FEATURE: The BRIT Awards 2019: Part Two: Things Get a Bit International

FEATURE:

 

 

The BRIT Awards 2019

IMAGE CREDIT: @BRITs

Part Two: Things Get a Bit International

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THE nominations have come in for The BRIT Awards...

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Christine and the Queens (Héloïse Letissier)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

and we have a lot of quality in the running! I have already looked at the best British male and female categories alongside the albums. I now move on to the final part of the feature – where we check in with the singles, videos and international artists. I think 2018 was a bumper year for music and so many great records came out. I feel British artists have helped define the year but so many international treasures have had their say. When the ceremony happens in a month, I cannot wait to see which artists walk away with the prizes. It is hard to predict who will win and that is part of the beauty: who can ever tell whether the expected favourite wins or an underdog steals the show! I have collated the final categories and everyone nominated. 2019’s BRIT Awards are more diverse than last year’s and (the nominations) cover a lot of ground. Here are the runner and, at the end of each category, I look at those I feel will walk away with the prize.

ALL IMAGES/PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): @BRITs

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British Single

This is a really interesting and broad category and one that is hard to call. The same can be said of every category but the singles market is full and frantic. It is hard enough narrowing down to a shortlist let alone predicting who the winner will be. There are ten names in the list and there are cool singles from Anne-Marie, Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa; Clean Bandit (ft. Demi Lovato), Dua Lipa, George Ezra; Jess Glynne, RAMZ; Rudimental (with guests), Sigala and Paloma Faith and Tom Walker. I think there is a lot of quality in the running but there are two British singles that stand out. Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa streamed by the bucket-load with One Kiss and Dua Lipa ruled with IDGAF. Jess Glynne might win with I’ll Be There and there is an outside shot with Tom Walker. I think it will be hard to predict but that is because there are two or three very strong songs. It will be between Dua Lipa and the Calvin Harris/Dua Lipa blend. In any case, it seems like Dua Lipa is in with pretty good odds! She has been overlooked in a lot of categories and this is her time to shine. She did win big last year so it is not that shocking she is nominated less this year. I think the singles market is an important one and we tend to think everything is about albums. Maybe, in fact, singles are more important than albums and the British crop are standing apart.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa/PHOTO CREDIT: @DUALIPA

Predicted Winner: Dua Lipa - IDGAF

International Male Solo Artist

The BRIT Awards is not only about British artists. That might sound odd but you cannot have an award show that just focuses on the one nation. I like the international categories and think some of the best winners are taking from them. That is not to say British music lacks compared to nations like the U.S. but it is good having that diversity. Drake has been in the news for the wrong reasons recently but his album, Scorpion (2018), proved popular with fans and critics. It might not be his finest work but Drake’s popularity means he will be among the favourites for the award. Kamasi Washington is a welcome addition to the category and feel that The BRITS is diversifying in terms of genre. Including a Jazz record/artist is a big step and I feel like Washington will be in with a shout. Heaven & Earth is a remarkable record and I feel Washington created one of 2018’s very best. Eminem has been busy in the past year and his most recent album, Kamikaze, was a quick response to 2017’s Revival. Shawn Mendes and Travis Scott are nominated and might be worth an outside bet. I do not feel either will win the award but the fact Mendes’ eponymous scored well with critics might put him in the running. It is going to be a tight call between Kamasi Washington and Eminem but it will be interesting seeing who gets the actual award. I have my own idea...

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IN THIS PHOTO: Eminem/PHOTO CREDIT: @Eminem

Predicted Winner: Eminem

International Female Solo Artist

Like the British equivalent; I love the female category because I think there is more diversity and quality to be found. I cannot believe how quality-laden this category is and it is probably the hardest one to predict. It has been a great year for Christine and the Queens and Janelle Monáe. The former released Chris and it is a remarkable album! I love the record and it is one of the very best of 2018. I think she will win the award but Monáe’s Dirty Computer was another big album. Monáe has been announced for Glastonbury whereas Christine and the Queens have been touring heavily. Cardi B produced Invasion of Privacy last year and it was another stunning album. I feel that record put her ahead of peers like Nicki Minaj and she has definitely stepped up her game. Camila Cabello is not to overlooked and her 2018 album, Camila, is a wonderful thing. It is full of fresh rhythms and instant songs. It might be worth putting some money on her but I think it will be between two names this year. I like the fact Ariana Grande has been recognised and many argue she made the biggest impact to music last year. It has been tough in many ways but she responded with excellent music. Sweetener was another big album from last year and one that sparred with the biggest Pop offerings. This is a really important category and one that will be watched very closely.

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Predicted Winner: Christine and the Queens

International Group

In terms of sheer scope and variation, this is a hard one to beat! Again, like British groups, there is a lack of big guitars and anthemic choruses. That is not to say music has gone in the wrong direction but it is clear other sounds are making ground. Twenty One Pilots have been booked for Readings and Leeds this year but I do not think they will win this award. Nile Rodgers & Chic are an unusual inclusion but I think it is worthy! It’s About Time was the last album from them and was a great addition to last year. I think The BRITS have lacked diversity through the years so including some Funk and Disco-styled music is a good thing. It will be down to three names when it comes to taking away this award. BROCKHAMPTON released iridescence last year and it was one of those underground albums that did not get the exposure it warranted. The reviews it did pick up were warm and encouraging and I would not be shocked to see BROCKHAMPTON win this prize. The Carters and First Aid Kit will be the ones to watch. EVERYTHING IS LOVE was the collaboration between Beyoncé and Jay-Z and had a lot of expectation on its shoulders. It is not as fine as each artist’s best solo works but it is a passionate and tremendous record. I do not know whether The Carters cannot be considered a ‘group’ but I would like to see the duo walk away with the award, maybe. First Aid Kit are a favourite of mine and they are worth watching. Ruins was a great album from them last year and completes a very eclectic award category!

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IN THIS PHOTO: The Carters/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Predicted Winner: The Carters

British Video

There are some repeats from the single category so it would not be unexpected to see the winner of one win the other. Anne-Marie’s 2002 gets another nod as does Dua Lipa for IDGAF and One Kiss (with Calvin Harris). I like the Dua Lipa videos but feel that they are not as memorable as the singles themselves. Maybe it is hard to translate the songs into inventive videos but they are not bad by any stretch of the imagination. I think Anne-Marie is in with a better shout and 2002’s video stands up on its own feet. It might not be the best video of 2018 but it is a very solid one and I think she stands a very good chance. This year’s awards is recognising, in singles and videos, collaborations. Jax Jones and Ina Wroldsen united for Breathe and its video certainly accrued a lot of views. Jonas Blue and Jack & Jack united for Rise but did not provide the best video around – I do wonder whether there are better videos that could have made the cut. A more appealing and engaging video came from Liam Payne and Rita Ora. Although the single, For You, is not especially terrific, the video is stronger and at least provides a bit of interest. This category is heavily weighted to the Pop end of the spectrum and the inclusion of Little Mix and Nicki Minaj for Woman Like Me is no shock. Rita Ora’s Let Me Love You video is better than the effort with Liam Payne. I think it will be a close call between her video and that from Anne-Marie. Rudimental’s These Days is a strong video but I cannot see it winning the award. The video category is important and the dominance of Pop shows what the voting panel are interested in. I have a couple of names in the top spots but I feel Anne-Marie will win it.

Predicted Winner: Anne-Marie – 2002

FEATURE: The BRIT Awards 2019: Part One: Ladies, Gentlemen and Brilliant British Albums

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The BRIT Awards 2019

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IMAGE CREDIT: @BRITs 

Part One: Ladies, Gentlemen and Brilliant British Albums

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THE nominations have come in for The BRIT Awards...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Anne-Marie has been nominated for four BRIT Awards (including British Female)/PHOTO CREDIT: Spotify

and there are some great names in the list (the ceremony takes place on Wednesday, 20th February). Past years have seen many criticise the rather Pop-orientated nature and the fact that it seems to reflect what’s in the charts and nothing else. I do wonder how much we pay attention to music award shows and whether they hold the same weight as they used to. Maybe some are homogenised and it can be quite galling seeing the genuine best overlooked in favour of something more commercial and Pop-facing. I agree that The BRITS have suffered from that single-minded attention to Pop and not really diversified. The past couple of years have rectified this and we are seeing improvement. This year’s nominations are available for all to see and showcase a diverse mix of artists and tastes. It is interesting to see how the award show has grown the past couple of years and the fact the outlook is a lot better. There are a range of categories and I already have my feelings regarding the best and brightest. I shall provide some predications regarding each award but feel that all the nominated acts deserve their place and it good to see The BRIT Awards reflecting a diverse music scene and drawing attention to a wider range.

ALL IMAGES: @BRITs

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British Breakthrough Act

I feel like this category could widen a bit and you could throw a few more names into the mix! The five names nominated this year are IDLES, Ella Mai; Jorja Smith, Mabel and Tom Walker. I feel like it has been a great time for new artists and we are seeing more and more terrific sounds flood the market. I think Ella Mai has had a great year but do feel like her time is around the corner. Her eponymous album was released last year and received some warm praise. I like the sound she is producing but feel that her best work is a couple of years away. She is one to keep an eye out for. I think Jorja Smith is more formed and seems like she has hit her stride right away. Her Mercury-nominated debut, Lost & Found, scored some big reviews and, while there are nods to Amy Winehouse in the vocals, she is an original artist who is producing some sumptuous, fantastic and soulful tracks. She is a British star that will continue to make music for a long time. Mabel and Tom Walker have both had great years (2018). Mabel’s Ivy to Roses (Mixtape) drew in a few collaborators but the abiding and standout voice was hers. You would not expect anything less from Neneh Cherry’s daughter and I feel like Mabel is one of those artists who will forge her own path and build a huge fanbase. Tom Walker has released a few singles and has an intriguing sound. His recent track, Just You and I, is full of life and energy and I think Walker will enjoy a long career. I think IDLES have had a sensation past few years. Their debut, Brutalism, came out in 2017 and was denied of some much-deserved awards. Last year’s Joy as an Act of Resistance. scored massive love and their tour demands are through the roof! The band has a lot of dates coming up around the world and they are storming it right now. Their album reflected the sort of tensions we all have and delivered big messages with plenty of heart and humour.

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Predicted Winner: IDLES

British Male Solo Act

This is a hard one to call and there is definitely a good mixture in there! I think Aphex Twin have been around a long time and it would be unusual to see them win the award. I am not sure whether the panel are looking for the best British artist from the year (2018) or looking to address those who have the most potential. I love Aphex Twin and their Collapse EP received a lot of new love. It is a fantastic work but not as good as their classic output. It would be good to see them win, mind. Craig David and George Ezra are nominated and they have both produced great work recently. Ezra’s album, Staying at Tamara’s, proved popular and seemed like a maturation. I am not a huge fan of his but think his popularity is well earned and he is someone who can produce simple and charming songs that get under the skin. Craig David is another one of those established acts and released The Time Is Now last year. The man has not put out a great deal of work the past few years but he is definitely back on the scene and has always had a place in the market. I like the fact he has not repeated the sound of his early days but definitely has retained that core. Giggs and Sam Smith seem more likely to win the award. Smith released his last album, The Thrill of It All, in 2017 and has been busy since then. Wamp 2 Dem was Giggs’ last album back in 2017 so, although neither has released albums in 2018, they are definitely in the mindset and big artists. This will be a tough category to call and there is a great variation in there. I like the mix of established acts and newcomers and it will be good to see the award go to legends like Aphex Twin – I do not feel they will scoop it. It is a good award for a British male to win because it will aid their career and see them gain a new audience.

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Predicted Winner: Sam Smith

British Female Solo Act

This is a category I am more invested in and I am always keen to highlight fantastic female artists. Many assume the best female acts are American but it is obvious we have some great talent in this country. Two artists who have been nominated before are Anne-Marie and Jess Glynne. Speak Your Mind was released late last year and scored great reviews. It is her most confident and rounded work and many noted a maturity and rise in quality. Anne-Marie has produced great music since the start of her career but it seems like she has hit her peak form. Given the big reaction to her album, would you count against her winning the converted prize?! Many might be confused by the fact Dua Lipa – who won the award last year – is not included. Jess Glynne’s inclusion is understandable because she continues to score big hits and reign. Always In Between was released last year and got some fair praise. Whilst not as strong as some of her other work, it is a solid album and had enough quality in there to keep her fans happy. Jorja Smith is back on the list and feel she could turn heads at The BRITS next month. Certainly, she is very different to the Pop names who have won in the past and the fact she was nominated for a Mercury last year means she has the backing of the industry. I am not shocked to see a fellow Mercury nominee Lily Allen in there. She is always in our minds and last year’s No Shame talked about personal struggles and really delved deep. Although Allen missed out on a Mercury, could this be rectified by The BRITS?! I feel, given her reputation and past work, you can never bet against her. Again, another Mercury nominee is on the list – in the form of Florence + the Machine. It makes things tough to call and I feel this category will be one of the very hardest to predict. I feel there is more strength in the female category (compared to the men) and this is really tricky. I love Florence + the Machine and always buy her records. I do wonder which way this award will go and whether a more mainstream artist like Jess Glynne is preferred over someone like Jorja Smith.

Predicted Winner: Jorja Smith

British Group

This is another eclectic and interesting category. I think there are some great British groups but many say it is solo artists dominating right now! That said, we have some established artists in the running. Gorillaz will be among the favourites to win this and after releasing The Now Now last year, they have fresh material out there. I feel this album is one of their stronger works so it means one could easily see them winning the award. Talk about a rise in popularity and The 1975 are in your mind. They released A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships late last year and it was one of the contenders for the best album of 2018. I feel the sheer celebration that record received will tip the scales their way but there is a lot of competition. Little Mix continue to put out interesting work and have recently spoken out against body-shaming and Piers Morgan. It is clear they have a strong voice and are keen to say something important through their work. Last year’s LM5 gained respectful reviews and it is a potent Pop album. Years & Years are a great band who continues to grow so I do wonder whether this will be their year. Last year’s Palo Santo scored big respect and it would be good to see that translate into awards. Many will have their own opinions but there is that split between the more commercial Pop side and artists like Gorillaz. One notices the lack of guitars in the line-up and I do wonder whether tastes have changed and we will see a return to the past. I like the fact band music has changed but am concerned there is a lack of great guitar bands in the country. Arctic Monkeys are also nominated and last year’s Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino did get a Mercury nod. I think they are one of the best bands we have in the country but wonder whether their slight change of musical direction will affect their chances. Their latest record is terrific but many were divided and felt it was not as rewarding and great as their classic records.

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Predicted Winner: The 1975

Mastercard British Album of the Year

Aside from the corporate sponsor attached to this award – I guess Hyundai sponsoring the Mercury is no different! – it is a great category! The 1975’s A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships faces Anne-Marie’s Speak Your Mind; Florence + the Machine’s High as Hope goes against George Ezra’s Staying at Tamara’s and Lost & Found from Jorja Smith. I like the fact there is consistency and we are seeing the same artists appear in different categories. It means there is a consistency but I wonder whether overlooking the Arctic Monkeys is wise. I guess you have to draw a line but it is still a rich and interesting category. I feel like the outsiders will be George Ezra and Jorja Smith. I would love Smith to win and feel her album is incredible but there are three names that stand out. The 1975 got a lot of focus with A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships and Anne-Marie’s latest record is her best. Florence + the Machine continue to produce fantastic music and Florence Welch is one of the best songwriters in the country. It is another tricky award to call but I do think there is a clear winner. Whoever wins the award, it shows there is a varied and great scene in Britain and our best artists are stepping up. I do like the fact that The BRITS are recognising female artists more and the fact the majority of the names in this category are female is a good shout. This category will be hotly-contested and I feel like the bookies will struggle to decide. I feel there is only one who can win this one, mind...

Predicted Winner: The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

FEATURE: Love, Simplicity and Racial Revolution: A Reign Supreme: Motown at Sixty

FEATURE:

 

 

Love, Simplicity and Racial Revolution

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IN THIS PHOTO: Diana Ross & The Supremes outside Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit, MI in 1965/PHOTO CREDIT: Art Shay

A Reign Supreme: Motown at Sixty

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A lot of genres and eras in music come and go...

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Marvelettes scored Motown’s first number-one on the Billboard Magazine Hot 100 with Please Mister Postman on 11th December, 1961/PHOTO CREDIT: Billboard

and we are never that bothered. I still miss Disco and Grunge but realise the former was maligned by many and the latter was part of a specific time in history. We still have bits of both these genres existent today but music trends and waves come and go. It is right to celebrate their births and mark their anniversaries. There are few times in music more important than Motown. What I mean is the start of Motown is one of the most important in music history. Sixty years ago today, this wonderful and hugely instrumental brand came along. It is hard to know whether Motown was a genre, label or phenomenon. I guess it is a bit of all three but, in any case, 12th January, 1959 saw something truly exceptional occur. Many were not expecting something so wonderful and fresh at the end of the 1950s. The decade did see artists like Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley shine but I associated that decade with some good Pop, Doo-Wop but few standout moments. The 1960s provided greater strength and genius and Motown sort of arrived at the right time. Not only did Motown play a vital role when it came to inter-racial assimilation at the time but it was the first time an African-owned label gained mainstream acknowledgment. Before then, there was a dominance of white labels and genres: Motown changed everything and helped bring about social change and important integration.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: The Miracles (among their string of Motown hits was 1961’s Shop Around)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Motown built off of Pop and Soul and sort of blended them together – it gained remarkable success for a small label and had seventy-nine records in the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100 between 1960 and 1969. We look back at the 1960s and associate it with bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones. We think of Bob Dylan and a lot of artists that cover distinct genres – Folk, Pop and Rock. We all know about those epic 1960s-released albums and the artists who defined the time. Berry Gordy Jr. established the Motown label but could not have imagined the success it went on to have and the fact that people would be talking about it sixty years later! Detroit is not short of musical genius – given the Garage-Rock movement and how many artists come from there – but Motown is synonymous with the Michigan city. Gordy relocated to L.A. after the Detroit Riots of 1967 but nobody can deny Motown is a Detroit sound. By the 1990s, Motown had changed and been sold but its legacy and relevance is crucial. Let’s go back to the start. The BBC chart the start of Motown and define its sound:

“On 12 January 1959, the music sensation that changed America – and the world beyond it – was set in motion. Detroit-born 29-year-old Berry Gordy founded Tamla Records with an $800 loan from his family’s collective savings. By the following year, he’d merge this into the Motown Record Corporation: an independent empire that would seal its genuinely iconic status, introducing legends including The Jackson 5; Diana Ross and The Supremes; Stevie Wonder; Smokey Robinson; Marvin Gaye; Martha and The Vandellas; The Commodores and many others among its hundreds of signings...

Sixty years on, Motown’s classic catalogue remains ubiquitous and influential: forming a blueprint for modern soul and pop successes, from girl groups to hit singer-songwriters; sampled on countless hip hop and dance anthems and covered by acts of every genre. On its anniversary, the music is celebrated in the book Motown: The Sound of Young America by Adam White with Barney Ales (Thames & Hudson) – filled with rarely seen and previously unpublished photos”.

The Motown sound influenced and guided artists from 1959 and you can hear its legacy today. Maybe we do not have bands like The Temptations and The Supremes but that is not to say we have forgotten the lessons and dynamics of the label. In many ways, mind, Motown seems to be very different to the modern scene. The Motown label pushed this tight, punchy and spirited songs; the aim was for artists to write, produce and be as authentic as possible – something we should remember today, where the mainstream is become less punchy, concentrated and personal. That desire for artists to be able to dance, sing and produce sounds rigid and strict but it was designed to ensure the music we were hearing had heart, soul and (that artist’s) stamp. A lot of artists made the label a huge force but few came bigger than The Miracles. The BBC article picks up the story:

“The Miracles would become Motown’s first million-selling recording artists. The first of scores of Motown number one singles was delivered by teen girl group The Marvelettes: 1961’s Please Mr Postman had Gladys Horton on lead vocals and backing from Motown’s ultra-sharp house band The Funk Brothers (including Marvin Gaye on drums); like countless Motown gems, it would also inspire major cover versions – in this case, by the likes of The Beatles and The Carpenters”.

Motown’s boom and popularity peaked by 1967 and that coincided with the riots in Detroit. Motown was rare because it was a black-owned label with multi-racial staff. Civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped raise awareness of inequality and bring about change but, in musical terms, Motown was key and huge. Racism and a lack of opportunity for black artists would rear its head in the 1970s and 1980s but Motown helped break down barriers and see some of the best black artists of the day in the mainstream. Gordy set up the Motown label with a solid ethos: to write songs for every race and make everyone feel good. Motown certainly achieved that and took the world by storm. That is not to say Pop and mainstream sounds before then lacked heart and smile but Motown threw something new into the mix. Funkiness, soulful grooves and these brilliantly tight and catchy songs got the world dancing and remain classics to this day. Motown was as much about promoting love and peace as it was a simple and effective style of music. Have we seen a label/genre arrive that, at its heart, was about love and making everyone come together?! It is amazing to think that, if we tried today, the notion would be shot down and mocked. Motown was not all about general themes like love and harmony: political anthems would emerge once Motown’s superiority was established by 1970. Edwin Starr (War) and The Temptations (Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today) would deliver political directives and these hugely powerful songs.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images/Spotify

Marvin Gaye (What’s Going On) and Stevie Wonder (Innervisions) put out albums that talked about political corruption, racial tensions and rivalries. Maybe Motown’s sound and stable changed after the 1970s and the label relocated to Los Angeles. Big stars like Michael Jackson had moved to other labels by the 1980s but the kindred spirit and family connection remained strong. Every Motown anniversary is important but now, for its sixtieth, something great is happening in Detroit – as this article shows:

“The Sound of Young America now has 60 candles on its birthday cake. And in Detroit, the party is just getting started.

Motown is celebrating its diamond anniversary in 2019, marking 60 years since Berry Gordy Jr. founded the company that became a musical, cultural and commercial force inextricably linked to the city, right down to the name.

The anniversary will bring a series of high-profile hometown events led by the Motown Museum, including a new exhibit, a spring block party and a celebrity-studded Motown 60 Weekend in the fall.

The birthday is officially Saturday: On Jan. 12, 1959, Gordy secured $800 from a family co-op fund to start his independent record company.

But the Motown anniversary campaign will be a yearlong affair, including global initiatives by Motown Records and Capitol Music Group, the latest corporate parent since Gordy sold the label in 1988. It will be a year that honors Detroit stars now gone and the luminaries still with us — working alumni such as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Mary Wilson and Martha Reeves, along with groups such as the Temptations and Four Tops, helmed by respective founding members Otis Williams and Duke Fakir”.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr./PHOTO CREDIT: Forbes/Getty Images

I love Motown and get a great feeling when listening to a golden hit from its stable. As from 2011, Universal Motown was separate from Universal Motown Republic Group. It is not the same label as was set up in 1959 but artists from the Universal Motown label have been transferred to the revitalised Motown label. It is a subsidiary of Capitol Records but it is good to see the Motown name operating and surviving to this day. I love the fact there were these divisions and different Motown camps. We had Tamla Records that was established in 1959 and was in operation a couple of months before the Motown Record Corporation. The label was merged with Motown in 1988 but the stable gave us Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and Stevie Wonder. Motown Records, established in 1960, was purchased by MCA in 1988 but gave us Michael Jackson, Four Tops and Lionel Richie. The appetite and desire for Motown is still around today. In 2011, President Barack Obama hosted a star-studded Motown Gala at the White House; Gordy’s biography led to the Motown the Musical it made its way from Broadway to London’s West End. Even though we do not have the same pedigree as the 1950s-1980s; it is clear people still love Motown and the label’s reputation will never fade. My personal favourite Motown track is Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone from The Temptations.

It was written by Motown hit-makers Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for The Undisputed Truth in 1971. The Temptations took the song to number-one late in 1972 and it remains one of the most instant and icon Motown songs. Why has Motown endured and why has its name extended beyond the music itself? Was it a well-timed offering or was the simple philosophy of Motown too hard to resist? I will make one last trip to the BBC article and leave the final offering to Berry Gordy Jr.

“There is something else that explains the enduring power of Motown. Gordy, recalling a tour of the American South, said that “despite the hostility and racism we faced, we knew we were bringing joy to people. The audiences were segregated. The venues had a rope down the middle of the audience separating blacks from whites, but soon the rope was gone and black kids and white kids were dancing together to the same music. It created a bond that echoed throughout the world”.

Not only should we spin some classic Motown to celebrate sixty years but take to heart the spirit and aim of the label. How often do we talk about love and compassion in music today? Is there the same simplicity and joy as we got from Motown? I think we could revive a great time and corner of music that produced some of our very finest artists. As we end the day, let’s raise a glass to Berry Gordy Jr. and...

 IN THIS PHOTO: A group of Motown recording artists and employees, c. 1962-1963 (from left to right: Stevie Wonder, Eddie Kendricks; Uriel Jones (on step), Elbridge Bryant; Otis Williams, Esther Gordy (unconfirmed); Paul Williams, (unknown); Melvin Franklin, Diana Ross; Robert Bullock, Patrice Gordy; Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

A revolutionary record label!

FEATURE: BBC Radio 6 Music’s New Evolution: Weekend Breakfast with RadMac

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BBC Radio 6 Music’s New Evolution

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IN THIS PHOTO: Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie are the new weekend breakfast presenters on BBC Radio 6 Music (Maconie is doing it solo until Radcliffe returns next month)/PHOTO CREDIT: @BBC6Music  

Weekend Breakfast with RadMac

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ONE of the saddest announcements of last year...

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 IN THIS PHOTO: A disguised Mark Radcliffe makes sure he is present for the final RadMac show of 2018/PHOTO CREDIT: @BBC6Music

was that Stuart Maconie and Mark Radcliffe were moving from their afternoon slot during the week and were heading to weekend breakfast. In some ways, it seemed like a bit of a punishment. It is like demoting someone and putting them to a less popular slot; they cannot cause trouble and are out of harm’s way. Another sad thing was hearing their final weekday show last December. They ended things with dignity and positivity – they were not leaving but merely moving – but the fact Mark Radcliffe was recovery from his throat cancer treatment brought a lump to my throat. Wonderfully, he made a brief return to the show in the form of a snowman! With his voice a little sore and hoarse still, it was still the same Radcliffe we all know and love – just a bit unwell and on the road to recovery. Hearing him back on the air made that decision to move ‘RadMac’ to weekends – how could they do this to a much-loved radio partnership?! The BBC had their rationale I am sure – beats me what it is! – but they kept that at the station at least. I was a bit teary hearing the final moments of the weekday show and knowing the two of them would not be in their natural place made me very cross. It was with a cheer and sense of relief that we welcomed the duo back – one-half of it, at least – to radio this morning.

Hearing Stuart Maconie present the first of the weekend breakfast shows was strange but instantly familiar! His voice was not in tip-top shape (recovering from a cold) and that was a fact that was slightly mocked by a welcomed caller during the show! As with Shaun Keaveny and Lauren Laverne opening their accounts – I did not have time to review Mary Anne Hobbs’ inaugural show – that all-important first song was studied. Many people were guessing and wondering what it could be. Laverne opened with Prince whilst Keaveny went for Arctic Monkeys. I know Maconie would opt for something with some swagger from the 1990s. Given the fact that was a ripe and bounteous decade for guitar music, the list of available songs was certainly long! I think he gave some cryptic clues on his Twitter leading up to the show and mistakenly said that a clue would be found above a library in Aberystwyth – the opening line of A Design for Life was unveiled by the band at the Cardiff Central Library. It was a minor factual error but not one that stopped people getting the correct answer! It was a perfect opener to the show, too. If Maconie had gone with something Freak Zone-esque (he presents his Freak Zone on BBC Radio 6 Music) then the tone would have been wrong. If he has chosen something modern then, I feel, that would have not been quite up to the grade. A classic slice of Manics gave us all a lift and a song we could belt out!

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson is the new voice of The Chain/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Hearing a croaky Maconie welcome us in gave me the shock of my life – thinking he was seriously ill too! I can only imagine how strange it was for him to wake up at God knows what time and traipse to MediaCity in the dark. The fact he is use to waking up at a sensible time and arriving to work in the daylight means this new show was already a bit strange. Armed with some breakfast treats – Twitter photos showed us some orange juice and croissants – he went on with it and laid out the stall. We knew The Chain was carrying over (Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson is the new voice of The Chain; Diane Morgan fills in for Kirsty Young regarding the interstitials/humorous links) and it would have been a mistake scrapping such a long-running institution. (Tea Time Theme Time also survives but we will hear that tomorrow). The music played was a reliably mixed and quality-heavy assortment. It was business as usual in that respect and apart from a slightly more uplifted tone and a few more morning-appropriate bangers...it was the same show in terms of the tunes. The tunes were big and Maconie would play everyone from Dr. Dre and The xx to Stealing Sheep – one of my favourite bands of the moment! The first part of the show was certainly eventful. I was expecting Maconie to be bleary-eyed and stumble through a few links; get lots wrong and be a bit moody...I would be if I was having to adapt to this ungodly waking time!

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 IN THIS IMAGE: The Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, was discussed by Clare Crane and Stuart Maconie in This Week in Music (it did sterling business at the Golden Globes where it was noted, by Crane, it is the lowest-rated (by critics) film to win Best Picture since 1986/IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

Illness be damned - it was a humorous, warm and humble open. People were getting in touch to offer praise and support for the new show. One of the oddest moments of the show came when Maconie played Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield. That was not the odd bit: the fact it was cut short was the baffling bit. The decision to play the song sounded ration to me: another diverse turn so the show was fresh and covered a broad spectrum. I half-expected to hear the news the Queen had died when Maconie arrived unexpectedly quick on the microphone. I am not sure if a producer had stepped in or they got a phone call from the bosses as soon as the song was played. Apparently, it was not ‘appropriate’! If he had played a profanity-laden Eminem song then that’s fair but what was wrong about Tubular Bells?! Maybe the higher-ups felt the tone was too creepy or wrong for a morning show (let’s hope this is not the sort of sh*t that the duo will have to endure as they take to weekend mornings!). The fact they have been screwed regarding their time slot and now have management breathing down their necks made me angry. Maconie handled it well and played The xx instead – I would have preferred a bit of Oldfield to be fair!

Plenty of delight soon came in. A first caller on The Chain kicked things off well (if a little timid at times) and it was good to see this well-liked and established part of RadMac make the move. I was keeping my ears out for new features and we would get a couple. One was This Week in Music with Clare Crane; the other was Sampled Underfoot (where an original song was played and then a song that samples that one...a clever and nice idea). I shall come to those but a welcomed and much-missed voice soon came on the phone – a certain Mark Radcliffe. Not as croaky and tired as he sounded before Christmas, it was good to hear the friends chat again. Radcliffe was, as you’d expect, in sparkling form and very funny. He mocked Radcliffe for sounding rougher than him and proposed a new idea in the show whereby they would each drink a pint of lager during a song – I forget the names he gave for the concept but it will come to me! Radcliffe has a new dog, Ziggy, that has put some pep in his step and he (Radcliffe) sounded very fresh and excited to come back – we were told an early-February return is more than a possibility. Looking at a photo posted of him, he looked very fresh and good right now. I guess the fact Mark Radcliffe is almost back with us sort of makes up for the fact that the beloved weekday show was bumped down the ladder!

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Clare Crane, a fixture of the afternoon show, presents This Week in Music on weekend breakfasts/PHOTO CREDIT: @CraneClare

I like the new feature involving Clare Crane. I felt the daily news was a little overkill weekdays. On Shaun Keaveny’s breakfast show, Matt Everitt or Georgie Rogers would deliver the news and then, a few hours later, we would get the same from Clare Crane or Elizabeth Alker. It was good for those who missed the original news but was not really giving Crane or Alker the chance to offer anything new. Now, with This Week in Music, it was a chance for Crane and Maconie to chat about news stories that had cropped up the week before. They chatted about the threat to HMV’s future and made some good points regarding a Guardian article that dismissed the purpose and importance of the music giants; taking to task the somewhat sanctimonious and snotty tone of the piece. They talked about David Bowie – last week marked the three years since he died and his seventy-second birthday – and it was good to see a more in-depth discussion and Clare Crane given the chance to offer her own opinions. I like the feature and feel there is plenty of material to draw from. I am not sure whether she is back tomorrow morning but I guess she will be! A humbling aspect of the new show was people, such as myself, waking up early to catch it.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Mark Radcliffe with his new dog, Ziggy/PHOTO CREDIT: @themarkrad

One might assume the only people up at that time were drunks and the insane but there are plenty of people who listen to the breakfast show because they want to start the day right. A 7-10 A.M. burst of Radcliffe and Maconie sounds like a brilliant way to get the weekend kicking! I cannot wait to hear what comes tomorrow and see the return of Tea Time Theme Time. The music, as I said, was the usual blend of new and old; perhaps with a slight emphasis on keeping things upbeat and not dropping the pace too much. The best aspects of the new weekend breakfast show was the comparative freedom Maconie was given. Apart from stuffy corporate noses objectifying to some Exorcist-scoring sounds from earlier, the show felt quite loose and not like management hands were controlling everything. I felt, at times, the afternoon show was being moulded too much or there were ears and eyes closely monitoring. I suppose weekend breakfast is a different cup of tea and there is a bit less pressure. Anyone expecting nerves or any sort of radical change would have been left disappointed. I love the fact Stuart Maconie provided a dignified, solid and interesting start to the new slot. Not many breakfast shows are genuinely funny, charming and varied so it is a benefit to have Radcliffe and Maconie leading the ship.

I love the fact regular features are sitting alongside a couple of new ones. I do wonder whether one more new addition might complete the set. It does not need to be too radical but I think there is scope for another feature or song-related segment. Maybe that is all to come but one can have no grumbles regarding the new weekend breakfast show. The addition of Mark Radcliffe’s voice provided us with cheer and comfort and the entire three hours whizzed by! For those looking to adapt from the familiarity of the weekday afternoon show and its pace wouldn’t have taken too long to get behind the new breakfast show. I guess Stuart Maconie will get used to the dark start and early alarm call but I was so pleased to hear him back. When he and Mark Radcliffe re-join forces in a few weeks, it will be the first time we have heard them both on the microphone for a whole show in months. I feel all of the BBC Radio 6 Music D.J.s changing slots – Lauren Laverne, Shaun Keaveny; Mary Anne Hobbs and our weekend breakfast hosts – have done really great shows and they sound natural. It will take a few more weekends before we are in the groove and fully converted by the opening show was a triumph. Stuart Maconie spoke with Will Poulter (who plays Colin Ritman) from Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and it was a nice piece. Poulter was articulate, warm and interesting and talked about the new show, his decision to take time away from Twitter and his love of Hip-Hop.

One of the biggest losses is that regular interview segment of the RadMac show. I love their interviews and, through the years, we heard some classics! Given the early hour of the show, it is hard to recruit people. That said, Lauren Laverne is interviewing and, if someone came in after 9 A.M., then it allows them plenty of time to get up! I hope there will be some in-studio interviews because I love the way Radcliffe and Maconie bond with their guests – so long as there is not a Father John Misty-like guest coming in, that is! It is still early and I hope as much of the afternoon show gets transferred across. It is full respect to Stuart Maconie who has helmed most of the shows himself since Mark Radcliffe’s hiatus. I hope they present the first show back together in February but I know Maconie will need a breather in a bit! Many people were wondering whether the new RadMac show would be a different beast to the one we know and love. There is always going to be suffering and loss – the fact they are only on two times a week is the biggest problem. I like that there are no major alterations and there is chance for great features, eclectic music and lighthearted chat. I got up early to listen in and so glad I did!

I’m still a bit pissed about the Tubular Bells one-eighty but everything else was spot-on. Maybe an extra feature would do well – there are plenty of ideas that come to mind – and the decision to retain The Chain is a good one. By the end of the three hours, it was like Stuart Maconie was never away and one of BBC Radio 6 Music’s best voices was back at MediaCity. I do wonder what Maconie will do during the week and I feel like BBC Radio 6 Music could give him an extra show – it seems harsh that a decades-inspiring broadcaster and journalist is just doing weekend breakfast and The Freak Zone. Most of us end the working week with depressive enervation and a need for a huge boost. Stuart Maconie provided that this morning and it will be great to hear Mark Radcliffe back in the fold soon enough! Given the success of the first breakfast show, we are all going to tune in tomorrow and get another burst of goodness! The fact we do not get to hear Radcliffe and Maconie five times every week is a crime and I hope the BBC heads realise the negative reaction to the move – in the sense we all wanted them to stay where they were! – was justified. There are fewer finer broadcaster around and they deserve more than just the weekend. I have every faith Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie will find their way back to weekdays/evenings very soon but, on the first weekend breakfast outing, Stuart Maconie gave us a...

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Stuart Maconie enjoying a healthy breakfast before his first weekend show/PHOTO CREDIT: @BBC6Music

TRULY wonderful and memorable show.

FEATURE: Sisters in Arms: An All-Female, Winter-Ready Playlist (Vol. IV)

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

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IN THIS PHOTO: cupcakKe 

An All-Female, Winter-Ready Playlist (Vol. IV)

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WE have passed into January...

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IN THIS PHOTO: Jerry Williams/PHOTO CREDIT: SHOT BY PHOX

and there is a lot of great new music out. I have been stunned by the explosion of great sounds that have come in the past couple of weeks. Because there are so many female-led tracks out now, I am excited and have collated some of the very best. In this latest instalment, there is a range of genres and tastes that will keep you entertained. Take a listen to these winter-ready songs that will warm the body and keep you comforted. We have some emotional tracks and belters that showcase the sheer talent out there right now. Sit back, have a gander and enjoy this sprinkling of...

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IN THIS PHOTO: Self Esteem/PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Patmore

GREAT new tracks.  

ALL PHOTOS (unless stated otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

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Cat Delphi – Feelings

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PHOTO CREDIT: Julien Mignot

Nili Hadida – Another Drink

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YVA – Pink Lemonade

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PHOTO CREDIT: SHOT BY PHOX

Jerry Williams - David at the Bar            

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Lucy Rose – Conversation

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Self Esteem – The Best

whenyoung – Never Let Go

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cupcakKe – Squidward Nose

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Broods – Hospitalized

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Alaina Cross – Backstabber (Who’s Laughing Now)

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Jaira Burns – Numb

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Madeline Merlo – Unravelling

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Olivia Lane – Hey 3AM

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Amaal – Not What I Thought

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PHOTO CREDIT: Pooneh Ghana

Stella Donnelly – Old Man

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Chlöe Howl – Call Out My Name

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Danielle Durack – I Know

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Sarah Buxton – Only the Truth

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PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Harris

Rosie Carney – Your Love Is Holy

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Natalie Shay – Yesterday

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Betty Who – I Remember

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PHOTO CREDIT: @anthonyconwayphotography

Dani Sylvia – Dark Blue

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Laura Misch – Hibernate

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Blood Red Shoes – Eye to Eye

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Adia Victoria – Different Kind of Love

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Anna Loos – Hier

FEATURE: The January Playlist: Vol. 2: Lana Leads a Fine Charge!

FEATURE:

 

The January Playlist

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IN THIS PHOTO: Lana Del Rey/PHOTO CREDIT: @LanaDelRey 

Vol. 2: Lana Leads a Fine Charge!

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IT has not taken long for 2019…

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Lucy Rose/PHOTO CREDIT: Harry Wade/Press

to burst into life and provide a fabulous week! Not only are their new singles from Lana Del Rey, Lucy Rose and Self Esteem; we have The Chemical Brothers, Sleaford Mods and Radiohead in the assortment! It is an epic list of tracks that ensures your weekend will get off to an absolute belter! This is a mighty week for tunes so make sure you get involved with them all. I am not sure whether next week can improve upon this selection but it is clear we are back from the Christmas break and artists are primed and ready to make their mark. It will not be long before some big albums come our way but, until then, we have some great singles to get our teeth into. I am excited to see what next week provides: right now, we have a golden selection of fresh cuts that will surely start the day…

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IN THIS PHOTO: Sleaford Mods/PHOTO CREDIT: Roger Sargent

THE right way.

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Nicole Nodland

Lana Del Rey - hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have it

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PHOTO CREDIT: Simon King/Redferns/Getty Images

The Chemical Brothers – MAH 

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Janelle Monáe (ft. Zoë Kravitz) - Screwed

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Sleaford Mods – Kebab Spider

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Lucy Rose – Conversation

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Deerhunter – Plains

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Radiohead – Ill Wind

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Karen O – Anti-Lullaby

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Self Esteem – The Best

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Girlpool – What Chaos Is Imaginary

Sharon Van Etten – Seventeen

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PHOTO CREDIT: Pooneh Ghana

Stella Donnelly – Old Man

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Fat White Family – Feet  

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IN THIS PHOTO: Slowthai

Slowthai, Mura Masa – Doorman

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RAT BOY – Don’t Hesitate  

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PHOTO CREDIT: @nathangroff

Halsey (ft. Juice WRLD) - Without Me

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Sam Smith (ft. Normani) – Dancing with a Stranger

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Betty Who – I Remember

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Future – Jumpin on a Jet

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Billie Eilish - WHEN I WAS OLDER (Music Inspired By the Film ROMA)

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IN THIS PHOTO: Post Malone/PHOTO CREDIT: Lorne Thomson/Redferns

Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower

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Catfish and the Bottlemen - Longshot

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Cherry Glazerr - Wasted Nun

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Busted – Radio

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COIN – I Want It All

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Charlotte Cardin - Drive

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Joe Goddard – Jack Come Back

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Kehlani (ft. Ty Dolla $ign) – Nights Like This

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Lauren Jauregui – More Than That

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PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Gullick

White Lies - Tokyo

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Beirut – Landslide

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Anna Clendening – Dead End 

Mercury Rev (ft. Norah Jones) – Okolona River Bottom Band

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Kelsey Lu – I’m Not in Love

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Natalie Shay – Yesterday

FEATURE: More Than Ad Enough: Is It Time to Start Charging People for All Music Content?

FEATURE:

 

 

More Than Ad Enough

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PHOTO CREDIT: @bravelyventure/Unsplash 

Is It Time to Start Charging People for All Music Content?

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WE are fortunate enough to live in an age...

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 IMAGE CREDIT: Abi Hardaker

where we can access any music we want and any music website without charge. Think back to years when we had a printed press and no Internet option; we had to buy albums from a shop and there were very few opportunities to get some free stuff. This was okay for musicians and journalists because there was some money coming their way. I am not sure what percentage of a magazine sale would go to the writers but publications still filled their pages with adverts – another way of bringing revenue in and giving them a bigger budget. The profit that went to musicians is less clear. If we bought an album or single, how much of that would go to the act itself? Unless you were a big name shifting units like nobody’s business, I wonder whether there was much money in it. In any case, people were expected to pay and, in return, they would get a great record or magazine. The advent of the Internet and the introduction of streaming sites have changed the landscape. There is still a printed press and small, boutique magazines are actually faring quite well. I realise how narrow the profit margins are. They have to attend gigs and pay for travel costs; there are overheads and expenses that need to be accounted for.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @joshuaearle/Unsplash

A lot of journalists are working for free – in exchange for getting their name out there – and it is tough to make a successful magazine in this age. The same is true for musicians. Albums sales are down on C.D. and vinyl sales stagnated last year for this first time. Singles are not charged and in physical format anymore and I wonder how much an artist makes getting their music streamed on Spotify. I know it takes hundreds of thousands of streams to make a decent turnaround and, for new artists, they get paucity. Unless they get some good merchandise sales and sell gigs out, how much money do they take home? The sad effect and result of this free market is an increase in advertising. I made a decision last year to use an ad-blocking software that meant I would not be inundated with pop-ups and ads every time I visited a website. For the most part, this worked well in terms of my conscience. The bigger sites that I used I donated to and did not feel grubby avoiding the ads. Any others I dipped in and out of did not bother me. I have reversed my ad-clocking decision and have regretted it since. It is not only music websites culpable: go to any website and, in order to make money, we have a slew of adverts that seem to dominate the screen!

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @leon_bublitz/Unsplash

One can right-click on an ad and get rid of it but, before you know it, another one takes its spot! YouTube is the same. Unless you block ads then you have to sit through an advert for most videos – it can range from fifteen seconds to a full minute. I understand the need for sites and artists to make some money but are they actually generating profit? The message I got from a website when I was using an ad-blocking site said that I should uninstall it because they (the site) relied on advertising to make money. The only way they can make money is if I or someone else responded to an ad and clicked on a website. I have never done that nor do I intend on starting! They make zero from me if I simply browse and ignore every ad they put my way. In fact, after you visit these sites, the adverts start to follow you about. I have gone to Facebook and seen an advert follow me from a website like NME. Maybe I have been to The Guardian or somewhere like that and you get the same adverts following you to another site. It is infuriating and creates the reverse of what these sites want: people to stay and give them business. YouTube is the most frustrating of the lot. It is hard to find a video that does not make you sit through an ad. Again, I never click on that advert or buy anything being thrown my way. What sites are doing is annoying me and making the decision to switch adverts off very easy! The fact they operate this way is because a percentage of people do follow ads and make them money.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @sam_truong/Unsplash

They rely on this to get some revenue and make sure they can continue to operate. The flaw is it that most people are going to ignore adverts and there is no way of forcing them to do anything. I think, in order to move forward, we need to look back. It was simpler and more ethically sound when we paid for magazines and papers; we bought our records and we made sure we were not getting something for free. The problem now is the sheer expense of buying music – you have to buy a whole album and what effect does that have on the scene if people are not given a free option?! I have long-suggested paying a small amount for sites we use a lot. If I am briefly looking at a website then I do not expect to pay nor be bombarded with adverts. The ones I rely on and use regularly, yeah, I should be paying for. I am not helping them out regarding adverts so they are getting nothing for me. It would not need to be a big fee. If you charged someone a fiver or tenner a year to use the website ad-free then that would mean they get a definite sum and the person is free to roam without distractions and irritation. One might argue the combined cost would be unfeasible but it is not that big!

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @thisisramiro/Unsplash

Maybe there was a system whereby we had a data plan and paid a small amount for a certain number of days. We could pay more to increase that and, regarding YouTube and Spotify, we should make people pay regardless. So many of us listen to music for free which means we get adverts but are not made to pay anything. I feel, if we enforced a small charge to everyone, that would reduce ads and more goes to the artists. One might say the downside is people with little money are denied access to music. We have radio stations available for free and, as I say, the charge need not be that steep! If you made someone pay twenty quid a year for limitless access to Spotify and YouTube – a single cost for each platform - you could get a good whack and not have to annoy the consumer. I know how underfunded music magazines are and offering a subscription would be a fair compromise. Even if we were charged a few quid a year to look at websites then I figure they are getting more money from us each than the advert route. As it stands at the moment, I pay to use Spotify and read The Guardian. I do not pay for any other platform which means the inevitable heap of adverts! I do not have a lot of money but feel obliged to fund websites and streaming platforms.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @bank_phrom/Unsplash

It is hard to compromise and make people pay but, considering it is a way of preserving the music press and getting artists remunerated; I feel we need to stop tossing adverts in people’s faces. I have stopped visiting some sites because all you get are pop-ups and adverts. I have never been tempted by any and feel it is foolish to rely on this option for revenue. I think more people than you’d imagine would be interested in paying a small fee if it meant they had a smoother and less busy website waiting for them; if they could stream and watch videos without having to wait and have the momentum ended. It is hard to say how the music press will fare in the years to come and whether there will be some sort of legislation regarding sites like YouTube and Spotify and how they pay artists. We have got into the habit of expecting everything for free and, in return, have to buy into this unsigned contract where we get a wave of adverts. For so many reasons, we need to start looking at how we fund music and the press and asking people to pay for what they see/hear. Many might say the adverts we see on websites is a good way of providing free content but ensuring some money comes in. I have never heard of anyone who has responded to an advert, whether that be on Spotify/YouTube or a music website. This needs to be considered. More and more, with endless adverts being hurled my way, I am finding myself less and less conflicted when I reach for that...

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @stayandroam/Unsplash

GOLDEN ad-blocking option!

FEATURE: Leave Me Alone: Will Michael Jackson’s Legacy Always Be Tainted?

FEATURE:

 

 

Leave Me Alone

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IN THIS IMAGE: Michael Jackson by Andy Warhol (1984)/IMAGE CREDIT: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C./Gift of Time magazine © 2018 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc./Licensed by DACS, London  

Will Michael Jackson’s Legacy Always Be Tainted?

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IT has almost been a decade since the death...

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Jackson during the 2005 trial in which he was accused of child molestation/PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Lambert/AP

of Michael Jackson (25th June) but it seems a lot of his posthumous recognition has revolved around scandal and digging up old allegations. It is a rather difficult time for music and with another big musician, R. Kelly, in the news following the documentary, Surviving R. Kelly, there is a lot of debate as to whether his music should be on streaming sites. In the case of R. Kelly, there are fresh allegations that follow up from an early court appearance – where he walked away a free man. It seems like this new wave of attention will go back to court and many people are asking for his music to be banned from Spotify. I think there is validity to the accusations and artists such as Lady Gaga, who worked with R. Kelly in 2013, have spoken out and backed the women. There are accusations abused and molested minors and it means, once more, the singer is in the news for the wrong reason. With news of a new Michael Jackson documentary, Leaving Neverland, about to hit the screens; we are seeing another popular male artist under the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Michael Jackson is no stranger to controversy but he has been in court before; cases that were either thrown out or he was found innocent. Now that two fresh revelations have come to light, as The Guardian reports, it has led to sensationalism and fresh filmic inspiration:

“Michael Jackson’s estate has condemned a new documentary film, Leaving Neverland, which features allegations that the singer sexually abused children.

Speaking to TMZ, representatives from the estate said the film was “another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson … just another rehash of dated and discredited allegations. It’s baffling why any credible film-maker would involve himself with this project.”

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Jackson’s Neverland estate photoed in 2004/PHOTO CREDIT: Mark J. Terrill/AP

Leaving Neverland explores what a synopsis calls the “manipulation and abuse” of two unnamed men, from the ages of seven and 10 onwards. The film, directed by Dan Reed, who has won Baftas for documentaries including The Paedophile Hunter and Terror in Mumbai, is described as “a portrait of sustained exploitation and deception, documenting the power of celebrity that allowed a revered figure to infiltrate the lives of starstruck children and their parents”.

The four-hour film will receive its world premiere at the Sundance film festival in Utah on 25 January, and will air on Channel 4 later this spring”.

I can understand the need to take these accusations seriously but Jackson is not with us and cannot face his accusers. Many say he was the architect of his own downfall and did himself no favours with his erratic behaviour and abuse of power. I do not claim to know the real truth but do feel like there has been exaggeration, exploitation and falsehoods from those who have accused him in the past. Whether or not these latest accusations holds weight is yet to be seen – we will never know the truth because the accused cannot have his say. Whereas R. Kelly can answer himself and there are shocking details coming to light, is Leaving Neverland, a cheap and disrespectful documentary designed to once more attack and tarnish Michael Jackson’s name?

Last year, when Jackson turned sixty, we should have seen features looking at his biggest albums and how he transformed music. Madonna and Kate Bush also turned sixty, as did Prince, and it was a year when living and departed legends were celebrated. Whilst Madonna received celebration and Kate Bush got a few nods – not nearly as many as she should have -; Michael Jackson’s life and milestone birthday was dedicated to muck-raking and scandal. I recall looking at the combined press output and must have counted two articles that marked his life and his great work – countless others who talked about the idea as Jackson the predator and discrediting his name. I can never condone any accusation of sexual abuse but it seems like Michael Jackson will never find rest. Yes, the man changed his appearance, he was in the news for his bizarre behaviour – including dangling his child from a window – and deserves some sense of scorn. Those rather weird and wild moments, some say, is what made him a unique and interesting figure. I think some of his behaviour was troubling and his last days were very sad. The thought of the King of Pop in such a poor state, in ill health and dependant on medication...it breaks your heart thinking who he used to be and what he was in 2009. I shudder to think how the world’s media will the ten-year anniversary of Jackson’s death. Today, we are remembering David Bowie three years after his death. There is nothing but praise and one wonders whether anyone will have a kind word to say about Jackson come 25th June!

We cannot overlook the more sworded side of Jackson’s life but it seems the media can think of nothing but. It is none of their business what happened or what was alleged. This latest matter should not be put to film because it serves no purpose. What is the point of heaping yet more dirt on the bones of Jackson?! He cannot respond and what we have is a film that will be viewed by those who want to kick Jackson and hear something sensationalist and salacious. His true fans and supporters are shocked by this film and want nothing to do with it. Have we all forgotten what Jackson gave to the world? From his infant years as part of The Jackson 5 – the 1969 album, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 – to his final album, Invincible, in 2001; his genius and impact cannot be doubted. His work spanned five decades and the promising child grew into this colossal star who had the world in the palm of his hand. Jackson spoke out against MTV not showing black faces on the screen and was one of the people responsible for bringing about change. Some claim his change of skin colour was an attempt to get more attention but Jackson was passionate about seeing black artists on the screen and fought against discrimination. Albums like Off the Wall (1979) and Thriller (1982) catapulted him to superstardom and thrust him into the spotlight.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify/Getty Images

I prefer Off the Wall because it is more complete and has fewer filler tracks but Thriller is the album many know Jackson for. It is considered one of the best albums ever and is the second-best-selling album ever (behind Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits – 1971-1975). Bad is my favourite album and, when it came out in 1987, there was no bigger Pop artist on the planet. Madonna was competing but she would hit her peak in 1989. 1991’s Dangerous was a fairly quick response to Bad – he took five years to follow Thriller – and one that saw Jackson adopt an angrier and tougher sound. A lot of this anger was a reaction to press allegations and constant haranguing. Whilst this anger fuelled some of his best and most reflective work – including Why You Wanna Trip on Me and Who Is It -, it was a clear sign, even then, Jackson was never going to get any room. You could say the press being on his case led to some brilliant music and urged him to become bigger and more successful. I feel like Dangerous marked a moment when the intrusion and constant attention started to affect Jackson’s psyche and behaviour – this would only intensify and get more extreme as we moved through the 1990s. I look back at Jackson’s back catalogue and am amazed by the consistency and quality. I think one of his only missteps, Invincible, cannot damage his legacy and the fact he was truly the King of Pop.

The man not only helped inspire legions of musicians and created some of the best albums ever; his live shows were incredible and his performances were legendary! He was a complete star and one who was always trying to escape his past. After Jackson’s death, we learned a lot about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, Joe. Joe Jackson died last year and we heard about the abuse all of the Jacksons received. Maybe that affected the aspiring artist and made him more determined to stand alone and be successful. It is clear the young Michael Jackson had a hard start and was thrust into the limelight very young. I love the way Jackson overcame that difficult childhood and managed to conquer the world. Although the man away from the stage was complex, often controversial and quiet; who he was in the studio and what he gave to the world as an artist matters more. Everyone has their favourite Michael Jackson album and we can all compile our favourite songs from the master. I genuinely did mourn his death and felt his final years were desperately lonely and sad. Some of that was his making but we cannot overlook all the beauty and brilliance he gave to us. It seems the media is keen to see Jackson as a monster and not willing to even mention his music.

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 IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify/Getty Images

Leaving Neverland is another posthumous chapter that focuses on the scandal and abuse. I think, if there is validity to the claims, we need to ensure the victims are compensated and acknowledged but there is no reason to bring it to the big screen. It is clear the motive goes beyond justice: what the filmmakers and ‘victims’ are doing is to expose Jackson and kick him. Nobody can truly say whether the accusations are true and justice will never be done. It is a sad affair but pointless because of the futility. What is to be gained from this new film? The men who accused Jackson will benefit but they will never get to see Jackson in court. It is another attack on an iconic musician. I am never saying we should ignore this sort of thing and sweep it under the carpet. The fact R. Kelly is in the news for similar reasons means there will be a lot of interest regarding Leaving Neverland. He still gets to release music and I am sure he will continue to be oblivious to the gravity of the situation. In the case of Michael Jackson; it seems like we are only seeing him now as a disreputable and seedy character – we have no way of knowing if these allegations hold any substance. I was appalled by the lack of positive attention on Jackson’s sixtieth birthday and the fact he seems beyond redemption.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Rather than spend some time, as we should in June, looking back at the hugely impressive body of work Jackson has given us and how he has inspired so many others, I feel we’ll get a slew of articles vilifying Jackson and digging up his past. At the very least, I wonder whether Michael Jackson as an icon and innovator will ever be seen in the same light. Where is the film that charts his rise to fame and what he did for music?! How about we expose the fantastic songwriter and performer he was so that new artists can take guidance and be moved?! I will never ignore any allegations of sexual assault and turn away from this sort of thing but Jackson has already been acquitted and the man has been gone for a decade. Look back at all the news regarding Michael Jackson over the past year and it has been negative and scandalous. If people cannot find the time to write something nice and celebratory about Michael Jackson – there is plenty of ammunition and great music! – then can a moratorium be called?! His estate have reacted angrily to Leaving Neverland and dismissed it. There is this conflict between recognising this Pop genius and ensuring we do not overlook allegations and push it into the shadows. It is a tricky conflict but I wonder whether, when 25th June rolls by, we mark the tenth anniversary with applause and profiling of his great work or continue to only see Michael Jackson...

AS a dark and disgraced figure.

FEATURE: The Immortal David Bowie: Three Years Gone: A Master Whose Changes Will Inspire the Future

FEATURE:

 

 

The Immortal David Bowie

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IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie captured in 1995 during a Berlin exhibition/PHOTO CREDIT: Gavin Evans

Three Years Gone: A Master Whose Changes Will Inspire the Future

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IN my last piece concerning David Bowie...

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 IN THIS IMAGE: David Bowie as Aladdin Sane/IMAGE CREDIT: Paul Meijering

I asked whether the mainstream of music is becoming too dull and linear. I think there is a sense of homogenisation and there are few artists where you look and them and think there is a true original. I guess artists have expectations and there is that pressure to release music; to conform a certain way and not really concern themselves with looks and sonic image. How many artists do you see now who develop and change that much between albums? I look out at music now and do not see people who stagger you with their design and look; they are not really shifting between albums and the crowded nature of music means it is harder to foster rebels. I will quote from a similar article that talks about the theme I want to address: how immortal David Bowie is and how we can learn from him. I have discussed his best albums and I feel, if you want a true sense of who he is, you need to attack all of his records. Even his underrated efforts – such as Earthling (1997) and Pin Ups (1973) – warrant serious attention. You can argue Bowie made a few forgettable albums, like every great artist, but even those have an intrigue of their own. One of the reasons David Bowie will continue to reign and inspire is his sense of style and image.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Bowie as the Thin White Duke in 1976/PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Kent

That may sound shallow and insignificant but think how much of his art and sound was directed by his look. Whether he was adopting a persona or simply changing his hair; he was reluctant to sit still and always keen to explore new territory. In many ways, Bowie acts as a guide and mentor to those who want to stand out; who want to show their true self or fantasise if they want. He showed you could be anyone you want to be and do not have to follow the pack. I picture Bowie and myriad images come to mind. Whether he was more accessible and down to earth or made up as Aladdin Sane or Ziggy Stardust; here was some someone who want to be super-human and, in so many ways, he was! The musicians who stand out and will always be remembered are those that challenge convention but, in many ways, connect with their audience. I think we are in a time when identity and changing things up is not that important. Maybe musicians connect with their fans musically but does it run deeper than that?! I think today we feel more disconnect, alone and unsure than we ever have. It is a scary time and I think, for musicians and fans, Bowie acts as a source of inspiration.

The way he spoke about identity and how he overcame barriers was amazing. He arrived in music rather modestly; testing the water and, soon enough, would bloom into this otherworldly and startling human. Bowie, as this Independent article explores, urged people out in the world to overcome limitations and explore life in a different way:

“In breaking his own “suburban curse”, as he put it, Bowie ushered multiple generations of people to do the same. Often, he wrote about loneliness and isolation, a feeling of falling to Earth and not really knowing what’s going on, and either leaving it there and revelling in nihilism or exploring its treatment: connection.

Has any other artist transmitted more creative freedom to their fans? Or had something more meaningful or profound to say about identity? Bowie took himself and his life seriously as a subject, but, crucially, avoided groan-inducing pretension by spiking his art and commentary with humour and silliness (“The Laughing Gnome”, anyone?). He was also deeply self-aware. He said he started wearing costumes because he wasn’t sure if he even had a personality. “I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human”.

We can never see Bowie in the flesh again and experience that first-hand dose of magic. That is okay. Because of the Internet, Bowie’s gigs and music will be preserved forever. Listen to the man im interviews and he was more than an average, keep-in-on-trend artist: Bowie was exploring the nature of technology, philosophy and religion.

He, to me, seemed like more of a spiritual figure than a mere musician. I think his constantly shifting image and sense of exploration can compel generations to come. Whether you are hiding who you are or afraid to express; scared of being labelled or judged...Bowie’s legacy and boldness will lead the way. We do have some artists in the mainstream who imbue some of his D.N.A. (such as Lady Gaga) but there is nobody like him. Three years after his death, we are still learning from him and picking up new gems. David Bowie is so adaptable and chameleon-like that everyone gets something different from him. Some might be struck by his characters and how he wanted to be more than human – they will take from that strength and bravery and express who they want to be. To others, Bowie’s sonic shifts and need to explore new ground will compel them. To me, his humanity and sense of accessibility is his greatest weapon. We had this genius among us that never pushed anyone away. Many artists with Bowie’s brilliance and popularity might seem aloof and not one to really touch fans. Think of other icons like Madonna and Michael Jackson and you wonder whether you could talk to them down the pub or they would be the sort of artist who spoke for you – someone who was grounded and, therefore, a tangible role model.

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IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie captured in 1995 during a Berlin exhibition/PHOTO CREDIT: Gavin Evans

South London’s David Jones never lost a sense of who he was and where he came from. Strangely, his mortality and human side is what makes him immortal. We got to know the man behind the music and Bowie never shut away his audience. Thinking about Bowie and I feel his true brilliance will not be realised for years to come. Music needs someone like him to open the market and throw a grenade in there. There is nobody out there who moves like him; who has that sense of identity and inspires the masses. I do not think we will ever see an icon like Bowie again but I do feel artists will come through who are deeply moved by the great man. Maybe that will involve changing their look between albums and showing the same flair for expression and keeping things fresh. Maybe they will take note of Bowie’s sonic moves and how certain albums are influenced by distinct genres and periods of time. Perhaps they will take guidance from his interviews and how the man away from the studio was this rooted and friendly guy who charmed everyone. There is a gap now but, the more we discover Bowie and remember him, I feel that will be filled. Every week seems to see something new from David Bowie. We are lucky enough there is plenty in the vaults that show more sides to him.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Music is in good shape but I do feel like it lacks a certain spark, sense of colour and magic. Perhaps the electronic hand has meant we are less concerned about standout musicians and more interested in getting tracks quick and constantly moving along. So many people out there have struggles and are hiding something in them; many are scared of the future and anxious about the world. I think Bowie’s majestic music and ever-changing moods are more important now than ever. Being free and open; never compromising and trying to change the world – this is what David Bowie was about and what we all need to remember. I mentioned how he meant different things to different people and I always loved how the fact there was this split personality. You had the musician who was this genius who changed his skin and sound but always remained true to his roots. Outside of music, David Bowe was this truly humble and warm soul who starred in films, T.V. shows and had so many different talents at his disposal. Children growing up would mimic his looks and take great strength from this wonderful human who embodied characters and gave them a sense of voice. I think, in many ways, Bowie will keep on impacting music for decades. I am seeing artists take little bits from him and new acts come through that definitely channel Bowie.

My greatest prediction seems to contradict what I was saying recently. I do not think we will see an icon like Bowie icon and music has changed so much that makes it difficult to breed this type of musician. I do feel we will see more and more artist taking from Bowie and compelling their fans. Whether they rediscover albums like Low and Station to Station and create their own version of that; maybe they will look at his incredible concepts and gigs and be moved by them. Perhaps Bowie’s changing looks and his unique expressions will rub off and either led to personal revelation or a need to be bolder and more interesting. It is hard to tell but Bowie is one of very few artists who is immortal and will constantly impact the world. His death shocked us all and made music poorer but we have these wonderful albums and memories that will never go away. Even if it is something as simple as playing one of his songs or watching an interview with him...he makes you feel better, more open to the world and stronger. I want to end by quoting from an interview Bowie did with The New York Times in 2002. He spoke about how, at age fifty-five, he approaches songwriting:

''When it's taken that nakedly, these are my subjects. And it's like, well, how many times can you do this? And I tell myself, actually, over and over again. The problem would be if I was too self-confident and actually came up with resolutions for these questions. But I think they're such huge unanswerable questions that it's just me posing them, again and again”.

There may be these huge questions that we all struggle to answer and make sense of but, with David Bowie’s beautiful and ever-inspiring aura out in the world, we all feel we are...

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock

CLOSER to knowing the answers.

FEATURE: When St. Vincent Met Sleater-Kinney... Why More Superstar Hook-Ups Like This Are Needed

FEATURE:

 

 

When St. Vincent Met Sleater-Kinney...

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IN THIS PHOTO: Sleater-Kinney and St. Vincent (who will produce) chilling in the studio as they prepare a new album/PHOTO CREDIT: @jonny_stills  

Why More Superstar Hook-Ups Like This Are Needed

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THIS year has already provided some nice surprises...

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 IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify/Getty Images

regarding new material and possible ventures. I did not even know Sleater-Kinney were working on a new album…but I definitely did not know St. Vincent was producing! I am not sure whether she is producing as ‘St. Vincent’ or ‘Annie Clark’ but, regardless, this is great news! There is no reason why the two parties would remain distant but I was not aware they knew one another. The album is the follow-up to Sleater-Kinney’s 2015 gem, No Cities to Love. That album is masterful and was one of my favourite records of the year. John Goodmanson produced that record and did a great job. I am not sure whether the band likes to switch producers but No Cities to Love is rich and polished but there is ample room for Sleater-Kinney to provide something a little raw and sharp. The strength of that album is how stripped and instant it sounds; concentrating on these fairly short Punk songs that match a professional sound with some jagged edges. It is a pure and nuanced album that will hit you first time around and you’ll come back time and time again to get another blast. The news of St. Vincent hooking up with Sleater-Kinney was reported by Pitchfork:

“Sleater-Kinney will release a new album this year, and it will be produced by none other than St. Vincent, NPR Music has confirmed. Both the band and Annie Clark posted about the team-up on Twitter, accompanied by photos of all of them in the studio...

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IN THIS PHOTO: Sleater-Kinney (left to right: drummer Janet Weiss; singer-guitarist Corin Tucker and singer-guitarist Carrie Brownstein/PHOTO CREDIT: Brigitte Sire/courtesy of the artist 

“We always planned on getting back in the studio—it was just a matter of when,” Carrie Brownstein told NPR Music. “If there is an overarching principle to this album, it’s that the tools on which we were relying proved inadequate. So we sought new ones, both metaphorically and literally.”

Last year, St. Vincent shared a short clip of herself covering Sleater-Kinney’s “Modern Girl.” 2017 saw her and Carrie Brownstein collaborate on a series of surreal short films for Instagram. The last news of a new Sleater-Kinney album came at the beginning of 2018, when Brownstein told Billboard, “Now, just so you know, we’re going to do this very slowly... It’s an ongoing conversation.” The band’s last studio album No Cities to Love was released in 2015”.

The coolest photo of the two parties is Sleater-Kinney in the background of the studio whilst St. Vincent is in the producer’s chair with her arms out (as shown at the top of this piece) – realising how cool this is and how boss she looks (never understand why she wears sunglasses for her indoor publicity shots!). I am not sure when the album is out or what we can expect but it is good to see things are moving along and we have St. Vincent at the helm!

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 IN THIS PHOTO: St. Vincent in 2015/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I am casting my mind back and cannot recall when a big musician produced for a big band. There have been these collaborations but most of the albums we see have a ‘traditional’ producer or the artist themselves produce. I like when artists self-produce but finding a good producer, whoever they are, is always cool – so long as everyone is on the same page! One of the reasons why I was excited by this St. Vincent-Sleater-Kinney news is the fact we know what St. Vincent can do! Her albums are always terrific and I wonder whether she will bring some of her sound and direction to the band. I love St. Vincent and always make sure I buy her albums. There is some overlap with Sleater-Kinney but the two artists have their own sound. There is no real need for clashes and any struggle because it seems like there is harmony in the camp. I feel it will take Sleater-Kinney in a new direction and I am thrilled to see where they head. It is also good St. Vincent is producing as, not only will it lead to other big artists doing the same, but she can bring that experience back into the studio for her next album.

It has been a busy past year-or-so for St. Vincent what with her album, MASSEDUCTION (2017), coming out – she reworked it last year as MassEducation – and some tour dates. I am not sure whether there will be another studio album from her this year but I would not be surprised. Knowing about the past work of St. Vincent and Sleater-Kinney; I am pumped to see how they unite and what results. I feel we will get the same sort of sound as No Cities to Love but a slightly more expansive sound that throws in some new elements. Maybe Annie Clark will decide to take the band in a whole new direction and give it a more St. Vincent-like sound. When producers normally come in, they have their own sound and idea and, when the chemistry is right, it can lead to magic. I often wonder what we would get if an experienced musician came into the studio and produced. This collaboration is not the first but it is a big move at an important time. I feel there are some awesome female producers around but they do not get the credit and attention they deserve. Most of the albums in the mainstream have male producers and it seems to disguise the fact there are terrific female producers everywhere. We forget that so many female artists produce their own work and already have that knowledge.

I think a lot of non-musician producers can be quite academic and you do not get the same approach as if a musician produced. St. Vincent is a big artist who has produced and written her own material. She will be a big asset and the collision of these two worlds will be immense. It seems like they have a sisterly bond and the fact St. Vincent is producing will highlight female producers and the fact we need to recongise them. I feel this unity and hook-up will compel other musicians to work with their peers. Who knows what we could see in the coming years? Maybe Sir Paul McCartney will produce Ringo Starr? Maybe Laura Marling will produce the next album from This Is the Kit? Perhaps we will see Beyoncé produce Solange at some point? Those are examples but is interesting to see how a record sounds when produced by a musician. There are so many artists out there who produce and are capable but are often restricted to their own work. I am not suggesting we replace all other producers but I feel there will be more and more big-name collaborations coming. My dream hook-up would be Lana Del Rey producing Lady Gaga. That might sound odd but I think this blending would lead to something sensational. It can be hard for artists to approach one of their peers.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @drewpatrickmiller/Unsplash

We all know what they sound like and, as producers, the fear is they might enforce their own sounds too heavily. A St. Vincent-flavoured album might be a good turn for Sleater-Kinney but they will want to stay true to their roots. I think we will hear a lot of mutual respect and, rather than St. Vincent calling the shots too much, she will give the band a new edge and dynamic. Aside from their debut album – their eponymous effort was co-produced by the band themselves – the band has always worked with male producers. John Goodmanson has been in the chair quite a lot and I am sure he will be back soon enough. It seems like the band realise he did a great job in 2015 but they want to take a leap and try something new. I guess there is the worry the sheer hype and mind-melting quality of the unity might lead people to give big reviews before listening. I am sure that will not be the case and I hope, when the new Sleater-Kinney album comes out, people give it a proper listen and appreciate it. I guess, if you are established like Sleater-Kinney, you can attract a big name and do not have to stick with the same producers. I do hope 2019 is a year when we highlight female producers and how essential their voices are.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Josh Homme (who produced Arctic Monkeys’ Humbug alongside James Ford in 2009) could add some life and new purpose to Foo Fighters’ music/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Thinking ahead, we will get that Sleater-Kinney album (I guess later this year), but other acts will see the news and think hard. Rather than get a regular, ‘professional’ producer; how about working with another artist and getting their take? I genuinely think this approach could help add some much-needed originality and expression to the mainstream. There were some great albums released last year but there were some letdowns. Whether it was a case of generic material or a band reaching a plateau; a fresh injection would help and getting the mind and voice of a fellow musician could really add something! Whether you are a big band like Foo Fighters – maybe Josh Homme or Jack White could produce them?! – or a relatively rising name like IDLES; I am intrigued by the bucking of trends and choosing a musician to produce for you. I am especially interested in female artists who could produce. This cross-pollination would up their skillset and allow them to bring something into their own music but, for the band/artist who receives this new producer, they get a fresh perspective and a new way of working. I feel the as-yet-untitled Sleater-Kinney album will be a combination of their 1995 debut and St. Vincent’s latest work. That might sound like a bad mix but we will get a youthful, fresh and bare-boned sound that, when you least expect, provides these odd tangents and wonderfully colourful expressions!

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Sleater-Kinney/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I have not investigated Sleater-Kinney for a bit and, actually, having a big artist producing will bring in more new fans than any other type of producer. Sleater-Kinney do not need that patronage and boost but so many more people will come to their sounds – curious to see what attracted St. Vincent to them. Maybe they will reciprocate and produce the next St. Vincent album! We know for sure all songs will be produced by St. Vincent and the return of Sleater-Kinney after four years (if the new album comes out this year) is brilliant. Everyone will have their fantasy list of musicians producing for other musicians. There are some collaborations crying out to happen and it is so rare to see something cosmic like St. Vincent directing Sleater-Kinney! It adds excitement into music and will actually inspire so many to get into producing. This musician-directed sound is rare and I will be interesting comparing the upcoming Sleater-Kinney album with their previous one. This news is great for music fans and keep your eyes open for track news, release date information and teasers. Until then, this legendary band will be working alongside a newer, if slightly more popular, artist who is stepping out of her world and into theirs. I am not sure what the resultant sound will be of this magnificent hybrid but, knowing the work of St. Vincent and Sleater-Kinney, it is going to...

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IN THIS PHOTO: St. Vincent/PHOTO CREDIT: Inez & Vinoodh

BE astronomically good.

FEATURE: David Bowie: Remembering the Master: Will We Ever See the Like of Him Again?

FEATURE:

 

 

David Bowie: Remembering the Master

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IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie/PHOTO CREDIT: Masayoshi Sukita 

Will We Ever See the Like of Him Again?

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THE start of January is always a hard time...

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IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie in a promotional image for Blackstar/PHOTO CREDIT: Spotify/Getty Images

to transition and it can be really difficult getting into the spirit of the fresh year. Back in 2016, we had no idea what would befall music. It was a terrible year regarding deaths and losing icons. Among those that we said goodbye to was David Bowie - his death on 10th January stunned the world as we never knew he had cancer. Only two days previously, we were celebrating his sixty-ninth birthday and the release of his album, Blackstar. It was a treat to have a double celebration on that day. Many snapped up the record and had no idea what would come next. Bowie knew he wanted to release the album on his birthday but he wouldn’t have been that sure he would die so soon after – or maybe he knew, in a final piece of show-stealing, that we would get this masterful album and then the curtain would come down. I recall hearing the news during the morning of 11th January – I think that is when it broke over here – and wondering how it could happen and what was going on. He kept his illness secret as not to have people pry but that shock and unexpected bombshell resonated. David Bowie tributes were read and we all played his best cuts – keeping his memory fresh; unwilling to except that this was the end.

Of course, as with Bowie, he continues to amaze us from the grave. We celebrated his seventy-second birthday yesterday and it was a great chance to play his songs and remember him. Like all the icons, we will mark his birthday and passing every year. Tomorrow will be sad because we not only get to commemorate his final album but look back three years and feel that absence. It does not seem that long ago and it is still sad to think he will never be able to release a new album. I said Bowie continues to influence after death and there is a new app available – where we get to walk in an exhibit and into his world. AdWeek lay out the details:

“David Bowie might make augmented reality a hero–at least for one day.

To celebrate Bowie’s birthday, a new AR mobile app for Apple and Android devices lets fans explore hundreds of items from the late singer’s life. The app, a collaboration between the David Bowie Archive and Sony Music Entertainment, is called “David Bowie Is,” a title bearing the same name as the touring exhibition that’s already attracted more than 2 million fans across 12 cities.

The app—available today on what would have been Bowie’s 72nd birthday—allows users to place a virtual version of the entire exhibition inside of their home or office. Along with narration from Bowie friend and Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman, fans can examine more than 50 high-resolution costumes along with “videos, handwritten lyrics and original works of art,” according to David Bowie’s estate’s website. The app will also feature items that weren’t on tour, which ended in July after making stops in London, Brooklyn and other cities around the world...

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IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie in an outtake from his 1974 People Magazine shoot in Los Angeles/PHOTO CREDIT: People Magazine/Getty Images 

Upon opening the app, users are greeted with a reminder that “David Bowie showed us that we could be who we wanted to be,” before inviting them to tour through 25 rooms and 400 objects.

It also uses spacial audio, which connects where a person walks in real life to what they hear on the app—part of an emerging trend that already has manufactures like Magic Leap and Sennheiser developing various prospects for augmented reality sound. (Upon plugging in headphones, users hear enthusiastic applause—much like what Bowie himself might have heard during an encore at a show.)

The experience is meant to take place on a table top. After scanning the surface a costume appears, followed by the voice of Oldman as the viewer’s room transforms on the screen to pitch black, illuminated only by the object’s digital glow. After that, the costume disappears, and is replaced by a black and white photo of Bowie at six years old, along with some drawings ranging from a portrait of his mother to sketches for stage outfits. After learning about his early years, the scene transforms yet again to outer space, explaining the origin story of “Space Oddity” along with the history that influenced it”.

That is a really cool idea but there is also some more David Bowie martial coming. NME have revealed there will be some new songs coming our way!

There has been a dribble of previously unreleased material since his death: from demos and rare cuts through to some live performances, we have not been denied when it comes to Bowie! I do wonder, as we mark his passing tomorrow, whether any fresh revelations will come our way. I love the fact there is stuff in the archives and people are finding ways for the public to stay connected with the master. I look around music and wonder whether Bowie was the last true icon in music. I have raised this topic before but I feel like the days of icons has left us. Madonna is still around but cannot project the same drama and buzz as she did as recently as the 1990s. I feel like she is an icon but not really on the same level as Bowie. Think about how the man continued to reinvent himself and even on his final album, we had this man who was not willing to repeat himself. Blackstar is one of the darker efforts in the Bowie cannon but one of the most accomplished, memorable and unexpected. His albums of the twenty-first century vary in quality: Heathen (2002) and Reality (2003) are promising whereas The Next Day (2013) and Blackstar (2016) are up there with some of his best work. It is heartaching to know that Bowie was on an upward trajectory and was hitting a new peak.

That is the mark of the icon: they have these dips but they are always looking ahead and you can guarantee they will turn that corner. I do not agree that the period between 1971-1977 was his best time and everything around that was inferior. Bowie created some great albums in the 1980s - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) being among them. I agree that the 1980s was not his most engaging and successful period; the 1990s would see stronger albums come through but none that quite matched the 1970s’ best. Every David Bowie is interesting and he was not willing to repeat his early work; always moving forward and addressing new themes. From 1970’s The Man Who Sold the World through to 1977’s “Heroes”; here was a man who had no rivals and was constantly reinventing. From personas such as Ziggy Stardust to Aladdin Sane through genres as wide as Dance, R&B and Art-Rock...it was impossible to pin the man down! The Brixton-born artist developed a love of art and music as a youngster and decided to become a professional musician in 1963. He was always able to predict trends and move with the times. When Glam exploded and became huge in the early-1970s, he gave us Ziggy Stardust. I love how Bowie managed to make these radical shifts and keep the audience hooked. By 1975, he embraced ‘Plastic Soul’ and that gave him big success in the U.S. – even if it took a while for his U.K. base to come around to the idea.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: A chilled David Bowie in 1969/PHOTO CREDIT: REX

His number-one single, Fame, gave him crossover success in the U.S. and by 1977’s Low there were Electronic inflections and, yet again, a musician reinvented. Albums such as Let’s Dance (1983) meant he has commercial success in the 1980s but it took a little while before he was back into his stride and at his very best. I have raced through his evolutions but it is amazing he gave us something as staggering and fresh as Blackstar – considering he was ill when he recorded it, the fact it sounds so good makes it all the more impressive. It is not only the music and the personas that captivated people and won him millions of fans. His acting work showed a new side to him and every interview he gave seemed to reveal new light and layers. Many say Bowie was able to predict the future and he seemed aware of what was to come in terms of technology and changes in the world. Maybe that was intuition but it is clear Bowie could think ahead and had a very keen sense of how the world was moving and what was needed. I urge people to listen through his back catalogue and watch as many Bowie interviews as you possibly can. There is a reason why he is regarded as an icon and a legend!       

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 IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify/Getty Images

It is three years after the Starman left the world and there are these recordings in the vault. I look at all the albums he left and what he managed to achieve in his life. We had this strange and wonderful creature that seems like an extra-terrestrial. Certainty, nobody like him has come since and it makes me wonder whether anyone will ever match Bowie. I know we have potential icons in music right now but there is nobody around that, I feel, can get anywhere near Bowie. In many ways, his death marked the end of an era and the death of the final icon. I imagine, if Bowie were still alive, he would be planning his next move and would probably stun us all with some strange tangent and fantastical oddity. His fashion and looks became less radical as he left the 1970s but his music remained daring, unique and varied right up until his death. There are new features that recommend classic and rare Bowie songs to investigate – I recommend you check out this one from GQ. Yesterday was sad but we got to celebrate what would have been David Bowie’s seventy-second birthday. The new app and promise of recordings gave us reason to smile and tomorrow, as we mark him once more, I know there will be some happy memories. We also lost Prince in 2016 and, again, an icon that managed to transform music.

I see music evolving and modernising and, with the electronic dominance and a certain homogenisation, do we really have the market and room to foster the pioneering, bold and Bowie-esque?! There will be nobody like him but I am curious whether there are musicians inspired by him that feel like they will not be accepted or able to stand out today. Certainty, there are accusations the mainstream is as homogeneous and limited as ever. We do not look out and see an ocean of individuals who are moving in their own way: instead, there is a vague and grey blob that occasionally spits out something special. It is concerning to think we are breeding Spotify-owning stars who are primed for streams but there is no space for those who want to shine and tread their own path. Maybe music has radically changed and we want different things from our artists. It is sad to ponder but it makes David Bowie’s memory and legacy even more important. We can never see anyone like him and that is a good thing – having another Bowie would seem odd and I love the original! Rather than feel too sad tomorrow and wonder why he was taken from us too early; use it as an opportunity to dive back into his extraordinary catalogue and check out as much as you can.

His interviews as priceless and there are some great live recordings around. In terms of his albums, I would urge you to digest everything from 1971-1977 and, if you are heading back further, have a listen to David Bowie (1967). In terms of the 1980s, have a listen to Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) from 1980 and Let’s Dance (1983). Listen to 1990s’ efforts like ‘hours…’ (1999) and check out his last two albums, The Next Day (2013) and Blackstar (2016). I will be having my own Bowie listen-a-thon and have ended this piece with a Spotify-based playlist – where you can hear work from his debut right through to his last album. I was going to suggest that we could foster a Bowie-like artist but I have been looking around and that does not seem possible. I think David Bowie will always remain unique and will always be relevant. As we can see; there are new inventions, ways of keeping him alive and material coming out. The genius gave so much during his life but, in so many ways, he is inspiring musicians today and will do so for many decades more. I think we need to use David Bowie as an icon and reason why it is sad to mark the end of icons. I think music could benefit from some new and otherworldly artist that continues to change and stands out from the crowd – could we ever realistically see that in the modern time?! It is hard to say but it remains clear that, three years after his death, the immaculate, inventive and wonderful David Bowie...

IS on a planet all on his own.

FEATURE: Surviving R. Kelly: What Can We Learn to Make the Music Industry a Safer Space?

FEATURE:

 

 

Surviving R. Kelly

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IN THIS PHOTO: R. Kelly/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

What Can We Learn to Make the Music Industry a Safer Space?

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THERE has been a lot of discussion and feedback...

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PHOTO CREDIT: r-kelly.com

regarding the T.V. series, Surviving R. Kelly. It talks to women who has been abused and assaulted by Kelly (some as minors) and is quite an emotional watch! Not to be too graphic and give too much away but there have been tales of women being held as sex slaves and some rather atrocious behaviour from the musician. Last year saw, unfortunately, a few male artists named and shamed when they were caught – inappropriately touching female fans or going much further. I am not sure how far this problem extends but it takes some beating to top the sworded and extraordinary details regarding R. Kelly. His catalogue of crimes is a long one and, even though we cannot say for certain everything did happen, it seems like the singer has crossed a line more than once through the years. In fact, many who have watched the series have asked why R. Kelly remains a free man and how he can walk the streets. He has made a video where he tries to defend himself and explain his situation but we are not talking about lurid comments and sexist remarks. Instead, some queasy and disgusting stories are being told where R. Kelly has abused his position as an international star and has done thing that would see most nob-celebrities jailed for years! Even though these upsetting revelations are coming to light, it seems like R. Kelly is more intent on releasing music rather than facing the accusations:

 “Lifetime’s docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” not only broke viewership records, but provided us with an appalling glimpse into the unspeakable harm he inflicted upon dozens—if not hundreds—of black women.

And while the rest of us were glued to our television sets over the course of the six episodes spread out over three separate nights, TMZ reports that Kelly was “disgusted” by the gruesome details unearthed in the docuseries and refused to watch a single minute of it...

Reportedly, he also believes the documentary is merely a “vendetta” against him, as opposed to a call for both accountability for his behavior and justice for those he tormented.

Furthermore, his team reportedly informed him of which individuals appeared in the docuseries and he denies knowing half of them, while dismissing the rest as traitors with self-serving motives.

Keenly aware of the attention the docuseries would inevitably draw, he released a new song—”Born to My Music”—in the days leading up to the premiere of “Surviving R. Kelly”.

But instead of celebrating his latest release, the world has instead focused its attention on admonishing his behavior, purging his music from our lives, and engaging in long-overdue discussions on the persistent dangers that black women and girls face”.

Some have watched the shows and ask why the women have only come forward now. Why did they not go to the police after the incidents?! The same could be said of the woman who were abused by Harvey Weinstein but, at the time, you are fighting against a celebrity and many would not take your side. There is the emotion of having to reveal the details and you are processing things. I am in no doubt regarding the veracity of the stories and it makes me wonder whether artists with a certain reputation and popularity see themselves above the law.

The Guardian reacted to Surviving R. Kelly and provided their take:

“Lifetime has made an impactful series, if at times heavy-handed in its use of sound and visual effects. It twists Kelly’s story and your stomach in knots. Most of the information expressed in Surviving R Kelly has already been made public, largely led by the tireless reporting of Chicago journalist Jim DeRogatis. And so, even when you have turned it off, the docuseries lingers with the stench of unresolved questions: what will happen to the women still believed to be living with Kelly, estranged from their families? What would it take for Kelly’s label, RCA Records, to address the overwhelming testimony made so far? And, finally, where can a viewer direct their rage, when Kelly has proved himself above scrutiny?

I’ll be honest: you’ll wait a long while for easy answers to those questions. New information gleaned during the show’s production rarely leaves you feeling satisfied, or as though Kelly has been held fully accountable for the claims about his behaviour.

So the show arrives at a confusing, and confused, time. Collectively, we don’t really understand how to deal with abusers who manage to avoid further scrutiny and career censure. Sceptics are quick to shout “Did you call the police?” when women share stories of sexual misconduct, abuse or harassment. But what happens when video evidence and verbal testimony aren’t enough to incriminate? Kelly’s a prime example: he was never tried on rape charges, and a jury instead acquitted him in 2008 on all 14 child abuse images charges, even after viewing the so-called “sex tape” that prompted his arrest in 2002”.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: R. Kelly attends the Ovadia & Sons front row during New York Fashion Week on 14th July, 2015/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Not only are there many questions that need answering – including what is to be done now and whether artists need to be punished heavily – but it makes me wonder just how far the problem extends. Last year, as I said, there were cases of male artists groping and abusing female fans. I think there is this view that they have consent and are able to do such things because of the adoration from fans; an unspoken agreement where they can cross that line and it is part of the business. A story has just come out that shows an incident (from 201) involving Drake:

“Video has surfaced of Drake kissing a 17-year-old girl in Denver, Colorado in May 2010. In the clip, the Canadian rapper invites the girl on stage during his performance at the Ogden Theater, dances with her, kisses her neck, comments on her shampoo, then pulls her shirt down at the back of the neck to kiss her again.

After reaching both hands across her chest while standing behind her, he picks up the microphone and says he is getting “carried away”. When asked her age, the unnamed girl replies: “17.” Drake responds: “I can’t go to jail yet, man!”

He continues: “I don’t know if I should feel guilty or not, but I had fun. I like the way your breasts feel against my chest.” He then kisses her on the cheeks and forehead”.

This kind of thing is happening at a well-populated gig and you have to ask how many other occasions have occurred where a female fan has been groped, kissed or touched in such a manner. R. Kelly is an extreme case but the incident involved Drake is unseemly and creepy. I think R. Kelly’s case, especially, should inform new guidelines and action. How many undisclosed stories are there of women being abused?! How many other artists are abusing their power because they feel it is acceptable and what the woman wants?! One can say sexual assault and cases like this have been present in music for decades and, in reality, how far have we actually come? It is the arrogance and sheer since of ignorance displayed by R. Kelly that gets to me. He seems unaware of what he has done and unconcerned with the damage done. We have social media now and there is no place to hide if you are guilty of these crimes. The case and controversy will continue but, at the end of it, you can see R. Kelly walking away and continuing to protest his innocence. All of the musicians who were accused last year, to the best of my knowledge, evaded imprisonment and there were no charges brought. I do wonder whether there is one set of rules for those in music and those out.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Kevin Spacey/PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage

We are seeing Kevin Spacey in court now, having to answer himself and explain his actions – he has been accused by multiple people of sexual assault. I hope there is strict action against R. Kelly and a proper court case - one where these new allegations and findings are used and every angle is explored. All the time he protests and deflects, the worst it becomes. I think something needs to happen to ensure there are fewer cases like this and women, whether fans or fellow musicians, are safe. It is hard to police the whole industry but so many of the accusations arrive a while after the incident – many do not result in prosecution or any stringent punishment. I do not think there have been many improvements made and many women feel unsafe at gigs or vulnerable right now. I hear of cases of women – journalists, artists and others – who have been touched or been harassed by men in music. We need to respond and react to shows like Surviving R. Kelly and, rather than being horrified, finding ways to make the music industry a safer place for women and make it clear this sort of thing will result in criminal proceedings. The Guardian’s article makes a good point at the end:

“…And still, we flounder and argue when faced with the men who make art and money and connections, yet allegedly hurt women. This is really about trauma, falling in a grey area more nuanced than current legal terms. We need an understanding deeper than the confines of rape and consent laws developed hundreds of years ago by men. In the meantime, you get to decide whether to turn away from, or listen to, the voices that accompany the tears”.

We definitely need to listen to women affected and, rather than see this as attention-seeking or sensationalism, respect the fact they are coming forward and there are perfectly good reasons why they did not come forward sooner. The continued series of male artists overstepping and not feeling the full force of the law has to end. I am not sure whether there is a ‘quick fix’ or a way of creating safety but we need to do something, that is for sure. I saw too many cases last year of male artists being accused – ranging from seedy photos sent to fans right through to alleged rape. It is a bad time where many young women feel exposed and as though they are unsafe. I know this only applies to a very small percentage of men in music but there are still too many incidents happening. The pantomime and circus that is R. Kelly is harrowing to watch. He seems to see these accusations and tears and responds with denial, new music and very little empathy. I shudder to think just how deep the accusations go with R. Kelly and how many more women will come forward. I have been left cold by what I have heard and seen and I definitely feel something needs to happen so that we do not see anything like this again. If we unite and work about a way of preventing someone like R. Kelly striking again then I think it will make women in music...

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PHOTO CREDIT: r-kelly.com

FEEL a lot safer.

FEATURE: Marching Against the Meanies: The Underrated Gem: The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine Soundtrack at Fifty

FEATURE:

 

 

Marching Against the Meanies

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IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images/Spotify 

The Underrated Gem: The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine Soundtrack at Fifty

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ONE of the hardest things to do in music...

is to decide which of The Beatles’ albums is the worst. It seems odd and outrageous to think that such a band could have a poor record but, like every artist, there are those albums that do not shine as brightly. I guess, if we had to have a bottom-two then you’d put Let It Be (1970) and Yellow Submarine (1969) in there. Both albums have terrific tracks on them but, considering the tension in the group around the time Let It Be was recorded, you can understand why the songs are not as strong and memorable as earlier records. That was the last album The Beatles released but their penultimate recording – 1969’s Abbey Road was their last recording as a band and it was a welcome return to form! That album celebrates fifty years in September and I cannot wait to re-investigate it. I feel Yellow Submarine gets a bit of a hard deal when it comes to The Beatles’ cannon. The film came out in July of 1968 (November in the U.S.) and actually did rather well. The Beatles’ films do range in quality but Yellow Submarine is right up there with the very best. The band themselves did not provide their voices to the animated film and, despite a lack of Beatles, the public and critics reacted well. The band, in 1968, were at a peak and it would be a little while before cracks started to form.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles during their ‘Mad Day Out’ shoot in 1968/PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Murray

They would release their eponymous album in November (1968) and it was a productive and successful time in the camp. My favourite film from the band is A Hard Day’s Night but they did not have a great deal of acclaim after that. There were some promising films but nothing really matched that early brilliance. Maybe people were not expecting much from Yellow Submarine considering the rather so-so success they had with their films before that. Critics and the public raved and loved the trippy and mind-blowing animation. The Beatles themselves did appear in the final scene but apart from that it was down to other actors and people. The film’s soundtrack came out in the U.S. on 13th January and four days later in the U.K. The original 1969 version is split into two distinct halves – a 1999 version was released that is purely songs from the band and does not contain George Martin compositions. It is safe to say the film’s soundtrack does not get the same positivity as the film itself. I feel any Beatles albums is worth celebrating and the fact we are about to mark fifty years of Yellow Submarine is a big deal. The reason I love the soundtrack is because it has those two halves. The opening part is a collection of more traditional Beatles tunes.

Of the six tracks from the band, four were previously unreleased. We all know the film’s eponymous track was released as a single in August 1966 and appeared on their Revolver album. All You Need Is Love was included on their Magical Mystery Tour album but was released as a single in July 1967. I think the new songs are very interesting. George Harrison’s Only a Northern Song was rejected for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band but I prefer it to Within You Without You – a Harrison song that did make it onto the album. Harrison reflected his annoyance at being merely a contracted songwriter to The Beatles’ publishing company, Northern Songs. The group performed overdubs on the track and it contains trumpet, glockenspiel and spoken voices. It is a nice track and one of the stronger efforts from Harrison at the time – there would be weaker songs from him on The Beatles. All Together Now matches the jaunty nature of the film and it was recorded in a single session back in May of 1967. 1967 was a very prolific and productive time for the band and, considering Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour were released that year, it is amazing to think they had any energy and music left in them! Paul McCartney has described the song as throwaway but it stands up in its own right. Maybe not the finest from the band; it is remains a fun and child-like track that perfectly fits into the film.

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IN THIS IMAGE: A still from the 1968 film/IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images 

Another George Harrison song, It’s All Too Much, was recorded later in 1967 and looks back at the Summer of Love and its excess. It is about Harrison experimenting with LSD and that time period. I think the track, again, is one of Harrison’s stronger efforts and makes excellent use of guitar feedback. We get a trumpet passage from Jeremiah Clarke’s Prince of Denmark March and a lyrics from Sorrow – a 1966 hit from The Merseys. If McCartney felt his effort on Yellow Submarine was a bit slight, there is no arguing against the power and quality of Hey Bulldog. This was recorded in February 1968 and it was specifically recorded for the film soundtrack. Lennon, in his dismissive fashion, felt the track talked about nothing but he liked its sound and did not dismiss it as a piece of work. I love the song because it is catchy and you find yourself singing along to it. It has a definite bite to it and the guitar work is fantastic – some properly good and meaty riffs from The Beatles! There seems to be that divide, between critics and fans, between the band’s composed songs and the instrumentals from George Martin in the second half. I love The Beatles’ efforts and think their new material would have made a strong E.P. It is the more psychedelic and varied compositions that follow that drew praise.

Here, we get the symphonic film score that Martin specifically composed for the album. He used a forty-one-piece orchestra to create the sounds and everything came together over two three-hour sessions on 22nd and 23rd October, 1968. It was edited down to length to fit on the L.P. and some of the compositions nod back to previous Beatles songs. Sea of Time references George Harrison’s Within You Without You; Yellow Submarine in Pepperland reprises the film’s eponymous cut. Sea of Monsters is my favourite passage and, alongside an inclusion of Bach’s Air on the G String (the beginning to it), it is the most fantastical and imaginative. There are other Classical nods but it is the sheer breadth of the music and its imagination that strikes me. Many critics have argued a four-track E.P. would have been a stronger release but I love the mixture of Beatles songs – whether you like them or not – and the seven songs Martin composed. It leads to this complete work and, whilst All Together Now gets a bit of stick, it is a part of the album and has value. I like the fact that the soundtrack is seen as inessential – perhaps the first time The Beatles has experienced a rather muted reaction to an album. Magical Mystery Tour did not get universal acclaim but there were plenty of impassioned reviews. The film was hugely praised but when the soundtrack came out, a lot of people shrugged.

I think Yellow Submarine has grown in stature and importance this far down the line. The George Martin score is fantastic and I love the way you can hear it as a free-standing thing and do not need to know about the film. I would urge people to catch the film itself as it is one of the rare Beatles films that ticks all the boxes and truly shines. The original songs, I think, are worth more than casual listening and the soundtrack is a fantastic thing. Any Beatles album that turns fifty warrants celebration and reflection. This retrospective review from AllMusic seems to reflect the general indifference to the soundtrack:

“And then there was the jewel of the new songs, "It's All Too Much." Coming from the second half of 1967, the song -- resplendent in swirling Mellotron, larger-than-life percussion, and tidal waves of feedback guitar -- was a virtuoso excursion into otherwise hazy psychedelia, and was actually superior in some respects to "Blue Jay Way," Harrison's songwriting contribution to The Magical Mystery Tour; the song also later rated a dazzling cover by Steve Hillage in the middle of the following decade. The very fact that George Harrison was afforded two song slots and a relatively uncompetitive canvas for his music shows how little the project meant to Lennon and McCartney -- as did the cutting of the "Hey Bulldog" sequence from the movie, apparently with no resistance from Lennon, who had other, more important artistic fish to fry in 1968...

 

What is here, however, is a good enough reason for owning the record, though nothing rates it as anything near a high-priority purchase. The album would have been far better value if it had been released as a four-song EP (an idea the Beatles even considered at one point, with the addition of a bonus track in "Across the Universe" but ultimately discarded)”.

If you are not a fan of the singalong All Together Now and prefer the Harrison offerings; you cannot deny the fact the George Martin compositions are quality. The fact Yellow Submarine and All You Need Is Love are Beatles classics means that at least eleven of the thirteen songs are either good or brilliant. The fact most modern artists cannot produce the same quality and consistency shows what expectations were placed on The Beatles’ shoulders. They had won critics over with their eponymous album in November 1968 so maybe it was an issue of timing. Perhaps there was expectation that the soundtrack would be stronger but, having heard the music in the film the year before, people knew what they were in for. Yellow Submarine’s soundtrack remains, to some, a curiosity and one of the few inessential Beatles recordings. To me, it is a vital documentation of a busy time in the band’s life and a rare fusion of band originals and George Martin compositions.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1968/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Usual Beatles soundtracks would contain original songs but I like the fact we have that blend of familiar and fantastical. I do not agree the band were preoccupied or too focused on recording The Beatles to put much effort into the soundtrack. I like the original songs and the fact that they have their place; most people compliment the Martin score and, whether you think everything stands up or not, we need to give the soundtrack more respect. It turns fifty later this month and I think it is well worth getting hold of and spinning. The band’s final two albums, Abbey Road and Let It Be, would gain contrasting reviews – Yellow Submarine, in some ways, prefaced what would happen during the Let It Be sessions. I think every Beatles album deserves praise and feature and, fifty years after its release, the Yellow Submarine soundtrack remains a giddy, fascinating and occasionally flawed...

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 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

DELIGHT for the senses.

FEATURE: BBC Radio 6 Music’s New Evolution: Shaun Keaveny in the Afternoon

FEATURE:

 

 

BBC Radio 6 Music’s New Evolution

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IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny successfully delivered his first afternoon show on BBC Radio 6 Music/PHOTO CREDIT: @BBC6Music 

Shaun Keaveny in the Afternoon

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I popped outside to get some air after...

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Lauren Laverne presented her first (excellent) breakfast show on BBC Radio 6 Music today/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

reviewing Lauren Laverne’s debut breakfast show – the position Shaun Keaveny used to hold at BBC Radio 6 Music. I was deeply impressed by Laverne’s first outing and other have shared my positive vibes. In fact, there was a load of love for her on Twitter and people were impressed with her great selection of music and a casual yet immediate delivery that made us feel upbeat and spirited by had a calming effect. It is what you want from a Monday and, alongside the great music, there was a couple of new features. One, Cloudbusting, is a Monday Motivator equivalent. People got to choose some ace tunes to lift the nation and, on this first outing, we had Stevie Wonder and Florence + the Machine in the pack. The three hours seems to zoom by and I finished listening at 10:30 A.M. with loads of memories, highlights and smiles. It was a great first show and I am excited to follow Laverne as she rides the breakfast show horse. I got to see the last-ever Shaun Keaveny breakfast show at Maida Vale in December and, whilst it was sad he was moving on, he was going to a better place – I’m making him sound like a smelly family dog that is taking his final trip to the vet! What I mean is the renewed and refreshed Keaveny gets a lie-in and gets to tackle a new time slot.

I was listening to the last embers of Mary Anne Hobbs’ show – she ended her first mid-morning show with PJ Harvey’s Man-Size – and was readying myself for the new, awake Shaun Keaveny. He kicked things off with some Arctic Monkeys and, after asking an obvious question with an easy answer – “Have you missed me?” – he was off to the races. There was talk that he would open the show with a song by a quartet...I assumed it would be a Beatles classic. Lauren Laverne kicked off her breakfast tenure with Prince and, in all its creaminess and smoothness, it was a great way to open the morning. I knew Keaveny would go for guitars and a rawer take: a good idea to open with The View from the Afternoon. A lot of the Arctic Monkeys stuff I have been listening to on BBC Radio 6 Music has been their new album. It is good to hear something from back in the day; a good slice of northern wit to get the show kicking – joined, soon enough, by some norther wit from the host himself. It wouldn’t be a Shaun Keaveny show without some sound effects and a quick change of pace. After some monkey chatter we had some Lover Chanting from Little Dragon. From the all-male quartet offering grit and slam to a female artist with a cooler and more calming song, it was certainly quite a change of pace. That is what you want from a new show: a bit of unpredictable air but a lot of the same elements that you know and trust.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny proudly sporting a fan-sent gift/PHOTO CREDIT: @shaunkeaveny

I think the first ten minutes or so are crucial when it comes to getting people in, landing those punches and getting back into the ears. It has been a few weeks since we last heard from Shaun Keaveny and, yes, we have missed him. Like Lauren Laverne, he has had a couple of test runs of his new show (that were not broadcast) and he has been experimenting. When he came to the microphone and did his introduction, I was half-expected his usual beds and show. It took me a little while to realise he was not on breakfast anymore and this was Keaveny 2.0. After making his first mistake early on (naturally...) he was back with, dare I say it, a smile! Getting used to his new afternoon digs, it was great to hear this new show unfold. Keaveny’s introduction showed a mixture of professionalism (welcoming us in and being all calm) and some general chaos. Matt Everitt’s return was announced – Georgie Rogers has been filling in on the music news whilst the usual anchor has been tending to his family. Steve Mason was announced on the show; a live session after 3 P.M. and, whilst we were still drinking that in, the first banger of the show: Ain’t No Love by Sub Sub (ft. Melanie Williams) was a classic slice of 1994 gold and got me in the mood! I loved listening to Lauren Laverne and Mary Anne Hobbs but the absence of old-school club bangers left me pining!

Quite a dizzying and diverse first fifteen minutes of the new show! What I learned from the first few songs was that it was very much business as usual. One of the things I loved about Shaun Keaveny’s breakfast show was the eclectic selection of music and the fact there was this jump. After getting his head around an in-studio twenty-four hour clock, we had the first whiff of his beds. He had left a few behind and he asked whether we had any suggestions. It was comforting to hear a catastrophic error from Keaveny early on! He did a couple of pilot episodes, as we know, and the whole show was rehearsed. They were supposed to start the show differently and Keaveny managed to make a slip. For those who thought a more sleep-refreshed Keaveny would be slick, a plate-spinning genius were instantly slapped down and humbled. It was actually a great start and, whereas Laverne read praise and we saw this positivity, Keaveny was reading approbation and complaints – all done with a light heart and a grin. Just when you though the tuneage couldn’t get any better, again, another 1990s classic: Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos. One thing Keaveny and team does very well (among many others) is giving us those blissful tracks. After only twenty minutes, I was lifted and filled with energy. Maybe a few pre-planned decisions and additions were forgotten – poor Phil Smith! – but, hey, this is what we know and love from the man.

In the way Lauren Laverne transplanted her mid-morning show to breakfast with a few additions; Keaveny easily replicated his sonic mixture but, as it is a later slot, he has made some amendments. It was strange not hearing his usual routines and beds – what would the general public make of this reinvented and slightly changed D.J.? I was tracking Twitter right from the start of the show and, as you’d expect, there was genuine praise and all the love you’d want. Missives started to come in and it was good to hear from the public. They were full of praise and fear and, once again, we had a twist: Small Claims Court survived! I did not think that would survive the move but it sure did! On the line was a caller, Adam, who gave the studio a scare by not being on the line! It was almost fated: how could we have anything else but a misfire?! It was hard not to laugh after the build-up and as new Specials played – a cracking tune from them – I guess there was a panic, trying to get Adam back or whipping another Small Claims Court caller into action. The news came to relieve the fleet at 1:30 P.M. and, with only a couple of hiccups, it was a great start. It is a shame the caller dropped and there were a few niggles but that is always going to happen on radio – Keaveny is masterful when it comes to regaining control and keeping things steady.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny and team broadcasting their last breakfast show from Maida Vale Studios on 16th December, 2018 (check out the handsome dude at the back of the shot with his hands in his pockets!)/PHOTO CREDIT: @shaunkeavny/@BBC6Music

It is clear to see there is a definite voice of each of the shows – Lauren Laverne, Mary Anne Hobbs and Shaun Keaveny. Laverne was playing a mixture of Electro, Soul and R&B mostly (softer but with plenty of uplift) and Mary Anne was playing her usual blend of Rock, Electro...and pretty much every other genre around (a supremely varied and wide-ranging mix). To get us into the afternoon with a jolt, we’d need a playlist with some guitars and definite volume. Like his breakfast show, Shaun Keaveny brought out the bands, the bangers and the noise – a gutsy and high-quality selection that definitely got us standing to attention! Arcade Fire’s Normal Person was an unexpected song choice – but a great one – and that was followed by a nice jingle. Again, a little blip: Keaveny ‘mixing’ the jingle to the next song! It didn’t 100% come off and, with some laughter in the background, we had Stealing Sheep to the rescue! I couldn’t help smile thinking about the boo-boos and the slips: it is classic Keaveny and, even though he is getting more kip, it seems like the tanker will run into the rocks once in a while! After fluffing a song announcement (confusing Stealing Sheep with Red Blood Shoes) we heard some laughter from Matt Everitt. It was good to hear Everitt’s voice after a gap and back in his usual seat.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Matt Everitt and Shaun Keaveny sharing a joke/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

I am glad the music news came across to the new show because it would not be the same without Keaveny and Everitt together! Instead of the older, brief music news sting we got a longer one. It was done in the style of a news broadcast and was a good introduction. After introducing the new Blood Red Shoes single – cue some argument and crossover in the studio after Keaveny’s slip – we heard Eye to Eye (a pretty great track!). Before long, we had the dynamic duo chatting and Matt Everitt delivered his music news. We heard about a certain U.S. female being booked for Glastonbury and all the other developments/goings on. We heard about other Glastonbury tips. Everitt talked about the odds for headline acts on the Pyramid Stage – The Cure are favourites to take one of the slots (where ARE all the female acts?!). The Queen film, Bohemian Rhapsody, was mentioned as it did well at The Golden Globes and was an unexpected winner. Just before 2 P.M. we had seen the end of the music news and one essential continuation of the old breakfast show. When I was reviewing Lauren Laverne’s show, I was looking at the music selected and what sort of sounds she was favouring. We got funkiness and soulfulness but there were some unexpected choices and it was a nice assortment.

With Shaun Keaveny, the diversity is even greater. By the end of the first hour we had moved through Rock and Alternative; had some new cuts and seen a couple of classics on the block – heading into the second hour with Bess Atwell’s Grace (a great new artist who is one of my tips for 2019!). Maxïmo Park’s Our Velocity was the first tune of the show I was not hot on – never been a fan of the band – but its energy and alacrity was perfectly in keeping with the show’s momentum and sound. I like the fact that, like Steve Lamacq, a certain rush and grunginess defined Shaun Keaveny’s show. I am trying to cast my mind back to his breakfast broadcasts but I can sense more Rock and Indie on afternoons. Maybe it is a way of keeping the momentum going until 4 P.M. but I noticed a lot more guitar-based songs in the first hour-and-a-bit of his new show; more than his breakfast show at least. That was fine by me because it provided that much-needed early-afternoon boost and some great tunes to boot! It seems like well-oiled chairs were left back in the van when setting up Shaun Keaveny’s studio because, lo and behold, there was some squeaking and creaking soon enough (get some WD-40 on that!). After reading out some texts/emails – one person asked whether Keaveny could use Radcliffe and Maconie’s Tea Time Theme Time on his slot – we heard a talent about some D.I.Y. drama.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson alongside Matt Everitt at Rough Trade Nottingham back in November/PHOTO CREDIT: @matteveritt/@RoughTrade

I saw a picture on Keaveny’s Twitter feed where he successfully built a wardrobe after many hours of patience and swearing! I was missing the off-kilter humour from the hirsute Shaun W. Keaveny so it was nice to have one of his anecdotes come into play before he spun some Self Esteem (Rollout). Like Lauren Laverne’s show, I glanced away from the time and looked back and noticed how quickly things had gone by! We were almost an hour and a half through the first show and, again, it was a very comfortable routine and very easy to slot into the new show. The most pleasing thing I observed regarding Laverne and Keaveny’s shows is that there was not a lot of change. Both had regular features that have not travelled with them but the general tone and the music was largely untouched. I really enjoyed hearing emails and texts read out and the great tangents Keaveny provided. It was like an old friend being back on the radio and picking up where he left off! Black Science Orchestra’s New Jersey Deep provided a nice surprise and took us away from guitars and back to more club-based, classic-cut territory. I was assuming the playlist would be quite bloke-heavy but there was a nice balance regarding gender. I guess the men did shade it but, by 2:30 P.M., we had already heard great tunes from Courtney Barnett, Bess Atwell and Self Esteem.

Some epic Thomas Dolby (White City) took us up to the news and provided another welcome shift. A nice cut from 1984 sat seamlessly against the newer songs. By the time we got to 2:30 P.M., we were half of the way through and, giving my half-time assessment: pretty damn good, all in all! We expected some fluffs and the odd error; we had Matt Everitt back and there was the traditional blend of humour, great music and the occasional sound of a man on fire running around the studio. Anyone expecting a few hours extra in bed would dull Shaun Keaveny’s unique blend of skills were pleasantly corrected. The humour kept coming after the news and it involved newsreader Niki Cardwell – Keaveny getting a bit confused who was on news and admitting, with great lies, that this was his only mistake so far. Again, if we saw a refreshed and super-slick Shaun Keaveny in the chair I think we’d mutiny. As we headed towards 3 P.M. it was confirmation that the same boy we’d always known was just where we left him! Following some classic Smiths (Bigmouth Strikes Again) it was on with the show! After a bit of Mozza crooning we were ‘treated’ to a rather creepy children’s song that just said “good afternoon” over and over – almost like a government agency tormenting their captor into confessing extra-quick! It was an unexpectedly quirky and unique jingle that led into some Maribou State.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny doing some last-minute show inspections/PHOTO CREDIT: @BBC6Music

I liked the way the music kept nimble and darted between years but I wonder, like I did when reviewing Lauren Laverne’s show, whether there was another female input. I am not sure what the breakdown was up until this point but I yearned to hear someone like Madonna or PJ Harvey interject between the male majority. It is not a big thing with any station/show but I hope BBC Radio 6 Music gives a more equal split regarding gender ratio moving forward. That is a small quibble but not one that dampened my love of the show in any real way. We soon got some new missives and, among the listener gripes and requests, Matt Everitt was back! We learned that Gary Oldman and David Bowie have joined forces. There was an interactive exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum (in London) that proved hugely popular. On 8th January, an augmented mobile app is out and allows you to interact with the original exhibit. It mirrors the museum and you can move along in virtual-reality. Gary Oldman is narrating and one can get inside David Bowie’s wonderful and peerless world. It is good to hear the music news back on BBC Radio 6 Music and extra-special having some David Bowie news. We not only mourn three years since he died this Thursday but tomorrow would have been his seventy-second birthday...and three years since he released his final album, Blackstar.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Our new afternoon presenter is all smiles for the camera/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

Following a rare David Bowie live clip, it was into the jaws of The Prodigy and Timebomb Zone. Nobody could accuse the afternoon show of lacking spark and explosion. Another banger to add to the list and, for those struggling to stay awake at work, a shot of adrenaline that is more potent than a syringe of coffee to the eyeballs! Cassius’ Feeling for You provided some much-needed female tones and a perfect way to head into the final hour. With the promise of Steve Mason on the horizon, I looked back at the first two hours and how quickly it sped by. It is a better start than I thought and I can tell, despite some self-deprecating shots, that the rehearsals and dry-runs have paid off. I actually think the rigid and precise beds that were on the breakfast show took away some spontaneity and I found myself missing them less than I thought. I like the slightly looser feel of the afternoon show and the fact the energy levels, from Keaveny and the music alike, is definitely different.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny celebrates the completion of a tricky wardrobe build/PHOTO CREDIT: @shaunkeaveny

Boxed In’s Jist was a good start to the final hour and, whilst another geezer-led song, its dance and catchiness provided a fruity and warming blast of uplift. A lot of D.J.s would take a while to bed a new show in and spend too much time reiterating their coda and explaining the format etc. Instead, Keaveny was keen to include everyone but there was not a desperate sense of recruitment or the need to walk people through the afternoon show – we are all on board now and happy he is back in our ears. Keaveny was then moving into the live room and introducing Steve Mason. There were not that many people in the room so the band essentially had to applaud themselves after the introduction. Although it was the first live session for Shaun Keaveny, he had a natural bond with Mason and proved himself a natural in that environment. There is one live session a month on the show and I am looking forward to seeing who else is coming up! It is rare to hear a live performance at 3 P.M. on BBC Radio 6 Music – as Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie didn’t really do that sort of thing much – and it provided a real treat. The first track was Walking Away from Love and it is from the forthcoming album, About the Light. The band was tight throughout and the song was performed incredibly.

A romping, stomping and awesome performance; it was a great kick-off for the live sessions and a perfect way to keep the energy high and the mood funky. Mason and Keaveny chatted and we got some interesting anecdotes. Mason stated, when The Beta Band were signed, they took five-grand in cash out each and walked down Oxford Street. Mason handed fifty quid to every homeless person he saw and, when he looked back, he saw them running delighted. We learned more about his and the band’s process and how the music comes together – better when there is someone at the driving seat but allows for democracy and everyone pitching in. Stars Around My Heart was, incorrectly, announced as the next song up and that sent the band into a panic. It was another classic boner but one that was styled out by Keaveny and Mason. Instead, we had something else but I missed the title and Google was no help when I put the lyrics in! Anyway, it was a great performance and delivered with complete conviction and charm by Mason and the band. Taking us up to the news was Stars Around My Heart and the ship was sailing in the right direction. When Lauren Laverne was doing live sessions on her show, there was a slight break between tracks and it allowed the artists the time to chill a bit and come back. I like the fact this was a more rapid and punchy set; getting three songs out fairly quickly so that the final half an hour could be dedicated to more music and wrapping things up.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Steve Mason limbering up before performing for Shaun Keaveny/PHOTO CREDIT: @BBC6Music

After the final news report of the show ended, I was priming myself for the last half an hour and what tunes would take the show down to land. I was relieved to hear Utah Saints’ Something Good. Not only because it is a stone-cold banger and classic but it has a female voice at the front (two if you include the Kate Bush sample from Cloudbusting). I like the fact the team threw in these great cuts from the past (mainly the 1990s) that took you back to when these songs ruled the roost. If the show was all guitar-based or similar then its charms would wear thing. We had plenty of chunky and thrilling gems to get the blood racing; perfectly sitting with the more modern and conventional tracks. The charm and success of BBC Radio 6 Music is giving the audience what it wants but throwing in the odd surprise. Utah Saints is definitely a firm favourite and I couldn’t have been the only one raving like a demon! The final twenty minutes provided a good mixture of songs and the second appearance of John Grant’s Preppy Boy on the playlist (I think it was played by Lauren Laverne or Mary Anne Hobbs earlier in the day). Keaveny put out an appeal for new show beds and stuff to give the show a new lick of paint.

A welcome return of Jeremy Vine on the show – his ‘cats in gangs’ bit – was a lovely little injection and then another plea: any new or old tracks that the public want to hear, get in touch. Keaveny mentioned accosting Huw Stephens outside Wogan House and asking for tune recommendation. Calva Louise were recommended and we got to hear Tug of War on the show. I am familiar with the band and they have a nice mix of 1980s Pop-Punk and modern-day Indie. It is a great shout and will open many listeners’ eyes to this great new band. I do like the fact BBC Radio 6 Music can mix in the embryonic and newborn with the legends of music. It means there are no divides regarding demographic and the shows appeal to a wide spectrum. I like the idea for the new feature, Liked and Shared, that means listeners can let people know which old or new track they are vibing to. Bit by bit, we are getting to know the new features and how afternoons will sound. The Light by Common was another welcomed addition. I have not heard the song for ages and, like Lauren Laverne’s breakfast show, wild eclecticism and range is top of the agenda here. Any reservations about diversity and parity were dispelled by the final two tracks.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny looking focused/confused/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

A gorgeous Adrianne Lenker tune, Blue and Red Horses, was new to me but instantly got into my brain. As Steve Lamacq sat outside the studio waiting to get in, we heard the final song: Getting Away with It by Electronic. Once more, we had a banger before us and a beautiful, uplifting way to end the first Shaun Keaveny afternoon show. Despite some expected rough edges, it was a fantastic opening show and good to hear him back on the radio. I am interested to see how the afternoon show develops and what features come and stay. I loved the mixture of music and the Steve Mason live set; the good mishaps and the great chat/interaction between Matt Everitt and our bearded leader. I will tune in tomorrow to see what happens next but, on the evidence of the first afternoon show, Shaun Keaveny will get some new fans. Many feared the changes and rotations would damage the station and create disharmony but, as Lauren Laverne, Mary Anne Hobbs and Shaun Keaveny have shown, these little alterations have resulted in...

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 IN THIS PHOTO: A sign of things to come?/PHOTO CREDIT: @shaunkeaveny

A big impact.

FEATURE: BBC Radio 6 Music’s New Evolution: The Lauren Laverne Breakfast Show

FEATURE:

 

 

BBC Radio 6 Music’s New Evolution

IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 6 Music’s new breakfast show host Lauren Laverne started her reign off with a bang/PHOTO CREDIT: Phil Sharp 

The Lauren Laverne Breakfast Show

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MANY were a little worried and unsure when BBC Radio 6 Music...

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Former BBC Radio 6 Music breakfast show host Shaun Keaveny is now on from 1 P.M. during the week/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/BBC

announced their new line-up. It did not involve any new presenters taking slots; more the existing line-up being moved to new time periods. Shaun Keaveny’s reign as breakfast host ended after eleven years and he is now on at 1 P.M. Mary Anne Hobbs comes in from 10:30 in the morning and, in the new breakfast slot, Lauren Laverne now takes to the throne. It has not been a big shift but there are many who have been used to a certain sound and way of working had things to say. For most of us, this move has been an evolution and something that needed to happen. I have been checking Twitter for the past few days and both Laverne and Keaveny have been doing ‘dummy shows’. They did not air but, essentially, they were in the studio in Wogan House and doing a mock-up of the final product! To make sure they are fresh and confident today they have done a couple of test shows to get the feel and format down. I love the fact Chris Hawkins has an extra half an hour and we get to hear more of him in the morning. The loyalty and faith he has shown the station is incredible and he is always ready to step in and cover a show if needed – someone who never seems to stop working and is always ready for action. After ending his extended show (5:00 to 7:30 A.M.) with the Beastie Boys’ Shake Your Rump, it was over to the new breakfast show – after the news report, naturally.

The new show started with a fresh bed – a bit more active and peppy than Keaveny’s – and, after an alarm sound, we opened with Prince. Starfish and Coffee got things off to the races perfectly. The first song choice is always a difficult one: it announces a new era and sort of sets the tone. Anything too rousing and fast would probably be a bit too much; get it too slow and it is a rather damp start to the morning. Instead, we got a smooth, silky and uplifting Prince number that, whilst not in his top-ten provided a nice surprise and a great way to start things off. I can only imagine how much planning and thought went into that opening track. Laverne came to the microphone and, after a brief introduction, it was on to more music. Again, like the opening track, getting the next number spot-on was crucial. From a 1987 Prince classic it was to a bit of more-modern Thundercat with BADBADNOTGOOD and Flying Lotus – King of the Hill continued the smooth, seductive and physical opening that meant, just after 7:40 A.M., we were all awake, ready and eager! I was a little surprised by an all-male one-two regarding music but, knowing the balance and how Laverne usually sets out her stall, there would be female-led songs very soon. One would not notice the fact that this was her first breakfast show and she was in a fresh time slot.

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 IMAGE CREDIT: BBC

Asking the listener how long they have been with the show and welcoming in new followers, it was a warm and welcoming opening that was as slick and professional as you’d expect. Those expecting the same mix as Keaveny provided – the regular beds and his style of delivery – would have been disappointed but, after eleven years, it is great hearing a new voice in the breakfast slot. Next week sees Zoe Ball take to the BBC Radio 2 breakfast slot – it is a female-heavy charge at Wogan House in the breakfast slots! In many ways, 2019 already seems like an evolution and move towards equality regarding gender. Mark Goodier is doing the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show this week – Ball was joking in the press that she asked for several alarm clocks for Christmas to make sure she was up in time! Back to BBC Radio 6 Music and, in many ways, it was kind of like the normal Lauren Laverne show moved to breakfast. The same caramel and familiar tones led the show but there were some new features and touches in the show – more on that later. I think the music choices and the opening few tracks were the most surprising aspect of the opening hour. I loved the Prince opening and there was a definite tone to the opening segment. Very few big guitars or anything to suggest this would be an Indie-Rock breakfast show. One of the criticisms levied at BBC Radio 6 Music through the years is that they seem to be catering too heavily to guitar music – maybe that was the case to start with but they have become much broader and diverse through the years.

I was surprised by the male-heavy start and half-expected some classic Motown, Disco or 1980s Pop to make an appearance early. Looking back at it, it was not such a big thing. As the show wore on, as I shall state, there was plenty of female-fronted sounds and I actually like the fact we were given this quite calming yet playful musical opening. If it was guitar-heavy and we were jolted awake then it would have seemed jarring and a bit too similar to other shows on the station. This was, right from the off, a very different breakfast show: BBC Radio 6 Music evolving and encouraging a reinvention rather than a new presenter fronting the exact same show! It has been a pretty non-eventful and rough year (2018) for me – a rather fruitless and money-draining move to London has left me a bit worried how things will pan out and, indeed, whether it is possible to get a job in this city. Against all this financial cat-and-mouse and fear comes the safety and comforting hug of BBC Radio 6 Music. It has been with me through all the good and bad so, if there were any unwelcomed changes, it would seem odd and strange. Luckily, Laverne was in the new breakfast show to provide that familiar comfort and there was no need for worry. With Julia Holter taking providing a nice tonal shift and an extra ounce of morning energy, it was almost the end of the first half hour. Having kicked things off with a Prince stunner; the show was comfortably into the groove and any doubts as to whether Lauren Laverne could add her stamp to breakfast was gone – she sounded, even that early, like her whole broadcasting life has been leading to this.

I was a bit sad she moved from the mid-morning slot because I love her regular features such as Biorhythms, Desert Island Disco and Memory Tapes. Her interviews and live sessions were always a staple and I was eager to see whether there would be any listener-focused threads or whether it would be a bit early for her usual punters to offer their musical choices. Before the 8 A.M. news it was back to more gentle and soothing territory – the sleepy and dreamy 3WW by alt-j (again, keeping the male voices high but, in fact, the opening half an hour was perfect in terms of balance and sonic textures). A great slice of M.I.A. – I won’t name-check EVERY song, don’t worry! – got the next half hour off to a great start and, again, you can tell how much effort and thought had gone into the music. Given the time of year and the fact it was a new show meant there was not a lot of brand new music in the early portions – it is January and it will take a while for artists to bring out some new tunes. One could have forgiven the show for putting together a collection of overly-familiar and crowd-pleasing songs to ensure everyone was satisfied but we got a more original, thoughtful and diverse set of songs. In many ways, the music of the new breakfast was similar to that of the old mid-morning show: business as usual for Laverne fans but a change of gear for those new to breakfast show.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: BBC/@laurenlaverne

Monday is a bit of a sh*t day for everyone and we were all looking for something/someone who could wake us up, give us that boost and, as it is the first day back at work for many after Christmas, that extra kick in the bottom! I was excited by the tease that Emily Eavis would be on the show after 9 – providing some Glastonbury tease and news (would we hear some pleasing new regarding a female headliner or a legend like Sir Paul McCartney making an appearance?!). After a burst of hot-off-of-the-press Lizzo – her new jam, Juice – I was familiar with the new breakfast show and, yeah, it is an instant success. I will continue this review, of course, but by 8:12 A.M. I was smiling and could tell that this new breakfast show was rock-solid and something that could last for another eleven years – if Laverne would be in it for that long I think we could all truly get behind that ambition! Any grumbles or drawbacks after the first hour of the show? Not this way! I was a bit ho-hum about the male-heavy balance of music but it was a masterstroke. As Marvin Gaye helped sail us towards the end of the first hour, I looked back and everything sort of clicked. I guess the absence of Shaun Keaveny clattering, getting insulted and thrashing against the world, in an odd way, was hard to take but a new dawn has broken – it was clear all the rehearsal, meetings and endless graft had paid off and we were hearing a very natural and pleasing breakfast show.

One of the big themes of the opening show was to welcome listeners in and ask how long they have been with the station. Rather than the usual Monday Motivators or Earworms, Laverne was keen to open her show like a new school year – setting out her stall and making sure the transition was as personable and interactive as possible. The music got better and better as we headed towards the news and another masterful tune was laid in: Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads. That song was a fond memory of my middle-school years (the song came out ten years before I started middle-school) and here was this blast of nostalgia and remembrance. As I grinned like a lunatic through Talking Heads and realised that the first hour of Lauren Laverne’s breakfast show had gone by REALLY quickly...I was already excited to see what the final couple of hours offered in terms of features, surprises and big tunes! I think the biggest challenge anyone would have when it comes to replacing a long-running breakfast host is ensuring you do not repeat things but making sure the new format does not alienate. I was delighted to hear that, indeed, there would be a segment dedicated to listener requests after 9 A.M. Cloudbusting is a new section that is designed to ask for songs that banish the clouds and bring some cheer. The fact that it is Kate Bush-themed ticked lots of boxes with me and it is a really simple and good idea – we will have to wait a little longer until we get there.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

Any suggestions of fatigue and slowly adapting to her early slot didn’t show – she is a mother-of-two so is used to human alarm clocks waking her every morning, I guess – and one could feel the change. Less conversational and format-based than Keaveny’s show – he had his beds and segments; very structured in form but open to mishap and fun -; Laverne was offering a looser show and was like a mate taking us for a coffee and a chat...perfect stuff. Looking at the tweets that were coming in for Lauren Laverne’s show early on, it seemed like people were loving her in the new role and definitely behind her music choices! A new feature, 6 Music Musings, talks to some well-known names and asks them for some words of wisdom; they pick a song and we get a nice slice of tuneage and some very sage words to boot! After some terrific Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, I checked back on Twitter and the love kept coming. Not only did the former breakfast show’s Shaun Keaveny and Matt Everitt offer their praise and hugs; people far and wide were giving an emphatic Paul McCartney double-thumbs-up - I could see no criticisms, grumbles or high-raised eyebrows anywhere on the Internet! Enjoying some spiky and beefy Smashing Pumpkins before the news, I was half-tempted to suggest Steely Dan’s My Old School for the inaugural Cloudbusting but I figured demand would be high and there may be some Dan in the show a bit later. Again, by the mid-way point we were seeing something fresh with its own personality – no jitters; pure gold and confidence right the way through. If anything, the post-9 A.M. run provided more content and a better look at what the new breakfast show would encompass – the introductions were over and, yes, congratulatory tweets were flooding in all over the shop!

There is a simple brilliance regarding Cloudbusting. I might be bias when it comes to the title – ANYTHING that nods to Kate Bush is alright by me! – and what it does. It is listeners suggesting their favourite songs and, on the worst day of the week, twenty minutes of fried gold is just the kind of tonic to make the Gods of Misery scratch their beards with a perplexed gaze. I think the mark of any great and natural breakfast show is one where you adopt it to heart right away. You are not nervous regarding what comes next and you do not anxiously sweat and wondering how long it will take to get that same joy you had before. I loved Keaveny’s show but found myself chilled and completely seduced by Lauren Laverne by 9 A.M. How would the first Cloudbusting work out? Well, with Stevie Wonder covering The Beatles’ We Can Work It Out...a pretty emphatic and memorable one! Having started the show with some stone-cold Prince bliss; a dose of underrated Stevie Wonder provided a lovely treat. Cloudbusting lived up to its names and brought more sunshine with some Lady Marmalade/Labelle swagger – get those hips moving, people! After a few other choice cuts, including Florence + the Machine’s Dog Days Are Over, I had to take a breath and drink it all in – it is clear this new breakfast incarnation is designed to provide as much soul, energy and warmth as possible.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Boden Diaries

I love how the show’s sonic tones changed between the hours. The opening hour was very much a similar path to Lauren Laverne’s usual morning show but other genres came to play soon enough. Just before 9:30 A.M. it was almost like Craig Charles was spinning the platters – lots of Funk, Soul and heavenly tunes that kicked a rather grey Monday into the heavens. That kind of gear-shift might catch some off of their guard but it was another natural evolution and, like every aspect of the show, carefully planned and beautifully considered. I was almost sad when I realised the final hour of the first show was upon us. The first show is a biggie and a litmus test: the second show, in many ways, is the biggest test. Can the momentum remain and will we get a sense of the new audience figures and reaction? Playing Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run into the 9:30 A.M. news almost seemed like a the answer to that question: this show was running on gas and had found its feet on its debut outing (how many shows sound that solid and complete right from the very start?!). I think the biggest change to the breakfast show was the lack of change. I heard – through interviews Laverne gave – they were toying with features (including one called House Music; details a little sketchy on its pitch) but the reason the first Lauren Laverne breakfast show got off to a flyer was because it was about the music.

 PHOTO CREDIT: BookTrust/Getty Images

If there were gimmicks, phone-ins and too many new features then it would seem too crowded, experimental and busy. As it was, we were getting what we hoped for: a brilliant and much-loved D.J. playing brilliant tunes, welcoming in her new flock and making sure BBC Radio 6 Music 2.0 was a smooth and assured one. If the first few songs of the new breakfast show were male-heavy; it was very much about the women as we entered the final hour. Solange’s Losing You was followed by Róisín Murphy and The Rumble (a new cut from her). I was thinking back on the records played so far and I had no heard a downbeat or slow song. The first Lauren Laverne breakfast show was very much about getting people up and making sure the serotonin levels were at full chat! Laverne’s chat with Emily Eavis was great and, although it was a pre-recorded telephone chat, the sound quality was good (a lot of phone interviews can be crackly and inaudible) and some juicy deets was revealed. I have never been to Glastonbury – always wanted to – and it was great hearing Eavis announce new areas, stages and bits for this year’s festival. Janelle Monáe was revealed as a headliner for the West Holts stage. We already have Stormzy confirmed as a headliner on the Pyramid Stage and Kylie Minogue will perform in the legends slot.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

It is good to hear there are going to be some big female names taking to Glastonbury this year and I hope that is mirrored on the Pyramid Stage. Although brief, the chat with Emily Eavis definitely provided some good news and temptations for those wondering whether how Glastonbury would return after a fallow year. Personal music tastes often find their way into broadcasts – especially new shows and debuts – and I did wonder whether we’d hear some Beastie Boys or Steely Dan before the end. So far, it seems like Laverne’s personal collection was being left for later shows (we did hear some Beastie Boys earlier so can’t complain on that front I guess). As the final half an hour came onto the horizon I asked, truly, whether anything could be improved and what one would hope for shows going forward. I think a lack of features (bar the excellent Cloudbusting) gave the first show a music-heavy feel and I am interested to see whether there will be equivalents of Desert Island Disco and Biorhythms down the line. One of Laverne’s skills is her rapport with her listeners and it is always good hearing a listener’s selection. Again, that might be all to come so the first show, in many ways, was about providing an accessible and uncluttered show that would please the core fanbase and bring in some new followers. Although Golden Globes reactions was dominating Twitter’s trends and most-discussed; I was seeing a lot of love and support for Lauren Laverne in this new time.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Lauren Laverne with Alan Carr on Desert Island Discs/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

I guess it is not a radical shift in terms of time but the breakfast show is the biggest on radio and carries with it a lot of expectation, pressure and reputation. As I ponder before the final half hour, I wonder how the new earlier start will impact Laverne’s role as Desert Island Discs host. I am not sure when Kirsty Young is back but I hope she (Laverne) can balance both roles because, right now, there is no more powerful woman in British radio (I think) than Lauren Laverne. A bit of funky Steve Mason took us into the news at 10 (a little after, to be fair) and I was sort of sad to realise there wasn’t long left in the first show. I think so many people have been building it up and wondering whether the new line-up/evolution at BBC Radio 6 Music would be a good one. Although I could not stick around for Mary Anne Hobbs’ first weekday morning show – have to get out of the house for a couple of hours at least! – I was readying my mind to review Shaun Keaveny’s new afternoon show; delighted by Lauren Laverne’s new breakfast show and almost sad to think that, when I get a job, I might miss out on her...unless I can find a way to covertly listen whilst at work!

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  PHOTO CREDIT: Boden Diaries

The final half hour ensured the energy was kept high and listeners were primed to make their way through a hard morning back at work! Tuff City Kids’ (ft. Joe Goddard) Reach Out Your Hands (Erol Alkan Rework) gave us a great boost and one of the most body-moving tracks of the morning. One can be pedantic and picky when it comes to music but I did not feel like there was a misstep or missed opportunity at any stage. Every piece of the jigsaw fit and it coalesced to provide a familiar yet new show. For those who are used to Lauren Laverne’s regular show and missed that would have been relieved to hear her make few radical changes for her breakfast move. I guess time will tell whether there will be big plans, changes and additions. I have been fascinated by the handover from Shaun Keaveny to Lauren Laverne but I love the connection between Laverne and Mary Anne Hobbs. Hobbs was on the line to have a brief chat before her 10:30 show and talked about a new feature, All Queens – a mix of female artists that would be a fixture of every Monday show. It is a shame I have to miss it but will make sure I get onto the BBC Sounds page and listen back to the show this evening! We were into the final ten minutes by the time DJ Shadow, Q-Tip and Lateef the Truth Speaker had given us Enuff.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Chris McAndrew/The Times

The last ten minutes gave me time to reflect, give some impressions and have a think about Lauren Laverne’s first breakfast show. I genuinely can’t think of any negatives and constructive criticisms – it is hardly my place to do that! – and I think it was as varied, personal and terrific as we all hoped. I think many look for new features right off the bat but we had a couple in the first show. The mix of music was great and it wasn’t just classics: there were a couple of fresher cuts and a great balance in terms of genre and tempo. It is hard to get the Monday mix right but that is what we got. The show woke us up, made us smile and, most importantly, demonstrated that there is nothing to worry about: this New Year’s evolution on BBC Radio 6 Music is a good thing and all your favourite D.J.s are still here, in a different slot. As she bade farewell after her maiden voyage on the breakfast waves, the praise was still coming in without abatement. I am looking forward to tomorrow’s show and whether we will get any new bits and revelations. The doubters can rest easy and the loyal faithful can sit calm and satisfied. Many people say that all change is a bad thing but, as proved in the first show of BBC Radio 6 Music’s new line-up; it is very clear that the new breakfast show is...

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny, Steve Lamacq; Mary Anne Hobbs and Lauren Laverne are spearheading BBC Radio 6 Music’s new line-up/changes/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

IN very good hands!

FEATURE: Against Consensus: Underrated Albums That Outshine the Critical Favourite: Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic

FEATURE:

 

 

Against Consensus: Underrated Albums That Outshine the Critical Favourite

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IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images 

Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic

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IN this second part of this feature...

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and Walter Becker in 1972/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

I look at a band (or a ‘phenomenon’…as I should explain) who have produced some sensational albums - and there is that one that stands out to the critics. I shall come to that in a bit but it is hard really to label Steely Dan and describe what they are. One of their founders, Walter Becker, died last year and its remaining founder, Donald Fagen, is still touring the Steely Dan name. It started life as Becker and Fagen and they assembled musicians around them. I guess Steely Dan is a collective that has the core element of Becker and Fagen. I am not sure if there is a name for that – perhaps there should be one! However you want to class Steely Dan, you can definitely feel the moment they transitioned from a loose collective looking for an identity to a solid unit where Becker and Fagen called the shots. I guess there is a bit of a three-way between the albums considered their very best. I am torn between Can’t Buy a Thrill (their 1972 debut) and Pretzel Logic (their third album of 1974) but, as you can see from the title of this piece, have put Pretzel Logic ahead. Their debut has a stunning mixture of sounds and, although there are simple moments like Reelin’ in the Years, there is richness and complexity through the album.

I love the variety of sounds and the sophistication of the songwriting. Although one can see genius right from the off, a reason why many critics prefer other Steely Dan efforts is the lack of leadership and focus. David Palmer, an English singer, did not fit in with the Steely Dan sound: a sarcastic, caustic and witty sound that was more real and edgy than the soulful and oversung tones of Palmer. I like his performance on Dirty Work but can see the difference a Fagen vocal would have made. Steely Dan dispensed with Palmer by the second album, Countdown to Ecstasy, and they were starting to find their momentum. What remained was the experimentation, perfectionism and incredible songwriting. Their 1973 sophomore effort is a leaner record with fewer tracks (eight compared to their debut’s ten) and there are fewer loose ends. Although Countdown to Ecstasy is an improvement on the debut in many ways – much truer to the Steely Dan that would remain – they were still finding their feet. The record contains two genuine standouts, Show Biz Kids and My Old School, the rest of the record is not quite up to the same standard. Things would even out and solidify a year after Countdown to Ecstasy. It is amazing to think a band as perfectionist and fastidious as Steely Dan could release a record every year (at this stage) – few modern, less-fine bands cannot manage that now!

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 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images 

With Gary Katz on production duties; Steely Dan would create their masterpiece with Pretzel Logic. I will mention the album that gains the biggest critical weight: Aja. It is a close call between the two but there is that leaning to Aja when it comes to impact and quality. The reason why I feel Pretzel Logic is a better record is because it announced the completed and fully formed Steely Dan. The debut was promising and the second album corrected some kinks. Pretzel Logic saw all the pieces slot together and, seeing as they only released their debut album two years earlier, it makes Pretzel Logic all the more impressive. There was a bit of disappointment regarding Countdown to Ecstasy and how it performed. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number was a return to form for Steely Dan and showed what was missing from their previous album: a radio hit that could get them chart attention. Pretzel Logic has shorter songs and greater memorability. There are more Jazz elements in Pretzel Logic and greater use of harmonies. Whilst there are still one or two less-than-genius moments on the record – Through with Buzz and With a Gun are inessential – there is more than enough wonder to satisfy the senses. Whereas their first couple of albums are a little uneven regarding pacing and where the best songs lie – either top or bottom-heavy – Pretzel Logic is more balanced.

Most of the best moments are in the first half of the album but there is a lot of quality further down. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number is a perfect opener. It has a lot of mystery but Donald Fagen has stated in interviews that the ‘Number’ in the title is a reference to marijuana; the woman mentioned in the song is someone he had a crush on in college. The track is full of brilliance: from the rousing and catchy chorus to the unique, image-provoking verses...it is a masterful and perfect work. Night by Night follows the track and is one of the most underrated songs in the Steely Dan cannon. The rushing horns and the insatiable groove gets your body moving and remains long in the mind. Any Major Dude Will Tell You is a rare moment of reflection and sensitivity from the band. It talks of worlds dividing and cracks forming. Fagen is talking to a friend going through hard times and lending a shoulder. It does not minimise sorry or give any sort of cheap shots the way of the affected – showing Steely Dan could do heart and tenderness alongside the acidic and funny. East St. Louis Toodle-Oo is an unusual inclusion but shows Steely Dan’s passion for Jazz. It was originally written by Duke Ellington and Bubber Miley but given a cool and groovy spin by Steely Dan. It provides a great balance and contrast to the rest of the material on Pretzel Logic’s first side and end things perfectly.

The second side features the remarkable title cut that sees Fagen travelling through time and imagining Napoleon and minstrel shows. It is one of the more conventional tracks on the album but, in terms of its lyrics, it is anything but. The variety of emotions and themes explored through Pretzel Logic is amazing. The musicianship and compositions would become fuller-fat and more complex on later albums but Pretzel Logic was the moment when the problems and hesitations were rectified. Even late tracks on Pretzel Logic, such as Charlie Freak and Monkey in Your Soul, shine and have their own charming personalities. Maybe Can’t Buy a Thrill has more commercial appeal and range; Countdown to Ecstasy is a fascinating passage – Pretzel Logic is the moment when the true Steely Dan comes to shine. When it came to reviews for Pretzel Logic, there was plenty of praise. AllMusic, in 2013, had this to say:

“Instead of relying on easy hooks, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen assembled their most complex and cynical set of songs to date. Dense with harmonics, countermelodies, and bop phrasing, Pretzel Logic is vibrant with unpredictable musical juxtapositions and snide, but very funny, wordplay. Listen to how the album's hit single, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," opens with a syncopated piano line that evolves into a graceful pop melody, or how the title track winds from a blues to a jazzy chorus -- Becker and Fagen's craft has become seamless while remaining idiosyncratic and thrillingly accessible. Since the songs are now paramount, it makes sense that Pretzel Logic is less of a band-oriented album than Countdown to Ecstasy, yet it is the richest album in their catalog, one where the backhanded Dylan tribute "Barrytown" can sit comfortably next to the gorgeous "Any Major Dude Will Tell You." Steely Dan made more accomplished albums than Pretzel Logic, but they never made a better one”.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

If we think about the Steely Dan that gets most critical praise then you have to go to Aja. Released in 1977, it was the second-to-last album they would release before a hiatus. The album is regarded so highly because its musicianship and detail is impeccable. The perfectionist Becker and Fagen reach the peak during Aja. Numerous musicians were drilled and auditions were held so that they could get the right sound for each song. Although Deacon Blues is my favourite song ever (and the diamond from the album), I find myself drawn more to Pretzel Logic. Aja’s title offering gets highlighted but I find it a bit long and never really bond with it. Lesser-mentioned songs like Home at Last intrigue me more and I can take or leave Black Cow. Peg is a fantastic song heightened by a Michael McDonald vocal; Josie is a great way to end and displays the lyrics wit and intelligence Steely Dan displayed throughout their career. I like the fact there are only seven tracks but I cannot get past Deacon Blues. It carries such weight and genius I find myself listening to nothing else. I am not suggesting the remainder of Aja is inferior but Deacon Blues is such a huge statement. I think the title-track goes on a bit and never really pops. I wonder if there were another couple of songs in the locker that could have been included.

The last album Becker and Fagen would release before a break, 1980’s Gaucho, has some breezier moments that would have lent Aja greater flexibility. I do love Aja and adore the musicianship that runs throughout. The fact that so much effort was put in and the musicians used were honed to the ground shows how much the album meant to Steely Dan. You can see the attention to detail and the perfectionism drip from every note. There are more reviews – and more five-star reviews – available for Aja compared to Pretzel Logic. Rolling Stone, in 1977, talked about Aja in these terms:

“The last album, The Royal Scam. was the closest thing to a “concept” album Steely Dan has done, an attempt to return musically to New York City, with both a raunchier production quality and a fascination with grim social realism. The farthest Aja strays from the minor joys and tribulations of the good life in L.A. are the dreamy title cut and “Josie,” which hints ominously about a friendly welcome-home gang-bang. The melodramatic “Black Cow” is about love replaced by repulsion for a woman who starts getting too strung out on downers and messing around with other men. “Deacon Blues” (a thematic continuation of “Fire in the Hole” and “Any World”) exemplifies this album’s mood: resignation to the L.A. musician’s lifestyle, in which one must “crawl like a viper through these suburban streets” yet “make it my home sweet home.”

 

The title and first lines of “Home at Last” (presumably a clever interpretation of Homer’s Odyssey — I don’t get it) put it right up front: “I know this superhighway This bright familiar sun I guess that I’m the lucky one.”

More than any of Steely Dan’s previous albums (with the possible exception of Katy Lied), Aja exhibits a carefully manipulated isolation from its audience, with no pretense of embracing it. What underlies Steely Dan’s music — and may, with this album, be showing its limitations — is its extreme intellectual self-consciousness, both in music and lyrics. Given the nature of these times, this may be precisely the quality that makes Walter Becker and Donald Fagen the perfect musical antiheroes for the Seventies”.

I guess it depends what version of Steely Dan you prefer and whether you prefer the looser and punchier Pretzel Logic or the more expansive and rich Aja. I love both albums but find myself gravitating towards Pretzel Logic. It is the album that saw the promising unit become this more focused and assured prospect. Gone were the guest singers (for the most part) and there was greater concern regarding a more streamlined and accessible sound. Many might say Steely Dan are at their best when overloading songs with texture but I think songs like Rikki Don’t Lose That Number are timeless because they sound effortless and can connect with everyone – even if the actual music and recording process was quite intense. Many critics love the Steely Dan who created Aja in 1977 but to me, when it comes to their defining moment, you cannot get better...

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

THAN the peerless Pretzel Logic.

FEATURE: T.V. Eye: Are Talent Shows the Modern Alternative to Music Television?

FEATURE:

 

 

T.V. Eye

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IMAGE CREDIT: Pinterest

Are Talent Shows the Modern Alternative to Music Television?

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THERE was a time when music played a big role on our screens...

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 IMAGE CREDIT: MTV/Getty Images

and it was a pivotal form of exposure for artists. It wasn’t that long ago when I used to turn on the T.V. and could see the latest music videos and news. It was a way for the big artists of the day to get their latest hit to the people and was a big deal. I guess the introduction of streaming services and the Internet means the role of music television has shifted. It seems odd that we do not have a big music T.V. scene given the fact the industry is busier and bigger than ever. Unlike times past, there is a whole new world of artists coming through. I have talked about this before but I wonder why there has been such an absence regarding music on T.V. MTV, once the staple when it came to music on the screens, has become a network for reality shows and inane broadcast. It seems that music videos, live performances and documentaries have taken a back seat. Last night’s T.V. was a perfect example of why we need to revise the schedules and get proper music back on the screens. The Greatest Dancer is the BBC’s latest dance-related show. I do wonder why we need ANOTHER dance show on the screen! We have just seen the end of Strictly Come Dancing – the latest series at least – and other networks have had their say. I do not see any point having dance shows on the T.V.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: A promotional image for the BBC show, The Greatest Dancer/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

Strictly Come Dancing has some value but why are we invested in unknowns competing to get a contract or win a prize?! We are not going to see them perform after the show is over and why do we need to see the same formulaic and pointless shows time and time again?! It is cheap and unimaginative and shows how hopelessly unimaginative and derivative networks are. We will, very soon, see All Together Now come back to the screen. Again, it is another stupid and predictable singing contest that claims to have a ‘niche’ – a unique selling point that differs from everything else. At the end of the day, we are still seeing a bunch of wannabes singing covers – without playing instruments – and being subjected to a vote. It is designed to appeal to those who do not want to find the best new musicians: it is a shallow and inane talent show that, yet again, displays a huge lack of imagination. We still have ‘talent shows’ like The Voice and X Factor and they have not changed their format. I can confidently say I have never discovered or stuck with any artist who has ever appeared on any talent show ever. Every sound and act I listen to have come through music the honest way and not subjected us to the same warbling, pathetic stories and hackneyed routines.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @strompictures/Unsplash

It is the same story every single year. I guess it is the public’s fault that these shows exist. Whether it is a singing or dancing contest; it seems the only way we get to see music on T.V. is through these shows. There is brief commercial appeal to be found with these artists but the fact they are so manufactured, Pop-based and samey means there is no point continuing. It seems genuine music and entertainment has been replaced by a chase for ratings and commercialism. I miss the days of MTV and shows like Top of the Pops. I am not suggesting we should limit everything to genuine and real shows but can we just cap things at one singing show and one dance show? Why do we need so many options that do the same thing? I do wonder whether British T.V. has got to a point where it is so short of ideas and talent that it goes for the lowest common denominator. Music is always growing and there are so many great acts out. Where do they get to shine and get their music seen by the nation? Jools Holland’s long-running late-night show has its format and core but it has not changed since its inception. That show has been on for decades and does go for the cooler side of the dial. It is good the show has survived but I do think there needs to be alternatives. We do not have a T.V. show for underground artists and there is only so far Jools Holland can go.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Jools Holland/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I feel there could be more time spent interviewing artists and other options are out there. What about music documentaries and special shows? We do not have shows that feature classic albums or documentaries on great bands and time for music. I think generations are missing out on classic albums and past masters. How are we ever going to ensure the music of the past is remembered and finds new audience if we only rely on the Internet? I do worry that is assumed music survives solely on the Internet and live gigs. The scene is struggling and I think we need to revise the lost art of music T.V. It would be great to have a channel that was dedicated to new music shows and non-talent shows; maybe a few new shows that regularly featured live acts, documentaries and music news. I do despair at the dominance of talent shows and the fact this is where music T.V. has got to. It is sad seeing this decline and stagnation; real shame that broadcasters forget why music T.V. of the past was so popular and remains iconic. There are so many, myself included, who do not want to see dance and singing contests plague the screens. We have seen it all before and nobody they foster is going to remain and match the best artists around.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @dmjdenise/Unsplash

I have this fear that, in years to come, all we will see on T.V. are talent shows. Variations on a theme that each have their own angle and all say the same thing. We need to stop assuming music, real music, has no place on T.V. and realise that there is a desire for genuine quality. Not only do upcoming artists need that platform but there are so many established artists that do not make it onto Jools Holland’s show. We also have decades of music that can inspire the new generation; so much gold that can be revealed and put onto the screen. We have this immense medium that can generate millions of viewers and there is practically no room for music. Talent shows take up so much real estate and garner so much criticism and mockery. How many artists do we listen to and hold close to the chest that have appeared on these talent shows?! Do we really get more involved with dance when we have seen dance shows?! It is a sorry state of affairs and it needs to change. I think there is an appetite out there and we cannot assume that the Internet will take care of everything. Given the fact so many venues are closing, having a T.V. show to play live on would be invaluable to artists and show just how good and needed live gigs are. I am not a fan of making resolutions each year but I think, if our T.V. broadcasters and stations do one thing, we need to give...

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @othentikisra/Unsplash

A lot more time to real music.

FEATURE: The Departed Icon at Seventy-Two: Ten Essential David Bowie Albums

FEATURE:

 

 

The Departed Icon at Seventy-Two

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IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie captured whilst filming The Man Who Fell to Earth/PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Schapiro 

Ten Essential David Bowie Albums

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DAVID Bowie turns seventy-two on Tuesday...

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

and, on Thursday, it will have been three years since we lost him. It is still strange to think he is no longer with us and it has been a whole three years. I remember the day the news came through and that sense of surprise. Few knew he was ill and it was amazing to think that his final album, Blackstar, was released on his birthday. Many were unaware of what was to come and we just thought it was Bowie releasing another classic record – a great birthday treat for him and the world. I remember listening to Bowie’s final album the day it came out and having heard nothing like it before. I had been a fan of his since the 1990s – when I was aware of his music – but I love all of his work. Maybe it took a few years before his career took off and we got to know the chameleon David Bowie. He went through alter egos and phases; new looks and sounds that meant he was impossible to predict and pin down. It is hard to hone down his vast array of work into the very finest albums but there are those records from David Bowie that you cannot be without. I hope people celebrate his birthday and, when we mark his passing, his best work is played far and wide. 2016 was a terrible year regarding losing musicians – Prince and George Michael died in the same year – but Bowie’s death hit extra-hard. To celebrate the master and present his very best work; I have collated his ten finest albums – those that new fans and die-hards should have in their collection! There will be nobody like David Bowie but his influence will last forever. Whilst it is strange he is not in the world and producing music, we have his incredible catalogue to pick from and take heart. Here are ten golden David Bowie albums that...

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

DISPLAY his genius in full bloom.

ALL ALBUM COVERS: Getty Images

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Hunky Dory (1971)

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Release Date: 17th December, 1971

Label: RCA Records

Producers: Ken Scott/David Bowie

Review:

“The theme of shifting sexual identity became the core of Bowie's next album, 1971's scattered but splendid Hunky Dory: "Gotta make way for the Homo Superior," he squeals on the gay-bar singalong "Oh! You Pretty Things", simultaneously nodding to Nietzsche and to X-Men. He'd also made huge leaps as a songwriter, and his new songs demonstrated the breadth of his power: the epic Jacques Brel-gone-Dada torch song "Life on Mars?" is immediately followed by "Kooks", an adorable lullaby for his infant son. The band (with Trevor Bolder replacing Visconti on bass) mostly keeps its power in check—"Changes" is effectively Bowie explaining his aesthetic to fans of the Carpenters. Still, they cut loose on the album's most brilliant jewel, "Queen Bitch", a furiously rocking theatrical miniature (Bowie-the-character-actor has rarely chewed the scenery harder) that out-Velvet Undergrounds the Velvet Underground” – Pitchfork

Standout Tracks: Changes/Oh! You Pretty Things/Kooks

Key Cut: Life on Mars?

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

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Release Date: 6th June, 1972

Label: RCA Records

Producers: Ken Scott/David Bowie

Review:

“Constructed as a loose concept album about an androgynous alien rock star named Ziggy Stardust, the story falls apart quickly, yet Bowie's fractured, paranoid lyrics are evocative of a decadent, decaying future, and the music echoes an apocalyptic, nuclear dread. Fleshing out the off-kilter metallic mix with fatter guitars, genuine pop songs, string sections, keyboards, and a cinematic flourish, Ziggy Stardust is a glitzy array of riffs, hooks, melodrama, and style and the logical culmination of glam. Mick Ronson plays with a maverick flair that invigorates rockers like "Suffragette City," "Moonage Daydream," and "Hang Onto Yourself," while "Lady Stardust," "Five Years," and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" have a grand sense of staged drama previously unheard of in rock & roll. And that self-conscious sense of theater is part of the reason why Ziggy Stardust sounds so foreign. Bowie succeeds not in spite of his pretensions but because of them, and Ziggy Stardust -- familiar in structure, but alien in performance -- is the first time his vision and execution met in such a grand, sweeping fashion” – AllMusic

Standout Tracks: Five Years/Moonage Daydream/Suffragette City

Key Cut: Starman

Aladdin Sane (1973)

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Release Date: 13th April, 1973

Label: RCA Records

Producers: Ken Scott/David Bowie

Review:

“Bowie abandons his futuristic obsessions to concentrate on the detached cool of New York and London hipsters, as on the compressed rockers "Watch That Man," "Cracked Actor," and "The Jean Genie." Bowie follows the hard stuff with the jazzy, dissonant sprawls of "Lady Grinning Soul," "Aladdin Sane," and "Time," all of which manage to be both campy and avant-garde simultaneously, while the sweepingly cinematic "Drive-In Saturday" is a soaring fusion of sci-fi doo wop and melodramatic teenage glam. He lets his paranoia slip through in the clenched rhythms of "Panic in Detroit," as well as on his oddly clueless cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together." For all the pleasures on Aladdin Sane, there's no distinctive sound or theme to make the album cohesive; it's Bowie riding the wake of Ziggy Stardust, which means there's a wealth of classic material here, but not enough focus to make the album itself a classic” – AllMusic  

Standout Tracks: Aladdin Sane/Panic in Detroit/Cracked Actor

Key Cut: The Jean Genie

Diamond Dogs (1974)

Release Date: 24th May, 1974

Label: RCA Records

Producer: David Bowie

Review:

“All this hopelessness and annihilation would be suffocating if it weren’t for Bowie’s exuberance. He throws himself into Orwell’s draconian hell as if strutting around in Kansai Yamamoto’s Aladdin Sane-era bodysuit; it fits his skeletal contours. Determined to reaffirm his relevance in spite of his setbacks, the singer sparkled so brightly that he offset the darkness of his material. Just as Watergate was coming to a boil, singer-songwriters and prog-rockers were glutting the charts, and '60s resistance was morphing into '70s complacency, this sweet rebel (rebel) made revolution strangely sexy again. Glaring at you from Dogs’ cover with canine hindquarters and emaciated features like the circus sideshow Freaks he footnotes in the title cut, he served notice that rock’s outsiders remained more compelling than the softies who increasingly occupied its center, even as his ever-growing popularity chipped away at it” – Pitchfork   

Standout Tracks: Diamond Dogs/Sweet Thing/1984

Key Cut: Rebel Rebel

Young Americans (1975)

Release Date: 7th March, 1975

Label: RCA Records

Producers: Tony Visconti/Harry Maslin/David Bowie

Review:

“Surrounding himself with first-rate sessionmen, Bowie comes up with a set of songs that approximate the sound of Philly soul and disco, yet remain detached from their inspirations; even at his most passionate, Bowie sounds like a commentator, as if the entire album was a genre exercise. Nevertheless, the distance doesn't hurt the album -- it gives the record its own distinctive flavor, and its plastic, robotic soul helped inform generations of synthetic British soul. What does hurt the record is a lack of strong songwriting. "Young Americans" is a masterpiece, and "Fame" has a beat funky enough that James Brown ripped it off, but only a handful of cuts ("Win," "Fascination," "Somebody Up There Likes Me") comes close to matching their quality. As a result, Young Americans is more enjoyable as a stylistic adventure than as a substantive record” – AllMusic    

Standout Tracks: Fascination/Someone Up There Likes Me/Fame

Key Cut: Young Americans

Station to Station (1976)

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Release Date: 23rd January, 1976

Label: RCA Records

Producers: Harry Maslin/David Bowie

Review:

“Taking the detached plastic soul of Young Americans to an elegant, robotic extreme, Station to Station is a transitional album that creates its own distinctive style. Abandoning any pretense of being a soulman, yet keeping rhythmic elements of soul, David Bowie positions himself as a cold, clinical crooner and explores a variety of styles. Everything from epic ballads and disco to synthesized avant pop is present on Station to Station, but what ties it together is Bowie's cocaine-induced paranoia and detached musical persona. At its heart, Station to Station is an avant-garde art-rock album, most explicitly on "TVC 15" and the epic sprawl of the title track, but also on the cool crooning of "Wild Is the Wind" and "Word on a Wing," as well as the disco stylings of "Golden Years." It's not an easy album to warm to, but its epic structure and clinical sound were an impressive, individualistic achievement, as well as a style that would prove enormously influential on post-punk” – AllMusic     

Standout Tracks: Station to Station/Word on a Wing/Stay

Key Cut: Golden Years

Low (1977)

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Release Date: 14th January, 1977

Label: RCA Records

Producers: Tony Visconti/David Bowie

Review:

“The ensuing 'Low' advocates the merging of man and machine, and then depicts the resulting sense of loss. Drawing inspiration from JG Ballard on 'Always Crashing In The Same Car' and evoking an almost unbearable sadness with symphonic electronics on 'Warszawa', half of the songs were instrumentals that mined a deep seam of alienation” – NME      

Standout Tracks: Breaking Glass/Warszawa/Art Decade

Key Cut: Sound and Vision

“Heroes” (1977)

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Release Date: 14th October, 1977

Label: RCA Records

Producers: Tony Visconti/David Bowie

Review:

“In the late ’70s, following apocalyptic science fiction and a sojourn in soul, David Bowie set his sights on art-rock. Working with former Roxy Musician Brian Eno, he made three groundbreaking albums Low, ”Heroes,” and Lodger) that have now been reissued with illuminating bonus tracks. Refining Low‘s achievements, ”Heroes” balances cinematic instrumentals, steeped in a chilly European techno-style, with thickly layered songs that subtly reflect the rise of punk’s existential angst” – Entertainment Weekly       

Standout Tracks: Beauty and the Beast/Blackout/Sense of Doubt

Key Cut: “Heroes”

Let’s Dance (1983)

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Release Date: 14th April, 1983

Label: EMI

Producers: Nile Rodgers/David Bowie

Review:

“After summing up his maverick tendencies on Scary Monsters, David Bowie aimed for the mainstream with Let's Dance. Hiring Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers as a co-producer, Bowie created a stylish, synthesized post-disco dance music that was equally informed by classic soul and the emerging new romantic subgenre of new wave, which was ironically heavily inspired by Bowie himself. Let's Dance comes tearing out of the gate, propulsed by the skittering "Modern Love," the seductively menacing "China Girl," and the brittle funk of the title track. All three songs became international hits, and for good reason -- they're catchy, accessible pop songs that have just enough of an alien edge to make them distinctive” – AllMusic

Standout Tracks: Modern Love/China Girl/Without You

Key Cut: Let’s Dance                               

Blackstar (2016)

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Release Date: 8th January, 2016

Labels: ISO/RCA/Columbia/Sony

Producers: Tony Visconti/David Bowie

Review:

“What can it all mean? The man himself gives no interviews and apparently remains firm in his insistence that he will not tour again. Looking for clues in his music, we are confronted with inscrutability. A new Bowie co-scripted musical, Lazarus, opened off-Broadway last week, and is reportedly as impenetrable as it is lovely to look at.

Baffling is a word that comes up a lot in reviews. But Bowie is a rare act who is at his best when he is at his least accessible.

Lazarus is currently the hottest theatre ticket in New York. How wonderful if all of this actually represents an entirely new phase in Bowie’s extraordinary career. How fantastic to have an album as rich and strange as Blackstar that refuses to yield in a few listens.

It suggests that, like a modern day Lazarus of pop, Bowie is well and truly back from beyond” – The Telegraph

Standout Tracks: Blackstar/’Tis Pity She’s a Whore/Dollar Days

Key Cut: Lazarus                                       

FEATURE: The January Playlist: Vol. 1: Is It Shameful If I Want People to Like Me?

FEATURE:

 

The January Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Robbie Williams 

Vol. 1: Is It Shameful If I Want People to Like Me?

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I did not think there would be many big releases…

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Lizzo

for another week or so but, against expectation, there has been a slew of great new gems. Not only are there new singles from Sir Paul McCartney, D’Angelo and Lizzo; we have fresh offerings from Robbie Williams, Noname and Claire Richards. It is a varied week and one that perfectly kicks off 2019. Make sure you have a look at this latest Playlist because, whilst there are fewer tracks than usual, there is a lot of quality in there! I am thrilled big artists are not waiting to get music out there and are ensuring they make an early stamp. I am excited to see what comes next week and whether we get another set of songs as good as the ones we have here. If this it the way 2019 is going to go then it is clear we are going to have another…

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Sir Paul McCartney

BUMPER year for music.

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

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Claire Richards – Shame on You

Robbie Williams – I Just Want People to Like Me

Lizzo – Juice 

D’Angelo – Unshaken

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Paul McCartney – Get Enough

Ian Brown – From Chaos to Harmony

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Dermot Kennedy – For Island Fires and Family

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Bring Me the Horizon – medicine

Chaka Khan – Hello Happiness

Sting – Brand New Day (2019 Version)

Fleur East – Favourite Thing

Wild Youth – Making Me Dance

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PHOTO CREDIT: @adamdegross

Post Malone – Wow.

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Lil Xan – Watch Me Fall

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PHOTO CREDIT: Jess Gleeson

Cub Sport – Summer Love

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Noname – Song 31

Bad Kids – Pensive

Russ – Nobody Knows

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Backstreet Boys – No Place      

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Mike Posner – Move On

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Lily & Madeleine – Just Do It

Emily Brimlow - Hope

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ROZES – Halfway There

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Future – Crushed Up

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Rhys Lewis – Better Than Today 

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Andy Ferro – Behind the Glass

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The Regrettes – Don’t Stop Me Now

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Christina Perri – a thousand years (lullaby)

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Old Sea Brigade – Cigarette

FEATURE: Godfathers of the Metamorphosis: Led Zeppelin’s Mighty Debut at Fifty

FEATURE:

 

 

Godfathers of the Metamorphosis

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IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images 

Led Zeppelin’s Mighty Debut at Fifty

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WHENEVER a pivotal album turns fifty...

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Led Zeppelin at Chateau Marmont  in 1969/PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Thompson

it is cause for celebration and reflection. Over the last couple of years, we have marked The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967/2017) and their eponymous record (1968/2018). Not only do we get to mark that album but track its influence and legacy. For Led Zeppelin, their start in music was quite modest. They would go on to release better records than their debut but few more important. If critics were not all on the same page when it was released – more on that later – one can hear Led Zeppelin in so many of today’s artists. Released on 12th January, 1969; the band’s mighty debut release contained originals and some well-chosen and rehearsed covers. Mixing Blues and Hard-Rock together, Led Zeppelin recorded the album in thirty-six hours and completed it before they had a record deal signed. The skeleton of Led Zeppelin came together when The Yardbirds disbanded. Jimmy Page with the rights to the band’s name and set about forming a new group. He approached the respected arranger and session musician John Paul Jones to join the new band as a bass player. He was keen to Terry Reid as a singer but Reid suggested Robert Plant – who was booked when Page realised there was clear chemistry between the two of them. John Bonham was the last name brought into the fold and the new line-up rehearsed together in September of 1968 before a tour of Scandinavia.

Dubbing themselves ‘The New Yardbirds’; the band performed songs that would appear on their debut album – including Communication Breakdown and Babe I’m Gonna Leave You. The band’s name was changed to Led Zeppelin and the group convened to Olympic Studios at 11 P.M. on 25th September, 1968 to record their debut. Led Zeppelin was produced by Jimmy Page and engineered by Glyn Johns. It seems strange now but a lot of debuts by major acts were recorded in only a day or two. The Beatles’ Please Please Me was finished during an all-day recording session; Led Zeppelin spent only thirty-six hours in the studio and the sound one gets is a mix of slick professionalism and raw, live-sounding cuts. The fact it all came together this fast was because the band rehearsed the songs well on tour and were prepared when they headed into Olympic Studios. Page, as producer, used natural room ambience during recording and did not do what most producers did – placing microphones in front of amps and drums. Instead, he placed an extra microphone some way from the amplifier and recorded the balance between the two. The time-lag that was created (from one end of the room to the other) led to the band’s famed and true ‘ambient sound’. The songs on Led Zeppelin vary in tone and theme. Good Times Bad Times leads the record and is one of the most commercial-sounding cut. It was seldom performed live by the band but became a hit for them – showcasing a catchy chorus and the group’s inimitable and heavy style.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Although composed by Anne Brendon; Babe I’m Gonna Leave You was masterfully rearranged by Page and Zeppelin added their stamp to it. You Shook Me, another cover, took the Willie Dixon Blues number and added in Hammond organ, harmonica and guitar. Dazed and Confused - one of the most iconic songs from the album - was originally written by Jake Holmes in 1967. Page credited it to himself which led to an out-of-court settlement in 2010. Regardless of its origins, it showcases the unity, layers and colours of Led Zeppelin. It is one of the standouts from their debut and, with amended lyrics and a reworked arrangement (Jones and Bonham adapting the song to fit their style) it impressed critics at the time. Favourites like Communication Breakdown and How Many More Times would appear in their live sets and were loved by the band. Although there are only nine tracks on the album, there are some epics – Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, You Shook Me and Dazed and Confused – that are over six minutes and sharper gems that are under three minutes (including Good Times Bad Times). If the material on Led Zeppelin took a while for all critics to warm up to, the cover of the album struck a chord right away. Chosen by Page, it is a black-and-white image of the burning Hindenburg airship, photographed by Sam Shere in May 1937. (The name of the band came about through a joke after The Who’s Keith Moon and John Entwistle, alongside Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, talked about forming a band. Moon joked that it would go over like a lead balloon...to which Entwistle replied “a lead zeppelin!”).

The true impact and legacy of Led Zeppelin has been debated through the years. Many have compared Led Zeppelin to Cream and Jimi Hendrix and wonder whether there is much originality at play. In many ways, Led Zeppelin introduced a heavier style to the mainstream and a thrilling, harder style of music. Other bands had released Hard-Rock albums to the market but few combined the same elements as Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin took Hard-Rock and as a bedroom and laced in Blues undertones and softer elements. Many can argue that while the album itself is not the first Heavy Metal offering; Communication Breakdown’s machine gun riffing could be called the first Metal song. There were some positive reviews when the album came out in 1969 but retrospective acclaim has painted a fairer picture. AllMusic see Led Zeppelin in these terms:

“As Led Zeppelin proves, the group was capable of such multi-layered music from the start. Although the extended psychedelic blues of "Dazed and Confused," "You Shook Me," and "I Can't Quit You Baby" often gather the most attention, the remainder of the album is a better indication of what would come later. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" shifts from folky verses to pummeling choruses; "Good Times Bad Times" and "How Many More Times" have groovy, bluesy shuffles; "Your Time Is Gonna Come" is an anthemic hard rocker; "Black Mountain Side" is pure English folk; and "Communication Breakdown" is a frenzied rocker with a nearly punkish attack. Although the album isn't as varied as some of their later efforts, it nevertheless marked a significant turning point in the evolution of hard rock and heavy metal”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Consequence of Sound, when reviewing the 2014 reissue of Led Zeppelin, had this to say:

“Led Zeppelin I is a masterfully constructed debut LP that plays like the recordings of a savvy veteran band. It is Led Zeppelin’s ode to rock’s progressive metamorphosis. Its arrangements are often daring and sometimes semi-improvisational. Its orchestration delves adventurously through hard rock and heavy metal with bluesy undertones that often cause the chords to weep poignantly as if struck with malice. It’s both powerful and precise. No stanza feels out of place. Everything has a purpose. Each moment plays a role in building an ambitious sonic tapestry that is a grand sum of its parts. There is careful consideration put into each note, each phrase, each perfectly placed crescendo; the attention to detail shapes its aesthetics. The musicianship glows in an electric blue hue that radiates vibrantly even now. Whether it’s the wagon wheel feel of the stringy acoustic guitar lick in “Black Mountain Side”, the warm, slow-strumming coda in “Baby I’m Gonna Leave You”, or the wheezing, psychedelic melancholy in “Dazed and Confused”’s tumbling riffs, every majestic shift further erects this rock epic as an obelisk of the era”.

I think every album that turns fifty warrants celebration and focus. The fact we still talk about them and play them shows just how strong they are. The Beatles, of course, will always endure and inspire and I think Led Zeppelin and pivotal in the development of Metal and Hard-Rock in music during the 1960s and 1970s. They would create better-received and grander records – such as Led Zeppelin IV and Physical Graffiti – but the importance of their debut cannot be understated.

At a time when there are few genuinely decent Rock albums; I feel many artists can take a leaf from Led Zeppelin’s 1969 debut and learn from it. So many are inspired by it but I long to hear a concentrated, swaggering and raw record like this now. I feel genuine Rock bands are becoming rare and people are hankering after something that gets to the core like Led Zeppelin. Despite the fact so much of the material on their debut is influenced by older Blues styles, there is no sign of ageing when you spin Led Zeppelin. It is a wonderfully rich, deep and hard-hitting record that sound brilliant after fifty years. If you can get it on vinyl then do so but, if not, make sure you celebrate the fiftieth anniversary (on 12th) and see why Led Zeppelin’s immense debut has resounded through the decades. As endless speculation regarding a Led Zeppelin reunion continues – they are always tipped to play Glastonbury – put that out of your mind and hear where their recording life began. I do not think they will ever play live together but I think, in years to come, we will see a lot of new heroes emerge that take on the mantle of Led Zeppelin. I personally prefer Led Zeppelin II when it comes to big tunes and nuance but you cannot ignore the seismic and crucial debut. Even though it has been out for fifty years, Led Zeppelin sounds as fresh and alive as...

  IN THIS PHOTO: Led Zeppelin at Chateau Marmont  in 1969/PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Thompson

THE day it was released.