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Introducing the Ultimate Music Guide to The Doors

John Robinson
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Introducing the Ultimate Music Guide to The Doors
BUY THE THE DOORS ULTIMATE MUSIC GUIDE HERE “The end” is obviously a huge part of the concept of The Doors, and it’s true also that this magazine arrives with you on the 50th anniversary of the passing of the band’s uniquely charismatic lead singer Jim Morrison. But really, the subject of...

BUY THE THE DOORS ULTIMATE MUSIC GUIDE HERE

“The end” is obviously a huge part of the concept of The Doors, and it’s true also that this magazine arrives with you on the 50th anniversary of the passing of the band’s uniquely charismatic lead singer Jim Morrison. But really, the subject of this latest issue of the Ultimate Music Guide isn’t how the music ended, but how it endures. How, 50 years on from their singer’s death – a period of time including two Jim-less albums, regroupings, and legally-challenged reformations of the surviving members – the music of The Doors remains so powerful.

In his exclusive foreword to the magazine, the band’s drummer John Densmore gives the matter some thought. “The Doors had their finger on the pulse of what was going on culturally during their heyday,” he writes. “They tried to expose the dark underbelly of the bullshit taught by politicians, parents…”

Reading and re-listening to the music while editing the magazine, you can definitely get a feel of some of the danger in that proposal. There was plenty of music made in 1967 to feed your head, but precious little which could rearrange it with the majesty and authority of that made by The Doors. Inside, you’ll find in-depth new reviews of every Doors album from their magnificent debut, through their excursion into pop with the Soft Parade, and final powerful retrenchment in the blues with LA Woman, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in April.

You’ll also find a blend of interviews and features. There’s an entertaining archive sequence about the band’s eventual arrival in London in 1968, in which the rumour of a singer who “thinks he is Christ” materialises in the person of a great rock band and their frontman who is actually quite keen on doing some sightseeing. There’s also a new and revealing Q&A with Robby Krieger, and a hilarious eyewitness account from Uncut’s Nigel Williamson on being an expert witness in the legal battle to determine who had the legal right to operate as “The Doors”.

There’s also considerable new work. You’ll find an extensive oral history on the Doors as a live band – not only the drama of what one observer calls the “Jim Morrison experience” – but also the subterfuge behind the scenes which has led to valuable live recordings being issued to the public. We’ve also touched in with Frank Lisciandro, a film-maker, UCLA contemporary and one of Jim Morrison’s closest friends, about The Doors on film. Frank is especially valuable to hear on the myths deriving from the 1991 Oliver Stone-directed Doors biopic. “Jim never looked over his shoulder and said ‘I feel like I’m being possessed by a Native American right now’,” he tells us.

Then, as now, audiences were ready to be entranced by Jim Morrison’s legend, and transported by The Doors’ music. John Densmore, though, is more down to earth about why the group continue to enjoy such influence: they were in the right place at the right time.

“Timing,” he says, “is everything to a drummer…”

Enjoy the magazine…

Buy a copy of the magazine here. Missed one in the series? Bundles are available at the same location.

The Doors – The Ultimate Music Guide

Uncut
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The Doors – The Ultimate Music Guide
Marking 50 years since the passing of their legendary singer Jim Morrison, we present the Ultimate Music Guide to The Doors. In-depth reviews of every album. Remarkable contemporary encounters, and also, fantastic new interviews with band members and key players about the band’s incredible legacy....

Marking 50 years since the passing of their legendary singer Jim Morrison, we present the Ultimate Music Guide to The Doors. In-depth reviews of every album. Remarkable contemporary encounters, and also, fantastic new interviews with band members and key players about the band’s incredible legacy.

“We’ve got five years,” says Robby Krieger. “We were lucky to get that…”

Buy a copy here!

Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine announce new collaborative album, A Beginner’s Mind

Sam Moore
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Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine announce new collaborative album, A Beginner’s Mind
Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine have announced their new collaborative album A Beginner’s Mind – you can hear two songs from the project below. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut The 14-track LP, which is set for release on September 24 via Asthmatic Kitty Records, was wri...

Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine have announced their new collaborative album A Beginner’s Mind – you can hear two songs from the project below.

The 14-track LP, which is set for release on September 24 via Asthmatic Kitty Records, was written when the two labelmates decamped to a friend’s house in upstate New York for a month-long songwriting session.

“Watching a movie to unwind after each day’s work, they soon found their songs reflecting the films and began investigating this connection in earnest,” a press release explains about the album, which is said to be “(loosely) based on (mostly) popular films – highbrow, lowbrow and everything in between”.

“The results are less a ‘cinematic exegesis’ and more a ‘rambling philosophical inquiry’ that allows the songs to free-associate at will,” the release adds. “Plot-points, scene summaries and leading characters are often displaced by esoteric interpolations that ask the bigger question: what does it mean to be human in a broken world?”

Sufjan Stevens Angelo De Augustine ‘A Beginner’s Mind’
Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine’s ‘A Beginner’s Mind’ (Credit: Daniel Anum Jasper)

A Beginner’s Mind was previewed yessterday (July 7) with the songs “Reach Out” and “Olympus”, which you can hear below.

The video for “Reach Out” was shot earlier this year by Stevens and De Augustine on VHS-C cameras from their respective coasts, New York and California. The clip stars their beloved dogs Joku (a Jindo) and Charlie (a Havanese), and was edited by Jess Calleiro.

You can see the tracklist for Stevens and De Augustine’s collaborative album A Beginner’s Mind below, and pre-order the record here.

1. Reach Out
2. Lady Macbeth In Chains
3. Back To Oz
4. The Pillar Of Souls
5. You Give Death A Bad Name
6. Beginner’s Mind
7. Olympus
8. Murder And Crime
9. (This Is) The Thing
10. It’s Your Own Body And Mind
11. Lost In The World
12. Fictional California
13. Cimmerian Shade
14. Lacrimae

Thurston Moore to release Sonic Life memoir in 2023

Josh Martin
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Thurston Moore to release Sonic Life memoir in 2023
Thurston Moore will release his memoir Sonic Life in 2023 after signing a new publishing deal. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut Moore first told NME about the planned book in an interview last year, describing it as a retelling of his "history of coming to New York City as a teen...

Thurston Moore will release his memoir Sonic Life in 2023 after signing a new publishing deal.

Moore first told NME about the planned book in an interview last year, describing it as a retelling of his “history of coming to New York City as a teenager and finding my footing as a musician”.

“It’s not only just ‘Well here’s my life story’, as I wanted to get away from the ego of it and talk about the information – so when you first see a picture of Iggy and the Stooges in 1973 in a magazine, why did it have such an effect on you? Why did that photograph of something that was so subversive in the music scene appeal to somebody from a safe and protected middle-class lifestyle?” he said.

At the time, Moore said he hoped to publish Sonic Life within a year. Now, publishing house Faber has purchased the rights for a 2023 release.

A new synopsis on The Booksellers says the story is “all told via the personal prism of the author’s intensive archives and research”.

Moore released his last solo album By the Fire in 2020. In Uncut’s 8/10 review of the album, we said: ““Like anyone with almost 40 years of adventuring behind them, Moore’s music is now more about the deep, nuanced dig into established territory than striking out to plant a flag someplace new, plus exploring different contexts for his signature sound through continued collaboration.”

LCD Soundsystem announce 10th anniversary reissue of Madison Square Garden farewell gig

Will Lavin
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LCD Soundsystem announce 10th anniversary reissue of Madison Square Garden farewell gig
LCD Soundsystem have announced a 10th anniversary repress of their long out-of-print vinyl boxset The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live At Madison Square Garden. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut The album recording is an unabridged version of the band’s near-four-hour farewell g...

LCD Soundsystem have announced a 10th anniversary repress of their long out-of-print vinyl boxset The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live At Madison Square Garden.

The album recording is an unabridged version of the band’s near-four-hour farewell gig, which took place on April 2, 2011, at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden.

The same gig was also documented in the Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace-directed film Shut Up And Play The Hits, which followed frontman James Murphy over a 48-hour period, from the day of gig to the morning after the show.

The album finds LCD Soundsystem joined by a choir, string and horn sections – plus special guest performances from the likes of Win Butler and Regine Chassagne of Arcade Fire, Reggie Watts, the Juan MacLean, Shit Robot, Planningtorock and Shannon Funchess of Light Asylum.

First released in 2014 before going out of print, the five-LP vinyl boxset is being repressed by DFA Records alongside Parlophone and Warner Music; it is also being made available on 3CD for the very first time.

The album is due for release on August 6, 2021. You can pre-order it here.

LCD Soundsystem ‘The Long Goodbye’ boxset on vinyl
LCD Soundsystem ‘The Long Goodbye’ boxset on vinyl. CREDIT: Press

The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live At Madison Square Garden five-LP vinyl tracklisting:

SIDE A
“Dance Yrself Clean”
“Drunk Girls”
“I Can Change”

SIDE B
“Time To Get Away”
“Get Innocuous!”
“Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”
“Too Much Love”

SIDE C
“All My Friends”
“Tired / Heart Of The Sunrise (Excerpt)”

SIDE D
“Sound Of Silver”
“Out In Space”
“Ships Talking”

SIDE E
“Freak Out / Starry Eyes”
“Us v Them”

SIDE F
“North American Scum”
“Bye Bye Bayou”

SIDE G
“You Wanted A Hit”
“Tribulations”
“Movement”

SIDE H
“Yeah (Crass Version)”
“Someone Great”

SIDE I
“Losing My Edge”
“Home”
“All I Want”

SIDE J
“Jump Into The Fire”
“New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”

LCD soundsystem box set the Long Goodbye
LCD Soundsystem ‘The Long Goodbye’ boxset on CD. CREDIT: Press

‘The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live At Madison Square Garden three-CD tracklisting:

CD1
“Dance Yrself Clean”
“Drunk Girls”
“I Can Change”
“Time To Get Away”
“Get Innocuous!”
“Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”
“Too Much Love”
“All My Friends”
“Tired / Heart Of The Sunrise”

CD2
“45:33 Intro”
“You Can’t Hide (Shame On You)”
“Sound Of Silver”
“Out In Space”
“Ships Talking”
“Freak Out/Starry Eyes”
“Us V Them”
“North American Scum”
“Bye Bye Bayou”

CD3
“You Wanted A Hit”
“Tribulations”
“Movement”
“Yeah”
“Someone Great”
“Losing My Edge”
“Home”
“All I Want”
“Jump Into The Fire”
“New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”

Brian Eno, Nicolás Jaar and more contribute to Palestine benefit compilation

Daniel Peters
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Brian Eno, Nicolás Jaar and more contribute to Palestine benefit compilation
Brian Eno and Nicolás Jaar – the latter under his Against All Logic moniker – are among the artists who have contributed tracks to It's Not Complicated, a new compilation album whose proceeds will go towards humanitarian efforts in Palestine. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut T...

Brian Eno and Nicolás Jaar – the latter under his Against All Logic moniker – are among the artists who have contributed tracks to It’s Not Complicated, a new compilation album whose proceeds will go towards humanitarian efforts in Palestine.

The 19-track compilation is the brainchild of online magazine Ma3azef and mastering engineer Heba Kadry. Other artists involved include Sarah Haras, Lee Gamble and SKYLA.

Participating artists were asked to submit their versions of an “audio protest”. “We offer a sonic tale of occupation, colonial violence and resistance in the face of an attempt to erase a land, a people, a history and a future,” the album’s liner notes read. “It’s not complicated, and never has been.”

All proceeds from album sales will benefit Medical Aid for Palestine and Grassroots Al-Quds. It’s Not Complicated can be previewed and purchased via Bandcamp. Listen to it below:

Last year, Ma3azef released Nisf Madeena, an album which benefited Beirut organisations in the wake of catastrophic blasts in the city. Jaar contributed to that compilation as well, alongside Fatima Al Qadiri and Deena Abdelwahed.

Both Jaar and Eno have been vocal in their support for Palestine amidst its ongoing crisis. In April, Eno performed at a Live for Gaza fundraiser alongside Tom Morello and Roger Waters. Jaar, on the other hand, has been participating in Sonic Liberation Front, an ongoing protest project by online station Radio Alhara.

Eno launched a new Sonos Radio HD station called The Lighthouse in June, in which he shares exclusive unreleased music from his archive.

Iconic bass guitar smashed at The Clash gig to join collection at Museum of London

Nick Reilly
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Iconic bass guitar smashed at The Clash gig to join collection at Museum of London
The bass guitar that was memorably smashed by The Clash's Paul Simonon is to go on permanent display at the Museum of London later this year. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut Simonon smashed his Fender Precision Bass at New York’s Palladium in September 1979, with photographer Pe...

The bass guitar that was memorably smashed by The Clash’s Paul Simonon is to go on permanent display at the Museum of London later this year.

Simonon smashed his Fender Precision Bass at New York’s Palladium in September 1979, with photographer Pennie Smith capturing the dramatic moment on her 35mm Pentax camera.

The resulting image, which sees Simonon raising the instrument like an axe, became part of rock folklore after it was chosen by frontman Joe Strummer to appear on the cover of The Clash’s 1979 album London Calling.

As The Guardian reports, Simonon was in a “really bad mood” during the gig and smashed the bass guitar in frustration at the audience, who were sitting in their seats and failing to give the band the desired reaction.

The Clash
The Clash (Picture: Michael Putland/Getty Images)

It’s now been confirmed that the guitar will permanently become part of the museum’s world city gallery, which tells the story of London from the 1950s to today.

The bass was previously displayed from 2019-2020 as part of a wider exhibition about The Clash, but it will now take its place among other new exhibits, including Bill and Ben string puppets, a Vespa scooter and the 28in-waist trunks that were worn by Tom Daley at the 2012 London Olympics.

First Look – Todd Haynes’ The Velvet Underground documentary

Damon Wise
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First Look – Todd Haynes’ The Velvet Underground documentary
The Velvet Underground begins with a quote from French poet Charles Baudelaire: “Music fathoms the sky.” It doesn’t explain much about the two hours that follow, but it does make clear that director Todd Haynes is looking at the band from the perspective of a fellow artist rather than an archi...

The Velvet Underground begins with a quote from French poet Charles Baudelaire: “Music fathoms the sky.” It doesn’t explain much about the two hours that follow, but it does make clear that director Todd Haynes is looking at the band from the perspective of a fellow artist rather than an archivist.

The director of I’m Not There is trying to understand what the Velvets achieved rather than laying out the facts of where and when they did it. Which is just as well, because the Velvets story is famously slippery. After all, this is a band whose career weathered numerous twists and challenges that could have killed off less stubborn groups: when John Cale was sacked, when Sterling Morrison absconded, when Lou Reed quit and when Maureen Tucker eventually left Doug Yule to shop the band around in name-only form to British students on a 1973 college tour.

Haynes opens his film on familiar ground. We are given the contrasting back stories of Reed (the troubled Brooklyn teenage rock’n’roller who thought he’d score a Billboard hit with a novelty dance tune called “The Ostrich”) and Cale (the classically trained Welshman whose head was turned by the avant garde movement). Around them, the band of unlikely bedfellows quickly coalesces – Tucker, then Morrison, then Nico, whose introduction by manager Andy Warhol turned out to be a stroke of genius. Just as Warhol polarised pop culture, the Velvets and their entourage seemed to set themselves up in direct contrast to the prevailing late ‘60s vibes. As the Aquarian age reached its peak, the band’s choice of black clothes and shades sent a clear message to the love generation. “Burn your bra?” sneers Mary Woronov, one of Warhol’s Superstars. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

The narrative is provided by eyewitness interviews. Aside from surviving band members Cale, Tucker and Yule (Reed and Morrison’s voices also feature), Haynes rounds up friends, family, fans and fellow travellers, including avant-garde film archivist Jonas Mekas, Reed’s sister Merrill, composer La Monte Young and Jonathan Richman – who says he must have seen the band “60 or 70 times”.

Haynes’ immerses us in some stunning archive material – including Warhol’s studied screentests of the band’s blank, bored faces, rehearsal footage, poetry readings, recordings of conversations. He handles this material like an underground movie from a 1960s art lab, frequently using split screen, lens flare, and sprocket holes – just like the movies of Jack Smith, Kenneth Anger and Bruce Conner, whose work he samples. But there’s a strange paradox here. After claiming solidarity with the outside artists of his time – he namechecks writers Hubert Selby Jr, William Burroughs and John Rechy – Reed seemingly develops issues with his band becoming too out there, firing Warhol first, then Cale and pursuing a softer, more intimate sound. Post-Cale, Reed will try to crack California and – a far worst crime – let the band appear in daylight wearing floral shirts (in some ways, the film could be construed as a Joker-style Lou Reed origins story).

Whatever, the end was clearly in sight. Reed himself explains, the secret of the band’s music was its simplicity: they never added, only subtracted and wouldn’t record anything they couldn’t perform live. The same, rather sadly, is true of the band themselves – which ended in a series of subtractions until, just like that, there were none. It’s to Haynes’s credit that he doesn’t try to romanticise their failure (Tucker says she thought Verve only signed them “to keep us off the streets”), but instead try to put the viewer into their heads, as if hearing their music for the first time. It’s an audacious move – but, perhaps unsurprisingly for a filmmaker operating on Haynes’ level, it works.

The Velvet Underground screens Out of Competition at this year’s 74th Cannes Film Festival; it will be shown on Apple TV+ later this year

Krist Novoselic on Nevermind’s impact: “So much was going on. And then it all just spectacularly blew up”

Graeme Thomson
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Krist Novoselic on Nevermind’s impact: “So much was going on. And then it all just spectacularly blew up”
As part of the cover story in the August 2021 issue of Uncut and in celebration of Nevermind's impending 30th anniversary, we revisit the era-defining classic in the company of its surviving creators. In this brand new interview, Krist Novoselic traces the album's remarkable journey from a rented...

As part of the cover story in the August 2021 issue of Uncut and in celebration of Nevermind’s impending 30th anniversary, we revisit the era-defining classic in the company of its surviving creators. In this brand new interview, Krist Novoselic traces the album’s remarkable journey from a rented barn in Tacoma to the stage of Seattle’s Paramount Theatre and beyond.

What do you remember about the first time you, Kurt and Dave played together?

Krist Novoselic: It flowed, it sounded good, it was immediate. It just fell into place, there was no awkwardness. Dave is such a good musician, he rose to the occasion – or we rose to him, whichever way it happened. It just seemed natural and Dave was easy to hang out with. I think he moved in with Kurt. That took a lot of courage, to move into an apartment with him! Dave knew the Bleach material, but we were already writing songs for Nevermind. We had some songs: some we would just make up on the spot, others Kurt had some ideas for. We were really serious about rehearsing. We had this barn in Tacoma that we rented. Somebody had tried to make it into a studio and hadn’t got very far, but it was a decent place to rehearse. We went in there and we were serious about working on the songs.

Did you have any doubts about leaving Sub Pop and signing to a major label?

I was never conflicted about it. We all made the decision; Kurt and Dave and me all wanted to do it. I remember when we signed those contracts in the lawyer’s office, we were like, “Yeah, let’s get promoted and let’s do it.” It was like there was the music, which was one thing, and then there was this whole other part of it that was a completely new situation, with things not being in Olympia or Tacoma any more. It was this whole big world and us trying to adjust to that.

What do you remember about the preparation for Nevermind?

[Geffen A&R] Gary Gersh came up from the label and we were shopping producers. I remember [Neil Young producer] David Briggs came up, but we decided to go with Butch. We just felt more comfortable, he was what we were used to. In the meantime, we just kept working on the songs, keeping them tight. By the time we went to LA, we had a couple of days of pre-production with Butch and he helped with some arrangements. It wasn’t big changes. It was, “This song is too long,” or “Maybe you should have a bridge here.” Stuff like that.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW IN UNCUT AUGUST 2021

Damon Albarn shares new track “Polaris” alongside performance video

Will Richards
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Damon Albarn shares new track “Polaris” alongside performance video
Damon Albarn has shared a brand new track and performance video – watch him perform “Polaris” below. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut The song and performance was teased earlier this week in a short video that saw Albarn tuning up with an ensemble who are readying themselves ...

Damon Albarn has shared a brand new track and performance video – watch him perform “Polaris” below.

The song and performance was teased earlier this week in a short video that saw Albarn tuning up with an ensemble who are readying themselves for a live performance.

The “Polaris” video has now arrived, alongside the studio version of the track, which is available on all streaming services. The song will appear on the Blur frontman’s second studio album, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, out on November 12 via Transgressive.

Watch the performance video and listen to the studio version of “Polaris” below.

Former Uriah Heep singer John Lawton has died aged 74

Will Lavin
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Former Uriah Heep singer John Lawton has died aged 74
John Lawton, best known as the former frontman of Uriah Heep, has died aged 74. The singer's death was confirmed by Uriah Heep, who shared a statement on social media revealing that Lawton passed away unexpectedly on June 29. "It is with deep regret that we share the devastating and tragic new...

John Lawton, best known as the former frontman of Uriah Heep, has died aged 74.

The singer’s death was confirmed by Uriah Heep, who shared a statement on social media revealing that Lawton passed away unexpectedly on June 29.

“It is with deep regret that we share the devastating and tragic news of the sudden and totally unexpected passing of John Lawton on 29 June 2021,” the band wrote on Facebook.

“Contrary to reports, there was no illness involved, which makes his passing incomprehensible. He went peacefully with his wife at his side. John will be greatly missed.”

They added that a “private funeral service to celebrate John’s life will be held following his wishes, with only family and close friends attending.” You can see the statement in full below.

It is with deep regret that we share the devastating and tragic news of the sudden and totally unexpected passing of…

Posted by Uriah Heep on Monday, July 5, 2021

Lawton was Uriah Heep‘s singer from 1976 to 1979, appearing on three of the band’s studio albums: Firefly (1977), Innocent Victim (1977) and Fallen Angel (1978).

In 2013, Lawton rejoined the group for a few European tour dates, including stops in The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.

Paying tribute to his former bandmate, Uriah Heep guitarist Mick Box shared a message via the band’s Facebook page.

“The passing of John Lawton on the 29th of June came as a complete shock and has left me numb,” Box wrote. “John was a big part of the Heep family, and on stage when he was covering for Bernie, who was having hospital treatment at the time, he said over the microphone ‘you can check out, but you never leave Heep.’ That was our John and he was one of the good guys.”

The passing of John Lawton on the 29th of June came as a complete shock and has left me numb. John was a big part of…

Posted by Uriah Heep on Tuesday, July 6, 2021

He continued: “On a personal note we had some fantastic times in Heep, and some fantastic times too outside of Heep. On filming the movie Love Dot Net and playing shows with him in Bulgaria we never stopped laughing, and I will always remember those joyous times.

“I enjoyed the songs we wrote together, and he had an amazing voice that was both powerful, soulful and with a bluesy edge. Rock music has lost one of the great rock voices of all time and his legacy will live on forever.”

Aside from Uriah Heep in 1976, Lawton sang with German rock band Lucifer’s Friend (1969-1976, 1979-1995) and recorded nine studio albums during his time with the band.

In the early ’70s, he also joined the Les Humphries Singers, with whom he recorded more than 20 albums and took part in 1976’s Eurovision.

Rick Laird, founding member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, has died aged 80

Daniel Seah
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Rick Laird, founding member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, has died aged 80
Rick Laird, the bassist and founding member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, has died at the age of 80. News of his death was made known through several social media tributes by his bandmates. No cause of death has been announced, but a Reddit post, purportedly written by Laird’s daughter, alleged ...

Rick Laird, the bassist and founding member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, has died at the age of 80.

News of his death was made known through several social media tributes by his bandmates. No cause of death has been announced, but a Reddit post, purportedly written by Laird’s daughter, alleged that he had been in hospice care since January 2021.

Mahavishnu Orchestra bandleader John McLaughlin wrote on Twitter on Monday (July 5): “RIP brother Rick Laird. What great memories we have. Miss you!!!”

Laird’s Mahavishnu Orchestra bandmate Bill Cobham also shared a heartfelt tribute on Facebook yesterday: “He played what was necessary to keep the rest of us from going off our musical rails.”

To all who were close to the M.O. you knew that the most dependable person in that band was the bass player. He played…

Posted by Bill Cobham on Sunday, July 4, 2021

“He was my rock and allowed me to play and explore musical regions that I would not have been able to navigate without him having my back! Rick Laird bid this world goodbye at sun-up this morning. Already I miss his likeness and voice that was featured in the powerful quietness and authority he projected on and off stage. The body is going but the persona will remain as an influence on whatever I play for the rest of my days. I miss him already.”

Laird was an original member of the pioneering fusion group, Mahavishnu Orchestra, alongside McLaughlin, Cobham, keyboardist Jan Hammer and violinist Jerry Goodman.

He played on the band’s first three studio albums, The Inner Mounting Flame, Birds Of Fire and Between Nothingness & Eternity. Laird’s work with the group can also be heard on B-side collections such as The Lost Trident Sessions and Unreleased Tracks from Between Nothingness & Eternity.

Born Richard Quentin Laird in Dublin, Ireland, the bassist began his career after his family relocated to Auckland, New Zealand. At the age of 18, Laird performed upright bass with a local group and started touring the country.

At 21, he enrolled in London’s Guildhall School Of Music And Drama, simultaneously performing in The Brian Auger Trinity before leaving the group due to his refusal to switch to electric bass.

Laird then took up the mantle as house bassist of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, where he performed alongside giants the likes of Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt.

After earning a scholarship to study at Berklee College Of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, Laird finally studied electric bass guitar, inspired after hearing the Tony Williams Lifetime – which featured McLaughlin on guitar – in concert.

McLaughlin would then ask Laird to join the first incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1971.

Outside of his musical work, Laird was also celebrated as a music photographer; he has snapped images of Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Elvin Jones, Keith Jarrett and many others.

Read other tributes to Laird below:

I was proud to have my picture taken with this kind, sincere and warm gentleman back in 2013 in New York. It was here…

Posted by Gary Husband on Sunday, July 4, 2021

Elton John vows to help new artists tour Europe despite “disastrous” Brexit deal

Will Lavin
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Elton John vows to help new artists tour Europe despite “disastrous” Brexit deal
Elton John has vowed to help new artists tour Europe despite the UK government's "disastrous" Brexit trade agreement. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut The legendary singer has been very vocal about the government jeopardising the future of touring for UK artists, after its Brexit d...

Elton John has vowed to help new artists tour Europe despite the UK government’s “disastrous” Brexit trade agreement.

The legendary singer has been very vocal about the government jeopardising the future of touring for UK artists, after its Brexit deal with the EU failed to negotiate visa-free travel and Europe-wide work permits for musicians and crew.

He even called the government “philistines” and accused them of “crucifying” the careers of young artists.

Yesterday (July 6), John and his husband David Furnish took part in a virtual meeting with Michael Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, and a number of others, to discuss free movement and visa-free arrangements for artists.

“Very happy to meet & discuss today with @eltonofficial, who despite #Brexit, is fighting for free movement and visa-free arrangements for artists,” Barnier tweeted, sharing a screenshot from the meeting. “Citizens, artists, students are the first to lose out from #Brexit. It didn’t have to be this way.”

John then shared Barnier‘s tweet, writing: “David & I will continue to fight for all artists, especially those at the start of their career, who are losing out because of the gaping holes in the UK Government’s disastrous trade agreement with Europe.”

He concluded: “We need to act now to save the music industry and support future talent.”

 

This comes after last month saw a new poll show that the majority of UK voters want the government to be doing more to solve the post-Brexit touring fiasco for musicians and crew, while campaigners have vowed that their “anger is not going away until they find a solution”.

The government has often been accused of treating the sector like “an afterthought” in Brexit negotiations compared to the £1.2billion fishing industry.

Responding to the criticisms at the time, a government spokesperson from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport claimed that they “had always been clear that the end of freedom of movement would have implications for professional mobility”.

A controversial issue throughout the continent, European festival promoters have said that they could be likely to book fewer UK acts as a result of Brexit, while figures from the UK music industry have expressed concern that the impact of the deal on musicians who might not be able to tour Europe could also potentially prevent them from acquiring a visa to play in the United States.

Jehnny Beth: mental health and the music business

Charlotte Krol
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Jehnny Beth: mental health and the music business
Jehnny Beth has written about ongoing mental health issues in the music industry and her hopes for younger artists to resist “age-old patriarchal abuse”. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut Beth, who last week released a collaborative album with Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, po...

Jehnny Beth has written about ongoing mental health issues in the music industry and her hopes for younger artists to resist “age-old patriarchal abuse”.

Beth, who last week released a collaborative album with Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, posted on Instagram a video of herself holding a burning stick as a symbol of shining “a light” on the state of the industry.

“Today I want to shine a light on mental health issues in the music industry, because it doesn’t happen just in pop world but in the indie world too,” she began.

“I know a lot of musicians who struggle to be heard and respected, even in 2021, one can still find oneself face to face with the inevitable attitude and language of the oppressor. It can be a very unempathetic industry, Rocknroll capitalism emphasises power abuses, turns artists against artists, pushes them to consider a number of streams or listeners before friendship & art, or themselves.”

“We’ve witnessed the casualties of those age-old patriarchal abuse many times, on everyone, and yet they are still widely spread in the fabric of our community.”

The singer went on to write that she hopes younger generations will be able to break free of such restraints.

“My hope goes to the young generation, for understanding there’s no need for those aggressive and dominant rapport, and wanting to work in a sain [sic] environment.”

Beth encouraged both those inside and outside of the music industry to share their experiences. Garbage were quick to do so, writing that they could talk about such issues “for hours”.

“It drove me and my whole band round the bend. We had to just stop the bus and get off for a while for fear we would go mad,” wrote one Garbage band member.

Meanwhile, Bobby Gillespie has said Brexit has “destroyed any hopes of chances for young musicians that are trying to make it”.

Damon Albarn teases concert film

Charlotte Krol
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Damon Albarn teases concert film
Damon Albarn has posted a teaser for what appears to be a concert film accompanying his forthcoming new album. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, Albarn's second solo album, is set to drop on November 12. In the video shared yes...

Damon Albarn has posted a teaser for what appears to be a concert film accompanying his forthcoming new album.

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, Albarn’s second solo album, is set to drop on November 12.

In the video shared yesterday (July 5), Albarn is seen tuning up with an ensemble who are readying themselves for a live performance.

The supposed concert film, made by Sublime Boulevards, arrives later today (July 6). Fans should keep their eyes peeled on Albarn’s social media for more information.

Albarn will head out on the road in support of his forthcoming album next year.

Additionally, his other band Gorillaz will headline The O2 in London on August 11, with appearances set for Boardmasters 2021 and Primavera Sound 2022.

Queen’s Greatest Hits: back at Number One?

Charlotte Krol
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Queen’s Greatest Hits: back at Number One?
Queen’s Greatest Hits is eyeing up its return to the UK Number One spot on the Official Albums Chart this week. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut A special 40th anniversary edition of the compilation album is the reason for the original 1981 record's current surge to the top, with...

Queen’s Greatest Hits is eyeing up its return to the UK Number One spot on the Official Albums Chart this week.

A special 40th anniversary edition of the compilation album is the reason for the original 1981 record’s current surge to the top, with 86 per cent of the new special edition record’s sales so far coming from physical formats.

As Official Charts notes, the anniversary re-release includes a collector’s edition of the CD with an exclusive slipcase cover, as well as a limited edition cassette that is available in five different colours.

Should the album continue to hold its current ranking from the Official Charts update, then it will mark its fifth total week at the top of the Official Albums Chart. When Greatest Hits was first released in 1981, it spent four consecutive weeks in the Number One spot across that November and December.

Still from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ music video

Greatest Hits retains the title of the best-selling album of all time in the UK. In 2019 it became the first album ever to sell 6,000,000 copies. To date, the album has spent 952 weeks in the Official Albums Chart.

The news comes after recent reports that the band are making more than £100,000 a day from the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Bohemian Rhapsody has made over $900million (£654m) at the box office at the time of writing, and according to new accounts from Customs House, the band – Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon – and Mercury’s estate are seeing a big chunk of that money.

As Music News reports, in the year before the blockbuster’s release, the band filed profits of £11.8m pre-tax, with a turnover of £21.9m. Following the film’s release, though, Queen Productions registered a turnover of £42m in the 12 months dated to September 2020, making over £19m pre-tax.

Mick Jagger’s ghostwriter on scrapped memoir

Junxiang Soo
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Mick Jagger’s ghostwriter on scrapped memoir
Writer Barry Coleman has recalled the two frantic weeks he was given in 1983 to ghostwrite Mick Jagger's autobiography – a project which was ultimately axed. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut Jagger has still never published a memoir, and recently described the process of writing ...

Writer Barry Coleman has recalled the two frantic weeks he was given in 1983 to ghostwrite Mick Jagger’s autobiography – a project which was ultimately axed.

Jagger has still never published a memoir, and recently described the process of writing an autobiography as “simply dull and upsetting”.

Speaking to The Guardian, Coleman recalled being drafted in by publisher Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 1983 to take the reins on Jagger’s autobiography after the previous ghostwriter failed to finish the project.

“[W&N] said: ‘You’re the only person we know who can do this,’” Coleman said. “So rather surreally I became Mick Jagger’s ghostwriter’s ghostwriter.”

Coleman went to work on Jagger’s autobiography in New York, though early problems arose when the original ghostwriter “stopped returning my calls” before Coleman was then given a deadline of just two weeks to finish the project.

“Two chapters were more or less presentable,” Coleman said of what existed of the autobiography when he started work. “The rest was a pile of interview transcripts, and nothing related to recent years. Stitching everything together was an awful experience.”

The Jagger transcripts included his recollections of meeting Keith Richards for the first time, guitarist Brian Jones’ death in 1969 and the Stones’ disastrous show at the Altamont festival where audience member Meredith Hunter was killed by a member of the Hells Angels.

Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger. Credit: Getty

“All the big stuff was in there, there just wasn’t anything interesting said about it,” Coleman said about the material. “There was always this sense in the transcripts that Mick was holding back, or trying not to hurt anybody’s feelings.”

While Coleman was able to finish the autobiography by the two-week deadline, Jagger had grown unsure about the project and ultimately decided to axe the plans to publish the memoir.

“We’d talked a lot about whether he still wanted to go ahead, or whether we could do it again, but differently,” Coleman said about those final discussions. “Mick didn’t blame me. He just didn’t want to do it.

“I think he respected his audience by not giving them something ordinary about an extraordinary life. I’ve lived with this story for 38 years with a certain frustration, but in a way it tells you more about Mick than anything that could have come out in a mediocre book.

“It needed Mick to be able to talk to someone like he might a therapist, approach his life from a tangent. Instead we ended up with something that was too pedestrian for Mick Jagger.”

Jagger previously said in 2014 that anyone who wanted to read his memoir should “look it up on Wikipedia”.

In 2017 the writer and publisher John Blake claimed to have a copy of the singer’s unfinished manuscript and described it as “a little masterpiece”.

Butch Vig on recording Nevermind: “Little did we know that Nirvana would be putting the nail in the coffin of hair metal”

Butch Vig
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Butch Vig on recording Nevermind: “Little did we know that Nirvana would be putting the nail in the coffin of hair metal”
Jonathan Poneman at Sub Pop called me out of the blue sometime early in 1990. They wanted me to work with Nirvana. He said they would be as big as The Beatles. I thought he was just being cheeky. ORDER NOW: Read the full cover story with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Butch Vig on Nirvana in t...

Jonathan Poneman at Sub Pop called me out of the blue sometime early in 1990. They wanted me to work with Nirvana. He said they would be as big as The Beatles. I thought he was just being cheeky.

A couple of days later, Bleach turned up at Smart, my studio in Madison, Wisconsin. I thought it was pretty one-dimensional except that one song, About A Girl, which to me did sound like a Lennon–McCartney composition, an amazing melody with a great arrangement.

We scheduled a week to record and about six weeks later Nirvana showed up in the Sub Pop van, pretty bedraggled. Krist was really friendly, Chad [Channing], who was drumming, seemed nice, Kurt was very likeable, quiet but polite. I fed them up at this blue-collar bar called the Friendly Tavern, a real working man’s watering hole and dirt cheap – you could get a pitcher of beer for $2 and a bowl of soup and grilled cheese for a buck and a quarter.

In the studio, I was taking my time to set up and I could tell Kurt was getting impatient. He kept saying he just wanted to sound “like Black Sabbath”. We tracked the first song and did a couple of takes when Kurt put his guitar down and went and sat in the corner. I tried to talk to him but Krist explained he got into these moods. You had to let him go through it and he’d eventually snap out of it. Eventually, Kurt stood up and said “Let’s go” and we cut the first song.

I realised that was something I’d have to deal with. He had these incredible mood swings, sometimes several times a day. I also noticed tension between Kurt and Chad. Kurt would sometimes go behind the drums and show Chad how to play. Krist was peacekeeper, the guy I would go to if I needed some help with the other two. By the time we finished, we only had something like six songs and a cover. We agreed to schedule more time, I did rough mixes, sent the band a cassette and didn’t hear anything for months.

In early 1991, I was producing Gish with the Smashing Pumpkins when Krist called. They’d signed to Geffen and wanted me to engineer the record. They rattled off some names of possible producers: Ed Stasium who did the Ramones and Smithereens, Scott Litt and Don Dixon who did REM, and David Briggs who had worked with Neil Young. Billy [Corgan] kept asking if I had heard anything. I realised later that Billy was acutely aware there was a buzz around Nirvana.

I heard nothing more for a couple of weeks then Krist called again. They decided they didn’t want to sound like REM or the Smithereens and Dave Briggs was a burnt-out hippie, so they wanted me to do the record in 10 days’ time in LA at Sound City. Four days later a rehearsal tape turned up. It began with Kurt introducing Dave Grohl and then they kicked into Teen Spirit. It was a boombox recording and I heard this scratchy guitar and Dave’s drum fills and then sheer distortion. The recording was horrible, but I could tell the songs were tight and hooky. – As told to Peter Watts

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW IN UNCUT AUGUST 2021

Listen to four previously unreleased Tom Petty tracks from Angel Dream anniversary album

Matthew Neale
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Listen to four previously unreleased Tom Petty tracks from Angel Dream anniversary album
A special 25th anniversary version of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers‘ soundtrack album for Edward Burns’ 1996 film She’s The One has been released, with four previously unheard songs included – listen below. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut Entitled Angel Dream, the update...

A special 25th anniversary version of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers‘ soundtrack album for Edward Burns’ 1996 film She’s The One has been released, with four previously unheard songs included – listen below.

Entitled Angel Dream, the updated album is a remixed, remastered and reimagined version of the group’s Songs And Music From The Motion Picture She’s The One, released on Friday (July 2).

“‘She’s The One’ was originally a great way to include some of the songs that didn’t make it on to Wildflowers, but it has its own thing to it, its own charm, and putting it out now in a restructured form makes for a sweet little treat,” Heartbreaker Benmont Tench said of Angel Dream in an interview on SiriusXM’s Tom Petty Radio last month (June 10).

The four unreleased tracks are: “One Of Life’s Little Mysteries”, written by Petty; “Thirteen Days”, a JJ Cale cover; “105 Degrees”, another Petty original; and “French Disconnection”, an instrumental in the same vein as those on the original album. An extended version of “Supernatural Radio” has also been included.

Petty’s long-term engineer and co-producer Ryan Ulyate remixed the audio for the reissue and worked with the late musician on the mixes before his passing. The song selection was designed to work as a Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers album rather than a film soundtrack.

Petty’s widow Dana Petty said of the album: “These songs are extremely special. I am grateful this record is getting the recognition it deserves. The remix Ryan Ulyate did sounds amazing, and the unreleased gems are a lovely bonus. Annakim, Adria, and I took a lot of time finding artwork that reflects the mood of the album.

“I think we finally achieved that with Alia Penner’s work. It is surreal and beautiful, just like life during that time.”

Watch: Bob Dylan shares teaser for upcoming Shadow Kingdom livestream concert

Daniel Seah
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Watch: Bob Dylan shares teaser for upcoming Shadow Kingdom livestream concert
Bob Dylan has shared a short teaser for Shadow Kingdom, giving fans an idea of what they can expect from the upcoming livestream concert. ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut SHOP NOW: The Complete Bob Dylan Shadow Kingdom is set to premiere on July 18. Last Thursday (July 1), Dylan...

Bob Dylan has shared a short teaser for Shadow Kingdom, giving fans an idea of what they can expect from the upcoming livestream concert.

Shadow Kingdom is set to premiere on July 18. Last Thursday (July 1), Dylan shared a 30-second preview of the event on social media. It showed him performing his 1971 single “Watching The River Flow”, which he hasn’t performed live since 2014.

The teaser also showed Dylan performing with a full backing band – complete with an accordion player. A title card that appeared onscreen read “The Early Songs Of Bob Dylan”, suggesting the folk icon will be tapping his early material for Shadow Kingdom’s setlist.

Tickets for Shadow Kingdom are available for $25 and can be watched for a two-day period. The show will be hosted by Veeps, and you can get tickets here.

The performance is set to be Dylan’s first since 2019, when he played Washington DC’s The Anthem after an extensive North American leg of his Never Ending Tour. It will also be Dylan’s first broadcast performance in nearly three decades, since his appearance on the MTV Unplugged series in 1994.

While Dylan didn’t perform live in 2020, he did release his 39th studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, on June 19, 2020. It marked his first album of original songs since 2012’s Tempest.

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