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 ...

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.

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 ...

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.

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.

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 ...

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

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.

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.

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 ...