MV Arcadia

The P&O ship Arcadia was my home for 24 days from 31st August for a long-awaited cruise to the US and Canada.  A long trip with GirlRed and 6 good friends.

Pygmalion

Saw this at the Saturday matinee on 6th August.  I'm familiar with the story but only from My Fair Lady.  I hadn't realised how witty Bernard Shaw's original play is.  This fine cast gave a wonderful performance in the small intimate Garrick Theatre.  This was a plus as every nuance of the language (and let's face it the langauage is what this is about on so many levels); every expression was available to the appreciative audience.  Rupert Everett and Diana Rigg being the stars of the show but with string support from Peter Eyre (Pickering) Roberta Taylor (Mrs Pearce) and a wonderful Alfred Doolittle in Michael Feast.  Kara Tointon is the popular draw in this production fresh from mainstream Come Dancing success and a long stint in Eastenders.  Her inclusion is no waste of a great part on a name without talent.  This beautiful young woman tranforms from the waif of the street urchin we first see berating the toffs in the West End.  Her delivery of the classic lines (posh voice - common in vocabulary and subjects) are wonderful.  A talent that won't fade after this initial burst - the producers must have thanked their lucky stars that not only would her popularity be a draw but she has the skill and stage presence to match.  Everett's performance is subtle in that he just is Higgins - perhaps only after the final curtain am I realising how good he was.  Seeing this initial cast was a treat.

BoyRed 8Tracks Radio!

I have recently discovered www.8tracks.com/boyred where i have started to post some mixes. I have reposted those listed on the Mixed Up Boy Page as the original postings on www.soundcloud.com/boyred are long and using up my timed capacity.  8Tracks is a great way to hear new music. You can only post individual tracks at this point. Must be over 8 in number and not more than two from any given album.  Check it out.

Update: December 2019 8Tracks has finally thrown in the towel after struggling financially for some time - it'll be missed.

Janet Jackson - Royal Albert Hall, London - 2nd July 2011

This was altogether superb and frustrating in one show. The good? Miss Jackson and her band and dancers deliver all you would expect. She is in fine form both physically, amazing dance routines, and vocally. Supported by a tight band and using the "Up Close and Personal" banner to play three nights at the Albert. One of those shows where the hits surprise you as they keep coming. Highlights for me "Love Will Never Do", "Escapade", "That's The Way Love Goes" and "Alright". Playing to the faithful, the fans lapped it up - many knowing not only every word but all the moves too.

The video singalong to "Scream" with Michael was obviously well received and whilst she could have dwelled on the obvious she moved on and it is to her credit that she did so.  She is an artist in her own right with a strong setlist and whilst she acknowledged her part in the dynasty it was all about Janet on the night.

Frustrating - who produced this show? the start with "Nasty" video played in full was one thing; the pause after what must have been an exhausting run through many of the danceable uptempo numbers was necessary but meant a full 10 minutes of seeing Janet the actress in various parts through her career on video - this should have been cut shorter and editing could have made the whole thing sharper.  It seemed to be at first appreciated then a signal for the bar for a lot of people.  When she reappeared we were treated to a sat on stool in mid stage ballad section and then a 15 minute intermission. Stop start stop start. Not good.

The second half was better in that the hits came fast a furious and the dancing group 80s style was quite something.  I'm normally not one this type of show but it's been part of what we expect from her for so long, and she can do it all - that it worked well.  The surpise for me was i kept thinking how the shwo would have woked well at the O2 whereas i'm normally there wishing for a smaller venue.

So fab artist, songs and performances - for me the edge taken off by the structure of the show but maybe i'm just being picky.

Gil Scott-Heron Saved My Life

After a traumatic childhood Abdul Malik Al Nasir seemed to be heading for jail or an early death. Then, at the age of 18, he met the famous poet and musician – with remarkable consequences

I read with interest this article in the Guardian by an associate of Gil Scott-Heron's - which shows that this man walked the walk.  When he talked of helping fellow men - he meant it and demonstrated how.  I've read a number of obituaries over the last few weeks for him as an artist - this is a fitting testament to the man.

Read the Full Article

Bobby Womack - Jazz Cafe, London - 21st June 2011

Anyone visiting this site before will probably know that BW is one of my musical heroes (See Post - In Appreciation of..) Since I was about 13 (and prior to that if i'd known he was responsible for "It's All Over Now").  I have seen him twice before - once in about 1976 and then later during the Only Survivor phase in 1988.  I hoped to see him again but drug and health problems made it look like it was unlikely. Then he surfaces in Gorillaz last year, appearring at Glastonbury and on Jools' Later... There was hope.

Thanks to SC for the early tip of the four nights at the intimate venue of the Jazz Cafe in Camden.  This was a show to die for.  14 musicians on stage - all his rather than some pick up band.  They knew his moves.  His set list was built to please.  The American Studios 70's hits - "Harry Hippie" about his wayward brother, "That's The Way I Feel 'Bout 'Cha" and my favourites "Across 110th Street" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out".

He told us that he hadn't been well and it showed in his lack of confident balance and, whilst his voice broke in some of those gravelly shouts of some tunes, he made it more times than not and at any level he delivered.  He gave thanks and paid tribute to past stars, Sam Cooke (his mentor), Wilson Pickett, Janis Joplin, James Brown.  There was a moving moment when on the mention of Marvin the room picked up on the hummed melody of "What's Going On" and took it over without him.  He didn't dwell but moved onto his Gospel roots and then through the 80's hits of "Daylight" and "I Wish He Wouldn't Trust Me So Much" A soul standard written probably a decade out of time but thrilling here all the same.  This is a true soul man.

The crowd on Tuesday including Rod Stewart (and Penny Lancaster), Mick Hucknall, Ronnie Wood, Kenny Jones and Glen Matlock appreciated they were in the presence of class.  As Mick Brown wrote in the Telegraph after Monday's show "...this was a demonstration of a noble and vanishing musical tradition, and of a great artist raging against the dying of the light."

Special mention to long term side vocalist Altrinna Grayson, who has a belter of a voice and acted as his aid throughout.  This was an event and not just another great gig.

Mick Brown's Telegraph Review - Link

In Appreciation of.... Daryl Hall And John Oates in the 70s

The first time I heard these guys was when UK radio picked up on "She's Gone" in 1973.  I'm a soul fan so I was hooked.  Investigation of the "Abandoned Luncheonette" Album was a joy.  Produced by Arif Mardin for Atlantic - they delivered a classic which has not been given the credit it deserves.  I love "Laughing Boy" and Everytime I Look At You" which ends with an instrumental run through America - from bluegrass violins and banjos to rock guitar.

They moved forward using Todd Rundgren for "War Babies" resulting in more great songs ("Beanie G and The Rose Tattoo"; "Can't Stop The Music") with a little less smooth production - more pop rock than rock n soul.  "No Goodbyes" was their third and last for Atlantic and included some out takes from the earlier sessions - it was seen as a contract filler by the critics.

Their first album "Whole Oats" is also worth finding - it includes "I'm Sorry" which was later covered by Justin Heyward of the Moody Blues and, "Fall In Philadelphia" again good songs all round. 

A move to RCA followed and the self titled (but known as "the silver album") lp was issued showing a progression of the rock n soul sound.  "Back Together Again" an uptempo opener is a great start but the killer for all was "Sara Smile" a number 1 in the USA; prompting Atlantic to re-issue "She's Gone" which made no 7 in 1976.  "Bigger Than Both Of Us" followed that year with "Rich Girl" being their new signature song.  This was really popular in the UK.  My favourite duo were at last breaking ground here.  Thank goodness as that brought them to the UK and I was able to see a blinding show at the Hammersmith Odeon.  They issued "Beauty On A Back Street" in '77 and this was less immediately accessible but they had grown and tracks like "Winged Bull" showed their development.  I particularly love "Bad Habits And Infections" a grower but worth the investment. 

These two have entries on the Lost Record Covers Club.

Same for "AlongThe Red Ledge" which followed, more rock oriented but delivers.

A continuation of the sound followed but with a nod to disco-dance which was king at the that time was included in "X-Static" which also includes a much lost and forgotten "Running From Paradise" and the hit " Wait For Me" - this track is a brilliant song but the live performance on "Rock n Soul part 1" is better in my opinion.  "Portable Radio" was a turntable hit here in Britain but not released as a single in the US - a mistake.

More about the 80's another time - they are seen as eighties hit makers but their career has a legacy in the 70s which deserves attention.

All these albums are available on CD except "No GoodByes" which is listed on Amazon but rarely in stock - if you see a vinyl copy, it's worth a try.

Let's Get This Party Started

Here's the happy Mr Edison giving his all on the first sound recording ever made...

"The Music Goes Round And Round"

The post about the Louis Barfe book made we relook at the other books I have on the history of the record industry.  I would recommend the following for anyone who is interested in the whole story from Edison onwards.  "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?" is one of the few that, as it is more recently written (2004) can bring you right up to date.  The following are books covering the story from the late 1800s through to the 1970s - so pre CD, pre digital, Napster, Apple etc.

The widely acknowledged master is Roland Gelatt's "The Fabulous Phonograph 1877-1977" which was first published in 1954 and updated in a second edition in 1977.   This is the starting point I would recommend as it lays out the problems and events of a technology based business intertwining with entertainment for the first time (pre film, TV etc).  The phonograph was the first invention of Edison to get him noticed, although he would go on to contribute to the development of the commercial use of electricity, invent the light bulb, the carbon microphone, the Kinetogaph and thousand others.  A history well written and less about the music more about the industry.

"Putting The Record Straight" by John Culshaw pubished in 1981 is a personal history of Culshaw's career with British Decca as a musical director.  As you would expect given his direct relationship with the artists this is a more musical story and certainly helped me build on my knowledge.

"On And Off The Record" by Elizabeth Schwartkopf is her memoir of Walter Legge, the EMI producer of some of the major classical recordings of his time.  Scwartzkopf was his wife and she combined Legge's own writings together with her own memories of her husband's career.  This would be more interesting to fans of classical music as it gives an insight into the prima donnas of the day, the challenges faced with recording large orchestras performing long compositions without the recording and editing technologies available today.

"The Music Goes Round And Round" is a collection of writing by Raymond Horricks and Peter Gammond covering many aspects of the business including the role of producer; the engineer;  the effects of the pop explosion of the 50s and 60s; Marketing and The Media.  Again this, after the first two mentioned here, would provide anyone with an understanding of the development of this, let's face it, fairly young industry.

All of these are available although probably second hand - the Gelatt in it's second edition can go for up to £50 and the Culshaw more, so shop around.

Apologies for the scans here - i'll try and get better at this.

Where Have All The Good Times Gone?

It's hard to think that 120 years ago the only way of sharing a song was to sing it or play it on the piano that sat in most middle class families' parlours. 

Sub-titled "the rise and fall of the record industry" this book by Louis Barfe is one of the best I've read about the history of commercial recorded sound.  The benchmark here will always be Roland Gelatt's "The Fabulous Phonograph" and this comes close but as the former was written during the sixties boom there is a lot to say by way of updating the history.  This does so admirably, pulling on interviews with those who were there, from artists, managers and industry figures - reflecting on innovations like the advent of CD; the decline of former majors like British Decca; or giving a picture of the personalities who drove an industry both up - riding the various booms of the post war baby boom teen explosion or the re-marketing of established catalogues on new formats and; down - failing to realise that you can't control internet distribution in the same way that you can physical product.

I was particularly interested in the sections covering the rise of PolyGram and the launch of CD as I was there and I know that Barfe has captured the mood of the industry at the time perfectly.  The earlier sections covering the format battles of Phonograph and Graphophone, the mono and stereo debate and the "speed battles" of the 40's and 50's with the arrival of 45 and 33rpm microgroove reflect similar battles repeated later over VHS/Betamax, Cassette, MiniDisc, 8-tracks etc.  Makes you wonder why they didn't learn.

The epilogue chapter in the book (which was published in 2004) covers the aftermath of the Napster cases; the resulting threatening stance of the industry taking legal action against users of peer to peer networks and filesharing sites in a dogged determination to hold onto the past irrespective of technical innovation and; the arrival of Apple into the music business with i-Tunes and the i-Pod.

I would highly recommend this to anyone interested as a background to what's sitting on their shelves (or indeed stored on their hard drives) - it's not only an informative but a well written and entertaining history of our times and those of our parents and grandparents.

link to amazon page - Louis Barfe

The Persuasions - "Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love" (1974)

And try I did for about 30 years to find this single again (why - see ""The Lost And Found") and like the proverbial London buses two come along at once.  After a determined search through many a singles box at the London VIP fair in April, I tried ebay for the 100th time.  Amazingly a search produced the single and the vinyl album it came from.  Thinking that if I go for the single only and the quality is poor, I might not have another 30 years of search left in me,  I bought both.

This is a real gem of a single.  A live performance of the Motown song, written by my faves Norman Whitfield and Barret Strong, recorded by many artists usually as an album track or B side.  Marvin, Jimmy Ruffin, Edwin Starr, but for me the definitive Motown version was always the Temptations take on the "Sky's The Limit" album.  The Persuasions are an accapella group with a history dating back to the mid 60s.  Still going strong they have a definitive sound with gospel, doo-wop and soul to the fore.

The album "More Than Before" has a live side with covers of Bobby Womack, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Temptations songs. This was their first album on A+M since switching from Island and the new label caught some of their regular set to start the next phase of their career.  Another change was the studio side is with instruments and added to the usual flavour.

I love this and it was worth the wait.


A+M - AMS 7123 (UK Single) -
A+M - AMLS 63635 (UK album "More Than Before")
45Cat entry - http://www.45cat.com/artist/the-persuasions

GT Moore and The Reggae Guitars - "I'm Still Waiting"

Lost and Found indeed.  In 1974 I went to see Kokomo and Betty Wright (riding high at the time with "Where Is The Love?") at The Roundhouse in North London.  At the bottom of the bill was a band with one single to it's name.  They were wonderful - looking more hippy than hip, more psychedelic than soul, more rock than reggae - but they were GREAT. 

Signed to Charisma which was then a small label
(pre Genesis success) with a diverse roster but mainly in the rock genre and mainly album releases.

This single (their first) is a cover of the Diana Ross classic written by Deke Richards.  It's a pop gem.  See what you think.  I found this on ebay for £5 - worth every penny - 36 years old and in mint condition.  There was an album which has varied reviews across the web - I think this is the highlight.

Charisma Single CB 236.

http://www.45cat.com/record/cb236

PS - The B Side " Judgement Day" is also a lost gem.

All The Fun Of The Fair

I spent a long day at the VIP Music Fair on 16th April, something I've not done for some time.  Interesting to see how the dynamics of these events has changed.  To me there were less specialists with the big displays of high value items and more of the "pile it high and flog it cheap brigade" frankly I like the latter as i'm not a completist wanting a particular item due to a particular colour on a label or a catalogue number.  I just want the music on a good condition/quality carrier.  On occasion I buy stuff for old times sake (see my posts labelled "the lost and found") but they can be available in the £2 singles box just as much as some specialist with singles marked up for exorbitant prices.  I did see the Chuck Jackson single i've been after but for £30 i can afford to buy the CD when I can find it (it's been deleted too now).

I particularly liked the two german guys with a stall full of new unused 7" singles from the 70s and 80s - who cares that they're on the european label or catalogue numbers.

So what did I get

Singles by Splinter, The Original Mirrors; Rare Earth; Pacific Eardrum; Steve Winwood (Valerie); New Birth (a fantastic version of Bobby Womack's "I Can Understand It"); One from my wants list Monsoon "Ever So Lonely" classic!; as is The Maisonettes "Heartache Avenue" and "Latin Hustle" by Eddie Drennon; Another gem in Wah! "The Story Of The Blues" - amongst others.

It Was A Good Day.