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Spiritualized – Everything Was Beautiful

Piers Martin
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Spiritualized – Everything Was Beautiful
When Jason Pierce surfaced during that sweltering summer of 2018 to promote the new Spiritualized album And Nothing Hurt – his first for six years – he spoke of its protracted gestation in gruelling terms, as if producing and mixing the record on his own had pushed him to the edge of madness. Wi...

When Jason Pierce surfaced during that sweltering summer of 2018 to promote the new Spiritualized album And Nothing Hurt – his first for six years – he spoke of its protracted gestation in gruelling terms, as if producing and mixing the record on his own had pushed him to the edge of madness. With typical candour, he was the first to admit that the ordeal was entirely self-inflicted and preventable, and that however pleased he was with the results – his best since Ladies And Gentleman…, some said – after what he’d gone through, even for such a perfectionist, he couldn’t guarantee that there would ever be another Spiritualized album.

No-one really believed him – what else could Pierce do at this point, aged 55, retrain? – but what’s surprising about Everything Was Beautiful is how quickly it has appeared, at least by the Spaceman’s standards, and how extravagant and exciting it sounds. Pierce claims there is no real concept behind the album and that its initial track selection was “arbitrary”. He drew on seven tracks from the pool of demos that he recorded in 2013-’14, nine of which he’d already turned into And Nothing Hurt, and has had the vision to transform these over the last couple of years into a record that manages to be both direct and concise yet also wildly experimental, tender, nihilistic and joyous.

In many ways, it’s everything you could want in a Spiritualized album. It’s almost as if, in some parallel universe, Pierce conducted a Twitter poll asking fans to choose their favourite type of Spiritualized song – the celestial Ladies And Gentleman-style opener, a spot of Velvets drug-drone (“Best Thing You Never Had”), a country number (“Crazy”), some heartbreak blues (“Let It Bleed”), plus a second half of pure narcotic euphoria – and then duly obliged when the results came in. This is another way of saying that Pierce tends to write the same song again and again – as you would after 35 years in the game – but that doesn’t mean he won’t challenge himself and try new approaches. Madness, he’s often said, is repeating the same thing and expecting different outcomes, and for Pierce it’s the tiny details that help to elevate his overloaded music.

Certainly, he’s written a song like “Always Together With You” before. One of his Christmassy gospel lullabies, it mirrors the opening title track of Ladies And Gentlemen…, right down to the way his daughter Poppy introduces it by saying the title, just as Kate Radley says the name of the 1997 album at the start of that record. Add to the mix Morse code blips from the Apollo 11 transmission and it seems Pierce is once again positioning the listener in orbit – his favourite place – to take in the album. But the song itself escalates thrillingly from hazy doo-wop to a point five minutes in where it sounds as if “Sister Ray” has been laid over “Then He Kissed Me” while all hell breaks loose and Pierce emerges serene and unscathed at the end, brushing the debris from his leather jacket.

Pierce’s original intention was for the demos to end up as a double-album – a “grand gesture” – but he was talked out of it by the boss of his US label Fat Possum, Matthew Johnson, who pointed out that doubles are harder to sell. Across two albums, separated by three and a half years, this singular body of work is now united by a line from Kurt Vonnegut’s 1969 novel Slaughterhouse-Five, “Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt” (by coincidence, Moby released an album with the exact same title in 2018). In much the same way that Radiohead produced two quite different records from the same sessions for Kid A and Amnesiac, a Spiritualized double would have been impressive but a waste of resources. Here, each track is pulled into focus, so that Side Two, after the more formal arrangements of the first, concentrates on Pierce ramping up the intensity.

“The Mainline Song”, partly inspired by news reports of George Floyd’s murder and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests, is a gorgeous high-energy night-time blues with Pierce asking, “There’s a change in the air ’round here/And I wanted to know if you wanted to take the city tonight”. After that, “The A Song (Laid In Your Arms)” piles on the horns and choir over a blizzard of free-jazz noise while Pierce hollers lines like “Summer is easy, the cotton is high/Mama’s good-looking, your papa has died” with such conviction, he might easily have been born in 1900.

No doubt, Pierce is preaching to the converted with Everything Was Beautiful, but his followers will rejoice when they hear that he’s finally hit that rich vein of form again.

Blossom Toes – We Are Ever So Clean/If Only For A Moment

Jim Wirth
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Blossom Toes – We Are Ever So Clean/If Only For A Moment
At Blossom Toes’ 1960s pad, a stone’s throw from Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium, things could get pretty lively. “There were people coming and going all of the time,” guitarist Jim Cregan tells Uncut. “You’d go into the kitchen and there would be Eric Clapton hanging out with Stevie...

At Blossom Toes’ 1960s pad, a stone’s throw from Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium, things could get pretty lively. “There were people coming and going all of the time,” guitarist Jim Cregan tells Uncut. “You’d go into the kitchen and there would be Eric Clapton hanging out with Stevie Winwood, then you’d have Captain Beefheart on acid in the living room flicking the lights on and off and going, ‘Oh wow!’ Then you’d have our manager Giorgio Gomelsky dropping by with a bunch of German businessmen saying, ‘I want to show you what a hippie house looks like.’ And some girls, I’d imagine.”

Indisputably at the heart of the action in the late 1960s, Blossom Toes played to the hip glitterati at the Scotch Of St James and entertained the fast set during a residency at Paris’s Le Bus Palladium, but their two LPs for Gomelsky’s Marmalade imprint – 1967’s whimsical We Are Ever So Clean and 1969’s more hefty If Only For A Moment – sold poorly. Flush with their successes with the Bee Gees and Bert Kaempfert, Marmalade’s parent label Polydor apparently dismissed Blossom Toes as “dustbin music”. However, if these definitive editions of their albums contain a fair amount of rubbish, they are a thrilling portal into a lost world, and as guitarist Cregan puts it on the Byrds-meets-the-Button-Down-Brass “What Is It For?”: “The mere existence of a door is something to be grateful for”.

Blossom Toes’ roots lay in a north London R&B act, The Ingoes, who included singer Brian Godding and John Entwistle-esque bassist Brian Belshaw. After a spell on the Continent (where they recorded a ludicrous phonetic Italian version of The Beatles’ “Help!” – “Se Non Mi Aiuti Tu” – in 1965), they were picked up by Crawdaddy club scenemaker Gomelsky, who had helped to set The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds on course to stardom. The Tbilisi-born eccentric then refashioned the band – Cregan was brought in on guitar, and Kevin Westlake on drums – and set them up in their SW6 flat, before giving them their vogue-ish new name and wreaking havoc on their debut LP.

We Are Ever So Clean is an insanely over-orchestrated psychedelic blancmange, producer Gomelsky and his arranger David Whitaker kicking off their special-effects orgy by plastering a string section, brass band, backward guitar and multi-part harmonies over Godding’s micro-rock opera “Look At Me I’m You”.  He rarely let up thereafter.

As he peppered the album with intrusive inter-song skits, it’s possible that Gomelsky had a greater vision for We Are Ever So Clean, imagining Blossom Toes as a hybrid of The Goons and The Monkees. Whatever the plan was, it got out of hand; Westlake’s “The Remarkable Saga Of The Frozen Dog” crosses the border from quirky into irritating, while Cregan complained that one of his best songs was warped into a hideous polka by Whitaker for “The Intrepid Balloonist’s Handbook, Volume One”.

However, if We Are Ever So Clean (title lifted from Godding’s Kinks-ish “What On Earth”) veers toward the insufferably twee (“Mrs Murphy’s Budgerigar”, “People Of The Royal Parks”), there are some tremendous songs buried beneath the studio trickery. Godding demonstrates an excitable sideline in mournful Zombies-style balladry on “Love Is” and “Mister Watchmaker”, while Cregan’s “When The Alarm Clock Rings”, Westlake’s “I Will Bring You This And That” and Godding’s “I’ll Be Late For Tea” are perfect exemplars of the Alice In Wonderland school of British psychedelia, mod-ish R&B through a lysergic looking glass. Session musicians were brought in to redo several tracks, much to the band’s annoyance, but some of what seemed like over-fussy production at the time now seems like superb period detail, We Are Ever So Clean anticipating XTC’s Dukes Of Stratosphear psychedelic pastiche 20 years before its time.

“Really you’re going ever so high, Felicity”, someone twitters on the outro to “The Intrepid Balloonist’s Handbook, Volume One”. “We’re never going to reach you now”. As a commercial proposition, We Are Ever So Clean was certainly way too far out. With times moving fast, Westlake bowed out to be replaced by John ‘Poli’ Palmer and then Barry Reeves, and Godding and Cregan sought to declutter their sound. A couple of non-LP singles – a Lovin’ Spoonful-esque take of Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and the Thunderclap Newman-ish “Postcard” – marked a shift in emphasis before Blossom Toes asserted creative control over their second album.

From the glowering opener, “Peace Loving Man”, If Only For A Moment is very clearly a different proposition, Blossom Toes finding some of the alpha-male thud of Cream or Black Sabbath. It’s a thunderous countercultural jumble of discordant guitars, Belshaw’s proto-black metal growls and World War III paranoia, a sinister Pink Floyd whisper asking: “Do you want to be part of this confusion for the rest of your time? Do you?”

Hemmed in on their first record, Blossom Toes stretch out a little more, Godding and Cregan’s twin-guitar assault on “Indian Summer” pre-empting Wishbone Ash. The mood has shifted too, the Lewis Carroll winsomeness giving way to the more antagonistic tone of freakier times. They call out the baddie US cops on “Billy Boo The Gunman” and even their plea for peace on “Love Bomb” comes with a hint of Taxi Driver street-cleaning menace, Godding’s “hundred per cent gold-plated purified love bomb” perhaps not dissimilar to the kind of devices the Baader-Meinhof Gang and the Angry Brigade would be planting in the years ahead. Shawn Phillips’ sitar tinsel on their version of Richie Havens’ “Just Above My Hobby Horse’s Head” harks back to less militant times, but if Cregan talks positive on the closing “Wait A Minute” (“I see no reason for our parting”), Blossom Toes’ time was not long.

The band never got back on the road after being shaken up by a car crash on the way back from a gig in Bristol. Godding and Belshaw reunited with Westlake to form a new band, B B Blunder, who released a lone album for United Artists in 1971, while Cregan went to work with two-thirds of Taste in Stud, before finding more tangible success as a sideman for Steve Harley and then Rod Stewart.

However, if Blossom Toes’ commercial failure was absolute, and their lasting influence negligible, they buried a fabulous time capsule with these recordings. They expanded their range to explore the possibilities that The Beatles had opened up, then self-destructed as the mood turned darker. For a couple of years, though, they had quite the party. You had to be there, and now you are.

Roxy Music to reissue all eight studio albums on vinyl across 2022

Will Richards
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Roxy Music to reissue all eight studio albums on vinyl across 2022
Roxy Music have announced a vinyl reissue series which will see the band reissuing all eight of their studio albums. ORDER NOW: Kate Bush is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut READ MORE: Ultimate Music Guide: Roxy Music The reissue series will begin on April 1 when the band reissue...

Roxy Music have announced a vinyl reissue series which will see the band reissuing all eight of their studio albums.

The reissue series will begin on April 1 when the band reissue their self-titled debut album (which turns 50 this year) and its follow-up, For Your Pleasure.

All eight of the albums have been newly remastered at half speed by Miles Showell at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London.

The reissues will also see the albums given fresh, revised versions of their artwork and laminated finishes.

The albums will be reissued in pairs throughout 2022. Get all the details on how to get your hands on copies of the first two below.

Back in 2019, Bryan Ferry reunited with some of his Roxy Music bandmates for the group’s first performance in eight years as part of their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Smashing Pumpkins announce Rock Invasion 2 US tour

Will Lavin
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Smashing Pumpkins announce Rock Invasion 2 US tour
Smashing Pumpkins have announced that they'll hit the road in the US this May for their Rock Invasion 2 tour. ORDER NOW: Kate Bush is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut READ MORE: Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan on the making of every one of their albums Although the tour - whic...

Smashing Pumpkins have announced that they’ll hit the road in the US this May for their Rock Invasion 2 tour.

Although the tour – which sees support from Bones – shares the same name with the band’s postponed 2020 trek, many of the original dates have not been rescheduled.

The 18-date jaunt will instead see Billy Corgan and co. visit cities such as Tucson, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Birmingham, Greensboro, and Columbus. They will also play Beale Street Music Festival right before the tour kicks off.

Tickets for the tour go on sale this Friday (February 25) at 10am local time, with pre-sale launched today (February 23). Get tickets here, and see the full tour schedule below.

APRIL 2022
29-01 Beale Street Music Festival, Memphis, TN

MAY 2022
2 – Tech Port Arena, San Antonio, TX
5 – Teatro Metropolitan, Mexico City, MX
6 – Teatro Metropolitan, Mexico City, MX
7 – Teatro Metropolitan, Mexico City, MX
13 – Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA*
14 – BeachLife Festival, Redondo Beach, CA
15 – TBA , Tucson, AZ*
17 – TBA, Oklahoma City, OK*
18 – Ozarks Amphitheater, Camdenton, MO*
19 – 22 – Welcome to Rockville, Daytona Beach, FL
20 – Champions Square, New Orleans, LA*
21 – Avondale Brewing Co., Birmingham, AL*
24 – Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA*
25 – White Oak Amphitheatre, Greensboro, NC*
27 – PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION, Newport, KY*
28 – KEMBA Live!, Columbus, OH*
29 – Summer Camp Music Festival, Chillicothe, IL

A deep dive into Nick Drake’s legendary final album, Pink Moon

Graeme Thomson
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A deep dive into Nick Drake’s legendary final album, Pink Moon
During the small hours of October 30, 1971, and again the following night, Nick Drake entered Sound Techniques studio in Chelsea to record his third, and final, album. Pink Moon was a quiet revolt. While Drake’s first two albums, Five Leaves Left (1969) and Bryter Layter (1971), were lush, orchest...

During the small hours of October 30, 1971, and again the following night, Nick Drake entered Sound Techniques studio in Chelsea to record his third, and final, album. Pink Moon was a quiet revolt. While Drake’s first two albums, Five Leaves Left (1969) and Bryter Layter (1971), were lush, orchestrated, beautifully arranged, Pink Moon was stripped bare. The only person present other than Drake during the sessions was Sound Techniques owner and engineer John Wood. Save for a brief, simple piano overdub on the title track, the album featured just Drake’s voice and guitar. The 11 songs spanned a mere 28 minutes. To describe Pink Moon as stark is to undersell its radical minimalism.

“Five Leaves Left was very easy,” recalls Joe Boyd, who signed Drake to his Witchseason roster in 1968 and produced the first two records. “Bryter Layter was more rushed and Nick and I clashed over his vision. He had this idea that each side would start and end with an instrumental. I felt it was a bit MOR. The moment Bryter Layter was done, Nick turned to me and said, ‘I’m going to do my next album with just guitar and voice.’ I took it as a rebuke.”

In the 50 years since its release on February 25, 1972, Pink Moon has slowly become one of the most mythologised records of the 20th century. It has become synonymous with Drake’s decline and death, on November 25, 1974, aged 26, from an overdose of antidepressants. It is hard to unravel its sadness from the sadness of his life – yet the album is also luminous, uncannily beautiful, limitless in its scale and scope.

Though commercially unsuccessful at the time, Pink Moon wasn’t released into a void. Island Records pushed the LP with full-page ads in the music weeklies and it was widely reviewed. There was a sense, however, that critics had tired of Drake’s reticence. His reluctance to play live was already notorious, and the unvarnished sound of the record seemed a further act of wilful self-sabotage. “Maybe it’s time Mr Drake stopped acting so mysteriously and started getting something properly organised for himself,” snapped
Jerry Gilbert, previously a champion of Drake, in Sounds.

Album By Album With Mark Lanegan

Alastair McKay
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Album By Album With Mark Lanegan
By way of tribute to Mark Lanegan, whose death was confirmed last night, here's our Album By Album feature from Uncut Take 179. Rest in peace, Mark. ORDER NOW: Kate Bush is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut His reputation precedes him. Over a 25-year recording career that began with ...

By way of tribute to Mark Lanegan, whose death was confirmed last night, here’s our Album By Album feature from Uncut Take 179. Rest in peace, Mark.

His reputation precedes him. Over a 25-year recording career that began with grunge godfathers Screaming Trees and has included collaborations with Kurt Cobain, Greg Dulli (ex-Afghan Whigs) and Queens Of The Stone Age, Mark Lanegan has established himself as an artist who prefers to walk on the shady side of the street. The pain he sings about isn’t an act: he’s wrestled with addiction, and tried the patience of several producers during an erratically brilliant solo career that continues with the release of the (relatively) upbeat Blues Funeral. On his solo recordings, he’s moved from confessional folk to ’80s-influenced gothic rock. So it’s a welcome surprise to find this tattooed giant in cheerful mood. “I’m very happy these days,” Lanegan says with a dry chuckle. “I’m a little less dark. Though I still hold a daily séance!”

SCREAMING TREES
Buzz Factory
SST, 1989
PRODUCED BY JACK ENDINO
The Trees journey from Ellensberg to Seattle, hone hard rock/psychedelic influences and tap into energy of grunge
Before we did that, we did an entire double album and nobody was happy with the way it sounded. I know that sounds expensive, but back then we made records for a thousand dollars, so it was two thousand to make that record. We made it in a week. But we didn’t like it. Right about then I also heard the first Mudhoney EP, “Superfuzz Bigmuff”. Hearing Mudhoney made me feel like we were total pussies, because when you hear the bass and the drums, everything’s out there. I said, “We gotta get the guy who did this to do our record.” It was Jack Endino. So we went to Seattle – I slept on the floor at my sister’s – and made it in four or five days. We used maybe one of the songs from the double album; they were all new songs. [Lead guitarist] Gary Lee Conner wrote excessively, he’d write two, three or four a day sometimes: fully formed songs. He was just a machine. And the one song that came from the double album we ended up leaving off the record! It still didn’t have the power of the Mudhoney EP but it was a lot closer to being representative of what we sounded like live. And that was our first experience of working with Jack – it was great.

MARK LANEGAN
The Winding Sheet
SUB POP, 1990
PRODUCED BY JACK ENDINO, MIKE JOHNSON, MARK LANEGAN
Abortive Kurt Cobain collaboration leads to stark first solo outing
Me and Kurt Cobain were both listening to a bunch of Lead Belly and diggin’ it. We thought: let’s do an EP of all Lead Belly songs. We did a couple, and both of us were like, “Nah, this is a bad concept.” We set it aside. [Sub Pop label boss] Jon Poneman came in and said, “Shame you guys didn’t finish that record, why don’t you make a solo record?” I couldn’t play guitar, and had only written some words for the Trees – which consisted of taking words that were already written and changing some to make them have some semblance of personality. Jon told me what they would give me for making the record. I was working in a warehouse, and I thought, ‘You know what,I could fuckin’ quit that job and live high on the hog!’ I got a Mel Bay chord book, and at the end of the day when I was lowering my last conveyor belt of boxes I would come up with a melody. I would have it in my mind on the bus all the way home. I would get home and find the chords. I did it the first day that I tried, and I did it 10, 12 more times, and I also took one of the songs from Kurt and I’s session, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”. I mainly saw it through because of the financial inducements, but I’m glad I did.

MARK LANEGAN
Whiskey For The Holy Ghost
SUB POP, 1994
PRODUCED BY MIKE JOHNSON, MARK LANEGAN
Modest attempt to write Astral Weeks turns into Fitzcarraldo
I had heard Astral Weeks, and heard how it was made. I thought, ‘I’m going to make a record like that: really fast.’ So I found a jazz bass player and went to do some songs. What I wanted to do in three days ended up taking almost three years, in many different studios with many different guys. Basically, I lost my mind. I would have it in my grasp, and then would see another possibility. That was the form of my illness. I couldn’t be nailed down. I continued to generate more material. I would mix stuff four or five times. And I’m taking about intricate sessions. I had started this other record with Terry Date, who did the first Trees record on a major, then moved on to several other guys and finally got around to Jack Endino again. We were trying to mix a song that I thought would be easy – but on the second day I was trying to figure out why it wouldn’t move forward and be the way I wanted to hear it – this is two, three years into the making of that record… I was like, you know, “Fuck this!” There was a creek out back, I grabbed the tapes, I was actually walking through the yard and he grabbed a hold of me and said: “No fucking way am I going to let you do that.” I was like, “Dude, I’m over this, I need to get rid of it.” I realised it was making me crazier, and I wanted to be clear of it. I was deep in addiction for the entire thing. I travelled the world that way. I went to my sister’s house for Christmas dinner that way. I thought about music this way: it’s something that I have to do. But it was really a means to an end. It facilitated my lifestyle. Which included a need for a lot of money on a daily basis. It was like Fitzcarraldo – it was like dragging a boat over a mountain. But that was something I was compelled to keep doing. Only because I love music. I could have, at any point, put that record out, and it would have been fine. But I was compelled: despite all the extraneous bullshit I was putting myself through, I wanted it to be great. And I couldn’t be satisfied that it was great even when it was finished. Or even today. I’m surprised it ever got finished really. But it came as a relief, to finally let it go.

SCREAMING TREES
Dust
EPIC, 1996
PRODUCED BY GEORGE DRAKOULIAS
Trees reluctantly embrace big rock sound on their final studio album
That was the last real record we made. It wasn’t an easy time, mainly because of band relations. Also my personal problems made it difficult to get anything done. We had already done the basics for a record [with Don Fleming] that couldn’t be finished. It was another year before we started this one. George Drakoulias had been one of the guys we’d talked about when we first started with Epic, and we were like “No!” We were paranoid about sounding good. Although I did want an update on the sound, I was wary of sounding like Black Crowes, for instance, who George produced. So we went with Terry Date, who we knew. That was a good choice. But later, we were like, “Ach, you know, I wonder if that guy George is still available?” And he was. In that regard, it was a great experience. Benmont [Tench] from the Heartbreakers played on some of that stuff – he played two Mellotrons, one with each hand, at the same time. George was, still is, a great guy to be around. But my perception is that my personal stuff overruled everything, and I’m sure those guys would agree – it made everything difficult. Although I was trying to do my best, it was not to be!

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Songs For The Deaf
INTERSCOPE, 2002
PRODUCED BY JOSH HOMME, ADAM KASPER, ERIC VALENTINE
Collaboration with Josh Homme on Desert Sessions leads to full membership of QOTSA on album simulating a drive from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree
Josh had toured as guitarist with the Trees on Dust, so we knew each other really well. He actually asked me to be on the first Queens record, but that was not to be, because of my problems. I did some singing on the second one, and then started touring with those guys. In between that, I did the Desert Sessions [Volumes 7 & 8] which I only worked on for a day because I was working on a solo record at the same time. And the best thing about that was meeting Alain [Johannes] – and the song that I did for that record, which Al and Josh wrote, “Hangin’ Tree”, ended up on the next one [Songs For The Death], so I just joined. My circle of friends, musician-wise, wasn’t huge. I only knew these certain guys. Working with Josh has always been so much fun. The result is serious, but the process is a lot of comedy. Writing lyrics with him is one of the funnest things that I do. I can’t really describe it but he’s a really funny guy, and when we work together, it’s a comedy, basically. You either laugh or cry, almost!

MARK LANEGAN BAND
Bubblegum
BEGGARS BANQUET, 2004
PRODUCED BY MARK LANEGAN, CHRIS GOSS, ALAIN JOHANNES
Confessional album, with a more rounded sound and collaborations with the likes of PJ Harvey
I always start from some personal place. Some are more fictional, some are more based on reality, but they all do start from something real. So in that way, it is confessional, but no more so than the rest of them. When we first convened I went MIA for the first month, which caused Chris Goss – who was trying to produce it – dismay. Then I came back and was so over-the-top involved that it caused him further dismay. I burnt him out and moved on to somebody else. There were a lot of the same behaviours as on Whiskey…, but in a more condensed time period. I distilled the qualities that had made me so much fun to work with before! The guy who mixed the stuff that Chris produced said I was like Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. But it got done. Actually I enjoyed it. I just don’t know if the guys who were forced to work with me enjoyed it – I know some of them did not. But at the end I was pleased, because I didn’t want to make another dusty strings record. I wanted to make something that I might listen to, like Can or Kraftwerk.

ISOBEL CAMPBELL & MARK LANEGAN
Ballad Of The Broken Seas
V2, 2006
PRODUCED BY ISOBEL CAMPBELL, DAVE PATERSON
Cast as Isobel Campbell’s bit-of-rough, Lanegan embraces his inner Lee Hazlewood
All the records I’ve made with Isobel are really special to me. That one in particular. I was a fan of Belle & Sebastian, but I was also a bigger fan of the Gentle Waves records she made. When she contacted me, I was thrilled. I guess she didn’t really know who I was, but she had heard my voice and thought I would do for something she was doing. But after we did this EP, “Ramblin’ Man”, we met in Glasgow and got along really well. I said, “I want to make a record together,” and she was like, “Yeah.” She immediately started sending me all these great songs. I was like: “Are you kidding? This is fantastic!” Basically I sang them in Los Angeles and sent them back to her. I had no idea it would last three records and six years or whatever. It was really cool, because that’s something that’s really unique to my personal experience: singing songs written by a woman, and just letting it go. Isobel’s a huge talent. Those were records I did not lose my mind on! I was able to just put myself in her hands.

THE GUTTER TWINS
Saturnalia
SUB POP, 2008
PRODUCED BY MATHIAS SCHNEEBERGER, GREG DULLI, MARK LANEGAN
Lanegan and Greg Dulli explore the dark corners of their psyches
Working with Greg is a constant comedy. If you’ve seen Ishtar, the songwriting process is very similar to that. It’s two guys in a room making up the most inane stuff to make themselves laugh, then we’ll go, “Oh, that’s not bad,” but it probably is. That record was started six, seven years before it was finished. I had guested with The Twilight Singers, and Greg had played in my band. At Christmas time at the end of one of those tours we made up a couple of songs. For years people were going, “What’s going on with you and Dulli?” We got together at Christmas a couple of years later and did more. Years went by, and I had even said what the name of the band was, joking around, so we had to finish it. This project is light relief, even though the result sounds pretty heavy. When I heard it I was like, “Oh man, this is pretty dark stuff.” It reminded me of the Sly Stone record, There’s A Riot Goin’ On: it’s a party, but not a fun one. The record ended up with us in a better state than when we started it. It started on a very dark Christmas and ended on a lighter one. We started on drugs, we finished not.

MARK LANEGAN BAND
Blues Funeral
4AD, 2012
PRODUCED BY ALAIN JOHANNES
Some ’80s-influenced sounds lend a poppy edge to typically chastening lyrics, but there’s no disguising Lanegan’s good humour
Usually I write on guitar. This time I bought a couple of drum machines and a synthesiser, an old Casio keyboard. When we started we sort of had the same thoughts as when we did Bubblegum. I did some things with Alain Johannes: the process dictated what the songs sounded like. I didn’t mind that we used drum machine, synthesiser, on Bubblegum, so it just seemed natural. I rarely play anything for anybody, but I played “Gray Goes Black” to my girlfriend, and she said, “I can’t believe you’re making something so happy sounding.” I said, “Happy sounding? [What about] the words?” She says, “No, it’s happy sounding.” That’s cool. I’ve always done whatever I felt reflected what was happening. In other words, I never really give it much thought, though in the past I may have been given over to morbid introspection. I listened back to the record in the car, and I thought it was great driving music. Greg Dulli was the first person I played it to; he said it sounded like Echo & The Bunnymen and Peter Gabriel. He thought it was more representative of where I’m at now. I agree.

Krist Novoselic says he’s “really busy trying to finish a record”

Erica Campbell
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Krist Novoselic says he’s “really busy trying to finish a record”
Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has announced that he's working on a record with plans to release it this spring. ORDER NOW: Kate Bush is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut READ MORE: Krist Novoselic on Nevermind’s impact: “So much was going on. And then it all just spectacularly ...

Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has announced that he’s working on a record with plans to release it this spring.

He shared the news on Twitter, first posting an interview he did in 2011 with Bass Player magazine, and writing, “I have not read this in years, but recall being happy with how it turned out.”

In a now-deleted tweet, he added: “I am really busy trying to finish a record. In the middle of some hangups – looking for a mid-March release. But it’s a secret, so don’t tell anybody!”

Krist Novoselic Tweet
Image: Krist Novoselic Twitter

In 2017, the bassist started an environmentally inspired band called Giants In The Trees, but it’s unclear if the tweet refers to that project or a new solo album.

Last year, Novoselic discussed Nirvana’s album Nevermind with Uncut, teasing the 30th anniversary reissue of the LP, which at that point had yet to be released.

At the time he said, “The anniversary is really for the fans and what the album means to them. If it helps people make some sense of the world, that’s great. You have to figure it out for yourself, though.”

In the same interview, current Foo Fighters leader and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl reflected on how he and his bandmates didn’t expect the album to become a success. He said he remembered getting feedback from friends who heard the album and would say: “Oh my God. You guys are going to be fucking huge!”

Grohl added: “Everyone had these lofty opinions and I thought, ‘Well, it’s nice of you to say so, but there is no fucking way that is ever going to happen.’

Earlier this month lawyers representing Nirvana filed to dismiss Spencer Elden’s latest motion to bring the Nevermind lawsuit back to court. It comes after a judge dismissed the band’s legal dispute with the man who was photographed as a baby for the classic album’s cover art, earlier this month.

The Afghan Whigs share first new song in five years, “I’ll Make You See God”

Elizabeth Aubrey
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The Afghan Whigs share first new song in five years, “I’ll Make You See God”
The Afghan Whigs have returned with their first new music since 2017 - listen to "I'll Make You See God" below. ORDER NOW: Kate Bush is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut The track features in the upcoming PlayStation game Gran Turismo 7, released March 4, and the single is also being...

The Afghan Whigs have returned with their first new music since 2017 – listen to “I’ll Make You See God” below.

The track features in the upcoming PlayStation game Gran Turismo 7, released March 4, and the single is also being released via Royal Cream/BMG.

Speaking about the new single, frontman Greg Dulli said: “That’s one of the hardest rock songs we’ve ever done.

“It was written and performed on sheer adrenalin.”

You can listen to the new song here:

The band – comprising frontman/guitarist Greg Dulli, bassist John Curley, multi-instrumentalist Rick Nelson, drummer Patrick Keeler and new guitarist Christopher Thorn have also announced a brief U.S. tour with dates beginning May 11.

You can see the full list of dates below and buy tickets here:

MAY 2022
11 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
12 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum
13 – Orlando, FL – The Social
14 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
15 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
17 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
18 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall
20 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
21 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
22 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
24 – Pittsburgh,  PA – Mr Smalls Theatre
25 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

Back in 2017, the guitarist of the Afghan Whigs, Dave Rosser, died aged 50 following a battle with colon cancer.

The band announced over Facebook: “It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our friend, brother and inspiration,” they continued. “Thank you to all who kept him in their hearts. He is forever in ours”.

Rosser was diagnosed with inoperable colon cancer back in 2016. The Afghan Whigs announced two shows in support of his illness in the US which saw them perform their much-adored album Black Love in full.

At the time, frontman Dulli said: “Dave Rosser has been my close friend and bandmate for over a decade now. By doing these shows for him we hope to ease any financial stress he may face as he pursues treatment to combat his illness.

“100% of the proceeds for these shows will go to his medical care. I’m hopeful that folks will come out and show their support for Dave who will be performing with us.”

The Afghan Whigs formed in 1986 before splitting in the early 2000s. They announced their reformation in 2011.

They released their seventh album – Do To The Beast – in 2014, their first in 16 years. In Spades followed in 2017.

Sigur Rós announce details of huge world tour

Elizabeth Aubrey
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Sigur Rós announce details of huge world tour
Sigur Rós have announced details of a huge world tour. ORDER NOW: Kate Bush is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut READ MORE: Sigur Rós – Ágætis Byrjun: A Good Beginning review It's the group's first in almost five years and will see the acclaimed Icelandic collective appear i...

Sigur Rós have announced details of a huge world tour.

It’s the group’s first in almost five years and will see the acclaimed Icelandic collective appear in Mexico, Canada and the United States later this year.

Tickets for the gigs in Canada and the US are on sale at 10am local time on February 25, while those in Mexico will go on sale 11am local time on February 26. You can purchase tickets here.

More dates are expected to follow – check out the first round of dates here:

Sigur Rós – World Tour 2022

APRIL
30 – Festival Vaivén, Mexico

MAY
3 – Citibanamex Auditorium, Monterrey
5 – Auditorio Telmex Guadalajara
9 – Orpheum Theatre – Vancouver, BC
11 – Theater of the Clouds – Portland, OR
13 – Paramount Theatre – Seattle, WA
17 – Frost Amphitheater – Stanford, CA
19 – Shrine Auditorium – Los Angeles, CA
23 – ACL Live at the Moody Theater – Austin TX
24 – ACL Live at the Moody Theater – Austin TX
25 – Winspear Opera House – Dallas, TX
27 – Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre – Atlanta, GA
28 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
31 – State Theatre – Minneapolis, MN

JUNE
1 – Riverside Theater – Milwaukee, WI
3 – Masonic Temple Theatre – Detroit, MI
4 – Auditorium Theatre – Chicago, IL
6 – The Anthem – Washington, D.C.
7 – The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA
8 – Boch Center Wang Theatre – Boston, MA
10 – Place des Arts – Montreal, QC
11 – Meridian Hall – Toronto, ON
14 – Kings Theatre – Brooklyn, NY
17 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY
18 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY

A statement also said that the band “are in the process of writing and recording their first new studio album since 2013’s Kveikur“.

It went on to say that the group “will air new songs at the shows, alongside material drawn from their acclaimed 25 year discography.”

Last week, the band also confirmed that founding members Jónsi and Georg Holm are joined in the studio and on tour by former member Kjartan Sveinsson, who is rejoining the band almost a decade after stepping away to focus on other projects.

Sveinsson was previously a member of the group from 1998, leaving in 2013 to “do something different”.

The multi-instrumentalist was not replaced following his departure, with Jónsi telling Paste that year: “We never thought about getting somebody else to replace him. I think we just wanted to keep on with the three of us.”

Sigur Rós shared a screenshot of a video call featuring Jónsi, Georg “Goggi” Holm and Sveinsson. “Two old faces and one new old face,” they captioned the post. “Three of us happy to be back together and doing what we love doing. Exciting times ahead.”

In 2020, Sigur Rós released the collaborative soundtrack album Odin’s Raven Magic with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Steindór Andersen, Páll Guðmundsson and Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir. The composition originally served as an orchestral score to a poem by Hrafnagaldr Óðins and was created in 2002.

Last year, Jónsi released his latest solo album, Obsidian, alongside a visual art installation of the same name.

Procol Harum lead singer Gary Brooker has died, aged 76

Elizabeth Aubrey
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Procol Harum lead singer Gary Brooker has died, aged 76
Gary Brooker, the lead singer of Procol Harum, has died aged 76. The pianist, composer and lyricist was being treated for cancer. He died peacefully at home over the weekend according to a statement on Procol Harum's website. The statement described Brooker as “a brightly shining, irreplacea...

Gary Brooker, the lead singer of Procol Harum, has died aged 76.

The pianist, composer and lyricist was being treated for cancer. He died peacefully at home over the weekend according to a statement on Procol Harum’s website.

The statement described Brooker as “a brightly shining, irreplaceable light in the music industry”, adding that he “exhibited and developed a highly individual talent.

“His first single with Procol Harum, 1967’s ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, is widely regarded as defining the ‘summer of love’, yet it could scarcely have been more different from the characteristic records of that era.

“Gary’s voice and piano were the single defining constant of Procol’s 50-year international concert career. Without any stage antics or other gimmicks he was invariably the most watchable musician in the show.”

Procol Harum in 1967
Procol Harum in 1967. Image: Getty

The statement went on to add that Brooker’s “charisma was by no means confined to the stage.”

It added: “He lit up any room he entered, and his kindness to a multilingual family of fans was legendary. He was notable for his individuality, integrity, and occasionally stubborn eccentricity. His mordant wit, and appetite for the ridiculous, made him a priceless raconteur.

“He was above all a devoted and loyal husband to Franky, whom he met in 1965 and married in 1968.”

The group’s standout hit, “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, went to Number 1 in the UK charts two weeks after its release at the start of the ‘summer of love’ in 1967. The song also dominated the US and European charts, selling more than ten million copies.

You can see some of the tributes to Brooker here:

Mark Lanegan has died, aged 57

Sam Richards
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Mark Lanegan has died, aged 57
Former Screaming Trees frontman and renowned solo artist Mark Lanegan has died, aged 57. "Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland," read a statement from his manager. "A beloved singer, songwriter, author and musician he was 57 and is survived by...

Former Screaming Trees frontman and renowned solo artist Mark Lanegan has died, aged 57.

“Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland,” read a statement from his manager. “A beloved singer, songwriter, author and musician he was 57 and is survived by his wife Shelley. No other information is available at this time.”

Lanegan first rose to prominence during the grunge era as the frontman for Screaming Trees, who formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1985. He began a concurrent solo career with 1990’s acclaimed The Winding Sheet and released a further 11 solo albums, the most recent being 2020’s Straight Songs Of Sorrow.

He was also an on-off member of Queens Of The Stone Age, making key contributions to their hit albums Rated R and Songs For The Deaf. A prolific collaborator, Lanegan latterly teamed up for memorable releases with Isobel Campbell, Greg Dulli (as The Gutter Twins), Soulsavers and many more.

In 2020, he released the darkly comic memoir Sing Backwards And Weep, detailing his struggles with addiction alongside his colourful musical escapades and close friendships with the likes of Kurt Cobain and Alice In Chains’ Layne Staley. Last year he published a follow-up, Devil In A Coma, revealing how he nearly died from Covid-19.

“Mark Lanegan was a lovely man,” wrote Peter Hook on Twitter. “He led a wild life that some of us could only dream of. He leaves us with fantastic words and music! Thank god that through all of that he will live forever.”

“Hearing about Mark Lanegan passing away has properly stopped me in my tracks,” wrote Badly Drawn Boy. “I’m absolutely gutted. Met him on a couple of occasions and I was nervous because I loved him so much. He was a perfect gentleman, really kind. One of THE great singers of the last 30 years. So sad”

The 1st Uncut New Music Playlist Of 2022

Sam Richards
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The 1st Uncut New Music Playlist Of 2022
Apologies – we've been a little preoccupied with putting together something special for our 300th issue next month, hence the lack of new music playlists this year so far. But hopefully this bumper selection makes up for it. Behold, exciting new stuff from Fontaines DC, Aldous Harding, Cowboy ...

Apologies – we’ve been a little preoccupied with putting together something special for our 300th issue next month, hence the lack of new music playlists this year so far. But hopefully this bumper selection makes up for it.

Behold, exciting new stuff from Fontaines DC, Aldous Harding, Cowboy Junkies, The Smile and The Weather Station – all of whom you can read about in the current issue of Uncut, in shops now.

There are also early sighters for new albums from Kurt Vile, Daniel Rossen, Rolling Blackouts CF and Hannah Peel, who we’ve just been chatting to for the following issue. Plus the raucous return of The Afghan Whigs and a tonne of other great music that’s been helping us through the storms. Welcome, belatedly, to our world…

FONTAINES DC
“I Love You”
(Partisan)

KURT VILE
“Like Exploding Stones”
(Verve/Virgin)

OUMOU SANGARÉ
“Sarama”
(World Circuit)

THE SMILE
“The Smoke”
(XL)

THE AFGHAN WHIGS
“I’ll Make You See God”
(Royal Cream/BMG)

JO SCHORNIKOW
“Visions”
(Keeled Scales)

ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER
“The Way It Shatters”
(Sub Pop)

RUBBER OH
“Nothing”
(Rocket Recordings)

MDOU MOCTAR
“Nakanegh Dich”
(Matador)

CONGOTRONICS INTERNATIONAL
“Banza Banza”
(Crammed Discs)

ALDOUS HARDING
“Lawn”
(4AD)

COWBOY JUNKIES
“Five Years”
(Proper Records)

DANIEL ROSSEN
“Unpeopled Space”
(Warp)

THE WEATHER STATION
“Endless Time”
(Fat Possum)

PASTOR CHAMPION
“I Just Want To Be A Good Man”
(Luaka Bop)

TOMBERLIN
“Happy Accident”
(Saddle Creek)

COLA
“So Excited”
(Fire Talk)

YE VAGABONDS
“Blue Is The Eye”
(River Lea)

LEYLA McCALLA
“Vini Wè”
(Anti-)

NAIMA BOCK
“Every Morning”
(Sub Pop)

TOM ROGERSON
“Chant”
(Western Vinyl)

HANNAH PEEL & PARAORCHESTRA
“The Unfolding”
(Real World)

ŠIROM
“Grazes, Wrinkles, Drifts Into Sleep”
(Glitterbeat)

David Crosby says he’s unimpressed by Joe Rogan and criticises streamers for “ripping” acts off

Charlotte Krol
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David Crosby says he’s unimpressed by Joe Rogan and criticises streamers for “ripping” acts off
David Crosby has called Joe Rogan "not real impressive" amid detailing in a new interview his reasons for pulling all his music off of Spotify. ORDER NOW: Kate Bush is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut READ MORE: An audience with David Crosby: “I made so many mistakes that I can’...

David Crosby has called Joe Rogan “not real impressive” amid detailing in a new interview his reasons for pulling all his music off of Spotify.

Earlier this month, the member of the disbanded folk supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash (which when completed by Neil Young were known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) joined his former bandmates in support of Young’s demand that his music be erased from Spotify.

Young took particular aim at controversial podcaster Joe Rogan – a prominent skeptic of the COVID vaccine who has a $100million exclusivity contract with Spotify – pointing out widespread misinformation shared through his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience.

“We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify’s Joe Rogan podcast,” Crosby, who also performs solo, said along with the group in a joint statement via his social media.

Now, in an interview with Stereogum, Crosby has expanded on his decision to shun Spotify and remove his music from the platform. He also made it clear that he takes issue with all streaming services – not just Spotify, with which Rogan has the lucrative content deal.

“Here’s how I feel about it. I think Joe Rogan is… eh, not real impressive. But I think he has a right to spew his garbage. He has a right to do it. I think Spotify has a right to put him up there,” Crosby said.

“I absolutely will fight for their right to do that. I have a right to not be associated with it. I told a friend this morning, ‘Listen man, if I was selling my records in a marketplace, I don’t want to be selling them next to some spoiled meat.’

“That’s why I don’t want to be on the same platform as Joe Rogan. He’s calling people the n word all the time. He’s talking about women as if they’re a mouth and a pair of tits. He doesn’t really represent me at all, so I don’t want to be there with him.

“That’s all I said. I said I’m removing me. I’m not trying censor him or you. That’s of course the first thing that all his fans said: ‘This is censorship! You used to be a hippie!’ I still am. I still have the exact same set of values. I just don’t want to be associated with that guy.”

He continued: “With me, you have to understand – I don’t like Spotify. I don’t like any of the streamers, because they don’t pay us properly.”

Additionally, Crosby indicated that the Rogan controversy was the last straw in terms of him personally eschewing digital streaming services (DSPs).

Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan. Image: Michael S. Schwartz / Getty Images

When asked by the interviewer if he would want his music returned to Spotify should it remove Rogan’s podcast, Crosby said: “No, I don’t want to be in there. I don’t like ’em and their quality’s lousy and their payscale’s lousy and I don’t want anything to do with them.”

He added that he does “not envision going back” to the platform.

Crosby also stressed that he’s knows that he’s financially able to reject having his music on DSPs but that smaller acts don’t have as much choice.

“In principle, I think everybody should pull their stuff off [streaming platforms] but I don’t think most people can afford to simply because even the pittance they pay is better than nothing for most people.”

Since Young issued his demand in January, Joni Mitchell, Stewart Lee and cult alternative rockers Failure have followed suit in requesting their music be pulled.

Elizabeth Fraser announces first release in 13 years

Rhian Daly
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Elizabeth Fraser announces first release in 13 years
Elizabeth Fraser has announced her first new release in 13 years as part of this year’s Record Store Day output. ORDER NOW: Kate Bush is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut READ MORE: Cocteau Twins – Treasure Hiding: The 
Fontana Years review The former Cocteau Twins singer’...

Elizabeth Fraser has announced her first new release in 13 years as part of this year’s Record Store Day output.

The former Cocteau Twins singer’s last record came in 2009 with the single “Moses”, although she has collaborated with other artists on their own material since then.

In April, she will share a new five-song EP under the name Sun’s Signature – a new project she has formed with her partner Damon Reece, who has played the drums for Spiritualized among other artists. The self-titled EP will feature some familiar tracks to Fraser fans, including the rare 2000 single “Underwater” and two songs she played during a solo appearance at 2012’s Meltdown Festival, “Golden Air” and “Make Lovely The Day”.

The record will be completed by two tracks called “Bluedusk” and “Apples”. The EP will be released via Rough Trade on April 23.

Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Fraser. Image: Patrick Ford / Redferns

Among the collaborative projects Fraser has taken on in recent years is work with Oneohtrix Point Never on a new version of his track “Tales From The Trash Stratum”. The reworked take on the song was released last year and sees Fraser’s vocals laid over plucked strings and keys, which replace the original’s frantic, glitching synths.

In 2020, meanwhile, she teamed up with Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi, appearing on his track “Cannibal”. “When Sigur Rós was starting, we were always compared to Cocteau Twins and I really didn’t like that,” Jónsi said at the time. “I hated being compared to anybody. Then I got really into Cocteau Twins like two or three years ago. They’re so good. I understood the comparison then.”

Fraser’s new release is one of hundreds of new records that have been announced for this year’s Record Store Day. Returning for the 15th time, RSD will see hundreds of vinyl, CD and cassette releases sold exclusively through independent record shops – with over 260 stores from every corner of the UK and thousands around the world taking part in the celebrations.

The releases for 2022 include output from the likes of Blur, Taylor Swift, Elvis, Bring Me The Horizon, Pinkpantheress, Sam Fender, Blondie and many more. Check out the full list here.

BMG acquires publishing and royalty rights to John Lee Hooker’s music

Cillian Breathnach
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BMG acquires publishing and royalty rights to John Lee Hooker’s music
BMG has acquired the rights to the music of legendary blues musician John Lee Hooker. The deal covers the publishing, recording and performance rights to most of his catalogue. ORDER NOW: Kate Bush is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut READ MORE: John Lee Hooker – King Of The Boogie...

BMG has acquired the rights to the music of legendary blues musician John Lee Hooker. The deal covers the publishing, recording and performance rights to most of his catalogue.

Hooker’s publishing catalogue was acquired from his estate in a joint deal with BMG and Fujipacific music. The entirety of the rights to his recorded and performance royalties has also been acquired solely by BMG, as well as a selection of the recording copyrights from 1980 onwards.

No financial details of the deal were revealed.

The deal means that a number of parties still own parts of Hooker’s catalogue, however BMG will now take a lead role in managing it. The acquisition follows many other similar ones carried out by BMG and other large firms.

Other blues artists represented by (or whose catalogue is owned by) BMG include Son House, Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Mississippi Fred McDowell.

Hooker’s estate is managed by JAM Inc. CEO Jeff Jampol said in a statement: “As the longtime managers of the John Lee Hooker estate, JAM, Inc was happy to help the estate and BMG conclude this transaction.

“We are very pleased that an artist-first company like BMG will be the stewards of this great legacy moving forward, and we are grateful to remain in a consulting and management role of the John Lee Hooker legacy, in partnership with BMG, moving forward.

“This is a rare triple-win for everyone: the Hooker family, BMG, and for the millions of John Lee Hooker fans all across the world. We can’t wait to see, and be a part of, what’s coming next!”

BMG’s Thomas Scherer added: “BMG is proud to be the definitive home of John Lee Hooker’s music, one of the key inspirations and foundation stones of popular music. BMG will ensure John Lee Hooker’s legacy is honoured and respected wherever and whenever John Lee Hooker’s music is used, performed, recorded or sold.”

Watch Beach House perform Once Twice Melody songs live for the first time

Will Lavin
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Watch Beach House perform Once Twice Melody songs live for the first time
Beach House kicked off their US tour in Pittsburgh last Friday (February 18), and they gave live debuts to a number of tracks from new LP Once Twice Melody. ORDER NOW: Kate Bush is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut READ MORE: Beach House – Once Twice Melody review The Baltimore ...

Beach House kicked off their US tour in Pittsburgh last Friday (February 18), and they gave live debuts to a number of tracks from new LP Once Twice Melody.

The Baltimore duo – comprised of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally – released the follow-up to 2018’s 7 in four separate parts, with the final instalment arriving Friday.

Beach House’s show at Pittsburgh’s Stage AE saw them give multiple songs from the album – “Pink Funeral”, “Superstar”, “Masquerade”, “New Romance” and the title track – their live debut.

You can check out some clips from the show below:

Beach House played:

“Once Twice Melody” (Live debut)
“Silver Soul”
“Dark Spring”
“PPP”
“Pink Funeral” (Live debut)
“Lazuli”
“Beyond Love”
“Superstar” (Live debut)
“Bluebird”
“Masquerade” (Live debut)
“Myth”
“Drunk In LA”
“Take Care”
“New Romance” (Live debut)
“Somewhere Tonight”
“Girl Of The Year”
“Space Song”
“Lemon Glow”

Beach House will kick off a UK and European tour in May; the stint includes a headline performance at the O2 Academy Brixton in London – remaining tickets can be found here.

The full schedule is as follows:

MAY 2022

21 – The National Stadium, Dublin
23 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
24 – Manchester Academy, Manchester
26 – O2 Academy Brixton, London
28 – De Roma, Antwerp
30 – Ancienne Belgique, Brussels
31 – L’Olympia, Paris

JUNE 2022

2 – Paloma, Nimes
4 – Primavera Sound Festival, Barcelona
7 – Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne
8 – Columbiahalle, Berlin
9 – Falkoner Centre, Copenhagen

Paul McCartney announces Got Back US tour dates

Damian Jones
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Paul McCartney announces Got Back US tour dates
Paul McCartney has announced his plans for a tour of North America in the spring. The legendary Beatle will hit the road for 14 dates, kicking off in Washington on April 28. His tour will call at Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston and Baltimore before wrapping in East Rutherford in New Jersey on June 1...

Paul McCartney has announced his plans for a tour of North America in the spring.

The legendary Beatle will hit the road for 14 dates, kicking off in Washington on April 28. His tour will call at Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston and Baltimore before wrapping in East Rutherford in New Jersey on June 16.

Pre-sale tickets for the jaunt go on sale on Tuesday (February 22) at 12pm local time, before they go on general next Friday (25th) at 10am local time. You can purchase tickets here.

The Got Back tour will be McCartney’s first since his FRESHEN UP tour wrapped up in July 2019.

“I said at the end of the last tour that I’d see you next time. I said I was going to get back to you. Well, I got back!” he said of Got Back.

Elsewhere, an NFT of McCartney’s handwritten notes for “Hey Jude” recently sold for over $76,000 (£56,136).

Six Beatles-related NFTs sold for a combined $158,720 (£117,236), with McCartney’s personal “Hey Jude” notes coming in as the biggest-seller.

The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” arrived as a standalone single in August 1968 ahead of the group releasing their classic White Album later that year. The track remains a staple of McCartney’s solo concerts.

In other news, The Beatles’ legendary 1969 rooftop performance from Get Back was recently released as a live album on major streaming platforms for the first time.

The unannounced gig took place on top of Apple Corps’ headquarters on Savile Row in London, marking the Fab Four’s final public performance of their career.

Dallas Good, founder of Canadian rockers The Sadies, has died aged 48

Will Richards
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Dallas Good, founder of Canadian rockers The Sadies, has died aged 48
Dallas Good, founder of Canadian rockers The Sadies, has died aged 48. The band's label in the United States, Yep Roc, confirmed the news that Good died “of natural causes while under doctor’s care for a coronary illness discovered earlier this week.” The label's full statement read: "We...

Dallas Good, founder of Canadian rockers The Sadies, has died aged 48.

The band’s label in the United States, Yep Roc, confirmed the news that Good died “of natural causes while under doctor’s care for a coronary illness discovered earlier this week.”

The label’s full statement read: “We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of our dear friend, Dallas Good, of the Sadies. He died on Thursday, February 17 of natural causes while under doctor’s care for a coronary illness discovered earlier this week. He was 48 years old.

“Dallas was such a special individual who is in one of my favourite bands of all time,” said Glenn Dicker, co-owner of Yep Roc Records. “We’ve lost a cornerstone of the label. The Sadies have always been the band to watch and hear out there for me. I am grateful to you, Dallas, for so many great shows, spine shaking music and good times. I’ll never stop listening.”

“Since their formation in 1994, Sadies have developed, even perfected, a style of music that is uniquely their own. Their first record with Yep Roc was 2002’s Stories Often Told and over the past 20 years on the label, they’ve released six studio albums, a live record, a soundtrack and collaborations with both Andre Williams and John Doe. Last month, the band shared their latest single, “Message to Belial”, produced by Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire.

“We send our love + condolences to Dallas’ family, friends and fans during this devastating time. The stage is dark today with the all too soon passing of one of music’s brightest lights.

“We love you, Dallas. Rest In Peace.”

The Sadies were founded by Good and his brother Travis in 1994, releasing debut album Precious Moments in 1998. The band emerged as frontrunners of the alt-country scene of the early to mid 2000s. Across their career, they collaborated with Kurt Vile, Neil Young, Neko Case and more.

In the wake of the news of Good’s death, tributes have poured in across social media. Legendary producer Steve Albini wrote: “Just got word of Dallas Good of the Sadies passing. He was a beautiful guy and naturally gifted musician. Opened every conversation laughing, a warm, unpretentious soul. Everybody who knew him feels like they lost a brother. Requiescat.”

He added: “I had the pleasure of recording the Sadies several times, and the down time was as memorable as the sessions. Dallas and his brother Travis two peas in a pod, speaking the pidgin English native to Canada. Bottlers, Peameal, pylon…

“Less anthropologic than fraternally generous, they let me in and as much as I feel the loss I retain the warmth of their company and am grateful. Good man down.”

Fucked Up’s Damian Abraham added: “I got to play, blaze and become friends with a god. Trying to live in those good memories. I love you Dallas. RIP.”

See other tributes to Dallas Good from Ron Sexsmith, members of Arcade Fire and more, below.

John McLaughlin: “I need structure in order to leave structure”

John Lewis
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John McLaughlin: “I need structure in order to leave structure”
On January 4, John McLaughlin celebrated his 80th birthday – but he shows no sign of slowing down. “I will not pass the day without meditation and yoga,” he tells Uncut. “It’s like eating breakfast. It’s as stimulating for me as working with Herbie or Miles.” McLaughlin is speaking to ...

On January 4, John McLaughlin celebrated his 80th birthday – but he shows no sign of slowing down. “I will not pass the day without meditation and yoga,” he tells Uncut. “It’s like eating breakfast. It’s as stimulating for me as working with Herbie or Miles.” McLaughlin is speaking to Uncut on Zoom from his home in Monaco, where he has lived since the 1980s, and where he still practises the guitar every day. “For me, playing electric guitar is like riding a motorbike – it comes easily. But the acoustic guitar, that’s like riding a pushbike in the Tour de France. It’s hard, physical work and I need to keep myself in shape. Since Covid, I’ve barely been able to play live, and I feel like an athlete preparing for a race that’s never happening. But I’ll keep on doing it.”

McLaughlin was born in Doncaster, although, having lived around the world for more than 50 years, he has long lost any traces of Yorkshire from his speech. As a teenager, he relocated to London where – by the time he was 25 – had assembled the kind of CV that most rock musicians would kill for. He’d played guitar with everyone from the Stones and Tom Jones to Georgie Fame and The Four Tops, and worked with top-flight producers including George Martin, Burt Bacharach and Tony Visconti. But despite these substantive achievements, something wasn’t right.

“The problem is that, as a session player, you had no autonomy,” McLaughlin says. “You were told exactly what to play. For a creative musician, this is torture.” So, in mid-1967, McLaughlin jacked in his lucrative session career to concentrate on his first love – jazz. Only 18 months later he found himself flying out to New York where, within a few days, he was recording with some of his jazz heroes and helping to create a brand new genre: jazz rock. McLaughlin became the first-choice guitarist for every jazzer who wanted to plug in and connect with the world of rock’n’roll, and for every rocker who wanted some jazz intensity. In 1969, he kicked off a friendship with Miles Davis, one that would
last until Miles’ death in 1991. He fronted the pioneering Lifetime, with fellow Miles alumni Tony Williams on drums, and formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a jazz-rock supergroup that could pack arenas around the world.

In the last 50 years McLaughlin has immersed himself in dozens of genres – North and South Indian classical music, heavy-duty fusion, Hammond funk, flamenco, contemporary orchestral music and straight-ahead jazz. Much of it is compiled in his latest album, a collection of live performances that McLaughlin has played at the Montreux Jazz Festival over the last half century. “I think I’ve played Montreux 21 times with more than 50 different musicians,” he says. “The eight tracks on this album are something of a greatest hits for me.”

What’s your first memory of the Montreux Jazz Festival?

I first went in 1971. It was already well established, but it would soon become the most important jazz festival on the planet. I’ve been playing there since the mid-’70s, it’s such a beautiful part of the world. I always loved the late Claude Nobs, who founded the festival in 1967. He was actually a chef but he was so passionate about jazz and soul that he started this festival for the Montreux Tourist Office. One man’s passion changed the entire economy of Switzerland!

Inside Uncut’s new visionary folk CD

Tom Pinnock
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Inside Uncut’s new visionary folk CD
The new issue of Uncut, dated April 2022 and available now, comes with a free CD comprising tracks from 15 new folk visionaries: Blackwaterside. CLICK HERE TO GET THE NEW UNCUT DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR Subtitled Sounds Of The New Weird Albion, the compilation features songs from the lik...

The new issue of Uncut, dated April 2022 and available now, comes with a free CD comprising tracks from 15 new folk visionaries: Blackwaterside.

Subtitled Sounds Of The New Weird Albion, the compilation features songs from the likes of Jim Ghedi, Sam Lee, Michael Tanner, Modern Nature, Waterless Hills and more.

1 MICHAEL TANNER
Ecce Quadragesimo Tertio
We begin our exploration into the wild margins of modern British folk with this hushed, twilit piece from Lewes-based musician Tanner. It’s the opening track to his recent Vespers album, the rest of which was recorded live in his local graveyard at dusk.

2 THE LEFT OUTSIDES
As Night Falls
Are You Sure I Was There? is the latest long-playing transmission from the London duo of Alison Cotton and Mark Nicholas. “As Night Falls” is one of its glowering highlights, with nods to The Velvet Underground and Low.

3 CATH & PHIL TYLER
The Old Churchyard
This traditional tune gets a sympathetic, sparse reworking from the Newcastle-based pair, harmonies beautifully intertwining over a sole picked guitar. Originally released on the Tylers’ To The Dust EP, in aid of East London’s Café OTO.

4 HENRY PARKER
The Brisk Lad
Mike Waterson and Richard Dawson have both performed a cappella versions of this dark tale of desperation and sheep-rustling, while on 2021’s Lammas Fair, Parker electrifies and extends it. The result is a slow-building epic that blossoms into some stunning duelling guitar solos.

5 ROB ST JOHN
Surface Tension
Recently reissued on vinyl by Blackford Hill, here’s a taster of the Lancashire musician’s experimental suite. A conceptual piece examining London’s River Lea, it mixes plaintive melodies, piano and picked guitars with Basinski-esque loops degraded in the waterway’s polluted channels.

6 BURD ELLEN
The High Priestess And The Hierophant
This new, limited single finds the questing Glasgow duo of Debbie Armour and Gayle Brogan pairing a minor-key trad lament with ambient sweeps of sound that only serve to underscore the mournful tale.

7 WATERLESS HILLS
The Garden Of The Tribe
This Brit quartet mixed trad folk with Eastern modes and free exploration on their beguiling debut, 2020’s The Great Mountain. Here’s a short, sweet and uptempo track, recorded live. As with the rest of the LP, its title was inspired by pioneering traveller Freya Stark.

8 MODERN NATURE
Blackwaterside
While Jack Cooper’s jazz influences have come to the fore on Modern Nature’s latest album Island Of Noise, there’s always been a deep and timeless folk current running through his subtle, filigreed music. This take on the trad classic, most memorably recorded by Bert Jansch, originally appeared on 2019’s Nature EP.

9 LAURA CANNELL
Memory And Desire
2020’s The Earth With Her Crowns found the Norfolk-based musician recording inside East London’s Wapping Hydraulic Power Station. She also sings and plays wind instruments, but it’s on the violin that she really excels, sounding here like a cross between John Cale and Dave Swarbrick.

10 SAM LEE FEATURING ELIZABETH FRASER
The Moon Shines Bright
A fervent collector of folk songs, Lee placed the traditional music he loved into smoother, richer settings on 2019’s Old Wow. As if Bernard Butler’s production wasn’t sumptuous enough, here he welcomes Elizabeth Fraser as a sublime guest vocalist.

11 AMY MAY ELLIS
A Fresh Drone
Raised on the North Yorkshire Moors, Ellis has retained some of that wildness in her music. Harmonising against herself on this pensive original from her recent EP, When In The Wind, she’s also accompanied by distant field recordings for a dreamlike edge.

12 DUNCAN MARQUISS
Minor History
Marquiss’ debut solo album, Wires Turned Sideways In Time is a fine mix of the modern and the traditional, with picked acoustic guitar meditations, kosmische lead guitar and washes of processed sound. The LP closer, “Minor History” starts in one place and ends up in another.

13 JON WILKS
John Riley
Like Cath & Phil Tyler, writer and musician Jon Wilks takes a sparse, unvarnished approach to traditional folk. Here’s a highlight from 2021’s Up The Cut, his third solo LP, an impressive set of rediscovered folk songs originally from Birmingham and the Midlands.

14 JIM GHEDI
Lamentations Of Round Oak Waters
Ghedi made his name as a guitarist, but last year’s In The Furrows Of Common Place documented the finding of his striking, unruly voice. “Lamentations…”, driven by a harmonium drone, finds the songwriter repurposing a piece by Northamptonshire poet John Clare (currently having quite the moment as a songwriting inspiration, 158 years after his death).

15 ARIANNE CHURCHMAN & BENEDICT DREW
The Branched Body To A Maypole
Two mixed-media artists with an interest in folklore and weird customs, Churchman and Drew released their two-track LP, May, on the latter’s Thanet Tape Centre label in 2020. Mixing traditional song with all manner of cut-up sounds and drones, the result is thrillingly reminiscent of Broadcast & The Focus Group, White Noise and The Wicker Man soundtrack.

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