Tina Weymouth, American musician (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club)

David Byrne

We all know David Byrne as the wildly animate singer of the Talking Heads, who’s carefree singing kept people talking about the Talking Heads long after the 80’s were over. But what some people may not know is that David Byrne has had one of the most prolific and varied careers long after the last Talking Heads record, Naked, was released in 1988.

To give a brief background of Mr. Byrne – he was born in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1952. He moved to Canada when he was two, and by age five he had taught himself to play the accordion. At 9 his family had moved to Boston, and by the time he enrolled in high school he had picked up the guitar and violin as well. Andrew Bird, eat your heart out.

But David Byrne is not only a passionate lover of music, he is as accomplished a visual artist as a sonic one. For a year, he took art classes at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, and then dropped out due to the fact that he thought the classes weren’t worth the money. However, the school was invaluable to him in that it brought him together with Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth who would form the Talking Heads with Jerry Harrison.

From left to right: Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Byrne, and Tina Weymouth

During the band’s more than fifteen-year run from their first show in 1975 until they broke up in 1991, Byrne was extremely busy. Among other things, he directed all of the Talking Heads’ music videos, created the score for “The Catherine Wheel” a ballet choreographed by Twyla Tharp and formed the record label Luaka Bop – which highlights Brazilian pop artists.

After the Talking Heads’ official break-up, David Byrne created a series of albums – many of them having Latin themes or even Spanish language lyrics. In 2002, he released the record Uh-Oh, the cover of which shows a choir of angels surrounding a cartoon dog seated on a heavenly throne.

"Uh-Oh" by David Byrne

On his website all Byrne offers about the record is that “funk and Latin grooves were combined together”, but any combination of ago-go bells and bass clarinet, like this record has deserves a listen. “Now I’m Your Mom”, the first track on the album has lyrics that will both amaze and shock you:

David Byrne has a way of absorbing everything around him and then incorporating what he collects into his own re-creations of the world. He playfully nudges religion in “A Walk in the Dark” off of the same album (and also throws in some more bass clarinet to boot):

"Look Into the Eyeball" by David Byrne

Byrne continued this trend in a later solo project called Look Into the Eyeball (2001). The slick song U.B. Jesus proclaims

But David Byrne has mellowed out a little but with his most recent record Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008). For the recording he teamed up again with British rocker Brian Eno, who played with the Talking Heads from 1978 to 1982. The album is more probing than anything else David Byrne has done since the Talking Heads and is fatalist in a Donnie Darko sort of way. You can listen to the whole album here.

Byrne and Brian Eno

Ok, so more David Byrne to come in the next post! Including recent developments with N.A.S.A., the music group (not to be confused with the makers of the vomit comet) and Fatboy Slim’s band the BPA.

at least that is the moniker providence has bestowed upon itself.  makes sense in some regards, with RISD and brown here, as well as very creative mobsters, crooked politicians (seriously, you think those jackasses in d.c. are corrupt?!?!), ways to eat clams & the throw away parts of pigs.  the thing about rhode island is that it’s so small that anyone from here is basically considered as being from providence.  which isn’t really a stretch, considering my being from maine and though growing up a half hour from bangor, that’s the only town anyone has heard of nearby so you just say “i’m from bangor”, and in a half hour (well, 30 miles – it typically takes 10 times as long to drive it if the road is full of people from rhode island!!!) you can practically be from any one spot to another in RI.  anyways, long story short, this music monday will be dedicated to some artists who are either from providence or thereabouts, or who got their career started here.  this was spurred on by all the hype with deer tick, who are turning out to be the fleet foxes of 2009.  apparently three things are necessary for indie rock hipster band of the year honors:  beards, westerny plaid shirts and animals in your bands name.   here’s deer tick on seattle radio doing “easy”.

now, the first band from providence i knew about was the amazing (royal) crowns.  i had the privilege of seeing them at the 1st & 2nd (and only 2) new england ska festivals and they were incredible.  frontman jason kendall is actually a videogame designer who is featured in the guitar hero games, and is a bit of a ‘local legend’.  long before people put down real instruments for plastic ones, the crowns were featured on aussie tv performing “do the devil” and “shivering in the corner”.

from one rockabilly band to another (it’s a bit of a thing in town) here’s sasquatch & the sick-a-billys.  i had a roomate who’d routinely go see these guys, and i haven’t had the chance, but this seems like it’d have been a fun show considering the heckling that takes place.  though, it might be staged. you tell me.

back when the “3rd wave” ska scene emerged, providence was represented by the agents, who are still around. i’m not sure what he says after “dance”, but here’s the song.

one of the bigger names to come from little rhody is tanya donelly, who is from newport, and alongside her sister started the critically acclaimed throwing muses.  donelly was also a founding member of the breeders and fronted belly, which she’d gone on to do when this video was recorded.  sadly sans tanya, here’s “shimmer”.

my favorite brother/sister 2 piece!  the bassist is my friend sarah’s boss, so you know she’s cool.  the two often change instruments and melt faces.  if they come anywhere near you, go (and ask for the “shock the monkey” cover).  great, great stuff.  here’s vulgarrity with “gone streakin’”.

wow.  that’s really all i could say the first time i heard lightning bolt.  crazy noise rock (a term they hate) with compositions that’d make sun ra weep, this duo got it’s start at RISD and has rained thunder down on all who’ve been in their presence.  here’s”dracula mountain”.

speaking of noise rock, arab on radar were one of the first providence based bands to blast eardrums with insane sound back in the mid-90’s on through 2002.  they even got this video on empty v.  wacky.  fun story, there used to be a club in town called babyhead, and when opening for marilyn manson apparently they were chased out by angry pseudo-goth kids.  haha.  here’s “god is dad”.

arab on radar’s guitarist stephen mattos would go to form athletic automaton with one of the greatest barkeeps in all of the town, patrick crump, who we’re blessed to have had relocate from kansas city to here.  here’s the crazy duo banging out some shit, the song is called “into africa”.

probably the best known artist going right now from RI is sage francis, from bristol, which is sort of between providence and newport?  they had the first 4th of july celebration, so it only makes sense that an anarcho-slam poet would emerge from there.  here’s “escape artist”.

and of course the biggest band of all to have gotten their start in the ocean state are the talking heads, who met at RISD.  you know ‘em, you love ‘em. here’s a very cool early version (i’m guessing circa ‘75) of “psycho killer” live at CBGB’s.  i love you, tina weymouth!

As I write this, I’m struggling to understand it and process it all. No, I really can’t fathom *why* Miles Fisher (yeh don’t worry I had to wiki him too) felt the need to cover Talking Head’s classic ‘This Must Be The Place’. I only know that watching this video feels weirdly compulsary. Maybe it’s because a burden shared is a burden halved. Maybe it’s because it’s a bit like when you’re way drunk, the room is spinning and you know the only way to get to sleep is to make yourself sick.

(original video)

And now that you probably hate me a little, why don’t I ruin Genius Of Love for you while I’m at it…

(original video)

Hello once again dear readers. Did you read the news that according to an American company the one millionth English word is about to be born, well actually it is probably already filling nappies (or diapers if you wish) as we speak. Apparently a company called GLM based in Texas whose raison-daitre is to tell companies how many times they are mentioned on the Internet can also search for the appearance of any word. Their self created methodology in determining a new word says that it must have appeared 25,000 times on the Internet, there is no time period applied. This all seems somewhat like bollocks to me (I’m not swearing bollocks is an Anglo Saxon word, just ask the Sex Pistols and Virgin Records!). Many Lexicographers (now that’s a fantastic job title!) are unhappy with these colonial usurpers telling them how it’s done! I tend to agree, but only because most Americans don’t speak English ‘like what it is supposed to be spoken’ I mean come on, no ‘U’ in colour, pronouncing route incorrectly, then there’s schedule and tomato. Don’t even get me started on fanny OK! Seriously though please don’t take offence at this if you are American, feel free to take offense though But if you’d like a slightly more serious view click here for the link to the BBC that carries the story. Then click here for the follow up, for indeed while I have been typing (admittedly it has taken nearly three days to complete this post!) the new word has been dumped kicking and screaming into a world that, frankly, neither wants it or needs it. Only a nerdy geek could have given birth to it. For I know the word and the word is……………… Web 2.0, I kid you not. The nearest rivals were Jai-Ho (from the Slumdog Millionaire movie) and nOOB (something to do with nerdy, geeky gamers I believe) All that hype and all we get is a couple of small turds plopping into the lexicon of life.

 Anyway I was thinking that a word related post might be interesting so here goes. Let’s kick off with the rather stupendous Tom Tom Club with the rather jolly “Wordy Rappinghood” Now I think Rappinghood would have made an excellent millionth word contender, how about you? Tom Tom Club I suppose really began as on offshoot of Talking Heads, I think nowadays the correct term might be side project! The band consisted of Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz off of Talking Heads and a cast of many other noted musicians; Adrian Belew, Wally Badarou and the Compass Point All Stars to name just a few. Their earliest success came with the divine “Genius Of Love”. But they really broke big when the 12 inch versions of Genius and Rappinghood were issued and got a lot of club play in 1982. Their songs have been sampled by many people including Grandmaster Flash and Mariah Carey. The band also appeared on the Talking Heads live concert movie ‘Stop Making Sense’

camouflage was not that well understood by Tom Tom Club

Next up it’s the Gibb Brothers (OK the Bee Gees then) with “Words” Which was once given a depressingly dull makeover by the band that put bland into everything the rather shite (in my opinion of course) Boyzone. Sadly it gave Ronan and the boys their first UK number one. But if you’d like to hear some better covers of the song there are plenty out there. Check out some good covers from Rita Coolidge and Georgie Fame. You can find a great Bee Gees reference in the strangest place, there is an excellent parody of them in Blink 182’s video for “First Date” Speaking of the Bee Gees , I was walking to the train station earlier this week lost in my iPod and on came “Stayin’ Alive”, how I longed to be carrying a pot of paint so that I could make like Travolta’s Tony Manero in ‘Saturday Night Fever’. Sadly a laptop bag just doesn’t cut it, does it?

The Gibb boys prepare for the Christmas number one by wrapping themselves in Bacofoil like Turkeys

Then we have the boys that put Cod Piece back in the dictionary, Cameo with “Word Up” Which bizarrely in my humble opinion was covered by Korn! Click here to here the Korn version. The song was a massive hit for Cameo in 1986, the promo rounds were probably made much more memorable by Larry Blackmon’s polished red cod piece. For me Larry was one of only two people who have ever been able to pull off a cod piece (ooooooooh Matron!) The other one being Edmund Blackadder. The song also gets played in an Episode of the Simpsons entitled, appropriately for this post, ‘Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words’ where Lisa performs in a crossword competition. 

Mr Cod Piece 1986

I haven’t mentioned the Beatles and Bowie for a while so how about the Beatles with “The Word” and Mr Bowie with the hardly ever played “Word On A Wing”. The Beatles song appeared on ‘Rubber Soul’ and in addition to the Fab Four also had George Martin playing the Harmonium. Bowie’s song appeared on the excellent ‘Station To Station’ album from 1976 and emanating from the Dame’s ‘Thin White Duke’ period. It was also a B side to the single version of “Stay” from the same album. It is a relatively religious song and written while Bowie was very much coke addled. It also coincided with the time Mr Jones began to wear a crucifix

John you may have more friends than me, but at least mine isn't a midget!

I shall finish this post with the wonderful “ABC” by the Jackson Five. OK I know it’s not strictly a word but if you didn’t know your ABC you wouldn’t be able to make words would you? The song was a US number one and like the earlier “I Want You Back” was written by the mysterious Corporation. Not that mysterious though it was a Motown writing team that consisted of Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonso Mizell and Deke Richards. The song was backed with a cover of a lesser known Diana Ross And The Supremes song; “The Young Folks”

Before they could afford a tour bus the boys used alternative transport

OK that’s all for now, but tell me your word songs, I can think of a couple more but I’d like to hear from you my dear readers!

Image of Kim Pine, courtesy of flickr

I just finished the first five volumes of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim (not knowing that the final volume has yet to be released — yowzas, Vol. 5 drop-kicks you!). My friend Susan was good enough to let me borrow them — thanks, Susan!

The general premise is as follows: Scott Pilgrim is an aimless, jobless twentysomething Torontonian with a band. He’s more than a bit scattered and commitment-phobic. At the beginning of the series, he dates a smitten Chinese Canadian teen (radly named Knives Chau), but falls hard for Ramona V. Flowers, an elusive American with ever-changing hair. In order to be together, he must defeat all seven of her evil ex-boyfriends in battle.

An otherwise mundane story about a guy and his social group quipping and shrugging toward adulthood, the series’ content clashes interestingly with its manga-influenced aesthetic and jarringly cut up with action sequences that hail the early Mario Brothers video games. Initially, the style was a little jarring, as the previous Oni Press title I had read was Local. Yes, the look is problematic, particularly in terms of how Japanese popular culture (manga, video games) are being used to tell the story of a primarily white group of young people. At the same time, being a twentysomething never seemed so fun, innocent, and lively. This is coming from someone who just signed a fat student loan check, so I appreciate these flights of fancy.

I’ll briefly launch into the reasons why I wanted to read it and why you might like it: 1) Edgar Wright is directing the feature adaptation, 2) Michael Cera is starring in it, and while his film work has been hit and miss for me, I’m still willing to see his movies, and 3) Scott Pilgrim is in a mixed-gender band, which I thought may be useful for this ol’ blog.

Now, if you’re a feminist and you’re like “ugh, I don’t really want to spend time and energy reading a comic about some slacker dude’s misadventures,” take comfort in Susan’s words to me. Like Luke Skywalker, Scott Pilgrim may be the protagonist, but in many ways, he’s the least exciting character. And, to me, the most interesting characters are all female. For the sake of specificity, I will focus on one of them — a firebrand drummer by the name of Kim Pine.

Now, the reasons why I should be in love with a comic book character are obvious to me. And not just because she reminds me of a girl I had a crush on in college. And I’m not alone.

To the right, a fan-made Kim Pine pin with a message that I quote in the entry title

For one, Kim Pine is the brains of the operation known as Sex-Bob-Omb. She’s rational, level-headed, practical, and responsible. There’s a reason she’s referred to as “The Smart One.”

She’s also “The Rhythm.” Importantly, she’s not the bass player (the role in the band that Scott actually occupies). She’s the drummer, and a pretty good one at that. Traditionally, women tend to be bassists if they play in a mixed-gender band (ex: Tina Weymouth, Kim Gordon, Kim Deal in The Pixies, etc.). They also tend to be the only female in a mixed-gender band. Pine is the only female in Sex-Bob-Omb, a speedy punk outfit, and she drives its beat.

Kim Pine on drums; Scott Pilgrim on bass

Refreshingly, Pine does not suffer fools gladly, and usually not at all. But she does most of this without getting mad or even raising her voice. A withering look or a deadpan response is all that is required.

Kim Pine is not impressed with you

That said, she’s loyal to Scott, who she dated in high school but has no romantic feelings for as a woman in her early 20s. But she also challenges him, and doesn’t let him slack on her couch or get too mopey.

She’s also really good friends with Ramona. They have a stable, supportive relationship based on mutual understanding and respect. She also is shown having good relationships with her co-worker Holly and Lisa, an up-and-coming actress who also dated Scott in high school. Yay, steady female friendships!

Kim Pine and Ramona Flowers

Kim also works at the neighborhood video store. As someone whose opportunities in local media retail have always eluded her (probably because of my prediliction for button-up shirts), I’m always jealous of people who have cool, if not financially lucrative jobs. My friend Allison works at Waterloo and is happy to do it, not because of the pay, but because of the atmosphere, the sense of community, and the discount (also, I’d imagine, the free beer).

This aspect of Kim’s characterization was so great to me. Her job, along with the others that Scott’s friends occupy (barista, dishwasher, cook, courier, telemarketer), reminds me of some of my friends Joe/Jill jobs. None of Scott’s friends go to college (Kim talks about enrolling), but they still have access to the same kinds of shit jobs that many of my friends were qualified for after graduating college. None of the characters in Scott Pilgrim have “careers” in the traditional sense. Yet, despite this supposed lack of financial responsibility, these characters are trying hard to find some kind of creative outlet, suggesting the DIY spirit is alive and well in today’s twentysomethings.

Also, duh. Kim’s really cute.

Apparently Alison Pill is playing Kim in the film adaptation and I’m excited. I especially hope we get to see her make out with Knives (along with another female character who engages in a lesbian relationship). Pill would certainly get more action than she did playing Harvey Milk’s uncharastically desexualized campaign manager Anne Kronenberg in Gus Van Sant’s otherwise great biopic.

Until the final volume reaches the bookshelves and the movie makes it to the multiplex, let’s enjoy The Wonderful World of Kim Pine, courtesy of O’Malley’s flickr.

En 1980, Tina Weymouth et son mari Chris Frantz – respectivement bassiste et batteur de Talking Heads – profitent d’une petit pause au sein du groupe pour lancer leur propre formation: Tom Tom Club. Pour les accompagner dans ces nouvelles aventures musicale, Chris et Tina s’adjoignent les services d’Adrien Belew (collaborateur de David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Talking Heads et futur membre de King Crimson).

Ce premier album est enregistré au Compass Point Studios,  célèbre studio situé à Nassau aux Bahamas qui verra le passage des Rolling Stones, de Dire Straits, Roxy Music, ELO ou encore R.E.M. “Tom Tom Club” mélange sonorité pop/rock (on sent la pate de la section rythmique de Talking Heads), dance et ambiance “musique des iles”. Grâce aux singles “Wordy Rappinghood“, “Genius of Love” et le cultissime “Under The Boardwalk” (reprise d’un classique des Drifters sorti en 64) – qui triomphent dans les boites à l’époque – “Tom Tom Club” est un grand succès à sa sortie.

A l’occasion des 50 ans du label Island, Universal vient de rééditer une très belle version deluxe de cet album, vous trouverez le tracklist complet de cette réédition à la suite de cet article.

J’aurai probablement l’occasion de discuter prochainement de cette réédition avec Tina Weymouth et nous aurons l’occasion d’en reparler sur Classic 21. On précisera que Tina Weymouth est une des premières bassistes de l’histoire du rock et qu’elle sera, à l’époque, amie avec une autre bassiste très connue: Corinne du groupe Téléphone. Weymouth sera aussi l’un des modèles de Catherine Ringer (des Rita Mitsouko) au début de sa carrière.

Tina, toujours dans le coup, a récemment collaboré au projet Gorillaz mené par Damon Albarn de Blur.

Plus d’infos: http://www.tomtomclub.net/

Tracklist “Tom Tom Club” Deluxe Edition:

Sarah Palin speaks too much without saying anything. A real master of the word salad.

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i love the bass.  i think far too often the importance of the bass is overlooked in music, and bassists are all too often the forgotten members of amazing bands.  the guitarist & singer certainly dominate the limelight.  then again, i do love bands like the white stripes who don’t even have a bassist!  but, you gotta have that boom-boom-ba-doom-boom to get people movin’.  often times people think the bass is “easy” to play, and if you’re just going to do a simple 4/4 i suppose it is, but so are the drums and guitar.  some of my favorite bassists played a fairly simplistic style of music, but the same can be said of guitarists & drummers.  however, there are certainly some great examples of amazing bassmanship on this bloog. 

if i had to pick my favorite bassist, it would be aston “familyman” barrett of the wailers (as in bob marley and).  familyman – who got the nickname b/c he apparently fathered 52 kids! - typifies the wonderful walking bass style of reggae music.  i think the bass really gets to shine in reggae, particularly dub, though familyman & his brother carlton who played drums (he was killed in ‘85) are clearly not given their due considering they played with quite possibly the most popular artist in the world.  some of my favorite familyline lines are featured in songs like “small axe“, “trenchtown rock” and “stir it up”, featured here with the original wailers including peter tosh & bunny wailer.  

the perfect example of a bassist getting outshined is seen in the case of john entwislte of the who, widely regarded as the greatest rock bassist ever.  entwistle, called “thunderfingers”, was the most talented member of that amazing band.  i think it’s paramount to a slap in the face to his legacy that roger daltrey & pete townshend continue to call themselves “the who” with both entwistle & keith moon dead – when those 2 guys were so very much of what made the who so damn amazing.  my favorite entwistle bassline is from “my generation“, but i’ve shown that clip a lot in bloogs and facebooks and whatnot.  so here’s a clip of an old john doing the solo from “5:15″…i realize the irony in playing a video of “the who” sans keith moon, which is no who at all.  but it’s an amazing solo!

james jamerson is probably the most unappreciated musician of the 20th century.  let me break it down so you understand.  jamerson, who fronted the funk brothers – the motown house band – played on 30 #1 hits, which is a record, and on the r&b charts nearly 70 songs he played on went to the top.  his bass playing was what made the motown sound what it was.  i’m hard pressed to think of a more influencial musician in modern day music.  check out the great documentary standing in the shadows of motown.  some of jamerson’s most famous basslines are featured in songs like “bernadette“, “darling dear” and “i heard it through the grapevine”, featured here live – though sans jamerson.  but you get the idea.  

taking over as the funkiest bassist to ever drop it on the 1 is the one & only bootsy collins.  my introduction to bootsy was similar to most my age – from the deee-lite song “groove is in the heart“.  a few years later i’d find out about parliament/funkadelic and the p-funk all-stars and then bootsy’s own rubber band.  what is less known about bootsy is that he played in james brown’s band the jb’s.  in fact, his bassline to “sex machine” is considered one of the greatest basslines ever.  there’s so many from the p-funk days, the most well known probably being “tear the roof off“.  but, let’s go with a bootsy solo.

widely regarded as the greatest jazz bassist – which basically means best bassist – is charles mingus.  mingus belongs in the pantheon of 20th century jazz masters, he & his bass were like miles & the trumpet, coltrane & the sax and thelonious & the piano.  mingus’ oh yeah is a must have record.  i wanted to put “haitian fight song” on here, but all i could find were covers.  i want to see mingus slap it.  so, here he is.

the next 2 bassists come from my 2 all-time favorite bands, so, i’m clearly biased.  however, i think it’s safe to say that adam clayton is an integral part to what has made u2 such a phenomenon for 30 years now.  clayton has long been known as the wild man of the group, which considering the personal lives of the other 3 isn’t really that much of an accomplishment!  and to think he almost didn’t last past the 1st record, as the faith of bono, the edge & larry mullen, jr. left clayton feeling alienated, a non-christian in what at the time could’ve been misconstrued as “christian band”.  thank God it got sorted out.  clayton’s signature bassline is probably from “new years day“, but that’s another song i’ve linked many a’ time.  instead how about “until the end of the world”.  

and from my other favorite band of all-times, the smiths, comes andy rourke.  he and mike joyce were truly one of the greatest rhythm sections ever, and alongside moz’s witty & melodramatic lyrics and johnny marr’s incredible guitar playing, the smiths had a damn perfect line-up.  rourke’s basslines stand out on several songs, and loving the band as i do it’s hard to pick one to feature, but let’s go with “barbarism begins at home”.

wilco has been recognized as the greatest american band, the “american radiohead”, and it is widely due to the genius songwriting of jeff tweedy, but i think the rhythm section of wilco is definately a major part in their acclaim.  drummer glenn kotche is a beast, and bassist john stirratt is spectacular (both have also released solo work & taken part in side projects).  stirratt has been playing with tweedy since the uncle tupelo days, and alongside jeff is the only member of the band who’s been in the line-up since the debut a.m.  as with the others it’s hard to pick one.  let’s go with “california stars”.

who doesn’t love a pretty lady rocking out on the 4 string.  tina weymouth of the talking heads is the preemnient she-bassist, a former RISD student with heads frontman david byrne & drummer/husband chris frantz.  the three would form one of the most influencial bands to come out of the late 70’s nyc cbgb scene.  weymouth & frantz would also form the tom tom club in the 80’s, and still play.  their trademark song is “genius of love“, which highlights tina’s bass playing.  but, she’s probably best known for the amazing bassline that lays the groundwork for the talking heads “psycho killer”.

and to round out my top 10, i’m gonna give love to the bassist of the 2nd greatest band of all-times, the clash’s paul simonon.  simonon stood out from the other punk bassists of the late 70’s with his heavily reggae influenced playing, which of course would be a key part of what made the clash so special.  though simonon’s signature bassline is from the song “london calling“, i’m going to feature a song that simonon wrote & sings and really shows his impact on what was the most important band in the world, “guns of brixton”.

a few notables that weren’t included in this unofficial top 10 are jimmy garrison, whose bassline on coltrane’s “a love supreme” is one of the best ever, jah wobble, jamaican dub master robbie shakespeare from sly & robbie – showcased here on augustus pablo’s “frozen dub”, joy division/new order’s peter hook, the pixies/the breeders’ kim deal as heard on songs like “cannonball” and ”debaser”, the crazy man in his underwear flea (who is also a great trumpeter), les claypool – although i’m not a big primus fan i do find his bass playing remarkable, led zep’s john paul jones, jazzmaster stanley clarke, and the man who laid the bottom on miles davis’ “footprints“, ron carter.

John Scott’s comments under the last post had me thinking about the Ayn Rand-style selfishness sweeping this nation. It melded in nicely with my thoughts after reading the comments from former Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth. Which leads into this great tune.

Tina Weymouth + Grandmaster Flash

Check out this style blog for dudes: Nerd Boyfriend! The photo of Grandmaster Flash and Tina Weymouth above was found there.

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This 52 Pick-Up video thing is a challenge indeed! Check out what we threw together for week 2 right here.

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Save the CBC!!!

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Reviews of the shows we went to this weekend are forthcoming….

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Hello again readers (well I am assuming that you’re not just looking at the pictures here obviously!). I’ve moved away from the usual birthday and ‘onthisday’ post once again today. This post could I suppose be called a fire sale! It was inspired by my second fire walk which I completed last night! Yes I walked barefoot over hot coals and I urge you to try it yourself if you ever get the chance. It’s not just a turn up and walk kind of thing there is a build up over a few hours including breaking an arrow on your throat. That too is an incredible experience. The lady who ran last nights session and indeed the first firewalk I did a few months back is ‘Lovely Lisa‘ click her name to get to her website. Lisa is truly an inspirational coach and those of you who know me well will be aware that this is strong praise indeed coming from such a cynical skeptic. Check out Lisa’s site and do everything you can, short of perhaps selling your mother, to do a firewalk.

This is me exposing my soles to hot coals!

Anyway to get back to the music I thought I would run through my top 5 fire related songs and maybe it could ’spark’ you into shedding some ‘light’ one your own ‘burning hot’ songs. Here are mine;

1 “Firestarter” – The Prodigy

2 “Fire” – Ohio Players

3 “Burning Down The House” – Talking Heads

4 “Burnin’ And Lootin‘” – Bob Marley and the Wailers

5 “Light My Fire” – Jose Feliciano

OK now do your worst and tell me your favourite fire related songs, if I receive enough I’ll put my five and yours in a poll in a future post!

A post of mine wouldn’t be the same without a large degree of trivia so here it comes.

The Prodigy took their name from a Moog synthesiser which unsurprisingly was called the Moog Prodigy! The band rose to fame during the rave era of the early 90’s in the UK. They released their first single “Charly” in August 1991. It took a sample from a British public information film called ‘Charley Says’ and reached number 3 in the UK. Eventually things went mega for the band in 1997 with the release of the excellent ‘Fat Of The Land’ album which spawned two UK number ones in “Firestarter” and “Breathe”. My own favourite Prodigy song is their fourth single, released in 1992, “Out Of Space”. It sampled heavily from a Max Romeo song “I Chase The Devil” which had originally been produced by the stupendously talented Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. The “I’ll take your brain to another dimension” line is taken from the excellent “Critical Breakdown” by the Ultramagnetic MCs. What is your favourite Prodigy song?

Keith Prodigy knew he would have to grow his hair much more before he could acquire the perfect comb-over

I was a big fan of funk music in the 70s which is how I first got into the rather wonderful Ohio Players. There was a bonus for teenage boys who were fans of this band and in 1975 I was just 16. That bonus was that all their album covers had pictures of semi naked women doing things like pouring honey over themselves! Excuse me while I go and take a quick cold shower……………… ok that’s better, now where were we? Oh yes the Ohio Players. In their early days Walter ‘Junie’ Morrison was the lead vocalist, he later went on to sing lead for Funkadelic (probably my favourite funk band ever!). Those Red Hot Chili Pepper fans amongst you may already be familiar with the Ohio Players via the Chili’s rather good cover of “Love Rollercoaster”. The RHCP version featured in the movie ‘Beavis And Butthead Do America’ and when released as a single from the soundtrack the additional track was “Lesbian Seagull” by Englebert Humperdinck, I kid you not! Click the title to hear it! The original Ohio Players version of “Love Rollercoaster” features a couple of high pitched screams which have developed an urban myth about them over the years. One myth says they are the screams of a dying woman being murdered outside the studio, another says that it is the painful scream of a dying rabbit which was run down outside the studio. The truth would appear to be much more likely and indeed mundane. It is the sampled scream of a woman riding a roller coaster. Well come on it fits the song doesn’t it? Anyway click here to watch a brief video that explains the urban myth and then tell me what you think. Personally I think it is complete and utter crap!

For research only here are two pictures of Ohio Players album covers. I love the strategically placed picture of the band on the second one

The Fire Service budget cuts had resulted in almost a complete lack of protective clothing for firefighters

Well they do say that honey is good for you;-)

Talking Heads originally formed in 1974 as the Artistics featuring David Byrne, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz who were all attending the Rhode Island School Of Design. The name Talking Heads came after they read a TV Guide which explained that just a headshot of a presenter was known as a talking head and was basically ‘all content and no action’ They felt that the phrase was a perfect fit for the band. The first time they played under the new name was when they opened for the Ramones at CBGBs in 1975. Jerry Harrison joined the band from Jonathan Richman’s Modern Lovers in 1976. It was a cover of Al Green’s “Take Me To The River” that really helped them take off

After a power failure backstage the band had dressed in the dark again

Bob Marley is one of my all time favourite singers and has been for many years. I hadn’t heard of him when he released his first singles though. Largely because I was only three years old and the singles only came out in Jamaica! The songs were “Judge Not” and “One More Cup Of Coffee” production was handled by legendary Jamaican Producer Leslie Kong. Marley didn’t even use his own name on the singles, for both he was known as Bobby Martell. Earlier this year Marley’s family struck a deal with a Finance Company to licence Marley’s image under the ‘House Of Marley’ brand. So expect to see House Of Marley image and branding on everything from Snowboards (that sounds really authentic Jamaican), Luggage, Headphones and a Jamaican Beer!

This little fella auditioned for the 'Marley And Me' movie but clearly didn't know the story very well

OK I guess I should expect some kickback for this but I feel that the Doors are overrated! Although I love “Light My Fire” I much prefer Jose Feliciano’s version. Jose is Puerto Rican and was blind from birth. His full name is José Montserrate Feliciano García. Perhaps if he had called himself Jose Garcia he could have formed a Latin American version of the Grateful Dead! In 1967 Jose was denied entry into the UK. Why was that? Drugs? Murder? Something worse? No, the animal quarantine laws in the UK prevented Jose from bringing his Guide Dog. he was a massive star in Latin America when he moved to LA in the late 60’s (I presume that the US Government let him bring his Guide Dog). Shortly after this he recorded his version of “Light My Fire” which went to number three in the US charts in 1968. Most covers of the song nowadays tend to favour Feliciano’s arrangement, including the relatively recent version from Will Young.

Jose used his three heads and six hands to play guitar faster than anyone had ever done before

Genius of Love still good bass lines.

Years after her days with Talking Heads and Rhode Island School of Design, Tina Weymouth still funks them out!

Stop Making Sense is, hands down, the best concert film I have ever seen. (Me, hyperbolic? never.)

Released in 1984 it was filmed over 3 nights in 1983 on the Speaking in Tongues tour. The movie opens with a shot of lead singer David Byrne’s shoes walking onto a bare stage. He sets down a boom-box and pushes play, a dramatic conceit, as a drum machine (a Roland TR-808, in point of fact) is actually pumping the beat through the sound system and Byrne performs Psycho Killer. More of the band and more of the set appear onstage with each song. The stage crew deserve big props for their hand in silently positioning risers and placing effects pedals. A descending backdrop completes the stage set about 17 min in.

Director Jonathan Demme uses long camera shots so that the viewer can truly take in all that the band has to offer. The lighting is subdued and straightforward so as not to detract from the band’s performance. One can really tell that Talking Heads and the additional backing band are enjoying themselves.

The sound and performance in Stop Making Sense are incredible. Every band member delivers the goods. Talking Heads are in top form and let the music stand on it’s own while eschewing between song banter. I have to admit I am always a huge fan of a band that gets down to business. The recording is superb. The sound on every song is mixed perfectly and is crystal clear due to the 24 track digital recording.

Stop Making Sense captures a point in time, but is still relevant today. All of the songs are solidly written and impeccably performed. The stage concept and directing mesh perfectly. This movie is a joy from beginning to end. It makes one feel a part of something bigger, something beautiful. Stop Making Sense is more than a concert movie, it is art.

One last thought. If a Talking Heads bio-pic is ever made I want Wil Wheaton to play David Byrne. Seriously. For reals. He would be genius.

Stop Making Sense: directed by Jonathan Demme; director of photography, Jordan Cronenweth; edited by Lisa Day; produced by Gary Goetzman; With: Talking Heads, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, Edna Holt, Lynn Mabry, Steve Scales, Alex Weir, Bernie Worrel

Resources:

Wikipedia

New York Times

TROZ

This is a hindsight Top 20, taking place a year before I started buying my own records and making my own tapes and obsessing over Duran Duran and the Top 40. 1981 was the year my sister began to record the chart rundown, introducing me to the wild sounds of Landscape and, erm, Alvin Stardust. Up to this point, all I knew were Beatles and Boney Ms, ABBAs and Brotherhoods Of Man. Now we had a dead Beatle and a declining, rended ABBA.

Partners in rhythm Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz were no longer satisfied with merely pushing the very corners of rock’s envelopes in Talking Heads’ engine room – or perhaps David Byrne and Brian Eno left no elbow room – and Tom Tom Club was the joyous diversion. Mixing funk, bags of funk, with pop, rap and world music, they revealed a sunnier side nowhere brighter than on the glorious ‘Genius Of Love’. It’s a tribute to a spiffing boyfriend wrapped up in loyal dedication to their funky forebears, and in a nice piece of symmetry has become one of the most sampled records – seized upon by trailblazers from Grandmaster Flash to, yes, Mariah Carey.

‘Genius Of Love’ locks into a groove, but Junior ain’t for dancin’. Apparently her baby sister “doesn’t want me to,” which is an impressive bit of inter-sibling communication – and we thought all they did was laugh at each other. But what does she think of the song? “I don’t like it; it makes me sad.” I’ve got it all wrong.

James Brooooown:

In 1983 the Talking Heads released the classic “SP EAK IN GI N TO NGU ES”  it yielded the groups only top 10 hit “Burning down the House”    below is the video for “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” 

A mediados de los 70, en la época dorada del CBGB de New York, cuando Tom Verlaine, Patti Smith y Blondie eran los putos amos de la ciudad, aparecieron cuatro chavales de Rhode Island teloneando a mis adoradísimos Ramones. Se llamaban Talking Heads.

Firmaron un brillante album debut en el 77 a base de grandes pildorazos punk, como este Psycho Killer, para convertirse a partir del segundo largo en iconos de la new wave junto a The Police y los Jam de Paul Weller.

A David Byrne, cantante y líder intelectual, le dio en los 80 por explorar nuevos sonidos (electrónica, world music, funky, latina…), y ahí sigue, pero actualmente aburre. Del resto del grupo cabe destacar a Tina Weymouth, una de las bajistas más interesantes del rock. Hasta que Kim Deal no fundó los Pixies o Sean Yseult no conoció a Rob Zombie ninguna mujer había tocado el bajo con un estilo tan especial.

Those of you who found this site somehow will have no idea what I am tlking about… but all you other people, pretty freaky huh?