Not before time, the peerless legacy of the great Joy Division is being celebrated in England with impressive new record releases to piggyback on the acclaimed new Ian Curtis biopic movie, Control.
The Manc gloomsters’ three major record releases - Closer, Still and Unknown Pleasures – have been re-released as special editions with re-mastered sound and - here’s the important bit – a (different) formerly unreleased live performance packaged as a second CD with each album.
Yummy. Must buy!
Gerry Smith
Thursday 11 October 2007
Wednesday 15 August 2007
English rockers dominating the newsstands
It doesn’t happen often, but the current issue of all three London poprock monthly mags has an Anglo musician on the cover: Keith Richards on the front of MOJO, Paul Weller on UNCUT and Johnny Marr fronting the new issue of The Word.
The only other Anglo clean sweep in the last 20 months consisted of The Beatles, The Smiths and Amy Winehouse, in February this year.
The three mags regularly cover home-grown talent alongside N American peers, but it’s rare for English musos to dominate the newsstands in this fashion.
The best-loved popular music of the last century was predominantly American, and US musicians have dominated rock ever since Bill Haley signaled the end of the road for the post-WW2 crooner generation. Since The Beatles, however, English musicians have punched above their weight in most world markets – if you doubt it, visit any record shop anywhere in Europe and count the Anglos.
Gerry Smith
The only other Anglo clean sweep in the last 20 months consisted of The Beatles, The Smiths and Amy Winehouse, in February this year.
The three mags regularly cover home-grown talent alongside N American peers, but it’s rare for English musos to dominate the newsstands in this fashion.
The best-loved popular music of the last century was predominantly American, and US musicians have dominated rock ever since Bill Haley signaled the end of the road for the post-WW2 crooner generation. Since The Beatles, however, English musicians have punched above their weight in most world markets – if you doubt it, visit any record shop anywhere in Europe and count the Anglos.
Gerry Smith
Friday 10 August 2007
The Biggest Bang – new Stones 4DVD box
It’s a well-kept secret, but The Biggest Bang, a new Stones 4DVD box set, featuring footage from the current world tour, has just been released. Best price I’ve seen is £30 at Asda, the UK Wal-Mart subsidiary. My local HMV hadn’t heard of it, and suggested In The Park as the “new Stones DVD”.
Far more tempting than Forty Flicks, the massively overpriced last Stones DVD box (£40-£50 – at that sort of price, they’d have to throw in a week at Sir Michael’s Loire Valley chateau to interest me.)
Along with the Martin Scorsese-directed Stones concert film, set for release (US) on 21 September, these are exciting times for Glimmer film collectors.
Gerry Smith
Far more tempting than Forty Flicks, the massively overpriced last Stones DVD box (£40-£50 – at that sort of price, they’d have to throw in a week at Sir Michael’s Loire Valley chateau to interest me.)
Along with the Martin Scorsese-directed Stones concert film, set for release (US) on 21 September, these are exciting times for Glimmer film collectors.
Gerry Smith
Monday 6 August 2007
Paul Weller for beginners
As main man in The Jam and Style Council and as a solo artist, Paul Weller has been a prolific songwriter, with over 300 songs already to his credit - and the flow shows little sign of abating.
Like many creatives, Weller’s early stuff is the most highly regarded. In a lengthy feature in the new (Sept) issue of UNCUT, the music and movies monthly, celeb muso votes for his best songs produce a top 30 which is two thirds Jam songs. And a top ten with 9 Jam songs.
The top three, fairly predictably, are:
1. Going Underground
2. Town Called Malice
3. That's Entertainment
If you need to catch up on Paul Weller (as I did), the new issue of UNCUT offers you an expert dissection of his work.
www.uncut.co.uk
Gerry Smith
Like many creatives, Weller’s early stuff is the most highly regarded. In a lengthy feature in the new (Sept) issue of UNCUT, the music and movies monthly, celeb muso votes for his best songs produce a top 30 which is two thirds Jam songs. And a top ten with 9 Jam songs.
The top three, fairly predictably, are:
1. Going Underground
2. Town Called Malice
3. That's Entertainment
If you need to catch up on Paul Weller (as I did), the new issue of UNCUT offers you an expert dissection of his work.
www.uncut.co.uk
Gerry Smith
Thursday 5 July 2007
How to enrich Bryan Ferry’s Dylanesque with bonus tracks
On release in the UK several months ago, Dylanesque, Bryan Ferry’s covers CD, got great press – positive reviews and a very high profile in the English media.
Some reviews of the new American release are less positive. Probably because, while Ferry is respected (even revered) in his homeland the US has never been so receptive.
Thanks to Martin Cowan for this link: “Amusingly scathing review of the latest Ferry CD from Pitchfork here”:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/43837-dylanesque
Pity. Ferry’s the real deal – a grade one popular musician. Dylan is the preferred singer of Dylan songs, but Ferry’s one of only two singers I’d have entrusted with a covers album. Van Morrison’s the other contender, as most who’ve seen him perform outstanding versions of Just Like A Woman and It’s All over Now, Baby Blue in concert will testify.
If you buy Dylanesque, you can enrich its 11 songs by burning a new CDR to include as bonus tracks Ferry’s earlier Dylan covers:
* A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (These Foolish Things, 1973)
* It Ain’t Me Babe (Another Time Another Place, 1974)
* It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Frantic, 2002)
* Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (Frantic, 2002)
They make a strong album even stronger.
Gerry Smith
Some reviews of the new American release are less positive. Probably because, while Ferry is respected (even revered) in his homeland the US has never been so receptive.
Thanks to Martin Cowan for this link: “Amusingly scathing review of the latest Ferry CD from Pitchfork here”:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/43837-dylanesque
Pity. Ferry’s the real deal – a grade one popular musician. Dylan is the preferred singer of Dylan songs, but Ferry’s one of only two singers I’d have entrusted with a covers album. Van Morrison’s the other contender, as most who’ve seen him perform outstanding versions of Just Like A Woman and It’s All over Now, Baby Blue in concert will testify.
If you buy Dylanesque, you can enrich its 11 songs by burning a new CDR to include as bonus tracks Ferry’s earlier Dylan covers:
* A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (These Foolish Things, 1973)
* It Ain’t Me Babe (Another Time Another Place, 1974)
* It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Frantic, 2002)
* Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (Frantic, 2002)
They make a strong album even stronger.
Gerry Smith
Wednesday 4 July 2007
UNCUT – Dadrock and films mag – celebrates its tenth birthday
UNCUT, the Dadrock and films monthly, is celebrating its tenth birthday with a special issue which has just hit the news-stands. I’ve enjoyed the 9 (of 123) issues I’ve bought over the years.
Here’s the ranked list of musicians who’ve stared out from the news-stands on the front cover of a decade’s worth of UNCUTs:
1. Beatles - 11 covers
2. Dylan – 7 covers
3. Stones – 6
4. Pink Floyd – 5
5= Smiths/Mozz; Who; Led Zep; Clash; Bruce; Bowie; REM – 4 covers
Two thirds of the 123 covers feature 1960s/1970s rockers, mostly English.
Gerry Smith
Here’s the ranked list of musicians who’ve stared out from the news-stands on the front cover of a decade’s worth of UNCUTs:
1. Beatles - 11 covers
2. Dylan – 7 covers
3. Stones – 6
4. Pink Floyd – 5
5= Smiths/Mozz; Who; Led Zep; Clash; Bruce; Bowie; REM – 4 covers
Two thirds of the 123 covers feature 1960s/1970s rockers, mostly English.
Gerry Smith
Friday 29 June 2007
Fopp, outstanding music retailer, in trouble
Music for Grown-Ups has been praising Fopp ever since the small chain started rolling out its refreshing music retailing concept in England.
Its stores, notably the new flagship in London’s Tottenham Court Rd, are my preferred outlet for buying CDs, DVDs and books. Fopp leaves the competition in its slipstream, thanks to its quirky catalogue, some keen pricing, but mostly because its genre classifications – reflected in innovative display – are just so well thought-out.
Bad news this week, though – Fopp seems to be struggling to survive – a one-day closure of stores last Friday, suspension of online sales, cash only in the stores, and the Music Zone stores – their recent acquisition is a likely major cause of Fopp’s woes – closed, as I found when I went to visit the Welwyn Garden City branch yesterday.
All music retailers are currently struggling against free downloads and aggressive online and supermarket discounting. But if all the major chains went under, Fopp is the one I’d miss most.
Gerry Smith
Its stores, notably the new flagship in London’s Tottenham Court Rd, are my preferred outlet for buying CDs, DVDs and books. Fopp leaves the competition in its slipstream, thanks to its quirky catalogue, some keen pricing, but mostly because its genre classifications – reflected in innovative display – are just so well thought-out.
Bad news this week, though – Fopp seems to be struggling to survive – a one-day closure of stores last Friday, suspension of online sales, cash only in the stores, and the Music Zone stores – their recent acquisition is a likely major cause of Fopp’s woes – closed, as I found when I went to visit the Welwyn Garden City branch yesterday.
All music retailers are currently struggling against free downloads and aggressive online and supermarket discounting. But if all the major chains went under, Fopp is the one I’d miss most.
Gerry Smith
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