|
| ORGAN
#232> Nov 29th '07 - new issue on line every Thursday afternoon |
|
|
| WE'VE
MOVED AGAIN, NOW WE'RE ON AIR AN HOUR EARLIER |
Let
‘em eat cake and stare at the rude boys and the medicated psychopath over
there – Airtraffic are talking on the radio right now and telling us about
this cool band we should all check out called The Jam - just *** off you
clucking little sh*ts! And what is the point of probate anyway? Just who
has time to stop and smell the flowers and then go look up their proper
names on the internet or watch TV and borrow lines? Opinions, arseholes,
everyone has one, and every clueless f**k with a blog thinks he or she
is a music critic these days, the downside of the web I guess and I guess
I guess I guess you get to learn who’s views you can trust and who really
doesn’t have a clue and can blog right off - Ants in the carpet? Parking
violations? Mace? Who’s time is a piece of wax? Woken up by little owls?
Owls are not what things are about either and neither is that voice inside
your head that you refuse to hear, who are you anyway and what are you
doing here?
– these are the things that
have been in our ears this week, please explore and if it sounds interesting
then just hit the links and make your own minds up, our reviews and thoughts
are mere signposts designed to guide you to the things you might like to
feast on yourselves... don’t you just love the instant hit of the www. |
IS THIS WHY YOU BOOKMARKED ME? |
96
Gillespie & Rough Trade East are pleased to announce a photographic
exhibition & book release by acclaimed American music photographer,
Pat Graham.
On exhibition are a large
collection of photographs taken from the book, both black and white &
colour. Hand printed and hand toned by Graham, the photographs are tangibly
beautiful objects, a testament to his skill in the darkroom.
LEGENDARY UNDERGROUND
MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHER PAT GRAHAM CAPTURES THE SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE:
Fugazi. Bikini Kill. Modest Mouse. These ground-breaking bands and their
peers not only helped shaped the face of today’s alternative music scene,
but also played a significant part in establishing a thriving subculture
based on do-it-yourself ideals while repudiating mainstream conventions
with urgency and integrity. Here, in acclaimed photographer Pat Graham's
debut Collection of work, the moments, the music, and the message all come
alive with vivid intensity and searing honesty, as he documents the evolution
of independent music history from his vantage point at the heart of the
Washington, DC scene over the last two decades. This retrospective traces
Pat Graham's development as a photographer, while reflecting a deep appreciation
of the scene he helped to create - and has now memorialized.
Like the bands he captures
on film, Graham thrives because of his uncompromising aesthetic. Many of
the images presented here have taken on iconic status over the years, proving
that the energy of live shows resonates beyond the walls of the nightclub.
Indeed, Graham's inimitable style is partly a consequence of the countless
times he has accompanied groups like Modest Mouse and The Make-Up on tour
across the world; these photographs convey the power of legendary performers
like The Jesus Lizard and the late Elliott Smith in unscripted spontaneity
onstage, while more intimate portraits provide candid glimpses of life
on the road, behind-the-scenes peeks backstage, and shots of euphoric audiences
participating in similar scenes of community collaboration across the country.
Taken as a collection, Silent
Pictures shows that the spirit of the underground transcends the music
to express an attitude, culture, and way of life that is sincere and authentic
- one that underscores the links that bind groups as sonically diverse
as OutKast, Thievery Corporation, Les Savy Fav, and The Shins.
Born in 1970, Graham studied
photography at the University of Wisconsin before relocating to Washington
DC in 1991. He moved to London in 2002 and lives and works in Islington.
He co-founded 96 Gillespie, a small vital contemporary art gallery in Highbury
dedicated to encouraging & supporting a dialogue between US & UK
artists and to being a significant venue in the UK for American artists.
Recent exhibitions include
showings at San Francisco's Needles & Pens Gallery, Philadephia's Space
1026, Washington DC's Transformer Gallery, Antwerp's Cultuur Cenrum Luchtbal,
and London's ICA. His work forms part of the permanent collections of the
Arlington Municipal Arts, (Arlington, Virginia) as well as the Experience
Music Project, (Seattle, Washington) and is held in private collections
around the world.
This event will also launch
the 96 Gillespie club ART at Rough Trade East on Sunday December 9th. Featuring
some of independent music's finest artists: Daniel Higgs, Tim Kerr, and
Tara Jane O'Neil as well as Rich Jacob's, Melanie Standage and Kristen
Cutlip
|
THINGS TO GET SHOUTING ABOUT? |
Shout?
Why? We could shout about the latest IMPERIAL LEISURE guerilla gig
flash mob thing street raid thing, last night, early evening Oxford
Street was hit in the most positive of ways, we could shout about it again,
I think we’ll leave it to the national TV news crew who got wind of it
and showed up – people on the street are you feeling alright?! The single
is officially released here on ORG on Monday, pretty much sold out already,
all over the radio, all over your street - The CD
single is part of the ORG-AN-ISED SINGLES SERIES and as you know
by now all releases in the series are strictly limited to a pressing of
1000 copies. The single is officially released on Monday, demand in already
heavy and it looks like very few of these are going to be left by Monday
lunch time. The tracks will be on the debut album in 2008 (and how good
is that sounding, caught some work in progress with Junk Scientist at the
controls earlier this week) so you don’t need to be worrying about not
having the tracks, if you want this version though then act now.
We expect the single to be sold out on Monday. Lots of gigs and festivals
already being booked for 2008 and the next single will be out at the end
of February.
John on the phone... |
| John
Peel's legendary Festive 50 continues again this year on Dandelion Radio
- play your part in by voting for your three favourite tracks of 2007,
here.
WE'VE MOVED
AGAIN, NOW WE'RE ON AIR AN HOUR EARLIER
THE OTHER
ROCKSHOW and THE ORGAN SHOW from SEAN ORGAN @ RESONANCE 104.4fm with
MARINA
ORGAN one week and SEAN O the next. 9.00pm every Sunday night...
RESONANCE
BROADCASTS ALL OVER LONDON ON 104.4FM OR WORLDWIDE VIA THE WEB
The Other
Rock Show is presented by Marina O, The Other Rock Show is about exploring
'other' time signatures within structures of rock and filtering out the
conventions of the 4/4 time easy option in favour of something a little
more challenging.
Meanwhile on
the ORGAN RADIO SHOW Sean Owill be bringing you an eclectic mix
of diverse left-field things from all points in between and beyond - the
best new releases and demos that are circulating around the underground
fanzine channels and landing here in the Organ office, along with news
of forthcoming events and general alternative music news and goings on
in and around London.
Expect an hour
of challenging alternative music each week, the kind you don’t often get
on ‘normal’ music radio shows and stations, expect special guests, expect
who knows what... expect to find links and details so you can explore all
that you hear on www.organart.com
after each show |
ORGAN TV? |
ORGAN
TV is
on your screens in the UK right now. Every Wednesday evening, 10.30pm
on the OPEN ACCESS 2 Channel on SKY160. And now due to the fine response,
repeated every Sunday on SKY883 at 11.15pm.
This
coming Sunday we have the following videos...
TIM
ARNOLD - Another World
PURE
REASON REVOLUTION - Intention Craft
EFTERKLANG
- Mirador
HAFDIS
HULD - Tomoko
TITS
OF DEATH - Iron Nipples
BLEEDING
THROUGH - Kill To Believe
AKERCOCKE
- Axiom
Next
Wednesday and Sunday we have...
EFTERKLANG
- Mirador
DAN
DEACON - The Crystal Cat
ALL
SYSTEMS GO - Tell Vicki
LILY
GREEN - Patience
AMON
TOBIN - Verbal
MY
VITRIOL - This Time
KILLSWITCH
ENGAGE - Fixation On The Darkness
What's
it all about? Simple, just good music, and the art of good video making...
Same musical policy as we've always had with Organ - the labels are just
handy signposts, as long as the music and video making has that X factor
- expect a healthy eye/earboiling mix of metal, punk, prog, beats, post
rock, post punk, post man pat, hardcore, indie, alternative, pronk, whatever.....
music and creativity for the open minded
|
Want
to get your video on? Well all you need to do is make us aware of what
you have, send us a link to your video on MySpace or You Tube or wherever,
or a VHS or a DVD and if you have something that we want to broadcast then
we'll chase you for a master broadcast format and wallop, sorted |
DEMO TIME |
Like
we already said - we shall no longer be reviewing a million demos, we're
just going to tell you about the very very best once a week, no more time
for the average, only the most exciting - we're very very selective, when
we tell you it's goood then it really is goooooooood
DEMO
OF THE WEEK
LITTLE TROPHY - This CD
in it's little black cover doesn't add the visual treat of the band themselves,
but rest assured the Brighton band look just as delightfully eccentric
as their music sounds - a youthful collection of characters out of a Tim
Burton movie, fronted by Russell Brand's (better looking) mini-me.
'Potty Stumble' does just that, for the first few bars - it's a whole family
of distracted children, lurching first, then running away with a bright
and breezy smile of a tune. Beautifully crafted pop that unexpectedly
grabs you and throws you into a metal moshpit, stopping and starting, out-progging
and mathing Deerhoof but with some of that accessibility and brightness
of touch. Little Trophy will sound mindblowingly unique to most people;
others will realise that Cardiacs broke the ice some time ago; never mind,
because Little Trophy have a personality of their own. (OK, it has to be
said that the results are uncannily like English underground legends Ring
- which is fine, people have been waiting decades for another band like
that). The three little songs on this demo pack a lot into each two-and-a-half
minutes: 'Slow March And A Half Step' sandwiches nursery-school singsong
between miniature thrash-outs. So many changes and contrasts it feels like
munching through a box of posh chocolates without looking at the flavour
guide. All bite-sized intensity. There isn't a moment of hesitation
or uncertainty - they go for it with their heads held high, the hyperactive
ska of 'Mischief On The Firestep' slipping right into one of their gliding
breezy pop breaks, then back into one of their stomping tantrums. Special
mention must be made of the glorious keyboards that shine and soar through
the arrangements - lovely analogue (sounding) leads with the guitar, a
rare element indeed. www.myspace.com/littletrophy
or www.littletrophy.com
ALSO CHECK OUT
RISE OF THE SIMIANS – Four
slices of rather impressive heavy churning slow grinding “bastardized metal”
(their chosen term). A heavy heavy High On Fire/Electric Wizard/Crowbar
style and a rather professional sounding set of early moves from a clearly
rather good band (from Hastings). Nothing that original yet, but hey, give
them a little time - www.myspace.com/riseofthesimians
Last
week's demo of the week - THE ORIENTALISTS
Previous
demo's of the week - HOUSEHOLD
/ THE JELAS
/ COUNTRYSIDE
/ BASTARDS OF THE SKIES / MEHE
/ THE PRETTY YOUNG THINGS / HAPPY
PENGUIN HUNGRY BEAR / SOMEBODY’S MIND
/ INSTRUMENTS / DEATH
QUNT / OAKWOOD / EPSTEIN
SUPERFLU / THE FURIOUS SLEEP /
FUNERAL
CRASHERS
DEMO
REVIEW ARCHIVES |
|
NEW ALBUMS WE’RE LISTENING TO THIS WEEK |
This
week we’ve been listening to...
ALBUM
OF THE WEEK
VERNON ELLIOTT AND THE VERNON
ELLIOTT ENSEMBLE – Ivor The Engine And Pogles Wood: The Original Television
Music (Trunk) – A lovingly crafted piece of pure charm and an album that
collects together the music (and lots more) from the 1960’s Smallfilm animated
productions of Ivor The Engine, The Pogles and Pogles Wood. All music and
sound here is from original quarter inch master tapes found in Oliver Postgate’s
“underworld” (shed or loft or some magical place like that). Treasures
from everyone’s childhood – you know Oliver Postgate, that beautifully
rich voice from The Clangers and Bagpuss, that national treasure. Theme
tunes, handmade sound effects, charming little pieces of woodwind and string
“various magic noises”.and all put together by Johnny Trunk (thank you
Johnny) with such care and dedicated attention to detail - absolutely wonderful
– www.trunkrecords.com
ALSO
CHECK OUT
3HOSTWOMEXICANSANDATINOFSPANNERS
– Everything Is F**king Shit - Has this album got a tittle or anything
else? Thankless task? Yeah, as always – and we’re making their economy
grow, don’t they know? Forth album from the four piece from London, 3Hos
(as they’re more conveniently/commonly knows as) are an abrasive cantankerous
swearathon of a hardboiled band – ah yes the album does have a tittle,
just found it hiding inside the gatefold – good looking artwork as well.
3Hos are an abrasive band, an awkward edgy jagged band who rejoice in feedback
and broken glass and all things loud, angry and seriously hard-boiled.3Hos
are a constant set of threatening confrontations, a band who could start
and argument in an empty room – and yes it is still all Thatcher’s fault.
Scathing abrasive shouty angry guitar noise for disciples of Jesus Lizard
style bands, Albini-like production values, the work of the metropolitan
police force, class war and generally raging against the machines. Not
just noise for noise sakes though, they have a crafted style and this is
a lot more than just sonic violence. Lovely stuff, wholesome and good for
you, go grab a slice right now. www.3hos.com
|
ACID MOTHER TEMPLE &
THE MELTING PARAISO UFO – Acid Motherly Love (Riot Season) – They’re already
legendary and the extremely prolific Japanese band are as out there as
ever with this their latest collection of heavy psychedelic mind-bending
workouts. More of their extremely intense left-field progressive psychedelia
and extended blues flavoured acid driven freakscapes. Fifteen minute tracks
that swirl, froth, oscillate and fry you sideways in that way only Acid
Mother Temple can. Howling guitars, riffs that grow and grow (and grow)
into wild jams that in turn give way to passages of intense trance and
strange spoken word acousticness before flying way way waaaaaay out past
any recognisable dimension again. There’s nothing quite like the
sound of Acid Mother Temple is full flow and this new album really does
fine them in the fullest of full flows. www.riotseason.com
BUZZCOCKS – 30 (Cooking Vinyl)
– Twenty eight track live album recorded on their 30th anniversary tour
in 2006. Oh for a time machine back to those two gigs at the Free Trade
Hall with a copy of 30 in my pocket – is this really how it was all supposed
to all turn out? I really don’t know. Pretty wired, raw and energetically
messy run through a load of Buzzcocks classics (and they do have some of
the best classics of all). Maybe if we hadn’t seen Steve Diggle in that
dreadful Pistols documentary yesterday? (scroll down). Are they deliberately
playing things this badly? Surely they can play a little better by now?
They certainly sound committed. Sounds like it was (maybe) a throwaway
bit of fun to be there at the gig (London Kentish Town Forum), think I’ll
stick with the original studio versions and go see one of the many many
new bands who’ve fed off the original brilliance – really not sure what
to make of this, really don’t know if this is good or bad, I really don’t
know – www.buzzcocks.com
SHAM 69 – Western Culture
(Bad Dog) – Sham? Buzzcocks? Pistols? The old dinosaurs are arriving in
force here this week. Actually Sham are sounding reasonable fit ‘n lean
with this aggro’d up new studio album and line up – first new album in
some ten years. No Jimmy Pursey now, main songwriter Dave Parsons is here
though and new frontman Tim V turns in a classic chant-a-long street punk
East End cockney reject of a performance. Never was supposed to be
about anniversaries and box sets retrospective reunion tours was it? Never
mind that old bollocks here’s the new Sham album – lean fresh slicing (slightly
too cleanly produced) street punk with all the Sham trademarks - asbo sports-days
and throwing sickies, angels with slightly cleaner faces, straight to the
point as always - you’re only as good as your next move, this is a positive
next move – www.sham69online.co.uk
or www.baddogrecords.de
TRANSILVANIAN BEAT CLUB –
Das Leben Soll Doch Schon Sein (Massacre) – Some kind of East German vampire
infested black metal tinged Misfit rock’n roll New Model Army of a band.
No idea what they’re singing about, decent sounding gothish volka/polka
flavoured filthy rock’n roll though – www.massacre-records.com
ISOLATION – Lockdown (Casket)
– A decent mix of blended metal, the crunch of modern metalcore stomping
on something that reaches back to a chunky brutal punky hard hitting NWOBHM
sound and sense. They’re from Cheltenham and subtle is obviously not part
of their vocabulary – www.isolationrock.com
NIC – Necessary Intergalactic
Cooperation (Malicious Gossip) – Electro-jazzy-funky-chunky-dubby head
food from Norway that tastes of Ozrics, Pink Floyd, warm flowing dub, mellow
reggae, a touch of soul when the sparse vocals are added. Laid back vibes
from an outfit that includes one time P.I.L guitarist Keith Levene – www.maliciousdamage.co.uk
SEVENDUST – Alpha (7Bros/Asylum)
– Sevendust’s six album, released in the USA last year and finally officially
released in the UK this December. Pretty standard set of decent enough
crunching nu-metal tunes - brutal edge when they need it, melodic restraint
here and there, nothing that different, nothing that bad, if you need more
standard issue nu-metal then this is as good as any of the other options
– www.sevendust.info
ALBUM
REVIEW ARCHIVES |
LIVE |
Any
second now, come back in a moment, we're runnnnnnning late, too many things
to get done, names of plants and such. hungry mouths almost fed |
Live
previously - CARDIACS / BEE
STINGS /HAPPY PENGUIN HUNGRY BEAR
/ OURLIVES / DRUGDEALER
CHEERLEADER / EMILY
BREEZE / IMPERIAL
LEISURE / HERZOGA
/ JOHN ADAMS / BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
/ VILE VILE CREATURES
/ TIME.SPACE.REPEAT / SISTER
/ JOHN & JHEN / BEARSUIT
/ TANGAROA / GUTWORM
/ MALEFICE / ACT
ART 5 – TILL DEATH US DO ART / TO THE BONES
/ RON ATHEY / PURESSENCE
/ VEENUS
LIVE
REVIEW ARCHIVES |
SINGLES |
Single
time...
SINGLE
OF THE WEEK
DEERHOOF
– Matchbook Seeks Maniac (ATP/R) – How just right are Deerhoof? How perfectly
right and uplifting and cleansing and problem solving and challenging and
how wonderfully unpredictable and good for your well being. Matchbooks
is so simple and charming and so so full of glowing progressive delight
and she wouldn’t really sell her soul to the devil would she? Leave your
jaded cynical head at the door and just swim in the cleaver delights of
the ever wonderful ever changing delightful musical box of treasure that
is Deerhoof. Two tracks here, Matchbook is from the excellent Friend Opportunity,
over on the b-side of this limited edition 7” picture disc is a track sung
in Japanese and only previously available in the USA. www.atpfestival.com
SINGLE
OF THE WEEK 2
F*CK
BUTTONS - Bright Tomorrow (ATP/R) – Beautiful melodies weaving around a
forward moving drone-scape, more sunny relaxed drive through the country
than autobahn road-racing - until that sense of menace starts to fill the
rear view mirror and the noise starts driving right there on your back
bumper, blocks out everything and threatens to push you right over the
edge – beautiful menace, (mostly instrumental, until the undercurrent of
screaming distorted feedback drenched low in the mix voices), beautiful
menace, nihilistic foreboding warmth and playing with the space where melody
becomes big black rhythm. Excellent. Limited to 1000 7” picture discs and
a first taste of the Bristol band’s forthcoming Street Horrrsing album.
www.atpfestival.com
SINGLE
OF THE WEEK 3
IMPERIAL
LEISURE – In A Letter (ORG) - Yeah yeah, shouting our big mouths
off about our own releases again and how we’ve got the best new bands for
you and here comes another right now and don’t let us do all the shouting
and watch out for that crocodile and read this: "A tune of epic proportions...
You'll be singing it for the rest of your life..." Colin Murray (Radio
One)... SUBBA-CULTCHA.COM SINGLE OF THE MONTH - Fusing the hyperactive
rapping of Hadouken and the skanking party-routines R X Bandits, in one
single Imperial Leisure have saved Ska from the damage by The Ordinary
Boys over two albums” >>> “A face off between the Two Tone old guard and
Searching for the Young Soul Rebels era Dexy’s with Pigbag on hand crafting
out Mexicana infused brass fanfares and John Cooper Clarke hastily scribbling
the lyrics and Bad Brains overseeing the melee... Perhaps the most crucial
band around right at this moment - the revolution begins here” (Losing
Today magazine) .>>> “Love it – The Specials and The Beat meet Hard-Fi!!”
Tunatheday.com. Limited to a pressing of 1000 as part 36 of the ORG-AN-ISED
SINGLES SERIES here on ORG (no the label is not called Organ! That’s the
name of the magazine), officially released and in the shops on December
3rd if we have any left by then – our mailorder page is here
if you’re quick, are we having fun yet, what a ditzy scene. www.myspace.com/imperialleisure
ALSO
CHECK OUT
POLITBURO
– The Oldest Empire (Soviet Union) – Thought they’d given it all up – another
band crashed out and lost forever before they’d really got to fly, not
a word or a hint of activity for ages. The Manchester band’s last single
Line of Wealth was very well received around here and the one gig we actually
got to see was oozing with edgy wired up promise and a swaggering knowing
driving attitude. They have a drummer now and thus have lost what was (maybe
in hindsight) a slightly too obvious Joy Division edge – it was an excellent
edge though, they did it with a knowing swagger and a certain style of
their own, they were exciting, they knew it, we all knew it (those who
knew at all that is). This new single with added human drummer - rather
than that locked-on staccato Kraut rock drum machine - took a little time
to bite, I must admit to a fair amount of disappointment, kept on coming
back to it again and again though, something kept pulling, little voices
demanding one more play - and now that wired edge of theirs is really hooking
in again. Three new tracks and a primitive edge and yes, very much still
an old school Manchester punk/new wave thing, that knowing swagger and
burning edge that can only come out of the Republic of Mancunia – the sound
rolls now, a smoldering edgy sound - they’re still the Politburo that excited
so much last time around, don’t know why it didn’t grab hold straight off,
they’re certainly burning finger tips now. Actually they may just be better
than ever and the crows and the fire in the hole may well yet beat the
human race, a dangerous hand...www.myspace.com/politburohq
or www.sovietunion.co.uk
LUCKY
SOUL – Lips Are Unhappy (Ruffa Lane) – A rather fine slice of classic pop
single and a lush and inviting Northern Soul flavoured girl-voiced easy
on the ear indie pop treat that hints at St. Etienne creaminess. Half decent
cover of Mud’s Lonely This Christmas on the b-side. www.ruffalane.com
Last
week's single of the week - CLUB 8 / TURBO
NEGRO
Previously
- CANDY PANDY ATTACK / SUNS
OF THUNDER / DEPARTMENT S / TERRY
EDWARDS & THE SCAPEGOATS / THAT F*CKING
TANK / ODD SHAPED HEAD / VESSELS/
4
OR 5 MAGICIANS / TIME.SPACE.REPEAT /
WE
START FIRES / LOVE AND A .45 / BLUE
STATES / EFTERKLANG /
NATO
SINGLE
REVIEW ARCHIVES |
|
'BEST
OF/RE-ISSUE OF THE WEEK |
THE MOB – May Inspire Revolutionary Acts (Overground) - Well I guess you
have to put them in that place and time, those anarcho-punk/counter culture
early 80’s and the running convoy battles with the forces of Thatcher,
the air thick with the smell of oppression (and innocence joining angry
precessions) The Mob were a big part of that anarcho punk/free festival
squat-gig DIY culture - the lines were clearly drawn back then and you
knew which side you were on. Part of the broad Crass family and the Broughton
Road squats of Hackney. This is a collection of the material that didn’t
find a place on the Let The Tribe Increase. Twenty tracks that really do
push the edges of fractured DIY ’punk’. Is it a mess or was it defiance
as art? Was it creative anarchy and a challenging to musical/political
thinking or just a untalented mess of badly produced half formed badly
played notes/ideas? The rejection of anything that didn’t quite fit? Raw
passion and emotion or just a bunch of misfits? This isn’t easy listening,
The Mob were of their place and time, that place and time led to a lot
more though, bands like The Mob really did make a difference, they just
may have helped inspire a revolutionary act or two (see you at the next
reclaim the streets, or the next Meanwhile Gardens protest). A welcome
collection, a fine document, excellent sleeve notes, check it out, it might
just inspire - www.overgroundrecords.co.uk
ARSONISTS
GET ALL THE GIRLS – Hits From The Bow (Process) – Insane yapping and yellping
and thrashing like a hardcore tantrum throwing death metal grindcore bungle
fish out of water – keyboard chaos and slicing cutting pink with guitars
and the first album re-issued because – well I guess the word is spreading
like the game of life and the castle must be saved. They’re from Santa
Cruz, California, this is their 2006 debut album. One for the buried (and
me) - Available in the UK via www.cargorecords.co.uk
THE
VERVE – This Is Music: The Singles ‘92-’98 (EMI) - A re-issue of the 2004
greatest hits package, this time with a bonus DVD full of the band's promo
videos. You can’t really go wrong with The Verve can you? Some of the most
anthemic and instantly recognisable indie rock/Brit pop of the 90’s. OK
so you may find their down-beat down-tempo weighing a little heavy on your
day after a while, no denying the quality here when you’re in the right
frame of mind though. Track listing: On the CD... This Is Music, Slide
Away, Lucky Man, History, She’s A Superstar, On Your Own, Blue, Sonnet,
All In The Mind, The Drugs Don’t Work, Gravity Grave, Bitter Sweet Symphony,
This Could Be My Moment, Monte Carlo
On
the DVD... This Is Music, Slide Away, Lucky Man, History, She’s A Superstar,
On Your Own, Blue, Sonnet, All In The Mind, The Drugs Don’t Work, Gravity
Grave, Bitter Sweet Symphony, Lucky Man (US Version), This Could Be My
Moment, Monte Carlo
PREVIOUSLY
- KHAYA / GREASY
TRUCKERS PARTY / HERE AND NOW /
WALLS
OF JERICHO / CARTER USM / THE
HOUSE OF LOVE / MONO / DEEP
PURPLE / NUB / ANTHRAX
/ OMD |
MEDIA, VIDEO, PRINT AND.... |
PARALLEL
WORLDS, PARALLEL LIVES documentary BBC4 - Mark Everett, frontman and composer
of The Eels and a compelling character in his own right, takes a journey
to understand his late father, quantum physicist Hugh Everett - a man whose
theories were ignored or ridiculed at first, but who is now described by
some as being as important as Einstein. Mark (known as E in Eels circles)
has, he says, little or no mathematical ability or science knowledge, but
his quest, visiting ex-colleagues of his father and current renowned physicists,
leads to some beautiful and easy-to-understand (if head-spinning) explanations,
assisted by some delightful animation. Everett was the man who first put
forward the quantum theory of parallel universes, and did so at a very
young age, coming up against the established physics giants of the day.
The proofs of such theories are illustrated in a way that's actually believable,
with demonstrations that floors both E and this viewer. The science established,
E travels to meet his late father's friends and colleagues, discovering
a great deal about the man he grew up with but barely spoke to. Actually,
everything about this documentary is a delight, from Mark himself, the
look, the gentle revelation of a moving tale, the insights into both parallel
worlds of rock and physics. Director Louise Lockwood is a marvel,
giving everyone just the right amount of space and time and connecting
the story threads together in a flowing narrative full of resonant moments,
culminating in the restoration of tapes of his father's voice...
Look out for repeats of this unique, compelling and rather wonderful documentary.
NEVER
MIND THE SEX PISTOLS: AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY – DVD (Demon Vision) - It
really is a remarkable achievement. To go to all the effort of gathering
together a film crew, getting in to an editing suite and making a film
length documentary about one of the most significant and exciting bands
ever - a band with one of the most fascinating stories, a band surrounded
by legend, a band who challenged and changed the whole musical landscape
in such a major way - to take all that and to make a documentary so damn
bland and tediously beige – it really is a quite remarkable achievement!
How on earth could a documentary about the Pistols turn out so excruciatingly
dull?!
Alan
Parker has gathered together a group of rather boring badly-dressed middle
age men (the kind you see standing at the end of Crewe station writing
down train numbers) men who were actually there maaann – all of them trotting
out the same tedious line about how boring everything was in the same far
far more boringly predictable than a half-hour Genesis drum solo way that
they always do – Jeezz, these people are enough to make you want to go
shoplift an Emerson Lake and Palmer triple album and lock yourself in a
dark room with it forever!!
So
Parker – self-appointed Pistols expert and a man who calls himself Mr Punk
on the cover (snigger) a man who spends more time in front of the camera
that most of his interviewees - has gathered together, in various lifeless
pubs and dull looking brown studios, a collection of tedious talking heads,
Kings Road scenesters, ex guitar roadies, and an out of work taxi driver
who claims he was a member of Sid’s first band The Flowers Of Romance.
There’s a really down at mouth Buzzcock - fag-in-hand, very flat looking
grim Northern pint, in the blandest looking pub they could possibly find
(is this man really Steve Diggle and was he really once an orgasm addict?),
Matlock’s here again, takes a long time to not say that much – starts to
reveal a little when he talks about leaving (jezzzz, no wonder they kicked
him out though!). Tour manager John Tiberi offers very little - surely
the man who was tour manager at all those gigs, events that are now the
stuff of such legend, has a million stories – or at least a few facts to
corroborate? Parker forgets to ask any of them anything that reveals much
– nothing anywhere near a tidbit that even the most casual of fans didn’t
know already. Indeed if you know anything about the Pistols story you’ll
find yourself yelling at the screen and wanting to kick it in in outraged
lorry driver fashion – “ask him about that! Did that really happen, what
about...arggghhhhhhhh!” “I’ve spent 21 years researching what went on in
that hotel room, I don’t think Sid did it” offers Parker. Why Alan, what
did you find out in those 21 years of research? You could maybe tell us
right now in the middle of your over long documentary?
Malcolm
McLaren’s contributions go a small way towards saving proceedings, old
Malcolm is always good for a comedy turn or two, not really worth trying
to sort out his fact from his fiction though is it? No sign of Johnny or
the other two here of course and no music what so ever - just the occasional
embarrassing shot of some not very good, not very convincing tribute band
re-enacting familiar scenes in some kind of hilariously unbelievable and
extremely amateurish fashion.
This
really is a dreadful production, this is far far more excruciating than
we’re making it sound here – the bland editing, the embarrassing visuals
(the few that there are), the tedious talking heads who drone on and on
(and on), the endless stating of the bleedin’ obvious. Even the dreadful
typeface selection on the DVD cover - every single thing about this is
tediously bad. The only reason I’m using up time and space telling you
about it here is because I’m a Pistols fan. I lap up things like this and
late last night I was cheated out of over an hour and a half on my life
- I’m still annoyed about it twenty four hours later. Do not waste your
time or money on this – a complete and utter cash-in of a swindle.(oh and
look, Matlock’s name is spelt wrong on the front cover as well).
PREVIOUSLY
- THE ZINE DIRECTORY
/ BATH BOMB
/ NEMESIS TO GO #4
/ DVD: MIGHTY ROBOT: SLEEP WHEN YOU ARE
DEAD / DVD:
GLASTONBURY - THE MOVIE / BOOK:
THE LANGUAGE OF THE BLUES – Debra De Salvo /
BOOK:
BERNARD SUMNER – CONFUSION / ZINE:
NOISY No5 / DVD: SAMMY AND THE WABOS – LIVING
IT UP IN ST.LOUIS / DVD - NAZARETH – FROM
THE BEGINNING |
|
THE END BIT... |
| ...and
finally... this
bit of unchristian teddybear naming from Rip Cruncher
What's
On? Check out the Party and Protest guide at SchNEWS, an excellent place
for alternative news bulletins and a different slice on things - www.schnews.org.uk |
| MORE
NEXT WEEK, SAME TIME, SAME PLACE FOR NUMBER 232?
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it for this week - IF YOU'VE GOT ANYTHING TO SAY then say it - response
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