Se muestran los artículos pertenecientes a Diciembre de 2007.
06/12/2007
The Zombies - Into the Afterlife 2007
Maravillosa recopilación de singles post Zombies (post Odessey & Oracle) y demos y rarezas. Compiladas por Alec Palao (sí, el de los Sneetches, catedrático mayor del reino Zombie). Una joya. REEDICIÓN DEL AÑO, sin discusión. He pagado dos textos; uno de Mark A. Frumento (Cherry Hill, NJ USA), sacado de amazon.com y que según dice, lo escribió para Shindig Magazine (http://blog.shindig-magazine.com/news.php). El segundo corresponde a Alec Palao.
MARK A. FRUMENTO
The Zombies may have one of the few catalogues in the history of 60s pop music to be treated with the full and proper respect it deserves. This comes down partially to the fact that the band themselves own the material but it's largely due to the caretaking abilities of compiler, writer and Zombies historian Alec Palao.
Alec made it easy for both super-fans and novices to collect the Zombies when he dreamed up Zombies Heaven, the 4 CD set of all of their studio recordings. There are side trips along the way with releases containing alternate mixes and rarities but owning the band's complete output is as easy as that one purchase. Now, 10 years since the release of Zombie Heaven Palao has given us one of the finest encores we could have imagined with Into the Afterlife.
Compiling 20 post-Odessey & Oracle tracks, Afterlife, like the box set before it, is another carefully compiled and well documented package. In this one collection you get the complete recorded output of Colin Blunstone's alter ego Neil MacArthur, a handful of excellent Rod Argent and Chris White demos, alternate mixes of later Zombies recordings and a few other oddities.
The proceedings kick off with the Neil MacArthur recording of She's Not There. The liner notes tell us that producer Mike Hurst coaxed Colin Blunstone away from his day job as an insurance salesman to make a return to the studio. The first number they tried together was this trippy version of the old Zombies hit. Luckily for us Blunstone stayed with Hurst for two more excellent singles, the Billy Vera penned blue-eyed soul track Don't Try to Explain, Nilsson's Without Her and the big production of 12:29 and It's Not Easy. We're also treated to a few rare MacArthur recordings including a breathy version of Stephen Stills' Hung Upside Down. The MacArthur tracks alone make this CD worth the price of admission.
Rod Argent and Chris White are represented by 6 demos, the highlights being Unhappy Girl and To Julia (for When She Smiles). Both of these demos would have fit nicely on Odessey & Oracle and are easily up to the standards of that album. Telescope (Mr. Galileo) is another fantastic number, very much in a pop psych vein. A completed studio recording of Telescope by an early incarnation of Argent is also included.
Rounding out the collection are 3 Zombies tracks, Walking in the Sun, I Know She Will and If It Don't Work Out, all remixes of tracks that appeared on Zombie Heaven. The mixes on Afterlife highlight the orchestral bits that were added as an effort to eek another hit out of the band. If anything could be considered filler on this CD it would be these tracks. More than anything the orchestrations prove to be bloated and overbearing when they are separated from the Zombies' original recordings.
Finally, we are presented with a rare live recording of the Zombies from 1966. On Going to a Go Go we get to hear just how much the band could rock in front of an audience and it's a shame more of these performances aren't available. While the not so excellent sound quality on this track breaks the mood it is among the most interesting artifacts on the CD.
Afterlife is packaged with the same quality we've come to expect Big Beat/Ace. A nice, fat booklet, filled with all the necessary details, band quotes, photos and memorabilia is housed artfully in an Odessey & Oracle part 2 cover. It may have taken 10 years to round this material up into one package but the wait was worth it. Palao and Big Beat have produced a Zombies collector's dream and one the best 60 reissues so far this year.
ALEC PALAO
· "Ten years is a long time for a compilation to come to fruition, but at Ace Records we firmly believe that it is well worth the wait to do things properly. Such in the case with Into the Afterlife. I had originally planned this collection of post-Zombies odds and sods to come out shortly after the release in October 1997 of Zombie Heaven, almost as a sort of adjunctal fifth disc. Some tracks on Afterlife had in fact at one time been contenders for inclusion on the box. However, one learns that not everything in life is quite so simple, and thus it has taken the best part of a decade to gather the appropriate clearances for the contents of Afterlife. I think you will agree, though, that it has indeed been well worth the wait.
This is technically not a Zombies album, though it does contain performances by Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, Chris White, Hugh Grundy and Paul Atkinson, together and separately. In their seven years together, the St Albans quintet had gone from rags to riches to rags again, both literally and metaphorically. As 1968 dawned, with an imminent dissolution of the five friends’ partnership, it seemed that for some of the participants at least, the Zombies had been a magical but ultimately fleeting adventure. Rather, Afterlife is, essentially, what the members of the Zombies did next. It documents the relatively brief but murky period between the end of the group, and the establishment of long term music careers by its main protagonists: two years that were also highlighted by the sudden re-emergence of the Zombies brand as a major commercial force, thanks to the belated and quite unexpected American success of the final single Time Of The Season and the group’s brilliant swansong, Odessey & Oracle.
It is thus a fascinating, if fleeting chapter, that draws from three different sets of repertoire: Rod and Chris’ initial demos on the way to the formation of Argent, pop experiments that on the one hand are markedly different to what these two exemplary writers had done in the past, yet bear the classy hallmark of the Odessey songbook; the augmented Zombies material that the duo prepared for the aborted R.I.P album; and the small cache of recordings Colin made as Neil MacArthur, including his revamp of She’s Not There which charted in the spring of 1969.
Virtually everything on Afterlife has not been reissued before, and over half has never been available anywhere.
The demos provide a chance to hear fabled lost songs such as Unhappy Girl and To Julia, which were deemed inappropriate for the direction the band Argent would take, as well as the embryonic versions of much-loved tunes like She Loves The Way They Love Her. The personnel utilized for the demo sessions was a dry-run for Rod’s planned new group, including Jim Rodford on bass and Hugh Grundy on drums. We also hear a rare Chris vocal on the legendary track Mr Galileo. The enviable harmonies of messrs Argent and White are also to the fore on the orchestral mixes of vintage Zombies outtakes redressed for R.I.P., remixed so as to showcase both the overdubbed vocals and Mike Vickers’ expert string and horn arrangements.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Afterlife are the Neil MacArthur sides, which are rarely discussed even by diehard fans of Mr Blunstone. Though they were unrelated to Chris and Rod’s concurrent activities and, as Colin himself explains in the liners, it was a most uncertain period in the singer’s career, this material nevertheless features some great and overlooked performances from one of the most distinctive voices in British pop. Overseen by producer Mike Hurst, we feature all six tracks originally released on three Deram singles in 1969, including exemplary versions of Nilsson’s Without Her and Billy Vera’s Don’t Try To Explain, and Hurst’s own World Of Glass. A special bonus was the discovery in the producer’s vault of two unreleased cuts from the sessions, including Colin’s absolutely gorgeous rendering of the Buffalo Springfield’s Hung Upside Down. The arrangements are all late 60s British record-making at its classiest.
Last but not least, there are a couple of continentally-flavoured bonus cuts: the super-rare Italian language version of She’s Not There, and Going To A Go Go, as performed live by the original Zombies on French TV in late 1966.
Though it consists of live rave-ups, bare-boned demos, or ultra-commercial items aimed squarely at the charts, Into The Afterlife actually hangs together in an oddly satisfying manner, a cohesion that could be expected of few others in pop at the time. As the last Zombies single of the 60s postulated, If It Don’t Work Out: a lot of what’s here indeed did not work out, but most other artists should be so lucky as to have ephemera of this calibre to throw away.
Alec Palao
THE BLACK ARTS "Christmas Number One"
Madre mía ¡qué pandilla! ¡y como está el Luke Haines! Lo edita los amigos de Sergio, Fantastic Plastic (¡todavía existe el sello!)
THE BLACK ARTS Christmas Number One (2007 UK limited edition 2-track 7" single pressed on Festive Green Coloured Vinyl - A collaboration by Black Box Recorder & Art Brut, 'Christmas Number One' is a genuine ce lebration of Christmas with a song written by John Moore & Luke Haines, clearly influenced by Slade, Wizzard etc and there is only one person who could convey this message of good cheer, their dear pal Eddie Argos [Art Brut]; includes a exclusive b-side: 'Glam Casual' written & performed by Eddie Argos) –
We wrote it on the beach in August as the snow began to fall, A Christmas Number One could be a blessing for us all"
In an inspired meeting of minds, Black Box Recorder and Art Brut's Eddie Argos have joined forces to form The Black Arts, whose first (and perhaps only) release is set to be this year's essential Christmas single. Following in the tradition of such masters of the seasonal rocker as Wizzard and Slade, Christmas Number One once more unites sleigh bells, blazing guitars and children’s choirs for three and a half minutes of festive fun.
The song was conceived by Black Box Recorder's John Moore, who having endured an utterly appalling summer, decided that the year must end on a blissfully high note. In a rush of optimism, the idea of a Christmas Number One seemed entirely plausible. Much of the song spilled out of the ether late one Sunday evening, sounding somewhere between William Burroughs and Slade. Turned over to Luke Haines for inspection and dissection, a towering middle-section was added, and quite properly, respectful references to Britain’s former-first men of Christmas - Noddy and Roy were added. The fecund glacial goddess Sarah Nixey was alerted and asked not to give birth until her mellifluous vocal frosting could be added, then with a final sprinkling of vocal magic from Eddie Argos, the song reached pure pop perfection.
The relationship between Art Brut and Black Box Recorder began three years ago when John witnessed an hereoically pissed Art Brut playing a tiny gig in Reading, and then bonded with Eddie backstage over a dog-eared copy of Just William. The relationship then developed to the point where a musical collaboration became inevitable.
Christmas Number One will be available as a download from 3 December and as a rather fetching limited edition eco-sustainable Christmas tree green 7" from 10 December on 'Fantastic Plastic'.
According to Luke Haines: "When you're doing your last minute shopping at Woolworth's and you've heard 'Christmas Number One' for the eleventh time in a row, don't worry, it will all be over by January. The Black Arts are for Christmas, not for life'
Or are they? As Sarah Nixey reveals “ It was all over wasn’t it? I hadn’t the heart to tell them the truth.”
Merry Christmas!
12/12/2007
¿Ha perdido este hombre el juicio?
Le CD/DVD Borderlive Tour 2006/2007 contient un CD regroupant des versions alternatives des titres de l'album Robots après tout enregistrées en studio dans les conditions du live. Le DVD propose, quant à lui, un documentaire de 90 minutes réalisé par Gaétan Chataigner tourné sur plus de dix concerts de la dernière tournée de KATERINE. En bonus, sont présents les clips Louxor j'adore, 100% VIP, Qu'est-ce qu'il a dit et Excuse-Moi. Más info en Ver http://www.borderlive.fr/¡Stephen Merritt a lo Jesus & Mary Chain!
El próximo 15 de enero saldrá a la venta el esperado nuevo trabajo de The Magnetic Fields, "Distortion". Un disco en el que, según el propio Stephin Merritt, han procurado emular el sonido de The Jesus & Mary Chain. Nuestro objetivo era sonar más Jesus & Mary Chain que los propios Jesus & Mary Chain" ha declarado el líder de la banda, Stephin Merritt, en relación a su nuevo álbum, apropiadamente titulado "Distortion. El primer single extraído del álbum será, 'California Girls'. El single saldrá a la venta en I Tunes y demás tiendas digitales el próximo 18 de diciembre. SALLY TIMMS es la gran invitada, pues la ex Mekon canta en la mitad de las canciones. John Mulvey lo revisa en la web de Uncut: http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/index.php?blog=6&title=magnetic_fields_distortion&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
13/12/2007
Sólo para los más modernos: Lo mejor del año para Other Music
Sólo para los más modernos 2: Lo mejor del año para Rough Trade Shops
Lo mejor del año para
PASTE magazine: 14/12/2007
Robert Forster, Rough Trade Shop y el Blog Fire Escape Talking
16/12/2007
Fireflies - Goodnight Stars, Goodnight Moon
Indie a la vieja usanza, gentileza de Walkoviak.
The “band” is just me. my name’s lisle. i write the songs and the words and play all the instruments and record them on my laptop and do all that kind of stuff. i had to write a bio for a class once and it said something like this: “i grew up in the tundras of new england playing classical piano and one day i moved to california to go to school and decided to start writing songs. i bought a portastudio and started recording, combining my love for lo-fi indie recordings of the 1980s and 90s with my unrefined knowledge of classical arrangement. i try to craft each song into a tiny snow-globe-sized universe you can curl up in and get lost for a little while.” addendum: i currently live in chicago where i am getting my masters. it’s cold here. i sometimes miss the sun, but i really don’t mind. trains pass by my window, and my neighbor has a dog who barks at everything. i’m not sure how this informs my music yet. For fans of: galaxie 500, the cat’s miaow, the field mice, her space holiday, nobuo uematsu, the softies, belle and sebastian, nick drake, françoise hardy, the clientele
19/12/2007
Sólo para muy fans de Dominique A
A l'intérieur, on trouvera, réparties sur quatre disques, seize chansons sauvées des eaux, enregistrées à domicile ça et là, comme ci et comme ça, entre 1981 et 2005, assemblées, illustrées et commentées par mes soins, et héroïquement masterisées par Géraldine Capart, chez elle, rue Voncq, à Bruxelles."
Dominique A (ver http://www.commentcertainsvivent.com/compilations/les-sons-cardinaux.html
Barbara Manning
Barbara Manning has a new box set reissue out, Super Scissors), which collects remastered versions of Scissors and One Perfect Green Blanket along with 24 bonus tracks and extensive liners.Aquí hay una entrevista muy divertida sobre ella donde cuenta que no encuentra trabajo sobre lo que ha estudiado (biología) y que trabaja como guarda de seguridad en un hospital. Actualmente no tiene contrato discográfico. Una pena. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2007/06/07/derk.DTL20/12/2007
The Honeydrips - Hej Da Karolin
Es realmente preciosa. Canciones así ya no se hacen.
Una canción exclusiva de The Honeydrips con descarga gratuita:
http://www.sincerelyyours.se/yours0064.html
YOURS0064 Hej Då KarolinMP3 by The Honeydrips
Just another lovesong.....not.
Hej då Karro! SY December 2007
Alela Diane
Esto es el rough trade shops album of the year. Folk rural e intimista. Bonito.
this album plays like an autobiography of everything this remarkable young woman has experienced: a place where deep woods meet winding rivers; where rural traditions are not the curiosites of bourgeois hipsters, but rather, a way of life. enchanting and endearing in equal parts, this album will endure long after this year is done
23/12/2007
Days -
true love... Days publican “Downhill” en Shelflife en Enero/Febrero 2008... Days play an acoustic version of Downhill for Swedish Television in a forest outside Stockholm:
Days Uplugged - Downhill
Añadir a mi perfil | Más Videos
Skatterbrain! top 15 - 2007
Indie MP3 top 2007
PopMatters - The Best indie pop 2007
26/12/2007
Lo mejor de The New Pornographers está escondido en...
Lo mejor de The New Pornographers está escondido en las caras B de su EP “The Spirit of Giving”. “Arms of Mary_looking at a Baby” y “Joseph, who Understood”, son dos gemas.27/12/2007
Take the pills
28/12/2007
Eric Matthews is back with his new album The Imagination Stage (1/22/08)
As he puts it. “There’s something new and different that’s happening to me creatively,” Matthews says. “There’s the music I imagine – music that I want to make – and then there’s the music I’ve been able to make. And those two aren’t necessarily the same thing. Now, what I’m making is akin to dreaming music – something ‘other-ly’. ”Matthews wrote and sang every gleaming note and glistening melody, played every instrument, and arranged every chord progression and horn chart. He also brought strings back into the fold, as well as producer-engineer Tony Lash, who’s worked with Matthews since his Cardinal days. The new sounds deployed – drum loops, more synthesizers than he’s ever used – surprised even Matthews. “Had somebody told me 15 years ago that I would use drum loops on a record,” he muses, “I would have scoffed!” What pleases him most is something decidedly less modern. “It’s impossible to separate strings from my vision of the way songs should sound, so that’s a return to form," he says. "I'm invigorated. I’ve reached the imagination stage. Now, it’s a matter of diving as deeply as I can into that.”
29/12/2007
Lo Mejor del año para Grand Prix
AQUI se puede ver la lista: http://grandprixradioenlace.blogspot.com/2007/12/programa-especial-con-los-mejores.html#links
Además hacen este anuncio de sus próximas actividades: Bueno, este 2007 llega a su fin y fieles a nuestra tradición el próximo sábado 29 realizaremos nuestro ya mítico programa especial con los que (a nuestro juicio) han sido los veinte mejores discos del presente ejercicio.
Un día más tarde (el domingo 30 a partir de las 20 horas) estaremos en Islas de Robinson de RNE-Radio 3 mostrando algunos de esos mejores discos junto a su conductor Luis de Benito y acompañados de dos titanes de la melodía: Jesus Alvarez, propietario de Radio CIty Discos y Samuel Rodriguez "El gran Sammy". Con ellos pondremos en común lo que más nos ha gustado en estos últimos doce meses, seguro que será excitante. La semana siguiente (05-01) serán las canciones -como siempre- las protagonistas del programa ya que seleccionaremos las que más nos hayan emocionado en los últimos 365 días. Y la guinda a este delicioso pastel la pondremos el sábado 12 de Enero, ese día pincharemos los (mejores) discos que vosotros mismos hayais elegido como favoritos de este año.
Además para HOY, Islas de Robinson anuncia: los 40 "espamos" más intensos del año: 20 favoritos en materia de actualidad y otros 20 en cuestión de reediciones al rescate de tesoros perdidos.
31/12/2007
Anthony Reynolds - British Ballads
Anthony Reynolds was a leader of bands JACK and JACQUES in 90ties. “British Ballads” will be avaliable globally via Hungry Hill records in shops, online and at iTunes from December 10 this year British Ballads was written and composed by A.R. with the exception of an adapted Rupert Brooke poem - "The Hill" - and produced by Julian Simmons.It features a quixotic cast of characters and some of Anthony's favourite living musicians, including the Writer/Philosopher Colin Wilson, Vashti Bunyan, John 'Kid in a Big world' Howard, Dot Allison, Fiona Brice, Bryan Mills, Simon Raymonde, Ivor Talbot, Paul Cook, Anthony Transcargo -Press release, click here-
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