R J Dent says: ‘I was inspired to write The Pink Floyd Story Considered as a NASA Space Flight Report after reading J G Ballard’s The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race and Princess Margaret’s Facelift, both from Ballard’s classic, The Atrocity Exhibition.’
Brian Eno – VCS3 synthesizer, tape effects, backing vocals
Andy Mackay – oboe, saxophone, backing vocals
Phil Manzanera – electric guitar
Graham Simpson – bass guitar
Paul Thompson – drums
The opening track is Re-Make/Re-Model, whichstarts with a musique concrète introduction, a short collage of cocktail party noise, before launching into a stereotypical 1950s song structure. Whilst the basic backing track of guitar, acoustic piano, bass guitar, tenor saxophone and drums is relatively straightforward and traditional in form, other elements of the arrangement are quite bizarre and futuristic: Eno plays continual squalls of atonal oscillator noise from his Electronic Music Studios VCS3 synthesizer, whilst Ferry’s lead vocal style is strikingly distraught and anguished in tone, as befits the lyric: I tried but I could not find a way/ Looking back all I did was look away. The lead guitar and saxophone solos in the middle of the song also tend towards cacophony. At the end of the song, each instrument is allowed a short solo break in turn; the guitar mimics Duane Eddie’s C’mon Everybody; the bass guitar solo mimics the riff from the Beatles song Day Tripper. The lyrics describe a man who is afraid to approach a woman he’s attracted to. Ferry explained in an interview that Eno and MacKay’s backing vocal chorus of CPL 593H was the number plate of the car in which the woman is riding. Ferry took inspiration from a personal experience – the number plate CPL 593H belonged to a car he previously owned. After he’d sold it, Ferry saw it parked in a street, and observed an attractive young woman get into the car and drive away. To immortalize the moment, he wrote the song.
Ladytron is the album’s second song. It has distinctive instrumentation, including an oboe solo, liberal use of the mellotron’s famous ‘three violins’ tape facility, and much processing of the other instruments by Brian Eno via his Electronic Music Studios VCS3 synthesizer and tape echo. The eerie sounds at the start of the song were created by Brian Eno, after Bryan Ferry asked him to produce something reminiscent of the Lunar Landing. Lyrically, it presents Ferry as a Casanova-style seducer of women, whilst being simultaneously enraptured by them. Another interpretation is that the Ladytron is a female robot (hence the name) that is being seduced by Ferry. According to The Times,Ladytron is one of Roxy Music’s ‘best loved songs.’
If There Is Something is the third song on the album. The song begins in a rather light-hearted, jaunty fashion, a slight pastiche of country music, with honky-tonk style piano and twangy guitar. Ferry’s singing is nonchalant and jocular. However the mood of the song builds with a repeated instrumental motif played between guitar and saxophone, Ferry’s vocals re-entering to provide a fraught vocal climax, the lyrics including a reference to a passion for secrets, roses, and (bizarrely), growing potatoes. The instrumental motifs then return, finally giving way to an emotional end section where Ferry’s impassioned and melancholy vocals are set on top of a lush blend of backing vocals and the mellotron ‘three violins’ tape set. The song is tripartite in structure and it has been suggested that the first part of the song is a youth wondering about love, the second part is an adult in the heat of passion and the third part is the singer in old age thinking about his past love. The song features prominently in the 2008 film, Flashbacks of a Fool, written and directed by Baillie Walsh, and starring Daniel Craig. In a memorable scene, a young Joe Scott and Ruth Davies dance in Ruth’s living room and mime to the song; Joe dressed as Bryan Ferry.
2HB is the first of the songs that are thematically linked to films/movies. The title of 2HB is a pun – the song is not in fact about pencil lead, but is actually Ferry’s tribute to Hollywood film star Humphrey Bogart. (2HB = To Humphrey Bogart.) 2HB quotes the line ‘Here’s looking at you, kid’ – a famous line from the Bogart classic, Casablanca (1942). The song is gentle and mellow in tone, evoking a smoky cabaret atmosphere and classic black-and-white films. The song is dominated by Ferry’s Hohner electric piano, and features a sax solo in the middle where MacKay’s playing is treated with tape echo effects by Brian Eno.
Chance Meeting was inspired by David Lean’s Brief Encounter (1945), and includes lyrics inspired by the film/movie’s dialogue: I never thought I’d see you again/ Where have you been until now?/ Well how are you?/ How have you been?/ It’s a long time since we last met/ It seems like yesterday/ When I first saw you/ In your red dress smile/ How could I forget that day?/ I know that time spent well is so rare…
The Bob(Medley) is the next track. The song was inspired by the war film/movie, The Battle of Britain (1969), the song’s title (BoB) being an acronym for Battle of Britain. The sound of gunfire and explosions from the battlefields can be heard throughout the instrumental refrain.
Would You Believe? is an elegant, delicate and anguished lament to an inscrutable, elusive someone. Would you believe in what I do/ When the things that I make are all for you?… Ferry sings forlornly, before adding cynically: Well I’m sure I’ll love you all my life/ And in the morning too….
Sea Breezes is the penultimate song on the album and is a clear precursor to Song for Europe:We’ve been running round in our present state/ Hoping help would come from above/ But even angels there make the same mistakes/ In love… and is Ferry at his most quaveringly anguished…
Bitters End is the final song on the album. The song is based on a group vocal arrangement done in a satirical 1950s doo-wop style. In the middle eight, the band sings ‘bizarre’, which seems to sum up the initial impact of the first listen to the album.
Discussing the album’s music, Andy Mackay later said: ‘We certainly didn’t invent eclecticism but we did say and prove that rock ‘n’ roll could accommodate – well, anything really’.
The band’s penchant for glamour was showcased both in the lyrics and in the 1950s-style album cover, with photography, hair dressing and art work credits detailed on the sleeve. The photographer, Karl Stoecker, shot the cover featuring model Kari-Ann Muller, who later married Chris Jagger, brother of Mick Jagger. The album’s original cover, as issued in 1972, featured a gatefold sleeve picturing the band in stage attire designed by Antony Price.
The entire album was recorded in a single week. This was necessary because the group had no record deal and their managers at EG were financing the sessions themselves. The album was produced by King Crimson’s lyricist, Peter Sinfield. In May 1972, a few weeks after the recording sessions, a contract was signed with Island Records and in June, Roxy Music was released.
Roxy Music was generally well-received by contemporary critics and reached #10 in the UK charts. It is now considered by many to be Roxy Music’s best album.
One of the great films/movies of 1999 is David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™, starring Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Eccleston, Ian Holm, and Sarah Polley.
Here’s a plot summary: Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is the designer of eXistenZ ™, a new game system so advanced it uses biology to transport players into gaming experiences beyond virtual reality. Allegra is a star – worshipped, cosseted and constantly under threat from fanatics and rival game companies alike. It is up to Ted Pikul (Jude Law) to protect her.
When a terrorist attack disrupts the first ever demonstration of eXistenZ ™, Geller and Pikul find themselves on the run in a strange and dangerous world where reality and fantasy merge and in which Geller and Pikul discover they can trust no one – perhaps least of all each other… for who can really tell where real life ends and the gamebegins?
Frighteningly vivid and tense, David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™ is a terrifying journey through betrayal, death, and the seductive world of game playing. It tackles notions of identity, art, creativity, the dangers of fiction, the reality/cyberspace dichotomy, and Martin Heidegger’s notion of ‘being’.
There is, of course, a soundtrack album for David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™. The film/movie is scored by long-time Cronenberg collaborator, Howard Shore. The album is worth owning, as it is very rich, melodic and atmospheric. Here’s a sound-bite:
David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™ has been turned into a fast-paced and very well-written novel by Christopher Priest (writing as John Luther Novak).
Priest follows Croneberg’s plot precisely, but has added extra detail to round out the characters and the situations.
There is also a graphic novel, David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™, with illustrations by Sean Schoffield.
The 110 page graphic novel, published by Key Porter Books, contains set of a cast pictures, a glossary of technical terms, the graphic novel itself, and an interview with David Conenberg talking about the pre-production, the filming and the aftermath of eXistenZ ™.
Each of the different versions of eXistenZ ™ is worth a look. Watch the film/movie, read the novel, listen to the music, or enjoy the graphic novel – they’re all worth spending time on. David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™ is a razor-sharp science fiction thriller – with an intriguing plot and some great acting from Law and Leigh.
Van Halen is an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California. In 1972 the Van Halen brothers, Eddie and Alex, formed a band called Mammoth which featured Eddie as lead vocalist/guitarist and Alex on drums. After recruiting David Lee Roth as lead vocalist and Michael Anthony as bassist and backing vocalist, the band changed its name to Van Halen.
Van Halen played clubs in Pasadena and in Hollywood during the mid-1970s, consistently playing at well-known clubs like the Sunset Strip and the Whisky a Go Go. In 1977, Mo Ostin and Ted Templeman of Warner Bros. Records saw Van Halen perform at the Starwood in Hollywood and offered them a recording contract.
Van Halen is the band’s debut studio album.
Using Sunset Sound Recorders studio from mid September to early October 1977, the band recorded the guitar parts in one week and the vocals in two additional weeks. All of the tracks of Van Halen were laid down with little over-dubbing or double tracking. Minor mistakes were purposely left on the record and a simple musical set-up was used to give the record a live feel. Despite its simple components, Van Halen proved innovative in musical technique, production, and arrangement.
On release, Van Halen reached #19 on the Billboard pop music charts, one of rock’s most commercially successful debuts. It is a highly regarded heavy metal and hard rock album. The album included songs now regarded as Van Halen classics, like ‘Runnin’ with the Devil’, ‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’, and ‘Jamie’s Crying’.
Eddie Van Halen set a new standard for guitar playing and spawned a generation of players utilizing his unique style and approach. The instrumental track, ‘Eruption’, an arpeggio-glissando-feedback-drenched guitar solo, showcased Eddie’s use of hammer-ons and pull offs, and his mastery of tapping, the use of the right hand to activate and fret notes along with the left. The sheer blazing delivery and solid composition shocked the guitar world and instantly set him apart as one of rock’s premier guitar virtuosos.
The album cover was shot at the Whisky a Go Go. The guitar pictured on the cover of the album is Edward Van Halen’s famous Frankenstrat Guitar, made from a neck purchased from Boogie Bodies and a Stratocaster style body custom made by Wayne Charvel in California and assembled in Edward’s parents’ garage.
The band toured for nearly a year to promote the album, establishing a reputation for their electric performances. The band’s chemistry owed much to Eddie Van Halen’s technical guitar wizardry and David Lee Roth’s flamboyant stage antics.
Van Halen was released in February 1978 and sold over 10 million copies in the US alone, becoming one of the most successful debuts by a hard rock band. Along with 1984, it gives Van Halen two original albums with Diamond status in sales. In 2003, the album was ranked number 415 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
All songs are written by Alex Van Halen, Edward Van Halen, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth unless otherwise stated.
Tracks are:
Runnin’ with the Devil – 3:34
Eruption – 1:42
You Really Got Me (Ray Davies) – 2:38
Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love – 3:49
I’m the One – 3:46
Jamie’s Cryin’ – 3:29
Atomic Punk – 3:03
Feel Your Love Tonight – 3:42
Little Dreamer – 3:23
Ice Cream Man (John Brim) – 3:19
On Fire – 2:57
Van Halen II is Van Halen’s second album, released in 1979.
The band returned to the studio in 1979 to record Van Halen II, similar in style to their debut. This album yielded the band’s first hit single, ‘Dance the Night Away’.
The actual recording of the album took place less than a year after the release of their eponymous debut album. Many of the songs on this album have been known to exist prior to the release of the first album, and are present (in various forms) on demos recorded in 1976 by Gene Simmons and in 1977 by Ted Templeman, including an early version of ‘Beautiful Girls’ and ‘Somebody Get Me a Doctor’.
The black and yellow guitar on the back of the album is not actually used on the Van Halen II album; as it had only been completed just in time for the photo shoots for the second album. David Lee Roth is shown in a cast in the inner liner notes, as he allegedly broke his heel making the leap on the back cover.
All songs, except where noted, are written by Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and David Lee Roth.
Tracks are:
You’re No Good (Clint Ballard, Jr.) – 3:16
Dance the Night Away – 3:06
Somebody Get Me a Doctor – 2:52
Bottoms Up! – 3:05
Outta Love Again – 2:51
Light Up the Sky – 3:13
Spanish Fly – 1:00
D.O.A. – 4:09
Women in Love… – 4:08
Beautiful Girls – 3:56
Women and Children First is Van Halen’s third studio album.
Released in 1980, Women and Children First continues the trends laid out on the first two albums, relying on the vocals of David Lee Roth and the guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen.
This is the first Van Halen album to feature all original band compositions. The opening track, ‘And the Cradle Will Rock…’, begins with what sounds like guitar chords, but is, in fact, a phase shifter-effected Wurlitzer electric piano played through Van Halen’s 1960′s model 100-watt Marshall Plexi amplifier.
‘Could This Be Magic’? contains the only female backing vocal ever recorded for a Van Halen song — Nicolette Larson sings during some of the choruses. The rain sound in the background is not an effect. It was raining outside, and they decided to record the sound in stereo using two Neuman KM84 microphones, and add it to the track.
Only one single was released from the album, the keyboard driven ‘And the Cradle Will Rock…’ Although the single was not a success like the previous singles ‘Dance the Night Away’ or the cover of ‘You Really Got Me’, the album itself was well received and further entrenched the band as a popular concert draw. The song ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ was also a concert staple through the 1984 tour, and continued to be played by David Lee Roth after he left Van Halen.
The album contains a hidden track at the end of ‘In a Simple Rhyme’, a brief instrumental piece entitled ‘Growth’.
All songs are by Michael Anthony, David Lee Roth, Edward Van Halen and Alex Van Halen.
Tracks are:
And the Cradle Will Rock… – 3:31
Everybody Wants Some!! – 5:05
Fools – 5:55
Romeo Delight – 4:19
Tora! Tora! – 0:57
Loss of Control – 2:36
Take Your Whiskey Home – 3:09
Could This Be Magic? – 3:08
In a Simple Rhyme – 4:33 (Hidden track Growth begins at 4:19)
Fair Warning is Van Halen’s fourth studio album.
Released in 1981, Fair Warning went double platinum, which means it was a substantial hit, but still the band’s slowest-selling album of the David Lee Roth era.
The front cover art features a detail from The Maze, a painting by the Canadian artist William Kurelek.
The album’s cover artwork is accompanied by an insert of a black and white picture of the band, as well as a view of a ghetto drywall. This drywall has a wire running across it, cracked windows at the top and a Roth-era Van Halen logo with plaster cracked over the left wing. Also on the wall is the lyric ‘And someone said Fair Warning. Lord will strike that poor boy down. Turned from hunted into hunter. Went to hunt somebody down,’ which is from the album’s opening song, ‘Mean Street’.
All songs are by Michael Anthony, David Lee Roth, Edward Van Halen and Alex Van Halen.
Tracks are:
Mean Street – 5:00
Dirty Movies – 4:08
Sinner’s Swing! – 3:09
Hear About It Later – 4:35
Unchained – 3:29
Push Comes to Shove – 3:49
So This Is Love? – 3:06
Sunday Afternoon in the Park – 1:59
One Foot out the Door – 1:58
Diver Down is Van Halen’s fifth studio album.
Released in 1982, Diver Down spent 65 weeks on the US album charts and had, by 1998, sold 4 million copies in the United States.
The album cover displays the ’diver down’ flag used in many US jurisdictions to indicate a diver is currently submerged in the area, and caution is advised to nearby boats. Asked about the cover in a 1982 interview with Sylvie Simmons (Sounds, June 23, 1982), David Lee Roth said it was meant to imply that ‘there was something going on that’s not apparent to your eyes. You put up the red flag with the white slash. Well, a lot of people approach Van Halen as sort of the abyss. It means, it’s not immediately apparent to your eyes what is going on underneath the surface.’
Eddie and Alex Van Halen’s father, Jan Van Halen, plays clarinet on ‘Big Bad Bill.’
Five of the twelve songs on Diver Down are covers, the most popular being the cover of ‘Oh, Pretty Woman,’ a cover of a Roy Orbison song. At the time, the record company thought they had a greater chance of a hit record if it comprised songs that were already successful. In retrospect, it turned out to be one of the Van Halen brothers’ least favorite albums with Eddie stating: ‘I’d rather have a bomb with one of my own songs than a hit with someone else’s’.
However, at the time whilst he admitted to the pressure the band was put under to record it, he was able to tell Guitar Player (Dec. 1982) that it ‘was fun’: ‘When we came off the Fair Warning tour last year [1981], we were going to take a break and spend a lot of time writing this and that. Dave came up with the idea of, ‘Hey, why don’t we start off the new year with just putting out a single?’ He wanted to do ‘Dancing in the Streets.’ He gave me the original Martha Reeves & the Vandellas tape, and I listened to it and said, ‘I can’t get a handle on anything out of this song.’ I couldn’t figure out a riff, and you know the way I like to play: I always like to do a riff, as opposed to just hitting barre chords and strumming. So I said, ‘Look, if you want to do a cover tune, why don’t we do ‘Pretty Woman’? It took one day. We went to Sunset Sound in L.A., recorded it, and it came out right after the first of the year. It started climbing the charts, so all of a sudden Warner Bros. is going, ‘You got a hit single on your hands. We gotta have that record.’ We said, ‘Wait a minute, we just did that to keep us out there, so that people know we’re still alive.’ But they just kept pressuring, so we jumped right back in without any rest or time to recuperate from the tour, and started recording. We spent 12 days making the album … it was a lot of fun.’
In addition to this, two of the original songs were around long before the album was made. ‘Hang ‘Em High’ can trace its roots back to the band’s 1977 demos. ‘Cathedral’ was also nothing new, being played in its current form throughout 1981 with earlier versions going back to 1980. Additionally, ‘Happy Trails’ had been recorded for their 1977 demos as a joke.
All songs are by Michael Anthony, David Lee Roth, Edward Van Halen and Alex Van Halen, except where noted.
Tracks are:
Where Have All the Good Times Gone! (Ray Davies) – 3:02
Hang ‘Em High – 3:28
Cathedral – 1:20
Secrets – 3:25
Intruder – 1:39
(Oh) Pretty Woman (William Dees, Roy Orbison) – 2:53
Dancing in the Street (Marvin Gaye, Ivy Hunter, William Stevenson) – 3:43
Little Guitars (Intro) – 0:42
Little Guitars – 3:47
Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now) (Milton Ager, Jack Yellen) – 2:44
The Full Bug – 3:18
Happy Trails (Dale Evans) – 1:03
1984 (written as MCMLXXXIV ) is Van Halen’s sixth studio album.
One of the band’s more popular albums (in terms of both record sales and chart performance), 1984 is the final album featuring singer David Lee Roth before he left the band in the spring of the following year.
Eddie Van Halen, well-known for his guitar prowess but also a classically-trained pianist, used 1984 as an opportunity to take the band into different territory. Additionally, 1984 was the first Van Halen album to be recorded at Eddie Van Halen’s home studio, 5150. Eddie Van Halen’s keyboard playing is more prominent on 1984 than on any prior Van Halen album, particularly on the songs ‘Jump’, ‘I’ll Wait’ and instrumental album-opener ‘1984’.
The title track ‘1984’ is a short synthesizer and effects instrumental (the effects had been used as part of Michael Anthony’s live bass solo on the Diver Down tour); ‘Girl Gone Bad’ contained parts which had previously been played during the same tour; the hard rock songs ‘Drop Dead Legs’ and ‘Top Jimmy’ were tributes to James Paul Koncek of the band Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs. The album concludes with ‘House of Pain’, a fast-paced heavy song that dates back to the band’s early club days of the mid ’70s.
The engine noise heard during ‘Panama’ was from Eddie revving up his Lamborghini; microphones were used near the tailpipes.
Eddie claims to have written the arrangement for ‘Jump’ years before the album was recorded, and is evidenced in a 1982 interview where he played it over the phone. Roth said he came up with the lyric because it was leap year, and because he saw a man on television wanting to commit suicide by jumping off a building.
1984 peaked at #2 on the Billboard Magazine album charts (#1 at the time was Thriller, which featured an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo on ‘Beat It’) and contained future hits ‘Jump’, ‘Panama’, ‘I’ll Wait’, and ‘Hot for Teacher’. ‘Jump’ reached #1 on the magazine’s singles chart. 1984 is the second of two Van Halen albums to have sold 10 million copies in the United States.
All songs are by Michael Anthony, David Lee Roth, Edward Van Halen and Alex Van Halen.
Note: The album’s original release credits all songs to Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth.The label on the UK single release for ‘I’ll Wait’ credited Michael McDonald as a co-writer, but he was not credited on the U.S. version of the single.
Tracks are:
1984 – 1:07
Jump – 4:04
Panama – 3:32
Top Jimmy – 2:59
Drop Dead Legs – 4:14
Hot for Teacher – 4:42
I’ll Wait – 4:41
Girl Gone Bad – 4:35
House of Pain – 3:19
That’s it for the story and discography of this particular Van Halen line-up. Eddie, Dave and Alex – augmented by Eddie’s son Wolfie on bass – are back in the studio, recording a new album. It’s not the original Van Halen line-up, but it’s as close as it can be.
A Different Kind of Truth is the twelfth studio album by Van Halen, released on February 7, 2012 on Interscope Records. Produced by both the band and John Shanks, it is Van Halen’s first studio album since reuniting with lead vocalist David Lee Roth in 2007, and the first to feature bassist Wolfgang Van Halen. This is the band’s first album in fourteen years.
The first single from the album, “Tattoo”, was released on January 10, 2012. One day after its release to iTunes, it was the #1 selling rock song in the US, Canada, Finland and the Netherlands, while charting in Sweden, Belgium, Germany and the UK. It received over two million YouTube hits in its first week of release and over four million to date. By January 23, 2012, “Tattoo” was ranked #1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Singles chart, the #1 most played song at classic rock radio in its first week and #1 most added song at mainstream and active rock radio.
The songs on A Different Kind of Truth were described by Roth as “a sort of collaboration with [Van Halen's] past.” Seven tracks that appear on the album are based on material which Roth notes, “Eddie and I generated, literally, in 1975, 1976, and 1977.” 1970′s demo versions exist of what became “She’s the Woman”, “Outta Space”, “Big River”, “Beats Workin’”, “Tattoo”, “Honeybabysweetiedoll”, and “Bullethead”.
Five songs on A Different Kind of Truth are brand new Van Halen compositions. “Stay Frosty” and “You and Your Blues” feature both musical and lyrical nods to the blues.
Lyrical themes on the album are diverse; however, a majority of songs deal with cyclical successes, failures, and fate, in an intricate but generally tongue-in-cheek style.Such lyrical themes are present on “She’s the Woman”, “China Town”, “Blood and Fire”, “Bullethead”, “As Is”, “The Trouble with Never”, “Stay Frosty”, and “Beats Workin’”.
A Different Kind of Truth is the first David Lee Roth-fronted Van Halen studio album not to include an instrumental as a stand-alone track.
Track listing:
All lyrics written by David Lee Roth, all music composed by Van Halen.
Although On An island is a great David Gilmour solo album, his best solo album is his first album, simply entitled David Gilmour.
David Gilmour was released in May 1978 in the UK and on June 17, 1978 in the US. The album reached #17 in the UK and #29 on the Billboard US album charts and was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA. The album was produced by Gilmour himself, and consists mostly of bluesy, guitar oriented rock songs.
David Gilmour was recorded at Super Bear Studios in France between December 1977 and early January 1978 with engineer John Etchells. It was mixed at the same studio in March 1978 by Nick Griffiths. The cover was designed by Hipgnosis and David Gilmour.
The tracks are:
Mihalis – 6.00
There’s No Way Out of Here (Ken Baker) – 5:24
Cry from the Street (David Gilmour/Eric Stuart) – 5:18
So Far Away – 6:12
Short and Sweet (David Gilmour/Roy Harper) – 5:33
Raise My Rent – 5:49)
No Way – 6:14)
It’s Deafinitely – 4:29)
I Can’t Breathe Anymore – 3:40)
All songs by David Gilmour except as noted.
A five song promotional film was made to promote the album. The band comprised Gilmour himself on guitars and vocals plus the two musicians on the album (bass player Rick Wills and drummer Willie Wilson) plus David Gilmour’s brother Mark on rhythm guitar and Ian McLagen on keyboards and performed “Mihalis”, “There’s No Way Out of Here”, “So Far Away”, “No Way” and “I Can’t Breathe Anymore”. There were additional female backing singers on “There’s No Way Out of Here” and “So Far Away”. The performances of the tracks in the promotional film differed to the album versions.
“Mihalis” had an extended ending guitar solo.
“There’s No Way Out of Here” was slightly shorter as one of the verses was deleted but the ending guitar solo was different from that on the album and had a clean ending instead of fading out like on album version.
The track “So Far Away” had an extended ending guitar solo on this performance and ended in a faster tempo than the album version.
The performance of the song “No Way” had Gilmour playing regular lead guitar solos at the end of the track on his Fender Esquire (with distortion) instead of the lap steel guitar solos (with distortion) that had appeared on the album version and had a clean ending instead of fading out like on the album (the remastered CD version of the album had Gilmour’s lap steel solo extended this time to feature a duel between himself playing high notes on his lap steel and lower notes on his trademark Stratocaster during the fadeout on the remaster). The middle part of the album version, for where the first of two lap steel guitar solos were on the album version, was deleted.
“I Can’t Breathe Anymore” had Gilmour playing a regular guitar solo at the end of this song’s performance whilst on the album version (and on the remastered CD in an extended coda), a distorted lap steel guitar countered the ending guitar solo. The ending of the promo performance of “I Can’t Breathe Anymore” was longer than on the album.
And that’s David Gilmour for you. Arguably, it’s David Gilmour’s best solo album.
After leaving Pink Floyd, the singer, songwriter and guitarist, Syd Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006), began a solo career, releasing two solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett.
Syd Barrett
The first album, The Madcap Laughs, was recorded in two sessions, both at Abbey Road Studios between April and July 1969. It was released on 3rd January 1970.
The title of the album comes from a line in the song Octopus. Barrett began recording sessions in May 1968. Although the sessions were brief, the project was abandoned for almost a year while Barrett spent much of the year as a recluse. In April 1969, Barrett began working on newer material, while reworking the 1968 recordings. Roger Waters and David Gilmour got involved with producing The Madcap Laughs that July and helped Barrett finish his album.
The album featured a rather unorthodox recording process, in which Barrett would provide a backing track of his own singing accompanied by acoustic guitar, over which the session musicians would overdub the rest of the arrangement. However, Barrett’s playing and singing were highly erratic and unpredictable – he skipped or added beats and bars seemingly at random, or otherwise he would strum on a single chord for a long time before unexpectedly reverting back to the main portion of the song. This was all much to the frustration of the session musicians; a close listen to several tracks (in particular No Good Trying and Love You) will reveal the backing band hovering uncertainly here, or being caught off-guard by a chord change there. After several months of intermittent recording, the album was finally deemed complete.
‘I liked what came out, only it was released far too long after it was done. I wanted it to be a whole thing that people would listen to all the way through with everything related and balanced, the tempos and moods offsetting each other, and I hope that’s what it sounds like, I’ve got it at home, but I don’t listen to it much now.’ – Syd Barrett.
Track listing
All songs by Syd Barrett, except where noted.
Terrapin – 5:04
No Good Trying – 3:26
Love You – 2:30
No Man’s Land – 3:03
Dark Globe – 2:02
Here I Go – 3:11
Octopus – 3:47
Golden Hair – 1:59 (Barrett, Joyce)
Long Gone – 2:50
She Took a Long Cold Look – 1:55
Feel – 2:17
If It’s in You – 2:26
Late Night – 3:10
In 1993, The Madcap Laughs was reissued with several bonus tracks of alternate takes.
Syd Barrett’s second album of new material, Barrett, was recorded between February and July 1970. Barrett was released in November 1970.
The main aim for the Barrett sessions was to give Syd Barrett the structure and focus missing during the sessions for The Madcap Laughs. Thus, the sessions were more efficiently run – with much unreleased material recorded – and Barrett was finished in far less time than it took to complete The Madcap Laughs.
‘Doing Syd’s record was interesting, but extremely difficult. Dave (Gilmour) and Roger (Waters) did (produced) the first one (The Madcap Laughs) and Dave and myself did the second one (Barrett). But by then it was just trying to help Syd any way we could, rather than worrying about getting the best guitar sound. You could forget about that! It was just going into the studio and trying to get him to sing.’ – Richard Wright.
‘We really had basically three alternatives at that point, working with Syd. One, we could actually work with him in the studio, playing along as he put down his tracks – which was almost impossible, though we succeeded on ‘Gigolo Aunt’. The second was laying down some kind of track before and then having him play over it. The third was him putting his basic ideas down with just guitar and vocals and then we’d try and make something out of it.’ – David Gilmour.
Track listing
All songs by Syd Barrett.
Baby Lemonade – 4:10
Love Song – 3:03
Dominoes – 4:08
It Is Obvious – 2:59
Rats – 3:00
Maisie – 2:51
Gigolo Aunt – 5:46
Waving My Arms in The Air – 2:09
I Never Lied To You – 1:50
Wined and Dined – 2:58
Wolfpack – 3:41
Effervescing Elephant – 1:52
The album was produced by David Gilmour and Richard Wright, featured Gilmour on bass guitar, Wright on keyboard and Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley.
In 1988, EMI Records released an album of Barrett’s studio outtakes and previously unreleased material recorded from 1968 to 1970 under the title Opel.
While Barrett only released two albums in 1970, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, the existence of unreleased studio work was widely reported. After years of demand from Barrett’s considerable fan base, Opel was compiled and released. Syd Barrett approved the new release.
Track listing
All songs by Syd Barrett, except where noted.
Opel – 6:26
Clowns and Jugglers – 3:27
Rats – 3:00
Golden Hair – 1:44 (Barrett/Joyce)
Dolly Rocker – 3:01
Word Song – 3:19
Wined and Dined – 3:03
Swan Lee (Silas Lang) – 3:13
Birdie Hop – 2:30
Let’s Split – 2:23
Lanky (Part One) – 5:32
Wouldn’t You Miss Me (Dark Globe) – 3:00
Milky Way – 3:07
Golden Hair – 1:56 (Barrett/Joyce)
In 1993, EMI issued another release, Crazy Diamond, a box set of The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, and Opel.
All discs are further augmented by various alternate takes that illustrated Barrett’s inability or refusal to play a song the same way twice.
‘Our main plan was to find Syd’s acoustic takes, before the other musicians were drafted in to overdub them. But we stumbled across some fascinating material that sheds new light on Syd’s working methods.’ – Phil Smee (Compilation/Remix Supervisor).
The box set is packaged in a 6 x 12 inch long-box, and also contains a 24 page booklet.
The album is named after Shine On You Crazy Diamond, a composition by Pink Floyd about and dedicated to Barrett, who led the band during its earlier years.
Syd Barrett’s music is original, unusual and interesting. It is also very moving.
Undoubtedly the world’s greatest guitarist ever, Jimi Hendrix made three studio albums, two live albums and a compilation album in his relatively short (1967-1970) career as guitarist, singer, song-writer and eponymous leader of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience was an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band were active until June 1970.
The Experience’s first album, Are You Experienced (1967), is a master-class in guitar playing, innovation, effects, and sonic experimentation. Third Stone from the Sun, Are You Experienced, Fire, Manic Depression, and Foxy Lady are the stand-out tracks.
The Experience’s second album, Axis: Bold as Love (1968), is full of beautiful melodies, some amazing but restrained guitar solos, and a focus on lyrics rather than guitar histrionics. However, the tracks If Six Were Nine, Spanish Castle Magic, Little Wing and Bold as Love all contain some excellent guitar work.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s third album, Electric Ladyland (1970), is a veritable sonic masterpiece. The whole album is beautiful, but the best section is the Rainy Day, Dream Away… 1983… Moon, Turn the Tides… and Still Raining, Still Dreaming sequence. Amazing. If there’s one Hendrix album that’s mandatory listening, it’s this one.
The live album, Jimi Plays Monterey, features killer versions of Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone, Chip Taylor’s Wild Thing and Hey Joe.
The other live album, Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle Of Wight, features diamond-hard versions of All Along the Watchtower, Purple Haze, Red House, Foxy Lady and Voodoo Child (Slight Return).
There’s also a Smash Hits compilation, but if you’ve got the first three albums, you don’t really need it.
Here’s a clip of The Jimi Hendrix Experience playing Like a Rolling Stone at Monterey:
Have a listen to any of the albums mentioned above, particularly the first three. The music is fantastic. You won’t regret it.
Patti Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an influential American singer, songwriter, poet and visual artist.
In 1975 Patti Smith released her debut album Horses.
Horses was a major influence on the New York punk rock scene. Tracks on Horses include ‘Gloria’, a radical retake of the Them garage rock classic and ‘Birdland’ which in particular, owes more to jazz music than to the influence of punk. When recording this song, which was improvised by the band in Electric Lady Studios, Smith has said she imagined the spirit of Jimi Hendrix watching her. The lyrics of ‘Birdland’ are based upon A Book of Dreams, a 1973 memoir about Wilhelm Reich, written by Reich’s son Peter. Several of the album’s songs – ‘Redondo Beach’, ‘Free Money’, and ‘Kimberly’ – were inspired by moments with members of Smith’s family, while others – ‘Break It Up’, and Elegie’ – were written about her idols. ‘Land’ was already a live favorite and featured the first verse of Chris Kenner’s ‘Land of a Thousand Dances’ and contains a tribute to her long-time idol Arthur Rimbaud.’ Guest musicians included Tom Verlaine of Television and Allen Lanier of Blue Oyster Cult.
In October 1976 Patti Smith released Radio Ethiopia.
The title track of Radio Ethiopia is one of Smith’s most notorious songs, almost legendary for appearing to be ‘10 minutes of noise’. Critics often described live renditions of the song as negative moments of Smith’s concerts. Patti herself spoke highly of the track and of how the lyrics refer to Arthur Rimbaud’s dying wishes. Arguments both for and against the song have been advanced by critics, fans and music listeners over whether the song truly is an example of the Patti Smith Group’s boundary-pushing or merely self-indulgence. Critics in negative reviews cited that Douglas’ production placed more emphasis on creating a heavy sound through numerous guitar parts which smothered Smith’s vocalsand, at times, lamented that all of the album’s songs were originals of the group. ‘Ain’t It Strange’ and ‘Distant Fingers’, the latter co-written with Smith’s long-time boyfriend Allen Lanier, had both been staples of the Group’s concerts long before the recording of Horses.
In March 1978, Patti Smith released Easter.
Easter is regarded as the group’s commercial breakthrough, owing to the success of the single, ‘Because the Night’ (co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Smith), which reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 in the UK. The first album released since Smith had suffered a neck injury while touring for Radio Ethiopia, Easter has been called the most commercially accessible of the Patti Smith Group’s catalogue. Unlike its two predecessors, Easter incorporated a diversity of musical styles, though still including classic rock and roll (‘25th Floor/High on Rebellion’, ‘Rock N Roll Nigger’), folk (‘Ghost Dance’), spoken word (‘Babelogue’) and pop music (‘Because the Night’). In addition to the obvious religious allusion of its title, the album is replete with biblical and specifically Christian imagery. ‘Privilege (Set Me Free)’ is taken from the British film Privilege; its lyrics are adapted from Psalm 23.
On May 17, 1979, Patti Smith released Wave.
Wave was the less commercially successful than Easter, although it continued the band’s evolution towards more radio-friendly mainstream pop music. The title track was a tribute to Pope John Paul I, whose brief papacy coincided with the recording sessions. The first single off the album was ‘Frederick’, a love song for her husband-to-be Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith with a melody and structure bearing resemblance to ‘Because the Night’, the group’s biggest hit. The second single, ‘Dancing Barefoot‘, has been covered by many artists.
In June 1988, Patti Smith released Dream of Life.
Dream of Life was Smith’s first album after the dissolution of The Patti Smith Group. Lead single ‘People Have the Power’ received some album-oriented rock airplay at the time, and later was revived by Bruce Springsteen as a theme song for the 2004 Vote for Change concerts. Songs from this album have been performed live for the first time in a show on December 29, 2006 in New York Bowery Ballroom. ‘Paths That Cross’ is dedicated to the memory of Samuel J. Wagstaff.
On June 18, 1996, Patti Smith released Gone Again.
The production of Gone Again was preceded by the deaths of many of Smith’s close friends and peers, including her husband Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith, her brother Todd, Robert Mapplethorpe, Richard Sohl, and Kurt Cobain with whom Smith had sympathized. In addition to this, Gone Again also features the last studio performance of Jeff Buckley, who died less than a year later.
On September 30, 1997, Patti Smith released Peace and Noise.
Uncut magazine ranked Peace and Noise as the 21st best album of the year. The song ‘1959’ was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1998.
On March 21, 2000 Patti Smith, released Gung Ho.
The song ‘New Party’ was used as the official song for the 2000 Ralph Nader’s presidential campaign. The song ‘Glitter in Their Eyes’ was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 2001.
On June 18, 1996 Patti Smith released The Patti Smith Masters box set.
The box set contains 20-bit digitally remastered CD versions of the first 5 Patti Smith’s albums with bonus tracks, and a 6th disc, Selected Songs.
March 19, 2002, Patti Smith released Land, a two disc compilation album.
Land contains a collection of recordings from Smith’s 8 previous albums on the first disc, along with B-sides and unreleased songs on the second disc. The album ranked number 8 in Mojo’s ‘Best Box Sets & Compilations of 2002’.It is dedicated to the memory of Richard Sohl.
April 27, 2004, Patti Smith released Trampin’.
Trampin’ was the first album Smith released on the Columbia Records label. Rolling Stone magazine placed the record on its list of ‘The Top 50 Albums of 2004’. Tracks include ‘In My Blakean Year’, ‘Gandhi’, and ‘Peaceable Kingdom’.
On June 25, 2005, Patti Smith recorded a concert in which she performed Horses in its entirety. The performance was recorded live as part of the ‘30th Anniversary’ in Royal Festival Hall at the Meltdown festival, which Smith curated. The concert set follows the same running order as the original release of Horses, and features Tom Verlaine on guitar and Flea on bass guitar.
It was released on November 8, 2005 under the title Horses/Horses.
Horses/Horses is a double CD, with the digitally remastered studio version of the original 1975 album (with the bonus track ‘My Generation’) on the first disc, and a live recording of the entire album on the second disc.
The Coral Sea is a live recording of two performances by Patti Smith and Kevin Shields.
The recording is of two performances by Smith and Shields from 2005 and 2006 respectively. The set consists of Smith’s homage to the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, her friend and former lover, and consists of the text of her epic 1996 poem of the same title. Shields accompanies in an improvisational manner on guitar.
On April 17, 2007, Patti Smith released Twelve.
As Twelve’s title suggests, the album contains twelve tracks, all of which are cover versions. It debuted on Billboard 200 at number 60, with 11,000 copies sold in its first week. A promotional EP entitled Two More was also released, featuring two tracks that are not on the album: ‘Perfect Day’ by Lou Reed and ‘Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect’ by The Decemberists. Tracks on Twelve include: ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, ‘When Doves Cry’, and ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’.
Patti Smith: Dream of Life is a 2008 documentary film about Patti Smith directed by Steven Sebring. It was presented at Berlin International Film Festival. It won the ‘Excellence in Cinematography Award: Documentary’ at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival:
Patti Smith has also written several books of poetry and lyrics. They are:
Seventh Heaven (1972)
Early Morning Dream (1972)
Witt (1973)
Ha! Ha! Houdini! (1977)
Babel (1978)
Woolgathering (1992)
Early Work (1994)
The Coral Sea (1996)
Patti Smith Complete (1998)
Strange Messenger (2003)
Auguries of Innocence (2005)
Poems by William Blake. (Edited by and with introduction by Patti Smith) (2007)
Land 250 (2008)
Trois (2008)
In 2005, Patti Smith was named a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture.
Patti Smith
In 2007, Patti Smith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The music and lyrics of The Doors was – and still is – a big influence on me.
The Doors’ first album is The Doors.
The Doors - The Doors
Tracks are: Break On Through (To the Other Side) – 2:29/Soul Kitchen – 3:35/The Crystal Ship – 2:34/Twentieth Century Fox – 2:33/Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) – 3:20/Light My Fire – 7:06/Back Door Man – 3:34/I Looked at You – 2:22/ End of the Night – 2:52/Take It as It Comes – 2:17/The End – 11:41
The Doors’ second album is Strange Days.
The Doors - Strange Days
Tracks are: Strange Days – 3:11/You’re Lost Little Girl – 3:03/Love Me Two Times – 3:18/Unhappy Girl – 2:02/Horse Latitudes – 1:37/Moonlight Drive – 3:05/People Are Strange – 2:13/My Eyes Have Seen You – 2:32/I Can’t See Your Face in My Mind – 3:26/When the Music’s Over – 10:58
The Doors’ third album is Waiting for the Sun.
The Doors - Waiting for the Sun
Tracks are: Hello, I Love You – 2:14/Love Street – 2:53/Not to Touch the Earth – 3:56/Summer’s Almost Gone – 3:22/Wintertime Love – 1:54/The Unknown Soldier – 3:23/Spanish Caravan – 3:03/My Wild Love – 3:01/We Could Be So Good Together – 2:26/Yes, the River Knows – 2:36/Five to One – 4:26
The Doors’ fourth album is The Soft Parade.
The Doors - The Soft Parade
Tracks are: Tell All the People – 3:23/Touch Me – 3:12/Shaman’s Blues – 4:49/Do It – 3:08/Easy Ride – 2:41/Wild Child – 2:38/Runnin’ Blue – 2:33/Wishful Sinful – 3:02/The Soft Parade – 8:37
The Doors’ fifth album is Morrison Hotel.
The Doors - Morrison Hotel
Tracks are: Roadhouse Blues – 4:03/Waiting for the Sun – 3:58/You Make Me Real – 2:53/Peace Frog – 2:51/Blue Sunday – 2:13/Ship of Fools – 3:08/Land Ho! – 4:10/The Spy – 4:17/Queen of the Highway – 2:47/Indian Summer – 2:36/Maggie M’Gill – 4:23
The Doors sixth album is Absolutely Live – their first live album.
The Doors - Absolutely Live
Tracks are: House Announcer – 2:40/Who Do You Love? – 6:02/Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) – 1:51/Back Door Man – 2:22/Love Hides – 1:48/Five to One – 4:34/Build Me a Woman – 3:33/When the Music’s Over – 16:16/Close to You – 4:04/Universal Mind – 4:54/Petition the Lord with Prayer – 0:52/Dead Cats, Dead Rats – 1:57/Break On Through (to the Other Side) – 4:41/Lions in the Street – 1:14/Wake Up – 1:21/A Little Game – 1:12/The Hill Dwellers – 2:35/Not to Touch the Earth – 4:14/Names of the Kingdom – 1:29/The Palace of Exile – 2:20/Soul Kitchen – 7:15
The Doors’ seventh (and last) album is L.A. Woman.
The Doors - L.A. Woman
Tracks are: The Changeling – 4:21/Love Her Madly – 3:20/Been Down So Long – 4:41/Cars Hiss By My Window – 4:12/L.A. Woman – 7:49/L’America – 4:37/Hyacinth House – 3:11/Crawling King Snake – 5:00/The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat) – 4:16/Riders on the Storm – 7:09
Finally, there’s An American Prayer, which is Jim Morrison’ poetry and poetic observations and musings with a musical backing by the other members of The Doors.
An American Prayer
Tracks are: Awake – 0:36/Ghost Song (edit) – 2:50/Dawn’s Highway – 1:21/Newborn Awakening – 2:26/To Come of Age – 1:01/Black Polished Chrome – 1:07/Latino Chrome – 2:14/Angels and Sailors – 2:46/Stoned Immaculate – 1:33/The Movie – 1:35/Curses, Invocations – 1:57/American Night – 0:28/Roadhouse Blues – 5:53/The World On Fire – 1:06/Lament – 2:18/The Hitchhiker – 2:15/An American Prayer – 3:04/Hour For Magic – 1:17/Freedom Exists – 0:20/A Feast Of Friends – 2:10
The best albums to listen to are The Doors, Strange Days, L.A Woman and An American Prayer.
For those who want a concise package of good music, there’s always The Very Best of The Doors, which is a reasonable compilation of (most of) the best tracks.
Tracks are: (Disc 1) Break on Through (To the Other Side) – 2:27/Light My Fire – 7:07/The Crystal Ship – 2:32/People Are Strange – 2:09/Strange Days – 3:08/Love Me Two Times – 3:14/Alabama Song – 3:18/Five to One – 4:25/Waiting for the Sun – 3:58/Spanish Caravan – 2:57/When the Music’s Over – 10:56 (Disc 2) Hello, I Love You – 2:15/Roadhouse Blues – 4:02/L.A. Woman – 7:49/Riders on the Storm – 7:10/Touch Me – 3:11/Love Her Madly – 3:17/The Unknown Soldier – 3:23/The End – 11:42
With regards to Jim Morrison’s writings outside The Doors, I enjoyed reading his poetry. There are three collections:
The Lords & the New Creatures
The Lords/The New Creatures
Wilderness
Wilderness
The American Night.
The American Night
There’s also a book about Jim Morrison and The Doors that’s worth reading. It’s entitled No One Here gets Out Alive and it’s by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarman.
Some critics have claimed it exaggerates certain events – and that may be so – however it’s still a very entertaining read.
There’s also a very good documentary about The Doors, called The Doors are Open.
It’s worth finding on DVD.
Finally, of course, there’s The Doors, the movie made by Oliver Stone and starring Val Kilmer as a very convincing Jim Morrison.
It’s an interesting and entertaining film with a great soundtrack. What else does anyone want from a movie?
All in all, there are some fascinating Jim Morrison and Doors-related CDs, books and DVDs available. Some good video clips too. Here’s one to be going on with:
The legacy of The Doors is quite an interesting artistic legacy – one that’s definitely worth investigating.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (often shortened to SAHB) was formed in 1972 by singer and musician Alex Harvey.
Harvey joined forces with guitarist Zal Cleminson, bassist Chris Glen, and cousins Ted and Hugh McKenna on drums and keyboards respectively.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band produced a succession of highly regarded albums and tours throughout the 1970s.
Their albums included:
Framed (1972)
Framed (SAHB)
Next (1973)
Next (SAHB)
The Impossible Dream (1974)
The Impossible Dream (SAHB)
Live (1975)
Live (SAHB)
Tomorrow Belongs To Me (1975)
Tomorrow Belongs To Me (SAHB)
The Penthouse Tapes (1976)
The Penthouse Tapes (SAHB)
SAHB Stories (1976)
SAHB Stories (SAHB)
Fourplay (1977)
Fourplay (SAHB – without Alex)
Rock Drill (1978)
Rock Drill (SAHB)
SAHB albums are patchy, but each one contains four or five great tracks. Live, SAHB excelled – due to the charismatic and theatrical presence of frontman Harvey, their performances were always electrifying. Some of the video clips above show just how good they were live.
Alex Harvey died in 1982, a great loss to music. He left behind some amazing songs and performances. Here’s to the truly unique Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
