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Charlie Watts to release album

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Charlie Watts to release album
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts is to release an album with his other band, The A, B, C & D Of Boogie Woogie. The album, Live In Paris, is released next week by Eagle Records. Recorded in September 2010 at the Duc Des Lombards jazz club in Paris, the album mixes originals alongside blues ...

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts is to release an album with his other band, The A, B, C & D Of Boogie Woogie.

The album, Live In Paris, is released next week by Eagle Records.

Recorded in September 2010 at the Duc Des Lombards jazz club in Paris, the album mixes originals alongside blues and boogie woogie standards, including “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66”, which the Stones recorded for their debut album in 1964.

The A, B, C & D Of Boogie Woogie features Axel Zwingenberger, Ben Waters, Charlie Watts and Dave Green.

The tracklisting for Live In Paris is:

Bonsoir Boogie!

Evolution Blues

(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66

Somebody Changed The Lock On My Door

Roll ‘Em Pete

Duc De Woogie Boogie

Street Market Drag

Struttin’ At Sebastopol

More Sympathy For The Drummer

Blues Des Lombards

Down The Road A Piece

St Louis Blues

Low Down Dog

Encore Stomp

Earlier this week, the Rolling Stones unveiled a new logo, designed by Shepard Fairey, which reworked their iconic lips and tongue emblem to include a mention of their 50th anniversary, which they are celebrating later this year.

Van Dyke Parks – Song Cycle/Discover America/Clang Of The Yankee Reaper

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Van Dyke Parks – Song Cycle/Discover America/Clang Of The Yankee Reaper

The vanguard's first three albums are difficult, but peerless... Van Dyke Parks is pop’s weirdest straight guy. Or, just as plausibly, he is rock’s straightest weird guy. Whether the foreground of his reputation is dominated by his oddness or his ordinariness depends on who is holding the binoculars. To Mike Love of the Beach Boys, listening to the lyrics penned for SMiLE, Parks might represent the embodiment of kooky indulgence. There is a case for that. (The prosecution will now hear a recording of Brian Wilson singing “Vega-tables”.) But listen to Parks now, with a clearer understanding of the context of his work, and its plain that his primary motivation has always been to celebrate common decency. In truth, Parks has always been misunderstood, and the incomprehension which greeted his debut in 1967 clouded his reputation. Warner Brothers signed Parks in the belief that he might bring with him the secrets of Brian Wilson’s genius. Over time, he delivered, though his success came as a producer, midwifing the careers of Randy Newman and Ry Cooder, among others. But, thanks to the Warners publicist who took a trade ad, boasting that the company had “lost $35,509 on 'the album of the year' (dammit)”, Song Cycle was seen as an expensive folly, albeit one worth revisiting (it inspired Joanna Newsom’s Ys). Parks modestly suggests that it’s a record on which he made every possible mistake. It’s true that Song Cycle does not go out of its way to accommodate the listener. It flits between styles. Its songs are abstruse affairs, masking the intentions of their author. In a way, it’s a protest record, but the iron fist of Parks’ anger is gloved in velvety sonic experiments, as he and producer Lenny Waronker explore the possibilities of 8-track recording. It offers a kaleidoscopic vision of American popular music, drifting in and out of focus, like show tunes wafting from a passing riverboat. A snippet of Steve Young playing a gospel country tune crashes into the theatrical melancholy of “Vine Street”, a Randy Newman composition in Brechtian dungarees; then you get “Palm Desert”, which has a chorus, almost, and some birdsong, while musing lyrically about “the very old search for the truth within the bounds of toxicity”. It feels, at times, like California, reimagined as a musical, but without hackneyed references to girls or surf. Instead, on “Widows Walk”, Park addresses civil strife, while the beautiful instrumental, “Colours” employs Caribbean colours, to point forward to the record that Parks considers his best, 1972’s Discover America. On paper, Discover America is a calypso record, with Parks remodelling traditional songs in a celebration of Trinidadian culture. It does that, and it sounds joyous. But it’s not all sunlight. Hidden behind the breezy rhythms, he’s also making a sly comment about post-colonial Trinidad and, by implication, race relations in the US. That sounds grim, but it’s largely playful, and sometimes straightforwardly funny (see “G-Man Hoover”, which tirelessly mocks the fabled FBI chief). Little Feat provide the salty atmospherics on “FDR in Trinidad”, and the gangster theme is continued on the lazy, tropical-sounding “John Jones”. Ry Cooder is an obvious point of reference, but, really, it’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that The Clash colonised this territory a decade later in their pan-global phase (though Parks is slower to anger, and has superior table manners). The calypso experiment was continued on the 1975 release, Clang Of The Yankee Reaper, which has its moments (the exuberant “Tribute To Spree”), while sounding more frivolous, and dated in a way the first two albums do not. On Song Cycle and Discover America, Parks looked back to face the future, and made music that still sounds mysterious. It’s not timeless, exactly, but neither is it dated. Perhaps it still intrigues because it has almost nothing to do with rock. You might call it beat, without the jazz; or Americana, without the tractors. Alastair McKay Q&A Song Cycle still seems mysterious: what was it about? From June 1963, when I got my first job, arranging “The Bare Necessities” - that was to pay for the black suit and the airplane ticket to my brother’s funeral. That is before John Kennedy got his, and then Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. In fact, we were in a psychological collapse, Americans, every damn one of us! So when you listen to Song Cycle, you get that sense of catastrophe. I talk about my father’s war trunk. I say ‘God send your son home safe to you’. I use that squaresville expression for my father, who had lost his son, my brother. So it was an expensive record for me. Warner Brothers said it was expensive for them – they were lying through their teeth. Discover America has an interesting mood – both happy and sad. You can feel that there is an underlying contentment, but beyond that there is urgency. Those are the writings of Trinidadian authors and they show great authorial command. I liked the troubadour: music that is the truth, the ballad, and the news that’s fit to sing. I saw that in Phil Ochs work; it somehow captured an era. INTERVIEW: ALASTAIR McKAY

The vanguard’s first three albums are difficult, but peerless…

Van Dyke Parks is pop’s weirdest straight guy. Or, just as plausibly, he is rock’s straightest weird guy. Whether the foreground of his reputation is dominated by his oddness or his ordinariness depends on who is holding the binoculars. To Mike Love of the Beach Boys, listening to the lyrics penned for SMiLE, Parks might represent the embodiment of kooky indulgence. There is a case for that. (The prosecution will now hear a recording of Brian Wilson singing “Vega-tables”.) But listen to Parks now, with a clearer understanding of the context of his work, and its plain that his primary motivation has always been to celebrate common decency.

In truth, Parks has always been misunderstood, and the incomprehension which greeted his debut in 1967 clouded his reputation. Warner Brothers signed Parks in the belief that he might bring with him the secrets of Brian Wilson’s genius. Over time, he delivered, though his success came as a producer, midwifing the careers of Randy Newman and Ry Cooder, among others.

But, thanks to the Warners publicist who took a trade ad, boasting that the company had “lost $35,509 on ‘the album of the year’ (dammit)”, Song Cycle was seen as an expensive folly, albeit one worth revisiting (it inspired Joanna Newsom’s Ys). Parks modestly suggests that it’s a record on which he made every possible mistake.

It’s true that Song Cycle does not go out of its way to accommodate the listener. It flits between styles. Its songs are abstruse affairs, masking the intentions of their author. In a way, it’s a protest record, but the iron fist of Parks’ anger is gloved in velvety sonic experiments, as he and producer Lenny Waronker explore the possibilities of 8-track recording.

It offers a kaleidoscopic vision of American popular music, drifting in and out of focus, like show tunes wafting from a passing riverboat. A snippet of Steve Young playing a gospel country tune crashes into the theatrical melancholy of “Vine Street”, a Randy Newman composition in Brechtian dungarees; then you get “Palm Desert”, which has a chorus, almost, and some birdsong, while musing lyrically about “the very old search for the truth within the bounds of toxicity”. It feels, at times, like California, reimagined as a musical, but without hackneyed references to girls or surf. Instead, on “Widows Walk”, Park addresses civil strife, while the beautiful instrumental, “Colours” employs Caribbean colours, to point forward to the record that Parks considers his best, 1972’s Discover America.

On paper, Discover America is a calypso record, with Parks remodelling traditional songs in a celebration of Trinidadian culture. It does that, and it sounds joyous. But it’s not all sunlight. Hidden behind the breezy rhythms, he’s also making a sly comment about post-colonial Trinidad and, by implication, race relations in the US. That sounds grim, but it’s largely playful, and sometimes straightforwardly funny (see “G-Man Hoover”, which tirelessly mocks the fabled FBI chief). Little Feat provide the salty atmospherics on “FDR in Trinidad”, and the gangster theme is continued on the lazy, tropical-sounding “John Jones”. Ry Cooder is an obvious point of reference, but, really, it’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that The Clash colonised this territory a decade later in their pan-global phase (though Parks is slower to anger, and has superior table manners).

The calypso experiment was continued on the 1975 release, Clang Of The Yankee Reaper, which has its moments (the exuberant “Tribute To Spree”), while sounding more frivolous, and dated in a way the first two albums do not. On Song Cycle and Discover America, Parks looked back to face the future, and made music that still sounds mysterious. It’s not timeless, exactly, but neither is it dated. Perhaps it still intrigues because it has almost nothing to do with rock. You might call it beat, without the jazz; or Americana, without the tractors.

Alastair McKay

Q&A

Song Cycle still seems mysterious: what was it about?

From June 1963, when I got my first job, arranging “The Bare Necessities” – that was to pay for the black suit and the airplane ticket to my brother’s funeral. That is before John Kennedy got his, and then Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. In fact, we were in a psychological collapse, Americans, every damn one of us! So when you listen to Song Cycle, you get that sense of catastrophe. I talk about my father’s war trunk. I say ‘God send your son home safe to you’. I use that squaresville expression for my father, who had lost his son, my brother. So it was an expensive record for me. Warner Brothers said it was expensive for them – they were lying through their teeth.

Discover America has an interesting mood – both happy and sad.

You can feel that there is an underlying contentment, but beyond that there is urgency. Those are the writings of Trinidadian authors and they show great authorial command. I liked the troubadour: music that is the truth, the ballad, and the news that’s fit to sing. I saw that in Phil Ochs work; it somehow captured an era.

INTERVIEW: ALASTAIR McKAY

Mark Kozelek – Album By Album

Tom Pinnock
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Mark Kozelek – Album By Album
Sun Kil Moon’s excellent Among The Leaves is Uncut’s lead review in the new August 2012 issue, out now. In this feature from September 2010 (Take 160), Mark Kozelek looks back over the highlights of his recording career, from Red House Painters to his current wrestling-indebted incarnation. Word...

Sun Kil Moon’s excellent Among The Leaves is Uncut’s lead review in the new August 2012 issue, out now. In this feature from September 2010 (Take 160), Mark Kozelek looks back over the highlights of his recording career, from Red House Painters to his current wrestling-indebted incarnation. Words: Graeme Thomson

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Get-To-Know-You-Demos

RED HOUSE PAINTERS

Down Colorful Hill

(4AD, 1992)

Six bewitching demos of bleached, glacial folk-rock, recorded in San Francisco by Kozelek, bassist Jerry Vessel and drummer Anthony Koutsos. The astonishing debut makes an immediate impact, particularly in the UK.

Mark Kozelek: “We were playing locally and had made several demos, but we didn’t really know where to send them. Back in 1991 you’d look at the back of a CD and try to find an address, but we didn’t have a manager or a lawyer. Our break came from Mark Eitzel of American Music Club, who really took to us. When he was in England he mentioned us to a journalist called Martin Aston, and when Eitzel came home I sent Martin a tape of about 20 songs. I just wrapped it up in a paper bag from the grocery store and put some stamps on it. Within a few months I was taking a bath and the answering machine picked up this British accent; it was Ivo [Watts-Russell] from 4AD, and that was it. Ivo picked the six songs he liked off those demos and released them as a kind of a get-to-know-you introduction to the band. We did the demos quickly and we never really thought anybody beyond our friends would hear them, but the press just ate it up. Looking back, it’s representative of that time and how I felt. A song like ‘24’ is a whole different thing now I’m 43, but when I wrote it I was working at the front desk of a hotel and didn’t have a career in music and didn’t know if I ever would. It’s all relative.”

Taking Things Doubly Seriously

RED HOUSE PAINTERS

Red House Painters I and II

(4AD, 1993)

Commonly called Rollercoaster and Bridge due to the cover art, the two albums are recorded simultaneously and released only a few months apart. Containing some of Kozelek’s most potent writing,

the sprawling Rollercoaster is a career stand-out.

“If records were movies, I guess this one would be my Apocalypse Now! It was supposed to be one album covering this backlog of songs I had. It was the first time we’d had a budget and we knew we were going to have to be turning this stuff in to a record company and, because of the reaction Down Colorful Hill had been getting, it was going to go much further than the East Bay. We just threw ourselves in there, we didn’t really know what we were doing. We bounced back and forth between a couple of pretty expensive studios, had technical problems, different engineers, and we were learning a lot about the studio and what it meant to be on a record label.

“That time was very intense. The records took about nine months and I was in the studio four days a week and then spending the weekends listening to rough mixes and basic tracks. I wasn’t sleeping well, I just immersed myself in the world of recording. I became very analytical with everything: the tempos of the songs, the intonation of the guitars, my vocals. I wanted everything perfectly in pitch. I think the band thought, ‘Why don’t we just do it like we did it before?’, but psychologically it was a whole different thing. You feel more like a proper band before anything happens, but then the press hones in on the singer and the songwriter and the reviews would talk about me a lot. It did change things. I couldn’t put myself in the frame of my mind I was in before. I needed to take it more seriously. I felt the weight of the world on me.

“In some ways it was a high point. It was such a catharsis of music and a very exciting time, because we were going to Europe and touring the US for the first time. Although I probably haven’t played ‘Strawberry Hill’ for 15 years, there are a few songs on there – ‘Katy Song’, ‘Grace Cathedral Park’, ‘Mistress’ – that really have some staying power and longevity. But honestly, it’s quite difficult to listen to, because it was difficult to make. Also, you look at something from 20 years ago and you like to think your music has matured. I feel like my singing is much stronger now than then. The sound of my voice from my early recordings is kind of cringey to me, the timbre is higher pitched. For a lot of reasons it’s a difficult record for me to go back to.”

The Stripped-Back Third

RED HOUSE PAINTERS

Ocean Beach

(4AD, 1995)

Junking much of the surface atmospherics evident on previous LPs, Kozelek strips the sound back to simpler, more organic acoustic textures, the songs haunted by memory and place.

“I was beginning to relax a little more in the studio. I’d learned a lot from the Rollercoaster and Bridge records and I was gaining more confidence as a producer, learning how to make a cohesive record that sounded right from beginning to end. It may have lacked the dynamics of Rollercoaster, but to me, Ocean Beach was the most cohesive album up to that point, warmer in tone and a little easier on the ears. It was the first album we recorded in one place. We settled on one engineer and worked in a studio mainly used for voice-over for commercials, it had a small tracking room and we really focused. At the same time my world was becoming more broad and my perspective was changing. Rollercoaster and Down Colorful Hill are kind of isolated to one area in San Francisco, and I think Ocean Beach was about me learning how being out of town all the time could have an effect on your personal life and relationships. My whole scope was changing, and that’s where songs like ‘Drop’ or ‘Brockwell Park’ come from. I also felt some nervousness, as it was my third record and that’s a crucial point in an artist’s career. Are you going to have a life in music or be a maths teacher or whatever? Getting past that feeling felt wonderful.”

A Solo Album In All But Name

RED HOUSE PAINTERS

Songs For A Blue Guitar

(Supreme/Island, 1996)

Their biggest seller

in the US, this album of off-beat covers (including Wings’ “Silly Love Songs”) and ragged guitar pyrotechnics alienates 4AD, who sever their ties with the band.

“I started this as a solo record. Jerry wanted to take a break so the timing seemed right. I like to change things up and you can really hear that on this record: three cover songs and taking liberties on the guitar, loosening up and stretching out. We cut the basic tracks in Mendocino in about four days and I sent them to Robin Hurley at 4AD. The next day I got a call in the control room. Robin said, ‘Ivo wondered how you’d feel about losing the cover songs and the guitar solos?’ I thought, ‘If we do that we’ll have Ocean Beach again!’ I called Robin the next day and said I didn’t want to change anything, so could I take the record somewhere else. He called back and said, ‘Ivo says you’re free to go if you repay the $30,000 we’ve spent on the record.’ And that was it. I have to admit when I hung up the phone I was like, ‘Oh fuck!’ In the end we signed to movie director John Hughes’ label Supreme, a subsidiary of Island, and got $100,000. The album came out as Red House Painters because Jerry was back, and in the end I felt it was a vindication. In the US it’s still our biggest seller and one song [a cover of The Cars’ ‘All Mixed Up’] ended up in a Gap commercial.”

A Delayed Swansong

RED HOUSE PAINTERS

Old Ramon

(Sub Pop, 2001)

The band’s career momentum is halted as the release of their final LP is delayed for over three years, bogged down by record-company changeovers.

“And this is the downside of being on a major label! We had that money behind us and, well, I was using it. I was getting pretty relaxed in the studio, bouncing between Mendocino, Austin, Texas and San Francisco, and the record started costing a fortune and going over-budget. All of a sudden there was a merger with the labels, Island was now becoming Universal, and a lot of bands were getting dropped. We were one of them and that was pretty hard. We’d spent about $180,000 on the record, and we were in the same boat as we were with 4AD: “Sure, anybody can come along and take this record, but they owe us $180,000.” Things were changing in the music business and people weren’t throwing that kind of money around. Sub Pop eventually contacted us and our lawyer made a negotiation with Universal. It was just like buying a foreclosure, they cut us a deal and we got the record back. It was recorded from fall 1997 into spring of 1998, but it didn’t come out until 2001. There was a lot of build-up from it being shelved – these days it would be leaked on the internet, but that wasn’t going on then – and I think the delay caused exaggerated expectations. But it was just an album, albeit a good album. In fact, it’s my favourite Red House Painters record.”

A Whole Lotta AC/DC Covers

MARK KOZELEK

What’s Next To The Moon

(Jetset, 2001)

Kozelek’s first solo album features 10 Bon Scott-era AC/DC covers tenderly deconstructed for voice and acoustic guitar. Want to hear “Bad Boy Boogie” as mournful country shuffle? Step this way.

“While I was on that whole hiatus between records I found odd things to do to stay busy. I had a part in Almost Famous, I put together a John Denver tribute record, and then I became obsessed with AC/DC covers. I’d been touring Spain and I was doing ‘What’s Next To The Moon’ and another AC/DC song, and they blended into the set fine. People kept saying, ‘Hey, I like the new songs!’ Nobody knew they were AC/DC tracks, because I do tend to change the songs I’m covering. There was something about the way Bon Scott’s lyrics fitted into that folkie acoustic context; once I’d seen how well one song worked I wanted to do the whole lot. The next thing you know, we had 10 tracks. It was the easiest record I ever made – fun, relaxed, a good way to decompress. I didn’t even have to write lyrics. I’m quite compulsive. When I become obsessed, one bite isn’t enough. I did the same thing later with Tiny Cities [Sun Kil Moon’s album of Modest Mouse covers].”

A New Approach

SUN KIL MOON

Ghosts Of The Great Highway

(Jetset, 2003)

Kozelek forms Sun Kil Moon in 2002 and their debut appears a year later, a mix of dusty ballads and Neil Young-esque rockers, all around a loose boxing theme.

“I see all my music as a continuum. I’ve produced every record, they’re my songs, it’s my voice, but the one thing I can do is to change the colour a little bit. Sun Kil Moon was an experiment to create a buzz and get some excitement back into my life. The band wasn’t new – Anthony and Jerry from Red House Painters played on it – but I thought I’d give it a new title and see what kind of excitement it created. And I was right! All of a sudden these journalists in England who hadn’t talked to me since 1993 were calling me. I’m a big boxing fan. ‘Salvador Sanchez’ was recorded and I didn’t have any lyrics. I just recall humming his name over the main guitar riff and it fitted so well. It was another one of those obsessions that became played out on that record. Ghosts Of The Great Highway was another turning point, because afterwards I set up my own label, Caldo Verde. I reckoned that people who buy my records didn’t give a fuck what it said on the label. It was time to put that to the test.”

A masterpiece of loss

SUN KIL MOON

April

(Caldo Verde, 2008)

Bruising, hauntingly beautiful songs of loss and redemption written “in honour” of Kozelek’s ex-girlfriend and long term muse Katy, who died in 2003. It might just end up being his masterpiece.

“The timing was right to make this record. Katy had passed away early in 2003, but it wasn’t time, I needed to get some perspective. I wanted to pay tribute to her, honour her and make beautiful music about her. I didn’t want it to be angsty, but I wasn’t aware of how heavy it was until I saw people’s reactions. To me, I was just singing songs the way I always had, but the people around me were having a hard time with it. During songs like ‘Tonight The Sky’, the backing musicians would take a break and say, ‘Mark, this is really heavy.’ To this day Katy is the longest relationship I’ve had. She introduced me to lots of places and things. Every corner I walk around in San Francisco is filled with memories about her. She was a wealth of inspiration. The fact that she passed away under such extreme circumstances, dying of cancer at 35, is something I think about every single day and can’t help but always go back to in my music. It will affect me for the rest of my life.”

Classical-Guitar Minimalism

SUN KIL MOON

Admiral Fell Promises

(Caldo Verde, 2010)

Another left turn, a stunning new LP of minimal solo works hung on Kozelek’s voice, often multi-tracked, and his clean, intricate classical guitar-playing.

“A few years ago I was on tour in New Zealand and I picked up a 5CD Segovia set, and then I got another one of his records that I just fell in love with. I’ve always liked classical guitar. I played it a bit when I was younger, and it features on some of my records, like ‘Summer Dress’ and ‘Blue Orchids’, but I’ve been listening to a lot more of it recently. There was something about listening to Segovia that made me feel like I wasn’t doing as much as I might be. I felt like I wanted to make a record where I played guitar and sang as beautifully as I could. It made me want to raise the bar. I really bunkered down and started practising more on a nylon-string guitar and listening to more classical music, because I wanted something that made me feel the way those old classical guitar recordings made me feel. My engineer said that the vocal and nylon guitar really covered the whole range, and as we went along we realised that bass and drums would only clutter it up.”

MC5’s Wayne Kramer: “America went up in flames”

Tom Pinnock
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0
MC5’s Wayne Kramer: “America went up in flames”

The full story of Detroit’s wild rock’n’roll revolutionaries, the MC5, is told in the new issue of Uncut, dated August 2012, and out on Monday, July 2. The group's guitarist Wayne Kramer explains how, from having their house raided by the police to “shooting dope and trying to destroy the government”, the MC5 lived life on the edge of society, playing incendiary gigs along the way. Kramer not only describes the band’s countercultural activity, he also reveals the stories behind the making of their three seminal albums, Kick Out The Jams, Back In The USA and High Time, and the political and social changes that inspired them. "We had these long hot summers, poor people, black people, had enough of police brutality and inequality and America went up in flames," explains Kramer. "This was a defining time." The feature also includes a guide to MC5’s records, an interview with the band’s manager and guru, John Sinclair, and a profile of each bandmember. The new issue of Uncut (August 2012, Take 183) is out on Monday, July 2. Picture credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The full story of Detroit’s wild rock’n’roll revolutionaries, the MC5, is told in the new issue of Uncut, dated August 2012, and out on Monday, July 2.

The group’s guitarist Wayne Kramer explains how, from having their house raided by the police to “shooting dope and trying to destroy the government”, the MC5 lived life on the edge of society, playing incendiary gigs along the way.

Kramer not only describes the band’s countercultural activity, he also reveals the stories behind the making of their three seminal albums, Kick Out The Jams, Back In The USA and High Time, and the political and social changes that inspired them.

“We had these long hot summers, poor people, black people, had enough of police brutality and inequality and America went up in flames,” explains Kramer. “This was a defining time.”

The feature also includes a guide to MC5’s records, an interview with the band’s manager and guru, John Sinclair, and a profile of each bandmember.

The new issue of Uncut (August 2012, Take 183) is out on Monday, July 2.

Picture credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

An Audience With… Brett Anderson

Tom Pinnock
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An Audience With… Brett Anderson
This month’s issue of Uncut (dated July 2012) features Suede recalling the writing and recording of their debut single, “The Drowners” – so it seemed a good time to revisit frontman Brett Anderson’s An Audience With… from Uncut’s December 2010 issue as this week’s archive feature. Ex...

This month’s issue of Uncut (dated July 2012) features Suede recalling the writing and recording of their debut single, “The Drowners” – so it seemed a good time to revisit frontman Brett Anderson’s An Audience With… from Uncut’s December 2010 issue as this week’s archive feature. Expect questions and answers on Damon Albarn, Brett’s obsession with art and The Great War, and the lure of East London’s kebab shops… Interview: John Lewis

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Brett Anderson has some fans in odd places. This month, Uncut’s email boxes are positively heaving with questions from adoring fans in Peru, Serbia, Japan, New Zealand, Belgium, South Africa, Slovenia and Russia.

“I’m quite popular in odd places,” he says. “Suede had No 1s in Chile and Finland. We were massive in Denmark. If asked why Denmark, my stock answer was that, well, I’m a depressed sex maniac and so are most Scandinavians. We toured China long before most Western pop groups. I remember playing Beijing, to a crowd divided by armed soldiers facing the audience. That was pretty scary.”

Anderson is currently back in the Far East, speaking to Uncut as he overlooks Kowloon Harbour, preparing for solo dates. Later in the year he’ll be in London for a big O2 show with Suede (sans original guitarist Bernard Butler, although the two remain good friends).

“I wanted to check out what the stage was like at the O2 Arena,” he says. “So I went to see The Moody Blues with my father-in-law. Come on, you can’t argue with ‘Nights In White Satin’. What a tune!”

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I presume you’re aware of the ‘reallybanderson’ Twitter account purporting to be by you. Amused or offended?

Helen, Birmingham

Twitter is one of those strange things, like Facebook, that I don’t have anything to do with. But I have to grudgingly admit that the reallybanderson Twitter updates are rather funny [starts giggling]. And the guy doing it is obviously a bit of a Suede fan, because there are some very detailed references to b-sides and bla-di-blah. I can’t exactly complain about it without coming across as a real tit. It’s just fun and no-one really thinks it’s me, it’s a cartoon version of me reflected through some fairground mirror. I don’t think anyone reads it and thinks, ‘Oh, Brett Anderson has Jas Mann from Babylon Zoo doing his washing up, or Brett punched Damon in the street.’ It is, ha ha ha, quite witty.

Having shown them the picture inside the Best Of Suede CD, my kids would like to know why you refused to feed me for five years? Also – can my mum have her top back? And are you around for a trip to the Imperial War Museum?

Bernard Butler

Yes, what most fans don’t realise is that we kept Bernard in a cage for five years, and fed him edamame beans and tap water. Regarding his mum’s top – he should know that it’s long been ripped up and destroyed by the front row of the Southampton Joiners, or somesuch venue. Now, the Imperial War Museum – me and Bernard were talking about getting older the other day and he said: “Are you finding yourself increasingly interested in British military history?” And I have become oddly fascinated with watching WWI docs on YouTube. It’s not just the personal tragedies, but the sense of it being a shocking transition point between the Victorian world and modernity. The idea that they were going into war on horseback, and by the end of it they were in tanks. Blimey. So tell Bernard I will be going to the museum, soon…

What’s your favourite Duffy song?

Kris Smith, Wembley

I thought “Rockferry” was a very beautiful, stirring track. So that’s the only one I know well, but I’m really pleased for Bernard that that was a big success [Butler co-wrote and produced much of the album]. He’s an incredibly talented person and works incredibly hard, and he’s one of those people who is just obsessed with music. People like that deserve success. Did I ask him to join the Suede show at the O2? No. I told him about it, but he’s moved on so far from Suede that it would have been odd, and we’ve had a completely different lineup since he left. I don’t think he’d want to be jumping around a stage again! He’s much happier doing what he does now, I think he’s really found his calling.

Do you still have your cat, Fluffington?

Claire Vanderhoven, Holland

Unfortunately, he’s ascended to cat heaven. He had 15 long years of adoration. Am I getting another cat? Well, I recently got married, and my wife brought two Italian greyhounds with her. I don’t know if anyone is aware of them, but Italian greyhounds are like little cats. Ours are eight years old but look like miniature foxes, bonsai greyhounds. But incredibly fast, like little bullets. When they’re not running they spend their whole life under the duvet. Someone once told me they were bred by the Pharaohs as bedwarmers!

Brett, do you have a copy of the single I recorded with Suede: “Art” b/w “Be My God”? If so, could I have one?

Mike Joyce

Mike, I think I destroyed my copy years ago. I’m not one to keep memorabilia. They’re about 100 quid on eBay. Mike was an early member of Suede. We were advertising for a drummer and listed The Smiths as an influence. Then at an audition, their drummer pokes his head through the door and says, “Hello, lads!” Ha! It was a bit Jim’ll Fix It. I don’t think anyone thought it was going to last, Mike was far too big a name for us. But he just took us under his wing, guided us through the industry, and was so charming. I still keep in contact with him.

What’s the weirdest story you’ve heard about yourself?

Badabingbadaboom

Someone once told me that they’d heard a story about me wanting to shit in someone’s mouth. But I also heard the same story about David Byrne, so I think it’s one of those urban myths that gets transferred from one slightly kooky pop star to another. That’s probably the most unsavoury thing I’ve heard about myself. Maybe I should give it a go.

Which actors would you like to play the lead members of Suede in a biopic?

James Kumar, Manchester

This is the kind of thing we talk about on tour. Matt Osman is convinced I should be played by Peter Egan, who was in Ever Decreasing Circles. I think Nic Cage should play Matt. Arsène Wenger reminds me of Bernard. That’s what Bernard will look like when he’s 60. Billy Idol could play Simon Gilbert, couldn’t he?

Would you ever consider working in musical theatre?

Neil Tennant

It’s funny he should ask that, because only the other day, I was listening to the album Neil and Chris did with Liza Minnelli in the late ’80s. Results, I think it’s called, with “Losing My Mind”. That sounded great, so emotive, and real. I’m a big fan of the Pet Shop Boys, they’re one of those amazing bands that almost created their own genre. But anyway, musical theatre. Yeah, I think I would. Sondheim? Rodgers and Hart? Definitely. I’m always open to new ideas. Musical theatre sounds like it’s going to have camp undertones, but I’d love to do it in an interesting way.

What’s the worst song you’ve ever written?

Mark Catley, Christchurch, NZ

That’s a good question. I wrote lots of terrible songs that were never recorded in the early days. But there’s a song called “Duchess” – a B-side to something from the Head Music era [actually to 1997 single “Filmstar”] – which is pretty rubbish. I’ve often regretted the production on certain songs, like “Trash” and “Animal Nitrate”, even though they’ve been pretty good songs. But you can’t go messing around with things like that. You start to interfere with what people originally liked about it. I also think people like your mistakes, as they give your work humanity. I quite like that about Prince. He seems to throw stuff out – some of it genius, some unlistenable – but all quite honest. I respect that.

Do you enjoy art? Excited about Gauguin at the Tate?

Katarina Janoskova, London

Absolutely. I’m a big fan of Gauguin and the post-impressionists. My favourite visual artist, if I had to narrow it down to one, would be Manet, the pre-impressionist. Not Monet, who doesn’t do it for me. But Manet had this revolutionary technique of painting on black, which gives his pictures a real depth, there’s something very sumptuous about his paintings. And further back, the kind of medieval-style stuff like Holbein and Brueghel – they’re so well observed and so real. You look at these pictures of people who lived 500, 600 years ago, you can imagine them walking down Tottenham Court Road now, the same face, they’re so real. It’s a little window into the past. I’ve quite got into art recently. It’s all part of expanding yourself and your education, appreciation of beauty in life, innit?

Now that you’re no longer coming to work in Bow, how are you coping without the salad pitta?

Leo Abrahams, musician and producer

Ha ha! I’ve been working on an album with Leo, in his studio, and I have an unhealthy obsession with East London’s kebab shops. You don’t get many good kebab shops in west London. It reminds me of being a student. I’m surprised Leo’s got the time to email you questions! He’s far too busy producing Eno or Grace Jones or Florence & The Machine. He also does these bizarre things where he plays entirely improvised gigs, no rehearsals. And that inspired the latest solo LP I’ve done with him. It was based on improvs. Me, Leo, Seb Rochford on drums, and Leopold Ross on bass just jammed for days, cut up them up and improvised, and did overdubs. It’s a full-on rock record. I love Leo, he’s great. He never takes the easy option. He pushes you a bit, which can be terrifying.

Can you give us not-so-slim-in-2010 Suede fans some health tips?

Simon Quinton, Oxford

My wife is a naturopath – she’s conscious of what she eats, so we eat a lot of sushi and seeds. I’ve got into cycling recently, particularly living in London, through the parks and the backstreets. It makes you fall back in love with the city. I cycled to Bow the other day from my house in Notting Hill. So that’s staving off the fortysomething belly. I’m sure I’ll get it when I’m fiftysomething. I’m looking forward to that.

What do you think of Gorillaz?

Ruiz, São Paulo, Brazil

To be honest, I don’t know much about them. I like the drawings.

I guess that’s a veiled question about my relationship with Damon? Well, we don’t have a relationship to talk about. We all have things that happened years ago, rivalries and so on, and people assume that they’re still on your radar and part of your life. It’s like some musical soap opera, often one that’s been fabricated, without much substance. I have different issues in my life now.

Is the art of songwriting dead? If it isn’t, who is flying the torch?

Paloma Faith

Oh, it’s not dead at all. I’m constantly inspired by new music. If you look on YouTube, there’s a clip of me singing Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful”. When you’re covering stuff it’s interesting to try things that are out of your genre, which gives it a frisson. So I always try songs that aren’t, you know, British indie, stuff like Blondie, or The Pretenders. That Christina Aguilera song is amazing. I try not to look at songs as the finished product, I look at it as the chords and the melody and the words, like sheet music to be interpreted. You’ve got to keep moving with your musical appreciation. I loved the last Horrors record, I liked The National, The Drums, These New Puritans, lots of stuff. I never listen to the records I grew up with. Why bother? It’s all in my head!

Brett, you’re from Haywards Heath. What’s the deal with the swimming pool there? It’s deep in the middle, not at one end. What’s your take on that? And were you ever caught out by it?

P Newman, Brighton

I don’t know what they’re referring to at all, but funnily enough my dad used to work there as a swimming pool attendant. And I don’t really know how he got the job because he couldn’t swim. It’s lucky there weren’t any accidents. Every Tuesday, we had to troop down to the local pool, and everybody would be pointing at my dad saying, “Oh look there’s your dad, he’s working as a pool attendant.” And I was hoping none of them would start drowning, ’cos my dad wouldn’t be much use. Still, this was the early ’80s, and I guess we all thought the world was going to end any second with a nuclear bomb. Ha ha.

Laura Marling confirms she has finished writing her new album

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Laura Marling confirms she has finished writing her new album
Laura Marling has revealed that she has finished writing her new album and plans to release it in early 2013. Marling, who is currently touring across North America in support of her third album A Creature I Don't Know, has said that she has completed the writing of its follow-up and is now recordi...

Laura Marling has revealed that she has finished writing her new album and plans to release it in early 2013.

Marling, who is currently touring across North America in support of her third album A Creature I Don’t Know, has said that she has completed the writing of its follow-up and is now recording it with producer Ethan Johns.

Speaking to The Owl, Marling said of her progress in writing new material: “I finished writing a new album about a month ago. At the moment I’m in and out of the studio working with Ethan Johns. It will probably be released in about 6 months.”

When it is released, Marling’s new album will be the fourth effort of her career so far and will cap a prolific four-year spell which has seen her release three studio albums.

The singer will play a one-off UK show next month, headlining London’s Royal Albert Hall on July 7. She is also booked to perform at Latitude Festival, which takes place from July 13 – 15 in Henham Park, Suffolk.

Damien Hirst calls the Stone Roses “more important than Picasso”

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Damien Hirst calls the Stone Roses “more important than Picasso”
Damien Hirst has said he believes The Stone Roses are more important than Picasso. Hirst, who is Britain's richest living artist with a fortune estimated at £215 million, is one of a host of celebrities to have contributed their memories of The Stone Roses ahead of their hugely anticipated shows ...

Damien Hirst has said he believes The Stone Roses are more important than Picasso.

Hirst, who is Britain’s richest living artist with a fortune estimated at £215 million, is one of a host of celebrities to have contributed their memories of The Stone Roses ahead of their hugely anticipated shows at Manchester’s Heaton Park this weekend.

Writing in the gigs’ official programme, which will be onsale at all three of the shows, Hirst simply writes: “The Stone Roses are more important than Picasso.”

As well as Hirst, former Manchester United midfielder and England captain David Beckham has also contributed his memories of the band, saying that their music “brings back memories of the most happiest time in my football career”.

He writes: “The Stone Roses was part of my upbringing in Manchester. And being an East End boy, that’s saying something. Their music has inspired so many people but for me it brings back memories of the most happiest time in my football career, when I started my career at Manchester United. The fact that they are back is incredible to see.”

Noel Gallagher, Take That’s Mark Owen and Beckham’s former teammate Ryan Giggs are among some of the other celebrities to have contributed to the programme, reports The Sun.

The weather forecast for the Roses’ Heaton Park shows is looking decidedly mixed.

According to the Met Office, heavy rain will hit the site all day today (June 28), meaning the ground will be pretty damp and the rain will continue to fall throughout tomorrow.

Rain is predicted to start to fall in late morning tomorrow and will continue to do so until mid-afternoon. After that, it should be dry, with temperatures hitting a high of 17 degrees.

Prospects for Saturday (June 30) and Sunday (July 1) don’t look much better, with heavy rain forecast for throughout Saturday and for early morning on Sunday, although the sun is expected to come out for band’s closing performance on Sunday night.

Van Morrison to release new album

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Van Morrison to release new album
Van Morrison is to release a new studio album in October, his first since 2008's Keep It Simple. The album, called Born To Sing: No Plan B, is to be released on October 1. It marks his return to Blue Note Records, who previously released Morrison's Grammy nominated What’s Wrong With This Picture?...

Van Morrison is to release a new studio album in October, his first since 2008’s Keep It Simple.

The album, called Born To Sing: No Plan B, is to be released on October 1. It marks his return to Blue Note Records, who previously released Morrison’s Grammy nominated What’s Wrong With This Picture? on Blue Note in 2003.

Van Morrison says: “With most record companies being so corporate I am happy to be working with Don Was and the team at Blue Note. To have such a creative music person as the head of my recording label assures me that all the effort taken to write and record this new album will be rewarded with a music based focus and marketing approach. I look forward to many recording projects with Don and Blue Note.”

Don Was adds: “Over a career that spans 4 decades, Van Morrison has developed a body of work that is unparalleled in its consistent excellence. He is one of the greatest singer/songwriter/musicians of all time. We are incredibly honored that he has chosen to record for the Blue Note label and look forward to many fruitful years together.”

The tracklist for Born To Sing: No Plan B is:

1. Open The Door (To Your Heart)

2. Going Down To Monte Carlo

3. Born To Sing

4. End Of The Rainbow

5. Close Enough For Jazz

6. Mystic Of The East

7. Retreat And View

8. If In Money We Trust

9. Pagan Heart

10. Educating Archie

Van Morrison has also announced a slew of new dates. He’ll play:

August 3, Newmarket Racecourse

August 18, Greenman Festival

August 25, Dublin, Marlay Park,

September 8, East Belfast Arts Festival

September 21, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

October 14 & 15, London, Grosvenor House Hotel

October 23 & 24, Canterbury Festival @ Marlowe Theatre

October 28, Sligo, Ireland Knocknarea Arena

November 27, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

November 28, Manchester Bridgewater Hall

Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man In The Universe

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Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man In The Universe

Heroic comeback album from soul giant... Damon Albarn certainly makes things happen. Having lured Bobby Womack from semi-retirement to add his soulful rasp to the Gorillaz’ “Stylo” (and persuading him to tour with the group), Albarn then fired up the singer and XL’s Richard Russell to make an album, Womack’s first offering in 14 years. The results are startling, setting Womack’s distinctive voice against stark electro backings and thunderous beats. A few wisps of synthetic strings and a couple of gospel stomps evoke Womack in his prime years in the Seventies and early Eighties, when albums like Communication, Across 110th Street and The Poet were among the finest (and most successful) creations to emerge from black America, yet The Bravest Man unmistakeably belongs to the 21st century – 21st century London at that. There is surprisingly little of Womack’s guitar playing in evidence – odd, given the prowess that made him a sought after session player in his early years, when he helped Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin and Sly Stone among others. Instead comes Albarn’s piano – minimal, even spectral at times – plus samples, synths and beats, plus somewhere in the background is Womack’s longtime co-writer Harold Payne. It’s tempting to draw analogies with Russell’s resurrection of another soul veteran, Gil Scott Heron, on I’m New Here, but the downbeat feel of Heron’s album is in contrast to the emotional outbursts of The Bravest Man. Most often it’s anguish and regret that are its driving force. “Please Forgive My Heart” finds Womack in the grip of a pain that “won’t let up – it feels like the sky is falling”. He delivers a terrific heartfelt vocal, and though the melodic background coda hints at resolution, the song offers no way out of the pain. A sense of stoical endurance is the trademark of the album, whose opening line “The bravest man in the universe is he who has forgiven birth” seems to acknowledge that, in the Buddha’s words, ‘all life is suffering’ (because of human imperfection). “Sweet Baby Mine” offers more heartache, as Womack tortures himself with the questions that haunts all forlorn lovers – “What happened to those good times?” – amid a swirling, echoing production. “If There Wasn’t Something There” is another contemplative piece – a scrap really, not much more than the title phrase - but set to a taut, edgy rhythm, it works well. The title of “Nothing Can Save Ya” tells its own story, with Womack’s wracked, distorted performance offset by the warm, melodic vocals of Fatoumata Diawara as his answering ‘ex’. There’s another female guest, Lana del Rey, on “Dayglo Reflection”, which includes a somewhat superfluous quote from Womack’s original mentor, Sam Cooke, about becoming a better singer over time. Again, Womack’s bluesy approach – “waiting for the day to bring me life” – is set against de Rey’s dreamy, haunting vocals. Less successful is “Stupid”, which opens with a droll observation on TV evangelism from Scott Heron before Womack rails against the media “poisoning your mind”. The upful stuff arrives in the shape of a couple of r-animated gospel pieces. “Deep River”, with Womack accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, is an antique spiritual that he would have sung as a boy in church in Cleveland, and again with his brothers in The Valentinos when they were signed to Sam Cooke’s label (Cooke himself sang the number). Now, at 68, when Womack delivers the line “You know I ain’t got that much longer to stay here“ it has a more pressing and affecting meaning. “Jubilee (Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Round)” is another song whose origins reach back into black American history – there are numerous versions, including one by Blind Willie Mctell. Here Womack and co take the gospel message at speed, set to a hammering synthetic rhythm. Musically it’s not altogether convincing although as the closing two minutes to an often harrowing album, it works well enough, a defiant shout against the suffering, and a reminder that, as Albarn says, ‘a world with Bobby Womack in it is a richer place”. Neil Spencer Q&A BOBBY WOMACK It must feel good to be back… I had given up on music to be honest, I thought I didn’t have the necessary spark any longer. I’d lost my confidence. I credit Damon for giving it back to me and believing in me. When he first called me I’d never heard of any Gorillaz group! It was my daughter who told me they were cool and that working with them could be a way back. This is a very different Bobby Womack album… I just needed the chance to experiment. It’s daring, and I hadn’t used so many electronics before, but the voice is still what carries the spirit. I made a lot of albums in my career when I was pleasing recod companies instead of pleasing myself. I had to fight like hell to make a country album for example [BW Sings C&W]. This was an altogether different experience, these were some of the easiest sessions I’ve ever done. Even though the head of the record company was in the studio? I thought Richard [Russell] was just another musician, I couldn’t believe it when they told me he was the president of the company! He understands sound, though, and we became a tight team. And a painful record at times... OK. It’s just about telling the truth, really. INTERVIEW: NEIL SPENCER

Heroic comeback album from soul giant…

Damon Albarn certainly makes things happen. Having lured Bobby Womack from semi-retirement to add his soulful rasp to the Gorillaz’ “Stylo” (and persuading him to tour with the group), Albarn then fired up the singer and XL’s Richard Russell to make an album, Womack’s first offering in 14 years.

The results are startling, setting Womack’s distinctive voice against stark electro backings and thunderous beats. A few wisps of synthetic strings and a couple of gospel stomps evoke Womack in his prime years in the Seventies and early Eighties, when albums like Communication, Across 110th Street and The Poet were among the finest (and most successful) creations to emerge from black America, yet The Bravest Man unmistakeably belongs to the 21st century – 21st century London at that.

There is surprisingly little of Womack’s guitar playing in evidence – odd, given the prowess that made him a sought after session player in his early years, when he helped Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin and Sly Stone among others. Instead comes Albarn’s piano – minimal, even spectral at times – plus samples, synths and beats, plus somewhere in the background is Womack’s longtime co-writer Harold Payne.

It’s tempting to draw analogies with Russell’s resurrection of another soul veteran, Gil Scott Heron, on I’m New Here, but the downbeat feel of Heron’s album is in contrast to the emotional outbursts of The Bravest Man. Most often it’s anguish and regret that are its driving force. “Please Forgive My Heart” finds Womack in the grip of a pain that “won’t let up – it feels like the sky is falling”. He delivers a terrific heartfelt vocal, and though the melodic background coda hints at resolution, the song offers no way out of the pain.

A sense of stoical endurance is the trademark of the album, whose opening line “The bravest man in the universe is he who has forgiven birth” seems to acknowledge that, in the Buddha’s words, ‘all life is suffering’ (because of human imperfection). “Sweet Baby Mine” offers more heartache, as Womack tortures himself with the questions that haunts all forlorn lovers – “What happened to those good times?” – amid a swirling, echoing production.

“If There Wasn’t Something There” is another contemplative piece – a scrap really, not much more than the title phrase – but set to a taut, edgy rhythm, it works well. The title of “Nothing Can Save Ya” tells its own story, with Womack’s wracked, distorted performance offset by the warm, melodic vocals of Fatoumata Diawara as his answering ‘ex’.

There’s another female guest, Lana del Rey, on “Dayglo Reflection”, which includes a somewhat superfluous quote from Womack’s original mentor, Sam Cooke, about becoming a better singer over time. Again, Womack’s bluesy approach – “waiting for the day to bring me life” – is set against de Rey’s dreamy, haunting vocals. Less successful is “Stupid”, which opens with a droll observation on TV evangelism from Scott Heron before Womack rails against the media “poisoning your mind”.

The upful stuff arrives in the shape of a couple of r-animated gospel pieces. “Deep River”, with Womack accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, is an antique spiritual that he would have sung as a boy in church in Cleveland, and again with his brothers in The Valentinos when they were signed to Sam Cooke’s label (Cooke himself sang the number). Now, at 68, when Womack delivers the line “You know I ain’t got that much longer to stay here“ it has a more pressing and affecting meaning.

“Jubilee (Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Round)” is another song whose origins reach back into black American history – there are numerous versions, including one by Blind Willie Mctell. Here Womack and co take the gospel message at speed, set to a hammering synthetic rhythm. Musically it’s not altogether convincing although as the closing two minutes to an often harrowing album, it works well enough, a defiant shout against the suffering, and a reminder that, as Albarn says, ‘a world with Bobby Womack in it is a richer place”.

Neil Spencer

Q&A

BOBBY WOMACK

It must feel good to be back…

I had given up on music to be honest, I thought I didn’t have the necessary spark any longer. I’d lost my confidence. I credit Damon for giving it back to me and believing in me. When he first called me I’d never heard of any Gorillaz group! It was my daughter who told me they were cool and that working with them could be a way back.

This is a very different Bobby Womack album…

I just needed the chance to experiment. It’s daring, and I hadn’t used so many electronics before, but the voice is still what carries the spirit. I made a lot of albums in my career when I was pleasing recod companies instead of pleasing myself. I had to fight like hell to make a country album for example [BW Sings C&W]. This was an altogether different experience, these were some of the easiest sessions I’ve ever done.

Even though the head of the record company was in the studio?

I thought Richard [Russell] was just another musician, I couldn’t believe it when they told me he was the president of the company! He understands sound, though, and we became a tight team.

And a painful record at times…

OK. It’s just about telling the truth, really.

INTERVIEW: NEIL SPENCER

Ringo Starr rules out The Beatles’ sons forming a band

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Ringo Starr rules out The Beatles’ sons forming a band
Ringo Starr has shot down reports that the sons of The Beatles are set to form a band together. Earlier this year, Paul McCartney's son James said he and the rest of the Fab Four's offspring could pay tribute to their dads by creating a second-generation incarnation of the group. James, who has re...

Ringo Starr has shot down reports that the sons of The Beatles are set to form a band together.

Earlier this year, Paul McCartney‘s son James said he and the rest of the Fab Four’s offspring could pay tribute to their dads by creating a second-generation incarnation of the group.

James, who has released two EPs titled Available Light and Close At Hand, admitted that he had discussed working with Sean Lennon and Dhani Harrison, although he did that it seemed as if Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey, isn’t keen on the idea.

When asked if he had ever thought about forming a band with the rest of the Beatles’ children, he replied: “I don’t think it’s something that Zak wants to do. Maybe Jason [drummer and one of Starr’s other sons] would want to do it. I’d be up for it. Sean seemed to be into it, Dhani seemed to be into it. I’d be happy to do it.”

It turns out he was right, as Ringo himself confirmed that neither his son Zak Starkey (who previously played with both Oasis and The Who) or Jason Starkey are onboard.

Speaking to W.E.N.N, he said: “Both my sons tell me they are not going to do it.”

Recently, Paul McCartney revealed that he and his former bandmates had often discussed reforming the band, but had ultimately decided against it in case they tarnished their legacy. He released his latest solo album, Kisses On The Bottom, earlier this year.

Ringo Starr himself released his 16th solo album Ringo 2012 in January of this year.

Mick Jones to headline Strummer Of Love festival

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Mick Jones to headline Strummer Of Love festival
The Clash's Mick Jones and his Justice Band have been confirmed to headline this summer's Strummer Of Love Festival. The festival, which takes place over the weekend of August 17 – 19, will be held at a secret location in Somerset and will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of The Clash front...

The Clash‘s Mick Jones and his Justice Band have been confirmed to headline this summer’s Strummer Of Love Festival.

The festival, which takes place over the weekend of August 17 – 19, will be held at a secret location in Somerset and will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of The Clash frontman Joe Strummer.

Jones toured the UK earlier this year as part of a tour for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign and performed a swathe of classic Clash songs as part of his set. He and his band will headline the festival’s final night (August 19).

Also confirmed to play the event are Seasick Steve, Frank Turner, The Pogues, Badly Drawn Boy, Alabama 3, Roots Manuva, Billy Bragg, KT Tunstall, Emmy The Great, Reverend And The Makers, Slow Club and a host of others.

For more information about the event and for full ticket details, visit Strummeroflove.com.

Photo: Andy Willsher/NME

Radiohead confirm rescheduled show dates following Toronto stage collapse

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Radiohead confirm rescheduled show dates following Toronto stage collapse
Radiohead have rescheduled seven shows following last week's stage collapse in Toronto, which killed crew member Scott Johnson and injured three others. The shows, which were due to take place in Italy, Germany and Switzerland, have all been moved to late September, following their postponement las...

Radiohead have rescheduled seven shows following last week’s stage collapse in Toronto, which killed crew member Scott Johnson and injured three others.

The shows, which were due to take place in Italy, Germany and Switzerland, have all been moved to late September, following their postponement last week.

The band’s show Rome Hippodrome Capanelle has been moved from June 30 to September 22, with their date at Florence Parco delle Cascine moving from July 1 to Septembe 23.

The band’s gig in Bologna Arena Parco Nord has moved from July 3 to September 25, their gig at Codroipo Villa Manin from July 4 to September 26 and their two dates at Berlin Wuhlheide from July 6-7 to September 29 and 30. Finally, the band’s show at St Triphon Carriere des Andonces has moved from July 9 to September 20.

The band have had to postpone the shows, as the accident also destroyed the band’s ‘unique’ lightshow and parts of their backline setup, all of which now needs to be replaced in order for the tour to continue.

The statement reads: “Whilst we all are dealing with the grief and shock ensuing from this terrible accident there are also many practical considerations to deal with.”

The band will now pick up the tour in France at Les Arenes Nimes (July 10) and will go on to play the Bilbao BBK and Lisbon Optimus Alive festivals.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that four companies, including one run by the members of Radiohead, have been asked to comply with an investigation by the Canadian government into the stage collapse. Ticker Tape Touring LLP, which lists Johnny Greenwood, Philip Selway, Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien and Thom Yorke as board members has been identified by the Canadian Ministry of Labour as one of at least four companies involved in the collapse, the Toronto Star reported.

Toronto-based Optex Staging and Services, Nasco Staffing Solutions and concert promoter Live Nation have all been asked to comply with the investigation into the tragedy at Downsview Park.

The stage collapsed an hour before the gates opened to the public and queues were already forming outside the 40,000 capacity venue. Emergency crews were quick on the scene and the area was evacuated. The victims were all part of the team setting up equipment.

Both Radiohead and Keane, with whom Johnson also worked, have paid tribute to him.

Muse’s new single “Survival” to be London 2012 Olympics official song

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Muse’s new single “Survival” to be London 2012 Olympics official song
Muse have revealed that they have been chosen to provide the official song of the London 2012 Olympics. The track, which is titled "Survival", will be played when athletes enter the stadium, in the lead up to the medal ceremony and also as the theme for all international TV coverage. The track, w...

Muse have revealed that they have been chosen to provide the official song of the London 2012 Olympics.

The track, which is titled “Survival“, will be played when athletes enter the stadium, in the lead up to the medal ceremony and also as the theme for all international TV coverage.

The track, which the band have said is inspired by “total conviction and pure determination to win”, will be debuted on Radio 1 tonight [June 27] at 7.30pm (GMT).

Writing about “Survival“, the band said: “We are very excited to announce that a Muse song, Survival, has been selected by the London Olympic committee to be the main official song for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Matt wrote the song with the Olympics in mind. It’s about total conviction and pure determination to win.”

They continued: “The song will be played throughout the Games including when athletes enter the stadium, in the lead up to the medal ceremony and also as the theme for all international TV coverage. The worldwide radio exclusive will be tonight on BBC Radio 1 around 19:30 and will be available to buy on iTunes and in the muse.mu store immediately afterwards.”

They continued further: “We are honoured that the Olympics have chosen our song to officially represent the London 2012 Olympic Games across the globe.”

Hear new Joanna Newsom track

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Hear new Joanna Newsom track
Joanna Newsom has debuted a new song, "The Diver's Wife". On performed the song on Monday [June 25], when she appeared with Philip Glass at San Francisco's Warfield Theater as part of a benefit for Big Sur's Henry Miller Memorial Library. This is Newsom's first new material since 2010's Have One O...

Joanna Newsom has debuted a new song, “The Diver’s Wife”.

On performed the song on Monday [June 25], when she appeared with Philip Glass at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater as part of a benefit for Big Sur’s Henry Miller Memorial Library.

This is Newsom’s first new material since 2010’s Have One On Me, Uncut’s Album Of The Year.

You can hear the song here.

Mike Love plans Beach Boys shows without Brian Wilson

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Mike Love plans Beach Boys shows without Brian Wilson
Mike Love has apparently booked Autumn dates with his touring version of the Beach Boys, without the group's other principal founding members. The reunited Beach Boys are currently in the middle of a 50th anniversary tour. But, according to Rolling Stone, Love is already planning his own shows, inc...

Mike Love has apparently booked Autumn dates with his touring version of the Beach Boys, without the group’s other principal founding members.

The reunited Beach Boys are currently in the middle of a 50th anniversary tour. But, according to Rolling Stone, Love is already planning his own shows, including South America in October.

When asked by Rolling Stone whether he was aware of Love’s plans, Brian Wilson said: “I wasn’t aware that Mike had some shows in South America. News to me.”

The various former members of the Beach Boys have all toured under different names, with their own bands. Mike Love has licensed the Beach Boys name since 1998, Al Jardine has performed with his Endless Summer Band and Wilson with his own band.

The band – Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks – will play London’s Royal Albert Hall on September 27 and Wembley Arena on September 28.

“Dr Dee” by Damon Albarn & Rufus Norris, London Coliseum, June 27, 2012

John Mulvey
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“Dr Dee” by Damon Albarn & Rufus Norris, London Coliseum, June 27, 2012

Do opera-goers have low boredom thresholds? It certainly seems that way watching the production of Damon Albarn’s “Dr Dee” at the English National Opera – or at least that director Rufus Norris assumes they do. There are beds in perpetual motion, levitating queens, dazzling projected screes of Enochian code, spymasters on stilts, rapidly shifting tableaux between rustling walls of paper, hydraulics, winches, fire, balloons, planets in orbit, revolving spiral staircases, and, at the climax, three live crows, one of which goes rogue for a few orbits of the Coliseum, while the other two get into a fight above the heads of Albarn’s band. I can’t pretend to know whether all this visual hyperactivity is the norm for opera, this neurotic obligation to provide a spectacle every couple of minutes or so (an almost parodically sniffy review in The Independent suggests not, while also chastising Albarn for his “dour little voice”). Couple of things, though: opera critics clearly have a lot more to write about than rock reviewers, mostly; and it all makes you wonder whether Norris felt he had to overcompensate for Albarn’s music. I’ve already written at length about Albarn’s “Dr Dee”, or at least the recorded version of it, in this review. Live, much of it still sounds terrific, in spite of the distractions presented by Norris’ tricksy theatricals: a cavalcade of British stereotypes accompany the opening “Apple Carts”, scrolling backwards through time from the unpromising start of a pantomime punk. After that, however, the action restricts itself to the Elizabethan period, leaving Albarn’s lyrics and quixotic band set-up (the masterful Tony Allen is barely employed for two hours, in what must be one of the odder and less physically demanding gigs of his career) to draw the occasional historical parallel. There was a lot of talk after the performance – echoed by that Independent review – about the story being hard to follow, even though Albarn recently told me that the narrative had been substantially tightened up since “Dr Dee” was performed in Manchester last summer. Again, out of ignorance, I’m unsure how much opera-goers can typically divine of an opera’s plot without prior knowledge. A close listen to Albarn’s record and a decent grasp of Dee’s biography made it seem reasonably straightforward to me – it is tantalising to imagine quite how obtuse “Dr Dee” might have been had the original plan of using Alan Moore as librettist come to fruition. What ultimately emerges is a sense that the trappings of notionally ‘high’ culture, the exaggerated theatricality and technical stunts, can be substantially crasser and more pandering than those of rock. Albarn is onstage throughout, mostly sat dangling on the edge of the band platform as a sort of self-effacing MC. The way he threads his subtle little songs, often beautifully underpinned by kora and lute, into a broader tapestry of operatic voices and full orchestrations, is, I think, really successful. A lot of the music in the production – especially in the second half - that doesn’t appear on the album tends toward full-blooded flurries in the vein of Phillip Glass, or the way Michael Nyman (an old Albarn collaborator, of course) turbocharged Purcell circa “The Draughtsman’s Contract”. Some of the operatic narrations can be a little awkward, though the female singers, especially Victoria Couper and Melanie Pappenheim (who spends plenty of the first half dangling above the action as Queen Elizabeth) provide a surprisingly smooth complement to Albarn’s less tutored tones. The highlight, as on the record, comes in the most harmonious blending of the folkish and operatic sides, “The Moon Exalted”. Suitably enough, it soundtracks the coupling of Dee and his wife – and recurs, less serendipitously, for a fraught threesome incorporating the scryer Kelley in the second half. An interesting evening, I guess, with some lovely music, but I’m floundering a bit to manage my “dour little” prejudices and rate this as a theatrical experience rather than as a concert with visuals. If anyone else sees the production, please let me know your thoughts. As an ambitious statement, does it beat bawling out “Park Life” to the nostalgists in Hyde Park? Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey

Do opera-goers have low boredom thresholds? It certainly seems that way watching the production of Damon Albarn’s “Dr Dee” at the English National Opera – or at least that director Rufus Norris assumes they do.

There are beds in perpetual motion, levitating queens, dazzling projected screes of Enochian code, spymasters on stilts, rapidly shifting tableaux between rustling walls of paper, hydraulics, winches, fire, balloons, planets in orbit, revolving spiral staircases, and, at the climax, three live crows, one of which goes rogue for a few orbits of the Coliseum, while the other two get into a fight above the heads of Albarn’s band.

I can’t pretend to know whether all this visual hyperactivity is the norm for opera, this neurotic obligation to provide a spectacle every couple of minutes or so (an almost parodically sniffy review in The Independent suggests not, while also chastising Albarn for his “dour little voice”). Couple of things, though: opera critics clearly have a lot more to write about than rock reviewers, mostly; and it all makes you wonder whether Norris felt he had to overcompensate for Albarn’s music.

I’ve already written at length about Albarn’s “Dr Dee”, or at least the recorded version of it, in this review. Live, much of it still sounds terrific, in spite of the distractions presented by Norris’ tricksy theatricals: a cavalcade of British stereotypes accompany the opening “Apple Carts”, scrolling backwards through time from the unpromising start of a pantomime punk.

After that, however, the action restricts itself to the Elizabethan period, leaving Albarn’s lyrics and quixotic band set-up (the masterful Tony Allen is barely employed for two hours, in what must be one of the odder and less physically demanding gigs of his career) to draw the occasional historical parallel. There was a lot of talk after the performance – echoed by that Independent review – about the story being hard to follow, even though Albarn recently told me that the narrative had been substantially tightened up since “Dr Dee” was performed in Manchester last summer.

Again, out of ignorance, I’m unsure how much opera-goers can typically divine of an opera’s plot without prior knowledge. A close listen to Albarn’s record and a decent grasp of Dee’s biography made it seem reasonably straightforward to me – it is tantalising to imagine quite how obtuse “Dr Dee” might have been had the original plan of using Alan Moore as librettist come to fruition.

What ultimately emerges is a sense that the trappings of notionally ‘high’ culture, the exaggerated theatricality and technical stunts, can be substantially crasser and more pandering than those of rock. Albarn is onstage throughout, mostly sat dangling on the edge of the band platform as a sort of self-effacing MC. The way he threads his subtle little songs, often beautifully underpinned by kora and lute, into a broader tapestry of operatic voices and full orchestrations, is, I think, really successful. A lot of the music in the production – especially in the second half – that doesn’t appear on the album tends toward full-blooded flurries in the vein of Phillip Glass, or the way Michael Nyman (an old Albarn collaborator, of course) turbocharged Purcell circa “The Draughtsman’s Contract”.

Some of the operatic narrations can be a little awkward, though the female singers, especially Victoria Couper and Melanie Pappenheim (who spends plenty of the first half dangling above the action as Queen Elizabeth) provide a surprisingly smooth complement to Albarn’s less tutored tones. The highlight, as on the record, comes in the most harmonious blending of the folkish and operatic sides, “The Moon Exalted”. Suitably enough, it soundtracks the coupling of Dee and his wife – and recurs, less serendipitously, for a fraught threesome incorporating the scryer Kelley in the second half.

An interesting evening, I guess, with some lovely music, but I’m floundering a bit to manage my “dour little” prejudices and rate this as a theatrical experience rather than as a concert with visuals. If anyone else sees the production, please let me know your thoughts. As an ambitious statement, does it beat bawling out “Park Life” to the nostalgists in Hyde Park?

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey

Elbow – “It’s a massive thing to be asked to write a song for the Olympics”

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Elbow – “It’s a massive thing to be asked to write a song for the Olympics”
Elbow have said it was a "massive thing" to be asked to write a song for the Olympics in an exclusive interview taken backstage at Isle of Wight festival last weekend. Speaking of their track "First Steps", which will soundtrack the BBC's coverage of the momentous sporting event, keyboardist Craig ...

Elbow have said it was a “massive thing” to be asked to write a song for the Olympics in an exclusive interview taken backstage at Isle of Wight festival last weekend.

Speaking of their track “First Steps“, which will soundtrack the BBC’s coverage of the momentous sporting event, keyboardist Craig Potter said: “The closer the Olympics get, the more exciting it is and the more we realise what a massive thing it is to be asked to do that. So many people are gonna hear it and it’s going to be in the background of some momentous events, so we’re really proud of it.”

Bassist Pete Turner updated fans about the progress of their follow-up to Mercury Prize-nominated LP Build A Rocket, Boys!: “With the next album, we’re a little bit in there,” he said. “We’ve got about ten ideas we’re gonna work on and they’re sounding pretty good.” he added:

“There’s no title or release date yet, we’re just knocking around idea and seeing where it’s going. It’s quite groove-based initially and there are more guitars than we would usually do, but things always change.”

Elbow are playing at this year’s T In The Park, which is taking place July 6-8 in Balado Park, Kinross.

Iggy Pop and Best Coast join forces for True Blood soundtrack

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Iggy Pop and Best Coast join forces for True Blood soundtrack
Iggy Pop and Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino have teamed up to record a song for the TV show True Blood. The pair have apparently recorded a track called "Let's Boot And Rally", which will appear in the episode which airs in the US on July 8. Pitchfork reports that the song will receive its radio de...

Iggy Pop and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino have teamed up to record a song for the TV show True Blood.

The pair have apparently recorded a track called “Let’s Boot And Rally”, which will appear in the episode which airs in the US on July 8. Pitchfork reports that the song will receive its radio debut a few days before the television broadcast date, on July 5.

Of the collaboration Iggy Pop said: “I’ve always liked to bite. I guess this makes me a singing vampire, does this mean I have a license to suck? Hi Bethany…”

Last year Nick Cave and Neko Case also duetted for True Blood, recording a version of The Zombies’ classic track ‘She’s Not There’.

Meanwhile, in other Iggy Pop news, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has signed on to play The Stooges’ frontman in CBGB, a new film about the legendary New York venue.

The movie will be directed by Randal Miller – who has co-written the script with Jody Savin – and is set to start shooting in Savannah, Georgia, before moving to New York. The pair are also currently putting together a biopic about Dennis Wilson, the late solo musician and drummer with The Beach Boys.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion to release first new album in eight years

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The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion to release first new album in eight years
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are set to release their first new album in eight years. The 12 track Meat And Bone will be released on September 17 and follows 2004's Damage – which was released under the shortened name of Blues Explosion. It features 12 tracks, and will be the band's ninth LP. ...

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are set to release their first new album in eight years.

The 12 track Meat And Bone will be released on September 17 and follows 2004’s Damage – which was released under the shortened name of Blues Explosion. It features 12 tracks, and will be the band’s ninth LP. Scroll down to listen to the album’s opening track “Black Mold”.

Recorded at the Key Club Recording Studio in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the album was then mixed in New York. Of the album and the band, made up of Jon Spencer, Judah Bauer and Russell Simins, Spencer says:

“We still have that psychic glue that allows us to create music together. Over the course of a year touring and writing new songs and recording, we rediscovered our shared history as a band. We circled the wagons, and went back to our roots. In a way this is almost like another first album.”

The band released their debut, self-titled record in 1992.

The Meat And Bone tracklisting is:

‘Black Mold’

‘Bag Of Bones’

‘Boot Cut’

‘Get Your Pants Off’

‘Ice Cream Killer’

‘Strange Baby’

‘Bottle Baby’

‘Danger’

‘Black Thoughts’

‘Unclear’

‘Bear Trap’

‘Zimgar’

Jack White: “A White Stripes reunion could never happen”

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Jack White: “A White Stripes reunion could never happen”
Jack White has said that The White Stripes will never get back together. When asked if a reunion would ever be on the cards, the Nashville singer told Dutch news station Newsuur, "No. I don't think that could ever happen; it's all done. But the lord works in mysterious ways so there'll probably be ...

Jack White has said that The White Stripes will never get back together.

When asked if a reunion would ever be on the cards, the Nashville singer told Dutch news station Newsuur, “No. I don’t think that could ever happen; it’s all done. But the lord works in mysterious ways so there’ll probably be something better come out of me one day. I hope so, I’ve got nothing better to do.”

White also opened up about his views on being an artist, elaborating that he’d only had three holidays in his life which were all “very short” and that he had never had any desire to spend time at parties or doing drugs. He said:

“I feel a responsibility to the music; I’ve given myself away a long time ago. That’s what I do and that’s what consumes me every day. I can have a house and a car and have children, and I can go out to eat and do that stuff too, but it’s all second and third place to what I’ve already given myself away to. I can’t help myself.”

The multi-instrumentalist, who also runs vinyl-only label Third Man Records, recently spoke about his feelings regarding the lack of romance involved in modern music technology, explaining that “digital and invisible things make you feel like some other being is in charge of this somewhere else”.

White also played at UK at London’s O2 Academy Brixton and BBC Radio One’s Hackney Weekend last week, following the release of his debut solo LP Blunderbuss. He will headline London’s Roundhouse on September 8 as part of the iTunes festival.

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