Thursday 29 December 2011

Rainsongs and Painsongs - pt.7

Rainsongs and Painsongs is the new edition of YHO which can be downloaded as a pdf here, free for all. It is at heart a celebration of Julie Tippetts' work, very much inspired by her collaboration with Martin Archer on Tales of FiNiN which is undoubtedly the most rewarding record of recent times.
Julie's short spell as an international pop icon had a dramatic impact around the world, and it is interesting to note those whom she seems to have influenced such as the excellent Josipa Lisac in Yugoslavia. In Czechoslovakia I think it's fair to suggest that Julie's recordings with Brian Auger and the Trinity and their 1968 visit to the country had an impact on singers like the wonderful Marta Kubisova.
Another Czech singer that's really had an impact on me is the jazz/blues performer Eva Olmerova. There is a great documentary about her turbulent life available through Radio Prague, which is really compelling and moving. There are some great clips of her in performance on YouTube, such as the the very 'noir' 1971 film for Cerna kara. There are some great clips, too, of Eva singing numbers from her debut 1968 LP Jazz Feeling, which featured Jiri Stivin.
I like the fact that Eva was prepared to have a go at any style of music as long as she could exploit the passion in the song, and she did some spectacularly deep country meets gospel numbers. But this is the one I keep coming back to ...



Monday 26 December 2011

Rainsongs and Painsongs - pt.6

Rainsongs and Painsongs is the new edition of YHO which can be downloaded as a pdf here, free for all. It is at heart a celebration of Julie Tippetts' work, very much inspired by her collaboration with Martin Archer on Tales of FiNiN which is undoubtedly the most rewarding record of recent times.
Naturally, being YHO there are a number of diversions and detours along the way. So, for example, mention of Julie's incredibly moving song Czechoslovakia allows an ideal opportunity to ponder upon the Prague Spring and its aftermath in relation to some of the fantastic produced there during that period. A perfect example of this is Slunecny hrob by the group Blue Effect which is just so beautiful and always feels like a prayer to me.
Of course after the Soviet invasion life will have been more difficult for 'progressive' groups, but I don't know for sure if this influenced Blue Effect to become an instrumental outfit. It may have happened, anyway. Plenty of their Western counterparts moved in a similar 'jazz rock' direction, as well. And plenty of what Blue Effect did in the early '70s bears comparison with what was happening with Soft Machine and those acts who threw together heavy guitars and organ with jazz horn sections. The 1970 LP Coniunctio, which Blue Effect recorded with Prague's Jazz Q, is fantastic. Jazz Q at the time featured the flutist Jiri Stivin, who made some pretty incredible records of his own in the '70s too. While I am far from an expert on his work I would particularly recommend the 1976 LP Zodiac which features the Kuhn Mixed Chorus and the Talich Quartet.
With a little of pressure Blue Effect recorded for a while as Modry Efekt, a name that might be familiar to those that might be familiar to those that have studied the infamous and invaluable Nurse With Wound list. In this guise there was a great LP recorded in 1971 with the Czechoslovakian Radio Jazz Orchestra, Nová Syntéza, which will appeal enormously if you love CCS or Septober Energy by Keith Tippett's Centipede.
There is actually some great footage on YouTube of Blue Effect or Modry Efekt performing in 1971 with a small orchestra, and it's wonderful. This will appeal to anyone with a passion for what was happening with the blending of the UK's progressive jazz and rock performers at the time.

Friday 23 December 2011

Rainsongs and Painsongs - pt.5

Rainsongs and Painsongs is the new edition of YHO which can be downloaded as a pdf here, free for all. It is at heart a celebration of Julie Tippetts' work, very much inspired by her collaboration with Martin Archer on Tales of FiNiN which is undoubtedly the most rewarding record of recent times.
One of the great pop revelations for me was finding a copy of the Streetnoise LP by Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity in a charity shop for next to nothing. This was in the late '80s. There is so much to love about that LP, but Julie's soul-punch of a song, Czechoslovakia, is the one that gets me every time. Written in response to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 and the crushing of the Prague Spring it is a perfect snapshot of a moment.
In recent years I have become increasingly fascinated by the pop music made in the old eastern Europe, and hate suggestions that this is simply dabbling in exoticism. That's an insulting notion. If you like music you will get excited about inspiring sounds wherever and whenever you find them.
Among my favourite examples of Czech pop from the Communist era are recordings by Hana and Petr Ulrychova with the group Atlantis. They feature in the Czech pop special, The Road That Leads Nowhere, with Don't You Break It Again, which displays a definite debt to Julie, Brian and the Trinity. This film captures something of the excitement and optimism of the Prague Spring. Of course things got more difficult after the Soviet invasion, but the creativity was not stifled.
Fish around on YouTube and you will find plenty of examples of great work by Hana and Petr. Best of all is the Odyssea LP they made as Atlantis in 1970. This was a wonderful mix of psychedelia, soul, folk sounds, jazz and ornate orchestral arrangements. The orchestration came from the great Gustav Brom who has a bit of a reputation for some of his '70s big band work among beat-seekers and lovers of all things funky.
The excessively-sensitive authorities suppressed the Odyssea LP and it didn't get an official release until 1999. Ironically we are not much further forward now, and it takes a certain resourcefulness to find the LP but all efforts to do so are richly rewarded when you find tracks as stunningly beautiful as Ticho and Za vodou, za horou ...

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Rainsongs and Painsongs - pt.4

Rainsongs and Painsongs is the new edition of YHO which can be downloaded as a pdf here, free for all. It is at heart a celebration of Julie Tippetts' work, very much inspired by her collaboration with Martin Archer on Tales of FiNiN which is undoubtedly the most rewarding record of recent times.
One of the many fascinating things about Julie is the way she has stubbornly stuck to a precarious path when making music. I almost feel guilty for saying this but there is a sense of excitement in piecing together the many things she has been involved in, with a whole host of people. Even putting together this 'celebration' made me feel rather guilty as there is a lot of Julie's work I'm not familiar with. The 1978 LP, Frames, by Keith Tippett's Ark is a great example, although in this case there are posts on YouTube. In many other cases the internet is not so helpful.
On the other hand some of Julie's contributions to other people's recordings and performances are known and loved. She was, for example, one of those involved in the 1999 Soupsongs celebration of Robert Wyatt's music, led by Annie Whitehead. And many years earlier she'd been one of Robert's guests at a special concert at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 1974 which featured a heartbreakingly beautiful rendition of Julie's own Mind of a Child.
My own favourite moment among Julie's collaborations (well, of those I've heard at least) is her singing Caucasian Bird Riffles, the words of Paul Haines and the incredibly beautiful music of Carla Bley from the Tropic Appetites LP.

Saturday 17 December 2011

Rainsongs and Painsongs - pt.3

Rainsongs and Painsongs is the new edition of YHO which can be downloaded as a pdf here, free for all. It is at heart a celebration of Julie Tippetts' work, very much inspired by her collaboration with Martin Archer on Tales of FiNiN which is undoubtedly the most rewarding record of recent times.
Of course being YHO there are all sorts of wild and winding detours involved in this issue. So, thinking about how Julie has used her voice in exciting ways, attention passes on to others who have done the same thing. Specific mention is made of the great Norma Winstone. When I think of Norma I think immediately of her work with Michael Garrick, mainly because the LP The Heart is a Lotus is such a pivotal thing for me. Buying that record when Vocalion reissued it opened the door to so much great British jazz. And for me Norma's often wordless vocals connected perfectly to so many other things, such as the Swingle Singers and Barbara Moore.
Sadly Michael Garrick died as I was putting together this issue of YHO which added a real poignancy to all the records of his I was listening to over and over. I am a particular fan of the records where he has Norma featuring as the vocalist, stretching herself. Troppo, from 1973, for example is fantastic.
Norma naturally has been the featured singer on many other records. Like Julie Tippetts she has few headlining sets to her name. But these are worth seeking out. The first of these, Edge of Time, features for example the extraordinarily beautiful Song of Love, while every song on 1987's Somewhere Called Home makes you hold your breath in awe. Just dare to breathe when listening to her sing Celeste.
Sometimes I think Norma sings like an enchanted chorister, and actually that 'devotional' sense may be quite apt. Michael Garrick, I'm aware, did some fantastic work in combining jazz and the sounds of worship. While his music is not featured on YouTube there is a wonderful, tantalising clip of the Michael Garrick Sextet from 1968 performing one of its jazz praises from St Paul's Cathedral.

Wednesday 14 December 2011

Rainsongs and Painsongs - pt.2

Rainsongs and Painsongs is the new edition of YHO which can be downloaded as a pdf here, free for all. It is at heart a celebration of Julie Tippetts' work, very much inspired by her collaboration with Martin Archer on Tales of FiNiN which is undoubtedly the most rewarding record of recent times.
Among those contributing to the remarkable Tales of FiNiN is the percussionist Charlie Collins. I have made the not particularly bold assumption that this is the same CC that played with Clock DVA and The Box. In those days, however, he was playing saxophone predominantly. I say predominantly because I have a particular fondness for his flute playing on Impressions of African Winter, the closing track on the group's incredible Thirst LP.
I think Thirst is one of the enduringly great records of the post-punk boom. It is also one of the most under-rated. Aesthetically, it is also spot-on, being on Fetish and coming in a great Neville Brody sleeve. Charlie's sax playing is a vital ingredient of what made that incarnation of Clock DVA so great. His playing on that LP is surprisingly restrained, and this adds to the overall sense of tension and barely-constrained paranoia.
The 'hit' single from the LP was 4 Hours, a perfect example of pop noir. There is on YouTube footage of the group performing the number live at the Futurama festival, but for me that kind of event is so against what the era's adventurous music should be about. Nevertheless it does capture something of the song's anxiety ...

Sunday 11 December 2011

Rainsongs and Painsongs - pt.1

Rainsongs and Painsongs is the new edition of YHO which can be downloaded as a pdf here, free for all. It is at heart a celebration of Julie Tippetts' work, very much inspired by her collaboration with Martin Archer on Tales of FiNiN which is undoubtedly the most rewarding record of recent times.
Tales of FiNiN is one of those rare recordings which you find something new in every time you revisit it. While Julie and Martin are both firmly rooted in improvisation, this double LP is intricately put together, both musically and lyrically, and it covers a lot of ground in every sense of the phrase. It's beautifully presented too - actually holding the package in your hand is a delight, and there is an exciting attention to detail. It's an incredibly complex work, but completely accessible and hugely enjoyable.
It really should be a work of art that is widely celebrated, and I urge anyone with an appetite for inspiring and adventurous musical creations to seek out Tales of FiNiN.
Here is a taster ...
2-02 Taunts of the Fallen by Discus Music

Saturday 10 December 2011

Rainsongs and Painsongs

Rainsongs and Painsongs is the new edition of YHO which can be downloaded as a pdf here, free for all. It is at heart a celebration of Julie Tippetts' work, very much inspired by her collaboration with Martin Archer on Tales of FiNiN which is undoubtedly the most rewarding record of recent times. Naturally, being YHO, there is a whole series of diversions and detours, but that's all part of the fun. Please spread the word.

Monday 5 December 2011

A Belief in Mischief - #10

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough. One of the texts mentioned in passing is Peter York's Style Wars. I don't think I would call it one of my sacred texts, but it contains some very smart writing, and many of York's observations are very astute. He, for example, recognised at a very early point that Danny Baker was destined to become a national treasure. And there are some neat accounts of events such as the infamous Sex Pistols Jubilee boat trip and a very good piece on Munich Disco. I guess this book has fallen out of fashion, ironically, because of the success Peter had with the whole Sloane Rangers thing.
I don't know if I would agree with Peter about many things, and I have absolutely no concept of what music he might go home and listen to nowadays. Does that matter? So many 'writers' with 'good taste' churn out such dull work, after all. But Style Wars is very much worth seeking out, if you steer clear of the 'tribes' profiled. The pop parts are good, and York includes one of the most perceptive and sympathetic pieces on the 1979 mod thing.
I'll let you into a little secret. I was interviewed about the '79 mod thing, ooh quite some time ago now, for a book that was obviously going to be pretty high profile. During the course of the interview I thought some pretty important ground was covered, and I had a horrible suspicion that some of the best bits just would not fit in this particular book. So I scribbled my thoughts down while they were still fresh in my mind, and those thoughts ended up up in what became the first edition of Your Heart Out.
If there is one thing that stayed with me from being 15 and exploring the modernists' world for the very first time it is the dizzying thrill of learning about something new, and realising that something 'new' doesn't necessarily have to be something 'now'. And let's face it, discovering the music of The Creation, for example, didn't ever preclude listening to the Fire Engines or the Peech Boys. It was, and is, very much part of the same thing.





Friday 2 December 2011

A Belief in Mischief - #9

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough. Now I am very much in the camp of there being no beginnings or endings, just peaks and troughs. So, speaking of 'sacred texts', some of us of a certain age will have vivid memories of an issue of the NME from April 1979 which heralded a resurgence of interest in matters of a modernist nature. The mod special featured Penny Reel's tale, The Young Mod's Forgotten Story, which many of us kids studied in absurd detail. Over 30 years on I was just as excited to discover another story in a July 1974 issue of International Times where writing under the (reel) name of Peter L. Simons the great reggae journalist included some of the same characters (Lennie Tyler, Beardy Pegley, Charlie Steiger) in another story of east London school days in the early '60s.
Of course it is one of the tragedies of our age that Penny Reel hasn't written enough, and a book of his 'mod memories' would be a wonderful thing. We do, at least, have his excellent book, Deep Down, a short story about Dennis Brown. And I'm sure I'm not alone in eternally associating certain songs with that 1979 Penny Reel piece, like Chuck Jackson's I Don't Want To Cry and this ...



Tuesday 29 November 2011

A Belief in Mischief - #8

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough. This edition draws heavily on the archive of the 'underground newspaper' International Times. This archive is an invaluable resource, and in terms of content it destroys various myths about pop culture journalism.
One of many articles that has caught my eye is one on reggae from a December 1970 edition. It ties in with Horace Ove's Reggae film, and it's quite a combative, confrontational piece. What is intriguing is that there doesn't seem to be any credit for the writer. It's tempting to mention Penny Reel, because of his IT connections, but I suspect he wasn't involved with the paper until 1973ish.
It's interesting to see a mention for Mrs King of Stamford Hill in terms of being a pioneer of releasing reggae records independently in the UK and putting them in with your groceries. Only recently John Eden's Uncarved site ran Malcolm Imrie's account of the 'secret history' of the R&B record shop and label, based in Stamford Hill and run by Rita & Bennie Isen. The R&B label and its various offshoots (such as Ska Beat) were extremely important in putting out ska and early reggae singles in the UK. Ironically among the first ska singles I bought (from a ramshackle shop near Sidcup station) in 1979 were on R&B (Lee Perry's Mad Head), and something by Clive and Gloria on Ska Beat.
I would suggest you could have hours of fun seeking out old R&B and Ska Beat releases. This Laurel Aitken number has particularly caught my attention. Oddly I've just remembered Laurel Aitken and that old record shack pop up in a short story I wrote some time ago.

Saturday 26 November 2011

A Belief in Mischief - #7

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough. As ever when putting YHO together it is something or someone mentioned as an aside in the text that grows to become completely fascinating. So, in this issue, the disc jockey Mike Raven was mentioned in passing. I had been thinking about John Peel, and all the accounts of how something he played 'changed' someone's life. While researching this issue I kept coming across similar testimonies on soul forums about Mike Raven's soul and blues show during the early days of Radio One and how again the music he played changed people's lives. But you don't read much about Mike Raven. Of course there is a major difference, in that Mike was only on Radio One for four years or so, while Peel trundled on and on. But the fact remains Mike Raven was playing (non-hit) black American sounds on national radio in the UK, and that needs to be celebrated.
I have no first hand experience of hearing Mike Raven on the radio. I've heard the occasional clip. I've read some bits and pieces. And he fascinates me. Anyone who has been lucky enough to see Horace Ove's 1970 Reggae film will know he had this exaggeratedly theatrical plummy patrician way of speaking, and if you combine that with the fact he was in his mid-40s when Radio One started, it all gets stranger and stranger.
After his brief spell with Radio One, where he had that specialist blues and soul slot, he went to work as an actor in Hammer horror films, indulging his interest in magic and making the most of his Christopher Lee looks. He subsequently relocated to Cornwall, spending his time as a sheep farmer and sculptor (using his real name of Austin Churton Fairman).
None of this would happen now, so let's celebrate a certain eccentricity. And until there is an official DVD release of Horace Ove's Reggae film we will continue to share clips like this:

Wednesday 23 November 2011

A Belief in Mischief - #6

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough. The Edgar Broughton Band are among those mentioned, and this is very much in a 'confessional' context as I freely admit I got the EBB completely wrong. For so many years I'd dismissed them as archetypal heads-down no-nonsense blues rockers and I must admit I'd not read anything much to make me think differently except for the occasional mention of them as part of the Notting Hill commune, free festivals, freak scene. But then I heard their 'hit' Apache Dropout where the good Captain & the Magic Band got it together with the Shadows with considerable style and wit. I was prompted to investigate further. And couldn't believe what I found.
The early raw EBB is fantastic on the first couple of LPs, Wasa Wasa and Sing Brother Sing, and I was surprised to find myself thinking of Robert Lloyd and the Prefects/Nightingales when hearing tracks like Why Can't Somebody Love Me? But it was a couple of the later LPs that really struck me. The cover of Inside Out is fantastic and the strikingly stark social realist theme is matched by some of the content on songs like They Took It Away and Homes Fit For Heroes.
I have grown to like the next LP, Oora, even more, and the musical setting here often seems to be approaching a glorious melodic mod soul-storm, infused with a sense of disillusionment and confusion. It really is fantastic, and not at all what I would have expected - which is a useful reminder never to assume anything. The presence of Madeline Bell and Doris Troy on backing vocals gives a useful clue. And there are a few exceptional tracks, including Things On My Mind and Eviction.
It's quite a nice feeling to be able to put down in black and white an acknowledgement that you've got something completely wrong, so while I'm trying to make amends I would like to mention Edgar Broughton's current activities. His site, in particular, is well worth a visit, and his blog makes for a great read. It has to be said Edgar's insightful commentary on the world around us adds additional weight to the political content of some of his early '70s recordings, such as this ...



Sunday 20 November 2011

A Belief in Mischief - #5

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough. Among those mentioned is Jo Ann Kelly, the astonishing blues singer and guitarist who emerged from the south London delta in the '60s and stayed very much on what she described as the esoteric side of the blues scene. Like Val Wilmer, Jo Ann and her brother Dave had their interest in blues music fuelled by the Swing Shop in Streatham, and it was Tony McPhee who first introduced her to the recordings of Memphis Minnie, to which Jo Anne's performances were often compared.
I don't know how well known Jo Ann's recordings are. I am conscious that there are several I've not heard. But she fascinates me. She didn't take an easy path. And while there may be a few raised eyebrows at the notion of a south Londoner becoming quite so immersed in the country blues tradition there can be no doubt about the extraordinary power and beauty which drove her performances. I guess connections/recordings with John Fahey give her legacy a stamp of approval which might help people sit up and take notice.
Jo Ann's contributions to the Immediate series of modern blues LPs was where I first came across her music. And it was in Val Wilmer's Mama Told Me There'd Be Days Like This that I first read about Jo Ann. While some of her purists' blues works are wonderful, like her recording of Oh Death with T.S. McPhee, I do find myself very much drawn to the occasions where she sings a little outside of the blues' parameters. For example, she helped out the group Tramp (featuring some moonlighting Fleetwood Mac people) with some vocals on the title track of the Put A Record On LP, and it's an incredibly beautiful performance, right up there with the best blue-eyed soul moments. Beggar By Your Side from the same (Spark) LP is wonderful, too.
Jo Ann sadly died in 1990. I wonder if she were still active today whether she would be busy with all sorts of intriguing collaborations, given a resurgence of interest in roots music and English visionaries of different sorts. Who knows? This beautiful piece of film is of Jo Ann singing one of her greatest songs in a Bristol club, when she really did have little time left.

Thursday 17 November 2011

A Belief in Mischief - #4

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough. Among the 'sacred texts' mentioned is Val Wilmer's Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This: My Life in the Jazz World. I've written before about Val and this remarkable book, and the great thing is that since then it's a book I've returned to many times, making new connections, often realising rather late in the day that something I am newly excited about is something Val had written about and experienced first hand.
I love how the book starts with the 12-year-old Val walking into the Swing Shop, in Streatham, south London, asking if they have any jazz records. This pivotal moment is the catalyst for a very personal revolution, and the way that jazz and blues music shaped Val's life is put across really powerfully. Now, I hope, we recognise her as an incredibly important photographer and writer, and one of the journalistic highlights of the past year has been Val's illustrated essay for The Wire on Fela in London.
Val has popped up in the back pages of YHO a number of times, particularly in the Enlightenment! edition. In the A Belief in Mischief issue she is mentioned specifically because her book was a huge factor in getting me to listen to blues music. She makes the blues seem warm, human and alive rather than the more typical journalistic approach where the blues becomes shorthand for some dreary, dusty authenticity. And this is the way I like the blues ...

Monday 14 November 2011

A Belief in Mischief - #3

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough. Right at the heart of this issue is the story of Peter Shertser, Ian Sippen, and the Firm, the psychedelic mod mischief makers who in turn became underground entrepeneurs. I have been fascinated by stories of the Firm ever since Jonathan Green's Days in the Life appeared, and keep an eye out for new revelations.
Tracing the story of Shertser and Sippen leads to A=MH2, the remarkable LP by the fantastic duo of Clark-Hutchinson which the Firm produced. It's a mad record, which is up there with the best Impulse! or ECM were putting out at the time (this is the end of the '60s and into the start of the '70s) while simultaneously being rooted in the UK underground acid rock scene, along side Mighty Baby. The opening track, Improvisation on a Modal Scale, is a brilliant dance track, and the funny thing is I doubt if I would ever have heard it were it not for my interest in what Shertser and Sippen got up to.
Against the odds (you've got to read their story) Clark Hutchinson became a proper group and put out a couple more cracking LPs. The final one, Gestalt, from 1971, has got some beautifully desolate songs on, like Come Up Here. The one in-between, Retribution, is a wonderful mixture. I particularly love After Hours which builds on a gorgeous Horace Silver style piano motif, with Mick Hutchinson adding some searing guitar work over the top. It needs to be mentioned Mick had previous form with the excellent Sons of Fred, south London beat noise savages whose too few recordings such as Baby What You Want Me To Do are much admired. So perhaps it's no surprise that Retribution contains a track as unsettling and twisted as Death, The Lover which is incredible. And if Mark E Smith and The Fall, back in the early years, weren't familiar with this astonishing track then I'm Roman Totale ...

Friday 11 November 2011

A Belief in Mischief - #2

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough. One of the people featured is Norman Jopling. He was the first person to rave about the Rolling Stones in print. And Dave Godin, on a number of occasions, took particular care to acknowledge the importance of Norman writing about rhythm & blues music in Record Mirror in the early '60s. Norman also plays a central role in the early part of Neil Rushton's Northern Soul Stories. That book contains some great anecdotes from the time when Norman and Peter Meaden ran a publishing company called New Wave Music. The first new act they signed up was a wonderful group called The Peep Show, and a couple of singles appeared on Polydor. They really are wonderful things, with more of a folk sound than most of the other outfits on the fringes of the psychedelic scene and some wonderfully unusual lyrical themes. There are a couple of wonderful Peep Show compilations around, and they are fantastic. If you are interested in Norman's story I would thoroughly recommend investigating the back pages of Morning magazine, which is beautifully designed and put together by Iker Spozio, whose artwork you might recognise from sources such as records by the very great Colleen (who also helps to make Morning magical).



Tuesday 8 November 2011

A Belief in Mischief - #1

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough. One of the people featured is Peter Meaden, and I would definitely say that among my sacred texts are the interviews he did with Steve Turner in 1975 and which were published by the NME in November 1979. Meaden’s musings remain eminently quotable, but the comment that grabbed me more than any was the one about him bringing Captain Beefheart to Britain. That seemed so perfect, and I don’t think enough has been made of it. This was at the start of 1968, when Peter had been a massive evangelist for Safe As Milk, which at the time was only available on import. Peter was then running a publishing company with Norman Jopling, and among the related activities were putting out a Donnie Elbert ska/early reggae single on their own New Wave label, as a subsidiary of Melodisc. The excellent Tapir reggae discographies site has an image of the label, with Without You on one side and Baby Come On Home on the other. Deram later picked this single up for release, and I believe it was a big hit in Jamaica. Around the same time Meaden must have got his beloved Jimmy James to record a beautiful version of the Captain’s I’m Glad. Now, that sort of perfection, that beautiful sense of joining the dots, is what makes me believe in the magic of music.

Saturday 5 November 2011

A Belief in Mischief

A Belief in Mischief is the new edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here as a pdf, free for all. It started out as a meditation on sacred texts, and ended up as a celebration of irregulars, visionaries, mischief makers, and people who just don't get written about enough.
Among those mentioned are Peter Meaden, Norman Jopling, Peter Shertser, Val Wilmer, Edgar Broughton, Jo Ann Kelly, Mick Farren, Martin Stone, Dave Godin and Penny Reel. That gives you some idea of what's included in this issue, and the territory explored. Please spread the word.

Thursday 27 October 2011

Ghosts of Midnight - pt.7

Ghosts of Midnight is the latest edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here free for all as a pdf. It is an affectionate tribute to the 1950s jazz label Bethlehem and some of its voices. One of Bethlehem’s great voices belonged to Betty Roché, who is one of my very favourite jazz or blues singers. I think it’s fair to say Betty didn’t have a lot of luck in the music business, she didn’t make many records, but there are many people discovering her extraordinarily beautiful voice. She recorded just the one LP for Bethlehem, which had possibly my very favourite Burt Goldblatt sleeve. It’s like the cover of a ‘noir’ crime novel, and really is quite beautiful. The record draws heavily on Betty’s connections with Duke Ellington, with whom she worked for some time as the featured vocalist in his orchestra.
After the Bethlehem set, Betty only recorded a couple more LPs, both for Prestige in the early ‘60s. One of these was Lightly and Politely, and if you like sweet vocal sets where jazz and blues blend exquisitely this is a perfect record, and features some wonderful performances like Rocks In My Bed. She is perfectly complemented by the small group format, including Wally Richardson on guitar who played on many great ‘60s and ‘70s recordings, Bobby Hutcherson’s Now!, Donald Byrd’s Electric Byrd etc., and made his own wonderful Soul Guru LP featuring a gorgeous version of Monday Monday.
The other LP Betty made for Prestige was Singin’ and Swingin’ and features Jack McDuff among others. Betty tackles standards but in a wonderful way, with irresistible scatting on numbers like I Just Got The Message Baby. Betty’s most famous moment, complete with scatting, I guess, is her early ‘50s performance singing on the Duke Ellington Orchestra recording of Take The A Train, with Louis Bellson o drums and Paul Gonsalves on sax. She is captured on film singing the same song with the Ellington band in Reveille with Beverley, and this clip really is glorious.

Monday 24 October 2011

Ghosts of Midnight - pt.6

Ghosts of Midnight is the latest edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here free for all as a pdf. It is an affectionate tribute to the 1950s jazz label Bethlehem and some of its voices. Among those voices were those of the Pat Moran Quartet, who recorded a couple of LPs for the label in the mid-'50s, featuring some lovely intricate vocal excursions which hold suggestions of the style that would be popular a decade or so later with the Mamas & Papas, Spanky & Our Gang, etc. Taking the lead on some tracks, like the exquisite Sunday Kind of Love, is Bev Kelly, one of my very favourite jazz singers. Pianist Pat Moran would next lead a new trio, which featured the legendary Scott LaFaro on bass. This line-up recorded a fantastic set for Audio Fidelity in 1957, which demonstrated a wonderful rapport between Scott and Pat. Indeed Scott is on record as saying the sessions with Pat Moran were his favourite recordings. The trio also made an LP backing Bev Kelly, which is an absolute must-have, and its got so many wonderful performances on. In fact, all the Pat Moran 1950s recordings are easy enough to buy in digital form and are great value.
Scott LaFaro died tragically young, though recordings with Bill Evans and Ornette Coleman mean he is rightly revered. There was, for example, a very entertaining BBC Radio3 tribute which is for now available and comes thoroughly recommended. Pat Moran, as far as I know, didn't make any more recordings leading a group of her own. Bev Kelly, however, went on to make what I think is one of the best jazz vocal LPs ever, Love Locked Out, at the start of the '60s, featuring among others Kenny Burrell, and gorgeous performances such as Lonelyville. There isn't as far as I know any vintage footage of Pat Moran or Bev Kelly, but there is a little of Scott LaFaro appearing on a show called Stars of Jazz which has a Bethlehem connection.

Friday 21 October 2011

Ghosts of Midnight - pt.5

Ghosts of Midnight is the latest edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here free for all as a pdf. It is an affectionate tribute to the 1950s jazz label Bethlehem and some of its voices. Just as fascinating as the stories of Bethlehem's voices are the tales of its arrangers, such as the very great Russ Garcia, much loved by lovers of lounge and exotica. For Bethlehem he arranged sets by the likes of Frances Faye and Peggy Connelly, and oversaw the extraordinary jazz interpretation of the complete Porgy and Bess, with the wonderful Al Jazzbo Collins as narrator.
Beyond Bethlehem Russ worked with all sorts of great singers, but it is his own work that gets easy listening connoisseurs all excited.
Bethlehem picked up on Russ Garcia's LP Sounds In The Night which is an exceptional collection of jazz choral vocal arrangements, which could easily be from an Italian soundtrack from ten years later. Then there is his imaginary soundtrack work, like the space age pop experimentations on Fantastica, and the actual film scores such as The Time Machine.
Among my own favourite Russ Garcia works is a brace of LPs he arranged for Julie London in 1957, where she expanded on her minimalist template perfectly.

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Ghosts of Midnight - pt.4

Ghosts of Midnight is the latest edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here free for all as a pdf. It is an affectionate tribute to the 1950s jazz label Bethlehem and some of its voices. Among those voices was the fantastic Frances Faye, whom I first came across via a CD that collected a couple of her Bethlehem LPs under the umbrella title of Frances Faye Sings, Russell Garcia Conducts. One of those was of Frances singing folk songs, and is perhaps her least typical work. Nevertheless it is a stunning work, with highlights like Go 'Way From My Window, the John Jacob Niles song.
Frances was a remarkable performer, with a penchant for pounding the piano and hollering like hell. The wise guys in the '30s loved her cabaret spots, and clips posted on YouTube such as the one where she and Martha Raye are scatting away like mad give an idea why the gangsters would have been eating out of her hand.
Bruce Weber has done a great job of immortalising Frances by placing her right at the heart of his own extraordinary film Chop Suey. It includes some amazing footage of Frances, which hasn't surfaced on YouTube (yet), where she seems as dangerous as Jerry Lee Lewis in the late '50s.
Ironically Frances' name may be best known now for a couple of recordings which remain favourites of jazz and soul DJs, such as her early '50s uptempo rendition of Summertime and her astonishing cover of I'm Coming Home from the early '60s (a song that itself has a couple of Bethlehem connections) which was arranged by Shorty Rogers.
I bet Frances was accused of many things during her lifetime, but age did not mellow her as this brief but astonishing clip shows ...

Saturday 15 October 2011

Ghosts of Midnight - pt.3

Ghosts of Midnight is the latest edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here free for all as a pdf. It is an affectionate tribute to the 1950s jazz label Bethlehem and some of its voices. There is no denying the fact that some of these voices became lost along the way, and were criminally under-recorded. While the advent of the digital age has meant that the Bethlehem sides recorded by singers such as Terry Morel, Betty Blake, Betty Roche, Peggy Connelly, Marilyn Moore, Paula Castle, and Helen Carr are available one way or another, there still seems to be a general lack of awareness about the wonderful talents these ladies had, and background detail is often harder to find. Oddly YouTube is not much help in these cases, and there is little from the Bethlehem back catalogue posted for the casual browser to stumble across. There is even less in the way of rare footage to watch. One glorious exception, however, is a clip from the early '60s of Terry Morel performing on the West Coast jazz TV show, Frankly Jazz. What is particularly wonderful about this piece of film is seeing how the show's host Frank Evans is so visibly moved that he can hardly speak when Terry has finished singing What Is There To Say ...

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Ghosts of Midnight - pt.2

Ghosts of Midnight is the latest edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here free for all as a pdf. It is an affectionate tribute to the 1950s jazz label Bethlehem and some of its voices. Bethlehem as a record company hit on something magical in 1954 when Creed Taylor took Gus Wildi's label and set some great ideas in motion. First and foremost among these was to get the jazz singer Chris Connor to record a set of intimate songs in a small group setting, capturing an after-hours feel, and promote this 10" LP in a gorgeous sleeve designed by Burt Goldblatt. It set the tone for how Bethlehem would conduct itself as a label, and that combination of ideas and talents is still an intoxicating one. Chris Connor went on to sing on many special records. Creed Taylor would come up with many great schemes. Burt Goldblatt would design many wonderful sleeves. Bethlehem would release many more fantastic jazz LPs. And it was the magic of those early Chris Connor recordings on Bethlehem that changed so much. Chris certainly inspired a whole host of other singers, and brought out the best in many musicians. If you twisted my arm and asked me to pick a particular favourite Chris Connor record it would be the third set she recorded for Bethlehem, from 1955, with a group featuring Ralph Sharon on piano, Herbie Mann on flute, and Joe Puma on guitar. It's got some really special moments on ...

Sunday 9 October 2011

Ghosts of Midnight - pt.1

Ghosts of Midnight is the latest edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here free for all as a pdf. It is an affectionate tribute to the 1950s jazz label Bethlehem and some of its voices. One of these voices is that of Audrey Morris'. She recorded one LP for Bethlehem in the mid-'50s, which featured some gorgeous tracks. The LP was recorded out in Hollywood and arranged by the great Marty Paich. Audrey had recorded one earlier LP, which is a particular favourite of mine, called Bistro Ballads. And, yes, Audrey is particularly wonderful singing the intimate torch songs on this record, such as Where Are You? Incidentally Audrey is accompanied on this LP by the great Johnny Pate on bass long before he had success with The Impressions. A lot of the Bethlehem singers sort of drifted out of music, but Audrey has carved a niche for herself as a cabaret performer in her native Chicago. After a long recording hiatus, she would make a series of LPs including one of old Film Noir numbers. Among those included on that LP is a particular favourite, Ace In The Hole, which Gloria Grahame is seen performing in The Naked Alibi. Torch songs and film noir ... these are two of my favourite things.

Thursday 6 October 2011

Ghosts of Midnight

Ghosts of Midnight is the latest edition of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded here free for all as a pdf. It is an affectionate tribute to the 1950s jazz label Bethlehem and some of its voices. Bethlehem was an extraordinary record company, and its roster featured a wide range of singers: from intimate torch singers to be-bopping scat specialists. Some seem to have been lost along the way. Others have doggedly stuck with the jazz thing. In recent years the voices of Bethlehem have become a bit of an obsession, so this is an attempt at sharing that enthusiasm ...

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Form & Function #8

Form & Function is the latest edition of Your Heart Out, and it can be downloaded as a free pdf here. It was great to have a chance to refer to the work of Don Harper. I guess if the name Don Harper is mentioned it will be in connection with the KPM library LP Electrosonic which featured Don with Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson moonlighting from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. People seem a bit sniffy about the jazz violinist Don's involvement in that, but his credentials were first class. His own early '70s experimental LP Homo Electronicus is as 'out there' as any record you could care to name. It veers from a jazz rock reworking of the Dr Who theme to a few extended mood pieces featuring Alan Branscombe on sax and keyboards.
Norma Winstone appears briefly on Homo Electronicus, and oddly the sound and feel is pretty close to some of the astonishingly beautiful material she would go on to record with John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler as Azumith for ECM. Norma is one of my favourite vocalists, and I love the way her wordless singing links the experimental with exotica in a way that makes a mockery of labels. I love it where she pops up on recordings with Mike Westbrook, say, or Michael Garrick. My personal favourite Norma moment is her contribution to 1969's Hum Dono set by Joe Harriott and Amancio D'Silva.
Now those who know YHO will be aware it thrives on connections, and so it is appropriate that the Homo Electronicus set and Hum Dono were 'supervised' by one of our patron saints Denis Preston. Don Harper and Denis Preston would certainly have known each other from the 1950s London jazz scene. Another link between the two was Denny Wright. Dennis had got jazz guitarist to play on early skiffle sides by Lonnie Donegan and Johnny Duncan. Many years later Denny recorded the now infamous Shout About Pepsi (for the Non-Stop Pepsi Party on MFP) which would appear on the classic comp The Sound Gallery which helped open the door on the wonders of easy listening and library music etc. Denny Wright and Don Harper would in the late '70s perform as a jazz duo and if you search YouTube there's footage of them performing on TV, introduced by the great Annie Ross.
Don Harper is or should be much loved for his library recordings, and there are plenty of examples for the casual listener on YouTube naturally, covering different eras, from light disco back to late '60s beat variations of the sort used as incidental music in TV dramas.

Sunday 18 September 2011

Form & Function #7

Form & Function is the latest edition of Your Heart Out, and it can be downloaded as a free pdf here. Sudden Sway are right at the heart of this issue, mainly because they did more than anyone to mess with traditional ideas of 'form' and 'function'. Where some artists may do something different as a promotional exercise Sudden Sway did things differently pretty much each and every time. Much of the Sudden Sway related material featured in this issue is collated from a variety of sources. And I was delighted to stumble across an entry on The Sound Projector site where Ed Pinsent refers to buying a copy of Sudden Sway's To You With ReGard 12" and finding tucked inside a review and a Sudden Sway interview by Dave McCullough in Sounds. This was a pretty special discovery as it was Dave's enthusiasm for the group in print that pulled me in. And it should be remembered that Dave was THE top pop writer of the time, reGardless of what the history books say, so his enthusiasm carried considerable weight and was certainly a considerable factor in Sudden Sway getting signed to Blanco y Negro (with whom DMcC was involved early on). I always liked the way Dave disappeared after a brief stint at City Limits (the London listings mag), and never resorted to appearing as an irritating talking head on TV documentaries, joining the Oxbridge brigade as an over-revered Guardian columnist, or as a panellist at a Simon Reynolds book launch. I wrote something about him a few years ago, and failed to mention that he actually took the time and trouble to write encouraging words when I first started dabbling in writing about pop music. That meant a hell of a lot at the time. I can recall the impact Dave's words on Sudden Sway had on me. The music itself just improves with time. One of the Sudden Sway critical default positions is that they were about style over content. But this destroys that line completely ...

Friday 16 September 2011

Form & Function #6

Form & Function is the latest edition of Your Heart Out, and it can be downloaded as a free pdf here. There is a fair old bit about library or production music in this issue. I guess the general consensus among pop aesthetes is that the golden age of library music is late ‘60s and through the ‘70s. But increasingly there is demand for production music as more and more of us have the ability to make our own films for whatever purpose. We, however, are not in a position to pay a fortune for rights to a well-known artist’s music. So people look for alternatives, and there are plenty of companies willing to offer music for ‘movies’. By the law of averages some of this music is going to be fantastic. And there may come a time when the library music of today is as admired as the old KPM catalogue.
While doing a bit of research for the latest YHO I came across an article by (I think) Gregory Steirer on the Cultural Production site which dealt with ‘imaginary soundtracks’. In it he mentions the strong demand for the production music being put out on CD by the LA-based company Epic Score. The organisation seems to have stumbled on to something, and with its distinctive looking products and its own special sound it seems to be thriving. So the music is not just used for films, ads, TV shows, but also is available on CD through Amazon and has a definite cult following. Interestingly, too, the term ‘trailer music’ is used where we might use ‘library music’. The language Epic Scores use is interesting: pounding, unrelenting, adventure, dramatic, and so on.
A cursory look on YouTube would demonstrate the amount of enthusiasm there is out there for the aptly titled Epic Score, and there is a whole host of examples of the label’s output posted on there. In fact, the phrase ‘epic music’ seems to be used as a genre description. I followed a couple of links and landed on a site where daily posts of ‘epic music’ are shared, and bizarrely the first post I saw was Rob Dougan’s Clubbed To Death, one of the old Mo’ Wax favourites from way back when which I hadn’t heard in ages. But listening to a number of Epic Score clips its easy to see a connection. It all gets a bit Carl Orff at times. The use of graphics in pretty much all of the Epic Score tracks posted on YouTube tens towards the world of fantasy/comic book art so I guess that's where the audience lies. Thankfully this is an exception ...

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Form & Function #5

Form & Function is the latest edition of Your Heart Out, and it can be downloaded as a free pdf here. With a rather elegant move, at one stage, Form & Function sashays from Shackleton soundtracking a Sonic Journey on Devon’s railways to Simon Fisher Turner soundtracking ancient film footage of Scott’s Antarctic expedition. I am a huge fan of Simon Fisher Turner, and approve wholeheartedly of anyone who can simultaneously be composing scores for Derek Jarman movies and cavorting around in the guise of The King of Luxembourg for él records.
I am a massive fan of the él label, both ancient and modern variations (though confess I am not sure if the label is still active). In fact I would go so far as to argue that Mike Alway is a far more significant character in pop culture than Derek Jarman. In YHO I suggest part of Alway’s appeal is that he was more Woody Allen in Casino Royale than Dirk Bogarde in Modesty Blaise. It is that ‘nerdish nonentity’s revenge’ aspect to él that makes it more intriguing.
I admire pluralists like Simon Fisher Turner. One of the things I don’t mention in YHO is the LP he put out Creation in 1990, which was one of those more interesting releases the label was putting out at the time (e.g. Hypnotone, Tangerine, etc.). It’s a pretty odd affair, sort of blatantly ambient in a just before it became fashionable with The Orb, Biosphere, HIA kind of a way. How Creation came to put it out I have no idea. I imagine McGee found SFT to be quite a character and a great raconteur, which was probably enough at that time to secure a Creation release at the time. Perhaps it was a swap/loan deal with Lawrence and Felt going back to él for a final fling with Me And A Monkey On The Moon?
Among my favourite él recordings are those by Bad Dream Fancy Dress, the real life ‘deux filles’ for whom SFT acted as Svengali:

Monday 12 September 2011

Form & Function #4

Form & Function is the latest edition of Your Heart Out, and it can be downloaded as a free pdf here. Another mystery mentioned within its pages is the dearth of Barbara Moore music readily available or that's been made available outside of Japan since the surge of interest in library recordings began. I hope I am missing something really obvious when saying that, but it is a bit of an odd situation. Her old LPs like the astonishing Vocal Shades and Tones go for silly money in certain quarters, and she featured strongly in the Jonny Trunk radio documentary on library music. I am sure there is a horribly practical reason for the lack of salvaged sounds around.
I confess to being an absolutely fool for the type of work Barbara produced - the choral arrangements, the jazzy latin sound, and so on. The Vocal Patterns LP the Barbara Moore Singers made with the Roger Webb Sound is a particular favourite, as is the Voices In Latin LP.
I really don't want to start any conspiracy theories here, but it's not just the lack of Barbara Moore products that worry me, it's the lack of information full stop that bugs me. Even the one Barbara Moore compilation I do have has sleevenotes in Japanese. And I can't see any in-depth articles on the web either. Again I could be wrong. But it would be good to read a detailed piece that pulls together all the different activities Barbara was involved in - backing singer, session work, composing, etc. One of the few places that mentions Barbara outside of the library music thing is the Jackie Lee site which mentions Jackie and Barbara wrote a number of great songs together. The Jackie Lee story is another one that fascinates me, and if you're patient you can piece together some lovely anecdotes from the charming comments Jackie leaves for fans on YouTube posts of her music. I love the occasional confusion that's emerged as one Jackie Lee gets mixed up with another Jackie Lee. The White Horses lady recorded some fantastic tracks, and it's good fun piecing together what she did. Like this one under the name Emma Rede ...

Saturday 10 September 2011

Form & Function #3

Form & Function is the latest edition of Your Heart Out, and it can be downloaded as a free pdf here. One of the recurring themes is that of music that is appropriate active background music. In other words, what works well on a brisk morning rush-hour walk, what is effective to listen to when travelling on the train. This was partly prompted by a resurgence of interest in b'n'b music - electronic bass and beats, if you like. That in turn was sort of triggered by a growing infatuation with an old (1992) CD I found in a charity shop - Voices In My Head by Some Other People on the Infinite Mass label. I took a chance and it paid off wonderfully. I particularly like the fact that one track is titled Ghost House, which makes it sound suspiciously like a four-page feature in the next issue of The Wire. I still know pretty much nothing about Some Other People. There was another later S.O.P. record, Orbitality, which is just as fantastic. It features perhaps more numbers tending towards the ambient/downtempo but it is brilliant nonetheless. There's a few tracks from it posted, inevitably, on YouTube, though amusingly one post for the title track is accompanied by a comment about not knowing anything bout S.O.P.
There is another CD on Infinite Mass by Crowbar called The Day The Furniture Argued (1993), which again features some brilliant b'n'b tracks. From the credits and the quality of the music I'd say Crowbar was/were Some Other People. From a post of YouTube I gather the title track also got a release on R&S, but beyond that I'm none the wiser, even with the nods on the sleeve to Lord Sabre and Leftfield. I would love to know more about Some Other People.

Thursday 8 September 2011

Form & Function #2

Form & Function is the latest edition of Your Heart Out, and it can be downloaded as a free pdf here. One of the dominant themes is 'active background music' which I would suggest is a subject that deserves some very in-depth analysis. There is a great tradition of music being used as an accompaniment for activities. The BBC, for example, had its long-running radio show Music While You Work, which was originally designed during WW2 to motivate workers in munitions factories and raise morale. Over the course of many years the music that would be associated with the programme was light music, or in other words orchestral works that were neither serious classical compositions or out-and-out pop creations.
I have over a period of time become increasingly fascinated with the functionality of light music, and I think it's a seriously under-appreciated art form. It's easy to see how the form and its composers of mood music adapted so well to film music, incidental music for TV and radio, and on to the development of library music or production music. It's also interesting the way serious classical types look down on light music, but some of the themes and titles of light music are particularly fascinating with recurring references to city life, movement and mechanisation. I could mention Charles Williams' Rhythm On Rails, Robert Farnon's Mobile Pursuit, Sidney Torch's Wagon Lit, and so on. And unsurprisingly I'm fond of all the London references there are in light music, such as Eric Coates' suites (the Langham Place - Elegie is gorgeous), Albert Ketelbey's Cockney Suite, and Sidney Torch's London Transport Suite.
Of the later examples of light music as it entered the pop era particular mention is made of the work of Ron Goodwin, as composer and orchestra leader, where the interests merge with those of the easy listening/lounge arena. He was particularly successful with his film work, which include the Miss Marple theme and a number of very successful scores for war movies.
The enduring functional nature of light music is demonstrated by its continued use as themes for long-running radio shows. An earlier example of its usefulness as background or mood music was as interlude music in early TV broadcasts where we were subjected to less intense programming. Here is a famous example, featuring light music classics composed by Charles Williams and Haydn Wood.

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Form & Function #1

Form & Function is the latest edition of Your Heart Out, and it can be downloaded as a free pdf here. I did have some searching conversations with myself about whether to use Form & Function as a title, but it did seem too perfect a fit to resist. And the direct musical reference seemed apt too as the issue starts and ends with Photek. That is it starts with rediscovering my old Photek CDs and ends with me realising that Photek had recently released a 12" on the Bristol label Tectonic. In between there are plenty of thoughts about how bass 'n' beats-based electronic music (b'n'b) is used and can be enjoyed away from the club environment. This J. Sparrow mix of that recent Photek single for example has that 'meditative' feel that makes it the perfect soundtrack for certain activities ...

Photek -Closer-J.Sparrow's chilled mix (Tectonic)

Saturday 3 September 2011

Form & Function

Form & Function is the new issue of Your Heart Out which can be downloaded as a free pdf here. It is a collection of thoughts and fragments about how music is used and how it is presented. It was put together over the course of the summer, so there is a sense of the journal about it. I confess I feel like not explaining its contents too explicitly as we are overrun by labels and hashtags. So please take the plunge and explore the contents of Form & Function. And spread the word.