FEATURE: The September Playlist: Vol. 2: Fathers, Angels and an Air BnB

FEATURE:

 

The September Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Green Day/PHOTO CREDIT: Press

Vol. 2: Fathers, Angels and an Air BnB

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THIS week is one where…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kim Gordon/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

some massive artists are mixing alongside some pretty cool contemporaries. In terms of the big-hitters, Kim Gordon, Green Day and Sam Fender are shouting proud; there is a collaboration from Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey; Angel Olsen, Hayden Thorpe and Charli XCX have released new material. It is a busy week and, as I say, there are some pretty cool artists who have brought some awesome material to the fore. To get the week kicking and lit, make sure you have a listen to the great assortment of songs! It is a top-quality mix and one that you need to have in your ears. The weather might not be reliable but, with some pretty epic tracks out this week, it will be…

IN THIS PHOTO: Sam Fender/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

THE least of your worries!  

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

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Green Day – Father of All…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Miley Cyrus/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey - Don’t Call Me Angel (Charlie’s Angels)

PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Bee

Kim Gordon – Air BnB

Sam Fender – You’re Not the Only One

Lucy Dacus – Dancing in the Dark

PHOTO CREDIT: Yvan Fabing

Camila Cabello – Liar

Angel Olsen – Lark

Charli XCX – White Mercedes 

PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Rose

Michael Kiwanuka - You Ain't the Problem

Hayden Thorpe – Full Beam

PHOTO CREDIT: Vanessa Heins

Leif Vollebekk - Transatlantic Flight

FKA twigs, Future – holy terrain 

The Snuts - Maybe California

IN THIS PHOTO: Mahalia 

Mahalia (ft. Ella Mai) - What You Did

PHOTO CREDIT: Howard Wise

Moon Duo – Eternal Shore

Metronomy – Sex Emoji

Wallows - Trust Fall

Belle & Sebastian – Safety Valve

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - A Dream Is All I Need to Get By

IN THIS PHOTO: slowthai

Denzel Curry, slowthai – Psycho

PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Maccabee

Sports Team – Fishing

Dave – Professor X

PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Hughes/NME

Sampa the Great – Leading Us Home

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Lake/The Observer

Kate Tempest – People’s Faces (Streatham Version)

Pumarosa – Heaven

PHOTO CREDIT: Michal Czerwonka for The New York Times

Weezer – The End of the Game

Au/Ra – Stay Happy

PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Ray Davidson

Halsey – Graveyard

Des’ree – Don’t Be Afraid

PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Almeida

AJ Tracey – Elastic

PHOTO CREDIT: Ejiro Dafé

Kojey Radical – Cashmere Tears

Wildwood Kin – All on Me

FEATURE: That De La Soul Acronym: Could the Daisy Age Grow Again?

FEATURE:

 

That De La Soul Acronym

PHOTO CREDIT: Janette Beckman

Could the Daisy Age Grow Again?

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I think there are periods in music that do not…

IN THIS PHOTO: De La Soul, circa 1990/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

get the credit they deserve. Some movements come and go; others sort of stumble on for years but, when it comes to the Daisy Age (the term was coined by De La Soul: it stands for ‘DA Inner Sound Y’all’), I think we need to re-examine; people do not understand how influential the Daisy Age was. There are those who says, in the late-1980s, it distilled Hip-Hop and provided a too flowery, soft and jokey version. At a time when we had bands such as Public Enemy and N.W.A. penning these fired-up, political and vastly important songs, there was a movement emerging that took a more peace-and-love, pacifist approach; the need for us all to come together and create some love. My mind is on the Daisy Age because there is an excellent compilation available that brings together some of the finest tracks from the time. It is a fascinating period of music but, as Bob Stanley writes, the Daisy Age bloomed for a brief time:

“It wasn’t really a movement, barely even a moment, but the Daisy Age was an ethos that briefly permeated pop, R&B and hip hop. The name was coined by Long Island trio De La Soul; they claimed D.A.I.S.Y. stood for “da inner sound, y’all”, but then De La Soul said a lot of things. Playfulness and good humour were central to their 1989 debut album, which cast a long, multi-coloured shadow. The 90s, it promised, would be a lot easier going than the 80s.

In Britain, the timing for De La Soul’s “3 Feet High And Rising” couldn’t have been better. The acid house explosion of 1988 would lead to a radical breaking down of musical barriers in 1989. Just 18 months earlier, snobbery had been so rife that Bomb The Bass’ ‘Beat Dis’ was faked as a US import (pressed in the States, then imported back) to get club play; by the summer of ’89, however, something as previously unhip as Chris Rea’s ‘Josephine’ could become a dancefloor hit and indie veterans Primal Scream would be reborn as space-seeking Sun Ra initiates and still taken seriously. Ecstasy was largely responsible, of course, and its associated look – loose clothing, dayglo colours, smiley faces – chimed with the positivity of rising New York rap acts the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul, both at the heart of a growing collective called Native Tongues.

What was so new about De La Soul’s sound? Previously, sample material for hip hop had been almost exclusively taken from 60s and 70s soul and funk, especially from James Brown and his extended family – Bobby Byrd, Maceo Parker, Lyn Collins, the stuff of purists. The freewheeling collage of “3 Feet High And Rising” gleefully raided the non-U catalogues of Billy Joel and Hall & Oates; soul heroes Wilson Pickett and the Mad Lads were now abutting such unlikely material as the Turtles’ ‘You Showed Me’ and French Linguaphone lessons. The Invitations’ sweet, Drifters-like ‘Written On The Wall’ provided the hook for De La Soul’s first single ‘Plug Tunin’’ which, along with follow-up ‘Potholes In My Lawn’, referenced “the daisy age”. With the album including a cover of Bob Dorough’s ‘Three Is The Magic Number’ from Schoolhouse Rock – a song every American kid knew from Sunday morning TV – the essence of Sesame Street was everywhere.

By 1989 hip hop had made major inroads in Britain with rock fans (via Run DMC) and pubescent teens (the Beastie Boys), while NME writers had voted Public Enemy’s “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back” the best album of 1988. Still, it had an air of exclusivity, with Tim Westwood its mirthless UK gatekeeper. De La Soul were also fans of Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys and Run DMC; they were fans in general, and threw their love of music into the blender, giving more time to melodies and mind-expanding samples while most contemporary rap records still revolved around the biggest sounding beats.

Above all, De La Soul were welcoming. They had grown up with their parents’ eclectic musical taste, a TV culture grab bag, and black radio stations that played Hall & Oates and Steely Dan alongside the Spinners and Brass Construction. They had also attended the same high school as producer and Stetsasonic member Prince Paul who, intimidatingly, was two years above them. He knew their faces but it wasn’t until he heard a demo of ‘Plug Tunin’’ that he realised they were all on the same wavelength; working with their rough sketch, Paul added a sample from Billy Joel’s ‘Stiletto’ into the mix.

As hip hop rapidly became a bigger commercial concern, rights owners smelt money and – for the rest of the 90s – made sample clearance unfeasibly expensive. Robbed of their pick-and-mix approach, some Daisy Age-era acts moved towards consciousness and a jazz-leaning live feel, which down the line would lead to the rise of Arrested Development, and beyond them the Fugees and the Roots; meanwhile, on the West Coast, the gut-churning violence and misogyny of Dr Dre’s “The Chronic” took rap to a whole new commercial level. Neither direction, sadly, would involve much use of Sesame Street, Turtles samples, or magic numbers”.

There are some interesting points Stanley raises. Although the literal Daisy Age movement faded relatively quickly, you can feel its influence and importance. It mutated into other genres and inspired a whole wave of artists. Maybe the Daisy Age couldn’t last through the 1990s as it was not as explosive and charged as traditional Hip-Hop; maybe the modern version of the Summer of Love, in Hip-Hop form, was viewed with cynicism.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Brand Nubian/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Certainly, as genres like Grunge took off, Daisy Age music seemed to be out of step. I have a lot of love for that time and pioneers such as De La Soul. Just compare their debut, 3 Feet High and Rising in 1989 with albums such as Pixies’ Doolittle. There were fun and uplifting records in 1989 from the likes of Beastie Boys (Paul’s Boutique), Madonna (Like a Prayer) and The Stone Roses (The Stone Roses) …but nothing like 3 Feet High and Rising! I love the fact artists could offer a colourful, sample-rich alternative to the beat-heavy music of the time. Now, when we are more divided and tense than ever, is there anything in modern music that provides much relief and lift? There is some great Hip-Hop and Rap around right now – nothing as potent and exceptional as we saw in the late-1980s -, but there is little to contract the heaviness and truth. That might sound weird, but we do not a lot more joy and togetherness. Again, will the modern age sniff at a scene that promotes harmony and humour?! Maybe so. One reason why a new Daisy Age might struggle to blossom is because of one of the bedrocks of the original movement: samples. Look at some of the artists on the Daisy Age compilation – A Tribe Called Quest, Brand Nubian and Queen Latifah -, and there is such richness and layers! One of the problems, even back then, was getting clearance to use samples.

Could a Daisy Age exist now; a time when it is so difficult to afford samples and get that legal clearance? This article from 2013 in The Atlantic posits a link between a decline in Hip-Hop’s standard and the diminishing role of samples:

“It’s notable, for instance, that at the same time sampling was curbed by new copyright enforcement, we also witnessed the sunset of rap’s “golden age,” a time when dropping socially or politically engaged lyrics didn’t automatically relegate artists to “the underground.”  As someone who studies and teaches about hip hop (and who’s been listening to the music for 25 years), I'm not sure that’s a coincidence.  After all, sampling provided an important engagement with musical and political history, a connection that was interrupted by Grand Upright and the cases after it, coinciding with a growing disconnect between rap music and a sense of social responsibility.

That’s not to say sampling always resulted in the lyrics that educated, even during the “golden age.”  The Beastie Boys’ 1989 album Paul’s Boutique, a sampling classic, wasn’t exactly concerned with social edification.  But as Hank Shocklee, pioneering member of Public Enemy’s production team The Bomb Squad, told me, having open access to samples often did significantly impact artists’ lyrical content:  “A lot of the records that were being sampled were socially conscious, socially relevant records, and that has a way of shaping the lyrics that you’re going to write in conjunction with them.”  When you take sampling out of the equation, Shocklee said, much of the social consciousness disappears because, as he put it, “artists’ lyrical reference point only lies within themselves”.

Whilst it might be difficult to have quite the same sound as back then, I do feel there is a chance for revival. Rather than go through estates and artists to get clearance for samples, we have technology now to create so many different, disparate sounds. I think there is a general lack of positivity in modern music and, in my view, the Daisy Age’s greatest impact was promoting a more affirmative, enriching style of music. I think it will be gradual, but there is a definite window right now; maybe a combination of the Daisy Age and the second Summer of Love, both taking shape around the same sort of time (roughly) – even if the scenes in which they were representing were very different. I listen back to the music of the Daisy Age (dates vary to exactly how long the movement lasted) and there is not this hopeless nostalgia: rather, there is this real feeling that, in 2019, a modified replication could survive. Whilst we might have to compromise in terms of samples used, the spirit and infectiousness of Daisy Age songs remains to this day. I do not think there is anything like this happening in Hip-Hop today – the genre is weaker because of that. Whilst there are definite benefits of re-purposing the Daisy Age for a today that is need of sunshine, there are pitfalls and obstacles.

Its founders, De La Soul, soon had to distance themselves from the Daisy Age and this image of them trying to reviewing the 1960s’ vibe – their second album, De La Soul Is Dead, of 1991 continues its skits and samples, but extinguish notions of the Daisy Age and mainstream Hip-Hop. In this feature/interview, we learn why De La Soul quickly moved away from their debut album’s sound:

 “De La Soul’s dreams came at a price. Aiming to be more thoughtful than gangsta, the trio had coined the term Daisy Age, short for ‘DA Inner Sound Y’all’. With the Daisy Age name and the debut album’s dayglo floral sleeve, it was quickly commonly accepted that Posdnuos, Trugoy The Dove and Maseo were all about flower power. “Daisy Age was about opening everything up,” says Maseo. “But it overshadowed our music, because we were interpreted as wanting to copy a certain time in the 60s. That whole Woodstock thing, it was everything we knew nothing about. I appreciate how and why it happened, but it wasn’t the correct interpretation of our music’s soul. De La has always been about hip-hop. It’s not about daisies or the hippy era. We were doing hip-hop our way”.

I can understand, perhaps, why De La Soul wanted to move on from their debut, but one cannot deny the impact and effect it had. Artists like them played with sound and textures; they filtered into the 1990s and undoubtedly had an impact on so many other artists. I think music is weaker for lacking anything as captivating as the Daisy Age. I think it would be possible to rekindle some of the flame. Listening to the new Daisy Age collection and one is still hooked by the songs. They bring something out of us, make us feel better and resonate deep. It would be great to return, however briefly, to…

A better time.

FEATURE: Sitting Up Straight: Past Glories and Future Promise: The Return of Supergrass

FEATURE:

 

Sitting Up Straight

IN THIS PHOTO: Supergrass are in no mood to slow down this year/PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Oxley

Past Glories and Future Promise: The Return of Supergrass

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I don’t know about you…

but I always get a bit tense when a band announces they are reforming after a time apart. For years and years we have seen popular bands return, and there are few reunions that actually get you pumped. One always wonders why they do it and, when it doesn’t work, you are left disappointed. The Spice Girls recently reformed and are playing gigs together and it seems like new material is a long way off. Even if they do get into the studio, the work they produce now will be miles away from their early, Girl Power stuff – and one wonders whether anyone would want a more mature and less exciting band. The same could be said of Supergrass. I will talk about their debut, I Should Coco, in a bit but, when thinking about this epic band, this sense of fun and energy defines their best work. They are a band who I could see recapturing (to a degree) their classic sound if they stepped back into the studio. They played in London on 9th September and, in 2020, they will perform some more dates. There is also a career-spanning box-set on the cards and it is an exciting time. In this article, we learn more about Supergrass’ plans:

“After reuniting for a surprise show this past Friday (September 6), Supergrass have announced an official reunion tour and a new greatest hits collection. The Gaz Coombes-fronted group will release Supergrass: The Strange Ones 1994 - 2008 on January 24, 2020, via BMG. The deluxe box set, which arrives nearly 25 years after the band’s debut I Should Coco, includes the band’s six albums, as well as bonus CDs with unreleased live material, B-sides, remixes, rarities, demos, and more. The Strange Ones also features unreleased tracks, including the band’s cover of the Police’s “Next to You,” which you can hear below.

‘Supergrass: The Strange Ones 1994-2008’, a comprehensive box set, marking the 25th anniversary of ‘I Should Coco’, is released on BMG on 24th January. https://t.co/MlUDuqdvZK pic.twitter.com/2EuRfwGV8S

— Supergrass (@SupergrassHQ) September 9, 2019

In an interview with Andrew Trendell for NME, Gaz Coombes said, “We’ve been talking about it for a while. I remember talking to Danny about on the phone maybe a year ago. We knew that 2020 was coming up and that would make it 25 years since the beginning and 10 years since the split.” He added, “We just wanted to play and see what happens. It felt great”

I can understand why Gaz Coombes, Danny Goffey; Mick Quinn and Rob Coombes want to play again: they sort of vowed not to after their ‘last’ gig in 2010 but, as time has passed, perhaps some issues have been laid to rest. In this interview with The Times, the band talked about their early gigs and, indeed, whether there were tensions that led to their hiatus:

“Back to eating one’s words, though. Gaz says he was “half right, half wrong” when he gave those quotes. “The cashing-in thing isn’t important — it’s not necessarily about that,” he explains. “This just feels like the right time, whereas three, four years ago, it didn’t. Eight years ago, it didn’t. However, if we didn’t reform for 2020, I wasn’t sure it would ever happen.”

“It’s going to be really fun to play all the songs again,” Goffey says, beaming, summing up the band’s return. “We have such good memories of playing them in different countries. Also, we’ve had 10 years off, so we remember all the good times, when crowds were going mad, rather than bits that were a pain in the arse.”

“Those early American tours shaped me in a powerful way,” Gaz says when I ask for his fondest memories. “They certainly shaped your clothes sense,” Goffey interrupts. Gaz laughs. “My wife came to visit in San Francisco after two and a half weeks of me being away,” he says. “I’d put weight on and was dressed like a stoned golfer. She was, like, ‘Who are you?’ But those tours were incredible — bombing it around the country... I remember songs soaring across a big field…

Goffey sighs. “Maybe we were a bit burnt out and needed a break.”

Were there blazing rows? “Brooding rows,” Goffey says quietly. Gaz adds: “I just remember not enjoying going into the studio, which is heartbreaking.” His brother takes it up a notch: “I drove two hours to the sessions. By the time I got to the studio, I was spent.” Goffey frowns. “I lay in bed drawing dark pictures in my notepad,” he says, and it doesn’t feel like a joke. “Really strange, violent pictures.” Gaz looks at him. “You should’ve called”.

I hope the band can remain together for a long time and, who knows, they might be back in the studio! They are saying, at the moment, they are touring and there are no immediate plans to record. I do hope we see more than reunion gigs because, looking back, Supergrass have soundtrack many of our lives. My first exposure to them, like many, was their incredible 1995 debut, I Should Coco.

Whilst I am a bigger fan of their 1997 follow-up, In It for the Money, I Should Coco is an extraordinary work. The sheer infectiousness of the band added gold and unique edge to the Britpop scene of 1995. Maybe they see themselves as being outside that circle - but one cannot deny the care-free attitude of the album; the quality of the tunes and the chemistry in the band. One is blown away by the vitality, energy and catchiness of I Should Coco. In this review from AllMusic, they talk about the energy of the album:

“Tearing by at a breakneck speed, I Should Coco is a spectacularly eclectic debut by Supergrass, a trio barely out of their teens. Sure, the unbridled energy of the album illustrates that the band is young, yet what really illustrates how young the bandmembers are is how they borrow from their predecessors. Supergrass treat the Buzzcocks, the Beatles, Elton John, David Bowie, Blur, and Madness as if they were all the same thing -- they don't make any distinction between what is cool and what isn't, they just throw everything together. Consequently, the jittery "Caught by the Fuzz" slams next to the music hall rave-up "Mansize Rooster," the trippy psychedelia of "Sofa (Of My Lethargy)," the heavy stomp of "Lenny," and the bona fide teen anthem "Alright." I Should Coco is the sound of adolescence, but performed with a surprising musical versatility that makes the record's exuberant energy all the more infectious”.

That album turns twenty-five next year, and it will be great to see it celebrated. Two Supergrass albums stand out to me: In it for the Money and 1999’s Supergrass. The former was a confident follow-up to their amazing debut. There was a lot of pressure and expectation on the band in 1997 and, although Britpop was dying away, Supergrass responded with an album that is as mature and layered as it is free and alive. I prefer In It for the Money because the songs remain longer and hit harder. Richard III has that great build-up and release; a raucous chorus and an afterglow that lasts for ages. Tonight is insatiable and swaggering whereas Going Out nods eschewing nightlife and not submitting to the party lifestyle. That track is my favourite of theirs and, with its Beatles touches and incredible sound, it shows what a varied album In It for the Money is! I was in high-school when that album came out and, like so many classic albums of the day, it was shared among friends; we dissected them and bonded over these diamond tunes. Late in the Day and It’s Not Me showed new angles to the band. This was a young and popular group, but they were not relying on a single tone or emotion. They were deep and reflective, too. I cannot get enough of In It for the Money and, as the bands return to the stage after so long, the chance to hear songs from that album…I will have to get myself along in 2020!

I will wrap things up but, before doing so, I want to bring in the band’s third album. If some artists have a ‘difficult second album’, Supergrass had this problem with their third. The feel is calmer than their first two and, after touring so much and with the music scene changed vastly in the four years since their debut, Supergrass is a more complex and settled affair. There are some filler tracks – Born Again, Mama & Papa – but I actually like the fact they embraced something darker here. Your Love and Mary are intense and sounds very different to stuff on I Should Coco. Moving talks about the turbulence and constant stop-start of touring, whereas Shotover Hill and Eon allowed the band to expand, elongate and create something more elegant and expansive. Jesus Came from Outta Space and Pumping on Your Stereo retain that cheekiness and raw spirit but, on the whole, Supergrass is a more challenging album. Reviews were a little less positive than on previous outings. I think the negativity is unfair because, as Select write, Supergrass has many brilliant moments:

“But the alternating stomping and strings of opener 'Moving' have already signalled amplified ambitions which are then fulfilled by 'Shotover Hill' and the less familiar searching moods of 'Eon'. With drums booming regally and guitars spiralling vacantly like early-'70s Pink Floyd (an influence reprised on the dreamscape ballad 'Born Again' and the Syd Barret-esque 'Far Away'), this is Supergrass in full widescreen effect.

The embracing of orchestras and prog might be the stuff of Proper Rock cliche, but there's no sign of leaden hoariness here. Indeed, their revelling in freaky new sounds as ends in themselves puts Supergrass close to dance music's more edgy innovators.

Despite its relaxed, reefer-led moments, 'Supergrass' never strays far from being irresistibly alive, like the growling psyche-pop of 'Mary' and the Baby Bowie silliness of 'Jesus Came From Outer Space' (its 'The Pope Smokes Dope'- levels of wit counteracted by a staggeringly bullish bridge).

Blissfully oblivious to post-rock phased clavinet solos and coverage in Wire magazine, this is the sound of a band simply picking up their gear and getting on with making music that's a bit sexy, a bit retro, a bit preposterous and a bit cool. About as complex as a mousetrap, 'Supergrass' works like a dream. And, on those terms it must surely count as something of a masterpiece”.

I had followed the band since the start of my high-school days, and I was entering sixth form college when they released their eponymous third – it was a nervous time for me where I was saying goodbye to old friends. Whereas I Should Coco and In It for the Money were scoring my high-school moments and more celebratory times, Supergrass helped give me clarity and comfort at a period of my life where I was not sure what would happen next. Somehow, the music gave me strength, and the album remains so important because of that. Supergrass would win a lot of critics back with their exceptional 2002 album, Life on Other Planets, but Supergrass remains a tricky album for some. If the band had repeated themselves for their third, I don’t think I would have been so invested. For people like me, the reunification of this life-affirming band allows us to get excited but, in a good way, reminiscence and give thanks to a band who gave so many people strength and happiness. We have missed them so much and it is wonderful having them back in our midst. Let’s hope that they remained gelled and focused because it would be sad to see them go away again!

Not only do we look to the future and get to see them back on the stage - but there is that great retrospective collection to enjoy. It is a wonderful time for Supergrass fans right now. In this interview with NME, Gaz Coombes talked about the forthcoming set:

“It’s pretty definitive, man. We’ve worked on it a lot. It’s a really band-driven piece as opposed to a retrospective record company release without the band’s knowledge. All of the rarities and uncovered stuff has been found by us rooting through cardboard boxes in our basements and finding mini discs and cassettes. It’s been cool to have a few months to just explore all of that stuff. God knows how we got anything done because there’s insane amounts of nonsense on all of these tapes of us just making weird little songs and jokey things. The box set is going to be pretty comprehensive, man – it’s got everything. I’ve just seen it all laid out and it looks brilliant”.

You can pre-order a copy of the career-spanning opus and, if it has been a while since you’ve dipped your toes into Supergrass’ water, make sure you do! I have mentioned a few of their albums but, in reality, all of their albums are wonderful! They made a big impact on their arrival; at a time when Britpop was raging and, up until their last studio album in 2008 (Diamond Hoo Ha), they have lit up the music world. Having Supergrass back on stage after so many years allows us to, once more, enjoy timeless songs from a…

 IMAGE CREDIT: Supergrass

TRULY sensational group.

FEATURE: "Can You Tell Me How to Get?/How to Get to Sesame Street" Sesame Street at Fifty: The Vital Role of Music on This Iconic Show

FEATURE:

 

“Can You Tell Me How to Get?/How to Get to Sesame Street”

IN THIS PHOTO: Patti Labelle appeared in Season 30 of Sesame Street/PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Termine

Sesame Street at Fifty: The Vital Role of Music on This Iconic Show

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ALTHOUGH I am not old enough to remember…

IN THIS PHOTO: Itzhak Perlman playing alongside Telly on the show’s twelfth season/PHOTO CREDIT: Sesame Workshop

the day Sesame Street first aired, I did watch it as a child (even though it has always been more popular in the U.S. compared to the U.K.). On 10th November, 1969, this new, fascinating educational show arrived. The show mixes sketches, live action and puppetry and was created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrissett. The effectiveness of Sesame Street is the way it delivers its education and instruction. Rather than have a dry and clinical show that looks like those awful documentaries we had to watch at school, Sesame Street utilises humour, fun and a sense of accessibility – all topped off by Jim Henson’s Muppets. The show aired to high praise and viewing figures back in 1969. It has aired on the U.S.’s national public television producer PBS since its inception and HBO started broadcasting Sesame Street from 16th January, 2016 (they broadcast first-run and the same episode comes to PBS months later). Just look at the shows we have on British T.V. that are aimed at children. I am not sure what there was prior to 1969 but it is clear Sesame Street has had a massive affect.

IN THIS PHOTO: Stevie Wonder appeared on Sesame Street with Grover to perform Superstitious and a Sesame Street Jam in 1973/PHOTO CREDIT: Echoes/Redferns

The show proved you could hold the attention of children and did not need to lie or pander. Through colour, song and engaging characters, Sesame Street was an instant hit! The fact that it remains to this day - although it feels and looks quite a bit different – is deeply impressive; it has not become digital and, importantly, not lost its heart and soul. I will talk about the musical aspect of the show but, before then, I want to bring in some information regarding the show’s rise and how it responded to controversy:

“According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s Sesame Street the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, with emphasis on the hiring of women crew members and the addition of minorities to the cast.  

The show's success continued into the 1980s. In 1981, when the federal government withdrew its funding, CTW turned to, and expanded, other revenue sources, including its magazine division, book royalties, product licensing, and foreign broadcast income. Sesame Street's curriculum has expanded to include more affective topics such as relationships, ethics, and emotions. Many of the show's storylines were taken from the experiences of its writing staff, cast, and crew, most notably, the 1982 death of Will Lee—who played Mr. Hooper—and the marriage of Luis and Maria in 1988.

IN THIS PHOTO: R.E.M. (Peter Buck, Michael Stipe and Mike Mills) stuck around the set after their Sesame Street taping, one of the show’s songwriters has said/PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Termine/Sesame Workshop

By the end of the 1990s, Sesame Street faced societal and economic challenges, including changes in viewing habits of young children, competition from other shows, the development of cable television, and a drop in ratings. After the turn of the 21st century, Sesame Street made major structural changes. For example, starting in 2002, its format became more narrative and included ongoing storylines. After its thirtieth anniversary in 1999, due to the popularity of the Muppet Elmo the show also incorporated a popular segment known as "Elmo's World". Upon its fortieth anniversary in 2009, the show received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy at the 36th Daytime Emmy Awards.

In late 2015, in response to "sweeping changes in the media business", and as part of a five-year programming and development deal, premium television service HBO began airing first-run episodes of Sesame Street. Episodes became available on PBS stations and websites nine months after they aired on HBO. The deal allowed Sesame Workshop to produce more episodes, about 35 new episodes per season, compared to the 18 episodes per season it aired previously, and provided the opportunity to create a spinoff series with the Sesame Street Muppets and a new educational series.

Sesame Street was not without its detractors, however. The state commission in Mississippi, where Henson was from, operated the state's PBS member station; in May 1970 it voted to not air Sesame Street because of its "highly [racially] integrated cast of children" which "the commission members felt ... Mississippi was not yet ready for".[128] According to Children and Television, Lesser's account of the development and early years of Sesame Street, there was little criticism of the show in the months following its premiere, but it increased at the end of its first season and beginning of the second season.[129][note 9] Historian Robert W. Morrow speculated that much of the early criticism, which he called "surprisingly intense",[1] stemmed from cultural and historical reasons in regards to, as he put it, "the place of children in American society and the controversies about television's effects on them".[1]

According to Morrow, the "most important" studies finding negative effects of Sesame Street were conducted by educator Herbert A. Sprigle and psychologist Thomas D. Cook during its first two seasons.[130] Social scientist and Head Start founder Urie Bronfenbrenner criticized the show for being too wholesome.[131] Psychologist Leon Eisenberg saw Sesame Street's urban setting as "superficial" and having little to do with the problems confronted by the inner-city child.[132] Head Start director Edward Zigler was probably Sesame Street's most vocal critic in the show's early years.[133]

In spite of their commitment to multiculturalism, the CTW experienced conflicts with the leadership of minority groups, especially Latino groups and feminists, who objected to Sesame Street's depiction of Latinos and women.[134] The CTW took steps to address their objections. By 1971, the CTW hired Hispanic actors, production staff, and researchers, and by the mid-1970s, Morrow reported that "the show included Chicano and Puerto Rican cast members, films about Mexican holidays and foods, and cartoons that taught Spanish words".[135] As The New York Times has stated, creating strong female characters "that make kids laugh, but not...as female stereotypes" has been a challenge for the producers of Sesame Street.[136] According to Morrow, change regarding how women and girls were depicted on Sesame Street occurred slowly.[137] As more female Muppet performers like Camille Bonora, Fran Brill, Pam Arciero, Carmen Osbahr, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jennifer Barnhart, and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph were hired and trained, stronger female characters like Rosita and Abby Cadabby were created.[138][139]”.

Music is why I am here and, forming a big part of its appeal, songs and music are key. Not only does the show have its characters performing tracks but, through the years, Sesame Street has seen some famous musicians drop by to lend a hand. I will include as many as I can hear but from Destiny’s Child through to Paul Simon, there have been numerous memorable musical moments!

Not only do the songs delight children and show that their world can interact with this make-believe street, but adults are given the chance to see artists we know and love step into this wonderful, warm environment. I can imagine the thrill of performing on the show and how much it means to artists. Whether the artist is singing one of their own songs or something instructional, the fun and joy they express is infectious.  I will bring in article from The New York Times from last month that talked about the music on the show and how it comes together. It is not a case of these big artists turning up and singing songs and that is it. There are composers, many different layers and lots of people behind the scenes that create the background music, tracks and feel of the show. I think the musical element of Sesame Street is one of the most powerful as it brings alive numbers, letters and lessons for children.

This is where my pro music career started. Happy 50th to ⁦@sesamestreet⁩. The best 1st pro starting job in the world. These people had the biggest hearts and best values for a young musician to be around. #thecount never once tried to bite me. pic.twitter.com/N4CaOPfDTT

— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) May 6, 2019

It also shows that these well-known artists can step into a different environment and still look pretty cool. It is that credibility and sense of cool that means Sesame Street has lasted for fifty years and drawn in generations of children and adults alike. The article from The New York Times is fascinating; I have just brought in a few sections that explores the musical aspect of the show:

“Since its inception in 1969, the public television show has redefined what it means to teach children through TV, with music as its resounding voice. Before “Sesame Street,” it wasn’t even clear that you could do that; once the series began, as a radical experiment that joined educational research and social idealism with the lunacy of puppets and the buoyancy of advertising jingles, it proved that kids are very receptive to a grammar lesson wrapped in a song.

IN THIS PHOTO: Chance the Rapper in T Is for Theater with Cookie Monster in 2019/PHOTO CREDIT: Sesame Workshop

Big-name stars lined up to make guest appearances that have become the stuff of legend (Stevie Wonder and Grover; Loretta Lynn and the Count; Smokey Robinson and a marauding letter U). And long before inclusion was a curriculum goal, “Sesame Street” made a point to showcase Afro-Caribbean rhythms, operatic powerhouses, Latin beats, Broadway showstoppers and bebop alongside its notably diverse cast.

Music on “Sesame” functioned in three ways: as backing tracks for animation and film clips (a lonely orangutan looking for a zoo playmate, say); as live performances by well-known guest artists; and as songs for the human actors and Muppets to sing. Raposo, who loved Jelly Roll Morton and Chopin, fado and klezmer, wrote “C is for Cookie” — Henson originally developed Cookie Monster for snack commercials — and “Bein’ Green,” which took on extra poignancy when it was performed by Lena Horne and later Ray Charles, who told puppeteers that he identified with the song’s message about getting comfortable in your own skin, whatever the shade.

And as the “Sesame” universe expanded, it pulled more and more major musical talent into its orbit. The jazz musician Toots Thielemans, who performed with Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald and Charlie Parker, played harmonica on the theme song. Grace Slick provided vocals for animated counting sequences. The guitarist in the first “Sesame” traveling band was Carlos Alomar, who toured with James Brown and then wrote the riff for David Bowie’s “Fame.” Alomar’s replacement, who was 19 or so and showed up at his audition with a Muppet-esque green-tinged Afro, was Nile Rodgers. It was his first real paying gig as an artist.

Bursting into tears is also common. Tracy Chapman needed a break to compose herself during her 1998 performance; Gloria Estefan, who connected with Sonia, Luis and Maria, the show’s trailblazing Latino characters, “cried when she walked in, because she said she was able to see herself and identify with somebody on TV,” said Carmen Osbahr, who performed alongside her as the Spanish-speaking Muppet Rosita.

After a song has lyrics, Sherman and his team score it. Brevity and repetition are key; “Sesame” songs are mostly just verse and chorus, but they’re tuned for catchiness. “You try to make the verse a hook, and then the chorus even more earwormy, if possible,” Sherman said. Demos go to producers and artists for approval and production suggestions, but they must also pass the ultimate litmus test: his two daughters, now 6 and 8.

“They’re very honest, and if they aren’t humming it or singing it, I will usually throw it away and write it again,” he said.

I will not be able to cram every big artist into this feature, but we have seen everyone from Jason Mraz and Elvis Costello step into Sesame Street and provide some musical nourishment. I love the fact that the artists included cover Jazz, Pop; Soul, Rock and pretty much everything between the cracks. If it was all mainstream Pop artists or one particular sound, I do not think the show would reach as far and resonate the way it does. Multiculturalism and diversity is key to Sesame Street and it is wonderful the show embraces characters and performers of all races and backgrounds. Look at other long-running shows like The Simpsons and how they employ music and musicians. Popular culture has ways been at the forefront of Sesame Street’s success and endurance. This feature from NPR goes into more detail:

 “From 1969 to 2019, the music of Sesame Street has aimed to educate young audiences. Sesame Street's central educational goal has held steady over the years, but its sound has not. What Sherman describes as a vaudeville-esque sound in the earliest seasons of the 1960s and '70s shifted into genres more contemporary to the decades that followed. In recent seasons, guest stars like Nick Jonas and will.i.am have performed Sesame Street originals on the show.

"I think that's what Sesame Street has done successfully, is sort of, at least sonically, change with the times," Sherman says of the show's continuously evolving musical style. To keep educating viewers, the music of the show has to adapt to their changing taste of the audience. "I think Rosemarie would tell you that our biggest thing is about making sure, at least from a song standpoint, that the kids can remember what we're trying to teach," he says.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sesame Workshop

Truglio does, indeed, echo this point. When she hears a proposed song for the show, she listens carefully for potential auditory appeal to children. "It's got to be appealing and engaging, because without appeal and engagement, we can't teach," she says. "So we are going to be listening for that, and making sure that it's relevant.

Sherman and Truglio take such measures of the show's ability to connect with young viewers through music very seriously. If the basic sound of the music appeals to children watching the program, then the lyrics are much more likely to impart the valuable lessons they carry.

"Our mission on Sesame Street is to create content to help kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder," Truglio says. "It's a huge responsibility because we want to make sure that we assess later and we see learning impact".

As a music journalist and someone who grew up around so many terrific artists, I think Sesame Street is just as informative and important as any streaming service and current form of marketing; so in tune with modern culture as it is! That may sound extreme, but the face of music is changing and how we digest it now is very different to how children would have experienced music back when Sesame Street started. I think the show will always be essential because it brings music to life in a way other shows and formats cannot. I wanted to bring in this article from Billboard that collected together some very important people; they discussed their role and connection with Sesame Street:

“Christopher Cerf, editor-in-chief of books, records, and toys division​, Children’s Television Workshop; (1970-1979); composer-songwriter (1973-1999) 
Joe Raposo, the first musical director, decided very early there would not be one music style. We wanted kids to hear all different music: R&B, opera, show tunes, folk, world music.

Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, senior vp, curriculum and content for Sesame Workshop
From the beginning, Sesame was innovative for using music to teach curriculum goals. “C Is for Cookie"? That's a literacy moment.

IN THIS PHOTO: NSYNC on Season 31 of Sesame Street/PHOTO CREDIT: Jen Lombardo

Caroll Spinney, Big Bird; Oscar The Grouch

I got the job when I was 35. I didn’t think of myself as a singer, but Jim Henson expected I would sing, so I didn’t get all fussy about it. I can carry a tune.

Sonia Manzano, Maria (1971-2015) 

Everybody had to sing on the show.

Bob McGrath, Bob

As soon as I started singing on Sesame Street, I got calls from symphonies to do family pops concerts. It's a great gig when they say, “Please welcome Big Bird's best buddy, Bob!” and you get a standing ovation from the introduction.

IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Jackson on the Sesame Street Christmas special with Oscar the Grouch on 24th October, 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Louis Myrie/Contour by Getty Image

Manzano

When I first heard “Rubber Duckie” [written by head writer Jeff Moss], I could see a nightclub singer doing that song. It had double-entendres. It wasn’t treacly.

John Carter Cash, Producer; Son of Johnny Cash

When I was a boy in the '70s, I watched Sesame Street every day, twice a day. The first time my dad was on Sesame Street [in 1973], I was 3 and very confused on set when Big Bird took off his head. Then I looked up and saw Mr. Snuffleupagus hanging from the ceiling. It was shocking.

Ruth Pointer, The Pointer Sisters

When we got to the studio and they presented us with “Pinball Number Count” [the theme to a recurring counting segment], we looked at each other: “Are you kidding?” That song was really difficult! Gospel, jazz — we had to sing it in parts. I don’t know if we would have been prepared if we hadn’t grown up singing in the church.

Manzano

When Lena Horne was on [in 1976], she sang "Bein’ Green" with Kermit. I remember being taken aback: Jim Henson played Kermit so dramatically — so sadly — that a puppet really complimented her profundity.

Norman Stiles, Writer, head writer, lyricist (1970-1999)

In 1978 we did Sesame Street Fever, a disco LP in response to Saturday Night Fever. The cover is Grover in a white John Travolta suit”.

There are numerous great features that rank the musical guests and show that, through the years, there have been so many memorable turns! I want to bring in a couple more before wrapping things up but, as Sesame Street prepares for its fiftieth anniversary in November, I think a lot of media sources should pay tribute. There is no telling just how far the show has reached in terms of education the generations and bringing some fantastic music to smiling faces. From the amazing guests who have joined the cast to the incredible background music, so many great people have helped score this truly amazing show. Jack White has lent his chops and we have seen Pentatonix drop by to count and sing with the gang! I want to return to the feature from The New York Times and underline one important thing: how one cannot escape the fun and pleasure of being on the Sesame Street set! Guests feel that infectiousness:

“When R.E.M. came on to do “Happy Furry Monsters,” a takeoff on their hit “Shiny Happy People,” they hung around the set all day, adding jokes to their number and watching other segments being produced, said Cerf. “That happened all the time,” the songwriter said. “I was there when Melissa Etheridge came, and she wanted to sit in Big Bird’s nest before she left.

Harry Styles, the One Direction star, also “had to meet Big Bird,” said Bill Sherman, the show’s music director. “And Will.i.am needed to talk to Grover.”

Like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chance the Rapper is an Oscar guy. “I always just felt like he was misunderstood,” he said. When he came on to do a theatrical scene with Cookie and Elmo, he also invented a bit for himself and Oscar”.

What is the future of the show? Well, this year is a very special one for Sesame Street. It is clear Sesame Street’s magic and importance cannot be understated:

“(NEW YORK, NY, February 4, 2019): It all began in 1969 on a street where colorful Muppets and humans lived—and learned—side by side.  Today, 50 years later, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, announced a yearlong anniversary celebration to mark the occasion. Throughout 2019, Sesame Workshop will bring people together around the timeless lessons that Sesame Street has always taught:  everyone, no matter who they are or where they are from, is equally deserving of respect, opportunity—and joy.

Set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the war on poverty, Sesame Street was created to answer a simple question: could television be used to level the playing field and help prepare less advantaged children for school? The founders tapped educational advisors and researchers, entertainers and television producers, and other visionaries to create what became the longest-running children’s show in American television history.  Ever since, Sesame Street has helped children around the world to learn, feel included and respect others. With a curriculum that evolves to meet the needs of every new generation, it is now a force for good in over 70 languages and 150 countries.

IN THIS PHOTO: The Sesame Street cast around the iconic street sign in 1969/PHOTO CREDIT: Sesame Workshop

“This is a remarkable milestone for kids, for education and for television. Sesame Street has now brought the life-changing benefits of early learning to children around the globe for 50 years,” said Jeffrey D. Dunn, Sesame Workshop’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder knows no geographic boundaries. We’re everywhere families are and we never stop innovating and growing. That’s what keeps us timeless.”

The anniversary will bring people together through social impact initiatives, digital campaigns, and community events that reflect Sesame Street’s unifying messages. Throughout 2019, fans and families around the world can join their favorite furry friends in celebrating Sesame Street’s past, present, and future, with:

“We’re often asked what Sesame Street’s legacy will be,” said Joan Ganz Cooney, Co-Founder. “To me, a legacy is when something’s over…and this isn’t over.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Sesame Street's Season 1 cast/PHOTO CREDIT: Sesame Workshop

“Sesame Street had a profound impact on children’s media, setting a template that the industry has followed for generations,” said Lloyd Morrisett, Co-founder. “Fifty years later, Sesame Workshop continues to deliver on its mission every day, across multiple platforms, on six continents. We started as an experiment - and it worked”.

It seems that there are many more years (maybe decades) left in Sesame Street. There is no real reason it would need to be cancelled: it is a hugely effective show that succeeds because of its formula and does not need to alter in these days of streaming and impatient T.V. studios. I wonder which musicians will be the next to take a trip to that very special place. I guess we all have a list of people we’d like to see on it – St. Vincent seems like she’d fit in easily! –, but there is plenty of time to satisfy our curiosity. Until then, let’s mark the fiftieth anniversary of Sesame Street (the official birthday is on 10th November) and provide our thanks. There are many reasons the show endures, seduces and will never go away – the musical diversity and memorability is a big reason. As I prepare to depart and spend some time on YouTube watching Sesame Street videos, it is amazing to think how many people around the world have…

MADE Sesame Street their home.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Rapsody

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES: Rapsody/Getty Images

Rapsody

__________

THIS year has seen two incredible albums come out…

that puts important black figures under the microscope. I have talked a lot about Jamila Woods and her album, LEGACY! LEGACY!, and its phenomenal sound – Woods focused on a different pioneering figure in each song. On Eve, Rapsody celebrated and remembers powerful and inspiring black women. I will look back at Rapsody’s career and her incredible albums but, to start, it is worth looking back at the start. Her career started at North Carolina State University where she was a part of the H20 collective and Kooley High group. In spite of the fact she had never rapped before, she showed natural flair and gift. By 2008, she launched her career and signed with 9th Wonder’s It’s a Wonderful World Music Group. She put out The Summer Sessions EP with Kooley High in 2008, but it was not until 2010 that she got her first real breakthrough – the Return of the B-Girl mixtape was Rapsody’s moment in the spotlight. Her celebrated mixtapes - Thank H.E.R. Now (2011) and For Everything (2011) – gained her some traction but it was her debut album, The Idea of Beautiful, that took her up another level. Featuring guests such as Big Rube, Raheem DeVaughn; Ab-Soul, Childish Gambino; GQ and Nomsa Mazwai, The Idea of Beautiful is a busy and sensational work that everyone needs to hear! It gathered some positive reviews and, as Rap Reviews discussed, Rapsody instantly stepped into a league of her own:

“Rapsody's success on "The Idea of Beautiful" is the fact she's an inspired writer who can convey the thoughts of her beautiful mind while not leaving the listener feeling left behind. Some songs are melancholy like the Eric G laced "Precious Wings," but she doesn't stay in sadness or drown you with sorrow.

Some songs are intense overwhelming odes to love's addiction like "Come Home" featuring Rocki Evans, but she's not spinning an album of romance novels. She's a storyteller, but she can team with 9th, Raheem DeVaugn and Ab-Soul to spit some "Non-Fiction." Her guests are like her from the new and now generation, like Mac Miller & The Cool Kids on "Roundtable Discussion." To sum it up she covers all bases.

Given the disproportionate ratio of male to female rappers in the field of hip-hop, Rapsody is automatically going to be compared to artists like Jean Grae and Rah Digga. That's understandable but it's also inherently unfair, as she only sounds the tiniest iota like either one lyrically (if either of them it would be Jean) and is completely her own woman in terms of her vocab and rhyme flow. I'm guilty as charged though by comparing her to 1990's L-Boogie myself, but since she draws the comparison of her own accord on the album perhaps I can be forgiven. The bottom line though is that she's going to be known by generations to come as the master of her own style, one that men and women alike will wish they could do as well as she does on this debut.

To think this is a rapper who was a novice back in high-school; the fact that she developed so quickly and sounded so confident on her debut album was amazing. She put out mixtapes and honed her skills but few have developed as quickly as Rapsody!

By mixing metaphors, clever wordplay and powerful images, you can tell Rapsody is in this for the music – fame, money and all the other trappings of music do not appeal to her. There are few out there who sound so commanding yet accessible. One can hear a bit of Lauryn Hill in Rapsody’s work but, to be honest, the hints are minor. I will talk about Rapsody’s (Marlanna Evans) latest album, Eve, in a second but you look back at her discography and progress and realise she has not missed a step! The quality and brilliance was there from the start; the mixtapes are incredible and I have seen few artists who are so complete out of the traps. Her second studio album, Laila’s Wisdom, pulled together huge stars such as Kendrick Lamar (Rapsody appeared on Lamar’s album, To Pimp a Butterfly) and Busta Rhymes. Laila’s Wisdom was released in 2017 – a year after Rapsody signed to Roc Nation. With every work, Rapsody seems to grow in confidence and scope. Laila’s Wisdom was another critical and commercial success. In this review, AllMusic were keen to praise Rapsody:

“Titled in tribute to her grandmother, Laila's Wisdom is Evans' lyrically broadest and musically richest work, yet it doesn't have the sprawling quality of the first album. There's a finer, detail-filled shape to it, from the "Young, Gifted, and Black" (Aretha)-sampling title track to "Jesus Coming," an astonishing finale in which Evans relates the aftermath of a playground tragedy from multiple perspectives. The material is elevated by the heightened levels of authority and nuance in Evans' voice.

 Realistic fictional narratives, biographical reflections, affirmations of excellence, and sharing of knowledge are all strong suits for her. What's most impressive is a latter half-section that covers a wide scope of relationship issues. It deftly moves from the beat-switching dreamlike gem "A Rollercoaster Jam Named Love" (featuring Gwen Bunn and Musiq Soulchild) to the downcast vocoder funk of "U Used 2 Leave Me" (with Terrace Martin) to the lovestruck yet grounded "Knock on My Door" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid). There are no weak aspects of Evans' game. In "Power," just before she hands the mike to favor-returning Kendrick Lamar, she boasts "I ain't Five-Percent, 'less we talkin' the top MCs." There's no evidence to the contrary”.

This year has been a fantastic one for music and one that is being defined for women. Across the musical map, women are striking hard and laying down some incredible albums! Missy Elliott just released an E.P., ICONOGRAPHY. Sampa the Great is gearing up and we have already been treated to huge albums from Little Simz, Lizzo and Solange. In Rap and Hip-Hop we are seeing some hugely powerful women come through but I wonder, in 2019, are the genres as open and accepting as they should be?! Rapsody is a leader and voice that is calling for change and recognition. She proves she is as potent and fierce as any male artist out there and, in terms of talent and passion, there are few that can match her. I will end by bringing in a couple of reviews for Eve but, to me, it is one of the most important and astonishing albums of the year.

Featuring D'Angelo and GZA, Ibtihaj is one of the best songs of 2019. I love the combination of voices and, of course, Rapsody leading from the front. It seems that Eve has arrived at an important moment; at a time when women are still being overlooked. When speaking with Billboard, Rapsody was asked about her latest creation and women in Hip-Hop:

“Sonically, this album is a complete departure from Laila's Wisdom. It's a different color of sound. Was that the goal where you wanted something that sounded completely different from your previous album?

Yeah, completely. I didn't want to make projects where people always know what to expect. Like, "OK, we already know what Rap's going to give us." I wanted to show that I was versatile and just do something totally different -- and [producer] Eric G helped a big deal with that just because the sound that he brings. I told the team that I want this to sound completely different from Laila’s Wisdom. Everybody was down just to challenge ourselves, have fun and create.

When it comes to women in hip-hop, what is your role in 2019?

My role is to bring balance, and to have another lane as a woman in hip-hop that happens to rhyme as well as any man. I want to remind people that being a woman is a beautiful thing, and it's a part of you, but it's not all you are. You can just be dope without having to just be about your gender. No matter where you're from, no matter what gender you are, religion you are, you can be dope. I want to inspire people to find themselves and to love themselves and never let nobody box you in.

We’ve also seemed to move past a time where only one woman could be on top. In fact, women in hip-hop have been supporting you. How refreshing is it that the women are showing unity in 2019?

It's dope. It's something that I've always wanted to see in this day and age of hip-hop. I didn't get to see [that] when I was growing up, and I know it's possible. And it's needed, and we as artists -- we can't continue to fall into the false narrative of there can only be one. And that we can't work together and we can't support each other and still make dope music and compete with each other in a healthy way. That's a false narrative and the media are often trying to pit us against each other. We ain't falling for the banana in the tailpipe”.

Eve is a powerful album and the peak of Rapsody’s career so far. In a year that has seen so many great albums from Hip-Hop and Rap artists, Eve is a step ahead of the rest. When speaking with DJBooth recently, Rapsody discussed Eve and how she is giving voice to issues that need to be raised right now:

“DJBooth: The first thing I noticed on Eve was the sheer amount of passion you brought to your delivery. I’ve never heard you so fired up. Where did that come from?

Rapsody: Two places. One, for me, as an artist, figuring out who I am and being comfortable with who I am. Understanding my place in the culture and not having to chase anything or fit [into] anything. I’m just super confident in who I am, and I’m walking my walk fearlessly. Two, I believe the stories that I’m telling and the love and respect I have for Black women. I want to display that urgency in the music. When they listen to it, I want people to hear that it’s honest. It’s not a gimmick or following a trend. We’re working on this album, and it just so happens to drop in a time where Black women are at the forefront of a lot of conversations. That’s not why this album was made, for this time. This album was made for the truth in it.

There’s also a handful of bars rightfully calling out the industry dynamics and how they hurt women. How does it feel to have the platform to call attention to these issues?

I’m thankful for it. I’m thankful to be able to use my voice to shed light on things that need to be talked about in a truthful, unapologetic way. In an urgent way. We shouldn’t allow anyone else outside of this culture to define us. The power we have as a people to take that control back, this is our culture, so we should be the ones running it and putting out the images of what we look like as women. How we want to be portrayed and how we want to be respected. It’s just a reminder not to forget who we are, our lineage, our history, and the power that we have. Hopefully, [I] add some spark to a spark that’s already there”.

I know I have quoted from a number of different sources but, to be honest, there is so much love out there for Rapsody! Her work is incredible and she is one of the most important voices in modern music. I would suggest people read as many interviews by her as possible as Rapsody is illuminating, honest and passionate. It is that passion that drives her work and inspires other. She has been influenced by the likes of Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill: in years to come, there will be a new breed of rappers who take their cue from Rapsody. My favourite album of the year is Jamila Woods’ LEGACY! LEGACY! but I have been listening to Eve and there might be a challenger in the ring! The reviews for Eve have certainly been positive. This is The Guardian’s take:

“Densely referential and carefully wrought, Rapsody’s lyrics contain many more head-nods to successful black women than are in the track titles (she mentions ballerina Misty Copeland on Tyra, and Angela Bassett on Whoopi Goldberg).

With a delivery cut from the same cloth as Jay-Z or Lauryn Hill, she’s a storyteller, and counterbalances her wisdom with a dry, playful wit. Plus, she’s the queen of the dismissive one-liner (“I ain’t feeling you like I ain’t feeling new Kanye,” she announces on Whoopi).

Rapsody’s playful flow is mirrored by the shape-shifting production, which balances nostalgia with future-facing flourishes, as with the angelic backing vocals on Aaliyah. There are solid guest turns from newcomers such as New York rapper Leikeli47 as well as legends D’Angelo and GZA. But Rapsody herself is the undisputed star, offering up empowerment in droves on the catwalk-worthy Tyra (“damn I’m stunning”) and Serena, an ode to grafting hard for your fortune”. 

In another review, Pitchfork highlights why Eve is such an important and powerful record:

“Rapsody wields the namesakes on Eve not as reference materials but as stepping off points for considerations on colorist beauty standards, black capitalism, activism, and drive. She raps about being counted out, singled out, and fed up. “This ain’t E.T. news, I done went sci-fi/I’m closer to God, I done went sky high/Been alienated so much that I must be fly,” she gloats on “Aaliyah.” She’s locked in, he wordplay as clever as ever, but she also doesn’t feel beholden to past versions of herself. The updated model is multifaceted with catchier hooks, nimbler rhyme schemes, and a willingness to ad-lib.

She is as comfortable trading bars with Leikeli47 on “Oprah” as she is Queen Latifah on “Hatshepsut,” both of whom make formidable sparring partners. But the message is one of inclusivity, of banding together to receive the respect that is long overdue. And it isn’t just about being acknowledged; it’s about taking a rightful place in the hierarchy. For Rapsody, specifically, that means being as respected as her male peers often spoken of as successors”.

I am not sure whether Rapsody is coming to the U.K. to tour but, if you are in the U.S., you can catch her on the road. One might find it odd for me to put an acclaimed artist in my Spotlight feature – this is not a ‘ones to watch’ piece: instead, I am highlighting artists you need to check out. The next edition features a newer act that are starting out but, now, I was keen to laud a truly remarkable artist. You might be unfamiliar with her work now but you need to become acquainted as, without doubt, Eve is…

AMONG the finest albums of 2019.

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Follow Rapsody

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/rapsodymusic/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rapsody

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/rapsody/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6NL31G53xThQXkFs7lDpL5?si=ddPDOsK3TwOJ9kc1puz2JQ

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCobft4AUIDzRaKp1xEHa5w

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

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WHILST it is not celebrating an anniversary…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Spiritualized’s Kate Radley and Jason Pierce/PHOTO CREDIT: NME

I wanted to put Spiritualized’s Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space into Vinyl Corner because it is one of those important records I discovered in high-school. You can buy a vinyl copy here…and, whilst it is hard to find a new copy for sale, if you can get a used copy then I suggest you do! I understand the origin of Spiritualized’s third album stems from the philosophical novel, Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder. The band felt that philosophers are the only people – apart from writers, perhaps – who explore the limits and boundaries of existence and language. In a sense, the album is an investigation of sound’s possibilities and where you can take music. Maybe the title is reference to the fact that, whilst the group float in space and explore, people down on Earth do not care. It is an interesting thought and one that you carry with you when you listen to the record. It is not to say Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space is solely about exploration and discovery: Jason Pierce and Kate Radley of the band split up shortly before the album was recorded. That might suggest a lot of heartache but, in fact, a lot of the songs were recorded before the break-up. Spiritualized crafted success and great feedback from their first two albums but Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space was their big breakthrough.

Jason Pierce and Sean Cook started work on demo recordings during 1995. The band started recording the album in full a few weeks later but it took a little while for everything to come together and gel. There was a bit of movement between studios but, eventually, the band had this terrific record that sounded like nothing else. Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space is viewed as one of the best albums of the 1990s and gained enormous reviews when it was released on 16th June, 1997. Just considered the way the musical landscape had changed in the years leading up to the record coming out. Cast your mind back to 1994 and 1995 and there was a lot of Britpop in the air. Sure, artists like Alanis Morissette and Björk were around then but a lot of British pop was dominating. By 1997, acts like The Prodigy, Radiohead and Sleater-Kinney were starting to take over. I think the scene was more open and diverse and it allowed albums such as Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space to gain more focus. That is not to say Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space would have been lost if it was released in 1994; one feels it would have struggled to slot into a time when music was very different. The reviews were, as I said, immense and universally positive.

I want to bring in a couple of post-1997 reviews that highlight the merits of this masterpiece. Here, in this AllMusic review, they are full of praise:

“Spiritualized's third collection of hypnotic headphone symphonies is their most brilliant and accessible to date. Largely forsaking the drones and minimalistic, repetitive riffs which have characterized his work since the halcyon days of Spacemen 3, Jason Pierce re-focuses here and spins off into myriad new directions; in a sense, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, with its majestic, Spector-like glow, is his classic rock album. "Come Together" and the blistering "Electricity" are his most edgy, straightforward rockers in eons, while the stunning "I Think I'm in Love" settles into a divided-psyche call-and-response R&B groove, and the closing "Cop Shoot Cop" (with guest Dr. John) locks into a voodoo blues trance. Lyrically, Pierce is at his most open and honest: The record is a heartfelt confessional of love and loss, with redemption found only in the form of drugs -- designed, no less, to look like a prescription pharmaceutical package, Ladies and Gentlemen is pointedly explicit in its description of drug use as a means of killing the pain on track after track. Conversely, never before have the literal implications of the name "Spiritualized" been explored in such earnest detail -- the London Community Gospel Choir appears prominently on a number of songs, while another bears the title "No God, Only Religion," pushing the music even further toward the kind of cosmic gospel transcendence it craves. A masterpiece”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Radley, Jason Pierce and Terry Tolkin of Spirtualized/PHOTO CREDIT: ht

Pitchfork provided a thorough investigation when the Collectors’ Edition came out in 2010:

“After all, it's an album mostly without a clear hit single, a massive production better enjoyed as a whole than in bits and pieces. Though Spiritualized eventually released edits, remixes, or reworkings of "I Think I'm in Love", "Come Together", and "Electricity", those songs thrive best in the context of the album-- in their original, much more grand iterations. "I Think I'm in Love", for instance, flows brilliantly from "Come Together" and, eight minutes later, its dénouement shapes the perfect non-introduction to the casual piano of "All of My Thoughts". In the interim, Pierce reveals the breadth of the band's ideas and influence. The first half combines Spacemen 3's LaMonte Young-like 20th century composition (with its growling synthesizer drone), dub, soul (with its thick, stunted bass line), American blues (with its twisted harmonica howls), and folk (Pierce's subtle autoharp strums). The back half is a sassy, baritone saxophone-backed dialogue between Pierce's self-confidence and his self-doubt: "I think that I can rock'n'roll," he sings. "Probably just twisting," he answers. And on "Come Together", one of only a few Ladies and Gentlemen tunes you're likely to still hear live, Pierce fancies himself a young man that's sad and fucked (a word he manages to use five times in as many minutes here) amid references to suicide, heroin, and busted dreams”.

One does not need to be a fan of Space-Rock and Spiritualized’s sound to be a fan of Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space…

You listen to Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space now and it still sounds breathtaking and sublime. It is not a product of its time like a lot of albums from the 1990s. Instead, you can listen to this album at any time and in any mood and feel transported and floored. It is so immersive and transforming; one learns something about themselves and finds emotions they didn’t know they had. It is hard to put into words just how affecting and stunning the album is – one needs to listen to and see what I mean. Although vinyl is the best format for it, it is fairly tricky finding it at your local record shop. Stream the album if you cannot find it but I urge people to seek out the album on vinyl if they can. With every passing anniversary, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space seems to get stronger and more fascinating. In this feature to mark the album’s twentieth anniversary, Stereogum were right on the money:

“Ladies And Gentlemen doesn’t keep a single mood throughout. Its snarl-stomping blues-rock numbers like “Come Together” and “Electricity” had as much coked-up swagger as anything Pierce’s Britpop peers were doing, and they also had screaming walls of guitar and wailing gospel choirs blowing them out into something bigger. Its gooily blaring instrumental interludes are as far-out as anything Pierce had done with Spacemen 3, his old band. And it ends with “Cop Shoot Cop,” a 17-minute skronk-blues epic about the numbing repetition of smack addiction that never becomes numbing repetition itself. (As someone with very little patience for long songs, I can’t remember ever skipping “Cop Shoot Cop,” even though it came at the end of the album. Even in his staring-into-the-void moments, Pierce was enough of a songwriter to keep things interesting).

Still, the bottomless despair comes across. Pierce was putting all these oceans of gorgeosity behind sad-sack sentiments so eloquent but unspecific that they could’ve been about Radley or heroin or both or neither. And even with all that vagueness, they’re still heartfelt enough to kick you in the gut: “I just don’t know what to do on my own / All of my thoughts are of you,” “I don’t even miss you, but that’s cuz I’m fucked up / I’m sure when it wears off, then I will be hurting,” “Sometimes have my breakfast right off of a mirror / And sometimes I have it right out of a bottle, come on.” Lyrically, my favorite song on the album might be “I Think I’m In Love,” a devastating one-two punch of bravado and self-doubt, with the latter always shadowing the former: “I think you’re my dream girl / Probably just dreaming / I think I’m the best, babe / Probably like all the rest.”

Ladies And Gentlemen is a deeply personal album, a transmission from an auteurist mind, and that’s probably why its revved-up rockers and its head-blown instrumentals mesh so beautifully with its twinkly lullabies. (Back when lovelorn dipshits like me made mixtapes for crushes, it was almost impossible to pick a Ladies And Gentlemen song for a mixtape. Almost any of them other than “Cop Shoot Cop” would’ve worked, but the whole thing demanded to be heard as a single piece.) And it’s a sad reality of the present-day music industry that labels can’t write blank checks to genius auteurs anymore. Most of them wouldn’t know what to do with the money anyway. The era that gave us Ladies And Gentlemen is lost, and it’s not ever coming back. That’s too bad. But at least we still have the album, which still sounds like some kind of miracle”.

I am playing the album now and it is simply beguiling! If you have not discovered Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space then do so now. It sounded sensational in 1997 but, somehow, the album takes on a new life in 2019. Maybe it is the album we need right now but, at thirty-six, I am more moved by the album now than I was aged fourteen when it was released. I am going to spend some more time with it and fall in love with an iconic album that is…

OUT of this world.

FEATURE: Vertical Insanity: Is Mabel’s Unique Performance Platform a Sign of the Future?

FEATURE:

 

Vertical Insanity

IN THIS PHOTO: Mabel is the first performer to use a vertical stage for a gig/PHOTO CREDIT: NME

Is Mabel’s Unique Performance Platform a Sign of the Future?

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GIGS are accommodating more and more…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Benett

to different tastes and demands. One could forgive venues and artists for pushing things forward and shaking things up. The existing stage set-up and design is flexible as it allows for invention and difference. By that, depending on the size of the stage, artists are free to indulge their imaginations and ambitions. Huge arenas provide lots of space for bands and artists to put together big sets and light displays. A lot of artists tend to prefer a more stripped-back venue/set whereas others like to push things to the maximum. The notion of the horizontal stage has been around for centuries and, as we push to the future and the current generation, is the idea of a vertical stage a good one? Here, as this article explains, singer Mabel has definitely opened up a debate:

“From the serial snapper who fills the camera roll on their phone (or their tablet, you know who you are) to the "watch the band, not your phone" traditionalists, there's a blurry spectrum of where fans and musicians stand on the best gig etiquette.

The debate went up a notch this week when Mabel performed what's been dubbed the world's first "vertical gig" on a three-tiered stage.

Its designers called it "a gift for a fans' Snap and Insta Stories" which "should stimulate some debate around live music staging conventions for a Generation Z audience".

We already have stages of different sizes and, as time goes on, I can see artists taking live performances to new levels (no pun intended). Are we getting too bored of the traditional gig? I can appreciate how artists would want to stimulate other senses but, at a times when many venues are struggling to accommodate and acknowledge disabled gig-goers and those with mental-health issues, should we not be more focused on galvanising and improving venues? Whilst a vertical stage looks pretty cool and original, there are clear problems. For a start, there is less space and movement for the performers on stage. There are risks of falling from the stage (a big danger for those on the top tier) and how does a singer like Mabel bond and connect with her bands when she cannot easily see them? Also, the vertical stage would be good if it was designed to save space but, in my view, it makes for a confusing experience. Some would say a vertical stage allows for better access in terms of viewing. People do not have to strain their eyes so much and can actually see people playing. I think the opposite is true: you are looking at performers on several different levels and you have to keep scanning your eyes up and down. Whereas a normal gig would put all the performers on the one level – and there you could focus on the same spot -, a multi-tier/vertical stage seems a bit baffling and unnecessary.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Benett

I am all for improving the live experience and not just standing still. Artists are revolutionising technology and changing the way we digest music. From the huge sets of Muse to the natural worlds Björk puts into her shows, things have definitely changed through the years. The idea of vertical stages is designed to please Instagram fans. I do not see the idea being rolled out too much and, to be fair, this is probably limited to Pop artists. Maybe it will take a while for me to come around to something as unusual and impersonal as a vertical stage. If this idea helped improve sound or the visual aspect of a gig then I would be a bit more open-minded and embracing. The fact that we have to discuss phones at gigs sort of worries me. I know a lot of Mabel’s fans take photos and video her gigs and, really, do we need a vertical stage that helps make Instagraming more accessible and cool? Rather than relish a gig and be in the moment, people are going to be trying to get the best shot and put this cool-looking stage onto their feeds – how many will remember the actual gig and talk about the music they made? We come back to this debate as to whether we should be encouraging people to actually be present at gigs or film they for prosperity.

Maybe it is a matter of opinion, but I think artists who ask fans not to film gigs should be commended. There is no logical reason for filming gigs. People say it is so they can remember it years and now but, for most of us, memories alone are good enough. One is not actually enjoying or concentrating on a gig if they are filming and taking pictures and, to be fair, how many Instagram followers are going to be engrossed by grainy footage and insignificant photos? I do not go online to look at gig photos and streams because, also, you are seeing this for free – why is that fair when people actually there paid to see the artist?! There are a lot of reasons why phones should be outlawed from gigs. It is down to the artist whether they allow them, but the idea of turning gigs into a fashion accessory is baffling. Research shows most Smartphone users are engaging with their devices vertically whilst the majority find vertical videos the most interesting. I can see why vertical videos would be interesting for, say, a music video but a live gig should not be about filming and posting videos to the Internet. I am all for heightening the viewing experience but I cannot get my head around the benefits of a vertical stage. It seems rather cold and distant because, as I said, it is harder for performers to engage with one another. I think a gig is much more immersive when there is a wider stage: a vertical platform seems constricting and almost like performers are trapped like animals!

 PHOTO CREDIT: @samuelzeller/Unsplash

Everyone has to accept the fact venues and artists are adapting to the needs of a new generation. There is this conversational clash when it comes to technology and whether venues are turning into something robotic and money-making. By that, I mean venues are working in the pockets of technology companies and trend-setting Instagram stars rather than thinking about the quality of performance and the listening experience. I can foresee sound challenges when you work on a vertical stage and can one say a performer like Mabel thrives with a more narrow stage? I cannot imagine bands taking to the vertical stage because of the compartmentalised nature. The best gigs, when we see bands, involve interaction and the ability to see your fellow musicians working. If you go and see a Mabel concert then, no offence to the others on stage, but you go and see her. If you are filming a video where there are three levels and you have this vertical shot, it seems much less impressive than having a horizontal stage where you get more movement and a more ambitious set. In terms of lightning and sets, there is less room. It seems like there are lots of safety risks and problems that leads to a less exciting, natural and human performance. I come back to my point regarding performers looking like animals.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @bukowski/Unsplash

I am looking at photos of Mabel performing with her crew and, whilst it looks pretty neat, tight and cool, is she able to give her very best delivery? Do people in the front rows get the same view they would normally and what about people at the side of the stage? The vertical stage relies on height benefits rather than width so I think you are creating new issues. I applaud artists who want to push beyond the norm and improve live performances…but is a vertical stage a step too far?! I shouldn’t get annoyed about this story because, in truth, if an artist is thinking more about an Instagramer and making their lives easier, then they are more concerned with being fashionable and popular than the actual music itself. My worry is that this notion rolls out to other genres and artists. I am a keen advocate of keeping phones in pockets and going to gigs to connect with a performer – if you have your phone out then you are more concerned with your social media feed than you are with music. Those who say they are capturing a unique moment they can look back on seem flawed to me. You can keep gigs in mind and would you realistically show videos of a gig to your grandchildren and friends years from now? I don’t see much of a point and there are few gigs that warrant that sort of excitement and preservation. Gigs should be able the relationship between fans and artists: making stages more amendable and slightly to those who want to frame videos vertically…I don’t really get why anyone would want to do that! When I go to gigs, my phone never leaves my pocket and I prefer my performers in…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @noralidcv/Unsplash

LANDSCAPE rather than portrait!

FEATURE: Female Icons: Part Seventeen: Nina Simone

FEATURE:

 

Female Icons

PHOTO CREDIT: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Part Seventeen: Nina Simone

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I have been focusing on some less obvious icons…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Nina Simone in 1964/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

over the past few weeks. That sounds dismissive but, when we think of those artists who are iconic, maybe we get a certain impression. In terms of women who have changed music and inspired generations, one has to tip their cap to Nina Simone. I will talk about a few of her albums in a bit but, before then, I want to explain when Nina Simone came into my life. Even though Simone covered the Jazz standard, My Baby Just Cares for Me, back in 1957, it was released as a single in 1987 after the song was used in a perfume advert – it created a bit of resurgence and new respect for Nina Simone’s work. Maybe it was the amazing sound that affected my impressionable mind and the fact that, as a young child, I had seen nothing like it before. The song captivated me then and, so many years later, it still sounds completely terrific. When assessing and examining Nina Simone, there are various sides to explore. She is this iconic and legendary artist who has inspired so many other musicians – I shall get to that near the end of this feature – but there is a more complex and troubled side. Simone did have a reputation for her short temper and, in 1985, she actually fired a gun at a record company executive, who she felt was stealing royalties. This anger and passion contrasts Simone’s civil rights activation and the fact she called for change in her music.

The 1985 incident was not an isolated one: in 1995, Simone shot her neighbour’s son with an air rifle. Simon has a fragility and volatility that you would not guess from her music. So powerful and moving are her songs, one would not know about some of the demons Simone possessed. She was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder in the late-1980s. It is a shame that died relatively young – she was seventy when the world lost her in 2003. By 1993, she was settled in Southern France. The final years of her life were fairly quiet and, in 1998, she announced to a crowd in Newark that she was staying in France – she would never return to the U.S. and perform. Simone died from breast cancer in 2003 and left a huge hole. There has been nobody like Nina Simone since her death and, in many ways, we will never see anyone like her again. Along with icons such as Aretha Franklin, she was part of a generation that is slowly disappearing. It is sad to reflect but, rather than mourn the loss of a great voice, we need to celebrate the music. Since her death in 2003, there have been a few attempts to bring Simone’s life to the screen. Perhaps the best, most-recent attempt was the 2015 documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone? The documentary was released with the blessing of Simone’s estate and gained some good reviews.

Some were a bit more reluctant to expend too much praise because, when it comes to someone as layered and complex as Simone, it is hard to strike the right balance. In their review, The Guardian explained more:

“As the conflagration of the late 1960s grew more intense, Simone became more radicalised, at one point asking a black audience if they were ready to kill for black liberation. This, as I’m sure you can imagine, restricted her career’s growth. She also became addicted to pills, had bipolar episodes, and was a general mess. Talking-head interviews with her daughter give specific insight.

But there was always the music, and this movie has plenty of it. And let’s not forget that film is a visual medium. As such, What Happened, Miss Simone? is a wall-to-wall fantasia of fabulous outfits, from African print frocks to outsized hats that would look absurd on anyone other than a centre of gravity like Nina Simone.

Clearly there is entertainment value in this documentary, but it’s very much of a “behind the music” calibre. A clip, commentary from an associate or a critic like Stanley Crouch, another clip, rinse, repeat. A post-festival distribution deal is already in place with Netflix and, frankly, that’s the perfect format for Garbus’s by-the-numbers storytelling. What Happened, Miss Simone? is another example of Wikipedia-entry-as-cinema, but with a life this remarkable, it’s still worth a look”.

2016’s Nina was an attempt to bring Simone’s life to Hollywood. Starring Zoe Saldana, the film received a lot of negative reviews. Maybe it is the case that one cannot do full justice to the importance and stature of Nina Simone – it is always tricky when it comes to music biopics and striking the perfect balance of honesty and accessibility.  

 IN THIS PHOTO: Nina Simone photographed in 1969/PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Robinson/Getty Images

Anyway…perhaps there will be another attempt to bring Nina Simone’s life to the big screen. Simone was born the sixth of eight children to an impoverished family from North Carolina. As a child in that part of the U.S. in the 1930s (Simone was born in 1933), life must have been strange and hard. She was six when the Second World War broke out and one can only envisage what a strain that put on her already-fractured upbringing. Even though she was born into a landscape where aspirations were more about survival than success, the young Simone dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. I am not sure whether Simone was attracted to the beauty of the piano or whether it was a particular artist who lit that fuse. Simone was determined to become a success but, at a time when there was racial discrimination and divisions, she was rejected by the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. One can understand why Simone fought (quite literally) for success and was regarded as a bit unpredictable at times given the fact she had very little support in the early days. Not only was she rejected by music schools but Nina Simone, born Eunice Kathleen Waymon, changed her name so that her family would not find out about her dreams. Simone’s family considered Jazz as unsuitable and felt that Jazz music was not the direction she should head in. At nightclubs, when Simone played piano, she had no vocal accompaniment so had to take care of every aspect.

It was hard for Simone to even launch a career, let alone succeed. Her handyman father suffered ill health and she had to rely on a local fund and scholarship money to ensure she could get an education. One suspects that the rejection she received early in life – whether it was racially-motivated or not – caused a sense of defeat and deflation that she struggled to get over. Eventually, Simone released her solo album, Little Girl Blue, in 1958 and started her career. Her output from the late-1950s to the mid-1960s was impressive but, to me, her first big released occurred after 1964: a year when she changed record distributors from Colpix to Philips Records (a Dutch company). 1964 marked a year when Simone addressed the racial divisions in the U.S. On Nina in Concert, she released Mississippi Goddam – a reaction to the murder of Medgar Evers in 1963 and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Motivated by the hatred and injustice around her, Mississippi Goddam was fuelled by upset and outrage. It is a song that sounds moving and startling today. My favourite Simone album of the 1960s was 1965’s I Put a Spell on You. Although it is more Pop-flavoured than her earlier albums, it is her most solid release to that point. Songs such as I Put a Spell on You and Feeling Good are classics in her cannon.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Carol Friedman

Through the 1960s, Simone performed at civil rights meetings and was a supporter of violent revolution. Rather than follow Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s non-violet approach, she was an advocate of Black Nationalism. 1967’s High Priestess of Soul was the last great album from Simone in the decade and contained a mix of Pop (Don’t You Pay Them No Mind); African-American Gospel tracks and songs written by Simone herself. In spite of the success she enjoyed in the 1960s, there was backlash to Mississippi Goddam. Perhaps it was too raw and angry for the record label but there was a feeling Simone was being rejected. Simone left the U.S. in 1970 and, upon her return, there was a warrant for her arrest for unpaid taxes. The 1970s was quite a turbulent period for Simone. She abandoned her daughter Lisa in Mount Vernon and, according to Lisa, Simone was quite abusive towards her. There were signs Simone was struggling and showing some cracks. She did perform gigs during the 1980s and, unlike some of her earlier performances, there was more engagement and warmth aimed at the audiences. She could be regularly found at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and it seemed like she was back on a more even keel. Albums such as 1982’s Fodder on My Wings were more introspective than some of her albums of the 1960s and 1970s; 1993’s A Single Woman was the final album from an iconic singer who enjoyed a busy and successful career.

Simone is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and a key figure in the civil rights movement. Her voice is a thing of wonder. She could show tenderness and passion when the mood called but, on her civil rights numbers, there is an aggression and passion that is more powerful than anything else in the world. Simone was an incredibly eclectic vocalist and her delivery, both vocally and on the piano, was truly stunning. There are countless artists who have name-checked Nina Simone as an influence. From Madonna and David Bowie to Janis Joplin to Alicia Keys and Jeff Buckley…so many truly giant artists owe a debt to Nina Simone! There are websites where you can learn more about Nina Simone but, to end, I have collected some of her best performances together. Although the 2015 documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone? had its detractors, it did bring Simone’s work and life to a new generation. This article from The Guardian talks about the highs and lows of one of the most inspiring artists ever:

“What Happened, Miss Simone? makes the case that Simone was not only one of the most talented musicians of the 20th century but one of the most troubled and unlucky. It shows how she always felt she had been denied her true calling; how she never achieved the success that prettier, more biddable singers enjoyed; how she invested so much of herself in the civil rights movement that she was shattered when it faltered; how she suffered physical abuse from her husband and manager Andrew Stroud and inflicted it on her daughter Lisa; how her bipolar condition was only diagnosed in the 1980s, long after her volatility had inflicted irreparable damage. She was an outcast who only briefly found safe harbour — first as a wife and mother, then as an activist – before it was snatched away. Not fitting in made her great, but it also made her angry and very lonely.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Simone was now less a musician who cared about politics than an activist who sang. Her music was by, about and for black people. She would scan the crowd for black faces and tell them, “I’m singing only to you. I don’t care about the others.” White fans, she said, were “accidental and incidental”. She could not ignore the fact “that I was a black-skinned woman in a country where you could be killed because of that one fact.” No wonder there has been controversy over the casting of beautiful, light-skinned Zoe Saldana in the long-delayed biopic Nina.

In the 25 years before her death in 2003, at the age of 70, Simone was relatively stable and prolific. She didn’t experience the triumphant comeback that she deserved, but this was as happy an ending as could be expected from someone who had once appeared to be waging a one-woman war against everything.

As she left the stage after a disastrous show at the Royal Albert Hall in 1978, Simone declared: “I am not of this planet. I do not come from you. I am not like you.” She was in a terrible state, but on that point she was absolutely right. For good and for ill, Nina Simone stood alone”.

I return to my earlier point regarding Nina Simone and whether Hollywood will ever truly capture her essence. One cannot argue that Simone lacks relevance and importance today. In 2018, Simone’s childhood home was named a national treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Listen to music today and you can hear the essence and spirit of Simone living on. Although Simone grew weary of the division and racism that flourished in America in the late-1960s, she made an enormous impact and, without knowing it, she was influenced the next generation. I have named a few artists who have been inspired by Simone but, in terms of average civilians, there is no telling how meaningful and instrumental her music was to those struggle; those who were isolated and affected by the hatred and violence around them. In 2019, her music is still so relevant and I think it holds as much power as it did in the 1960s. That might sound extreme but think about the world today and the fact we are so fractured and divided. I listen to Simone a lot and it provokes so many emotions. From the fire of Mississippi Goddam to my first taste, My Baby Just Cares for Me, she is an artist who still plays a role in my life. Of course, she is an icon: Simone has helped change Jazz and music itself. She opened Jazz to new audiences and created some of the most powerful and moving songs of her generation. Simone is this complicated and hugely important artist who, as we have seen, has been portrayed several times on the screen. There have been some valiant attempts but I think that definitive version is yet to come. I wonder whether anyone can capture the magic, soul and…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

THE majesty of Miss Simone?

FEATURE: Dusty Crates and Golden Streams: The Joys of Pushing Beyond the Comfort Zone

FEATURE:

 

Dusty Crates and Golden Streams

PHOTO CREDIT: @moco1384/Unsplash 

The Joys of Pushing Beyond the Comfort Zone

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MAYBE this is another case of nostalgia…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @luana_dmc/Unsplash

or me reminiscing about when music came into my life. In fact, I want to also combine a couple of disparate subjects: preserving memories and guilty pleasures. I shall come to the second in a bit but, recently, I have been getting a bit worried. One of the reasons I am so passionate about music is my childhood: so many happy times when, in some form or the other, music played a pivotal role. Whether it was my earliest musical memories when I was in primary school or new discoveries as I progressed through to high-school. One thing is for sure: these recollections and experiences are among the most important and cherished. Some of these memories are getting blurry and I wonder, very soon, whether a lot of them will be gone. Of course, so much of my childhood has disappeared from mind but there is something hugely important and relevant about music-related ones – I feel they are starting to slip away. I bring up this subject because it was the music I was exposed to growing up that has led to my current desire to drink in as much as possible. Back then, I was collecting albums, singles and trying to digest as much music as possible. Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, everything from Pop, Britpop; Grunge Hip-Hop and Folk was in my life. I was lucky enough to have music play a massive role from a very early age – my parents’ records definitely lit a spark and kindled a desire.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rosssneddon/Unsplash

I know the happy memories of music will die out and it is not really the loss of childhood that worries me most: more than the visions and people in my mind, it is the songs and sounds that I will miss the most. Thinking about this inevitable state of affairs has made me look at the music I listen to now and wonder whether I am being as broad and explorative as I could be. A while ago, I asked whether there is such thing as a guilty pleasure. We often use those words in inverted commas because, I guess, it is subjective as to what constitutes a guilty pleasure. Sure, there is bad music – I don’t think that is subjective: most of us can agree on stuff that is pretty awful – but I do not feel anyone should be judged and condemned for liking certain artists. As I am typing this, I am listening to The Look by Roxette. I am not sure what led me to them but I fell down a bit of a Swedish Pop hole and went from Ace of Base to The Cardigans – ending up at the feet of Roxette. Some people might call bands like that uncool and a bit of a guilty pleasure. I also have a fond spot for some of the 1980s/1990s Pop that might be considered a bit naff (including Belinda Carlisle) but I think so many of us get caught in a loop.

I think streaming services are great when it comes to giving us access to all kinds of music. That is perhaps the biggest revolution of modern music: the opening of doors and channels not only exposes so much great music from the past, for a low cost, but allows new artists to have their voice heard. That is not to say that we are only listening to digital music. It has been announced vinyl sales are outstripping that of C.D.s for the first time since 1986. So much of my eclectic upbringing when it came to music can be linked to physical formats. I had this tangible and tactile relationship with music and I wonder, with so much music in streaming rather than in record shops, are we all as curious and boundary-pushing as we should be?! One of the issues with sites like Spotify and YouTube are the recommendations. They will give us playlists and suggestions based on our listening figures but, often, these songs are too close to the ones we are listening to and, inevitably, it means our palettes are not as broad as they should be. Record shops are still there – although a lot are closing down – to satisfy those who love vinyl but I have this continued worry streaming services are struggling to give people a balance of sounds and possibilities.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Ella Mai/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I am lucky I listen to a station like BBC Radio 6 Music but, even then, they are confined in terms of songs and genres – one will not find a lot of modern Pop/Country, for instance or classic tracks that might be covered by BBC Radio 1 and 2 respectively. It is a great surprise stumbling on a song you have not heard for years, but I think that is actually a problem with the modern age. There are some terrific podcasts and radio broadcasts that help guide us to uncovered gems and classic cuts. I think a lot of our tastes revolve around what we have heard before and slight extensions on that. It sort of gets me thinking back to my point about so-called ‘guilty pleasures’. Do we turn our noses up at entire genres and radio stations, assuming they will have nothing that floats our boast?! I am not a huge fan of mainstream Pop but I have found myself surprised and fulfilled by artists like Ella Mai and Carly Rae Jepsen. I have not listened to a lot of Country music for a while bit, again, I have stumbled upon podcasts and shows that have opened my eyes. It is strangely pleasing getting into our grooves and listening to music that makes us feel comfortable and happy. I get that. I do feel we struggle to keep on top of everything and, as such, tend to keep our focus quite narrow. I know a lot of people who are very ambitious and will scour record shops and playlists for the best new music and those older albums that we should be listening to more.

One cannot embrace everything – not all music is equal and valid – but I do think we all get sort of comfortable and cosy with what we know and that is that. Maybe it is just me. It is difficult to drink in every drop of great new music and nodding to the best and coolest from the past. I was listening to BBC Radio 6 Music’s Shola Aleje present a two-hour slot on Totally Wired Radio last night (from 8-10 p.m.) and was blown away. Not only is she younger than me – and has a deeper passion that I for music – but her taste and knowledge was extraordinary. Listening to the show and I was reconnecting with artists and songs that I had neglected and allowed to collect dust. I am now resolved to be a lot less stubborn and more adventurous. I am broader and hungrier than most because, as a music lover and journalist, I am always listening to new music from all over the sonic map and keep my dial locked to the best radio station around. I guess even radio stations are limited and can get caught in traps…playing the same songs from the same artists or overlooking certain genres. How often do we hear album tracks from legendary artists rather than singles? Are stations too bound by figures and demographics that means, a lot of the time, we need to retune and skip through stations to get a wider education? I think radio is invaluable – and I am indebted to and adoring of BBC Radio 6 Music – but I think we all need to resolve to expand our collections and be a bit braver.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @iampatrickpilz/Unsplash

Maybe some hip, young thing scratches their Hoxton facial hair with imperious disregard when people like me listen to some of the artists we grew up on – how would they take to folk like Traveling Wilburys and Steely Dan?! A lot of older listeners tend to be dismissive of younger artists and we can get into this tribal mind-state. The most rewarding musical experiences come from stepping beyond my boundaries and opening my arms to something new; listening to modern Pop or trying an artist from the past that I have been relatively distant from until now. This all circles back to my opening concern regarding memory and its fragility. What I would pay someone to invent a device that bottled all of my memories; ones I could arrange to ensure that I never forget when music came into my life and those times when various artists scored some truly wonderful and transcendent times. I still fondly recall a school chum getting on a year when I was in Mr. Bailey’s class and he blasted The Shamen’s Eberneezer Goode out to the class (this was the early-1990s and state schools were pretty relaxed!). I cherish after-school hang-outs with friends and times when we put on a cassette or C.D. and just submitted to the power of music. I hold dear moments when I used to take the bus to my local town and buy the latest single from whomever was expected to ride the charts – I recall buying stuff from The Divine Comedy (National Express) and Mr Oizo (Flat Beat) and being giddy with satisfaction!

How about when I received my GCSE results in 1999 and Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of…) soundtracked that?! How about, too, when my sister bought me The Beatles’ number-ones collection in 2000 or when I first discovered Madonna back in the late-1980s?! All of these memories are dear and part of my life…it scares the crap out of me that they are starting to fall away. The reason they are still in my mind is because of the sheer breadth of my tastes. I was brought up around so much different music and would not be a journalist if it were not for my parents and my appetite as a child. Rather than dread the ticking of time and the erosion of precious memories, I feel, oddly, engaging in as much different music now as possible can help strengthen fading memories and actually help preserve recollections from childhood – some might say that is faulty and ambitious but I think it is possible! If people like me learn from our past and forge barriers then I think we will all be a lot richer and wiser. There are natural limits and, you understand, such is the tidal wave of new music that it is impossible to even absorb a small percentage of it. As much as I adore certain radio stations and artists, I will be bolder; I will take the time to re-explore the legends of the past and spend a few hours a week getting on top of all of the best new music around.

It sounds exhausting but I feel it is beneficial to me, not just as a journalist, but as someone who tends to retreat to those songs/artists that lift me up and have permanent residence in my limbic system. There is nothing wrong with nostalgia and remembering childhood – it makes us happy and connected to the past – but I think so many of put up walls and define ourselves too rigidly. If you once ignored a certain time period or genre then give it a try! I am, as I said, finding myself struck my tracks I thought I wouldn’t enjoy and realising that, when you let this music in, the effects are immense and immediate. Whilst rounding this feature up, I am thinking of some artists I am going to attack very soon – some more Traveling Wilburys and some classic House music – but I am also resolved to have a peek at some cool underground sounds of now. I get caught in ruts and I think shaking that habit is a good thing. I think we all could do with widened our scope and taking some bold steps now and then. My revelation and new resolution comes from my (genuine) worry that my childhood is getting lost in the fog and, with it, so many of the musical memories that make me smile will be lost. There is not much I can do about that. It seems strange to say this but, in order to be a more rounded and enriched music lover now, I have to embrace the future as much as possible and…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @jamakassi/Unsplash

LET the past go.

FEATURE: The Boss at Seventy: Seven Essential Bruce Springsteen Albums

FEATURE:

 

The Boss at Seventy

IN THIS PHOTO: Bruce Springsteen captured in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Frank Stefanko 

Seven Essential Bruce Springsteen Albums

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THERE are two big anniversaries happening…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Bruce Springsteen in 2019 in a promotional shot for Western Stars/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

later this month. On 26th September, it will be fifty years since The Beatles’ Abbey Road was released to the world. I am really looking forward to that because, not only do we get to revel in this wonderful album, but Sirs Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will be around to share their memories of Abbey Road. Three days before that happens, Bruce Springsteen turns seventy! The Boss’ seventieth should be celebrated and it will provide us an opportunity to look back at his incredible music and see why he is so iconic (also, if you have not seen the Bruce Springsteen-inspired film, Blinded by the Light, make sure you do). I am going to recommend seven albums that need to be added to your collection right away. Before I come to that, here is some biography about Springsteen:

“Born on September 23, 1949, in the town of Long Branch, New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen, also known as "The Boss," played the bar circuit while assembling his famous E Street Band. His breakout 1975 record, Born to Run, united arena rock with human-size tales of working-class America. With dozens of awards under his belt, including 20 Grammys, and more than 65 million albums sold in the U.S. alone, Springsteen is one of the most successful musicians of all time. Also known for his left-leaning political causes, the artist was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2016.

Springsteen first fell in love with rock 'n' roll when he saw Elvis Presley perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. "[Elvis] was as big as the whole country itself," Springsteen later remembered, "as big as the whole dream. He just embodied the essence of it and he was in mortal combat with the thing.

IN THIS PHOTO: Bruce Springsteen looking reflective in 1975/PHOTO CREDIT: Terry O’Neill 

Nothing will ever take the place of that guy." Springsteen's mother took out a loan to buy him a $60 Kent guitar for his 16th birthday, and he hasn't stopped playing the instrument since then.

An outsider and recluse in school, Springsteen frequently got in trouble at his Catholic elementary school. "In the third grade, a nun stuffed me in a garbage can under her desk because she said that's where I belonged," he said. "I also had the distinction of being the only altar boy knocked down by a priest during mass." Several years later, he skipped his own high school graduation because he felt too uncomfortable to attend.

In 1967 an 18-year-old Springsteen was drafted for military service in the Vietnam War. But, as he later told Rolling Stone magazine, the only thought in his head as he traveled to his induction was "I ain't goin'." Springsteen failed his physical, largely due to his deliberately "crazy" behavior and a concussion previously suffered in a motorcycle accident. Springsteen's 4-F classification — unfit for military service — freed him from having to go to Vietnam and allowed him to pursue music full time”.

IN THIS PHOTO: The Boss performing in 1984/PHOTO CREDIT: Ebet Roberts/Redferns

ALL ALBUM COVERS: Getty Images/Spotify

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Born to Run

Release Date: 25th August, 1975

Label: Columbia

Producers: Bruce Springsteen/Mike Appel/Jon Landau

Standout Tracks: Thunder Road/Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out/Jungleland

Review:

“It is this essential quality that sets him apart from everyone else even after all these years. His fictional characters are easier to relate to than any modern indie song sung in the first person. It has been interesting to watch this particular musical shift. How is it that a song rife with such nameless characters as the Magic Rat and the Barefoot Girl, with imagery of Exxon signs and ambulance lights and death in those lonely corridors of the city seems more homely than any song about the end of a relationship which, presumably, any listener would be able to relate to much more? It is as if the old rules have been transferred from stone tablets to pieces of notebook paper, frequently scratched out and rewritten to fit the latest trends. That storytelling trait has, with a few exceptions, long been absent from music and perhaps that is telling. What makes Springsteen's music so great is that his stories and characters made it all the more affecting when he did write something personal. When he personally wondered if love was real it sounded more genuine because of similar, prior sentiments from the lonesome, wandering denizens of Asbury Park. Story echoed real-life and vice versa, each lending weight to one another.

Springsteen's America seen through today's lens seems more modern than the vision being presented currently. It is a marvelous thing that none of Springsteen's songs seem quaint or outdated but it is not surprising in the least. He was able to both hearken to an earlier time by harnessing the power of music's golden age and to make an audience look to the future, to attempt to keep alive a sense of America's commoner nobility – the notion that there is nothing purer than trying to survive through means universal and familiar, through foot before foot and hand over hand. The notion that we could succeed or fail to walk like heroes but either way America, although perhaps dull-eyed and empty-faced, was nevertheless bound for a greater glory somewhere down the road” – Sputnik Music

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/43YIoHKSrEw2GJsWmhZIpu

Key Cut: Born to Run

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Release Date: 2nd June, 1978

Label: Columbia

Producers: Bruce Springsteen/Jon Landau/Steven Van Zandt (assistant)

Standout Tracks: Racing in the Street/Prove It Al Night/Darkness on the Edge of Town

Review:

“Coming three years, and one extended court battle, after the commercial breakthrough of Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town was highly anticipated. Some attributed the album's embattled tone to Springsteen's legal troubles, but it carried on from Born to Run, in which Springsteen had first begun to view his colorful cast of characters as "losers." On Darkness, he began to see them as the working class. One song was called "Factory," and in another, "Badlands," "you" work "'neath the wheel / Till you get your facts learned." Those "facts" are that "Poor man wanna be rich / Rich man wanna be king / And a king ain't satisfied / Till he rules everything." But Springsteen's characters, some of whom he inhabited and sang for in the first person, had little and were in danger of losing even that. Their only hope for redemption lay in working harder -- "You gotta live it everyday," he sang in "Badlands," but you also, as another song noted, have to "Prove It All Night." And their only escape lay in driving. Springsteen presented these hard truths in hard rock settings, the tracks paced by powerful drumming and searing guitar solos. Though not as heavily produced as Born to Run, Darkness was given a full-bodied sound, with prominent keyboards and double-tracked vocals.

Springsteen's stories were becoming less heroic, but his musical style remained grand. Yet the sound, and the conviction in his singing, added weight to songs like "Racing in the Street" and the title track, transforming the pathetic into the tragic. But despite the rock & roll fervor, Darkness was no easy listen, and it served notice that Springsteen was already willing to risk his popularity for his principles. Indeed, Darkness was not as big a seller as Born to Run. And it presaged even starker efforts, such as Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad” – AllMusic

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/1WEXfps9XGBqGVXb2gCXxA

Key Cut: The Promised Land

The River

Release Date: 17th October, 1980

Label: Columbia

Producers: Bruce Springsteen/Jon Landau/Steven Van Zandt

Standout Tracks: The Ties That Bind/Hungry Heart/Fade Away

Review:

“Rock and roll has always been this joy, this certain happiness that is in its way the most beautiful thing in life," Springsteen said. "But rock is also about hardness and coldness and being alone...I finally got to the place where I realized life had paradoxes, a lot of them, and you've got to live with them"

The resulting album is one that might not flow as well as previous Springsteen releases (which flowed impeccably), but a record that spawned some of the strongest single tracks of his career. The strongest single was "Hungry Heart," which is notorious for being originally written by Springsteen for The Ramones. Instead of giving them the song, producer Jon Landau convinced Springsteen to put it on The River. Landau made a good call, as the song became Springsteen's most successful single to date. It reached No. 5 on the U.S. pop singles chart, a catchy and danceable hit that foreshadowed some of the sounds listeners would hear on the immensely popular Born In The U.S.A.

For every upbeat number like "Hungry Heart," "Sherry Darling," "Two Hearts," "Ramrod" or "Out On The Street," Springsteen gives us a slow-tempo ballad like "Independence Day" or the brilliantly orchestrated "Point Blank." Songs like "Stolen Car" (which foreshadowed Tunnel Of Love), "Drive All Night" and closer "Wreck On The Highway" are much slower tracks that must be appreciated for their melodies and special construction. Songs like these are where Springsteen's words cut deepest, with weaving lyricism making an impact when delivered over calmer tides. "Stolen Car" is a vastly underrated song, as Springsteen's personal, slowly delivered lyricism casts an image of a troubled youth: "At first I thought it was just restlessness that would fade as time went by and our love grew deep / In the end it was something more I guess that tore us apart and made us weep / And I'm driving a stolen car down on Eldridge Avenue / Each night I wait to get caught, but I never do” – AbsolutePunk

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6YNIEeDWqC09YIWzhoSVLg

Key Cut: The River

Nebraska

Release Date: 30th September, 1982

Label: Columbia

Producer: Bruce Springsteen

Standout Tracks: Nebraska/Highway Patrolman/Open All Night

Review:

“A few songs on the record contain references to transmissions, and these people often find themselves connected to each other in the most distant ways, often by wireless. Roads are littered with radio relay towers, radios in dark cars are choked with talk shows, a cop is called to action by the crackle of the radio. “State Trooper,” a song directly influenced by “Frankie Teardrop” by the synth-punk band Suicide, is Nebraska’s atmosphere reduced to its essence, just an ominous repeating guitar and a voice that sounds like a howling ghost. A Springsteen song like “Darkness on the Edge of Town” shares thematic elements with the songs on Nebraska, but the quiet/loud motif is designed for the stage, where Springsteen and his listeners could share in the energy. “State Trooper” might as well be beamed in from an orbiting satellite—there’s the song and then there is silence.

“State Trooper” also illustrates how the automobile, central to Springsteen’s work throughout his career, functions a bit differently on Nebraska. On Born to Run, the car represented escape, while on Darkness on the Edge of Town and parts of The River it was used to define boundaries, to mark the places where the dramas of life unfold. On Nebraska, the automobile is a kind of isolation chamber, a steel husk that keeps its passengers apart from the world. “Used Cars,” a comparatively gentle song inspired by Springsteen’s own life, finds a child experiencing the shame of class difference. The family is each inhabiting their own world, the father and son unable to connect and share with each other what they might be feeling in the moment. The boy knows only by what he sees, not what his father tells him; the father, consumed with his own shame, has no sense of the boy’s experiences.

Springsteen wrote that he wanted Nebraska to consist of “black bedtime stories,” and the album almost seems to take place during one long night. Those who have jobs are working the night shift. Coming as it does at the end of the album, “Reason to Believe” feels a bit like a sunrise. Suddenly there’s a crack of light, a bit of humor; we can take a breath. The levity comes not from the details of the song, which include two shattered relationships and the death of a dog and a relative, but from the perspective of the person telling the story. Perhaps life, rather than being grim and hopeless, is merely absurd” – Pitchfork 

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6yskFQZNlLYhkchAxELHi6

Key Cut: Atlantic City

Born in the U.S.A.

Release Date: 4th June, 1984

Label: Columbia

Producers: Jon Landau/Chuck Plotkin/Bruce Springsteen/Steven Van Zandt

Standout Tracks: Cover Me/I’m on Fire/Dancing in the Dark

Review:

“East Berlin, 1988. Under a graphite sky, a familiar synthesizer riff echoes out over a vast arena. As a thundercrack snare drum underscores one of the most consistently spine-chilling intros ever, Bruce Springsteen, telecaster in hand, stares out toward half a million East Germans who've all started singing the chorus - before he's even begun the first verse.

500,000 Germans shouting "Born In The USA" in some huge-ass park in the late-eighties is plainly quite weird. But they're not American. They're not singing about being American, are they? Are they??

"Born In The USA", the title track of The Boss' mega-selling 1984 album, was much misunderstood. Accused at the same time of being repulsively nationalistic, and viciously Anti-American, the track was endorsed by conservative US politicians (including Ronald Reagan) as an exemplar of "classic American values" whilst the bitter lyrics actually tell the story of disaffected Vietnam veteran, chewed up and spat out by his own country:

'I had a buddy at Khe Sahn

Fighting off the Viet Cong

They're still there, he's all gone

He had a little girl in Saigon

I got a picture of him in her arms'

Fire up YouTube and watch John Sayles' music video for the track. The killer punch comes near the end where you see the smiling veteran with a hole where his left eye should be.

Despite the poor sync between the video and audio, Springsteen's leather-clad delivery is scarily fierce. Heard alongside the visuals of Bruce spitting the hopeless verses, the song is revealed as far more than a knuckleheaded, jingoistic sing-a-long. It's a ragged-lunged hymn to long gone friends, a treacherous government, a stupid war, having no job, but f*** it, let’s shout the chorus until we cough up our lungs.

Springsteen’s much-discussed genius lies in finding the humanity in the everyday, punching it out with a grizzled kind of grandeur, and managing it dressed as Mad Max. That’s why our German friends, with their cold war blues and bad blow-dries, are singing along in their hundreds of thousands. Despite huge political and national gulfs, there are more similarities than there are differences.

The other songs on the album? Apart from the unsettling, tender "I’m On Fire", it’s familiar fare throughout, reliable rock and soul courtesy of Bruce and his band of E Street musos, with the added bonus of "Glory Days" and the irrepressible "Dancing In The Dark" chucked in too.

But at no point does it become as stupid, or as complex, as track 1” – BBC

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/0PMasrHdpaoIRuHuhHp72O

Key Cut: Born in the U.S.A.

The Rising

Release Date: 30th July, 2002

Label: Columbia

Producer: Brendan O'Brien

Standout Tracks: Lonesome Day/Waitin’ on a Sunny Day/My City of Ruins

Review:

“The set opens with "Lonesome Day," a midtempo rocker with country-ish roots. Springsteen's protagonist admits to his or her shortcomings in caring for the now-absent beloved. But despite the grief and emptiness, there is a wisdom that emerges in questioning what remains: "Better ask questions before you shoot/Deceit and betrayal's bitter fruit/It's hard to swallow come time to pay/That taste on your tongue don't easily slip away/Let kingdom come/I'm gonna find my way/ Through this lonesome day." Brendan O'Brien's hurdy-gurdy cuts through the mix like a ghost, offering a view of an innocent past that has been forever canceled because it never was anyway; the instrument, like the glockenspiels that trim Bruce Springsteen's songs, offers not only texture, but a kind of formalist hint that possibilities don't always lie in the future. Lest anyone mistakenly perceive this recording as a somber evocation of loss and despair, it should also be stated that this is very much an E Street Band recording. Clarence Clemons is everywhere, and the R&B swing and slip of the days of yore is in the house -- especially on "Waitin' for a Sunny Day," "Countin' on a Miracle," "Mary's Place" (with a full horn section), and the souled-out "Let's Be Friends (Skin to Skin)." These tracks echo the past with their loose good-time feel, but "echo" is the key word. Brendan O'Brien's guitar-accented production offers us an E Street Band coming out of the ether and stepping in to fill a void. The songs themselves are, without exception, rooted in loss, but flower with the possibility of moving into what comes next, with a hard-won swagger and busted-up grace. They offer balance and a shifting perspective, as well as a depth that is often deceptive.

The title track is one of Springsteen's greatest songs. It is an anthem, but not in the sense you usually reference in regard to his work. This anthem is an invitation to share everything, to accept everything, to move through everything individually and together. Power-chorded guitars and pianos entwine in the choruses with a choir, and Clemons wails on a part with a stinging solo. With The Rising, Springsteen has found a way to be inclusive and instructive without giving up his particular vision as a songwriter, nor his considerable strength as a rock & roll artist. In fact, if anything, The Rising is one of the very best examples in recent history of how popular art can evoke a time period and all of its confusing and often contradictory notions, feelings, and impulses. There are tales of great suffering in The Rising to be sure, but there is joy, hope, and possibility, too. Above all, there is a celebration and reverence for everyday life. And if we need anything from rock & roll, it's that. It would be unfair to lay on Bruce Springsteen the responsibility of guiding people through the aftermath of a tragedy and getting on with the business of living, but rock & roll as impure, messy, and edifying as this helps” – AllMusic

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/23vzCh5cDn0LzdGmGWrT1d

Key Cut: The Rising

Western Stars

Release Date: 14th June, 2019

Label: Columbia

Producer: Ron Aniello

Standout Tracks: Western Stars/Chasin’ Wild Horses/Hello Sunshine

Review:

“Certainly, there’s a real and rather affecting love evident in the way Springsteen channels the sound on Western Stars. There are moments of transcendent loveliness – not least the shivering instrumental coda of Drive Fast – but he’s also unafraid of its occasional tendency towards schmaltz. Quite the opposite. Listening to There Goes My Miracle or Sundown, on which he slathers on the high-camp strings and transforms his voice into a croon, denuded of the usual Springsteen grit, you get the feeling he’s having a whale of a time: an artist always held up as the apotheosis of honest, blue-collar heartland rock revelling in artifice, in much the same way as he audibly delighted in telling audiences at his Broadway residency that the character of Bruce Springsteen was a Ziggy Stardust-ish construct who had never done anything. It helps that the songs are strong enough to withstand the treatment, seldom slipping into pastiche. The only real misfire is Sleepy Joe’s Café, which feels a little round-edged for its own good, not aided by an ingratiatingly perky accordion: the E Street Band could have turned it into something more driving and potent.

It’s the same sad story, going round and round,” Springsteen sings on The Wayfarer and listening to the rest of the album’s lyrics, you take his point. If the sound of Western Stars sets it apart from Springsteen’s earlier solo albums, the words pull it closer. Like Nebraska or The Ghost of Tom Joad, it offers a selection of bleak narratives and lingering pen-portraits, and, like Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad, it seems a product of its era. The former album’s cast of conflicted cops and desperate criminals undercut the gung-ho triumphalism of Reagan’s America, while Tom Joad’s illegal immigrants and drug runners did the same for an era of record highs on the Dow Jones index. Western Stars, meanwhile, is populated by characters past their best – the title track’s fading actor, reduced to hawking Viagra on TV and retelling his stories for anyone who’ll buy him a drink; Drive Fast’s injured stuntman recalling his youthful recklessness, the failed songwriter of Somewhere North of Nashville and the guy glumly surveying the boarded-up site of an old tryst on Moonlight Motel – all of them ruminating on how things have changed, not just for the worse, but in ways none of them anticipated.

It adds up to an album that manages to be both unexpected and of a piece with its author’s back catalogue. Normal service may well be resumed in due course, but Western Stars is powerful enough to make you wish Bruce Springsteen would take more stylistic detours in the future” – The Guardian

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6BhqPpIgY83rqoZ2L78Lte

Key Cut: There Goes My Miracle

FEATURE: Remind Me Today: 2019 and the Dominance of Female Artists

FEATURE:

 

Remind Me Today

IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Marten/PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren McDermott 

2019 and the Dominance of Female Artists

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ONE can overlook and forgive…

IN THIS PHOTO: Madonnatron/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

the fact that, at various points this year, I have talked about the prominence and dominance of female artists. Clearly, there is still massive inequality in the music industry: the quality female artists are putting out is not being matched with focus and appreciation by those making decisions. If you look at the best albums of this year, in my view, the majority have been made by women. From Stealing Sheep’s Big Wows to Madonnatron’s Musica Alla Puttanesca, there have been some terrific releases. In fact, those two albums I have just mentioned are superbly underrated and terrific albums that have definite bounce, colour and beauty. They are complex albums but make you feel better and nourished. Throw into the mix the recently-released forevher by the excellent Shura and there are these wonderful albums out there not getting the credit they deserve. Shura’s latest album is free, spirited and ecstatic. On it, Shura details falling in love and the rush from that feeling. It is full of memorable tracks and I love the 1980s-inspired sound. If I had to list all the best albums from women this year then I would be going for a long time! I have mentioned a few albums that you need to get; some that have not got the acclaim and focus they warrant. One of my favourite albums from this year is Remind Me Tomorrow by Sharon Van Etten. This is Van Etten’s fifth studio album and, released in January, it kicked 2019 off supremely!

Singles such as Seventeen and Comeback Kid are among the best I have heard from Van Etten - and she has hit a new peak. When reviewing the album, Pitchfork had this to say:

“…And yet, Remind Me Tomorrow is not unyielding. It is the peak of Van Etten’s songwriting, her most atmospheric and emotionally piercing album to date. Often when it concerns love, it’s about how tentative it feels: “Turning the wheel on my street/My heart still skips a beat,” she sings on “Jupiter 4” (named for the synthesizer behind much of the album), a whirring dirge filled with ghostly cries and thunderclaps. “You’ll run,” she sings on “Memorial Day,” drawing out the words into a narcotic, sparkling haze. The album’s truest love song, “Malibu,” relishes the memory of a carefree romantic holiday, but Van Etten still highlights the transience of driving down the coast in “the little red car that don’t belong to you”.

Unlike a lot of Pop albums, Self Esteem can be relied upon to push musical boundaries and give the listener some genuine range and quality. The moniker of Slow Club’s Rebecca Taylor, Compliments Please is a huge album that, for some reason, was nominated for this year’s Mercury Prize. Maybe it was in the judges’ thoughts, but one cannot deny Compliments Please is one of 2019’s best from a superb artist who is among the most original around.

Taylor is brilliant when it comes to subverting Pop conventions and emotional limitation; songs that are full of character and spirit – I would expect Self Esteem to be a festival fixture next year. Before mentioning a few widely-mentioned albums, I want to discuss one of my favourite artists. Billie Marten staggered me on her 2016 debut, Writing of Blues and Yellows. Her Folk-cum-Indie blend is beautiful, and her voice is one of the most arresting around. If her debut was closer to home (Yorkshire) and her teenage observations, Feeding Seahorses by Hand is a more eclectic, wide-ranging and mature album, perhaps – Marten now resides in London and the album seems to reflect someone tackling city life. Marten is an artist who creates such intelligent and moving songs, and yet you do not hear her on the radio as much as you’d expect. It is a shame, but one needs to check out her music and see what I mean! Jamila Woods’ LEGACY! LEGACY! is an album dedicated to pioneers of colour – each song features a different role model as the focus. It is, perhaps, my favourite album of this year and I adore Woods’ voice. It is hard to ignore the importance of LEGACY! LEGACY! and power. Here is a sample review:    

“Almost every predecessor conjured in and in-between Woods’ lyrics balanced their craft alongside an unending fight for total equality, whether they wanted to or not: “All the women in me are tired” becomes a running motif throughout the album. With LEGACY! LEGACY!, Jamila Woods positions herself to join the battle, bridging the gap, once and for all, between our unresolved past and the promise that awaits us all on the horizon”.

IN THIS PHOTO: SASAMI/PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Baxley 

Before I mention other year-owning albums, one cannot help but ignore upcoming artists like SASAMI and Liz Lawrence; Tierra Whack, Sampa the Great and girl in red. Throw into the mix names like HALSEY, IDER and Girl Ray and, without digging that deep, you can see what is on offer! I will end with a playlist that collates the artists I have mentioned. Solange’s When I Get Home ranks as one of the year’s best and, whilst it is not as acclaimed as her previous album, A Seat at the Table, it is a fantastic record and one that spills over with brilliance. Here is how AllMusic assessed the album:

“Certain tracks offer little more than riffing and moodscapes, yet all 19 are shaped into a concise flowing whole with subtle twists and turns. Smoothest of all is the point where the bewitching and beatless "Jerrod," on which "Come and say the word and you know you gon' hit it" is sung in the most tender way imaginable, shifts into the steady-rocking "Binz," allowing Solange to wind up her waist and get gleefully materialistic with the-Dream in tow. Relatively drastic is the switch from the chugging "all black (and brown) everything" exultation "Almeda," also featuring Dream, into the aching and intimate "Time (Is)." Separation of the two songs is nonetheless unimaginable. Just as skillfully latticed is the large assortment of artists honored through evocation, collaboration, and sampling. The cleverest placement might be the sampled gospel group singing "Please take the wheel forever." In the context of When I Get Home, their devoted appeal takes on a literal meaning while losing none of its redemptive intent”.

I have mentioned the variety and range from female artists but, to me, there is this crop of young songwriters we need to watch out for. Billie Eilish is an artist (rightly) attracting a lot of attention right now. Her album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, is so confident and compelling one can hardly believe she is a teenager! Her brand of Pop is darker and more experimental than a lot of the mainstream and, at a time when there is so much stagnant Pop around, Eilish is a definite breath of fresh air! I predict great things for her and feel she will be a festival headliner very soon – she went down a storm at Glastonbury and has an enormous fanbase. Lizzo’s third album, Cuz I Love You, is full of sass, energy and bangers. It is an album that has heart and emotion but, if you want to feel good and enriched, put this album on. Like Eilish, Lizzo is an artist storming festivals and getting a lot of love. Not only has Grimes released a new single (Violence) but, when thinking about singles and albums coming up, it enforces my view that women are making the best music around. I shall allude to that but, rounding off the best albums of 2019 so far and one must acknowledge Lana Del Rey’s Normal Fucking Rockwell! It has just been released and, as with any Lana Del Rey album, there was a lot of hype and build.

In the case of Norman Fucking Rockwell!, the attention and praise is right on the money. It is a fantastic album and one that has accrued a lot of big reviews. Here is NME’s assessment:

 “Then, there’s the little utterances that are littered throughout the record that you wouldn’t bat an eyelid to with anyone else but feel odd given how closely linked the person singing them here is with nostalgia and vintage Americana. On ‘The Greatest’ (maybe one of the greatest songs she’s ever written), she sings, “the culture is lit and I’ve had a ball” in a tone that could be incredibly sincere or eye-rolling sarcasm. As the album comes to an end, she throws in a quick nod to modern technology, purring, “Hello, it’s the most famous woman you know on the iPad” on the tender waltz of ‘Hope Is A Dangerous Thing For A Woman Like Me To Have – But I Have It’.

That she veers from the ultra-modern to references to Sylvia Plath and photographer Slim Aarons, and from Laurel Canyon folk to trembling psych solos, on an album named after American author and illustrator Norman Rockwell only seem to prove the point she’s trying to make in her Twitter bio. Lana Del Rey is large – she contains multitudes, and the way she balances and embodies them on her fifth album is nothing short of stunning”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Little Simz/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I shall wrap up soon but, before nodding to some big albums yet to come, I want to name four more albums that have made a big impression. Little Simz has been Mercury Prize-nominated for her album, GREY Area, and one can see why! It is a huge release and one that is among the absolute finest of this year. It is an album that is personal and real but looks at the outside world. At a time when we are facing crisis and division, Simz beautifully documents the modern world with just the right balance of anger and compassion. This is The Independent’s review of GREY Area:

 “Simz flips between two tones: bristling and unapologetic, and warm and reflective. “Offence” is the former, with tongue-in-cheek bars that have her hailing herself as “Jay-Z on a bad day, Shakespeare on my worst days”. So, too, is “Boss”, with its killer bass hook and distorted punk vocals. Elsewhere, she considers the impact of her own ambition: “Wanting to be legendary and iconic, does that come with darkness?” she asks on closer “Flowers”, reflecting on her idols Jimi Hendrix and Amy Winehouse.

There’s another subtle nod to Winehouse on “Therapy”, which is anchored by her extraordinary bass player, in the way it recalls the late artist’s biggest single “Rehab” on the chorus. Simz has said making this album felt cathartic. “Selfish” assesses her independence, while “Boss” lets rip at the man/men who disrespected her. “Venom”, which opens with a shiver of violins, is so menacing you wonder what kind of fool would dare to get in her bad books. What Simz does here is phenomenal. This is an album – and artist – to cherish”.

I lied when I said I only wanted to mention four more album. Julia Jacklin’s Crushing is a beautiful, personal and revealing collection that will speak to so many people. I urge people to check it out because, in my opinion, Jacklin is one of the most accomplished songwriters in the world. Another artist who can buckle the knees with her gorgeous voice and exquisite songwriting is Lucy Rose. Forgive me, again, if I am repeating myself but I think these incredible artists deserve a lot of praise – not in a mansplaining way: I am highlighting the fact women are creating some of the best music around and, as sexism and inequality remains, we all need to do a lot more. No Words Left is stunning record and I would say it nestles somewhere between Billie Marten and Julia Jacklin when it comes to feel and tone. Sleater-Kinney recently lost their long-term drummer Janet Weiss but, on the last album she released with them, you can witness something immense. Produced by Annie Clark (St. Vincent), it is a slightly different direction for Sleater-Kinney. The Center Won’t Hold is one of my favourite albums from the year and I especially adore the track, Hurry on Home. I wonder where Sleater-Kinney will head and whether we will hear another album – I am sure we will see one. Jenny Lewis is an artist who has been on the scene for a while but, on her latest album, On the Line, she has crafted her finest work.

In this review from The Telegraph, they get to the core:

“By the album’s conclusion, Lewis has renounced both love and drugs. “Bad habits will be broken/ Boy, I have kicked a few/ And seven days off the dope and I’ll be good as new,” she sings on the trippy Rabbit Hole.

As break-up albums go, the mood is remarkably positive. Lewis’s mother (a long-term heroin addict) died from cancer during recording and chances are you will never hear such a spirited, upbeat elegy as the groovy Little White Dove (one of three tracks produced by Beck with Jim Keltner on drums). There is nothing ground-breaking here, and Lewis pays not even the faintest lip service to contemporary pop trends. But if you like quality songwriting delivered with panache, On The Line is on the money”.

It has been a really strong year for music and, with a few months remaining, who knows what we can expect. Pitchfork have selected a few albums we need to get involved with and, with released from Kim Gordon (No Home Record – 11th October, Matador), Tegan and Sara (Hey, I’m Just Like You – 27th September, Sire); Angel Olsen (All Mirrors – 4th October, Jagjaguwar), Brittany Howard (Jaime – 20th September, ATO); Sampa the Great (The Return – 13th September, Ninja Tune) and Jenny Hval (The Practice of Love – 13th September, Sacred Bones) to come, we have plenty more to look forward to!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sampa the Great/PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Hughes/NME

I would recommend you check out the album and artists I have included as they are among the finest of 2019. I have not even scratched the surface when it comes to the huge singles and newcomers – one can understand I must limit things a bit. How does this all translate into 2020? I do hope there will be improvement regarding women booked for festivals. I keep mentioning how radio playlists are tipped in favour of male artists and, with so many terrific female artists around, I am not sure why there is stubbornness and slow improvement. It is a bit frustrating to see the same problems crop up regarding gender imbalance. In any case, let’s just enjoy the brilliant music that has come through this year. I am really looking forward to seeing what the remainder of 2019 provides because, as I keep saying, this year has been a huge one! I shall end things there, but I feel it is important to revise my feature regarding incredible female artists. From the Folk of Billie Marten to the fire of Lizzo, we have seen so much phenomenal music emerge. At such a difficult time for us all, music provides a form of solace and relief. There is a lot of great music around but, in my view, most is being made by women.  For giving the world such captivating, stunning and fascinating music we must give our…   

THANKS to them all.

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

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Mahalia 

An All-Female, Summer-Ready Playlist (Vol. XII)

__________

THE weather this week is a bit changeable…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Skott

but we can rely on wonderful music to give it a lift and a bit of heat! In this week’s female-led playlist, there is a nice array of genres and sounds. From some fiery Pop to something a bit more chilled and cool, there should be something in there for everyone! I am always amazed at the sheer breadth and weight of music this year - and leading the way is women. That might sound controversial but I feel women in music are digging deeper and producing more interesting work. Whatever your viewpoint, have a listen to my playlist and I know you will find much to love. It is another compelling week and one that sports many gems. Get this playlist locked and loaded and give your weekend…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Carmody

A fantastic soundtrack.

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

____________

Griff – Didn’t Break It Enough

PHOTO CREDIT: Rory James

IDER – Slide

Micra – Fuzz Captain

MUNA – Pink Light

Geowulf – Lonely

Delacey – Actress

King Princess – Ain’t Together

Kiiara – Bipolar

PHOTO CREDIT: Pose Mag

Skott – Bloodhound

Cashmere Cat – FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

Kelsea Ballerini – homecoming queen?

IN THIS PHOTO: Gemini Rising

Gemini Rising, Tensnake, Fiora - After the Rain

Abbie Ozard – On a Low

Gia Ford – GOD, CAMERAS, EVERYONE

Baby Taylah – Reclaim

PHOTO CREDIT: ELLE Magazine (US)

Camila Cabello - Shameless

Tiwa Savage – 49-99

Mahalia – What Am I?

Carmody – Catching Blue

Charlotte Lawrence, Klingande – Why Do You Love Me

Sienna Hamilton – Grey

IN THIS PHOTO: Amelia Monét

Amelia Monet (ft. Br3nya) – Bumper

Maddie & Tae – Bathroom Floor

Anna of the North – Dream Girl

PHOTO CREDIT: Horizons / Gorwelion

I See Rivers – Collide

Orla Gartland - Did It to Myself

Rico Nasty – Fashion Week

FEATURE: The September Playlist: Vol. 1: Violence and Good Girls Going to Hell

FEATURE:

 

The September Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Grimes/PHOTO CREDIT: Eli Russell Linnetz 

Vol. 1: Violence and Good Girls Going to Hell

___________

EVEN though I keep pointing out…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish

how we get quiet weeks and then big ones…you can’t fail to ignore the fact that there are some pretty mighty tracks out this week! Not only are there releases from Bat for Lashes and Billie Eilish, but there are tracks from Grimes, Sam Fender and Mystery Jets! Sampa the Great has also released a new song and, all combined, it makes for a dizzying and explosive rundown. Have a listen to the terrific tracks and you’ll be hooked by the blends on offer. It is a really fascinating week and, without further ado, it is probably best I let you get into the tracks! Have a good listen and I know these songs will get your weekend off…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sam Fender/PHOTO CREDIT: Sarah Louise Bennett

TO the perfect start!  

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

_________

PHOTO CREDIT: Eli Russell Linnetz 

Grimes & i_o – Violence

PHOTO CREDIT: Logan White

Bat for Lashes – Desert Man

PHOTO CREDIT: Yvan Fabing

Billie Eilish - all the good girls go to hell

Iggy Pop – Page 

Mystery Jets - History Has Its Eyes on You 

Hot Chip - Bath Full of Ecstasy

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Whitton

Elbow – Empires

Sam Fender – The Borders

Bombay Bicycle Club - Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)

PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Almeida

girl in red – bad idea!

PHOTO CREDIT: Ying Ang

Sampa the Great (ft. Whosane) - Heaven

Mahalia (ft. Ella Mai) – What You Did 

Stormzy – Sounds of the Skeng

Miles Kane - Blame It on the Summertime

PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Bailey-Gates

King Princess – Ain’t Together

PHOTO CREDIT: Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Camila Cabello – Shameless

Belle & Sebastian – This Letter

PHOTO CREDIT: David Harrison

Professor Green (ft. Alice Chater) - Got It All  

Bleached – Daydream

Greta Van Fleet - Always There

Skott – Bloodhound

Mallrat – Drive Me Round

Oh Wonder – Hallelujah

John Mayer – Carry Me Away

Sofi Tukker – Purple Hat

grandson – Oh No!!!

blink-182 – I Really Wish I Hated You

FEATURE: Boiling Point: The Mercury Prize 2019: The United State of British Music

FEATURE:

 

Boiling Point: The Mercury Prize 2019

IN THIS PHOTO: Little Simz is nominated for a Mercury Prize for her album, GREY Area/PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Parsons 

The United State of British Music

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ON Tuesday…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rapper Dave scooped two awards at the AIM Independent Music Awards on 3rd September, 2019 (and is Mercury-nominated for his debut album, PSYCHODRAMA)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

it was the AIM Independent Music Awards. Presented by Lauren Laverne, it was a chance to celebrate great independent music and some cutting-edge British acts. There were a lot of great artists on the bill but, as this reflection article reports, it was a healthy, diverse and magic night:

“South London rapper Dave has scooped the two biggest prizes of the night at the AIM Independent Music Awards.

The grime artist, real name David Orobosa Omoregie, secured Best Independent Album for his debut Psychodrama and Best Independent Track for his number one hit, Funky Friday ft Fredo.

It follows a stand-out year for the 21-year-old, who won over a legion of fans at Glastonbury and is due to star in the third series of gritty crime drama Top Boy.

Political punk rockers Idles were also honoured with the Best (Difficult) Second Album prize for their sophomore record Joy As An Act of Resistance.

The Bristol band’s label, Partisan Records, took home the award for Best Independent Label thanks to the success of its roster, which includes Cigarettes After Sex and John Grant.

West London rapper AJ Tracey also performed during the ceremony.

The chief executive of AIM, Paul Pacifico, said: “The list of winners tonight reflects the boldness of the independent community – artists and labels who are unafraid to push the boundaries and take risks to produce some of the UK’s most cutting-edge cultural output.

“As we celebrate AIM’s twentieth year championing independence, it’s amazing to see that creative spirit celebrated in this way at a venue like the Roundhouse”.

On a great evening for British talent (and international artists such as Debbie Harry), it made me think about the approaching Mercury Prize ceremony and the fact that, over the past year or so, British music has really come to the fore! I know British music has always burned bright but, at a point in history when we are all rather worried and distracted by the machinations in political circles, our very finest have stepped up to provide us power, guidance and relief. The debate about this year’s Mercury Prize, luckily, isn’t about the pedigree of the nominees – past years have been derided for a lack of inclusiveness and poor quality. This year not only has a great range of artists included – although genres like Metal are, once more, missing -, but there is discussion as to who will win. Before I come to that, let’s look at the shortlist. What one notices, at first, is a relative lack of Scottish and Irish inclusions. This has been a problem before but, with Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. nominated for their debut, Dogrel, it is a positive step forward. In fact, there is a rare inclusion for a Welsh artist: Cate Le Bon’s Reward is a much-deserved inclusion. Both are strikingly different albums but it goes to show that the best of British is not exclusively reserved to London – past years have seen a major focus on South London acts.

This year, as you’d expect, reflects the rise and continued growth of Hip-Hop and Rap coming from the capital: Little Simz is nominated for GREY Area and Dave’s exceptional debut, PSYCHODRAMA, is included. Just look at those albums I have included and it shows what a strong field we have. I have always preferred Hip-Hop from the U.S. but, with Little Simz and Dave releasing albums that are as accessible as they are urgent, we are seeing a new breeds of Rap artists emerging that are able to compete with the best of America. Given the fact there are so many problems in Britain right now, I am not shocked we have seen such strong and resonant albums from two immense British talents. Not only is Dave’s explosive debut nominated but another debut is on the list: Slowthai’s Nothing Great About Britain is another political and socially-aware record that picked up huge reviews when it was released back in May. I think he is an outside shot and, whilst it is not one of my favourite albums of the year, it just goes to show British Rap is in rude and healthy state! I think there is a three-way split (regarding possible winners) between the Rap elite and the rest…oh, and IDLES! They have their own category because, not only did they win big at this year’s AIM Independent Music Awards but their album, Joy as an Act of Resistant is being tipped as a favourite.

I will predict my winner but, if you want an example of what British artists are producing right now, IDLES’ incredible sophomore release needs to be in your thoughts. This is how NME assessed the album:

“Everything about ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ is just so perfectly realised. The band began to write the album immediately after they finished work on ‘Brutalism’ – and it shows. The songs feel lived in, the record’s overarching message – that of the necessity of unity, positivity and loving yourself – so empowering that it almost amounts to an entire worldview. It’s even more powerful for the fact that Talbot worked on the album in the midst of massive personal trauma. This is a proper classic punk album, one that people will turn to in times of need, one whose authors are unembarrassed about still believing that art can manifest positive change. As Talbot roars on ‘I’m Scum’: “This snowflake’s an avalanche”.

I will end this feature by squaring the two artists I feel are the likeliest to win this year’s Mercury Prize: IDLES and Anna Calvi (for her third album – and third Mercury nod -, Hunter). Just look at the sheer variety of the remaining albums! Black Midi are a divisive band (I am not a fan but I can see why some like them) and Schlagenheim is one of the most indelible and original records I have heard! They are, as I say, divisive but the acclaim they have warranted reflects a desire for a band who not follow the normal; who are not boring and, importantly, have a unique voice.

IN THIS PHOTO: Black Midi/PHOTO CREDIT: Matilda Hill-Jenkins for Loud and Quiet

When speaking with Loud and Quiet recently, the writer highlighted how, even in conversation, the band are a special brand:

“…This, it turns out, is how they set about writing their complex, restless music, as Kelvin explains.

“We’ll record everything, then listen back to that for things we really like and take it from there. Latch onto a single bit at a time, then take other bits, and mash them together.”

“There’s a lot of scaling down,” says Simpson. “We’ll listen to the recordings individually, and different people will like different bits, which makes it kind of cool.”

Simpson expands. “It basically just came from one article. We never set out to be hard to find. I guess the whole mystery thing is the lack of activity on social media, but that’s not a lack of anything – we’re posting what people wanna see, just the information that’s needed.” It’s true: look at their social media presence, and it is fairly sparse, but they do share all their live dates and link to where their music is available online. They’re not hiding anything.

“But yeah, that NME article, saying we’re mysterious, was one of the first things that was written about us, so it set the tone for what followed,” says Simpson. “But it’s just made up.”

Picton laughs wearily. “That article was funny as well, cos they were like, ‘the band have no recorded music whatsoever, you can’t hear them anywhere’, and then at the bottom it linked to the NTS session, which then linked to three other tracks that you could’ve listened to at the time. They were all studio quality too – it was a live recording, but it was in a proper recording studio”.

Even though they are outside punts for the Mercury, one cannot exclude Foals, SEED Ensemble and Nao. Foals’ Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 is one of this year’s biggest Rock albums and, as I mused yesterday, at a time when Rock is not as potent and memorable as it was in the past, Foals are keeping the flame alive. I think they are going to be on the scene for many more years and, at a time when Rock and Alternative music is taking a back seat to other genres, we still have some great bands like Foals flying the flag. Every Mercury year has artists included considered ‘outsiders’ or, more offensively, ‘token’. Nao’s Saturn is a fantastic album and, in any other year, it would be higher up the bookies’ table regarding favourites. The album is a beautiful blend of Soul, R&B and other sounds sprinkled in. It is sweet and soulful; it is driving and raw at times. I think, even though it is unlikely to win, everyone should check it out as it is one of 2018 best albums (Saturn was released last year). SEED Ensemble’s Driftglass is another top album but, again, it is outsider. I have lauded British Rap and Post-Punk but, listen to all the great Jazz swirling around, and it is clear so many different genres are flourishing. I think, compared with the U.S., we are succeeding and innovating across so many different genres. American artist are great but I think we dig deeper, go broader and the results are bigger!

Whilst Pop – mainstream Pop at least – never usually makes the Mercury shortlist (the fact Ed Sheeran was nominated a couple of years back stirred up some controversy!), The 1975 blend Pop into their brew. Their acclaimed album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, was released late last year and the band are preparing to release Notes on a Conditional Form next year. Mixing political and social commentary with accessible choruses and uplifting sounds, The 1975 are one of the hottest groups in the world right now. One cannot overlook them and I would not be shocked if they won the Mercury Prize. I think the race will be between the aforementioned IDLES and Anna Calvi. This is the third time Calvi has been nominated for a Mercury - and the fact she has had every one of her records nominated is pretty impressive! Hunter is a terrific album and is such a powerful listen! Calvi discusses sexism and gender; she is intoxicating and passionate throughout and has, I think, released her most rounded and complete album so far. In this review,The Line of Best Fit had their say:

“Although she operates more than comfortably in rock (see "Indies or Paradise" for a brilliantly trashy update of Rid Of Me-era PJ Harvey), it’s in the subtler and more nuanced moments that Hunter really comes into its own. "Swimming Pool"'s mixture of sweeping strings and a rare moment of vulnerability from Calvi provides a captivating nod to The Wicker Man, whereas she strips everything back on "Away" to just guitar and synth, vocals close to the ear and cracking with resignation. It’s a moment of staggering simplicity which proves to be deeply affecting.

IN THIS PHOTO: Anna Calvi is nominated for her album, Hunter/PHOTO CREDIT: Eva Pentel for DIY

Three excellent albums in, Calvi has produced her most complex work to date. As "Chain" attests (“I’ll be the boy you’ll be the girl / I’ll be the girl you’ll be the boy I’ll be the girl”), she exists on the periphery of many things: indie, rock, art rock, cinematic pop, being a boy, being a girl. On Hunter she refuses to clarify anything, proving to be both all of these things, and none of them”.

It is, as I said at the start, a really strong year. One can have few complaints regarding the standard of nominated albums/artists and, despite some genres not being included, the best of British is in the pack. One can quibble there are notable omissions – Self Esteem’s Compliments Please would have been a popular choice - but the dozen selected artists show that British music is not only wonderfully rich and memorable but there are so many different sounds and shades. From the more angular and odder Black Midi to the more commercial The 1975; the frontrunners Anna Calvi and IDLES to the blaze of Dave and Little Simz. I feel Anna Calvi and IDLES will be the ones to beat – although, as past years have shown, one can never predict! -  and many are rooting for Calvi to (finally) scoop the prize. I do go back and forth regarding those two names…but I do think IDLES will win the prize. I think 2018-2019 has been such a fantastic period for British music and, whether it is bands like IDLES tearing it up in venues or artists like Anna Calvi and Dave making us come together and think about modern life/society, it is a golden time! On Thursday, 19th September, we will see who walks away with the 2019 Mercury Prize. Whether it is Foals, Fontaines D.C. or Cate Le Bon, we can agree that the music from Britain over the past year or so has been wonderful. In a sense, everyone who has been shortlisted for a Mercury Prize…

IS a winner!

FEATURE: My Generation: What Is the Future of the Rock Icon?

FEATURE:

 

My Generation

IN THIS PHOTO: Robert Plant/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

What Is the Future of the Rock Icon?

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I was reading a feature the other day…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @dgraci/Unsplash

which revealed something quite sobering: nearly every big Rock artist alive today will be gone a decade from now. You can read the piece here…but, aside from the fact quite a few might live into their nineties and beyond, we might well be saying goodbye to the icons we have in our midst – including Patti Smith, Robert Plant and Paul McCartney. You can extend Rock to other genres and think about the likes of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor: other legends who, one feels, may not be around over a decade from now. The article talks about the icons past and how the last wave of pioneers might not be with us a whole lot longer:

“But there's another sense in which rock is very nearly dead: Just about every rock legend you can think of is going to die within the next decade or so.

Yes, we've lost some already. On top of the icons who died horribly young decades ago — Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, John Lennon — there's the litany of legends felled by illness, drugs, and just plain old age in more recent years: George Harrison, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Prince, Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty.

Those losses have been painful. But it's nothing compared with the tidal wave of obituaries to come. The grief and nostalgia will wash over us all. Yes, the Boomers left alive will take it hardest — these were their heroes and generational compatriots. But rock remained the biggest game in town through the 1990s, which implicates GenXers like myself, no less than plenty of millennials.

All of which means there's going to be an awful lot of mourning going on.

Behold the killing fields that lie before us: Bob Dylan (78 years old); Paul McCartney (77); Paul Simon (77) and Art Garfunkel (77); Carole King (77); Brian Wilson (77); Mick Jagger (76) and Keith Richards (75); Joni Mitchell (75); Jimmy Page (75) and Robert Plant (71); Ray Davies (75); Roger Daltrey (75) and Pete Townshend (74); Roger Waters (75) and David Gilmour (73); Rod Stewart (74); Eric Clapton (74); Debbie Harry (74); Neil Young (73); Van Morrison (73); Bryan Ferry (73); Elton John (72); Don Henley (72); James Taylor (71); Jackson Browne (70); Billy Joel (70); and Bruce Springsteen (69, but turning 70 next month).

It was all a lie, but it was a beautiful one. The rock stars' days are numbered. They are going to die, as will we all. No one gets out alive. When we mourn the passing of the legends and the tragic greatness of what they've left behind for us to enjoy in the time we have left, we will also be mourning for ourselves”.

It will be, of course, heartbreaking and gutting to say goodbye to these stars. We have already lost David Bowie and Prince in the last few years and look at some of the names above – how can we ever get our heads around the fact Bob Dylan and Carole King might not be around this time in 2029.

It is a bit of a bummer that mortality cannot be avoided but, in a way, we are fortunate we have so many of the greats around – given the fact the likes of Michael Jackson to David Bowie died prematurely. Two things occur when one must drink in the facts. I have speculated before…but I think, in some way, we need to ensure the memory and brilliance of the old guard is preserved and pushed to future generations. In a more important sense, it makes me wonder what the future of Rock is. Looking at some of those names before and there are some that are not Rock artists in terms of the genre – Carole King, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell are iconic but are not Rock artists in the same way Robert Plant and Mick Jagger are. At this time, are we breeding new Rock idols? One can argue the likes of Dave Grohl and Josh Homme count; maybe Karen O and IDLES. I think a lot of today’s most exciting and primal sounds are coming from other genres. There is a big rise in Post-Punk with bands such as Fontaines D.C., IDLES and The Murder Capital emerging. Throw in Amyl and The Sniffers and there are plenty of great bands who will be remembered in years to come – not that many possibly-iconic solo artists, perhaps? I think this year has been a bit more productive and progressive than last year – as this feature explains from last year:

“This year, rock and roll seems bored with itself. The most successful acts of the past few years have been bands bristling at the boundaries of the guitar, bass, and drums setup. The genre’s best-selling album of 2018 was Las Vegas electro-rockers Imagine Dragons’ summer 2017 full-length Evolve, a work that prefers humming synths and suspenseful atmospherics to the growl of a six-string.

Nostalgia’s a powerful force in rock and roll, especially now, as a new generation of bands, and by extension, their fans, are entering classic-rock radio rotation. (New York’s classic-rock station Q104.3 has been creaming the rap stations Hot 97 and Power 105.1 in overall ratings for months, in spite of Hot and Power’s year of attention-grabbing interviews and Nielsen analysts’ declaration that hip-hop has eclipsed rock as the nation’s favorite genre of music.) The success of Anthem for the Peaceful Army, the debut album by the Michigan band Greta Van Fleet, is a symptom of a rock scene haunted by its own Ghost of Christmas Past. Singer Josh Kiszka’s sharp, fey vocal is a tribute to warbling mystics like Geddy Lee from Rush and Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant. Anthem found Greta twisting Zeppelin’s trademark hard-rock stomp into new forms with the same balance of recklessness and devotion as fan fiction. Anthem is spirited but almost inexcusably unoriginal”.

There have been some development since last year but Rock is in a bit of a quandary. Aside from a few great Post-Punk bands and what is happening in the underground, there are not many at the forefront keeping that old spirit alive. Maybe we cannot go back to a time when The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin ruled but, looking around, are there any artists keeping that Rock spirit alive? There is the odd flicker here and there but nothing like there used to be.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Greta Van Fleet/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

One might have to travel as far back as the 1990s, when bands like Oasis used to rule, to get the last real taste of Rock electricity. Not only does it seem like Rock music is stalling or mutating in other directions; there are some in the industry who think Rock isn’t worth saving. Nick Cave is someone who has his doubts regarding Rock and its fertility. Here, in this Far Out article from earlier in the year, more light is shed:

“Rock music has lurched and shuddered its way through its varied and tumultuous history and somehow managed to survive,” he began in the opener of his response. “It is within the very nature of rock ‘n’ roll to mutate and to transform – to die so it can live again. This churning is what keeps the whole thing moving forward. As musicians we are always in danger of becoming obsolete and superseded by the next generation’s efforts, or by the world itself and its big ideas,” he continued.

Cave was quick to point out that the major focus of rock bands has changed, no longer is the “big idea” freedom of expression: “It looks like the new big idea is moralism. Will rock music survive this one? We shall see,” he said.

He continued: “My feeling is that modern rock music, as we know it, has anyway been ailing for some time now. It has become afflicted with a kind of tiredness and confusion and faint-heartedness, and no longer has the stamina to fight the great battles that rock music has always fought. It seems to me there is little new or authentic, as it becomes safer, more nostalgic, more cautious and more corporate”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Anna Calvi is one of the finest Rock performers in the world today/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The fact more women are picking up guitars means we are, fortunately, moving away from the old-school ideal of Rock stars. Maybe a lot of the biggest bands from the past relied on sex, drugs and Rock and Roll and, in these times, that aesthetic is outdated and controversial. When we are cracking down on artists stepping out of line, maybe there is not a chance to rebel and succumb to excess. It is clear the biggest Rock bands/artists now have a slightly cleaner look - and there is nobody out there who you feel will be considered an icon decades from now. One can debate whether Rock music is dead or not – it is not dead but definitely flagging –, but what is the modern-day equivalent of Patti Smith or Mick Jagger? We have a raft of wonderful bands who can bring the heat and grit but, in terms of Rock as we know it, I think it is in trouble. Certainly, there are very few out there who have the same potential sustainability as the legends of the past. This is not to say music is weaker without icons and leaders: in fact, music is as broad and eclectic as it has ever been. We have seen some tremendous albums released in 2019 but very few of them have been made by Rock artists – maybe Foals and Fontaines D.C. are exceptions. Tastes have changed and these characterful, controversial artists are a thing of the past.

There is more of a focus on solo artists at the moment and, for the most part, their songs are introspective and personal. Wonderful artists like Sharon Van Etten are rare exceptions but, largely, the Rock scene has lost a lot of edge and personality! Whilst 2019 has seen some interesting Rock records, you look around and struggle to see anyone who has legs and sticks in the mind. Big festivals like Reading and Leeds are supposed to highlight the best Rock and Alternative artists around but, as you can tell from this year’s line-up, Rock was not exactly well-represented and strong. We shall see what the future holds but, looking at music now and we do not have the same scenes and legends as we used to. The market is wide open and, as some genres are strengthening, I think Rock has given way to Post-Punk in terms of preference and public popularity. Perhaps we have reached a point where Rock has withered: maybe there will be a big wave of new acts soon that will kick-start a revival. In any case, I do look back at the article at the top and feel a bit sad that, yes, in a decade or so, we will have lost many of the great among us. Rather than feel sad at the fact we have to say goodbye to so many giants but, when Rock music especially needs a kick and revolution, we can learn a lot from them. Even after these hugely influential and popular artists have gone, they will still…   

CONTINUE to teach us.

FEATURE: The Beatles’ Abbey Road at Fifty: Inside the Iconic Studios

FEATURE:

 

The Beatles’ Abbey Road at Fifty

PHOTO CREDIT: Abbey Road Studios 

Inside the Iconic Studios

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THIS month is a pretty exciting one…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles and George Martin at Abbey Road Studios/PHOTO CREDIT: Abbey Road Studios 

if you are a fan of The Beatles. To be fair, most people are fans of The Beatles (or should be) but their final-recorded album, Abbey Road, turns fifty on 26th September. It is an iconic album that remains one of their very best and, from that memorable cover shot of the band walking across a zebra crossing to the brilliant songs on the album, it is a masterpiece. I think this will be the last big anniversary of a Beatles album where the two surviving members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, are with us – seventy-five will be the next one and when their debut album, Please Please Me, hit that milestone, both will be in their nineties, I think (it could happen but it seems unlikely!). I cannot wait to see what celebrations are being held to mark fifty years of a truly wonderful album! It will nice to see McCartney and Starr tweet about it and fans will come together around the world. Whilst we celebrate the best band ever and a staggering album, let us think about where it was recorded. Abbey Road Studios is a hugely sought-after space where a lot of modern musicians record in – they are always bowled over when they enter the hallowed building! I have never been myself but, obviously, I have seen plenty of artists jam from the studio. I can only imagine how intimidating and thrilling it is standing on the steps outside of the studio and waiting to go in.

Of course, The Beatles are not the only legendary band/artist who have played there. Before I continue, I want to grab a little biography from the Abbey Road Studios’ website:

 “Abbey Road Studios is the most famous recording studio in the world and a global music icon. Originally a nine-bedroom house built in 1829, it was purchased by the Gramophone Company in 1928 who went on to build the world’s first purpose-built recording studio. The St John’s Wood address was chosen for its large garden and ideal location – close enough to the performance spaces of the time, but away from the noise and vibrations of the traffic and trains.

The grand opening ceremony on 12 November 1931 included a performance of Land of Hope & Glory in Studio One conducted by Sir Edward Elgar. The Gramophone Company merged with Columbia Graphophone Company to form Electric and Musical Industries (EMI) in 1931, and the studios later became known as EMI Recording Studios. Since EMI engineer Alan Blumlein patented stereo at Abbey Road in 1931, the studios have been famed for innovation in recording technology, largely developed by the Record Engineering Development Department (REDD) who were responding to the needs of the artists and producers using the rooms. Their innovations include the REDD and TG desks, as well as studio techniques such as Artificial Double Tracking (ADT), created by studio technician Ken Townsend, who went on to become the studios’ MD, as well as Vice President of EMI Studios Group.

While initially a venue for classical recordings, the studios’ repertoire soon embraced jazz and big bands, too, as well as the first British rock & roll records of the 1950s, including Sir Cliff Richard’s first single Move It. Abbey Road is of course synonymous with the legendary work of The Beatles, who worked with EMI producer Sir George Martin and recorded 190 of their 210 songs at the studios. But Abbey Road’s unparalleled history spans the wild experiments of Pink Floyd to iconic recordings from Shirley Bassey, Aretha Franklin, The Hollies and many more.

Since those exceptional years, artists from Kate Bush, Radiohead, Oasis, Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, Kylie and Muse to Sam Smith, Florence + The Machine, Ed Sheeran, Frank Ocean, Lady Gaga and Adele have made Abbey Road their creative home, producing countless landmark recordings.

As the demand for classical recording spaces declined, Ken Townsend found a new role for the big rooms – movie scores, with the first major film score being Raiders of The Lost Ark in 1980. Since then, Abbey Road has developed into one of the world’s premier destinations for movie scoring. Blockbuster films such as The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, Skyfall, the Harry Potter series and the Oscar-winning Gravity feature scores recorded here, while recent projects include Black Panther, Solo: A Star Wars Story and the multi award winning The Shape of Water.

The studios house a number of state-of-the-art mastering suites, with engineering expertise spanning direct to vinyl and half-speed mastering. Recent projects mastered or re-mastered by Abbey Road’s award-winning engineers include music from The Beatles, Sam Smith, Sade, Abba, Krept & Konan, Graham Coxon, Novelist, Johnny Marr, Roxy Music and The Rolling Stones.

IN THIS PHOTO: The late Amy Winehouse looking focused at Abbey Road Studios/PHOTO CREDIT: Abbey Road Studios  

In Spring 2017, in the biggest transformation since first opening, two new contemporary studios were launched - The Gatehouse and The Front Room - making the magic of Abbey Road accessible to a whole new generation of recording artist. They have already hosted artists from James Bay, Jess Glynne, George Ezra and Skrillex to legends like Nile Rodgers plus grime MCs Novelist and Jammer BBK”.

Not only is Studio 2 famous for its sheer size but the artists who have laid down tracks there is amazing! Films are scored there and Abbey Road Studios also does post-production mastering. It truly is a space where artists can create and be inspired. One of my ambitions is to walk around the studios and get a feel for what artists do; the sheer amazement being in that space! Since bands like The Beatles started pushing the possibilities of the studio from the 1960s, some amazing acts have pushed boundaries and made discoveries in Abbey Road Studios. To celebrate fifty years since Abbey Road came into the world, BBC Radio 2 are celebrating with a four-day pop-up DAB station. You can find more details here and get involved. One might say these celebrations are excessive considering we are marking one album but, when you consider The Beatles define the studios and have encouraged countless artists to record there, one can forgive a little excess and pomp.

Abbey Road Studios’ Isabel Garvey is one of the most influential and creative people in the music world and she is definitely taking the studios into the future. There have been threats in the past of closure and, when you read the reasons, it would have been a travesty if we saw the end of such an historic building. Garvey is bringing AI to Abbey Road Studios and her incredible team continues to welcome in the best establishes and rising artists. That is the beauty of the place: the fact that a relatively unknown artist might walk in a record and bump into a legend on their way out! I do wonder whether, as part of Abbey Road turning fifty, the public will be allowed access into the studios. Certainly, thousands flock to the famous zebra crossing outside the studios (although I believe it is not the exact same one The Beatles used for the Abbey Road cover) and it would be a dream for many to take a tour of this iconic place. 26th September is when Abbey Road turns fifty but, to all music fans, do some digging and get to know Abbey Road Studios. If you are near Abbey Road Studios at 3 Abbey Rd, St John's Wood, London NW8 9AY then take a trip across the famous zebra crossing; see their graffiti wall and just take in the atmosphere! This month, the revered and sensational studios will be…

FIRMLY in the spotlight.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Hannah Cohen

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Hannah Cohen 

Hannah Cohen

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I must confess that I am...

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Hannah Cohen 

relatively new to the music of Hannah Cohen. I am aware of her since her 2012 debut album, Child Bride. Listening back to the record now and it shows so much promise but, as an artist, Cohen would grow in ability and confidence. It is an interesting album that boasts many gorgeous songs. Perhaps it is not as strong as the material on her current album, Welcome Home, but it was clear in 2012 that Cohen was a name to watch closely. The Line of Best Fit investigated Child Bride for a feature in 2012:

 “As debut albums go, Hannah Cohen’s is a beautiful introduction. Child Bride is urban folk at its finest – Cohen’s deeply evocative vocal infuses empirically elegant melodies, allowing her emotional world to tumble out over its ten songs.

And Hannah Cohen has some heritage. The granddaughter of British poet Bertie Rodgers (who was BFF with Dylan Thomas), and the daughter of a British mother and an American jazz-drumming father, Cohen’s childhood was illuminated by touring musicians and her parents’ hippy ideology. After high-school, she became a fashion model, before defecting to the other side of the lens (she recently released her first book of photography entitled Fotografias Brasil).

Cohen’s music career is still in its relative infancy, but what she lacks in experience she can make up in with friends. Child Bride was produced by Thomas Bartlett (of Doveman fame), while the album includes contributions from Sam Amidon, Rob Moose and Mauro Refosco who have worked with acts ranging from Bon Iver to Thom Yorke. As you would expect, Child Bride is deliciously executed”.

“So, when did you begin to make music?

About four years ago, I was on vacation with my then boyfriend – who was a musician – and he left the room and I went to pick up his guitar. I’ve always had a lot of musician friends and have travelled around to watch their music. I just started playing and from there I got my own little guitar. I’d play all day and then started singing out melodies and began writing from there. I feel like I have a good ear and that helps me.

How did you get from there to the point of having songs which could potentially become an album?

I started sharing my songs with friends and they were all saying ‘wow, they’re good, keep going’. I met Thomas Bartlett about two-and-a-half years ago and I sang him ‘Don’t Say’ and he was like ‘Oh my god, I totally want to produce a record for you and I now exactly what I would want to do’. So, I wrote about 25 songs and got rid of a few really bad ones. But, this first record has a lot to do with Thomas because he really saw something in my songs”.

I will talk more about Cohen’s latest album but, even at the start of her career, there was plenty of originality and intrigue. I have just heard (1st September) her give an interview to Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie on BBC Radio 6 Music. Throughout the interview, she was engaging, warm and fascinating. In a sea of artists, Cohen definitely stands out.

There is an unmistakable beauty and sense of belonging on Welcome Home. When speaking about her album with Radcliffe and Maconie, Cohen revealed that she felt like this is her first proper album. Maybe Child Bride and Pleasure Boy (2015) were not as complete and fulfilling as she hoped; maybe it has taken her a while to get to where she needs to be but, in terms of quality and memorability, I feel her third album is her best. It seems like the California-born artist is where she needs to be:

“Hannah Cohen has arrived home. From the title of her new album to the depth and beauty of the music, the Woodstock, NY-based singer-songwriter’s third album, Welcome Home, displays a new level of confidence and comfort with the many creative tools at her disposal. Cohen’s remarkably evocative voice is surrounded by dreamy, swooning incantations, from the rippling ‘This Is Your Life’ and the slow-burning, forthright statement of ‘All I Want,’ to the soul swagger of ‘Get in Line’ and dramatic vocal leaps of ‘Wasting My Time.’

With Welcome Home, “I don’t feel I have to cover up anything, or not be able to share,”Cohen says. “There’s less to interpret, I’m more visible. And as to reflecting on the past when things didn’t go well, I’ve left that behind. It was all worth it, to make my way to this point.”

Produced by Cohen’s partner Sam Owens, the producer/writer who performs as Sam Evian, the artist began developing the material that became Welcome Home in 2017. Taking her time with the songs, she wrapped herself in the fulfilling quiet of a new home, and a new creative partnership that supported finding a clarity in her writing and vocals. Many of the songs were written on an old, nylon-string guitar painted with Hawaiian scenes of beaches and palm trees (which can be heard on ‘This Is Your Life’), that, no matter the final arrangement, gives the songs a lighter touch, a warming glow that suffuses the whole album. Listeners may find echoes of folk and R&B, radiating with vocal-powered pop production, electronic accents, and bursts of pulsing guitar/bass/drums energy. Irresistible echoes of soul enchanters such as Carrie Cleveland (an early touchstone for Cohen and Evian), Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers and their friend and sometime collaborator Nick Hakim blend with the reflective shadings of singer/writer forebears such as Carole King and Harry Nilsson”.

I will bring in a couple more articles before rounding things off but it seems like a lot of love is going the way of Cohen. She has played in London and Birkenhead the past couple of days and is heading to Brighton later today. I am not sure whether there are more dates in the U.K. but, when she does pop back here, make sure you go and see her play.

HERE ARE SOME DATES FOR SEPTEMBER ! UK&EUROPE 🤩COME SAY HI ! 🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️
SEPT. 1 BIRKENHEAD
SEPT. 2 LONDON
SEPT. 3 BRIGHTON
SEPT. 4 MANCHESTER
SEPT. 5 PARIS
SEPT. 6 BRUSSELS
SEPT. 8 AMSTERDAM pic.twitter.com/3xLO3SnOSJ

— Hannah Cohen (@MissHannahCohen) August 30, 2019

Hannah Cohen is a very open, relatable and accessible artist who, when interviewed, sounds incredibly charming, friendly and warm. I am not saying other artists are not but you instantly bond with Cohen the moment you hear her talk. In a busy year for music, perhaps Welcome Home will not challenge the biggest releases – from the likes of Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey – but it is an album that promises sunshine and contentment. Loud and Quiet, in this feature, drill to the heart of Welcome Home:

“It then feels natural that her third album – the aptly titled Welcome Home – captures the uplifting experience of finally finding a new haven, and the 10 tracks here radiate a sense of freedom and ease that comes with feeling at home somewhere. Things start off with the blissful ‘This Is Your Life’, with its melody gently dancing like a mirage, lyrically showing where Cohen’s mental state is at, and her desire to stop the mundanity of life disrupting her happiness. Elsewhere, the bittersweet ‘Old Bruiser’ and ‘Build Me Up’ offer a nostalgic quality, and are some of the strongest moments on the album.

There’s a fluidity and lightness in Cohen’s songs, as her acoustic guitar and angelic, floaty voice are quilted in an oceanic dream-pop aesthetic, bringing to mind acts such as Kacey Johansing and Japanese Breakfast. Those searching for something more immediate might be left unsatisfied (it does all get a bit airy and overly delicate at times), but overall it captures a positive new transition, like waking up on a sunny Saturday morning”.

Cohen has toured internationally in the past but it seems, after Welcome Home gains more traction, she will get a lot more dates. It is great she has played in the U.K. and it seems like there is a very warm and welcoming bond. Here, in this Pop Matters feature, they explore the notion that, whilst Cohen seems to be referring to others in her songs, her music is much more personal – she is referring to herself:

“Despite using non-identifying pronouns such as "you", it's obvious Cohen is speaking to herself in the third person: "And I'll tell you what it is / The moment you see it, you want it, take the risk / You're out of your mind and that's alright". Here Cohen taps onto the psychological effect of "I" versus "you" statements. Using "you" instead of "I" when uttering self-affirmations has proven to yield greater results for the individual. Without question, Cohen opens her album with the literal and figurative declaration of change and agency.

In Welcome Home's press release, Cohen explained "a lot of the album is about checking in with reality and taking the wheel, being honest with myself and my intentions. Being transparent as much as possible. They're about exploring why I'm here." With that sentiment in mind, "Holding On" takes an unadulterated approach to understanding herself while "What's This All About" addresses the impact of her location on her self-worth. She's critical of the City's role in her creative process as she ponders "What about this city do you still love? / 'Cause it's making me crazy / I can't get a new job / Gotta make it work / Or we can move to the country".

Welcome Home is a portrait of an artist amidst transition. As Cohen grapples with physical location, she creates a musical space where an exploration of identity is conducted with intimacy and vulnerability”.

Cohen’s first two albums are well worth seeking out but I do feel like Welcome Home is a new beginning. With just ten albums and no song exceeding five minutes, she is pretty skilled when it comes to creating economical and tight music. That is not to say Welcome Home lacks exploration, depth and ambitious: songs like All I Wanted and Return Room are compelling, immersive and engrossing. Welcome Home is one of these albums that beckon you in but keep you coming back – not like so many modern albums which lack depth and nuance. It seems like the future is very much open and up for grabs. With each album, Cohen takes another step: Welcome Home is her greatest work and, in my view, one of the strongest albums of the year. She is still in the U.K. and will return to the U.S. shortly. I shall leave things here but I would prompt people to follow Hannah Cohen and go and grab a copy of Welcome Home. It is a wonderful record that everyone should listen to. Maybe the past few years have been about personal exploration and discovery; her first two albums have been stepping stones, perhaps. It is clear that, on her third album, Hannah Cohen has definitely…

FOUND her home.

____________

Follow Hannah Cohen

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Hannah Cohen  

Official:

https://www.hannahcohenmusic.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/HannahCohenMusic/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MissHannahCohen

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/misshannahcohen/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7ovXNdlB2DNSC16TbKgros?si=7fqBqfezTU-RKCO6XcT3jQ

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Deee-Lite – World Clique

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

IMAGES/PHOTOS: Getty Images

Deee-Lite – World Clique

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PERHAPS it was a move from the blitz and fun…

of World Clique to the more serious and outward-looking on 1992’s Infinity Within that contributed to a decline in critical attention. That much-anticipated follow-up gained some positive reviews but, compared to the iconic and stunning debut, there was something lacking. Deee-Lite naturally progressed but, as they grew and got a bit more outspoken – talking about safe-sex and environmental protection -, perhaps that took some of the attention away. Definitely, Infinity Within is an important and timely album. Even now, it sounds relevant and daring but, after such a heady and acclaimed debut, perhaps people were expecting a similar follow-up. I will talk about the biblical World Clique in a minute but, before then, a little about the delightful Deee-Lite. The band started out in 1986 as a duo in New York City. Their colourful and stunning lead, Lady Miss Kier handled vocals whilst Supa DJ Dimitry was the D.J. They expanded to a trio when Jungle DJ Towa Tei joined the ranks. One can only picture the scene in the mid/late-1980s and Deee-Lite gigging in New York. Before Deee-Lite took shape, Kier and Dimitry played in some downtown clubs and cut their teeth. It was a modest beginning but life changed when Kier procured an Akai sampler. The band was very much D.I.Y. and, with Kier designing their posters and the group playing in gay and straight clubs, it was not long before they were thinking about an album.

Tei, Kier and Dimitry bonded over a mutual appreciation of Funk and Techno. I am not sure whether there were many other artists of the time fusing these sounds but, as the members of Deee-Lite came from the U.S. (Kier), Ukraine (Dimitry) and Japan (Tei), it was only natural their blend would be richer, more original and varied than a lot of music at the time. By 1988, the new three-piece was cemented and things were rolling. Rather than using a lot of instruments and having a natural sound, Deee-Lite employed samples and wonderful sounds on World Clique. They were all avid record collectors and, when it came to giving their debut new layers and different moves, they dipped into their vinyl collection. Lady Miss Kier took care of the lyrics and melodies whereas Supa DJ Dimitry handled guitar, keyboard and bass; Towa Tei was responsible for collating samples and fills. I would encourage people to get World Clique on vinyl because it sounds incredible on that format. One can imagine the sort of records Deee-Lite were pouring over when making World Clique so, to have all those sounds mixed onto a record is a wonderful thing. Included on World Clique are Bootsy Collins, Q-Tip; Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker. Recorded between January and May 1990, the group were literally capturing what was happening right at the start of an incredible decade. A lot of powerful and moving albums arrived in 1990 – including Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet – but there was this intoxicating spirit happening.

Artists were mixing genres and splicing sounds. House music was emerging and becoming more prominent and there were influences from all around the world. Listen to some of the music at the time – including Soul II Soul’s Back to Life and Madonna’s Vogue – and you can find plenty of music that united people and lifted the spirits – it would be good to see more of that today; whether that is even possible, I don’t know! World Clique is not only one of the best albums of the 1990s but it is one of the best debut releases ever. It is such a kaleidoscopic, wild and liberating album that drags you in and brings you into this neon, colourful world where you feel better and safe. Hip-Hop was still prevalent but, as an alternative to an angrier and more political style of music, artists like Deee-Lite provided a wonderful alternative. More in common with peace and love of the 1960s than messages of civil rights and political concerns of the day, maybe that explains why Deee-Lite become more activated and conscientious on their sophomore release – feeling they needed to tackle big issues and get more serious. Unsurprisingly, World Clique was a huge success and received incredible reviews. The faultless Groove Is in the Heart was a top-five smash in the U.S. and U.K. whereas Power of Love/Build That Bridge and Good Beat were also very popular.

In this retrospective review, AllMusic discuss the beauty and potency of World Clique:

“Its reputation may rest on only one hit single -- but what a hit. "Groove Is in the Heart" defined the summer of 1990 on radio and MTV with its delicious combination of funk, modern dance sheen, and Lady Miss Kier's smart, sharp diva ways. Add in guest vocals and bass from Bootsy Collins (a pity his hilarious video cameo wasn't represented here), brass from the original Horny Horns duo of Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker, and a smooth mid-song rap from A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, and the results sounded good then and now. The rest of World Clique offers variations on the song's theme, with Kier's sweet, light vocals and DJs Dimitri and Towa Tei making it work in various ways. It's still a bit surprising that Kier didn't go on to greater fame on her own, because she definitely has not merely the pipes but the personality to carry something on her own -- compared to the dog-whistle vocal calisthenics of someone like Mariah Carey, there's no contest. Check out her work on songs like "Good Beat" and the amusing sass of such numbers as "Try Me on, I'm Very You." The two musicians come up with a seamless, adept flow throughout, merrily raiding whatever they so choose in the past for their own purposes. Disco is the heart of it all, with everything from hip-hop breaks to bubble-salsa piano -- even early Depeche Mode! -- taking a bow; hints of the future genre-mashing Towa Tei would make his own trademark are already plentiful. Bootsy and the Horny Horns crop up at other points as well, adding just enough classic funk to blend with the crisper electronic pulses and arrangements”.

NME had this to say where the album was released:

“Whatever the lyrical content - love, smiling DJ/dancefloor ESP, more love, more positivity - the music is always so up, it's away. Disco with soul, erotic Electro and even those big Italian piano riffs sound refreshed and invigorating under their guidance. It all sounds so easy, but you know that behind it is three years in clubs gaining contacts that resulted in work with The Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest and even a Sinead O'Connor remix. A Deee-Lite clique which resulted in JB's Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Bootsy all putting their two-penneth into this album.

The result is one of the most varied and inspirational club crossover records ever. It doesn't matter that the ingredients aren't original, it's what they've done with them, that makes this album such a dream. On the other hand you could argue that, if you walked round on platform shoes with heels as high as Miss Lady Keir's your head would never come out of the clouds either.

It's the best place for it”.

I was seven when World Clique came out and was completely blown away by it. The albums still sounds utterly sensational and fresh but, at the time, it was a revelation. I love all the tracks on the album but one cannot escape the majesty and addictiveness of Groove Is in the Heart. It is a song that puts you on another plain. It is completely entrancing and otherworldly. You get lost in the samples and myriad grooves; the insatiable energy and fun of a song that is still massively played today. I will end this feature in a bit but I want to bring in an interview Music Radar conducted with Lady Miss Kier back in 2016. She discussed her experiences of World Clique and shared her memories of its incredible tracks:

"It was my first and only time doing it," says Lady Miss Kier, gingerly. "I'd never even sang before, but we tripped out and wrote three songs. Deee-Lite was formed that night." After coming down, a yearlong writing session took place, amassing them over 30 tracks that they would road test at packed hip-hop and dance clubs around the city. Kier handled mic duties, and dreamt up the kaleidoscopic image for the group, while classically trained pianist Dmitry brought the music. Record digger and DJ Towa would later join the ranks, providing many of the choicest samples.

"We were really into that funky stuff, which wasn't that popular at the time in New York," says Kier. "We started incorporating that with some Kraftwerk - I used to call that 'holographic techno-soul'. The main thing was that we didn't want to fit into one category. For me, the best bands fuse at least three different genres."

Try Me On… I'm Very You

"This has [P-Funk legend] Bootsy Collins on. He laid down some bass. I think originally we'd used a JBs sample, and he came in and replayed some really sweet overdubs. I'm pretty sure he played guitar on this as well. We didn't sit down and write with him. He just turned up and made everything… better, you know? He knew the songs from a demo tape I sent him, and he'd throw in bits and pieces over the top.

"He introduced us to a lot of the P-Funk players who'd left that scene and were hungry to work with other artists. So, Fred [Wesley] and Maceo [Parker] are on the horns here. That was the great thing about working with Bootsy. When he came, he was like, 'You need any horn players? I know a coupla guys.' Only these two legends! He introduced us to guys like Bernie Worrell, who ended up working with us later, too. I never felt worthy. These were my heroes. We ended up with a full, nine-piece live show with these guys, as well."

Groove Is In The Heart

"Q-Tip does a great verse on this. This was before Tribe blew up. He was hanging with the Jungle Brothers. We opened up for them one time at a club called Hotel Amazon, which is where I would have met Tip. We were playing that song live and he asked if he could do 16 bars on it.

"I remember he came to the studio with a note pad and just started writing it as we were laying down Bootsy's part. It was a one-take, write on the spot, thing.

“Bootsy wrote a whole rap, too, which made it on one of the alternative mixes. People keep asking if Tina Turner did some tambourine on this. She didn't. I don't know where that rumour came from [laughs]. Maybe she was in the bits we sampled? As for the samples. I think Dmitry found the bass from the Herbie Hancock record, Bring Down the Birds, and Towa found the drums and whistle from the Vernon Burch record, Get Up".

World Clique turned nineteen last month and it is amazing to think how different Deee-Lite sound to anyone around today. That might be obvious but I wonder whether artists should be looking back and taking to heart what Deee-Lite put into the world back in 1990. It is a wonderful album that sounds perfect no matter what format you hear it on – although, for the purposes of this feature, vinyl is the way to go! Grab a copy and trip into this extraordinary world. I wonder whether, as the album is twenty next year, it will get remastered and we will see anniversary editions come out. It would be good to see how the songs started life and whether there are any demos in the vaults. That is in the future but, in a moment when we could do with more fun in music, World Clique has a lot to offer in terms of inspiration. Even if artists are not able to reproduce the wonder and vivacity of World Clique, the fact that we have this album out makes the world…

A brighter and better place.

FEATURE: Irreplaceable: Beyoncé: A Modern-Day Music Powerhouse

FEATURE:

 

Irreplaceable

PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images 

Beyoncé: A Modern-Day Music Powerhouse

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THERE are a few reasons why I...

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

am putting this feature out. I was scheduled to write a new Female Icons feature about Nina Simone but that is going to have to wait for a few days. Beyoncé turns thirty-eight Wednesday and many around the world will be marking her birthday. Naturally, when it comes to any big star, they are never too far from the news. At the moment, alas, there is more negativity and controversy than anything productive rumbling in the press but, as this is a slow time for music news, people need something to talk about. I know every artist has a birthday but, when it comes to modern artists, how many true icons are there? I celebrated Beyoncé in a recent Female Icons feature and it made me think about modern artists and whether truly have icons in our midst. Of course, there are some incredibly popular artists but how does one determine what constitutes an icon or merely a star? I think you need to have more about you than the music alone. In an age of streaming, we are counting streaming figures and assigning numbers as a mark of success. Reviews are great and we can get a lot from that but I think an icon needs to be someone who goes further; someone who is a role model and inspires others. In terms of modern artists, I guess you can call Taylor Swift an icon. She does a lot for charity and is a supporter of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ rights. She is getting more involved in politics and is influencing a lot of people.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Paolo Kudacki for TIME

It is hard to mix music with the wider world but, if you can balance both, then that is something special. Also, the musical quality needs to be great: if you are a mainstream artists who has a lot of fans but the music does not translate to other demographics then, arguably, will you remain years from now? I am not bagging on modern artists but it is difficult creating music that crosses borders and then matching that with a persona that is inspiring. Look at some of the iconic women who have gone before: Madonna, Kate Bush; Etta James, Nina Simone, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell among them. They have all given the world so much incredible music but each of them is groundbreaking; they have paved the way for other artists and remained hugely popular today. I guess you could say artists like Lady Gaga, Dave Grohl and others are icons and will go down in history but, for my money, the last of the true music powerhouses is Beyoncé. Maybe it is a subjective matter and opinion but, from her days with Destiny’s Child in the late-1990s to now, she continues to push forward and influence others. Since Destiny’s Child’s eponymous debut in 1998, we have seen this strong and independent artist blossom and strike. On The Writing’s on the Wall (1999) and Survivor (2001), Beyoncé grew in confidence and marked herself out as a solo artist to watch. Given the fact there are rumours Destiny’s Child are reforming and will tour, it makes me wonder whether there will be a new album from them next year.

I think we are living in a time when modern Pop and R&B is not that strong. There are some interesting artists around but, in terms of music that cuts to the core and stays in the mind, there are not many artists that cut the mustard. So many artists either appeal to a specific demographic or their songs are too commercial and lightweight. Aside from one or two artists/bands, I think we have lost the days of the icon. In many way, Beyoncé is one of the most recent and relevant powerhouses in music. There is no doubt that, when it comes to Beyoncé, there are contradictions and paradoxes that defines her iconic status. She has natural beauty and sex appeal but works tirelessly to succeed; she has riches and wealth but is a source of inspiration for young women coming through. Of course, she has a lot of people around her making the music come together but at the centre of everything is Beyoncé and her vision. Of course, many will say Beyoncé has had money her whole life and has been raised by marketing teams – whereas other artists have come from less and had fewer people in the mix. The legendary Dionne Warwick recently stated how much she admires Beyoncé and her fight but states that, in order to become an icon, many more years need to go by.

Perhaps, then, we need to shift the argument away from discussing Beyoncé as an icon – even though she is – and framing her as a modern powerhouse and leader. Back in 2015 – prior to the release of Beyoncé’s latest studio album, Lemonade - a BBC article argued why Beyoncé speaks for a generation:

“Beyoncé is a true Renaissance woman: a musician, a business mogul, a feminist, a mother, and a brand whose cultural gravity seems to emanate not from any one of these talents but from all of them in concert.

In an American corporate world disproportionately governed by men, Beyoncé distinguishes herself as the founder and CEO of her own record label and production company, Parkwood Entertainment. According to Forbes, her personal earnings more than double those of her husband. He is a shrewd entrepreneur in his own right who famously declared himself “not a businessman but a business, man.” Beyoncé’s self-titled album sold a staggering 617,000 copies in three days following its release, doing Kanye West the poetic justice of swiping an iTunes Store sales week record from Taylor Swift.

In 2014 Forbes declared Beyoncé to be the world’s most powerful celebrity, and she has leveraged her global brand in support of gender equality through her influential charity, the #BeyGood Project. Her hit single Flawless samples from a TEDx Talk called We Should All Be Feminists by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Beyoncé belts the anthem’s first verse and then cedes the floor to Adichie, who relays the definition of a ‘feminist’ as “the person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

One can debate whether some of Beyoncé’s popularity and success is earned and how much of her image is genuine – and how much has been manufactured. It is clear that, between her charity work, speeches and motherhood, she is inspiring so many people around the world. Artists such as Lady Gaga, Adele; Rihanna and Britney Spears have been influenced by Beyoncé and, unlike so many modern artists, Beyoncé’s music has extended across the age, gender and taste boundaries. Her fanbase is so diverse and extensive and, when you hear her music, you can tell why. Beyoncé has received numerous awards. As a solo artist she has sold over seventeen million albums in the U.S., and over one –hundred million records worldwide (a further sixty million additionally with Destiny's Child), making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed Beyoncé as the top-certified artist of the 2000s decade, with a total of sixty-four certifications. Her songs Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), Halo and Irreplaceable are some of the best-selling singles of all time worldwide. Some have critiqued Beyoncé’s brand of feminism and its authenticity. There is no doubt she has compelled generations with her powerful messages and music. She has a successful marriage – one that has weathered a few storms – and balances music with business and motherhood.

For me, it is the strength and memorability of the songs that really stands out. I am thinking, as I type this, of her career-defining performance of Coachella last year. Her Homecoming documentary still feels so relevant and, if you have not seen it then make sure you do. The album is scintillating and it shows just how hard-working Beyoncé is! The set she performed must rank alongside the finest of this generation: a performance that will go down in history and will not be equaled. I will end with a Beyoncé playlist but, in terms of her six studio albums, they range from the promising (I Am… Sasha Fierce and Dangerously in Love) to phenomenal (Beyoncé and Lemonade). With Jay-Z, Beyoncé formed The Carters and they released Everything Is Love last year. A lot of popular and commercial artists release a couple of great songs per album and they can put out four or five decent albums in their career. Not only did Beyoncé have a string of huge hits with Destiny’s Child – including Survivor and Bills, Bills, Bills – but every one of her solo albums has at least three or four true gems. From 2003’s Dangerously in Love there is Crazy in Love (with Jay-Z); Naughty Girl, Baby Boy and Me, Myself and I. From B’Day there is Déjà Vu, Get Me Bodied; Ring the Alarm, Green Light and Irreplaceable.

Look at I Am… Sasha Fierce and there is If I Were a Boy, Halo; Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) and Diva. 4 has I Care and Party (ft. André 3000); there is also Love on Top and Run the World (Girls). Beyoncé boasts Pretty Hurts and Drunk in Love; Partition; XO and Heaven. It seems that, with every album, Beyoncé grows stronger and more compelling. Beyoncé was the strongest album of her career in 2013 but, three years later, Lemonade took that to a new level – songs such as Hold Up, Don’t Hurt Yourself (ft. Jack White); Daddy Lessons, Freedom; All Night and Formation rank alongside the best songs she has ever created. One can see big leaps from her earliest days with Destiny’s Child but, even though she has worked with talented writers and producers, one cannot exclude the sheer passion and talent from Beyoncé. The songs and albums I have just mentioned are packed with hugely impressive songs that will endure for years to come. As I said, Beyoncé’s music and popularity goes way beyond Pop confines and a young audience. I do hope there is more music from her next year because, at a tense and divided time, who knows what she can unleash! Whether that album is with Destiny’s Child or solo, I do not know. She has put out some music recently, but there is a lot of anticipation as to what comes next. I wanted to write this feature to mark Beyoncé’s thirty-eight birthday but, more than that, nod to an icon (or not, as some see it!) that grows in stature and importance as time goes on. She is a businesswoman and proud mother; a spokeswoman and feminist leader; a voice for young, black women and, above all else, one of the strongest artists…

PHOTO CREDIT: Beyoncé

IN the world.

FEATURE: Any Major Dude Will Tell You: The Cool King of Queens: Remembering Walter Becker

FEATURE:

 

Any Major Dude Will Tell You

IN THIS PHOTO: Walter Becker (who died on 3rd September, 2017)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

The Cool King of Queens: Remembering Walter Becker

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IF you had to ask me which artist/band...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s Steely Dan were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001/PHOTO CREDIT: Rock Hall Library and Archive

is seriously underrated and deserves bigger appreciation, I would not hesitate when it came to giving a name: Steely Dan. I will talk about their music more in a minute but, when I think about them, I sort of grin. Steely Dan had various members through the years but, in essence, it was the moniker and child of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. The musicians were known perfectionists…and I can imagine the New Jersey-born Donald Fagen and the New York-born Walter Becker sort of sitting in the control room auditioning a roster of musicians. In terms of personality, Fagen seems slightly stricter and sterner whereas Becker is more lighthearted but equally passionate. They complimented each other fantastically and, when it came to laying down these incredible songs, the duo put their heart, soul and minds into everything. It is amazing to consider that such hard-working and exacting musicians released an album a year for a time – it was only after 1977’s masterpiece, Aja, that Steely Dan took a little while to release Gaucho (1980) – they then split and it was many more years until we heard some new Steely Dan jams. I remember hearing the news of Walter Becker’s death on 3rd September, 2017 and being shattered! I did not even know he was ill and, having fallen in love with Steely Dan as early as about seven or eight years of age, it was a huge loss. The stoic and strong Fagen is still playing as Steely Dan but one can only imagine the emotions he felt when Becker’s death was announced.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The two were practically brothers and had been playing together for decades – Becker’s death ended any possibility of new Steely Dan work (a travesty and hugely sad realisation). Walter Becker was born in 1950 in Queens, New York and met Donald Fagen when the two were students in Bard College. They started life in New York but, soon, relocated to Los Angeles. Like Beastie Boys, I always associate New York with Steely Dan, yet a lot of their music took shape on the West Coast. Maybe it is a sense of cynicism and cutting humour that makes me think of New York when listening to Steely Dan. That said, many see their music as Yacht-Rock and, when listening to songs like Reelin’ in the Years and Peg, you get a definite blast of sea, sun and scintillation. I digress, naturally. Walter Becker did move to Hawaii when Steely Dan split – and continued to work as a musician – but the group did get back together in 1993; releasing Two Against Nature in 2000 and putting out their final album, Everything Must Go, in 2003. It is a shame there was not a further Steely Dan album between 2003-2017 (or before Becker was diagnosed with cancer) because it would have been fascinating to see where they were heading. Becker himself put out two solo albums: the underrated and excellent 11 Tracks of Whack (1994) and Circus Money (2008).

I shall talk about my love of Steely Dan and why we should all mark two years since Becker’s passing on 3rd September but, before then, let us head back. Although Becker’s parents separated when he was young, it is clear music was a big part of his life. Becker’s mother, who was English, returned to Britain and the young Becker was raised in Queens and Scarsdale by his dad and grandmother. After graduating university in 1967, Becker learned guitar after starting out playing the saxophone. It was clear music resonated and spoke to Becker and, coming from a rather turbulent and disruptive home, maybe music was a language and calling; an outlet where Becker could immerse himself and find answers. The story goes Donald Fagen heard Becker playing guitar at their campus café back at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York – listen to Steely Dan’s My Old School (Countdown to Ecstasy) and they name-check Annandale. Fagen was clearly impressed by the professionalism and chops of Becker. One can only imagine the tentative cooing and seduction between these kindred spirits. I can imagine these two very cool-yet-studious dudes of the 1960s playing Jazz and Blues whereas their peers would have been immersed in the music of the times. By the end of the 1960s, Becker and Fagen moved to Brooklyn and played as much as they could. Whilst they did not release any albums during this time, they gained some valuable experience and were keen to expand their horizons.

In 1971, they moved to Los Angeles and formed Steely Dan with guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter. Alongside Jim Hodder and singer David Palmer, the line-up was complete – Palmer was sacked after the band’s debut, Can’t Buy a Thrill, and Fagen assumed greater vocal responsibilities. In the earliest days, Fagen did some vocals but was mainly at the back. He and Becker wrote and, with the peerless and wonderful Walter Becker adding his bass genius to the Dan pot, here was this unique and utterly beguiling outfit. I will end by talking about a new Steely Dan tour but, for the most part, the band was a studio outfit. They toured a bit until 1974 but, by that point, they stopped it altogether – that was the year they released Pretzel Logic and reached new heights of genius. By 1974, Becker moved to guitar and felt less need to bring his bass everywhere – with an expanding crew of musicians and Wilton Felder and Chuck Rainey handling bass duties, Becker was moving in new directions. I will cover Steely Dan’s music in a second but, by 1977, Becker was experiencing personal problems. Maybe it was the growing success of Steely Dan or the pressures of their perfectionism. Becker formed an addiction to narcotics after 1977 and his girlfriend, Karen Roberta Stanley, overdosed in 1978. Soon after, Becker was hit by a minicab in Manhattan and was forced to use crutches.

This accounts for the three-year gap after Aja in 1977 – 1978 was the first year Becker and Fagen did not release a Steely Dan album since their formation – and the pressure on their shoulders preceding 1980’s Gaucho. Aja is seen by many as Steely Dan’s crowning achievement – I think Pretzel Logic bumps it into second – and there was mighty expectation following that album. Gaucho has some wonderful moments – Babylon Sisters and Hey Nineteen are two blissful cuts – but there are too many fillers and aimless songs. The experimentation and ambition that makes Aja so wonderful was sort of lost by the time Gaucho rolled around. Strains between Fagen and Becker could be held responsible and, by 1981, the two had suspended their partnership. Although there was a little stress and bad blood between them at this time, the two were brothers and it was a relief when they resumed their narrative in 1993. In 2017, few of us were expecting any bombshells regarding Walter Becker and his health. He died of esophageal cancer in Manhattan and, according to his widow, Delia Becker, the legendary musicians struggled with the disease; he was noble and strong until the very end. It is heartbreaking to think of Becker being rocked by the diagnosis and having to endure a painful decline. I am not sure whether there are any unreleased Steely Dan songs in the vault but, the fact there have not been any albums since Everything Must Go suggests we have heard everything recorded from Walter Becker and Donald Fagen – or at least everything Fagen deems worthy of release!

IN THIS PHOTO: The original Steely Dan line-up with Walter Becker (right)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

There seems to be a new music biopic released every week and, whilst it is great to see popular artists portrayed on the screen, it is a bit hit-and-miss regarding quality, authenticity and accuracy (Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of Judy Garland in Judy has received some mixed reactions). It would be great to see a young and aspiring Walter Becker portrayed on screen as he and Donald Fagen start their careers. Not only would that bring Steely Dan’s music to new listeners but it would be an illuminating and incredible film. Maybe there is not enough scandal in Becker’s past; some might find a Steely Dan story a bit boring but, with their music remaining incredibly powerful, nuanced and compelling, I feel there is space for a new project – maybe a documentary or a tribute to Becker. He was an essential part of the Steely Dan machine and is, in my view, one of the most accomplished musicians ever. He and Donald Fagen did not give many interviews but, as you can see from this documentary about Aja, Becker is a passionate and hugely intelligent artist. I will end this feature by including some brilliant Walter Becker tracks – both solo and from Steely Dan – but, rather than make this a dry and factual feature, I wanted to bring in some personal recollections. Steely Dan fans are not like fans of other bands. We do not just love the wonderful choruses and hits: Steely Dan’s music is so rich and layered that one can become obsessed by the musicianship and interplay.

As I mentioned earlier, Steely Dan came into my life when I was very young (luckily, I did not learn about the origin of their name until I was a lot older!). I do not remember the act time but I know Can’t Buy a Thrill was the first album of Steely Dan I encountered. It was in my family home and, I think, remains there still. It is one of those records that is so varied and has so much going on. From the striking riffs of Reelin’ in the Years to the underrated Kings and Midnite Cruiser; the opening one-two of Do It Again and Dirty Work to the hypnotic Change of the Guard. Maybe reviews at the time (1972) were not universally hot for Can’t Buy a Thrill - but it is rightly seen as a classic now. Annoyingly, it is a right bugger tracking down Steely Dan albums on vinyl. I don’t think one can find a new (not second-hand) copy of the album in this country. I have a used copy of Pretzel Logic…and it is only really Aja that is freely and easily available – let’s hope Donald Fagen remasters and re-releases all Steely Dan albums onto vinyl; the format where they belong! Although Can’t Buy a Thrill is not my favourite Dan album (it is second), I was captured by this incredible group that sounded like nothing else I was listening to! When Steely Dan first came into my life, it would have been the early-1990s and I was hearing a lot of Dance and Pop music: Steely Dan were a revelation where musical depth and intellect were higher up the list than banging beats and commercial choruses. I have shared my memories before but, as it is relevant to this feature, I will briefly recall them again.

Not only was Can’t Buy a Thrill a key part of my childhood but, with my aunt also being a big Steely Dan fan, I got to hear a lot of their music when visiting her. She lived in Chesham, Buckinghamshire (we lived in Surrey) so visits to her house were not as common as we’d have liked. I recall hearing tracks from Countdown to Ecstasy (1973) whilst we are driving with her. The underrated Katy Lied (1975) and The Royal Scam (1976) were part of the rotation – songs like Chain Lightning and Haitian Divorce were delighting and educating my budding and tender ears! Which songs most stand out from my visits? To be fair, a lot of Aja and Gaucho were being played. Hey Nineteen particularly stands in mind and, whilst it is my mum’s favourite Steely Dan song (I find the song wanders a bit at the end), it was one particular song from Aja that sort of changed everything – I shall end with that. A lot of the later Steely Dan stuff was played at that time but I think most of my memories revolve around Can’t Buy a Thrill and the epic Pretzel Logic. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number and Night By Night (Pretzel Logic) stunned my senses; Dirty Work and Midnite Cruiser (Can’t Buy a Thrill) are gems that still bounce around my head now. It is because of my family that I became hooked on Steely Dan and listen to them passionately today.

Whilst the catchiness of the songs and the incredible variety resonated with me when I was a child, now it is the musicianship and sophisticated songwriting that speaks louder. Walter Becker was a key part of the legendary and notorious Steely Dan machine. Yes, the songwriters were perfectionists and often rehearsed and drilled musicians to extreme lengths. After the looser feel of Can’t Buy a Thrill, Steely Dan became more inspired and potent afterwards. More musicians were added to the fold and the songwriting got stronger. Whilst, for a time, there was a focused core of musicians (including Jeff Baxter), each album sounded different and unique because of the session musicians they brought in. You’d often hear new drummers between albums; several drummers on an album and riffs and licks from different guitarists. Now, bands often do not employ beyond their own camp and I feel even genres like Jazz are not as ambitious and expansive as Steely Dan were. Consider a popular group now using so many different musicians and bringing so many different strands to an album. It is staggering Steely Dan crafted an album a year because of the sheer detail and work that went into every outing! Walter Becker penned a couple of solo albums but we did not hear him take on a lead vocal until Everything Must Go’s Slang of Ages in 2003 – maybe I am wrong, but I think that his sole Steely Dan lead vocal.

Becker’s brilliance was not only reserved to songwriting and bass work: he played guitar and other instruments but it is his passion, aura and leadership that helped bring these incredible songs to life. Not too much is known about the writing process Becker and Fagen employed. One assumes that they’d be attentively locked in a room, scribbling notes, musical notes and technical details for hours and hours; screwing up the pages and starting again until they got a perfect song – not exerting too much emotion when the song was complete; maybe a wry smile or witty line here and there. I am sure the reality is very different but, when it comes to iconic songwriters and musicians, not too many people speak of Walter Becker. Maybe it is because Steely Dan hold such an important place in my heart but the world is much poorer because Becker is no longer in it. One of my lifelong campaigns is to get more people invested in Steely Dan. Even now, forty-seven years after Can’t Buy a Thrill’s release, Steely Dan fans are not as visible and widespread as you’d imagine. I’d like to think only a certain person can truly appreciate Steely Dan but I think a relatively lack of radioplay contributes to this issue. I hope, as the years go by, more radio stations spin Steely Dan and ensure these phenomenal songs survive the generations. Whilst Becker is not looking over us – once you are gone you are gone – I know he got to see a lot of people enjoy Steely Dan’s work; his work touched so many people and he brought joy to the adoring masses – two years after his death, we remember this giant and genius songwriter. I know there are bands and artists inspired by Steely Dan but there is something peerless and accomplished about Steely Dan’s music that means it is hard to equal and replicate.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ebet Roberts/Redferns

Before finishing this article, I want to talk about my favourite song ever: Aja’s centrepiece, Deacon Blues. Walter Becker plays bass on the track and I’d love to hear the isolated bass part as it is so majestic, flowing and characterful; filled with emotion, feel and heart. I can rhapsodise about the song for ages – but will not do so now just to keep things fairly focused – but listen to all the different strands and players on the song. From Larry Carlton’s guitar brilliance to Pete Christlieb’s gorgeous tenor saxophone; Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie’s amazing drums (listen to the introduction and the fact he starts off playing off the cymbals before teeing up the song with some sweet beats!); Venetta Fields, Clydie King and Sherlie Matthews adding sumptuous backing vocals and Donald Fagen adding some stunning syths – it is a bittersweet symphony; the song of a hopeful loser that knows not where he goes or what the night will hold. The protagonist of the song is an ingénue Jazz player who ‘works’ the saxophone rather than plays it. He is a night-dwelling crawler who seduced women and has these hopeless dreams that never seem to materialise. Everything about the song is flawless and Deacon Blues is my favourite track. One of my favourite lyrical snippets from the song, “I cried when I wrote this song/Sue me if I play too long” actually inspired a 1982 song by Prince, 1999 (in that song, we hear the lines: “I was dreaming when I wrote this, so sue me if it goes too fast”).

Steely Dan’s 1978-released masterpiece was written at Donald Fagen’s house in Malibu and was prompted by an observation that the University of Alabama’s college football team was called ‘The Crimson Tide’. He and Walter Becker noted how that was a grandiose name for something as insignificant and modest as a college football side. If so-called winners could have a name as ridiculous as that, surely the losers in the world could have one: “Call me Deacon Blues” was the response. The songwriters were inspired by this random story and, before they knew it, they had this gem on their hands. They claim it is, perhaps, the most autobiographical song. Hailing from New York and moving to L.A. to chase success and pursue their dreams, surely the timbre and autobiography of Deacon Blues rang bells; it was an extension of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen’s past. The only football player the duo knew as Deacon Jones: that translated to the anti-hero of Deacon Blues.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Clinch

I want to end by bringing in an interview Walter Becker gave to Time Out New York in 2008 to promote his solo album, Circus Money. Becker was also rehearsing for a Steely Dan – it was a perfect opportunity to talk to this masterful musician:

Can you give a nutshell breakdown of the division of labor in Steely Dan? It’s hard for an outsider to know who’s responsible for what.

Yeah, I think that with most partnerships that run for a certain amount of time—and ours has run for a pretty long time—the division of labor is very ad hoc. So whatever needs to be done, sometimes I’ve got something to start with, sometimes Donald’s got something to start with. Sometimes we really work very closely, collaboratively on every little silly millimeter on the writing of the song and certainly of the records, and sometimes less so. And so over the course of the partnership, I think we’ve done all sorts of different things different ways, and probably that still is changing in a way, because if I can speculate on Donald’s behalf, I think there is a level of perfection, polish, sophistication, and abundance of detail and structural stuff that he wants to hear in his music that I sort of ran out of patience to do. My attention span is not that good anymore, and I sort of believe—and maybe the lyrics somewhere say this—that the perfect is the enemy of the good. And one of the real dangers of doing the kind of thing that we do, where people let you do whatever you want and you have money, is burnout. You go too far; there’s no one there to stop you; you keep going; you keep working on things. So I have to learn, and even sort of create artificial boundaries so that doesn’t happen.

So I’m pretty positive you guys are familiar with this whole Yacht Rock thing…

Yeah! [Laughs].

I wanted to ask you about it because I think it’s kind of strange and interesting that you guys are involved with that. There’s this whole idea of smooth music, with the Doobie Brothers and Kenny Loggins and people like that. What is your feeling about being lumped in with that, and do you feel it’s accurate?

That’s just basically a gag, and I see why we would be lumped in with it. There are a lot of reasons why we would be lumped in with it, and yet there are a lot of—I mean, for example, to take someone who’s probably the furthest from where we are, like Christopher Cross, okay, who’s just doing these very simple songs; he was doing them I’m sure with some of the same musicians that we used, in some of the same studios with some of the same sonic goals in mind: a very smooth or shall we say polished product. And we ended up doing that—or maybe I should say we started out doing that, because it was our perception that if you were going to use jazz harmonies, it had to sound tight, professional; nothing sounds worse than sloppy—than kids playing jazz, you know what I mean? And so we sort of felt obliged to do that because of the kind of music we were doing. And so I think it’s great. I think it’s very amusing, the idea that all of these people knew each other, and I suppose, you know, we certainly knew Mike [McDonald], we worked with Mike, and we knew the Eagles, not as well, and the idea that we were sort of battling with each other in various types of feuds and situations, I think it’s pretty funny. I think it’s great.

Do you think that we can pretty much expect a yearly Steely Dan show and maybe another album?

I don’t know about yearly tours. I don’t take it for granted that the business of touring in this way is going to continue. And this is the third year in a row for us, we’re in uncharted territory, so I don’t know about that. But there’s so many other things to do: I mean, you just get into a little club or place in town and play periodically. We have a very stable band that’s mostly New Yorkers, which I think was an important thing to try for because it makes it easier for us to do things. And we can jump up and—for the first time last year, I think it was—the winter before last, we did a few gigs, just like four or five gigs in a row. So there’s lots of different ways we can do it. I’m certainly not counting on it becoming a summer routine. I don’t think it’s gonna work that way.

I will end with a heart-aching question that we know the answer to - eleven years after Walter Becker was interviewed:

“But is there another album in the works?

Not right now, but it could always be. I don’t know what Donald is working on, and he spends more time working than I do. I spend more time goofing off and listening to reggae records”.

Sadly, there would not be another Steely Dan album. One can only guess whether there were plans for new songs or dates when Becker died in 2017 but, now, Donald Fagen is taking a slightly reframed Steely Dan on the road. The new Sweet tour has been announced and the setlist has been revealed. A lot of the classics are being covered and, whilst Deacon Blues is not in the show, I do hope Steely Dan come to the U.K. I would love to see a show just so I can see if Donald Fagen talks about Walter Becker; how these songs he wrote with his late friend sound in 2019. There might be the odd nod to Becker two years after his death but I hope there is more attention; a few of his greatest tracks (with Steely Dan and as a solo artist) are covered. It is so sad he is no longer with us but, forever, this cool king of Queens will inspire, affect and resonate. I will play as much Steely Dan music as I can on Tuesday and, when thinking of the great Walter Becker, I will lift…

A glass in his name.