney Houston, and Fugees, to name a few – just so happened to walk through the cathedral’s doors. “He was here in Tromsø performing and they were filming an acoustic music video,” Tolou explains. After seeing her perform, Jean invited her to his concert, and then, with his manager, challenged her to sing on the spot. “I did, of course,” she says, her confident tone never wavering.

Alongside her pop fixation, the musical influences of Tolou's youth were varied and eclectic, including her Norwegian grandmother’s love of country music (“I sang Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ to my school of about a thousand kids when I was super young”) and her older brother’s metal band, who called on her to step in as vocalist from time to time (“I was head-banging on stage, rock’n’roll, it came so naturally to me”). Tolou’s musical passion is so palpable that even the way she speaks is melodic, with staccato rhythms and syncopated pauses leading into breathy, rapid-fire riffs of words.

Tolou credits her unfaltering confidence, in part, to the time she spent working with Jean, albeit remotely; their collaboration coincided with the Covid lockdown, which left her stuck in the distant northern reaches of Norway. “It made me even more independent,” she explains. “Often as a female artist, you go to a studio with a producer and you’re just sitting at the back. You don’t know yourself or what you can do.” But by necessity during lockdown, Jean had Tolou writing, producing beats, recording and mixing all by herself, in Tromsø. “It really taught me that not everybody else knows better than me sometimes,” she says. “I should trust myself.”

Aside from her Spotify plays and live performance dates, Tolou’s popularity is most evident on social media where she’s racked up legions of fans – her recent drop ‘A Little Bit Sad’, which addresses the heartbreak that kept her, fatefully, in LA, resonated on her buzzy TikTok account. But Tolou is unfazed by the attention. “It’s really fun when I see all those views on my videos, but it doesn’t really affect me. Us people from northern Norway, we’re very authentic. We just are who we are. Like, we’re not that mysterious,” she smiles.

As her star rises and her name becomes more internationally recognised, Tolou’s sincere authenticity cannot be shaken. “I want to make global music and I want to be wherever the music takes me,” she says. “People ask me, ‘Why don’t you go somewhere else for your braids when you’re in the UK or USA? Why don’t you just have someone else do it?’, but I need to go back home for my soul. It’s crucial for me to stay connected to Norway and my mum, to remind myself of my values and where I came from”.

I am going to move to an interview with CLASH and their Next Wave feature. Published last month, whilst one might see Tolou as purely or mainly Afro-Pop, she has this very eclectic and wide-ranging musical upbringing. I am really eager to see where this artist heads. I do hope that she plays in the U.K. at some point, as I know that there will be many here that want to see her perform:

“Growing up as a Nigerian-Norwegian in the North of Norway, Tolou chose to view it as a strength, refusing to let her environment limit her; “I’m a Black girl, I can do pop”. Her  blonde micro braids signify a connection between both cultures, as a crown of who she is and the pride she takes in her upbringing and how she was raised. “I always wanted to take that with me as much as I could; as much as I knew honestly.”

Tolou’s debut album ‘Energy’ reflects influences from both Scandinavian pop, which she grew up on, and afrobeats, which her Dad often played when she spent time with him in London. “I grew up with a lot of Scandinavian pop, and RnB. Beyonce was actually the first record I bought. I looked up to her and Rihanna since they were the only people that looked like me at the time. When I travelled to England to visit my father, he would play afrobeats, and I would go to the family gatherings and everybody would dance. I thought it was so cool how everyone was dancing, every age. That’s when I realised I wanted to make people dance like that”.

Her debut gave her an opportunity to be vulnerable, bridging the gap as she focused on themes of self confidence, finding genuine connection, and having a stable foundation in life during moments of heartbreak. Expressing what she wants, Tolou voices her desire for honesty when meeting someone new. “Show me your intentions. I need to know that you’re seriously into me before I even give you the time of day… my song ‘into me’ focuses on that moment when a guy likes you, but you don’t know why they like you. Like is it my face, or because of who I am as a human being?” When asked to give advice on love, Tolou simply says; “Don’t rush. You have time, and you’re not supposed to be stressed out. If he’s stressing you out, and making you doubt yourself, he’s not right for you. Honestly, my biggest lesson in 2025 was to surrender and let God handle it. It’s not my thing to control at the end of the day.”

‘Energy’ shows that journey of finding yourself again whilst going through a lot of change in life. Tolou’s personal life had a lot of influence in the album, songwriting becoming a diary for her feelings to be housed. “Every song is like a diary of how I was feeling at that specific moment. After I got signed and came to America, I went through my trials and tribulations. I had to go through a journey of self rediscovery.” When you’re in a certain environment for so long that’s the only version of yourself you know. Being placed in a drastically different environment forced Tolou to explore who she was outside of Norway, whilst getting used to the reality of her career setting off. “I definitely had to be broken down before I built myself up again”.

The warm ambiance of the album will have you wishing for a year long getaway on an island. When asked about what songs she would recommend as the soundtrack to a vacation, Tolou responds; “See, it’s different vibes. If you have someone at home that you’re missing, then ‘wasting your time’. I actually wrote that song about a boy in my hometown. I was like, even if I’m wasting my time and risk getting heartbroken, I still like you. If you’re looking for some new love, listen to ‘body’. Body is actually an interpolation of ‘so sick’ by Ne-Yo. Tricky Stewart (grammy winning producer) and Theron Thomas wrote it. That’s the only song on the album that wasn’t written by me; it’s definitely important for my artistry to write”.

The final interview I am including is from 1883 Magazine. They included her in their 18 Questions feature. I have selected a few that caught my eye. Anyone who has not discovered Tolou needs to check her out now. Someone who is going to go very far and has a long career ahead. Energy is a remarkable debut album:

“Favourite memory growing up?

Performing on stage. That was always my happiest moment—whether it was with my brother’s metal band or singing in church. That was my favorite place to be. There was this yearly festival we used to play at, and it felt like a dream.

Where was the last place you travelled to?

I just came from Paris. I had rehearsals there with my choreographer and dancers, and I also went to a fashion show for Kwame Adusei.

What was the last thing that made you laugh?

I laughed really hard at my mom on the phone yesterday. She has the funniest comments sometimes – with a little bit of shade, haha. I definitely get my sense of humor from her.

What’s your nighttime ritual?

The one thing that stays consistent in a busy travel schedule is my skincare. I love putting on all my serums and creams so my skin is glowy. And sometimes I’ll drink a cup of tea to calm my voice.

Who would be on your dream dinner party guest list?

I’m such a music lover – Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, Lana Del Rey, Sade, Frank Ocean, Wizkid, Beyoncé.

What is the major throughline on your debut album Energy?

The major throughline of the album is learning to trust and embody your own energy. Moving with faith, confidence, and presence rather than fear.

What were your favourite moments from recording the project?

Traveling to Atlanta and making “Into Me” and “Body.” Working with the legend Tricky Stewart was incredibly inspiring. He’s literally the king of crossover records and has worked extensively with artists I admire so much, like Rihanna and Beyoncé.

What’s on your rider for a show?

Nuts, fruit, water, ginger, honey, and tea.

Finally, what is one thing you would like to manifest for yourself and why?

A sold-out world tour because performing live is where I feel most alive, and connecting with fans and sharing that energy around the world is my dream”.

One of the most promising new artists around, I feel that the next few years will see Tolou play huge international stages and collaborate with some of her music idols. This is a very special talent that you need to bring into your life. Go and throw your support behind Tolou. You just know that she is primed to…

TAKE over the world.

___________

Follow Tolou

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/tolouofficial/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@tolouofficial

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoS2e85rwMSS0erU6HL-nng

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6aJLBAuRRedmYQfUxXUByH?si=bi5RwmeER_mkgIe5Z7pDQw

FEATURE: Be Thankful for What You’ve Got: Massive Attack's Blue Lines at Thirty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

Be Thankful for What You’ve Got

Massive Attack's Blue Lines at Thirty-Five

__________

EVEN if it is not a massive anniversary…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Massive Attack (Robert '3D' Del Naja, Grant 'Daddy G' Marshall and Andrew 'Mushroom' Vowles) in June 1991/PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Cummins/Getty Images

the same way as a thirtieth or fortieth, I think that a thirty-fifth anniversary is still important. That takes me to Massive Attack’s debut album, Blue Lines. Released on 8th April, 1991, it took about eight months for the group to put the album together. Blending genres like Soul, Reggae and Electric, Blue Lines is often simply seen as a Trip-Hop album. I guess it is, though it is so much more than that. Perhaps inspiring other artists like Tricky and Portishead, Blue Lines is one of the most influential albums of the last thirty-five years. Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja, Grant ‘Daddy G’ Marshall, and Andrew ‘Mushroom’ Vowles created a masterpiece with their debut. I previously celebrated thirty-five years of its second single Unfinished Sympathy. Also on Blue Lines is Safe from Harm, Be Thankful for What You’ve Got, and Daydreaming. One Love is perhaps my favourite from the album. A top twenty on the U.K. chart, Blue Lines must go down as one of the best debut albums ever. The Bristol group worked with collaborators such as Shara Nelson and Horace Andy to give the album these different vocal personality and layers. The tracks vary too. One might assume the album to be quite samey in terms of sound, yet Safe from Harm sounds a different beast to One Love or Hymn of the Big Wheel. Prior to its thirty-fifth anniversary, I want to introduce some features about the seismic and staggering Blue Lines. I am starting out with Albumism and their feature from 2021, as they marked thirty years of a classic:

“The origin of Massive Attack dates back to the mid 1980s, when 3D, Daddy G, and Mushroom formed the now-legendary Bristol sound system The Wild Bunch with their kindred musical spirits, including producer Nellee Hooper (Soul II Soul, Björk), DJ Milo Johnson, and Adrian “Tricky” Thaws. Through their shared admiration for graffiti art and various musical styles, downtempo rhythms, and subdued vocals, the collective both embodied and advanced the Bristol underground scene. “[Bristol’s] like a town masquerading as a city, and what it's always been good at is the underground scene, in both art and music,” 3D, a former graffiti artist, told The Telegraph in 2008. “Bands would flourish locally before they reached a national level and because there was never a big media or music industry here, people were doing it for their own gratification. Creativity here never grew in a contrived way, people were just teaching themselves and beating off the competition to become a big fish in a small pond."

From their earliest days to their aforementioned recent recordings, Massive Attack have avoided succumbing to narcissism and the celebrity spotlight, as their mugs have never appeared on any of their albums or singles’ front covers. It would seem, then, that the group prefers for their music, and not their faces, to define their artistic identity whilst preserving their professional integrity. Moreover, their reputation as ambassadors of the so-called Bristol Sound has always seemed to make the group a bit uneasy. “There’s this Bristol myth,” a dismissive 3D insisted during an April 1991 NME interview. “Everyone talks about a Bristol sound, but half our album was done in London and the video for ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ was shot in LA.”

Geographical contextualization aside, Blue Lines, their debut long player from which the masterful “Unfinished Sympathy” originates, was a landmark achievement at the time of its release. Together with Soul II Soul’s Club Classics Vol. One (1989), The KLF’s White Room (1991), LFO’s Frequencies (1991), The Orb’s The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld (1991), and Primal Scream’s Screamadelica (1991), Blue Lines proved a vital blueprint for the proliferation of British dance music as the end of the 20th century approached. Its mellifluous mélange of various inspirations characterized by assorted hip-hop breakbeats, expertly selected samples (Billy Cobham, Funkadelic, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, etc.), dense dub rhythms, cerebral rhymes, and soulful guest vocals is unabashedly reverential to the past, but still represents a fresh and novel sound imitated by no one at the time.

Recorded in Bristol and London in 1990 into early 1991 and released on their own Wild Bunch imprint by way of Virgin/Circa, Blue Lines was the outcome not just of Massive Attack’s musical vision, but also a fair amount of coaxing by one of the group’s most devoted champions. “We were lazy Bristol twats,” Daddy G conceded to The Observer in 2004. “It was Neneh Cherry who kicked our arses and got us in the studio. We recorded a lot at her house, in her baby's room. It stank for months and eventually we found a dirty nappy behind a radiator. I was still DJing, but what we were trying to do was create dance music for the head, rather than the feet. I think it's our freshest album, we were at our strongest then.”

Executive produced by Cherry’s musical collaborator and husband, Cameron “Booga Bear” McVey, the album was co-produced by the group and the late Jonny Dollar. (As a side note, due to assumed sensitivities concerning the Persian Gulf War raging at the time of the album's completion and per McVey's urging, the initial pressings of Blue Lines and the "Unfinished Sympathy" single were adorned with the temporarily abbreviated band moniker "Massive." A ceasefire was declared on February 28, 1991, and "Attack" was then reincorporated for all subsequent LP pressings and singles.)

Album opener and third single “Safe From Harm” offers one of the album’s most dramatic and foreboding arrangements, largely built around the sample of the revered jazz fusion composer Billy Cobham’s “Stratus” (1973). The track’s subdued, swirling sonics provide the perfect backdrop for Nelson’s defiant voice to shine, as she vows to protect her “baby” amidst the inevitable madness of the world and convincingly admonishes “if you hurt what's mine / I'll sure as hell retaliate.”

Though Nelson casts a wide spell across Blue Lines, the same can absolutely be said for the prolific, sweet-voiced reggae crooner Horace Andy, who features on three tracks with the geopolitically charged album closer “Hymn of the Big Wheel” the most memorable of the bunch. Andy assumes a paternal tone throughout the track, as he reflects on life (“the wheel”) and the human struggle to preserve one’s innocence in the midst of the world’s destructive forces. He laments the environmental impact of industrialization across the song’s most poignant verse: “We sang about the sun and danced among the trees / And we listened to the whisper of the city on the breeze / Will you cry in the most in a lead-free zone / Down within the shadows where the factories drone / On the surface of the wheel they build another town / And so the green come tumbling down / Yes close your eyes and hold me tight / And I'll show you sunset sometime again.”

Despite its plaintive lyrics, “Hymn of the Big Wheel” concludes with a redemptive refrain, as the sanguine Andy surmises “The ghetto sun will nurture life / and mend my soul sometime again.”

Other standouts include the dubbed-out “Five Man Army,” the slinky groove of the Nelson blessed “Lately,” and slow funk of the title track, which lifts Tom Scott & The L.A. Express’ 1974 single “Sneakin’ in the Back” to great effect. Featuring Tony Bryan on vocals, the group’s cover of William DeVaughn’s 1974 hit “Be Thankful for What You've Got” is faithful to the original—a tad too faithful, perhaps—and easy on the ears, but it’s also the album’s most incongruous moment, largely owing to being the most obviously derivative among Blue Lines’ nine compositions”.

There is a lot written about Blue Lines, so apologies to throw a lot in! Such an important album, I did want to include a few different pieces. This article is one that talks about, among other things, the legacy and impact of Blue Lines. I was seven when the album came out, so perhaps a bit young to remember it. However, in years since, this has become one of my all-time favourites:

“Blue Lines was the work of Massive Attack’s original lineup, with Marshall joined by Robert “3D” Del Naja, Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles and Adrian “Tricky” Thaws, all of whom had previously worked with Bristol-based sound system, The Wild Bunch. However, Blue Lines greatly benefitted from the group’s desire to collaborate, with Jonny Dollar (Gabrielle, Neneh Cherry) co-producing and special guests Shara Nelson and Jamaican reggae icon Horace Andy supplying decisive vocal performances on the record’s key tracks.

Indeed, it’s fair to say both vocalists excelled themselves on Blue Lines. Andy turned in superb performances on the redemptive “Hymn Of The Big Wheel” and an uplifting cover of William Vaughan’s 1972 soul classic “Be Thankful For What You Got,” while Nelson arguably stole the show with her contributions to the album’s twin peaks, “Safe From Harm” and “Unfinished Sympathy.” Featuring neatly-spliced Funkadelic and Herbie Hancock samples, the former made for a compelling listen, but it was “Unfinished Sympathy” which really set Blue Lines apart. Enveloped by a glorious, cascading string arrangement and topped off by Nelson’s soaring, soul-searching vocal, the song was a widescreen pop classic and its U.K. chart peak of No. 13 brokered Massive Attack’s mainstream breakthrough.

With “Unfinished Sympathy” also going Top 20 in several European territories, Blue Lines did brisk business on the charts, rising to a peak of No. 13 and eventually going double platinum in the U.K. In the long run, though, its critical cachet has vastly outstripped its commercial returns.

Rolling Stone went on to declare that Blue Lines was “the blueprint for trip-hop” – the genre-tag later applied to like-minded 90s classic such as Tricky’s solo debut Maxinquaye and Dummy by fellow Bristolians Portishead – and the album is still regularly cited for its role in shepherding dance music into more introspective realms. “On its release, Blue Lines felt like nothing else,” The Guardian’s Alex Petridis wrote in a 2012 retrospective. “But it still sounds unique, which is remarkable given how omnipresent trip-hop was to become.”

“I was still DJ-ing when we made Blue Lines, but what we were trying to do with it was create dance music for the head rather than the feet,” Daddy G reflected in an interview with The Observer in 2013. “I still think it’s our freshest album”.

Prior to ending with a review from Pitchfork, there are a couple more features I want to get to. In 2012, The Guardian focused on the remastered edition of Blue Lines. They write how “In 1991 the laidback Bristol collective roused themselves to unleash their debut album. Reissued 21 years on it remains a landmark. Here, an early champion of the band recalls its making and its lasting influence”. Sean O’Hagan shares why Blue Lines is so important to him – and why it made such an impact:

“With the release of Blue Lines in 1991, Massive Attack were on a creative roll but seemed unaware of their impact or the shape of their future. I accompanied the group to Jamaica in early 1992 to write a feature for the Guardian around the filming of the Dick Jewell-directed video for their planned fifth single, Hymn of the Big Wheel, which featured the veteran reggae singer Horace Andy on lead vocals. In between filming, we visited Studio One, met the great reggae rhythm section Sly and Robbie, bought dozens of old and new reggae 45s, went to Prince Jammy's studio, crossed the hills to Ocho Rios, were held up by armed men at a roadblock and bonded over Appleton's rum and the inevitable bags of Jamaican spliff. Despite a budget of around 60 grand, no video ever appeared.

I met them, again, at the filming of another Baillie Walsh video for Be Thankful for What You've Got, which consisted of a stripper doing her act while miming the song in Raymond's Revue Bar in Soho, London. I sat with the group in the darkened auditorium, wondering what their role in the video was. They did not have one – unless you count the glimpse of a few shadowy figures exiting the strip club towards the end of the act. You can now see the video online but, unsurprisingly, it was never shown on MTV or the BBC. The group seemed unconcerned by these setbacks. They moved to their own unpredictable beat, so much so that I would not have put money on them still being with us today, so laidback was their attitude, so lackadaisical their work rate, so uninterested were they in press or promotion. But Massive Attack, against all the odds, are now seasoned survivors.

They are not, though, the Massive Attack that made Blue Lines. Tricky departed amid some rancour not long after the release of the album, as did Shara Nelson, their first and greatest singer, both claiming they had not been given enough recognition for their contributions to the Massive Attack sound. Since his extraordinary debut, Maxinquaye, Tricky has followed his own increasingly erratic path, while in a sad development Shara Nelson became deeply troubled and was last year given a 12-month community order for persistent harassment of the Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong, whom she claimed was her husband and the father of her child.

Other great guest vocalists worked with the group following Nelson's departure, beginning with Tracey Thorn on the title track of the group's equally brilliant second album, Protection, and erstwhile Cocteau Twin Liz Fraser on the hypnotic Teardrop from their third album, Mezzanine. Then Massive Attack splintered again when Mushroom, the great oddball musical genius behind those albums, departed for reasons that remain clouded in mystery but probably had something to do with the smalltown claustrophobia of the Bristol scene and the inevitable clashes of ego and direction that beset all great groups at some time or another. (I spoke to him by phone a few times last year when he was finishing his long-anticipated solo album but have not heard from him since. He seemed in good spirits.)

Massive Attack endure in the form of 3D, Daddy G and a proper group playing proper instruments that accompanies them when they play live. The collective ethos has been abandoned for something more rigid and functional.

The original idea that was Massive Attack – the collective, elastic, shape-shifting but essentially tight-knit, identity that helped make Blue Lines such a groundbreaking album has long since evaporated. The album, in all its newly polished glory, remains: a testament to a time when their vision was a truly collective one that challenged the notion of the pop group as well as the pop song. It still seems odd to me that the lumpen, guitar-fuelled Britpop years followed its release, the old order re-establishing itself in the most conservative fashion as if Blue Lines had never happened. Twenty-one years on, those guitars still sound old and all too familiar. Blue Lines, though, is like a blueprint for a different kind of pop future: stranger, richer, day-dreamier”.

Lets move on to PopMatters and their informative and illuminating feature. 1991 was a year where more than a few classics were released – including Nirvana’s Nevermind -, but there was something about Blue Lines that meant it created more of an impression than most of the best from that year. In terms of creating this movement or filling a void:

“Yet, while on the whole Blue Lines serves to uplift (swimming in sunshine, buoyed by the joys of its musical touchstones, along with the sweetening vocals of Shara Nelson and Horace Andy), as reportage the album often plumbs dark depths. Braggadocio aside, rap is fundamentally personal in comparison to pop’s clichéd prose. Yet for affecting a more intimate, sometimes almost whispered tone, Massive Attack brought rap in closer, transforming it to become inner-voice — in turn, revealing its men to be seemingly unsure of themselves at heart. Around every party and opened-top car cruise, the creeping fug of reefer-paranoia edges: the downside of free-living. Tempers are barely contained, lovers risk a beating for eggshells stepped on, and the nagging sense that drifting days spent out of work and in pursuit of local peer respect will eventually lead to undoing.

Musically, Massive Attack did more than echo dub; they built by its rules. For dub is all about space within the mix, allowing the rhythms and undulations of its repeats to reverberate. After all, dub is the music of — to quote from the group’s second album, Protection — “Jamaican aroma”, and stress and clutter just won’t do. So, while reggae’s influence is blatant on “One Love”, check out “Five Man Army” or the title track, where that genre’s defining rule — and one of music’s abiding truths — that’s it’s often what you don’t play that counts, holds sway.

As with classic hip-hop, Blue Lines indulged in sampling — those often mysterious, sometimes playful musical quotes and references; covert nods to those in the know. Piratical treasures, it would be impossible to secrete in our Google age, seemingly mapped free of the unknowable. More so, for the simple fact that, eight short months after Blue Lines, the landmark Grand Upright v. Warner copyright case made it law to seek pre-release clearance for — and therefore opened the door to huge fees payable on — sample use, which effectively priced samples beyond most acts’ recording budgets.

However, for all its underground thought and means, it cannot be overlooked that Blue Lines also marked a commercial shift in the relationship between dance music and the mainstream music industry. Previous to mid-1991, dance music had proven steadfastly immune to major label advances, instead choosing to run itself. Newly-affordable bedroom samplers and the role of handy backstreet vinyl-pressing shops (let alone the lax state of copyright laws) kept dance creatively nimble, self-produced, and (borderline trunk-of-the-car) independently distributed. All of which served to render it — irritatingly, for the majors — utterly self-sufficient.

Furthermore, dance music had always been about the 12″ single, not the preferred, higher mark-up, industry format of choice — the album. So when Blue Lines proved (along with Unknown Territory by Bomb the Bass and Seal’s first album, all released within months of each other) that dance music could if given the opportunity, creatively handle — but more importantly, sell — albums, the major labels were across the dance-floor in a shot. In short, no Blue Lines: no Leftfield, Chemical Brothers or Portishead’s Dummy. Fat of the Land by the Prodigy couldn’t have happened; Bjork’s Debut wouldn’t have come to pass. And it’s doubtful Norman Cook’s Fatboy Slim guise would have championed.

Looking back, it’s hard to fathom Blue Lines is 29 years old, simply because it remains relevant. 3D’s stencil-based sleeve-art still resonates; its nods to and progressive riffs on street-graffiti did much to legitimize that hotly-contested art-form, bridging the street-gallery divide over which Banksy would later cross. Furthermore, sonically, the album has yet to age, in the same weird way classics from any decade refuse to. Partially because the influence of dance and hip-hop still reverberates in our pop palettes two decades on; if not stylistically, then for modern pop production’s insistence on a heavy bottom-end — the rattling bass kick and boom of that distant Jamaican sound-system — which mainstream records lacked previously.

Granted, the album’s deployment of rap draws a line in history, previous to which it could never have emerged. Yet Blue Lines is timeless stuff. Massive Attack smartly pondered beyond that which rap, sadly, became too much about — the easy sway of machismo–in favor of life’s eternal concerns: doubt, sadness and the warmth of smiles; weakness and strength — and love. The same record-like cycles we all revolve through, but can never resolve; the conundrums to which great music becomes our antidote, the soothing balm — our accompaniment for the road.

As Oscar Wilde once assessed, “The moment you think you understand a great work of art, it’s dead for you.” To which, I can only conclude: long may Blue Lines mystify”.

I am going to end with Pitchfork and their positive review for Blue Lines. I do wonder if there will be any special celebration around its thirty-fifth anniversary. Massive Attack would go on to release other genius albums. I still think that their debut is their best offering. Such an incredibly powerful album. Not knowing much about the group, you are not sure what to expect from Blue Lines. It definitely created shockwaves in 1991:

“When Massive Attack first arrived, hip-hop in the UK was still figuring itself out. For years the scene there, such as it was, focused mainly on reproducing trends that had already fallen out of fashion by the time they made it across the Atlantic. That lack of identity was probably an asset for Massive Attack. They didn't have to compete against their contemporaries to see who could sample which Jimmy Castor Bunch break first, or worry about conforming to any outsider whose preconceptions about hip-hop authenticity might not include prog-rock samples or a lush chill-out anthem like "Unfinished Sympathy". Another asset was Neneh Cherry, whose Raw Like Sushi, which Del Naja and Vowles worked on, provided a genre-bending inspiration for Blue Lines, as well as a bankroll to record it. (Cherry even paid the group a salary and let them turn her kid's bedroom into an impromptu studio.)

In fact, those Raw Like Sushi credits (Vowles' for programming, Del Naja's for co-writing "Manchild") were the only real music-industry bona fides any of the principal contributors to Blue Lines had going into it, aside from vocalists Shara Nelson and roots reggae veteran Horace Andy. But somehow the group realized a remarkable and seamless sonic identity. That's clear from the arresting opener "Safe From Harm", which spins an aggressive drumbeat, Del Naja's rap, Nelson's soulful vocals, and a mist of sustained minor-key synths around an intimidatingly muscular bass loop. From that moment, every major part of the Massive Attack profile is already present, from the collaging of genres to the spacious, nocturnal sonic environment to the heavy dose of paranoia that permeates it all.

They spend the rest of the album exploring variations on these themes. "One Love," with Andy on vocals, has a digital dancehall feel, a creepy-funky electric piano riff, and a scratched sample of a blaring horn section that predates Pharoahe Monch's "Simon Says" by almost a decade. "Daydreaming", with its scratchy breakbeat drums, is more directly hip-hop than most of the rest of the album, but the layers of atmospheric synthesizers and Tricky's felonious near-whisper make it clear that Massive Attack was up to something entirely different from what every other rap producer at the time was doing.

Blue Lines brought producers around to its unique vision. By the time Massive Attack released Protection three years later, the group's renegade approach had been copied enough times to become a full-on movement. They'd go on to produce their masterpiece, Mezzanine, a couple of years after, but by then the project had already started to splinter. Tricky split from the collective after Protection to follow his own solo vision, while the core trio behind it would eventually burn out acrimoniously, with Vowles and then Marshall leaving Del Naja to produce increasingly less rewarding music under the group's name. Meanwhile, trip-hop in general had its edges polished off by genteel musicians who transformed it into soundtracks for fashionable hotel lobbies.

Still, that doesn't change the fact that Blue Lines was a startling record when it came out, and it remains one now. For this reissue it received a new mix and a new mastering job straight from the original tapes. It's available as a CD, in digital form in standard and high fidelity formats, and as a set of two LPs and a DVD of high resolution audio files. There aren't any bonus tracks, and aside from a reproduction promo poster in the vinyl edition there aren't any add-ons either. Frankly they'd just be a distraction from the underlying theme that becomes clear once you get absorbed into the music, which is that Blue Lines is still Blue Lines, and most of the world is still trying to catch up to it”.

On 8th April, it will be thirty-five years since Massive Attack’s Blue Lines came out. One of the best albums of all time, it is seen as landmark moment in music history. There are features such as this and this that provides even more detail and insight. Go and listen to this album in full and immerse yourself in its glory. One of those listening experiences you will not forget, Blue Lines has not aged and still reveals something new. You do not hear many Trip-Hop albums today, though I do feel artists need to nod more to Massive Attack and Blue Lines. It is a masterpiece that…

HAS the test of time.