space theatre

                                           

                                            

Toru Takemitsu / Yuji Takahashi / Iannis Xenakis ‎– Space Theatre (RCA, 1970)

–Toru Takemitsu Crossing
–Yuji Takahashi Yéguèn
–Iannis Xenakis Hibiki Hana Ma

The Takahashi piece includes use of "musical sculpture" played by François Baschet

the weasels

weasel occurs at 1.36





one of the most embarrassing moment in musical history, that -

 "you stole someone's record and you looped it you looped it", erm, chaps, what's that cycling annoyingly underneath your rapping, why it's a chunk of Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer"

they call them manic yello (quite rightly)

the missing link, or a missing link, between Kid Creole & the Coconuts (retro-nostalgia) and Laibach (Mittel Europa belch-buffoonery)

but with synths

Propaganda, if their cinematic touchstone was not Fritz Lang but Luis Buñuel 

despite the consummate videography, and the sustained cleverness and inventiveness of the sounds (such a copious, consistent sequence of albums), despite the passionate advocacy of Stubbs and Morley,  Yello never really clicked with me.

this was my attempt to make it happen

listened to the entire uuuurv in chronological sequence on Tidal and it is all sort of very impressive yet excessively fidgety with cleverness, and ultimately bit-silly

the gentleman as aesthete-entrepeneur




in the tradition of electro-duos making film follies (Pet Shop Boys, Daft Punk)




pre-synth Dieter




Morley's mash note / fan-fic version of Yello




a sleek little tune - probably more down to David Morales mixology than Boris B brilliance

Electronic Easter

(via Cuneiform Records)

On Easter 2020,
Cuneiform Records celebrates the 50th Anniversary of
"EASTER,"
a landmark work in the
history of electronic music and in 
contemporary classical & minimalist composition, 
created by
composer/ keyboardist/ electronic music pioneer
David Borden,
with a stream
of his 1970 recording of "Easter"

"Easter" was recorded in 1970 by 
Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company
- the World's First All-Synthesizer Ensemble -
and Released by Cuneiform Records on the album: 
1970-1973

the greenius of Peter

Every decade or so, I have another go with the Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac, to see if I can hear what Greil Marcus hears in that incarnation of the band.

Well, the soloing on e.g. "Love That Burns" is uncommonly piercingly lyrical, but there's an awful lot of twelve-bar trudge.

Overall, it's not my bag, unlike the later Buckingham-Nicks Fleetwood Mac which is supremely my bag and has been since nearly forever (which reminded me: I'm shocked, shocked, by the non-appearance of "Beautiful Child" in this list).

However the Green-FMac relistening ritual reminded me of something that I always forget, which is that the band were vastly more successful as a singles act in 1969 than they were circa Rumours. 

Vastly more so in the UK, I suppose I should add. But even in the USA, as Rumours was selling multi-plat, and the songs were on the radio constantly, only "Dreams" got to the top of the charts and "Don't Stop' got to #3.  There's nothing like the 1, 2, 2, 10 sequence Green's Mac scored in the UK (and "Albatross", rereleased in 1973, got to UK #2 for  a second time). 

                                                           
check it out
(first vertical row of chart placings is UK, second is US)

"Albatross"[b]/"Jigsaw Puzzle Blues"		1		—	12	45	19	5	1		BPI: Silver[16]
"Man of the World"/"Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonite"	1969	2	—	—	—	100	—	23	5	13	—		non-album singles
"Oh Well (Parts 1 and 2)"		2	55		—	19	54	5	5	1	—
"Rattlesnake Shake"			—		—	—	—	—	—	—			Then Play On
"The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)"	1970	10	—		—	—	—	16	14	6	—		non-album singles

versus

                                             

Over My Head"		20		32		9	—
"Rhiannon"[e]	1976	46	11		33	13	4			16		BPI: Silver[16]
"Say You Love Me"		40	11		12	38	29
"Go Your Own Way"[f]		38	10		45	20	11	11	95	1	23	BPI: Platinum[16]	Rumours
"Dreams"[g]	1977	24	1		11	19	1	33	88	8	16	BPI: Platinum[16] RIAA: Gold[15] RMNZ: 3× Platinum[37]
"Don't Stop"		32	3		22	30	1	41		4		BPI: Silver[16]
"You Make Loving Fun"		45	9		28	65	7	—		22	26	BPI: Silver[16]
"Tusk"	1979	6	8		—	3	5	7	15	10	4	BPI: Silver[16]	Tusk
"Sara"		37	7		13	11	12	44		14	12

I guess rock values and "heavy" were so in the ascendant in 1969-70 that "Oh Well" and "Man of the World" and "Green Manalishi" were hit material, unlikely as that might seem to contemporary ears

shows how "pop" as a notion is very context-determined and historically fluctuates 

but then again, Iron Maiden would have to be deemed one of Britain's most successful pop groups, if you go by the chart placings of singles

talking about heavy-as-pop, this is pretty undeniable



but generally I like the pretty slow stuff with the Green Mac

the genius of David

chips off the same lustrous block










bonus bliss



Grace Slick version








bonus that-Crosby-vibe suggestions from Phil Knight in comments








another suggestion of Crosby-genius from Asif in comments

rock sideways

uninvention of the guitar (1 of ??)

mouth music (sitcom bubbles)

mouth music (skank bubbles)