FEATURE: Re-Release and Revision… Celebrating Kate Bush’s The Whole Story at Thirty-Six

FEATURE:

 

 

Re-Release and Revision…

Celebrating Kate Bush’s The Whole Story at Thirty-Six

__________

ON 10th November…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in an outtake from The Whole Story shoot/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

the Kate Bush greatest hits album, The Whole Story, is thirty-six. Through the years, the album has been released on L.P., C.D., tape, and Minidisc (in 1998). A 180-gram vinyl edition was released by Simply Vinyl on 30th October, 2000. My exposure to the album came in the form of the VHS. That was my first exposure to Kate Bush. The VHS had videos of the album’s songs on them. There was one difference that I will mention (also, an extra video (not included on the audio version), for The Big Sky, was added). The video for Wuthering Heights was a revelation! There was something about the choreography and the setting of the video. Bush, wide-eyed and ghostly. It was a  turning point in my life when it came to music and how I saw it! You can get a copy of The Whole Story on vinyl, but the cost is quite steep. Ahead of the anniversary of the album, I want to discuss a couple of different aspects. Before I get to it, here is a link to interviews where Bush talked about The Whole Story:

“Yes, I was [against the release of a compilation album] at first. I was concerned that it would be like a "K-tel" record, a cheapo-compo with little thought behind it. It was the record company's decision, and I didn't mind as long as it was well put together. We put a lot of work into the packaging, trying to make it look tasteful, and carefully thought out the running order. And the response has been phenomenal - I'm amazed! (Kate Bush Club newsletter, Issue 22, December 1987)

It wasn't chronological because we wanted to have a running time that was equal on both sides, otherwise you get a bad pressing. In America, where I'm not very well known, they didn't realise it was a compilation! ('Love, Trust and Hitler'. Tracks (UK), November 1989)”.

It would be nice if The Whole Story were re-released on vinyl. She remastered her catalogue in 2018, and I feel a new edition of The Whole Story would be a great introduction to fans. I will end with thoughts on the album and why, thirty-six years after its release, it still remains powerful and one of the best greatest hits albums. There are a couple of limitations and drawbacks with the album. Even though the video for Wuthering Heights was included, the audio version of the song featured a new vocal by Bush. Perhaps conscious of its higher register and the way some people satirised it, Bush wanted something that made her feel and seem less child-like and young. I feel the original vocal is one of her very best and should have been left. For her first greatest hits collection, having one of her  most important songs remain intact would have been better. Also, as the album was released a year after Hounds of Love, there was a lot to choose from in terms of the songs. I have already written about the single released from the album, Experiment IV, Bush wrote this especially for The Whole Story. I do think there should be a remaster of the greatest hits album, as we have not really seen anything like it since. There has been chronicling of Bush’s work after 1986, though there has not been a greatest hits collection.

I have written about this before when looking at The Whole Story but, as we prepare to mark thirty-six years of this collection, it is interesting how there has bene no real further revision. Bush’s success this year must make her think that a career-spanning album or compilation could be welcomed. As she told Tom Doyle in a 2006 interview, Bush thought that the idea of a greatest hits was naff. She said no way. It was a crap suggestion. The man - whose name is not revealed -came back with all this research. A convincing amount of hard work changed Bush’s mind. She was sold and, as it turned out, The Whole Story reached the top spot and became Bush’s biggest-selling record. She is glad that she had her hesitancy reversed and allowed The Whole Story to go ahead! Bush is not a great fan of revisionism, but at least remastering The Whole Story would be a start. What I wanted to conclude with is how much respect and adulation the album received. I guess the success of Hounds of Love in 1985 and 1986 carried into November of 1986. She was very much at the forefront of public affection and critical approval. It is funny, as Hounds of Love might have been her first album – her fifth at that point – that unified people in that way. Whilst Hounds of Love did not get all great reviews in the U.S. (even though it was a critical success there), British press raved! When The Whole Story came up, Bush’s popularity was at an all-time high. Even though there were twelve tracks on the album, critics were stunned by the vast quality. Recognising her gifts and genius, they were stunned at the variation and consistency that The Whole Story offered! NME noted how Bush was streets ahead of her male peers. Andy Strickland, writing for Record Mirror noted: "A monumental tribute to this craziest, coziest girl-next-door. (...) One of the most refreshing compilation LPs it would be possible to put together".

I am dropping in a few videos that would have appeared on the VHS edition of The Whole Story. Not only did the public and press get the audio delights of Bush’s career in the compilation. It was a rare occasion to piece together her ever-evolving and growingly ambitious videos. It is quite fitting that Bush, who was being mocked, facing sexist questions, and being reduced to her looks in 1978 and actually through her career, was now being heralded as a goddess and British innovator! 1986 was a watershed year when this once-derided and misunderstood artist was being elevated. Not everyone was in Bush’s camp and, to be fair, there was respect for all of her albums until this point. There was definitely a shift in the way she was perceived and the impression people had. Linking together a selection of her best songs together did provide the complete picture. The whole story. In 1986, that was definitely true. Bush has released five studio albums since 1986. There has been a lot of activity and new material. I do think that there should be some form of retrospection. Bush could not object. In lieu of new material and plans for an eleventh studio album, she would surely allow there to be something in the way of a new collection,. In recognising how important The Whole Story was for me, in the sense it introduced me to Kate Bush, it also sees me looking ahead. 2022 has been such a packed and crazy year for Kate Bush. Once more thrust back into the limelight – though in a very different way to 1985 and 1986 -, fans all around the world hope that…

THE story is not finished quite yet.

FEATURE: Looking Ahead to Fifty-Five Years of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour Double E.P.: Ranking the Six Tracks

FEATURE

 

 

Looking Ahead to Fifty-Five Years of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour Double E.P.

Ranking the Six Tracks

__________

I have written a feature previously…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles set off by coach to the Westcountry to film the Magical Mystery Tour movie/PHOTO CREDIT: Potter/Express/Getty Images

about The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. It was released as an album in the U.S. in 27th November, 1967. It consisted of songs from the film soundtrack of Magical Mystery Tour, plus some singles from the band. In the U.K., on 8th December, 1967, it was released as a five-track E.P. Many do not consider Magical Mystery Tour to be cannon when it comes to The Beatles’ music. Maybe not as recognised as their studio albums, I do really love the E.P. Six very different and incredible tracks, I think that it should be re-released on vinyl and remastered. Later in the same year as The Beatles released the seminal Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearst Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour was going to suffer in comparison. Perhaps goofier than Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the E.P. is trimmer and does not include songs like Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane (both of which are on the U.S. album). Regardless, I wanted to look ahead to the fifty-fifth anniversary of Magical Mystery Tour as an E.P. by ranking the six tracks. They are all fantastic, but I think there are a couple that stand out from the pack – and most people can probably guess which one I am going to put at the top spot! Before getting to the song rankings, here is some information from The Beatles Bible, about Magical Mystery Tour’s filming and recording:

“Released as a six-song double EP in the United Kingdom and an 11-song album in the US and elsewhere, Magical Mystery Tour was the soundtrack to the television film of the same name, which was first broadcast by the BBC on 26 December 1967.

In the wake of the death of Brian Epstein on 27 August 1967, The Beatles found themselves suddenly without direction. Whereas since 1962 they had been carefully guided by their manager, at the peak of their career they were unused to making their own business decisions or having absolute autonomy over their future.

On 1 September 1967, five days after Epstein’s body was discovered in his London home, The Beatles met at Paul McCartney’s house at 7 Cavendish Avenue in St John’s Wood, London. The previous day an announcement had been issued stating that the band would continue to be managed by NEMS Enterprises – now under the guidance of Epstein’s brother Clive – until further notice.

During the 1 September meeting The Beatles agreed to continue with Magical Mystery Tour, a project begun in April shortly after the completion of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Crucially, this was a time when McCartney began steering many of the group’s decisions, encouraging them to continue during a period in which they might easily have collapsed amid a lack of direction.

I was still under a false impression. I still felt every now and then that Brian would come in and say, ‘It’s time to record,’ or, ‘Time to do this.’ And Paul started doing that: ‘Now we’re going to make a movie. Now we’re going to make a record.’ And he assumed that if he didn’t call us, nobody would ever make a record. Paul would say, well, now he felt like it – and suddenly I’d have to whip out twenty songs. He’d come in with about twenty good songs and say, ‘We’re recording.’ And I suddenly had to write a fucking stack of songs.

John Lennon, 1972

Anthology

McCartney’s concept for Magical Mystery Tour was to produce a television special about a group of ordinary people taking a mystery trip on a coach. The film would take in various locations in England and France, and would be mostly improvised and take advantage of the encounters they had on the road.

Magical Mystery Tour was Paul’s idea. It was a good way to work. Paul had a great piece of paper – just a blank piece of white paper with a circle on it. The plan was: ‘We start here – and we’ve got to do something here…’ We filled it in as we went along.

We rented a bus and off we went. There was some planning: John would always want a midget or two around, and we had to get an aircraft hangar to put the set in. We’d do the music, of course. They were the finest videos, and it was a lot of fun. To get the actors we looked through the actors’ directory, Spotlight: ‘Oh, we need someone like this, and someone like that.’ We needed a large lady to play my auntie. So we found a large lady.

Ringo Starr

Anthology”.

To celebrate a big anniversary for an undoubtably excellent E.P. and a vital moment in Beatles history, I am borrowing from The Beatles Bible once more when it comes to song information and details. Whilst there are Beatles fans who write off Magical Mystery Tour or do not consider it essential listening, I would argue that the E.P. and L.P. versions…

SHOULD not be forgotten.

______________________

SIX: Blue Jay Way

“Written by: Harrison

Recorded: 6, 7 September; 6 October 1967

Producer: George Martin

Engineer: Geoff Emerick

Released: 8 December 1967 (UK), 27 November 1967 (US)

Available on:

Magical Mystery Tour

Love

Personnel

George Harrison: vocals, Hammond organ

John Lennon: backing vocals

Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass

Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine

Peter Willison: cello

‘Blue Jay Way’, George Harrison’s songwriting contribution to the Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack, was written while he was waiting for The Beatles’ publicist Derek Taylor, who was lost in fog in the Los Angeles canyons.

The song was composed in the Hollywood hills on 1 August 1967. Harrison was visiting California with his wife Pattie, plus Neil Aspinall and Alexis Mardas. They were staying at a rented house in Blue Jay Way, high in the Hollywood hills, which belonged to the manager of Peggy Lee.

The Beatles’ former publicist Derek Taylor had become delayed on his way to meet them. The jetlagged Harrison found a Hammond organ in the house and began writing the song as an outlet for his ennui.

Derek Taylor got held up. He rang to say he’d be late. I told him on the phone that the house was in Blue Jay Way. And he said he could find it OK… he could always ask a cop. So I waited and waited. I felt really knackered with the flight, but I didn’t want to go to sleep until he came. There was a fog and it got later and later. To keep myself awake, just as a joke to pass the time while I waited, I wrote a song about waiting for him in Blue Jay Way. There was a little Hammond organ in the corner of this house which I hadn’t noticed until then… so I messed around on it and the song came.

George Harrison

Harrison’s stay in the house was arranged by Brian Epstein, who called The Beatles’ attorney Robert Fitzpatrick to enquire whether a house could be leased. Fitzpatrick persuaded the owner of the house, another entertainment attorney named Ludwig Gerber, to lend Harrison his LA residence.

Ludwig Gerber was a former US Army colonel who had managed Peggy Lee for many years. He was also a film producer and lawyer. In his house there was a Hammond S-6 organ, which Harrison used for writing the song while waiting for Taylor to arrive.

In the Magical Mystery Tour film, Harrison ‘performed’ the song while playing a keyboard chalked onto the ground. One of the movie’s most psychedelic sequences, Harrison’s appearance is subjected to dated camera techniques involving prism refractions to create multiple images” – The Beatles Bible

FIVE: The Fool on the Hill

“Written by: Lennon-McCartney

Recorded: 6, 25, 26 September; 20 October 1967

Producer: George Martin

Engineer: Ken Scott

Released: 8 December 1967 (UK), 27 November 1967 (US)

Available on:

Magical Mystery Tour

Anthology 2

Love (iTunes bonus track)

Personnel

Paul McCartney: vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, bass, recorder

John Lennon: harmonica, Jew’s harp

George Harrison: acoustic guitar, harmonica

Ringo Starr: drums, maracas, finger cymbals

Christopher Taylor, Richard Taylor, Jack Ellory: flutes

The ‘Fool On The Hill’ was Paul McCartney’s major contribution to the Magical Mystery Tour EP and album. In the companion TV film it appeared over a sequence shot on a hilltop near Nice in France.

Now that’s Paul. Another good lyric. Shows he’s capable of writing complete songs.

John Lennon

All We Are Saying, David Sheff

The song was composed on the piano at McCartney’s father’s house in Liverpool, “hitting a D 6th chord”.

‘The Fool On The Hill’ was mine and I think I was writing about someone like Maharishi. His detractors called him a fool. Because of his giggle he wasn’t taken too seriously. It was this idea of a fool on the hill, a guru in a cave, I was attracted to.

Paul McCartney

Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

The Beatles’ 1968 authorised biography contains a lengthy passage in which writer Hunter Davies observed Lennon and McCartney as they composed ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’, at McCartney’s house in London. A fascinating insight into their songwriting processes, it showed how they were content to be distracted while waiting for inspiration to arrive.

Paul then went back to his guitar and started to sing and play a very slow, beautiful song about a foolish man sitting on the hill. John listened to it quietly, staring blankly out of the window, almost as if he wasn’t listening. Paul sang it many times, la la-ing words he hadn’t thought of yet. When at last he finished, John said he’d better write the words down or he’d forget them. Paul said it was OK. He wouldn’t forget them. It was the first time Paul had played it for John. There was no discussion.

The Beatles, Hunter Davies

McCartney decided to go to France to film the Magical Mystery Tour sequence, taking with him Mal Evans and cameraman Aubrey Dewar. Despite having no money or passport with him, he managed to talk his way through customs. The sequence was filmed in the mountains near Nice, shortly after sunrise.

I just ad-libbed the whole thing. I went, ‘Right, get over there: let me dance. Let me jump from this rock to this rock. Get a lot of the sun rising. Get a perfect shot and let me stand in front of it.’ I just had a little Philips cassette to mime to and roughly get the feeling of the song. There was no clapper because there was no sound… It was very spontaneous, as was the whole of Magical Mystery Tour. Later, when we came to try to edit it all, it was very difficult because I hadn’t sung it to synch.

We shouldn’t have really had just one cameraman, it was anti-union. That was another reason to go to France. The unions wouldn’t have allowed it in Britain, nor probably in France, but they didn’t know we were doing it.

Paul McCartney

Many Years From Now, Barry Miles” – The Beatles Bible

FOUR: Your Mother Should Know

“Written by: Lennon-McCartney

Recorded: 22, 23 August; 16, 29 September 1967

Producer: George Martin

Engineers: John Timperley, Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott

Released: 8 December 1967 (UK), 27 November 1967 (US)

Available on:

Magical Mystery Tour

Anthology 2

Personnel

Paul McCartney: vocals, piano, bass

John Lennon: backing vocals, organ

George Harrison: backing vocals, guitar

Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine

‘Your Mother Should Know’ was written by Paul McCartney at his home in London. It took its title from the screenplay of A Taste Of Honey, and the music harked back to Busby Berkeley showtunes and the golden age of music hall.

I wrote it in Cavendish Avenue on the harmonium I have in the dining room there. My Aunty Jin and Uncle Harry and a couple of relatives were staying and they were in the living room just across the hall, so I just went to the dining room and spent a few hours with the door open with them listening. And I suppose because of the family atmosphere ‘Your Mother Should Know’ came in. It’s a very music-hall kind of thing, probably influenced by the fact that my Aunty Jin was in the house.

Paul McCartney

Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

It’s likely that ‘Your Mother Should Know’ was briefly considered for the Our World satellite broadcast of 25 June 1967. The Beatles went instead with ‘All You Need Is Love’, a simpler message and one more readily understood by a worldwide audience. But the idea of a big old-fashioned singalong clearly stayed with McCartney when planning the Magical Mystery Tour film.

The big prop was that great big staircase that we danced down, that was where all the money went: in that particular shot on that big staircase. I said, ‘Sod it, you’ve got to have the Busby Berkeley ending,’ and it is a good sequence. Just the fact of John dancing, which he did readily. You can see by the fun expression on his face that he wasn’t forced into anything.

Paul McCartney – The Beatles Bible

THREE: Flying

“Written by: Harrison–Lennon–McCartney–Starkey

Recorded: 8, 28 September 1967

Producer: George Martin

Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott

Released: 8 December 1967 (UK), 27 November 1967 (US)

Available on:

Magical Mystery Tour

Personnel

John Lennon: vocals, organ, Mellotron, sound effects

Paul McCartney: vocals, guitar, bass

George Harrison: vocals, guitar

Ringo Starr: vocals, drums, maracas, sound effects

A mostly instrumental recording with wordless vocals from all four Beatles, ‘Flying’ was recorded as incidental music for the Magical Mystery Tour film.

Originally titled ‘Aerial Tour Instrumental’, it was the first Beatles recording to have a songwriting credit featuring all four members.

‘Flying’ was the only Beatles instrumental released by EMI. The group had previously recorded ‘Cry For A Shadow’ in Hamburg in 1961, and ‘12-Bar Original’ during the Rubber Soul sessions in 1965.

In the Magical Mystery Tour film, ‘Flying’ was used to accompany landscape scenes of Iceland taken from an aeroplane. These sequences were unused outtakes from Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film Dr Strangelove.

Paul McCartney revealed the background to ‘Flying’ in Barry Miles’ biography Many Years From Now:

‘Flying’ was an instrumental that we needed for Magical Mystery Tour so in the studio one night I suggested to the guys that we made something up. I said, ‘We can keep it very very simple, we can make it a twelve-bar blues. We need a little bit of a theme and a little bit of a backing.’ I wrote the melody. The only thing to warrant it as a song is basically the melody, otherwise it’s just a nice twelve-bar backing thing. It’s played on the Mellotron, on a trombone setting. It’s credited to all four, which is how you would credit a non-song.

Paul McCartney

Many Years From Now” – The Beatles Bible

TWO: Magical Mystery Tour

“Written by: Lennon-McCartney

Recorded: 25, 26, 27 April, 3 May, 7 November 1967

Producer: George Martin

Engineer: Geoff Emerick

Released: 8 December 1967 (UK), 27 November 1967 (US)

Available on: Magical Mystery Tour

Personnel

Paul McCartney: vocals, piano, bass

John Lennon: vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar, percussion

George Harrison: vocals, lead guitar, percussion

Ringo Starr: drums, percussion

Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall: percussion

David Mason, Elgar Howarth, Roy Copestake, John Wilbraham: trumpets

Recorded just four days after the completion of the Sgt Pepper album, ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ was Paul McCartney’s attempt to maintain momentum within The Beatles and to give them a new direction and sense of purpose.

John and I remembered mystery tours, and we always thought this was a fascinating idea: getting on a bus and not knowing where you were going. Rather romantic and slightly surreal! All these old dears with the blue rinses going off to mysterious places. Generally there’s a crate of ale in the boot of the coach and you sing lots of songs. It’s a charabanc trip. So we took that idea and used it as a basis for a song and the film.

Paul McCartney

Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

Inspired by Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters and their LSD-fuelled bus, McCartney decided The Beatles should try something similar. He devised a rough concept for the new project, which would involve the group travelling around the England in their own coach, filming whatever took place.

I used to go to the fairgrounds as a kid, the waltzers and the dodgems, but what interested me was the freak shows: the boxing booths, the bearded lady and the sheep with five legs, which actually was a four-legged sheep with one leg sewn on its side. When I touched it, the fellow said, ‘Hey, leave that alone!’ these were the great things of your youth. So much of your writing comes from this period; your golden memories. If I’m stuck for an idea, I can always think of a great summer, think of a time when I went to the seaside. Okay, sand sun waves donkeys laughter. That’s a pretty good scenario for a song.

Paul McCartney

Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

The resulting TV film was a mess, and critically panned, though the soundtrack double EP (expanded to a full album in the US) was a best-seller.

‘Magical Mystery Tour’ was co-written by John and I, very much in our fairground period. One of our great inspirations was always the barker. ‘Roll up! Roll up!’ The promise of something: the newspaper ad that says ‘guaranteed not to crack’, the ‘high class’ butcher, ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ from Sgt Pepper. ‘Come inside,’ ‘Step inside, Love‘; you’ll find that pervades a lot of my songs. If you look at all the Lennon-McCartney things, it’s a thing we do a lot.

Paul McCartney

Many Years From Now, Barry Miles - The Beatles Bible

ONE: I Am the Walrus

“Written by: Lennon-McCartney

Recorded: 5, 6, 27, 29 September 1967

Producer: George Martin

Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott

Released: 24 November 1967 (UK), 27 November 1967 (US)

Available on:

Magical Mystery Tour

Anthology 2

Love

Personnel

John Lennon: vocals, pianet electric piano

Paul McCartney: bass guitar, tambourine

George Harrison: electric guitar

Ringo Starr: drums

Peggie Allen, Wendy Horan, Pat Whitmore, Jill Utting, June Day, Sylvia King, Irene King, G Mallen, Fred Lucas, Mike Redway, John O’Neill, F Dachtler, Allan Grant, D Griffiths, J Smith, J Fraser: backing vocals

Sidney Sax, Jack Rothstein, Ralph Elman, Andrew McGee, Jack Greene, Louis Stevens, John Jezzard, Jack Richards: violins

Lionel Ross, Eldon Fox, Bram Martin, Terry Weil: cellos

Gordon Lewin: clarinet

Neil Sanders, Tony Tunstall, Morris Miller: horns

John Lennon’s final masterpiece of 1967 found him at his surrealistic, sneering best. ‘I Am The Walrus’ was included on the soundtrack of the Magical Mystery Tour TV film, and first released as the b-side of ‘Hello, Goodbye’.

Lennon had wanted ‘I Am The Walrus’ to be The Beatles’ next single after ‘All You Need Is Love’, but Paul McCartney and George Martin felt that ‘Hello, Goodbye’ was the more commercial song. The decision led to resentment from Lennon, who complained after the group’s split that “I got sick and tired of being Paul’s backup band”.

The song was written in August 1967, at the peak of the Summer of Love and shortly after the release of Sgt Pepper. Lennon later claimed to have written the opening lines under the influence of LSD

The first line was written on one acid trip one weekend, the second line on another acid trip the next weekend, and it was filled in after I met Yoko.

John Lennon, 1980

All We Are Saying, David Sheff

‘I Am The Walrus’ was a composite of three song fragments. The first part was inspired by a two-note police siren Lennon heard while at home in Weybridge. This became “Mr city policeman sitting pretty…”

Hunter Davies recounted the beginnings of the second part in his authorised 1968 biography of The Beatles:

He’d written down down another few words that day, just daft words, to put to another bit of rhythm. ‘Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the man to come.’ I thought he said ‘van to come’, which he hadn’t, but he liked it better and said he’d use it instead.

The third part of ‘I Am The Walrus’ started from the phrase “sitting in an English country garden” which, as Davies noted, Lennon was fond of doing for hours at a time. Lennon repeated the phrase to himself until a melody came.

I don’t know how it will all end up. Perhaps they’ll turn out to be different parts of the same song – sitting in an English garden, waiting for the van to come. I don’t know.

John Lennon

The Beatles, Hunter Davies

The lyrics

‘Walrus’ is just saying a dream – the words don’t mean a lot. People draw so many conclusions and it’s ridiculous… What does it really mean, ‘I am the eggman’? It could have been the pudding basin for all I care. It’s not that serious.

John Lennon

Anthology

The song’s title came from Lewis Carroll’s poem ‘The Walrus And The Carpenter’, from the book Through The Looking Glass. Lennon later realised with dismay that he’d identified with the villain of the piece.

It never dawned on me that Lewis Carroll was commenting on the capitalist system. I never went into that bit about what he really meant, like people are doing with the Beatles’ work. Later, I went back and looked at it and realised that the walrus was the bad guy in the story and the carpenter was the good guy. I thought, Oh, shit, I picked the wrong guy. I should have said, ‘I am the carpenter.’ But that wouldn’t have been the same, would it?

John Lennon, 1980

All We Are Saying, David Sheff

The eggman of the chorus – while possibly a reference to Carroll’s Humpty Dumpty – was more likely The Animals’ lead singer Eric Burdon, following a particularly notable incident recounted to Lennon at a London party.

It may have been one of my more dubious distinctions, but I was the Eggman – or, as some of my pals called me, ‘Eggs’.

The nickname stuck after a wild experience I’d had at the time with a Jamaican girlfriend called Sylvia. I was up early one morning cooking breakfast, naked except for my socks, and she slid up beside me and slipped an amyl nitrate capsule under my nose. As the fumes set my brain alight and I slid to the kitchen floor, she reached to the counter and grabbed an egg, which she cracked into the pit of my belly. The white and yellow of the egg ran down my naked front and Sylvia slipped my egg-bathed cock into her mouth and began to show me one Jamaican trick after another. I shared the story with John at a party at a Mayfair flat one night with a handful of blondes and a little Asian girl.

‘Go on, go get it, Eggman,’ Lennon laughed over the little round glasses perched on the end of his hook-like nose as we tried the all-too-willing girls on for size.

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood

Eric Burdon with J Marshall Craig” – The Beatles Bible

FEATURE: Lost in Transition... The French Dissolution: Kate Bush's Lionheart at Forty-Four

FEATURE:

 

 

Lost in Transition…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at the Lionheart launch party in 1978. Lionheart has its international launch at the 14th-century Ammersoyen Castel, two hours' drive from Amsterdam. After dinner, in the grounds of the castle, Leo Bouderwijas (the President of the Association of Dutch Phonographical Industries) presents Bush with the prestigious Edison Award for the best single of 1978 (Wuthering Heights). Bush is also presented with a platinum disc for sales of The Kick Inside in Holland

The French Dissolution: Kate Bush’s Lionheart at Forty-Four

__________

I have another Lionheart feature…

coming ahead of the album’s forty-fourth anniversary on 13th November. Some might wonder why I am putting out quite a few features for an album that was rushed, and Kate Bush was disappointed by. Even though it is a paler (if more ambitious and wide-reaching) version of her debut, The Kick Inside, then there is a lot to love about it. This feature, actually, is more a look at some of the problems and reasons why Lionheart did not gel and was a little unusual. I am going to end with some positives regarding the album. Before I get to the feature and explain why I am notching up my Kate Bush features in terms of regularity, it is worth thanking Tom Doyle! I have been inspired to write this feature because his amazing Kate Bush biography/book, Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush, is out - and it has scooped some positive reviews and loads of love through social media. I would not usually recommend people buy a book on Amazon rather than via bookstores and other sites but, in this case, you can get Doyle’s book for £10 at Amazon. Even if I am a bit conflicted – as he will get less money if the book retails less than on other sites? -, then I hope the lower price does provoke Kate Bush fans and those unfamiliar with her work to invest and grab this excellent tome! Such an original and multifaceted approach to her incredible career and unique creative genius, I have read what he wrote about Lionheart.

Actually, because I am immersed in Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush, so many feature ideas have come to mind. I am going to sprinkle them between other Bush pieces, as I still have a few anniversary bits concerning albums like The Whole Story (the 1986 greatest hits album) and 50 Words for Snow (her most recent studio album released in 2011). I am also gearing up to do some Christmas bits around Kate Bush, a round-up of an eventful and hugely successful 2022, plus a couple of anniversaries that happen early in 2023 – including the forty-fifth anniversary of Bush’s debut single, Wuthering Heights, in January; the album it is from, The Kick Inside, is forty-five the following month. It is amazing that less than nine months after her debut album came out, Bush released her second album! That would never happen today! I am not sure she had much say or desire when it came to that decision. EMI, doubtless capitalising on the momentum and huge success of The Kick Inside and Wuthering Heights’ unstoppable brilliance – but, as I will write in a future feature, the song received plenty of mockery and bad reviews – put Bush back into the studio. Rather than returning her to AIR in London, Bush and band were dispatched to Super Bear Studios, Berre-les-Alpes, France between July and September 1978. The studio was sadly destroyed in 1986, yet the owner, Damon Metrebian, had fond memories of Kate Bush recording there. I think those dates are right, because Bush was still promoting The Kick Inside heavily in July 1978! How did she get her head around the fact that she was promoting her debut whilst working on her second album?!

I think this is the main reason why Lionheart seems rushed. It was! As I have said many times, even though she only had opportunity to write three new songs – including the remarkable opening track, Symphony in Blue and the anxious and slightly mad Coffee Homeground -, she could not have salvaged and controlled the direction of Lionheart. Assisting production with Andrew Powell (who produced The Kick Inside), her second album was a pivotal moment. It made Bush aware of the fact she did not want to produce with anyone else/Powell (I will explain why soon), and she also needed to do things her way. Maybe going to France was designed to provide Bush with a break and a different climate to help cope with the huge demand and rush. It sort of backfired. I feel Lionheart would have been a bit more stable and better if she was in London and working back at AIR. Tom Doyle documented Lionheart and its problems. Chapter 13 of Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush is entitled ‘Lost in France’. It sort of says everything about the L.P. As Bush said – and Doyle wrote – “No offence to the musicians on the second record, but there was conflict between myself and Andrew Powell in the way that we saw it”. Whilst Bush wanted her band (including Del Palmer and Brian Bath (who is seventy on 30th November) to play on the debut, Andrew Powell favoured more experienced musicians.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in an outake from the cover shoot for Lionheart/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

Having worked with Palmer and Bath as part of the KT Bush Band in 1977, she knew they’d gel. But maybe they needed more time on the stage and studio. She had hoped, I think, the success of The Kick Inside would earn her a little more sway when it came to personnel. I don’t think Andrew Powell was quite the domineering and misguided controller of Lionheart some paint him as. If the location was different, the band and working methods seemed relatively unchanged after The Kick Inside. The sort of if it ain’t broke then why fix it approach. Bush wanted to change. If not change, then perhaps a realisation that she had from the start: to work on an album with musicians of her choosing. Not to piss people off; she would be more comfortable around them and be able to communicate her ideas to them more effectively. She held no ill feelings towards those who are on Lionheart – including David Paton and Ian Bairnson -, but she felt distant. A cog in the machine rather than the thrust and architect (as Graeme Thomson noted in his excellent Kate Bush biography, Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush). Moved from the Eat Wickham Farm her family resided in to the similarly-named 44 Wickham Road, Bush lived with her brothers Paddy and John. They each took a floor of the house, whilst Kate was on the top floor. It is a cute and familial scene where you had the siblings all under one roof! Brian Bath was asked to the Brockley flat to work on songs for Lionheart (I am paraphrasing and getting this detail from Doyle’s Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush).

The Kick Inside suggested birth and new life: an artist beginning her ‘journey’ and creating (audio) life. Lionheart’s title points at a determined and emboldened woman ready to take a leap. Only twenty when Lionheart came out, Bush’s intention was very much to assert more say and start to craft music in a more independent fashion. Perhaps a little tired of others moulding her sound and vision, early designs were geared around a new band and a fresh start. That wasn’t to bear much fruit. Bush’s father, Dr. Robert Bush (Beatles earworm alert!), helped construct a demo studio at East Wickham Farm where songs could be worked on. About five years later, Bush would return again to the family home and, perhaps with new skills learned and independence desires at their peak, constructed a bigger and more ambitious recording barn for Hounds of Love (1985). Who knows what Lionheart could have been if her plans had actually worked out?! Songs – including Lionheart’s first (if unsuccessful) first single, Hammer Horror – were worked on. Bush was being encouraged by her family and Brian Bath. Tips and suggestions were given and, by all accounts, the working set-up and earlier days (around June at the so-called Summerhouse Studios) were promising! I will not directly quote too much from Doyle’s book, but it is interesting what he says about France. A chosen recording destination/tax haven for artists including Elton John and David Bowie (two heroes of hers that did not have a great relationship themselves…more on the John/Bowie beef in another feature!), it seemed like a weird setting for Kate Bush’s music and trajectory. Having promoted The Kick Inside around the world through 1978 – the same month test recordings were happening for Lionheart; Bush was also promoting The Kick Inside in Japan! -, she needed some focus and routine. Traveling to France was probably the last thing she needed in a year where her air miles were insane! If the climate, romance and landscape seemed conducive to fresh creative life and relaxation, the summer holiday was about to turn sour. A potential French revolution became a fresh dissolution.

There had been a loose agreement between Andrew Powell and Kate Bush for her to use her musicians, including Paddy Bush (who appeared on The Kick Inside (he is seventy next month) and all post-Lionheart albums excluding 50 Words for Snow). Del Palmer was to be there, as was Brian Bath. Almost a KT Bush Band reunion, the demo sessions back in the U.K. meant there was some drive, sheen, conviction and solidity to the early recordings. Promising seeds being planted and, as Doyle points out, perhaps this was a reward for the way the KT Bush Band had developed their act prior to steeping into AIR to record The Kick Inside, thus, giving her some invaluable experience and training that would feed into those sessions. There did seem to be distractions. With a pool and sun at their disposal feet away – often, Bush would be sunbathing topless, which must have been eye-opening for those not expecting such a ‘relaxed’ compatriot! At one point, Bush attempted to break a wine glass by singing as high as possible (she was fortunately talked down from that potential ledge and avoided having glass explode in her face!). There were fun and cool vibes at times for certain! The heat and lack of air conditioning and necessary ventilation impacted on the musicians’ concentration and playing. Unusual requests and working demands were new to the inexperienced band, and there were some frank words (no pun intended) and cracks showing. Lionheart is unique in the sense that two different band line-ups played on it. Bush’s guys were packed home when an EMI representative travelled to the studios in France and realised things were not working out. Musicians who played on The Kick Inside were drafted in. Awkward moments where the two bands were with one another and had to be civil whilst there was obvious tension and disappointment.

One need only look at what Bush was doing in 1979 to realise what a breaking and turning point Lionheart was. Embarking on The Tour of Life – a spectacle that Bush was very much involved in from the ground up and had a say in everything -, the idea of recording in sweaty studios with musicians not her first choice for a producer who was on a different page held little long-term appeal and practicality. Not that Bush was a perfectionist, but Powell noticed how the guide vocal for Wow (the remarkable second single from Lionheart) was very musical. Maybe digging her heels in and trying to be more of a producer, Bush did so many vocal takes to make the sound more dramatic, nuanced, complex and of her liking. Maybe it was a purely musical decision, but I feel some of her frustration towards Andrew Powell meant she spent a lot longer on the song than she would have otherwise done. If she was keen to push on with new material and break from her debut, the fact that she had a Prince-sized safe and archive full of unreleased and unrecorded song ready to go seemed to make more sense to Powell. Bush did say in an interview how Oh England My Lionheart – one of the older songs written long before the album was recorded – was her favourite on the record. She soon distanced herself from it, perhaps feeling it was jarring, juvenile and not what she wanted for her second album. If new songs like Coffee Homeground and Full House point at paranoia, something darker and more complex than what came before (Symphony in Blue a more mature and almost philosophical update of the songs on The Kick Inside), then tracks like Oh England My Lionheart were almost twee by comparison. I love the song a lot - but one can see where Bush was coming from!

If Andrew Powell wanted a The Kick Inside 2 or Bush to record old songs not considered for her debut, Bush resolutely was looking to evolve and move on. Perhaps also trying to prove to critics who mocked her high vocals and hippy image that she was not so easy to define and pin, Lionheart didn’t help in that sense! As Tom Doyle notes, there was a sense of deflation and disappointment. Having finished recording in France in August 1978, mixing took place in London in September. Bush, wanting to remain normal and fetch sandwiches and walk the street, was now so famous she was being advised to stay inside. Perhaps another reason why she was determined to do The Tour of Life the year later and very much get out there and not be confined and directed! If the singles were not as successful as those from The Kick Inside (Wuthering Heights was a number one; Moving was a number one in Japan), the album did get to a not-too-shabby six in the U.K. If it was a failure compared to her supernova debut, looking back now, I think it is truly remarkable Bush made an album so wonderful given constraints and such incredible time limitations! She did say “I was thinking, y’know, I don’t want to be produced by someone who sees it differently to me”. She recognised how integral producing was regarding the sound and shape of a song. It seemed illogical to write these unique-sounding songs only for someone else to craft them in their image and distil them (not her sentiment, but that is the shape of things!). Even if Lionheart’s recording and reception was far from ideal and overly pleasurable, the aspiring and already-talented producer learned enough from two studio albums. 1980’s Never for Ever did see her co-produce with engineer Jon Kelly, but the experience was much more pleasurable this time around. Perhaps because they were the same sort of age, rather than there being this generation and age gap between her and Andrew Powell.

Chapter 13 of Tom Doyle’s magnificent Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush discusses Lionheart as a classic ‘difficult second album’. I know Bush and her musicians had some good moments, and there would have been some terrific revelations in the studio. Despite the hot weather and mountain air, it was clear that London – the smog and stress of it all – was where Bush needed to position herself for album number three. Lionheart is forty-four on 13th November (some sites erroneously list 10th November). Bush’s memories of the album must be dim now. I wonder whether she has any fond recollections from that summer in France. The fact she was simultaneously still promoting her debut album and was pulled and pushed all around the place, coupled with disputes and conflicts involving the choice of musicians for Lionheart, surely must have soured some of her memories. Whilst not my favourite Kate Bush album, it is one of her L.P.s that I love more and more each time I visit it! The reason the header photo for this article is Kate Bush at the at the Dutch release party for Lionheart is because she said the album was stronger than her debut, and the atmosphere was more what she was looking for (check the video below where she talks about it). As I have said before loudly: Lionheart is so underrated and excellent!

At least several of the tracks here equal some of the best from The Kick Inside (including Symphony in Blue and Wow). Tere are really interesting songs that show Bush was a songwriter impossible to pigeonhole or predict! The cover (shot by Gered Mankowitz, who photographed Bush in from 1978-1979) is one of her best. At ten tracks, it is a lean album. I think the sequencing is not excellent. Rearranging a few songs would make Lionheart stronger and more consistent (why end the album with Hammer Horror, when it should have been a song like Full House?!). Bush’s vocals are more confident and varied compared to The Kick Inside and, given more time and control, she could easily have topped that remarkable debut. There are what-ifs and questions. Rather than chase ghosts or predict alternative scenarios and realities where Lionheart would have been this wonderful and well-received smash, I actually wanted to urge people to detach and delete other people’s views and the story behind the album. Instead, as it is forty-four on 13th November, go and stream or buy the album! Whether you are a diehard Kate Bush fan or are brand-new and need guidance regarding which albums to get, you will see that there is plenty of promise and quality. Andrew Powell’s production is not terrific, but I think there is more than enough to recommend when it comes to Lionheart! A gorgeous album with some exceptional songwriting, the unfairly maligned and ignored Lionheart does deserve new love and contextualisation. Neither an album that constantly makes you go ‘wow’ or one that is a horror, Kate Bush’s Lionheart…

IS far from a disappointment.

FEATURE: Inspired By… Part Eighty-Seven: Smokey Robinson

FEATURE:

 

 

Inspired By…

Part Eighty-Seven: Smokey Robinson

__________

HERE is another legendary artist…

who I have not yet included in Inspired By… One of the greatest songwriters and most soulful voices ever, Smokey Robinson has definitely made an impact on artists who have followed. I am going to end with a playlist of songs from artists who are similar to Robinson – or they have definitely been influenced by him. Before I get there, AllMusic provide a biography of the legendary artist:

“Berry Gordy founded Motown Records, but one could argue that Smokey Robinson was the man who first pushed America's most iconic soul music label toward greatness. As the leader of the Miracles, Robinson was one of the very first artists signed to the fledgling label in 1959, and while he racked up many hits for it with the Miracles and as a solo act, Robinson was also an invaluable behind-the-scenes talent who wrote songs, produced records, scouted and groomed talent, and served as a vice president at Motown from 1961 to 1988. Robinson is one of the most iconic figures in American R&B; his work helped defined pop-oriented soul, his lush, romantic R&B ballads literally gave quiet storm its name, and no less an authority than Bob Dylan has called Robinson "America's greatest living poet."

William Robinson, Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan on February 19, 1940. He grew up in Detroit's Brewster housing project, and picked up the nickname "Smokey Joe" from his Uncle Claude, which quickly stuck. Robinson first developed an interest in music by investigating his mother's record collection, which included classic sides by Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. Robinson's mother died when he was ten, and since his father was frequently on the road making his living as a truck driver, young Smokey was looked after by his older sister Geraldine, and in his early teens he began singing, performing in informal doo wop groups with his friends.

In 1955, Robinson assembled a vocal group called the Five Chimes, which featured his schoolmates Clarence Dawson, James Grice, Pete Moore, and Ronald White. In 1956, the group adopted a new name, the Matadors, after Dawson left and Emerson Rogers took his place, and a year later, Rogers and James Grice left the lineup, and Claudette Rogers and Bobby Rogers (respectively Emerson Rogers' sister and cousin) stepped in. With their new co-ed lineup, the name the Matadors was considered a poor fit, and they began calling themselves the Miracles. A guitarist, Marv Tarplin, joined the act in 1958, and the Miracles began making a name for themselves on Detroit's R&B scene.

In 1958, Robinson met Berry Gordy, a Detroit-based songwriter who had penned several hits for Jackie Wilson and was looking to make a name for himself in the music business. Gordy was impressed with the Miracles and Robinson's talents as a songwriter; he helped the band land a deal with End Records, and the Miracles released their first single, "Got a Job" (an answer song to the Silhouettes' hit "Get a Job") later that year. While the single sold well in Detroit, it didn't make much noise nationally, and follow-ups on End and Chess fared no better. Robinson believed he and Gordy could do better themselves, and he urged Gordy to follow through on his idea of forming his own label. The Miracles became the first act signed to Gordy's new record company, Motown, and in 1960, their song "Shop Around," written by Robinson, was the first Motown single to become a nationwide hit.

Through the '60s, the Miracles were a frequent presence on the pop and R&B charts, scoring hits with such songs as "Tracks of My Tears," "Mickey's Monkey," "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," "Going to a Go-Go," "Ooo Baby Baby," and many more. As Robinson became recognized as the creative force behind the group, their name was changed to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles in 1966. Robinson also shared his talents with many other Motown acts; he wrote "My Guy" and "The One Who Really Loves You" for Mary Wells, "My Girl," "Get Ready," and "The Way You Do the Things You Do" for the Temptations, "Ain't That Peculiar" and "I'll Be Doggone" for Marvin Gaye, and "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" for the Marvelettes, among many others. As a vice president at Motown, Robinson was also a key part of the label's management and production team, and helped guide the company into being one of the most successful independent American record labels of all time.

Robinson fell in love with Claudette Rogers not long after she joined the Miracles, and they were married in 1959. By 1969, Robinson was growing tired of dividing his time between his family, Motown, and the Miracles, and he decided to retire from the group so he could spend more time at home and less time on the road. He postponed his departure when "Tears of a Clown" (recorded in 1966) unexpectedly became a major hit in 1970, but a year later, he launched a "farewell tour" with the Miracles, though the group would continue without him (and Robinson would write one of their latter-day hits, "Floy Joy").

After a two-year layoff, Robinson returned to the recording studio with his first solo album, 1973's Smokey. The album found Robinson focusing on midtempo romantic numbers as well as more mature and personal themes, which would carry over to his second solo effort, 1974's Pure Smokey. Robinson scored a pair of major R&B hits with 1975's A Quiet Storm, the title tune and "Baby, That's Backatcha," and the former tune would give a name to the sort of polished, romantic R&B that was becoming Robinson's stock in trade. Robinson was no longer as consistent a hitmaker as he once was, but he continued to make his presence known on the charts with tunes such as "Cruisin'" (from 1979's Where There's Smoke) and "Being with You" (from the 1981 album of the same name). The year 1987 was a memorable one for Robinson -- the album One Heartbeat would score a massive hit for him with the song "Just to See Her," which also earned him a Grammy, and he was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (though the rest of the Miracles were not, much to his consternation). But this came near the end of an important era for Robinson -- in 1988, Motown was sold to MCA, and Robinson stepped down as vice president. In 1990, he recorded a final album for Motown, Love Smokey (Robinson received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy the same year), and he signed with SBK Records for 1992's Double Good Everything.

The end of Motown came during a turbulent period for Robinson -- in the mid-'80s, he developed a serious addiction to cocaine, and his marriage to Claudette ended in divorce in 1986. While Robinson would kick drugs shortly after the end of his marriage, following the commercial disappointment of Double Good Everything, he wouldn't record again until 1999, when he recorded Intimate for MCA's revived Motown label. In 2004, Robinson (who cited a spiritual reawakening as a key factor in giving up drugs) recorded a contemporary gospel album, Food for the Spirit, and a collection of standards, Timeless Love, followed in 2006. Robinson returned to the smooth soul sounds of his '70s and '80s solo work with 2009's Time Flies When You're Having Fun, released on his own label, Robso Records; several tracks from this album were matched with remakes of Robinson's Motown hits for the collection Now & Then. In 2014, he released a Verve album, Smokey & Friends, for which he remade 11 of his most popular compositions with a roster of duet partners that included Elton John, James Taylor, Mary J. Blige, and Jessie J”.

To show the impact and importance of the magnificent Smokey Robinson, below are songs from artists who have definitely been influenced by the great man. Simply one of the greatest ever artists, there is no doubt that Robinson will continue to inspire legions of wonderful musicians. Here is a selection of the…

ARTISTS he has inspired.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Skylar Stecker

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Kigon Kwak for Wonderland. 

 Skylar Stecker

__________

HAILING from Tampa, Florida…

the amazing and hugely talented Skylar Stecker is someone that I want to recommend to everyone. She has a massive fanbase already, but I feel that she may not be that well-known to some in the U.K. The twenty-year-old is already an established artist and actor. In 2015, Stecker released her debut studio album, This Is Me. In March 2019, she independently released her second album, Redemption. I think that Stecker deserves a major label release, as she is an incredible artist who could penetrate and infiltrate the mainstream and stand alongside the biggest artists of today. There is no doubting her passion and commitment. Someone who I recently discovered, I wanted to bring in a few interviews so that we can learn more about the multi-instrumentalist and multi-talented Stecker. She has actually been releasing music since 2013, so here is someone who started out incredibly young! I think that she will be releasing music for decades more. It is always amazing finding these very young and prolific artist making an impact now. Those you know will only get better and grow bigger. I am going to finish with an interview from earlier this year. Before that, there are a couple of older interviews that are worth sourcing from to give us background, context and a sense of development.

Back in April last year, Wonderland. spoke with Stecker about her music. They were curious, being nineteen at the time of the interview, how she navigated the industry at such a young age. Redemption is one of the best albums from 2019. It is one that deserves new exposure now:

“The excitement and confusion that comes with newfound feelings can be overwhelming, to say the least. Whether you catch yourself smiling at your phone one too many times or overthinking everything your crush says and does, the process of liking someone can be both draining and euphoric. 19-year-old singer Skylar Stecker is here to remind you that you’re not alone with her latest track “Questions”. A display of pop perfection, the track has it all. From the singer’s ethereal vocals to the romantic lyrics – which are steeped in longing and complex emotions – we are provided with sultry sounds and an introspective look into Stecker’s love life.

“Questions is a special song to me because I wrote this song alone during quarantine with someone special in mind,” states the young star. “The words and melodies just fly out of me effortlessly and I was able to finish this song in one day. Then I sent it to my friend and producer Jordan Manswell who took the production to another level.”

At the tender age of 19, Skylar’s boasts an outstanding resume. From taking to the stage at The Today Show and shooting to the top of the Billboard Dance Charts in record-breaking moves to mastering the guitar, drums and piano from the confines of her own bedroom, the singer’s raw talent is evident. And, with a string of new music releases on the horizon, the young star shows no signs of slowing down.

Check our interview with Skylar below…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Kigon Kwak

Hey Skylar! How has this past year been for you? How has it affected your creativity?

The past year has had its challenges, but it also allowed me the extra time at home to learn how to produce and produce vocals, as well as spend more time mastering the drums!

You’ve been performing and singing for years, how did you first get into music?

I entered a talent show when I was 9 to play the piano, which turned into me singing instead and from there on I was obsessed with trying to find venues where I could continue to perform and be around music in any capacity. That led me to performing National Anthems in College and then at Pro Sporting events. Eventually, I moved to California to pursue a singing career.

You’re 19-years-old and have already released your second album, what is it like navigating the industry at such a young age?

In many ways starting at such a young age was a blessing. Being young allowed me to be able to be like a sponge, and soak up knowledge

from people without judging where I was creatively. I explored different genres while also continuing to hone in on my writing and my vocal skills.

You were signed as well before becoming independent, why the change and do you prefer it?

What I have learned through that experience is that it’s more about the people involved and if it’s the right fit at the right time. As an artist, I have continued to evolve and the most important thing to me, regardless of being with a label or being independent, is that my voice and vision are heard.

Congratulations on your new single “Questions”, take us through the production process? What was the inspiration behind the song?

Questions is a special song to me because I wrote this song alone during quarantine with someone special in mind. The words and melodies just fly out of me effortlessly and I was able to finish this song in one day. Then I sent it to my friend/producer Jordan Manswell who took the production to another level.

What do you want people to take away from your latest single?

I want people to just enjoy the feeling of the song as a whole. It has a very sensual vibe that taps into the feeling we all get at the beginning of a relationship.

Looking back on your previous singles, how do you think this one differs from your last?

With every single I release I try to give the listener more snippets of who I am and what I am experiencing at that moment.

You’ve had so many accolades over the years! What’s been your biggest pinch-me moment?

Definitely performing on The Today Show!

You have more music lined up in the pipeline, what can we expect from your future projects?

You can expect a lot more music and my next single out this summer!”.

RAYDAR spoke with Skylar Stecker late last year when she was promoting her amazing E.P., Earth Signs. An artist who is so prolific and always impressive and original, there are few out there as promising and exciting as her:

“A self-taught multi-instrumentist, Skylar is one of the youngest artists to top the Billboard Dance Charts and saw early success from pop ballads such as “How Did We” and “Only Want You.” The rising artist is becoming widely loved for her honey-drenched vocals and occasional song covers. Her 2019 project Redemption was well-received and served as her first full-length release as an independent musician. Songs like “Let It Pour,” “Don’t Test Me,” and the title track rose as fan-favorites from the project.

Earlier this year, Stecker unveiled her EP aptly titled Earth Signs, a 7-track offering with a lone feature from Lucien Parker that the trials and triumphs of navigating a new relationship and learning about how to deal with feelings that she had never experienced up until that point in her life. Fast forward to now, Skylar is working on her next EP slated to arrive during the summer of 2022 with more content to follow. Keep your eyes peeled for the young promising songstresses as she carves out her own space in pop-infused R&B.

We spoke with Skylar Stecker about being an independent artist, new music, relationships, and much more! Check it out below.

I know that you’re originally from Florida but moved to Los Angeles to pursue music. How did the different cultures on top of being so laser-focused on music affect who you are today?

I feel like it helped me to adjust and not be too attached to things. The number one thing I take away from it is being able to live in the moment because I’m a forward thinker, but at the same time, I have to reel myself back in and really live in the present. Where I’ve lived, all these places have given me perspective and stories to tell in my music.

Prior to being an independent artist, you were signed to Cherrytree Records in a joint venture with Interscope at a fairly young age. Is there anything liberating about putting out music on your own now?

I think before, I didn’t feel as attached to certain things or songs because I didn’t 100% write them or they didn’t reflect how I felt for other political reasons. There’s always a sense of disconnect from not having full ownership. Now, with the music release, it’s definitely a bit more nerve-wracking because I can’t put that weight on other people’s shoulders. Obviously, I have a team around me, but the responsibility lies within me but it’s also really exciting because I get to create my own story.

Considering you decided to be more vulnerable on Earth Signs, how long did it take to perfect this EP? Did it feel any different compared to your previous works?

I was going through my first real serious relationship and basically “Superman” was the first song I wrote on that project. After that, everything just came so easy to me and I knew I wanted to use that as the blueprint for the rest of the EP. I created stories around my life experience and also that person that I was experiencing these things with. It’s funny I named it Earth Signs because I’m actually an Earth sign and I got into that stuff during quarantine as well.

Can you walk us through what your songwriting process is like?

It really varies, I definitely keep a tight circle of music creators. I really love to try to lock in with people and do as much as I can with them because it feels like a family and the music comes out more authentic. I think that’s translated in my music and songwriting, but I’m also starting to do a lot at my home studio as well. Due to COVID, I learned how to vocal produce and do stuff like that which has been really really helpful.

A good bit of your music focuses on love, dating, and intimacy—what is your definition of modern love?

That’s a very good question! I would like to know the definition of love! For me, my number one thing is that I lead with my brain. Love is being able to be yourself and have that person be able to see you who you are fully. Not the persona that you start off with because we’re always worried about saying the right thing. Love is that comfortability, and I know that I definitely fall in love with someone when they show consistency that matches me.

What are some key points and components of your music that you would like your fans to pick up on and enjoy?

I think the number one thing for me is that I’m trying to find my way. I feel like we’re all humans and no matter what we’re going through, we’re always trying to figure it out. I think my music reflects that whether it be love or tribulations in some other areas of life. I just want to be very transparent and honest about the mixed emotions and thought processes that we go through.

I see that you also have a pretty unique sense of style, what are some of your go-to brands or sneakers these days?

I love Jordans! I started with one pair and now I have a whole collection and it’s dangerous. Every time I see new pair online, I’m like oh god. My style is definitely comfort but I try to find shoes or accessories to spice it up a bit. I love Nike, Adidas, all the sportswear brands, and really nice jewelry whether it be hoop earrings or something of that sort.

I have a stylist that I’ve been working with lately and he’s been getting me out of my comfort zone lately. I think that’s the cool thing about fashion, you can always reinvent and evolve. I’m definitely a sweats person but when I wear a dress you’ll catch me in the car getting my flick on.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your younger self?

The number one thing I would tell myself is to be patient with everything. I think in life, to get the greatest reward you definitely have to have your fair share of work. Stay steady and look at every day as a way to grow. There are always going to be challenges but try to make the best choices. I’d also say listen to your gut because there will always be people with opinions and not in a bad way. Just take them as a grain of salt in comparison to your own.

Obviously, your younger years are in the rearview, so what are some long-term goals you have set for yourself?

Long-term, I want to do a lot. I want to do the GRAMMYs and hopefully I can get there. I really just want to continue to grow and evolve as an artist. I think embracing change is good and I want to be able to best translate that in a way that I can look back and have a sense of contentment that I was able to do all the things I wanted to do”.

I am going to wrap things up there, actually. I would recommend you follow Skylar Stecker on social media, as she is such a fascinating artist whose music cannot readily be compared with anyone else. I would encourage anyone to listen to her songs, as they are so engaging and memorable! There are videos and live tracks I am unable to include as I will run out of space and opportunity. For that reason, go and look at her YouTube channel and all the amazing videos on there! Sounding already established and confident, it is amazing to discover this in a twenty-year-old. I think, as she moves through the next few years, we will see more albums and E.P.s from this wonderful artist. As I said, I hope there is some interest from big labels – or a label that is a perfect fit for her and treats her with respect. Her work deserves as much love and attention as possible, so I do hope that the next E.P. or album spreads around the world and we see her hit the road. There are definitely going to be people in the U.K. and Europe who would be interested seeing Stecker in the flesh. Such a talent and loved artist – check out her TikTok videos for a start! -, we will hear a lot more from her. I am glad I discovered Stecker’s music, as I have got to know more about her career and start. Because of that, I have bonded with this truly stunning artist. I am predicting some immense and wonderful things for Skylar Stecker…

IN 2023.

____________

Follow Skylar Stecker

 PHOTO CREDIT: Kigon Kwak

Official:

https://www.skylarstecker.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/skylarstecker/

TikTok:

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

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/skylarstecker

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6f6VAs9A49Er8jbbCUjAH0?si=lQyKF3KzTESKaeOItUwxyg&nd=1

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQucnHGzMJmkEsO9z_EgKhA

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/skylarsteckermusic/

FEATURE: With Love to Bertie: Kate Bush’s Aerial at Seventeen

FEATURE:

 

 

With Love to Bertie

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for Aerial/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton

Kate Bush’s Aerial at Seventeen

__________

I am winding up…

my anniversary features for Kate Bush’s Aerial. Her return following 1993’s The Red Shoes, Aerial was released as a double album on 7th November, 2005. It has been interesting looking deeper at one of Kate Bush’s best albums. I have already talked about the gap between The Red Shoes and Aerial. I have also explored various songs on the album, in addition to the second disc suite, A Sky of Honey. What is at the centre of Aerial’s brilliance and wonderful scope? It is an album as ambitious as Hounds of Love (her 1985 masterpiece), but it has a different sound. If the singles and first side of Hounds of Love is quite propulsive and has a definite rush, the second side, The Ninth Wave, is dark, scary and emotional. In contrast, Aerial’s first disc has one or two bolder and racing songs (King of the Mountain kicks off Aerial beautifully!), but it seems more personal and emotive. Contemplative, gorgeous and steeped in nature and the open, A Sky of Honey has the feeling of an artist as incredible as she was in 1985 but, fifteen years later, her music was taken on fresh meaning and energy. I think it is good to compare Hounds of Love and Aerial, as both albums are extremely important and personal. The former was a bit of a rebirth for Bush. After the exhaustion and endless hard work put into 1982’s The Dreaming, Hounds of Love found Bush finding new space and inspiration.

Things changed in terms of her living conditions, work rate and the how she recorded. Hounds of Love is as fantastic as it is because she was surrounded by family and had a studio at her family home. It allowed her the environment to make some of the best music from any artist ever! Similarly, with home very much at its heart, Aerial is as fantastic as it is because of the importance and influence of family. Rather than her parents, brother and boyfriend (Del Palmer) fusing into Hounds of Love, there is someone who I feel not only influenced most of Aerial, but also subsequent albums and Bush’s return to the stage with 2014’s Before the Dawn. Her son Bertie was born in 1998 (I am not sure which month). Before then, Bush had started working on Aerial - but his birth certainly changed the direction and meaning of this hugely important album. There is one song that is very much about him. I feel A Sky of Honey is Bush imagining the course of a summer’s day with her new son. Songs on the first disc, including Pi and A Coral Room, I feel, can be linked to Bertie. It is the eponymous song that is very much about her treasured new son. As she revealed to Ken Bruce in a 2005 interview, there was always going to be a song about him on Aerial:

“He's such a big part of my life so, you know, he's a very big part of my work. It's such a great thing, being able to spend as much time with him as I can. And, you know, he won't be young for very long. And already he's starting to grow up and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on that, that I spent as much time with his as I could.

So, the idea was that he would come first, and then the record would come next, which is also one reasons why it's taken a long time (laughs). It always takes me a long time anyway, but trying to fit that in around the edges that were left over from the time that I wanted to spend with him.

It's a wonderful thing, having such a lovely son. Really, you know with a song like that, you could never be special enough from my point of view, and I wanted to try and give it an arrangement that wasn't terribly obvious, so I went for the sort of early music... (Ken Bruce show, BBC Radio 2, 3 November 2005)”.

Whilst Bush has said Aerial is her favourite album, she never really revealed the reasons why. It is personal to her, but I think it is because it was recorded and released at such a happy time! With so much expectation on its shoulders, there could have been disappointment. Maybe it was because The Red Shoes was not quite Bush’s best and most acclaimed album. If she had departed with a phenomenal album, some might have felt a tinge of underwhelm with Aerial. One cannot really compare The Red Shoes and Aerial. So vastly different, I think Bush starting a family really did something to her creative vision and recording! Perhaps her warmest sounding and feeling album ever, it is beautifully produced (by Bush), ewngineered (by Del Palmer) and arranged. I do not love every song on Aerial, but the overall album is flawless. Everything works perfectly together! Of course, not every song is about Bertie. I feel he was very much in Bush’s mind when she was writing and recording these songs. There is no doubt that her young son infuses the material throughout, and he definitely gave her motivation to keep recording! 2011’s 50 Words for Snow features Bertie, as does its predecessor, Director’s Cut. Now that Bertie is twenty-four, one wonders whether he will feature on his mum’s next album – if there is one that is! Maybe a vocal duet, some guitar playing or something else, it seems strange to imagine Bertie as a grown man or not appearing on an album by his mum! MOJO named Aerial their third-best album of 2005. Aerial received a BRIT Award nomination for Best British Album in 2006. Bush was also nominated for Best British Female in the same year. Such a remarkably successful album (it charted at three in the U.K.), this was a music icon in peak form twelve years after her previous album! Although many factors go into Aerial, I think her new bundle of joy, Bertie, was a constant inspiration and source of influence. For many reasons, Kate Bush fans offer Bertie…

OUR love and appreciation.

INTERVIEW: PRIESTESS

INTERVIEW:

 PRIESTESS

__________

FOR this interview…

I have been speaking with the London Alt-Pop artist, PRIESTESS. An extraordinary, hugely impressive, relevant artist, she released the new single, Landscapes, on 28th October. Landscapes won the 2021 Greenpeace/DJ's for Climate Action (DJ'S4CA) competition judged by the likes of Matt Black from Ninja Tune, BLOND:ISH, and Cosmo Baker. Also, and rather wonderfully, it was pressed onto the first eco-friendly vinyl. I talk to Kate (PRIESTESS) about Landscapes, the importance of pressing music to eco-friendly vinyl, working with producers James Mottershead and Oli Kilpatrick. PRIESTESS also discusses the artists that influenced her, as well as what we can expect from a forthcoming E.P., and what 2023 holds. It has been a real pleasure getting to know…

SUCH a phenomenal artist.

____________

Hello Kate (PRIESTESS). Landscapes is your new single. Can you reveal a bit about the inspiration and the story behind it…

This track is about connection. If we are so disconnected on a day-to-day basis from climate change and the destruction of our planet then we are also disconnecting from our own human experience. I thought about these incredible sounds that we used to make the track (The Climate Sample Pack by Greenpeace) and how they are the sonic imprint of Nature aligning us to a deeper part of ourselves.

This is a love song that imagines a future that is so wide and cinematic and technicoloured that you can get totally lost within it. Wandering, stumbling through a widescreen landscape of emotions, raw and natural, bright, and dark; always on the edge of trauma or pain which is also reflected in the way that we love but also destroy our planet. Ultimately finding your way home within that love to a place of greater connection and hope 

The track has been pressed onto eco-friendly vinyl. How important was it to you that Landscapes earned this rare distinction? Do you think this signals a larger move towards eco-friendly vinyl? 

Yes, I hope so! Landscapes was made from the Greenpeace sample pack and won the competition by DJ’S4CA (DJ’s for Climate Action) with judges such as Matt Black from Ninja Tune, Blondies, and Cosmo Baker. It was pressed onto the first eco-friendly vinyl alongside artists such as Acid Paulie and we were so excited to be part of this movement! It is one of the first of its kind. Vinyl - however wonderful and special - also impact the environment through the plastic and the process, and I think that as these new ways of doing things emerge then I have hope that it can become the new normal. It may take time, but hopefully it’s moving in the right direction. 

 

The video, created in Volta - a new software that creates 3-D immersive visuals and mixed reality experiences –, is especially impressive! What was the reason for harnessing this technology and innovation for Landscape’s video? 

Thank you! I wanted to explore the worlds of online and digital for this track rather than making a traditional music video. And as it’s called ‘Landscapes’, I felt it was fitting to create digital worlds that could express that in visuals.

Volta has been really supportive of me as an artist. I’ve used their software before and I always wanted to expand the experiments into a music video. This felt like the perfect track to do that. 

For PRIESTESS, you teamed with producers James Mottershead and Oli Kilpatrick. How did the collaboration start its life? 

I had formed the idea and vision for PRIESTESS and I looked long and hard for the right producers to help me realise it and work/write together. I first met James when he was intro’d by a friend saying we had some similar tastes, he has been with me since the very beginning and has been a total partner in the process - he’s so talented. I was then putting feelers out for a very beats-based producer and the universe gave me Oli! He is multi-faceted and amazing but creates killer beats and he’s been a totally integral part of the project since we started working together. We also play live together, and it has been a huge feat of his to take what we have all created in studios and made it into something you can take on the road. They are both brilliant and I’m so grateful I get to work with such lovely men. 

“The sound has evolved due to all of us creatively expanding and feeling more at ease”.

I love Landscapes and your incredible sound. How do you think your sound and creative vision has evolved and changed since the early inception of PRIESTESS? 

I think it’s just been following a feeling. Landscapes was beautiful - I wrote the melody over Oli’s beats/samples he sent me, then I wrote the lyrics, and we created it from there. The tracks get passed around the three of us until we are happy with them.

The sound has evolved due to all of us creatively expanding and feeling more at ease. The vision has always been strong, and I allow the creativity to lead. 

You recently performed at Ridley Road Social Club, Dalston. How was that gig, and how important is it to be on stage and delivering music directly to a live audience? 

So important! It’s taken a while to get the whole thing up and running technically, but we are there now and I’m so excited to play more. Performing live is a huge part of it and a massive love of mine. The gig at Ridley was amazing! We had such a good night, and the feedback was awesome. Watch this space…. 

In terms of sonic influences, which artists would you say are most important and impactful? 

For me, I’ve always given a list of artists to the boys and named inspirations to hold the vision and vibe. My top influences for Priestess are Moderat, Massive Attack, Fever Ray, FKA twigs, Little Dragon, Nine Inch Nails, and Portishead. I grew up with Folk music and Grunge (and a lot of Metal actually - one of my favourite bands is Metallica) so you can always hear a little bit of those flavours in there I think. 

I believe there is an E.P. due before the end of the year. Can you tell us more in regard to a title, songs and particular themes explored? 

The E.P. is called Landscapes - so Landscapes is the title track for this body of work. There are three songs - the first one, which was released in September, was Holy Flesh, and the next track to be dropped is called Hooks. They all were written in really different states of mind and from different places about different experiences, and so I felt that the idea of emotional, changeable landscapes encompassed the music as a whole. 

“…so I’m really excited to share the next body of work and stage of the journey next year”. 

Yourself included, there are some fantastic and hugely innovative acts coming through right now. In terms of artists we need to watch out for, who would you recommend?

Halina Rice, Ana De Llor, and Kathleen Frances.

Looking to 2023, what might we expect from PRIESTESS? What do you hope to achieve?

I am really excited to keep playing and putting out music. Another E.P. - maybe an album. Winter is the time for me to incubate these ideas before they solidify, so I’m really excited to share the next body of work and stage of the journey next year.

_______________

Follow PRIESTESS

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/priestessmusic/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3BGqkxPQlHEzOphSm714zn?si=Gduia0i5SyaXc9BLnBhfqA

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR8PO_2KjVwhNUoKVVAaVkA

FEATURE: Second Spin: Leona Lewis - Spirit

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

Leona Lewis - Spirit

__________

THERE are two reasons…

why I have selected Leona Lewis’ debut album, Spirit, in this Second Spin. For one, it was very underrated and I think it deserves some new focus and play. Many critics did love the album, but there were a few that were mixed or had some negative things to say. It is a shame because, whether you are a Leona Lewis fan or not, there is more than enough to enjoy and respect about her debut. Her fifth studio album, I Am, was released in 2015. I wonder whether she will record another studio album. Let us hope so! Spirit came out on 9th November, 2007. As it is fifteen soon, I wanted to include it for reassessment. For a bit of background: Lewis achieved recognition when she won the third series of The X Factor in 2006, earning a recording contract with Syco Music. Her winner's single, a good cover of Kelly Clarkson's A Moment Like This, reached number one in the U.K. and broke a world record by reaching 50,000 digital downloads within thirty minutes! In February 2007, Lewis signed a five-album contract in the United States with Clive Davis's record label, J Records. In spite of the fact there was so much anticipation around Spirit, many critics did not give it the praise it deserves. The public reacted differently. Reaching number one in the U.S. and U.K., Spirit was the sixth-biggest-selling of 2008. It was best-selling debut album by a female artist in the U.K., and one of the best-selling albums in U.K. chart history. The best-selling album by a female artist in the twenty-first century, the incredible and unbeatable success of Spirit contrasts to the critical reaction. Maybe there was a lot of hype and too much in the way of numbers and record breaking for critics to judge it on its own merit.

I think many were reacting to Spirit in the context of The X Factor and seeing it as a talent show album. Instead, listen to Spirit as an album by a great young artist whose incredible vocal abilities are at the fore. Even though Lewis did not write a lot of the material on Spirit, it does sound very pure and personal. Not a case of a reality show winner singing songs by others in a rather lacklustre way. She makes every track her own! I know Leona Lewis and her huge fanbase will mark Spirit’s fifteenth anniversary on 9th November. She was only twenty-two when her debut came out. That isa a remarkably young age to deal with such pressure, acclaim and responsibility! Already hugely promising at the start, her music has developed, and her confidence has grown through the years. Perhaps her best album is I Am. Even though there were some mixed reviews for her most recent album, there was a lot of praise and new affection for Lewis. I think that Spirit is an incredible album in many ways. I want to bring in a couple of reviews that, whilst pointing at some flaws, definitely praise Lewis as a performer and talent. This is what SLANT said in their 2008 review:

“Quick (and mostly useless) fact: Last week, Leona Lewis, winner of Simon Cowell’s U.K. talent show The X Factor, became the first British female artist to top the U.S. singles chart since 1987, when Kim Wilde transformed the Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” into a dance-pop classic…and then quickly faded into obscurity. If all goes according to Cowell’s plan, however, Lewis’s career trajectory will be a little more like Mariah Carey’s. Not only does Lewis share with Carey a multiracial heritage, but she’s also got the voice—albeit, one with a slightly less impressive range and timbre.

The #1 hit in question is “Bleeding Love,” penned by teen heartthrob Jesse McCartney and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder; it’s the kind of pop song that announces itself from the very first note (in this case, a distorted organ), and though it’s an utterly by-the-numbers pop ballad, Lewis delivers vocally, and the track’s crunchy drum loop gives the illusion of edginess, something her debut, Spirit, desperately needs. The album alternates between similar heavy-beat ballads and more traditional adult contemporary mush; “Angel” falls into the former category (it’s yet another lazy copy from the “Irreplaceable” assembly line, and someone needs to buy Stargate a new drum machine for Christmas…2006), while “I Will Be,” a cover of an Avril Lavigne song produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin (who takes a step even farther away from his “…Baby One More Time” past), is dangerously middle-of-the-road. Though the 21-year-old’s faithful, capable rendition of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” proves that the timelessness of the song should remain unquestioned, the album’s adult-skewed material sounds even more jarring next to two fresh new tracks, the bouncy and youthful “Forgive Me” and urban club jam “Misses Glass,” added for American consumption. Drippy songs like “Footprints in the Sand,” which was co-written by Cowell himself and is based on the Christian allegorical text “Footprints,” might draw comparisons to Carey, but it’s the Carey of 15 years ago, not the one Lewis is currently trying to fend off at the top of the charts”.

A phenomenal commercial success in the U.S. in addition to her native U.K. (Lewis was born in Islington, London), huge songs like Bleeding Love makes Spirit enduring to this day. Even if you are not a fan of this type of music or have heard of Leona Lewis, I think you can play the album and find quite a few tracks that hit you. It is not perfect by any means, but it is an impressive debut from one of the U.K.’s most popular and important artists of the past fifteen/twenty years. This is what AllMusic said in their review:

“The truest test of Simon Cowell's power within the music industry circa 2008 was not whether American Idol could produce a star in its seventh season or if its U.K. cousin, The X Factor, would have another success in its fifth season -- it was whether he could turn Leona Lewis into the international superstar he so clearly believed she is. Lewis was the third winner of The X Factor -- the Cowell-driven replacement to Pop Idol in Britain, a replacement that came to be because he wanted to own a significant piece of the show -- and one of the key differences between Factor and Idol is that the judges can mentor the contestants and therefore have a stake in the outcome of the show, more than they do on Idol, where the judges merely comment.

Rightly impressed by Lewis' multi-octave voice -- reminiscent of a warmer, earthbound Mariah Carey -- Cowell continued his mentorship after the conclusion of the show, making her the first contestant in the whole Idol/Factor enterprise that he personally shepherded through the major-label process. He struck a deal with Clive Davis -- the executive producer behind all the American Idol projects, the producer who publicly bristled when Kelly Clarkson tried to take control of her career through her original compositions -- and the two launched a grand plan to break Lewis in her native U.K. first, then slowly roll her out in the U.S. a few months later, via an appearance on Oprah and a slightly re-sequenced and remixed version of her debut, Spirit.

That U.S. version drops the bonus track of Leona's version of "A Moment Like This," her first hit single that is not so coincidentally a cover of Kelly's first big single. If Kelly became a thorn in Davis' side, Leona Lewis seems happy, even eager, to play the major-label game, singing anything that comes her way, never lodging a complaint when she has to cut a couple R&B-flavored tracks to appeal to the American market. These tunes -- "Misses Glass" and "Forgive Me" -- are just slightly glitzier than the rest of Spirit, surely bearing heavier rhythms but not to the extent that the beats obscure Lewis' voice, as the whole point of Spirit is to showcase her singing, particularly those high glory notes that are all the rage on Idol/Factor.

Unlike most Idol/Factor alumni, Lewis can hit those big notes but make it seem easy, never straining her voice and building nicely to the climax. Unlike most divas, there is a human quality to her voice, as she's singing to the song, not singing to her voice. Then again, this was also true of Mariah Carey on her 1990 debut, which Spirit greatly resembles in how the handful of R&B-oriented songs camouflages how this is almost entirely a stuffy middle-of-the-road pop record. Not only that, but Spirit is so old-fashioned it sounds as if it could have been released in 1990 and compete with Carey's debut for the top of the charts; her first single, "Bleeding Love," opens with a crawling organ that recalls the muted gospel of "Vision of Love," even if the skin-crawling lyric "you cut me open and I keep bleeding love" wouldn't have suited the Top 40 in 1990.

I can appreciate how some people highlighted flaws on Spirit. Maybe lacking too much personality difference and development throughout the album, the emphasis is on the sheer power of Lewis’ voice, rather than range or diving too deep into her vocal gifts. That is a shame, as I think she could have produced a lot more if allowed to have more of a production and writing say. I feel Spirit has many highlights and should be commended because of its success and how it clearly resonated with millions of people. Turning fifteen on 9th November, people need to give this another spin. For someone like me – who really does not bond with winners of The X Factor and reality show winners’ albums -, I was not a big fan of Leona Lewis’ debut in 2007. I have grown to really appreciate it and the beginning of the professional career for a mighty talent. Spirit is appropriately named, as the album…

HAS that in abundance!

FEATURE: Spotlight: Antony Szmierek

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Antony Szmierek

__________

FOR this Spotlight…

I am staying with solo artists, but here is someone that might be quite new to many people. The tremendous Antony Szmierek is a wonderful talent who many are predicting big things from. There are not many interviews online from him – I could only find one recent one -, but I hope that changes in the next year or so. I guess his career is still building and developing. How best to describe Szmierek and his sound? Such a compelling, promising and original artist, this from Primary Talent is a pretty good overview:

“Antony Szmierek is a spoken word and indie hip-hop artist making unique moves by blending his poetic, often introspective lyricism with undeniably smooth riffs and nostalgic beats. Hailed by Lauren Laverne as "the best thing I've heard all year" and described as "Mike Skinner spliced with Simon Armitage" - his track 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Fallacy' spent 4 weeks on the 6 Music B-list, as well as being featured on Jack Saunders' 'Future Artists' show on Radio 1. The same track also bagged the high score on Steve Lamacq's legendary Round Table. Support continues to pour in from the likes of Craig Charles, Steve Lamacq, Nemone, Mary Anne Hobbs and Chris Hawkins”.

I will end with a bit of press about a recent song. Before getting there, here is an interview with Skiddle. It is from September and, as it seems, press sources, music magazines and radio stations are starting to recognise the music and brilliance of Antony Szmierek. I think that 2023 is going to be a big breakout year for him where he plays a lot of festivals and bigger stages:  

“This year has been a bit of a wild one for you so far, it would be fair to say. Heavily playlisted by the likes of Spotify and BBC 6 Music, and with adulation coming from some of the biggest names on the airwaves, the likes of Lauren Laverne and Craig Charles - it must feel incredible to be receiving so much appreciation for your work. How’s the experience been so far?

"I like ‘wild’ as an adjective and have been using it a fair bit myself. It’s been unexpected for sure. I keep trying to pinpoint the specific moment it changed but can’t decide when it was. I’m a big fan of 6music anyway so to hear my name read out by these disembodied voices that are a stable of my life is really strange in the best possible way. And then they become real people and you’re suddenly on Zoom with Craig joking about Robot Wars or sending voice notes to Lauren Laverne and trying not to freak out about it. Let’s stick with wild until I find anything better.

Where and when did your journey in music begin? How did it all start?

"I’m one of this new wave of lockdown musicians, I think. I’ve been writing for ten years – novels at first and then short stories and eventually poems. The performance aspect of that was what became important and being heavy into music and experiencing it live - it was just right there in front of me and seemed an obvious next step. I bought a couple of these little Volca synths and started bashing out rudimentary stuff on audacity, which is free, and then Ableton, which is also free for 60 days. So I had 60 days to make something. That became ‘Giving Up for Beginners’ which my now producer and live keyboard player Robin Parker helped me get over the line."

The release of your most-listened-to-track to date, ‘Hitchhikers Guide To The Fallacy’ marked a watershed moment for you, in terms of breaking through to a wider audience. What do you think it is about this track that resonates with music fans?

"I did sort of know it was good, but it was only supposed to be the intro to the next EP and not a proper single or anything. I think I’d have been tempted to overthink it and include a hook or something but I’m really glad I didn’t now as it’s informed a lot of my writing since."

"I honestly couldn’t tell you. Everyone seems to have their own favourite line and the house beat bubbles along nicely in the background. I’m a big fan of the little guitar motif that runs through it from my brother, Martin, who is also in the live band. I think that’s the glue. The secret sauce."

How do you approach writing a song such as ‘Hitchhikers Guide To The Fallacy’? Do you have a particular process?

"It was the title first with this one. Just a notes app thing. We were working on this song called ‘Last Train Back’ that never quite made it so moved on to another song to cleanse the palette and I just started reading things out from my notes. It got a laugh from Dean (producer based in VIBE Studios, Cheetham Hill) and that was enough of a thumbs up for me. Hitchhiking as a concept is quite desperate and yet there’s a hopeful optimism to it. And so I just applied that to how I was feeling, which as it turns out was quite jaded”.

I am just going to finish off with an article from CLASH, who looked ahead to the release of Szmierek’s new E.P., Poems to Dance To. I am writing this on 25th October, so I have not got any of the reviews from it yet - though the ones that come out are likely to be terrific. I would recommend you check it out, along with phenomenal recent tracks like Working Classic. A terrific talent who is going to go very far:

“Antony Szmierek knows that communication essentially boils down to words and music.

A word-of-mouth hero in his native Manchester, he melds together spoken word lyricism with hip-hop, adding in a dash of soul for good measures. Literate and worldly wise, he also packs a punch – there’s romance, there, but also grit.

New EP ‘Poems To Dance To’ is out on October 28th, and it represents a neat encapsulation of his methodology. The project is led by superb new single ‘Working Classic’, matching his word play to aspects of UKG.

Digging into a classic UK sound, ‘Working Classic’ is a point where Antony’s approach merged with music, his two loves sparking into one. He explains: “It has these hyper specific references but also these ambiguous, gut-punch universal truths that come in when you’re starting to have too much of a good time. The UKG influence is there to amp up the nostalgia.”

A fantastic starting point, ‘Working Classic’ feels like life in the UK right now – under grey skies, fighting to survive, but somehow managing”.

Go and follow the remarkable Antony Szmierek. He is someone who is unlike anyone out there. With his incredible E.P. out in the world, there will be more eyes and ears his way. His blend of Hip-Hop and spoken word lyricism has, as CLASH said, grit alongside heart and depth. It is an intoxicating blend that…

HITS the soul.

_____________

Follow Antony Szmierek

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/antonyszmierek/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/antonyszmierek

TikTok:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1odn2oz1bEsGWugQ8W3zhn

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-VwXR6M4HD4Wo1UpTBi4SA

FEATURE: A Beautiful Sunrise: Kate Bush’s Aerial at Seventeen

FEATURE:

 

 

A Beautiful Sunrise

Kate Bush’s Aerial at Seventeen

__________

I am going to publish…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 2005/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton

one more feature about Kate Bush’s double album, Aerial, ahead of its anniversary. Released on 7th November, 2005, it reached number three in the U.K.  Similar to her 1985 masterpiece, Hounds of Love, Aerial is split into two sections. The first disc is subtitled A Sea of Honey. The second disc is called A Sky of Honey. I like the titles of each disc and the sort of warmth and sweetness they project. It was brilliant that Bush gained so much success with her double album. Aerial sold more than 90,000 copies in its first week of release and has now been certified as platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. Dissimilar to The Ninth Wave, A Sky of Honey is about the richness, sweetness, beauty, redemption and restorative beauty and natural wonder of a summer’s day. Rather than a heroine being struck at sea and struggling for life and hope (though she is rescued in the end), there is this endless purity and sense of uplift and wonder through the song cycle on Aerial. If the first half of Aerial is not as striking and hit-filled that on Hounds of Love, I do think there is a greater variation and depth in terms of the material. Bush’s late mother Hannah is referenced in A Coral Room. Her then-new son (who was seven in 2005) Bertie has a song named after him. Mrs Bartolozzi is about the mundanity of laundry, yet it turns into this stirring and almost fantastical piece where the clothes seem to be dancing and twirling. Sexual, suggestive, longing, and powerful, it is one of Bush’s best songs!

Although I am not featuring A Sky of Honey entirely and making it my focal point, it is one big reason why Aerial is so successful and loved. Bush herself has cited this as her favourite album. I really like the first disc. If songs such as Pi, Bertie and Joanni are harder to get on board with an embrace – the first song is literally Bush reciting a series of numbers- it shows that she was as explorative, ambitious, and original as ever. Bush was not going to come back after twelve years – her album before Aerial was The Red Shoes (1993) – and make an album that was a little watered-down and safe. There is plenty of eccentricity and unique moments through A Sea of Honey. I am going to end with a couple of reviews for Aerial. The reason behind this feature is to bring Aerial to people’s attention. Although the vinyl is expensive, I would advise people to buy it if they can afford, as it is such a tremendous album. An album designed to be listened to the entire way through, you immerse yourself in Bush’s 2005 masterpiece. A Sea of Honey features a couple of Bush’s all-time great song. The single from the album, King of the Mountain, is a phenomenal track that was an obvious single. Mrs. Bartolozzi is hugely memorable and strangely moving. I also think A Coral Room and How to Be Invisible rank alongside her greatest moments. Perhaps there are one or two tracks I am not keen on, but A Sky of Honey is flawless!

One of the only problems with it was that the original 2005 release did feature spoken vocals from the disgraced Rolf Harris. They have since been removed on subsequent releases, but it is an issue if you have an original vinyl copy. If you get the 2018 remaster, you do not have his voice. Not a huge part of Aerial – The Painter’s Link finds Harris replaced by Bush’s son Bertie McIntosh (the surname comes from Bush’s partner, Danny McIntosh) -, you are not too offput. Aerial was Bush’s return after twelve years. It has almost been that long since she released her latest studio album, 50 Words for Snow (2011). I recently spoke with journalist Tom Doyle about interviewing Bush in 2005. Although she did not give too many interviews, the ones that she did are excellent. Excited to come back and put new music into the world, it must also have been strange to do promotion and answer questions. Perhaps cautious that people would want to know what she has been doing and why she’s been away for so long, there was plenty of respect and affection for her! The hugely positive reviews for Aerial show that Bush was dearly missed and, as you would expect, had lost none of her genius. Inspired and more refreshed after the somewhat tired The Red Shoes, Aerial sits up there with Hounds of Love as Bush’s best album. I think that A Sky of Honey is one big reason why Aerial is so accomplished and nuanced. The nine short tracks are flow and weave together. They bring the listener into the cycle of a summer’s day. Prologue, Aerial Tal and Nocturn are so gorgeous and spellbinding. Influenced by motherhood, a new life, the simplicity and importance of nature and the natural world, there is this feeling of compassion and warmth throughout A Sky of Honey. The compositions are so rich and fascinating. I am going to finish with two sample reviews for the remarkable Aerial. It is seventeen on 7th November.

The BBC were unequivocal in their assertion that Aerial is a masterpiece. It is hard to argue against that, as the more you hear the double album, the more layers you find. It is a sensational piece of work that started life back in the 1990s:

“After 12 years of waiting Kate Bush fans finally get their hands on an album of new material. A double album-sized helping of new songs should keep most fans happy with 16 tracks to delve into.

Disc one is a varied set of numbers which mainly centre around her private life, with odes to her son and a moving song about the loss of her mother. But at times these songs feel too personal and are hard to decipher with dense and difficult melodies. They encompasse a range of musical styles - from folk ("Bertie") to new age ("Pi") and classic Kate Bush ("How to be Invisible"). However, some of these tracks never really achieve lift-off and could have been left on the recording studio floor.

The Kate Bush of "Cloudbusting" and "Wuthering Heights"-fame is in there but struggles to get out. After the flatness of disc one, the second disc is full of surprises. It's an old-fashioned concept album that takes the listener on a journey. And what a journey! Bush has written a lyric poem set to music, which has an epic quality, transporting the listener to a deeply lush and fertile landscape. Lyrically cryptic, but strangely seductive, side two is the album Pink Floyd might have made in 1979 if Bush had been their lead singer.

Concept albums are not everyone's cup of tea - but this is a masterpiece”.

This is what AllMusic noted in their review. Although they observe how not a lot happens during the majestic A Sky of Honey, they do recognise how powerful and wonderful it is:

“A Sky of Honey is 42 minutes in length. It's lushly romantic as it meditates on the passing of 24 hours. Its prelude is a short deeply atmospheric piece with the sounds of birds singing, and her son (who is "the Sun" according to the credits) intones, "Mummy...Daddy/The day is full of birds/Sounds like they're saying words." And "Prologue" begins with her piano, a chanted viol, and Bush crooning to romantic love, the joy of marriage and nature communing, and the deep romance of everyday life. There's drama, stillness, joy, and quiet as its goes on, but it's all held within, as in "An Architect's Dream," where the protagonist encounters a working street painter going about his work in changing light: "The flick of a wrist/Twisting down to the hips/So the lovers begin with a kiss...." Loops, Eberhard Weber's fretless bass, drifting keyboards, and a relaxed delivery create an erotic tension, in beauty and in casual voyeurism.

"Sunset" has Bush approaching jazz, but it doesn't swing so much as it engages the form. Her voice digging into her piano alternates between lower-register enunciation and a near falsetto in the choruses. There is a sense of utter fascination with the world as it moves toward darkness, and the singer is enthralled as the sun climbs into bed, before it streams into "Sunset," a gorgeous flamenco guitar and percussion-driven call-and-response choral piece -- it's literally enthralling. It is followed by a piece of evening called "Somewhere Between," in which lovers take in the beginning of night.

As "Nocturne" commences, shadows, stars, the beach, and the ocean accompany two lovers who dive down deep into one another and the surf. Rhythms assert themselves as the divers go deeper and the band kicks up: funky electric guitars pulse along with the layers of keyboards, journeying until just before sunup. But it is on the title track that Bush gives listeners her greatest surprise. Dawn is breaking and she greets the day with a vengeance. Manic, crunchy guitars play power chords as sequencers and synths make the dynamics shift and swirl. In her higher register, Bush shouts, croons, and trills against and above the band's force.

Nothing much happens on Aerial except the passing of a day, as noted by the one who engages it in the process of being witnessed, yet it reveals much about the interior and natural worlds and expresses spiritual gratitude for everyday life. Musically, this is what listeners have come to expect from Bush at her best -- a finely constructed set of songs that engage without regard for anything else happening in the world of pop music. There's no pushing of the envelope because there doesn't need to be. Aerial is rooted in Kate Bush's oeuvre, with grace, flair, elegance, and an obsessive, stubborn attention to detail. What gets created for the listener is an ordinary world, full of magic; it lies inside one's dwelling in overlooked and inhabited spaces, and outside, from the backyard and out through the gate into wonder”.

One of Kate Bush’s best works and most important albums, Aerial’s seventeenth anniversary next week should be celebrated and noted fondly. Let us hope that, if we do get to a point when there has been twelve years since Bush’s latest album (2023), that we get something from her. She did need that gap between albums, and she returned to music sounding a lot more positive and fulfilled. Aerial demonstrates that the musical pioneer and icon was…

AS wonderful as ever.

FEATURE: Hardly a Pretender! The Making of a Pop Icon: Madonna’s Like a Virgin at Thirty-Eight

FEATURE:

 

 

Hardly a Pretender!

The Making of a Pop Icon: Madonna’s Like a Virgin at Thirty-Eight

__________

ALTHOUGH it is not a big anniversary…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Meisel

I wanted to mark the upcoming thirty-eighth anniversary of Madonna’s Like a Virgin. Released on 12th November, 1984, the iconic album was re-released worldwide in 1985. I think that her second studio album is one of her most important and underrated. When we think of the ‘classic’ Madonna albums, usually we look towards Like a Prayer (1989) or Ray of Light (1998). After her eponymous 1983 album, there is a definitely sense of new ambition and boldness on Like a Virgin. Although her most explicit, expressive, and remarkable work would start to take shape later in the decade, Madonna ensured that her second studio album was unlike her debut the year before. Whereas Madonna wrote most of the songs on her debut, Like a Virgin saw her working with writers like Steve Bray. Bray actually produced the album alongside Madonna and primary producer Nile Rodgers. Like a Virgin has more pronounced Dance Pop and Disco sounds because of Rodgers’ involvement. I like the evolution between albums. Although there are a couple of deeper cuts that lack depth and memorability, Like a Virgin has more than enough to hold your interest. The title track is one of the most celebrated in Madonna’s catalogue. Angel, Love Don’t Live Here Anymore, and Pretender are also terrific tracks. The opening track – and the only song that could truly open things – is the divisive Material Girl. Not in terms of quality! I think many Madonna fans can agree that it is one of her greatest moments. I think Madonna resented being seen as material and having shallowness. Trying to establish herself as independent and strong, a song that talked about excess and material things possibly went against what she felt. That said, she performed Material Girl in subsequent tours and has an improved relationship with the song.

Although Like a Virgin fluctuated in the U.K., it did get to the top of the chart. A chart-topper in the U.S. and other nations, it is a huge-selling album that started to establish Madonna as the Queen of Pop. I don’t think enough people credit Like a Virgin with putting Madonna in that position. After only two albums, she was very much head and shoulders above most of her female peers! Big singles like Material Girl and Like a Virgin, tied to interviews and a lot of airplay, meant that Madonna was a huge star that was becoming an icon. I am going to come to a Wikipedia article that documents the legacy of Like a Virgin. First, back in 2019, Albumism celebrated thirty-five years of Madonna’s second studio album with ten fast and fun facts:

“(1) The first time that Madonna performed the controversial title track was at the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards on September 14, 1984, roughly seven weeks before the single’s official release on October 31, 1984. It remains arguably the most infamously memorable performance in the event’s history, for obvious reasons.

(2) The iconic photograph that adorns the album cover was shot by Steven Meisel, the revered fashion photographer who collaborated with Madonna on her provocative Sex coffee table book in 1992, eight years after Like A Virgin’s release.

(3) Signaling her growing stature in the pop music sphere, Madonna enlisted Chic co-founder and producer extraordinaire Nile Rodgers to oversee recording sessions for Like A Virgin. Hot on the heels of his production work for David Bowie’s massively successful 1983 Let’s Dance album, Rodgers invited his Chic bandmates Bernard Edwards (bass) and Tony Thompson (drums) to play on Madonna’s second LP, consistent with his greater emphasis on live instrumentation relative to Madonna’s synth and drum machine indebted debut album Madonna (1983).

“When I was talking to Madonna during the making of Like A Virgin and I got Chic to play on her songs, she kept saying: ‘Why don’t we just use a drum machine instead?’ Rodgers recently recalled to Classic Pop magazine. “I replied: ‘Because if you do that, then anybody can sound like you. But if we play it, then only we will sound like that.”

(4) While filming the iconic, Marilyn Monroe inspired music video for “Material Girl,” the album’s second official single, Madonna met the actor Sean Penn, whom she married seven months later on her 27th birthday (August 16, 1985). Their four-year marriage concluded with the couple’s divorce in 1989.

(5) Like A Virgin was Madonna’s first album to hit #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Since she achieved the initial milestone, eight of her albums have also reached the top spot, with her most recent album Madame X (2019) debuting at #1 earlier this year.

(6) Though closely associated with Like A Virgin, the hit single “Into The Groove” was not included in the original track sequencing for the album. It was subsequently added to the album’s European-only 1985 reissue and appeared in the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan, though it was curiously absent from the soundtrack. “The dance floor was quite a magical place for me,” Madonna once reflected in revisiting the song’s impetus. “I started off wanting to be a dancer, so that had a lot to do with the song. The freedom that I always feel when I'm dancing, that feeling of inhabiting your body, letting yourself go, expressing yourself through music. I always thought of it as a magical place—even if you're not taking ecstasy.”

(7) Although Like A Virgin proved to be a smash success commercially, the critical reception that welcomed her sophomore long player was lukewarm at best, with more than a few critics unwilling to embrace her growing credibility as a pop artist and vocalist. This scrutiny would begin to dissipate, however, with the release of 1986’s True Blue and particularly 1989’s Like A Prayer, which earned well-deserved critical plaudits across the globe.

(8) On April 10, 1985 at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, Madonna launched The Virgin Tour, her first national tour, which spanned 40 dates in all, concluding in June 1985 with a five-date run split between New York City’s historic venues Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden. Though their debut album Licensed To Ill (1986) wouldn’t arrive for another year-and-a-half, the Beastie Boys were selected as the tour’s opening act. However the upstart hip-hop trio were neither the first nor the second choice to share the billing with Madonna—The Fat Boys and Run-DMC were the preferred picks, but the groups were not available and too expensive, respectively. “I don't know why she thought it would be a good idea,” Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz said of Madonna and her management’s decision to invite the group on the tour during a 1998 SPIN interview. “It was a terrible idea. But it was great for her in a way because we were so awful that by the time she came onstage, the audience had to be happy."

(9) Like A Virgin remains Madonna’s highest selling studio album of her career to date in the United States, having earned the coveted diamond certification reflective of 10 million units sold. The rest of her top five selling studio LPs include 1986’s True Blue (7 million), her eponymous 1983 debut Madonna (5 million), 1998’s Ray Of Light (4 million) and 1989’s Like A Prayer (4 million). The 1990 hits compilation The Immaculate Collection has also earned diamond certification status.

(10) Albumism readers and writers disagree with respect to where Like A Virgin ranks within Madonna’s studio album discography, with the former ranking it #12 and the latter placing it at #3”.

The fact that Like a Virgin has sold so many copies and scores so highly in polls of her best albums shows how important it is. I still feel it is a little underrated by some critics and fans. Surely one of her five best albums, it definitely helped shape the sound and face of Pop in 1984. Sexy, playful, assured, varied and fun, Like a Virgin is a superb album that does not sound that dated. Some of the production is not that strong, but the fact we are playing songs from the album and discussing it today shows how important it is! I want to get to a review of Like a Virgin that was published many years after the album came out. First, Rolling Stone said this in 1985:

“IN THE EARLY Sixties, when girls were first carving their niche in rock & roll, the Crystals were singing about how it didn’t matter that the boy they loved didn’t drive a Cadillac car, wasn’t some big movie star: he wasn’t the boy they’d been dreaming of, but so what? Madonna is a more, well, practical girl. In her new song, “Material Girl,” she claims, “the boy with the cold hard cash is always Mr. Right/’Cause we’re living in a material world/And I am a material girl.” When she finds a boy she likes, it’s for his “satin sheets/And luxuries so fine” (“Dress You Up”).

Despite her little-girl voice, there’s an undercurrent of ambition that makes her more than the latest Betty Boop. When she chirps, “You made me feel/Shiny and new/Like a virgin,” in her terrific new single, you know she’s after something.

Nile Rodgers produced Like a Virgin, Madonna’s second LP; he also played guitar on much of it and brought in ex-Chic partners Bernard Edwards on bass and Tony Thompson on drums. Rodgers wisely supplies the kind of muscle Madonna’s sassy lyrics demand. Her light voice bobs over the heavy rhythm and synth tracks like a kid on a carnival ride. On the hit title song, Madonna is all squeals, bubbling over the bass line from the Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself.” She doesn’t have the power or range of, say, Cyndi Lauper, but she knows what works on the dance floor.

Still, some of the new tracks don’t add up. Her torchy ballad “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” is awful. The role of the rejected lover just doesn’t suit her. Madonna’s a lot more interesting as a conniving cookie, flirting her way to the top, than as a bummed-out adult”.

I want to bring in AllMusic’s more contemporary take on one of Madonna’s best albums. A hugely important moment in Pop music, an artist that many only heard about a year before Like a Virgin was starting to dominate the charts and airwaves! Like a Virgin definitely turned Madonna into an icon of the ‘80s – and, looking back, it was the album that confirmed her place as the Queen of Pop:

“Madonna had hits with her first album, even reaching the Top Ten twice with "Borderline" and "Lucky Star," but she didn't become a superstar, an icon, until her second album, Like a Virgin. She saw the opening for this kind of explosion and seized it, bringing in former Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers in as a producer, to help her expand her sound, and then carefully constructed her image as an ironic, ferociously sexy Boy Toy; the Steven Meisel-shot cover, capturing her as a buxom bride with a Boy Toy belt buckle on the front, and dressing after a night of passion, was as key to her reinvention as the music itself. Yet, there's no discounting the best songs on the record, the moments when her grand concepts are married to music that transcends the mere classification of dance-pop. These, of course, are "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin," the two songs that made her an icon, and the two songs that remain definitive statements. They overshadow the rest of the record, not just because they are a perfect match of theme and sound, but because the rest of the album vacillates wildly in terms of quality. The other two singles, "Angel" and "Dress You Up," are excellent standard-issue dance-pop, and there are other moments that work well ("Over and Over," "Stay," the earnest cover of Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here"), but overall, it adds up to less than the sum of its parts -- partially because the singles are so good, but also because on the first album, she stunned with style and a certain joy. Here, the calculation is apparent, and while that's part of Madonna's essence -- even something that makes her fun -- it throws the record's balance off a little too much for it to be consistent, even if it justifiably made her a star”.

I’ll finish with that Wikipedia article about the legacy of Like a Virgin. Still influencing artist to this very day, it is amazing to consider just how impactful the album is. Ahead of its thirty-eighth anniversary on 12th November, I know fans around the world will be playing the album loud:

“After the release of Like a Virgin, Stephen Holden commented in The New York Times: "No phenomenon illustrates more pointedly how pop music history seems to run in cycles than the overnight success of the 24-year-old pop siren known as Madonna. The month before Christmas, Madonna's second album, Like a Virgin sold more than two million copies. Teen-agers were lining up in stores to purchase the album the way their parents had lined up to buy Beatles records in the late 60's." Madonna proved she was not a one-hit wonder with the release of the album which sold 12 million copies worldwide at the time of its release. In 2016, Billboard ranked at number nine in the list of Certified Diamond Albums From Worst to Best. Like a Virgin was placed at fifth at Album of the Decade by Billboard—the highest peak by a female performer.

Taraborrelli felt that "Like a Virgin is really a portrait of Madonna's uncanny pop instincts empowered by her impatient zeal for creative growth and her innate knack for crafting a good record." He added that the success of the album made it clear what was Madonna's real persona. "She was a street-smart dance queen with the sexy allure of Marilyn Monroe, the coy iciness of Marlene Dietrich and the cutting and protective glibness of a modern Mae West". Although the album received mixed reviews, Taraborrelli believed that the "mere fact that at the time of its release so many couldn't resist commenting on the record was a testament to the continuous, growing fascination with Madonna ... Every important artist has at least one album in his or her career whose critical and commercial success becomes the artist's magic moment; for Madonna, Like a Virgin was just such a defining moment."

Chris Smith, author of 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music, believed that it was with Like a Virgin that Madonna was able to steal the spotlight towards herself. She asserted her sexuality as only male rock stars had done before, moving well beyond the limited confines of being a pop artist, to becoming a focal point for nationwide discussions of power relationships in the areas of sex, race, gender, religion, and other divisive social topics. Her songs became a lightning rod for both criticism by conservatives and imitation by the younger female population. Consequence of Sound ranked the album at number two on "The 10 Greatest Sophomore Albums of All Time," calling it the album that "carved out the throne...that would be Madonna's forever: the Queen of Pop”.

An album that I think does still not get the respect and true salute that it deserves, Like a Virgin is undoubtedly one of the most important in all of Pop! From 1984, Madonna would continue to expand her music, grow in confidence, and change her image. True Blue was her next studio album in 1986. In 1984, with the remarkable Like a Virgin, a global superstar…

WAS born.

FEATURE: Inspired By… Part Eighty-Six: Rihanna

FEATURE:

 

 

Inspired By…

Part Eighty-Six: Rihanna

__________

I am amazed that I have not yet included…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rihanna attends Marvel Studios' Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever premiere at Dolby Theatre on 26th October, 2022 in Hollywood, California/PHOTO CREDIT: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

the amazing Rihanna in Inspired By… This feature highlights a legend of music and the artists that they have influenced. There is no doubt that so many other artists follow in the footsteps of Rihanna. She recently released a new track, Lift Me Up (From Black Panther: Wanda Forever – Music from and Inspired By). It has been getting a lot of coverage and love. Before coming to a playlist featuring songs from artists influenced by a legend, I wanted to drop in some biography for Rihanna. Let’s hope there is a follow-up to the amazing ANTI of 2016. I am keen to get to the playlist. First, AllMusic give us a deep biography about the iconic Rihanna:

“Rihanna established her pop credentials in 2005 with "Pon de Replay," a boisterous debut single that narrowly missed the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and fast-tracked her to becoming one of the most popular, acclaimed, and dynamic artists in postmillennial contemporary music. Mixing and matching pop, dancehall, R&B, EDM, and adult contemporary material, Rihanna has been a near-constant presence in the upper reaches of the pop chart. Through 2017, she headlined 11 number one hits, some of which -- "Umbrella" and "Only Girl (In the World)" among them -- led to her eight Grammy Awards. And more than just a singles artist, Rihanna has continually pushed ahead stylistically with her LPs, highlighted by the bold Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), steely Rated R (2009), and composed Anti (2016), all of which confounded expectations and placed within the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 with eventual multi-platinum certifications. Her secondary discography as a featured artist is impressive as well, with major crossover pop hits headlined by the likes of Jay-Z ("Run This Town"), Eminem ("Love the Way You Lie," "The Monster"), and Kendrick Lamar ("LOYALTY.").

Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna exhibited star quality as a child, often winning beauty and talent contests. Because she lived on a fairly remote island in the West Indies, however, she didn't foresee the global stardom she later attained. Her break came courtesy of a fateful meeting with Evan Rogers, writer and producer of pop hits for such big names as *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, and Rod Stewart. The New Yorker was vacationing in Barbados with his wife, an island native, when he was introduced to an aspiring singing group that featured Rihanna. The trio performed for Rogers, who was then eager to work with Rihanna as a solo artist. After the fledgling singer recorded material with Rogers in the U.S. and signed with SRP (Syndicated Rhythm Productions), operated by Rogers and partner Carl Sturken, she sparked the interest of the Carter Administration -- that is, the newly appointed Def Jam president Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. Following an audition, Rihanna accepted an on-the-spot offer to sign with the major label.

Come May 2005, Def Jam rolled out "Pon de Replay," Rihanna's first single and the lively introduction to the full-length Music of the Sun. Produced almost entirely by Rogers and Sturken, the song synthesized Caribbean rhythms with pop-R&B songwriting. "Pon de Replay" caught fire almost immediately and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, denied the top spot by Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together." Music of the Sun, released that August, spawned a Top 40 placement with "If It's Lovin' That You Want" and ranged stylistically from a remake of Dawn Penn's rocksteady-styled crossover hit "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" (featuring dancehall star Vybz Kartel) to the Beyoncé-like "Let Me" (co-produced by emergent duo Stargate). Music of the Sun was only eight months old when Rihanna followed up in April 2006 with A Girl Like Me. It showed that the singer wasn't a fluke success and could also stretch out, laced with three dissimilar hits. "SOS," high-gloss dance-pop with a sample of Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love," topped the Hot 100. "Unfaithful," her first big ballad, and "Break It Off," an electro-dancehall hybrid (with Sean Paul), became her third and fourth Top Ten pop singles.

Superstar status was attained with Good Girl Gone Bad, an album that built on Rihanna's commercial momentum and developed into a blockbuster. Released in May 2007 and "reloaded" with additional material the following June, its lengthy promotional campaign yielded several chart-topping singles and boasted collaborations with A-listers such as Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Timbaland, and Justin Timberlake. Lead single "Umbrella," co-written by the-Dream and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, sounded like nothing else on the airwaves and shot to number one, as did "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia," while "Hate That I Love You" and "Don't Stop the Music" added to the tally of Top Ten entries. "Umbrella" gave Rihanna her first Grammy win for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The album was on its way to triple platinum status by October 2009, when Rihanna set the dark and provocative tone for fourth album Rated R with "Russian Roulette," another Ne-Yo collaboration and Top Ten single. Abused lover, dominatrix, and murderer were among the perspectives Rihanna offered throughout the album, released that November. Even the additional Top Ten hits "Hard" and "Rude Boy" -- the latter her fifth number one -- were stern in demeanor, making the early hits sound like the work of a significantly more complex artist. While Rated R was riding high, Jay-Z's "Run This Town," with Rihanna on the intro and hook, won Grammys for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Annual studio albums, each one with a November release date and a broad range of light and dark material covering EDM, contemporary R&B, adult contemporary, dancehall, and straight-up pop, continued well into the following decade. In 2010, just after Eminem featured her on the diamond platinum "Love the Way You Lie," there was Loud. Led by the Stargate-produced "Only Girl (In the World)," eventually a Grammy winner for Best Dance Recording, it was sustained with additional Hot 100 toppers "What's My Name?" (featuring Drake) and "S&M." Talk That Talk was heralded in 2011 with Rihanna's most triumphant single, "We Found Love," on which she collaborated with Calvin Harris. After she nabbed yet another Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Grammy, this time for her role on Kanye West's "All of the Lights," the streak concluded, and culminated, with the 2012 set Unapologetic. Her first LP to top the Billboard 200 (after all of the previous six had gone Top Ten), it also became her first to win a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album. "Diamonds," the anthemic and inspirational standout among some of Rihanna's brashest moments, became her tenth number one pop hit and 18th to peak within the Top Ten.

Within a span of three years, Rihanna had released her fourth through seventh albums. An equal amount of time passed prior to the release of her eighth full-length. In 2013, she lengthened her list of chart accolades as a featured artist with an assist on Eminem's "The Monster," which became her 25th Top Ten hit as a lead or featured artist, went to number one, and led to her fourth Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Grammy. No longer with Def Jam -- a deal had been signed with Roc Nation via Jay-Z, who left Def Jam several years earlier -- Rihanna released non-album singles throughout 2015, beginning with the unembellished "FourFiveSeconds," an unlikely matchup with Paul McCartney and Kanye West that reached number four. "American Oxygen" didn't flourish as much from a commercial standpoint but upon release became one of her most remarkable recordings, a dignified ballad with a personal, pro-immigration theme.

Album eight, the strikingly composed Anti, became Rihanna's second consecutive number one album following its January 2016 arrival. She partnered again with Drake, resulting in another number one hit with "Work." "Needed Me," a buzzing slow jam cooked up with a production team including DJ Mustard and Kuk Harrell, and "Love on the Brain," a throwback soul belter involving Harrell and Fred Ball, entered the Top Ten as well. Those who missed the comparative lack of high-spirited exuberance in Anti were placated across 2016 and 2017 with Rihanna's guest appearances on Calvin Harris' "This Is What You Came For" and N.E.R.D.'s "Lemon." Meanwhile, Drake, Future, DJ Khaled, and Kendrick Lamar likewise profited from Rihanna's featured spots. Lamar's "LOYALTY." made Rihanna a five-time winner of the Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, setting a record for women artists in that category”.

With the hope of new material in the air – in the form of an album -, there are a lot of people looking Rihanna’s way. Such an important artist who has inspired so many others, below is a selection of acts who definitely follow the Barbadian legend. Whether citing her as an influence or clearly indebted to her, below are those who are moved and compelled…

BY a truly great artist.

FEATURE: A Renewed, Reborn Artist: Kate Bush’s Aerial at Seventeen

FEATURE:

 

 

A Renewed, Reborn Artist

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 2005/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton 

Kate Bush’s Aerial at Seventeen

__________

BECAUSE Kate Bush’s…

eighth studio album, Aerial, is seventeen on 7th November, I am writing a few features about the double album. I will concentrate on various songs from it. To start off, this feature is about how Bush returned with this wonderful record. I have talked about 1993’s The Red Shoes and how this was the last album before Bush took a well-earned break from music. That album is also celebrating an anniversary next month. I have just written my final features about that too. When it comes to Aerial, I want to explore how it is Kate Bush in a renewed and rejuvenated headspace. She would go on to release two albums in 2011 – Director’s Cut and 50 Words for Snow (whose anniversary it is next month) – and come back to the stage in 2014 for Before the Dawn. It was a creative and fertile period where Bush released some of her best work. Work on Aerial started in the 1990s, but I think it was necessary for her to take the time to create an album that was right and as good as could be. She had her son, Bertie, in 1998. I think prioritising personal life and creating some space was pivotal. I think, if she tried to release an album too soon after The Red Shoes, it might have meant she’d burn out or quit. You can hear this refreshed and reinspired artist on Aerial. Similar to Hounds of Love in 1985, Aerial has two distinct sides.

The first, A Sea of Honey, has a selection of songs that mix fantasy, the personal and traditional ‘Kate Bush’. Bertie is a paen to her new son, A Coral Room references her late mother, and King of the Mountain seems to be autobiographical. The second side, A Sky of Honey, is the course of a summer’s day. One of Kate Bush’s most accomplished pieces of music, there is this sense of wonder and revival that runs through. Whereas there is some tension and fatigue on The Red Shoes, Aerial always sounds like it is from an artist starting again. A Sky of Honey is such a remarkable work that you listen to and are engrossed by. I wanted to bring in an interview from 2005. This was a big moment for the media and Kate Bush fans. There was this doubt whether she would return. I guess she would always release music, but would there ever be an album, and what would it sound like? Nobody was expecting a double album, not least one that is among her very best work. Aerial’s greatest strength is the distance between albums. A very different sounding and feeling album, this is almost like Bush pushing away from the past and taking more control. Bush set up her own label, Fish People, in 2011. A year where she was no longer reliant on EMI and tied to the label (even though there was still some relationship with them). Aerial was the first album where Bush was starting to enter this phase of her career where her welfare and the quality of her life were very much at the forefront. I feel the years 1978-1993 were a blur when she was grinding away so much and not able to take a break and reflect!

Even though Bush was starting anew and there was this sense of a happier and calmer artist enjoying music more than ever, the press still speculated. There has always been this impression Bush is a recluse and she hides away. Living this weird life. If an artist is not seen to be touring and releasing music all of the time, then they are written off as too private or weird! With Bush’s music being so original and not like anything else, she has suffered more than most. Aerial absorbs all the past tragedy and loss and couples that with new life and someone more settled in her own skin. Tom Doyle interviewed Bush in 2005 for The Guardian. Whilst Bush realised that it had been a long time since she released an album (twelve years), we get the sense of someone charmingly down-to-earth and domestic. An artist who can release this extraordinary music but be grounded and normal:

“This is how 12 years disappear if you're Kate Bush. You release The Red Shoes in 1993, your seventh album in a 15-year career characterised by increasingly ambitious records, ever-lengthening recording schedules and compulsive attention to detail. You are emotionally drained after the death of your mother Hannah but, against the advice of some of your friends, you throw yourself into The Line, the Cross & the Curve, a 45-minute video album released the following year that - despite its merits - you now consider to be "a load of bollocks". You take two years off to recharge your batteries, because you can. In 1996, you write a song called King of the Mountain. You have a bit of a think and take some more time off, similarly, because you can.

Two years later, while pregnant, you write a song about artistic endeavour called An Architect's Dream. You give birth to a boy, Albert, in 1998 and you and your guitarist partner Danny McIntosh find yourselves "completely shattered for a couple of years". You move house and spend months doing it up. You convert the garage into a studio, but being a full-time mother who chooses not to employ a nanny or housekeeper, it's hard to find time to actually work in there. Bit by bit, the ideas come and a notion forms in your mind to make a double album, though you have to adjust to a new working regime of stolen moments as opposed to the 14-hour days of old. Your son begins school and suddenly time opens up and though progress doesn't exactly accelerate ("That's a bit too strong a word"), two years of more concentrated effort later, the album is complete. You look up from the mixing desk and it is 2005.

If the outside world was wondering whether Kate Bush would ever finish her long-awaited album, then it was a feeling shared by its creator. "Oh yeah," she sighs. "I mean, there were so many times I thought, I'll have the album finished this year, definitely, we'll get it out this year. Then there were a couple of years where I thought, I'm never gonna do this. If I could make albums quicker, I'd be on a roll wouldn't I? Everything just seems to take so much time. I don't know why. Time ... evaporates."

There was a story that some EMI execs had come down to see you and you'd said something like: "Here's what I've been working on," and then produced some cakes from your oven. True? "No! I don't know where that came from. I thought that was quite funny actually. It presents me as this homely creature, which is all right, isn't it?"

Even if apocryphal, it's a nugget that reveals something about Bush's relationship with a record label she signed to 30 years ago. For a long time now, she hasn't taken a penny in advances and refuses to play them a note of her works-in-progress. In the latter stages of Aerial's creation, EMI chairman Tony Wadsworth would come down to visit Bush and leave having heard nothing. "We'd just chat and then he'd go away again," Bush says. "We ended up just laughing about it, really."

If the completion of Aerial put paid to one set of anxieties for Bush, then its impending release has brought another - not least, a brace of newspaper stories keen to push the "rock's mystery recluse" angle. It seems the more she craves privacy, the more it is threatened. "For the last 12 years, I've felt really privileged to be living such a normal life," she explains. "It's so a part of who I am. It's so important to me to do the washing, do the Hoovering. Friends of mine in the business don't know how dishwashers work. For me, that's frightening. I want to be in a position where I can function as a human being. Even more so now where you've got this sort of truly silly preoccupation with celebrities. Just because somebody's been in an ad on TV, so what? Who gives a toss?".

Aerial album sold more than 90,000 copies in its first week of release. MOJO named Aerial their third-best album of 2005, and it received a BRIT nomination for Best British Album in 2006. Bush was also nominated for Best British Female in the same year. In fact, I am not going to source another interview. There was not a lot in print in 2005. Bush did some radio interviews, but she would do more promotion for albums like 50 Words for Snow. I think there might have been some wariness about the questions she’d be asked. Perhaps trying to transition into being an artist in the spotlight again. Bush, clearly, was setting new rules when it came to promotion and how much she’d be engaging. Not wanting to burn-out as soon as she came back, she recognised how much time the creative and promotional duties too. Aerial came together over a number of years and, whilst she was excited to have it out there, she was not about to go on T.V. shows, do a load of interviews and repeat a pattern of the past. I am glad Bush brought Aerial’s conceptual suite to the stage for Before the Dawn. She has named Aerial the favourite of her albums on more than one occasion. You can tell how much it means to her! Of course, a new partner (Danny McIntosh) and son is a big reason for that. After losing her mother in 1992, Bush now had a new family. There has been almost eleven years since her last album. I wonder whether Bush is recalibrating again and planning something for next year. She is definitely taking her time and does not have to be as full-on and meet demands of the label anymore. This all started with Aerial. Although there was still expectation, she would not be rushed! Breaking from a stressful and tiring period of her life, Bush is revived through Aerial. It is no wonder critics love the album and she ranks it so highly! Previously needing to step back after a hard time in her life, Bush stepped back and delivered one of her best albums. This was an iconic and legendary artist doing things…

ON her own terms.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Lana Lubany

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Lana Lubany

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I was going to feature…

the magnificent Lana Lubany in my Spotlight feature next weekend. I have already published one Spotlight feature today, but I was so determined to put this online now. In my next two Spotlight features, I am concentrating on Antony Szmierek, and Skylar Stecker. I have been focusing on a lot of incredible female artists. I keep saying that I will include bands and more male artists but, to be honest, the most innovative, interesting and long-lasting music is being made by women right now! I have been following Lana Lubany’s music for a while, and I have grown to love it more and more. An artist with such a spectacular talent, the American-Palestinian wonder has a very long and bright future. Now based in London, do go and follow her on social media and support her music. As I am based in Soho, I hope that Lubany has some gigs in the capital soon. So many venues and passionate fans would love to see her in the flesh! There is quite a bit that I want to cover but, before getting there, here is a bit of biography and early career background:

“Lana Lubany has always known a career in the music world was awaiting her. Growing up, she had the opportunity to perform for Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI, alongside Bobby McFerrin, Peter Yarrow of “Peter, Paul and Mary” and other notable artists and public figures at a very young age.

Born in Jaffa on November 3, 1996, with origins from Nazareth, Lana started off her career singing in a local multi-national peace choir and playing the piano, discovering her passion for music and performing. She was quickly singled out as a soloist, and in 2013, she was selected to perform in front of president Obama. After her first solo performance on a big stage in the Nazareth Christmas Market in 2013, she knew she was born to be on the stage. A year later she had her own one hour performance in the Bethlehem Christmas Market.

After graduating from high school in 2015, Lana started uploading covers to YouTube as well as focusing on her own music and songwriting. She started writing songs and short stories at a very young age – never about personal experience, at least back then – inspired by mystery and horror books and films. She released her first single “One Of A Kind” in January 2017 which was very well received by a growing number of fans from all around. Along with producer “Dushii”, Lana began working on her debut EP in April 2017. Almost a year later, the first song off of the EP, called “Still Love U Call Me” is out now”.

There are a few features and interviews that I want to bring in. Lana Lubany’s music is so distinct, and each of he tracks inhabits its own world. Such a striking and nuanced artist, I have been listening back to E.P.s like Devil in My Eden (2020), and singles such as Bad Angel and Down I Go. Although Lubany has been in the industry for a little while, I think some of her best and most popular work has come this year. To me and so many fans, her music helped us during the pandemic. Now, as we are out of the other side (sort of), we are seeing this remarkable human put out modern gems like THE SNAKE and SOLD. I am going to end with some predictions and thoughts about the hypotonic Lubany. First, Scene Noise published a feature with her earlier this year (on my birthday, as it happens!). Although the interview centres around the TikTok hit, THE SNAKE, it is fascinating knowing more about Lubany and her awesome personality and passion:

“With nothing but complete devotion to her music, 24-year-old Palestinian-American pop star Lana Lubany emphasized how this complete shift in her social media presence inaugurated what would be one of the hardest years of her life, “I had this like the major crisis of, like, why am I not getting somewhere? I didn't understand what was happening. And it was kind of really depressing actually. But by the end of 2021, I did a lot of self-discovery and a lot of work on myself. I spent a lot of time alone, just working on my mental health and writing things down, working on my awareness, which I think is so important. And eventually, by the end of that, I had a healthier relationship with social media. In general and with myself.”

Touching on her own self-healing journey quickly prompted me to ask her to wholly pick apart what that entailed. “So I was like, okay, let me write down my goals. Let me write down what I need to do in order to get to these goals. And I just did that. Without thinking about numbers without thinking about my worth relating to these numbers. I just did that. And I made the content that I needed to make in order to reach my goals, I was very clear about everything. And I organized myself and I spent time on it and gave planning importance. And then it just kind of came together because it made my mental health so much better. And having all these things laid out in front of me, showed me the path I needed to follow to get there.”

Not pointing out how crazy organized and meticulous Lubany is, would be a hate crime at this point. It’s clear from hearing her talk that the artist’s attention to detail and planning is akin to that of a mad scientist. Every step calculated, every decision mulled over with one eye on the future.

“I knew what I had to do,” she continued. “I was like, okay, I'm gonna release ‘THE SNAKE’ because I’ve had the song since the summer. So Ben [my producer and co-writer] and I wrote ‘THE SNAKE’ in the summer before LA. Whenever I showed the song to people, they just reacted differently. So I was like, ‘Okay, this is the next song that I’m going to release’. And that’s all I know. When I posted the video with my mom, ‘THE SNAKE’ had been out for three weeks already. It wasn't viral or anything. I wasn't expecting it to go viral because I was like, okay, I'm just gonna keep on making content until I have to release the next song. And then I'll keep on making content for that. Eventually, something will catch on.”

And catch on it did. Perhaps unexpectedly, but Lubany was prepared, and perhaps had even subconsciously manifested this moment. The Arabic/English hybrid song trickled down into existence through years of exposure to her mother’s array of classic tapes. Whilst there was no direct influence on the song - some might even say Lubany and her co-writer Ben wrote ‘THE SNAKE’ in a studio vacuum of their own - the hit had been years in the making.

Though this was my first music editorial feature, I knew I had the duty to dig into Lubay’s discography – how else would one contextualise her current work and rising fame? Many backseat-car listening sessions later, it was her EP, titled ‘Devil in My Eden’ that stood out to me. It struck me as a little genre-bending - perhaps experimental - of a release for the rising pop star. So different that I had to inquire as to where that piece of work falls in her mental catalogue.

“To me, everything before ‘THE SNAKE’ doesn't really represent me anymore…If I could wipe everything and just keep ‘THE SNAKE’ I would. I guess that's one of the reasons why [the title] is in capital letters and everything else isn’t? Because it's a new era. And I'm excited about [it].”

Sitting with any independent artist always feels like free game and insight into the intricate crevices that is the music industry. What I was fully not expecting to learn, however, was how integral healing as an artist is to ‘making it’ as an artist. Hearing about Lubany’s undertaking of her own healing journey post-algorithmic shift and the cognitive dissonance that followed, is truly commendable.

With much of the inner workings of the music industry completely contingent upon the artist’s personal timeline, Lubany knew she had to put herself first if she wanted to continue making art, “I think in order to heal, you need to reflect, you need to reflect and accept your flaws, and the things that you do wrong. So, to me, that was a flaw in my mindset. And I had to work on it. And the minute I realise that there's something wrong, I feel liberated. It kind of slowed things down for me, because I, you know, I want to be doing big things right now. But I realized that I needed to be patient and I couldn't rush things. Because, by me trying to rush things for the past five years, I've actually slowed them down by a lot. But it is what it is. And I'm here now. So I think the most important thing or one of the most important things is acceptance, awareness.”

Talking about social media triggered a thought I’d been reflecting on for some time, regarding the intricacies of music distribution and how its methods have changed over the years. Being 20 going on 21, I’m what people are now labeling as ‘Gen-Z’. I grew up with iTunes. Digital music distribution. I saw firsthand CDs becoming obsolete, with platforms like Spotify and Apple Music taking over. I knew that back in the day, people used to hand out their demos at gas stations, train stations, in front of label headquarters. You don’t need to be involved in the industry to know that the shift from that to social media is hugely pivotal for the medium of music as a whole, both in creativity and business. I asked Lana how she felt about this change, and whether social media being the main conduit for music could get overwhelming at times.

“I think because a lot of people don't get this social media shift, they hate it. I think that's the wrong mindset…we need to be open to change…There's gonna be new things like NFTs which I personally don’t get right now…But I know I should be getting more familiar with it. So in order to keep being successful, you have to keep on evolving. I think that's so important. So with social media, I've always been an internet girl. I love content and I love creating in general – not just music, but also videos, and all types of digital content. So that's why I don't mind the social media game… [it’s] a path that really suits me.”

Having dived deep into the meta of what will soon be the metaverse (social media), I brought the focus back down to ‘THE SNAKE’. “Were the religious connotations in ‘THE SNAKE’ and the kind of underlying biblical imagery that followed intentional?” I asked”.

I think, apart from her determination and undeniable natural talent, it is her mixed heritage that makes Lana Lubany’s music so compelling and original. Such a beautiful, layered, emotive and commanding voice, her delivery and performances are truly remarkable. After a massive and instantly loved song like THE SNAKE, SOLD hit just as hard. It seems like this always-phenomenal artist is starting to reach new heights and peaks. We are going to see Lubany standing on some of the biggest stages around the world soon enough. In such a competitive and eclectic music market, she stands aside from many of her peers. The Line of Best Fit were eager to throw a spotlight on Lubany back in July. Waxing lyrical about the stunning SOLD, they underlined the magnificence and huge promise that has been unfolding:

“Based in London but with American-Palestinian descendants, Lubany merges middle eastern influences with more Western ideals, her blend of Arabic and English lyrics telling the story of an artist searching for their true selves, unsure of where to turn and unwilling to let go of an even small piece of herself.

Growing up as a Palestinian in Israel, she’s fluent in Arabic, English and Hebrew and has utilized all three across her work to ensure equilibrium with self and art. "SOLD" jumps out from the off as one of the most fascinating and enchanting pop singles of the year so far, it comes with it the potential to normalise the use of more left-field production influences, and potentially introduce a new dawn of middle-eastern sounds and textures to Western pop.

“SOLD" is about falling prey to that persuasive voice in your head that stops you from making the right decisions” Lubany explains of the track, “It tempts you into creating a ruthless cycle of repetition and regret, where your comfort zone is your safety, but your safety is your danger zone. You’ve had a taste of luck in the past, and it was comfortable, so you try different shortcuts and start losing and doubting yourself in the process.”

"SOLD" follows up Lubany’s previous, self-released single "THE SNAKE" which amassed widespread support on TikTok, with the sound viewed over 13 million times on the app and Instagram alone, as well as racking up over 6 million streams on Spotify. Both singles were created in collaboration with producer Ben Thomson, their partnership allowing Lubany the structure to develop and incubate her unique blend of infectious pop melodies and thoughtful lyrical dexterity.

Both tracks are set to feature on Lana’s upcoming debut project with Beatnik, entitled THE HOLY LAND, which Lana describes as a creative exploration through the journey of self-discovery, with each track included representing a different stage of the journey through life and self. “It’s about internal battles. I wanted to call it ‘THE HOLY LAND’ because I personally ended up finding my identity in my roots, but it could be anybody’s hold land. It can be whatever you find sacred and wherever you end up finding yourself.”

Writing across three languages from a very young age, Lubany has crafted her early sound in no small part thanks to years of singing on stage as a child. Still, in the early stages of her career, she has already performed in venues worldwide and has sung to audiences including President Obama and the Pope, to name but a few. There’s little to no doubt that Lana Lubany is a voice for the ages, and an artist looking to break beyond the influences of music and to make the world the more blended reality of her dreams”.

@lanalubany LAST NIGHT WAS TOO FUN CANT WAIT FOR MORE SHOWS #THESNAKE #londongigs #uksinger #concertcheck ♬ THE SNAKE (slowed + reverb) - Lana Lubany

In the coming weeks, I am highlighting a range of new or rising artists who are making impressions now but will make a big impact in the next few years. From approaching Indie bands to sizzling R&B solo artists, it is almost too hard getting to grips with the best and brightest out there! One of the very best young artists around, everyone needs to follow and listen to the marvellous Lana Lubany. NME chatted with her last month. They also recognised how, in spite of the fact she has a solid foundation of brilliant work under her belt, this year has been next level successful:

“Despite releasing music for several years, Lubany describes ‘THE SNAKE’ as the “first real song that represents me”. Along with ‘SOLD’, the success of the tune has solidified Lubany’s creative vision: flitting between Arabic and English and inspired by the likes of Billie Eilish and Rosalía, the tracks provide an exciting glimpse of what’s to come on her forthcoming debut project ‘The Holy Land’.

Taking a well-earned break to speak to NME in a cosy central London café, Lubany talks us through her rollercoaster last six months, the importance of having a creative vision, and what her mum thinks of being a viral sensation.

NME: It’s been a pretty wild six months for you…

“Yeah, definitely! My life pretty much changed when I released ‘THE SNAKE’ back in February, and it went viral a month later. It was a surreal experience. I’ve gone viral in the past, but it wasn’t like this. This translated: it got interest from the industry, it got me actual fans, it was crazy, and I’m very grateful.”

 PHOTO CREDIT: Erea Ferreiro/Press

Why did you decide to follow up ‘THE SNAKE’ with ‘SOLD’?

“Something about ‘SOLD’ felt right – it felt different and like the perfect follow-up. I’m working on a project called ‘The Holy Land’, and I’ve divided it into phases: ‘SOLD’ fit perfectly into ‘Phase 2’. It was different enough that it wasn’t a recreation of ‘THE SNAKE’. That’s something I don’t want to do: I don’t want to have a hit song and then recreate it, because that’s where I feel some artists go wrong. Where’s the magic in [doing] that?”

There’s a strong creative vision behind your work. Have you always felt comfortable enough to say “we’re doing it this way”, or have there been times when you felt pushed to do certain things?

“Early on in my career I was working with somebody who’d get people to write songs for me, and he would gloss over the fact that I wanted to write my own music. I was young at the time and I didn’t really understand, so it was uncomfortable. I didn’t understand how the industry worked: I was like, ‘OK, that’s what pop stars do, they have songs written for them’. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it felt wrong to me as I’ve always known that I want to write my own songs and I want to create my own art, and I really like to be involved in every aspect. I want to be a songwriter as well as an artist. So that led me down the wrong path, because I kept on meeting the wrong people and I wasn’t listening to myself. So music was definitely uncomfortable for me for a few years, but I love it again now. 

When ‘THE SNAKE’ started blowing up, were record labels getting in touch with you?

“I had so many meetings the week after it went viral, [they went on] for a month. [It] was so draining, but it was a great learning experience. I expanded my networks, I met people and I started understanding the industry a little bit more, because it’s a really tough industry to understand. So the door [was] opened for me and I had a foot in the door, I was so happy.”

Has your TikTok success changed your ambitions for the future at all?

“I definitely feel like I have more power because of my TikTok success. Before that, I think I was one of those artists that wanted to be saved,  in a way… Not to be saved, but for someone to find me and develop me. But TikTok success has given me independence. That’s not to say I’ll stay independent as an artist forever, but it’s given me the freedom to build myself with an audience watching – and I think that’s one of the most valuable things an artist can have these days”.

I want to wrap things up now. It is so exciting following Lana Lubany’s music and career progress right now. With every song she offers something astonishing that leaves a big mark on the heart and mind. As I said, I think she will play big international stages. With some great London venues perfect for her, I know there are a lot of fans established and new who would flock to see Lubany play. I know she is a dedicated artist, but I think there is an amazing acting talent that could be explored and exploited more. Maybe it is a bit of a tangent but, similar to big artists like Taylor Swift and Halsey, I could see Lana Lubany expanding her gifts to the big or small screen. Her music has a quality that could see it work wonderfully on the screen too. So many sides to an artist whose is catching the eye and attention of some huge magazines and music websites, I predict 2023 will be a really massive year for Lubany! I am not sure whether there are plans for an album or another E.P. As she grows more intruiging and assured with every song, things bode very well for next year! I have not even brought in reviews for Lubany’s work but, suffice it to say, she has won the praise and affection of so many around the world.

Undeniably a huge future star, the rich and gorgeous music of the Palestinian-American artist is what every music lover needs. I have been following her since about 2020. I am so pleased by all of her success. I do hope (like on THE SNAKE) there are more songs in both Arabic and English, as it sounds utterly wonderful and new. I am sure she will inspire other artists (with a similar heritage) to mix Arabic and English. Blessed with stunning and eye-opening videos full of imagination, colour and epic scenes; music that lingers long in the memory and a clear eye on the future, we will hear a lot more about Lana Lubany. I hope to interview her one day. Some artists can fade from view or lose their promise and popularity after years. There are others that grow bigger and greater as time goes on. Lana Lubany definitely falls in the latter category! She is going to be making music years from now. It may be premature to predict major and worldwide success at this point but, considering the sheer and indefatigable quality of her music, I have…

@lanalubany Full BTS video on my youtube!! 💚 #SOLD #musicvideos #vlog #uksinger ♬ SOLD - Lana Lubany

ABSOLUTELY no doubt!

_____________

Follow Lana Lubany

 PHOTO CREDIT: @dom_sesto/@pique.portraits

TikTok:

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

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lanalubany/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/LanaLubany

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw3oKDicaAAAcyaROC7j2Nw

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/53jnd1fhXV7lbXSfjgk1WR

Facebook:

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FEATURE: Heaven: All Saints’ Eponymous Debut Album at Twenty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

Heaven

All Saints’ Eponymous Debut Album at Twenty-Five

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ON 3rd November, 1997…

Spice Girls delivered their hugely anticipated second studio album, Spiceworld. Perhaps one of the most important second studio albums of the 1990s, it was a huge moment, not only for fans of the girl group but for other music listeners too. It was a big moment when Spiceworld was released. Perhaps not as acclaimed as their debut, Spice, 1997 was a golden year for Pop. On 24th November, when there was still buzz and excitement around Spiceworld, All Saints arrived. In some ways they were quite similar to Spice Girls. I think the slightly tougher and edgier sound, combined with a mix of British and Canadian members made them more eclectic and stronger than Spice Girls. The album was not the first shot we heard of All Saints. In August 1997, they released their iconic and number four debut single, I Know Where It’s At. All Saints reached the U.S. top forty, but it got to number two in the U.K. In its earliest iteration, All Saints (whose full name was All Saints 1.9.7.5) consisted of Melanie Blatt, Shaznay Lewis, and Simone Rainford. The early line-up struggled to find commercial success upon being signed to ZTT Records and were dropped by the label shortly after Rainford left the group. By 1996, the group were joined by Canadian sisters Nicole and Natalie Appleton. They signed to London Records under their shortened name.

I think there was a lot of condescension and doubt surrounding girl groups. Many wrote off Spice Girls as being a fad and empty. Maybe U.S. girl groups gained more respect and seemed deeper and stronger. In the U.K., it was a bit hard for girl groups to get respect across the board. They did have their own fanbase. Whereas Spice Girls distinctly had a demographic and particular message and sound, I feel All Saints’ demographic was a lot broader. I definitely connected with them in a way I had not with any other girl group. I have read 1997 reviews of All Saints’ eponymous debut. Some call in naff and feel the music is background or has no longevity. I think it is important to mark the upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary of All Saints. In 1997, with the music scene leaning away from Pop groups to an extent, All Saints definitely made an impact. Their harmonies and vocals were stronger than their peers’. The songwriting had personality and plenty of hooks. In terms of getting their debut album off the blocks, the trio of songs Never Ever, Bootie Call and I Know Where It’s At is hard to beat! Over fifteen minutes of amazing music, presented by a group who had that sisterly bond and individual talent. I also like the two covers on the album. Tackling Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Under the Bridge and the stunning Lady Marmalade is a hard task! The group add their own take and make them their own.

There is that combination of big hitters and some interesting deep cuts. I think that is the mark of an album’s quality. Not to compare All Saints heavily with Spice Girls. The latter’s singles from Spiceworld are strong, but maybe a few of the deeper cuts struggle or lack necessary appeal. On All Saints, there are four or five deeper cuts that could have been singles. Heaven, Alone and Trapped are particularly strong and stand up to repeated listens. With an excellent array of songwriters and producers on the album, tied to the fact group member Shaznay Lewis also co-wrote most of the songs makes the debut from All Saints so convincing. Some may say the album sounds dated, but I think that it is fresh and deep. The range of genres and the expertise of the songwriting means that All Saints is more contemporary and cooler than a lot of Pop from 1997. In the United Kingdom, All Saints debuted at number twelve for the week beginning 6th December 1997, before progressing to a peak of number two on 17th January, 1998. It spent a total of sixty-six weeks on the chart. I do not know whether All Saints are doing anything for the twenty-fifth anniversary. The group are still together today (though they have not toured or recorded together for years), and I know they will mark its big anniversary on 24th November. I wanted to come in early and mark such a big moment for a terrific group. Many of the reviews are quite mixed, and I cannot see features relating to the album and its legacy. That is a real shame, as All Saints is a terrific record that I still listen to now!

I am going to finish off (almost) with a positive review for All Saints. In their assessment of one of the biggest debut albums of the 1990s, this is what AllMusic had to say. All Saints definitely packs punches with its hits - and it led to plenty of critics lazily comparing All Saints to Spice Girls. All Saints proved that they very much had their own path and sound:

“As the first group of consequence to be saddled with the "new Spice Girls" tag, it would be reasonable to expect that All Saints would be cut-rate dance-pop without the weirdly magical charisma that made the Spices international phenomenons. It is true that All Saints lack the personality of the Spices, but they make up for that with musical skills. All four members have better voices than the Spices, and they all have a hand in writing at least one of the songs on their eponymous debut, with Shaznay Lewis taking the most writing credits. More importantly, they and their producers have a better sense of contemporary dance trends -- there are real hip-hop and club rhythms throughout the record, and samples of Audio Two, the Rampage, and (especially) Steely Dan are fresh and inventive.

But what really makes the record are the songs. The singles are the standouts, with the party-ready, Steely Dan-fueled "I Know Where It's At" and the extraordinary gospel-tinged "Never Ever" leading the way, but the covers are well chosen (their take on "Under the Bridge" eclipses the Red Hot Chili Peppers', boasting a better arrangement and more convincing vocals) and the lesser songs are pleasantly melodic. Sure, there's some filler, but that should be expected on any dance-pop album. What counts is that the performances are fresh, the production is funky, and there is a handful of classic pop singles on the album, and you can't ask for much better than that from a dance-pop record, especially one from a group that almost beat the Spice Girls at their own game”.

It is a shame that I could not make this feature longer, as there are not many articles around the release of the album. I hope that there is reassessment ahead of the twenty-fifth anniversary. Go and check out the group’s official site, as it is intoxicating discovering the music of All Saints.

I will end things shortly. I really love All Saints as an album. From the alluring, powerful and memorable cover, through to the spins they put on Under the Bridge and Lady Marmalade, it is those opening three songs that really signal the arrival of an incredible group. In 1998, The Remix Album was released. The fact All Saints was popular meant that producers and D.J.s were keen to do something new with the songs. As testament to the group’s quality, I don’t think any of the remixes top the incredible originals! I remember buying the album in 1997. I had heard I Know Where It’s At, and I was really excited to see what the debut album from All Saints had to offer. Maybe not expecting too much, coupled with the regency and fervour around Spice Girls, I was really surprised that I bonded with the album so instantly! Today, it still sounds brilliant. I come back to it and get a rush when hearing songs such as Bootie Call and Lady Marmalade stacked against interesting deep cuts like Take the Key. The group’s second album, Saints & Sinners, was released in 2000. Featuring big hits like Pure Shores and Black Coffee, it did get a bit more critical acclaim and attention.

Maybe feeling the production and songs were more mature and developed than what we heard on All Saints, I have a soft spot for the 1997 introduction from a brilliant group. I hope that we have not heard the last of All Saints. That combination of Canadian and British talent, the amazing vocals, and the chemistry the group had makes All Saints a legendary group! It is no surprise they have such a huge fanbase. Take a listen back to All Saints ahead of its twenty-fifth anniversary on 24th November. The hits from All Saints are still played to this day. It is a pity some of the deeper cuts are not explored, as they do show the fuller range of the group’s talents. Proving themselves to be powerhouses from the off, I listen to All Saints now, and it takes me back to a time when my exploration and curiosity of music in all its forms was at its height. I was fourteen - and discovering a group like All Saints was a bit of a revelation. Beautifully sequenced with amazing performances throughout, All Saints is going to stand up to scrutiny decades from now. It is an incredible album bustling with phenomenal songs that cross borders and genres. There is no doubt, ahead of its twenty-fifth anniversary on 24th November, that All Saints is…

AN underrated and amazing debut.

FEATURE: Worthy of More International Acclaim: Kate Bush’s The Red Shoes at Twenty-Nine

FEATURE:

 

 

Worthy of More International Acclaim

Kate Bush’s The Red Shoes at Twenty-Nine

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I have been…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: John Stoddart

doing a run of anniversary features, as there are six Kate Bush albums celebrating birthdays next month (including four studio albums). The Red Shoes is one I have already featured, but I want to finish with this one ahead of its twenty-ninth anniversary on 2nd November. Here, I want to examine the chart positions. Most Kate Bush albums did well in multiple countries. She has always been at her most successful in the U.K. market, though the European nations have responded well, as have countries like Australia. There was a bit of a split when it came to The Red Shoes. I want to argue why The Red Shoes was deserving of greater acclaim and commercial success around the world. Before that, there is an interview from Vox from November 1993. Bush was asked about The Red Shoes, but she was also asked about her career and life in general:

“You don't normally release material unless you're totally satisfied...

"That's right. That doesn't necessarilly mean'perfect', but it's to the best of my ability. I've tried to say what needed to be said through the songs, the right structure, the shape, the sounds, the vocal performance--that is, the best I could do at the time."

When you've worked hard for something, you obviously don't want somebody interfering with it. In your cuttings, you've been described as the shyest megalomaniac on the planet, so how do yout work out the balance between that and being an incredibly quiet, private person

"I think it's quite true that most people are extreme contradictions. It's like this paradox that exists, and I think that on a lot of levels, I'm quiet and shy, and a quiet soul.

I like simple things in my life...I like gardening and things like that, but when it comes to my work, I am a creative megalomaniac again. I'm not after money or power but the creative power. I just love playing with ideas and watching them come together, or what you learn from something not coming together.

I'm fascinated by the whole creative process--I think you could probably say I was obsessed I'm not as bad as I used to be, I'm a little more balanced now."

What's calmed you down?

"Just life, I think... Life gets to you, doesn't it? I also think there's a part of me that's got fed up with working. I've worked so much that I'm starting to feel... I felt I needed to rebalance, which I think I did a bit, just to get a little bit more emphasis on me and my life."

Where did you get the idea of 'Rubberband Girl"?

"Well, it's playing with the idea of how putting up resistance... um... doesn't do any good, really. The whole thing is to sort of go with the flow."

What about the sexual content--'He can be a woman at heart, and not only women bleed?

"It's not really sexual, it's more to do with the whole idea of opening people up - not sexually, just revealing themselves. It's taking a man who is on the outside, very macho, and you open him up and he has this beautiful feminine heart."

Have you found many of those?

"I think I've seen a lot of them, yeah. I think there are a lot of men who are fantastically sensitive and gentle, and I think they are really scared to show it."

A father image often comes out in your work. Is that because you're particularly close to your father or does it merely represent somebody or something you respect?

"I think they're very archetypal images: the parents, the mother and the father... it's immediately symbolic of so many things. I'm very lucky to have had an extremely positive, loving and encouraging relationship with both my parents. And you know I feel very grateful... I feel very honoured, actually."

Who is the Douglas Fairbanks character in 'Moments Of Pleasure '?

'Ah... In a lot of ways that song, er.. well it's going back to that thing of paying homage to people who aren't with us any more. I was very lucky to get to meet Michael (Powell, the film-maker who directed the original The Red Shoes) in New York before he died, and he and his wife were extreme;y kind. I'd had few conversations with him and I'd been dying to meet him. As we came out of the lift, he was standing outside with his walking stick and he was pretending to be someone like Douglas Fairbanks. He was completely adorable and just the most beautiful spirit, and it was a very profound experience for me. It had quite an inspirational effect on a couple of the songs.

"There's a song called 'The Red Shoes'. It's not really to do with his film but rather the story from which he took his film. You have these red shoes that just want to dance and don't want to stop, and the story that I'm aware of is that there's this girl who goes to sleep in the fairy story and they can't work out why she's so tired. Every morning, she's more pale and tired, so they follow her one night and what's happening is these shoes... she's putting these shoes on at night before she goes to bed and they whisk her off to dance with the fairies."

Are you still as involved in dancing as you were?

"I've had a lot of periods off, unfortunately, because my music is so demanding and I went through a phase where I just had no desire to dance. The last couple of years, it really came back, and it's been very interesting working in an older body. Your brain seems better at dealing with certain kinds of information. And I think there's something about trying too hard which takes the dynamics out of everything.

I think I've become less conscious through dancing, because it's very confrontational in a positive way - standing in front of a mirror and looking at something that basically looks like a piece of you, and you've got to do something with it."

Does that mean looking like a piece of shit?

"It does at nine in the morning. When I started dancing again, a couple of years ago, I hadn't done anything for about three or four years and although I had the desire to dance again, I really didn't know if I had the energy, or whether I could be bothered to go through all that and my body being so sore. But I was aware that, although it was difficult for me, I always felt better after the classes than I did before. I'd get up grumpy, then after I'd feel really good."

Is it true you once planned to be a psychologist or psychiatrist?

"Yes I did. I really wanted to be a psychiatrist, I really did, but I knew I'd reached the point where I would never be able to do all the training. You have to train as a doctor, I think, and be good at chemistry, physics, etc. I was never any good at maths, I just knew I'd never make it."

Are there any parallels with what you do now?

"I've never really thought of it, but I suppose I really like the idea of helping people and that I was really fasdnated by people's minds and the way they work--I still am. I don't think I've ever got into people's minds, but I've always been interested in how people think”.

Singles like Rubberband Girl and Moments of Pleasure are compelling reasons to listen to The Red Shoes. Deeper cuts such as Eat the Music and Top of the City are fantastic. Maybe there are one or two slightly weaker songs, but The Red Shoes is a terrific album that has never got the respect it deserves. Whilst it did get to number two in the U.K. and an impressive twenty-eight in the U.S., the European and international chart positions were quite low. In terms of international acclaim, 1989’s The Sensual World made the top twenty in multiple countries. That album also, I feel, should have done better. Whereas top ten positions are not everything, Bush did struggle to earn those high places after Hounds of Love. The Sensual World got a lot of critical acclaim, so I feel like its chart positions did not do too much damage. Regarded now as one of Bush’s best albums, there is agreement that The Sensual World is incredible. The Red Shoes has not fared as well. I look at the chart positions and wonder why there were these divisions. A hit in the U.K., it reached fourteen in France, thirteen in Australia, and sixteen in Sweden. Even if The Red Shoes did get a lot of top forty attention, I wonder if there was a tapering off of the commercial success and adulation outside of the U.K. Of course, Bush has an enormous amount of fans around the world…but I do wonder if there was a bit of a dip in terms of that commercial appreciation. The Red Shoes did get some critical acclaim, but the mixed reviews might have put some people off. Even though 2005’s Aerial appeared outside the top ten in a lot of countries, it did score better than The Red Shoes. It seemed like fans were glad to have Kate Bush back!

The Red Shoes’ recording was a period where Bush was taking on a lot and experience stress and personal loss. It shows in a couple of songs and some elements of the sound/production, but I think The Red Shoes is a vastly underrated album that should have fared better. It was released on 2nd November, 1993. Ahead of its twenty-ninth anniversary, I wanted to re-investigate it. I keep saying there should be Special Edition versions of Bush’s studio albums. The Kick Inside (her debut) is forty-five in February. The Red Shoes is thirty next year. I would like to hear more from the recording sessions. I feel there is a relative lack of exposure when it comes to the songs. Rubberband Girl and Moments of Pleasure get played, but even songs like And So Is Love and Lily are slightly ignored! Doing very well in the U.K., I have tried to get to the bottom of why the album – plus The Sensual World – struggled a bit in the rest of the world. Of course, top forty album positions are great, but Bush’s work deserves much more! There have not really been that many podcasts about The Red Shoes, and many are content to let the album lie. Always at/near the bottom when it comes to rankings of Bush’s albums, I hope people listen to it ahead of the anniversary on 2nd November. In my view, The Red Shoes is…

A wonderful album.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Aoife Nessa Frances

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Aoife Nessa Frances

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I am going to get to…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Katie Freeney

a couple of reviews for Aoife Nessa Frances’ new album, Protector. The Dublin artist is a magnificent talent who has followed her 2020 album, Land of No Junction. There is a new interview that helps us get a better understanding of this tremendous musician. Writing and co-producing (with) Brendan Jenkinson, there has been a lot of love for a terrific album. You can actually read more about Frances’ debut album and its background. Frances is actually touring the U.K. at the moment. Go and get a ticket to see her if you can. Such a remarkable songwriter and musician, her music is so beautiful and goes really deep. I am going to come to an interview with Aoife Nessa Frances. Before that, AllMusic provide a biography of the incredible Irish artist:

“Aoife Nessa Frances is an Irish singer/songwriter based in North Dublin whose haunting and sometimes experimental blend of indie folk and lightly psychedelic pop is dramatically conveyed by her lush, dark-toned vocals and elegant arrangements. She released her debut album, Land of No Junction, in January 2020. Her pastoral and ruminative follow-up, Protector, arrived in late 2022.

A native of Dublin's southern coastal area, Frances comes from a large creative family and was encouraged to engage with music at a young age. After a hand injury altered her course from flamenco guitar to more subtle folk and rock styles, she began writing songs and eventually found a place amid the city's bustling indie rock scene as one-half of the shoegaze duo Princess.

She and bandmate Liam Mesbur released a handful of singles and EPs, enjoying some decent exposure in the mid-2010s before going their separate ways. Over the coming years, Frances devoted herself to writing songs of a more pastoral, acoustic nature, working with collaborator Cian Nugent to develop an elegant sound that included light psychedelic flourishes and lush strings. Resurfacing in 2019 under her own name, she announced a deal with American indie Ba Da Bing Records, which issued her solo debut, Land of No Junction, early the following year.

With touring off temporarily off the table due to the global pandemic, Frances headed to rural County Clare on Ireland's west coast and began writing material for her next album. The focus of isolation, both in writing and recording, brought about a personal transformation that can be heard in the tranquil, mysterious sounds of her second album, Protector. Released in late 2022 by the Partisan label, the record explores themes of dislocation, family, and renewal”.

Recently, Loud and Quiet spoke with the amazing Aoife Nessa Frances. If you have not heard of her before, I would advise going onto her Bandcamp page (the link is at the bottom of this feature) and listen to Land of No Junction. Then go and investigate the brilliant Protector. The album is gaining really positive reviews so far. I want to quote a bit from the Loud and Quiet interview:

“Sitting on the grass on a sunny afternoon in the leafy Iveagh Gardens, nestled in Dublin’s city centre, Aoife Nessa Frances lists some of the bands whose names were inscribed on the walls of her childhood bedroom: Nirvana, Deus, Eels, The White Stripes. This train of nostalgia then takes us through gigs she attended as a teenager, from The Prodigy to Primal Scream, and festival appearances by James Brown, The Who and Kanye West long before he became the world-renowned figure he is today. It’s an eclectic assortment of artists to have played a part in Aoife’s formative years as she developed her musical taste, and a surprising selection considering her music today is so indebted to psych-pop and avant-garde instrumentation from the 1960s and ’70s.

When we meet, the Dublin-born songwriter and musician is two months away from the release of Protector, her second LP and first since signing to Partisan Records earlier this year. Her 2019 debut Land of No Junction introduced her as an artist with great promise and garnered deserved critical acclaim. Since then, she’s had a busy couple of years filled with an intense touring schedule and time spent in seclusion writing material that would eventually become this stunning follow-up. In the short distance between her debut and its successor, Aoife notes the considerable evolution – personally and professionally – that occurred between releases and how it has affected her relationship with her debut.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Donal Talbot

The stories Aoife shares about herself, especially her younger years, demonstrates a life informed by and immersed in music. She recalls how her mother played songs by Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell on guitar in the home; her father makes fiddles and has a great love of music and enjoys everything from traditional Irish folk to techno. As a child, Aoife went to violin lessons herself, but discontinued them following a difficult period in her life when her parents separated – she associated the violin with the memories of that time. A few years away from becoming a teenager, she forged a strong connection with a different instrument.

“I got an old guitar that couldn’t even be tuned properly,” she says. “My parents saw that I had a big interest in playing it and they encouraged me to keep doing it. I did lessons, firstly with my parents’ friend Klaus who had also made my birth chart when I was a baby! I only figured this out years later. I still have it, and it was pretty spot on.”

In that initial period of picking up the guitar, she practised constantly and learned how to play her favourite songs, mostly by Nirvana, including their cover of Lead Belly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’. Once adolescence arrived, she began writing her own songs and finding her voice.

“I still have the first song I ever wrote saved on my private Soundcloud page,” she laughs. “It was a very powerful experience writing it. I was around 15. I borrowed my friend’s Swedish grandfather’s guitar and I thought it had these magical qualities to it. I played it for a week or two over Christmas and the song just poured out of me. It happened without me realising what I’d done. It was a very emotional experience; I wasn’t crying but tears were streaming down my face. That actually still happens to me sometimes. When I’m writing or figuring out melodies my eyes just stream. Again, it’s not that I’m crying but something is happening, it’s very strange. I feel like that’s an indication that something is meaningful to me when it incites that kind of reaction.”

These days, Aoife is no stranger to the stage, but sometimes no amount of experience can make it easier for an artist to stand before a packed venue and expose the insecurities that inspired their art. “It’s intense,” says Aoife of performing her latest material to crowds, “but at the same time, I feel like the act of writing and recording songs isn’t complete until you share the work with the world. I do feel very vulnerable because even having to think about what the record is about in the lead-up to releasing it, you have to think about all these things. I found that really hard because I was almost trying to protect myself from oversharing. Talking about the album brings up a lot of stuff from when I was writing it. When it came to the time where I had to think about talking about Protector, I found I was putting up a massive wall and I didn’t want to say anything about it. Ultimately, though, I know it’s important to share my thoughts on things I’ve experienced because a lot of people navigate similar situations and feelings. I want people to connect and relate to the album, and I know everyone experiences things in different ways but, at the end of the day, we’re all human beings and yeah, the process of sharing these songs with people was the next level of getting to know myself, too”.

The first review of Protector I want to bring in is from Secret Meeting. A wonderful album that people definitely need to hear, Aoife Nessa Frances is a talent who is going to go very far. I am interested to see where her career goes next:

“On Protector, Aoife Nessa Frances holds up a mirror, and explores the human condition

Without trust, human beings become stagnant. And when we cannot find it elsewhere, in places or in others, we have only option: to look even deeper within ourselves. Protector is very much Aoife Nessa Frances holding up a mirror. And rather than falling back into comfortable tropes, the Irish songwriter doesn’t just step out of her comfort zone – but takes a series of leaps.

Having previously only written in her home city of Dublin, the inspiration for this, her follow up to 2020’s Land of No Junction, was born from her move to County Clare. Firstly, through days spent out on the road, with her father and her sisters, travelling and exploring Ireland’s West Coast. Then, in the quiet of her own company, finding her own process – writing ‘in the magic hour before the world woke up.’

Emptiness Follows marks Frances drifting away from friends. Wrapped up in a dawn-like hue, Meabh McKenna’s fingers flicker across her harp like fireflies that are all but burnt out, as Frances places her trust in her instincts, and the nature that surrounds her newly made home. It’s one of a few song where the words have met the page in a literal manner. But Protector is a record made to be experienced and felt – rather than needed to be understood. On Way To Say Goodbye, it is her Aldous Harding-alike voice that brings the emotion. On Chariot, it is the guitar flashes that recall The Brian Jonestown Massacre. This hybrid of folk, psych, chamber and pop means the LP cannot be pinned down – feeling both classic and contemporary at the same time.

From growing her familial bonds, to wrapping herself in quiet solitude, and exploring her inner strength, Protector is a living and breathing document of someone letting their heart be their instinctive guide. ‘Do you know where your story ends?’ Frances sings on Chariot. By holding a mirror up to herself, it’s the questions, reflections, growth and trust that are important – not the destination…”.

The final review is from The Last Mixed Tape. They beautifully describe what Protector sounds like and what sensations it elicits. It is a wonderful album that I would recommend everyone checks out when they can. It is clear that Aoife Nessa Frances is an artist with a clear ability and talent that will last for years:

“Protector plays out like the soundtrack to a long journey into night, a lonesome drive on the outskirts of town with only headlights illuminating the way. Such is the cinematic scope of Aoife Nessa Frances’ sophomore album that the music has a hypnotic quality that dances across a widescreen mixture of psychedelic, dream-pop and indie shapes and colors.

It’s challenging to extract singular parts of Protector from the over-arching work itself. The power of Aoife Nessa Frances’ latest offering comes from how each song beautifully melds into the next. This is a whole story, a narrative from beginning to end. Indeed, ‘Way To Say Goodbye’ instantly submerges us in the darkly-lit haze of Protector. Blending choruses and verses in the same way the individual tracks melt into one another, ‘This Still Life’ fades into view, almost emerging from the same textural landscape as ‘Way To Say Goodbye’. 

That is not to say Protector lulls you into a passive listening experience; rather, much like the aforementioned late-night drive, there’s an insular immersive quality brought to the fore by Aoife Nessa Frances’ commanding performance. The sprawling ‘Only Child’ entrances with vivid passages of musicality as Frances powerfully draws focus, while the gently set ‘Back To Earth’ rests carefully on the tone and mood within her voice. This dreamlike back and forth between voice and sound is at the centre of Protector, weaving a sonic thread throughout.

The stand-out moment of Protector is Protector itself. As I said before, Aoife Nessa Frances has woven together a world so completely, that each element is essential to its mise-en-scène. A haunting vocal plays the main character while the music forms the setting, making the immersive nature of Protector its zenith. 

And so it goes, Protector is the result of an artist at the height of their powers. Aoife Nessa Frances’ writes, directs and stars in a record that thrusts us into late-night soundscapes with the light of her music guiding the way. As thrilling as it is hypnotic, few albums this year are as cohesively constructed as Aoife Nessa Frances’ Protector”.

I will wrap things up soon. I have been following Aoife Nessa Frances’ music for a little while, but I have been wrapped up in Protector. Go and follow Frances on social media and listen to her new album. I have not seen her live, but I will try to when she plays in London in the future. Her music provokes so many different emotions and reactions. Her wonderful music comes…

STRAIGHT from the heart.

______________

Follow Aoife Nessa Frances

 PHOTO CREDIT: @citafa

Official:

https://aoifenessafrances.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/aoifenessafrances/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Aoife_N_Frances

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/53HMXaQpXt5m6cBJNO5OFX

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiWD2Q-D_A1BuZXJTiVwe9Q

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/aoifenf

Bandcamp:

https://aoifenessafrances.bandcamp.com/

FEATURE: A Selections of the Best-Selling U.K. Singles 1952-2022: Seventy Years of the Official Singles Chart

FEATURE:

 

 

A Selections of the Best-Selling U.K. Singles 1952-2022

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Vecteezy

Seventy Years of the Official Singles Chart

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I like doing anniversary features…

 PHOTO CREDIT: mindfulness_com

whether that refers to an album, single, moment or music event. I think one pretty major anniversary occurs on 14th November. On that date in 1952, the first UK Single Chart was published in NME. To mark the upcoming seventieth anniversary, I have compiled a playlist featuring many of the best and biggest-selling U.K. singles between 1952 and this year. Before getting there, this feature revisits tracks featured in the very first Official Singles Chart in November 1952:

“In the US, Billboard had been compiling a weekly chart based on record sales since 1940, but here in the UK a song’s popularity was measured not by its physical sales, but by sales of the accompanying sheet music.

In 1952, Percy Dickins, one of the founders of the New Musical Express (which later became the NME) decided to produce a chart based on UK record sales. Dickins compiled the chart by telephoning 20 record shops up and down the country every week and tallying up their biggest-selling singles. The first ever Top 12 (which was actually a Top 15 given that sales of the Number 7, Number 8, and Number 11 singles were tied) was published in the New Musical Express on November 14, 1952.

American crooner Al Martino took the inaugural Official Singles Chart Number 1 with his track Here In My Heart. He would hold onto the top spot for nine consecutive weeks, a feat which has only been beaten by David Whitfield’s Cara Mia (10 consecutive weeks), Rihanna’s Umbrella (10 consecutive weeks), Frankie Laine’s I Believe (11), Wet Wet Wet’s Love Is All Around (15) and Bryan Adams’ (Everything I Do) I Do It for You (16).

Jo Stafford, who would go on the become the Official Singles Chart’s first female chart topper, debuted at Number 2 with You Belong To Me, while Nat King Cole’s Somewhere Along The Way entered at Number 3. Bing Crosby’s The Isle of Innisfree entered at Number 4, and Guy Mitchell’s Feet Up (Pat Him On The Po Po) completed the first ever Top 5.

Further down the chart, Frankie Laine’s High Noon and Vera Lynn’s Forget Me Not were tied for Number 7. Doris Day And Frankie Laine’s Sugarbush and Ray Martin’s Blue Tango were joint Number 8, and Max Bygraves' Cowpuncher’s Cantata and Mario Lanza’s Because You’re Mine were joint Number 11”.

It is amazing to think that it has been nearly seventy years since the Official Singles Chart started life. Even though the musical landscape has altered drastically since 1952, the importance of the chart has not really waned. Even today, artists celebrate getting a number one. It is such an achievement to be in the chart - especially as there are so many artists and songs around today. With physical singles replaced with digital ones, that is perhaps the biggest change. Aside from that, the Official Single Chart has remained eclectic and exciting. To show which songs ruled the charts in the years between 1952 and today, below is a selection of wonderful songs…

THAT will stand the test of time.

FEATURE: Revisiting… Half Gringa – Force to Reckon

FEATURE:

 

 

Revisiting…

Half Gringa – Force to Reckon

__________

FOR this outing…

of Revisiting…, I am coming to an album from 2020 that I missed out on. I have found it since, and I would recommend people check out Half Gringa’s Force to Reckon. Many might not know about the band but, if you look at their Bandcamp, we get a description and overview (“Emerging from Chicago’s indie music scene, Half Gringa creates music informed by contemporary indie-rock and Latin American and midwestern folk. The name Half Gringa is both a tribute to and study of her legacy, stemming from a childhood term of endearment as “la Gringa” in her Venezuelan family and her bicultural experience growing up in the United States”). I am going to come to some positive reviews of a wonderful album from 2020. Before that, VICE listed Half Gringa’s Force to Reckon as one of the most overlooked (and best) albums from 2020:

“Izzy Olive makes empathic and twangy songs about grief and getting stuck in your own thoughts as Half Gringa. Her band name comes as a nod to her bicultural experience growing up in a Venezuelan family "in the Midwest really into alternative rock, but heard a lot of country music in the supermarket,” and that charm comes through in her music. On her sophomore LP Force to Reckon, the Chicago alt-country songwriter hones in on the death of her grandmother who passed away while Olive was on tour. She sings on the gorgeous "Transitive Property," "And every sadness I have ever felt / it manifests as hunger." It's this drive that's the LP's propulsive energy that culminates in the cinematic, string-laced, and mournful closer "Forty," one of the most beautiful songs of the year. — JT”.

Many people might not be aware of Force to Reckon. It is a terrific album, and it is one that did not get a lot of attention from mainstream sites and journalists. I have found a couple of reviews that, hopefully, convince you to give the album a try. This is what Audio Femme said when they looked at one of the great albums from 2020:

“It feels appropriate for an album loud with nostalgia to kick off with a track about memory called “1990.” The opening licks of Half Gringa’s sophomore release, Force to Reckon, took me back to the early 2010s, when I lived in the South and would careen around bends along the Appalachian Mountains with Defiance, Ohio, Mirah, and Rilo Kiley spilling out my windows. If I could distill that sound into a time capsule — along with the freedom of those drives or the way my heart felt things so much more intensely then because many experiences were still new — it would be this record.

Singer Izzy Olive croons in that intimate, confessional style that came to maturity in the aughts for alt rock women — but without the vocal flourishes or gushing reverb more apparent in newer artists, like Angel Olsen. Force to Reckon is punctuated with a mix of folksy violin and pop riffs that have declined this last decade. In some ways, it sounds suspended in time.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. COVID-19 has many people looking to past sources of comfort, with music acting as a particular sort of time machine. This album offers familiarity to a moment where everything from the future of live music to what’s happening to Portland protestors is uncertain. And it does it vibrantly, masterfully. Half Gringa doesn’t reinvent the wheel — but makes sure it’s polished and strong. Force to Reckon is unflinching in what it does.

The standout track is the second song, “Binary Star.” It’s a rich journey of yearning and rejection that comes in waves, but many lines take on their own meaning. When Olive repeats with a pained longing, “Nothing feels like almost touching,” I recall the ache of having not hugged a friend since February. Now we see each other at six-foot distances outside, if we see each other at all, and even brushing elbows with strangers on the train feels worthy of fantasy for how foreign, even forbidden, it’s become.

Olive sounds like she’s waxing about a past lover, but certain phrases transcend the specifics of the story. In another part, she says, “Everyone leaves for California, New York, Chile, Berlin.” If you’re from the Midwest, as I am, Chicago seemed mythical growing up — the BIG “big city” of the region where grit and aspiration are tested. But that also makes it a pit stop, not a final destination. In comedy, you hone your act at someplace like Second City, then take it to Los Angeles (actors and musicians, do this, too). If you’re a writer or artist, you rub elbows with poets, maybe get an MFA, then head to New York.

Olive came from a small town in southern Illinois to study poetry at University of Chicago. Adopting the moniker Half Gringa as “in tribute to her Venezuelan family and her bicultural experience growing up in the United States” (according to Bandcamp), she’s stayed in Chicago to make music. So when she follows a list of common relocations for former Chicagoans with, “I’m not going anywhere, I’m not going anywhere,” it sounds bold. Bolder than telling a lover she’ll wait for them despite all indicators she shouldn’t. Then she says, “The bar’s warm and I’m easy to converse with and denial runs its long hands/Through my fine hair with a final, fatal smile.” Knowing Chicago is just a chapter for most transplants, you hear the defiance mixed with self doubt in that line as being about here, specifically. This city is a gamble – there are opportunities elsewhere. Maybe she’s kidding herself, but she’s choosing opportunities closer to home, relishing them rather than feeling resigned.

To say “I’m not going anywhere” also evokes a willing immobility because of Coronavirus. By chance, so much of the record speaks to being stuck at home — time in isolation to reflect on our pasts, contemplate our futures, and fixate on both the personal and structural conditions that brought us where we are now. On “Transitive Property,” Olive sings, “I don’t understand this country/I don’t understand my own grief/How could you have seen what I see?/I’m in disbelief and bereaved.” I’m unsure what she’s specifically responding to, but when I hear it, I hear my own anguish about the murders of people such as Breonna Taylor or Riah Milton. Or my outrage that, in the United States, healthcare is tied to employment, so over 30 million people don’t have either right now. It’s a cathartic song for discomfort and lack of resolution. I take comfort hearing someone else is hurting and upset by our country, too.

Force to Reckon tries to make sense of so many things specific and abstract that bring us ache and confusion. Every song searches — tunes that probe childhood trauma, grieving at a distance, and other prescient themes — but never reaches a tidy conclusion. Like so much right now, the album is open ended. Unlike most, it’s beautifully so”.

I want to wrap things up with a review from New City Music. As I was quite new to Half Gringa, it was interesting reading their review and getting a good and deep take on an album (and group) that I really love and would definitely recommend anyone to listen to:

“Chicago singer-songwriter Isabel Olive has planted her flag solidly on the city’s indie scene. As reviews have pointed out, she’s a gifted composer and singer, and her stripped-down sound honors the grunge and alt-country she grew up with as well as her half-Venezuelan heritage (hence her project’s name). The Latinx elements are limited to flourishes, sudden blossoming of melodic sumptuousness, in the midst of plangent passages, but they’re there and they’re lovely.

So yeah, I like Half Gringa, and I’m right there behind everyone else who’s said the same. But for the love of God—why has no one yet mentioned this woman’s prowess as a lyricist? It’s certainly the most stunning aspect of her second album, “Force to Reckon,” which over the course of nine tracks explores a downbeat emotional landscape, including regret, apologies, misunderstanding and grief. It’s a cathartic ride.

But the sustained brilliance of the lyrics is just flat-out exhilarating. Olive was a poetry major at the University of Chicago so she’s got both the instinct and the institutional finesse to produce reams of verse that are almost literally dazzling—she’s strewing diamonds in every line.

She delivers couplet after couplet of startling imagery; like this, from “Binary Star”: “The bar’s warm and I’m easy to converse with and denial runs its long hands / Through my fine hair with a final, fatal smile.” But she’ll often weave in some internal rhymes and resonances that can just knock you right out of your chair—like this one, from the same tune: “My heart grew heavy and sweetIy linger, singing, longing / Singer strong and steady, stinger at the ready.” Followed soon by “Apologies, I didn’t plan this rigid orbit / Vicious gorgeous, I am reeling.”

When she’s at full strength, the combination of emotional connection, ingenious imagery and uncanny internal rhymes work together to create a kind of lyrical slam-dunk—as in this passage from “Transitive Property.”

Nuanced and demanding

I thought I’d reached some understanding of loss

Torn and tread in these departures

Still I dream of gilded archers

Loner ardor—spirits I brew myself

There’s a peculiar frisson to writing a music review that’s primarily about words; but ever since Cole Porter wrote “Flying so high with some guy in the sky / Is my idea of nothing to do,” there’s been a tradition of songwriters reaching as exalted a plane with their lyrics as with their melodies. Having been at this music-critic game for quite a few years, I’ve come to recognize immediately the almost-electric feeling of discovery when from out of nowhere, someone emerges who launches herself right into Joni Mitchell-Leonard Cohen territory. As Olive does, once again, in “Afraid of Horses”:

I’ve been bad at listening

My plans were talking too loud

Finally finished a blueprint

After years of throwing them out

But so as not to stint the sonic for the lyric, let me add a shout-out to Half Gringa’s outstanding bandmates, who include Nathan Bojko on drums, Sam Cantor on guitar, Andres Fonseca on bass and Lucy Little on violin (with some winning solos from Lucy), as well as to guest players Ivan Pyzow on trumpet and Gia Margaret on piano. (Margaret provides some hair-raisingly lovely harmonies on a few of the tunes.)

In the final run this album remains chiefly a poetic triumph, so I’ll give the last word to the songwriter herself—this being my favorite passage on the album. It’s from the title tune.

Maybe this will leave another scar

Maybe time passes differently where you are

When I sleep I dream of only things I could know

No prophecy, just fields of faded paper snow

The horizon line feels tilted sometimes

But I’ve never learned without a curve”.

A terrific album from 2020, Half Gringa’s Force to Reckon is really terrific! A complete band performance led by the remarkable Izzy Olive, I have been spinning this album a bit. One that flew under the radar a bit, do go and spend time with Half Gringa’s Force to Reckon. It is a wonderful album that…

EVERYONE should hear.

FEATURE: Kate Bush’s The Red Shoes at Twenty-Nine: Moments of Pleasure: Inside One of Her Most Underrated Singles

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush’s The Red Shoes at Twenty-Nine

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993 in the Moments of Pleasure video/PHOTO CREDIT: Gudio Harari

Moments of Pleasure: Inside One of Her Most Underrated Singles

__________

THERE are a few reasons…

why I want to explore Kate Bush’s Moments of Pleasure. Not only is it one of her best songs and most underrated singles. It was also written for an album, The Red Shoes, that does not get a great deal of credit. Released as a single on 15th November, 1993, it is a phenomenal song. The Red Shoes came out on 2nd November. I like the fact that Bush chose this as the second single from the album. It is celebratory and heartbreaking. Bush wrote the chorus "To those we love, to those who will survive" for her mother Hannah, who was sick at the time of recording. She died a short time later. Bush reworked Moments of Pleasure for 2011’s Director’s Cut, but she took the lyrics out of the chorus. It is clear that Moments of Pleasure is personal and has rawness, but it is also one of her most beautiful and hopeful songs too. There are various aspects to explore when it comes to Moments of Pleasure. Before that, here are interview quotes where Bush spoke about one of The Red Shoes’ best songs:

“I think the problem is that during [the recording of] that album there were a lot of unhappy things going on in my life, but when the songs were written none of that had really happened yet. I think a lot of people presume that particularly that song was written after my mother had died for instance, which wasn't so at all. There's a line in there that mentions a phrase that she used to say, 'every old sock meets an old shoe', and when I recorded it and played it to her she just thought it was hilarious!

She couldn't stop laughing, she just thought it was so funny that I'd put it into this song. So I don't see it as a sad song. I think there's a sort of reflective quality, but I guess I think of it more as a celebration of life. (Interview with Ken Bruce, BBC Radio 2, 9 May 2011)

I wasn't really quite sure how "Moments of Pleasure" was going to come together, so I just sat down and tried to play it again-- I hadn't played it for about 20 years. I immediately wanted to get a sense of the fact that it was more of a narrative now than the original version; getting rid of the chorus sections somehow made it more of a narrative than a straightforward song. (Ryan Dombai, 'Kate Bush: The elusive art-rock originator on her time-travelling new LP, Director's Cut'. Pitchfork, May 16, 2011)”.

The video featured in Bush’s short film, The Line, the Cross and the Cure. With Bush directing and starring in that film (and she wrote it), I think Moments of Pleasure is one of her most gorgeous videos. There is mystery and beauty throughout the song. The colour palette, mood and look of the video is stunning. Bush twirls and has this hypnotic quality. I like the longer version where there is spoken word at the beginning. There is hopeful and romantic lyrics: “I think about us lying/Lying on a beach somewhere/I think about us diving/Diving off a rock, into another moment”. We have something funny, quirky, and self-deprecating: “The case of George the Wipe/Oh God I can't stop laughing”. I believe ‘George the Wipe’ referrers to a tape op (a person who performs menial operations in a recording studio in a similar manner to a tea boy or gopher) at Townhouse Studios who, back in 1981, accidentally wiped a whole song that had been recorded for her album The Dreaming. Packed with so many vivid scenes and interesting thoughts, Moments of Pleasure is a song that shows how strong The Red Shoes is! Bush had lost none of her genius and vision. The album has so many songs that are as arresting. I wanted to mark the album anniversary next month - but I also wanted to focus on this brilliant song. The fact that she is so personal was relatively new at that point. She could not help but be affected by her mother’s ailing health: “Just being alive/It can really hurt/And these moments given/Are a gift from time/Just let us try/To give these moments back/To those we love/To those who will survive/And I can hear my mother saying/"Every old sock meets an old shoe"/Isn't that a great saying?/"Every old sock meets an old shoe"/Here come the Hills of Time”.

Bush vocal performance throughout is so wonderful and filled with emotion! The effectiveness of Moments of Pleasure comes from Bush and her piano. No percussion or bass, Michael Kamen is responsible for the orchestral arrangements. It nods forward to Aerial (2005), where Bush would strip things back in some ways, but also add strings and something regal and more elegant. Although The Red Shoes’ first single, Rubberband Girl, got to twelve in the U.K., Moments of Pleasure only reached twenty-six. I said this recently when talking about the anniversary of Cloudbusting (released from her 1985 album, Hounds of Love) and the fact that it only charted at twenty. Such great and compelling songs that did not perform as well as they deserved. Maybe too emotive or lacking a punchy chorus, this is a rich and soulful song with Bush painting us images from home and away. Taking us to a New York balcony, her mother’s side, and recording mishaps, you become engrossed and transported! I do like the fact Bush also takes us into the studio and introduces characters we might not know about: “Hey there Maureen/Hey there Bubba/Dancing down the aisle of a plane/'S Murph, playing his guitar refrain/Hey there Teddy/Spinning in the chair at Abbey Road/Hey there Michael/Do you really love me?/Hey there Bill/Could you turn the lights up?”. There is Bush referring to some people she lost. The ‘Murphy’ is her long-time guitarist Alan Murphy, who sadly died on 19th October, 1989 (a few days after The Sensual World was released). ‘Bill’ is Bill Duffield, the young lighting assistant who died in a freak accident after the warm-up date for The Tour of Life at Poole Arts Centre on 2nd April, 1979. I am not quite sure who the ‘Michael’ is. Maybe Karmen? Although there are some gaps, Bush was keeping some people who died alive.

Moments of Pleasure is not a morbid song where Bush tackles mortality. It is beautiful and graceful. I also like the different formats and B-sides. In the U.K., Moments of Pleasure was released as cassette single, a 12" single with free poster, in addition to a  regular C.D.-single and a limited-edition box-set C.D.-single with card prints. On the 7" single and the cassette single, there was the instrumental version of Moments of Pleasure on the B-side. The 12" single had the track, Home for Christmas. The C.D.-singles added, besides the title track, December Will Be Magic Again and Experiment IV. The non-limited version also had the track, Show a Little Devotion. Bush performed Moments of Pleasure after an interview with Michael Aspel in 1993 (the interview is not that great in terms of the questions, but the performance is reliably stunning!). The Red Shoes is sequenced interestingly. Opening with the bouncy Rubberband Girl, it then sandwiches between the more serious (And So Is Love is second) and the fun (Eat the Music is third). The fourth track takes us back into the more reflective with Moments of Pleasure. Tackling relationship strain and the illness of her mother, this was a different Kate Bush. She was putting more of herself into the music. Addressing changing circumstances and things happening around her, I think many critics wanted something more uplifting. The Red Shoes has these moments, but it is an album that gets personal and does look more into Kate Bush’s life and heart. This was not new for her, though I think it is more explicit on The Red Shoes. Moments of Pleasure is a fabulous song that is a natural single. I think it should have fared better. Twenty-six is not a low chart position but, seeing as Rubberband Girl was in the top twenty, I am not sure why the public were not similarly enamored with Moments of Pleasure. All these years later, the song is played and loved! In the song, Bush says how her sense of humour is funny at all. Maybe trying to make light and find humour at dark times, “Oh but we sit up all night/Talking about it”. Whether the ‘we’ is her and her mother or a friend/lover, I am not too sure. Moments of Pleasure offers these mysteries alongside the personal. Released as a single on 15th November, 1993, Moments of Pleasure is…

A mesmerising song.