I first visited France in 1979.I had taken French while still in school, but I wasn’t very good at it.I got to France to find that my high school French only prevented me from starving.I couldn’t understand much.Fortunately, most of the people I wanted to try and contact spoke at least some English (Merci, Gilles Yepremian!).
I saw lots of exotic stuff – posters everywhere for Serge Gainsbourg – and I did not know who he was – “Je T’Aime…Moi Non Plus” only a distant memory.I think the posters were promoting one of his reggae albums.I saw records by Charlelie Couture and Lio.We were all very into Lio – especially her first album.
A few years later, I visited France again and began to recognize artists – Jacno, Etienne Daho etc.I discovered that British companies like Island and Virgin had set up shop in France – to properly represent the new wave there.Charlelie Couture signed to Island France, Etienne Daho to Virgin France.Then the MTV generation erupted, and I got into Les Rita Mitsouko, Niagara etc.One of my visits to France, I saw JacquesHigelin perform live at Bercy.Another time, I saw Charlelie Couture in Malakoff.(I saw Les Rita Mitsouko play live in Los Angeles!).
My good friend Gilles used to send me music videos from France – first from “Boulevard Des Clip”, then from “M Comme Musique”.I have hundreds of French music videos!Always such great ‘art direction’ etc.Bob G. went to France and discovered L’Affaire Louis’ Trio – Merci, Bob-san!I even used to subscribe to “Rock Et Folk”, the big music magazine.When my friend Yael goes back to France, I always ask her to bring me the latest issue of “Rock et Folk”.
From the age of being sent French music videos, I really liked Les Escrocs (“Assedic”), Katerine (“Mon Coeur Balance”), Jean Louis Murat (“Le Col De La Croix Morand”), Mr. Oizo (“Flat Beat”) et al.
Ever listen to any of this stuff?Or do you think that France only produced Yves Montand and Edith Piaf?I guess French ‘rock bands” such as Tahiti 80, Air and DaftPunk get a taken a bit more seriously, these days.I have even found a (British) book about the current wave of French acts, believe it or not.(“French Connections”, I think).
I was really sad when Fred C. of Les Rita Mitsouko passed away recently.Having seen them live, I felt a bit closer to them than some other French acts.I’ve seen Tahiti 80 live a few times, and it does admittedly ‘help’ that they operate mostly in English.
In the new century, I mostly see new French CD’s when I visit Tokyo.French music has always been really popular in Japan.In fact, I’ve found French CD’s in Japan that I could never seem to find, even in France!(Arnold Turboust’s album, for instance).
And I recently got an email from Etienne Daho’s site saying he’s now signed to Capitol Records, and he has either a 45 or CD Single of him having a duet with Katerine…
Last night, I got out my UK 1981 12" of Simple Minds "Sweat In Bullet", played the two live tracks. Immediately, I played the live track on the 7" double pack, "Premonition", that's not on the 12". Handling the 12" single, the pictured sheet of paper fell out of the cover. You could order t-shirts, sweat shirts, buttons/badges, an enamel badge or a full color poster - with all prices including VAT (Value Added Tax). They weren't even hawking a fan club!
7-9-09All of the musicians you grew up with are in their 60’s.Many are dead.
As you near death, at what point does music become superfluous?”
When I draw my final breath?
Ah, yes – stars in their 60’s & 70’s…Leonard Cohen!Ravi Shankar!HermetoPascoal! Charlie Watts! (What’s the collective age of the members of The RollingStones?270?) – Leonard Cohen never fails to amaze.It doesn’t matter to me even if he has to continue performing because he needs the money.Bring on the tributes!What about that CD of “Ravi Shankar with Philip Glass”?You’d never know they were ‘old guys’! Leon Russell!
Hermeto Pascoal is positively the most illuminating and enlightening musician on Earth.I saw him play live a few years ago at U.C.L.A. – when he was nearing 70 years of age.This was the best show I’ve seen in 20 years.
Yep, the curtain gets drawn on a lot of fine folks way too early – Jimi Hendrix (what would that next album have been like?), Jim Morrison (were they really going to make a movie of “An American Prayer”?), Frank Zappa (personally, I need about 60 more dynamite FZ albums!), Miles Davis (would he ever play with Scritti Politti again?), Serge Gainsbourg (hey, man – amen!) etc.
Certainly as I age, my position to popular music transmogrifies.I stay away from the loud shows these days – my ‘John-Cale-Concert’-damaged hearing simply can’t take the loud stuff anymore.I do not know or care who charts these days.When they find my body, presumably slumped over a Sony Slat-screen computer monitor, it will be in a room full of phonograph records and compact discs.“He never down-loaded anything!” should be my epitaph.I want the artifact.I suppose if my deafness increases, I may ‘lose interest’ in music and record collecting, but…probably not…
Having just seen Yes the other evening, I was made very aware of just how the musicians I grew up with are aging.How much longer are they going to continue to play live shows?Who will quit the band first?I mean, there’s really only Chris Squire now – from the original Yes.And even withoutJon Anderson – the fans were still all there.We should take bets – who will give it up first?Steve Howe or Chris Squire?
The yardstick really should be The Rolling Stones.As long as Charlie Watts is alive and drumming…all four members of Slade are still alive, too.But only Paul & Ringo – what a combo!
Pictured:Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass “Passages”, Private Music 2074.2-P, 1990.
LPME AND MY BIG MOUTH (Collection)EPIC UKEPC 84979
1981 11 TRK Collection
7"NIGHT PEOPLE / FACE BEHIND THE SCREAM, THEEPIC UKEPCA 2521
1982 2 TRKS with pic sleeve
LPOU EST LA MAISON DE FROMAGE?NOZE UKNOZE 1
1977? 23 TRKS Live
7"POST-WAR GLAMOUR GIRL / KUNG FU INTERNATIONALCBS UKSCBS 6541
1978 2 TRKS with pic sleeve
CDSNAP, CRACKLE [&] BOPEPIC UK477380.2
1980 10 TRKS
LPSNAP, CRACKLE [&] BOPEPIC UKEPC 84083
1980 10 TRKS with his book…
7"SPLAT / TWAT / SLEEPWALKEPIC UKEPC 7982
1979 3 TRKS with pic sleeve; twin groove
10"WALKING BACK TO HAPPINESS (10")EPIC UKJCC 1
1979 10 TRK EP; Live, clear vinyl – still not on CD, as of 7/09
CDZIP STYLE METHODSONY UK4178.2
1982 16 TRKS (4 x bonus tracks) ('07 issue)
LPZIP STYLE METHODEPIC UKEPC 85667
1982 12 TRKS
I always enjoyed this stuff.I visited his website recently, and it didn’t look like it had been updated recently.The “Upcoming Gigs” were all from ’08!
Never met ‘im.Never ‘ad the chance to see him live – apart from on videotape.I love his (UK C4) ‘film’ “Ten Years In An Open Necked Shirt”, which I have an Australian VHS PAL copy of.I have a book of his, too.I only recently ran across my orange vinyl shaped disc of “Gimmix!” – it was stuck at the end of the alphabet in my LP collection, as it likely wouldn’t fit elsewhere – once upon a time (and then I forgot about it).And I found at least 2 of his re-mastered CD’s…my “Snap Crackle…” CD isn’t a version with bonus tracks, unfortunately.And you never see that stuff – around here, anyway.
I’m glad to see Mr. Clarke is still alive.It would be nice if he’d make a new album one day…or get another book published.I’d walk across the street to see him perform live.
Mr. Clarke, Ta!Thanks for the amusing turns of phrase and lurvelySalford accent.
Tonight, I am going to go see Yes perform.No idea who is in the band.Been an on and off Yes fan for decades now.For tonight, I have no idea who is singing, who is the guitarist, who is the keyboard player…bassist must be Chris Squire, I bet!
LPYESATLANTIC UK588 190
1969 8 TRKS 1st, insert
LPTIME AND A WORD, AATLANTIC USSD 8273
1970 8 TRKS 2nd
LPYES ALBUM, THEATLANTIC UKK 40106
1970 6 TRKS 3rd, UK 2nd edition
CDYES ALBUM, THERHINO USR2 73788
1971 9 TRKS ('03 issue) (3 x bonus tracks)
LPCLOSE TO THE EDGEATLANTIC USSD 7244
1972 3 TRKS original issue
CDCLOSE TO THE EDGEATLANTIC US82666.2
1972 3 TRKS re-mastered
LPFRAGILEATLANTIC UKK 50009
1972 9 TRKS booklet
CDFRAGILEATLANTIC US82667.2
1972 9 TRKS re-mastered
CDx2YESSONGSATLANTIC USSD 100.2
1973 13 TRKS Live
LPGOING FOR THE ONEATLANTIC USSD 19106
1977 6 TRKS triple-fold cover
LPTORMATOATLANTIC AUSSD 19202
1978 8 TRKS Australian pressing
CDDRAMARHINO USR2 73795
1980 16 TRKS (10 x bonus tracks) ('04 issue)
LPDRAMAATLANTIC USSD 16019
1980 6 TRKS original issue
CD90125RHINO USR2 73796
1983 15 TRKS (6 x bonus tracks) ('04 issue)
LP90125ATCO US90125.1
1983 9 TRKS original issue
LP9012LIVE - THE SOLOSATCO US90474.1
1985 7 TRKS Live
CDBIG GENERATORATCO US90522.2
1987 8 TRKS original issue
LPBIG GENERATORATCO US90522.1
1987 8 TRKS original issue
The packaging was always very good on Yes LP’s.All those Roger Dean covers!“Fragile” had a cool booklet, “Going For The One” was a triple-gatefold.The LP version of “Yessongs” was a massive triple-gatefold with a big booklet.
All these years later, I still have little interest in “Tales Of Topographic Oceans”, originally a double LP.I just could never wrap my head around it.
I have two very good friends (Ken and Warren) who are both very into Yes (and it’s incarnations).I’ve been to a number of Yes events with Warren – he’s who I’m going with tonight.
And “Big Generator” is being re-issued in Japan soon!
On Monday 7-6-09, I was at my office, when one of my co-workers called in to say that she had received a voucher for tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial.A few moments later, the fax machine came on, and a 3 page document printed out, with her name on it.
The catch:Document printed at 4:58pm, and per the instructions – tickets may be picked up at Dodger Stadium TODAY (7-6-09) 8:00am – 6:00pm.So, 62 minutes to get from Long Beach to Dodger Stadium at ‘rush hour’.
When my co-worker came into the office, I gave her my sagely advise, “Take the train!” – for the 7-7-09 memorial, as places around the StaplesCenter often charge $50 - $200 for parking during ‘big events’.I have no idea how she was going to get to Dodger Stadium in 62 minutes.She didn’t even know where Dodger Stadium was – I had to tell her.
Interesting that she entered her name into the ‘lottery’ to get the tickets, then the circumstances make it nearly impossible for her to get to the place where she can exchange the voucher for wristbands to obtain the actual tickets to the event.
For the month of July – as much as possible, I am going to be writing on suggestions from long-time reader Jim Donato.I recently asked him for a list of suggestions – and the topic of producers came up.“Are there any producers you’ll buy whatever they produce?”
Yes, there are.The short list would be Joe Meek, Rupert Hine, Haruomi Hosono and Mark Wirtz (two Brits, a Japanese and a German).If I had to pick an American, it would be John Simon (“You Are What You Eat” OST, Leonard Cohen “Songs of”, TheBand “Music From Big Pink”, Blood Sweat & Tears “Child Is Father To The Man” etc.)I wasn’t planning on mentioning any Americans here, but John Simon is the best.
I was a childhood fan of The Tornados “Telstar”; I was aware of the ‘cult’ of producer Joe Meek before I moved to England in 1990, but I actually got to meet and hang out with some nice guys from the original fan club, and John Repsch, who wrote a decent biography of Meek.Jim Blake from the fan club dubbed cassettes for me of some incredible stuff – the Silas Dooley Jr. album, my first hearing of “I Hear A New World” etc.Glenda Collins, Heinz, The Honeycombs – I’ve loved everything I’ve heard – and I’ve heard a bit more than most people – well, more than most people in the USA.It’s not for the technical precision, but really the “by any means necessary” style of Meek’s ‘producing’ (that style worked so well for Guy Stevens!)Trust me, you’re not an Anglophile until you’ve thrilled to Houston Wells & The Marksmen “North Wind”!Joe Meek lives!
I found Haruomi Hosono’s work in the 80’s – he was, of course, the bassist of Y.M.O., and one of the heads of Yen Records, where he made many masterful technically brilliant productions, most notably “Tutu” by Miharu Koshi, and his later collaboration with Koshi on “Swing Slow”.He also produced a wonderful album for Chisato Moritaka, and artist I normally wouldn’t pay attention to!And, of course, I can’t usually read his name (in Japanese) when I’m standing in the CD stores in Tokyo, but… I know what he looks like and often his name does appear in English!
The first place I saw Rupert Hine’s name was on a Kevin Ayers album, so good start.I love his “Immunity” solo album more than I can easily say; his work for The Fixx is excellent.For almost 30 years, Hine has fallen into the category of “If his name is on it, I’ll try it” – he also produced a very famousTina Turner record, but I only buy her stuff with Ike Turner – and I can hear her famous stuff almost daily, courtesy oldies radio.
Suckered into buying the Tomorrow LP for $1 about 1970, I loved Mark Wirtz’s punchy late 60’s UK work; I loved the Tomorrow LP, but it was the singles I could find by KeithWest – sometimes subtitled with “Excerpt from A Teenage Opera” that really drives me nuts.It took until the CD age to actually be able to hear much of that unusual body of work.The Wirtz solo albums on Capitol are fairly amusing (what with the “Silverlake Shuffle” practically being my theme song, with my current GF).I’d buy anything I could find from him – UK, circa ’67 – ’70.Anything.
