FEATURE: The November Playlist: Vol. 5: If You’re Going to Call Yourself Anything…

FEATURE:

 

The November Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Regina Spektor/PHOTO CREDIT: Shervin Lainez

Vol. 5: If You’re Going to Call Yourself Anything…

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THIS is a shorter playlist than usual…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Bombay Bicycle Club/PHOTO CREDIT: James Kelly for DIY

as there are not as many songs out at the moment – very few bigger releases, anyway. It is understandable, I guess, as Christmas is coming and artists are sort of winding down. Regardless, there are still some great cuts in the mix. We have new songs from Grimes, Bombay Bicycle Club and Fiona Apple; music from Regina Spektor, Pete Tong and Arlo Parks. There is a lot to love and, if you need some great tunes to get your weekend kicked off, I have a playlist that will definitely do the job. As the weather is cold and we all need a bit of warmth, I think a good dose of music is what is needed. Have a listen to the selection of fresh cuts below because there is more than enough to warm the blood and get you moving. As we head towards the first days of December, it is clear 2019…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Grimes/PHOTO CREDIT: Ben Grieme for FADER

HAS not revealed all its gold yet.  

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

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PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Rutherford for CRACK

Grimes - My Name Is Dark

PHOTO CREDIT: Hamish Brown

The Chemical Brothers - Out Of Control (The Avalanches Surrender to Love Mix)

Gengahr - Heavenly Maybe

Bombay Bicycle Club - Everything Else Has Gone Wrong

The Weeknd – Heartless

The Tippo Allstars Ft. Fiona Apple – Your Molecular Structure

Koffee (ft. Gunna) – W

Sam Fender – Saturday

PHOTO CREDIT: Ewan Ogden

Blossoms - The Keeper

Norah Jones, Tarriona Tank Ball - Playing Along

Lydia Ford – Talk

Regina Spektor - One Little Soldier (From Bombshell, the Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Pete Tong, HER-O, Jules Buckley and Nina Nesbitt – Sweet Harmony

Will Easton – Pyro

Kacey Musgraves, Troye Sivan – Glittery

Arlo Parks – Second Guessing

Moses Boyd – Only You

Moncrieff – I Don’t Know Why

PHOTO CREDIT: Sean Black 

Milk Teeth – Destroyer

Rose Elinor Dougall – How Long

Gerry Cinnamon – The Bonny

SOAK – Bloodbuzz Ohio

FEATURE: Picking Up Guitars: TRNSMT and the Ongoing Struggle with Gender Inequality at Festivals

FEATURE:

 

Picking Up Guitars

IN THIS PHOTO: Anna Calvi/PHOTO CREDIT: Anna Calvi 

TRNSMT and the Ongoing Struggle with Gender Inequality at Festivals

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MAYBE this is a theme I have addressed more…

 IMAGE CREDIT: TRNSMT

than any other this year: the gender imbalance at festivals and why many are not able to have a fifty-fifty split. It seems like there is this tussle between festivals who say there is not enough female talent out there and fans who argue quality is what matters and, because mainly men are booked, than must mean they are the best. The illogical assumption the majority of men represents the absolute best of music is insane. Also, as I shall explain later, there is a sea of brilliant women out there who could easily get festival bookings who are more than strong enough to please fans. Whilst some festivals – Glastonbury especially – are getting close to a fifty-fifty gender split (2020 seems like that goal will be realised), many are still way short of that target. One festival that made the news earlier this week was TRNSMT. I will continue my feature but, right now, here is why the festival has caused outrage on social media:

 “The boss of Scotland's TRNSMT has said it will be "several years" before a festival line-up can have 50/50 balance between male and female acts.

Festival director, Geoff Ellis, says more women need to be "picking up guitars" and "playing in bands".

He made his comments as the first acts for TRNSMT 2020 were announced.

"We'd love there to be a higher representation of females but there isn't, certainly on the acts we're announcing today," he said.

"It will be a while until there's a 50/50 balance. That's definitely several years ahead for any major festival to achieve because there's far, far less female artists.

IN THIS PHOTO: Lewis Capaldi is one of the artist confirmed for TRNSMT next year/PHOTO CREDIT: Lewis Capaldi 

"We need to get more females picking up guitars, forming bands, playing in bands".

The festival's Queen Tut's stage - which is for only female acts - will return at next year's event.

"We're giving that platform to help more females see that kind of opportunity because you do get more of a drop-off at a grass roots level and there are less female artists around," said Geoff.

"It's not just about booking more female acts because if there are less of them then there are less of them to go round all the festivals".

When Queen Tut's was launched this year, a spokesperson for the festival hit back at claims it was a "box-ticking exercise".

"We in no way want to segregate women or put them on a different stage - that is not the intention," said Aarti Joshi, the festival's head of communications, in July 2019. She added that having a balanced line-up is a "long-term goal" for TRNSMT.

In 2018, 45 festivals signed a pledge to have 50/50 festivals by 2022 - but TRNSMT was not one of them”.

There are so many things wrong with the comments above, it makes the head spin. For a start, there are plenty of female artists playing guitar. From Anna Calvi to Brittany Howard, we are not shy of women who can shred it. That assertion that guitars are the key and most important thing is ridiculous. Why do women need to play guitars? Does this mean only female Rock bands will be considered?! A lot of people got onto social media to slam Geoff Ellis. His mindset seems to be lost in a past decade when the scene was ruled by Rock bands.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Brittany Howard/PHOTO CREDIT: BucketHead.Media

That is not the case now. Rock is a genre that has lost a lot of its foothold and is in a pretty poor state right now. Because of that, just look around and you can see that a lot of the best artists around are not guitar bands; the best female artists are a lot more diverse than you’d imagine. In fact, this decade has seen artists breaking away from guitars and rigid definitions; music now is as varied and original as it has been for years! Those who slammed Ellis’ remarks have highlighted women who could be on a festival bill. One can name dozens of women, contemporary and classic, and I would throw in names like Julia Jacklin and St. Vincent; Brittany Murphy, Girl Ray and Anna Calvi are all artists we would love to see on any festival bill. In truth, there are scores of women out there who could drag TRNSMT into the twenty-first century. Look at the male artists who are booked for the festival and they are hardly synonymous with their guitar chops; many are not even that good at all. Not only does TRNSMT have an issue with gender, it also lacks proper quality. You could easily swap out scores of men on their bill and replace them with women. So many artists and people in and out of music have posted scores of names that Geoff Ellis and TRNSMT have, apparently, forgotten about. Although, sorry, many do not play the guitar, they are far stronger and more interesting than many of the acts booked for next year.

Billie Eilish. Solange. Florence & the Machine. Lady Gaga. Wolf Alice. Haim. Sharon Van Etten. Björk. Paramore. Courtney Barnett. Lizzo. Big Thief. FKA Twigs. Maggie Rodgers. Phoebe Bridgers. Charli XCX. Chai. Taylor Swift. Ariana Grande. Alvvays. Aldous Harding.

— Mt. Doubt (@MtDoubt) November 27, 2019

One artist who has spoken out and pointed the finger at Geoff Ellis is KT Tunstall. One can always rely on her to show some common sense and not mince her words. As this article reports, Tunstall was keen to have her say:

“However Tunstall posted: "If you are the organiser of something, and you don’t WANT a situation to change, and you put **** all effort into it, then no shit it’ll take years.

"Another Scottish festival @hebcelt has been 50/50 gender balanced for years. I also read that #Primavera has had more women on the bill than men. It would be easier to respect your stance being “**** it, we prefer blokes”. At least it’s honest.

"And THANK YOU in advance to all the men calling bull**** on this; your voices are arguably more powerful than ours when it comes to changing this, as YOU, the primary demographic of male rock band fans, are who these guys are scared to ‘alienate’ ie lose your ticket money.

"'We’d LOVE there to be...” “we NEED to get more females..” Great. What are ‘WE’ actually doing about that? You run a large festival. It’s a crazy idea, but you could *actually* help".

IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish delivered one of the most memorable sets at Glastonbury this year/PHOTO CREDIT: Billie Eilish 

One can write off Geoff Ellis’ views as stupid and wrong (which they are), but it makes me wonder whether 2020 will bring about actual equality. Festivals have pledged a fifty-fifty split by 2022 but, with the likes of Prmavera Sound already hitting that target, it makes me wonder why festivals in the U.K. and U.S. – Primavera is based in Portugal and Spain – cannot do what seems so easy. I can appreciate there is commercial value when it comes to male bands and established Rock acts. I admire the fact organisers like Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis are aware of the problem and (she is) trying to reverse the imbalance. Clearly, the issue is not a lack of quality when it comes to women in music. Rather, it is this age-old definition of what a festival act should be: male bands with guitars that can blast out anthems. Not only is that a bygone and boring predilection; most festivals are booking headliners and artists who are either very dull or are established acts. So many new female artists are being snubbed; festivals keen to go with artists making the charts or boys in bands. I know organisers need their festivals to make money and, if artists like Lewis Capaldi and Foo Fighters make them money easily, should they take a risk and hire female artists who might not prove as profitable? I am not sure what barrier there is that is restricting equality at festivals. With this year being defined and dominated by women, can festivals ignore the quality right in front of them? We saw Glastonbury this year where some of the very best performances were from women – including Lizzo, Billie Eilish; Sharon Van Etten and Kylie Minogue. 

With each passing year, we are seeing more and more women release simply amazing music. To me, the year’s best albums have been from female artists. I think there is this view that festival acts need to have a certain energy and electricity, otherwise people will wander away. When organisers look around, I think they feel women are not going to be able to provide that and look the way of men. There are so many solo women and women in bands who can provide that kick but are not even being seen and heard. There is a lot to improve when it comes to festivals and how they book acts; what they look for and why, at a time when women are loud, proud and very, very good, do we have to have the same debates about festivals not doing enough?! I know one should take Geoff Ellis and his kind with a pinch of salt. The sheer tsunami of anger and dismissal shot his way by men and women around the world shows how misguided and out of touch he is. The thing is, it is people like him who organise festivals, book acts and, as such, are responsible for the shape and make-up of Britain’s festivals. I think education and awareness will lead to change but, with less than two years to go until many of Britain’s festival organisers have pledged a fifty-fifty gender split, are we actually going to achieve that?!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rita Ora is one of only a few women on the bill at next year’s TRNSMT/PHOTO CREDIT: Rita Ora

It is a pity that festivals are so behind when it comes to gender parity. I do wonder whether there needs to be a change regarding those in charge of major festivals. With this year’s festivals (bar Glastonbury) falling woefully short of a fifty-fifty gender balance, is it men in power being stubborn and ignorant?! I think so. I am not suggesting all festivals should be run by women; having all-female festivals is positive, but we need to push equality at festivals without the need to specifically create stages and festivals just so women are included. I will wrap things up, but I am stunned that we are in 2019 and still have to hear about festival bosses asking where women are and the fact that gender equality is years away. In terms of music now, women are ahead of men…so why does that not translate to festival bookings and a quick overhaul?! It is baffling, but I am hopeful we will see bigger steps next year (compared to this year). I have been blown away by the standard of music this year and I think women across all genres have been responsible for the sheer variety and quality. I expect this to continue next year and, with festivals already booking acts for summer 2020, action needs to be taken regarding gender equality – not waiting until 2022. I really hope that 2020 is a year of progression where…

EYES are open and our vision is clear.

FEATURE: With Two Names Remaining... Which Artists Will Take the Last Headline Slots for Glastonbury 2020?

FEATURE:

 

With Two Names Remaining…

IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift is a favourite to fill one of the remaining two Glastonbury headline slots for next year/PHOTO CREDIT: Taylor Swift

Which Artists Will Take the Last Headline Slots for Glastonbury 2020?

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IT might appear set in stone…

IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney (who was joined on stage by Ringo Starr during McCartney’s Freshen Up tour) is already confirmed as a Glastonbury headliner/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

but we are still waiting to hear which two artists will take the remaining headline slots for Glastonbury next year. We know that Paul McCartney will take the Saturday slot on 27th June. You can keep abreast of all the Glasto happenings on the official website, but there is a lot of speculation and excitement regarding the remaining two headliners. I know Glastonbury is not just about the headline acts: every artist on the bill is worth watching and has their place. Of course, the headline acts are the ones who draw the most attention and hype. I speculated who might headline Glastonbury 2020 earlier in the year, but a few things have changed in the few months since that piece came out. I put Madonna as my lead image because, I feel, she would make a perfect headliner - even though she has had to cancel a few upcoming gigs due to pain issues . Bookies are making their predictions, and this website seems to be the most up-to-date regarding headliner odds. We know Macca is confirmed, but people have tipped Fleetwood Mac; they are not playing as they asked for too much money. I thought that was a way of throwing people off of the scent, given even Mick Fleetwood was suggesting he would love to play the festival. Emily Eavis has recently stated how the remaining headliners will consist of one female and one male – meaning there will be no bands and, with that, there goes Fleetwood Mac. NME take up the story:

"It's their first time at Glastonbury, and we've got one male and one female"

Emily Eavis has heightened speculation that Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar will top the bill at Glastonbury 2020 after confirming that the two remaining headlining acts have never played the festival before.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kendrick Lamar is another name suggested as a possible Glastonbury headliner/PHOTO CREDIT: Kendrick Lamar

Despite the fact that neither artist has made their Worthy Farm debut yet, the pair are currently leading the bookies’ odds for a top slot at Glastonbury’s 50th anniversary event next year.

Eavis told Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2: “Interestingly, for the other two headliners it’s their first time at Glastonbury and we’ve got one male and one female – so there’s a couple of clues there. I’m sure people will guess, so don’t put them to me!”

It comes a week after Paul McCartney was confirmed as the first headliner for Glastonbury’s 50th anniversary – marking his first appearance at the festival since 2004.

While it’s yet to be confirmed when the rest of the line-up will arrive, Eavis hinted that the identity of a second headliner could be revealed “this side of Christmas”.

“Most of it will be [announced in] the beginning of 2020. Everyone needs their moment,” she explained.

At the time of writing, Swift is receiving bookies odds as low as 3/10, followed by Kendrick Lamar at 4/11.

I would still like to see Madonna play because, although she is another legend, she would be a guaranteed hit. I do think the headliners for next year need to have that sense of uplift; songs that can get us all together and singing along. Whereas last year’s headliners – The Cure, Stormzy and The Killers – were well-received, I do feel there was a sense of pop and singalong missing; it was provided by non-headline acts like Lizzo and Kylie Minogue. Madonna would play, I assume, a career-spanning set that would be full of classics and some of her newer tracks.

Maybe, as I have speculated before, she would be too expensive, and she would go the same way as Fleetwood Mac. I am surprised Taylor Swift has not played Glastonbury before. With a huge year that includes award wins, a smash album (Lover) and a lot of attention, there is so much momentum in her camp. Maybe this is the time for Swift to headline. She is the bookies’ favourite and would prove popular to many. Prior to last year’s Glastonbury, Ed Sheeran was quoted in an article where he cast doubts about Swift’s Glastonbury readiness:

“Taylor is amongst the favourites to headline the festival along with Coldplay and Rihanna, but close friend Ed Sheeran has denied that she will perform.

He told Digital Spy, "Taylor doesn't like festivals, so for any bookies reading... I think Taylor likes doing her own show because she's in control..."

The headlines are expected to be announced in the New Year, Lionel Richie is the only 'big' act to be confirmed as a performer at the Festival in June.

If she does end up performing, hopefully she will drag Ed on stage to perform their 2013 hit 'Everything Has Changed'”.

I am not a fan of Taylor Swift and, whilst she has a particular demographic that is not necessarily universal, she is a massively popular artist and could put on a great set. A few Pop artists have headlined the past few years, yet there has been a diversification of the headliners. Stormzy’s set last year brought Grime to the forefront, so many would not be shocked if Rap artist Kendrick Lamar was booked for 2020 – he is the other favourite to take the headline slot.

I think Kendrick Lamar makes sense, considering he is another huge artist and would put on an amazing show. Following Stormzy’s set this year, I wonder whether another artist of a similar ilk is a good choice. I think the fiftieth anniversary next year is this rare event that should be marked by music that makes us united and has that more anthemic tone. I would love to see Lamar headline another year but, when it comes to male artists, there are others that people are tipping. I would personally love to see Stevie Wonder headline but, as he has appeared before, that is not going to happen. Elton John is another name in the hat, but there have been so many articles saying he will not play either. Emily Eavis has confirmed both headliners are first-timers, so it limits the field. In terms of men who have never played before, there are a lot more options, but I wonder whether Emily and Michael Eavis want to keep a similar balance to this year’s Glastonbury. I have seen a lot of speculation that Kate Bush could appear but, whilst she is on Emily Eavis’ dream list (as well as everyone else’s!), that is extremely unlikely. Kate Bush has never played a festival like Glastonbury and has often talked about her nerves playing gigs. The fact that she performs so rarely live and is not a Glastonbury act rules her firmly out.

IN THIS PHOTO: Ariana Grande is a possible headliner choice/PHOTO CREDIT: Ariana Grande

The thing is, when it comes to guessing names, one can never make easy predictions and there are always surprises! Ariana Grande is another artist who is in the running and, like Taylor Swift, she has a mighty fanbase. It seems like a Glastonbury date might fit into Taylor Swift’s diary:  

“Swift is due to perform at a string of European festivals next summer on her Lover world tour, including in France, Germany and Portugal, but has yet to announce any UK performances.

Fans have noticed that the 29-year-old singer has a gap in her schedule which could allow her to travel to Glastonbury, which is taking place between June 24 and 28.

Other female artists rumoured to be headlining include Madonna, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, with SkyBet offering odds of 8/1, 14/1 and 18/1 respectively.

The festival has been criticised by some for a lack of female headliners in recent years, with co-organiser Emily Eavis pledging to “work towards” a 50/50 gender balance in future lineups”.

The only other artist that comes to mind when considering female headliners is the Spice Girls. I know Emily Eavis intimated it would be a solo female artist, but the Spice Girls were rumoured last year; they were approached but wanted to see how their U.K. tour went, considering they had not long reunited. One can never rule out the Spice Girls. They themselves have practically confirmed it:

“The Spice girls are planning to make a full line-up return with a headline slot at Glastonbury Festival 2020.

Having recently reunited a series of comeback shows without original member Victoria Beckham, the ’90s pop group have claimed that discussions are underway for Posh Spice to return to the band for a one-off show at Glastonbury next year.

It is thought that festival organisers Michael and Emily Eavis are planning major surprises for the 2020 edition of Glastonbury, a year which will mark the event’s 50th anniversary.

Now, while speaking to fans at as part of a Q&A session titled ‘A Brutally Honest Evening with Mel B’, Scary Spice hinted that a festival performance is a major possibility: “I think if you are just going to do Glastonbury then let’s just go on tour and do the rest of Europe,” she said as part of the book show at London’s Savoy Theatre.

She added: “We are definitely signed on board to do that. All five of us, yes.”

The difficult decision to play a series of UK shows as a four-piece has been a tricky logistical problem for the band, but Mel B has heaped praise on Beckham and her career: “Victoria is Victoria,” she said according to NME. “She’s made an amazing career based on the Spice Girls. She’s got a fashion empire and she’s done amazingly well. But you can’t beat being Posh Spice in the Spice Girls, can you? You can’t beat that.”

She finalised: “My plan is for all five of us to do Glastonbury next year for the 50th anniversary. I’m in the process of persuading Victoria to do it. And I will make it happen”.

As Diana Ross is confirmed in the legend slot for next year, that means the Spice Girls do not have many other opportunities remaining. It is tantalising to suggest which artists could make headliners and, as Emily Eavis suggested we may get another name prior to Christmas, many people are getting their guesses in. Many people though they had the Glastonbury headliners figured days before the names were announced last year so, as we await the two remaining headliners for 2020, it seems things…

IN THIS PHOTO: Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

AREN’T set in stone just yet.

FEATURE: The King of Motown: Berry Gordy Jr. at Ninety: The Essential Motown Playlist

FEATURE:

 

The King of Motown

IN THIS PHOTO: Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. in 1964/PHOTO CREDIT: Tony Spina/Detroit Free Press 

Berry Gordy Jr. at Ninety: The Essential Motown Playlist

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ON 12th January…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

we celebrated sixty years of the Motown label. I cannot think of another sound as infectious as Motown! The Detroit-born sensation was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. and, as we know, it is more than simply the music. Motown helped bring black artists to the fore at a time of Civil Rights unrest in the U.S. The influence and reach of Motown cannot be understated and overlooked. All of us have some exposure to the Motown sound and cannot resist the infectiousness of the songs. Before moving on to a bit of news involving Berry Gordy Jr., here is some biography about the great man and Motown:

 “Born in 1929 in Detroit, Berry Gordy Jr. founded Motown Records in 1959. The 1960s and '70s saw popular artists who Gordy developed—including the Supremes, the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye—dominate the music scene. Changing tastes and a loss of focus led to Motown's decline, and Gordy sold the company in 1988. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that same year.

Gordy had gotten married in 1953; with a family to support, he took a job on a Lincoln-Mercury plant assembly line in 1955. The monotony of putting upholstery in cars all day had one benefit: He could compose songs in his head while working.

At the age of 27, Gordy decided to hand in his notice and dedicate himself to music once more. (His wife didn't approve and they ended up separating.) Through family connections, Gordy encountered singer Jackie Wilson's manager; he ended up co-writing the Wilson hit "Reet Petite," which came out in 1957. Gordy also wrote Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops” and "To Be Loved."

Using $800 his family had loaned him, Gordy formed Tamla Records on January 12, 1959. When Gordy set up shop in a house on Detroit's West Grand Boulevard, he chose the aspirational name Hitsville for his headquarters. One of Tamla's labels was called Motown, the name that came to embody the company; the Motown Record Corporation was incorporated in 1960”.

“The song "Money (That’s What I Want)"—performed and co-written by Barrett Strong—became a hit in 1960, with Gordy serving as co-writer as well. But after discovering that distributors took a large bite out of his income, Gordy, encouraged by his friend Smokey Robinson, decided to start handling his own national distribution.

In 1960, Robinson and his group, the Miracles, sold more than a million copies of "Shop Around," which climbed to No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 2 pop. The next year, the Marvelettes were the first Motown act to hit No. 1 on the pop charts with "Please Mr. Postman."

Gordy directed his artists to create what became known as the Motown sound, which featured repeating choruses and a mix of gospel, R&B and pop that combined to form memorable melodies. With regular quality control meetings, Gordy made sure that Motown's releases were ready to impress listeners. He also arranged for his performers to learn how to best present themselves both on and off the stage.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s also affected Gordy's work. Not only did he release Martin Luther King Jr.'s Great March to Freedom and Great March to Washington speeches, Gordy believed that white audiences would now accept African-American stars. In the 1960s, the Supremes achieved the kind of crossover success Gordy had dreamed of. Their No. 1 pop hits included "Baby Love" (1964), "Stop! In the Name of Love" (1965) and "You Can’t Hurry Love" (1966)”.

I am going to end this feature by collecting together classic Motown cuts that show just how important the label/movement is. There is such richness and variety to be found; some of the finest music ever laid down. On Monday (25th November), Berry Gordy Jr. was honoured in a strange-yet-touching way:

 “Local government officials, along with Motown icons, gathered for a special ceremony on Monday, 25 November to dedicate the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Argyle Avenue in Hollywood as Berry Gordy Square’, in honour of the entrepreneur, songwriter, producer and founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy Jr.

Led by Los Angeles City council member Mitch O’Farrell, members of the Motown family, and other special guests, the ceremony saw the reveal of the official city sign. The square is located near the former Motown Records’ West Coast office, after Berry Gordy left Detroit and picked up operations in Los Angeles to expand his vision into television and film.

“This official City of Los Angeles dedication is a fitting tribute to a man who made such lasting impressions on the music industry,” said council member O’Farrell. “Berry Gordy is a hit-making songwriter, record producer, and visionary whose legacy will be forever memorialized and remembered amongst the stars of Hollywood!”

Gordy danced his way up to the podium, singing ‘Baby Love’ and gave a speech that was both heartfelt and humble.

“What a wonderful day for me,” said Gordy. “There are so many people here that made a wonderful impression on my heart. I never imagined I would end up here and on this stage. By honouring me, you are also honouring the entire Motown family – those who make Motown what it is today.”

He also went on to say: “Thank your parents and grandparents,” referring to the original buyers who got the label on its way”.

Other special guests in attendance included Thelma Houston, Mickey Stevenson, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Debbie Allen, Janie Bradford and the man of the hour, Berry Gordy.

“We should have a square like this in every city in the world,” said Robinson. “Motown is a once in a lifetime musical event. “We had a music man at the helm teaching all of us to become music makers.”

Stevie Wonder also shared his remarks and talked about how Motown broke down racial barriers.

“It’s an army of love that we have,” said Wonder. “And we’re given instrument of song to do this. Music will bring us together. Hate can never tear us apart”.

Although Berry Gordy Jr. announced his retirement a couple of months ago, the fact that the Motown creator is still in the world and he can see his legacy in the world is amazing! As he celebrates his ninetieth birthday, I have collected together some of the very best Motown tracks that we can thank Berry Gordy Jr. for. He is, truly, one of the most important…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Berry Gordy Jr. in the control room of Studio A at Hitsville/PHOTO CREDIT: EMI Archive Trust/Universal Music Group

PEOPLE in music history.

FEATURE: Electric 6: Marking a Brilliant Year for BBC Radio 6 Music

FEATURE:

 

Electric 6

ALL IMAGES/PHOTOS: BBC 

Marking a Brilliant Year for BBC Radio 6 Music

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I appreciate I have published a few articles…

regarding BBC Radio 6 Music this year and, recently, stated why the station is the must-listen-to brand for 2020. I do think you can never say everything you want about a radio station with a few features and, if anything, one can only reach as many people as possible with repeated investigation. Although this will definitely be my last BBC Radio 6 Music-related piece of the year, I will write about the station next year. I will give a nod to each presenter now because, rather than dissecting various shows and why I listen to them – which I have done a few times -, this is more of a Radio General Election. Whilst BBC Radio 1 and 2 are more popular and listened-to, I feel BBC Radio 6 Music should be added to everyone’s list. It is hard to listen to several radio stations a day because, in most people’s cases, we have our favourite and do not deviate. If you have not checked out BBC Radio 6 Music, then you can listen to them, follow them on Twitter and Instagram; you can keep abreast of all the live performances on the YouTube channel and, actually, that is a good place to start! One of my pledged for 2020 is to listen more to radio in general. I already tune into BBC Radio 2 but, even when it comes to BBC Radio 6 Music, I do not give it as much time as it warrants.

Look at some of the recent live sessions the station has housed – including Iggy Pop from Maida Vale and Sampa the Great delivering a fantastic performance – and there is something very different about the sound and feel, compared to other radio stations. Maybe it is the brick wall with the 6 logo or the intimacy of the studios; I love the feel of BBC Radio 6 Music performances and how they are a lot more stirring and engaging than the ones you find elsewhere. That may seem ridiculous, but there is something about the station that commands big respect. BBC Radio 6 Music, each year, recruits more listeners and various shows are going from strength to strength. I regularly listen to Chris Hawkins and Lauren Laverne in the morning, both of whom are seeing their listenership grow. I also tune in to Mary Anne Hobbs, Shaun Keaveny and Steve Lamacq and, in spite of the fact I have been listening to them for a long while, they get better and better! I can imagine how draining it is presenting a daily show and having to keep the energy levels high. When listening to BBC Radio 6 Music and its presenters, you can feel the passion and commitment pouring out. I think the station is less commercial than a few BBC stations, so that provides a wider remit when it comes to music. I have outlined this before – so forgive some repetition -, but one can get the best elements of stations like BBC Radio 2 on BBC Radio 6 Music.  

Inevitably, listeners will grumble when BBC Radio 6 Music plays a song that is not at the cutting edge of cool – they spun a track from Roxette a few days back and that got some people annoyed. One of my biggest hopes for the station is that they diversify a little more when it comes to the music. Right now, the station is very much about music that is, yes, cool and lacks that cheesy sound. I think it is wonderful when a classic Pop track or something a bit left-of-centre is popped into the mix; it shakes things up and means you are appealing to a wider audience. The reason some people are leaving bigger stations and are going to BBC Radio 6 Music is the variation and quality. I like to keep hot with these BBC Radio 6 Music features because I cannot highlight enough how limited some stations are. No station, in my view, offers as varied a diet as BBC Radio 6 Music when it comes to the finest music. Of course, the listeners help contribute to this variation. Whether it is Lauren Laverne’s People’s Playlist or Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie’s The Chain, you can expect anything from Afrobeats and 1990s’ Pop to Metal and a B-side from The Beatles. Mary Anne Hobbs is one of the most eclectic broadcasters and, whilst Lauren Laverne, I feel, is best when it comes to the overall quality and depth of music, each broadcaster does a sterling job.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Craig Charles

One can find some Funk and Soul brilliance from Craig Charles, or they can get something more chilled on another show. I think the chemistry and affection between the listeners and the stations is one of the biggest reasons why BBC Radio 6 Music keeps its loyal fanbase and brings in new ears. Listeners are able to contribute to various features, and they are made to feel part of the family. The excellent social media feed also allows followers to have their say; whether that is voting for their favourite album of the year, contribute to one of the shows or answer a poll…there is so much to enjoy! In fact, BBC Radio 6 Music announced their favourite albums of 2019 on Monday morning. Lauren Laverne read out the selected records. Last year, IDLES were crowned kings with their second album, Joy as an Act of Resistance. This year’s top-ten included Nick Cave’s Ghosteen (at ten), Kate Tempest’s The Book of Traps of Lessons (at seven) and Michael Kiwanuka’s KIWANUKA (at three). In the number-one spot is Dogrel from Fontaines D.C. In the top-ten is a blend of Post-Punk and Jazz; there is Rap and Hip-Hop with some Soul alongside it. There is a place on BBC Radio 6 Music for bands cracking through who offer something urgent and interesting. Similarly, legends like Nick Cave are given full support too. I think great radio stations need to have that combination of truly wide-ranging music with popular D.J.s and enough to interest listeners in various demographics.

Another reason I wanted to put BBC Radio 6 Music out there one last time this year is because of what a great year they have enjoyed. So many new listeners are coming there way and, as a loyal listener, I have not felt the need to go elsewhere. I am always stunned by the quality of music played and the new artists I discover through them – this year, I have found Sofia Portanet, All We Are and Rapsody through the station. I have only been tempted to BBC Radio 2 because they tend to play more Pop and older songs that you do not hear on BBC Radio 6 Music. More and more, BBC Radio 6 Music are offering the sonic diversity that trips into areas they haven’t traversed before. Get involved with the station and, if you are someone who does not listen to radio, I would urge you to check out this digital nugget. You can catch up with anything you missed through BBC Sounds, so there is no need to listen live all of the time. It has been a stellar 2019 for BBC Radio 6 Music and I think 2020 will be even better. From all the great producers and music news presenters like Matt Everitt and Georgie Rogers; to broadcasters like Marc Riley and Tom Ravenscroft to everyone who makes BBC Radio 6 Music shine and thrive, this is sort of to them. There is so much passion and focus from everyone who works there, ensuring the true music lover has their daily fix of the best new tunes and classic tracks. If you have not done it yet, get acquainted with BBC Radio 6 Music because, no matter what your tastes and preferences, it is…   

THE only station you will need.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Sofia Portanet

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Lucio Aru & Franco Erre 

Sofia Portanet

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WHEN it comes to artists who are included…

in this section, I normally concentrate on those who have a few more tracks under their belt. Even though Sofia Portanet has a few cuts in the ether, there are a lot of people getting excited about her latest gem, Planet Mars - myself included! There are a few things that strike me about this artist who is Spanish-German and grew up in Paris. Not only does she have varied and rare D.N.A., but there is this wonderfully eccentric slant to her newest song. Not to call the rest of the musicians out there boring; one could never accuse Portanet of lacking flair and energy! Even though she is still making her first steps in the industry, Planet Mars is so refreshing and different! This article talks more about Portanet and her bombshell of a track:

“Now with the release of her fourth single Planet Mars ahead of her three showcase gigs at Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg. Sofia takes a contemporary twist on Neue Deutsche Welle and post-punk.

The new single Planet Mars—a sci-fi love song—gives us a taste of Sofia’s dramatic vocal style and twists elements of her music which has been compared by some to some German and Austrian artists such as Kraftwerk, Falco, and Nina Hagen.

The is also a fair amount of British and American new wave to be found here as well, such as the vocal theatrics of Lena Lovich combined with the space-cadet weirdness of Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson circa early B-52s.

In fact, Sofia seemingly simulates the classic b-movie science fiction theremin with her vocal acrobatics, brilliantly comparing the wailing sound to the whizzing of a flying saucer.

Sofia explains:

“Planet Mars is a rather untypical heartbreak and goodbye song: it has a dramatic twist and plays with it in a humorous way. Because no matter how hard a heartbreak may be, it’s essential to keep the humour up!”

Maybe it is me, but I do think Pop music especially has lost what it needs to be popular and memorable: a sense of fun and memorability. It seems that, today, Pop music can be popular, but it doesn’t need to pop; meaning we have a very different-sounding scene to the one we had years ago – when there was the last surge of epic Pop tunes around. I am not suggesting Pop is doomed or Sofia Portanet will resuscitate it all by itself; when a song does arrive that pricks the ears and stands you up, it is leaves its mark. In terms of sounds, I do think there is a lovely slice of The B-52’s that gives Planet Mars humour and quirk. Some might take a bit of time getting accustomed to a song and artist like Portanet, but in a good way! As we look towards 2020, many people are predicting which artists will break through and who we should keep our eyes open for.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ania Sudbin Foto

Although few have started calling their picks, I am putting Sofia Portanet right in the mix! There is really nobody out there like her, so it will be interesting to see what direction she heads in. Check out her YouTube channel (the link is at the bottom of this feature) and you can check out her other material. Give her a follow on Twitter because, as we roll into the new year, I think the scene is going to change quite a bit. Not only will artists like Sofia Portanet make big statements and get huge kudos; I think female artists will continue their dominance and we might, finally, start to see equality in areas that have struggled to make changes – such as festival line-ups, for example. In terms of interview coverage, there is not a lot online pertaining to Portanet, but I think she has just completed her first interview with Rolling Stone. Followers are flocking her way and, although there are few tweets, biographical details and interviews for us to peruse, Portanet is still fresh and next year will be a huge one for her. I would not be surprised to see her at a festival like Glastonbury. There will be touring demands around Europe, and there is that burning question as to whether we will see an album or E.P. Releasing those first few tracks is always tricky! So many artists take a long time to get noticed and formulate a sound that is their own yet appeals to a wider audience. With Planet Mars – and avoiding puns here -, Sofia Portanet has reached new heights. The coming year is sure to bring her excellent and original sounds to the masses. Keep your eyes trained the way of Sofia Portanet. If you do not know her now, you soon will do. Planet Mars is one of my favourite tracks of the year and it has not escaped my brain ever since I first heard it weeks ago! Sofia Portanet is a fascinating young artist who music sure packs…

ONE hell of a punch.

____________

Follow Sofia Portanet

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/sofiaportanet/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/sofiaportanet

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqaz5lZoGiXtPDQ0rQ6yr-A

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6QtH2p5QkuzncnyK1Uu2EZ

ALL UNCREDITED PHOTOS:

Sofia Portanet

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Pink Floyd – The Wall

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

Pink Floyd – The Wall

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THERE are some bands who divide critics and fans…

when it comes to their crowning achievement. Maybe conventional wisdom suggests The Beatles’ best album is Revolver and The Rolling Stones’ is Exile on Main St. but, like them, Pink Floyd are not shy of classic albums. Maybe The Wall is not like The Beatles’ eponymous album in terms of its themes, but both are double albums and they are hugely ambitious works. Earlier Pink Floyd works like The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here are seen as superior and more cohesive than The Wall. Granted, The Wall is a more challenging listen and it does have one or two less-than-staggering cuts – maybe the same cannot be said of Pink Floyd’s best efforts. As The Wall turns forty on 30th November, I thought it was due inclusion in Vinyl Corner. Whereas other albums celebrating big anniversaries this year – such as The Clash’s London Calling (forty) and The Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed (fifty) – are getting vinyl packages and star treatment, I haven’t heard anything about The Wall’s fortieth. It would be a shame if the album passed by without much fuss and celebration. I know the diehard Pink Floyd fans will gravitate towards other albums, but The Wall is an important work that is this fantastic Rock opera – do they even have albums like this anymore?! Rather than string together disconnected songs or explore a few different themes, The Wall has this arc and story – I shall explore that more in a bit.

I would encourage people to buy The Wall on vinyl as it is pretty reasonable in price and is a fantastic listen! If The Wall, to some, is a minor accomplishment, one cannot argue with its success and sales. It topped the U.S. charts for fifteen weeks and hit the top-three here. Some critics at the time viewed The Wall as this pretentious and odd album that was hard to love and overblown but, in years that followed, the evaluation perspective has shifted. Few bands (apart from The Who) have released Rock opera albums, so one can understand critics who were a bit miffed and taken aback. The Wall is a very different album to Wish You Were Here, which was released only four years before The Wall. During Pink Floyd’s In the Flesh tour, bass player Roger Waters conceived the idea for The Wall. Produced by Bob Ezrin, tensions were quite high in the Pink Floyd camp for various reasons. There were financial and personal issues, so that often bled into the studio. It is an unenviable task for a producer to not only alleviate stress but help craft a solid and successful album. Long-time keyboardist Richard Wright was fired during recording and that was a huge moment for the band. The Wall arrived at a time when Pink Floyd were starting to dislike stadium touring. The fact so many people, rows back, could not hear anything and there was often trouble.

Waters, the most dissatisfied member of the band at the time, spoke with producer Bob Ezrin and his psychiatrist friends about the trouble he and the band were experiencing. The suggestion was to build this invisible wall between the stage and the audience; try and remain detached from what is happening. Whilst other members of the band were away doing other things – David Gilmour was recording a solo album -, Waters started work on the album. An incident at a concert where Waters and the band were spat at provoked the concepts that appear on The Wall. In this article, Classic Album Sundays explain The Wall’s genesis:

“While Dave Gilmour and Richard Wright went off to France to record solo albums and Nick Mason sat in the producer’s seat for Steve Hillage, Waters began writing storylines and ideas for two different albums, one of which featured a character named Pink who was somewhat based upon his own life. Like Waters, Pink is left with feelings of abandonment caused by the death of his father in World War II. He is traumatised by his dealings with authority figures such as an over-protective mother and abusive schoolteachers and in the ultimate act of defiance, becomes a rock star. The dark side of public celebrity and success rears its ugly head and Pink succumbs to drug use and infidelity and even has hallucinations of being a violent fascist.

Perhaps the remaining Floyd members were unsurprised by Waters’ dictatorial fantasies. During the recording of ‘The Wall’ inter-band relations reached new lows and producer Bob Ezrin was brought in to help smooth the collaboration. Waters was also believed Wright wasn’t pulling his weight and eventually kicked the keyboardist out of the band when Wright refused to cut short a family holiday to return to the studio in order to finish the album for a Christmas release. However, Wright had the last laugh as he did perform on The Wall tour as a salaried musician and made more money than the proper band members who had to subsidise the hefty production costs”.

It is unfortunate that an album as epic and important as The Wall is only fully appreciated years after its release. There is no doubt that the 1970s was the most productive and inspired period for Pink Floyd; the quality dipped as they headed into the 1980s. If some fans prefer the slimmer and more focused sides of Pink Floyd, there are plenty who love the sweep and scope of The Wall. There were some positive reviews back in 1979, though a lot of the praise has come more recently; critics judging the album much further down the line. With tracks such as Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 and Comfortably Numb in the running order, The Wall still sounds incredible to this day. This is AllMusic’s take on one of the 1970s’ best albums:

“The Wall was Roger Waters' crowning accomplishment in Pink Floyd. It documented the rise and fall of a rock star (named Pink Floyd), based on Waters' own experiences and the tendencies he'd observed in people around him. By then, the bassist had firm control of the group's direction, working mostly alongside David Gilmour and bringing in producer Bob Ezrin as an outside collaborator. Drummer Nick Mason was barely involved, while keyboardist Rick Wright seemed to be completely out of the picture.

 Still, The Wall was a mighty, sprawling affair, featuring 26 songs with vocals: nearly as many as all previous Floyd albums combined. The story revolves around the fictional Pink Floyd's isolation behind a psychological wall. The wall grows as various parts of his life spin out of control, and he grows incapable of dealing with his neuroses. The album opens by welcoming the unwitting listener to Floyd's show ("In the Flesh?"), then turns back to childhood memories of his father's death in World War II ("Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 1"), his mother's over protectiveness ("Mother"), and his fascination with and fear of sex ("Young Lust"). By the time "Goodbye Cruel World" closes the first disc, the wall is built and Pink is trapped in the midst of a mental breakdown. On disc two, the gentle acoustic phrasings of "Is There Anybody Out There?" and the lilting orchestrations of "Nobody Home" reinforce Floyd's feeling of isolation. When his record company uses drugs to coax him to perform ("Comfortably Numb"), his onstage persona is transformed into a homophobic, race-baiting fascist ("In the Flesh"). In "The Trial," he mentally prosecutes himself, and the wall comes tumbling down. This ambitious concept album was an across-the-board smash, topping the Billboard album chart for 15 weeks in 1980. The single "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2" was the country's best-seller for four weeks. The Wall spawned an elaborate stage show (so elaborate, in fact, that the band was able to bring it to only a few cities) and a full-length film. It also marked the last time Waters and Gilmour would work together as equal partners”.

One would only except something theatrical or filmic to follow an album like The Wall! I get the sense that bands like Pink Floyd imagine how The Wall will look on screen or the stage. The film adaptation was released in 1982, written by Waters with direction by Alan Parker and, oddly, Bob Geldof assuming the role of the album’s hero, Pink. With little in the way of conventional dialogue and this mixture of animation and live action, Pink Floyd – The Wall is not the most accessible film, though it did pick up a lot of positive press. The Wall is an album where you need several sittings just to taker it all in. Certain songs have so much detail and weight, that you find yourself pouring over them in a way you wouldn’t with a more Pop-based song. Although there hasn’t been any revision or fresh adaptation of the album for a while, I think it is a work that is constantly appealing – I would not be shocked to see a new musical or film in years to come. There is always talk of Pink Floyd reunion and, as Glastonbury is announcing its headliners, many people are (wishfully) hoping Pink Floyd take to the stage, partly so they can see some of The Wall’s monster songs brought to life. Even though this generation are unlikely to feel the grandeur and grip of The Wall on the stage from the band who created it, the original album is a treasure that, at forty, still sound out of this world.

I want to bring in one more review before I wrap things up here. Sputnik Music had their say when they assessed The Wall in 2005:

“Now, bear in mind that whole books could be written about this album. It's no exaggeration to say that The Trial alone could have long chapters written on it. According to Roger Waters, the trial takes place inside Pink's mind, with the witnesses called against him including a teacher, Pink's mother, and his ex-wife. Musically, the song's phenomenal. Teetering on the brink of insanity throughout, with orchestral effects being in place throughout, the arrival of the judge, thundering in with his judgment, of the wall being torn down, seems to lead the song into even further insanity, with the band losing structure, while a crowd chants "tear down the wall", before we hear exactly that: a wall falling down in the background. Bear in mind that I don't think there's any way of describing this song in print, but honestly, this is one of the outright strangest songs I've ever heard. Finally, Outside The Wall leaves the concept of the album, although Waters has never really explained the song, but it offers a message of hope, saying that those who really love you will do whatever it takes to blast their way through people's individual walls, as happened with Roger Waters. In other words, although people will build walls around themselves, they can all be knocked down, making the final message of the album one of hope: that although life is cyclical, it's not all dreadful.

If you've read this far, apologies for making this so long. I'm well aware that I've focused a lot on the concept of the album, perhaps at the cost of not mentioning the music as much, but I think the concept behind these songs is as important as the music itself, since the concept is so detailed. If you need any reassuring about the music, it's generally brilliant, although there are moments, particularly in the second half of disc 1, where the fragmented nature of some songs starts to grate, and the music gets repetitive. This was the last great album by Pink Floyd, and any fan of the band should own a copy , as it displays the band's most remarkable album, and one that contains all the hallmarks that made them great; ethereal, haunting at times, uplifting at others music, lyrical genius, and instrumental work, particularly from Dave Gilmour, that makes the ideas reality. The band's best album? Probably not. However, there's a definite case for saying that it may be the one that people are most interested in, and with very good reason. Although some people will disagree, this gets 5/5 from me”.

I am going to get a copy of The Wall on vinyl because, to me, an album truly reveals itself on that format. Maybe it does not hold the same acclaim and reputation as The Dark Side of the Moon, but The Wall is a classic and an album that was overlooked by some back in 1979. I have not published a feature about The Clash’s London Calling, which also arrived in 1979. There was a lot of genius music being released mere days before the 1980s began. The wonder and legacy of The Wall proves that the 1970s was…

ONE truly awesome decade for music.

FEATURE: “Rock Stars. Is There Anything They DON'T Know?” The Simpsons at Thirty: The Very Best Music Guests

FEATURE:

 

“Rock Stars. Is There Anything They DON’T Know?”

IMAGE CREDIT: FOX 

The Simpsons at Thirty: The Very Best Music Guests

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ALTHOUGH the actual beginning of The Simpsons…

happened back in 1987 when they debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show on 19th April, the first full-length episode went out on 17th December, 1989 - it was a Christmas episode called Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire and saw the introduction of the family’s dog, Santa’s Little Helper). Nearly seven-hundred episodes have been made in thirty years. It is hard to believe a show that started its life as an interstitial back in 1987 – and looked cruder than it does now – would not only be commissioned as a full series, but it has lasted for so long and captured the hearts of millions. The animated show is part of the lexicon and it is precious to us all. I am not sure whether I saw the debut episode on 17th December, 1989 because, as a six-year-old, I was probably watching something else. I do know that I caught so much of the golden era (from about 1991-1998) as a child and, having consumed most of the episodes, The Simpsons never fails to make me laugh. We all have out favourite moments and episodes (mine is Lisa the Vegetarian from Season Seven); we all can cherish and admire the first episode, Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, because it is so warm, classic and charming. Not only has The Simpsons made us laugh and come together for the past thirty years; music is a huge part of its appeal! I have already written about the show’s musical core and how it mixes original songs with music guests. Creator Matt Groening could not have imagined that these beloved characters he imagined all these years ago would converse and sit alongside legends such as George Harrison (he appeared in the episode, Homer's Barbershop Quartet, which parodied The Beatles during their Let It Be phase), Johnny Cash and James Taylor. Sometimes the guests are integrated into a story, and sometimes they are more on the periphery. From episodes heavy with music guests (Homerpalooza in Season Seven) to those where there is just a single artist playing a bigger role (Lady Gaga in Season Twenty-Three’s Lisa Goes Gaga), The Simpsons has created some truly huge musical highlights. To mark the upcoming thirtieth anniversary of the longest-running American sitcom, I have collected together the best musical guests as The Simpsons prepares to enter…

IMAGE CREDIT: FOX

ITS fifth decade!

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Johnny Cash

Episode Name: El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)                      

Air Date: 5th January, 1997

Season Number: 8

Show Writer: Ken Keeler

Why It’s Awesome: Rather than merely playing himself, the legendary Johnny Cash appears as a talking coyote after Homer hallucinates, having eaten a mega-hot chilli at a local cook-off. It is strange hearing the deep voice of Cash emerge from a coyote but, not only does Cash provide great comedy; he has touching words for Homer who wonders whether Marge is his soulmate. Homer is sort of on a mission to find truth and, when talking with this spirit guide, he wonders whether Marge is actually his soulmate. El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer) is a masterpiece of direction and animation; it is beautifully written and Johnny Cash is a rare example where a well-known musician plays a character rather than themselves – the biggest strength of this episode and appearance.

Spinal Tap

Episode Name: The Otto Show

Air Date: 23rd April, 1992

Season Number: 3

Show Writer: Jeff Martin

Why It’s Awesome: As one of the members of the fictional band Spinal Tap, Harry Shearer not only voices band member Derek Smalls but a host of other characters. In this Season Three episode, Bart decides that he wants to become a Rock star after attending a Spinal Tap concert, so Homer and Marge buy him a guitar. He shows the guitar to Otto the bus driver, who plays it and consequently makes the children late for school. Otto crashes the school bus and is suspended until he can get his license back. Bart then invites him to move in with the Simpson family. Although the cameo from Spinal Tap (Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and Christopher Guest) is brief, they are perfectly transported into The Simpsons’ universe; playing a disastrous gig at an ice rink and crashing their bus. I think the Spinal Tap appearance is one of the most inspired in the history of The Simpsons, as the members bring so much to the plate in such a short space. 

Bette Midler

Episode Name: Krusty Gets Kancelled

Air Date: 13th May, 1993

Season Number: 4

Show Writer: John Swartzwelder

Why It’s Awesome: With a script written by the legendary John Swartzwelder – who wrote fifty-nine episodes of the show before his retirement; more than anyone else -, any musician who appeared on Krusty Gets Kancelled would be funny and given a perfect script! In an episode where Krusty the Clown has his show cancelled and struggles to get back on his feet, Bart and Lisa round up a host of big names for a Krusty special. With so many legends on the one show, Krusty is soon back in the public’s good books. Not only does Barry White and The Red Hot Chili Peppers appear; Bette Midler duets Wind Beneath My Wings with Krusty in an emotional moment. Again, she has a brief appearance but is effortlessly funny as Bart and Lisa find her hiking by the roadside. As Midler spikes trash, a driver, Snake/Jailbird, throws a can out of the window and Midler, incensed and determined, runs after the car; she clings onto the side and tosses the can into the car, which then explodes into a mountain (as the car’s passenger curses her name before his and Snake’s demise) – the perfect example of The Simpsons’ absurd-yet-memorable comedy. 

Paul and Linda McCartney

 IN THIS PHOTO: Paul and Linda McCartney in 1967/PHOTO CREDIT: John Pratt/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Episode Name: Lisa the Vegetarian

Air Date: 15th October, 1995

Season Number: 7

Show Writer: David S. Cohen

Why It’s Awesome: To me, Lisa the Vegetarian is the funniest episode of The Simpsons ever written. It is almost perfect beat for beat; that great mixture of heart, emotion and laugh-out-loud genius. This episode finds Lisa horrified at the thought of eating meat (the scene of Homer unsuccessfully trying to ignore Lisa the breakfast table is the funniest scene ever written!) and, after rebelling against a barbecue hosted by Homer, the two get into a fight and Lisa flees the family home. She sees everyone eating meat and feels she cannot avoid. She then does to the Kwik-E-Mart and eats a hotdog. Apu explains that the hotdog is meat-free and that he is a vegetarian. Letting Lisa into a secret, he brings her up to a roof garden where Paul and Linda McCartney are there chilling. It is wonderful hearing a rare T.V. voice-over from Linda McCartney (who, sadly, was diagnosed with breast cancer the same year Lisa the Vegetarian came out (1995) and died three years later) and she and Paul are wonderful. It is a beautiful little moment right at the end of this episode where we almost hear a new Beatles song – it is a tease as Apu sings an off-kilter and tuneless version of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The McCartneys agreed to be on the show as long as Lisa remainder of the show’s run – a promise The Simpsons has kept! As Homer says to Lisa when they are reunited in a sweet moment: “Rock stars. Is there anything they don’t know?!”.

James Taylor

Episode Name: Deep Space Homer

Air Date: 24th February, 1994

Season Number: 5

Show Writer: David Mirkin

Why It’s Awesome: In their fifth season, The Simpsons produced one of their most ambitious episodes. NASA, bored and miffed by the usual space missions decided to recruit some Average Joes for their next launch. Homer is chosen to go up into space – Barney Gumble was the first choice but, somehow, gets inebriated after drinking non-alcoholic champagne -, and is accompanied by a couple of professional astronauts. Homer smuggles a bag of crisps aboard the shuttle and opens it upon reaching space. Because of the weightlessness in space, the chips disperse and clog the instruments. While eating them, Homer breaks an ant farm and the ants destroy the navigation system; the images of ants floating in space looks huge on camera as they are filmed (Kent Brockman: “And I for one welcome our new insect overlords”); it seems bleak for the mission and all looks doomed. To help calm the spirits of the astronauts, James Taylor is drafted in to play some calming tunes. Instead of playing You’ve Got a Friend, he launches into a rendition of Fire and Rain, modifying it for the purposes of a space launch. His lyrics get very bleak and doom-laden and, thinking on his feet, he changes them to be a little less drastic. When it looks like things are getting even worse aboard the shuttle, Taylor drops his acoustic guitar and scarpers. Taylor is fantastically memorable and Deep Space Homer sports a wonderful blend of music and comedy in one of The Simpsons’ best-ever episodes.

Aerosmith

IN THIS PHOTO: Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith in Los Angeles in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Norman Seeff

Episode Name: Flaming Moe’s

Air Date: 21st November, 1991

Season Number: 3

Show Writer: Robert Cohen

Why It’s Awesome: Homer creates a new elixir, a Flaming Homer, after he spends an evening watching slides from Marge’s sisters, Patty and Selma. There is no beer in the fridge, so he puts together random ingredients he finds at home. It lacks a certain kick but soon gets a kick after an errant bit of ash from a cigarette lights up the drink. Having this accidental wonder-drink of his hands, he mentions it to bartender Moe, whose business is struggling. Moe knows that this drink will make him massive money, so he steals it from Homer and Moe’s Tavern is soon this must-visit joint frequented by celebrities and the coolest people around. Among those who drop by are Aerosmith. They sing their hit, Walk This Way, and invite Moe to sing with them. Moe’s success is ruined when a maddened Homer stands on the roof of the bar and reveals the secret ingredient of the new Flaming Moe drink: cough syrup. Now that everyone knows all the components – a businessman made Moe a deal to buy the drink and, when Moe refused, the businessman sent the drink to a lab where they identified all the ingredients bar the cough syrup – we get the Flaming Moe sold all around Springfield. Moe is then ruined and has to go back to his former life as a humble bartender. Homer makes peace and asks whether Aerosmith will be back; “I doubt it” is Moe’s response.

Ramones

IN THIS PHOTO: The Ramones in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 

Episode Name: Rosebud

Air Date: 21st October, 1993

Season Number: 5

Show Writer: John Swartzwelder 

Why It’s Awesome: Rosebud is another John Swartzwelder-penned classic where the ruthless billionaire C. Montgomery Burns loses his childhood teddy bear, Bobo. It was lost when Burns was a child and, through the course of events, finds its way into a bag of ice Bart buys at the Kwik-E-Mart. Burns offers a huge reward for Bobo’s return and, as Maggie bonds with the bear, Burns and Waylon Smithers arrive at The Simpsons’ home, hoping to entice Homer with riches if Burns can have the bear back – Homer wants a million dollars and three Hawaiian islands (“Good ones, not the leper ones”). In the end, Burns is reunited with the bear. The Ramones come into the episode right near the start. They are asked to perform at Mr. Burns’ birthday and sing a Punk-fueled version of Happy Birthday that ends with the words “Go to hell, you old bastard!”. Burns asks Smithers to have The Rolling Stones killed, but Smithers is disrupted before he can correct Burns. Homer is asked to perform stand-up at the birthday event and insults his boss during his ill-advised routine, so security guards race in and attack Homer, giving him a bumped head – leading to Marge asking Bart to buy some ice where Bobo is found. The Ramones are in the episode briefly, but their fired-up and funny re-imagining of Happy Birthday is perfect and fits into the rest of the episode seamlessly. 

Elvis Costello/Lenny Kravitz/Mick Jagger/Tom Petty/Keith Richards/Brian Setzer

IN THIS PHOTO: Lenny Kravitz/PHOTO CREDIT: Mathieu Bitton 

Episode Name: How I Spent My Strummer Vacation

Air Date: 10th November, 2002

Season Number: 14

Show Writer: Mike Scully  

Why It’s Awesome: This is a rare case of one of the later episodes of The Simpsons providing some musical guest gold. Whilst most of the best musical appearances happened between seasons three and six, this Season Fourteen bonanza finds a perfect excuse for some of music’s biggest names to enter The Simpsons. Homer is feeling overworked and underappreciated and is given a gift by the family: a chance to fulfill his dreams and be a Rock star at a summer camp run by musicians such as Mick Jagger and Tom Petty. It is hard cramming in a load of ARTISTS into an episode and making things feel natural and plot-driven. There was a less successful attempt on Homerpalooza; a Season Seven episode where Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill (among others) appeared at the Hullabalooza music festival – long story short: Homer finds out he can absorb cannonballs to the gut without much pain and tours the country with Rock stars. How I Spent My Strummer Vacation has a better plot and allows other characters from The Simpsons’ universe – like Chief Wiggum and Otto – to interact with these star musicians; the artists have more lines and show better acting chops compared to the guests on Homerpalooza. It is hard to pick a standout scene/line featuring How I Spent My Strummer Vacation’s guests, but one of the best moments happens when Elvis Costello is handing out instruments and Homer et al want guitars. Costello says not everyone can have guitars, but he suggests they have bass guitars instead. Met with groans, Homer steps into the hut and grabs guitars. He bats away Costello’s glasses, who delivers the immortal reaction: “My image!”.

Lady Gaga

 PHOTO CREDIT: HAUS LABORATORIES

Episode Name: Lisa Goes Gaga

Air Date: 20th May, 2012

Season Number: 23

Show Writer: Tim Long

Why It’s Awesome: It is not uncommon to see major Pop stars appear on The Simpsons (Britney Spears did on The Mansion Family in Season Eleven), but few are given as much airtime as Lady Gaga, someone who was near the peak of her popularity when she appeared on a Simpsons episode that aired in 2012. In Lisa Goes Gaga, Lady Gaga makes a visit to Springfield, where the residents are in a state of depression. Lisa Simpson is arguably the most depressed person in the city, prompting Gaga to go out of her way to teach Lisa the meaning of happiness. What could have been a throwaway and corny episode is lifted by Lady Gaga’s cameo. She not only brings her vocal power, but her performance has sweetness, humour and some great lines. It is no surprise Lady Gaga shone as an actor in the episode as she was nominated for an Oscar this year for her role in A Star Is Born (alongside Bradley Cooper).

U2

 IN THIS PHOTO: U2 shot in Dublin in 1998/PHOTO CREDIT: Colm Henry

Episode Name: Trash of the Titans

Air Date: 26th May, 1998

Season Number: 9

Show Writer: Tim Long

Why It’s Awesome: In another big band role, U2 are given a lot of airtime but manage to contribute some nuggets. In Trash of the Titans, Homer is elected as Sanitation Commissioner. He beats out the current Commissioner, Ray Patterson (voiced by Steve Martin). Homer is frustrated by the local garbage collection and wants to improve the service. As Commissioner, he makes a lot of crazy promises and struggles to improve things. In an effort to get rid of trash quicker, he hires a firm to dump it all in a landfill, which causes big issues; Homer is disposed from his role. U2 appear in a musical number (The Candy Man is reworked as The Garbage Man) with their arses hanging out in Moe’s Tavern; Homer interrupts their PopMart Tour, leading to security beating him up. Even though Homer crashes their gig, Bono steps up and backs Homer’s plea for understanding and environmental consciousness, leading his bandmates to roll their eyes and sneak off for a pint. It is a self-deprecating and classic appearance from a band that has a big reputation but are not afraid to take the piss out of themselves. Not only does Trash of the Titans pack in the funnies; it also has an important environmental message which sounds more urgent now than it did back in 1998. As Bono said when calming a booing crowd after Homer spoils the gig: “Hold on, people! The man's talking about waste management. That affects the whole damn planet!”.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Episode Name: Krusty Gets Kancelled

Air Date: 13th May, 1993

Season Number: 4

Show Writer: John Swartzwelder

Why It’s Awesome: It may seem like a cheat to include two artists/groups from the same episode in this list. Unlike How I Spent My Strummer Vacation, Krusty Gets Cancelled allows its guests more time to step into the spotlight. Although Barry White and Luke Perry are great in the episode, I really like the turns from Bette Midler and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Two years after they released the masterful Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared in this 1993 episode. Like Bette Midler in the same episode, Red Hot Chili Peppers are game and up for a laugh. They are asked to perform on the Krusty comeback show and are asked to tone down the lyrics of their song – especially the line, “What I've got, you've got to get it put it in you”. Some artists can struggle to adapt to animation and voice over acting, but the Red Hot Chili Peppers are natural and provided one of the best musical cameos in The Simpsons’ history – and I am sure we will see many other wonderful musician appearances as the show looks forward to its thirtieth birthday next month.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Ten: Sharon Van Etten

FEATURE:

 

Modern Heroines

PHOTO CREDIT: Jody Rogac for The New York Times

Part Ten: Sharon Van Etten

___________

TAKING this feature into double-digits…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ryan Pfluger

is the amazing Sharon Van Etten. I have included her because, for a start, her music is among the very best around and, also, the fact Remind Me Tomorrow, her latest album, is one of 2019’s most stunning. I have been a follower of Van Etten’s for a little while, but I think she has hit top form this year. I also believe she will be considered an icon of the future and, at this moment, is one of the most inspiring artists in all of music. Born in New Jersey in 1981, Van Etten caught the musical bug when she attended North Hunterdon High School, where she participated in stage musicals. After a brief period at college, Van Etten had a few jobs – including a coffee shop-cum-record store – and moved back to New Jersey (from Tennessee) in 2004. Her move to New York happened in 2005 and, four years later, she released her debut album. A decade before she gave the world Remind Me Tomorrow, (It Was) Because I Was in Love arrived into the world. Perhaps a little more minimal than her later work, Van Etten’s debut puts her voice and guitar at the fore; there is a little bit of organ and harmonies but, for the most part, it is naked and incredibly compelling songwriting. (It Was) Because I Was in Love, as the title suggests, is very personal and, as this review from Drowned in Sound highlights, one could almost be listening to Van Etten’s diary entries:

“Lyrically, the album feels very much like a journal. That production we’ve spoke about only serves to shine a spotlight on that further. Creating that intimacy works wonders in terms of fitting with what are equally intimate lyrics. Take ‘Tornado’, a song that sounds exhausted and confessionary. She sings “I’m a tornado, you are the dust, you’re all around and you’re inside” in what is one of the strongest tracks from the record. That level of uncertainty the rears on ‘Much More Than That’ again as she closes with “I sigh and then I frown, I write this moment down, but I cannot paint pictures with my tongue.” As an audience, we relate how she feels about her own ability, but crucially, she actually can paint pictures with her tongue.

One thing the record does, that would return on later records, is showcase her knack for crafting vocal melodies that feel entirely original. She seemingly breaths and sighs her way through tracks, with layered vocals lending a sense of the haunted. But more importantly, the way she twists those vocals, seen most pertinently on the chorus of ‘I’m Giving Up On You’, makes everything sound uniquely her creation.

While the parenthesis-enhanced (It Was) Because I Was In Love may have been reissued, remastered and re-released as a bit of housekeeping, it actually stands to me as her most affecting material. It’s imperfect, indecisive, sometimes lacks real direction and is gorgeously raw. There’s certainly nothing anywhere near as anthemic as ‘Even When The Sun Comes Up Her’ and later material, particularly Are We There, is far more fleshed out. But here we get the most incisive look into the soul of Sharon van Etten and that’s hard to replicate.

If her debut was a glimpse of future brilliance, the honesty and emotion of (It Was) Because I Was in Love is stunning. A lot of artists take a little while to follow their debut album, but Sharon Van Etten brought Epic out in 2010 – just a year from her introduction. That suggests a determination and a creative flow; an urgency that can be heard in the album. Recorded and mixed in only eleven days with producer Brian McTear, Epic is a bit of a step up for Van Etten. Whilst the arrangements are still fairly minimal, she brought the likes of Cat Martino and David Hartley into the fold; there is a greater sense of depth and variety.

Epic’s title might be a slight exaggeration but, actually, there are some genuinely unexpected and big moments on the album. The 2010s has provided a lot of intriguing and wonderful albums, and I think Epic is one that is underrated and warrants greater inspection. Indeed, the critical response to Epic was positive. Relatively new on the scene, Sharon Van Etten was stilling finding her true voice but, even on album number-two, there were flashes of the genius that would be heard on Remind Me Tomorrow. In this review, James Skinner talks about Epic’s many strengths:

“Oddly, it’s the more straightforward songs here that take the most perseverance. Perhaps it’s the anger and bitterness imbuing the aforementioned that can’t help but render them more compelling than, for example, the loping country gait of ‘One Day’ or ‘Save Yourself’, or perhaps it’s just how refreshing it is to hear Van Etten fashion her songs into something as sprawling and otherworldly as her debut LP hinted at. Yet these tunes complement the others well, and carried by Van Etten’s husky, expressive pipes (I don’t think I’ve quite communicated how pretty her voice is; the word eludes me and ‘pretty’ just seems woefully inadequate), they offer lightness and balance, despite being rooted in the same dark places the album has been conjured from (think how Wilco offset the discord present on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot with songs like ‘Kamera’ and ‘Heavy Metal Drummer’).

Tipping just over the 30-minute mark, Epic is a beautifully formed, sonically engaging work. Entering on a note of self-reprimand (just hearing Van Etten squeeze all the first words of ‘A Crime’ into one breath is affecting in itself) and making its exit with the transcendent ‘Love More’, it plays like a celebration and cautionary tale simultaneously, offering warmth even as she rues the decisions she’s made. As with The Antlers’ Hospice last year (where she sang backing vocals), the result is something universal: heavy, sure, but eminently listenable, and awash with memorable lines, songs, emotion”.

Having put out two albums in as many years, there was not long to wait until the third album arrived. Growing in confidence and scope, Tramp took Van Etten up another step. Released in February 2012, Tramp found Van Etten, again, bring in collaborators – including Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner and The National’s Aaron Dessner (who also produced the album with Van Etten). Recorded in New York and sporting a cover that features a close-up of Van Etten’s face in monochrome, one might think Tramp is quite a straightforward and raw album. Conversely, Tramp is a record with many different moods and sounds. With each album, Van Etten was pushing her craft and becoming more confident as a songwriter. Few could have heard Tramp and not been moved and impressed. It is a stunning album, and I think the choice of Aaron Dessner as producer is a wise move; one that results in (to that point) Van Etten’s best work.

As this NME review show, there was a bond and mutual respect between Van Etten and Dessner; the songs on Tramp are hugely impressive and varied:

“…Thankfully, no-one agreed – particularly Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner, who covered ‘Love More’ from ‘Epic’ at a festival. A series of emails between Sharon and Aaron ensued, and he offered to produce her next album, ‘Tramp’. Her face looms from the cover in monochrome, in homage to John Cale’s 1974 album ‘Fear’. Whereas that often signifies a hackneyed attempt at fresh starts, Van Etten avoids obvious cliché.

The perspectives on the soaring, steely ‘Warsaw’ and mandolin brightness of ‘Leonard’ are conflicted between desire and trust. The triumphant ‘All I Can’ crests on a country-indebted vocal, while she’s spiteful on the tense, artillery-drummed ‘Serpents’, hissing, “You enjoy… sssucking on dreams/So I will fall asleep with someone other than you”. The sadness returns on ‘In Line’, a heartbreakingly sombre, heavy meditation where she confesses, “When you were on my side/The world was shitty then”, but as she repeatedly cries “in line”, the intensity of her voice breaks free of rank and restraint.

In recent years, it has been a joy to see Van Etten growing in confidence as an artist – and this isn’t just her finest album, but one of early 2012’s best. She won’t remain under the radar much longer”.

I have not brought any interviews in to this point, as I wanted to focus more on the music and reviews; how critics reacted to Van Etten’s work and how she developed between albums. I have heard and read many interviews from Sharon Van Etten, and she is among the most engaging and interesting artists you care to name. From slightly humble beginnings, over the space of a few years, Van Etten had established her name and was recording with a host of different musicians. I think it was around the time of Tramp’s arrival that I started to catch on to Van Etten’s music. I had not really heard a songwriter so, presented with an album like Tramp opened my eyes. There are some really interesting interview from 2012, but I wanted to bring in one from The Quietus, who had followed Van Etten’s career from the start and caught up with her in 2012. They remarked on the collaborative nature of her work and how musicians sort of warm to her naturally: 

 “When we spoke in 2009, your career seemed like a series of lucky breaks and serendipitous encounters – and it's kept going that way. You've built up this amazing network of connections with so many musicians: Kyp Malone, Espers, The Antlers, The National, Beirut, The Walkmen, Bon Iver...

Sharon Van Etten: I know, I know. [giggles] It's a trip. I can't even explain it to you. I don't know how it's happened. I don't know how long my music will last or how long people will like it but I'll just keep doing it as long as they listen.

But aside from the music, there's obviously some quality of your personality that people warm to. They tend to take you under their wing. I remember Eric from Great Lake Swimmers saying you were like a little sister to him on tour.

SVE: I feel like I have a lot of older brothers in the world, looking out for me. Do you know the radio station WFMU? There's this DJ there, Jeffrey Davison, who has a show called 'Shrunken Planet'. He was one of the first people to play my music on the radio. We became friends and he invites me over to his house to have dinner with him and his wife, and he plays me records he feels will inspire me. Right before I left for tour – and this is a man in his fifties – he said, "I don't know what it is about you, but everyone just wants to take care of you." I've no idea what it is either but it's nice to know I have them looking out for me”.

There was a five-year gap between Are We There and Remind Me Tomorrow but, in 2014, Van Etten released her fourth album in 2014. It is impressive to think Van Etten released four albums in five years. It is testament to her productivity, drive and popularity. If there is a major difference between her first few albums and Are We There, maybe it is a lighter edge. There is a lot of emotion and darkness through the album, yet there is this sense of hope; some brighter edges and a sense of evolution.

Apart from Remind Me Tomorrow, I think Are We There is my favourite Sharon Van Etten album. It went down a storm with critics and contained some of Van Etten’s best work. The range of moods and sounds on Are We There is astonishing. It is hard to pick a standout track but, in my view, Every Time the Sun Comes Up is the key cut – a wonderful way to end the album. I am going to end with a look at this year’s Remind Me Tomorrow and a couple of reviews/interviews. Whilst Remind Me Tomorrow is Van Etten at her most extraordinary, I really love Are We There. In their review, AllMusic were eager to show some love:

“Are We There's 11 selections also mine her harrowed heart for inspiration, be it the slow-burning portrait of a toxic love/hate romance in "Your Love Is Killing Me" or the obsessed fixation on an absent lover in "Break Me." While there's still a fair amount of heartbreak and pain in the subject matter of the songs, the folky strums and indie rock clatter of Tramp and earlier records have been expanded upon with more inventive musical approaches, leaving the album feeling much brighter, even in its darkest moments. "Taking Chances" is guided by an unexpectedly slinking bassline and minimal drum machine clicks, Van Etten's voice melting like honey over their laid-back foundations before introducing rawkus guitars on the chorus.

Similar instrumentation shows up on "Our Love," a steady drum machine and lonely organ drone setting the stage for the brilliantly arranged multi-tracked harmonies and an indie take on the sophisticated tones of '80s quiet storm R&B. Even when tending toward more familiar rock sounds, the arrangements on Are We There are more considered, colorful, and ornate than ever before. Where previous albums felt a little too anchored to Van Etten's samey guitar changes, here tracks like "Tarifa" explode with sure-footed horn sections, nostalgic Hammond organ, and spirals of anthemic vocal harmonies. Quieter songs like "I Know" and "I Love You But I'm Lost" are driven by piano, leaving lots of space for the vocals to soar, while the cinematic textures and haunted guitar twang of "You Know Me Well" could almost draw comparisons to Lana Del Rey in her more Twin Peaks moments.

The more inventive arrangements and advances in songwriting are an undeniable step forward for Van Etten. While still immersed in songs of emotional ravagement and betrayal, the confidence of her performances and spectrum of sounds represented here suggest a complete graduation from troubled, uncertain roots into a place where she can deliver her songs with a powerful, borderless command”.

The fifth studio album, Remind Me Tomorrow, is sure to be among the best of the best when critics select their favourite albums of 2019. It is definitely in my top-ten and, having experienced Van Etten before listening to her latest album, I was blown away by Remind Me Tomorrow. Released by Jajaguwar back in January, Van Etten’s life and situation had changed since 2014. She wrote the album whilst pregnant with her first child and was attending school to get a degree in Psychology.

She made some acting cameos and, by all means, was keeping pretty busy. If some of Van Etten’s early material was a little dark or troubled, Remind Me Tomorrow seems like a more satisfied and comforting album. Perhaps that was Van Etten’s reaction to impending motherhood and new responsibility; perhaps it was a natural development but, whatever the reason, Remind Me Tomorrow is a revelation. I had to listen to the album a few times before it truly sunk in. There are familiar aspects to be found, but Van Etten explores new lyrical and sonic territory on this album. It is another bold and brilliant step from one of the most interesting and striking songwriters in the world. I have said repeatedly this year how women have dominated the roost – Van Etten’s latest album underlines that with aplomb. This is what The Guardian had to say in their review of Remind Me Tomorrow:

“Van Etten is not alone in her decision to stop strumming and shift to electronic instrumentation instead – it feels as if half the rock and indie acts on the planet have made a similar move over the past few years. But the musician never appears to be jumping on a bandwagon. Instead, this new mode simply gives her stock-in-trade – gorgeous, timeless melodies, lyrical introspection and raw, plaintive vocals – a new gloss, one that veers between a buoyant 80s nostalgia and a more sinister sheen. Songs in the former camp include lead single Comeback Kid, which matches its warm portrait of delinquent adolescence with a cantering breakbeat and stuttering synth line; Malibu, a tribute to late 20th-century youth via the medium of a small red car; and the stupendously catchy, Springsteen-esque Seventeen.

Counterbalancing these instantly memorable, flab-free slices of retro cheer are more obtuse atmospherics: Jupiter 4 is a ghostly love song that recalls Suicide; Memorial Day a fug of eerie Americana. Whether Van Etten is brooding on the present or pining for the good old days, however, the general impression remains the same: this ambitious, arresting album feels like the work of an artist wielding her considerable talents with newfound confidence and conviction”.

There is so much personality, life and cinema on Remind Me Tomorrow. Songs such as Seventeen and Comeback Kid are deeply immersive, and you can imagine the Remind Me Tomorrow songs hanging together as a short film or extended piece. There is more musicianship and compositional input on Remind Me Tomorrow compared to her first couple of albums. I think Van Etten’s voice has strengthened and sounds more nuanced. I have listened to Remind Me Tomorrow a few times over and I pick up something new every time. It is a massive record and one that I urge people to get involved with. With every album, Sharon Van Etten picks up even more glowing and passionate reviews. In their assessment, Pitchfork were full of positivity:

“The most traditionally robust songs on Remind Me Tomorrow are about Van Etten as a teenager, usually a time of confidence that is later revealed to be naivety. “Comeback Kid” has a puffed chest and a sense of ragged pride; the standout “Seventeen” exudes the reckless freedom of standing in the sunroof of a moving car and spreading your arms wide.

t mixes despair for her poor decisions, nostalgia for that headstrong girl, and anxiety over what she would make of her now. “I know what you’re gonna be,” Van Etten taunts at full vocal power: “You’ll crumple it up just to see/Afraid that you’ll be just like me!” She gives no indication of who is right: the teenager disgusted at the thought of growing up and joining the straight world, or herself now, wanting to protect that girl who had no idea what difficulties were to come. What do you attempt to hold onto and let go of?

“I don’t know how it ends,” Van Etten sings dreamily on “Stay,” a reverie of rippling piano and bass that addresses the need for reciprocal support and independence between a mother and her child. It sounds like a resolution, or at least her making peace with how to develop trust when everything can slip away so easily, but the arrangement is still anesthetized, unresolved. Having more to live for, hence more to lose, is rarely soothing. But it’s worth the mess”.

It has been a busy year for Van Etten, and I wonder where 2020 will take her. Not only has she performed at Glastonbury, she has been touring extensively and bringing this wonderful album to the people. Even though she is a new mother, that has not prevented Van Etten hitting the road and reaching the people. Remind Me Tomorrow has been met with so much love and airplay. Almost a year after its release, I am still hearing songs from the radio played. It is a masterful recording and one that I am still investigating.

There have been a lot of interviews this year because, of course, there is this terrific album out and Van Etten’s life has changed significantly. I want to bring in a couple before winding down this feature. Back in January, Van Etten spoke with The Guardian and explained how motherhood has changed her:

 “…She nods. “There’s letting someone in for the first time, and acknowledging that’s the person you want to be with the rest of your life. Looking at our child every day and it’s some of our love that we’re eventually going to let roam the world. I feel like every day I’m at my most vulnerable. Even when he’s just hanging out, I swear, I sometimes just spontaneously start crying just looking at him.”

It was motherhood, too, that allowed her to be open to the idea of bringing in a producer rather than controlling every element of the record herself. She chose John Congleton, known for his work with St Vincent, John Grant and Angel Olsen, who lit up when she walked into his studio with a selection of influences that might seem surprising to those steeped in Van Etten’s previous work — Portishead, Suicide, Nick Cave. “I was ready to let go of these songs,” she explains. “I feel a lot of falling in love and settling down and becoming a mother, so much you can’t control, you have to let go. And I feel like the more I let go and trust other people to do the things I need to do, the better off I am and the more I progress as a human being. As soon as I let go, I just feel that I open up as a person.”

These days she doesn’t pick up her notebook as often, but songwriting has come to offer a similar emotional outlet. “When I go sit down and write music, I set up an instrument, and I develop a chord progression and I sing it, and I just hit record and I let it go.” Those early incarnations are often “10-minute meanderings”, which she will set aside to see if they can later be edited down into a song. “And then I’ll put on headphones and I’ll listen to what I was going through,” she says.

After a while she began to realise that as much as it was a source of concern it was also a subject of interest to her: “Why is it that people connect so deeply? And what is it about music? And what is it about communicating that they don’t have it in their lives, but for some reason they can talk to me? Or a song says something that they can’t? It made me realise it’s something I want to figure out, to help people learn how to communicate. So that’s why I took off time to pursue it.”

She has started training as a counsellor at entry level, exploring different kinds of therapy, working out which style suits her best. “I think a big issue for me is whether or not talking about the past is important,” she says. “Because there are different methods where it’s only about the now and only about the future, but I think the past is influential.”

It is impressive hearing Van Etten pledge her time to helping others. So often with musicians we hear about their music and not a lot else. Maybe there is very little chance to give too much what with the demands of music, yet Van Etten is keen to support others. In The Guardian’s interview, it is clear Van Etten can relate to those facing struggles:

She knows she wants to focus on helping young people just leaving home, those who might benefit from therapy – as she did after her parents made it a stipulation of her returning home after her time in Tennessee. “I needed to learn how to communicate what I had been through, and what I was going through, so that could help me navigate what the hell was next. Because I didn’t want medicine, I just wanted to understand. I was getting panic attacks and I was embarrassed about my life.”

There is a lot of detail in Remind Me Tomorrow, but it is a record that rewards your time and attention. I wonder whether Van Etten’s physiological studied, tied with motherhood, took her music in a different direction. We are wrapping up this year and many critics are compiling their list of the best albums so far. Remind Me Tomorrow will surely feature as it comes from an artist who is at the peak of her powers right now.  

If you have not experienced Sharon Van Etten’s music, I suggest you start from the beginning and work your way to Remind Me Tomorrow. In the last interview I want to introduce, Van Etten spoke with DIY about the origins of Remind Me Tomorrow and its themes: 

 “Though named jokingly after the option to postpone a computer update, on a more serious note, Sharon explains that the title of ‘Remind Me Tomorrow’ also comes from the the prioritising of your time that takes place when you figure out what’s important to you. This sense of contemplation over time also runs through the album lyrically, whether from the barking instruction of “don’t look back!” on the chorus of ‘Comeback Kid’ or in the question and then unsure answer of “What is the difference between now and then? I’m not sure” on ‘No-One’s Easy To Love’. ‘Seventeen’ is a look at a younger self (“I see you so uncomfortably alone / I wish I could show you how much you’ve grown”) that asks the questions: what do you hold onto and what do you let go of? And how much of our past is useful or worth remembering in order to live in the present?

It’s a line of thinking Sharon has been mulling over herself over the course of her studies, where she’s currently studying for a degree in psychology and eventually hopes to become a therapist. “There are some therapy styles which focus a lot on the past, some that acknowledge the past but focus on the present and then some which focus on the present whilst making a plan for the future,” she explains.

“I still don’t really know what I would personally want to pursue but I feel like I have a lot of reading to do in that regard, because I’ve learned a lot from experiences that I’ve had in my past but the most progress I’ve had as a human being has been very present and the most anxiety I’ve ever had is by looking too far ahead. Being present is still the centre but I acknowledge the past and I think you have to make peace with it”.

I am sure Sharon Van Etten will be busy through 2020, and there will be festival dates for sure. You can see where she is heading and, if you are nearby, I suggest you go along. It has been a remarkable year for her. Van Etten is a marvellous musicians and songwriter, and someone who inspires so many others. I think her stock will rise even more in years to come and we will come to regard as her iconic. I have included a playlist at the bottom of this feature that collates the finest moments from her career so far. There are so many years ahead of Van Etten; who knows how far she can go! I am going to keep my eyes peeled because, with Sharon Van Etten, the sky’s the limit! Remind Me Tomorrow is the latest release from a global star who has very few equals. When it comes to her and simply stunning music, Sharon Van Etten will go…  

ON and on.

ALL UNCREDITED PHOTOS: Sharon Van Etten

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

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Phoebe Bridgers/PHOTO CREDIT: Molly Matalon for FADER 

An All-Female, Autumn-Ready Playlist (Vol. IX)

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AS we have to go back to work tomorrow…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Ellah Hale

I feel it is time for another round of brilliant female-led sounds. This week’s list is especially full, and I wanted to include as much as I could. It is a busy time for music, with so many terrific artists releasing wonderful music. Things may slow down in the final weeks of the year, but things are pretty hot right now! In this latest playlist, there are sounds from all across the musical map. If you need that extra bit of oomph and kick before returning to work, here is a rundown of tracks that will put you in a better mood. It is going to be a typically autumnal week and, with the darkness and coldness, we need something to put us in a better frame of mind. Because of that, here are songs from some of the best female artists around. Take the songs with you and…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Girl Ray

FEEL the stress melt away.

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

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PHOTO CREDIT: Michelle Arcila

Xenia Rubinos – DIOSA

Frazey Ford – The Kids Are Having None of It

Two People – Dream Steppin’

PHOTO CREDIT: Magda Campagne Photography

Austel – Choke

PHOTO CREDIT: @kourtneykyung

SASAMI – Little Drummer Boy

PHOTO CREDIT: Laura McCluskey

Girl Ray – Just Down the Hall

Arlo Parks – Angel’s Song

Kelsy Karter – Blast Off

PHOTO CREDIT: Lindsay Ellary

Phoebe Bridgers – Georgia Lee

Grace VanderWaal – Poser

PHOTO CREDIT: @Conner.dixon

Calva Louise – Adelante

Elah Hale - Posters

PHOTO CREDIT: Sian Adler/Horizons /Gorwelion

I See Rivers – We Don’t Get More Time

Tinashe – Perfect Crime 

Carlie Hanson – Side Effects

Alicia Keys – Time Machine

GracIe Abrams – Stay

HARLOE – One More Chance

The Japanese House – Chewing Cotton Wool

Nasty Cherry – Music with Your Dad

PHOTO CREDIT: Jessie Morgan Photo

Emily Burns – My Town

Hannah Diamond – Shy 

Maggie Rogers – Love You for a Long Time

Tamzene – You’re with Somebody Now

Misty Mtn – Woah, I’m Older

mimi bay – wyd

Kesha – My Own Dance

PHOTO CREDIT: Pier-Alexandre Gagné

Alexandria Maillot – Someone to Keep You Warm

The Big Moon – Take a Piece

Confidence Man – Does It Make You Feel Good?

Baker Grace – See the Future

Hatchie – Her Own Heart

Soccer Mommy – yellow is the color of her eyes

Freya Beer – Dear Sweet Rosie

FEATURE: December Will Be Magic Again: The Kate Bush Christmas Special at Forty

FEATURE:

 

December Will Be Magic Again

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Alamy 

The Kate Bush Christmas Special at Forty

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IT may sound a bit unfair to call…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during the filming of the 1979 Christmas Special/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

Kate: Kate Bush Christmas Special 1979 a true Christmas special! There are a few reasons why I wanted to cover it. For one, it involves Kate Bush and I never need much of an excuse to include her! Also, on 28th December, it will be forty years since her special show went out on T.V. It was filmed at Pebble Mill Studios, Birmingham and involves Kate Bush performing songs from her first three albums – The Kick Inside (1978), Lionheart (1978) and Never for Ever (1980); she performed songs from Never for Ever months before the album itself went on sale. Peter Gabriel was her special guest for the show and, after her Tour of Life ran from 2nd April – 14th May, 1979, this was the culmination of a very busy and exciting year. I will get into more detail about the Kate: Kate Bush Christmas Special 1979 in a bit but, forty years ago, Kate Bush was in the midst of one of the busiest periods of her life! Just over a year since her debut album was released, she had put out two studio albums and embarked on a very ambitious and extraordinary stage show – one that took her to various nations and was noted for its incredible spectacle and originality. Just a matter of days before the start of the 1980s, Bush was called into action for a T.V. special.

Many notes the fact there is only one Christmas track, December Will Be Magic Again (which was released as a single on 17th November, 1980), but I think it is the sheer delight of the show compensates. Directed by Roy Norton, Bush presented a fascinating set that, like her stage show, saw her assume various guises and perform these incredibly well choreographed songs. The fact of the matter is that, until the Christmas Special, most people had not been able to see Bush perform in this way. She had done T.V. performances and standard interviews but, unless you were in attendance during her Tour of Life run, you wouldn’t have been able to see her produce such an extensive set. Also, her Tour of Life did not have December Will Be Magic Again which, I think, is the standout song from the Christmas Special. Mixing the new (The Wedding List and Violin would appear on 1980’s Never for Ever) and her classic tracks (The Man with the Child in His Eyes and Them Heavy People) with some unexpected inclusions (Ran Tan Waltz). In fact, Ran Tan Waltz was only performed the once; it concerns a young husband is left home holding the baby while the wife is out drinking and philandering. It was released as the B-side of the single, Babooshka, in June 1980. I love the fact that, despite there only being one Christmas number, there is a sense of magic and the festive throughout. It is amazing seeing Bush step into a variety of different situations and portraying various sides of herself. Alongside Peter Gabriel and some familiar faces from the Kate Bush camp, the 1979 Christmas Special is an underrated part of her cannon. There are some big Kate Bush-related anniversaries next year (in September, Never for Ever turns forty; Hounds of Love turns thirty-five), but I think Kate: Kate Bush Christmas Special 1979 is very important.

Not only did it cap off an incredibly busy and successful year for Bush; there is the fact we got to see this upcoming, popular artists in a T.V. special. I know I am a bit premature marking the fortieth anniversary, but I would urge people to watch it as it is full of terrific moments and sensational performances. At the centre of everything is Kate Bush’s vocal and dance brilliance. Not only is it worth investigating the Kate Bush Christmas Special because of the music and sense of theatre; it is also rare to see an artist given their own show. I do wonder why we do not see Christmas specials. At a time when there is virtually no music T.V. – aside from Jools Holland on the BBC -, it would be nice to see an artist, either a popular rising act or an icon, being given that space. Like Bush’s 1979 endeavour, we need not see too many Christmas songs at all. Rather, one would have a unique opportunity to see a popular musician performing a slightly scaled-down version of a live concert. Bush’s T.V. special was fort-four minutes, and I would love to see artists of today perform like Bush did in 1979. I have included a video of Kate: Kate Bush Christmas Special 1979 at the bottom, so you can see the whole thing for yourself and marvel. As we head into the news year, there is talk about what Kate Bush will do next. Five years after her Before the Dawn residency, will she take to the stage very soon? Her previous studio album, 50 Words for Snow, arrived in 2011, so there is a hankering for new material. When it comes to Bush, she needs her time to create and there is never too much rush. Kate: Kate Bush Christmas Special 1979 features drama, a sprinkle of snow and incredible performances. Nearly forty years after its original broadcast, it remains…

MAGIC indeed!

FEATURE: No Need to Ask Me Why: The Beatles: The Singles Collection: The Iconic Band’s Ten Finest U.K. Singles

FEATURE:

 

No Need to Ask Me Why

The Beatles: The Singles Collection: The Iconic Band’s Ten Finest U.K. Singles

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IT seems like there is constant updates and activity…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1963/PHOTO CREDIT: Dezo Hoffmann

when it comes to The Beatles. Not only have we just celebrated fifty years of Abbey Road; there is a new collection out that compile all of their U.K. singles: The Singles Collection is a must for those who adore The Beatles! Twenty-three incredible Beatles singles are lovingly cut to 7”, with great artwork accompanying each – depending on which country is being represented, you get a fantastic cover. It is, essentially, a treasure trove for fans! The Beatles’ official site tells us more:

“We are proud to announce the release of this collectible box set presenting 46 tracks on 23 7-inch vinyl singles, in faithfully reproduced international picture sleeves, accompanied by a 40-page booklet with photos, ephemera, and detailed essays by Beatles historian Kevin Howlett.

These singles, plus an exclusive new double A-side single for the mid-1990s-issued tracks “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” are newly remastered from their original master tapes and cut for vinyl at Abbey Road Studios for a new limited edition boxed set”.

At the time of writing this feature (Friday, 22nd November), I have not purchased the set yet! I am sure that will change because, when it comes to The Beatles, you can never really have too much! Some may claim charging people nearly two-hundred quid for songs one can get on YouTube and Spotify is a bit steep. I agree that the price could have come down a bit, but this is less of a new release and more an artifact and treat that you can pass down the generations.

Few bands have released music as evocative, timeless and gorgeous as The Beatles. In fact, I think their music is finer and stronger than any artist that has ever come. There is something wonderfully moving listening to an early single like Love Me Do (their first) and comparing that with, say, Something – there is only a gap of a few years, but you can see the contrast and difference! With Paul McCartney confirmed for Glastonbury next year as a headliner and Ringo Starr generally being awesome, it is wonderful we have two Beatles in the world who get to see people’s reaction to The Singles Collection. Whether you plan on buying the new stack of Beatles vinyl or are tempted to revisit their singles through streaming services, it is a wonderful way to spend some time. Whilst all twenty-three singles (and their B-sides) are solid and superbly crafted, not all are equal. There is, then, that pressing question when we consider The Beatles’ (U.K.) singles: Which ones are the absolute best?! Everyone has their opinion but, to celebrate The Singles Collection, I have put together, what I think, are the ten best British singles from The Beatles. I am running them chronologically and, as a bit of a bonus, I will also include the B-side. The Beatles will always provoke passion and love so, with their U.K. singles available in this beautiful format, I give you the very best Beatles singles.

IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles, circa 1970

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Love Me Do

Release Date: 5th October, 1962 (U.K.)/27th April, 1964 (U.S.)

Chart Position (U.K.): 17

Album: Please Please Me (1963)

Who Did What:

Paul McCartney: vocals, bass

John Lennon: vocals, harmonica and acoustic rhythm guitar

George Harrison: acoustic rhythm guitar

Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine

Pete Best: drums

Andy White: drums

The Skinny:

“Despite this, McCartney remembers Love Me Do as a joint effort between the two of them, and that it came out of their early songwriting experiments.

Love Me Do was completely co-written. It might have been my original idea but some of them really were 50-50s, and I think that one was. It was just Lennon and McCartney sitting down without either of us having a particularly original idea.

We loved doing it, it was a very interesting thing to try and learn to do, to become songwriters. I think why we eventually got so strong was we wrote so much through our formative period. Love Me Do was our first hit, which ironically is one of the two songs that we control, because when we first signed to EMI they had a publishing company called Ardmore and Beechwood which took the two songs, Love Me Do and PS I Love You, and in doing a deal somewhere along the way we were able to get them back - Paul McCartney (Many Years From Now, Barry Miles)

Although The Beatles started out by performing cover versions, as Lennon and McCartney grew as songwriters they began introducing their own compositions into their live shows.

Introducing our own numbers started round Liverpool and Hamburg. Love Me Do, one of the first ones we wrote, Paul started when he must have been about 15. It was the first one we dared to do of our own. This was quite a traumatic thing because we were doing such great numbers of other people’s, of Ray Charles and [Little] Richard and all of them.

It was quite hard to come in singing Love Me Do. We thought our numbers were a bit wet. But we gradually broke that down and decided to try them - John Lennon (Anthology)

As well as being their debut single, the band also recorded Love Me Do eight times for the BBC. A version from 10 July 1963, recorded for the Pop Go The Beatles programme, is available on Live At The BBC” – The Beatles Bible

B-Side: P.S. I Love You

She Loves You

Release Date: 23rd August, 1963 (U.K.)/16th September, 1963 (U.S.)

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Album: Non-Album Track

Who Did What:

John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar

Paul McCartney: vocals, bass

George Harrison: lead guitar, vocals

Ringo Starr: drums

The Skinny:

“The song was mostly written on 26 June 1963, in a room in the Turk’s Hotel in Newcastle, prior to The Beatles’ second performance at the city’s Majestic Ballroom. A true collaboration between Lennon and McCartney, She Loves You distilled the essence of excitement in their music, and became a defining moment of their early career.

I remember it was Paul’s idea: instead of singing ‘I love you’ again, we’d have a third party. That kind of little detail is apparently in his work now where he will write a story about someone and I’m more inclined to just write about myself - John Lennon, 1980 (All We Are Saying, David Sheff).

McCartney’s original idea was to have a call-and-response song, with him singing the title line and the others answering with “yeah, yeah, yeah”. John Lennon, however, persuaded him otherwise.

John and I wrote She Loves You together. There was a Bobby Rydell song [Forget Him] out at the time and, as often happens, you think of one song when you write another.

We were in a van up in Newcastle. I’d planned an ‘answering song’ where a couple of us would sing ‘She loves you…’ and the other one answers, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ We decided that that was a crummy idea as it was, but at least we then had the idea for a song called She Loves You. So we sat in the hotel bedroom for a few hours and wrote it” - Paul McCartney (Anthology) – The Beatles Bible

B-Side: I’ll Get You

Can’t Buy Me Love

Release Date: 20th March, 1964 (U.K.)/16th March, 1964 (U.S.)

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Album: A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Who Did What:

Paul McCartney: vocals, bass

John Lennon: acoustic rhythm guitar

George Harrison: lead guitar, rhythm guitar

Ringo Starr: drums

Norman Smith: hi-hat

The Skinny:

“Can’t Buy Me Love is my attempt to write a bluesy mode. The idea behind it was that all these material possessions are all very well but they won’t buy me what I really want. It was a very hooky song. Ella Fitzgerald later did a version of it which I was very honoured by - Paul McCartney (Many Years From Now, Barry Miles).

Written by Paul McCartney, Can’t Buy Me Love became the first of the group’s singles to feature just one singer. John Lennon may have felt his position as The Beatles’ leader was threatened by the move; following the release of the single, Lennon wrote the majority of songs on the A Hard Day’s Night album.

That’s Paul’s completely. Maybe I had something to do with the chorus, but I don’t know. I always considered it his song - John Lennon, 1980 (All We Are Saying, David Sheff).

Can’t Buy Me Love featured twice in the A Hard Day’s Night film. The first was a scene in which they escape from the television studio to fool around in a field; the other involved the group running to and from a police station, with law officers in hot pursuit” – The Beatles Bible

B-Side: You Can’t Do That

Help!

Release Date: 23rd July, 1965 (U.K.)/19th July, 1965 (U.S.)

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Album: Help! (1965)

Who Did What:

John Lennon: vocals, electric guitar; acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar; electric piano, Hammond organ; tambourine and snare drum

Paul McCartney: vocals, electric guitar; acoustic guitar, bass guitar; piano and electric piano

George Harrison: vocals, electric guitar; acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar and güiro

Ringo Starr: vocals, drums; tambourine, maracas; cowbell, bongos; claves, percussion; handclaps, acoustic guitar and percussion

George Martin: piano

Johnnie Scott: tenor flute, alto flute

Tony Gilbert: violin

Sidney Sax: violin

Kenneth Essex: viola

Francisco Gabarro: cello

The Skinny:

“Lennon’s writing for the Help! LP continued the inward reflection first explored on Beatles For Sale, with the title track speaking of his insecurity during the peak of The Beatles’ fame.

The whole Beatle thing was just beyond comprehension. I was eating and drinking like a pig and I was fat as a pig, dissatisfied with myself, and subconsciously I was crying for help…

When Help! came out, I was actually crying out for help. Most people think it’s just a fast rock ‘n’ roll song. I didn’t realise it at the time; I just wrote the song because I was commissioned to write it for the movie. But later, I knew I really was crying out for help. So it was my fat Elvis period. You see the movie: he – I – is very fat, very insecure, and he’s completely lost himself. And I am singing about when I was so much younger and all the rest, looking back at how easy it was - John Lennon, 1980 (All We Are Saying, David Sheff)

Lennon’s other key compositions for the album were Ticket To Ride, which became The Beatles’ first single of 1965, and You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, a mostly acoustic recording featuring introspective lyrics inspired by Bob Dylan.

I was in Kenwood and I would just be songwriting. The period would be for songwriting and so every day I would attempt to write a song, and it’s one of those that you sort of sing a bit sadly to yourself, ‘Here I stand, head in hand…’

I started thinking about my own emotions – I don’t know when exactly it started, like I’m A Loser or Hide Your Love Away or those kind of things – instead of projecting myself into a situation. I would try to express what I felt about myself which I’d done in me books. I think it was Dylan helped me realise that – not by any discussion or anything but just by hearing his work – I had a sort of professional songwriter’s attitude to writing pop songs; he would turn out a certain style of song for a single and we would do a certain style of thing for this and the other thing. I was already a stylized songwriter on the first album. But to express myself I would write Spaniard In The Works or In His Own Write, the personal stories which were expressive of my personal emotions. I’d have a separate songwriting John Lennon who wrote songs for the sort of meat market, and I didn’t consider them – the lyrics or anything – to have any depth at all. They were just a joke. Then I started being me about the songs, not writing them objectively, but subjectively - John Lennon, 1970 (Lennon Remembers, Jann S Wenner)” – The Beatles Bible

B-Side: I’m Down

Paperback Writer

Release Date: 10th June, 1966 (U.K.)/30th May, 1966 (U.S.)

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Album: Non-Album Track

Who Did What:

Paul McCartney: vocals, lead guitar and bass

John Lennon: backing vocals, tambourine

George Harrison: backing vocals, rhythm guitar

Ringo Starr: drums

The Skinny:

“Paperback Writer was a standalone single released in June 1966, written by Paul McCartney and recorded over two consecutive days during the Revolver sessions. The song Rain was on the b-side.

Paperback Writer is son of Day Tripper, but it is Paul’s song. Son of Day Tripper meaning a rock ‘n’ roll song with a guitar lick on a fuzzy, loud guitar - John Lennon (All We Are Saying, David Sheff).

At the start of The Beatles’ career, Brian Epstein and George Martin had drawn up a plan of releasing four singles and two albums each year to sustain interest in the group and satisfy popular demand.

The release of Paperback Writer came 27 weeks after its predecessor, Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out. It marked the end of the release plan, and saw The Beatles entering a phase where they were less motivated by commercial demands and more focused on musical development.

Paperback Writer was an attempt by McCartney to write a song based on a single chord – possibly influenced by Indian music, but most likely a result of their marijuana use; other songs from this period, notably The Word, If I Needed Someone and Tomorrow Never Knows, were similarly modelled.

John and I would like to do songs with just one note like Long Tall Sally. We got near it in The Word - Paul McCartney

McCartney wrote Paperback Writer after reading a Daily Mail report about an aspiring author, and composed it on the way to Lennon’s house in Weybridge.

You knew, the minute you got there, cup of tea and you’d sit and write, so it was always good if you had a theme. I’d had a thought for a song and somehow it was to do with the Daily Mail so there might have been an article in the Mail that morning about people writing paperbacks. Penguin paperbacks was what I really thought of, the archetypal paperback.

I arrived at Weybridge and told John I had this idea of trying to write off to a publishers to become a paperback writer, and I said, ‘I think it should be written like a letter.’ I took a bit of paper out and I said it should be something like ‘Dear Sir or Madam, as the case may be…’ and I proceeded to write it just like a letter in front of him, occasionally rhyming it. And John, as I recall, just sat there and said, ‘Oh, that’s it,’ ‘Uhuh,’ ‘Yeah.’ I remember him, his amused smile, saying, ‘Yes, that’s it, that’ll do.’ Quite a nice moment: ‘Hmm, I’ve done right! I’ve done well!’ And then we went upstairs and put the melody to it. John and I sat down and finished it all up, but it was tilted towards me, the original idea was mine. I had no music, but it’s just a little bluesy song, not a lot of melody. Then I had the idea to do the harmonies and we arranged that in the studio - Paul McCartney (Many Years From Now, Barry Miles)” – The Beatles Bible

B-Side: Rain

Strawberry Fields Forever

Release Date: 17th February, 1967 (U.K.)/13th February, 1967 (U.S.)

Chart Position (U.K.): 2

Double-E.P.: Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Who Did What:

John Lennon: vocals, acoustic guitar; piano, bongos and Mellotron

Paul McCartney: Mellotron, bass; electric guitar, timpani and bongos

George Harrison: electric guitar, svarmandal; timpani and maracas

Ringo Starr: drums, percussion

Mal Evans: tambourine

Neil Aspinall: guiro

Terry Doran: maracas

Tony Fisher, Greg Bowen, Derek Watkins, Stanley Roderick: trumpets

John Hall, Derek Simpson, Norman Jones: cellos

The Skinny:

“Dick Lester offered me the part in this movie, which gave me time to think without going home. We were in Almerí­a, and it took me six weeks to write the song. I was writing it all the time I was making the film. And as anybody knows about film work, there’s a lot of hanging around - John Lennon, 1980 (All We Are Saying, David Sheff)

Like Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields Forever was a nostalgic look back at The Beatles’ past in Liverpool. Strawberry Field was the name of a Salvation Army children’s home near John Lennon’s childhood home in Woolton.

I’ve seen Strawberry Field described as a dull, grimy place next door to him that John imagined to be a beautiful place, but in the summer it wasn’t dull and grimy at all: it was a secret garden. John’s memory of it wasn’t to do with the fact that it was a Salvation Army home; that was up at the house. There was a wall you could bunk over and it was a rather wild garden, it wasn’t manicured at all, so it was easy to hide in” - Paul McCartney (Many Years From Now, Barry Miles) – The Beatles Bible

Second A-Side: Penny Lane

Hey Jude

Release Date: 30th August, 1968 (U.K.)/26th August, 1968 (U.S.)

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Album: Non-Album Track

Who Did What:

Paul McCartney: vocals, piano and bass

John Lennon: backing vocals, acoustic guitar

George Harrison: backing vocals, electric guitar

Ringo Starr: backing vocals, drums and tambourine

Uncredited: 10 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, 2 double basses, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 1 bassoon, 1 contrabassoon, 4 trumpets, 2 horns, 4 trombones, 1 percussion

The Skinny:

“Hey Jude was the first release on The Beatles’ own Apple Records label. It was a ballad written by Paul McCartney, to comfort John Lennon’s son Julian during the divorce of his parents.

Hey Jude is a damn good set of lyrics and I made no contribution to that - John Lennon, 1980 (All We Are Saying, David Sheff)

It was written in June 1968, as McCartney drove his Aston Martin to Weybridge to visit Cynthia Lennon and her son. On the journey he began thinking about their changing lives, and of the past times he had spent writing with Lennon at the Weybridge house.

I thought, as a friend of the family, I would motor out to Weybridge and tell them that everything was all right: to try and cheer them up, basically, and see how they were. I had about an hour’s drive. I would always turn the radio off and try and make up songs, just in case… I started singing: ‘Hey Jules – don’t make it bad, take a sad song, and make it better…’ It was optimistic, a hopeful message for Julian: ‘Come on, man, your parents got divorced. I know you’re not happy, but you’ll be OK.’

I eventually changed ‘Jules’ to ‘Jude’. One of the characters in Oklahoma is called Jud, and I like the name” - Paul McCartney (Anthology) – The Beatles Bible

B-Side: Revolution

Get Back

Release Date: 11th April, 1969 (U.K.)/5th May, 1969 (U.S.)

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Album: Let It Be (1970)

Who Did What:

Paul McCartney: vocals, bass

John Lennon: harmony vocals, lead guitar

George Harrison: rhythm guitar

Ringo Starr: drums

Billy Preston: electric piano

The Skinny:

“Various demo versions of this early version were recorded, one of which contains the following lines:

Meanwhile back at home too many Pakistanis

Living in a council flat

Candidate Macmillan, tell us what your plan is

Won’t you tell us where you’re at?

Despite being satirical in nature, it didn’t prevent accusations of racism being levelled at McCartney for years to come, after the Get Back bootlegs became public.

When we were doing Let It Be, there were a couple of verses to Get Back which were actually not racist at all – they were anti-racist. There were a lot of stories in the newspapers then about Pakistanis crowding out flats – you know, living 16 to a room or whatever. So in one of the verses of Get Back, which we were making up on the set of Let It Be, one of the outtakes has something about ‘too many Pakistanis living in a council flat’ – that’s the line. Which to me was actually talking out against overcrowding for Pakistanis… If there was any group that was not racist, it was the Beatles. I mean, all our favourite people were always black. We were kind of the first people to open international eyes, in a way, to Motown” - Paul McCartney (Rolling Stone, 1986) – The Beatles Bible

B-Side: Don’t Let Me Down

Something

Release Date: 26th September, 1969 (U.K.)/1st October, 1969 (U.S.)

Chart Position (U.K.): 4

Album: Abbey Road (1969)

Who Did What:

George Harrison: vocals, lead guitar

John Lennon: piano

Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass guitar

Ringo Starr: drums

Billy Preston: Hammond organ

Unknown: 12 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, double bass

The Skinny:

“Something was written during the 1968 sessions for The Beatles (White Album), though it wasn’t finished until the following year.

I had written Something on the piano during the recording of the White Album. There was a period during that album when we were all in different studios doing different things trying to get it finished, and I used to take some time out. So I went into an empty studio and wrote Something - George Harrison (Anthology)

A demo version of Something, recorded by Harrison on 25 February 1969, his 26th birthday, was included on Anthology 3. It was also remixed and reissued on some formats of the 50th anniversary version of Abbey Road.

Although originally offered to Jackie Lomax, the guitar-and-vocals demo was given to Joe Cocker. Cocker’s version was recorded before The Beatles’, but not released until November 1969” – The Beatles Bible

B-Side: Come Together

Let It Be

Release Date: 6th March, 1970 (U.K.), 11th March, 1970 (U.S.)

Chart Position (U.K.): 2

Album: Let It Be (1970)

Who Did What:

Paul McCartney: vocals, backing vocals; piano, bass guitar and maracas

John Lennon: backing vocals

George Harrison: backing vocals, lead guitar

Ringo Starr: drums

Billy Preston: organ, electric piano

Linda McCartney: backing vocals

Uncredited: two trumpets, two trombones; tenor saxophone and cellos

The Skinny:

“The song was written during the sessions for the White Album, at a time when Paul McCartney felt isolated as the only member of The Beatles still keen to keep the group together. His enthusiasm and belief had kept them going after the death of Brian Epstein, but increasingly he found the others at odds with his attempts to motivate them.

Although his public persona remained upbeat, privately McCartney was feeling insecure and wounded by the gradual disintegration of the group. During this period, his mother Mary – who had passed away in 1956 when McCartney was 14 – appeared to him in a dream.

One night during this tense time I had a dream I saw my mum, who’d been dead 10 years or so. And it was so great to see her because that’s a wonderful thing about dreams: you actually are reunited with that person for a second; there they are and you appear to both be physically together again. It was so wonderful for me and she was very reassuring. In the dream she said, ‘It’ll be all right.’ I’m not sure if she used the words ‘Let it be’ but that was the gist of her advice, it was, ‘Don’t worry too much, it will turn out OK.’ It was such a sweet dream I woke up thinking, Oh, it was really great to visit with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream. So that got me writing the song Let It Be. I literally started off ‘Mother Mary’, which was her name, ‘When I find myself in times of trouble’, which I certainly found myself in. The song was based on that dream” - Paul McCartney (Many Years From Now, Barry Miles)” – The Beatles Bible   

B-Side: You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)        

FEATURE: Back to Grey? Pop Music in the 2010s

FEATURE:

 

Back to Grey?

IN THIS PHOTO: Lewis Capaldi is one of the most popular Pop artists of the moment/PHOTO CREDIT: Capitol Records

Pop Music in the 2010s

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IT is no revelation to suggest that Pop music…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney has been confirmed as a headliner for Glastonbury 2020/PHOTO CREDIT: MPL Communications Ltd

is vastly different to what it was back in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, since the middle of the last decade, there has been a move away from something more alive and hooked-based to music that is more, well…dull. As we have received news Paul McCartney is headlining Glastonbury next year, I am minded of the Pop of the 1960s and bands like The Beatles. To be able to pen a short song with an instantly memorable hook is what defined The Beatles. I know there was a lot of bad Pop in the 1960s, but there were plenty of artists able to write these terrific songs that we are still singing today. That is true of decades that followed and, even when a band/artist was a bit more sombre or reflective, there was something in the music that was at least exciting or different. I cannot simply write off all Pop music of the decade as being rather bland and terrible. I spent last weekend listening to a load of Pop from the 1990s and early part of the last decade that were defined by cheers and optimism. Maybe the changing political temperament and state of the world means artists are writing songs that reflect their mood. If there was prosperity and a sense of hope years ago, can we expect artists today to smile and write big, shiny songs? There are artists who write optimistic and energised numbers but, even then, there is little in the way of craft and originality; more often, there is this generic sound that could have been made by anyone and, after you listen, the song is pretty much out of your head.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift/PHOTO CREDIT: Republic

I do know that artists have to be true to what is going on in their lives but, if all we hear is something rather tame, anxious or sad, what affect does that have on the listeners?! I am not someone who says music from the past was perfect; that Pop was solid gold and it was SO much stronger than today. There were tonnes of novelty acts and terribly boring artists when I was a child, yet that was offset with more than enough anthem and the epic. At a time when there are more artists in the industry than ever before, is it a case that there are just too many artists around? Is it possible to stand out and sound alive when we are exposed to so much music – and how many of us to listen to songs and albums the whole way through? Where there was some very average and lamentable chart stuff years back, you only need to have a quick think and one can rattle off so many songs that are defined by a sense of colour and movement. There is that hook in the chorus or a delicious melody. That has not entirely evaded music, but I do think there is more emphasis on being relatable and emotive, rather than concocting a Pop banger that is new and can unite the people. I am searching my brain for Pop from the last few years that has remained with me and it is a very short list. That might be because of the amount of music we consume and how much in general we retain, though I can recognise great Pop when I hear it and I have my ears and eyes open all of the time.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Tom Walker released his debut album, What a Time to Be Alive, earlier this year/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I am not going to do a feature on every genre and how it has change in the 2010s, but I am always interested in Pop and, as we head to 2020, are things going to change?! There are definitely some artists who are making interesting and original music, but there is a difference between being original and memorability – artists who can write songs stick right in your head and hit you with a very special force. Maybe autotuned and facsimile female artists and the rather lifeless acoustic guitar-wielding male artist has dragged Pop into a rather drab and depressing state. I saw an article from The Guardian where Alexis Petridis penned his thoughts regarding 2010s’ Pop sound. He did stipulate that every decade has contained bad Pop and maybe, in a way, we do look at the past with rose-tinted glasses. Maybe there are very few Pop songs of this decade that will remain with me in years to come, although I can see some appealing and dynamic artists who are breaking away from the norm and trying to push Pop in a better direction - whether it is the rather grey and forgettable male artists like Ed Sheeran and Tom Walker or mainstream superstars like Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande. They may be popular and command legions of fans, though I wonder whether one can apply words like ‘memorable’, ‘joyous’ and ‘catchy’ to their music.

Perhaps, if you are in their target demographics then you will appreciate what they are putting out. The thing with Pop is, I feel, it should speak to everyone and not be reserved to certain audiences. In the feature from The Guardian, Petridis observed a new normal: a beingness and uninspiring sound that is rooted in the ordinary and repetitive:

“It’s easy to overestimate the dominance of normality in modern pop, particularly if you’re a music hack writing a piece that suggests it has been in irreversible decline since your teens. If you want pop music that looks spectacular, glamorous and aspirational, or suggests an intriguing world outside the experience of its audience, or that terrifies parents, there’s plenty of it. Drugged-out face-tattooed rappers; DayGlo K-pop bands; Lana Del Rey’s LA femme-fatale shtick; Billie Eilish’s gothic sci-fi imagery; the Afro-futuristic fantasias of Janelle Monáe and FKA twigs.

Journalist Peter Robinson suggested that the eureka moment of what he called “the new boring” came when Adele performed Someone Like You at the 2011 Brit awards, an event otherwise packed with explosive spectacle. “Wow,” host James Corden nodded approvingly at its conclusion, “you can have all the dancers, pyrotechnics, laser shows you want, but if you sound like that all you need is a piano.” As if to prove Corden’s point, Adele’s 21 became the biggest-selling album of the 21st century. Six months later, Sheeran broke through, touting an even more austere version of Coldplay’s dressed-down authenticity: one unassuming man, his guitar and a loop pedal. He released his major-label debut to widespread critical opprobrium, yet became not just one of the most successful artists of the decade but one of the most influential, writing for everyone from Justin Bieber to One Direction to Eminem, and spawning endless imitators”.

PHOTO CREDIT: @rexcuando/Unsplash 

Once was the time where the Pop charts and radio stations would, yes, put out some rather pedestrian music. There was also swathes of chorus-rich songs and explosions that got under the skin. I can understand how the very biggest artists got to where they are because their music strikes a common vein; it can be appreciated by a young audience and resonates because of its familiar tones. Is the yardstick for Pop majesty in the 2010s those who can appeal to the talent show audiences? Is the mainstream less interested in brightness and classic Pop conventions and more geared towards songwriters who open their diaries and project them to their audiences? Pop has always been confessional, but it seems it has increased and, whereas one used to be able to find plenty of upbeat and timeless songs that concerned love and loss, now there is far less. The Guardian’s article gave alluded to social media and how the scene has changed over the past couple of decades:  

“Social media also supplied a new set of stars: influencers, YouTubers, vloggers. Their appeal is invariably baffling to anyone over the age of 25, but the general takeaway is that kids want to watch people who look a bit like nice older siblings doing everyday things, being a little wacky and sharing makeup tips. Their appeal is not dissimilar, then, to that of Sheeran, who – 150m record sales, an estimated £170m fortune and an MBE later – still gives off the air of a mate’s brother just back from a gap year with tales of how sick Goa is. Or, indeed, of Jess Glynne, who’s more glamorous – no record label has yet allowed a female pop artist to take the stage in quite such a dressed-down state as Sheeran or Lewis Capaldi – but still gives off a resolutely ordinary air. At 23, Capaldi is too young to remember a world before social media, and seems like a hybrid of pop artist and social media star: nearly as famous for his extremely funny videos as he is for his music”.

Whilst a lot of the mainstream is culpable of producing a rather generic and insipid form of Pop, there are artists on the periphery who are at least making music that is different. Whilst I love what the likes of FKA twigs, Billie Eilish and Grimes are putting out, there is a lot of darkness and emotion in the music. Yes, the songs are bold and complex, but the best Pop is defined by a simplicity and a happier tone. Even though we have some geniuses in our midst, I feel a lot of the music will be appreciated now…but we won’t necessarily return to it in years to come. If you want to hear music that is deep, different and accomplished, you have plenty of choices. I am a fan of this kind of music, but I look around and ask what happened to Pop that provided these catchy choruses and aimed to get everyone singing along. One can explain away the change as a mirroring of asocial media and modern times; maybe this is a phase Pop music needs to take; perhaps it is impossible to pen anything classic and glorious given the sheer sea of songs that have come before. Maybe people of a certain age will always prefer music of the past regardless. Couple that with a young audience who are looking for relatable and rather uncomplicated music and you have this struggle that artists are involved in. I am never going to suggest Pop is doomed or there is no value, but this decade has bred too many yawn-inducing artists and so many that sound exactly the same.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @hamann/Unsplash

There are some great bands and people out there who have a definite kick and energy, yet the majority of the mainstream is dominated by a blandness that makes me wonder about Pop’s potential in the 2020s. I think the next decade will be marked by an increase in artists experimenting with the genre; taking it further away from the commercial and mainstream. I think we will see a few potential anthems of the future emerge, but I do feel like the 2020s will be largely similar to the 2010s. On the one hand, Pop is evolving and moving beyond the radio-friendly. On the other hand, we are moving further away from what made Pop so universal and popular years ago: artists who placed fun and the upbeat above the personal. Too many modern Pop artists lack a spark and are making music that is very beige and tired. There are many more that seem one of the same. I do think artists have naturally moved in response to the rise of social media and, perhaps, the fact that Pop is more about connecting with fans directly, rather than these big songs that do not aim at anyone particular. Also, the proliferation and continued popularity of music talent shows means that hosts of new artists are specifically moulded to sound like whoever is trending or popular - whether that is Adele or Lewis Capaldi or someone else. Whilst there has been a marked change (some would say a decline) from the past couple of decades, there are Pop artists who are at least reacting against the listlessness of a lot of modern Pop. Regardless of where Pop will head in 2020, there is some…     

GOLD among the grey

FEATURE: The November Playlist: Vol. 4: Divinity from a Los Angeles Trio

FEATURE:

 

The November Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: HAIM/PHOTO CREDIT: Elizabeth Weinberg for The New York Times 

Vol. 4: Divinity from a Los Angeles Trio

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THIS week has been a busy one…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Soccer Mommy

and there are a lot of interesting releases out. HAIM have a new track out, and there are fresh cuts from The 1975, Soccer Mommy; Beck, The Big Moon and Alicia Keys. Among the latest releases, we have new songs from The Who, Sports Team and Girl Ray. We are getting near to Christmas and, before we start hearing a lot more Christmas songs, there are traditional jams and some really brilliant tracks. These tunes are likely to get you into the weekend and raise the mood. This year has been a fantastic one for music and it continues to show its very best. I wonder what will come next week; what surprises might we be in for? Before then, have a listen to the fantastic releases from this week and let the music…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Beck/PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Hapak

CARRY you away.  

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

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HAIM – Hallelujah

Soccer Mommy – yellow is the color of her eyes

PHOTO CREDIT: Mikai Karl

Beck – Chemical

The 1975 – Frail State of Mind

The Big Moon – Take a Piece

Girl Ray – Friend Like That

Maggie Rogers – Love You for a Long Time

Alicia Keys – Time Machine

Confidence Man - Does It Make You Feel Good?

Paul McCartney – Home Tonight

The Who – I Don’t Wanna Get Wise

Coldplay – Champion of the World

Robbie Williams – Time for Change

PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Wandering Star

Pip Millett – Ava

PHOTO CREDIT: Antonio Olmos

Ben Watt - Balanced on a Wire

Little Mix – One I’ve Been Missing

Circa Waves – Jacqueline

Sports Team – The Races

PHOTO CREDIT: Sian Adler

I See Rivers – We Don’t Get More Time

PHOTO CREDIT: @Conner.dixon

Calva Louise – Adelante

Kesha – My Own Dance

The Japanese House – Chewing Cotton Wool

Bruno Major – Tapestry

Olivia Dean – Ok Love You Bye

Arlo Parks – Angel’s Song

PHOTO CREDIT: Ewan Ogden

Blossoms – The Keeper

Kelsy Karter - Blast Off

HARLOE - One More Chance

Mark Ronson, Anderson .Paak – Then There Were Two

Grace VanderWaal - Poser

PHOTO CREDIT: Gui Moraes

ALMA – Bad News Baby

Stephen Puth – Crying My Eyes Out

Nasty Cherry – Fuck Modern Love

FEATURE: Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowgirls: The Ongoing Problem of Sexism and Misogyny in Country Music

FEATURE:

 

Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowgirls

IN THIS PHOTO: Carrie Underwood lost out to Garth Brooks in the Entertainer of the Year category at the CMA Awards on Wednesday, 13th November, 2019, a snub which provoked a lot of anger on social media/PHOTO CREDIT: Carrie Underwood

The Ongoing Problem of Sexism and Misogyny in Country Music

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THERE are few genres where…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Garth Brooks/PHOTO CREDIT: Garth Brooks

women are given the same opportunities as men and treated as fairly. In terms of subscription, Rap, Hip-Hop and Grime are still hugely dominated by men. Many say these are genres women are not interested in; I maintain the reason relatively few women are stepping into these genres is because of attitudes towards women in the lyrics and the sense that they will not get the same opportunities as men. Most of the biggest chart hits are written by men and, when you look around, there are questions that need to be asked when it comes to pay gaps, equality and attitudes. I do feel that the industry as a whole will move closer to parity in the next few years. It is hard to make instant change, but I get the feeling those in power men, mainly) are not doing enough. When it comes to genres where women are marginalised and have to fight to be heard, Country is right near the top. We do not really have a big Country scene in the U.K. – in terms of popularity and profitability -, and most of the major stars are based in the U.S. I have written about Country music’s problem with sexism and misogyny previously this year but, having read news that Carrie Underwood was overlooked in favour of Garth Brooks for Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards, it brought the topic back to mind.

One can say that, in a category dominated by men, you’d expect a man to walk away with the prize. Garth Brook is a Country legend, but he did not release an album in 2019 and has only played about five shows. Conversely, Carrie Underwood has released a successful album Cry Pretty, last year and has performed on a world tour. Whilst some might say Brooks’ reputation makes him deserving of the award, it does raise questions why Underwood, who has performed a lot over the past year, was ignored in favour of an artist who was comparatively sedate. Country stations in the U.S. have not made huge leaps regarding their playlists. This article in Rolling Stone explains more:

“When it comes to the lack of gender parity at country radio, there are many forces at play, and many ways to analyze the data, from a casual glance at festival lineups to the recent report from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative that took a look at the Billboard Hot Country Charts, which comprises sales and streaming. But perhaps nothing gives a more clear picture than statistics gleaned from the Mediabase Country Airplay charts themselves, which has not been the subject of its own independent study until now.

Dr. Jada Watson of the University of Ottawa, in consultation with WOMAN Nashville, released today a report called Gender Representation on Country Format Radio: A Study of Published Reports from 2000-2018, the first study to explicitly examine Mediabase data. One of the two airplay-monitoring systems tracking country radio — the other is Nielsen’s BDS, which is used in Billboard‘s charts — Mediabase’s country charts are published weekly in the Nashville trade magazine Country Aircheck and used as the basis for countdown shows such as Country Countdown USA and American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks.

The outcome of the new report is dismal, and puts the onus on country radio tastemakers themselves. According to the report, women  in the country music industry hear phrases like the below everyday when it comes to why they’re not represented on the airwaves:

Studying 150 songs from the year-end reports from the period of 2000 to 2018, as well as the weekly airplay charts from 2002 to 2018, Dr. Watson looked at how women, men and duos faired in terms of spins — and determined that not only is the playing field dreary for the women of country music, it’s actually getting worse by the year. In 2000, women held 33.3% of songs on the year-end country airplay reports, but by last year, they came in at 11.3% — a decline of 66% percent. The last time women were represented well? Taylor Swift was still making country music, not commissioning butterfly murals. Grammy Album of the year winner Kacey Musgraves, meanwhile, is only seeing her latest single “Rainbow” continue to drop (Number 34 to 36 this week) on the Mediabase country chart.

“The trend shows significant decline for women, strongly pointing to the self-fulfilling nature of gender-based programming,” the report says. Indeed, the less women are played at country radio, the less familiar they become, trapped in a cycle from which it is nearly impossible to escape. Look just this week to the current spin counts in Country Aircheck: zero women in the top five, and only one woman in the top point gainers (Tenille Townes’ “Somebody’s Daughter”)”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Maren Morris is one of Country finest artists/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

It is hard to ignore a link between a lack of radio play and award snubs. There is no reason women are being marginalised on radio. If you listen to performers such as Carrie Underwood and Kacey Musgraves, they are producing music that can rival anything put out by the men. When we think of the next generation of Country artists, what impression does this send to girls who want to be heard? Are they more likely to produce Pop or other types of music if they feel Country music is exclusive and gender-biased? In order for progression to happen, those in charge of compiling playlists need to start asking why women are being overlooked. It does not bode well when you have this powerful scene where men are given so much airtime and exposure. Also, I feel the work of artists like Kacey Musgraves is so much more interesting and original than most male stars – maybe stations are sticklers for tradition and are jittery when someone comes along and adds something new to Country. As this article highlight, not only are women under-represented on radio; there is a lot of sexism still evident in Country music tracks:

“It’s just so tiring to hear the same sexist words over and over on the radio. These types of songs play on repeat day in and day out. It’s not okay for people to hear men repeatedly talking about the way women look in their jeans. Or, how they want to take those jeans off. Women are more than just their bodies.

PHOTO CREDIT: @katy_anne 

The misogyny is not only in what is being said in the music, but in many other aspects. In the current Billboard Top 50 Country, 7 songs are sung by solo female artists with two songs by the same woman, Maren Morris. This means out of 50 songs, only 14% are sung by solo female artists. This isn’t a lot. This only highlights the current problem in country music. It’s completely dominated by men putting out a sexist image.

“Bro-country” is overtaking the country charts, and in my opinion, ruining country music.

Country artist, Carrie Underwood, told Elaina Smith on the Women Want to Hear Women podcast, "I think about all the little girls that are sitting at home saying, 'I want to be a country music singer.' What do you tell them, you know? What do you do? How do you look at them and say, 'Well, just work hard, sweetie, and you can do it' when that's probably not the case right now?”

Everyone knows how Pop music tends to place age limits on female artists. Popularity and attention are easier for men over forty to achieve compared to women. So many women are seen as past their prime when they hit their forties. This is definitely true of Country. Not only is there misogyny and sexism in terms of award recognition and radio playlists; there seems to be this age barrier applied to women that is not applied to men. Although mainstream artists like Miranda Lambert have helped bring Country music to a wider audience, it seems there is this prejudice when it comes to women. Look at a Country legend like Dolly Parton and I wonder what she thinks of the imbalance.

The assumption that, somehow, women are worth less than men and are only relevant to a certain age is appalling. Earlier this year, NPR ran an article that outlined the problems at hand: 

 “Women’s voices and perspectives — and particularly those of more mature female artists and songwriters — are not being heard out of Nashville. That’s the conclusion reached by researchers at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, who on Friday released a study on the gender gap in country music.

Despite the successes of musicians like Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and Kacey Musgraves — who won the 2019 Grammy for album of the year for her project Golden Hour, as well as best country album and best country solo performance — the voices of women creators are severely underrepresented.

According to the Annenberg researchers, led by Stacy L. Smith, only 16 percent of country artists are female, and only 12 percent of country songwriters are women.

The team also notes that when female country artists do find mainstream success, they are young. “Not one of the top-performing women was over the age of 40,” they note, “while all but one of country’s top-performing men had reached or exceeded that age.” They found that the average age of top female artists is 29 years old — while for men, the average age is 42”.

I have only brought in a few articles; if you look online, you will see plenty of pages that explain how much sexism there is in Country music! I do feel like a lot of women in Country are moving to other genres because they cannot get their voices heard in Country. Sexism and misogyny is present in all genres, but it seems extreme and unflinching in Country.

With so few stations and important male figures vowing to make changes, it is left to women (and a few men) to speak out and call for action. There are some powerful and impressive female artists around but, largely, they have to struggle alone. A new group, The Highwomen, unites some of Country’s brightest and most powerful women:

 “Everyone knows that country radio hasn't been making room for the voices of women. The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative did a study on the genre that showed that over the last decade, airplay for women on country radio has plummeted. It seems like everyone, from Carrie Underwood to Miranda Lambert to CMT are doing whatever they can to support women artists — everyone except country radio programmers, that is. And now there's a new voice in the fray, with their sites set directly on country radio: The Highwomen.

You could call them a supergroup, because all the members are superstars in their worlds. There's Maren Morris, one of the few women to break through in mainstream country music in the last decade; Brandi Carlile, who won three Grammys for 2018's By The Way, I Forgive You and has become a leading voice in Americana and roots music after a long career; Amanda Shires, who is the mastermind behind the group, a mean fiddle player, and a singer/songwriter; and Natalie Hemby, a songwriter who's penned hits for Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert, along with many others”.

I do hope there is change and greater improvement very soon, as Country music now is culpable of sexism and exclusion. Not that Pop offers a lot of balance and gender awareness, but there is more of a chance to be heard. It is sad to see women moving away from Country as they are unable to sustain a career or find support. It is not like there are few women in Country music or a lack of desire; the problem is men are seen as the most commercial, necessary and important. These lazy attitudes need to subside because, if they continue, Country music will lose all of its female artists. We do not want to get a point where girls interested in Country music are planning their future and, seeing the sexism and misogyny in the scene, are told to dream and head…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Highwomen’s Natalie Hemby

IN another direction.

FEATURE: 2019: A Year Dominated by Female Artists: Looking Ahead to a Brighter, More Equal Year

FEATURE:

 

2019: A Year Dominated by Female Artists

IN THIS PHOTO: FKA twigs has released one of this year’s best and most memorable albums, MAGDALENE/PHOTO CREDIT: FKA twigs

Looking Ahead to a Brighter, More Equal Year

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I know I have written about gender inequality and…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Julia Jacklin’s second album, Crushing, is among 2019’s best-received and finest albums/PHOTO CREDIT: Julia Jacklin

sexism in music quite a few times this year, but I want to sort of round off with a look at the incredible work being done by female artists. Beyond those releasing music, there are so many great women working at venues and at labels; they are in radio studios and making the industry stronger and more astonishing. Sexism and inequality, unfortunately, are not going to go away in the coming years, but I’d like to think there have been moves in the right direction this year and, as we look forward to big festivals like Glastonbury in 2020, the fantastic output from women this year needs to be reflected. In fact, Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis has revealed how she wants to make next year’s festival as close to fifty-fifty as possible:

“Emily Eavis has said she’s aiming to ensure that Glastonbury Festival‘s line-up for 2020 is “as close to” 50/50 gender-balanced as possible.

The iconic festival’s 50th anniversary next year will see Diana Ross performing the coveted Sunday afternoon Legends slot, and Eavis says that there will be plenty of other prolific female acts on the bill too.

“It’s important we go as close to 50-50 as we can. It’s as important to have females on the bill as much as men but the pool – certainly on the headliner front – is not as big,” she told MusicWeek.

“So we have to work on that as an industry and nurture all these women coming through.”

It comes after Eavis previously admitted that she and father Michael, who founded the festival, were passionate about improving the gender imbalance on the Pyramid Stage.

PHOTO CREDIT: @michaelbenz/Unsplash 

“Every booking Glastonbury make is conscious, we’re trying to address the imbalance,” she said.

“We’ve got a way to go, there are areas of the festival that have 50/50 (gender representation) like The Park last year.

“But The Pyramid obviously isn’t and we’re working on it”.

There are rumours Taylor Swift will headline next year’s Glastonbury but, with most festivals in the country struggling to get to a fifty-fifty gender balance quickly, many could learn from Glastonbury. Regardless, I do feel like this year has been one dominated by female artists. From Rapsody, Liz Lawrence and Sudan Archives through to Greentea Peng, Jamila Woods and Girl Ray…in every corner of music, there are fantastic women slaying it. I have loved albums by Billie Marten (Feeding Seahorses by Hand), Little Simz (GREY Area) and Brittany Howard (Jaime); but I have just touched the tip of the iceberg with those names. New artists like Hannah Cohen and Sofia Portanet are exciting, whilst FKA twigs (with MAGDALENE), Sharon Van Etten (Remind Me Tomorrow) and Lana Del Rey (Norman Fucking Rockwell!) have crafted three of this year’s best albums. Seemingly, with every month that passes, another year-defining album is released by a female artist. In years past, the scene has been male-dominated, but one can see and feel the change. From brilliant female-fronted bands like Amyl and The Sniffers to brilliant solo artists such as Lizzo, 2020 looks like a year where things can change when it comes to redressing gender balance.

I suspect festivals will not all fall into line next year and create a fifty-fifty split, even if the wealth of female talent this year gives them ample inspiration regarding spaces. Not only would it be easy to have a fifty-fifty split further down the bill; I think there are female artists out there who could headline – one of the biggest issues with festivals if the fact they do not put women in headline slots. Maybe it will take a few more years for some of 2019’s brightest female artists to command a headline show, yet there are artists like Anna Calvi and FKA twigs who, I think, are ready and would kill it! Anyone who argues against the assertion women are dominating this year have either not been listening hard enough or they are being naive. From Anna Meredith to Holly Herndon through to Julia Jacklin and Weyes Blood, there is astonishing variation to select from. One can argue who has released the finest album of 2019 – Michael Kiwanuka’s KIWANUKA and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ Ghosteen will top a lot of end-of-year polls -, but there is no denying that 2019 has seen an embarrassment of riches from female artists. I think there will be a big push regarding the line-ups at festivals and we will see greater representation on radio playlists. In terms of general sexist attitudes, it will be harder to make strides there because I think social media is making things worse and it is hard to police.

This year has been magnificent in terms of music, and it has been made so much richer because of women. I am looking forward to seeing which new female artists arrive next year and, with 2019 nearly done, I think we will see shift and progression occur. I don’t think we can continue as things are regarding imbalance and inequality. With women still subjected to catcalling and abuse on the stage, I think venues and festivals need to get tougher when it comes to cracking down and dealing with those found guilty. It will take a bit of time, but I do see things getting better and brighter in 2020. This year has been a really fascinating and good one, with so many new and established female artists/bands leaving their mark. I am not naïve enough to think sexism and inequality will go given the quality of female-led music this year. Things do take time and 2020 will not erase and correct ever problem. I feel the brilliance and consistency of 2019 (and female artists) will continue into next year and there will be real changes. Diana Ross is already confirmed for Glastonbury, and I cannot wait to see how the festivals shape up next year. What a 2019 it has been and, with a few weeks remaining, there is still time for surprise and more gems from women in music. 2020 will be a year where reaction occurs and there is a greater inclusion of women throughout the industry. Whilst some areas will be slower to evolve than others, big steps will occur. I have discussed the brilliance of female artists in 2019 and the promise of 2020 a couple of times previously, but I think it is important to keep the theme alive and present – as, with every month, there are some truly fantastic albums being released by women. Progressive steps are, I feel, just around the corner; a sense of justice and balance women have been waiting…               

 IN THIS PHOTO: Few artists have made as a big an impact this year than Little Simz and her album, GREY Area/PHOTO CREDIT: Evening Standard

SO long for.

FEATURE: Return of the Mac: Why Paul McCartney’s Headline Slot at Glastonbury 2020 Is Just What We Need in These Troubled Times

FEATURE:

 

Return of the Mac

PHOTO CREDIT: Paul McCartney 

Why Paul McCartney’s Headline Slot at Glastonbury 2020 Is Just What We Need in These Troubled Times

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PERHAPS the news Paul McCartney is…

Hey Glasto - excited to be part of your Anniversary celebrations. See ya next summer! https://t.co/31yA40Eb4d

— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) November 18, 2019

headlining Glastonbury next year is not such a shock! Ever since the rumours started circulating regarding Glastonbury headliners, Paul McCartney’s name was in the hat. As McCartney has been touring a lot and never seems to slow down, it is not like he had to come out of retirement! His current studio album, Egypt Station, was released year and received mostly positive reviews. There is always a lot of interest in The Beatles, so people will always want to see some of the classics performed. Not only did we celebrate The Beatles’ last-recorded album, Abbey Road, turn fifty very recently; there is a singles collection coming out on Friday. There is this unending appetite for the best band there ever was and, when it comes to one of their lead songwriters, the fact he is still performing at all is fantastic! On Saturday, 27th June, 2020, Paul McCartney will return to the Glastonbury stage. He last performed there back in 2004, but the circumstances are different this time. The weather was a bit ‘British’ (i.e. sh*t) back then; he has amassed more material and, with next year being Glastonbury’s fiftieth, there is that extra weight and cause for celebration. There is talk of who might join Macca on stage when he headlines. He and Ringo Starr (his erstwhile and brother from The Beatles) have performed together this year, so one might see an appearance from the iconic drummer.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Paul McCartney

I hope there will not be too many guest appearances like there was when Kylie Minogue performed in the Legends slot this year – the likes of Chris Martin were trotted out for rather rudimentary and forgettable turns. I can understand why many would want to see a lot of artists join McCartney on the stage, but those who are already looking forward to seeing him play next year will want pure Macca. They have paid to see this legend take to the stage and perform and perform a selection of Wings, Beatles and solo tracks. There is this almost impossible task put before Macca: What songs do you include in this once in a lifetime set, considering the vast body of genius you have released?! Maybe that is a luxury rather than a curse but, seeing as fans of various generations will be at Glastonbury, it will be hard to please everyone. One would suspect more Beatles tracks than Wings cuts; classic solo stuff and, perhaps, the odd curveball. When news was announced online that McCartney was headlining, the reaction was predictable: those who were thrilled and salivating and the sighing hordes who felt it was a boring booking. I have seen comments suggesting McCartney’s voice is not what it used to be and, as he is in his mid-seventies, that is no surprise. I know he cannot belt out songs like he did in the Sixties, but that does not mean he will struggle to match the occasion of a Glastonbury headliner.

There have been articles suggesting McCartney is a safe booking, but I do not think that is true. Booking a band who have played Glastonbury a lot – like Coldplay – would be safe; Macca is the perfect artist to headline Glastonbury’s fiftieth anniversary year. I can almost picture McCartney leading thousands of people in a chorus of Hey Jude as the darkness seduces the Somerset evening! The last year or two has been pretty bad and, if the General Election results in Boris Johnson remaining as the Prime Minister, people will be pretty depressed! I have high hopes for 2020 but, with Brexit still rumbling and there being so much tension in the air, Glastonbury 2020 is going to be an event to unite people. When it comes to feelgood tracks, a huge personality and a back catalogue instantly recognisable to the masses, Paul McCartney is who you want in a headline slot!I know McCartney is not a rising talent and there are others who warrant a headline slot, but next year is a huge anniversary and people have dreamed of McCartney headlining on the Pyramid Stage for a very long time! I am not sure who else will be headlining but, with the bookies tipping Taylor Swift as a favourite, it looks like the headline slots will be quite broad. This year’s Glastonbury was great, but I did feel The Killers was a bit of a strange choice.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Ringo Starr takes to the stage during Paul McCartney’s Freshen Up tour/PHOTO CREDIT: Paul McCartney

Stormzy killed it and The Cure were good but, as Glasto turns fifty, they need someone as big as McCartney to get everyone united and singing – in a way this year’s headliners could not. I am not attending Glastonbury, but I will watch on T.V. and cannot wait to see which songs Paul McCartney selects. As we are in a strange and unsure time, I think it is the perfect time for McCartney to come back to Glastonbury and play a storming set. I can almost feel the buzz in the air and the sore voices of thousands as they sing along to tracks that have soundtracked ours and our parents’ childhoods. It will be a magical performance, and those who will get to see him play will remember it for the rest of their lives. There is always cynicism and criticism when it comes to any artist headlining. I do not feel McCartney is a wrong, safe or lazy choice. He is what we all need right now; the fact he is the greatest living Pop songwriter we have means that we should be very fortunate he is performing. It not only acts as a chance to see a genius perform so many iconic hits; it serves as an inspiration to so many young artists how to write classic tracks. One cannot deny the place Paul McCartney has in music history. As the world’s best festival turns half a century in age, one of music’s gods will play to a passionate and enthralled crowd – who could object to that or have anything negative to say?! There will be so many classics belted out next June, but I know there will be that rousing chorus of Hey Jude, possibly as an encore! The sound and sight of thousands upon thousands of people singing in harmony to a Beatles classic will be one of the most spine-tingling moments…           

OF this generation.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: The Clash – London Calling

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

The Clash – London Calling

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ONE would imagine there is not a lot to celebrate…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Clash in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

in December apart from Christmas. That would be a ridiculous and, frankly, insulting assumption! This edition of Vinyl Corner is timely as, last Friday(15th November), The Clash’s London Calling was released on vinyl to mark the fortieth anniversary. The album turns forty on 14th December and, as I have not covered The Clash’s masterpiece in this feature yet, I thought I would do. Following the successful and near-career-best Give ‘Em Enough Rope in 1978, The Clash were about the end the 1970s with one of the best albums ever released. Their third studio album took them to new heights and was a slight sonic departure. They would release some good albums in the 1980s but, aside from 1980’s Sandinista!, they never hit the peaks they did in the 1970s – maybe their music did not fit into a music scene where Punk was dying and things were changing. In many ways, London Calling was the end of the 1970s and the Punk movement. That may sound like an exaggeration…but think about the early-1980s and the sounds that were coming through. Recorded at Wessex Sound Studios, London between September and November of 1979, London Calling was recorded just after a period of writer’s block from Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. The songwriters, perhaps, were struggling to make an impact and find inspiration in their usual style. As such, London Calling is a different-sounding Clash record.

There is this knowing that Punk was changing and dying away slightly. Bridging the divide between Punk and Post-Punk, there is Reggae, Jazz and Rockabilly (and other genres) to be found in an eclectic yet focused album. I have heard some dismiss London Calling because it is not pure Punk and it is not as hard-hitting and raw as The Clash’s debut of 1977. It was no shock to hear London Calling branch away from the core Punk sound The Clash executed on their debut. From 1978, they were employing new sounds and influences into the mix. I think this is what makes London Calling so enduring: it is charged and raw, yet it is nuanced because of all the sounds and tastes. The Clash were intrigued by Rock ‘n’ Roll and its evolution; how it took in other genres and combined all these different elements. There were not many British-made Rock ‘n’ Roll record prior to 1979, so London Calling claimed another honour. It is a phenomenal record, and one that sound superb when played on vinyl. There is still this division between the loyal Clash core who felt the band sold out when they went in a different direction. There are those who felt The Clash truly evolved and strengthened when they released London Calling. At nineteen tracks – most of which are over three minutes long –, London Calling is longer and more expansive than any Punk album of the era.

If Jones and Strummer were struggling to find new creative juice prior to London Calling, the decision to spread their sonic wings like never before proved fruitful. From the iconic and immortal title track to Spanish Bombs, The Guns of Brixton; Lover’s Rock and Train in Vain, The Clash were mixing important, Punk-true lyrics with a broader musical palette, thus bringing their music to a wider audience. London Calling is the perfect balance between the tough and street-pounding sound of The Clash (1977) and something deeper, more varied and accessible. If some were reserved in December 1979, the majority of critics raved! London Calling has received sensationally positive reviews since its release and, in this AllMusic review, they talked about the transformation from Give ‘Em Enopugh Rope in 1978 to London Calling:

“Give 'Em Enough Rope, for all of its many attributes, was essentially a holding pattern for the Clash, but the double-album London Calling is a remarkable leap forward, incorporating the punk aesthetic into rock & roll mythology and roots music. Before, the Clash had experimented with reggae, but that was no preparation for the dizzying array of styles on London Calling. There's punk and reggae, but there's also rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock; and while the record isn't tied together by a specific theme, its eclecticism and anthemic punk function as a rallying call. While many of the songs -- particularly "London Calling," "Spanish Bombs," and "The Guns of Brixton" -- are explicitly political, by acknowledging no boundaries the music itself is political and revolutionary.

But it is also invigorating, rocking harder and with more purpose than most albums, let alone double albums. Over the course of the record, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones (and Paul Simonon, who wrote "The Guns of Brixton") explore their familiar themes of working-class rebellion and antiestablishment rants, but they also tie them in to old rock & roll traditions and myths, whether it's rockabilly greasers or "Stagger Lee," as well as mavericks like doomed actor Montgomery Clift. The result is a stunning statement of purpose and one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded.

I think, oddly, London Calling sounds more relevant and powerful in 2019 than it did back in 1979! Maybe it is Brexit and growing discontent; maybe it is the fact people weren’t quite prepared in 1979. I don’t know. What I do know is that London Calling is an album that will never fade and will always resonate. I want to bring in a review from Billboard, where they highlighted the brilliance of London Calling: 

“Any punk band worth its leather and studs can do dystopian, apocalyptic angst. The world is always ending, and after garbage men and plumbers, angry young guitar players have some of the best job security around. The trick is to rage in your own unique way.
On the opening title track of its third album, London Calling -- a rock'n'roll landmark released 35 years ago this week, on Dec. 14, 1979 -- The Clash approached doomsday as only it could. Instead of lamenting the end of days or fantasizing about some anarchic future, like their peers The Sex Pistols did, these ice-cold Londoners slicked back their hair and stood tall in the face of World War III, environmental collapse and whatever else loomed on the horizon.

Over the course of 19 tracks, The Clash goes careening through rockabilly, reggae, soul, R&B, ska and Phil Spector pop. There’s even a love song, “Train In Vain,” which the group cut on its final day at Wessex Studio in London. Because it was recorded at the last second, “Train In Vain” wasn’t listed on the back of the original sleeve, but that didn’t stop the single from reaching No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving The Clash its first U.S. hit.

The album itself climbed No. 27, and while The Clash would achieve greater commercial success three years and two records later with Combat Rock -- the one that spawned “Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” -- London Calling is the band’s artistic pinnacle. The record dropped stateside in early January 1980, which is why Rolling Stone named it the best album of the '80s, and should the world survive long enough for critics in 2480 to list the finest records of the preceding 500 years, London Calling will be a strong contender for top honors. It’s a stunning show of musical growth fed by respect for the past, and it’s played with all the confidence, joy, aggression and passion essential to rock'n'roll”.

A lot of weird and wonderful things happened in 1979. There was the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster and Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. The U.S.S.R. invaded Afghanistan and Sony released the Walkman. It was a big year and, with politics and music shifting, The Clash released this stunning album that they would never top. I will end things in a minute, but I want to bring in an article from Ultimate Classic Rock that pays tribute to this remarkable work:

“From the opening charge of the title track and the reggae-spiked "The Guns of Brixton" (penned and sung by bassist Paul Simonon) to "Death or Glory," a middle finger to leftover '60s rockers, and the closing pop rush of "Train in Vain," the album doesn't let up. There may not be a more perfect and exciting hour-long listen in rock history. Even side four, traditionally the wasteland of double records, barely weakens its case. It helps that "Train in Vain," which was tacked on at the very end of the album at the last second (it wasn't even listed on original copies of the LP), is one of the band's very best songs and became its first chart hit.

If the Clash were musically in a brand new place on London Calling, lyrically they were expanding on themes for which they were already well known. The album is as politically agitated as its predecessors, but culture itself is stirred, too, on songs like "Lost in the Supermarket" and "Clampdown." And "Train in Vain" is nothing more than a love song. They even included a handful of mostly obscure covers among the Joe Strummer and Mick Jones originals.

And then there's the album's celebrated cover art, a stark black-and-white photo of Simonon smashing his instrument onstage framed by pink and green letters that echo the famous artwork of Elvis Presley's debut album 23 years earlier. Like the music, the cover has become an integral part of rock's landscape”.

Ahead of its fortieth anniversary in December, I am sure most critics can appreciate that London Calling led the way for Post-Punk and remains hugely important today. Let’s hope those critics who turned their noses up at London Calling in 1979 – if they are still with us – can understand how The Clash were moving and why their third album changed the game. Although London Calling hugely influenced what was to come regarding Post-Punk in the 1980s, I wonder whether modern artists are taking London Calling to heart as much as they should regarding genres and mixing sounds – I think modern Post-Punk lacks the variety and depth of London Calling. As we end the 2010s in a similarly tense and unsure situation as the world did in the 1979, I think London Calling will peak the interest of new bands and have an impact in 2020. After all of these years, The Clash’s London Calling remains…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Clash on their London Calling Tour/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

SUCH a mighty and mesmeric statement.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Willie J Healey

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

Willie J Healey

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EVEN though I think this year has been defined…

by women and the music that they are making, there are some great male artists who are producing astonishing work. The track, Songs for Joanna, is one of the year’s best and I am reminded of Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler when I hear him sing. He might not have had Knopfler in mind, yet it is hard to ignore a similar tone on Songs for Joanna. It is a breath of fresh air in modern music and I think it adds something brilliant to his instantly memorable music. Healey’s new E.P., Hello Good Morning, is out now and I will come to that very soon. When Healey released People and Their Dogs in 2017, there was a lot of curiosity and interest around this new artist. You can read interviews he gave at the time and, when you listen to that album, you notice the differences between his 2017 output and what he is releasing now. There is a lot of chat around Willie J Healey because of his new music and the fact he is contributing something rich and original to the scene. Rough Trade sum up Healey pretty neatly:

“Willie J Healey operates within his own lane. This is a musician who can write about any topic that grabs his attention: from wry observations and the innocence of young love, through to gothic visitations from the devil and alien abductions. He’s unconstrained by genre, moving at will between scrappy garage-rock, evocative Americana and sumptuous psychedelia. And it's all his own work, the product of obsessively writing song after song in his studio/garage/bedroom.

PHOTO CREDIT: Leonn Ward 

As an unconventional musician, it’s little surprise that he’s an unorthodox character too. On social media, he comes across as easy-going and carefree. In person, he’s unguarded, considered and immediately friendly. It’s unfathomable to imagine him being angry, but he’s adamant that he’ll do anything to protect his creative integrity, much like his hero Neil Young. He’s a curious mix between a young man with the world at his feet and an old soul.

As such, it makes perfect sense that he puts a contemporary filter on timeless ‘70s-flavoured sounds. It’s all there in his forthcoming EP ‘Hello Good Morning’ and his new album that will follow next year. It continues his relationship with new music champions YALA! Records, who released his previous EP ‘666 Kill’ in 2018.

Lead track ‘Songs For Johanna’ takes Willie’s pop nous to new heights, as if YALA! labelmates The Magic Gang teamed up with Elvis Costello. It’s a snappy tale of age-old teen dilemmas: love triangles, confused sexual identity and unrequited passions.

The idea, says Willie, came from his ability to tap back into that angst. “There’s so much confusion and all these emotions. Friends and family tell you that it’s all insignificant, but you don’t know that until you’re through it. Everything will pass.”

The rest of the EP also pulsates with his freewheeling, out-of-time approach. Inspired by John Lennon’s ‘Gimme Some Truth’, ‘Polyphonic Love’ is a bluesy/grunge hybrid - a simple plea to simplify life and leave the creativity to Willie. It’s followed by his purest love song to date, the Tame Impala meets ELO slow jam ‘For You’ and the rousing orchestration of the Brian Wilson-flavoured ‘Thousand Reasons’.

It tees Willie up to finally make the impact that his prodigious talents deserve. But what does he consider success to be?

He cites his high profile fans (and now friends) - including Laurie Vincent of Slaves, Orlando Weeks, Jamie T and Gaz Coombes - as inspirations. “It blows my mind because I love them all as artists. I can see why they’re all in the position they are and I want to be like that. But I’m flattered when anyone knows and likes my music. We get some hip kids at the shows and that’s cool. And we get some not-so-hip kids too, and that’s great. Everyone’s welcome”.

The reviews have come in for Hello Good Morning and it seems Healey is on the rise. He has grown in stature and his fanbase is growing. Tonight (18th November), he is at Rough Trade West to perform a live acoustic set  and do a Hello Good Morning signing (from 6 p.m.). You can buy Hello Good Morning now and see why so many people are tipping Healey for big success. If you get the chance to see him on the road, then make sure you do! I have been aware of Healey since he put out his E.P., 666 KILL, last year. It is interesting to see Healey sort of sandwich albums with E.P.s. I do wonder whether he might put out an L.P. next year because it seems like he has the ammunition and impetus.

The 666 KILL (or 666 Kill) E.P. is a remarkable work:

“666 Kill is an EP with an unusual genesis. Healey set himself an experiment: to rapidly put together a body of work from his first idea to completion without overthinking any part of the process. And so he’d write lyrics in his bedroom that were rich in violent gothic imagery – an ominous home invasion from the devil (666 Kill), an existential bullet-in-the-head (Lovelawn), and a metaphorical grim reaper (Learn Toulouse) – before rushing down to his studio / garage to record them as quickly as possible. “I was trying to touch on different ideas I had at the time: weird things like planes going missing and an obsession with death, which sounds really depressing but at the time I found it really interesting,” he explains. “We all have weird little things that run across our minds and we generally don’t say them out loud. For good reason! But it felt like an exciting process to write in that style and not put a filter on it.” A week later and it was done, with Healey having recorded vocals and almost all of the instrumentation himself. A fortnight later, however, he listened back and was pleasantly surprised at his latest creation. From the menacing country-folk of the title track to the beautifully bleak contrast of Lovelawn and the relatively uplifting closer When You’re Lonely, it echoes the low-fi introspection of Elliott Smith with the rawness of early Neil Young. A notable detour is the hypnotic rhythm and screeching sax that permeates through Guitar Music – ironically named given that it was the first song that Healey ever wrote on keys and features no guitar beyond some bass.

Not only is Healey a tremendous songwriter with that very grounded and arresting voice; he comes across in interviews as very tangible and real. That may sound odd, yet there are songwriters who can be aloof, fake or a bit boring. Healey is a really interesting talent. In this interview from 2018, the Oxfordshire musician came across as very modest and charming:

“I’m a really happy person,” Willie beams. With the sun shining and leaves fluttering about like dancing fairies, our adventure in West London's Holland Park became our magical escape from the hustle and bustle of central London. Winning over the hearts of many with his natural charm and cheeky sense of humour, Willie J Healey has fun written all over his face.

“When I first showed some of the stuff to my friends they were like are you OK?” he laughs. “I guess I’ve just played on heavier themes than I have in the past. Yala! are putting it out for me too which is great. It’s quite slow, there’s no radio hits on there, but who listens to the radio nowadays anyway...?”

Stopping to chuckle, Clash feels like he might be right: “I hope people listen to it and enjoy it.”

Taking you on a journey through his nostalgic hints and DIY approach, Willie brings a very personal touch to his songwriting. “I did them all in a week and recorded them in that time at home. The one I spent most time on was probably ‘Lovelawn’ just because it has got a lot of words in it and I would go back and forth with them and switch them round.”

Having a successful album already under his belt, Willie has established unique and mellow elements in his guitar playing. Honing a woozy, blissful, slacker-rock sound, he was snapped up and before we knew it he was releasing a string of singles, and record ‘People And Their Dogs’ last year.

“When I started out being signed to a major label and putting an album out, there is this expectation that you explode and make billions of fans and lots of money.” His voice appears soft as he continues; “Then actually in reality it’s not always like that. It wasn’t like that for me but I think quite a lot of people haven’t heard that album. The people who have heard it, seem to really like it so I think it’s a bit of a slow burner, you know”.

With tour dates, a new E.P. and kudos from some big radio stations, Willie J Healey is turning heads and I think 2020 will be a big one for him! I think there are some great male singer-songwriters out there – such as Sam Fender - ; Healey is among the most promising and diverse. I love what is throwing out right now, and I will keep my eyes peeled for sure! Take a listen to his tunes and give him a follow on social media – links are underneath -, because he will be taking to festival stages next year and, who knows, there might be some more material. Healey is a consistent, always-evolving and improving artist with a bright future. Although his songs are crafted and worked on rigorously, he is the kind of artist who amazes and stuns… 

 PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren McDermott for CLASH

WITH seeming ease.

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Follow Willie J Healey

PHOTO CREDIT: Hollie Fernando Photography 

Official:

https://www.williejhealey.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/williejhealey/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/wjhealey

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/williejhealey/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVwW2o1fpX9G8NZ6k_gOB8w

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4T4JE09FOmRgv2Wzb6JaOR?si=sUAuwvADQzaOVebnQZPaNQ

ALL PHOTOS (unless otherwise stated):

Willie J Healey

FEATURE: Snapshots and Perfect Portraits: Remembering Photographer Terry O’Neill

FEATURE:

 

Snapshots and Perfect Portraits

IN THIS PHOTO: The iconic photographer Terry O’Neill died on 16th November, 2019 at the age of eighty-one/PHOTO CREDIT: IBL/Rex/Shutterstock 

Remembering Photographer Terry O’Neill

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IT is with a heavy heart that we have to say goodbye…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles captured by O’Neill at Abbey Road Studios, London in 1963/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

to another great music photographer. On 6th November, we lost Robert Freeman. He photographed, among others, The Beatles and now, a few days later, we have to mourn the loss of Terry O’Neill. Not only did he photo The Beatles; he snapped musicians such as The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Amy Winehouse – in addition to some of the most swinging and iconic stars of the 1960s. If you want to see his fantastic photos in book form, have a look on Amazon; it is well worth investing in a few volumes! Many might not recognise Terry O’Neill’s name, but you definitely will be familiar with his work! From the Iconic Images website, here is some information about the legendary photographer:

“Terry O’Neill CBE is one of the world’s most collected photographers with work hanging in national art galleries and private collections worldwide. From presidents to pop stars he has photographed the frontline of fame for over six decades.

O’Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s. While other photographers concentrated on earthquakes, wars and politics, O’Neill realised that youth culture was a breaking news story on a global scale and began chronicling the emerging faces of film, fashion and music who would go on to define the Swinging Sixties. By 1965 he was being commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.

IN THIS PHOTO: Amy Winehouse was photographed by O’Neill in 2008/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

No other living photographer has embraced the span of fame, capturing the icons of our age from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, from Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Amy Winehouse, from Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot to Nicole Kidman, as well as every James Bond from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.

He photographed The Beatles and The Rolling Stones when they were still struggling young bands in 1963, pioneered backstage reportage photography with David Bowie, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Chuck Berry and his images have adorned historic rock albums, movie posters and international magazine covers”.

Perhaps his most well-known photographer are those of Elton John. He published the 2008 book, Eltonography, and you can see some of those astonishing photos. Check out a recent book of Elton John snaps, and you can marvel at his work. Whilst O’Neill created iconic images of famous actors - including one of his girlfriend Faye Dunaway in 1977 (they were married from 1983 to 1986) -, he went on to snap some truly huge figures. As a music fan, the world has lost another influential and vitally important photographer. This article from The Guardian pays tribute to the late O’Neill:  

“Terry O’Neill, the photographer who chronicled London’s 1960s culture by capturing the celebrities and public figures who defined the era, has died aged 81.

O’Neill, who was awarded a CBE last month for services to photography and was known for his work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, David Bowie and Elizabeth Taylor, died at home on Saturday night after a long illness, his agency said. He had prostate cancer.

IN THIS PHOTO: Terry O’Neill snapped Elton John as he performed at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in October 1975/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

“It is with a heavy heart that Iconic Images announces the passing of Terence ‘Terry’ O’Neill, CBE,” a spokeswoman for the agency said. “As one of the most iconic photographers of the last 60 years, his legendary pictures will forever remain imprinted in our memories as well as in our hearts and minds.”

A biography on the agency’s website said: “O’Neill realised that youth culture was a breaking news story on a global scale and began chronicling the emerging faces of film, fashion and music who would go on to define the swinging 60s. By 1965 he was being commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.”

O’Neill helped capture an era of cultural and social revolution in Britain. He was one of the first people to shoot the Beatles, and would go on to work with the Rolling Stones, Brigitte Bardot and Sean Connery. O’Neill said of the Beatles: “I was only 20, and the youngest photographer on Fleet Street. It was obvious that John was the one with the personality, so I put him in the front”.

Many of us overlook photographer and people behind the scenes. When it comes to musicians, how many of us note the photographers, producers and other people who make the magic happen, whether that is visual or audio?! I hold such esteem for people like Terry O’Neill, as they capture musicians in ways we can never see them; showing new sides that reveal them in a new light.

 IN THIS PHOTO: O’Neill shot The Rolling Stones in 1963, before they signed their first record contract/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

Today, one can snap anyone on their phone and, in many ways, there is less affection and respect for photographers than there used to be. Some say photographers are largely unnecessary when we have so much technology, but think about the practical differences between an amateur fan and a professional. Now more than ever, musicians need to get their image out there and think about the visual side. There are great photographers out there that never get the credit they deserve. Terry O’Neill is one of the most reputable and respected photographers because of his incredible passion and talent. Look at shots he took of The Beatles and Elton John and you are mesmerised. I think photography is an extraordinarily medium that is always going to be an essential part of the music industry. I will wrap up in a minute but have a look at O’Neill’s Instagram to see his remarkable work. I want to finish off by quoting from an interview he gave last year, where he talked about his work and the fact there are few genuine icons/stars today:

“The cultural watershed of the 1960s gave working-class boys like me opportunities we wouldn’t have had otherwise. I wouldn’t have had a prayer of being successful in any other era.

There’s nobody around now I’d want to photograph. Amy Winehouse was the last person – real talent. All the proper stars have gone.

The Queen is the only person I’ve ever been nervous of photographing. I researched some horse-racing jokes to break the ice and thank God she laughed”.

The perfectionist in me always left me thinking I could have taken a better shot. But now when I look at photos of all the icons I’ve shot – like Mandela, Sir Winston Churchill and Sinatra – the memories come flooding back and I think, “Yeah, I did all right.”

Terry O’Neill died yesterday at the age of eighty-one and, when he says there are few worth photographing today, maybe he is right. Perhaps there are some great artists who can shine for the camera, but none with the magnitude of Amy Winehouse or David Bowie, say. We have lost a photographic giant but, as we know, Terry O’Neill’s phenomenal images…

 IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie is captured looking relaxed in 1974/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

WILL always live on.