The Traveling Wilburys – General Introduction

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The Traveling Wilburys

The Traveling Wilburys

The Traveling Wilburys have gone down in history as one of the most enjoyable and – above all – genuine supergroups ever. The key to their appeal might lie in the fact that the five band members were excellent friends who knew how to collaborate and complement each other’s musical stance, stopping exactly at the line that separated one from the other. They worked with each other without intruding an inch, and without giving an inch. Such chemistry is rare, and the fact that five different individuals could have it at the same time goes some way into explaining the Wilburys’ effectiveness.

Everybody knows who they are, but in case you are just discovering them: George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison.

They came together when Harrison needed to record a B-side, and the resulting song (“Handle With Care”) was something that even the biggest undiscerning person in the industry would have regarded as far, far more than a B-side. Two full-length collaborations were to ensue, titled “Volume I” and “Volume III”. Continue reading →

Skylarking (XTC) – Album Review (Part 2)

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As you have just read, “Skylarking” was recorded under a guillotine-sharp atmosphere. Todd Rundgren was determined to produce, and Andy was determined to have his way as usual. You look up “falling out” in Wikipedia and you will probably come across this drawing of Todd that Andy made during the sessions:

Todd Rundgren

In hindsight, the right thing to say is that Todd saved XTC’s career. Andy readily admits it now. He infused the songs on offer (songs that were already very strong to begin with) with a sheen that was commercial without sacrificing any of the band’s trademark wit and whimsicality. This is evident the moment “Summer’s Cauldron” begins playing. A song that describes the inertia which characterizes these summer days when the whole world seems to be put on hold and life resembles an eternal vacation, it was a daring way to start the album made instantly approachable by the production. Continue reading →

Skylarking (XTC) – Album Review (Part 1)

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The Front Cover. A Risque One Andy Had Drawn Was Rejected.

The Front Cover. A Risque One Andy Had Drawn Was Rejected.

Skylarking was the album that managed to revive XTC’s career, a career that was at an all-time low ever since they had quitted touring. The two preceding albums (“Mummer” and “The Big Express”) had vanished without trace, and the predominant sentiment regarding the Swindon outfit was one of apathy.

Virgin was concerned about that, and proposed pairing the band with a producer whose ideas could complement XTC’s very own and redound to a creative goldrush. The choice of producer fell on Todd Rundgren, the American musician and producer known then for his work with Utopia. Todd was a no-nonsense person, and the relationship with Andy was to prove nightmarish from start to finish. This was to take an eventual toll on the band, and Colin actually decided to leave XTC as the sessions were climaxing. Continue reading →

The Beatles & Paul McCartney Are On Twitter

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The Beatles In Their Prime

The Beatles In Their Prime

The Beatles (TheBeatles) and Paul McCartney (PaulMcCartney) are on Twitter… or are they? A quick glance at their accounts makes you realize that they are actually kept by a corporate team, much in the same way that Britney Spears’ Facebook page is kept by hired hands that also happen to tweet out for her.

Sir Paul McCartney

Sir Paul McCartney

Something like this was entirely to be expected. But will it change sometime soon? Will Macca start tweeting himself? I don’t want to dash anybody’s hopes, but it is highly unlikely. While some starts and celebrities keep “genuine” Twitter accounts (Shaquille O’Neal and Ashton Kutcher spring to mind at once), someone like McCartney could never do so owing to the amount of attraction it would generate, and the influx of messages he would have to deal with. Continue reading →

Andy Bull (We Love Festivals) – Interview (Part 2)

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This is the “Music & You” part of my recent interview with Andy Bull from We Love Festivals. In case you haven’t done so already, check the first part right here.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU


When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

In the 70s. Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder.

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a file on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

I am a DJ. You can download a recent mix:

http://www.mediafire.com/?yjx0lykhmwj

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

Reggae, funk, disco, house, electro. Johnny Osbourne, Roy Ayers, Don Ray, Dennis Ferrer, Wolfgang Gartner.
Continue reading →

Andy Bull (We Love Festivals) – Interview (Part 1)

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This is an interview I conducted with Andy Bull from “We Love Festivals” . As you probably recall, I reviewed the site a couple of weeks ago. Here it is, straight from the horse’s mouth!

We Love Festivals

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

From that feeling you get when you arrive back from a great festival and you want to share your memories with everyone who went

What was the original launch date?

May 26th 2008. Continue reading →

11-17-70 (Elton John) – Album Review

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The Front Cover

The Front Cover

This live album is incredible. Not because the performance sets a standard to judge all future live records in the history of music by, but because what you listen to here is so divorced from the concept of Elton most people have that it is all frankly startling.

11-17-70 was recorded before a small audience. It has roughly 45 minutes of music, 20 which are taken up by a long “Burn Down The Mission” jam that has interpolations of “My Baby Left Me” and “Get Back” thrown in for good measure.

Elton plays backed by Dee and Nigel only (that is, bass and drums). The energy they display in general, and the stamina Elton has in particular is admirable. His piano skills are highlighted so markedly that any fan of the diminutive British pianist can be but hypnotized. And there was something which I found quite funny: Elton even sounds a bit nervous when he addresses the public! Continue reading →

Hatful Of Hollow (The Smiths) – Album Review

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What Do People Keep In Their Heads?

What Do People Keep In Their Heads?

The career of The Smiths was characterized by the (back then) inordinate number of compilations they were to issue. The first one saw the light shortly after the release of their eponymous debut, and it was named “Hatful Of Hollow”. The album comprised many songs recorded for radio shows, along with assorted A-sides and B-sides.

As I am sure you recall, one of the main problems the debut album had was that the production was not as punchy as it could have been. That meant the impact of its songs was somehow diluted, and since about half of the tracks that were found on the debut are played live on “Hatful Of Hollow”, this compilation has added appeal. Of these songs, the ones that work best are “Reel Around The Fountain” (the drums are so booming that it sounds like a different song) and an acoustic “This Charming Man” that is even janglier than the original cut. Conversely, “Still Ill” is not that appealing – maybe the added harmonica at the start and at the end is the problem. It just does not fit in. And the live “What Difference Does It Make?” and “You’ve Got Everything Now” are not that removed from the original performances as to make you rethink those versions. However, it is admirable how well Marr plays “What Difference Does It Make?” live, as in the studio more than 15 guitars had been combined. That doesn’t make the song better or worse, but it places his skills in a very favorable light.

One of the featured A-sides is “William, It Was Really Nothing”, a song many propound was about a romantic relationship Morrissey had with some journalist. It is a short and sweet song, but it is easily one of their least effective singles. And while “How Soon Is Now?” is included, the song had not been released as a single yet. Continue reading →

Sound Affects (The Jam) – Album Review

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In Theory, Each Panel Is Related To A Lyric On The Album

In Theory, Each Panel Is Related To A Lyric On The Album

During their brief time together, Paul Weller & Co. were to release 6 albums of original compositions. Three are traditionally regarded as representing their pinnacle. They are “All Mod Cons“, “Setting Sons” and “Sound Affects”. Out of the three, “Sound Affects” is the one I like the least. Here, they sound more like The Beatles than The Kinks or The Who, two bands that had been the predominant influence until then. As the critics aptly insinuated, Sound Affects stands as The Jam’s “Revolver”.

The album bore The Jam’s second chart topper – the song is named “Start”, it was inspired by Orwell’s “Omage To Catalogna”, and the bass part has been taken on permanent loan from The Fab Four’s “Taxman”.

The other major hit the album features is “That’s Entertainment”. The song was issued as a single only in Germany, and it is still the best-selling import single within the United Kingdom. Continue reading →

TourMapr – Find Where Your Favorite Band Is Playing Next

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TourMapr

Name: TourMapr
URL: http://www.tourmapr.com

TourMapr brought to mind the one drawback that some hardened music lovers cite when measuring the effect the Internet has had on music, the way we consume it, and the way we approach it on the whole today. It is a very philosophical matter, and even when I don’t agree with their position I do feel there is a paucity of truth in what they say.

They claim that while the changes brought about by the WWW in general and social media in particular have reinvented the music industry, not every change that was brought along was necessarily something that made things better. Maybe more convenient. Not necessarily better. That is only natural. In the old days, following a band around was a true test of determination and enthusiasm. And now, the Internet has placed everything so nearby that getting within range of a band’s circle is so easy that it is not even remotely the same anymore. Continue reading →