FEATURE: Something Kinda Funny: Spice Girls’ Spice at Thirty

FEATURE:

 

 

Something Kinda Funny

Spice Girls’ Spice at Thirty

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I don’t normally rewrite…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Spice Girls in 1996

or repeat a feature so soon after the previous one. As Spice Girls’ debut, Spice, was released in Japan in September 1996, I did a thirtieth anniversary feature around that. Though its U.K. release date is 4th November, 1996, so many people would mark that as the actual thirtieth anniversary. This is an album that went to number one all around the world. It was this giant success that received mixed reviews. So many critics attacked the group and the album. Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell-Horner and Emma Bunton will obviously share words about the album to their Instagram on the day. In a recent column, Caitlin Moran asked for this Spice Girls reunion. I think that, after thirty years from their debut, there should be some sort of live performance. Would we even get a Glastonbury headline slot next year?! They would refute it and it seems a little unlikely, though it would be wonderful if there was this announcement that Spice Girls are headlining Glastonbury next year. That would also be in a year where we mark thirty years of their second studio album, Spiceworld. Many prefer that album, though I feel the legacy of their debut is bigger. In terms of that it was the arrival of this girl group that arguably shaped and transformed Pop in the 1990s. They inspired a generation of girls and young women. You can feel and hear the impact of their debut on modern Pop. There is an anniversary boxset coming out to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of Spice. Classic Pop provide some details:

“To celebrate the 30th anniversary of debut album Spice, The Spice Girls are releasing The Singles Collection – the first-ever complete collection of all the group’s singles, including B-sides and previously unreleased recordings.

This year marks 30 years since the release of the band’s debut album, Spice, which went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time. From Wannabe to Holler, Spice Up Your Life to Goodbye, The Singles Collection brings together the hits, original artwork, B-sides and previously unreleased recordings from The Spice Girls archive in a handbag-inspired box, finished in white holographic gloss and matt black foil.

With five brand new messages from each of The Spice Girls, The Singles Collection is available as two limited edition 14-disc box sets. The 7″ edition puts every single on coloured vinyl for the first time, paired with its original lead B-side.

This edition and a separate CD boxset feature previously unreleased recordings from The Spice Girls archive, including Do You Think About Me, one of the group’s earliest demos, available for the first time. The CD set goes even deeper, with an exclusive disc featuring four previously unreleased demos”.

Some might say that a reunion gig would copy Oasis. They reunited and toured the world. I don’t think we need a reunion tour. A one-off gig or festival appearance. I think the group are tight-lipped regarding any performances or marking thirty years. They genuinely might all be in different spaces. As I said recently, Melanie C is really the only member regularly recording and performing. She is ‘match fit’ in that sense, though it would take a lot of rehearsals and discussions before something came together. Something that would be worth the hype. And if that process had already begun, then we’d know about it. I remember November 1996 and Spice arriving. It was an instant sensation! Think about singles like Wannabe, 2 Become 1, Say You’ll Be There and Who Do You Think You Are. Mama too. They were absolute smashes! I have said a lot of this before, but an album that contains those timeless classics must rank alongside the best ever. Not that the non-singles are fillers and dwarfed. I always thought Last Time Lover or Something Kinda Funny could have been singles. They released four singles from that album – the last, a double A-side of Mama and Who Do You Think You Are -, so maybe it would have been overkill. There are going to be thirtieth anniversary features in the coming week or two. I hope people are kinder to Spice. It gets a slightly bad representation in some corners of the music press. Though saying it was a product or its time and the Spice Girls’ Girl Power slogan was fake and corporate. That they were one-hit wonders. Consider how much the songs from Spice are played thirty years later and how immensely enduring the album is, and you cannot overlook how important it is! One of the most important and best debut albums of its generation. Last year, uDiscover Music argued that Spice Girls’ debut planted the seeds for #MeToo. With its “infectious attitude, bags of drive, and no shortage of hits Spice Girls’ debut album took their message of empowerment around the world”:

“It’s fair to concede that Spice Girls were essentially an extremely proficient singles act. You’ll likely remember all of those great early hits. The saccharine “Mama” and disco-Europop fusion “Who Do You Think You Are” got parceled together as a double bill to – predictably – more chart-topping favor, in March 1997, but there are five other cuts that complete Spice.

Those songs, recorded with pop production team Absolute, ranged from the slinky shuffler “Something Kinda Funny” to the fragile ballad “Naked.” Perhaps only “If U Can’t Dance” – featuring a rap in English from Mel B, and Geri doing the honors in Spanish – and the pacey “Love Thing” truly captured the spirit of the singles. On a song like “Last Time Lover,” meanwhile, the R&B swingbeat – so dominant throughout the 90s – threatens to drown an interesting melody in a mid-Atlantic production treatment that somewhat dates this and the other album cuts. But perhaps those glorious singles – still on endless playlist rotation – so dominate our memories of Spice that everything else inevitably pales a little in comparison.

“Anyone can be a Spice Girl”

Absolute’s Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson were joined by Eliot Kennedy, Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe, and Cary Baylis on writing duties (with Stannard and Rowe featured on the most memorable “Wannabe” and “Two Become One”), but it’s important to note that the band shared credits on all of Spice’s tracks. This was no token business arrangement; Geri and Mel B were most consistently referenced as strongly shaping the compositions, but each member played their part. If Spice Girls wasn’t entirely a partnership of equals, everyone involved understood where they fit.

“Anyone can be a Spice Girl,” Emma Bunton announced in a TV ad to launch the record, and it was true that the five’s colorful image was almost as important in breaking the band as the music. The cartoon-like monikers adopted by each woman fast-tracked people’s interest. Emma’s “Baby”, Victoria’s “Posh”, Mel B’s “Scary”, Mel C’s “Sporty” and Geri’s “Ginger” were simply too succinct and successful to have been dreamed up in some marketing brainstorm. The throwaway captioning by a teen magazine just seemed to stick and was adopted by the band so successfully that the five soon rivaled the impact of the previous decade’s pop titans Michael Jackson and Madonna. No band since The Beatles had enjoyed such hysterical success on a worldwide scale.

But none of that focus on image detracts from the five fabulous pop singles and five largely successful album tracks that powered Spice to unprecedented success. Topping the UK charts for 15 non-consecutive weeks, becoming Europe and North America’s biggest album in 1997, and shifting a staggering 23 million copies worldwide to date, Spice is one of the most successful records of all time. It seemed so simple, but other acts’ subsequent attempts at the formula have largely fallen short.

Perhaps with a harder production edge and less charismatic players, Spice would have been a little-remembered light R&B project, but this dance/pop juggernaut – lasting a modest 40 minutes – can hardly do justice to the energy of that time. Coming just before the digital revolution (Spice Girls were one of the final acts to make their fortune largely from CD sales) the seeds of today’s #MeToo movement can be heard in the band’s simple call-to-action: “Girl Power.” How many of today’s marchers were schooled in that accessible, empowering message?

Revolutions aren’t always built on controversy. With infectious attitude, bags of drive, and a handful of classic singles, Spice Girls dominated pop culture in little over six months. Perhaps there’s a lesson for other game-changers: cut back the cynicism and unleash the charisma. This really was pop at its most politically potent”.

I guess quality is a subjective measure. People can turn their noses up at songs like Wannabe and call them empty or commercial (in a bad sense). But think about how they made people feel. There was so much division and elitism in the 1990s. Like music was this tribal thing. You could not like Oasis and Spice Girls. You were one or the other. I actually think that Spice is a more substantial and interesting album than Oasis’ debut, Definitely Maybe (1994). Even if this was Pop with a capital letter, that is not to say it lacked meaning, depth and nuance. Spice has aged really well, and I feel you can put the album on today and it would resonate. The production could well fit onto a modern Pop album. Spice is one of the most successful albums ever. Last year, Vice highlighted its record-setting prowess and legacy:

“Marketing and image aside, their debut album, Spice, dropped on November 4, 1996, in the U.K., and rapidly became a pop culture phenomenon. It first debuted on the U.K. Albums Chart the week of November 16, staying there for 15 non-consecutive weeks. Its first sales reached 114,000 copies. As of 2021, Spice had sold over 3 million units in the U.K. alone. Worldwide, it’s more like 23 million.

In February 1997, Spice was released in the U.S., debuting at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. It climbed to No. 1 and stayed for five weeks, selling 1.46 million copies within its first three months.

The fanaticism for The Spice Girls was compared to Beatlemania at the time. They had a similar rabid teen girl fanbase, but with the added bonus of 90s girl power sentiment. Putting The Spice Girls on the same pedestal as The Beatles might put some fans on edge, but they have more in common than diehard rock and roll fans may want to admit. Musically, not so much. Commercially? Absolutely.

Sure, one could argue that The Spice Girls didn’t do much to elevate musical artistry in itself. However, their entire image became a cultural touchstone for young people worldwide. These were stylish, popular, and effortlessly cool women who said, “If you wanna date me, you have to be cool with my friends, and if you’re not, boy bye.” An early bros before hoes, if you will, but not as annoyingly misogynistic. Boyfriends are fleeting, but friends are forever.

In 2021, The Spice Girls re-released Spice for its 25th anniversary. This put the album back on the U.K. charts, reaching No. 5. Spice25, which contained remixes and demos alongside the original tracks, sold only 7,798 copies at its release. Not quite the initial fervor The Spice Girls garnered in the 90s, but their legacy remains unchanged.

Spice has spent 95 weeks total in the Top 100 of the U.K. Albums Chart as of October 2022, with 44 of those weeks in the Top 10. As of that date, The Spice Girls also held the Guinness World Record for the best-selling debut album by a U.K. group”.

When I was at school and this album came out, my mates reduced Spice Girls to their looks and sex appeal. The question of who your favourite Spice Girl was often was about which one you fancied most. I feel that reductive attitude pervades. Whilst they were a sisterly and strong unit, I think the fact they were nicknamed – Sporty, Ginger etc – sort of made them seem like action figures or cartoon characters. In fact, all five members have their own personalities and talents. Perhaps not as recognised and discussed, the media did not often see the group as five distinct and fascinating individuals. In any case, I do think that Spice is a titanic and brilliant album with some of the best Pop of all time. Songs that defined a decade. I am wrapping up with Albumism and a recent feature. Like me, they marked Spice turning thirty in terms of the Japanese release. That was September 1996. Though, as a British group, we need to acknowledge the ‘true’ release date of 4th November, 1996. The thirtieth anniversary that is approaching:

“They depth-charge you out of the water with their debut album’s opening track “Wannabe” (which has a brilliant “one-shot” video—I put that in quotes because I’ve spotted two edits), slide into a great disco track (and I hate disco) on “Say You’ll Be There,” and then drift into a smooth R&B jam on track three with “2 Become 1.”

While there may be a few duds on the B-side of Spice, I can only blame the songwriting, not the singing, because these girls were on point. I’ve had to record three-part harmonies by myself and I found it nearly impossible as a singer; I can’t imagine doing a five-part harmony.

Admittedly, it’s a sexually overt (yet not blatantly explicit) album geared towards tweens, what with songs like “Love Thing,” “Last Time Lover,” “Naked,” and the aforementioned “Wannabe” refrain “If you wanna be my lover / you gotta get with my friends.” Obtuse—as an adult, I get it—but as an adult with a few threesomes under his sheets, I take it in a different light. And don’t get me started on the “2 Become 1” lyrics.

But they merged their sexuality with an array of female archetypes, all of which (hopefully) encouraged young girls to embrace “Girl Power.” The sassy redhead, the butch athlete, the strong girl of color, the prissy snob, and the girl who just wants to play. While fulfilling stereotypes rarely does anyone justice, I see them as a pop extension of the Riot Grrrl movement. Your parents might not take you to a Bikini Kill concert, but I’m sure they’ll take you to a Spice Girls concert. And the message is the same: girls can rock just as much as the boys if not more so.

Spice is an outstanding record that combines feminism with funk, hip-hop, and R&B. If you haven’t listened to it in the last 30 years, I highly recommend you do so. An hour was spent dancing in my living room before writing this article, after all, and I listened to it four more times. While I may have to listen to a few Slayer albums now to “cleanse” myself, it’s a killer fucking record and I was glad to listen to it yet again”.

I do sneakily feel Spice Girls will announce something about a reunion or some gig. I kind of hope that Glastonbury are keeping their powder dry and we will learn that they are headlining next year. Though that may be wishful thinking! There is this call from fans who were there in the 1990s and younger listeners who want the five to take to the stage. It is not really nostalgia and trying to reclaim a bygone age. One that is seen through rose-tinted glasses at times. Instead, it is getting these five friends who have gone through trials and bad days but will come together on the stage and perform these songs. Perhaps for the final time. We do not need another album or something bigger. Just take to a stage and perform these Spice classics. Who knows when or where, but fans all hope the extraordinary quintet will…

SAY they’ll be there.

FEATURE: Kate Bush’s Wordless Wonder: The Curious and Brilliant Night Scented Stock

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush’s Wordless Wonder

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush circa 1980

The Curious and Brilliant Night Scented Stock

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I have talked about this song before…

but, when you think about, there is not much you can say about the actual piece itself. It is a beautiful wordless segue that appears on Kate Bush’s third studio album, Never for Ever. The reason I want to spend more time with this song is it was a bit of a one-off. Many artists today do skits and have short tracks on albums. Whether they call it a mixtape of you get these short interludes that break up the tracks, how common was it in Pop in the 1980s? Kate Bush was never going to be an artist who was doing spoken interludes or skits between songs. There are incidences where there are shorter tracks. Think about 2005’s Aerial. That is a double album. On the second disc, A Sky of Honey, there is a song called Aerial Tal. That is basically a minute-long song where Bush mimics birdsong. Singing along delightfully, it comes between Sunset and Somewhere in Between. Those tracks are almost six minutes so, rather than have them side by side and it being quite heavy perhaps, she thought of inserting this little break of light. Though I think Aerial Tal naturally fits into this native of a summer’s day unfolding. Most artists would not include a short track like Aerial Tal. It allowed Bush to do something different. Giving that moment of brief brilliance in between two songs. A sort of bridge and maybe giving some room for breath. Sunset is this passionate and energetic track. It is quite epic and, as the title implies, the end of the day. Aerial Tal is this new dawn and awakening. Bush could have added birdsong to the start of Somewhere in Between or not done it at all. I also feel like it was a way of enriching tracks either side of it. I feel Aerial Tal adds something to Sunset and Somewhere in Between. Somehow makes those tracks weightier or gives them new light.

For Never for Ever, you could see why Night Scented Stock followed The Infant Kiss and came before Army Dreamers. Both those tracks are quarte heavy in their own way. The Infant Kiss has this darker and sinister edge. Some might say sworded or perverse. Speaking with Paul Gambaccini in December 1980, Bush said this: “It was based on the film, The Innocents. I saw it years ago, when I was very young, and it scared me, and when films scare you as a kid, I think they really hang there. It’s a beautiful film, quite extraordinary. This governess is supposed to look after these children, a little boy and a girl, and they are actually possessed by the spirits of the people who were in the house before. And they keep appearing to the children. It’s really scary – as scary on some levels as the idea of The Exorcist, and that terrified me. The idea of this young girl, speaking and behaving like she did was very disturbing, very distorted. But I quite like that song”. Army Dreamers is bouncier in tone, though it is a song about young men going to war. The futility of it. How they never grow up and lives are wasted. Each song packs a punch. Not only might it psychologically be a lot to hear those songs together, Breathing ends Never for Ever. The heaviest Kate Bush song to that point, it is this 5:30 track that is symphonic in a way. But that is dealing with nuclear fallout and is quite horrifying. Violin comes before The Infant Kiss. That is almost Punk-like. Bush’s voice raw and wild. So there did need to be something in the middle of all of this. Babooshka opens Never for Ever, and that song is quite charged and has an energy to it. But there are four songs after that – Delius (Song of Summer),  Blow Away (For Bill), All We Ever Look For, and Egypt – that are more mellow. The Wedding List comes next, so really, if it were not for Night Scented Stock, there would be five tracks that all are quite powerful and have this force to them. I am not sure how far into the recording she thought of Night Scented Stock.

You listen to this song, all fifty-two seconds of it, and want more at the end. I would love to have heard it expand and open more. Take it to ninety seconds or longer. What we do get is this change of tone. If Aerial Tal is the light of a new day or going from sunset to the call of birdsong, Night Scented Stock does not so much as represent a change of time or light level. I think it is more of a psychological thing. Bringing something beautiful to the mix between songs that are a bit tenser and have an emotional punch. I am keeping track of Spectrum Culture and their incredible Kate Bush song ranking. They are providing a detailed look at 146 songs. This includes covers and collaborations where she is a featured vocalist. Night Scented Stock was never going to rank too high. I would be interested to say what Spectrum Culture say of Aerial Tal. That song wont rank high either. But Night Scented Stock was the first occasions where Bush recorded a short track to provide a bridge or rest. I can’t think if she did it again. You would have thought The Dreaming could have benefited from a Night Scented Stock-like song. Maybe coming after All the Love and before the final two tracks, Houdini and Get Out of My House. Or even after Get Out of My House. Ending on something sweeter and calmer, as that final track s absolutely brutal! Perhaps it would take something away from The Dreaming; Night Scented Stock definitely adds to Never for Ever. This is what Spectrum Culture said of a song they ranked at 129:

“It’s probably unfair to judge “Night Scented Stock” by the standards of a song meant to stand on its own. A lyric-free vocal exercise consisting of Bush’s multi-tracked harmonies, “Night Scented Stock” doesn’t even last a minute. As an interlude, it’s just about perfect, its cloistral reverb and Benedictine-monk intonations summoning a cleansing, meditative atmosphere that nonetheless contains a flicker of tension. The overheated drama of the song that precedes it, “The Infant Kiss,” is washed away, and the stage is set for the nervy narrative waltz of the following track, “Army Dreamers.” With a melodic resemblance to “Blow Away (For Bill)” from earlier in the album, it carries a hint of the familiar, presented in a fresh, intriguing manner. Though brief and sparse—besides the drone of a violin that appears in the beginning, Bush’s octave-spanning vocal parts make up the entire palette—it makes a big impression. Most of that’s due to the surprisingly authentic way in which Bush and producer Jon Kelly capture the polyphonic serenity of choral plainsong mixed with the modern edge given to the form by composers like Benjamin Britten, to whom the faint, growing dissonance in the highest vocal part of the song’s middle section owes a clear debt. The biggest flaw of “Night Scented Stock” might just be that it leaves you wanting more of it. – Reed Jackson”.

Given how Night Scented Stock could have been forgotten and not seen as essential, people have written about it. Rather than this brief and forgettable thing, there is some real substance to Night Scented Stock. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in 1980, this song has function. Adding words to the song could have taken something away. Night Scented Stock says so much without words. This is what Dreams of Orgonon wrote in 2020: “Drifting towards a global denouement, “Never for Ever” unites its two halves with “Night Scented Stock.” Atavistic echoes of “Blow Away (For Bill)” echo through its not-even-minute-long lifespan; ephemeral reminders of the past foreboding the impact of the past’s deceased artists on the music of the presents. There’s no longer a rockist tribute to Moonie: Billie and Buddy have become spectres of Bush’s past in pop music. They’re no longer symptoms of the death of American popular music; now they’re signs of what’s to come. An eternalist proposition stated without a word”. This is a song that will never be played on the radio. Not many will discuss it isolation. I think it works on its own, thought it is most affecting when you listen to it as part of Never for Ever. More context. You realise how important and substantial Night Scented Stock is. Out of the eleven tracks on that album, Night Scented Stock is the tenth-most-streamed song on Spotify (ahead of The Infant Kiss). It has over three-million streams. That leads me to believe it is being heard as people listen to the entire album, rather than specifically people picking this one track to listen on its own. It is this beautiful piece of work that deserves more words said about it. Great that Spectrum Culture had kind things to say about it – even if they ranked it low in Bush’s discography. The sublime Night Scented Stock is a thing…

OF breathless beauty.

FEATURE: Cutting the Cake: Kate Bush in November 1981

FEATURE:

 

 

Cutting the Cake

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed in 1981/PHOTO CREDIT: Clive Arrowsmith

Kate Bush in November 1981

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IN various Kate Bush features…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed for NME magazine on October 13, 1982 in London, England/PHOTO CREDIT: Anton Corbijn/Contour by Getty Images

I do look at particular time periods. For this one, I want to look back forty-five years to November 1981. There are a couple of reasons for focusing on this time period. It was when she was working on The Dreaming. Its first single, Sat in Your Lap, came out earlier in the year. It would take until September 1982 for the album to come out. I think EMI probably needed to put something out. Never for Ever came out in September 1980. Not wanting momentum to drop, it was this hard act to juggle. In the sense the two albums are very different. Never for Ever had more in the way of singles and more ‘radio-friendly’ songs, though there were also songs that definitely would not translate to radio. The Dreaming has very little in the way of the more radio-friendly sound. EMI worried it might be a failure. That a lack of natural singles would harm them somehow. Sat in Your Lap was successful and well-reviewed. Though the label would have expected the album to come sooner than it did. In 1981, Bush was immersed in recording and making this album. Producing solo for the first time, it was a case of her learning as she went along and ensuring everything was as good as it could be. She was using the Fairlight CMI a lot. Not an expert with it, there would have been a lot of experimentation and playing around. Though she had knowledge of it, so she was not a complete novice. Also, as a producer, Bush would have been more rigorous and exacting than Andrew Powell (who produced her first two albums). This was an album made in her own vision, so there was more time spent on the songs. The compositions and production more detailed and denser. As she headed towards the end of 1981, Bush would have needed a rest. It would be an intense period. There are a couple of events from November 1981 that caught my eye.

It is a fascinating period. In October 1981, as I have mentioned in other features, Bush took a short break from writing and recording to visit Loch Ness. I am not sure what attracted her to that location, but it is very beautiful and she might have wanted to see if she could spot the illusive (and fictional) monster. There was also a period in December when Bush was tightening melodies and lyrics. So a lot of 1981 was frantic and hectic. Though there was this little spell when she stepped aside or honed in on aspects of the creative process. In November 1981, Abbey Road Studios turns fifty. That was a big anniversary. Bush recorded out of there a fair bit and this space meant a lot to her. She got to cut the celebration cake with Helen Shapiro. The video that we have is pretty poor quality, though it would have been quite an honour for Bush to do that. Though she would not have had much time for calm. People there would have wanted to chat and she would not have been able to step back and unwind. However, it goes to show that Bush was doing stuff outside of recording. I think people assume she was constantly in the studio or there was little outside activity. From travelling to Scotland in October 1981 and a trip to Abbey Road Studios the following month, I wonder what she did for Christmas that year. Most of 1982 was very intense, so I think November 1981 was a relative moment of calm. In that she was refining and honing. It was expensive recording The Dreaming. She worked out of several studios, including Abbey Road. One of the most interesting events in Kate Bush’s career was on 20th November, 1981. Dr. Desmond Morris the zoologist invited Bush on Friday Night Saturday Morning to talk about her music and expressive dance. A lot of talk show appearances would have found Bush going through the motions. Quite formulaic and a drain at times. Though this seemed like something genuinely exciting. You can see how engaged she is speaking with Morris.

Forty-five years ago, Kate Bush had achieved so much but was recording solo for the first time. It would have been quite scary, as everything rested on her shoulders. A lot of responsibility. Days and nights in various studios, it was not an entirely happy experience. Doing shows like this where she got to talk about her music with someone you would not naturally expect to request her services, that must have bene a treat. I do also think that the final weeks of 1981 was a rare chance for pause. Bush was busy working still, but she was more immersed in The Dreaming from the start of 1982. 1983 a year when she sort of rebuilt and took time to be with family and friends. 1981 was a pretty busy year, though November did afford a couple of interesting diversions. I do feel for Kate Bush. There was a certain expectation for her to remain in the public eye as it were. Being at Abbey Road Studios for their fiftieth was an honour, though she was probably being asked about new music and what was going on. Not as a chilled a day as she would like. Appearing on a new T.V. show. An important booking, but also part of promotional obligations you suspect. Ensuring that she is still in the forefront and engaging. Bush would have liked to have spent more time writing and recording, though she was also quite tired too. Throwing herself into The Dreaming. Needing periods of detachment too. How much of that was she truly afforded? That is why 1983 was an important year. Bush very much recharging and rebuilding to an extent. I wanted to home in on November 1981. Not only because it was forty-five years ago. A couple of curious happenings in terms of what was taking up Bush’s time. As she headed out of 1981 and into a new year, things changed. Perhaps her most challenging year to date. Though what we got with The Dreaming is this enduring masterpiece. One of the greatest ever albums from…

A singular talent.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Angèle

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Angèle

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THERE are a few…

PHOTO CREDIT: Kenza Le Bas

recent interviews with Angèle, though some are paywalled and it is quite hard to get a complete picture. However, I want to source from the ones that are easily available, as this is an amazing artist that more people should know about. I know that she has some European tour dates next year and will be stopping in the U.K. She plays London’s The Roundhouse on 1st May. Her new album, Instinct, is phenomenal. I would encourage everyone to listen to it. I only came across her music recently, so I was interested to read about her. A Belgian artist who has a big worldwide following, I can see the next few years being massive for her. In terms of the venues she plays and artists she collaborates with. Though she has collaborated with some major artists already, as Instinct reaches more and more people, I feel these new opportunities will come up. I want to start with Monocle and their interview from earlier in the year:

“Dressed in a black catsuit, Belgian pop star Angèle emerges from a smoky haze of red and blue to the sound of pounding beats. It’s the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the audience is cheering. She is on stage to perform French electro act Kavinsky’s “Nightcall”, along with indie band Phoenix. It’s a crowning moment in her career.

Though the ceremony marked Angèle’s entry into the international pop pantheon, the Brussels-based musician was already a superstar in the Francophone world. Her debut album, Brol, was a bestseller in France in 2019 and was accompanied by a sold-out tour. That year her single “Balance ton quoi”, which details the everyday sexism that women endure, became a defining song of the “BalanceTonPorc” (“Denounce your pig”) movement – the country’s equivalent of MeToo.

It has been almost five years since Angèle’s most recent album, Nonante-Cinq, but she has recently started releasing new music, most notably “What You Want” with French duo Justice. Here, she tells Monocle about her love for Belgium, writing political songs and where you’ll find her relaxing this summer.

One of your best-known songs, ‘Bruxelles je t’aime’, is a love letter to your home city. What does Belgium mean to you?

It’s a crazy little country that has so much to offer. Being Belgian involves knowing how to make fun of yourself because nothing is ever that serious. I love that.

You grew up in an artistic family and your parents are famous in Belgium [Angèle’s father is the singer Marka and her mother is comedian Laurence Bibot]. How has that influenced you?

My parents were so supportive. Seeing them in their dream jobs, I grew up with the audacity to think that it was the norm. I always knew that I wanted to be in control and not get stuck in situations that I wasn’t happy with. I have had some bad experiences with the industry but have always been very independent. I created my own label and my own publishing company.

Your songs feel very intimate. To what extent do you write from your own experience?

My song “Ta Reine” is about two girls falling in love – well, one girl falls in love and the other is a little unsure. My best friend was going through something similar and I felt connected to that story too. When I got outed by the press [a tabloid magazine published photos of Angèle and her then girlfriend in 2019], I faced homophobia and it was shocking. But it was interesting how it suddenly felt as though I had written ‘Ta Reine’ for myself”.

I cannot find too many reviews for Instinct. I know it was reviewed by The Guardian here (the U.K.), but not a tonne of other reviews of it. That is a shame, as it is a remarkable album. There has been a shift in terms of her sound. Angèle's music has undergone this change. As Le Monde write, now, this incredible artist brings in  “radical sounds that reflect a chaotic world”. She “distances herself from the buoyant moods of her early days, infusing her music with a new sense of urgency, even as she continues to craft catchy choruses”:

“Listening to Instinct, Angèle's third album, steeped in sounds and rhythms that flirt with the dance floor, it seems likely that the Belgian pop icon's electronic turn owes a great deal to the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics. On August 11, 2024, at the Stade de France, which director Thomas Jolly had turned into a temple of French Touch, the Brussels-born singer performed "Nightcall" alongside the song's author Kavinsky and the band Phoenix. The glamorous performance went viral worldwide.

A few months after Kavinsky's death, Angèle, 30, recalls with emotion "Vinco," the figure of French electro, describing him as "funny, moving and authentic." She also speaks of the joy of performing that hit, an anthem of her teenage years and the soundtrack to her "first romantic relationship." She notes, however, that the global moment was not a turning point for her. "I had already started working on some new tracks, like 'What You Want' and 'Une seule vie,'" says the singer, speaking with Le Monde in mid-September in Paris. "The audience's response that day mostly validated the direction I was taking with this third album."

There is a more extensive interview I am keen to bring in. I will not source the entirety of The Guardian’s review of Instinct. They praised it, though said the album can be generic or frustrating at times. It may be the case that Angèle's best work is still ahead of her. However, I do think that Instinct is a superb album that deserves more. Fans have reacted to it positively. This section from The Guardian’s review did grab me: “Indeed, intermittently at least, Instinct makes a case that British audiences don’t know what they’re missing when it comes to Angèle, who has a penchant for suddenly grabbing the steering wheel and driving a song off road. On Verra starts out like a standard pop piano ballad – albeit with a hint of chanson about the melody – before it’s unexpectedly strafed with bursts of static and machine-gun-paced noise. You could initially imagine any number of pop stars essaying the sweet drift of Je Compte, but then it dramatically shifts gears, first into a four-to-the-floor rhythm topped with an assemblage of sampled gasps and warped vocals, then into a lo-fi piano ballad”. I shall end with Hypebae and their conversation with Angèle. If you get the chance to see her live at all then do so. I feel this is an artist who will continue to grow her fanbase. Plenty more albums ahead of her:

“Angèle might already be a household name across Europe, but if she’s not on your radar yet, consider this your introduction. The Belgian star has quietly built one of the most compelling careers in contemporary pop, performing at the Paris Olympics closing ceremony, taking the stage at Coachella, collaborating with Dua Lipa and becoming a Chanel ambassador along the way. At just 30, she’s already balancing chart success and cultural influence with a distinctly effortless cool.

The singer-songwriter first broke through in 2018 with her debut album Brol, which introduced her sharp lyricism and playful yet pointed take on modern life. Its standout single “Balance Ton Quoi” quickly went viral, evolving into a feminist anthem that resonated far beyond the charts and became closely associated with the French #MeToo movement. Two years later, Angèle’s reach expanded globally when she teamed up with Dua Lipa on the bilingual lockdown hit “Fever,” a cross-border smash that propelled her beyond the Francophone pop world.

But the spotlight hasn’t always been easy to navigate. French tabloids notoriously outed the singer before she had the chance to do so on her own terms, while the public often placed heavy expectations on her as a feminist figurehead. When controversy later surrounded her brother, the backlash was swift and, at times, unfairly directed at her. In 2021, Angèle addressed the pressures of sudden fame in her Netflix documentary, offering a candid look at the emotional toll of life in the public eye. Now, entering a new decade of life and career, she returns with a renewed sense of self and sonic freedom.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your music career so far?

I’m from Belgium, and I live between Brussels, Paris and New York. I’m super lucky, because I love to spend time in different places. I’ve been doing music for the last 10 years, almost, producing, writing and sometimes also working with other artists, and that’s actually why I’m here. I just did a new song with Justice, and I’m super happy because it’s been years since I’ve released anything, so here I am back again. It feels amazing.

You’ve been through a lot with the French tabloids. How do you cope with the media attention?

That’s also a work in progress. I mean, growing up literally helps, but also taking time for yourself. I’ve been away from the media and all of that attention for almost two years, and that was super important to me and really helped. I would say before that, I was still a little girl stuck in my body. It was difficult because any criticism, any negative comments or tabloid pieces were super painful and pretty cruel. Then I got to understand that was, unfortunately, part of being a celebrity and being vocal. Doing shows in front of people who love you comes with that very dark side, but I’ve learned to cope. I would say all of that happened with time, and I think now I’m in a much better position. I’m also very aware of how lucky I am. I used to know I was lucky, or my brain knew, but I didn’t feel it because I was so overwhelmed. Now that I’ve had a lot of time for myself, I feel really grateful. Whenever something negative happens now, I can take it and push it away.

So, not only does it feel like you’re entering a new era sonically, but also linguistically. After representing French music on a global stage, what made you decide to start singing in English? Why now?

I actually started singing in English at the very beginning. I studied in Antwerp, where we don’t speak French, we speak Flemish, and so the school was in English. I was only singing standards, because it was a jazz school, so when I really first started singing, it was in English for maybe two years. It’s fun because it’s kind of like going back to my roots, even though I’m not an English speaker. I’ve always loved the way English sounds, and I think it allows for tons of different intonations and pronunciations, with different types of stress in the words that don’t really exist in French. It’s a completely different way to approach singing.

Again, it all happened super naturally. The first album had a few English songs and for some reason, the second didn’t. I don’t really have an explanation for why. I think I was just more inspired by French at that time. Also, I wrote it during COVID when I didn’t travel at all. Over the last two years, I’ve had the chance to spend a lot of time in New York and abroad, so I think that’s when it came to my mind to bring English to my music.

You’ve collaborated with other major artists too, including Dua Lipa. Who would be your next dream collaboration?

That’s a great question. It’s hard to say, though, because I’m a little superstitious, so I don’t want to jinx it. But I’m super impressed and inspired by the female scene right now. In pop music, there are so many incredible artists, and I’m really excited to see more female producers. That used to be so rare. I don’t think that we’ve ever been told that we were allowed to do that. When I started producing, I really didn’t believe in myself. With time, a lot of guts and a little naivety, I just did it. I got super lucky and met incredible people and producers. Even working with Justice in terms of the technical aspect was amazing. I got to understand technically what they were doing, even though there’s a whole part that’s just too genius and I’ll never understand. Feeling legit as a producer was, honestly, a long path. But I’m seeing more artists, for example, PinkPantheress getting Producer of the Year at the BRITs, Rosalía got one a few years ago, that’s super important. I’ve met some amazing female producers that I’ve been able to connect with. We need to cheer each other on and feel like we don’t have to apologize for taking up a space that was typically taken by men. Men are also super ready for it, I think. It’s super exciting and I can’t wait to see the scene grow”.

I am going to wrap up here. The superb Angèle is someone I would recommend to anyone. She has this adoring following, though there are people who do not know about her. I do think Instinct is a fantastic album and it should have got more press coverage. No matter. As there are some tour dates next year, it means she will reach new people and there will be more eyes her way. I wonder if she will play some U.K. festivals next year or not. Do make sure that Angèle is…

ON your radar.

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Follow Angèle

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/angele_vl/

TikTok:

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

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/angeleouenpoudre

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiP2tOO8zRo47GFd5rc8rkA

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QVolfxko2UyCOtexhVTli?si=WBZius8IS-2NvlJplfSCcQ

FEATURE: Bloomsday: Songs from Albums Turning Five in 2027

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Bloomsday

Songs from Albums Turning Five in 2027

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THIS is the final part of a series…

where I am highlighting albums that have big anniversaries next year. I guess a fifth anniversary is not too big, and these albums won’t get reissues. Though a lot of artists mark fifth anniversaries, so I wanted to here. Also, 2022 was a strange and rough year when the COVID-19 pandemic was still with us. Still living with that. The albums from 2022 were a lifeline to so many  people. Also, so many of them are being listened to and discussed today. It was a fabulous year for music. I wanted to salute that fact at least. The mixtape at the end of this feature collates songs from albums that will turn five next year. The absolute prime of 2022. It was a great year that gifted us with…

SO many gems.

FEATURE: Broken Clocks: Songs from Albums Turning Ten in 2027

FEATURE:

 

 

Broken Clocks

Songs from Albums Turning Ten in 2027

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ONE more feature to go…

in this series that combines songs from albums that have big anniversaries next year. 2022 finishes things off. However, now I am looking at 2017. Albums that are ten next year. Included are ones from SZA, Lorde, St. Vincent, and Kendrick Lamar. It was a pretty decent year for music. I guess quite a few of these albums will get reissues, as a decade is a big anniversary. My favourites from 2017 are SZA’s Ctrl and Lorde’s Melodrama. Both are modern masterpieces. Below is a mixtape that blends songs from the best albums of 2017. There is not a lot to say, other than I hope that the mixtape brings back memories. Or, if you have dim memories of that year, that it gets you interested in these great albums. 2017 was a fantastic year…

AS you can hear below.

FEATURE: New Year: Songs from Albums Turning Fifteen in 2027

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Don’t You Remember

Songs from Albums Turning Fifteen in 2027

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I feel that…

2012 is a little underrated when it comes to music. It was a fantastic year. I guess a fifteenth anniversary is a little unwieldly. Not as satisfying as a twentieth. However, it is a milestone. I am concentrating on the best of 2012. These albums that are fifteen next year. Included in the mix are L.P.s from Adele, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar (I am including mixtapes), Grimes, Fiona Apple, Jack White, Taylor Swift, and Alt-J. Two more parts of this series before I wrap up.. The next concerns albums from 2017. Those that are ten next year. In the meantime, enjoy a mixtape containing pearls…

FROM albums released in 2012.

FEATURE: If You Were There, Beware: Songs from Albums Turning Twenty in 2027

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If You Were There, Beware

Songs from Albums Turning Twenty in 2027

_________

I am almost done with…

my album anniversary features series. Before concluding with albums from 2012, 2017 and 2022, I am now looking at albums from 2007. A twentieth anniversary is quite important. Many of these albums might get reissues. There will be new features written about them. The mixtape at the end collects together songs from the best of 2007. I cannot quite recall what I was doing that year. It is a whole ago. I can remember the albums. There were some really strong ones. From Radiohead’s In Rainbows to Arctic Monkeys’ Favourite Worst Nightmare to Kings of Leon and Because of the Times, it was a pretty busy and great year for music. You can refresh your memory by having a listen. Excellent songs from albums that are twenty next year. 2007 providing us with absolute brilliance. It has been great compiling tracks from albums released almost twenty years again. No doubt that 2007 was…

A fabulous year.

FEATURE: Same Old Thing: Songs from Albums Turning Twenty-Five in 2027

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Same Old Thing

Songs from Albums Turning Twenty-Five in 2027

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A couple of years into…

this century, the standard of music had not really dropped. 2002 produced quite a few diamond albums. Those that are turning twenty-five next year, I am shining a light on gems from the likes of The Streets, Coldplay, Beck, Ms Dynamite, and The Libertines. I am ending with a mixtape containing songs from the best albums of that year. I was at university in 2002. Music very important during that time. Although there were stronger years in the ‘00s for music, there are still plenty of superb albums from 2002. If you are not familiar with some of them, I do hope that you are compelled to explore them. I have four more features in this run to go before closing it off. This one is all about the brilliant 2002. Whether you were there at the time or not, it is hard to ignore the quality of…

THESE enduing albums.

FEATURE: No Fillers: Which Artist Has Produced the Best Run of Golden Albums?

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No Fillers

IN THIS PHOTO: The Kinks in 1968/PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Rand

Which Artist Has Produced the Best Run of Golden Albums?

_________

IT may be a hard question to answer…

IN THIS PHOTO: Björk in 2022/PHOTO CREDIT: Vidar Logi

but there are these artists who have brought out wonderful albums. A whole run without a break. People will have their own opinions. I think maybe David Bowie or Prince could be considered. They had runs where they were definitely in form and there was this huge quality and consistency. The Beatles maybe should be included. Joni Mitchell. In terms of a career were there have been very few flaws or faults in terms of the recording material, who could claim to have the best run? I think that my two choices would be between The Kinks and Björk. The former had this run that started with The Kinks Kontroversy in 1965 and ran until 1971’s Muswell Hillbillies. That was their regency and golden period. A total of eight albums. Not all of the albums perfect, though there was this consistency throughout. Ray Davies’s songwriting not breaking its stride. I am not sure how many other artists can claim to have that sort of run. The best album of The Kinks’ run might be 1968’s The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. I want to come to a review of the album from AllMusic:

“Ray Davies' sentimental, nostalgic streak emerged on Something Else, but it developed into a manifesto on The Village Green Preservation Society, a concept album lamenting the passing of old-fashioned English traditions. As the opening title song says, the Kinks -- meaning Ray himself, in this case -- were for preserving "draught beer and virginity," and throughout the rest of the album, he creates a series of stories, sketches, and characters about a picturesque England that never really was. It's a lovely, gentle album, evoking a small British country town, and drawing the listener into its lazy rhythms and sensibilities. Although there is an undercurrent of regret running throughout the album, Davies' fondness for the past is warm, making the album feel like a sweet, hazy dream. And considering the subdued performances and the detailed instrumentations, it's not surprising that the record feels more like a Ray Davies solo project than a Kinks album. The bluesy shuffle of "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" is the closest the album comes to rock & roll, and Dave Davies' cameo on the menacing "Wicked Annabella" comes as surprise, since the album is so calm. But calm doesn't mean tame or bland -- there are endless layers of musical and lyrical innovation on The Village Green Preservation Society, and its defiantly British sensibilities became the foundation of generations of British guitar pop”.

You can claim that The Kinks are hard to beat when it comes to this run. They had periods after 1971’s Muswell Hillbillies where there was this quality and strength. It was patchier. You could argue that the golden runs happen because of momentum or the times the artists were recording in. Do we measure a run by the total number of albums or the quality of the albums in that run? Some might say that if an artist has four or five albums where they are exceptional, then that is more impressive than one who has seven or weight albums but not all are near perfect. I feel that The Kinks could claim to be in the former camp. These albums all different too. You cannot claim that 1970’s Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One is similar to 1967’s Something Else by the Kinks. In terms of breadth and variety, The Kinks were always innovative and fresh. The albums have endured to this day. Which other artists would you say could match them? Arguably there are other artist that could challenge them. Though I have been thinking about the alternatives. I think The Kinks’ 1960s and 1970s albums were released in a time when there were other bands releasing superb albums. That sense of inspiration around them. Though maybe it is Ray Davies and his genius shining bright. At a time when he was in particularly inspired mood. I have seen some say that David Bowie could top The Kinks. Twelve albums released between 1971 and 1980. However, there are a couple of weaker ones that break the run. 1973’s Pin Ups. Led Zeppelin between 1969 and 1975 were brilliant, though that was six albums. Six seems to be the number for a lot of groups. The Beatles’ run from Rubber Soul in 1965 to Abbey Road in 1969. The Kinks had eight albums in their chain, but I feel there are very few that can match that. Anyone in the modern era who has that same run as The Kinks?!

The only other artist that comes to mind that could equal the consistency and sheer wonder of The Kinks is Björk. You could say that her entire career has been wonderful. No album has been weak. She has released ten studio albums. Every one of them has won critical praise. Has she received quite the same adulation as The Kinks? The best of the London band surpasses the Icelandic innovator, though Björk has released ten albums that are all excellent. You could say that 2007’s Volta did not get quite the same reaction as her other albums. That is fair. So she has nine albums that have been incredibly well received, but one not so much. It may be subjective. I am judging my opinions on what critics say. People could say Stevie Wonder or Joni Mitchell or Madonna could be up there. Even the mighty Kate Bush. If we look at things from a critical and commercial standpoint, Björk is a fine challenger. Like The Kinks, all of her albums are very different but they are genius. I know she is recording an album at the moment. Her most recent album is 2022’s Fossora. This is what The Guardian wrote in their review:

“Biophilia may have been the title of her 2011 seventh album, but the Icelandic composer’s penchant for irrepressible life forms has had an ongoing life of its own in her work. Fossora, she says, is a feminisation of the Latin word for “burrower” (badgers are “fossorial” mammals). The life of the soil, nesting and burial are just three themes that grow directly out of this fertile loam. Terroir is another. Conceived during lockdown, when anyone in their right mind would have hastened back to their native island home, Fossora found Björk on Icelandic turf for an extended period, hosting micro-raves in her house. All she wanted to play was gabber – the pounding 90s Dutch variant on techno.

So Fossora has proper beats on it, a kind of holy grail for longtime Björk fans who remember her clubbier past. And you can, just about, dance to some of these songs – although it would probably look more like headbanging. The title track offers up a particularly extreme cocktail of punishing percussion and swirling vocals. The beats throughout come in association with Indonesian gabber merchants Gabber Modus Operandi.

Björk’s intention was to react against the airy themes of her previous album, Utopia (2017). Many wind instruments remain, but these tend to be bass clarinets – often six of them – alongside trombone, oboe and cor anglais, hooting and groaning.

Where Björk occasionally breaks with this lower tone palette on tracks such as Allow, it’s to let an army of flutes unleash a ravey melody to lub-dub beats. Part of this album is devoted to new romantic relationships, fantasias in which love can take root again after 2015’s anguished Vulnicura, which dealt with the breakdown in Björk’s relationship with her daughter’s father. The slight downside is that, like some Walt Disney cartoon bluebirds, these trilling flutes and whimsical clarinets break the mood of majestic ache that makes Fossora one of Björk’s hardest-hitting albums.

Björk’s mother died in 2018 after a long illness; a number of these songs are tributes to Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir. Ancestress is explicitly billed as an epitaph. Forgoing the more rigid Icelandic tradition in which a priest lists facts about the deceased, Björk celebrates her mother’s idiosyncrasies – her dyslexia, her homeopath’s cantankerous disregard for doctors. Details such as the smell of her passing are set to brittle strings and dissonant beats, with Björk’s son, Sindri, on backing vocals. An epic video follows a funeral procession that re-enacts Hildur’s death in fantastical form, a “matrimort” with the earth.

When Björk describes her mother, she is often also describing herself (“She had an idiosyncratic sense of rhythm… she invents words and adds syllables!”). There’s more mother-daughter slippage, too, on the elegiac Her Mother’s House, the closing track. Björk describes her mother’s voice, and likens her house to the chambers of her heart. The guest here is Björk’s own daughter, Ísadóra Bjarkadóttir Barney, whose move away from home at 19 is reflected upon here, another crank along the gearwheel of life.

If it’s possible, Sorrowful Soil is even more emotional. In this eulogy for Hildur, set to a distant bassline, massed choirs follow Björk’s lead as she sings about the quantity of eggs produced by a woman’s body, her “emotional textile”. The way she sings “emotional” recalls the “emotional landscapes” of 1997’s Jóga.

“You did your best, you did well,” insist the voices, digitally persistent: “did, did, did!” It’s pretty much the best thing a child can say to their mother – or vice versa – particularly when the two women didn’t always have an easy relationship.

Less obviously, the exquisite Atopos finds Björk emphasising the importance of persevering with relationships; it also partially addresses her mother. The track captures the wonders of Fossora in miniature – hammering beats, a thicket of tense clarinets, and Björk’s unmistakable vocal in didactic mode, upfront and emphatic”.

I am thinking if there are artists I have left out. Bruce Springsteen had a run of albums between 1973’s The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle and 1987’s Tunnel of Love. Though one or two albums were not that brilliant. Not that it is especially important or meaningful if an artist has this phenomenal run of albums. It is just a subject that popped into my mind. I think I have written about it before, but I can’t recall which artists I mentioned. I have been listening to a lot of legacy artists. So many of them embarked on this run of albums that saw them grow bigger and bigger. All commercial and critical successes. When critics decide on the best music run, they usually cap things are six albums. That is fair enough. Six is a lot of albums. Though I feel we can take it beyond that. The Kinks’ eight albums between 1965 and 1971 is supreme. All of them were acclaimed. You could say that 1971’s Percy broke the run. That is fair enough. That would be seven out of eight albums in that run were magnificent. It then begs the question as to whether any artist ever has released more than six albums consecutively that are of the highest quality. I would go back to Björk, as Volta received better reviews than The Kinks’ Percy. However, others might say that some of the artists that produced six consecutive brilliant albums released ones either side that are pretty decent. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and Prince. Also, we need to consider the impact and legacy of the albums. You can have four, five or six albums in a row that have all been adored and inspired legions of artists, compared to an artist who has had a longer run but the albums are not as brilliant. Also, we need to consider the reputation of the artists. I would name Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. They have released eighteen albums. Not too many that have received anything less than glowing reviews. I do think that Nick Cave’s opinions about the genocide in Gaza does sort of muddy the waters for me. I can admit the band have this brilliant run of albums, though I don’t think they are quite up there with The Kinks or Björk. It is an interesting discussion, and I wonder if anyone else has any other thoughts. It would be good to hear. Which artist has the longest run of…

TRULY brilliant albums?

FEATURE: 5 Years: Songs from Albums Turning Thirty in 2027

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5 Years

Songs from Albums Turning Thirty in 2027

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ONE of the very best years…

for music there has ever been, I am now up to 1997 for this album anniversary series. There are so many albums to choose from when it comes to the mixtape below. I have tried to include as many as possible. Classics from Björk, The Verve, Radiohead, The Prodigy, Missy Elliott, Daft Punk, and Spiritualized. I turned fourteen in 1997. I was in high school and it was a time when music was really affecting and inspiring me. It was so important, so albums from 1997 stay with me today. There are few years that can stand alongside 1997 when it comes to quality. The next feature takes us to 2002. A great year for sure, though not quite in the same league as this! The best of 1997 stands alongside…

THE greatest music ever.

FEATURE: Reminisce: Songs from Albums Turning Thirty-Five in 2027

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Reminisce

Songs from Albums Turning Thirty-Five in 2027

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WE are now in the 1990s…

when it comes to this series. Taking a look at albums that have significant anniversaries next year. It is to 1992 and the very best from that phenomenal year. The sheer number of staggering albums from 1992. Included in the mixtape are albums from Mary J. Blige, PJ Harvey, Rage Against the Machine, k.d. lang, and Aphex Twin. I have tried my best to include songs from all the best albums released in 1992 – though there is likely the odd omission. I was a child in 1992, and I do remember a lot of these albums. Thirty-five years after they were released, these albums still sound good to me. I am not sure if I have a favourite from the year. Perhaps R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People. Hard to choose from such a bounteous year. The absolute greatest albums of 1992 represented below in…

A golden mixtape.

FEATURE: Sign "☮" the Times: Songs from Albums Turning Forty in 2027

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Sign "☮" the Times

Songs from Albums Turning Forty in 2027

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I am getting close…

to the 1990s. That is the decade where I was a child and teen and really bonded with music. So when I feature albums from 1992 and 1997, there will be a lot of personal memories tied to the albums. However, I was alive in 1987 and can appreciate a lot of the albums from that year. I was three/four, so memories are dim. I bonded with a lot of these when I was older. Marking forty years of some truly enduring albums. Included are Prince, U2, Whitney Houston, Guns N’ Roses, Eric B. & Rakim, and many more. Some people reading this would have grown up with these albums. Forty years later, do they sound as essential and memorable as they did back then?! Perhaps so. This mixtape below is overflowing with 1987-released gold. Tremendous songs from a great year. For those who were around in 1987 and heard these albums when they were released, I hope that some warm and wonderful memories come…

FLOODING back.

FEATURE: Goodbye 70's: Songs from Albums Turning Forty-Five in 2027

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Goodbye 70's

Songs from Albums Turning Forty-Five in 2027

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I want to wrap this series up…

before we get into the middle of December, as I will be looking to spotlight artists to watch next year. Some Christmas features. This is an album anniversary series where I concentrate on a different year each time. This time, we are looking at albums that turn forty-five in 2027. Albums released in 1982. It was a varied year, where some truly exceptional albums were released. Included in the best of the best is Yazoo’s Upstairs at Eric’s, Prince’s 1999, Kate Bush’s The Dreaming and Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Also, there were jewels from Donald Fagen, ABC, Bad Brains, and Duran Duran. This was the year before I was born, so there is some significance to the year. I love the breadth and quality of music that came out in 1982. Marking forty-five years of some stunning albums, I end this feature with a mixtape containing the cream of 1982’s music. If you are unfamiliar with some of the albums from that year, it is well worth doing a bit of exploring. Rather than ageing and sounding dates, these albums…

REMAIN absolutely sublime.

FEATURE: Never Going Back Again: Songs from Albums Turning Fifty in 2027

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Never Going Back Again

Songs from Albums Turning Fifty in 2027

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PRESSING on with…

this series that combines songs from albums celebrating big anniversaries next year, we are now at 1977. The big fiftieth. Included in the best of 1977 are Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, and Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. It was a tremendous year. I guess Disco was still a thing. Punk burning bright. New Wave too. It was a really interesting time for music. I do think that a lot of the best and most important music was coming out of the U.K. The Clash and Elvis Costello among those who gave us these incredible albums. I have compiled a mixtape containing songs from the best albums of 1977. Again, you may not have been there the first time around. These songs and albums endure to this day. I wonder how many of these albums will get reissues next year for their fiftieth. Rumours is one of the best-selling albums ever, so I am not sure whether there is anything in the archives that can be added. It is obvious that 1977 is one of the best years for music…

WE have seen.

FEATURE: Core Values: Why the New Apple Music Hall Live Venue Is a Unique Boon for London

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Core Values

Why the New Apple Music Hall Live Venue Is a Unique Boon for London

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ANY new venue that…

opens in London is cause for celebration. So many venues are under threat, it is always sad when we lost one. There are areas of London where there are perhaps too few venues, or we would not usually go there to see live music. I know Battersea has a few great music spaces, but there is this new and exciting venue that has caused a lot of excitement. Apple Music Hall has already hosted a few live events, and I do feel that it is a boon. Something that the city needs. It is this very modern space that is also vintage in a way. A unique style. There are also radio studios alongside it. I am going to come to why this venue is appealing to me. I feel it will attract some fantastic artists and music fans from around the world. Here is some more detail about Apple Music Hall:

“Apple has announced the opening of Apple Music Hall, a brand-new state-of-the-art live music venue in London’s storied Battersea Power Station, designed to connect artists and fans through bespoke, intimate performances unlike anywhere else.

“Apple’s deep love for music dates all the way back to the very beginning, from the launch of the iPod to the long-running iTunes Music Festival to the debut of Apple Music,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and International Content. “Today, with the opening of Apple Music Hall, we are once again taking an unprecedented step further in our commitment to artists and fans by supporting live music in ways only Apple can do.”

Taking inspiration from the iconic Battersea Power Station, Apple Music Hall incorporates heritage brickwork, fluted arches, and bronze balconies reminiscent of the historic oriel windows.

A Live Music Venue Unlike Any Other

Apple Music Hall will offer artists and music fans alike an exceptional live concert experience alongside the River Thames. Taking inspiration from the iconic Battersea Power Station, the new venue incorporates heritage brickwork, fluted arches, and bronze balconies reminiscent of the historic oriel windows. A giant glass wall further enhances the visual connection with the historic building, offering a panoramic view of the concourse and the river beyond.

The 600-capacity venue is designed intentionally to close the gap between intimacy and production value and allow for an unprecedented level of creative control. Every seat feels close to the performer, yet the infrastructure offers what an artist requires for an arena tour, with a 38-foot-wide stage that can be reconfigured for traditional front-facing sets or more in-the-round experiences. Additionally, the venue is equipped with a 48-speaker spatial sound system positioned all around the audience. When an artist performs in spatial, it will enable fans to hear that performance in an immersive environment.

Behind the stage, Apple Music Hall operates as a full production facility. Two dedicated recording and mix studios are built to professional standards so that every performance can be captured as a multitrack recording and mixed in Spatial Audio, live or after the fact. The venue is also hardwired for 16 or more cameras that feed a purpose-built broadcast control room with infrastructure that supports iPhone video capture running in parallel alongside traditional broadcast cameras.

At Apple Music Hall, artists can perform an intimate live show and walk out with a finished Spatial Audio recording, a broadcast-ready mix, and multicamera video.

At Apple Music Hall, artists can perform an intimate live show and walk out with a finished Spatial Audio recording, a broadcast-ready mix, and multicamera video.

In short, an artist can perform an intimate live show for fans at Apple Music Hall and walk out with a finished Spatial Audio recording, a broadcast-ready mix, and multicamera video — all from a single show. Performances out of Apple Music Hall will also be livestreamed globally so fans outside of London can tune in to enjoy these one-time-only shows from their favourite artists.

“At Apple Music, we care deeply about music, the artists who make it, and their life stories,” said Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1. “We’re always looking for new opportunities to connect the artists and the fans because we are fans. What better way to celebrate this relationship than a new music venue where we get to experience amazing music in an amazing space and share it with the world. Great music and memories will be made at Apple Music Hall.”

For more information about Apple Music Hall, including how to access tickets for upcoming shows, fans can visit applemusichall.com or follow @applemusichall on Instagram and TikTok”.

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In terms of what’s in the diary, you can follow Apple Music Hall using the links above. At the moment, I am thinking of a live event for 2028. It might be expensive going to any venue, but I am attracted to Apple Music Hall. It is easy to get to. A trip down the Norther line, for those outside of London, it is quite accessible. I am not sure what they would charge for hosting an event and whether their schedule is full in January 2028, though I feel it can be more than just a traditional live space. Holding music events where you get live performances, but also this interactive space where you can project videos and use it as an interview space. In the same way Abbey Road Studios hosts live events and recordings, but you get artists like Paul McCartney speaking, and he has done an event there. Apple Music Hall has this blend of intimacy and grandeur. It looks fabulous, though there is also this sense of warmth that you might not get from more impersonal, large arenas. I do like their values and ethos. In terms of why it was built and what they are hoping to achieve. It would be amazing to host an event there. I fear they may be out of my price range. Though, with every new venue that opens in London, it does offer hope. That there is growth in this areas, whereas so many venues were under threat following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can see some upcoming shows at the venue. Arlo Parks plays on 22nd October. Charli xcx will play on 2nd December. I do wonder if it is going to be reserved to music solely and larger artists. In terms of someone like me who would like to host an event that is not strictly a gig, I am curious about their policy. In any case, it is great that we have this distinct and impressive space.

It provides hope that other live venues will sprout up. It also impacts the local economy. Battersea will see benefits from those who go to the Power Station for gigs. The radio studios is also curious too. Whether they have fixed shows coming out of their or whether you can host a podcast or broadcast yourself. This new venture is very much designed for longevity. Building year on year and getting more and more people there, it is a major bonus for London. I will get along to Apple Music Hall in the coming days and check it out. In an interview with Music Week, the Vice President of Apple Music and International Content, Oliver Schusser, talked more about this exciting move. It also answers some of my questions about the radio studios and how they will operate:

“Apple's UK headquarters has been in the power station since 2023, but Schusser first queried whether it would have a music venue around the time Apple confirmed its move to Battersea in 2016. The answer was positive, but it wasn’t the right time.

A decade on, the 600-capacity Apple Music Hall has popped up seemingly out of nowhere and is set to open on September 28. Built for intimate shows with arena-level production, the venue lets artists record in Spatial Audio, walk out with a broadcast-ready mix and multicamera video, and have the performance livestreamed globally.

Music Week’s first site visit came during the hard-hat phase, with a second as the project is on the verge of completion. The room takes its cues from the power station itself, with brickwork, fluted arches and bronze balconies that reference its distinctive oriel windows. A giant glass wall opens onto the concourse and the River Thames beyond.

According to Apple, the new venue has been designed “to close the gap between intimacy and production value and allow for an unprecedented level of creative control”. Its 38ft wide stage can be reconfigured for front-facing sets or in-the-round shows, with a 48-speaker Spatial sound system positioned all around the audience. Behind it are two recording and mix studios and a broadcast control room wired for 16 or more cameras.

For Schusser, Apple Music Hall is the physical manifestation of the platform’s ethos since launch. He cites talent such as Miley Cyrus, who sat down last week with Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1, at the company’s Los Angeles studios ahead of the release of her new album Bass Persuades. He also brings up Elton John, whose weekly Rocket Hour show champions new acts and celebrated its 10th anniversary last year.

“It was always our vision for Apple Music to be a service for artists and to be a service for fans,” says Schusser. “If you look at the venue, it really embodies that.”

Apple has long used live music to bring its services into the real world. The company ran its iTunes Festival, later renamed the Apple Music Festival, in London from 2007 to 2016, and now has a multi-year partnership with the NFL and Roc Nation to present the Super Bowl Halftime Show. In March, its 50th anniversary celebrations featured performances from Mumford & Sons and Nia Archives outside Battersea Power Station.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy, meanwhile, describes the new venue as “a huge vote of confidence in the UK as a global creative powerhouse”.

“When a company of Apple's scale backs British music and talent, it's a signal of just how strong our creative sectors really are,” says Nandy. “Our industrial strategy is all about making Britain one of the best places in the world to invest, and the creative industries are a key part of that. These sectors are not only a source of immense national pride, but they also deliver real economic value for the country.”

Apple Music Radio's London-based hosts and shows, relocating from Tileyard Studios, will now broadcast live out of Battersea with the opening of new radio studios, essentially making the site a one-stop shop for artists.

“We chose Tileyard because it became an incredible hub for creatives, and part of an up-and-coming part of town,” says Schusser. “And our goal with [Apple Music Hall] was to bring all of our creative teams together in one campus.”

The aim is for an artist to go on air, do an interview, handle social media and marketing, play a show and broadcast it worldwide, all within a few hours.

“It was quite natural for us to say we’re going to move radio to Battersea,” says Schusser, who would also like to see album launches at the venue. “You can't imagine how many ideas we have.”

For his part, Zane Lowe says that Apple Music Hall and Apple Music Studios “embodies everything that Apple Music has to offer for artists and creatives to express themselves”.

“We wanted to give artists a space that they can transform and adapt to match the storytelling of their artistry,” says the DJ. “That can be creating an incredible live show, having an intimate discussion on Apple Music Radio or as a place to engage with fans in real life. We’ve used our 10 years of experience working directly with artists to really think about every granular detail that they might need to showcase their creativity.”

“I can't wait to get started at our new home,” says Dotty, who also serves as lead cultural creator, Black Music. “The studios will allow us to work even more closely with the artists we love and are a dream space for the UK team to help artists tell their story, in their own way.”

Dotty describes the UK as “a leader and hub of music across the globe” and says it is “amazing to see Apple investing in its live music scene and artists, from launching new UK talent, to giving people a chance to see huge global stars in an intimate and incredible setting right in the heart of London.”

Here, with the countdown on to the venue's opening, Schusser speaks to Music Week about why he calls the venue “a love letter from Apple to music”, what the move means for the firm’s live ambitions and – yes – the AI question…

First of all, now the cat is out of the bag, can you reveal how long this project has been in the making?

“In my head, I’m thinking five years. But there were two moments for me: one is the original moment when Apple looked at the power station to become a tenant. That is more than 10 years ago now, and there was nothing there at the time. I remember asking, ‘Will there be a music venue?’ But I don't really count that. The answer at the time, by the way, was, ‘Yes, but we're not ready to talk about it. We need to build the office space first, the mall space, all these other things.’ And I think they did the right thing. This is my favourite Apple office in the world – I think it’s stunning. And then it was about five years ago when we started to figure out exactly how [the venue] would work.”

Why London, and why Battersea Power Station in particular?

“We have a rich history of live events in London. London was where we ran the iTunes Festival for 10 years. We had more than 600 bands over the 10 years, all the world's biggest superstars on stage. And we streamed all the shows worldwide – we were kind of the OGs of streaming music festivals – everyone does it now. I also believe that London is one of the greatest, if not the greatest live music city in the world. There’s such a strong interest in seeing shows, whether it’s a small show or a big stadium show like Harry Styles at Wembley. We're very committed to Battersea and to being in the UK, and there was an opportunity to take a piece of the Power Station and build a music venue that we were happy to jump on a couple of years back. I think we can contribute something to the community but also to the live scene in the UK overall, because a venue of this size is quite rare.”

Can you tell us what the venue means for Apple Music itself?

“I believe that this venue embodies everything that Apple Music stands for. When we launched Apple Music, we were obsessed with this idea of trying to make it more than just 100 million songs where people press play. We wanted to create an experience where artists can participate, so we created studios around the world. It was really artist relations for us. We wanted to make it a space where artists feel incredibly comfortable and happy – small artists and large artists – hence the pretty expansive backstage area. And we wanted it to be a really awesome space for fans: the onboarding, how you walk into the venue. There's no bad seat in the house. It's got great tech, great light, great audio – exactly what Apple Music is about.”

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Which technical features are you most keen for people to know about?

“Apart from the fact that I wanted it to be very flexible, so that we can do small shows, big shows, shows in the round, shows in the corner and all these things, there are two aspects that are important to me that are relatively simple. Number one, we developed this new sound experience of Spatial audio with Dolby Atmos, which is a key part of why I think Apple Music is a more premium listening experience than any other service, and we wanted to reflect that in the space. We wanted artists to be able to record things in Spatial audio, but also to perform in Spatial audio. We try to really push the envelope. And then the second technical thing we focus on is that we want it to be possible to shoot as many things in this venue on iPhones. The beauty of iPhones is that they're small and you can put them in all sorts of places. I think that's going to allow us to do really exciting things over time.”

How would you sum up your ambitions for Apple Music Hall, and what would make a successful first year?

“I know it sounds a little fuzzy, but we want artists, in particular, but also fans just to have a great experience and tell us that. The biggest compliment at Apple is that people love the product. We're as proud of this as any of the products we've announced in the last few years, and hopefully people will like it.”

And how will the venue help artists and the wider live industry?

“Music is an incredible part of the economy in the UK, and touring is a big part of that, but smaller venues of roughly this size have been struggling, and that's a problem for artists, because you have artists that need to start to perform in a size like this, but then the venues don't exist and so they can't. So we see this as a really positive boost for the industry.”

What's your take on the live sector now, given the challenges you mentioned? And is Apple planning to get more involved?

“No, we're not in the ‘live business’ – and I'm saying that in air quotes. This is not the beginning of a strategy where we want to be in the venue business. This was an opportunity to do something incredible and wonderful, literally where we built our home in the UK, and it's a continuation of something we've actually done for a long time. But again, we're not really in the live business ourselves, so I'll leave that to the experts to discuss. We're really just here with one little venue.”

What reaction do you expect to your plans from within the industry?

“I think this is going to be a big surprise for a lot of people. I hope they will say it feels very Apple, it's very beautiful and very well done. They'll be like, ‘Wow, didn't see this coming!’ Others are about algorithms and robots and AI and so on. We're here in the music business because we love music and consider this like a love letter from Apple to music and to artists”.

It would be interesting to hear from people who have seen some live music there already and reaction from them. I guess there is stuff on social media. Earlier this week, Troye Sivan delivered a superb show there. Rolling Stone UK awarding his set five stars. I would love to go there. Perhaps Apple do want to keep their venue strictly for live sets and not really have it for other projects such as podcasts or events. In any case, it must be so evocative walking towards the Power Station and going to this venue. I am dreaming about it for a 2028 event but, alas, budget means that it is something I will miss out on. In any case, it is this huge positive for London and live music in general. With big plans for Apple Music Hall and some world-class artists playing there soon, it is going to be interesting how it expands. What gigs are planned for next year and really what people make of this venue. So far, all signs and reactions and positive. Even though Apple Music Hall is brand new, I think everyone can tell that it is going to be a fixture in the London music scene for many years more. So encouraging to see, when it comes to this fabulous venue…

LONG may they continue.

FEATURE: (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!): Celebrating Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock at Sixty

FEATURE:

 

 

(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)

IN THIS PHOTO: Beastie Boys’ Michael Diamond (Mike D), left, and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock)/PHOTO CREDIT: Brad Ogbonna for The New York Times 

Celebrating Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock at Sixty

_________

ONE of the great music tragedies…

IN THIS PHOTO: ‘Mike D ‘(Michael Diamond), ‘Ad-Rock’ (Adam Horovitz) and ‘MCA ‘(Adam Yauch) in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Freeberg/Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Is that Beastie Boys cannot reform and do another album together. The trio of  Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch (vocals, bass), and Michael ‘Mike D’ Diamond (vocals, drums) formed in New York in 1981. We mark forty-five years of Beastie Boys. Their debut album, 1986’s Licensed to Ill, turns forty on 15th November. Before then, on 31st October, Ad-Rock turns sixty. I have published a feature about Licensed to Ill, which will be shared soon. Adam Horovitz died in 2012, which then meant the disbandment of Beastie Boys. It would have bene incredible having the trio together to all share their memories of their debut. However, rather than it being a sombre post, I did want to highlight the brilliance of Adam Horovitz. I shall call him Ad-Rock for the sake of this feature, as I am concentrating on his role in Beastie Boys. This year saw Mike-D release his debut solo album, Thank You. I do wonder whether Ad-Rock will follow suit. I am surprised that has taken this long for a Beastie Boy to go solo as it were. Maybe Ad-Rock does not want to record at the moment. He was in Beastie Boys for so long, and it can be hard stepping out solo. He was obviously hugely important in the trio’s success and legacy. In terms of his songwriting and distinct vocals, I think my favourite performance is on Sabotage. That song appeared on their 1994 album, Ill Communication. Although Beastie Boys were this tight unit and so close, I do feel that Ad-Rock and his incredible vocals brought something extra to the music. Rather than compile a mixtape of key Beastie songs, I did want to drop in some interviews.

It ids heartbreaking that the legendary MCA is no longer with us. An irreplaceable member and brother for Mike D and Ad- Rock, perhaps we might not hear music from him. He is also this incredible actor, and there were some interviews in 2015 with him when he featured in Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young. It is worth bringing them, as he does mention Beastie Boys. Let’s start with an interview with The Guardian. Talking about his role in the film, Ad-Rick also states (incorrectly) how cassettes will never be cool. I would strongly disagree on that:

“In the film, the younger, cooler couple reject Netflix for VHS tapes, and choose to work something out rather than Google the answer. Do you understand that nostalgia?

I’m not saying that kids today have everything, but with the internet it’s like: you have it there so use it! I know a bunch of kids who are into cassette tapes now. Cassette tapes suck! Why not use your iPod? The iPod is the shit!

Isn’t that them trying to recapture some magic?

All generations think the present moment is the greatest, but also have this fascination with before their time. I do the same thing. I see old British movies. I’m like: “Man, I would love to be in London at that time.” But then I wouldn’t be able to watch The Walking Dead, I wouldn’t have cable and my pizza options would be limited.

How are you dealing with not being a Beastie Boy?

It’s definitely weird. For over 25 years, that’s all I did. It was who I was. I’m trying to figure out what that is.

Adam “MCA” Yauch died in 2012 (2). Do you think the band would still be going if he was alive?

What I’d hope would happen was that the band would be on the backburner and Adam would make movies (3). That would have made sense to me. This doesn’t make sense.

How are you dealing with it?

I have no idea. I’m not? I’m in denial? I don’t know. How do you deal with it? It’s fucking depressing. He was one of my best friends. We were 14 and we went through everything in life together.

Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl once said new generations of fans were coming up to him and didn’t know that he was in Nirvana … Is there something freeing about that? That someone might come up and say they love To the Five Boroughs (4), but have never heard Paul’s Boutique (5)?

That’s never happened before. I would be so happy. But 95% of the time if somebody stops me on the street, they don’t know that we’ve put out records other than Licence To Ill. I’m telling you. They’ll talk about when they had it on tape. People are like: “What have you guys been doing since then?”.

In 2018, Loud and Quiet spoke with Mike D and Ad-Rock. They talked about the music influence of Bad Brains, Madonna, and Run-D.M.C. I am not including all of it, but there were parts that caught my eye. I do wonder whether Ad-Rock and Mike D will unite and collaborate for something soon. Especially as Beastie Boys are forty-five this year and their debut is about to turn forty:

“In their manager’s office in downtown LA, it’s weird to think that Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond are both guys in their early 50s. Talking over each other as they attempt to be the first to crack a joke or get their version of a story across, my conversation with them feels more like talking to two excitable teenagers than a couple of middle-aged men. The pair’s ability to derail any serious music conversation into one about iPhones and lukewarm hotel shrimp is certainly impressive, but it’s also really funny to listen to these two massive stars bickering like real friends do.

It’s kind of fitting that it feels unlikely that these two guys were two-thirds of one of the most iconic acts of the last forty years, because the Beastie Boys have always been one of the unlikeliest success stories in modern music. In between forming in Manhattan in 1981 to founding member Adam Yauch’s untimely death in 2012, the group metamorphosed from a group of obnoxious bratty punks into a real force for musical and social progression. More than just shaping the zeitgeist, for a generation of kids they defined what music could be. From bringing hip-hop to the suburbs to inspiring acts like Fugazi, Rage Against the Machine and N.E.R.D., and the theft of millions of VW radiator medallions, if you got your musical education in the nineties, then it was hard not to think that the Beasties were the coolest band on the planet.

Michael Diamond: “I’m not sure how I can bring any excitement or flair to it, but the story behind us and the Bad Brains starts because, as a kid, I wouldn’t buy lunch. I’d get some lunch money from my parents, but instead of spending it on actual lunch I would just buy a cinnamon toasted bagel with butter and save the rest of the money so I could buy records on the weekend. I can’t remember who turned me on to it, but one of the first things I bought was the ‘Pay 2 Cum’ 7 inch by the Bad Brains.

Adam Horovitz: “I definitely remember you and those cinnamon bagels…”

Mike: “Anyway, I get this record home, put it on and I was like, ‘OK, I’ve gotta see this band.’ Literally about a week later, I’m hanging out at this record store and saw an ad saying that they were playing. I thought they must be like this huge band like the Clash or whatever, but instead they were playing this little bar in Chelsea and there was maybe like twelve people there.”

Adam: “That was the cool thing about New York at the time – you had to go out. You couldn’t just stay home if you wanted to hear new things, you had to head into the city and find it. I remember having to walk around and actually ask people what they were listening to. Things really didn’t come to you.”

Adam: “We’ve never really known Madonna. We didn’t know her then and I still don’t know her. I mean, when she took us on tour back in ’85 we weren’t actually with her that long. It was like just a couple of months, really. It feels like it was this big major thing, but in actuality it was only a summer. We only really hung out a couple of times, but even then she was a big, big deal doing big things.”

Mike: “Yeah, even now that whole tour seems crazy to me. At the time she was like the biggest thing on the planet and we were like these three bums from New York who got to go on stage and piss everyone off. I think we got booed off every night.”

Adam: “Even so, it was significant because it was the first actual tour we ever did. It, like, set the gold standard for touring. We got to watch Madonna every night and be on this big stage with a massive superstar without even a real record out. It was like, this is school, right there.”

Mike: “It was like we got to see what a real professional musician looked like. We never really got to that point, we never got to write anything as good as ‘La Isla Bonita’. It could still happen, but I sort of doubt it at this point.”

Adam: “‘La Isla Bonita’?”

Mike: “Don’t front, Adam, that is a good fucking song. Have you ever heard it come on at a wedding, people go crazy.”

 

Adam: “I’ve always been more partial to ‘Lucky Star’…”

Mike: “‘Las Isla Bonita’ kicks ‘Lucky Star’s ass.”

Adam: “I’m still not sure how it all happened. We were basically these three pimply douchebags who were only concerned about where the nearest White Castle was so we could get burgers and she was thinking about private jets to Greek islands. I mean, I wouldn’t have liked to hang out with us back then. I think the only reason she kept us around is because Madonna was kind of punk…”

Mike: “I don’t know, man. If this was my game show appearance I would say ‘no’. It seems bold, but Madonna was zero punk. There were a couple of photographs where she looked like Siouxsie Sioux but that was about it.”

Adam: “Oh man, I can still remember first hearing Run-DMC’s ‘It’s Like That’ back in ’83. That song was like a massive hit in New York. I mean, it was a real game-changing record in the history of hip-hop, so we were completely in awe when we first met them.”

Mike: “We first met them through Russell Simmons, who is Run’s brother and owned Rush, which was ours and Run-DMC’s management company. We used to hang out in his office or at Rick’s [Rubin] dorm room a lot. You might think, who would even want to hang around an office or a dorm room, but we were psyched. It gave us somewhere that wasn’t just a record store or a street corner to hang out on.”

Adam: “I mean, we were nineteen at the time and we really had nowhere else to be. We had to be somewhere…”

Mike: “Exactly, we were just finishing high school and I used to think it was super exciting to be able to hang around with all these college kids. Like, Rubin’s room had this big PA at one side of it where he’d play all the Def Jam stuff he had coming out and it was super exciting to even be there”.

It might be unlikely that Ad-Rock and Mike D will work together. As we discover from this interview, Mike D wanted to make his own album and wanted it to be solo. He did collaborate with others, though Ad-Rock was very happy for him. Even so, as Ad-Rock is sixty on 31st October, I wanted to write about him. It would be awesome if he released his own album. People will always talk about Beastie Boys. Their music being handed down through the generations. I can appreciate that Ad-Rock does not want to release music yet. Or at all. He has appeared in T.V. and film through the years. I believe he is appearing in a Netflix film, Time Out, alongside Adam Sandler. That film is based on the French thriller, L'Emploi du temps. Of course, when there is a Beastie Boys anniversary, then he is happy to mark that. I spent a lot of my teenage years listening to Beastie Boys. One of my introduction groups to Hip-Hop, there will never be anyone like them again. One major draw was the power and brilliance of Ad-Rock. That amazing voice and what he brought to the group. Such a seminal and life-changing group, many happy returns to Ad-Rock. There might be people who have not heard the music of Beastie Boys. I would advise you to listen. Start with their 1986 debut, Licensed to Ill. Even if some aspects have not aged well – aspects of sexism and homophobia that they have since apologised for -, it is hugely important. The reason Ad-Rock and Mike D were interviewed together in 2018 for Loud and Quiet is that is when the Beastie Boys book came out. You can order it here. Co-authored between Ad-Rock and Mike D, I would advise any fan of Beastie Boys to buy it. I would love to read an Ad-Rock memoir. The period before the group started and those earliest experience. His path into music. Or bringing things up to date slightly (I guess that would make the book an autobiography rather than a memoir?!). Ahead of his sixtieth birthday, I wanted to share my appreciation of…

THE brilliant Ad-Rock.

FEATURE: The Great American Songbook: Blondie

FEATURE:

 

 

The Great American Songbook

PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Zagaris/Shore Fire Media

Blondie

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BECAUSE the incredible…

Blondie have announced that they will release their twelfth studio album, High Noon, on 26th February, 2027, I thought it would be a good moment to recognise them for this The Great American Songbook. I will end with a twenty-song mix from Blondie. Before that, I want to bring in this extensive biography from AllMusic:

“Blondie is perhaps the quintessential new wave band: an art-pop group who made the leap from punk to the Top 40, polishing their spiky curves while simultaneously broadening their musical purview beyond trashy AM pop to encompass disco, reggae, and hip-hop. They brought underground sounds into the mainstream with a sly, knowing wink and the incandescent star power of Debbie Harry, the lead singer who co-led the group with guitarist Chris Stein. Blondie's blend of girl-group pop and garage rock first took hold in the U.K., when "Denis" and "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" reached the Top Ten in 1978, but when the group collaborated with Mike Chapman -- a producer who was a powerhouse in glam -- they crafted Parallel Lines, a sleek, modernist masterpiece anchored by the glitter-ball pulse of "Heart of Glass." Parallel Lines turned Blondie -- and especially Harry -- into superstars and the number one singles came furiously in the next two years. The Giorgio Moroder collaboration "Call Me" reached the top of the charts, followed by the lilting "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture," which was the first record with a rap to reach number one in 1981. Their fall was sudden as their rise: Blondie split after the dispirited 1982 LP The Hunter. After nearly 20 years apart, however, the group reunited in 1999 for No Exit, a record that revived them commercially and creatively. From that point forward, Blondie steadily toured and frequently recorded, releasing such acclaimed latter-day records as 2011's Panic of Girls and 2017's Pollinator.

At the heart of Blondie is the relationship between Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, who first formed a bond while playing in the Stilettoes, a band formed in 1973. Harry previously sang in the Wind and the Willows, a precious folk-rock group that released an eponymous album on Capitol in 1968, but found herself drawn to the arty, edgy rock driving the scene anchored at the Mercer Arts Center. The New York Dolls provided particular inspiration for the fledgling singer, leading her to form the Stilettos with Elda Gentile, stylizing the band as a girl group that revitalized and sent up rock & roll oldies and B-movies. Stein joined the Stilettoes as a bassist and the pair built a friendship that turned romantic. Once the building housing the Mercer Arts Center collapsed on August 3, 1973, the scene gravitated to CBGB's in 1974, with the Stillettoes opening for Television in May of that year. By the end of the summer, Harry and Stein had formed their own group with bassist Fred Smith and drummer Billy O'Connor, along with Tish and Snooky Bellomo, playing a couple of shows as Angel and the Snake before settling on the name Blondie.

Playing a combination of oldies and originals, Blondie quickly carved out a niche in the nascent New York punk scene, one that was adjacent to the buzzsaw bubblegum of the Ramones. Their lineup swiftly shifted, too, with Clem Burke replacing O'Connor just prior to Smith and the Bellomos leaving the group. Gary Valentine joined as their bassist and Blondie set out to record a demo in June 1975, adding keyboardist Jimmy Destri to the lineup shortly afterward. In 1976, Blondie caught the ear of producer Richard Gottehrer, a veteran of the Brill Building who played a pivotal role in girl group pop; he co-wrote the Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back" and was part of the Strangeloves, co-writing their classic "I Want Candy." Gottehrer produced Blondie's debut single "X-Offender," arranging for the indie Private Stock to release the 45 in June of that year. Convinced that a full-length album would showcase Blondie's range, he brought Private Stock's owner Larry Uttall and Frankie Valli, the label's biggest artist, to CBGB's to see the band. Valli persuaded Uttall to bankroll a full album, leading to the December 1976 release of Blondie.

David Bowie and Iggy Pop were early supporters of Blondie, offering the band the opening slot for Pop's 1977 tour. Valentine left the group before the recording of Plastic Letters, a sophomore set that was helmed by Gottehrer; he was replaced after the recording by Frank Infante. During the album's sessions, Blondie signed with Chrysalis Records, which bought out the band's contract with Private Stock and released Plastic Letters in February 1978. "Denis," a cover of the old Randy and the Rainbows song "Denise," became a number two hit in the U.K., with "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" following it into the Top Ten. When Nigel Harrison joined as a bassist, Infante switched to guitar, turning Blondie into a sextet.

Chrysalis paired Blondie with Mike Chapman, an Australian producer who cut his teeth with such fizzy glam rockers as the Sweet and Suzi Quatro. Chapman helped push Blondie in a pop direction on Parallel Lines, the album that proved to be their mainstream breakthrough. That success didn't happen suddenly. Initially, the album found an audience in Europe and England, with their cover of the Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone" making it into the U.K. Top Ten, but it remained a cult attraction in America until "Heart of Glass" turned into a career-making blockbuster. An old song given a sterling disco makeover, "Heart of Glass" topped the charts in both the U.S. and the U.K., turning Blondie into the first new wave superstars in the process. Subsequent Parallel Lines singles also benefitted from "Heart of Glass: "Sunday Girl" reached number one in the U.K., while "One Way or Another" became their second American hit, peaking at 24 (it would later become a pop perennial).

Blondie and Chapman reunited for Eat to the Beat, an album rushed out in the wake of Parallel Lines. It performed better in the U.K. than it did in the U.S.: "Dreaming" went to number two, while the LP topped out at 27 on Billboard. Blondie returned to number one with "Call Me," a disco collaboration with producer Giorgio Moroder. Cut quickly while on tour and showcased on the soundtrack to Paul Schrader's 1980 film American Gigolo, "Call Me" became a smash, spending six weeks at the top of the Billboard charts and reaching number one in the U.K. and Canada as well. "Call Me" helped push "Atomic" to number one in the U.K. (it just barely cracked the Billboard Top 40), by which time Blondie was working with Chapman on their next album, Autoamerican. Released at the end of the year, Autoamerican consolidated Blondie's success, with its first two singles, "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture," topping the Billboard charts. "Rapture" in particular helped forge new ground in how it incorporated rap and hip-hop into its new wave pulse.

Despite all this success, Blondie was plagued with internal problems that began to boil over during the sessions for Autoamerican. The group decided not to support the record with a tour, a break that allowed Harry to record her solo debut KooKoo with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic; in turn, Stein produced Miami, the second album by the Gun Club, and Destri made a solo album, Heart on a Wall. Blondie reconvened with Chapman to make The Hunter, a scattershot album that failed to generate any hits. Within months of its May 1982 release, Blondie broke up.

Over the next decade, Harry pursued a solo career, scoring minor British hits with "French Kissin" in 1986 and "I Want That Man" in 1989. That year, she and Stein ended their romantic partnership; they remained friends. Stein was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease pemphigus vulgaris in 1983. He continued to pursue his interest in photography in the '80s and '90s. During those decades, Burke and Destri were both in-demand session musicians.

The original Blondie lineup of Harry, Stein, Burke, Destri, and Valentine reunited in 1997 to play several shows, but by the time they released No Exit in 1999, Valentine was no longer part of the band. Supported by "Maria," an unexpected number one single in the U.K., No Exit performed well, peaking at three in the U.K. and 18 in the U.S. The Curse of Blondie didn't do as well in 2003 but it did generate the modest U.K. hit "Good Boys." Destri left the band in 2004, the same year Sanctuary released Live by Request. Blondie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

The band toured throughout the 2000s, adding bassist Leigh Foxx, guitarist Paul Carbonara, and keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen to the official lineup along the way; Tommy Kessler joined as a guitarist in 2010. This version of Blondie made its debut with Panic of Girls, a 2011 studio album initially released as an attachment to a collectible magazine in the U.K.; it would later be available on its own. A new album, Ghosts of Download, was released as part of Blondie 4(0) Ever, a 2014 set that also featured a disc of re-recordings of the band's greatest hits. Blondie continued to tour regularly in the 2010s, with the group releasing the full-length Pollinator in 2017; "Fun," its lead single, went to number one on Billboard's dance chart. Vivir en la Habana, a documentary of the band's Cuban residency, appeared in 2021, accompanied by a soundtrack EP to the film. Blondie released the mammoth archival project Against the Odds: 1974-1982, a box set containing everything the group recorded for Private Stock and Chrysalis, on Numero Records in 2022. Stein sat out Blondie's tour that year due to problems with his heart, while Foxx couldn't tour either, due to a back injury; they were replaced by Andee Blacksugar and Glen Matlock, respectively. It proved to be the last set of shows for Clem Burke, the only drummer to play on all of Blondie's albums, as died on April 6, 2025”.

It is exciting that we will get a new Blondie album. This is what NME wrote in their recent feature about High Noon: “Set for release on February 26 via BMG, the new record marks the 12th studio album from Debbie Harry and co., and the NYC rock icons’ first collection of new material in nine years. Visit here to pre-order. Set to combine their signature punk-rock sound with new inflections of dance music and Latin rhythms, the record features the final recordings of co-founder and drummer Clem Burke, who died last year following a battle with cancer. Across the 13 songs on ‘High Noon’, Harry and Chris Stein are joined by special guests including Johnny Marr, Glen Matlock, Zach Condon of Beirut, and Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius”. In anticipation of this new album, I have assembled the twenty songs which I think are Blondie’s very best. Or the songs that define them. With such a packed and wonderful catalogue to choose from, it was hard to narrow it down. It well and truly is…

AN embarrassment of riches.

FEATURE: Reelin’ in the Years: Songs from Albums Turning Fifty-Five in 2027

FEATURE:

 

 

Reelin’ in the Years

Songs from Albums Turning Fifty-Five in 2027

_________

IN this second part…

of an eleven-part run that spotlights albums that have big anniversaries next year, it takes me to 1972. Great L.P.s that are fifty-five in 2027. Among them are some real classics. Steely Dan’s debut, Can’t buy a Thrill, in addition to albums from David Bowie, Nick Drake, Aretha Franklin, and The Rolling Stones. I am not sure which year I am covering has the most genius albums. I suspect that it might be 1977, but then 1997 has a fair few, as did 1967. 1972 was no slouch either. Some of the best we have ever heard came out that year. I have included as many as I can, trying to get a good spread in terms of genres. Although you might not have been alive in 1972 when these albums came out – I certainly wasn’t -, they have endured and still sounds remarkable to this day. Take a listen to the mix below which assorts golden cuts from…

 

THE best 1972 had to offer.

 

FEATURE: A Day in the Life: Songs from Albums Turning Sixty in 2027

FEATURE:

 

 

A Day in the Life

Songs from Albums Turning Sixty in 2027

_________

AT this point of the year…

I do a series of features that celebrates albums that have big anniversaries next year. Many terrific albums turns sixty next year. The music of 1967 is right up there with the best of all time. I have compiled songs from the most important albums from 1967. In future features, I will look at albums that turn fifty-five, fifty, forty-five, forty, thirty-five, thirty, twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, ten and five in 2027. Perhaps the most iconic and greatest album of 1967 was The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. I do wonder how that will be marked. There will not be a remastered and reissued album, as that has already been done. Though it is worth marking a significant anniversary. Sitting alongside this masterpiece are plenty of other albums from 1967 that were either a critical or commercial success. You will recognise many, though there might be a few that are less familiar. Enjoy this mixtape that blends songs from…

THE best albums of 1967.