Wim Wenders returns to the 3D documentary form with a portrait of German painter/sculptor, Anselm Kiefer. Few will know his name outside the art world, though Kiefer has a celebrated body of work spanning half a century.
Kiefer peaked in the 1980s after retrospectives in Chicago and New York where critics heralded that “America has a new superstar.” His sculptures and giant canvases made of materials like straw, ash and clay, depict barren fields and empty rooms. They are moody and haunting. Some evoke (some say, provoke) Germany's Nazi past, such as his photos posing in the Nazi salute. Kiefer's intent is to force the German public to confront its dark past, though the film deflects accusations that these images can be misconstrued as pro-fascist.
As with his previous, stunning 3D documentary, Pina, Wenders does not editorialize nor intrude with narration or with titles on screen. Instead, he presents vintage footage of Kiefer, seamlessly blended with contemporary footage of the 78-year-old, intercut with that of his adult son, Daniel, portraying a younger Kiefer.
The documentary flows elegantly and in 3D offers a feast of visuals. You can see in dazzling detail for miles across a snowy forest illuminated by sunlight. The 3D opens up the detail in Kiefer's artwork, particularly his sculptures.
That said, I would have liked to have seen more biography on Kiefer and other voices to comment on his work. Anselm is entirely seen from the artist's point of view, presumably to let his art speak for itself. Indeed, the 3D format presents his work in the finest way, far better than any future TV screening will.
Released by Mongrel Media, Anselm opens December 22 in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.
This music doc is the logical and spiritual sequel to Danny Tedesco's impressive The Wrecking Crew from 2008. Both films profile groups of top session musicians, unsung heroes in the L.A. rock business who reflect on their past glories. Immediate Family are drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Leland Sklar, and guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Waddy Wachtel.
Starting in the early 1970s, they as individuals performed on landmark albums, including Carole King's Tapestry, James Taylor's Sweet Baby James, Joni Mitchell's Blue, and into the late-1980s played for many stars, such as Neil Young, Keith Richards and Don Henley. They also went on tour with some of them, like Wachtel for Linda Ronstadt in her heyday. Hands-down, these are top-notch players and they step out of the shadows and into the spotlight in this enjoyable film.
If you've seen Tedesco's previous doc, you know what to expect. Interviews are generous as are music clips, over 80 in fact. Phil Collins, Stevie Nicks, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett and producer Peter Asher are among the parade of rock legends who sing the Family's praises. It's entertaining to hear tidbits like the one of headstrong Wathtel insisting on a guitar solo to replace a planned saxophone one in Steve Perry's hit, Oh Sherrie (a good call). Another highlight sees Wachtel recalling Linda Ronstadt singing her way into a strip joint in the middle of nowhere while on tour, because she wasn't carrying any I.D. to get past the door.
In fact, the entire film is fun and nice. Perhaps too nice. Apart from a brief mention of butting heads in the studio, the Family come across as nice guys. But the music business is a place notorious for clashing egos and where sex, drugs and greed rule. There's none of that in this film. Kunkel confesses his one regret that he didn't spend enough with his children when they were growing up. However, we don't hear from any of his children or spouses.
Another weakness of the film (not fault of the filmmaker) is that Family aren't a self-contained unit like the Wrecking Crew of the 1960s and beyond. Sure, they are now officially a band, playing gigs under that name in New York. However, this doc comes across as a collection of personalities who cross paths over the years, but were never a unit like the legendary Wrecking Crew.
That said, Immediate Family is a fun film to watch and listen to. It'll hit home to those who grew up on this music and there ain't nothing wrong with that.
Immediate Family opens on Dec. 15 in Toronto (at the Hot Docs cinema), Vancouver (at Vancity)! and is also rent or buy across Canada on the Apple TV app/iTunes and Google Play. It is being released in Canada by Mongrel Media.
Toronto is officially the most sport-crazed city in Canada, boasting big-league franchises in hockey, basketball, baseball and football (both kinds). Championships and chokes (see below) are embedded in the collective Torontonian memory. That's why the new exhibition by Myseum is essential and a lot of fun.
For once, the Leafs win this one
Winners & Losers celebrates the relationship between Torontonians and its teams over the decades in a city that has radically changed in terms of race and gender parity. The exhibit does not celebrate hall of fame ballplayers (the Hockey Hall of Fame down the street does a fine job of that already), though it name checks the likes of Joe Carter, Frank Mahovlich, Kawaii Leonard and Pinball Clemens.
The great Mahovlich scored for not one, but two Toronto hockey teams: the Maple Leafs (including the 1967 Stanley Cup champions) and the Toros of the short-lived WHA
The exhibit grans equal space to pioneers and local heroes, such as Billie Hallam, a female pitcher who was also crowned 1937's Miss Toronto, and the Toronto Huskies who were roaming NBA courts decades before the Raptors.
Winners & Losers also excels in being interactive. We're not talking smartphones and touch-screen TVs, but games, such as Playoffs (below) where visitors can choose Toronto great basketball moments, whether by Eastern Commerce or by Vince Carter.
Of course, there's the requisite table hockey game (Leafs vs. Habs, of course) and finely chosen memorabilia, like a vintage boxing programme from Maple Leafs Gardens.
It's remarkable the span of artifacts that Myseum has assembled in a single room, which still allows space for interactivity and TV screens. Obviously, thought and care has been invested in how this compact space should look, sound and feel, from basketballs handling from the ceiling to gridirons covering the floor.
The only critique is the lack of football (soccer), the fastest-growing sport among schoolchildren, and of course the Toronto FC. This can be forgiven since Myseum occupies a tight space in the basement of 401 Richmond (though visible from the sidewalk near Peter Street).
Aside from that, Winners & Losers is an excellent show. Strongly recommended for sports fans, both adults and children, and it's certainly family friendly. Myseum is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6pm (closed Sunday-Tuesday). Admission is free, though donations are welcome. Full details.
Illustrated by Andy Partridge (Published by Ape House)
review by Allan Tong
ChinoKino score: A
Simply put, this large hardcover collects the 56 individual covers of a previous (but extremely limited) tome by author Andy Partridge. Each image illustrates a song from his days singing and composing for the British band, XTC. If you recognize these names, then this book is for you.
To his credit, Partridge didn't choose only his hit songs for this collection. Sure, there's the popular Dear God (above), 25 O'Clock and This Is Pop (the cover), but there are also obscure numbers like Tin Toy Clockwork Train and Red.
Popartery has been assembled with loving care: super-thick, glossy paper, a sturdy hardcover (no dust jacket, though), and arranged alphabetically with the author explaining his thoughts behind each painting, opposite each image. This is a book you leaf through while blasting Drums and Wires or Nonsuch on your sound system.
It is an art book. It is a music book. It is special.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are household names in 2023, but not Brian Jones. Only longtime Rolling Stones fans will know Brian Jones, who in a few years after founding the band was kicked out and found dead in his swimming pool in 1969.
Renown British documentarian Nick Broomfield has released a gripping film about this tragic figure that will impress both diehards and newcomers. The Stones and Brian Jones includes many extensive interviews with bandmates, lovers and friends, unseen footage and even a forgotten Jones song.
Broomfield nailed the right interviews. Stones' bassist Bill Wyman is the band's most reliable chronicler and the bandmate closest to Jones. Jones was a brilliant guitarist whose mission was to bring the blues to British then white American audiences. However, says Wyman, Jones was also cruel, driven by insecurities over his elfin stature and losing control of the band he founded to Jagger and Richards.
Jones was also charming and polite. He sweet-talked his way into the homes of families and impregnated their daughters (some less than 20). He sired at least five children. Two schools expelled him and his parents threw him out of their cozy, middle-class home in Cheltenham, England. The teenage Jones rebelled against his strict parents who objected to his passion for jazz and blues. Their schism lies at the heart of this film.
Another key interview is Marianne Faithfull, the musician, actress and Jagger's lover in the mid-60s. Jones had "incredibly low self-esteem" and that relations with the two leading Stones were so bad "they would have killed each other." She refers to the infamous 1967 drug bust after Jones carelessly boasted to a journalist about his drug intake, but the newspaper mistook him for Jagger and nearly killed the Stones.
Jones was also a bastard. Ex-girlfriend Linda Lawrence recalls knocking on the door of his flat with their little boy in tow and begging Jones for more support money. Instead, Jones and his then-paramour Anita Pallenberg huddled inside and laughed at her predicament.
Pallenberg is a key character. Seen in archival footage (she died in 2017), Pallenberg transformed Jones and (with Faithfull) injected sophistication into a the yobbish Stones. The Italian-German model was wordly and fearless and looked like Jones' twin. However, Jones beat her and Pallenberg fled to Keith Richards. (One of the film's few flaws is that it allows filmmaker Volker Schlondorff to characterize Pallenberg as a gold-digger. This is false.)
Though his occasional voice-over is unnecessary, Broomfield has done an outstanding research job, unearthing audio interviews of Jones' father, heartbreaking family letters, a song Jones had co-written that's never seen the light of day, childhood photos and even old film footage of him gamboling around his schoolyard. French singer Zouzou, "Lady Jane" Ormsby-Gore, photographer Gered Mankowitz, band insider Prince Slash and TV director Michael Lindsay-Hogg (Rock and Roll Circus) also weight in. Zouzou recalls that Jones "never" played Rolling Stones records at home (though spun the Beatles constantly). Broomfield's film untangles the psychological mess that was Jones, digging deeper than most chroniclers of the Stones.
Insecure, substance-addicted and self-destructive, Jones felt trapped being a Stone. To the world he was a rebel, but really he remained a little boy who sought his parents' approval and never got it.
The Stones and Brian Jones will be released by Mongrel Media on November 17 in select cinemas across Canada, Apple TV and VOD.
The Red and Blue albums (officially
1962-66 and 1967-70) are out...again. These were the Beatles' first official greatest hits compilations (released in 1973)
and introduced the second generation of fans who
were too young to personally experience the Fab Four in the 1960s. In fact, these were my very first Beatles' albums and, like so many, I cherish them.
That said, I had mixed feelings about
these double-LP being expanded and re-released in 2023. The Red and Blue have been released many times over the years. Sure, I'm
thrilled that Peter Jackson and his wondrous AI software has demixed
the pre-1966 Beatles' songs (recorded in mono, primitive stereo or
four track), expanded the sound picture of nearly every song and let
each instrument and vocal breathe. (Demixing means separating each instrument and vocal from a mono track, something that technology finally allows.) Many of the results are stunning,
reveal nuance and even instruments buried within previous mixes. They
add bottom-end warmth and depth to some thin recordings that were
original mixed for primitive turntables and basic speakers, nothing
like today's high-end equipment and speakers.
However, I'm not so thrilled by the
price of these triple-LP sets, costing C$120 (including tax) in
Canada, though the CDs can be found for a third of that. Ironically, the Red Album holds better value, because every track has been demixed, including the eight Revolver session tracks in 2022, but the Blue features only six newly demixed songs, plus the Now and Then
single (reviewed here last week).
What follows is a track-by-track review
of each newly mixed song, with the lion's share coming from the Red album. I listened to these high-rest digital tracks on my phone with my faithful Panasonic bass-friendly earbuds (most earbuds sound tinny). I did not equalize any songs during playback.
LOVE ME DO
The debut of The Beatles's first single
in stereo, this new mix was lost amid the hype over Now and Then.
(See our review.) This new mix is a revelation and served as a teaser
for the new 1962-66. Love Me Do is one of a handful of early Beatles'
songs that was released in mono and stayed in mono all these years
(see She Loves You below). The result is liberating. John's harmonica
shines in the left channel, slightly bleeding into the centre. The
right (slightly panned centre as well) hosts the drums. The AI
reveals an acoustic guitar that was buried in the muddy mono mix.
Each note of Paul's bass rumbles in this track. Paul's lead and
John's harmonies are locked firmly in the centre to anchor the song.
Also, Apple got it right: this is the original October 1962 version
with Ringo on drums (there's no tambourine, as found on the common
Andy White version). A superb mix.
PLEASE PLEASE ME
Guitars on the left, vocals at centre,
and harmonica and drums on the right. Ringo is the winner of this new
mix, because his drums are more distinct than ever. As a thrilling
touch, they pan across the audio spectrum during the short drum
fills. Yes, the sound is little muddy, but they was recorded in mono
and the audio originated from 7' vinyl
I SAW HER STANDING THERE
This is the first of the new tracks
added to the running order of the orignal 1962-66 release. A fine
choice. Immediately, you notice an improvement in the sonic quality
(brighter top, warmer bottom), reflecting the recording equipment The
Beatles, George Martin and his engineers used in the February 1963
recordings, whereas the previous two songs were captured in 1962.
Right off the bat, everything is brighter and clearer, led by Paul's
rousing vocal. Again, his bass notes are defined while Ringo's drums
flex muscle. Handclaps on the right and George's rockabilly-style
guitar on the left and both distinct. An exciting mix.
TWIST AND SHOUT
Another new song to this album and the
first of three covers. This stereo mix is straightforward and packs a
punch: drums on the left, guitar on the right and vocals in the
centre. One minor complaint: Paul's bass could have been a touch
stronger. Overall, good.
FROM ME TO YOU
Drums on the left, guitar on the right
and vocals in the centre. Paul's bass notes are more distinct here
than on Twist and Shout. Also, the harmonica breaks burst in
the centre, an effective choice.
SHE LOVES YOU
EMI long lost the session tapes to this
song which kicked off Beatlemania in mid-1963. So, Giles Martin and
Peter Jackson had only the finished mix to work with. There's a
sudden drop in fidelity, sounding along the level of Love Me Do
(whose tapes are also missing). However, the AI software has teased
out Ringo's propulsive drumming which roar in the left channel, while
the guitars chug along in the right. Though Paul's bass has never
sounded clearer, Ringo is the star on this track. However, both
channels bleed slightly into the centre which preserves the driving
power of this song. This marks the first time She Loves You has ever
been mixed in stereo.
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND
By autumn 1963, The Beatles were
recording in four-track and the fidelity immediately leaps forward. I
Want To Hold Your Hand has been released before in stereo, but in
annoying hard panning between left and right with little in the
middle. Here, the recording's elements are balanced with the vocals
anchoring the centre, drums in the left and guitars at right. A good
job, but this mix doesn't leap out of the headphones or speakers like
the fragment mix included in the Love project.
THIS BOY
Another new song, and a good choice.
Placing the acoustic guitar on the left, John's rhythm guitar and
Ringo's brush strokes on the right with the vocals (and glorious
harmonies) in the centre is simple, but works. Also, the awkward tape
splice from John's "middle eight" back to the group
harmonies is gone. Very good.
ALL MY LOVING
The mix is the same as This Boy's
and works just as well. Note that this and the followingtwo songs
were recorded in basic two-channel stereo and released in mono in
stereo with vocals in one channel and all instruments in the other.
Needless to say, the 2023 mixes are a huge leap forward.
ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN
A new song. This was a minor hit in the
U.S. and a single released in Canada during Beatlemania. This mix
features hard panning in the left and right channels with little
bleed: guitar in the left, handclap in the right and George's vocal
at centre. While not a deal-breaking, a touch of bleeding into the
centre would have been nice. The hand claps are a tad loud for my
taste while the guitar could have been stronger. That said, this is
overall good.
YOU REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME
A new song and the last of the album's
covers. It's a great composition by Smokey Robinson and a Motown
classic, but Money features a better vocal by The Beatles
(particularly John Lennon) and should have replcaed this. This
remains, though, a fine cover, highlighted by the stop-start vocal
interplay between John and Paul with George. The sonics are a leap
forward from previous mixes where you could easily hear the tape
slices connecting various tapes.
CAN'T BUY ME LOVE
The instruments leap out of the
speakers with this powerful mix. Drums, bass and guitars are indeed
distinct, but partially blended into one another to pack a wicked
punch. The guitar solo is mostly centred and it shines. The drums are
muscular and drive the song. This is one of the Red Album's
highlights.
YOU CAN'T DO THAT
The B-side of Can't Buy Me Love is a
worthy addition to the Red. It's another driving rock song and again
the new mix brings up Ringo's drums. Guitars are subtly split between
the left and right channels, while the guitar solo bursts in the mix.
Very good.
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
The original stereo mix was nicely
balanced, but this 2023 brings out details in the acoustic and rhythm
guitars. Bongos are more prominent, though not overpowering, in the
right channel.
AND I LOVE HER
Straightforward and effective with
guitars tastefully split between left and right. I had no idea there
were bongos recorded on this track. Very good.
EIGHT DAYS A WEEK
Good and bad. Good are Ringo's drums.
His cymbal crash in the intro is a sweet surprise. Bad: not enough
bass.
I FEEL FINE
The bass returns. The mix is balanced,
and I like how the guitar solo covers both channels. However, I wish
there was little more reverb on John's vocals (though not like the
original American mix).
TICKET TO RIDE
True, this song is mixed the same way
as the other songs with the vocals anchoring the centre and the
various instruments positioned left and right, but the end result
lacks the punch of the mono mix found on the original North American
Red album of the 1970s. The opening drums found on original mono mix,
including the one on my vintage copy of 1962-66, explode,
like a canon. Not here, though the bass has muscle.
YESTERDAY
Paul sounds as if he's singing in the
room to you. That's how crisp he sounds. A nice touch: splitting the
string octet between the left and right channels. Well done.
HELP!
Well-balanced with drums on the left
and the driving acoustic guitar in the right. George's descending
guitar bursts in the centre, slightly right, to great effect.
YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY
This has a similar mix and feel to
Yesterday. John's vocal sounds vivid and intimate as if he's
singing to you. The guitars have never sounded so detailed.
WE CAN'T WORK IT OUT
Among the more bottom-heavy mixes on
this collection, but not overpowering. A clean separation of the
various instruments spread across the channels. Overall balanced with
the harmonium in the right.
DAY TRIPPING
Wisely, this stereo mix retains the
feeling of the mono mix. Heavier, guitar-driven rock songs work
better in mono. The two guitars are separated between left and
right.The solo is a matter of taste. I would have preferred bleeding
more across both channels instead of staying sequestered in the
right.
DRIVE MY CAR
Play this one loud. Paul's
Stax-inspired bass line (from Otis Redding's Respect), is an
absolute monster, driving the funkiest Beatles song. Hands-down, this
is a highlight.
NORWEGIAN WOOD
The stereo mix of this song was always
awful, with vocals on one side and everything including the kitchen
sink in the other. This 2023 mix cures that instantly, with John's
vocals planted in the centre. All elements sound clearer, like a
dirty car that's been polished and now shines. I hear what sounds
like someone slapping his legs in rhythm at certain times. Not
intrusive, but interesting. George's sitar is placed in the left
while the acoustic guitar remains in the right. The new mix finally
corrects the stereo picture.
NOWHERE MAN
Like Ticket To Ride, this mix is
underwhelming. The accepella hamronies which open this track should
leap out of your speakers. Instead, they limp along. Also, the bass
is a tad strong, even for me. Something is off. I prefer the 1999
Yellow Submarine Songtrack mix.
MICHELLE
An improvement over previous stereo
mixes. Nicely balanced with the crucial bass line given a little more
prominence.
IN MY LIFE
Like Norwegian Wood, this track
also suffered from a brutal stereo mix all these years. This mix is
light-years better. Centering the lead and backing vocal are crucial,
as is centering George Martin's solo. The tambourine is a touch loud,
but this is a minor quibble of an otherwise strong mix.
IF I NEEDED SOMEONE
George's second vocal and first
composition on this collection. (The original Red release had zero
George.) A good choice, though I'm Looking Through You is also
worthy. Like In My Life, If I Needed Someone always had
suffered from a lopsided stereo mix that sounded flat. Here, the bass
injects muscle into the song, and George sings from the centre.
However, the Byrds-inspired guitar solo is buried in the right
channel and needs a lift. Overall, a major improvement.
GIRL
Similar reaction to In My Life.
No doubt, this 2023 mix is a leap forward.
The remaining eight tracks on the Red
Album are taken from the 1966 Revolver sessions, including Paperback
Writer, and previously released on last year's Revolver remix. These
mixes are excellent, correcting the harsh left-right panning of the
original stereo versions while revealing details across all
instruments and vocals. The song selections make sense, but a glaring
omission is Rain, one of the greatest b-sides and most
innovative recordings in the Beatles' canon. Why is this missing?
The six newly mixed tracks on the Blue album:
I AM THE WALRUS
An amazing song, but a terrible mix.
Actually, the song is fine until the long fade-out, which features a
live BBC broadcast from fall 1967 of Shakespeare's King Lear.
John found out of serendipity and literally grabbed it during the
original mixing session in an early example of sampling. Until AI,
all the other elements of this song were locked together and
inseparable. Now, we've gone too far—King Lear has been
isolated, but it is FAR TOO LOUD, drowing out everything else. The
entire point of the Walrus coda is to descend into chaos. Instead,
this sounds like John Gielgud performing Shakespeare to some
background music. This mix ranks with last year's She Said Said
She Said as a godawful mess of a mix. “Oh, untimely death.”
THE FOOL ON THE HILL
In total contrast, this ballad works
perfectly. With piano on the left, recorder on the right and Paul's
vocal in the centre, this mix is balanced, elegant and strong. The
cherry on top is the bass drum sounding richer.
MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
Amazing. In the left channel, the horns
drive the song much like they do in Got To Get You Into My Life,
but there's an entirely new instrument in the right: John's rhythm
guitar. It simply growls, and helps propel this song and gives it
bite. This is a superb mix that surpasses even the Magical Mystery
Tour blu-ray.
REVOLUTION
This new mix is actually not far
removed from the existing stereo, but the key change is centering the
vocal. Wise move. Drums are in the left while loud, fuzzy guitar
screams in the right. Not bad, but I would have preferred both
channels bleeding more into the centre in order to resemble the mono
mix. Hard rock songs sound best with the elements blended together to
create a wall of sound. Still, this is a decent mix and much better
than the hard-panning original stereo.
HEY BULLDOG
A close call and worth comparing to the
1999 Yellow Submarine Songbook mix. In the latter, Ringo's
drum leaps out of the sonic picture. Here, the drums are slightly
subdued, though the excellent McCartney bass dominates. Fortunately,
the biting guitar solo is centred.
OLD BROWN SHOE
The bass (played by George, not Paul)
dominates the track. I love bass, but find it too heavy while the
vocals are buried, particularly in the fade. The track does punch
harder and remains a pleasure to listen to. Background shouting a la
Hey Bulldog is new.
Verdict: Love the Red album's new mixes (most of them), though shake my head that Rain is missing. However, the Blue album is not essential except for diehard Beatlefreaks and casual fans who don't own the remixed Sgt. Pepper, White Album, Abbey Road and Let It Be.
In 2023, a first-pressing of the Sex Pistols' one-and-only studio album, Never Mind The Bollocks, in VG condition commands $500 in Toronto shops. In 2023, their original fans are paying down mortgages while the Pistols themselves are members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (though they never showed up). All bandmates are alive, and in fact Glen Matlock is playing bass on the current Blondie tour.
Thankfully, Matlock took time out to pen his second set of memoirs, following 1990's long-out-of-print, I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol. Whereas that earlier book ended when he left (not fired for liking the Beatles, he stresses), Triggers is his update, covering his later years to the present, including his band, The Rich Kids, and the Pistols' lucrative mid-1990s reunion.
Triggers is a fuller book, covering much more time and written by a man looking back on his life. He celebrates, laments and forgives. Both books detail his time working at Malcolm McLaren's provocative fashion shop in London, SEX, and yes, both books declare the infamous manager McLaren as full of shit. Then again, his bandmates agree, which is the only thing they agree on.)
Triggers, though, offer a few new details about the Pistols. I like reading about Matlock's writing process behind the band's early, key song, Pretty Vacant. It started with a raw riff, but he needed to hear the bassline in Abba's SOS to complete it. In that chapter, Matlock explains that a song can feature a melody like the Kinks' Waterloo Sunset, a driving riff like Whole Lotta Love, or both as in the Stones' Satisfaction. After all, Matlock was the Sex Pistols' main songwriter, and it's a shame his partnership with Lydon didn't last.
Matlock also opens up about his personal life, like his struggles with booze, and his ups and downs as a musician searching for a gig. The tone of his book is personal and warm, no posturing, as he offers historic details married with personal observations. He compliments each of this bandmates for their talents. True, there's no love lost with John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), who comes across in the book as a talented wordsmith and performer, but also a diva, wanker and a millionaire cheapskate.
Some things I learned:
* Matlock's son was nearly cast as Johnny Rotten in Danny Boyle's rubbishy mini-series, Pistol (streaming on Disney+ of all places)
* Matlock is furious at Boyle for portraying that the band fired him, when he insists he left
* there will unlikely be another Sex Pistols reunion, because Lydon lost his silly lawsuit against his bandmates over letting Pistol use their music; and because Matlock can't see himself sharing a stage wearing a singer wearing a MAGA cap (don't blame him)
* Debbie Harry pecked him on the cheek backstage in 1978 (an experience Matlock mentions twice, though I don't blame him)
* speaking of Blondie, drummer Clem Burke tried to recruit Matlock for the band's 1999 reunion, but couldn't reach Matlock who was in Paris in those pre-cell phone days
* Matlock wanted to write a musical about Sid Vicious called Sidney
* offstage, Iggy Pop is a very polite guy
* Steve Jones actually likes The Beatles (but never said in the 1970s, because it was uncool among punks)
Of course, the highlight of the book are the early Sex Pistols years. The infamous Bill Grundy story has been told a million times, so there's little new here, but the months leading up to and following that pivotal moment demand non-stop reading.
Fans of the Pistols, punk rock and rock itself should seek out this book to get a good picture of the seminal rock band. If you can, also track down Steve Jones' memoirs, Lonely Boy, but think twice about Lydon's memoirs, which tends to self-promote and exaggerate.
Beatle fans around the world released their collective breath this morning at 10:00 am EST to hear the new--and last--Beatles single, Now and Then. They were not disappointed.
John's vocal is clear and drives the song. The strings are subtle and add depth, not sappiness. Paul's new lyrics complete John's sentiment. The harmonies, new ones from Paul and existing lines lifted from Because, Eleanor Rigby and Here, There and Everywhere, do not intrude. Same with Ringo's drums--it gets the job done. Paul's solo is finely delivered on slide guitar in tribute to George.
On the whole, the song works. What began as John's home recording c.1977 at a piano on a boombox has been expanded into a fully realized production. Now and Then has gone from a sketch into a fully framed painting.
Of course, it would have been impossible without the technology of AI (artificial intelligence). Full marks to filmmaker Peter Jackson for employing AI to isolate and highlight the various voices and instruments in the Get Back documentary which showed Paul, Ringo and their fans what this technology can do. What AI does on Now and Then is divorce John's vocal from his piano which were locked on a single mono track. Listen:
Paul, George and Ringo attempted to record Now and Then in 1994-5 for the Anthology project and would have found it a place on the third installment of that CD series, but George vetoed the song's inclusion because of the 60HZ him that ran through the demo tape. The technology simply didn't exist in the mid-90s. I suspect that with AI today George would have granted his blessing.
Now and Then is the last Beatles single ever. It's appropriate that it's coupled with the band's very first 7", Love Me Do, released in October 1962.This too has been touched by AI magic to separate the mono track into two: John's harmonica and Paul's bass guitar in the left channel, acoustic guitar and drums on the right and the vocals in the centre, which follows the formula that Giles Martin has applied to all the Beatles remixes since 2017's Sgt. Pepper. The left and right bleed slightly to avoid the "hard panning" that has afflicted many 1960s stereo mixes. Listen to the results, especially on earbuds:
The effect is subtle, yet revolutionary. AI has liberated the old mono recordings into stereo to let each instrument and vocal breathe. John's harmonica has never sounded so distinct, You can hear layers of background vocals and instruments that were buried in the mono mix all these years. Yes, we've heard Love Me Do a million times, but never like this.
Today's release is a canny way to promote the forthcoming 1962-66 re-release (on Nov. 10 along with 1967-70) that has been expanded from the original 26 tracks to 38. Thirty are new remixes, and I'm eager to hear them with the AI touch, especially She Loves You, which exists only in mono (because EMI Records lost the master tapes years ago). That said, fans have already "demixed" this song into stereo and the results sound pretty good. Can Apple surpass it?
In fact, anyone who can get their hands on the right AI software can demix at home. Witness this fan's remix of Free As A Bird, where John's vocal is no longer muddied and buried in the track (it too originated from a home demo), but shines in the forefront:
What this means is extraordinary for music history. AI can demix old recordings of not only The Beatles and their contemporaries, but of Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, Billie Holliday and others to enhance the sonic quality of their music, present it to today's audience and capture new listeners. Of course, the demixing has to be done with care and taste. The new Love Me Do mix preserves the original overall sound of the single, but brings out the performances of each musician that were previously overlooked. Fans have already successfully demixed old Beatles demos and even the December 1962 Star Club tapes, which sound primitive. Rumour has it that Peter Jackson wants to demix these tapes. Why not? The Beatles were always innovating with new technology.
November 3, 2023: A day after the audio release comes the video. Inserts of John and George over contemporary footage of Paul and Ringo recording the track brings home an overwhelming sense of closure. Though these inserts are technically clumsy at times and overdone, they are at other moments poignant. The closing montage of black-and-white photos of the band members growing ever younger is moving. It's impossible not to feel moved, that the final chapter to a grand story has been written.
I grew up in the eighties and have been trying to forget them ever since. Yuppies, pastels, shoulder pads, Reagan, Thatcher, AIDS, the nuclear race, junk bonds and drum machines. Those were the eighties. Yech. Well, now the Bata Shoe Museum has revived that garish decade through a collection of shoes.
Yes, shoes.
Music and film, yes, but can you tell the story of a decade through footwear? Through Air Jordans (top photo), Princess Di heels (below) and John Fluevog Winklepickers? Dressed To Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980s comes close. It's the new exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum, opening Nov. 1 and running through March 16, 2024.
Eighty pairs (get it?) have been grouped to evoke '80s themes of working women, nouveau riche chic (remember Dynasty?), the workout fad and most interesting for me, sneakers. Signs accompanying each pair do a good job of summarizing yet detailing the shoes and their cultural significance.
An example here would be women's office shoes and work outfits that needed to be assertive, professional, yet not threatening to men, but remaining somehow feminine.
The eight sections and middle displays, which feature designer shoes, are gathered in one large room that looks exactly like a shopping mall from 1985. Lots of plastic and pastels. I commend the designer.
A mini-theatre in the back had ZZ Top's video, Legs, running silently. That video was chosen, I presume, because one scene takes place in a shoe store. If there's on critique of Dressed to Impress it's that the sound could have been turned on this righteous tune and the screen could have been a little bigger. But this is a minor quibble.
Some will take to the Gucci loafers or Susan Bennis/Warren Edwards power pumps, but I was drawn to the Air Jordans, which came out in 1985 to revolutionize streetwear, launched the collections of countless sneakerheads to this day and catapulted Nike to the top of the sneaker jungle. The Jordans coincided with the rise of hip hop giants like Run-D.M.C and their collective impact is seen on feet today.
Virtually everything has been written about The Beatles by now, but their impact on fashion has been largely overlooked. Renown Toronto arts journalist and Beatlesfreak, Deirdre Kelly, has taken a deep dive and just published a highly detailed study of the band's sartorial impact on culture in the 1960s and beyond.
Kelly's done her homework, interviewing former tailors, including the cutter of Dougie Millings,Beatle experts like Piers Hemmingsen. and even the band's ex-hairdresser. Her book describes the wardrobe of John, Paul, George and Ringo in exquisite detail that fashionistas will respect and Beatlefreaks (like myself) will enjoy.
The four Beatles dressed in stylistic unison, starting with their punk look of leather jackets and sneers c.1960 (15 years Punk Rock itself), through their elegant-yet-hip Mod phase of the mid-1960s (dogstooth jackets, turtlenecks), and into their Indian-influenced psychedelic phase where they raided Carnaby Street. Each time the Beatles changed their look, so did Western youth. Kelly's book credits the band for boosting the British fashion industry, something that few historians have done.
Kelly isn't afraid to dish out the dirt on some questionable characters. Dutch designers, The Fool, represented hippie excess and exploitative behaviour. Similarly, the Apple Boutique, which showcased The Fool's garish clothes, was a short-lived money pit that proved The Beatles were genius musicians, but lousy businessmen.
Fashioning The Beatles offers the most revelations in the final years of the band (White Album, Abbey Road, Let It Be), a period that is hard to define sartorially. John went through his white phase courtesy of wife Yoko Ono. They all sprouted grew beards and wore denim (the working class uniform). Formalism lingered though, as there are three Beatles sporting suits designed by Tommy Nutter on the cover of Abbey Road. In this period, their fashion choices reflected the members asserting their identities, though their overall casual style remained uniform. (Ringo emerges in this book as the sharpest-looking Beatle.)
Fashioning The Beatles bursts with detail (there are 20 pages of sources) and is highly accurate. Kelly knows her stuff, and her book is an enjoyable and illuminating read.
Local blues veteran, David Deacon, unveiled his latest album at the fabled Rivoli Toronto last week. He previewed a handful of songs from Good Day Good Night, his fifth studio album and second this year, in a showcase lasting about 30 minutes. Deacon's gravelly, deep voice (think later Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits) was joined by vocalist Renee Rowe and guitarist Andy Ryan, who also co-wrote four songs off the new album. Both did admirable jobs accompanying Deacon on blues, rock and even reggae-tinged numbers such as Little More Light and Moments of Joy.
Deacon's vocal delivery is more spoken than sung, but that suits the material and the styles of the new album. This vocal approach goes for both his live performance as well as recorded album. Overall at the Rivoli, Deacon and his mates delivered an enjoyable performance of original numbers, though performed to a pre-recorded drums and bass track. I would've performed a full live band. The live songs themselves were more rock than traditional blues, reflecting the material on Good Day Good Night.
The album features seven original compositions plus a cover of Bob Dylan's Knockin' On Heaven's Door (dedicated to the people of Ukraine). Stand-outs include the gospel-flavoured And They All Sang and Along The Penthouse Electric Attic Blues, a gritty Chicago blues featuring a fine harmonica, but the song mysteriously fades out just when it begins to cook. Another misstep is the intrusive spoken introduction to Knockin' On Heaven's Door.
Though directed by Rudy Valdez, Carlos is really Carlos Santana's film. The legendary Mexican-American guitarist authorized this (auto)biodoc and has stated he had final cut. He selected what parts of his extensive career he wished to reveal and conceal. The end result is a mixed bag, a documentary that's thrilling at times, plodding at others, though strung together by amazing music.
Santana tells his story first-hand, narrating to the viewer chronologically. The first 20 minutes are the film's most rewarding as his recalls growing up in Mexico under an mariachi musician father and loving mother who endured her spouse's affairs. His father ordered young Carlos him to study the violin and filled their house with native Mexican as well as classical music. Born in 1947, Carlos was seduced by the first wave of rock 'n' roll and blues which emanated from north of the border. This gifted musician blended these styles to forge his signature guitar sound that carried him to stardom once he moved to San Francisco, jumping into the hippie hotbed of that late-1960s scene.
Rock impressario, Bill Graham, is one of the few non-Santana voices given face time here. Rightfully, Graham deserves a place in this story, since he managed the early band by showcasing them extensively at his legendary Fillmore rock venue in San Francisco, then booked these unknowns to play before half a million kids at Woodstock.
Santana has told his Woodstock story many times, but it is a highlight in this film. He dropped acid (his bandmates have said mescaline) moments before taking the stage, and the neck of his guitar turned into a snake, but he tamed it with a blistering performance.
After recording three legendary albums, Santana cut loose his "classic band" due to internal strife and substance abuse, but Santana dismisses this murky period in a quick sentence. Blink and you miss it. What happened? In fact, Santana is rarely candid about any strife in his life. His father disapproved of rock music, but years later they patched things up.
Other voices include his sisters today, his wife, the superb drummer, Cindy Blackman, but they all present nice, lovey-dovey recollections. Was there any envy within the family? Since Carlos was sharing some of his wealth with his family, how did that alter family dynamics? Sorely missing are interviews with any of the dozens of bandmates Santana has employed over six decades, especially the band that rocked Woodstock which launched their careers. There's hardly anything said about recording those first three landmark albums which pushed Latin rhythms into the American mainstream. Why did he cover Peter Green's Black Magic Woman, which ironically became Santana's signature song? Nothing about his collaboration with Alice Coltrane. The film completely ignores the 1980s and 1990s, Santana's long draught, though offers detail on recording his 1999 global comeback album, Supernatural, including the smash hit, Smooth, with Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty. Instead, there's a lot of time devoted to Santana's spiritualism and how wonderful his two wives have been. Yes, those areas deserve a place in this film, but they highlight what's missing in this story, too.
Carlos is full of home movies, innocuous enough, and plenty of vintage clips though many have been seen over the years, notably in the 1988 VHS/DVD documentary, Vina Santana! (which feels like a forerunner of this documentary). This footage and music enlivens slower spots in the film.
Overall, csual fans will enjoy Carlos for offering an FAQ of Santana's career, but hardcore fans like me will walk away disappointed, knowing that this is a sanitized, incomplete portrait.
Carlos will be released across Canada on Sept. 29 by Mongrel Media.
The Polaris Prize, honouring Canada's best recorded music, announced this year's long list of 40 nominees last Tuesday evening. Sonic Boom, Toronto biggest record store, played host. Feist, Jessie Reyez, The Sadies and Murray Lightburn (of the Dears) made the list along with newcomers Eliza Niemi and Zoon. The full list:
ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT – Darling The Dawn
Alvvays – Blue Rev
Aquakultre – Don’t Trip
Aysanabee – Watin
Badge Époque Ensemble – Clouds Of Joy
Begonia – Powder Blue
Bibi Club – Le soleil et la mer
BIG|BRAVE – nature morte
Philippe Brach – Les gens qu’on aime
Mariel Buckley – Everywhere I Used To Be
Daniel Caesar – Never Enough
Chiiild – Better Luck In The Next Life
Feist – Multitudes
Debby Friday – Good Luck
Gayance – Mascarade
Ghostkeeper – Multidimensional Culture
Home Front – Games of Power
JayWood – Slingshot
Khotin – Release Spirit
Thierry Larose – Sprint!
Murray Lightburn – Once Upon A Time In Montreal
Isabella Lovestory – Amor Hardcore
Dan Mangan – Being Somewhere
N NAO – L’eau et les rêves
Tami Neilson – Kingmaker
Eliza Niemi – Staying Mellow Blows
Nico Paulo – Nico Paulo
Planet Giza – Ready When You Are
poolblood – mole
Jessie Reyez – Yessie
The Sadies – Colder Streams
Jairus Sharif – Water & Tools
Andy Shauf – Norm
Dylan Sinclair – No Longer In The Suburbs
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – I’m Good, HBU?
Alexandra Stréliski – Néo-Romance
U.S. Girls – Bless This Mess
Witch Prophet – Gateway Experience
Yoo Doo Right – A Murmur, Boundless to the East
Zoon – Bekka Ma’iingan
Nominee Aysanabee answered 10 questions:
1) Where are you from?
A lot of places. Sandy Lake First Nation [Ontario] till I was four, then I lived in every northern town from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay, but now I'm based in Toronto.
2) Favourite musician?
Teeks, a Maori artist from New Zealand.
3) The first record that changed your life?
A Bob Marley greatest hits album on CD.
4) Do you collect vinyl?
I just started to. I recently got a vinyl player. I only have four records now.
5) What are you listening to now?
The Digging Roots album. ShoShana Kish, who founded the label I'm on, along with Amanda Rheume ignited this whole musicial journey for me.
6) What living musician would you love to collaborate on?
Oh, that's a toughie...I'm really in love with Nemesis' music right now.
7) And a musician who's no longer with us?
I'd like to see what me and Bob Marley can do.
8) What comic book superhero would you like to be?
I have a ton of comics that my grandfather gave me. I always loved the Batman comics.
9) Do you see yourself as a particular animal?
Definitely a bird, because I love to fly.
10) Where would you eventually love to settle?
Either in a rustic cabin in the mountains of the west, or I come into some money and start a recording studio and hostel in Thailand. I'd have a little stage where they'd be mandatory listening parties for a crochety, old me AYSANABEE walks out and plays his new song, then goes back to the studio.
The Polaris will announce their short list on July 13, then hosts the Polaris Gala on September 19 at Massey Hall. October 19 sees the Heritage Prize awarded to a Canadian album recorded before the Polaris began in 2006. Details of all events are found at https://polarismusicprize.ca/
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