David Bowie visits Sonic Boom

...εντάξει, όχι ακριβώς. Το αφιέρωμα του MAD TV για την επιστροφή του Bowie γυρίστηκε στο Sonic Boom το κρύο απόγευμα της 14ης Ιανουαρίου. Φώτης & Παναγιώτης απόλαυσαν την κυψελιώτικη ατμόσφαιρα & φιλοξενία και ιδού το αποτέλεσμα.

Mad X Rays:

David Bowie: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Από τον Ziggy Stardust στο φετινό comeback:

Πώς ο David Bowie έκανε το rock n' roll ασφαλές για διαστημικές μοναδικότητες;  

Ο Φώτης Βαλλάτος, ο Σταύρος Διοσκουρίδης και ο Παναγιώτης Μένεγος έχουν την απάντηση αυτή την εβδομάδα.

Στα Mad X Rays:

David Bowie: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

(Προβλήθηκε Το Σάββατο 19 Ιανουαρίου στις 18.00 και σε επανάληψη την Κυριακή 20 Ιανουαρίου στις 12.00 και την Τετάρτη 23 Ιανουαρίου στις 22.00)

The King shares birthday with Ziggy.

David Bowie 1972 California

Elvis Presley and Mary Kathleen Selph at the
corner of South Parkway and Elvis Presley Blvd

Ziggy & Elvis

David Bowie and Elvis Presley have many similarities and Presley also served as inspiration for some aspects of the Ziggy Stardust phenomenon:

1) They share the same birthday - January 8^th (1935 for Elvis and 1947 for Bowie).

2) Bowie says that he first discovered the power of music when he saw his cousin get up and dance to Elvis's "Hound Dog."

3) Both Elvis and Bowie experimented and got into trouble with their hair styles at high school (Elvis appearing in a Mohawk and Bowie cutting his hair very short before this was fashionable).

4) Bowie and Elvis were both on the same record label - RCA.

5) Bowie was a big fan of Elvis. At short notice he crossed the Atlantic on a plane to attend an Elvis concert in New York in June 1972 even though he had a strong fear of flying at the time and would travel by other means whenever possible.

"[Elvis] was a major hero of mine. And I was probably stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something. I came over for a long weekend. I remember coming straight from the airport and walking into Madison Square Garden very late. I was wearing all my clobber from the Ziggy period and had great seats near the front. The whole place just turned to look at me and I felt like a right idiot. I had brilliant red hair, some huge padded space suit and those red boots with big black soles. I wished I'd gone for something quiet, because I must have registered with him. He was well into his set." - Bowie (1996)

6) Bowie's manager - Tony DeFries - was a big fan of Elvis's manager Colonel Tom Parker and would quote from Parker's book to anyone who would listen.

7) Bowie says that he largely based the character of Ziggy Stardust on the eccentric American rocker Vince Taylor who moved to France and worked as an Elvis impersonator. Known as the "French Presley" he appeared on stage one night in white robes and said that he was Jesus Christ. End of career.

8) Bowie had clothes designer and friend Freddi Burretti copy Elvis's on-stage white jump-suit for Bowie's own use at Ziggy Stardust concerts. Bowie typically would change into it before his trademark finale - "Rock n Roll Suicide."

9) Tony DeFries used the announcement "David Bowie has left the building" as was done for Elvis Presley concerts.

10) The lighting-bolt motif Bowie wore for the ALADDIN SANE album cover was partly inspired by a ring that Elvis wore - which had a lightning bolt emblem along with the letters TCB (Taking Care of The Business).

11) The reissued single "Space Oddity" (see below) was released in Thailand in December 1972 accompanied by Elvis Presley's "Fool" as the B-side (RCA 003).

12) Elvis showed some interest in recording Bowie's song "Golden Years" but died before this could happen.

All this great info taken from the great 5years.com website.

Our Notepad #3

 Every No. 1 single -- as one single track

"What might be most fascinating about this agglomeration of audio tracks is the swift and remarkable evolution from the twee sounds of pre-Elvis American music to the present; there's rockabilly, the British invasion, Sinatra's svelte croon, Motown. Remember Bobby Darin? Me neither, but there he is. Then the '70s and Funky Town, punk rock, disco, stadium anthems. Listening through the whole 75 minutes could leave you nostalgic, amazed, perhaps shocked or, dare we say, gaga."

Read the article on Salon.com here. Listen to the mixes on Soundcloud here. Pop Music compilations on vinyl. Pop Music compilations on CD. 

by Reinhard Kleist

 Johnny Cash Tribute

John Prine introduces "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" by recollecting the first time he heard it: it was the summer of '57 or so and he was in his cousin's barn in Indiana. Fast-forward almost fifty years and you might hear a story like, "I didn't really know who Johnny Cash until he did that Nine Inch Nails song."

From pioneering that train-a-comin rhythm to his later work with Rick Rubin, Cash was equally adept in country, gospel, blues, folk, rockabilly, and rock and roll. He is truly a bridge between America's root music and today's younger generations (thanks, in part, to movies like "Walk the Line"). With covers of original Cash songs, folk tunes of which he recorded popular versions, a few tracks from his fellow country outlaws, and, of course, NIN's "Hurt," this playlist is a hodgepodge of great American music. The Man in Black is deservedly a true icon.

You can register & listen to the mix for free on Wolfgang's Vault here.

Johnny Cash on CD. 

Johnny Cash on Vinyl.

 Tears Of A Thug By Tuvshin in Platform's words:

"Our old pal, minor internet celebrity, only Mongolian in London and the laziest blogger ever, Tuvshin Bolor, is doing some DJing next week. He put together this appallingly badly mixed but ultimately very enjoyable mix of neo-soul called Tears Of A Thug to celebrate that. He’s written ‘dubstep mix’ on it to be funny, there’s none of that stoops nonsense on here."

Listen to the mix and check the (always intresting) Platform here. Sweet Soul music on CD. Sweet Soul music on Vinyl.

Rita Ray

 A Short History of Five Notes

"Sean Paul, Missy Elliot and Habib Koite all use a deceptively simple but hypnotic beat from the heart of Africa in some of their biggest hits. But what is it? Music journalist Rita Ray journeys to Ghana to find out."

Read the article & listen to the radio show on BBC World Service, here.

World music on CD. World music on Vinyl. 

Wajaba : The Musical Merlin

23 Album Covers That Changed Everything

"Long before MTV, performers expressed the visual dimension of their art through their album covers. Every music fan has his/her favorites, but several covers stand out for their brilliance, their impact and their ability to make as much of a statement as the music they represent. Every art form has its giants, and album cover art is no exception. The work of the designers featured here spans over 40 years of music.

THE SIXTIES: Before the 1960s, most albums featured portraits of musicians, instruments or musicians playing instruments. But the 1960's spirit of exploration and experimentation found its way into music and, consequently, onto album covers."

Read the article & view the covers on the Wajaba blog, here.

Nevermind

 James Greene Jr. finds The Weakest Cut in Nirvana's Nevermind

"When it comes to summarizing the enormity of Nirvana’s sophomore effort, nobody put it better than Guy Picciotto; the Fugazi singer famously noted of Nevermind’s September 1991 release that “our record [Steady Diet of Nothing, released three months earlier] could have been a hobo pissing in the forest for the amount of impact it had…It felt like we were playing ukuleles all of a sudden because of the disparity of the impact of what [Nirvana] did.” Picciotto’s quote, from Michael Azerrad’s 2001 book Our Band Could Be Your Life, surely speaks for a litany of underground rock acts who were at or just below Nirvana’s level pre-Nevermind. Granted, countless bands benefitted from Nirvana’s explosive success (Mudhoney, Hole, etc), but even more were left in the dust wondering what the hell happened. If a representative of a staunchly independent and decidedly non-fame-seeking outfit such as Fugazi considered himself rocked by theNevermind atom bomb, imagine how someone like Paul Westerberg must have felt."

Read the article on Crawdaddy!, here. Nirvana on CD.

 Eleana Garini messes with Kid Congo Powers

"Ο Brian Tristan είναι ζωντανή ιστορία της μουσικής (μας). Στα 15 του ήταν πρόεδρος του fan club των Ramones, στα 18 μάθαινε κιθάρα από τον Jeffry Lee Pierce, στα 20 ο νονός Lux Intrerior τον βάφτιζε "Kid Congo Powers" (έμπνευσή του κάτι κεριά voodoo από το Congo) και αυτός πλατσούριζε στην κολυμπήθρα των Cramps. Θα ξαναγύριζε στους Gun Club λίγα χρόνια αργότερα, θα πέρναγε τρία χρόνια και δύο άλμπουμ στους Bad Seeds, θα ζούσε τη μουσική σκηνή του L.A., της Νεα Υόρκης, του Λονδίνου ,του Βερολίνου κ.α., θα συνεργαζόταν με Sally Norvell, Jack Martin, Julee Cruise, Khan, Die Haut, Barry Adamson, Mark Eitzel, Michael Gira και ο κατάλογος συνεχίζεται.

Εδώ και χρόνια κατέβηκε από τα οχήματα των άλλων και έβαλε το κλειδί στο δικό του, τους Pink Monkey Birds. Ζει στην Ουάσινγκτον, οι μέρες της Νέας Υόρκης είναι παρελθόν όπως και τα drugs και οι κακές παρέες... ε όχι και όλες οι κακές παρέες... Στους Burn Baby Burn ο πενηντ-άχρονος Kid συναντιέται με μια παρέα που χρονολογείται από τις μέρες του Βερολίνου, τους Alexander Hacke, Danielle De Picciotto και Chris Hughes αλλά και κάποιους άλλους γνώριμους από τις αρχές των ΄00 και τη Νέα Υόρκη, την Julee Cruise και τον Khan (βλέπε Kid & Khan). Η περιοδεία ξεκινάει από τη Θεσσαλονίκη και Αθήνα (4 και 5 Μαρτίου αντίστοιχα) για να καταλήξει στο Βερολίνο. Βρήκαμε την ευκαιρία να του απευθύνουμε μια εντεκάδα ερωτήσεων και εισπράξαμε ισάριθμες απαντήσεις."

Διαβάστε τη συνέντευξη στο www.Mic.gr, εδώ.

Novelist Teri Osborn remembers when she first met Janis Joplin

Listen to her at www.Audioboo.fm, here. 

Janis Joplin on Vinyl. 

Janis Joplin on CD.

 Austin L. Ray picks Fourteen Truly Epic Track One Side Ones

"Any jerk with a guitar can write an epic song, from the Velvet Underground to Bright Eyes, Sigur Rós to Kanye West. In fact, some of those folks aren’t even jerks! But there’s something special about the Epic Track One Side One. It’s the song that kicks off an album with such tenacity that there’s no hope for recovery afterward. The song that no other song on the album wants to follow, but has to anyway. The song that is very often very long, but regardless of length, is a monster of sound. Below are 14 of the very best of this song’s ilk. Why 14? We’re not sure. But we are sure you shouldn’t try to listen to all of these in one sitting."

Read the article & listen to the tracks at www.paste.com, here.

Κωνσταντίνος Βήτα: Οι 10 δίσκοι της ζωής μου

Hejira / Joni Mitchell (1976)
«Ίσως είναι το άλμπουμ που έχω αγοράσει έξι φορές γιατί έχει χιλιοπαιχτεί στο πικάπ μου. Είναι από τα άλμπουμ που μου μίλησαν στην ψυχή κι έρχεται πάντα κάθε φορά νούμερο 1 στα αγαπημένα μου. Μου αρέσει η απλότητα και η φιλοσοφία του. Είναι σαν τραγούδια απέραντης ευθείας, γεμάτα αναζήτηση και βαθιά συνείδηση».
Blonde on Blonde / Bob Dylan (1966)
«Κυλάει ακόμα στις φλέβες μου, είναι πίσω από τους ώμους μου».
Low / David Bowie (1977)
«Είναι η εφηβεία μου όλη, το θεωρώ από τα πιο περίεργα άλμπουμ που άκουσα ποτέ. Είναι το άλμπουμ που έπεσε από τον ουρανό».
Another Green World / Brian Eno (1975)
«Είναι σαν τα όνειρα. Έτσι όπως θέλεις να είναι ο κόσμος γύρω σου».
Hounds of Love / Kate Bush (1985)
«Ακόμα προσπαθώ να καταλάβω πώς φτιάχτηκε. Ξαφνικά ξυπνάνε όλα γύρω σου».
Gone to Earth / David Sylvian (1986)
«Με συντρόφευε όπου κι αν πήγα σε όλη τη δεκαετία του ’80. Διέσχισα την Ευρώπη μαζί του – απλά μαγευτικό».
Exit / Pat Martino (1977)
«Σαν η νύχτα να κόλλησε πάνω στα δάχτυλα αυτού του μαγικού κιθαρίστα της τζαζ. Ήταν από τους δίσκους που έμειναν μήνες πάνω στο πικάπ. Αστικό, βαθύ, και σκοτεινό μ’ έναν πολύ γλυκό τρόπο».
Drumming the Beating Heart / Eyeless in Gaza (1982)
«Όταν το άκουσα κατάλαβα ότι έρχεται μια μεγάλη περίεργη δεκαετία μπροστά μου. Έχει ένα ηχόχρωμα που δεν ακούστηκε ποτέ ξανά. Το θεωρώ μοναδικό».
Maximizing the Audience / Wim Mertens (1985)
«Θα έλεγα ότι είναι φτιαγμένο από την υγρασία και την αναγέννηση. Ο πιο βαθύς και ουσιαστικός μινιμαλισμός που άκουσα ποτέ».
Blues Run the Game / Jackson C. Frank (1965)
«Μου είχε φέρει το βινύλιο ένας ξάδερφός μου από τη Νέα Υόρκη τη δεκαετία του ’70. Έχει ακόμα, παρ’ όλα τα χρόνια που πέρασαν, μια περίεργη οπτική και κάτι ακατανόητο και συνάμα απλό που μπορεί να σου αλλάξει τον κόσμο. Ένα βαθύ φολκ άλμπουμ».
Ολοκληρο το αρθρο εδω , στο ποντικι

1. Hejira / Joni Mitchell (1976)
2. Blonde on Blonde / Bob Dylan (1966)
3. Low / David Bowie (1977)
4. Another Green World / Brian Eno (1975)
5. Hounds of Love / Kate Bush (1985)
6. Gone to Earth / David Sylvian (1986)
7. Exit / Pat Martino (1977)
8. Drumming the Beating Heart / Eyeless in Gaza (1982)
9. Blues Run the Game / Jackson C. Frank (1965)
10. Maximizing the Audience / Wim Mertens (1985)