Our affinity for soul music in all forms, sizes, regions and eras is well documented in these pages. Now rising to create their own niche is the Milwaukee collective Kings Go Forth.
Plying its heavily percussive and keyboard laden sound in local clubs, Kings Go Forth has produced an impressive collection of singles over the past couple of years. In addition, harkening back to the 1960s when regional acts would break through radio play, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee put the band in its regular rotation. The group garnered enough attention that David Byrne's Luaka Bop label latched on to the train car and will be releasing the first LP by the band in the April. Pitchfork recently reviewed the first single from the yet untitled album, "Don't Take My Shadow," which you can stream here.
When listing our Best Songs of the Year feature back in 2008, TNOP named Kings Go Forth's "One Day" near the top of the list: "C'mon attacha full steam: Garage Band Soul! Milwaukee group's raw sound evokes Nuggets and a Stax soul revue, along with the stage presence of Tower of Power."
On this date in 1943, George Harrison is born in Liverpool, England to Harold and Louise Harrison. He would have been 67 today, had he not gone away back in 2001.
So happy birthday to The Quiet One.
“I’m really quite simple. I don’t want to be in the business full time because I’m a gardener. I plant flowers and watch them grow. I don’t go out to clubs and partying. I stay at home and watch the river flow.” ---George Harrison, from his autobiography I Me Mine
Like many music fans, TNOP has long been an avid listener of the radio show Morning Becomes Eclectic from KCRW-FM in Santa Monica. Much like the old John Peel BBC programme, the show regularly calls attention to the up and coming artists in the pop music world.
On 28 July 1994, host Chris Douridas half-heartedly allowed Jeff Buckley and his band into the studio for a 40 minute live set. Douridas said that even though a fellow DJ had hosted Buckley six months earlier for an acoustic set, he had no idea who Buckley was, much less that he was the son of a fairly famous musician (the latter much to Jeff's delight); his feeling was that Columbia Records was throwing its weight around, trying to get exposure for a another new artist in their stable.
Fire struck the location of world famous Philadelphia International Records on Sunday night, the site of a studio that spawned a string of rock and soul gems written and produced by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff and producer Thom Bell. Initially labelled "suspicious" by fire officials, a local man was charged this evening with arson at the building located at 309 South Broad Street, a stone's throw from The Academy of Music and the Kimmel Center.
In a joint statement, owners Gamble & Huff cited the famous McFadden & Whitehead hit: "Ain't no stoppin' us now. Our space has been violated by someone who chose to set fire to it. But what's most important is that we will build it again and continue to rebuild. Nothing is going to stop us."
Gamble, Huff and Bell took over the venerable brick building in 1970, and the hits were plentiful from a stable of artists that became known collectively as "The Sound of Philadelphia": The Intruders ("Cowboys To Girls"); Billy Paul ("Me & Mrs. Jones"); Jerry Butler ("Only The Strong Survive"); Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes ("If You Don't Know Me By Now"); Joe Simon ("Drowning In The Sea of Love"); Mel & Tim ("Backfield In Motion"); The Three Degrees ("When Will I See You Again"); The Jacksons ("Enjoy Yourself"); MFSB ("TSOP [The Sound of Philadelphia])"; and, perhaps most memorably, The (Mighty! Mighty!) O'Jays ("For The Love Of Money," "Back Stabbers," "992 Arguments," and "Love Train").
The production duo estimates that they lost 40% of their memorabilia that adorned the walls, filled offices and was kept in storage, including gold records, awards and private tape collections of artists like Lou Rawls, Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass and The Jacksons. "Some of the things we lost in the fire are irreplaceable," said Gamble & Huff. "We will know better in the days ahead what our total losses will be."
Amazingly, the recording studio itself, located on the third floor, was relatively unscathed. Gamble & Huff use the studio to broadcast their Sirius XM radio series. It is also a popular attraction for students and tourists.
Before housing Philly International, the studio was the site where Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Dee Dee Sharp's "Mashed Potato Time" were cut for the Cameo-Parkway label.
"The No. 1 thing that went through our minds as we walked through the facility is that thankfully, no one was hurt," the statement from Gamble & Huff concluded. "After all the years our building has been there, we've never had any problems that come close to this. The devastation is just horrible. It's unbelievable."
In 1999, four years after being inducted into the National Academy of Songwriters' Hall of Fame, Gamble & Huff were honored by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences with the Trustees Award for their extensive body of work, both as producer and songwriter, and their contribution to the entire fabric of popular music. In 2008, Gamble & Huff were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock Hall is currently in the midst of a month long celebration of the Philly Sound.
Well, most of a rock monument was saved, so let's not worry about things we can't control, right? "Enjoy Yourself" instead with The Jacksons from 1976! [Chair dancing in the office allowed.]
The reviews on the new Peter Gabriel album have been quite positive, and now the focus will switch to the "flip side" of the Scratch My Back project, presumably titled I'll Scratch Yours.Gabriel talks to Uncut about one particular song, Radiohead's "Street Spirit," and whether Thom Yorke intends to return the favor. Stay tuned.
One of our musical heroes, Randy Newman, took the stage in Los Angeles Friday night for one of his all-too-rare live performances. Pop & Hiss was there.
When we first were introduced to Billy Bragg back in the early 1980s, he was rattling The Man's cage. Not surprisingly, he still is now that he's "some grey-haired 52 year old geezer." The Times of London provides a lengthy profile on the British singer-songwriter who was selected to bring the long-ago lyrics of Woody Guthrie to the public with Wilco.
And speaking of Standing Up To The Man, Part II: Bruce Springsteen fans went to court and successfully obtained a judgment against Ticketmaster for over one million (pinky finger to lips here, please) dollars. Seems the company most known to fans for charging mysterious fees essentially scalped their own tickets. Maybe that's why the moment you log on to try to get tickets when they go on sale you're locked out . . .
And speaking of Trying To Stick It To The Man IV: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Gil Scott-Heron is back with a new album. And he's got alot to say to the Telegraph.
Saunter over to MBV and take a listen to the new single from Tracey Thorn, one of favorite voices from her days with Everything But The Girl and Massive Attack. "Oh The Divorces!" takes a nice Joni Mitchell route, accompanied by piano and strings. We're looking forward to Love and Its Opposite, dropping on 18 May (Merge).
Since their last full-length release in 2007, Brooklyn soul collective Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings has hardly faded into the woodwork. In addition to touring, the band has contributed notable work to 2009's Dark Was The Night benefit compilation (a cover of Shuggie Otis' "Inspiration Information") and the soundtrack to the film Up In The Air. Ms. Jones acted in and contributed music to the Denzel Washington helmed The Great Debaters; the versatile Dap-Kings followed their praised backup work on Amy Winehouse's Grammy-winning Back In Black by working with soul legend The Rev. Al Green on 2008's Lay It Down.
On 6 April, the fourth album drops, titled I Learned The Hard Way. Again produced by Bosco Mann and recorded on an old Apex eight-track machine by Gabe Roth at independent Daptone Records, a sneak preview was provided this week: the title track, which to our ears echos the under appreciated Laura Nyro & LaBelle classic Gonna Take A Miracle, produced by Philadephia masters Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff back in 1971. "I Learned The Hard Way" is available via free download or you can listen here:
The Financial Times of London reports that music giant EMI is seeking to sell maybe the most famous studio in the world: Abbey Road. The site of many noted recordings, Abbey Road Studios is housed in an 1831 Georgian townhouse located in the St. John's Wood neighborhood of London. Of course, no work produced there is known to rock 'n roll fans more than the Beatles' final album, titled in 1969 for the place where they made 90% of their wax works.
The BBC interviewed Sir Paul McCartney this evening, who provided these comments: "There are a few people who have been associated with the studio for a long time who were talking about mounting some bid to save it. I sympathise with them. I hope they can do something, it'd be great. I have got so many memories there with the Beatles. It still is a great studio. So it would be lovely if somebody could get a thing together to save it."
Abbey Road's studios came into use when EMI bought the place and refurbished it back in 1931. Because the studio is large enough to fit a symphony orchestra, the space has been popular over the years for the recording countless film scores, including The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, as well as some of the more noted orchestras throughout the world.
In addition to the Beatles eponymous album, whose cover of the Fabs made the street crossing in front of the studio an iconic image, these revered works were also made: Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon; The Alan Parsons Project's I, Robot; and Radiohead's The Bends.
On 25 June 1967, the first worldwide television satellite broadcast originated from Studio Two at Abbey Road. The Beatles sang "All You Need Is Love" in an effort to promote world peace. Viewed by 400 million people in 26 countries, the telecast was in black and white, later to be colorized by the Beatles in their documentary Anthology (that's producer George Martin in the booth at the beginning of the clip; watch for Mick Jagger in the audience, as well):
[Note to our readers: On occasion, our far flung correspondents attend and review shows. Here's another one.]
Taking the stage before Cory Chisel and his band last night, it was clear from the very beginning that Dawes was armed to the teeth with wattage to spare, nary an acoustic guitar in sight. This is not exactly the impression left with the listener upon repeated spins of North Hills, the California quartet's 2009 debut (and one of TNOP's favorite albums of that year). Front man Taylor Goldsmith may as well have quoted Stephen Stills at the end of the acoustic set on Crosby, Stills & Nash's Four Way Street: "We're going to take a break. And then we're going to come back and play some electric music. And good music."
The opener, "When You Call My Name," is joyous in its melody that would fit snuggly beside any track on The Jayhawks' Hollywood Town Hall. But it gives the audience an indication of just how personal - and literary - Goldsmith is as a lyricist, in the grand tradition of many of his Laurel Canyon forebears: So if you want to get to know me/Follow my smile down into its curves/All these lines are born in sorrows and pleasures/And every man ends up with the face that he deserves.
The elegant harmonies of the band were featured in the next two numbers, "Give Me Time" and "Bedside Manner." The former seemed sped up half a beat to match the electric treatment. The latter, a fascinating cradle to (mostly) grave tale that encapsulates the speedy passage of time and the question of whether faith - or simple remembrance - matters. Goldsmith delivers a beautiful, pleading vocal with Neil Young guitar riffs while playing off the stretched out piano chords of Alex Casnoff.
The healthy sized crowd were also treated to two new songs. "If I Wanted Someone" combines a chugging rhythm that brings to mind On The Border Eagles with whipsaw lyrics highlighting the narrator's basest instincts, which are sought to be satisfied without questions asked or complications attached. "Time Spent In Los Angeles" is bittersweet, and no doubt somewhat autobiographical. The members of the band have talked about the love of their North Hills, California roots but also their detachment from home given the nomadic lifestyle that a road band must adopt. My friends don't see me/Without a suitcase in my hand sings Taylor Goldsmith to a solid county rock beat.
"That Western Skyline" is the opening cut and certainly one of the highlights of North Hills. But the crunching guitar approach on this night just did not seem to fit, even though it was obvious from the start of the concert that Dawes would be coming at the audience full bore. This achingly beautiful ballad of distant friendship due to geographical differences began well enough with the slight vocal echo on the verses, but the sledgehammer attack took away from the heartbreak the song so effectively delivers on the LP.
But the finale provided the "wow" factor that only bands with the right stuff can deliver. "When My Time Comes" is an anthemic triumph that shows the true strength of Dawes and why the live approach to the recording of North Hills was so effective: minimal overdubs, real musicianship (the thundering beat and matching harmonies of Griffin Goldsmith paired with the pacing bass of Wylie Gelber) and a personal connection to the fans that simply cannot be manufactured.
Dawes is out on the road honing their craft. See them in the small venues while you can; The Night Owl has a feeling this band is on the verge of bigger things.
The latest project from Irish musical icons The Chieftains deals with an unknown chapter in the Mexican-American War in 1867. The soldiers of the San Patricios, a band of men who had fled the Emerald Isle due to the ravages of famine, were immediately conscripted into the U.S. Army. Instead of facing off against the predominantly Catholic Mexican forces, the battalion switched sides and fought, but to dire consequences. But this germ of an idea, discovered through research by Chieftains' leader Paddy Maloney, did not lead to an album of dirges. On the contrary, the tunes can be quite electric, with the able assistance of noted guitarist Ry Cooder. Also enlisted to help on the CD are Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Moya Brennan, Los Tigres del Norte, Lila Downs, Liam Neeson and Linda Ronstadt.
San Patriciosis to be released 9 March on merge. Find out more about the project by viewing the promotional video above.
The Chieftains start a month long tour in the U.S. this coming week, culminating with a St. Patrick's Day concert in New York City. TNOP County Clare correspondent Celtic Ray will be on hand for the 6 March show in Milwaukee and will post his review on these pages.
Nelson Mandela b/w Break Down The Door! The Special AKA Written by Jerry Dammers Produced by Elvis Costello 2 Tone CHS TT26 Released 17 April 1984
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the English music scene was bubbling not only with the punk movement. In what was to become a complimentary sound as many punk artists matured, the revival of Jamaican ska - the precursor to rocksteady and reggae - swept the UK. Coventry native Jerry Dammers was a leading promoter of ska, both as a businessman as well as a musician. Forming the record label 2 Tone, Dammers' multi-racial group The Specials stormed the charts with such hits as "Ghost Town" and "A Message To You, Rudy." Label mates The (English) Beat, The Selecter and Madness also made a significant mark on the genre.
But by 1984, Dammers appeared to be a spent force. Three key members of The Specials left the band and formed Fun Boy Three. Personal issues were plaguing Dammers as well. Recalling a lot of idle time spent in the studio, struggling to finish a new album with replacement musicians, he recalled: "Part of it was my fault; I was working ideas out in the studio. Then there were a lot of other problems - drink, drugs, mental illness, across the board! I was very down after the Fun Boy Three left."
But Dammers had a tune in his head that he needed to get out. "Rock music was dead," Dammers recalled, "It was all electro-pop, hip hop, jazz or Latin. And also, Joe Hagen had this African club at Gossip's. I was inspired by the spirit and positivity of that African music. I was trying to get in a few Latin rhythms, but also township jazz." Lyrically, Dammers thought the song had to be on the scale of "Ghost Town," whose theme had been UK-wide unemployment, with not-too-subtle finger-pointing at the Thatcher government.
Then Dammers attended a 65th birthday party at Alexandra Palace for a man he - and the vast majority of others in the room - had never met: Nelson Mandela, the South African leader who had been languishing in a Robben Island, South Africa prison for 21 years. "I'd never heard of him, to be honest," Dammers said. "Various bands sang about him, particularly Julian Bahula. And that's where I got the idea to put this message into this tune I had hanging around."
For "Nelson Mandela," producer Elvis Costello brought in backing singers Afrodiziak and their opening a capella refrain makes the record memorable from the get-go. Then a lazy horn chart becomes a dance hall frenzy, and lead vocalist Stan Campbell takes the reins, educating the masses on the ANC leader that no one had heard from in almost a generation.
Dammers liked that he had crafted "a very simple melody, three notes - C, A and E. That meant the public could sing it." It went to #9 on the UK charts. The song, banned in South Africa, would nevertheless be heard in townships all over South Africa. And it was the centerpiece of the Mandela 70th birthday show, televised in June 1988 and viewed by 600 million people.
Twenty years ago today, Nelson Mandela was released from prison. After being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, he went on to become the elected President of South Africa, serving from 1994 to 1999. Currently 91 years old, Mandela is one of the most recognizable figures in the world.
Sun City Artists United Against Apartheid Written by Steven Van Zandt Produced by Steven Van Zandt and Arthur Baker EMI Manhattan Records Released 7 December 1985
Meanwhile, in the United States, "Little" Steven Van Zandt left the gig of a lifetime - voluntarily - in 1984 when he split from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. He then turned to more overtly political causes, mainly aiming at Reagan-era foreign policy issues.
A fancy resort in South Africa called Sun City had become a vacation haven for the internationally rich and famous, with notable entertainers (including Queen, Elton John, Ray Charles and Rod Stewart) being paid huge sums of money to perform before them. In response, Van Zandt organized Artists United Against Apartheid, whose members pledged not to play in South Africa while the apartheid regime was still in power.
The resulting musical project included the Van Zandt penned "Sun City," a militant stomp aggressively produced with Arthur Baker and performed by 49 notable musicians. Enjoy the intro by the great Miles Davis and then see how many stars you can spot in the video:
TNOP Patron Saint Bob Dylan showed up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue last night - a day early. Seems as though all the snow you folks out East have been putting up with moved the Civil Rights music celebration at the White House up one calendar date. Jon Pareles of The New York Times reports he sang "The Times They Are A-Changin'" in waltz time. TwentyFourBitadds that "[a]ccompanied by stand-up bass and piano, Dylan sang his 1964 anthem loud and clear, highlighting the song's many apropos lyrical moments (Come senators, congressmen/Please heed the call/Don't stand in the doorway/Don't block up the hall). Then he stepped from the stage, shook President Obama's hand and left.
Bonnaroo has announced the bulk of its summertime festival lineup, to be held 10-13 June on a 700 acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. Notables (as far as we're concerned) include: Stevie Wonder, The Flaming Lips, Tenacious D, Jay-Z, Phoenix, John Fogerty, LCD Soundsystem, The National, John Prine, The Black Keys, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, The xx, Miike Snow, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Calexico, Blitzen Trapper, Dave Rawlings Machine, and Mumford & Sons.
Our own Celtic Ray reports that Irishman Damien Rice introduced a stunning new tune the other night in Santa Monica, California at the opening of the Tibet documentary When The Dragon Swallowed The Sun. Contributors to the movie soundtrack also include Thom Yorke and Philip Glass. Give "What If I'm Wrong" a listen:
No Depression gives us a nice sneak preview of some of the acts that will be appearing at their SXSW Showcase. Bands include Vandaveer, The Maldives and The Deadstring Brothers.
Jim Carroll of The Irish Timesstirs the pot by taking on the album reviewers at Pitchfork. While that in of itself is (really) nothing new, alot of readers take the bait anyway. And if it adds to the discussion among bloggers as to the merits of various album releases, why not?
Josh Ritter's new album, titled So Runs The World Away, is to be released in Ireland on 23 April and in the States and the rest of the world on 4 May. He's also offering a free mp3 download of one of the songs, "Change of Time." Tours dates for April (Ireland) and May (United States) have been announced as well.
In the "we kid you not" category, The Grateful Dead Archive will soon be open to the public at the University of California at Santa Cruz. The Atlantic tells us about it and manages to proselytize that business students can learn from the band's management style.
Eric Clapton brings his guitar hero Crossroads Festival back to Chicago this summer on 26 June. Tickets - sales benefit his center in Antigua that helps the chemically dependent - are a cool $100, but check out some of the lineup confirmed so far: Albert King, The Allman Brothers Band, B. B. King, Buddy Guy, James Burton, Jeff Beck, Robert Cray, Joao Gilberto, Jimmie Vaughn, John Mayer and Vince Gill. Serious guitar slingers, all.
Speaking of B. B. King, next time you are in Las Vegas, TNOP says check out his new Blues Club at The Mirage. It's a refreshing change of pace - live music anchored by a fantastic house band, The B. B. King All-Stars, a rollicking 13-piece soul revue complete with three lead vocalists and a dynamite horn section. Highly recommended.
That's it from the news desk. TNOP has still got the new Spoon record on heavy rotation, so we'll leave you with their appearnce on Conan O'Brien singing "Written In Reverse":
Fifty-one years ago today, in Clear Lake, Iowa, rock and roll lost three of its pioneering artists in a plane crash. Perishing in a cornfield in the dead of winter were Texan Buddy Holly, Californian Ritchie Valens and DJ J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, along with pilot Roger Peterson. All three singers were riding the crest of a wave of music popularity.
Holly, who had already established a solid career at the young age of 22 with hits like "Not Fade Away," "Peggy Sue" and "Rave On," would become hugely influential in the careers of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, among many others.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets, "Peggy Sue" (1957)
Buddy Holly interview with Red Robinson, Vancouver, October 23, 1957.
Valens, born Richard Valenzuela, was only 17 at the time, and had broken out with the rocking "Come On, Let's Go" and then topped the charts with the ballad "Donna." The teen would later be immortalized in the movie La Bamba and his music would again be brought to the masses by Los Lobos.
Ritchie Valens, "Donna" (live recording 1958)
Richardson, from Texas, had a novelty record called "Chantilly Lace" that gathered attention. What most do not know is that he was also the author of "White Lightning," a tune George Jones took to the top of the charts after the crash.
The famous odd-man out on the fatal plane ride? Waylon Jennings, whose playful comments with Holly about the cold and its potential effects on their respective means of transportation would haunt him until his death in 2002.
FURTHER LISTENING AND VIEWING: The Rolling Stones perform Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" in a 1964 television appearance:
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR TV TIMES AND/OR REPEAT SHOWINGS; ALSO CONSULT WEBSITES AND YOUTUBE
TONIGHT, 1 February The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (NBC) - John Mayer Trio Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS) - They Might Be Giants Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) - Doves
TUESDAY, 2 February Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) - Ben Harper & Relentless7 The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (NBC) - Neko Case Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) - Crocodiles Tavis Smiley (PBS) - Wyclef Jean
WEDNESDAY, 3 February Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) - Harper Simon Tavis Smiley (PBS) - Bill Withers Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) - Metric
THURSDAY, 4 February Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) - Hot Chip Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) - The Raveonettes
FRIDAY, 5 February Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) - The Swell Season Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS) - Jill Scott Tavis Smiley (PBS) - Patti Smith Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) - Lisa Hannigan
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