Alexanda Kotey, a member of the notorious Islamic State kidnapping cell dubbed the “Beatles,” pleaded guilty Thursday in a US court to charges of conspiring to murder four American hostages.
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Alexanda Kotey, one of the U.K. terrorists dubbed the “Beatles,” has pleaded guilty in the U.S. to helping ISIS torture and kill captives, including four Americans.
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Ethan Hawke came to the Karlovy Vary Film Festival to receive the President’s Award and to show Paul Schrader’s masterful 2017 film “First Reformed,” a dark drama in which Hawke gives one of his finest and most complex performances as a former military chaplain fighting despair.
But the actor also came to the Czech town at an extraordinarily busy time in his career: The past several years have seen the four-time Oscar-nominated actor and writer acting in “First Reformed,” “Juliet, Naked,” “The Truth” and “Stockholm,” among others; directing “Blaze,” a sharp and lyrical film about cult musician Blaze Foley; acting in and producing the massive Showtime miniseries “The Good Lord Bird”; releasing his first novel in 20 years, “A Bright Ray of Darkness,” and collaborating with Greg Ruth on the graphic novel “Meadowlark: A Coming of Age Crime Story.”
He also has a voiceover role in Antoine Fuqua’s drama “The Guilty,” which will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next week; and bigger parts in Scott Derrickson’s Blumhouse horror-thriller “The Black Phone,” “The Lighthouse” director Robert Eggers’ period drama “The Northman,” the Marvel limited series “Moon Knight” and the “Knives Out” sequel.
He sat down with TheWrap to talk about some of those projects, and about a career that began 37 years ago, when he was 15 years old.
It seems natural to look back when you get a career achievement award of sorts — so I’m wondering how your priorities for what you want to do in your career have changed over the years.My life has happened a lot faster than I anticipated, meaning I’m shocked to find how interested I am in the same things I was when I was younger. I remember the first film festival I went to was the Venice Film Festival with “Dead Poet’s Society.” Watching a community of people celebrate film in that way, it’s so different than the marketplace. There’s this feeling, especially in America, that everything’s publicity and sales. And you get to a film festival and it feels more like a celebration of movies. And that, to me, is just more interesting.
It’s like it’s the one place where the metric is not accumulation of wealth. There’s great respect and reverence for films that are never going to make any money. And I enjoy that game — it changes the playing field and creates a different set of rules that I think are more ambitious and more exciting. There’s a great Flannery O’Connor line, “I’d rather have one reader in a hundred years than a hundred today.” And film festivals are about, “What actually is happening right now that is worth talking about and remembering?”
I feel as if the act of traveling somewhere to see movies changes things. You end up with a line around the theater to see a movie that probably most of those people wouldn’t go see if it was playing at their local multiplex.Yeah. Right before the pandemic started, I was a juror at Sundance. It had been a long time since I had seen 16 movies in eight days, but when I was younger I used to do that all the time. I watched two or three movies a day for weeks on end. I found it unendingly interesting, but life happens and you get busy.
And that’s what I mean when I say that time has happened faster than I thought. I remember when I first started, I assumed that by midlife, I would go into another profession. I couldn’t imagine still being an actor. I guess it’s a little bit like sex: You think you might get bored of it, but it just keeps being interesting.
In recent years, you’ve been involved in a string of really interesting projects — movies like “First Reformed,” which is showing in Karlovy Vary, but also “Juliet, Naked” and the film you directed, “Blaze,” and the limited series “The Good Lord Bird,” and now a string of films that’ll be coming out in the next year. Plus your third novel …I’ve just always put one foot in front of the other, just trying to keep moving. Sometimes I feel like a cat, you know, just trying to stay alive. But one of the things that’s happened in the way the film business has changed is that independent movies take so much less time to make. When I was younger, it’d be a big deal if you made two movies in a year, but that was because most movies took about four or five months to make, you know. We shot “First Reformed” in five weeks. We shot “Juliet, Naked” in six weeks.
I did the Robert Eggers film (“The Northman”) this year, which was the first film in a while that I’ve done that was really big. Robert really strives for a level of excellence that’s really exciting. It was one of the rare times where you’re making an independent movie that has a real budget around it, so he was able to work at a pace that was more like it was when I started.
I thought “The Lighthouse” was amazing …It was a masterpiece.
… and this one doesn’t seem as if it’s going to feel any smaller than that.No, no. It’ll feel a lot bigger than that, but it’s just as adventuresome. I mean, who knows? What’s fun about Robert is he goes and dances out on the edge. I have no idea if it’ll work, but it was certainly thrilling to be a part of.
When you’re doing something like that, do you really not have a sense as to what it’s going to look like or how it’s going to work?In my heart, I have clues, but it seems arrogant to suppose that, you know. I’ve never thought I was doing something interesting and then it turned out not to be interesting. Take a movie like “Gattaca,” for example. I love that movie. And I felt confident when we were doing that movie that it was worth watching, that it was going to be extremely interesting. And then it came out and people didn’t like it and didn’t respond. But eventually, they did.
And the same with “Before Sunrise.” There’s a lot of movies I’ve done that in their first brush with the public, they’re kind of met with indifference. But it just takes time for them to find their audience. It’s funny, recently I’ve been getting a lot of nice feedback about “Juliet, Naked.” Nobody paid much attention to it when it came out, and over the pandemic, I got a lot of emails from people who I guess they got bored of watching certain things and were looking for something else and they found it and they enjoyed it. It’s always fun to watch that happen.
The last time we spoke, after “First Reformed,” I think you said that it’s never been easier to make an independent movie, and it’s never been harder to get people to watch it.It’s so true. Even “First Reformed” — without the journalists, that movie would have been lost. It’s so hard to compete in this atmosphere. You know, what Paul (Schrader) says, which I think is brilliant and true, is there are so many movies now that do all the work for you. They don’t ask much of the audience, and that can create an audience that can be resentful when they get asked something, even though the joy of being a filmgoer is participating.
You know, when you watch “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” it doesn’t do all the work. It invites you into a dialogue. What does it mean when the chief throws the sink through the window? I don’t know, but you feel something and you can talk about it. Paul says a really great movie starts when you walk out of the theater, but most contemporary movies end when the credits roll. It’s over and you’re never going to think about that again.
Some footage from the Blumhouse movie “The Black Phone” was shown at Cinema-Con recently, and word is that you scared the hell out of people who saw it.One of the jobs of an actor, probably the biggest part of my job, is deciding what to do and how to do it. And helping filmmakers that you believe in get their work made is a big part of what we do. Scott (Derrickson) taught me a lot about movies. My first experience was with Joe Dante (in 1985’s “Explorers”), who’d come out of Roger Corman. And before Quentin Tarantino, Joe was the biggest film geek of all time. And he taught me at a young age that there’s no difference between high and low art. It’s just about, are you working hard? Do you love what you do? Do you care about every frame and are you sewing secrets into it?
Scott, I had a great experience on (2012’s) “Sinister” with him, and I wanted to help him get “The Black Phone” made. And I’m glad that people freaked out over the trailer.
You know, I feel like when all is said and done, as an actor, I have these little boxes I want to check. Can you make a great Western? Can you make a great romance? Can you make a great art film? Can you make a great horror movie? Can you make it a great comedy? I love putting myself inside different genres to try to create a larger life’s work.
And now you’re in the Marvel universe in “Moon Knight.”Yep. If you were an actor in the ’50s, you know, they made Westerns. If you’re an actor in the 2020s, you’ve got Marvel. And I’m really fortunate because we’re dealing with a story that doesn’t have a lot of ancillary baggage. If you play Spider-Man or Batman, they’ve got so much baggage and the audience have such expectations. It’s like playing Hamlet — you can’t play it in a vacuum. You’re playing it in relationship to the other Hamlets. Whereas with “Moon Knight,” people don’t know much about it. It doesn’t have a lot of baggage. Oscar (Isaac) is giving an absolutely phenomenal performance, and it feels exciting to be a part of it with him.
So you’re not really playing a known character within the Marvel universe?Yeah, it’s … (Pauses) I’ve signed 10,000 NDAs and they give me a hard time anytime I say anything about it. They’re very secretive about it. They like to create a lot of anticipation. But I understand why people love working for them. They’re extremely active, friendly. They do good world-building and create space for actors. If you want to play, they want you to play.
Are you looking for more things to produce and direct? I know you spent a long time producing “The Good Lord Bird,” which felt massive.After “Blaze,” that was my life’s project. About four years of my life went into “The Good Lord Bird.” I love that so much. And to be honest with you, I’ve been trying to put myself back together after that experience. I need a little time to figure out where to put my energy, because all my energy went to that.
I’m doing a documentary right now about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. That’s been my pandemic project, and I’ve been pouring myself into that. I turned 50 and it seems like a really fun moment to step back for a second and study two people that did my profession as well as it could be done. It’s very rare to have really long careers and sustain a level of excellence over a long period of time without giving in to the vanities of the profession or becoming jaded. Life beats so many people up — through success, through failure, through indifference, whatever. There’s so many variables, all of which can lead you to self-loathing. And those two stayed alive and figured out how to give back and how to have a family.
It’s been one of the biggest endeavors I’ve ever had, trying to make sense out of such a big narrative. I mean, you can make a documentary about what happened at the Actors Studio. It’s hard to imagine Paul Newman, James Dean, Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Geraldine Page and Marilyn Monroe in the same acting class. They changed storytelling, and then the rest of their lives could have vibrated off that moment.
I really want to make it for the people who are my age and older. I think it would mean a lot, because their legacy is kind of turned into philanthropy, and you forget what massive artists they were. I mean, Newman, in the height of his life, was about as big as the Beatles. You couldn’t be a bigger cinema icon than him, and yet his giving overshadowed it. And then to have “The Verdict,” “The Color of Money” and “Nobody’s Fool” in the final act of his work life — three of his greatest performances happened in the last chapter. So for a guy like me, you can imagine that’s an exciting thing to think about.
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An alleged member of the ISIS group dubbed “The Beatles” is set to plead guilty in a court case in the United States.
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A look at Billboard’s coverage of the Beatles over the years ahead of the ‘Get Back’ documentary.
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A look at the vinyl marketplace…A crunch point is on the horizon for vinyl sales given the recent news that the materials for coloured pressings have been depleted. While plenty of existing orders will still be hitting the shelves over the next few months, thereafter things will be a little less splattery, split and swirly.
While your humble correspondent has no great love for any of those effects, numerous conversations with the proprietors of our beloved indie shops suggest that those vibrant variants are what bring the customers to the yard. If a standard black release is issued alongside one of these multi-coloured beacons of collectability, it will almost always sit, unloved and collecting dust while the other edition flies out.
Will fans of pretty things switch over to the hard stuff once supply gets slashed? Only time will tell. To return to the present, the traditional summer lull seems less noticeable this year, with much to tell you about in this month’s column.
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Freshly Pressed:
Barbra Streisand makes a second raid on the vaults for ‘Release Me 2’, which traverses six decades of studio time and assembles a collection of previously unreleased recordings. Featuring duets with Willie Nelson, Barry Gibb and Kermit The Frog, it’s a surprisingly coherent set thanks to Streisand’s remarkable vocals. A four page set of sleevenotes offers detailed insight around these songs’ creation and the vinyl master is full and open, despite the vast array of sources. Being a Sony/Columbia release, it has been done via MPO and the copy we sampled looked a little murky but largely played well. Some non-fill on side one was jarring, so you might need to tread carefully.
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If the famous Kill Bill track (‘Battle Without Honor Or Humanity’), Oasis’ ‘Fuckin’ In The Bushes’, and David Holmes’ Ocean’s Eleven accompaniment had a union in the aforementioned hedgerow, the resulting progeny could well be the emphatic thrust of Adam Gibbons’ ‘The Last Bastion OST’. Having previously operated under the name Lack Of Afro, this record called for a different approach. The soundtrack to an imaginary film, the premise allows Gibbons to rattle through a full box of tricks.
Opener ‘Here We Go’ is perilously close to pastiche but it is done with such clear enthusiasm and excitement that it’s hard not to be swept along. ‘Getting Intimate’ does exactly what you’d expect, with swooning strings arriving at a delicate conclusion. And, here’s a little experiment for you. Imagine the sound of a track called ‘Tooling Up’ in your head right now. You’re right, I just know you are. Available as a red GZ vinyl pressing, it’s pretty quiet and sounds solid if a little busy at times. A quirky curio which is worth sampling prior to purchase.
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Forty-nine years on from his debut, and six after his last, Jackson Browne returns with ‘Downhill From Everywhere’. Such a lengthy timeframe means that this isn’t another lockdown record, capturing a sparkling chemistry between a joyously tight band on songs about inclusion and personal understanding. Likely a name you’ll recognise without necessarily owning a stack of his records, 1977’s ‘Running On Empty’ perhaps the one to make it through, his run on the Asylum label is well worth exploring. Although his current lyrics tackle entirely predictable world issues, Browne’s music has grown with him and there’s no desire to try and sustain the illusion of youth. While no great departure from what’s gone before, it is a fine sounding album and a very well assembled vinyl package.
The distinctive cover, featuring a shot from Edward Burtynsky’s ‘Shipbreaking’ series, is perfect for the size afforded it by this format, while the discs held within the pleasingly sturdy gatefold are pressed through Pallas and have a bewitching control of the bass and drum sound. This is best demonstrated on the ebb and flow of ‘Until Justice Is Real’ and the skittering percussion of ‘The Dreamer’.
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Demon Music’s middle aged men making compilations department has struck gold twice this month, with the extension of series from Gary Crowley and Eddie Piller. Legendary BBC DJ and gleefully infectious enthusiast Crowley, returns to his ‘Lost 80s’ endeavour, digging out more gems from a decade whose musical history has been somewhat sanitised over the years. Some artists will be more familiar than others, but part of the joy of these two discs is getting that sense of absorbing a very carefully assembled compilation whose creator knows exactly how many risks can be taken without losing the listener. The Style Council, Altered Images and Fine Young Cannibals rub shoulders with the short-lived Wide Boy Awake and The Higsons, the oft-mentioned but less played early band of legendary comedy writer Charlie Higson. Mastered at Alchemy and pressed to clear vinyl by GZ, this vinyl edition offers a pretty pleasing platform for a fascinating selection.
The second compiler returning to a well-received concept is Eddie Piller, who delivers another 27 tracks culled from the 92 songs on the initial 4CD set of ‘The Mod Revival’. Volume 1 of the vinyl edition accompanied that more substantial but smaller disced release last year and it was so well received that a further selection has made it to red and blue wax. Plucked from a considerable range of sources, the audio quality understandably fluctuates a little but the discs themselves – GZ again – are fairly quiet and allow the listener to get lost in the atmosphere so well crafted by Piller. The line from Inspiral Carpets to Ocean Colour Scene is made clear, while Daggermen’s ‘Ivor The Engine Driver’ sounds more like an old garage recording rather than a mid-Eighties indie-soul strut. If you liked the first set, this will give many more of the same thrills.
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Surely, the decisions around vinyl variants of Laura Mvula’s Mercury Prize nominated and long-awaited third studio album ‘Pink Noise’ would be a no-brainer? Yes, you guessed it, they opted for a translucent orange limited edition. And a picture disc. To be fair, there is also a translucent pink pressing fairly readily available so I should probably dial down my snark. Mvula’s story – dropped by Sony despite Mercury Prize nominations and an Ivor Novello award and then picked up by Atlantic Records – is quite something and ‘Pink Noise’ is a real statement.
Awash with Eighties synths and rhythmic shifts evoking Michael Jackson in his pomp, these ten tracks are meticulously crafted and consistently excellent. There’s no filler here, such is the sense of a new era being embarked upon. Indeed, the noise sometimes feel more purple than pink, such is Mvula’s evident love of Prince. Amongst nods to ‘Off The Wall’ and ‘Kiss’ comes a guest appearance from Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil which works better than logic suggests it should. Electronic pop isn’t always well served by modern pressings, but this has been done right via Optimal and the soundstage is full and the bottom end very carefully controlled.
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On their 2018 debut record as Lump, Mike Lindsay and Laura Marling demonstrated a promising interplay over a small but appealing collection of songs. It arrived with minimal fanfare, charmed pretty much all who heard it and then normal business for each resumed. Lindsay’s Tunng put out the magnificent ‘Songs You Make At Night’ followed by a multi-media project about death. Marling released 2020’s early-lockdown surprise ‘Songs For Our Daughter’, one of her very best.
And yet, Lump returns and this time it feels more substantial, built around a cohesive and beguiling body of work. The methodology, as Marling again intones over the final moments, remains the same: Lindsay conjures soundscapes ready for some lyrical and melodic inspiration to strike his collaborator. That it works this well speaks to the magic of what the project does for each artist, Marling often sounding completely unlike she does on her solo records. The mantra of the title track is compelling if a little unsettling, while Metronomy fans will likely enjoy the burbling layers of ‘Paradise’. The woozy, wonky closer ‘Phantom Limb’ might well be their finest moment to date, but there’s plenty to choose from here.
There are several vinyl editions available, including a deluxe set with extra art and a die-cut sleeve. Thankfully the disc in that edition is black, although for this column we sampled the indies exclusive edition which looks like someone dropped a dollop of wet plaster onto an aquarium. ‘Turquoise and white swirl’ apparently, and presumably linked to the artwork. Cut by Barry Grint at Alchemy and pressed at Optimal, the sonics are excellent. There were a few clicks and pops here and there, even after a clean, but it seems logical to deduce that this particular variant might be more prone to a little noise than others.
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Fans of Friday night Top Of The Pops repeats will have recently experienced Jim Bob in his role as frontman of Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine at the turn of the Nineties. Despite several reunion tours, said device turned out to be arrestable and he has a lengthy solo career to his name also. The latest addition to which is ‘Who Do We Hate Today’, hot on the heels of 2020’s well-received if less well-titled ‘Pop Up Jim Bob’. As the name of this new release indicates, many of the lyrics take a satirical swing at modern life with a marginally more languid delivery than in his USM days.
‘Shona Is Dating A Drunk, Woman-Hating Neanderthal Man’ is perhaps a little too on the nose but those wanting to try and uncover light in the dark of the past eighteen months will likely find themselves smiling at ‘The Summer Of No Touching’. The song’s narrator is drawn from the gargantuan pool of internet conspiracy theorists, stating “I get my facts from whatever David Icke says and from old rock stars from the 1990s.” This DMM cut via Takt could be a little quieter but it sounds solid and, rather amusingly for an album concerned with the imminent demise of civilisation as we know it, the gatefold sleeve contains a full size, glossy 2022 calendar using the record’s artwork. Bravo.
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The notion of a fully completed but ultimately unreleased 2010 album from an artist no longer around to approve or veto its release is not one that instantly inspires faith. The obvious questions around its initial residence in the vault need early answers, especially given that the artist in question, Prince, delivered a vast array of not always excellent late-period records. However, ‘Welcome 2 America’ is, quite simply, brilliant. From its artwork on in, it is a very, very good album. It even has a brilliant etching and vinyl etchings are almost uniformly utter shite. Honestly, the fourth side is a piece of art in itself.
While the state of the nation feel to many of the lyrics ends up a little dated thanks to its lengthy route to his fans, he still manages to reference Google without doing a Kasabian and making me want to vomit my entire soul out through my eyeballs. This record has summer coursing through its veins, ‘Running Game (Son Of A Slave Master)’ comments on the machinations of the music industry over effortlessly light guitar licks, while ‘Yes’ would make a perfect, bombastic live set-opener. There are shifts in pace and tone, but ‘Welcome 2 America’ is a fairly upbeat and uncharacteristically concise set.
On top of everything else, this record has been beautifully mastered by Bernie Grundman and cut to vinyl with its dynamics fully intact. It’s hard to imagine that having been the case if it had been released when it was made, given the relatively recent retreat from the battlegrounds of the loudness wars. A largely quiet MPO double disc pressing: this, unlike his other work from that year which was given away free with a newspaper, is a keeper.
Bristolian Yolanda Quartey, now better known as Yola, may have previously caught your attention during her time in Phantom Limb a decade or so ago and she also leant her vocals to work with Bugz In The Attic and Massive Attack. However, her solo career is elevating her to deserved greater heights. 2019’s ‘Walk Through Fire’ is a phenomenal burst of Memphis-powered soul with an embarrassment of melody that is driven by Yola’s staggering voice. It was one of my records of that year and I never miss a chance to recommend it to people – so consider that done.
The 2021 follow up is entitled ‘Stand For Myself’ and picks up where that sensational debut left off. Produced again by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, these twelve tracks mix heartache and vibrant heartbeats deftly. The stately ‘Great Divide’ swings with oomph, gradually ascending to a gospel high while ‘Whatever You Want’ has a nagging country rock charm. The true highlight is ‘Dancing Away In Tears’, with its burbling Seventies synths and triumphant falsetto chorus. The vinyl is done right, a little spot varnish on the cover an endearing touch, while the disc inside has been pressed in Germany through Pallas from a lacquer cut by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. Several different colours are available but what really matters is that the music can be cranked up and fully enjoyed.
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Going Round Again:
It is rather fitting that some of Matt Berry’s earlier albums are getting the reissue treatment from Acid Jazz, given that even when they were brand new they already felt like remarkable discoveries from the turn of the Seventies that had been dug out of storage by a lucky collector. His unashamed embracing of the sound and recording methods of bygone eras has often made his music a joyous and direct feelgood hit for the listener. While he has also pursued more experimental diversions at times, his catalogue has largely been rooted in sweeping, psychedelic, melodic folk-pop. Two of his best have been out of print for some time so it is pleasing to see them returning to the racks at a reasonable price.
First up is 2011’s ‘Witchazel’ which is now available on caramel – if you say so – coloured vinyl. ‘A Song For Rosie’ is awash with enveloping acoustic guitars, a winningly archaic lyric and a vocal style that still hasn’t quite fully marked the distinction between Berry the musician and Berry the whimsical voiceover artist. ‘Rain Came Down’ slinks about for two minutes before ramping up the synths and noodling off into altogether more confusing territory with a not-quite-who-you-think-it-is special guest. It’s a largely quiet GZ cut which does a fine job of delivering this curious album.
The same approach has also been taken with a bottle green edition of 2013’s follow up, ‘Kill The Wolf’, arguably Berry’s finest to date. As idyllic a soundtrack for late August evenings as one can imagine, it nods to the legacy of the British folk scene of the mid-twentieth century whilst dabbling lightly with prog on occasion. It seems impossible that opener ‘Gather Up’ is not a cover, while the lyrical fiddle of ‘Devil Inside Me’ leaps from the speakers. And then there’s ‘Medicine’, a song so catchy it’s hard to be certain you weren’t somehow already singing along during its first chorus. The choice of colour is reasonably fitting given the shades of the album’s artwork, but this is all about the music. Catch it before these join the original copies as highly sought after items.
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It is becoming increasingly hard not to take the PJ Harvey reissue programme for granted, so consistently excellent and dependably frequent are its additions. The latest release is one without an accompanying demos album, her second full collaboration with John Parish: 2009’s ‘A Woman A Man Walked By’. While it might not be anyone’s favourite from her sizeable catalogue, it is proving genuinely fascinating to revisit it all in order but at pace. The slightly looser feel to this material, following last month’s ‘White Chalk’, doesn’t remove the potency of the lyrics.
‘Passionless, Pointless’ is still utterly beguiling, woozy tones setting a tense scene behind the story of a disintegrating relationship: “you slept facing the wall and you wanted less than I wanted.” The mastering for this edition is, as ever, wonderful. Done by John Dent at Loud and then pressed at Optimal, it is noticeably cleaner and quieter than the GZ-crafted original. However, the packaging and design of that twelve year old copy are replicated perfectly and this may well prompt a little re-evaluation of an album which has often been gently dismissed.
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This month’s indie exhumation from Demon Records focuses upon the early years of The Bluetones. Alongside a fairly substantial CD box set collecting all sorts of recordings from the time of their first two albums come the respective vinyl reissues. Most intriguing is the 3LP box set of sterling debut ‘Expecting To Fly’, now extended with an extra disc of accompanying non-album singles and B Sides plus a first vinyl outing for 2007’s ‘The Early Garage Years’ compilation. This latter set brilliantly captures the ramshackle energy and potential of a band about to break through, while the mopping up of the former affords the glorious ‘Marblehead Johnson’ its rightful position amongst these songs.
The sound is clearly digital cut to vinyl and is solid but unspectacular. It’s a bit of a shame, as the main album really soars on the original pressing and this comparison is fairly stark when played next to each other. The sturdy outer box is appealing but the discs are only housed in single, printed paper sleeves inside and so it’s not quite as luxurious as you might hope. Blue (see what they did there) discs pressed at GZ, they’re prone to some surface noise here and there. With a little perseverance, this column would imagine you could ensure an acceptably quiet set if you’re willing to take the time.
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Reissues of solo Beatle records are a regular and often splendid occurrence, whether as part of the Paul McCartney Archive series or the recently commenced Lennon super deluxe boxes. Four years on from a marvellous but costly vinyl programme covering George Harrison’s entire catalogue, it’s time for the fiftieth anniversary edition of ‘All Things Must Pass’, curiously marking five decades since it had been out for a year. As you do. Or it might have just been delayed from 2020 by Covid.
Alongside the standard 2CD, deluxe 3CD and super deluxe 5CD/Blu Ray editions are an array of vinyl versions, with all formats trumpeting a fresh remix of the main album. As well as a conventional 3LP box, you can get the same on green splatter, a 5LP box which adds a selection of the demo material or an 8LP box containing all of the extra material and a rather lovely hardback book. Oh, and don’t forget the ‘uber deluxe’ edition with all the discs, replica figurines from the cover art and some of Harrison’s wood.
All of which is mere preamble en route to evaluating the pressings and sound quality. The new mix, by Paul Hicks – who has worked on the Lennon reissues – and Harrison’s son Dhani is proving understandably divisive. Many had erroneously attributed the original album’s sound solely to Phil Spector and expected this version to remove much of that distinctive wall of sound. However, the artist also had plenty of involvement at the time and this new mix falls between two stools. Bass is smeary and uncontrolled, blurring much of the soundstage, while the high end also feels firmly neutered.
Certain elements, including the vocals, are drawn out for clarity but many of the bigger tracks lose their way. The pairing of ‘My Sweet Lord’ and ‘Wah-Wah’ is an effective demonstration of this situation. The former feels leaden while the latter lacks the ragged, airy edges of its glorious sonic onslaught of old. It’s an interesting way to revisit and explore the record but it’s hard to imagine it exciting listeners more than what was there before. Play this new edition next to the 2017 cut of the original mix and there are no ambiguities.
As for the pressings, every variant has come via GZ and discs are housed in poly-lined sleeves. They are DMM cuts which have, apparently, been done at Abbey Road even though there are no runout markings to denote it. While it seems unlikely that anyone was deliberately avoiding association with this work, the curiously bloated sound largely transfers the effects of the new mix to the old format. You can feel the bass more than you hear it, even via the turntable, and no amount of tinkering could elevate the impact for this column. The 8LP set is undeniably a pleasingly tactile experience, while the 3LP set is faithful in its packaging. However, those looking for sonic perfection should head elsewhere.
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The chronologically averse Travis reissue campaign next alights upon 2007’s underrated ‘The Boy With No Name’. Although it emerged as their turn-of-the-millennium stock was on the slide, the songwriting was incredibly strong, including one of the band’s very finest songs in early single ‘Closer’. Unfurling slowly with sparingly used strings and layers of beautiful backing vocals, it is a hidden gem in their often affecting back catalogue. Add in some tremendous lyrics for ‘Selfish Jean’, nimble bass on ‘Big Chair’ and the shimmering chorus of ‘Colder’ and there’s much to love here.
It compares very favourably with the original pressing, which wasn’t the quietest disc. Artwork has been recreated pretty faithfully, with only a slightly warmer tone discernible. The lacquer was cut by Mike Hillier at Metropolis and it sounds open and balanced. It is different to the sonics of that 2007 edition which was cut by Miles Showell, but equally successful. It certainly does justice to this magnificent album which is ripe for rediscovery. Just like the original, it has been pressed at GZ and comes with a bonus 7” featuring the additional track ‘Sailing Away’. The glossy printed inner means it will benefit from a clean before playback, but our copy had minimal surface noise and the whole package is highly recommended.
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At The Front Of The Racks:
We have lauded superlative reissue label Be With Records in this column previously but they have truly knocked the proverbial ‘it’ right out of the figurative park with their latest selection. Lewis Taylor’s self-titled 1996 debut is a piece of buried modern soul treasure, adored by those who know it but far less well known than it really should be. With a heavy, often guitar-led atmosphere, this psychedelic triumph has shades of Womack, Prince and D’Angelo but it is never in anyone else’s shadow. It’s hard to capture its magic in a few sentences and, if it’s new to you, the best thing to do right now is sample opening track ‘Lucky’. If you haven’t ordered it before its six and a half minutes are up, I’ll be surprised.
The original, single disc vinyl release is none too shabby but it is tricky to track down and costly if you have the good fortune to find it. For its first outing on the format in twenty-five years, Be With have opted to spread this magical music out over four sides. As ever, they have pressed via Record Industry in the Netherlands and it subsequently sounds excellent. Near silent playback benefits an open and precise soundstage. No doubt as a result of the increased groove space, bass is more pronounced on this edition and takes a little getting used to at points. Don’t sleep on a reissue which is sure to become as costly as an original a few years from now.
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All of the titles reviewed above were cleaned before playback using the ultrasonic record cleaning machine, Degritter. A full review of its capabilities can be found in a previous column.
Words: Gareth James (For more vinyl reviews and turntable shots, follow @JustPlayed on Twitter)
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The duo were a massive influence on Simon and Garfunkel and The Beatles.
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Monday 16 August, 2021
From being responsible for marketing ‘The Beatles’ recordings in Germany, then writing, playing on, arranging, conducting and producing records, Richard Smith provides inspiration for a healthy hobby for families departing lockdown; to learn and enjoy piano together.
Since March 2020, picking up a musical instrument has attracted around one million adults, guiding them through the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this phenomenon, the mental health benefits of music have been highlighted, with musicians experiencing decreased levels of anxiety, depression, stress and isolation.
The piano has been a significant household piece dating back 300 years, making it the perfect instrument to bring your family together in a fun yet educational manner. Not only providing quality time with family, playing piano from childhood has a surprising myriad of strengths – heightening cognitive and academic abilities. This includes improved memory and spatial temporal ability – which is heavily used in maths and sciences.
Richard’s duet book ‘Crazy Crotchets & Quirky Quavers’ is particularly popular with families, it is unique and great fun. The players swap places, stand up, sit up, reach over each other, and even clean the piano with a rag, yet the music never stops!
“’Music is such fun, giving a lifetime of pleasure. I’m glad to provide families and music teachers with some new, fresh ideas for creating moments of joy through piano-playing. So many people have told me of their renewed interest in playing over lockdown, and I hope my books will help keep them playing into the future.”
With a passion for piano, Richard’s series of books are available on his own website, Amazon, Musicroom, examdots and all major sheet music retailers. Designed to inspire young children on their journey of learning, and with the country’s anxieties surrounding the existing lockdown, these resources couldn’t be more relevant.
To find out more, visit https://eyeforideas.co.uk/
Distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/
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You might not have even noticed it, but you’ve definitely heard it – the incredible instrument that has featured on so many classic tracks
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Looking through the band’s catalogue…It’s been over a decade since Oasis split yet the band are still making headlines.
Whether it’s the mutual indemnity fostered by Noel and Liam Gallagher, or the key role their catalogue has played in so many lives, Oasis simply refuse to go back into the shadows.
With the Oasis Knebworth 1996 documentary on its way, fans have launched an #oasistop15 countdown, featuring personal picks from the band’s catalogue.
So, Clash writers decided to construct a list of our very own, with hit singles, deep cuts, and more.
Dive in now.
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Rockin’ Chair (Clarke Geddes)
Slowly fading in this gem bursts into life to become one of Noel Gallagher’s best B-sides. The fact it’s a B-side shows you Noel’s run of talent at the time. An immaculate chorus and guitar line reminiscent of Johnny Marr, ‘Rocking Chair’ remains one of the highlights of ‘The Masterplan’, which in its own right must surely remain one of the best B-sides albums of all time.
Noel was on a golden run at the time, putting out classics at every occasion, and ‘Rocking Chair’ is just another example.
Little By Little (Jess Atkinson)
Though it was Liam’s voice—caustic, colloquial, sometimes caterwauling but always clear—that joined with the preternatural songwriting skills of his brother to create a monolithic pop moment in Oasis, the songs that Noel took upon himself to sing were also quite good.
Take ‘Little By Little’, an anthem with such a cathartic chord progression and melodic build that it brings tears of emotion to the eyes. Add in lyrics so poignant that they point quite significantly to the conclusion that NG isn’t actually as cynical as he’d like you to think and you’ve got a latter day Oasis belter.
Quite possibly one of their best ever.
Champagne Supernova (Laviea Thomas)
‘Champagne Supernova,’ is the ultimate campfire song, it’s a blissful ballad that catches you right in the feels. At some stage, we’ve all swayed along to this song, screaming the lyrics, “someday you will find me, caught beneath the landslide, in a champagne supernova in the sky.” ‘Champagne Supernova,’ has this superpower of sounding like the perfect ending to a troublesome ride.
Famously known as the track that made keyboardist Paul Arthurs cry upon first listen, in an interview Noel recalls Arthurs asking him,: “you’ve not just written that have you?” Continuing, Noel recalled: “I was looking at him thinking, you f**king soft lad. Either that or its sh*t.” I’d go as far as saying that ‘Champagne Supernova,’ is up there – right at the top – as one of Oasis’s best tracks.
From the emotive lyrics to the psychedelic music video, this track will always remain a certified Oasis banger.
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Cigarettes & Alcohol (Finlay Holden)
Hailing from their raw and rowdy debut record, ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ is an established fan favourite from the legendary Mancunians, and it’s easy to see why. A swaggering riff, steady percussion and a good old tambourine shake lead straight into the moody first verse where Liam demands, “Is it my imagination / Or have I finally found something worth living for?” The moody tone is set immediately.
This sentiment shows that the members of Oasis felt empowered through the crafting of ‘Definitely Maybe’, and Britpop followers relate by discovering a band with powerful music that provides the sound and message they’ve always needed. The track is an audible embodiment of the consistent and undeniable appeal of the rock’n’roll, with smart snide lyricisms to boot as per usual.
Noel’s commentary from a working-class perspective (“Is it worth the aggravation / To find yourself a job when there’s nothing worth working for”) delivered by an acclaimed voice in its prime grants us an insight into a purer, simpler time – in 2021, this remains as appealing as ever.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Star (Susan Hansen)
The sound of Liam Gallagher’s snarl on ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ when he sings the words “In my mind my dreams are real” still feels more resonant and empowering than ever. The song is a perfect reminder as to why Oasis continue to matter to many millions as they did when ‘Definitely Maybe’ came out in August 1994. Not released as a single, it is one of the most evocative songs, and the celebratory opening track of their debut album.
The explosive energy and punk attitude make it an unequivocal stomper, and the song has since become an obligatory set opener of sorts at Liam Gallagher’s live sets. Written around the idea of being a rock ‘n’ roll star in your own head rather than in reality, it offers swagger and confidence in abundance, and is known to be a favourite Oasis track in many fan circles.
Vibrant lyrics such as “I live my life in the city/There’s no easy way out” and “I live my life for the stars that shine” authentically depict working class culture, and the idea that if you believe something for long enough, it will become reality one day.
Live Forever (Susan Hansen)
When Liam Gallagher dedicated ‘Live Forever’ to those who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena bombings during the One Love benefit concert held in June 2017 in Manchester, it was as if he also reiterated the universality of the song.
First released in 1994, it was the band’s third single. Famously known as the song Noel Gallagher’s bandmates instantly thought so good that there was no way he could have written, it remains one of the most critically acclaimed Oasis singles to date. While Gallagher – on the other hand – is often quoting talking about his awareness of the specific compositional quality of the song. Its timeless melodic quality combined with the gritty Northern English depiction of life through lyrics such as “Lately, did you ever feel the pain/In the morning rain/As it soaks you to the bone?” would come to play a key part in lifting the band to mass popularity.
The origins of the song are said to be events in 1991 when Noel Gallagher worked at a builder’s merchants. Having hurt his foot in an accident, he was given a job in the storeroom, and this allowed him to write songs, and the original inspiration for the track came from the song ‘Shine A Light’ from ‘Exile On Main Street’ by Rolling Stones.
Supersonic (Susan Hansen)
“Can I ride with you/In your BMW/You can sail with me/In my yellow submarine”.
There is no denying; Oasis carried their admiration for The Beatles with pride, and their debut single ‘Supersonic’ plays with references to the Liverpudlian four-piece in various ways, some are direct, while others are still up for discovery. Noel Gallagher is said to have written the song in one day. At four minutes and 34 seconds, it is significantly longer than many famous rock ‘n roll anthems, but it feels as though it could go on for much longer.
Also the title of Mat Whitecross’s 2016 documentary about Oasis, the song pinpoints a crucial time when the band had to undergo producer changes starting with Dave Batchelor, and moving to Mark Coyle, before settling with Owen Morris. Lyrically, it is one of the most frequently discussed songs, and its original meaning is still the object of vigorous debate today. What is it to feel “Supersonic”, and who is the girl referred to as “Elsa” who’s into “Alka Seltzer”? Allegedly, this was a reference to a rottweiler belonging to their sound engineer Dave Scott.
Cast No Shadow (Sam Walker-Smart)
Oasis is a band synonymous with the word ‘swagger,’ but it’s arguably their tender side that has given their music longevity. With the likes of ‘Wonderwall,’ ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ and ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ standing as their top most-streamed songs over a decade since their split, it’s apparent the fans love a good ballad most of all.
Wedged between Morning Glory’s SIX singles, ‘Cast No Shadow’ is a perfect marriage of Noel’s bedroom poetry and the group’s unstoppable ambition. A simple strum along number at its core, Liam’s forceful vocal accompanied by Noel’s high pitched backing and a sea of strings proves why, at their peak, Oasis were pop magic. The lyric “As they took his soul / They stole his pride” is a deceptively dark but wholly relatable lyric for anyone who’s been through the wringer.
Special praise has to go to Alan White’s light-footed drumming, which elevates the whole track from possible campfire fodder to something majestic.
The Masterplan (Emma Harrison)
Is this one of the finest Oasis songs ever? Quite possibly.
Not only is it a shining example of Noel Gallagher’s exemplary songwriting – “Life on the other hand/Won’t make us understand/ We’re all part of a masterplan” – but musically, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. It poignantly captures the universal truth of one’s journey through life and how all we know is that we don’t actually know and how sometimes you just have to leave things to fate.
Taken from the 1998 album ‘The Masterplan’ (the last album to be released on Alan McGee’s Creation label) which featured a stellar collection of B sides. The song of the same name was originally released as a B-side to their monster hit ‘Wonderwall’ and its accompanying animated video follows the band in the style of the celebrated artist L. S. Lowry.
It has been noted that Noel regrets giving away ‘all those great songs’ as B-sides and when asked why he put out ‘The Masterplan’ as a B-side he replied, ‘They asked me to write a B side and that’s what I’ve wrote’. Gallagher himself describes the track as the ‘favourite song that I have ever written and with lyrics like “The best of all the things that come our way / ‘Cause everything that’s been has passed / The answers in the looking glass”, you can’t really argue with the man.
If you are looking for a masterclass in song writing, you would be hard pushed to find a better example than ‘The Masterplan’.
The Importance of Being Idle (Emma Harrison)
One of the strongest Oasis albums of the band’s later years, ‘Don’t Believe The Truth’ includes ‘The Importance of Being Idle’. Written by Noel, it features the unforgettable lines: “I lost my faith in the summertime, ‘cause it don’t stop raining/The sky all day is black as night/ but I’m not complaining”.
With the opulent theatrics of the music hall style drumming coupled with Gallagher’s impressive guitar work, the song plays out like a film with its accompanying video featuring Welsh actor Rhys Ifans (and a group of undertakers) doing a little song and dance routine to the track. The band only appear in the video very briefly and includes Noel shaving in front of a mirror. In the video, Ifans is preparing for his own funeral and we hear different perspectives from the people around his character.
Lyrics like “My best friend called me the other night/He said, man, are you crazy/My girlfriend told me to get a life/She said, boy, you lazy” provides the listener with an intriguing insight into the singers’ existence. Centred around themes of apathy and addiction, the song explores how you just can’t get excited if you don’t have anything to get excited about. ‘I can’t get a life if my heart’s not in it’ screams of despondency coupled with a growing realisation that sometimes hope is not enough.
Lyrically, ‘The Importance Of Being Idle’ effortlessly showcases Gallagher’s unique delivery and impeccable storytelling and this is why it is one of my favourite Oasis songs.
Talk Tonight (Lucy Harbron)
“A beautifully tender and vulnerable track in a discography that can often feel like the official lad culture soundtrack, ‘Talk Tonight’ is a song so sweet that it softens all my harsher feelings towards the Gallagher brothers. Stripped back and simple, the track is utterly timeless, at once sounding like being both 14 scrolling through Tumblr and crying on the bus after a heartbreak at 20.
Pulled away from all the ego the band got caught up in, the lyrics ‘all your dreams are made of strawberry lemonade, and you make sure I eat today’ talk of a love that seems so real and calmly caring while still being infused with that early Britpop magic that made us all grow up wishing we were Kate Moss or one of her mates.
It’s been on every chill playlist I’ve ever made, and always finds its way onto any mixtape I make for any crush, from being a foolish pre-teen till the day I finally grow out of the habit.”
Acquiesce (Joe Rivers)
At the height of their powers, Oasis could write songs that most acts could only dream of, and afford to chuck them away as B-sides. One of the finest examples of this is ‘Acquiesce’ – a track Alan McGee wanted released as a single yet ended up as track three on the CD and 12” singles of ‘Some Might Say’. The verse is typical mid-90s Oasis: guitars awash with reverb, a melody you feel you’ve always known, and Liam getting the chance to wrap his vocal cords around some long vowels in his signature style
. But where ‘Acquiesce’ really takes off is the chorus where Noel takes over, the pitch soars and a message of a loving relationship shines through. For an act whose lyrics often featured a raft of cliches which are great to sing along to at a gig but ultimately mean very little, the clarity of ‘Acquiesce’ (“Because we need each other / We believe in one another”) is disarmingly candid.
There were always rumours the relationship in question was that of Liam and Noel themselves but, like all the best songs, it’s intimate and personal while being broad and relatable at the same time.
Don’t Look Back In Anger (Andy Hill)
I mean, of course, it’s derivative as hell. That brazen John Lennon rip off in the intro. And verses. Suffice to say I’ve had a wild ride with ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, over the years. It was the first song I put on after my girlfriend in sixth form let me touch her boobs. It’s the anthem’s anthem, I think. The second (or maybe third) song I learned to play on guitar.
Later, at uni, I was into Radiohead and obviously much too cool for Noel Gallagher’s lumpen meat-and-potatoes football chant. Didn’t once think about ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ again until my mid 20s, when I was messing around in cover bands. Man alive, that song can get any crowd going. I’ve busked it on the London Underground, played dive bars in Sydney, Paris and New York and let me tell you – every single fucking time it goes down a storm. Our lead singer announces it like this: “ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for our national anthem”.
Cos that’s what it is.
The Hindu Times (Robin Murray)
The song that saved Oasis? Perhaps. Y’see, the band were bad news post-‘Be Here Now’ – losing long-standing members didn’t help, while the Britpop hangover saw the group’s stock become about as appetising as three day old Coca-Cola and some crisps you found down the back of the couch.
2000’s ‘Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants’ was largely absent of the Gallagher Bros’ trademark swagger, with the music press turning on a group who they had once rushed to anoint as the spokes-people for a generation.
But then came ‘Heathen Chemistry’. A shot in the arm for the beleaguered group, it found new members Andy Bell and Gem Archer making themselves known, particularly on electrifying comeback single ‘The Hindu Times’. Eastern-tinged from the title to the guitar effects, it found Noel Gallagher matching his Beta Band obsessions to some old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. Put simply, it felt like they were hungry again.
Rocketing to number one, it stuck two fingers up to the doubters while re-affirming the faith of their fans. Sure, this lift might lean heavily on those scorching opening statements – and the attendant B-Sides – but at their best, Oasis’ latter-day efforts proved that they could go toe-to-toe with any rock ‘n’ roll band on the planet.
Some Might Say (Robin Murray)
As a young and then-unknown Pete Doherty once put it: “Noel Gallagher is a poet, and Liam is a town crier…”
The fusion of bravado and introspection is what makes Oasis so unforgettable – that feeling that you can take on the world, if only you could escape your own head. Nowhere is this mixture of substance-fuelled helter-skelter energy combined with such potent melancholy than on ‘Some Might Say’.
The band’s first number one, it’s chunky, glam rock inspired riff gives way to a psych-infused breakdown, Liam Gallager’s voice lost in a morass of sound. A song about hope, and reaching out through the darkness, it’s brash edge can’t quite escape the poetry of the lyrics: “Some might say / That we will find a brighter day…”
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Photo Credit: Michael Spencer Jones
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