Saturday 4 February 2012

News, Views and Music Issue 132 (Intro)




February 4th:

Alright readers, here’s a picture of my life at the moment. Every night I struggle to get to sleep, some nights not managing any and even if I do I generally don’t get any sleep until around 6am. As a result I don’t wake till 1 or 2 in the afternoon. All this is common to chronic fatigue sufferers and has been written about on my jobcentre forms several times. In my remaining spare time I just about to struggle to fit in two visits to friends and family per fortnight, on alternating weeks so I don’t tire myself out. My remaining spare amount of time when I’m not rolling around the floor in pain, coping with jobs other people would do in minutes that take me all day or sleeping off the fact that I didn’t sleep at all in the night is spent working on this site, re-adapted though not started on a jobcentreplus initiative and turned into a time-consuming (though an undeniable joy to work on) business, complete with tax returns and four letters a year to the jobcentre people about how I’m doing. As those of you who are regular readers will know, I also spent a far longer chuck of my time than expected filling in a whopping great 40 page form that still didn’t leave me enough room to put my point across (you may have noticed that I write too much...) and fighting the trick-questions at a medical that was such a horrible experience I very nearly walked out in protest. Now, some six weeks after hearing that I’m passed, I’m having to fight it all again, with a jobcentre appointment in February at 10am (do these people never learn?!) where I’m going to have fight the fact that I can’t work regular hours or travel far all over again, this despite the fact that I’m already one of their ‘tick-box’ projects for pushing ahead with this business! I’m so sick of having to spend all my time fighting people, I’m worn out enough from fighting this illness. As has been commented lots of times the worst thing for me is stress and the best cure is to be left alone to recover – and yet, here I am again, having to learn all the pitfalls and traps of the ‘personal advisor’ appointments so that I don’t end up doing a job I can’t handle for people who don’t want me and will sack me when I fall asleep at my desk or black out in the staffroom. I’m loathe to give up writing these newsletters because that’s the only part of the week I feel vaguely human and that my life isn’t all about pain and tiredness, although if this carries on I might have to, so just thought I ought to let you know. And as for those jokers trying to limit claims of this benefit to just one year, no matter how long-term an illness would be, it will be almost a relief to live off nothing and spend my time on the streets if it means I don’t have to keep fighting, fighting, fighting all the time. This is Alan’s Album Archives, over and out – and nearly down and out too...let’s hope for better next week...

On a happier note, thankyou to my friends at www.besteveralbums/com for making my list ‘chart of the day’ – thankyou to anyone whose taken me up on the plugs for my website and happy reading to you all!



                                      

Beatles/Byrds/CSNY/Hollies/Rolling Stones/Searchers News: Sorry for the late heads up but far from  the Beatles-heavy unadvertised déjà vu experience I expected it to be, BBC4s latest series on the British Invasion of America in the 1960s was actually a decent effort with tonnes of AAA footage. Taking its cue from the way that British bands in the 60s exploited the sounds of America in the 50s before America replied in kind, this was a scattershot compilation of talking heads and archival footage that covered the story from the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show up to the psychedelic years. AAA members speaking included Paul McCartney (how the hell did the film-makers get him?!), The Byrds Roger McGuinn (who downplays his bands role in the whole thing but was fascinating nonetheless), Graham Nash (also seen in some fascinating footage with 10ccs Graham Gouldmann and Hermans Hermits Peter Noone arguing over whether music should be political see our rant a few issues back to see why we agree with Graham), The Hollies Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott (plus some priceless rare footage of the band on tour in the US Id never seen before) and The Searchers Mike Pender, as amusing an interviewee as ever. Not bad at all, despite having absolutely no attention whatsoever lets hope the next part, based around the 70s, is as good. You can still catch it on the I-player if youre quick the programmes subtitle was Go West (a phrase actually spoken by Nash in a 1965 interview clip) in case its listed under that instead.

Byrds News: Three bits of news to excite Byrds fans, whove been somewhat starved of news on these pages of late. The first is that my personal favourite of all of Gene Clarks solo albums Two Sides To Every Story, is finally getting its first proper CD re-issue. This 1977 album wont contain any bonus tracks but does contain some of the finest music Gene ever made on the second half of the record, especially the thrilling trilogy of ballads Hear The Wind Past Addresses and Silent Crusade and the under-rated Sister Moon. The first side is nothing like as good but, hey, thats always the problem for the Gene Clark collector.

The second bit of news is that Johnny Rogans definitive book on the band has just got even more definitive. The slab of a book thats been propping up my bookshelves for the past few years Timeless Flight has now been thoroughly re-written, with several new interviews included and a new sections on what each of the many Byrds members got up to after the band finally split in 1973. To be honest, the old book was so thorough, packed with a lot of research and one hell of a lot of love, that it seems hard to imagine what could have been added. You see, the book used to run to an impressive 700 pages but now totals nearer 1200. The new book has been given the title Requiem For The Timeless to distance itself from the old work and, rather worryingly for our bank balances, is apparently subtitled volume one. Well let you know if we hear about volume two... 

Finally, a belated mention of a box set that actually came out before Xmas but had passed me by until now. The Complete Album Collection is a mopping up of all 12 Byrds albums (everything but the pre-fame tracks and the reunion album for Asylum), all with bonus tracks and retailing at the highly reasonable price of £30. Considering I easily paid twice that to buy all of these albums individually 10-15 years ago thats a mighty fine bargain for the few fans around that dont already own all this stuff.  

CSNY News: Just a word to let you know that Ive stumbled across some great rare long lost footage of the band on Youtube, apparently shot during a show at the Winterland Arena in 1973. The concert  is around 45 minutes long probably just a third of the running time of the original show and includes plenty of then-new songs in the tracklisting including New Mama from Tonights The Night a full two years before its official release, a very early outing for Stills song of wisdom As I Come Of Age (again not released till 1975), two songs from Nashs Wild Tales from the following year and Human Highway, the intended title track of the bands 1974 reunion album that was never completed (CSNY never did last long enough to record this song, which makes its appearance here all the more special. The footage is pretty grainy and the concert isnt up to the standards of the excellent (and hopefully soon to be officially released) Wembley Stadium gig of 12974, but its still well worth a look if youre a curious fan: 

Part One: http://youtu.be/4h4IPstMw24 (Helplessly Hoping/Wooden Ships/Blackbird)

Part Two:
http://youtu.be/fGck3m6h8jY (As I Come Of Age/Roll Another Number/Human Highway)

Part Three:
http://youtu.be/LCcABWUAYoM (New Mama/And So It Goes/Prison Song)

Part Four:
http://youtu.be/ZDy20zD7SE4 (Long Time Gone/Change Partners)

Kinks News: Considering that four of their albums havent been seen on CD for over 20 years now, youd think that The Kinks had plenty of mileage for re-issue series anyway. However the collector now has yet another package of the bands iconic 1960s material to collect, with all of their 60s studio albums appearing on mono, some like Face To Face - on CD for the first time (sadly Lola Vs Powerman, their last album for Pye, was only released in stereo). There are also spate discs containing the four Kinks EPs (out as bonus tracks on any of the first three Kinks albums). Sadly these discs arent being reissued separately, which is a pain for the collector who already owns the mono editions of the first three albums and the mono/stereo sets of Something Else Village Green and Arthur, but to soften the blow Pye have included an extra 2CD disc of Kinks Kollectibles, featuring alternate mono mixes from around the globe. The packaging most of it gatefold sleeves with rare photos and sleeve-notes, plus a booklet by Record Collector editor Peter Doggett, are also said to be wonderful. Whether all that is worth the hefty £118 price tag, though, is up to you...

Monkees News: Finally, news that Rhinos seemingly limited edition of Instant Replay as a box set has now become an unlimited mainstream release. That seems puzzling given that the only new things added to this set compared to the old CD issues from the 90s are some alternate mixes that arent that different and even the rarest stuff here used to be widely available on the excellent Missing Links series and the fact that there are so many juicy things still left in the vaults. Of all the record company/band relationships around, though, The Monkees and Rhino enjoy one of the very best, with this set containing some stunning packaging and an informative booklet. 

Neil Young News: After a gap of nine years, Neil Young has agreed to work with long-term backing band Crazy Horse again or at least thats what he announced to the delight of the crowd at a recent gig in Utah. The Horse last backed Neil on the patchy concept album Greendale in 2003, with their last gig together taking place in March 2004. Although the Horse have come and gone several times down the years, with various reports from Neil that he would never work with them again, this is the longest gap the two have been apart to date, after releasing albums in 1969, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1997 and 2003. The two sides seemed to have parted amicably back in 2004, though that said there were rumours of a rift with drummer Ralph Molina when the drummer was unceremoniously booted off Neils 2008 tour in favour of younger musician Chad Cromwell, Neils favourite percussionist as of late. There was also an album project, nicknamed toast, that never saw the light of day in 2000 some reports say this latest, as yet untitled project will feature songs from that album. In other news, it now seems likely that the promised Buffalo Springfield 2012 tour wont happen, for reasons unknown perhaps its just that, in the same way that last year mirrored the sudden impetuous beginnings of the band in 1966, the band have gone off the idea a year or so later? 




ANNIVERSARIES: Happy birthday to you and you and you and you to AAA members born between January 31st and February 6th: Skip Battin (bassist with The Byrds 1970-72) who would have been 78 on February 2nd, Graham Nash (guitarist with The Hollies 1963-68 and Crosby, Stills and Nash various dates since 1969) who turns the big 70 on February 2nd, Eric Haydock (bassist with The Hollies 1963-65) who would have been 69 on February 3rd and Dave Davies (guitarist with The Kinks 1963-93) who turns 65 on February 3rd. Anniversaries of events include: The Beatles officially abandon their intended eighth album project of childhood songs and start recording what will become the title track of ‘Sgt Peppers’ (February 1st 1967); Beatles music publisher Dick James dies (February 1st 1986);   The beginning of the end for The Beatles, when three of them officially hire Allen Klien as their manager against the wishes of Paul McCartney (February 3rd 1969); The Who headlines their first concert, surprisingly late in their career, at London’s Finsbury Park (February 4th 1966); The Rolling Stones releaser ‘19th Nervous Breakdown’ (February 4th 1966); John and Yoko begin what the American courts call their ‘trial separation’, beginning an 18-month ‘lost weekend’ (February 4th 1974); Jefferson Airplane’s Paul Kantner offers up his prize guitar as one of the lots in a San Francisco musical auction to help Save The Whales – the first real music charity auction of its kind (February 4th 1979); Paul Simon released his first single without Art Garfunkel, ‘Mother And Child Reunion’ (February 5th 1972); The Rolling Stones switch labels to join The Beatles at EMI (February 5th 1977) and finally, Three Beatles enter a recording studio for the first time in seven years, when Paul and Ringo guest on George’s tribute to John ‘All Those Years Ago’, eight weeks after his death (February 6th 1981).   


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