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Inside our new Drag City CD

Tom Pinnock
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Inside our new Drag City CD
The current issue of Uncut comes with a free CD of 15 incredible tracks from Drag City, one of our very favourite labels. The issue, dated October 2020, is out now and available to buy here. From their scuzzy early days with Royal Trux, Smog, Palace Brothers and Pavement, to their more expansi...

The current issue of Uncut comes with a free CD of 15 incredible tracks from Drag City, one of our very favourite labels.

The issue, dated October 2020, is out now and available to buy here.

From their scuzzy early days with Royal Trux, Smog, Palace Brothers and Pavement, to their more expansive roster today – still featuring a transformed Bill Callahan and Will Oldham – Drag City have released music by many of our most beloved artists over the last three decades.

To celebrate their stellar form, and Callahan’s new Gold Record, we asked the Chicago crew to put together a compilation of their own favourite releases from the last 12 months. Here, then, is a survey of Drag City today, an eclectic and global sonic stew: one can drop in on Ty Segall in Laurel Canyon, eavesdrop on Masaki Batoh in Tokyo or hang out with Alasdair Roberts in Glasgow. There’s also a very fine taster from Callahan’s new LP, a modern classic from Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s long-awaited 2019 album I Made A Place and much more from Wand, Jackie Lynn, Tim Presley and others. While you track down a copy of the latest issue and ready your stereo, here’s Drag City’s Rian Murphy to guide you through the 15 tracks…

_______________

1 BILL MACKAY
PRE-CALIFORNIA
A dusty, overdriven instrumental from the guitarist and Ryley Walker collaborator
RIAN MURPHY: There’s always a lovely conversation to be had whenever we see Bill Mackay. Then he drowns the chatter with his beautiful guitar sounds, which he’s been playing around here (and there, but never everywhere) for years… The first solo record he did with us had a pure Americana vibe, but by the time of his second one, he seemed less moored to a set archetype, with an acidic strain roughening his sound. That’s what you get here, imagining the land before a land of Americana. But post-acid.

2 NO AGE
TURNED TO STRING
The experimental LA art-punks let rip on a track from new LP Goons Be Gone
RM: Their art-punk aligns with our own sense of the conceptual – like, taking the trope of a kind of music and turning it inside out, then detailing the effect of that with the things you find having reversed it. No Age get an amazing amount of sounds for a guitar, drums and vocals duo – their opus just kept terraforming, and the two albums they’ve given us have really different approaches from their others, or anyone else’s.

3 ALASDAIR ROBERTS
A KEEN
Ornate eldritch folk from the Scottish singer-songwriter
RM: We first heard Alasdair 25 years ago – really? Really. Ali’s a passionate guy with what seems to us damn Americans to be a very reserved Scottish manner. He goes deep into songs, finding places for the new information he’s been absorbing. It may make any music compelling, but to have him weave the range of stuff in his mind through the cloth of traditional music generates something completely unique. He’s boiling the music of a thousand years into something meant expressly for now. To be taken internally, on an empty stomach.

4 MASAKI BATOH
SUNDOWN
A trippy highlight from the former Ghost frontman’s fourth solo album, Nowhere
RM: When the Ghost records started coming over on import in the early ’90s, we were instantly hooked, so it’s hard to imagine not getting excited about anything Batoh does. We’ve spent over 25 years with that rare joy-terror of not knowing what the fuck will come next! His sense of commitment is totally inspiring to us, and he manages to weave mystery into his music in a way very few ever have – ie, effectively.

5 SEAN O’HAGAN
CANDY CLOCK
Rabid experimental balladry from the High Llamas mastermind
RM: When The High Llamas, and Sean’s work with Stereolab, were first coming out, it was a special thrill hearing someone reach for these kind of chords and get those kinds of sounds with them; it still is. We did the Turn On record that Sean and Tim Gane did together, and then High Llamas records from ’99, after their V2 deal ended. Whether they’re doing neo-bossa, keys-and-ring-modulation or chamber pop, Sean’s always subtly shifting emphases in the sound to keep it fresh – and his solo record feels like a really bumpin’ departure from the Llamas’ traditional elements.

6 JACKIE LYNN
ODESSA
A pulsing, seven-minute electronic voyage from Haley Fohr’s out-there alter ego
RM: We’ve been obsessed with Bitchin’ Bajas and Circuit Des Yeux for years, then when the first Jackie Lynn record dropped, we were gobsmacked at the pure synthesis of that voice with the post-Suicide musical modes. Then the seas parted and we got the opportunity to do the new Jackie Lynn LP, which grows in leaps and bounds on every listen. The synthy dance elements have blown up into a huge production sound, but not without the deep emotional currents getting deeper too.

7 TIM PRESLEY’S WHITE FENCE
NEIGHBORHOOD LIGHT
A reliably excellent cut from Presley’s latest album, I Have To Feed Larry’s Hawk
RM: Here’s Tim in what we think of as “post-White Fence” mode. People really dug the swirly garage psych of the WF records, but it’s the songs underneath, the feeling and the way his expression is both blithe and oblique, which is to our ears the key. He’s been dialed in as a writer since Cyclops Reap – just one killer album after another. This number’s a pleasurable pop ditty suddenly metastasizing with unknown depths.

8 MIKE DONOVAN
B.O.C. RATE APPLIED
The former Sic Alps leader embraces psych-folk on the superbly named Exurbian Quonset
RM: Sic Alps, The Peacers and Mike’s solo works have produced tons of true favourites over the years. Like Tim Presley, Mike’s able to channel stuff that in anybody else’s hands might seem retro, but from him, it’s on an alternate timeline that pours out effortlessly, guitar pop loaded with irreverence, melodicism and hooks and the mysterious presence of something meta going down. Here, it’s a Sister Lovers feeling, but Mike’s songs and sound occupy their own space with great intimacy and authority.

9 BILL CALLAHAN
BREAKFAST
The latest transmission from BC, now stunningly prolific
RM: We started working with Bill in his Smog guise in 1991, when there were only a couple of artists on the label. Through circumstance and action, he’s regularly helped set the tone for what some might consider to be ‘Drag City’ – us included! Part of that means evolving in a transformative way, all while maintaining an impossible-to-put-one’s-finger-on continuity – you know, like you do! Here, Bill’s got the kind of song he might have sung back in the Smog days, about a tough relationship maybe not working, but breathing a sense of life and redemption that alters everything.

10 TY SEGALL
I SING THEM
If every Segall album is in part conceptual, First Taste is the strictest – no guitars! Happily, rock still ensues
RM: It’s been almost 10 years since we started working with Ty and it doesn’t feel like it at all. He’s got a rap for putting out tons of records; if only it were 1966 again! Ty’s always looking for two things: rock and something different from that, and he always gets them. On every record, there’s at least a couple singles, and this one we were hoping to hit like Hotlegs’ “Neanderthal Man”. It does every time we spin it anyway – thanks for nothing, England!

11 SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE
TWO FORMS MOVING
A cut from this February’s Companion Rises, one of Ben Chasny’s bravest and most beautiful records
RM: Ben Chasny’s early Six Organs records – and natively unique guitar style – were such impactful and essential listens, we knew we had to try and get with him to make some stuff for us. That was 15 years ago already! The man just keeps moving. He’s got all the great traits we never think to look for but always end up finding in our (and any) great artists – super-restless, quick to fire up with fascination, enthusiasm and ideas and irascible as fuck at the same time. His last couple of records make us so happy, and can you imagine how tough a feat that is?

12 SIR RICHARD BISHOP
THE COMING OF THE RATS
A haunting instrumental from the Sun City Girls/Rangda guitar wrangler
RM: The riff starts and you’re like, ‘Sounds like chill-out time. Cool, but the song’s called “The Coming Of The Rats”, so…’ Rick Bishop is just funny, and the combination of his humour with the largely non-hilarious-and-to-our-ears virtuosic music he plays just makes it twice as fun! The whole thing is ripe and juicy with streams of contradiction having as much to do with visceral pleasure as an appreciation for his ascetic guitaring skills.

13 DEAD RIDER
THE SALE
A digital-only release from the experimental Chicago crew
RM: We first heard Todd Rittmann in US Maple 150 years ago, playing the future backwards to bring it to us where we stood at the end of the 20th century. His stuff plays a lot more clearly today, which is not to say that he’s softened his approach to confounding as a basic principle in music. Doesn’t bother us a bit – it always goes hand-in-hand with his fractured funk and blues licks and sudden rock rave-ups, as if it were just another night of rock’n’roll.

14 BONNIE ‘PRINCE’ BILLY
I HAVE MADE A PLACE
The (quasi-) title track from Will Oldham’s overdue return to his songs
RM: Will’s said that he’d heard the first Silver Jews record, felt like he could make music for a label that released that and sent us a tape. That was in 1992. Since then, working with him has changed what we think we’re doing so many times – that’s just the way he works, and now so do we, whether we understand it or not. I Made A Place came out after a six-year gap and with it songs that we truly believe will be among his most enduring. Literal magic!

15 WAND
RIO GRANDE
Soaring, transcendent ambient-rock from the LA quintet
RM: Ty Segall introduced us to Wand in 2014. Playing their debut back-to-back with their latest, Laughing Matter, is like playing Meat Puppets against Up On The Sun – you never saw it coming and it happened so fucking fast. They were one thing, then they were another. If we’re not all dead by next year (relax, that’s sarcasm), Wand bode well for the future, as this cut brings us full-circle, measuring some truths about America and Americana in the provocative form of new music. May it always be. Also post-acid.

Walter Lure, guitarist with Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, dies aged 71

Michael Bonner
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Walter Lure, guitarist with Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, dies aged 71
Walter Lure has died aged 71. The guitarist with Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers died due to complications related to the cancer. His death was confirmed by Los Angeles club Starwood, who said Lure died on Saturday (August 22) due to complications related to the cancer. “Walter Lure...

Walter Lure has died aged 71.

The guitarist with Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers died due to complications related to the cancer.

His death was confirmed by Los Angeles club Starwood, who said Lure died on Saturday (August 22) due to complications related to the cancer.

“Walter Lure (April 22, 1949 – August 22, 2020) our dear friend has passed away,” the venue said in a statement. “Walter was diagnosed with liver and lung cancer in July 2020, which spread rapidly and he died from complications related to the cancer at the age of 71, peacefully in the hospital, surrounded by family.”

They added: “He was much loved by all and respected for all he contributed to the world of music. He will be dearly missed. To his family, friends and fans our deepest condolences. May he RIP.”

Walter Lure (April 22, 1949 – August 22, 2020) our dear friend has passed away. Walter was diagnosed with liver and…

Posted by Bettystar Wood on Saturday, August 22, 2020

The New York-based guitarist appeared on the band’s only studio album, 1977’s L.A.M.F., alongside frontman Johnny Thunders, bassist Billy Rath and drummer Jerry Nolan. He left the following year, to return on a number of occasions until 1991.

Lure reunited with the Heartbreakers a number of times before Thunders’ death in 1991 and Nolan’s death the following year. (Rath also died in 2014.)

After leaving the band, Lure became a stock broker but continued to play music. He worked with the Ramones on their LPs Subterranean Jungle and Too Tough To Die, released a single with the Blessed, and started a number of bands, including the Hurricanes, The Heroes, and The Waldos, who released their debut, Rent Party, in 1995.

Earlier this year, Lure released his memoir To Hell And Back: My Life In Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers, In The Words Of The Last Man Standing.

Justin Townes Earle dies aged 38

Michael Bonner
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Justin Townes Earle dies aged 38
Justin Townes Earle has died aged 38. A statement alongside a picture of Earle was posted to the musician’s official Facebook page early on August 24. It reads: “It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin. “So many of you...

Justin Townes Earle has died aged 38.

A statement alongside a picture of Earle was posted to the musician’s official Facebook page early on August 24. It reads: “It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin.

“So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys.”

The post also shared lyrics from Earle’s 2014 track, “Looking For A Place To Land”: “I’ve crossed oceans / Fought freezing rain and blowing sand / I’ve crossed lines and roads and wondering rivers / Just looking for a place to land”.

It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin. So many…

Posted by Justin Townes Earle on Sunday, August 23, 2020

The American songwriter, and son of Steve Earle, had released nine albums during his career, with the latest – The Saint Of Lost Causes – released in May 2019.

Earle’s cause of death is not known to the public at the time of writing.

On social media, tributes to Earle were shared by his contemporaries and fans, including Stephen King, Margo Price, Robyn Hitchcock, Jason Isbell, Courtney Marie Andrews and Drive-By Truckers.

Richard H Kirk: “You can’t beat a good drone”

Tom Pinnock
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Richard H Kirk: “You can’t beat a good drone”
Originally published in Uncut's October 2019 issue Cabaret Voltaire's Kirk reveals eight records that have shaped his music taste and life... TONY CONRAD WITH FAUST OUTSIDE THE DREAM SYNDICATE CAROLINE, 1973 Richard H Kirk: There was some interesting stuff bubbling under before punk...

Originally published in Uncut’s October 2019 issue

Cabaret Voltaire’s Kirk reveals eight records that have shaped his music taste and life…

TONY CONRAD WITH FAUST
OUTSIDE THE DREAM SYNDICATE
CAROLINE, 1973

Richard H Kirk: There was some interesting stuff bubbling under before punk kicked in. I’d been listening to Faust when I was at sixth form, so I probably just spotted this somewhere in a record shop. I was quite into the whole idea of drones and long repetitive tracks. I used one side of this, “From The Side Of Man And Womankind”, as an intro for Cabaret Voltaire in the late ’70s, because it was a really good tension builder, it just went on and on. I intercut it with James Brown and some ’60s R&B, and it was perfect for building a tense atmosphere before the show. You can’t beat a good drone!

FRIPP & ENO
(NO PUSSYFOOTING)
ISLAND/EG, 1973

The combination of Eno doing what he was doing, and then Fripp playing his guitar through two or three tape machines to get these really sustained delays made for a good end result. I used a lot of effects on my guitar, so I suppose to a certain extent I was influenced by this. The cover is kind of like a labyrinth, hall of mirrors thing, and apparently if you look closely there’s some pornographic playing cards in the middle of it… I could have easily picked [1975’s] Evening Star, which is just as strong.

THE CRAMPS
SONGS THE LORD TAUGHT US
IRS/ILLEGAL, 1980

The Cramps were ticking a lot of boxes for me, especially with that trash horror thing I loved in films. They were doing stuff with guitars that wasn’t punk but still had that punk energy to it. They had that rockabilly aspect to it as well, and almost a surf feel with Poison Ivy twanging. The Cramps played in Sheffield around this time, and I remember Lux Interior smashed a hole in the ceiling above the stage, he just punched the fuck out of this low roof, and as a result they didn’t get paid because they had to repair the damage. You don’t see stuff like that much these days!

VARIOUS ARTISTS
RASS CLAAT DUB
GROUNATION, 1976

There was a record store in Sheffield back in the mid-’70s called New Beat, and it was basically all Jamaican stuff. Adrian Sherwood used to deliver records there in his younger days. It was in there that I saw the cover and title of this and thought, ‘This sounds interesting.’ To this day I don’t know who some of the artists are, because it doesn’t have any information on it. But I know there’s a Bob Marley cover on there for sure. Oddly this album’s sponsored by Air Jamaica! But it’s a great cross-section of dub with some nice vocals as well, and a quite dark and heavy vibe.

LA DÜSSELDORF
LA DÜSSELDORF
NOVA/RADAR, 1976

This is basically Neu! without Michael Rother. The first side is a bit tinny, there’s not a lot of bass, but I was fascinated by it. The sleeve looks like a photograph of Düsseldorf airport, and it was just more great German stuff. This was a bit of a favourite, with Hans Lampe and Thomas Dinger on double drums and that motorik beat. The first side had quite an amphetamine vibe to it, but maybe that’s just my take on it, I’m not sure what those guys were up to – probably more psychedelics than amphetamine.

KRAFTWERK
THE MAN-MACHINE
KLING KLANG/EMI ELECTROLA, 1978

I don’t know a Kraftwerk record that I don’t like, I’ve been a massive fan ever since Autobahn came out. The Man-Machine is 40 years old and it still sounds like the future, it’s just so clean and perfect. Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” has a similar feel, with similar sequencer parts, and that’s just great as well. The idea of ‘the man-machine’ is basically what Kraftwerk are now – I saw them live in 2017 and they’re a living museum of art, totally all-encompassing. I’m sure at some point they will replace themselves with proper, advanced robots.

LOU REED
TRANSFORMER
RCA, 1972

This is quite ahead of its time, in terms of LGBT themes – I mean, he was hanging around with Warhol and all the transvestites [in that scene]. It’s quite a sweet record really, compared to the Velvets, but then Lou always had a sensitive melodic side as well as the more abrasive anti-music side. Listening to “Perfect Day” and “Satellite Of Love”, they’re just really beautiful pieces of music with a knowing sense of humour. So yeah, it was a popular record. Obviously Bowie had quite a hand in it, as did Mick Ronson, who did all the arrangements and played guitar.

FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI AND ROY AYERS
MUSIC OF MANY COLOURS
PHONODISK/EUROBOND, 1980

I’d been listening to Fela Kuti since the ’70s and I loved his stuff, loved the fact he was political – he was really abrasive about the Nigerian government and the army, which got him into serious trouble. This is slightly different from what you’d normally get from Fela. On “2000 Blacks Got To Be Free”, Roy Ayers plays vibes and sings, which gives it a whole different feel. What I like most about the album is the sentiment, about unity and black people getting a better deal. In the days of Trump and populism, it’s even more relevant now than it might have been when it came out.

The Doors announce expanded Morrison Hotel

Michael Bonner
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The Doors announce expanded Morrison Hotel
The Doors have announced details of a 50th Anniversary Edition of Morrison Hotel. Released by Rhino on October 9, the 2-CD/1-LP set expands The Doors’ fifth studio album with over an hour of unreleased session outtakes. The original album newly remastered by The Doors’ longtime engineer an...

The Doors have announced details of a 50th Anniversary Edition of Morrison Hotel.

Released by Rhino on October 9, the 2-CD/1-LP set expands The Doors’ fifth studio album with over an hour of unreleased session outtakes.

The original album newly remastered by The Doors’ longtime engineer and mixer Bruce Botnick, while the bonus disc features 19 outtakes.

The CD tracklisting is:
CD Track Listing
Disc One: The Original Album
Side One: Hard Rock Cafe
“Roadhouse Blues”
“Waiting For The Sun”
“You Make Me Real”
“Peace Frog”
“Blue Sunday”
“Ship Of Fools”
Side Two: Morrison Hotel
“Land Ho!”
“The Spy”
“Queen Of The Highway”
“Indian Summer”
“Maggie M’Gill”

Disc Two: Mysterious Union
Black Dressed In Leather (Queen Of The Highway Sessions)
First Session (11/15/68)
“Queen Of The Highway” (Take 1, She Was A Princess) *
“Queen Of The Highway” (Various Takes) *
“Queen Of The Highway” (Take 44, He Was A Monster) *
Second Session (1/16/69)
“Queen Of The Highway” (Take 12, No One Could Save Her) *
“Queen Of The Highway” (Take 14, Save The Blind Tiger) *
Third Session (Date Unknown)
“Queen Of The Highway” (Take 1, American Boy – American Girl) *
“Queen Of The Highway” (Takes 5, 6 & 9, Dancing Through The Midnight Whirlpool) *
“Queen Of The Highway” (Take 14, Start It All Over) *
“I Will Never Be Untrue” *
“Queen Of The Highway” (Take Unknown) *
Money Beats Soul (Roadhouse Blues Sessions)
First Session
“Roadhouse Blues” (Take 14, Keep Your Eyes On The Road) *
“Money (That’s What I Want)” *
“Rock Me Baby” *
Second Session
“Roadhouse Blues” (Takes 6 & 7, Your Hands Upon The Wheel) *
“Roadhouse Blues” (Take 8, We’re Goin’ To The Roadhouse) *
Third Session
“Roadhouse Blues” (Takes 1 & 2, We’re Gonna Have A Real Good Time) *
“Roadhouse Blues” (Takes 5, 6 & 14, Let It Roll Baby Roll) *
Dawn’s Highway (Peace Frog/Blue Sunday Session)
“Peace Frog/Blue Sunday” (Take 4) *
“Peace Frog” (Take 12) *

* previously unreleased

Tom Petty to release Wildflowers box set

Michael Bonner
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Tom Petty to release Wildflowers box set
Tom Petty's 1994 album Wildflowers is being reissued as a box set, Wildflowers & All The Rest. Due for release Warner Records on October 16 - a few days before what would have been Petty's 70th birthday - the set includes unreleased songs, home studio recordings, alternate versions, live renditi...

Tom Petty‘s 1994 album Wildflowers is being reissued as a box set, Wildflowers & All The Rest.

Due for release Warner Records on October 16 – a few days before what would have been Petty’s 70th birthday – the set includes unreleased songs, home studio recordings, alternate versions, live renditions and more.

A Deluxe Edition of Wildflowers contains 54 tracks, 8 unreleased songs, and 24 unreleased alternate versions. In addition to the 15 track original album (remastered), the deluxe edition contains the album All The Rest (10 songs from the original Wildflowers sessions), a full CD of 15 solo demos recorded by Petty at his home studio, and a disc of 14 live versions of Wildflowers songs recorded from 1995 – 2017.

A Super Deluxe Edition of Wildflowers contains 70 tracks, 9 unreleased songs, and 34 unreleased versions. In addition to the 15 track original remastered album, the deluxe edition contains the album All The Rest (10 songs from the original Wildflowers sessions), a disc of 15 solo demos recorded by Petty at his home studio, and an additional disc of 14 live versions of Wildflowers songs recorded from 1995 – 2017. Exclusive to the super-deluxe, this edition also includes a CD of 16 alternate versions recorded in the studio (“Finding Wildflowers”).

An Ultra Deluxe Edition also includes replica memorabilia, lyric books, a lithograph and plenty more.

You can find more information about the various releases on Petty’s website.

Thin Lizzy announce six CD one DVD Super Deluxe box set

Michael Bonner
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Thin Lizzy announce six CD one DVD Super Deluxe box set
Thin Lizzy have unveiled details of a mammoth Super Deluxe box set. Rock Legends is a six CD one DVD set that features 99 Tracks in total, 74 of which are unreleased and 83 of which have never been released on CD or streaming platforms. The box set covers the bands whole career over 6 discs an...

Thin Lizzy have unveiled details of a mammoth Super Deluxe box set.

Rock Legends is a six CD one DVD set that features 99 Tracks in total, 74 of which are unreleased and 83 of which have never been released on CD or streaming platforms.

The box set covers the bands whole career over 6 discs and features a raft of unreleased material including demos, radio sessions, live recordings and rare single edits. The track listing has been co-compiled by Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham from a collection of newly discovered tapes most of which have never been heard before.

The box is housed in a 10” x 6” slipcase and in addition to the six CDs contains a DVD with an hour long BBC documentary and the band’s performance on the Rod Stewart A Night on the Town TV Special from 1976.

The set also contains replicas of the bands tour programmes bound into a hard-backed book, Phil Lynott poetry books, 4 art prints and a book containing quotes by all the members of the band about their experiences playing with Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy.

The box set is available to pre-order here.

THIN LIZZY – ROCK LEGENDS – SUPER DELUXE EDITION TRACKLISTING

PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED*

PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE ON CD & STREAMING*

CD ONE The Singles
Whiskey in The Jar – 7″ Edit
Randolph’s Tango – Radio Edit*
The Rocker – 7″ Edit
Little Darling – 7″ Single
Philomena – 7″ Single
Rosalie – 7″ Mix*
Wild One – 7″ Single
The Boys Are Back in Town – 7” Edit*
Jailbreak – 7” Edit*
Don’t Believe A Word – 7″ Single
Dancing in The Moonlight – 7″ Single
Rosalie / Cowgirl’s Song – 7″ Single
Waiting for An Alibi – Extra Verse
Do Anything You Want To – 7″ Single
Sarah – 7″ Single
Chinatown – 7” DJ/Radio Edit*
Killer on the Loose – 7″ Single
Trouble Boys – 7″ Single
Hollywood (Down on Your Luck) – 7” Edit*
Cold Sweat – 7″ Single
Thunder and Lightning – 7” Edit*
The Sun Goes Down – 7” Remix*

CD TWO Decca Rarities
The Farmer – Debut 7″ single
I Need You – Debut 7″ single B-side*
Whiskey in The Jar – Extended Version Rough Mix*
Black Boys on The Corner – Rough Mix*
Little Girl in Bloom – US Single Promo Edit*
Gonna Creep Up on You – Acetate*
Baby’s Been Messin’ – Acetate*
1969 Rock + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Buffalo Gal + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Suicide + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973 *
Broken Dreams + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Eddie’s Blues/Blue Shadows + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Dublin + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Ghetto Woman – RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974*
Things Ain’t Working Out Down at The Farm – RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974*
Going Down – RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974*
Slow Blues – RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974*

CD THREE Mercury Rarities
Rock and Roll with You – Instrumental Demo*
Banshee – Demo*
Dear Heart – Demo*
Nightlife – Demo*
Philomena – Demo*
Cadillac – Instrumental Demo*
For Those Who Love to Live – Demo*
Freedom Song – Demo*
Suicide – Demo*
Silver Dollar – Demo*
Jesse’s Song – Instrumental Demo
Kings Vengeance – Demo*
Jailbreak – Demo*
Cowboy Song – Demo*

CD FOUR Mercury Rarities
The Boys Are Back in Town – Demo*
Angel from The Coast – Demo*
Running Back – Demo*
Romeo and The Lonely Girl – Demo*
Warriors – Demo*
Emerald – Demo*
Fool’s Gold – Demo*
Weasel Rhapsody – Demo*
Borderline – Demo*
Johnny – Demo*
Sweet Marie – Demo*
Requiem for A Puffer (aka Rocky) – Alternate Vocal, “Rocky He’s A Roller”*
Killer Without A Cause – Demo*
Are You Ready – Demo*
Blackmail – Demo*
Hate – Demo*

CD FIVE Mercury Rarities
S & M – Demo*
Waiting for An Alibi – Demo*
Got to Give It Up – Demo*
Get Out of Here – Demo*
Roisin Dubh (Black Rose) A Rock Legend – Demo*
Part One: Shenandoah*
Part Two: Will You Go Lassie Go*
Part Three: Danny Boy*
Part Four: The Mason’s Apron*
We Will Be Strong – Demo*
Sweetheart – Demo*
Sugar Blues – Demo*
Having A Good Time – Demo*
It’s Going Wrong – Demo*
I’m Gonna Leave This Town – Demo*
Kill – Demo*
In the Delta – Demo*
Don’t Let Him Slip Away – Demo*
The Sun Goes Down – Demo*

CD SIX Chinatown Tour 1980
Are You Ready? – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980) *
Hey You – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Waiting for An Alibi – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980) *
Jailbreak – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Do Anything You Want to Do – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Don’t Believe A Word – Tralee (12/04/1980) *
Dear Miss Lonely Hearts – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Got to Give It Up – Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*
Still in Love with You – Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*
Chinatown – Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*
The Boys Are Back in Town – Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*
Suicide -Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*
Sha La La – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Rosalie – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Whiskey in The Jar – Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*

DVD
NIGHT ON THE TOWN – ROD STEWART LWT TV SPECIAL BROADCAST OCTOBER 24th 1976
Four songs never before commercially released recorded for a Rod Stewart TV special in 1976.
Jailbreak
Emerald
The Boys Are Back in Town
Rosalie / Cowgirl’s Song

BAD REPUTATION DOCUMENTARY
Never before commercially released 60-minute documentary made by Linda Brusasco and first broadcast on BBC4 in September 2015.

Chris Hillman announces his memoir, Time Between: My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother And Beyond

Michael Bonner
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Chris Hillman announces his memoir, Time Between: My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother And Beyond
Chris Hillman has announced details of a memoir - Time Between: My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother And Beyond. As the title attests, the book covers his time in The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers as well as Manassas, Souther-Hillman-Furay, The Desert Rose Band and more. The memoir is due fo...

Chris Hillman has announced details of a memoir – Time Between: My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother And Beyond.

As the title attests, the book covers his time in The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers as well as Manassas, Souther-Hillman-Furay, The Desert Rose Band and more.

The memoir is due for release from BMG Books on November 19 and can be pre-ordered by clicking here.

In 2018, Hillman reunited with Roger McGuinn to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Byrds’ Sweetheart Of The Rodeo album with Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives.

The Rolling Stones to open their own shop on Carnaby Street

Michael Bonner
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The Rolling Stones to open their own shop on Carnaby Street
This month's Uncut cover stars, the Rolling Stones, have revealed plans to open a flagship shop on Carnaby Street. RS No.9 — which will be located at 9 Carnaby Street — opens its doors on September 9. CLICK HERE TO GET THE NEW UNCUT DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR RS No.9 will feature “...

This month’s Uncut cover stars, the Rolling Stones, have revealed plans to open a flagship shop on Carnaby Street.

RS No.9 — which will be located at 9 Carnaby Street — opens its doors on September 9.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE NEW UNCUT DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR

RS No.9 will feature “exclusive collaborations, new fashion and merchandise”, as well as stocking the band’s extensive music catalogue and latest releases. Items will also be available to purchase online.

The band have launched a new website and Instagram account to share information about the store.

You can watch a promotional clip for the Stones’ RS No.9 shop below.

Meanwhile, Mick and Keith talk Goats Head Soup in the new issue of Uncut! Pick up a copy to hear tales of “dogs and weirdness”, hexes, altered time zones and Jimmy Page. Or click here to get the issue delivered direct to your front door.

Hear Rory Gallagher and Jerry Lee Lewis play “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

Sam Richards
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Hear Rory Gallagher and Jerry Lee Lewis play “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
On October 9, UMC will release a new 30-track compilation entitled The Best Of Rory Gallagher. It includes material spanning Gallagher's entire career, from Taste's 1969 debut through to his final studio album Fresh Evidence (1990). Unearthed from the Rory Gallagher Archives is a special bonu...

On October 9, UMC will release a new 30-track compilation entitled The Best Of Rory Gallagher.

It includes material spanning Gallagher’s entire career, from Taste’s 1969 debut through to his final studio album Fresh Evidence (1990).

Unearthed from the Rory Gallagher Archives is a special bonus track, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” – a previously unreleased outtake from Jerry Lee Lewis’s 1973 “London Sessions” featuring Gallagher singing and playing the Rolling Stones classic. Hear it below:

“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” features on the 2CD version and digital versions of the album, and is available as a limited edition direct-to-consumer 7” vinyl single. It’s also an instant grat track with pre-orders of the album.

Check out the tracklisting for the 2CD and 2LP versions of The Best Of Rory Gallagher below:

30 Track / 2CD Set

CD1

1 Taste What’s Going On (from 1970’s ‘On The Boards’ LP) 2:48
2 Rory Gallagher Shadow Play (from 1978’s ‘Photo Finish’ LP 4:47
3 Rory Gallagher Follow Me (from 1979’s ‘Top Priority’ LP) 4:40
4 Rory Gallagher Tattoo’d Lady (from 1973’s ‘Tattoo’ LP) 4:41
5 Rory Gallagher All Around Man (from 1975’s “Against The Grain” LP) 6:15
6 Rory Gallagher I Fall Apart (from 1971’s “Rory Gallagher” LP) 5:12
7 Rory Gallagher Daughter Of The Everglades (from 1973’s ‘Blueprint’” LP) 6:12
8 Rory Gallagher Calling Card (from 1976’s ‘Calling Card’ LP) 5:24
9 Rory Gallagher I’m Not Awake Yet (from 1971’s ‘Deuce’ LP) 5:37
10 Rory Gallagher Just The Smile (from 1971’s ‘Rory Gallagher’ LP) 3:41
11 Rory Gallagher Out Of My Mind (from 1971’s “Deuce” LP) 3:06
12 Rory Gallagher Edged In Blue (from 1976’s “Calling Card” LP) 5:29
13 Rory Gallagher Philby (from 1979’s “Top Priority” LP) 3:50
14 Taste It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again (from 1970’s “On The Boards” LP) 6:33
15 Rory Gallagher Crest Of A Wave (from 1971’s “Deuce” LP) 5:54

CD2

1 Rory Gallagher Bad Penny (from 1979’s “Top Priority” LP) 4:04
2 Rory Gallagher Walk On Hot Coals (from 1973’s “Blueprint” LP) 7:02
3 Taste Blister On The Moon (from 1969’s “Taste” LP) 3:27
4 Rory Gallagher Loanshark Blues (from 1987’s “Defender” LP) 4:27
5 Rory Gallagher Bought & Sold (from 1975’s “Against The Grain” LP) 3:26
6 Rory Gallagher A Million Miles Away (from 1973’s from the Tattoo LP) 6:56
7 Rory Gallagher Wheels Within Wheels (from 2010’s “Notes From San Francisco” LP) 3:38
8 Rory Gallagher Seven Days (from 1987’s “Defender” LP) 5:14
9 Rory Gallagher Ghost Blues (from 1990’s “Fresh Evidence” LP) 8:00
10 Rory Gallagher Cruise On Out (from 1978’s “Photo Finish” LP) 4:42
11 Jerry Lee Lewis ft. Rory Gallagher (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (1973 outtake from the Jerry Lee Lewis ‘The Session… Recorded in London With Great Guest Artists’ LP) 3:50
12 Rory Gallagher They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore (from 1973’s “Tattoo” LP) 4:05
13 Rory Gallagher Moonchild (from 1976’s “Calling Card” LP) 4:47
14 Rory Gallagher Jinxed (from 1982’s “Jinx” LP) 5:12
15 Taste Catfish (from 1969’s “Taste” LP) 8:06

2LP Black Vinyl / 2LP D2C Clear Vinyl Exclusive

Includes the 7” black vinyl single ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ ft. Jerry Lee Lewis and Rory Gallagher

Side A
Rory Gallagher Bad Penny 4:04
Rory Gallagher Shadow Play 4:47
Rory Gallagher I Fall Apart 5:12
Rory Gallagher Calling Card 5:24

Side B
Taste What’s Going On 2:48
Rory Gallagher All Around Man 6:15
Rory Gallagher A Million Miles Away 6:56
Rory Gallagher Just The Smile 3:41

Side C
Rory Gallagher Seven Days 5:14
Rory Gallagher Jinxed 5:12
Rory Gallagher Edged In Blue 5:29
Rory Gallagher Philby 3:30

Side D
Rory Gallagher Walk On Hot Coals 7:02
Rory Gallagher Tattoo’d Lady 4:41
Rory Gallagher Crest Of A Wave 5:54

Doves release new song… as sheet music

Sam Richards
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Doves release new song… as sheet music
Doves are gearing up to release their comeback album The Universal Want on September 11. Today they've unveiled a new track from it called "Forest House" – but rather than the release the finished audio, Doves have published the sheet music and lyrics so you can play it yourself. You ca...

Doves are gearing up to release their comeback album The Universal Want on September 11.

Today they’ve unveiled a new track from it called “Forest House” – but rather than the release the finished audio, Doves have published the sheet music and lyrics so you can play it yourself.

You can access the full notation – translated into scores for piano, bass, rhythm and lead guitars – here.

Anyone creating their own version of “Forest House” is encouraged to share it on social media using the hashtag #dovesleak. Jimi Goodwin will add his vocals to the band’s favourite interpretation, and they’ll also send the winner a signed box set. Entries accepted through Sept 10.

You can read a full review of The Universal Want, plus a Q&A with Jimi Goodwin, in the new issue of Uncut – out now with The Rolling Stones on the cover!

View this post on Instagram

We’re teasing a new track 'Forest House' the closing track on 'The Universal Want' – but to hear it first, you’re gonna have to play it first! To help you, we've had the music translated into scores for piano, bass, rhythm and lead guitars. You can either stick religiously to these scores or use them as a template to create anything you like, using whatever instruments are at hand. If you're a little unsure of any of the chords, a quick search of YouTube will usually bring up a bloke with a beard and jumper showing you where to put your fingers. Show us your interpretations using #dovesleak We'll add Jimi's vocal to our favourite interpretation. We'll also send the winner a signed box set. Entries accepted through Sept 10th.  Have fun with it https://Doves.lnk.to/ForestHouseSheetIN (the link is also in our latest story). #doves #dovesband #theuniversalwant #dovesleak

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Stars assemble for livestream celebration of Joe Strummer

Sam Richards
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Stars assemble for livestream celebration of Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer would have been 68 on Friday (August 21). To celebrate, a whole host of star names are contributing to a two-hour livestreamed event to raise money for Save Our Stages. A Song For Joe: Celebrating The Life Of Joe Strummer will be hosted by Jesse Malin and promises appearances by Bruc...

Joe Strummer would have been 68 on Friday (August 21). To celebrate, a whole host of star names are contributing to a two-hour livestreamed event to raise money for Save Our Stages.

A Song For Joe: Celebrating The Life Of Joe Strummer will be hosted by Jesse Malin and promises appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams, Josh Homme, Bob Weir, Brian Fallon, members of The Hold Steady and The Strokes, Tom Morello, Dhani Harrison, Jim Jarmusch, Steve Buscemi and many more. It will also feature never-before-seen live footage of Strummer.

“To see so many musicians and artists come forward to honour Joe is really touching,” says Joe’s wife Lucinda Tait. “Community was always important to him. Whether it was playing music with friends, organising all night campfires, or hijacking festivals, Joe was always focused on bringing people together. Even though we can’t all be in the same room together, I cannot think of a better way for us all to feel united. Joe would have loved this.”

“This tribute to Joe is not only a great way to honour him, but to also remind people how important his message is right now,” adds Malin.

A Song For Joe: Celebrating The Life Of Joe Strummer will stream via Joe Strummer’s official website from 8pm BST on Friday (August 21).

Hear two new Father John Misty songs

Sam Richards
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Hear two new Father John Misty songs
Father John Misty has released his first new material since 2018's God Favorite Customer in the form of a double A-side single for the Sub Pop Singles Club. Hear "To S." and "To R." below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnWKidYlvFk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl7YW5V-gv4 The songs w...

Father John Misty has released his first new material since 2018’s God Favorite Customer in the form of a double A-side single for the Sub Pop Singles Club.

Hear “To S.” and “To R.” below:

The songs were produced by Dave Cerminara and The Haxan Cloak at Fivestar Studios and Funky Monkey Soundhaus NoHo in Los Angeles. You can purchase a digital download of the single here.

Send us your questions for Perry Farrell

Sam Richards
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Send us your questions for Perry Farrell
In images from Desolation Center, the new documentary about LA's mid-'80s punk scene, one figure stands out from the crowd in his sleeveless red shirt and chiselled cheekbones. Perry Farrell, then fronting post-punk outfit Psi Com, already looked like a star. Soon he would become one, teaming up ...

In images from Desolation Center, the new documentary about LA’s mid-’80s punk scene, one figure stands out from the crowd in his sleeveless red shirt and chiselled cheekbones.

Perry Farrell, then fronting post-punk outfit Psi Com, already looked like a star. Soon he would become one, teaming up with Eric Avery, Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins to form Jane’s Addiction – a band whose vivid amalgam of punk, funk, art-rock and glam metal would set the agenda for the “alternative nation” that followed.

As much ringleader as frontman, Farrell was in his element when marshalling the travelling festival Lollapalooza, initially conceived as Jane’s Addiction’s 1991 farewell tour. Lollapalooza continues to this day, with Lolla2020 becoming a virtual event featuring performances from Jane’s as well as Farrell’s subsequent band, Porno For Pyros.

On November 6, Last Man Music will release a career-spanning box set called The Glitz; The Glamour focusing on Farrell’s work outside Jane’s Addiction and Porno For Pyros. Including his two solo albums as well as work with Psi Com and Satellite Party – plus a new track based on an unearthed Jim Morrison recording! – it underlines Farrell’s knack for turning his esoteric preoccupations into anthemic songs that draw on everything from African chants to drum’n’bass rhythms.

Now Farrell has consented to undergo a friendly interrogation from you, the Uncut readers. So what do you want to ask this indefatigable icon of alternative? Send your questions to audiencewith@www.uncut.co.uk by Wednesday August 19, and Perry will answer the best ones in a future issue of Uncut.

Elvis Costello announces new album, Hey Clockface

Sam Richards
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Elvis Costello announces new album, Hey Clockface
Elvis Costello has revealed that his new album Hey Clockface will be released by Concord on October 30. It features the previously released singles “No Flag” and “Hetty O’Hara Confidential”, as well as “We Are All Cowards Now” which you can hear below: https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Elvis Costello has revealed that his new album Hey Clockface will be released by Concord on October 30.

It features the previously released singles “No Flag” and “Hetty O’Hara Confidential”, as well as “We Are All Cowards Now” which you can hear below:

Hey Clockface was recorded in Helsinki, Paris and New York and mixed by Sebastian Krys in Los Angeles.

Following the solo recording of “No Flag”, “Hetty O’Hara Confidential” and “We Are All Cowards Now” at Suomenlinnan Studio, Helsinki by Eetü Seppälä in February 2020, Costello immediately traveled to Paris for a weekend session at Les Studios Saint Germain. “I sang live on the studio floor, directing from the vocal booth,” says Costello. “We cut nine songs in two days. We spoke very little. Almost everything the musicians played was a spontaneous response to the song I was singing. I’d had a dream of recording in Paris like this, one day.”

The Paris sessions were recorded by François Delabrière and feature Steve Nieve (grand piano, upright piano, organ, mellotron and melodica), Mickaél Gasche (trumpet, flugelhorn and serpent), Pierre-François ‘Titi’ Dufour (cello, drums), Ajuq (percussion, harmonies) and Renaud-Gabriel Pion (clarinets, tenor saxophone, bass flute and cor anglais).

The New York sessions were produced by composer, arranger and trumpet player Michael Leonhart in collaboration with guitarists Bill Frisell and Nels Cline and completed by Costello remotely.

Says Costello: “I wanted the record to be vivid, whether the songs demanded playing that was loud and jagged or intimate and beautiful.”

Pre-order Hey Clockface here and check out the artwork and tracklisting below:

01. Revolution #49
02. No Flag
03. They’re Not Laughing At Me Now
04. Newspaper Pane
05. I Do (Zula’s Song)
06. We Are All Cowards Now
07. Hey Clockface / How Can You Face Me?
08. The Whirlwind
09. Hetty O’Hara Confidential
10. The Last Confession of Vivian Whip
11. What Is It That I Need That I Don’t Already Have?
12. Radio Is Everything
13. I Can’t Say Her Name
14. Byline

Hear The Rolling Stones’ “Scarlet” remixed by The War On Drugs!

Sam Richards
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Hear The Rolling Stones’ “Scarlet” remixed by The War On Drugs!
The Rolling Stones are on the cover of Uncut this month. Conveniently, they have also just released a remix of "Scarlet" by The War On Drugs. The track is a previously unreleased 1974 track featuring Jimmy Page that will feature on the upcoming deluxe reissue of Goats Head Soup. Now you can...

The Rolling Stones are on the cover of Uncut this month.

Conveniently, they have also just released a remix of “Scarlet” by The War On Drugs.

The track is a previously unreleased 1974 track featuring Jimmy Page that will feature on the upcoming deluxe reissue of Goats Head Soup.

Now you can hear a new version of that track, remixed by Uncut favourites The War On Drugs:

Says The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel: “I just re-imagined the song as if I had Mick, Keith and Jimmy in the room with me. After messing with my Linn Drum for a bit, the song fell into this double time thing and I just went with it. I called my friend and bandmate, Dave Hartley, to fill out the bass on the new groove. Then I figured if I had Jimmy Page in the room I’d probably ask him to plug into my favourite rack flanger so that’s what I did. My friend Anthony LaMarca added some last minute percussion. I’m so honoured to have gotten to work on this especially since ‘Angie’ was probably the first ‘rock’ song that I asked to be played on repeat when I was really young. Hope you enjoy it!”

You can read Jimmy, Mick and Keith talking about how the original “Scarlet” came about in the new issue of Uncut, as part of a deep dive into The Rolling Stones’ Goats Head Soup era.

The magazine is on sale in UK shops now, or you can

Patti Smith: “I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done”

Sam Richards
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Patti Smith: “I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done”
The new issue of Uncut – in shops now and available to order online by clicking here – includes a brand-new interview with the redoubtable Patti Smith. She's poised to release Peradam, the third instalment of her collaborative trilogy with Soundwalk Collective, based on René Daumal's 1940s meta...

The new issue of Uncut – in shops now and available to order online by clicking here – includes a brand-new interview with the redoubtable Patti Smith. She’s poised to release Peradam, the third instalment of her collaborative trilogy with Soundwalk Collective, based on René Daumal’s 1940s metaphysical-quest novel, Mount Analogue. But she also takes April Long back to the beginning of her extraordinary career, and hints at what’s next…

When you look back at yourself, at the beginning of your career, what do you see?
Well, I was young and inexperienced. I didn’t even know how to use a mic. I look at myself then like you would look at a kid who makes you smile, but you have to admire their bravado. I don’t know where that bravado came from, as I could see all my flaws. I always said we were a flawed band. I was a flawed singer. I was not particularly gifted, but I did have guts. It’s ridiculous to judge your young self. I know that everything I did, no matter how questionable it was or how many people I might have offended along the way, it was to try to open territory, to open things up for new generations.

Any regrets?
I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done. I wish I would have been more attentive to my mother sometimes. We all have private regrets, but as an artist, I always did the best I could.

How are you different now?
I’m 73 years old. I don’t have the moves or the energy or the irreverence I had when I was young, but if people give me a bunch of shit, I can still play mean feedback with my guitar. I’d just as soon put my foot through an amp if they gave me a lot of trouble. In some ways, there’s a seed of the young punk rocker in me, but there’s also all the things I’ve learned as a human being. I’ve evolved. I’ve raised children. I wed, I loved my husband and I became a widow. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful things and a lot of sorrow. I’m just happy to be alive and still working.

Would you have liked to be a hit-maker?
I would love to be someone who could do that, yeah. You look at somebody like Michael Stipe, a great poet who also knows how to strike that pop chord. I admire that. Whether it’s Marvin Gaye or Bob Dylan or John Lennon or PJ Harvey – these people who can infuse a certain poetic element into a popular song. I love pop music. I like the same songs everybody else likes. I like Adele, I like Rihanna, I like Billie Eilish. I loved R&B songs when I was young. I loved Amy Winehouse. But for myself, I gravitate toward a different kind of expression.

It’s been eight years since Banga. Would you like to make another more conventional ‘rock’ album?
I am writing some lyrics and things for Stephan [Crasneanscki, of Soundwalk Collective] now that I’m going to surprise him with. We’ve stockpiled quite a bit of recordings, and our next project is all going to be our own work. We have several things we’re working on simultaneously, my work and his work. We’ve already started that in that studio in Paris. I’ve done monologues, 14, 15 minutes long. I can’t tell you anything more, but we have beautiful work coming.

You can read much more from Patti Smith in the October 2020 issue of Uncut, out now with the Rolling Stones on the cover.

Guitar.com announces Guitar.com Live, a free virtual event

Uncut
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Guitar.com announces Guitar.com Live, a free virtual event
Guitar media brand Guitar.com will stage a virtual event over three days this October. Dubbed Guitar.com Live, the free online guitar show will feature performances, masterclasses, keynotes, product launches and more. Launching partners for the event, which takes place from October 2 to 4, inclu...

Guitar media brand Guitar.com will stage a virtual event over three days this October. Dubbed Guitar.com Live, the free online guitar show will feature performances, masterclasses, keynotes, product launches and more.

Launching partners for the event, which takes place from October 2 to 4, include the likes of Taylor Guitars, PRS Guitars, Ernie Ball, Music Man and MONO. Attendance is free and registration is open now here. Early bird registrants will be in the running to win a year’s free subscription to Guitar Magazine, the brand’s print magazine.

In a statement, Guitar.com chief editor Chris Vinnicombe said, “Audiences can expect to experience a series of incredibly immersive virtual spaces, as well as see the latest gear, hear breaking news first-hand and get up close (virtually) to their heroes. It’s also perfectly timed for guitar players to figure out what they might want to get – and give – this holiday season.”

Products and gear will take the centre-stage in the Guitar.com Live Hub’s Showcase section, which will function as a virtual showroom for brands to launch products and host Q&As. Elsewhere, The Main Stage will host artist performances, masterclasses and video podcasts, while industry discussions, gear reviews and interviews will take place in The Lounge.

More details on Guitar.com Live will be released in the lead-up to the event.

[Editor’s note: Guitar.com is owned by BandLab Technologies, which also owns Uncut.]

Bob Mould unveils massive 24-disc solo anthology

Sam Richards
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Bob Mould unveils massive 24-disc solo anthology
Hot on the heels of his new solo album Blue Hearts (out September 25), Bob Mould will release a huge CD and vinyl anthology comprising all his all post-Hüsker Dü work on October 2. Distortion: 1989-2019 compiles for the first time the entirety of Mould’s recorded work from 1989 onwards: 18 st...

Hot on the heels of his new solo album Blue Hearts (out September 25), Bob Mould will release a huge CD and vinyl anthology comprising all his all post-Hüsker Dü work on October 2.

Distortion: 1989-2019 compiles for the first time the entirety of Mould’s recorded work from 1989 onwards: 18 studio albums, plus four live albums and two albums of rarities and collaborations.

Watch a version of Hüsker Dü’s “Could You Be The One?” live from Washington DC’s 9:30 Club in October 2005, which features on one of the rarities discs, along with other numbers from that show.

Distortion: 1989-2019 comes as a 24xCD box or in 8xLP quarterly vinyl instalments, with brand new artwork, ephemera, interviews, sleevenotes and testimonials from the likes of Richard Thompson and Shirley Manson.

Pre-order the box sets and see the full tracklistings and contents here.

Shirley Collins – Heart’s Ease

Tom Pinnock
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Shirley Collins – Heart’s Ease
Then just 20 years old and working in a London coffee bar, Shirley Collins first appeared on record on the 1955 compilation Folk Song Today. She was a newcomer alongside such veterans as Bob Copper and Jeannie Robertson, accompanying herself on an autoharp for her take on “Dabbling In The Dew”. ...

Then just 20 years old and working in a London coffee bar, Shirley Collins first appeared on record on the 1955 compilation Folk Song Today. She was a newcomer alongside such veterans as Bob Copper and Jeannie Robertson, accompanying herself on an autoharp for her take on “Dabbling In The Dew”. In a neat reminder of her dogged commitment to the traditional songs of England, especially of her home county Sussex, she revisits the song here, on her new album, 65 years later.

Heart’s Ease is only the second Collins record since 1978’s For As Many As Will, after which dysphonia and a painful divorce – interestingly, the same circumstances that led to the loss of Linda Thompson’s voice just a few years later – resulted in her 38-year retirement. While the new album’s existence is less miraculous than that of Lodestar’s surprise appearance in 2016, Heart’s Ease finds Collins’ voice rejuvenated, and her confidence restored.

Having performed live in support of the home-recorded Lodestar, she was bold enough to enter a proper studio this time, Metway in Brighton, where she discovered that her delivery was far more dynamic and commanding than on the slightly tentative Lodestar. Age has taken Collins’ range down by an octave since the ’60s and ’70s, but she’s still able to soar up to higher notes on the hymnal “The Christmas Song” and the bluesy “Wondrous Love”. The mellower tones of her voice today are perfect for storytelling too, as on the seafaring tale “The Merry Golden Tree”; indeed, the sharp voice of the more youthful Collins was bleaker, often better suited to tragedies than to swashbuckling.

Half of Heart’s Ease finds Collins looking back to the work she’s done over the last 65 years. There’s “Dabbling In The Dew”, of course, here known by its other name “Rolling In The Dew”, and “Barbara Allen”, which appeared on her debut album, Sweet England, in 1959, but is now matched with its customary traditional tune. “Whitsun Dance” is a reimagining of a track from 1969’s Anthems In Eden, but stripped of its wheezing Early Music textures, all the better to allow the lyrics to unfurl in mournful celebration of those women widowed in WWI.

Its words were written by Collins’ ex-husband, Austin John Marshall, as were those of “Sweet Greens And Blues”, a tender tribute to her and Marshall’s children. Here Collins, once the companion and assistant of folklorist Alan Lomax on his travels to the heart of America, enlists Nathan Salsburg, stunning guitarist and curator of the digital Alan Lomax Archive, to provide the ornate intro and outro. The result is one of the record’s highlights, Salsburg’s spidery contribution reminiscent of Davy Graham’s 1964 collaboration with Collins, Folk Roots, New Routes. The fond crack of laughter in Collins’ voice as she sings the word “mud” is especially touching.

“She is a young girl with a modern approach to folk music,” read the liner notes of that 1955 compilation, and the rest of Heart’s Ease suggests little in her bold method has changed. “Locked In Ice” could pass for a traditional song, but is in fact a modern composition, the work of her late nephew, Dolly Collins’ son Buz. Just one of a number of sea-based songs on the record – an unconscious thread, the singer tells Uncut – it recounts the true story of a ship lost in the icepack for a century. To match the words, Collins and her main collaborator Ian Kearey transform the louder original into a spectral, translucent thing, floating on hesitant steel-string acoustic, ghostly mandolin and distant, almost ambient electric guitar. The result is one of her finest pieces, Collins’ unadorned voice perfectly inhabiting that of the “little ghost ship… doomed to travel endlessly”.

More experimental still is the closer, “Crowlink”, named after one of the singer’s favourite South Downs walks, and featuring Ossian Brown on droning hurdy-gurdy and Matthew Shaw providing electronics and field recordings from the actual location. With Collins’ voice drifting on the salt breeze amid eldritch synthesiser and harmonium tones, it’s a perfect, if unexpected, way to end the record. After all, so much of folk music is based on the idea of the drone, and many traditional songs, especially when performed by a sensitive interpreter such as Collins, have an eeriness about them, like some primal transmission from an ancient, collective dream.

At this stage, just the appearance of a new Shirley Collins album is cause for celebration. Heart’s Ease doesn’t just show up for applause, though: it’s as touching, beautiful and dark as any of Collins’ records, and even pushes her sound into new territories. Sixty-five years into her recording career, that modern approach to folk music is still yielding treasures.

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