Not many people can say that John Lennon wrote a song about them, but John Sinclair is among that select bunch. Viewed by the powers-that-be as a dangerous revolutionary for his involvement with the White Panther Party, Sinclair was handed a ludicrously harsh sentence – "they gave him ten for two"...
Not many people can say that John Lennon wrote a song about them, but John Sinclair is among that select bunch. Viewed by the powers-that-be as a dangerous revolutionary for his involvement with the White Panther Party, Sinclair was handed a ludicrously harsh sentence – “they gave him ten for two” – for marijuana possession after a police sting. In 1971, Lennon, along with Yoko Ono, Stevie Wonder, Phil Ochs and Archie Shepp played a freedom rally in Michigan and three days later Sinclair was freed.
Sinclair is probably best known in the music world for managing riotous proto-punks The MC5 and imbuing them with a radical zeal. But Sinclair is a beatnik at heart, a poet and an ardent jazz fan, who’s combined those two loves on more than 20 albums of his own down the years.
His latest release is a revelatory trawl through the archives of the Detroit Artists Workshop, an organisation Sinclair co-founded with jazz trumpeter Charles Moore in 1964. Released last month on Strut/Art Yard, the album features exhilarating live performances from Donald Byrd, Lyman Woodard and Bennie Maupin, with a warm intro from Sinclair himself.
So what do you want to ask a lifelong believer in the revolutionary power of music? Send your questions to audiencewith@www.uncut.co.uk and John will answer the best ones in the next issue of Uncut.
The Charlatans and Ride will be co-headlining a North American tour in early 2023.
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The 15-date trek will kick off on January 30 in New York City before making stops throughout the US and Canada, with the bands signing off at...
The Charlatansand Ride will be co-headlining a North American tour in early 2023.
The 15-date trek will kick off on January 30 in New York City before making stops throughout the US and Canada, with the bands signing off at Los Angeles’ iconic Wiltern Theatre on February 18. The headliner will change each night of the tour.
Both bands will be playing one of their classic albums in full – The Charlatans will perform 1992’s Between 10th And 11th while Ride will run through 1990’s Nowhere from start to finish. A press release promises that they will also squeeze their other great hits, fan favourites “and more” into their sets.
Tickets will go on sale Friday (December 2) at 10am local time – you can buy yours here.
The tour poster for The Charlatans and Ride’s North American 2023 tour. Image: Press
The Charlatans and Ride will play:
JANUARY
30 – New York, Webster Hall
31 – Brooklyn, Brooklyn Steel
FEBRUARY
2 – Boston, BIG Night Live
3 – Montreal, Corona Theatre
4 – Toronto, History
5 – Detroit, Majestic Theatre
7 – Chicago, The Vic Theatre
8 – Madison, Majestic Theatre
9 – Minneapolis, First Avenue
11 – Denver, Ogden Theatre
13 – Vancouver, Commodore Ballroom
14 – Seattle, The Showbox
15 – Portland, Crystal Ballroom
17 – San Francisco, The Fillmore
18 – Los Angeles, The Wiltern
The Charlatans and Ride previously co-headlined the famed Daytripper concerts in Brighton and Blackpool in 1993.
The Charlatans’ frontman Tim Burgess released his fifth solo album, Typical Music in September.
Gaz Coombes has released new single "Long Live The Strange" – listen below.
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The latest single from the Supergrass frontman is a celebration of the "weird and wonderful" as a "reminder to embrace that at all times", written...
Gaz Coombes has released new single “Long Live The Strange” – listen below.
The latest single from the Supergrass frontman is a celebration of the “weird and wonderful” as a “reminder to embrace that at all times”, written after he took his daughter Tiger to see Cavetown in Oxford in 2020.
“The show had a big impact on me,†he said in a press statement. “It was what live performance is all about, connecting with an audience that consists of anybody and everybody who wants to be part of it, it’s fully inclusive and I found that quite powerful.â€
He described that sense of connectivity as “obviously strange in the nicest sense of the word”.
Listen to the new track and watch the video directed by Niall Trask below.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the music video, Trask said: “When I was brought onto the project, Gaz had already been living amongst the community of mannequins for several months. His knowledge of them allowed me to have no issues directing them nor overcome the language barrier.
“The whole process was fascinating and certainly a culture shock; coming from South London, I found the silence and stillness almost deafening. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve ever had as a filmmaker.â€
Coombes’ fourth solo album Turn The Car Around is out January 13 via Hot Fruit Recordings/ Virgin Music, which you can pre-order/pre-save here.
The forthcoming record serves as the final part of a trilogy that began with Coombes’ 2015 LP Matador and continued with his most recent full-length, 2018’s World’s Strongest Man.
“Turn The Car Around is a record that I’ve been building up to for the last seven years,†Coombes explained in a statement. It’s said that the project “captures the ups and downs of modern life and all the small print in betweenâ€.
Earlier this month, the singer also announced details of a headline tour of the UK and Europe in 2023.
Chess-playing, concept-album-loving jazz proggers, BLACK MIDI are the British alternative scene’s ambitious eccentrics. We catch them on tour in America - with contemporaries Black Country, New Road - where their latest album, Hellfire - a song cycle about war, prostitution and death - is going do...
Chess-playing, concept-album-loving jazz proggers, BLACK MIDI are the British alternative scene’s ambitious eccentrics. We catch them on tour in America – with contemporaries Black Country, New Road – where their latest album, Hellfire – a song cycle about war, prostitution and death – is going down a storm. Tom Pinnock hears how Count Dracula, Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds and “circus music†have helped shape their exhilarating 2022, in the latest issue of Uncut magazine – in UK shops from Thursday, November 10 and available to buy from our online store.
Six weeks into an American tour, when most young bands are losing their minds, Black Midi are in a Chicago apartment playing chess.
“You have to move the king, bro, you’re in check,†singer and guitarist Geordie Greep calls to the band’s live keyboardist Seth Evans, aka Shank, before turning back to the phone. “Neither of us are good at it, but we’re just passing time, having a laugh. There are sections in Nabokov novels where he talks about chess problems, and I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about. H6, B4, all this… I’m like, ‘Get back to the incest, please…’â€
Aside from the trauma of terrible pizza the night before – “Where to begin?†says a broken Shank – things are going pretty well out here in the New World, where this London trio – Greep, drummer Morgan Simpson and bassist and co-frontman Cameron Picton, all still in their early twenties – are busy breaking America. The fans here are younger than in the UK, and scarily enthusiastic, even moshing to the band’s quiet songs.
“It’s been great,†enthuses Greep, chess pieces clattering in the background. “No complaints. The crowds have been so energetic, they’re really excited, it’s pretty brilliant.â€
“It’s just crazy,†agrees Simpson. “It feels like we’re a bit more understood [here] – and even if they don’t get it, whatever you bring to the table, they’ll receive it.â€
For the first month of the tour, they were joined by their friends Black Country, New Road, regrouping after the departure of frontman Isaac Wood just days before the release of second album Ants From Up There earlier in 2022.
“We had a fucking great time with Black Midi,†says Tyler Hyde, Black Country’s singer and bassist. “But we’d reached our limit, maybe because it was actually our first ever proper tour. Just thinking about them going on to do another month seems impossible. They’re machines!â€
Like Hyde says, Black Midi certainly have stamina: this is their third US tour of 2022 and, along with European shows when they return home, it’s topping off a triumphant, hectic year for them. Their latest LP Hellfire is their best: a brave, ambitious and complex record.
“We are less self-conscious about the kind of music we want to make at the end of the day,†explains Greep, “and more comfortable with just saying, ‘Yeah, sure. Let’s do this crazy music, these crazy songs…’â€
Black Country, New Road’sLewis Evans well remembers Black Midi’s first ever gig in June 2017; or at least, hearing their music through the walls of Brixton’s Windmill as the teenagers supported his band, the proto-Black Country outfit Nervous Conditions.
“I remember being really cocky in those days,†he says, “and being like, ‘I’m not gonna watch whoever else is playing.’ I remember being outside as they played and thinking, ‘Shit, this sounds really good… That band’s better than our band!’ It was really annoying.â€
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Bob Dylan has apologised for the controversy surrounding signed copies of his new book, saying that "using a machine was an error in judgment".
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Earlier this week, publishing giant Sim...
Bob Dylan has apologised for the controversy surrounding signed copies of his new book, saying that “using a machine was an error in judgment”.
Earlier this week, publishing giant Simon & Schuster conceded that “hand-signed†copies of Bob Dylan’s new book, The Philosophy Of Modern Song, were in fact manufactured with an autopen system (which uses a machine to automatically reproduce a person’s signature).
The signed copies of the book – of which there were 900 – were sold through Simon & Schuster’s website at $599 USD (£505). Many fans cottoned on to the dupe when they started sharing photos of their copies on forums, where it became clear that every copy sported a virtually identical signature.
In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Dylan apologised to fans and said that the autopen was suggested to him as an idea after he was suffering from illness and vertigo in 2019 and felt unable to sign the books himself.
He told fans: “I’ve been made aware that there’s some controversy about signatures on some of my recent artwork prints and on a limited-edition of Philosophy Of Modern Song. I’ve hand-signed each and every art print over the years, and there’s never been a problem.
“However, in 2019 I had a bad case of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years. It takes a crew of five working in close quarters with me to help enable these signing sessions, and we could not find a safe and workable way to complete what I needed to do while the virus was raging.
“So, during the pandemic, it was impossible to sign anything and the vertigo didn’t help. With contractual deadlines looming, the idea of using an auto-pen was suggested to me, along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds.”
Dylan concluded: “Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that.”
To my fans and followers, I’ve been made aware that there’s some controversy about signatures on some of my recent…
Simon & Schuster initially refused to honour requests for refunds, assuring buyers that the signatures were legitimate and validated by a “letter of authenticityâ€.
A generic response from the publisher read: “We certainly understand any concerns you may have, however – each individual copy of the limited signed edition of Bob Dylan’s The Philosophy Of Modern Song was personally signed by the author and is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from the publisher of Simon & Schuster.â€
As photos of the signatures continued to circulate, Simon & Schuster pivoted their stance on Sunday, telling buyers directly that they would be refunded. An email sent to those who complained about the dupe, also including a signature from Karp, read: “We apologise for the mistake that was made and are offering a full refund of your purchase. Please keep your copy of The Philosophy of Modern Song at no cost. We hope you will enjoy reading it.â€
The publisher later made a public statement on social media, writing: “To those who purchased The Philosophy Of Modern Song limited edition, we want to apologise. As it turns out, the limited edition books do contain Bob’s original signature, but in a penned replica form. We are addressing this immediately by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund.â€
The Philosophy Of Modern Song, Dylan’s first original book since Chronicles: Volume One in 2004, was released on November 1.
It features more than 60 essays written by the folk icon, covering songs by artists like Elvis Costello, Nina Simone and Hank Williams. The audiobook release features a slew of celebrities reading Dylan’s essays, including Jeff Bridges,Helen Mirren, Oscar Isaacand Steve Buscemi.
Purple hoorays are due for Jimi Hendrix, who would have been 80 today (November 27). To celebrate, Chronicle Chroma and Experience Hendrix have put together a new photobook simply called JIMI – a comprehensive visual celebration of Hendrix featuring rare photographs, personal memorabilia, lyric sh...
Purple hoorays are due for Jimi Hendrix, who would have been 80 today (November 27). To celebrate, Chronicle Chroma and Experience Hendrix have put together a new photobook simply called JIMI – a comprehensive visual celebration of Hendrix featuring rare photographs, personal memorabilia, lyric sheets and quotes from the likes of Paul McCartney, Ron Wood, Dave Grohl and more.
Take a sneak peek at some of those rare Hendrix photos in our gallery below:
“Finally,†sings Macie Stewart, on the opening track of their debut album, “I tell the truth to myself, to you.†The songwriter, singer and composer is much-loved in the jazz, improvisational and indie music scenes of their native Chicago, but Mouth Full Of Glass offers up a deeply intimate,...
“Finally,†sings Macie Stewart, on the opening track of their debut album, “I tell the truth to myself, to you.†The songwriter, singer and composer is much-loved in the jazz, improvisational and indie music scenes of their native Chicago, but Mouth Full Of Glass offers up a deeply intimate, skilfully crafted, alternative portrait of their inner world.
You’ve probably heard Stewart’s work without knowing it: on strings for artists as diverse as SZA and Whitney, as a touring multi-instrumentalist with The Weather Station and Claire Rousay or, most likely, as one half of art-rock duo Finom (until recently, Ohmme) with Sima Cunningham. There are parallels to be drawn between all of those and Stewart’s first music under their own name – but the precise arrangements and experimental flourishes perhaps most closely resemble Stewart and Cunningham’s recent collaboration with Iron & Wineon an EP of songs by the country musician Lori McKenna.
Although Stewart began recording the songs that would become Mouth Full Of Glass in 2019, pausing the project while Finom worked on their second album Fantasize Your Ghost, the bulk of the work – unsurprisingly – took place during the pandemic, with their more collaborative creative avenues closed off to them. Living alone after a major relationship breakup, grappling with loss of structure as a touring musician and dealing with family bereavement, Stewart took lots of long walks around the nature preserve close to their home, giving them time to ponder, process and learn from their inner self, their queerness, their relationships and their hopes for the future.
The version of truth-telling Stewart ultimately lands on is poetic, minimalist and image-rich in turn. The titular reptile on “Garter Snake†– which Stewart recalls crossing paths with frequently on those Chicago walks – becomes a metaphor for shedding one’s less desirable traits and starting fresh, the singer’s confessions to qualities such as wickedness and indecision sung without guilt or shame. “What Will I Doâ€, perhaps the wordiest song on the album, exquisitely captures the tension and pain at the end of a long-term relationship both parties know is over: “I see you in the street, in open air and in my core/I feel a rhythm of a song I knew beforeâ€. At the other end of the scale, the airy almost-title track “Mouthful Of Glass†barely features lyrics at all: the song was inspired by a dream featuring the central image and Stewart draws out the words like their voice was itself an instrument, the approach that of an impressionist artist to the paintbrush.
But the lyrics are only part of the story, with Stewart bringing the full depth of their experience as a composer, violinist, pianist and string arranger to the album’s 30-minute runtime. Tonal shifts do much of the emotional heavy lifting: “Finally†begins with a sweet, lilting, guitar-picked melody before sweeping the listener up in a lush, romantic string arrangement; “What Will I Do†is elegant chamber music for piano and guitar until a moment of brash, electronic noise creates a gap into which an elegant string arrangement can flow.
Stewart recorded and stitched together many of the instrumental parts at home, but several notable Chicago musicians add additional flourishes: Sen Morimoto’s serpentine saxophone entangles Stewart’s acoustic guitar on “Garter Snakeâ€, and regular collaborator VV Lightbody adds a dancing flute part to the deceptively pretty “Defeatâ€. Cellist Lia Kohl (who has released two duo albums for violin and cello with Stewart) adds heft to the string arrangements of “Finally†and “Tone Pomeâ€. The title of the last of these alludes to the orchestral ‘tone poems’ inspired by landscapes and nature, and its lyrics and instrumentation capture the changing of the Chicago seasons: the softness of newly fallen snow, the twinkling shoots of life beginning anew.
Among a work that is often extraordinary, sometimes spectacular, two tracks in particular stand out. “Golden (For Mark)†is a sombre hymn for someone who died in childhood but, while the imagery is stark (“a picture upon her mantle/Saw her cry a handful of times wondering who you’d have beenâ€), by keeping the music sparse and leaving space for the song to breathe, Stewart ends up with something that lingers long past the three-minute mark. And “Wash It Awayâ€, the closing track on the original US version of the album, is a precision-crafted composition, Stewart’s voice practically soaring above Ayanna Woods’ horn arrangement before the song’s discordant, more experimental chorus hits like a reset button. Whether the album has scratched Stewart’s solo creative itch remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine a better record to finally put their own name on.
Richard Dawson is on quite some creative streak. The past 12 months have already seen one great album from the Tyneside bard – Henki, a collaboration with the Finnish metal alchemists Circle. Now here’s another: The Ruby Cord is framed as the conclusion to a trilogy of albums that Dawson began b...
Richard Dawson is on quite some creative streak. The past 12 months have already seen one great album from the Tyneside bard – Henki, a collaboration with the Finnish metal alchemists Circle. Now here’s another: The Ruby Cord is framed as the conclusion to a trilogy of albums that Dawson began back in 2017. The first of the three, Peasant, surveyed a number of colourful characters living in the Middle Ages kingdom of Bryneich back circa the 6th century AD. It was followed by 2020, which cast an empathetic eye across the lives of those occupying familiar early 21st-century spaces – the football field, the local pub, the Amazon fulfilment centre. Where next? To the future, of course – specifically 500 years into the future, into a sort of liminal reality that straddles real life and something more virtual.
It’s certainly within the scope of Dawson’s powers to pull off some kind of neon-lit space opera. But this is not that album. The Ruby Cord certainly has some epic qualities – for one, it’s long, clocking in at an hour and 20 minutes in length, and kicking off with an opening track, “The Hermitâ€, that itself stretches out to a panoramic 40 minutes. But where 2020 felt direct and upfront, both in its music and in the manner of its storytelling, The Ruby Cordfeels more cryptic, dense and complex, as if Dawson – never not ambitious in his art – is intentionally raising the stakes.
There is some feat of imaginative creation going on here, and it’s only by scrutinising the lyric sheet that you can really begin to comprehend the shape of the world that Dawson has designed. The Ruby Cord is set in an augmented reality, humans existing somewhere between the world we know and a virtual space in which the lines between history, mythology and imagination blur. On “The Hermitâ€, the familiar intermingles with the deeply strange. One minute Dawson is sketching a bucolic scene of “crow-pocked copses†and a “caterpillar’s ardent mandiblesâ€; the next he’s singing of “an update to my visual and ontoceptual cortexesâ€. “Museumâ€, meanwhile, follows an unnamed visitor as they explore a complex that contains an archive of human memory, projected onto the walls. One reference point for The Ruby Cord’s storytelling might be science fiction – think the rich and detailed world-building of a figure like Ursula Le Guin or Philip K Dick. Another might be video games – fantasy RPGs like Skyrim that dispense little nuggets of lore as you explore, giving you a sense of a wider world beyond your immediate experience.
The narratives here can be dark and discomfiting, but the mood is generally calm and tranquil, largely lacking the roar and churn we hear in much of Dawson’s work. He’s backed by a mini-ensemble consisting of harpist Rhodri Davies, violinist Angharad Davies and drummer Andrew Cheetham. On “The Hermitâ€, they sprawl out in improvisatory fashion, more concerned with mellifluous texturing than familiar song structure. Deeper into the album, there are moments that raise the temperature a couple of notches: the wild harp freakouts buried in the midst of “The Foolâ€; the romping metal riff that briefly flowers at the heart of “The Tip Of An Arrowâ€. But these are generally used as a sort of dramatic punctuation, and consequently are fairly short-lived.
Whatever Dawson is writing about, he tends to return to human stories – our ambitions, fears, disappointments and frailties. You get the feeling that he’s contrived the setting of The Ruby Cord as a way of tackling such a theme from a variety of unusual vantage points. “Thicker Than Water†is a gentle canter of chiming guitars and little flourishes of harp, but it holds a sense of terrible absence at its core; the narrator, fleeing from cyberspace back into the real world, passes through deserted cities and empty dual carriageways, in search of the bodies that he and his family long ago left behind. “The Fool†seems to hark back to the territory of Peasant, a love affair conducted in a medieval town – or presumably the simulation of one? – that ends with an enigmatic fizzle. The remarkable “The Tip Of An Arrowâ€, meanwhile, has the feel of a video game quest, the narrator and her plucky daughter Isagog crafting arrows before venturing “into the realm of the fabled three-faced hareâ€. There, we are reminded that pride comes before a fall.
Dawson’s work has always required a certain amount of buy-in from the listener, which it traditionally pays back with dividends. The Ruby Cordis no different, and in its depth and ambition may go further than any of his records before. If Dawson’s discography was the books of Tolkien, this wouldn’t be The Hobbit, or even Lord Of The Rings, but The Silmarillion. As such, this might not be the first Richard Dawson record you would recommend to a newcomer: too much, too soon. Still, if you’ve got the measure of him and his work, The Ruby Cord won’t fail to impress. You leave it mind reeling, happily baffled, dazzled by the scope of its achievement.
Wilko Johnson has passed away aged 75.
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The news of Johnson’s death was confirmed via a post on his official social media accounts, revealing that he died at home on Monday (November 21).
The tribute read: â€...
The news of Johnson’s death was confirmed via a post on his official social media accounts, revealing that he died at home on Monday (November 21).
The tribute read: “This is the announcement we never wanted to make, & we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died.
“He passed away at home on Monday 21st November. Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson.â€
This is the announcement we never wanted to make, & we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died. He passed away at home on Monday 21st November. Thank you for respecting the family's privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson. (Image: Leif Laaksonen) pic.twitter.com/1cRqyi9b9X
Johnson was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 2013, saying at the time that he did not want to receive treatment or chemotherapy.
The following year however, Johnson underwent an operation and declared himself cancer free, revealing later that he was told he only had 10 months to live and remarking: “I shouldn’t be here at all.â€
Julien Temple’s 2015 documentary The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson charted his death-defying recovery from cancer.
Johnson played lead guitar with Dr Feelgood from the band’s formation in 1971 until he left in 1977. During his stint, the band scored a Number One album with their 1976 live LP Stupidity. After departing, Johnson played with The Blockheads for a brief spell in 1980 and released a succession of albums with The Wilko Johnson Band. His autobiography Looking Back At Me was published in June 2012.
Johnson’s final album, Blow Your Mind, came out in 2018 with The Wilko Johnson Band. He kept performing live right up until his death, appearing last month (October 18) at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire as part of Planet Rock’s Rocktober event.
In 1971, DAVID BOWIE was all about ch-changes. Inspired by the America of
Andy Warhol and Lou Reed, Bob Dylan and After The Gold Rush, he delivered a daring, career-reviving triumph with his first truly great album. As a new boxset, Divine Symmetry, digs deep into the 12 months that led up to the r...
In 1971, DAVID BOWIE was all about ch-changes. Inspired by the America of Andy Warhol and Lou Reed, Bob Dylan and After The Gold Rush, he delivered a daring, career-reviving triumph with his first truly great album. As a new boxset, Divine Symmetry, digs deep into the 12 months that led up to the release of Hunky Dory, collaborators and confidants reveal the secrets of this major turning point in Bowie’s evolution. “With David, it was onward and upward all the time,†learns Peter Watts. Look out, you rock’n’rollers, in the latest issue of Uncut magazine – in UK shops from Thursday, November 10 and available to buy from our online store.
Walk 10 minutes uphill from Beckenham Junction station, past the squat new developments and elegant townhouses, and you’ll eventually arrive at the corner of Southend Road and Shannon Way. Today, it’s a block of square brick apartments, similar to many buildings in this corner of south-east London. But before it was demolished in the early ’80s, this was the site of Haddon Hall, where David Bowielived with his wife Angie and an assortment of musicians from 1969 until 1972. A sprawling Victorian villa, Haddon Hall was effectively the cradle for Bowie’s fast-moving transition from folkie to futuristic superstar.
When 80-year-old south Londoner Terry moved into his flat three years ago, he had no notion of the building’s musical heritage. He’s since done his research, prompted by the gaggles of tourists who make pilgrimages here and pose for photographs in the street outside his home. “Oh yes, it was all a bit of a to-do,†says Terry. “All those parties. They reckon The Beatles and the Stones came to visit. Imagine that.â€
We agree that it’s impossible to imagine The Beatles, the Stones or even David Bowie ever coming to this unglamorous suburban spot. Yet Terry – who admits he’s not really a Bowie fan (he prefers the Stones) – mentions a video his daughter sent him. “It shows Boy George taking the 54 from Eltham to Beckenham and staring up at my flat,†smiles Terry. “Now Boy George, he definitely would have been a fan of Bowie.â€
Boy George was indeed a visitor to Haddon Hall in 1971, one of several south London music fans who’d come to stare at the local freak – and got told to “fuck off†by his new wife, Angie.
“Haddon House was inspiring,†says Mick “Woody†Woodmansey, Bowie’s drummer, who shared the house with a roving cast of characters that included the Bowies, Tony Viscontiand Mick Ronson. “It was part commune, part flatshare. We didn’t get the Beatles and Stones, it was more like Marc Bolanor Roy Harper. They’d say, ‘Roy’s doing a concert tonight in Tony’s bedroom,’ and in you’d go. There was a wine cellar underneath that we used as a place to rehearse, so you could write and play whenever you wanted. David had a piano and the 12-string was usually in the lounge. He’d say, ‘Woody, I’ve finished one,’ and you’d go and have a listen.â€
Bowie was entering a period of extraordinary productivity that saw him record Hunky Dory, his first great album, and write much of its life-changing successor, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars at Haddon Hall. But it was also a time of uncertainty and anxiety. As Bowie struggled to escape the orbit of his sole 1969 hit, “Space Oddityâ€, he pursued an alternative career as a producer/songwriter for hire, writing songs for friends and other singers. This journey is charted in Divine Symmetry, a new boxset that examines in detail how Hunky Dory came together and why it was such a turning point in his career. There are home recordings from Haddon Hall and American hotel rooms, BBC sessions, previously unheard originals, demos and a pivotal live performance that heralded the direction Bowie would take.
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Ryuichi Sakamoto has announced 12, his first non-soundtrack studio album in nearly six years.
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READ MORE: Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda review
The album is set to arrive on January 17 via Milan Records, and follows up 2017's asyn...
Ryuichi Sakamoto has announced 12, his first non-soundtrack studio album in nearly six years.
The album is set to arrive on January 17 via Milan Records, and follows up 2017’s async. It was recorded throughout 2021 and 2022, with each of its dozen tracks titled after the dates they were written.
In a statement, the Japanese composer and Yellow Magic Orchestra founder – who revealed last year he had been diagnosed with cancer for a second time, and is receiving ongoing treatment – discussed how the compositions on 12 began forming.
“After I finally ‘came home’ to my new temporary housing after a big operation, I found myself reaching for the synthesizer,” Sakamoto said. “I had no intention of composing something; I just wanted to be showered in sound. I’ll probably continue to keep this kind of ‘diary’.”
Sakamoto has also announced a ticketed livestream concert, which will air on December 10. For it, the composer will premiere a career-spanning concert recorded at 509 Studios in Tokyo. A preview of the album will be available following the livestream, accessible exclusively to ticketholders.
Sakamoto has stayed busy since async arrived in 2017, recording soundtracks for a range of film and television projects. Those have included the 2019 Black Mirror episode ‘Smithereens’ and last year’s Netflix film Beckett. Last month, Sakamoto released a soundtrack for the Netflix anime series Exception.
In January last year, Sakamotoshared a letter on his website saying that while the throat cancer he had been diagnosed with in 2014 was in remission, he had received a recent diagnosis of rectal cancer. “The news was disheartening, but thanks to the excellent doctors I met, the surgery I underwent was a success. I am now undergoing treatment,” he said.
“Due to these circumstances, traveling long distances for work will be difficult. Still, I will continue to work as much as I can while in treatment,” Sakamoto explained. “From now on, I will be living alongside cancer. But, I am hoping to make music for a little while longer.”
Blur have announced a second reunion show at London's Wembley Stadium "due to phenomenal demand".
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Last week the band shared details of a one-off UK reunion gig at the stadium on July 8, 2023. Now, they're playing an addition...
Blur have announced a second reunion show at London’s Wembley Stadium “due to phenomenal demand”.
The summer 2023 gigs mark the Britpop icons’ first headline show since 2015 when they released their comeback album The Magic Whip. Details of other world tour dates are currently unknown, except for a French festival date a few days before the Wembley show.
Slowthai, Self Esteem and Jockstrap are set to support Blur on the July 8 date. It’s not yet known if all three acts will support them the following night.
Blur have spoken about what to expect from their massive reunion gigs. Drummer Dave Rowntree described them as a “bucket list†dream.
“Turns out it’s incredibly difficult to arrange something like this, you know, the technical resources, the staff, the places to play. All of these things are in very, very short supply,†he told Tickets are on sale now here. “So it went right up to the wire, but it’s very hard to turn something like that down.
“We’re a band that’s done almost everything it’s possible to do… what an iconic place, what an iconic venue. It’s just incredibly exciting.â€
Blur have announced details of a 2023 reunion gig at London’s Wembley Stadium. Image: Kevin Westenberg
He continued: “It’s one of these iconic places that are secretly up on your bucket list, even though you pretend they’re not,†adding: “I sincerely hope we are a band that can fill a stadium like that. I don’t want there to be four people and a dog.â€
The drummer also joked that the band, who formed in 1989, are now “kind of embarrassing grandadsâ€, but that they look forward to performing the hits again.
Jack White has announced a new live album of his 2021 Soho rooftop performance in London – watch a clip of "Seven Nation Army" from the gig below.
ORDER NOW: David Bowie is on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut
Last September, White played a surprise set on the London rooftop of Damien...
Jack White has announced a new live album of his 2021 Soho rooftop performance in London – watch a clip of “Seven Nation Army” from the gig below.
Last September, White played a surprise set on the London rooftop of Damien Hirst to celebrate the grand opening of his new Third Man Records store down the road.
Now, after his two 2022 solo albums – Fear Of The Dawnand Entering Heaven Alive – were named Albums Of The Year by Rough Trade, White has released the full Soho rooftop set as a live album on vinyl.
The Live From Marshall Street bonus LP is released alongside the two solo albums in a triple vinyl collectors’ set and can be ordered here.
Watch the performance of “Seven Nation Army” from the gig below.
At the gig, White opened with The White Stripes‘“Dead Leaves On The Dirty Ground”, going on to play “Lazarretto”, The Raconteurs track “Steady As She Goes” and more from across his career.
Of the gig’s surroundings, he added: “I wanna play a song to all the neighbours we’re upsetting now, to the neighbours we’re about to be friends with now, and to Damien Hirst who let us use his balcony.†He then performed White Stripes track “We Are Gonna Be Friends” before ending with “Seven Nation Army”.
Prior to his rooftop performance, White performed in the basement of the store itself, where he rolled through The White Stripes’ “Hello Operator”, “Why Can’t You Be Nicer To Me” and “Icky Thump” as well as solo favourites “Sixteen Saltines’” “What’s Done Is Done” and “Love Interruption”.
The idiosyncratic songsmith’s path from “very bad†debut to multi-layered latest – Uncut takes a look at Richard Dawson's finest work, in the latest issue of Uncut magazine – in UK shops from Thursday, November 10 and available to buy from our online store.
“Is it OK to big up your ow...
The idiosyncratic songsmith’s path from “very bad†debut to multi-layered latest – Uncut takes a look at Richard Dawson’s finest work, in the latest issue of Uncut magazine – in UK shops from Thursday, November 10 and available to buy from our online store.
“Is it OK to big up your own music?†asks Richard Dawson, partway into our discussion. “I’ve slagged off everything so far, but I was just paving the way for a huge self-aggrandising which will be the rest of the interview…â€
While the Newcastle songwriter is certainly critical of his own work, there’s really no need: across the last decade or so, the guitarist and singer has built a compelling and deeply unique body of music. Here he takes Uncut through his records so far, from his “very bad†debut and the a cappella triumph of The Glass Trunkright through to the mighty, labyrinthine Peasant, his heavy collaboration with Finnish rockers Circle and his latest, sci-fi-inspired opus, The Ruby Cord, which appears in our 75 Best Albums Of 2022.
“It’s going to be interesting finding out what people think of the new one,†Dawson says, “because I’m prepared for all eventualities. I guess it’s probably not the most immediate record… This has been a great therapy session, anyway!â€
RICHARD DAWSON SINGS SONGS AND PLAYS GUITAR DOWNBEAT, 2005
Dawson’s embryonic first long-player, released by the Newcastle record shop where he worked
I feel like this is the work of someone else. Probably there’s some nice melodies here and some nice ideas, but there’s just so many problems with it. There’s a lot of imitation, not least the awful American accent, which I think is a problem for a lot of singers when they’re starting out… But I wasn’t really starting out, so there’s no excuse! I think it’s very bad.
The lyrics are clumsy, the whole vibe is simpering, it’s too self-obsessed, it’s a mess. I don’t want to spoil it, because some people might enjoy it, and I don’t want to put anybody off releasing their bad first album. I used to work at the record shop Alt.Vinyl, and this was the first release on their label. I want to apologise to my good friend Graham for being so down about it, because the job they did was great. The open tunings didn’t come until later.
I was wrestling with a friend outside a pub, and they were gonna fall quite heavily, so I put my hand under them and snapped my little finger. It was really bad at the time because I thought it wasn’t gonna heal right at all – and it hasn’t, but it has given us a longer reach on that digit. But I had loads of gigs lined up, so I figured out how to play a bunch of songs in open tuning so I could just use one or two fingers. Then I wrote a few songs in that tuning and went from there.
PICK UP THE NEW ISSUE OF UNCUT TO READ THE FULL STORY
Roger Waters has recorded a new version of "Comfortable Numb". It's available on all streaming platforms from today [November 18].
ORDER NOW: David Bowie and our Review of 2022 star in the latest issue of Uncut
You can watch the video, produced and directed by Sean Evans, below:
https://w...
Roger Waters has recorded a new version of “Comfortable Numb“. It’s available on all streaming platforms from today [November 18].
You can watch the video, produced and directed by Sean Evans, below:
“Comfortably Numb 2022†was recorded during Waters This Is Not A Drill North American tour and was produced by Waters and Gus Seyffert.
Appearing on the track are:
Roger Waters – Vocals Gus Seyffert – Bass, Synth, Percussion, Vocals Joey Waronker – Drums Dave Kilminster – Vocals Jonathan Wilson – Harmonium, Synth, Guitar and Vocals Jon Carin – Synth, Vocals Shanay Johnson – Vocals Amanda Belair – Vocals Robert Walter – Organ/Piano Nigel Godrich – Strings, amp
“During Lockdown I made a demo of a new version of ‘Comfortably Numb‘ as an opener for our new show This Is Not A Drill,†says Waters. “I pitched it a whole step down, in A Minor, to make it darker and arranged it with no solos, except over the outro chord sequence, where there is a heartrendingly beautiful female vocal solo from Shanay Johnson, one of our new singers.â€
Roger Waters This Is Not A Drill will tour Europe in 2023 with 40 shows across 14 European countries, starting in Lisbon on 17 March 2023 at the Altice Arena.
Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth have announced three UK events for 2023.
ORDER NOW: David Bowie and our Review of 2022 star in the latest issue of Uncut
The duo have confirmed intimate live ‘in conversation with’ stage interviews for May, taking place in Oxford, London and Leeds.
The e...
Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth have announced three UK events for 2023.
One Eleven Heavy were something of a transatlantic supergroup when they formed a few years ago. James Jackson Toth – aka Wooden Wand, the singer-songwriter behind numerous “New Weird America†outfits like Dunza, Grim Jim, Hassara and James And The Giants – met Bradford-born musician Nick Mit...
One Eleven Heavywere something of a transatlantic supergroup when they formed a few years ago. James Jackson Toth – aka Wooden Wand, the singer-songwriter behind numerous “New Weird America†outfits like Dunza, Grim Jim, Hassara and James And The Giants – met Bradford-born musician Nick Mitchell Maiato at a Manchester gig in 2010 and instantly bonded over a shared love of Neil Young, Little Featand the Grateful Dead. After forming a band with assorted members of Royal Trux, Hiss Golden Messenger and Solar Motel Band, they started wearing these influences on their sleeve; the kind of connoisseurs who sonically curate half a century of leftfield Americana.
On Poolside, you can hear shades of everything from Gram Parsons to Willie Nelson, from Michael Hurley to David Crosby, from the Allman Brothersto Santana, with nods to Led Zeppelin, Mike Cooper and the Incredible String Band for good measure. But this is also an album that buzzes with cultural references, both high and low. “You mixed up Lee Majors with Mark E Smith when I said that I liked the Fall guy†is a typically bathetic line, and there are dozens of similar lyrics that namecheck everything from Twin Peaksto Grease, from “Chatanooga Choo Choo†to Little House On The Prairie, from trashy cowboy flicks to dark literary fiction.
The opening track, “Tyrant Kingâ€, is apparently inspired by Richard Brautigan’s 1974 novel The Hawkline Monster– a gothic western about two itinerant contract killers hired by a Native American prostitute to murder a supernatural monster. The song manages to turn this dark source material into a piece of joyous, freewheeling Southern rock: one where machismo is a front for terrified, evasive men who are perpetually on the run. It’s followed by a very different kind of American gothic called “Bama Yetiâ€, a cheery, upbeat, Creedence-style boogie inspired by a news story about a sighting of a sasquatch crossing the Florida/Alabama border.
The band’s sound has changed considerably in recent years. Their first two LPs – 2018’s Everything’s Betterand 2019’s Desire Path– sounded like jam-band sessions, recorded quickly in the brief windows of time that all five band members could assemble in a single studio (Mitchell Maiato lives in Spain, Toth and the other band members lived in completely different parts of the US). But, under lockdown, they had to find new ways of working. Poolside was recorded remotely: Toth and Mitchell Maiato swapped audio recordings, sang harmonies on each other’s songs and enlisted Stephen Malkmus’ drummer Jake Morris.
These are more structurally detailed and carefully considered arrangements, often epic in scale. One highlight is “Fruit Loopsâ€, an episodic suite which starts as a swaggering 12/8 Southern rock shuffle, goes into an introspective Pink Floyd-ish breakdown and features a Tropicalia-style interlude. Even the straight-up 12-bar blues workouts, like “Ciciâ€, transform into a hypnotic jabber of musique concrète. Throughout, Mitchell Maiato plays some wonderfully untutored piano parts, often sounding like a demented cat creeping along the keyboard.
Not all the lyrics move into magical realist territory. “Billy†is a wonky piece of tribal glam rock where Mitchell Maiato pays tribute to a faded local rock star whose career has been a failure (“third on the bill and over the hillâ€) but who remains a hero (“I had to bend my knees to look you in the eye but I still looked up to youâ€). Two compositions are about recovering from horrific hangovers: “Rizzo In The Wig†appears to narrate a drug-fuelled comedown in a suitably disjointed and funky 6/4 time signature (“I looked at the clock it was 4:89/It was out of the bag, I was legally blindâ€); while “Plinth†is a chaotic piece of Southern soul about a couple who spend an entire relationship wallowing in endless hangovers (“I remember one time I suggested we fly to somewhere hot in December/You said ‘I’m not a goose’ and walked out of the house/And went off on a three-day benderâ€).
“Michael Landon†is a piece of storytelling Dylanesque prose set to a tempo-defying piece of Dylanesque vocalese, featuring a violin solo from Sandy Lane, about a journey along a coastal mountain road. It was, apparently, inspired by a drive from Valencia to Benidorm, where Mitchell Maiato witnessed the surreal sight of a bar full of British expats watching an episode of the old western series Bonanza on a big screen (“the projection of Michael Landon, who had no idea where he wasâ€). This is cosmic American music, but one with a sense of distance and an international perspective.
Let’s start at the end. The final track on this exhaustive trawl of the ditches and crossroads
of PJ Harvey’s oeuvre is “Red Right Handâ€, the signature song of Harvey’s one-time collaborator Nick Cave. It is a song about devilry, written in blood; subsequently reshaped as the theme of the...
Let’s start at the end. The final track on this exhaustive trawl of the ditches and crossroads
of PJ Harvey’s oeuvre is “Red Right Handâ€, the signature song of Harvey’s one-time collaborator Nick Cave. It is a song about devilry, written in blood; subsequently reshaped as the theme of the haircut gangster drama Peaky Blinders.
For Cave, “Red Right Hand†is a chance to embrace rock’n’roll at its most blood-raw. It is a tent-revival song in which fear and belief are locked in hideous quickstep. Since its subject is Hell and its declining suburbs, no performance of it can be too extreme. PJ Harvey, of course, is no stranger to shock and awe. Her early career was constructed from fragments of spit, feather and bone. But in Harvey’s “Red Right Hand†the horror comes wreathed in understatement. There is a tolling piano, a wailing harmony and abominable news delivered in a whisper. It is a lullaby performed by a siren, sung quietly because the children are already asleep.
It’s possible that Harvey would have taken “Red Right Hand†in a different direction if she had performed it a few years earlier. This 3CD or 6LP set shows how her career has been a matter of calibration. It caps a programme of reissues in which the demo versions of Harvey’s albums have been compared, often favourably, to the more polished official releases.
Steve Albini’s recording of Harvey’s second album, 1993’s Rid Of Me, has been the subject of much critical circumspection. Like (another controversial Albini production) Nirvana’sIn Utero, it favours pain over relief, volume over restraint. And since Albini is a master of the choreography of headbanging, there is a kind of poetic power in his rhythm of drills. But it’s a tough workout.
How else could it have been? The first five tracks (four previously unreleased) present Harvey’s demos from Rid Of Me, recorded in Dorset in 1991–92. First, “Dry – Demoâ€. There is nothing wrong with the finished version, except perhaps that it allows Harvey to hide behind the electric fury of the guitar. It sounds like a dry run for Nirvana. The demo has a different flavour: the guitar still grindslike an argument conducted inside
a cement mixer, but the vocal is brighter. Albini focuses on the pain, while on the demo Harvey licks the bruise. Likewise, “Man-Size – Demoâ€. Harvey’s home recording is more primal, less concerned with sonic architecture. Albini does a thing with a drum and an off-kilter rhythm. The demo just burns. Albini’s “Missed†wears grunge fatigues and sounds like a steamroller landscaping a peace garden. The demo moans and weeps. Instead of submitting to rhythmic pugilism, the song’s sense of hurt emerges through the clatter. The voice remains similarly upfront on “Me-Jane – Demoâ€, which has the urgency of a busk in a warzone, delivering the song with heightened theatrics and breathless despair. It offers a prototype for The White Stripes, with Meg in charge. Only the demo of “Highway 61 Revisited†sounds weaker than the original album version, though that in itself was an experiment in playful irrelevance.
There are nine other unreleased tracks, of which “Why D’Ya Go To Cleveland†is the only entirely unheard thing. An offcut from the Dance Hall At Louse Pointsessions with John Parish, it offers a clattering rearrangement of rock’n’roll cliche (a motor car, an American dreamboat, a dead-end love affair) and is more fun than it should be. The other unreleased demos bring the story up to date, but the differences in shading reflect Harvey’s evolving understanding of how her music should sound. On the sleeve of Uh Huh Her(2004), Harvey’s handwritten notes are instructive: turned up loud but playing gently; keep all noises, crashes, hiss and bangs; all that matters is my voice. Consequently, the demos from this period offer less contrast. “Cat On The Wall – Demo†is murkier, with a dash of melodica, “You Come Through – Demo †has more restraint, “Uh Huh Her – Demo†is another memo for the attention of Jack White. “Evol – Demo†is not the most interesting song, but offers a brief primer in the sexual power of the electric guitar.
Not everything is unsalted. The B-sides and rarities – many from film soundtracks – allow Harvey to stretch herself into Brechtian oompah, Beefheartian discord, neo-folk. Some of these waifs and strays are excellent. “Losing Ground†from a Rainer Ptacek tribute (with Parish and Eric Drew Feldman) is a vital cacophony, and Harvey’s song for Jeff Buckley, “Memphisâ€, carries much emotional weight. “Guiltyâ€, on which she invents Fontaines D.C., is more restrained in demo format; the demo of “I’ll Be Waiting†is grimier than the original. “Homo Sappy Blues†is a slight thing, playful, lyrically bleak. “The Age Of The Dollar†was recorded for the film A Dog Called Money but was shunted to the closing titles after John Parish told Harvey it sounded “like a jam in a pubâ€.
It’s quite a journey. By the end it’s clear that Harvey has learned how to turn the volume up by making less noise. Perhaps she always knew. One of the highlights is “Nina In Ecstasy 2â€, a 1996 recording, released as a B-side in 1999. It’s a funereal fairytale, a hymn of innocence which segues into a chorus of “Where’s your mama gone?†from the multi-million-selling anthem of child abandonment, “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheepâ€. It sounds both serene and alarming, because sometimes the most dangerous place in
the world is the Middle Of The Road.
Bob Dylan has announced the latest release in his ongoing Bootleg Series.
Fragments - Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996 - 1997): The Bootleg Series Vol. 17 features a 2022 remix of the album alongside previously unreleased recordings including studio outtakes, alternate versions and live performanc...
Bob Dylan has announced the latest release in his ongoing Bootleg Series.
Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996 – 1997): The Bootleg Series Vol. 17 features a 2022 remix of the album alongside previously unreleased recordings including studio outtakes, alternate versions and live performances from 1997 – 2001.
It’s released by Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings on Friday, January 27 and will be available as a deluxe box set in 5CD and 10LP 12″ vinyl editions. Also available, a two-disc/4LP standard edition of Fragments which includes the Time Out of Mind 2022 remix disc and a disc of twelve select Outtakes and Alternates highlights.
Digital versions of the complete (five disc) and highlights (two disc) editions of Bob Dylan – Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997): The Bootleg Series Vol.17 will be available on all streaming platforms on Friday, January 27.
And also here’s version 2 of “Love Sick” recorded January 14, 1997 at Criteria Studios.
Here’s the tracklisting for the deluxe 5CD box set:
Disc One – Time Out of Mind (2022 Remix)
1. Love Sick
2. Dirt Road Blues
3. Standing in the Doorway
4. Million Miles
5. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven
6. ‘Til I Fell in Love with You
7. Not Dark Yet
8. Cold Irons Bound
9. Make You Feel My Love
10. Can’t Wait
11. Highlands
Disc Two – Outtakes and Alternates
1. The Water is Wide (8/19/96, Teatro)
2. Dreamin’ of You (10/1/96, Teatro)
3. Red River Shore – version 1 (9/26/96, Teatro)
4. Love Sick – version 1 (1/14/97, Criteria Studios)
5. ‘Til I Fell in Love with You – version 1 (10/3/96, Teatro)
6. Not Dark Yet – version 1 (1/11/97, Criteria Studios)
7. Can’t Wait – version 1 (1/21/97, Criteria Studios)
8. Dirt Road Blues – version 1 (1/12/97, Criteria Studios)
9. Mississippi – version 1 (1/11/97, Criteria Studios)
10. ‘Til I Fell in Love with You – version 2 (1/16/97, Criteria Studios)
11. Standing in the Doorway – version 1 (1/13/97, Criteria Studios)
12. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven – version 1 (1/18/97, Criteria Studios)
13. Cold Irons Bound (1/9/97, Criteria Studios)
Disc Three – Outtakes and Alternates
1. Love Sick – version 2 (1/14/97, Criteria Studios)
2. Dirt Road Blues – version 2 (1/20/97, Criteria Studios)
3. Can’t Wait – version 2 (1/14/97, Criteria Studios)
4. Red River Shore – version 2 (1/19/97, Criteria Studios)
5. Marchin’ to the City (1/5/97, Criteria Studios)
6. Make You Feel My Love – take 1 (1/5/97, Criteria Studios)
7. Mississippi – version 2 (1/11/97, Criteria Studios)
8. Standing in the Doorway – version 2 (1/13/97, Criteria Studios)
9. ‘Til I Fell in Love with You – version 3 (1/16/97, Criteria Studios)
10. Not Dark Yet – version 2 (1/18/97, Criteria Studios)
11. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven – version 2 (1/12/97, Criteria Studios)
12. Highlands (1/16/97, Criteria Studios)
Disc Four – Live (1998-2001)
1. Love Sick (6/24/98, Birmingham, England)
2. Can’t Wait (2/6/99, Nashville, Tennessee)
3. Standing In The Doorway (10/6/00, London, England)
4. Million Miles (1/31/98, Atlantic City, New Jersey)
5. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven (9/20/00, Birmingham, England)
6. ‘Til I Fell in Love with You (4/5/98, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
7. Not Dark Yet (9/22/00, Sheffield, England)
8. Cold Irons Bound (5/19/00, Oslo, Norway)
9. Make You Feel My Love (5/21/98, Los Angeles, California) Previously released on the “Things Have Changed” maxi-single
10. Can’t Wait (5/19/00, Oslo, Norway)
11. Mississippi (11/15/01, Washington, D.C.)
12. Highlands (3/24/01, Newcastle, Australia)
Disc Five – Bonus Disc (Previously Released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006)
1. Dreamin’ of You – Tell Tale Signs (10/1/96, Teatro)
2. Red River Shore – Tell Tale Signs, version 1 (1/19/97, Criteria Studios)
3. Red River Shore – Tell Tale Signs, version 2 (1/8/97, Criteria Studios)
4. Mississippi – Tell Tale Signs, version 1 (9/96, Teatro)
5. Mississippi – Tell Tale Signs, version 3 (1/17/97, Criteria Studios)
6. Mississippi – Tell Tale Signs, version 2 (1/17/97, Criteria Studios)
7. Marchin’ to the City – Tell Tale Signs, version 1 (1/5/97, Criteria Studios)
8. Marchin’ to the City – Tell Tale Signs, version 2 (1/6/97, Criteria Studios)
9. Can’t Wait – Tell Tale Signs, version 1 (10/1/96, Teatro)
10. Can’t Wait – Tell Tale Signs, version 2 (1/5/97, Criteria Studios)
11. Cold Irons Bound – Tell Tale Signs, live (6/11/04, Bonnaroo Music Festival)
12. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven – Tell Tale Signs, live (10/5/00, London, England)
Ornette is definitely up there, and so are his band, but the number of additional players is proliferating. First, the Master Musicians Of Joujouka add to the swelling sound. Then, a figure in a black jacket strolls unannounced to the front of the stage. Once she’s there, she begins a freewheeling incantation, rising and falling with the music like she’s surfing a precipitous wave.
As a tacit introduction to Patti Smith, this is just about perfect. As it turns out, Patti is a longtime Ornette fan. She has improvised with him before and will do again, but there’s something in the spontaneity of what happens here – the power and scope of the music; Patti’s ease riding its currents – which is completely electrifying.
It’s a tightrope act of improvisation and art that we celebrate in our latest Ultimate Music Guide. As you enjoy the in-depth new writing on the following pages you’ll find the story of Patti’s unwillingness to commodify her music, a journey which begins with the free-roaming seditions of Horses and continues – with a break to raise a family – to this day in questing and allusive work. Whether it’s with her own group, in collaboration with a musician like Kevin Shields, or with her latest collaborators, Soundwalk Collective, she continues to try open up new and more adventurous perspectives.
As you’ll read in the archive interviews we’ve selected here, in an era of corduroy and scarves, not everyone was taken by Patti’s crashing of boundaries between songwriting, poetry and jazz improvisation. With the British music press, things frequently get hostile. Having slated Horses already, one writer decides to travel and meet the Patti SmithGroup in person, the better to more fully address their many shortcomings. At one boozy press event, hostile remarks and sandwiches are thrown. Throughout, though, Patti remains much as we see her when she performs in Rolling Thunder Revue – A Bob Dylan Story. Facing down the sceptics, she creates her own momentum by sheer focus and conviction.
Around the time of Meltdown in 2009, Patti spoke to The Guardian newspaper, praising “music that conjures up words, poetry, portals to another dimension.†She was speaking about Ornette Coleman’s work – but she could just as easily have been evaluating her own.
