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BJORK – BIOPHILIA

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BJORK – BIOPHILIA

Never let it be said – not that it ever is – that Björk Guðmundsdóttir lacks ambition. Since 1993’s Debut, Iceland’s most famous citizen has repeatedly stretched pop’s boundaries: electronica, jazz, choirs, Africana, classical orchestras, fashion, art and film have gone into her intoxicating mix, though what emerges is always unmistakably Björk. That octave-leaping voice alone – sometimes hushed, more often yelling, so it seems, from the top of a glacier – ensures her uniqueness, even before the latest crazy outfit is unveiled. Biophilia is über-Björk, weirder, wilder and way more ambitious than anything she’s attempted. Inevitably it’s not just an album but ‘a project’, one that involves interactive iPad apps for its 10 tracks, a set of invented instruments (among them a digital pipe organ and a spark-spewing Tesla-coil bass), a 90-minute movie documentary, plus the usual videos and remixes and a startling live show. It comes in five forms, from a modest CD to a hand-tooled oak box containing 10 colour-coded tuning forks (yours for £500). The concept that ties together this hoopla – which includes educational projects in science museums – is ‘an exploration of the universe and its physical forces’, the point where science, technology and music intersect. By way of an introduction comes no less than Sir David Attenborough, describing Biophilia the concept as “the love for nature from the tiniest organism to the greatest red giant in the farthest realm of the universe”. Astonishingly, Biophilia the album delivers just that, though in a way that will make science hardhats twitch; remember, everything that goes into the mix comes out Björked, even the life of the virus or the subterranean growth of crystals. The opener, “Moon”, for example, is only tangentially about lunar orbits and gravitational pull, instead it’s a song about starting anew, about being “all birthed and happy”, “adrenaline pearls” and “the lukewarm hands of the gods”. Not much science there, though there’s some beautiful harp-playing from Zeena Parkins, underpinned by faltering bass beats. For a high-concept album, Biophilia is surprisingly minimalist, its melodies picked out on chimes, pipe organ, harp and strings while Björk murmurs and wails above and programmed sub-bass lines stalk and growl below. The resultant atmospheres are stark and strange, propelling us into the cold vacuum of space on “Cosmogony” and plunging into the turbulent depths of earth on “Mutual Core”, where she sings of “tectonic plates in my chest”, turning a song about earthquake and volcanoes into a love song: “this eruption undoes stagnation/you didn’t know I had it in me.” Oh but we did! Over the years volcano Guðmondsdóttir has erupted regularly – “Pluto” from 1997’s Homogenic is something of a template for Biophilia – but Björk’s explosive side isn’t always her best, encouraging her to shout rather than sing. “Thunderbolt”, with its scary Tesla bass, is a case in point. More appealing and subtle are “Crystalline”, with its quirky melody and shuffling beats (and kid-friendly video), while “Virus” repeats the trick of turning science into love song, glockenspiels tinkling while Björk coos “as the protein transmutates I knock on your skin – and I am in”. Mostly, though, Björk reaches for strangeness. “Dark Matter” is appropriately mysterious, its organ droning like an off-key hymn while she delivers a quavering vocal. “Hollow” is equally weird, its ruminations on ancestry (“thread me on this chain, the everlasting necklace”) driven by a marching synth rooted in C20 classicism – Holst’s “Mars, Bringer of War” for example. Less foreboding is “Sacrifice”, another piece of offbeat instrumentation (a gamelan-like celeste keyboard) with clever lyrics about the abuse of mother nature. You may not be whistling these songs or dancing to them, but Biophilia’s unsettling visions are compelling art. Neil Spencer

Never let it be said – not that it ever is – that Björk Guðmundsdóttir lacks ambition. Since 1993’s Debut, Iceland’s most famous citizen has repeatedly stretched pop’s boundaries: electronica, jazz, choirs, Africana, classical orchestras, fashion, art and film have gone into her intoxicating mix, though what emerges is always unmistakably Björk. That octave-leaping voice alone – sometimes hushed, more often yelling, so it seems, from the top of a glacier – ensures her uniqueness, even before the latest crazy outfit is unveiled.

Biophilia is über-Björk, weirder, wilder and way more ambitious than anything she’s attempted. Inevitably it’s not just an album but ‘a project’, one that involves interactive iPad apps for its 10 tracks, a set of invented instruments (among them a digital pipe organ and a spark-spewing Tesla-coil bass), a 90-minute movie documentary, plus the usual videos and remixes and a startling live show. It comes in five forms, from a modest CD to a hand-tooled oak box containing 10 colour-coded tuning forks (yours for £500).

The concept that ties together this hoopla – which includes educational projects in science museums – is ‘an exploration of the universe and its physical forces’, the point where science, technology and music intersect. By way of an introduction comes no less than Sir David Attenborough, describing Biophilia the concept as “the love for nature from the tiniest organism to the greatest red giant in the farthest realm of the universe”.

Astonishingly, Biophilia the album delivers just that, though in a way that will make science hardhats twitch; remember, everything that goes into the mix comes out Björked, even the life of the virus or the subterranean growth of crystals. The opener, “Moon”, for example, is only tangentially about lunar orbits and gravitational pull, instead it’s a song about starting anew, about being “all birthed and happy”, “adrenaline pearls” and “the lukewarm hands of the gods”. Not much science there, though there’s some beautiful harp-playing from Zeena Parkins, underpinned by faltering bass beats.

For a high-concept album, Biophilia is surprisingly minimalist, its melodies picked out on chimes, pipe organ, harp and strings while Björk murmurs and wails above and programmed sub-bass lines stalk and growl below. The resultant atmospheres are stark and strange, propelling us into the cold vacuum of space on “Cosmogony” and plunging into the turbulent depths of earth on “Mutual Core”, where she sings of “tectonic plates in my chest”, turning a song about earthquake and volcanoes into a love song: “this eruption undoes stagnation/you didn’t know I had it in me.”

Oh but we did! Over the years volcano Guðmondsdóttir has erupted regularly – “Pluto” from 1997’s Homogenic is something of a template for Biophilia – but Björk’s explosive side isn’t always her best, encouraging her to shout rather than sing. “Thunderbolt”, with its scary Tesla bass, is a case in point. More appealing and subtle are “Crystalline”, with its quirky melody and shuffling beats (and kid-friendly video), while “Virus” repeats the trick of turning science into love song, glockenspiels tinkling while Björk coos “as the protein transmutates I knock on your skin – and I am in”.

Mostly, though, Björk reaches for strangeness. “Dark Matter” is appropriately mysterious, its organ droning like an off-key hymn while she delivers a quavering vocal. “Hollow” is equally weird, its ruminations on ancestry (“thread me on this chain, the everlasting necklace”) driven by a marching synth rooted in C20 classicism – Holst’s “Mars, Bringer of War” for example. Less foreboding is “Sacrifice”, another piece of offbeat instrumentation (a gamelan-like celeste keyboard) with clever lyrics about the abuse of mother nature. You may not be whistling these songs or dancing to them, but Biophilia’s unsettling visions are compelling art.

Neil Spencer

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN – REISSUES

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THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN – REISSUES

Depending on your disposition, the Jesus And Mary Chain are either the founding fathers of every brave new rock revolution since the ’80s or the first harbingers of post-post-punk, canonical retrogression. But indubitably without Jim and William Reid there would be no Creation Records, no Primal Scream, no MBV, no Oasis, no Libertines, and, of course, no Viva Brother. Seizing the opportunity to gather up pretty much everything they’ve ever recorded before their back catalogue is cast to the winds of iTunes and Spotify, they now reissue their six studio albums, each with an additional disc of b-sides, sessions, remixes and demos, plus a DVD of videos and TV appearances. Funnily enough, the most intriguing part of these editions are the extended sleevenotes, comprising interviews with the Reid brothers, founder member Doug Hart, sometime band member, fellow traveller and cheerleader Bobby Gillespie, and pretty much every fly-by-night drummer, live guitarist and bassist. Notably there’s no Alan McGee. In a way the sleevenotes act as a poignant compliment or corrective to the self-aggrandising bluster of recent Creation doc Upside Down. You follow the Reids from the doleful reverie of their teens in East Kilbride through the brief glory days of Top Of The Pops, through the alcoholic shambles of promo tours, Lollapaloozas, sibling feuds to a final rueful reckoning. Most touching are the memories of endless days watching telly, taking acid in disused factories, slowly stitching together their canon of Nuggets, Velvets, Syd, Stooges, Shangri-Las, Suicide, and the Ramones, and plotting the ultimate rock’n’roll group. Characteristically, they only put these plans into action after five years dreaming, when their father gave them a couple of hundred quid of his redundancy pay-off to buy a portastudio. The additional disc of Psychocandy contains the most interesting unheard material on these discs, a full set of demos from ’83 and ’84 which help you understand why Gillespie, on first hearing them, thought that the Mary Chain must be some Suicidal synth duo. Actually the jangled, yearning “Up Too High” could almost be a pitchshifted Strawberry Switchblade demo, but first drafts of “Upside Down” and “Never Understand” anticipate by some years the drum machine and drones of ’89’s Automatic. It’s remarkable, however, how fully formed the early take on “Just Like Honey” is. Evidently in the five years of arguing and dreaming they’d planned things perfectly. All that remained was the execution. Of course chaos intervened – via Gillespie introducing them to McGee, fledgling clubrunner but already practised hype-merchant; with the screeching feedback that almost accidentally became their signature (the alternative, feedback-free Slaughter Joe mix of “Upside Down” isn’t included here); and with their scandalously shambolic, alcohol-fuelled live performances. Without this interference the Mary Chain might now be as fondly remembered as The Jasmine Minks or The Loft, and Alan McGee might be a mid-manager at Virgin Rail. Instead, it exploded into a Special Brew Supernova and the course of British indie rock was changed. The incendiary moment of Psychocandy was brief and the follow-ups yielded diminishing returns. The stoned acoustics and Lee Hazlewood languor of Darklands (’87) were a brave step back from the feedback brink, but to claw back commercial appeal Automatic was aimed slicky, squarely and anonymously at the heart of west-coast alt.rock radio. Honey’s Dead (’92) was a defiant attempt to play catch-up with their shoegaze heirs, but unlike Primal Scream they couldn’t convincingly make the leap into the ’90s. For Stoned & Dethroned (’94) they finally found their very own Nancy in the form of Hope Sandoval and tried to ride the tail wind of cosmic Americana, but by Munki (’98) they were beleagured and back on a Creation in its dying days. Hearing the Velvets for the first time in the early ’80s had been the Reids’ first inkling that they could combine their disparate passions (noise, squalor, melody, leather trousers) in one band. But unlike the Velvets the Mary Chain possessed neither the avant-garde adventure of John Cale nor the lyrical acuity of Lou Reed: like many mid-’80s indie bands they were like a VU made up of Sterling and Mo. Their beauty lies in stray moments rather than exhaustive archives: the unexpected rush of Side 2 of Psychocandy where they could still casually toss off a tune as immaculate as “My Little Underground”, the bubblegoth perfection of “Happy When It Rains”, the determinedly dumb desperation of “Sidewalking”, or, best of all, over the end of Lost In Translation, taking you by surprise all over again, guitars cascading down – like sun beams through the smoggy skies of Tokyo, like love in a memory, just like honey. Stephen Troussé

Depending on your disposition, the Jesus And Mary Chain are either the founding fathers of every brave new rock revolution since the ’80s or the first harbingers of post-post-punk, canonical retrogression. But indubitably without Jim and William Reid there would be no Creation Records, no Primal Scream, no MBV, no Oasis, no Libertines, and, of course, no Viva Brother.

Seizing the opportunity to gather up pretty much everything they’ve ever recorded before their back catalogue is cast to the winds of iTunes and Spotify, they now reissue their six studio albums, each with an additional disc of b-sides, sessions, remixes and demos, plus a DVD of videos and TV appearances. Funnily enough, the most intriguing part of these editions are the extended sleevenotes, comprising interviews with the Reid brothers, founder member Doug Hart, sometime band member, fellow traveller and cheerleader Bobby Gillespie, and pretty much every fly-by-night drummer, live guitarist and bassist.

Notably there’s no Alan McGee. In a way the sleevenotes act as a poignant compliment or corrective to the self-aggrandising bluster of recent Creation doc Upside Down. You follow the Reids from the doleful reverie of their teens in East Kilbride through the brief glory days of Top Of The Pops, through the alcoholic shambles of promo tours, Lollapaloozas, sibling feuds to a final rueful reckoning.

Most touching are the memories of endless days watching telly, taking acid in disused factories, slowly stitching together their canon of Nuggets, Velvets, Syd, Stooges, Shangri-Las, Suicide, and the Ramones, and plotting the ultimate rock’n’roll group. Characteristically, they only put these plans into action after five years dreaming, when their father gave them a couple of hundred quid of his redundancy pay-off to buy a portastudio.

The additional disc of Psychocandy contains the most interesting unheard material on these discs, a full set of demos from ’83 and ’84 which help you understand why Gillespie, on first hearing them, thought that the Mary Chain must be some Suicidal synth duo. Actually the jangled, yearning “Up Too High” could almost be a pitchshifted Strawberry Switchblade demo, but first drafts of “Upside Down” and “Never Understand” anticipate by some years the drum machine and drones of ’89’s Automatic. It’s remarkable, however, how fully formed the early take on “Just Like Honey” is. Evidently in the five years of arguing and dreaming they’d planned things perfectly. All that remained was the execution.

Of course chaos intervened – via Gillespie introducing them to McGee, fledgling clubrunner but already practised hype-merchant; with the screeching feedback that almost accidentally became their signature (the alternative, feedback-free Slaughter Joe mix of “Upside Down” isn’t included here); and with their scandalously shambolic, alcohol-fuelled live performances. Without this interference the Mary Chain might now be as fondly remembered as The Jasmine Minks or The Loft, and Alan McGee might be a mid-manager at Virgin Rail. Instead, it exploded into a Special Brew Supernova and the course of British indie rock was changed.

The incendiary moment of Psychocandy was brief and the follow-ups yielded diminishing returns. The stoned acoustics and Lee Hazlewood languor of Darklands (’87) were a brave step back from the feedback brink, but to claw back commercial appeal Automatic was aimed slicky, squarely and anonymously at the heart of west-coast alt.rock radio. Honey’s Dead (’92) was a defiant attempt to play catch-up with their shoegaze heirs, but unlike Primal Scream they couldn’t convincingly make the leap into the ’90s. For Stoned & Dethroned (’94) they finally found their very own Nancy in the form of Hope Sandoval and tried to ride the tail wind of cosmic Americana, but by Munki (’98) they were beleagured and back on a Creation in its dying days.

Hearing the Velvets for the first time in the early ’80s had been the Reids’ first inkling that they could combine their disparate passions (noise, squalor, melody, leather trousers) in one band. But unlike the Velvets the Mary Chain possessed neither the avant-garde adventure of John Cale nor the lyrical acuity of Lou Reed: like many mid-’80s indie bands they were like a VU made up of Sterling and Mo.

Their beauty lies in stray moments rather than exhaustive archives: the unexpected rush of Side 2 of Psychocandy where they could still casually toss off a tune as immaculate as “My Little Underground”, the bubblegoth perfection of “Happy When It Rains”, the determinedly dumb desperation of “Sidewalking”, or, best of all, over the end of Lost In Translation, taking you by surprise all over again, guitars cascading down – like sun beams through the smoggy skies of Tokyo, like love in a memory, just like honey.

Stephen Troussé

Lindsey Buckingham now says he doubts Fleetwood Mac will reunite in 2012

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Lindsey Buckingham now says he doubts Fleetwood Mac will reunite in 2012
Lindsey Buckingham has played down the chances of Fleetwood Mac reuniting in 2012. The guitarist, who is currently promoting his new solo album 'Seeds We Sow', had previously said that the band would most likely reunite next year for an album and tour, but has now said that this isn't especially l...

Lindsey Buckingham has played down the chances of Fleetwood Mac reuniting in 2012.

The guitarist, who is currently promoting his new solo album ‘Seeds We Sow’, had previously said that the band would most likely reunite next year for an album and tour, but has now said that this isn’t especially likely.

Asked by Ultimate Classic Rock about the chances of a 2012 Fleetwood Mac tour, Buckingham replied: “I would like to know what I’m doing next year. If you had asked me two months ago, I would have said ‘Absolutely.’ Now I’m not sure.”

The guitarist did confirm that the band would reunite in the future, but stressed that there were no concrete plans to record or tour as yet.

He added: “Yes, Fleetwood Mac will do something in the future. There’s just nothing on the books right now. This is a time for me to take stock all of the things I’ve done in my life, all the people I’ve been down the road with, and all the things I’ve experienced and just appreciate them. When you revisit them, you want all of these things to be in a place where they have dignity.”

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

Classic photos of The Clash, Led Zeppelin on show in new exhibition

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Classic photos of The Clash, Led Zeppelin on show in new exhibition

A new exhibition featuring iconic photographs of the Clash, Led Zeppelin and Amy Winehouse among others, went on display on Wednesday (October 5). The exhibition, which is being put on by Sonic Editions in partnership with Uncut, takes place at London's Royal Albert Hall and will run until November 1. Admission is free. Among the other artists to feature in the exhibition are The Beatles, Sex Pistols, Johnny Cash, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, The White Stripes, Joy Division, Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobain. Uncut editor Allan Jones said of the exhibition: "Uncut is thrilled to be hosting this exhibition in collaboration with Sonic Editions and the Royal Albert Hall, one of London's best-loved venues. Great photography is as important to Uncut as great writing and The Uncut Collection brilliantly features images of many of rock's most enduring icons, and brilliantly celebrates their legends and the unforgettable music they've made across more than five decades." Prints of each of the photographs will also be available to buy with prices starting at £69. For more information about this, visit Soniceditions.com/RAH.

A new exhibition featuring iconic photographs of the Clash, Led Zeppelin and Amy Winehouse among others, went on display on Wednesday (October 5).

The exhibition, which is being put on by Sonic Editions in partnership with Uncut, takes place at London‘s Royal Albert Hall and will run until November 1. Admission is free.

Among the other artists to feature in the exhibition are The Beatles, Sex Pistols, Johnny Cash, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, The White Stripes, Joy Division, Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobain.

Uncut editor Allan Jones said of the exhibition: “Uncut is thrilled to be hosting this exhibition in collaboration with Sonic Editions and the Royal Albert Hall, one of London’s best-loved venues. Great photography is as important to Uncut as great writing and The Uncut Collection brilliantly features images of many of rock’s most enduring icons, and brilliantly celebrates their legends and the unforgettable music they’ve made across more than five decades.”

Prints of each of the photographs will also be available to buy with prices starting at £69. For more information about this, visit Soniceditions.com/RAH.

Lady Gaga in talks to become new singer of Queen

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Lady Gaga in talks to become new singer of Queen
Lady Gaga is "in talks" to tour with Queen as their singer, according to reports today (October 6). According to Queen guitarist Brian May, who collaborated with the singer on her recent single 'You & I', Gaga is someone who the band have approached to front them in the future. Speaking to t...

Lady Gaga is “in talks” to tour with Queen as their singer, according to reports today (October 6).

According to Queen guitarist Brian May, who collaborated with the singer on her recent single ‘You & I’, Gaga is someone who the band have approached to front them in the future.

Speaking to the Daily Express, May said that the band talk about touring together all the time, but still have to recruit a singer after parting ways with Paul Rodgers in 2009.

Asked about the possibility of Queen playing live again, May said: “We talk about going out on the road all the time but there’s a bit of a singer problem, to put it mildly. We get a lot of offers to work with other people. I worked with Lady Gaga and she’s very creative and is someone we’ve talked about singing, fronting the band with. She’s not just a singer, she writes her own material.”

May also said that the band are looking into the possibility of doing duets with a series of artists, perhaps in a TV show format.

He added: “We have talked about doing duets with other people and in a strange way I almost pressed the yes button. We were debating the idea of a TV show where we have all these guest stars. We didn’t press it today but we are still looking at it. Lady Gaga has said she would like to do something with us.”

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

Primal Scream confuse themselves with The Dandy Warhols

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Primal Scream confuse themselves with The Dandy Warhols

The band were 'totally disgusted' by the Tories' use of 'Rocks', but they've got the wrong songPrimal Scream might have vented their fury at the Conservatives' use of their 1994 single 'Rocks' yesterday (October 5), but it turns out the track played was actually The Dandy Warhols' 'Bohemian Like You'. The band responded angrily to Twitter reports that Home Secretary Theresa May had left the stage to the song after her speech at the Conservative party conference in Manchester. They said they were "totally disgusted" to be associated with the Tories, issuing a statement to say that they felt the use of the track, with its lyrics about drugs, was "inappropriate". Part of the statement read: "Didn't they research the political history of our band? Hasn't she [Theresa May] listened to the words? Does she even know what getting your rocks off means? No. She is a Tory; how could she?" It went on to criticise the coalition government, calling them "legalised bullies", and continuing: "We would like to distance ourselves from this sick association. The Tories are waging a war on the disenfranchised, they are the enemy." But the official in charge of sound at the conference said that there were no Primal Scream tracks on the iPod used. The confusion seems to have stemmed from Labour MP Kerry McCarthy, who was tipped off by someone in the hall and posted a tweet about it, linking to the lyrics. After the truth came out about the real identity of the track, Mrs McCarthy said the two songs "admittedly sound similar". Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk. Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

The band were ‘totally disgusted’ by the Tories’ use of ‘Rocks’, but they’ve got the wrong songPrimal Scream might have vented their fury at the Conservatives’ use of their 1994 single ‘Rocks’ yesterday (October 5), but it turns out the track played was actually The Dandy Warhols‘ ‘Bohemian Like You’.

The band responded angrily to Twitter reports that Home Secretary Theresa May had left the stage to the song after her speech at the Conservative party conference in Manchester. They said they were “totally disgusted” to be associated with the Tories, issuing a statement to say that they felt the use of the track, with its lyrics about drugs, was “inappropriate”.

Part of the statement read: “Didn’t they research the political history of our band? Hasn’t she [Theresa May] listened to the words? Does she even know what getting your rocks off means? No. She is a Tory; how could she?”

It went on to criticise the coalition government, calling them “legalised bullies”, and continuing: “We would like to distance ourselves from this sick association. The Tories are waging a war on the disenfranchised, they are the enemy.”

But the official in charge of sound at the conference said that there were no Primal Scream tracks on the iPod used. The confusion seems to have stemmed from Labour MP Kerry McCarthy, who was tipped off by someone in the hall and posted a tweet about it, linking to the lyrics. After the truth came out about the real identity of the track, Mrs McCarthy said the two songs “admittedly sound similar”.

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

GEORGE HARRISON – LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD

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GEORGE HARRISON – LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD

Among the extensive interviews that punctuate Living In The Material World, the bluntest assessment of George Harrison comes from Ringo Starr: “He was a bag of beads and a bag of anger.” The contradictions that ran through Harrison are well known – the multi-millionaire who preached detachment from materialism, the green gardener who loved sports cars, the spiritual seeker with a coke habit – but the four hours of Martin Scorsese’s biography hammer them home. Scorsese, a Catholic boy fascinated by gangsterdom, clearly recognises a fellow conflicted soul. Like No Direction Home, Scorsese’s 2005 portrait of Dylan, …Material World comes with a wealth of unseen material that includes home movies and letters, and is similarly split into two parts: basically, the 1960s and everything else. It’s some achievement to make The Beatles’ story fresh, but Scorsese does so, partly by taking George’s undervalued side, but mostly via an assemblage that hurtles us with visceral force from Hamburg (“the naughtiest city in the world,” recalls George) through the craziness of Beatlemania. The Fabs’ acid phase is recounted in part by Joan Taylor, the wife of Beatle PR Derek, who lucidly describes “sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun” with George and John. Home footage of Lennon peering perilously over a dizzy sea cliff tells another part of the tale. On his first trip George heard a whisper in his head, “The Yogis of the Himalayas”. Shortly afterwards he met Ravi Shankar (neither yogi nor from the Himalayas), who was to exert a profound influence on the 23-year-old Beatle: “He was the first person who impressed me.” George’s love affair with India, which never ended, continued via the Maharishi and the Krishna movement. Burnt-out by Beatledom, Harrison credits Shankar with helping him reconnect to his public, and with triggering the Concert For Bangladesh, an early act of rock philanthropy that looks a more impressive achievement in hindsight. Harrison’s post-Beatle career is treated with a mix of hagiographic respect and discreet intrigue. Once the songwriting dam had burst with All Things Must Pass, the musical delights were patchy, but the drama of his personal life compensates. Infamously there was Eric Clapton’s courtship of his wife Pattie Boyd (‘Slowhand’ ties himself in knots explaining it, talking of his “amateur inroads into what was going on in their marriage”). George’s fling with Ringo’s first wife goes unmentioned, as does a later dalliance with Lory Del Santo, once Clapton’s partner. George’s second wife, Olivia (who co-produced the movie) somehow kept their marriage stable – “George liked women and women liked George,” she admits. His fondness for cocaine likewise gets the curtest of nods – “he got heavily into drugs,” proffers Klaus Voormann sadly, “He was an extreme character.” George’s extremism manifested in his passion for motor racing – he and champion driver Jackie Stewart became friends – and in his willingness to bankroll Monty Python’s The Life Of Brian by mortgaging his beloved gothic pile in Surrey. “He wanted to see the film,” says Eric Idle. “It’s still the most anyone has ever paid for a cinema ticket.” It’s tempting to see George’s involvement with the Krishnaites, the Pythons and The Traveling Wilburys as a search for the lost group camraderie of The Beatles, but he also became an obsessed gardener, turning his Friar Park home into a home counties Eden, and doted on his son Dhani, who is a measured, charming presence in …Material World. After the shocking attack on him at his home (recounted vividly by Olivia), George understandably went off radar – he was already diagnosed with cancer, and the assault “took years off his life” reckons Dhani. The Hindu attitude to death as a transition rather than an end softens the blow of his death. Olivia considers her husband’s extremism as working out good and bad karma. Others might reckon he just did what the heck he liked. At the credits, George remains an enigma. What resonates, along with some magnificently deployed music, is the love he inspired in fans and friends. EXTRAS: None. Neil Spencer Picture credit: Mike McCartney

Among the extensive interviews that punctuate Living In The Material World, the bluntest assessment of George Harrison comes from Ringo Starr: “He was a bag of beads and a bag of anger.”

The contradictions that ran through Harrison are well known – the multi-millionaire who preached detachment from materialism, the green gardener who loved sports cars, the spiritual seeker with a coke habit – but the four hours of Martin Scorsese’s biography hammer them home. Scorsese, a Catholic boy fascinated by gangsterdom, clearly recognises a fellow conflicted soul.

Like No Direction Home, Scorsese’s 2005 portrait of Dylan, …Material World comes with a wealth of unseen material that includes home movies and letters, and is similarly split into two parts: basically, the 1960s and everything else. It’s some achievement to make The Beatles’ story fresh, but Scorsese does so, partly by taking George’s undervalued side, but mostly via an assemblage that hurtles us with visceral force from Hamburg (“the naughtiest city in the world,” recalls George) through the craziness of Beatlemania.

The Fabs’ acid phase is recounted in part by Joan Taylor, the wife of Beatle PR Derek, who lucidly describes “sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun” with George and John. Home footage of Lennon peering perilously over a dizzy sea cliff tells another part of the tale. On his first trip George heard a whisper in his head, “The Yogis of the Himalayas”. Shortly afterwards he met Ravi Shankar (neither yogi nor from the Himalayas), who was to exert a profound influence on the 23-year-old Beatle: “He was the first person who impressed me.”

George’s love affair with India, which never ended, continued via the Maharishi and the Krishna movement. Burnt-out by Beatledom, Harrison credits Shankar with helping him reconnect to his public, and with triggering the Concert For Bangladesh, an early act of rock philanthropy that looks a more impressive achievement in hindsight.

Harrison’s post-Beatle career is treated with a mix of hagiographic respect and discreet intrigue. Once the songwriting dam had burst with All Things Must Pass, the musical delights were patchy, but the drama of his personal life compensates. Infamously there was Eric Clapton’s courtship of his wife Pattie Boyd (‘Slowhand’ ties himself in knots explaining it, talking of his “amateur inroads into what was going on in their marriage”). George’s fling with Ringo’s first wife goes unmentioned, as does a later dalliance with Lory Del Santo, once Clapton’s partner. George’s second wife, Olivia (who co-produced the movie) somehow kept their marriage stable – “George liked women and women liked George,” she admits. His fondness for cocaine likewise gets the curtest of nods – “he got heavily into drugs,” proffers Klaus Voormann sadly, “He was an extreme character.”

George’s extremism manifested in his passion for motor racing – he and champion driver Jackie Stewart became friends – and in his willingness to bankroll Monty Python’s The Life Of Brian by mortgaging his beloved gothic pile in Surrey. “He wanted to see the film,” says Eric Idle. “It’s still the most anyone has ever paid for a cinema ticket.”

It’s tempting to see George’s involvement with the Krishnaites, the Pythons and The Traveling Wilburys as a search for the lost group camraderie of The Beatles, but he also became an obsessed gardener, turning his Friar Park home into a home counties Eden, and doted on his son Dhani, who is a measured, charming presence in …Material World. After the shocking attack on him at his home (recounted vividly by Olivia), George understandably went off radar – he was already diagnosed with cancer, and the assault “took years off his life” reckons Dhani.

The Hindu attitude to death as a transition rather than an end softens the blow of his death. Olivia considers her husband’s extremism as working out good and bad karma. Others might reckon he just did what the heck he liked. At the credits, George remains an enigma. What resonates, along with some magnificently deployed music, is the love he inspired in fans and friends.

EXTRAS: None.

Neil Spencer

Picture credit: Mike McCartney

Bert Jansch dies aged 67

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Bert Jansch dies aged 67
Bert Jansch has died at age of 67 after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. The legendary Scottish folk musician had been suffering from lung cancer over the past couple of years and according to STV.tv, he lost his battle with the disease this morning (October 5), Jansch cancelled a scheduled gig...

Bert Jansch has died at age of 67 after a lengthy battle with lung cancer.

The legendary Scottish folk musician had been suffering from lung cancer over the past couple of years and according to STV.tv, he lost his battle with the disease this morning (October 5),

Jansch cancelled a scheduled gig in Edinburgh in August, with a statement on his official website saying he was “unwell” and set to spend “at least” one week in hospital.

A founding member of ’60s/’70s folk rock band Pentangle, Jansch made his live comeback last year after battling back from cancer, playing a co-headlining US tour with Neil Young. He also played at Eric Clapton‘s Crossroads Festival last year.

A virtuoso acoustic guitar player, the 67-year-old is widely considered to have influenced the likes of Jimmy Page, Johnny Marr, Graham Coxon and Pete Doherty, with whom he has collaborated live.

Meanwhile, Coxon once told Uncut: “I’m not as good as him, but I’m a huge fan of Bert Jansch.”

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

Bob Dylan named as one of the favourites for the Nobel Prize For Literature

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Bob Dylan named as one of the favourites for the Nobel Prize For Literature
Bob Dylan has become one of the most hotly tipped nominees for this year's Nobel Prize For Literature after a late flurry of bets on him to win have shortened the odds from 100/1 to 10/1. Ladbrokes has said that the singer-songwriter had become a genuine possible winner after "a substantial gamble...

Bob Dylan has become one of the most hotly tipped nominees for this year’s Nobel Prize For Literature after a late flurry of bets on him to win have shortened the odds from 100/1 to 10/1.

Ladbrokes has said that the singer-songwriter had become a genuine possible winner after “a substantial gamble from clued-up literary fans” over the last 24 hours.

At the moment, the only writers ahead of him in the running are Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami at 8/1, Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer at 7/1, and the favourite, Syrian poet Adonis at 4/1.

Alex Donohue from Ladbrokes said The Guardian: “We’ve seen enough activity from the right people to suggest Dylan now has a huge chance this year. If he doesn’t make the shortlist at least there will be some seriously burnt fingers. As Dylan said, money doesn’t talk, it swears. If he does the business there might be a few expletives from us as well.”

As well as being one of the world’s most respected songwriters, Dylan has published books including Chronicles Volume One, Tarantula and Lyrics: 1962-2001.

The ceremony takes place this Thursday (October 6), the same day Dylan starts his UK and Ireland tour, which begins at Dublin’s O2 Arena and ends at Bournemouth International Centre (October 14).

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Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

Primal Scream slam Conservatives for using ‘Rocks’ during their party conference

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Primal Scream slam Conservatives for using ‘Rocks’ during their party conference
Primal Scream have said they are "totally disgusted" after the Conservative Party played their 1994 hit single 'Rocks' during their party conference. The band, who have spent the last year touring their classic 'Screamadelica' album, have reacted after Home Secretary Theresa May played the track a...

Primal Scream have said they are “totally disgusted” after the Conservative Party played their 1994 hit single ‘Rocks’ during their party conference.

The band, who have spent the last year touring their classic ‘Screamadelica’ album, have reacted after Home Secretary Theresa May played the track at the end of her speech yesterday (October 4).

Primal Scream have issued a statement in response, which reads as follows: “Primal Scream are totally disgusted that the Home Secretary Theresa May ended her speech at the Tory party conference with our songs ‘Rocks’. How inappropriate.”

It continues: “Didn’t they research the political history of our band? Hasn’t she listened to the words? Does she even know what getting your rocks off means? No. She is a Tory; how could she?”

The statement then goes on to criticise the current coalition government, saying: “Primal Scream are totally opposed to the coalition government, Cameron, Osborne, Gove, Howard, Clegg etc. They are legalised bullies passing new laws to ensure the wealthy stay wealthy, taking the side of big business while eradicating workers’ rights and continuing their attacks on young people, single parents and OAPs by slashing education and social security budgets, in effect persecuting the poor for being poor.”

It ends with a declaration that the Conservatives are the band’s enemy, saying: “We would like to distance ourselves from this sick association. The Tories are waging a war on the disenfranchised, they are the enemy.”

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

Bert Jansch dies aged 67

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Bert Jansch dies aged 67
Bert Jansch has died at age of 67 after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. The legendary Scottish folk musician had been suffering from lung cancer over the past couple of years and according to STV.tv, he lost his battle with the disease this morning (October 5), Jansch cancelled a scheduled gig...

Bert Jansch has died at age of 67 after a lengthy battle with lung cancer.

The legendary Scottish folk musician had been suffering from lung cancer over the past couple of years and according to STV.tv, he lost his battle with the disease this morning (October 5),

Jansch cancelled a scheduled gig in Edinburgh in August, with a statement on his official website saying he was “unwell” and set to spend “at least” one week in hospital.

A founding member of ’60s/’70s folk rock band Pentangle, Jansch made his live comeback last year after battling back from cancer, playing a co-headlining US tour with Neil Young. He also played at Eric Clapton‘s Crossroads Festival last year.

A virtuoso acoustic guitar player, the 67-year-old is widely considered to have influenced the likes of Jimmy Page, Johnny Marr, Graham Coxon and Pete Doherty, with whom he has collaborated live.

Meanwhile, Coxon once told Uncut: “I’m not as good as him, but I’m a huge fan of Bert Jansch.”

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

Ryan Adams: ‘Being solo is perfect’

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Ryan Adams: ‘Being solo is perfect’
Ryan Adams has admitted he was "done" with former band The Cardinals and is happier being a solo artist. The North Carolina-born singer, who releases 13th album 'Ashes & Fire' on October 10, says he had once loved being in The Cardinals, but the final years with the group weren't easy. "I wa...

Ryan Adams has admitted he was “done” with former band The Cardinals and is happier being a solo artist.

The North Carolina-born singer, who releases 13th album ‘Ashes & Fire’ on October 10, says he had once loved being in The Cardinals, but the final years with the group weren’t easy.

“I wasn’t being true to myself,” he told [url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/sftw/3850233/Ryan-Adams-Being-solo-is-perfect-just-me-my-songs-and-my-bare-soul.html]The Sun’s Something For The Weekend.[/url]

He added: ‘It was time to duck out. I was really sick and I needed to cool it down plus I was done with being in The Cardinals.”

The singer, whose breakthrough album ‘Gold’ sold 400,000 copies in 2001, had previously stated he had no interest in staying a solo artist – “Absolutely no f***ing way. You couldn’t pay me” he said in 2007 – but attributes his change of heart to the departure of Cardinals bass player Catherine Popper in 2006.

“She was the key. So when she split it was really difficult for me,” he explains.

“We carried on because we had to. I had made a commitment to shows and records but my heart wasn’t in it. By the time we got to ‘Cardinology’ I was writing songs for the band (and not for himself).

“And they actually weren’t very nice to me by the end. I don’t think we were really friends any more.”

Ashes & Fire sees Norah Jones appear on three songs — ‘Come Home’, ‘Save Me’ and ‘Kindness’ – and was produced by Glyn Johns, father of previous Adams and Kings Of Leon producer Ethan Johns.

Adams said: “She’s like my kid sister. We talk all the time. I told her I was making a record and she goes, ‘Well cool. I’ll play piano’. It was that simple.”

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

Hear Radiohead’s new remix album ‘TKOL 1234567’ in full – audio

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Hear Radiohead’s new remix album ‘TKOL 1234567’ in full – audio
Radiohead are streaming their new remix album 'TKOL 1234567' online in full, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click to hear it. The album, which features remixes from the likes of Caribou, Jamie XX and Four Tet, is formally released next Monday (October 10), but is now streaming online in...

Radiohead are streaming their new remix album ‘TKOL 1234567’ online in full, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click to hear it.

The album, which features remixes from the likes of Caribou, Jamie XX and Four Tet, is formally released next Monday (October 10), but is now streaming online in full.

The band, who are currently in New York for two live shows, announced yesterday that they will celebrate the album’s release at London‘s Corsica Studios next Tuesday (October 11).

Frontman Thom Yorke will be DJing, as will Jamie XX, Caribou, Lone and Illum Sphere, all of whom have contributed remixes to ‘TKOL RMX 1234567’. The whole event will be available to be live streamed from Boilerroom.tv.

The full tracklisting for ‘TKOL RMX’ is as follows:

Disc One

Caribou – ‘Little By Little Rmx’

Jacques Greene – ‘Lotus Flower Rmx”

Nathan Fake – ‘Morning Mr Magpie Rmx’

Harmonic 313 – ‘Bloom Rmx’

Mark Pritchard – ‘Bloom Rmx’

Lone – ‘Feral Rmx”

Pearson Sound – ‘Morning Mr Magpie Scavenger Rmx’

Four Tet – ‘Separator Rmx’

Disc Two

Thriller – ‘Give Up the Ghost Houseghost Rmx’

Illum Sphere – ‘Codex Rmx’

Shed – ‘Little by Little Rmx’

Brokenchord – ‘Give Up the Ghost Rmx’

Altrice – ‘TKOL Rmx’

Blawan – ‘Bloom Rmx’

Modeselektor – ‘Good Evening Mrs Magpie Rmx’

Objekt – ‘Bloom Rmx’

Jamie xx – ‘Bloom Rework’

Anstam – ‘Separator Rmx’

SBTRKT – ‘Lotus Flower Rmx’

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

The Who’s Roger Daltrey: ‘Music is lacking lead singers’

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The Who’s Roger Daltrey: ‘Music is lacking lead singers’
The Who singer Roger Daltrey has said that he believes there is a real lack of lead singers amongst newer acts. Speaking to the Press Association, Daltrey said that he believed music hadn't produced singers comparable to Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart and put the blame firml...

The Who singer Roger Daltrey has said that he believes there is a real lack of lead singers amongst newer acts.

Speaking to the Press Association, Daltrey said that he believed music hadn’t produced singers comparable to Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder, Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart and put the blame firmly on the shoulders of reality shows.

Asked about today’s generation of lead singers, Daltrey replied: “A lot of the new people they choose on shows like American Idol and things like that – I don’t ever hear lead singers. They always seem to choose to pick people that are great singers, fabulous singers, but they’ve never got the voice that makes a great lead singer.”

The Who man did say there was one exception though and that was Adele, who he described as “the real deal.”

He said of the ’21’ singer: “I mean, I love Adele. That’s a lead singer, that’s the real deal.”

Daltrey also spoke about his inspiration for performing the Who‘s 1969 concept album ‘Tommy’ in its entirety earlier this summer, saying he felt it needed to be heard.

He added: ‘I rediscovered how fabulous it is as a piece of music and I decided it needs to be heard. I loved the film, but it’s Ken Russell’s view of Tommy. The stage play was what it was, and that was Pete (Townshend) and (theatrical director) Des McAnuff’s view of it. But to me it’s always been the music that’s important, and I can never get bored with that because it’s brilliant.”

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Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

Alex Turner: ‘I’d love to do something with Josh Homme again’

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Alex Turner: ‘I’d love to do something with Josh Homme again’
Alex Turner has revealed that if he could make an album with anyone, he would like to work with Josh Homme again. He told the Toronto Sun: "He obviously produced most of our last album. I'd love to get back in the studio with him at some point. The whole experience with him was really inspiring - a...

Alex Turner has revealed that if he could make an album with anyone, he would like to work with Josh Homme again.

He told the Toronto Sun: “He obviously produced most of our last album. I’d love to get back in the studio with him at some point. The whole experience with him was really inspiring – and fun as well, which is important. When you spend as much time in dark rooms as we do, it helps if it’s with somebody who makes you laugh and is a good bloke. So that definitely didn’t suck.”

Homme co-produced the band’s 2009 album ’Humbug’ with James Ford. He later provided guest vocals on the Arctic Monkeys track ’All My Own Stunts’, from their 2011 album ’Suck It And See’.

Alex Turner also told the Toronto Sun that he has no new projects in the works at the moment:

“I’ve kind of put a record out every year in some way, shape or form,” he said. “But for the first time, there’s nothing in the works. I’ve got no plans. We’re just enjoying being on tour. And that’s what we’re focusing on now — to be honest, that’s all we’re focusing on. We’re not even thinking about the next album.”

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr pay tribute to George Harrison at film opening

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Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr pay tribute to George Harrison at film opening

The remaining members of The Beatles reunited for the London premiere of new the film George Harrison: Living In A Material World last night (October 2). Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were joined by Harrison's widow Olivia and son Dhani, along with friends, family and high-profile admirers including the director Martin Scorsese, plus Yoko Ono, Sir George Martin, Noel Gallagher, Sir Ben Kingsley, Billy Connolly, Terry Gilliam, Ronnie Wood and Harrison's first wife Pattie Boyd. McCartney told BBC News that his bandmate, who died of lung cancer in 2001 aged 58, was "a great man". He continued: "Every time I see something to do with George it brings back more memories than you would believe. He was my little mate on the school bus. A lot of fond memories. He's sorely missed by us all." A simultaneous premiere was held in the band's hometown of Liverpool. The exhaustive film, which took Oscar-winner Scorcese five years to complete, documents the guitarist's rise to fame and his dedication to his philanthropic work. The director said: "For years, his music seemed to be dealing with themes that I connected with. I found comfort in them and a hope and a special experience listening to his music. I was fascinated by him." After a limited run in cinemas, the documentary will be screened in two parts on the BBC in the UK and HBO in the US in November. Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk. Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

The remaining members of The Beatles reunited for the London premiere of new the film George Harrison: Living In A Material World last night (October 2).

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were joined by Harrison’s widow Olivia and son Dhani, along with friends, family and high-profile admirers including the director Martin Scorsese, plus Yoko Ono, Sir George Martin, Noel Gallagher, Sir Ben Kingsley, Billy Connolly, Terry Gilliam, Ronnie Wood and Harrison’s first wife Pattie Boyd.

McCartney told BBC News that his bandmate, who died of lung cancer in 2001 aged 58, was “a great man”. He continued: “Every time I see something to do with George it brings back more memories than you would believe. He was my little mate on the school bus. A lot of fond memories. He’s sorely missed by us all.”

A simultaneous premiere was held in the band’s hometown of Liverpool. The exhaustive film, which took Oscar-winner Scorcese five years to complete, documents the guitarist’s rise to fame and his dedication to his philanthropic work.

The director said: “For years, his music seemed to be dealing with themes that I connected with. I found comfort in them and a hope and a special experience listening to his music. I was fascinated by him.”

After a limited run in cinemas, the documentary will be screened in two parts on the BBC in the UK and HBO in the US in November.

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Uncut have teamed up with Sonic Editions to curate a number of limited-edition framed iconic rock photographs, featuring the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Clash. View the full collection here.

The Who’s Pete Townshend to give the first annual John Peel lecture

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The Who’s Pete Townshend to give the first annual John Peel lecture
The Who's Pete Townshend is to give the first John Peel lecture at the end of this month. The lecture, which will be given in Salford as part of the Radio Festival, is set to become an annual event given by a different music figure every year, reports BBC News. Townshend is set to speak at leng...

The Who‘s Pete Townshend is to give the first John Peel lecture at the end of this month.

The lecture, which will be given in Salford as part of the Radio Festival, is set to become an annual event given by a different music figure every year, reports BBC News.

Townshend is set to speak at length on how musicians can survive in the age of free downloads, with the lecture formally titled ‘Can John Peelism survive the internet?”

The guitarist has said he was “honoured” to be asked and said: “John didn’t just listen to music, he played it on air and let his audience decide. He was a listener first, and an activist second, and I am happy to have a chance to honour him and examine how his legacy might extend into the future.”

Townshend is currently preparing for the release of his long-awaited memoir Who He? He has been writing the book for over 15 years and was cautioned by police in 2003 during its writing after accessing child pornography on the internet. When questioned by police about the material he cited researching for the book as his reason for doing so.

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

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RED STATE

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RED STATE
Directed by Kevin Smith Starring John Goodman, Michael Parks Kevin Smith’s odd, flawed film about a group of Christian fundamentalists in smalltown America is his most intriguing since Dogma. We open with three adolescent boys (Michael Angarano, Nicholas Braun, Kyle Gallner), whose desperation ...

Directed by Kevin Smith

Starring John Goodman, Michael Parks

Kevin Smith’s odd, flawed film about a group of Christian fundamentalists in smalltown America is his most intriguing since Dogma.

We open with three adolescent boys (Michael Angarano, Nicholas Braun, Kyle Gallner), whose desperation for sex inadvertently leads them to the complex of charismatic pastor Abin Cooper (Michael Parks) and his radical congregation.

There, they are forced to witness the extreme behaviour of Cooper’s followers – among them, the murder of a homosexual man – before the compound comes under siege from state forces led by John Goodman.

Smith freewheels through genres – it’s a frat boy comedy, horror film, social and religious commentary, satire – and can hardly be called subtle. But even in its most off-kilter moments, the performances carry it: Goodman and Parks, particularly, are superb. Parks’ 15-minute monologue about the End Of Days is, in every respect, show-stopping.

Peter Watts

DRIVE

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DRIVE
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan The Driver – no name, just The Driver (Ryan Gosling) – is a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver, offering to LA criminals a five-minute window of his time, and no more. “I drive. That’s what I do. That...

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan

The Driver – no name, just The Driver (Ryan Gosling) – is a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver, offering to LA criminals a five-minute window of his time, and no more. “I drive. That’s what I do. That’s all I do,” he says. At home, though, The Driver’s solitary existence is tested by the appearance of his pretty new neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan), whose husband is in jail and whose young son sorely needs a father figure. Matters are complicated, of course, when Irene’s husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), is given early release from prison. Protection money owed from his time inside is now due, and Standard needs The Driver’s getaway skills for one last job, to pull together the funds needed to pay off the mobsters on his tail and provide for his family. What could possibly go wrong? “Did you have any idea there’d be a second car…?”

Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn came to prominence with the Pusher trilogy, made between 1996 and 2005, and set in Copenhagen’s violent underworld. He visited our own criminal underworld for Bronson – his visceral 2008 biopic of Charles Bronson, Britain’s long-serving prisoner in solitary confinement – and now Winding Refn finds himself immersed in yet another crime milieu. In fact, Drive is a welcome throwback to a sub-genre of stripped-down, existential action movies familiar from the late ’70s and early ’80s. The title alone echoes Walter Hill’s 1978 neo-noir movie, The Driver, which similarly featured a laconic getaway driver as its protagonist. The film’s opening sequence, meanwhile, showing LA at night and soundtracked by a propulsive synth line, places Drive firmly in territory memorably occupied in the past by John Carpenter, or Michael Mann in the earliest days of his career.

Gosling gives the film its cool, starry, Steve McQueen-style centre; his character is pared right back to the essentials, defined solely by his actions (Walter Hill originally wrote The Driver with McQueen in mind). There is a double-cross, naturally, at which point The Driver becomes part hero, part lethal avenger, intent on protecting Irene and her child from harm. There are stabbings, forkings, stompings, a hammering and an explosive car chase. Littering its oily alleyways are great turns from Ron Perlman, Bryan Cranston, Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks and, most brilliant of all, Albert Brooks, as a gangster. Terrific, pulpy stuff.

Damon Wise

NIRVANA – NEVERMIND (REISSUE)

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NIRVANA – NEVERMIND (REISSUE)

It’s 1991, and the eyes of the alternative community are fixed on a rock band from the Seattle area that have just left their label, Sub Pop, to ink with a major. As it turns out, though, it is not grunge heavyweights Tad who crack the mainstream, but their recent European tour support – a young band from Aberdeen, Washington called Nirvana. In April 1990, Nirvana went into Smart Studios in Wisconsin with producer Butch Vig, where they debuted a new clutch of songs that replaced the Melvins-inherited punk sludge of debut album Bleach with a new, infectious sound. The band shopped the sessions around and following a recommendation from Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Geffen stepped in to buy them out of their Sub Pop contract. With that, Kurt Cobain, who’d hung with riot grrrls in Olympia, who idolised obscure groups like Vaselines and the Meat Puppets, was frontman of a major-label rock band. You know the rest, of course: a Faustian fable for the alternative age, the tale of a punk-rock group seized by the ambition to crack the glass ceiling, but once up there, stricken nauseous by vertigo. Nevermind may not be Nirvana’s most representative album, or even their best – arguably In Utero is their best synthesis of noisy abrasion and artistic vision – but it is hard to think of a record that better captures the adolescent experience. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “In Bloom” take the Pixies’ quiet-loud lurch and render it as hormonal temper tantrums, sluggish verses giving way to choruses of inchoate rage. Cobain’s lyrics, cut-up poetry sourced from his diaries, often read like gobbledegook, but the chaotic imagery, their blend of nihilism and sincerity, somehow captures something quintessentially teenage. “A mullato/An albino/A mosquito/My libido” may be literally meaningless, but delivered in Cobain’s throat-shredding howl, it has an immense power, nailing that sensation of being pissed off but unable to articulate exactly why. When Nevermind rocks, it does so extremely, “Territorial Pissings” and “Breed” showcasing Dave Grohl’s savage drumming and Krist Novoselic’s stringy, limber bass. Notably, though, it is here that Cobain realises his strengths as a songwriter. “Drain You” is an example of taut, harmonic pop songcraft as well-constructed as anything on, say, Meet The Beatles; here, though, love is depicted as a sort of laboratory coupling, two parasites locked in symbiotic embrace: “Chew your meat for you/Pass it back and forth/In a passionate kiss/From my mouth to yours”. “Polly” and “Something In The Way”, meanwhile, wrap up each side acoustically, early glimpses of the grunge Leadbelly we’d later meet on Unplugged In New York. Much of Nevermind’s success was surely thanks to its production. Butch Vig had heavy form, having produced Killdozer and Urge Overkill. But Nevermind was a far cry from Bleach (recorded, as its sleeve commemorated, for $606.17). Featuring overdubs and double-tracked vocals, Grohl’s drums augmented by snare samples added by mixer Andy Wallace, Nevermind sounded glossy, modern. The band were in two minds: Cobain claimed it sounded “closer to a Mötley Crüe record” than a punk record, but with the benefit of hindsight, Nevermind’s mix of cleanness and feedback, compression and distortion, was key to its success. It may have been a Faustian bargain, but ultimately, unquestionably, Nirvana got what they paid for. Whether the listener gets what they pay for with the new Deluxe Edition 4CD/1DVD box, retailing for in the region of £80, is a moot point. The last large-scale Nirvana reissue, 2004’s With The Lights Out, had the occasional feel of a barrel-scraping, and this is little different. New are a handful of takes from the pre-Geffen Smart Studios sessions, some largely worthless “Boombox Demos”, and a couple of BBC session tracks, notably an excellent, electric “Something In The Way”. One CD and a DVD collects a gig from Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, but the carrot here is The Devonshire Mixes, which restores Butch Vig’s initial mix before Geffen commissioned Andy Wallace to spritz it further. Vig’s mix lacks some of Wallace’s more artificial-sounding drum samples, feeling grittier, less defined. There are a few plain differences – the “Territorial Pissings” is notably harsher, excising Novoselic’s opening holler and replacing the middle-eight with something more brutally skronky. Ultimately, though, little to justify the hefty pricetag. Sad to say it, but that cover of the baby grasping for a floating dollar is starting to look strangely prescient. Louis Pattison

It’s 1991, and the eyes of the alternative community are fixed on a rock band from the Seattle area that have just left their label, Sub Pop, to ink with a major. As it turns out, though, it is not grunge heavyweights Tad who crack the mainstream, but their recent European tour support – a young band from Aberdeen, Washington called Nirvana.

In April 1990, Nirvana went into Smart Studios in Wisconsin with producer Butch Vig, where they debuted a new clutch of songs that replaced the Melvins-inherited punk sludge of debut album Bleach with a new, infectious sound. The band shopped the sessions around and following a recommendation from Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Geffen stepped in to buy them out of their Sub Pop contract. With that, Kurt Cobain, who’d hung with riot grrrls in Olympia, who idolised obscure groups like Vaselines and the Meat Puppets, was frontman of a major-label rock band.

You know the rest, of course: a Faustian fable for the alternative age, the tale of a punk-rock group seized by the ambition to crack the glass ceiling, but once up there, stricken nauseous by vertigo. Nevermind may not be Nirvana’s most representative album, or even their best – arguably In Utero is their best synthesis of noisy abrasion and artistic vision – but it is hard to think of a record that better captures the adolescent experience.

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “In Bloom” take the Pixies’ quiet-loud lurch and render it as hormonal temper tantrums, sluggish verses giving way to choruses of inchoate rage. Cobain’s lyrics, cut-up poetry sourced from his diaries, often read like gobbledegook, but the chaotic imagery, their blend of nihilism and sincerity, somehow captures something quintessentially teenage. “A mullato/An albino/A mosquito/My libido” may be literally meaningless, but delivered in Cobain’s throat-shredding howl, it has an immense power, nailing that sensation of being pissed off but unable to articulate exactly why.

When Nevermind rocks, it does so extremely, “Territorial Pissings” and “Breed” showcasing Dave Grohl’s savage drumming and Krist Novoselic’s stringy, limber bass. Notably, though, it is here that Cobain realises his strengths as a songwriter. “Drain You” is an example of taut, harmonic pop songcraft as well-constructed as anything on, say, Meet The Beatles; here, though, love is depicted as a sort of laboratory coupling, two parasites locked in symbiotic embrace: “Chew your meat for you/Pass it back and forth/In a passionate kiss/From my mouth to yours”. “Polly” and “Something In The Way”, meanwhile, wrap up each side acoustically, early glimpses of the grunge Leadbelly we’d later meet on Unplugged In New York.

Much of Nevermind’s success was surely thanks to its production. Butch Vig had heavy form, having produced Killdozer and Urge Overkill. But Nevermind was a far cry from Bleach (recorded, as its sleeve commemorated, for $606.17). Featuring overdubs and double-tracked vocals, Grohl’s drums augmented by snare samples added by mixer Andy Wallace, Nevermind sounded glossy, modern. The band were in two minds: Cobain claimed it sounded “closer to a Mötley Crüe record” than a punk record, but with the benefit of hindsight, Nevermind’s mix of cleanness and feedback, compression and distortion, was key to its success. It may have been a Faustian bargain, but ultimately, unquestionably, Nirvana got what they paid for.

Whether the listener gets what they pay for with the new Deluxe Edition 4CD/1DVD box, retailing for in the region of £80, is a moot point. The last large-scale Nirvana reissue, 2004’s With The Lights Out, had the occasional feel of a barrel-scraping, and this is little different. New are a handful of takes from the pre-Geffen Smart Studios sessions, some largely worthless “Boombox Demos”, and a couple of BBC session tracks, notably an excellent, electric “Something In The Way”. One CD and a DVD collects a gig from Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, but the carrot here is The Devonshire Mixes, which restores Butch Vig’s initial mix before Geffen commissioned Andy Wallace to spritz it further. Vig’s mix lacks some of Wallace’s more artificial-sounding drum samples, feeling grittier, less defined. There are a few plain differences – the “Territorial Pissings” is notably harsher, excising Novoselic’s opening holler and replacing the middle-eight with something more brutally skronky.

Ultimately, though, little to justify the hefty pricetag. Sad to say it, but that cover of the baby grasping for a floating dollar is starting to look strangely prescient.

Louis Pattison

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