Saturday, 9 May 2009

The Kinks - Kinda Kinks


The Kinks - Nothing In This World Can Stop Me Worryin’ Bout That Girl

Kinda Kinks

Date: 1965
Release: Essential #483
Cover Art: view / download
Buy the Album

Mod-rockers from the mid-60s, the Kinks understood how to crank out three-minute pop songs that were as catchy as Beatlemania. While the Davies Brothers were no match for Lennon/McCartney or even Jagger/Richards, they definitely put a little of fire under the feet of their rivals that kept them from getting too complacent. Their classic “All Day And All Of The Night,” opens the album with punk-sounding guitar riffs and sexually-charged lyrics that point the way towards the future of Rock and Punk. The album’s next smash hit, “Tired Of Waiting For You,” demonstrates why the Kinks unique 60s sound has remained so influential and appealing.

The timeless “Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl,” included on the “Rushmore” soundtrack, leaves you wishing that the Kinks had recorded more acoustic tracks in the same vein. The very pretty ballad, “Something Better Beginning,” and the satirical, “Well Respected Man,” are both solid examples of the band’s formidable song writing skills. The most recent CD reissue combines the original UK release of the album with the non-LP sides from the same period, as well as some remarkable bonus tracks, making it a necessary acquisition for those who still only have their old vinyl. The immense talents of the Davies Brothers are in strong evidence throughout this quintessential recording of the British Invasion.

Players:

  • Dave Davies - Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals
  • Ray Davies - Guitar, Vocals
  • Peter Quaife - Bass
  • Mick Avory - Drums

Tracks:

  1. All Day And All Of The Night
  2. I Gotta Move
  3. It’s All Right
  4. Tired Of Waiting For You
  5. Come On Now
  6. Look For Me Baby
  7. Got My Feet On The Gound
  8. Naggin’ Woman
  9. Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl
  10. Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight
  11. Dancing In The Street
  12. Don’t Ever Change
  13. So Long
  14. You Shouldn’t Be Sad
  15. Something Better Beginning

Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate - Songbook PDF



Full scan of the Leonard Cohen Songs of Love and Hate songbook.

DOWNLOAD



Famous Blue Raincoat

Thursday, 7 May 2009

I Put a Spell on You

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Alfred C. Kinsey and Kenneth Anger at Thelema Abbey in Cefalu

In 1955, Kenneth Anger made a voyage to Cefalu in Sicily to shoot a documentary about Aleister Crowley’s erotic frescos, Thelema Abbey.
“The film was made for Houlton Television which was a branch of Picture Post an extinct British Magazine. They lost it. I tried to find it and it’s untraceable. I lived in Crowley’s house, alone, but that kind of thing doesn’t bother me. I had to. It was the only way to get it done. I spent three months there scraping the whitewash, which had turned to stone, off the walls. It was a big job, but one of the most exciting things I have ever done. They were still there - all those hyper-psychedelic murals: goblins and demons in fabulous color, scarlet and pumpkin-red. Actually they were good paintings, similar in feel to Ensor.”

Well, this film seems to be lost, but here you can find another film from Anger about Crowley’s paintings. And here is a montage of photos (not from Anger) showing Thelema Abbey and its frescos.

Anger also planned to do a bio-pic about Crowley that would “intersperse Crowley’s spiritual life with contemporary events, such as the sinking of the Titanic.” At one time there was talk about Nicol Williamson playing the lead.

From 1950 - 1961 Anger lived in Paris. During his stay he became friends with Langlois - founder of the Cinématheque Française - and Cocteau whose Le jeune homme et la mort Anger tried to adapt for the screen. Other projects were Lautréamonts Les Chants de Maldoror and L’Histoire d’O.

For Maldoror he had already filmed “the hymn to the ocean , on the beach at Deauville, with Rosella Hightower and members of the Marquis de Cuevas Ballet. They danced in the sea, tables were placed beneath the water line so the dancers could stand on their points. It looked as if they were standing on waves.”
“I also managed to film the war of the flies and pins. I put bags of pins and dozens of flies into a glass container; revolved the container and filmed in close-up. As the pins dropped, the flies zig-zagged to escape. In slow-motion, an impressive image.”
It seems that the surrealists, who were always somewhat peculiar about ventures based on Lautréamont’s work, threatened Anger. But the main reason for not completing it was - what else - lack of money.

It was no problem for Anger to get the permission to film Histoire d’O, as its publisher was Jean-Jacques Pauvert, who also published Anger’s own Hollywood Babylon. This time it seemed that he would get the money he needed to complete the film when other problems emerged.
“I was helped by the boyfriend of the girl playing O. It turned out that this money was bounty from the kidnapping of Eric Peugeot - grandson of the auto magnate. I knew nothing about this. I found out in a very abrupt manner. The young man was arrested and I was questioned about the money being used for my film. The young lady playing O was the daughter of a minister. Her parents knew nothing about her being in the film and when they did find out filming came to an instant halt.”

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This dashing photo is from Anger’s version of L’Histoire d’O

The photos and the quotes are from the BFI publication Into the Pleasure Dome - the films of Kenneth Anger edited by Jayne Pilling and Mike O’Pray.

The DVD company Fantoma has issued recently volume one of The Films of Kenneth Anger. Here is a trailer.


Via Ombres Blanches

Moray McLaren



Moray McLaren is a Scottish singer-songwriter, born and raised in Edinburgh. When a disk of Moray’s rough recordings fell into the hands of producer Jonathan Shakhovskoy (U2, Patrick Wolf), he suggested they make an album together. The pair are currently in the studio recording. Moray’s debut album will be released on Lash Records this summer.

Visit Moray on MySpace

Wednesday, 6 May 2009

The Gossip

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Wanna learn a thing or two about attitude, return to Beth Ditto for reference - plus size model and shameless fashionista & fellow band mates push The Gossip deeper into the DIY indie-rock territory by toning down the polish. Taking on an über cliché subject for a concept, their new Rick Rubins produced album Music For Men revolves around love & Beth Ditto's favorite song is called Men In Love which talks about gay men in love with each other.

The Gossip – Heavy Cross

The Gossip – Heavy Cross (Fred Falke Remix)


Heavy Cross the first single will be released June 15th followed by the LP Music For Men on June 22nd.

Can't wait to find out what remixes we're getting, should be top notch as usual.

Via Ohh! Crapp...