My latest obsession is Sonja Kristina and Curved Air. I recall Curved Air's hit, 'Back Street Luv', from 1971 (I think they only had the one hit) with its mysterious, throbbing sound fronted by the exotic Sonja. Sonja was also in the London production of 'Hair' in which she played the role of love-lorn Crissy.
I've been listening to 'Back Street Luv' and am delighted to learn that Sonja didn't just vanish when Curved Air split in the mid-70s, but continued making music and, indeed, touring. Curved Air have got back together as well. I will delve further...
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Rain Stops Play In The Woods
Tonight I went to my first ever event in the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in, um, Regent's Park. We were there to see Sondheim's 'Into The Woods' in what you'd think was the perfect setting, an open air stage surrounded by the trees and wildlife of the park. Unfortunately, 'open air' means 'no roof'.
I'd previously seen 'Into The Woods' at the Landor Theatre in Clapham so it was nice to see it on a much larger stage with a much larger budget thrown at it. Heading to the bar at half-time I had to admit I was thoroughly enjoying it, some great singing and acting, nice gothic costumes, nice multi-level set and the two Princes reminded me of Zaphod Beeblebrox from 'Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'.
The second half started and then I felt a spot of rain. O no. I went into denial that it was starting to rain and then the heavens opened. The two Princes were in the middle of their big song and gamely continued, after which they received great applause. Then the voice of god told them to leave the stage and us, the audience, to head for shelter in the bar. And then told to leave since the rain was in for the night. We can exchange tickets for another performance so I've emailed the theatre a list of dates I can make so here's hoping for good tickets.
Here's a photo of the climbing-frame stage with the crew spreading plastic sheeting to protect the ground.
I'd previously seen 'Into The Woods' at the Landor Theatre in Clapham so it was nice to see it on a much larger stage with a much larger budget thrown at it. Heading to the bar at half-time I had to admit I was thoroughly enjoying it, some great singing and acting, nice gothic costumes, nice multi-level set and the two Princes reminded me of Zaphod Beeblebrox from 'Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'.
The second half started and then I felt a spot of rain. O no. I went into denial that it was starting to rain and then the heavens opened. The two Princes were in the middle of their big song and gamely continued, after which they received great applause. Then the voice of god told them to leave the stage and us, the audience, to head for shelter in the bar. And then told to leave since the rain was in for the night. We can exchange tickets for another performance so I've emailed the theatre a list of dates I can make so here's hoping for good tickets.
Here's a photo of the climbing-frame stage with the crew spreading plastic sheeting to protect the ground.
Monday, 16 August 2010
Inception
Over the weekend I finally got to see 'Inception', of which a lot seems to have been written and lots of money made. I'm in two minds (or, if you've seen the film, maybe several).It's an interesting idea that someone can go into your dreams and steal your thoughts or, alternatively, go in and plant new thoughts. There was a nice stab at trying to illustrate the mechanics of this to make it believable but it left too much unexplained for my liking - if you're going to explain then do it properly or not at all. I also wasn't convinced by some of the characters - why were they involved in this? how were they involved? why did they care about each other? or not as the case might be. It felt like a sketch rather than a portrait.
Some of the special effects were great, like bending Paris back over on itself and the crumbling cityscape being eroded by the sea at the ultimate depth of the dream. Others were less convincing, like the bad guys shooting out all the windows of the minibus they were travelling in and yet missed hitting anyone. Is that likely? And the penultimate sequence of a James Bond-esque snow scene was a little bit over the top, particularly how all these dreamers suddenly become trained commandos. I know it's a dream, but, c'mon.
All in all it's enjoyable bunkum and a fun way to spend a couple of hours but not something I'd necessarily want to see again.
Friday, 13 August 2010
SLADE - Rare & Unseen
"Weeeeeeellllllllllll everybodyyyyyyyyy, let your hair dooooowwwwn" as the mighty Sir Noddy Holder sang nearly 40 years ago.It seems like there's a new SLADE DVD due out in September, 'SLADE Rare & Unseen'. I have no information about the DVD other than it's released on 20 September and I'll be buying it. I sort of assume it's a collection of videos and non-standard TV appearances from the UK and Germany, but that's a guess on my part.
I'm saving up my pocket money even as I type....
Thursday, 12 August 2010
What Would You Do?
Michael Buerk has an occasional series of programmes on Radio 4 called 'The Choice'. I've heard it a few times and never been too impressed. It's about people who have to make difficult decisions - hence the programme's name - which are often projected as life changing but, as I say, they've never really touched me. Until this morning.
Today's programme was about the decisions made by Heather Pratten who watched her husband die from Huntington's Chorea, a degenerative disease that slowly, over years, robs the body of muscular control. Her husband was diagnosed with it in his 30s and died. It's hereditary so she watched her five children waiting to see if any of them would have it and two of her sons started showing signs of the disease in their 30s, just like their father.
There were a number of poignant moments, like when she said she knew her elder son had it when he sent her a shop-bought birthday card since he always sent hand-drawn cards and she knew that meant he was losing muscle control. He tried to starve himself to death to avoid the worst of the degeneration and then swallowed a wad of heroin while she held his hand since he didn't want to die alone. When he was clearly on his way out she held a pillow over his face to help him leave. She was put on trial for murder but eventually was released on a lesser charge of aiding suicide.
Her other son was in a specialist home as he gradually degenerated to the extent that he was bed-ridden and couldn't sufficiently control his throat muscles to swallow. The choice was to either transfer him to a hospital to feed him through tubes, a strange environment in which he would lie staring at the ceiling, unable to communicate or do anything, or stay where he was and die. She left him in the home he'd lived in for so many years and let him go. You can find out more about Heather's story on the Dignity in Dying website.
Can you imagine having to make those kinds of decisions? What would you do?
Today's programme was about the decisions made by Heather Pratten who watched her husband die from Huntington's Chorea, a degenerative disease that slowly, over years, robs the body of muscular control. Her husband was diagnosed with it in his 30s and died. It's hereditary so she watched her five children waiting to see if any of them would have it and two of her sons started showing signs of the disease in their 30s, just like their father.
There were a number of poignant moments, like when she said she knew her elder son had it when he sent her a shop-bought birthday card since he always sent hand-drawn cards and she knew that meant he was losing muscle control. He tried to starve himself to death to avoid the worst of the degeneration and then swallowed a wad of heroin while she held his hand since he didn't want to die alone. When he was clearly on his way out she held a pillow over his face to help him leave. She was put on trial for murder but eventually was released on a lesser charge of aiding suicide.
Her other son was in a specialist home as he gradually degenerated to the extent that he was bed-ridden and couldn't sufficiently control his throat muscles to swallow. The choice was to either transfer him to a hospital to feed him through tubes, a strange environment in which he would lie staring at the ceiling, unable to communicate or do anything, or stay where he was and die. She left him in the home he'd lived in for so many years and let him go. You can find out more about Heather's story on the Dignity in Dying website.
Can you imagine having to make those kinds of decisions? What would you do?
Monday, 9 August 2010
'Legally Blonde' at The Savoy Theatre
On Saturday night we went to see 'Legally Blonde' at the Savoy Theatre with Derek and Tracy on one of their occasional perambulations to London. I quite like the film - the first time I saw it I thought it was a piece of fluff; the second time I saw it I thought it was a nice piece of fluff that has its moments. I'd not seen the play before so it was a good opportunity to see a new musical.We got there just in time to pick up tickets and then descend the 75 steps across several staircases to go down into the bowels of the earth under the Savoy Hotel to the stalls of the theatre. Amazingly, the stalls bar was shut (I suppose they make enough on the ticket prices to not miss the price of a few beers) so we took our seats in the ornate theatre and waited for the curtain to rise... which it did, on pink. There was a lot of pink in this show.
The story is remarkably faithful to the first film, the story of Elle Woods losing her love to Harvard Law School, following him there and taking on a big case which she eventually wins. Except it's full of song and dance routines, of course. I have to say that the music and songs aren't particularly memorable - sitting here typing, I can't remember a single song. I wasn't impressed on the night either and didn't fork out for the cast recording, often a telling sign for me. But, as with the film, I enjoyed it, a piece of feel-good fluff with some good performances (if not good songs) and I loved the 'Greek chorus' that followed our heroine around and popped up every now and then for a song and dance spectacular.
The undoubted star of the show is Sheridan Smith who I last saw in the Choccy Factory's revival of 'Little Shop of Horrors' and who impressed me by crying, unaided, on stage during one song. She has a great presence and good stage voice and what I can only think of as a cheeky stage presence - you know she's there and you know she's teasing you in some unfathomable way. I like her.
Of course, most people (including me) will know Sheridan from her telly roles in 'The Royale Family' and 'Two Pints Of Lager', just as we all know Peter Davison as Doctor Who from the '8os and Jill Halfpenny from 'EastEnders' and 'Strictly Come Dancing'. I was pleasantly surprise by Peter Davison who played the law professor who fancies Elle, surprised by both his presence on stage and his singing voice (I use the word advisedly). And I thought Jill was excellent as Elle's hairdresser friend, great singing and dancing, never dropped the accent and brought some real pathos and light to the part. Jill is a local girl made good so it's mandatory to like her, especially with such a heart-warming performance.All in all, I enjoyed the show, very slick and professional (as you'd expect) with some nice performances. Being built in the bowels of London in the 1880s means there's not much space downstairs in the bar or corridors but they give good measures of red wine so that's okay. It's not a show I'd go back to see again and again, but I'm pleased I've seen it.
Friday, 6 August 2010
Paul Smith Solo - 'Margins'
The major news today is that Paul Smith of the mighty Maximo Park is releasing a solo record on 11 October. Duncan released his a couple of years ago so now it's Paul's turn. And this is how he announced it in the Maximo mailer today:
I'm just having my mind expanded by Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders in my living room and I thought it was time to spill the beans about an album I've been making. It's called 'Margins' and it's out on the 11th of October on Billingham Records. At the moment, I am running Billingham Records but you may recall it as the label that released Maximo Park's first ever red vinyl and it's a fluctuating, idealistic entity that any member of the band can utilise for our own ends.
I started the LP around 4 years ago with my pal Andrew Hodson in his bedroom in Newcastle, just as a way to get songs on tape since he lived around the corner. He moved house twice, ending up in Manchester, meaning the record took a little longer to finish! Andy plays the drums while I play the guitar, and he also added some atmospheric touches using his electronic box of tricks. About halfway though I realised it was sounding like an album and once I'd recorded enough songs I asked the talented David Brewis of Field Music to play the bass, and was rather chuffed when he accepted.
The songs are quite personal and sound different to The Park, so I decided to put it out under my own name and take full responsibility! Some of it is more acoustic and quiet but other parts are quite pop. I have no idea what people will make of it! I'm excited (and scared) about the whole affair but I should also say that Maximo Park is alive and kicking, as anyone who saw us over the past few months will attest. We're still writing new songs and looking forward to recording them soon, so I haven't 'gone solo' like George Michael when he left Wham, I've just made an album in my spare time that I wanted to share with y'all.
If you want to hear a song called 'North Atlantic Drift', then check out my new site http://www.paulsmithmusic.eu/ Yes, that's EU at the end - I'm a quintessential European, you know! I designed it myself and I've been doing it as a blog (just for mates) since January 1st this year, so you can scroll backwards to see posts about the things that interest me.
Feel free to 'join' me on Facebook and Twitter so that I can let you know if I'm playing a show or the like. These links should help in that respect.
I've just asked a few people to play in a live band with me, so live plans will be unveiled over the next few weeks and months.
And of course, I'd love you to pre-order the album. If you share this desire then click here for CD and Vinyl formats.
I'll try not to pester you via the Maximo Park mailing list, so if you'd like to sign up to my personal mailing list then you can do that in the top-right-hand corner of my website.
It feels a bit weird doing this on behalf of myself alone, but I won't be flying solo for too long...
Time to write out the words for the album sleeve (no typing this time).
Cheerio,
Paul
Billingham Records? O yes, he's from Billingham, a town south of Newcastle that used to have an ice rink that I visited in the Forum before Paul was born. If you sign up to Paul's mailing list you get a free download, 'North Atlantic Drift' so head on over and do the clicky thing.
You will, of course, hear a lot more about this record in the coming months.
I'm just having my mind expanded by Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders in my living room and I thought it was time to spill the beans about an album I've been making. It's called 'Margins' and it's out on the 11th of October on Billingham Records. At the moment, I am running Billingham Records but you may recall it as the label that released Maximo Park's first ever red vinyl and it's a fluctuating, idealistic entity that any member of the band can utilise for our own ends.
I started the LP around 4 years ago with my pal Andrew Hodson in his bedroom in Newcastle, just as a way to get songs on tape since he lived around the corner. He moved house twice, ending up in Manchester, meaning the record took a little longer to finish! Andy plays the drums while I play the guitar, and he also added some atmospheric touches using his electronic box of tricks. About halfway though I realised it was sounding like an album and once I'd recorded enough songs I asked the talented David Brewis of Field Music to play the bass, and was rather chuffed when he accepted.
The songs are quite personal and sound different to The Park, so I decided to put it out under my own name and take full responsibility! Some of it is more acoustic and quiet but other parts are quite pop. I have no idea what people will make of it! I'm excited (and scared) about the whole affair but I should also say that Maximo Park is alive and kicking, as anyone who saw us over the past few months will attest. We're still writing new songs and looking forward to recording them soon, so I haven't 'gone solo' like George Michael when he left Wham, I've just made an album in my spare time that I wanted to share with y'all.
If you want to hear a song called 'North Atlantic Drift', then check out my new site http://www.paulsmithmusic.eu/ Yes, that's EU at the end - I'm a quintessential European, you know! I designed it myself and I've been doing it as a blog (just for mates) since January 1st this year, so you can scroll backwards to see posts about the things that interest me.
Feel free to 'join' me on Facebook and Twitter so that I can let you know if I'm playing a show or the like. These links should help in that respect.
I've just asked a few people to play in a live band with me, so live plans will be unveiled over the next few weeks and months.
And of course, I'd love you to pre-order the album. If you share this desire then click here for CD and Vinyl formats.
I'll try not to pester you via the Maximo Park mailing list, so if you'd like to sign up to my personal mailing list then you can do that in the top-right-hand corner of my website.
It feels a bit weird doing this on behalf of myself alone, but I won't be flying solo for too long...
Time to write out the words for the album sleeve (no typing this time).
Cheerio,
Paul
Billingham Records? O yes, he's from Billingham, a town south of Newcastle that used to have an ice rink that I visited in the Forum before Paul was born. If you sign up to Paul's mailing list you get a free download, 'North Atlantic Drift' so head on over and do the clicky thing.
You will, of course, hear a lot more about this record in the coming months.
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
A Second Chance
If you're a long-time reader then you'll have read about one of my most disappointing gigs ever. If you're not, you can still read about it here.
Back in the mid-'70s, Steve Harley was one of my heroes and Cockney Rebel was, I thought at the time, one of the most original bands around. Obviously, lots of people had different views and they were, just as obviously, wrong. For some totally obscure reason, I never saw them live back in the day and only saw Steve for the first (and only) time in 2005. And yes, it was one of my most disappointing nights out ever. Not entirely down to Steve - his audience clearly sucks monkey bum - but in part it was also him. That night actually stopped me listening to his old records for a long time. No-one likes to see a hero fall and, in my eyes. he fell a long way.
This evening, for some reason, I really fancied listening to his first album with Cockney Rebel, 'The Human Menagerie', and it worked it's magic on me all over again. So I thought, 'wonder if he's on tour or anything...?' and lo and behold, he's playing Union Chapel at the end of November. And praise be, it's an acoustic set! So I've done the clicky thing and bought a ticket. I will go alone - I couldn't possibly force anyone to go with me after the last show of his I saw (and I *never* leave during the encore - except his show) - so I will brave it alone.
Please be good. Be excellent. Play the old songs and the new songs like God. Walk on water like at Crystal Palace again this one time. For me, please.
And let's face it, 'The Human Menagerie' is a really good album.
Back in the mid-'70s, Steve Harley was one of my heroes and Cockney Rebel was, I thought at the time, one of the most original bands around. Obviously, lots of people had different views and they were, just as obviously, wrong. For some totally obscure reason, I never saw them live back in the day and only saw Steve for the first (and only) time in 2005. And yes, it was one of my most disappointing nights out ever. Not entirely down to Steve - his audience clearly sucks monkey bum - but in part it was also him. That night actually stopped me listening to his old records for a long time. No-one likes to see a hero fall and, in my eyes. he fell a long way.
This evening, for some reason, I really fancied listening to his first album with Cockney Rebel, 'The Human Menagerie', and it worked it's magic on me all over again. So I thought, 'wonder if he's on tour or anything...?' and lo and behold, he's playing Union Chapel at the end of November. And praise be, it's an acoustic set! So I've done the clicky thing and bought a ticket. I will go alone - I couldn't possibly force anyone to go with me after the last show of his I saw (and I *never* leave during the encore - except his show) - so I will brave it alone.
Please be good. Be excellent. Play the old songs and the new songs like God. Walk on water like at Crystal Palace again this one time. For me, please.
And let's face it, 'The Human Menagerie' is a really good album.
Monday, 2 August 2010
Message from Dave Hill
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Dave Hill of the mighty SLADE had had a mild stroke while on tour in Germany. Well, he's feeling a lot better now and posted the following message on Facebook:
Message from Dave Hill - To all the fans and friends I have, I would like to say I am deeply moved by the love and kind messages I have received by post and online from all over the world, it has really inspired me and I feel very positive. I am making a good recovery and look forward to seeing you all again when I return to the stage.
Y'know what I really like about this message? It's the sign off, 'Love Dave'. He's a big ole softy really, but it's nice to hear he's feeling better. A Lord of Noize will *always* be loved.
Take care Dave!
Message from Dave Hill - To all the fans and friends I have, I would like to say I am deeply moved by the love and kind messages I have received by post and online from all over the world, it has really inspired me and I feel very positive. I am making a good recovery and look forward to seeing you all again when I return to the stage.
Love Dave
Y'know what I really like about this message? It's the sign off, 'Love Dave'. He's a big ole softy really, but it's nice to hear he's feeling better. A Lord of Noize will *always* be loved.
Take care Dave!
Sunday, 1 August 2010
'Hurt' by Our Lady J
Following my blog about Geo Wyeth (see below) I find myself blogging about the new single from Our Lady J, very appropriate since I was introduced to both artists by Justin Bond during his run at the Soho Theatre a couple of years ago with his show 'Lustre'.'Hurt' is available through Bandcamp as well as Amazon and iTunes and is a taster for her first album, 'The Gospel Electric', due out later in the year. It's very hypnotic and addictive so give it a couple of spins on your virtual turntable.
Our Lady J is also giving us her 'Gospel for the Godless' show at The Soho Theatre over 9-21 August (get tickets here) and I'm looking forward to seeing her again. She's very tall, y'know, and an excellent pianist.
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