SINGER SONGWRITER

Page 1

Singer Songwriter The Island Three Love Songs Nevermind Political Songs Reviews Tools Of The Trade The Valley’s Sound

Music’s Most Wanted Q&A with Ethan Johns


THE ISLAND THREE

One record label. Three middle class men. An astonishing body of work.

N

ick Drake, John Martyn and Richard Thompson. All born within a year of one another, all signed to arguably the greatest record label ever, Island Records, and all creators of the most beautiful music you’ll ever hear. You really couldn’t make it up. These three, although, couldn’t be more different in character. Nick Drake: a sensitive young man born into an upper middle class family. Tall, elegant and with a speaking voice which made the Queen sound like Ray Winstone. But he was cursed. Nick Drake was born with a skin too few. John Martyn: a man who wasn’t afraid to tell somebody where to shove it. He could look after himself and seemed to thrive on chaos. Full of grace and danger, a survivor. He spoke in an accent that was sometimes Glaswegian, sometimes middle England. Richard Thompson: son of a policeman, born with a stutter, born with an incredible talent for songwriting. Writer of the darkest songs. Songs so dark – even Leonard Cohen and Kurt Cobain would sidestep for fear of their themes. All this from a man who, John Peel once remarked, resembles a postman. There are two Nick Drake songs that the curious set of ears may have heard. The first is Riverman (back to that later), the second is, a track on his second record Bryter Layter, Northern Sky. Northern Sky is a love song that the NME remarked, has very few equals. “I never felt magic crazy as this. I never saw moons that knew the meaning of the sea. I never held emotion in the palm of my hand, or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree. But now you’re here, brighten my northern sky.” Riverman, from the debut Five Leaves Left, is 4 minutes 18 seconds being lost in a beautiful place. It is just an incredibly powerful song. Words would not do Hazey Jane I justice.

MAY 2013 PAGE 4

Nobody played/plays guitar that way; before or since. His ability to keep the rhythm going, while fingerpicking that complicated arrangement is mind-bending. Robert Kirby’s string arrangements are something else; conjuring up feelings akin to the euphoric comfort felt in melancholy. They echo the notes of the guitar while also going above and beyond of what is expected of a string arranger, creating wonderment. Constantly told by friends and family, and those at Island Records, how special he was; Bryter Layter was to be his breakthrough. This optimism is in, At the Chime of a City Clock. “And at the beat of the city drum, see how your friends come in twos; or three’s or more.” This, being Nick Drake, darkness was never far away: “Stay indoors beneath the floors. Talk with neighbours only. The games you play make people say, you’re either weird or lonely”. Nick Drake is seen as some sort of patron saint for the depressed, a pop psychologists wet dream. But that’s missing the point completely. His third and last album, Pink Moon, is a human being bleeding onto a record. It maybe the bravest album committed to tape. For a musician to lay himself that

bare to the world – few would think of it, let alone do it. Not in search of a person/place, in search of a feeling, which might be one and the same. His records never sold. Great art doesn’t always equate to great sales. As a result, he plunged into depression which he never re-emerged from. On November 25, 1974, his mother found him dead in his bedroom of what was an overdose. Nick Drake was twenty-six-years-old. John Martyn was the first white act to be signed to Island Records. His debut album, London Conversation, was recorded for £158 in 1968. His music can be listened to at any time of the day because he’s a great writer - but his music takes off at night. He came into the consciousness of a new generation of music lovers for this very fact. Clubbers on the come down needed late night John, which brings us to Small Hours. Recorded at, the boss of Island Records, Chris Blackwell’s home. Near

Solid Air: John Martyn’s 1973 masterpiece

SINGER SONGWRITER


a lake, geese in the background, guitar chords violin in and echo around. It’s sublime. “Some of us live like princes/Some of us live like queens/Most of us live just like me/We don’t know what it means …” The opening lines of One World. A commentary on 1977. Lyrics that could have been written today. They could be written in 30 years time – chances are they’d still resonate. Unlike his friend, Nick Drake, who was born with a skin too few, John Martyn was born in a bulletproof shell – or so it seemed. For a man whose escapades verged on lunacy, he could create a song which would moisten the driest of eyes. Hurt In Your Heart tells of his armor being pierced. His marriage was falling about – you can feel his pain – it oozes out of the song. He doesn’t hide in his songs. He’s a human being with faults and contradictions. May You Never is his most well known song. It’s the one most likely heard on radio. A lovely song with a sweet sentiment. On the surface it seems like a classically constructed song – but the guitar playing proves otherwise.

The greatest literature is all about a person – it’s the same with the great songs. This musician had an incredible gift of turning what his heart was feeling, into song. A musician with very few equals. His music draws you into relatable situations, and illuminates and

the devil to have written that. John Martyn was 19. His next album, a year later, contained Fly On By and Seven Black Roses. The guitar work on the latter has to be heard to be believed. John Martyn had to have his right leg amputated below the knee after a cyst burst in 2003. He still performed live with the aid of a wheelchair until his death in 2009, at the age of 60. Out of the three, it might be fair to say that – Richard Thompson may be the most acquired listen. You have to give to his music. What you do give - is paid back in spades. Early on, as songwriter/guitarist with Fairport Convention, his songs were blessed with the singing of Sandy Denny, arguably the greatest British female executioner of song. His first solo record, Henry The Human Fly, is the poorest ever-selling release on Warner Brother Records. Richard Thompson is quintessentially British. If a little green man popped down off his spaceship, and was handed an iPod with a shuffled Richard Thompson playlist, he’d say, “This guy is British.” Henry… does contain a lovely song called, The Poor Ditching Boy. The records he made with his then wife, Linda Thompson, contain songs that cement

“Stormbringer for production and musicians and One World for the same reasons but different. Pink Moon for the songs and stark realism that suits the words. What We Did On Our Holidays for the playing and songs.”

SINGER SONGWRITER

poetically heightens them. You Can Discover chronicles the darkness and light of a relationship, with its capacity to bring joy, but also inflict hurt. “Sometimes our story’s just too beautiful to tell/Like the bells on a Sunday, blues on a Monday, go together well.” His music evolved and evolved. From acoustic troubadour, singing of rambling and love, to slurred vocals, the echoplex and everything in-between. But John Martyn wrote great songs straight off the bat. Back To Stay off his debut, London Conversation. Most would travel to the Crossroads and sell their soul to

MAY 2013 PAGE 5


his genius. Walking On A Wire, from Shoot Out The Lights, is remarkable on many levels. A man falling out of love with his wife, writing about it, and the killer is – getting said wife to sing it. “Where’s the justice and where’s the sense, when all the pain is on my side of the fence? 
I’m walking on a wire, I’m walking on a wire 
and I’m falling.” The final minute of the song, where both sing, or rather bleed the songs title, and then the guitar solo – is spine tingling. There have been many songs written about Elvis Presley. Richard Thompson has written one. It’s called Galway To Graceland. It’s the greatest song – ever – about Elvis. The genius in the song is that Elvis plays a bit-part role – but it’s the biggest bit-part role. A fanatical female fan, with questionable sanity, is the lead. A love song with, a barbed ending. Richard and Linda Thompson welcome a new child into their lives. Time for celebration? Not quite! RT writes, End Of The Rainbow. It’s not a song played at many Christenings/Baptisms. “Life seems so rosy in the cradle. But I’ll be a friend. I’ll tell you what’s in store. There’s nothing at the end of the rainbow. There’s nothing to grow up for anymore.” That verse reads more like a suicide note. It’s difficult to put into words, the influence these three have had over not only Britain’s musical landscape, but also America’s. Thanks

to his production work on albums made by Drake, Martyn and Thompson, Joe Boyd was sought out by R.E.M. to produce their third album, Fables Of The Reconstruction. The Georgian natives even set up camp in rainy London to record Five Leaves Left: Nick Drake’s debut album with Boyd. A Richard Johnny Marr tells us of his favourite recordThompson tribute album, entitled Beat The ings: “Stormbringer for production and musiRetreat, came out in the early ‘90s. It featured cians, and One World for the same reasons but more American acts than British. The John different. Pink Moon for the songs and stark Martyn tribute album, released last year, even realism that suits the words, and What We Did featured the talents of U.S. slacker – Beck. On Our Holidays for the playing and songs.” Back in Britain. it might be difficult to spot You’ll rarely see a review of the latest up the influence on the music of The Smiths – but and coming singer songwriter without a refthey are a huge influence on their guitarist. erence to one of the Island Records three.

THREE FROM THREE: THE ESSENTIAL ALBUMS

NICK DRAKE: BRYTER LAYER

JOHN MARTYN: SOLID AIR

RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSOM SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS

The record starts with Introduction, one of three instrumental pieces that are on the album. It is beautiful, the sound of Spring. It reveals the love Nick Drake had of the impressionist musical movement, and his admiration for composers, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. We are then introduced to Drake’s voice on, Hazey Jane II. It is a pleasant enough song, maybe the powers that be attempts at giving the record a hit single. It doesn’t quite fit, and pales in comparison to what awaits the listener. His vocal delivery struggles with the song’s tempo. Bryter Layter is referred to as his ‘London’ record, he had recently moved from Cambridge to live in the capital. Constantly told by friends and family, and those at Island Records how special he was; it was to be his breakthrough. Nick Drake made one more record, PinkMoon, and recorded numerous other songs, which would be released posthumously. If Five Leaves Left (1969) is full of promise and Pink Moon (1972) is a man bleeding onto a record, Bryter Layter (1970) is the promise in full fruition. A record of timeless tranquility. His lyrics awash with elemental and natural words like warmth, clouds, fly, night, forest, breezes in the top of a tree, and sky.

Still only 25-years-old - but five albums in. Solid Air is where he moved away from his peers. Using the Echoplex tape delay unit as his weapon of choice and delivering a slurred vocal delivery – John Martyn found his natural habitat. The album features sax throughout and is a nod to the jazz records, which were now influencing his sound. The album kicks off with a lament for Nick Drake. We also get, possibly the greatest train journey song, Over The Hill. The pastoral Don't Want To Know and the Echoplex workout of his version of Skip James' Rather Be The Devil. The one song that most remember, is May You Never - his paean to brotherly love. It was to be a staple of his live performances for over 30 years. A classic with not a misused note. The late night production - now firmly cemented in the hearts of music lovers the world over. Everyone needs Solid Air.

Perhaps the best album Richard and Linda Thompson made together. The record is the soundtrack to what producer, Joe Boyd called, "an elaborate soap opera." Lyrics, telling of dissolving relationships, dissatisfied lovers and stories of death and violence. Shortly after release - Richard left Linda. Linda Thompson was also pregnant. English folk music takes centre stage in the heartbreaking Walking on a Wire. On Shoot Out the Lights, Richard Thompson’s electric guitar playing cuts through like a sonic knife. The solo is masterful. The ballad, Just the Motion, "was an attempt, deliberate or unconscious, to write something that was a bit restful," said Thompson. The album ends with Wall Of Death, which would be later covered by R.E.M. Shoot Out the Lights is still the Thompsons' most commercially successful release. Richard says, its appeal lies in the split of a marriage. "It's a great promotional ploy — I recommend it." He goes on to say, “I think the songs are good. But I don't think the performances are outstanding. And we still get complaints about the drum sound, especially from the drummer." Listen and decide for yourself.

MAY 2013 PAGE 6

SINGER SONGWRITER


Nick Drake: A skin too few

SINGER SONGWRITER

MAY 2013 PAGE 7


WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW The enduring legacy of the love song

L

ove, the most used word and subject in popular music. An industry was built on it. From the ecstasy of a goodnight kiss to the agony of a breakup. It has all been documented in a three-minute

song. But why are there so many? Simple answer. They’re relatable. Most will experience love. And because a heart is too easy to break. Goffin and King’s Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Mann and Weil’s You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling and Greenwich and Barry’s Be My Baby are just a drop in the ocean of what was written in the Brill Building. Little love symphonies for the kids - but so, so much more. Oh to see Theodor Adorno dismiss the latter two songs as just capitalism. Produce packaged and sold, purely, for financial gain. At the same time there was another bunch of writers reflecting the ups and downs of love through music. The genius song craft of Holland, Dozier and Holland et al. Motown: The Sound of Young America. The Tracks Of My Tears, Stop! In The Name Of Love, (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave etc. Most Motown music, the great 7”s, dealt mainly with romance. And these records shifted big numbers. A band from Liverpool knew this. The Beatles’ debut single, Love Me Do, was one of the first songs Lennon and McCartney wrote together. Their first number one, on both sides of the Atlantic, was She Loves You. Not all these songs are, “I love you, you love me.” There are many existential positions that cloud the picture. Distance: “I love you, you love me … but we’re far apart. Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here. Jimmy Webb’s By The Time I Get To Phoenix is another example. A

MAY 2013 PAGE 8

man crossing states and imagining what his girlfriend is doing while he travels further and further away from her. Mortality and ageing: “I love you … wherever you are.” John Prine’s Hello In There. Prine sings of a relationship fading as the years go by. The unrequited love torture song: “I love you, you don’t love me, and so I’m going to cut my head off.” OK, maybe not so severe as that, but you get the picture. These songs are not only reserved for the monster hit with equally monster production. They’re found everywhere. Punk band The Buzzcocks’ Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve). Love Will Tear Us Apart by, post-punk band, Joy Division. Bands signed to small independent labels wrote the most achingly beautiful love songs throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. You’re The One Lee by Miracle Legion, R.E.M.’s You Are The Everything, The La’s There She Goes, Mazzy Star’s Fade Into You and a song that always floors me - Michael Head’s Somethin’ Like You. It’s all about the connection to the song. Some songs resonate straight away. Some take on new meanings when shared. The following ten songs are the soundtrack to the first ten minutes of any relationship you’ve ever watched blossom before your eyes and also the soundtrack to the last ten minutes of any relationship you’ve ever watched crumble before your eyes. Music for the romantic and ruined romantic in all of us.

Terry Callier – What Color Is Love “Is it wrong, or is it right/Is it black or is it white/ What color is love?” If ever confirmation is needed that music is the greatest art form, Terry Callier’s finest work silences that doubt. The power of the song lies in its fragile nature. It asks questions but fears the stability of the answers. Jackson Browne – Late For The Sky “Awake again, I can’t pretend/And I know I’m alone/And close to the end of the feeling we’ve known.” You know, you just do, when a song starts and it’s going to have you in bits. From the opening piano arpeggios, to David Lindley’s crying guitar licks, it’s game over. A man madly in love, striving to make that love work. Late For The Sky captures the nuances of the last gasp. John Prine – Hello In There “Me and Loretta, we don’t talk much more/ She sits and stares through the back door screen/And all the news just repeats itself/ Like some forgotten dream that we’ve both seen.”

SINGER SONGWRITER


The creators and performers of our song selections Top, Left to Right: Weller, S&G, Prine, Franklin, The Blue Nile, Callier, Browne

A lifetime condensed to under five minutes. Ageing, loneliness, and death. A person fading away, not asking for much – just to be acknowledged. The killer is when the song’s narrator stops communicating with the love of his life. A subject rarely addressed in song – the loneliness of old age. Sometimes, the price of a memory is the sorrow it brings. Aretha Franklin – Never Let Me Go “Cry your eyes/No tears no sorrow/Cling to me/With all your might/And never let me go.” Great soul – no gap between the singer’s emotions and their music. If this doesn’t pierce your being, then a visit to the doctor is in order. No gimmicks, no synthetic enhancements, just pure undulated greatness – special doesn’t even come close. A song about embracing the now, because who knows what tomorrow will bring. John Martyn – You Can Discover “Sometimes our story’s just too beautiful to tell/Like the bells on a Sunday, blues on a Monday, go together well.” John Martyn had an incredible gift of turning what his heart was feeling, into song. A musician with very few equals. His music draws you into relatable situations, and illuminates and poetically heightens them. You Can Discover chronicles the darkness and light of a relationship, with its capacity to bring joy, but also inflict hurt.

SINGER SONGWRITER

The Blue Nile – The Downtown Lights “The golden lights, the loving prayers/The coloured shoes, the empty trains/ I’m tired of crying on the stairs.” The Downtown Lights has one of the greatest vocals ever captured on tape; it’s in the same league as Otis Redding’s These Arms Of Mine. This is the sound of a man (Paul Buchanan) having his heart ripped out. Like walking into a movie – cinematic. It transcends the mundane – music that brings to mind grey skies, beating the odds and being uncommonly beautiful. Simon and Garfunkel – April Come She Will “August, die she must/The autumn winds blow chilly and cold/September I´ll remember/A love once new has now grown old.” Because Art Garfunkel’s voice is so pure, Paul Simon’s songs needed to be sincere, otherwise they’d come over too sickly sweet. This is one of his best! Changing seasons used too illustrate the changing fortunes of a relationship – a device as old as time – it’s in every poet/songwriter’s toolbox. Nick Drake – Northern Sky “I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
/Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree/
But now you’re here/
Brighten my northern sky.”

Nick Drake: patron saint for the depressed, a pop psychologists wet dream. But that’s missing the point completely. There is a master songwriter at work here. He creates a love song with very few equals. I would envy anybody listening to Northern Sky for the first time - if it were not for the fact that each consecutive listen sounds like the first time. Paul Weller – A Year Late “I love to wake,and watch your face/And while you sleep/I fall for you again.” Paul Weller just writes the most beautiful songs chronicling love. This song was hidden as a B-side to perhaps his most recognisable solo single, You Do Something To Me. There is just something eerily comforting about it. The feel of A Year Late, and Weller’s imagery – are both stunning. A very important song by one of the great songwriters. Michael Head & The Strands - Somethin’ Like You “All in all we’re the same/And we’re alright/I believe in you forever.” Music critics adore Michael Head - but too few know who he is and that’s criminal. He’s not underrated. Anybody who owns anything by The Pale Fountains or Shack - knows just how good his songs are. He’s under listened to. He’s a special writer; just one listen to Somethin’ Like You will prove that.

MAY 2013 PAGE 9


A look at how the history of war and conflict is represented through songwriting

A

song has four basic elements: words (the lyric) are sung to a tune (melody) that is supported by chords (harmony) and played to a certain combination of beat and tempo (rhythm). From global conflict to teen rebellion, unemployment to race killings, songwriters have provided the soundtrack to decades of change, conflict and revolution. For a true picture of the real events of WW1, people turned to the war poets. WW2 was documented heavily through radio and newspapers. As war and conflict became more commonplace throughout the world, songwriters took it upon themselves to write about these issues, putting themselves in the role of the soldier, protester, or expressing the thoughts and feelings of relatives of love ones fighting. The beliefs of a nation. More songs have been written about the Vietnam War than any other. Released in 1969 and written by John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s song Fortunate Son attacked the privileged white kids who didn’t have to go to Vietnam. Fogerty said, “I was thinking about David Eisenhower, the grandson of Dwight.” There was a public outcry concerning the draft system during the Vietnam War. The most controversial aspect of the draft was the number of deferments available to those with either the money or the intelligence. College students were deferred from service. In short, men with connections and cash could avoid service if they chose. The inequities was an army that relied on conscripts taken from the lower strata of society. The military altered the draft system in 1970 and began a reliance on a lottery system based on birthdates. The damage however, had already been done. In a deeply moving spoken introduction on a live version of The River, Bruce Spring-

MAY 2013 PAGE 10

steen speaks of this draft system and how he avoided it, but how a close friend did not: “I remember the day I got my draft notice. I hid it from my folks. The day came, we got on the bus for the physical, I was so scared, and I went and I failed. I remember coming home after I’d been away for three days and walking in the kitchen where my mom and dad were sitting. My dad said, Where you been? I said I went to take my physical, he said , What happened? I said they didn’t take me, he said, - That’s good.” Springsteen failed due to an old motorcycle injury - but a friend who drummed in his band did not. Bart Haynes was drafted, and killed in action in 1968. During the war, some three million men and women saw service in Vietnam, a staggering 16 million found some way to avoid it. This was the true American verdict on the Vietnam War. Released in 1971 and written by Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On signalled political independence at Motown Records. Gaye voiced despair at a country torn apart by the Vietnam War. “When I was fighting in Vietnam,” Frankie Gaye, Marvin’s younger brother, told biographer David Ritz, “the war sickened me. It seemed useless, wrong and unjust, I relayed all this to Marvin.” Marvin Gaye put himself in his brother’s shoes, a veteran returning to the confusion of American life. Marvin Gaye said this of the protesters: “They had the guts to tell the establishment to shove it.” “Mother, mother, there’s too many of you crying.
Brother, brother, brother, there’s far too many of you dying.
You know we’ve got to find a way to bring some lovin’ here today.” The US forces withdrew in 1973, with the war spreading into Laos and Cambodia. Bruce Springsteen’s anti-war anthem of American dreams gone wrong, Born In The USA, is perhaps one of the most misinterpreted songs ever captured on tape.

America seemed to ignore the story Springsteen was telling and instead concentrated on the anthemic quality of the instrumentation and the rousing chorus: “Born in the USA. I was born in the USA.” forgetting verses such as: “Born down in a dead man’s town, the first kick I took was when I hit the ground. You end up like a dog that’s been beat too much, till you spend half your life just covering up. Got in a little hometown jam, so they put a rifle in my hand, sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man.” His characters are born with their broken hearts, the only thing that keeps them going is imagining that, “There’s something happening somewhere.”

SINGER SONGWRITER


British singer songwriter Elvis Costello wrote Shipbuilding in 1982 - to express his feelings concerning The Falklands War. Written from the perspective of workers in British shipbuilding seaports during the build-up to the war, an event that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher seized in order to use the nationalistic fervour to distract from the crumbling economy. Costello was asked by Q magazine in March 2008, if he considered Shipbuilding to contain the best lyrics that he’d ever written? He replied: “It’s a pretty good lyric, yeah. The key line for me is, ‘Diving for dear life, when we could be diving for pearls.’ That we should be doing something beautiful, better than this. Whatever you say about the conflict of war, that crime alone will see Thatcher in hell.” The war was brief - but there were many consequences for all involved, with great loss of human life. The Falklands was regarded as a factor in the turnaround in fortunes for the Conservative government, who had been trailing in the opinion polls for months before the conflict began. After the success in the Falklands, the Tories returned to the top of the opinion polls by a wide margin and

went on to win the following year’s general election by a landslide. Unlike World War Two, the majority of the British media, especially the BBC, reported the war in a neutral fashion.

There Is Power In A Union, released in 1986. A coal strike in 1974 had brought down a Conservative government. Five years into her control over the country, Margaret Thatcher was not about to let the same thing happen to her. After a tough Christmas, the trickle of men heading back to work became a flood and it was apparent to the NUM that the strike would have to be called off before it completely collapsed. All these songs give an insight into change, conflict and revolution throughout the years. The song has a power to connect with, and alter, every human emotion. There are still fine songs being written, there will always be songs covering love, be it falling in love, or having a heart broken. But political songs are somewhat of a dying breed. When teenagers today fall in love with the magic of song, what message will they be getting from the lyrical content?

“Is it worth it. A new winter coat and shoes for the wife and a bicycle on the boy`s birthday. It`s just a rumour that was spread around town, by the women and children. Soon we`ll be shipbuilding.” Elvis Costello Margaret Thatcher loomed large over Britain through the eighties and became a figure of hatred among Britain’s working class. In 1983, Britain’s miners embarked on a strike

“There is power in a factory, power in the land, power in the hands of a worker. But it all amounts to nothing if together we don’t stand. There is power in a union.” Billy Bragg over pit closures. Coal strikes previously had been over in a matter of weeks, this time both union and government fought in a lengthy battle. The biggest losers turned out to be the miners themselves. After the crushing of the Miners’ Union, British workers needed a rallying cry. It came from Billy Bragg and his song

Elvis Costello: ‘80s political commentator

SINGER SONGWRITER

MAY 2013 PAGE 11


FEATURE

E

very ten years or so – lists appear telling us what the ‘100 Greatest Albums Ever Made’ are. Most of the albums are created by, men and women under thirty-years-old. Why is this? Surely as an artist matures in age – so should their art. They have mastered their instruments and have more life experiences to influence the writing. Whenever a music publication runs their countdown – it will have the same evergreens – with a few flavor-of-the-months. The evergreens: Pet Sounds, Astral Weeks, Thriller, Born To Run, Blue, Songs In The Key Of Life, Dark Side Of The Moon, Bridge Over Troubled Water, etc. That is only a small selection, but most of the albums are made by twenty-something’s. I asked former Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr, about the under thirty club: “Maybe it’s that if someone was good enough to make a classic album – then they would have done it by the time they’re thirty. Sometimes music is reliant on youth. Bands do get on a roll at certain times; popularity, confidence, audacity and fearlessness have something to do with it.” Respected music critic, Simon Reynolds, has this to say: “I guess most artists arrive at their identity probably in their early to mid 20s and then perfect it - and usually it’s either reiteration, or decline, thereafter.” Also taken into account are the facts in the lists: Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and Nirvana, etc. didn’t have a chance to create anything else because they paid the biggest price of fame. The Beatles split - before any of them hit thirty, same with The Smiths and countless other bands. Nick Drake and Brian Wilson were struck by illness. One didn’t pull through, the other did – but the illness took a lot of him. Another reason is the absence of children and the need to raise a family, as musician and music journalist, John Robb, told me: “No responsibilities, no kids, no fear of death. Youths limitless possibilities are the perfect time to indulge in creation.” Simon Reynolds has a similar explanation: “You have a lot of energy when you are young and not married, and not with kids. There is just all this stuff pouring out of you, life force wise, and you’re having a lot of experiences that feed into it, because basically you’re not tied down.” No matter how important music is – it pales in comparison with the importance of family. Reynolds also reveals something else here.

THE UNDER THIRTY CLUB

Are you too old to make a classic album? It seems that critics favour songwriting about fresh experiences. As they happen. Perhaps it is more vibrant than having many life experiences stored - and then writing about them past the age of thirty. “They (under thirty) are bursting with a need to say something, a quality that diminishes over time,” music journalist, Paulo Hewitt, says. If we look at that “diminishing quality.” Oasis followed What’s The Story Morning Glory with Be Here Now, Michael Jackson followed Thriller with Bad, and Guns N Roses’ Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 followed Appetite For Destruction. All these releases have their supporters – but something was lost along the way. The formula: make successful

It could also be that their instrument for inspiration – is an acoustic one: “Sound not so affected by the changes in technology or production values etc. One of the advantages of acoustic music.” It does carry some weight what Marr says. Older performers make their most critically received records when they strip everything down. Roddy Frame released his first single as the singer/songwriter of Aztec Camera – when he was seventeen. Their album, High Land, Hard Rain, came out two years later. This recording is placed lower down on the NME’s list, featured above. Frame’s solo record, Surf – which followed nearly twenty years later, is now replacing High Land, Hard Rain in updated lists. Surf is mostly just Frame and acoustic guitar. Who knows whether Jeff Buckley would have made a better album than Grace? Who knows, that if Lee Mavers (The La’s) ever decides to release more music, it’ll surpass what he did in his twenties? Will the next album by reformed The Stone Roses – go on to have young music lovers reaching for it instead of their debut? If what is said by the music journalists and musicians interviewed, is true, then the answer is probably no. Rock ‘n’ roll, on the whole, is made and consumed by a young audience. Music journalists and critics – like it this way.

“No responsibilities, no kids, no fear of death. Youths limitless possibilities are the perfect time to indulge in creation.”

MAY 2013 PAGE 12

record (both critically and commercially) – write about that success and what comes with it on the next. Who wants to hear about how successful somebody is? It is lazy writing. This sort of complacency rarely makes great art. Hewitt continues: “They are determined to make their mark and nothing will stop them from making it in a significant manner. By the time they are thirty, they have achieved a lot and no longer feel the urge to compete so much.” The artists that are over thirty, and do make it onto these lists, are predominantly solo performers. Singer songwriters. Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Van Morrison etc. As much as their music is about them – it is more about others. “Their stuff is not reliant on youth. They are storytellers with a gift of channeling cultures and ideas of people outside their own experiences,” Johnny Marr further tells me.

SINGER SONGWRITER


not. The band now appealed to the sort of human beings he despised. So, what was Nevermind up against in 1993? Quite a pedigree: Screamadelica; Creation records’ defining release, Blue Lines; the only truly great British hip hop record, (invented trip-hop) U2’s Achtung Baby, R.E.M’s Out Of Time, and unit shifters by Simply Red and jock rockers Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Cobain didn’t like the finished product. His voice was doubled tracked on many of the songs, digital effects were added, and samples were added to beef up Dave Grohl’s drumming. Not very punk. Reviews were split into two camps: those who loved it, and those who had a disdain for it. Whatever the thoughts are on the records production - the killer hooks, infectious melodies and explosive dynamics cannot be denied. There is an incredible songwriter at work throughout – passion and intensity that couldn’t be manufactured. Nevermind went on to became the most influential rock album of the ‘90s. To quote Kurt Cobain: “A good song is the most important thing, it’s the only way to really touch someone.” His songs did in 1993 – his songs do in 2013.

NEVERMIND – 20 YEARS

A

lthough released in 1993, Nevermind probably impacted on small towns throughout ‘95. This was not the information age, the internet was some ways off – it took time for cultures to filter through. If you had to point to a moment when the world woke up to Nirvana, it was the video for the album’s lead off single – Smells Like Teen Spirit. The song, born out of the band’s attempt to play Boston’s More Than A Felling. The effect ‘Teen Spirit had was huge. A song a guitar beginner could learn. The verse has only two notes. The riff would be played in every guitar store by young and old. It showed the world, in very much the same way as punk did – you didn’t have to be a virtuoso to be a guitarist in a rock ’n’ roll band. The fretboard gymnastics of Eddie Van Halen, Slash, and the twin guitar assault in Metallica was now seen as indulgent and passé by some quarters. Listening to it today, for the first time in years, it hits like a train – it still sounds special. Grunge – probably a term made up by marketing to sell more records, was used for all those greasy long-haired bands who seemed to be from the Pacific North West, who sung of angst and played sloppy guitar through fuzz pedals. The antithesis of the poodle haired rock bands that dominated the radio and music video at the time. Nirvana were its poster boys, much to Kurt Cobain’s hatred. Nevermind changed everything, and until his suicide in 1994, Cobain was a spokesman for Generation X, something again he didn’t

SINGER SONGWRITER

ask for or want. His look was adopted by every disillusioned teenager. Overnight it seemed that everyone had grown their hair to a length which could be tucked behind their ears, some even dyed it blonde. Nevermind was a breath of fresh air, well, not fresh air but a dirty, polluted smoke filled air – pop songs played very loudly; quiet verses, loud choruses. The song formula taken from a band Cobain loved – The Pixies. Where as The Pixies had a tubby front man with a sensible haircut, Nirvana had a blue eyed, bleached blonde, long haired singer songwriter who looked like a surfer, albeit a pale surfer. Somebody who girls could lust after and teenage boys, often perceived to be disaffected and directionless, could relate. Cobain rarely talked of his songs meanings, perhaps we learn everything we need to know from the songs themselves. What is known, is that he spent some time homeless as a young adult and lived under the North Aberdeen Bridge, near his hometown. Something In The Way tells of that brief experience. An important aspect which is overlooked, is that Nirvana were a gender-free band. Rock ‘n’ roll is filled with testosterone and macho posturing – this was absent in their rhetoric and music. Nirvana had left wing ideologies, but dressed like rednecks, while the hair metal bands celebrated misogyny while smothered in lipstick and hairspray. Jocks would blast the record’s songs out from all corners, proving their level of intelligence and understanding of the subject within. Once music is released, the listener cannot be chosen – this new audience was everything Cobain was

CLASSIC ALBUM MAY 2013 PAGE 13


THE SOUND OF THE SOUTH WALES VALLEYS

Local spaces shape musical identity. The direct influences of the locality on musical identity involve engagements with many potential myriad options. Sound reflects and creates place – especially in popular music. For this edition - Singer Songwriter focuses on the South Wales Valleys.

T

he South Wales Valleys are made up of aligned low areas of land between hills and mountains. Referred to locally as ‘the Valleys’ and home to around 30% of the Welsh population. The Rhondda Valleys, Merthyr Valley and the Cynon Valley are situated through the middle. Once – overwhelmingly Welsh at the end of the nineteenth century, today - English is the commonly spoken language. The area is less diverse than the rest of the country, with a relatively high proportion of residents born in Wales unlike, Cardiff, the capital city, which boasts a population with a cosmopolitan mix of cultures and nationalities. It’s a socialist area. The people here, represent a traditional nationalism. The drug of choice in South Wales is alcohol. Alcohol plays a large role in everyday Welsh life. For around 4,000 years, alcohol has been produced and consumed in Wales. It’s had a huge affect on the social, economic and cultural life of the country. Industrialization 
in the 18th and 19th centuries led to drinking - becoming a social norm. The pubs of the valleys are very much the lifeblood of live music. Bands on the pub circuit learn and work with each other. Elliot’s Bar is in the town of Aberdare in the Cynon Valley. Every Sunday they have a live music night with local bands performing. The night I went, there were two acts. An acoustic performer, named Kate Davies, and Dead Shed Jokers - a rock band with members that originate from villages and housing estates near Aberdare town centre. Kate fingerpicks and strums songs by The Eagles, Bob Dylan and performs a few other, modern, cover versions by Adele and Lady Gaga. She doesn’t play any original material. Kate says she first heard Dylan and The Eagles through her dad’s record collection. They were “sandwiched in amongst his Country and Western compilations.” The crowd in Elliot’s, which is mostly drinkers on a night out - with the live music being a by-product, respond better to the older material Kate plays. They face in her direction and clap

MAY 2013 PAGE 14

after the songs end. Dead Shed Jokers play all original material. Their music is not reinventing the wheel. It’s loud, with overdriven guitars and frantic vocals. They sound like Rage Against The Machine or Queens Of The Stone Age. American hard rock bands from the mid to late ‘90s. A very claustrophobic sound. Also noticeable is that the five members of Dead Shed Jokers look like the drinkers they’re playing to. They look like their surroundings. These surroundings are home to million selling rock band, Stereophonics. They learned their craft playing the same pubs, around Aberdare, as Dead Shed Jokers. However, that is where the similarity ends. They certainly sound nothing alike. Stereophonics, especially early on, were a vehicle for lead singer, Kelly Jones’ songs. Jones is a storyteller – Stereophonics first album is dedicated to the people of this town. Most of the debut album was about them. I spoke to Dead Shed Jokers’ twenty-four-year-old

bassist, Luke Cook, and asked him whether his band is influenced by the Stereophonics? Luke: We all have a lot of respect for them and they showed bands from this way – that you can make it, but we are not fans of their music. We all contribute to the writing and arrangements in this band and have different tastes. That’s probably one reason we sound nothing like them. Another reason is that the Phonics were heavily into AC/DC. Few in this band like AC/DC – and I hate their music. Luke hits on something of significance. A band from this area may, to many ears, sound like the Stereophonics – but not be influenced by them. It could be a case of shared influences and not a shared geographical location. These shared influences have always been rock music. Or more specifically – what is deemed classic rock. “The valleys have always been a hot bed

SINGER SONGWRITER


writer with Rhondda Valley band The Heavy Flames, says, “The stereotypical valley’s audience want Journey and nothing else. They don’t tend to stray away from the middle of the road songs: Sex On Fire, Sweet Home Alabama, and Whiskey In The Jar etc. Popular cover stuff.” Again, it’s all about the venues these bands play. Most are not solely dedicated to music. Most are pubs – where pleasing the majority is key. Covers bands tend to be a bigger draw than those who play their own material. “An Oasis tribute act pull in more than a band playing original material,” Anthony Rivers, landlord of the Mountain Ash Inn, in the Cynon Valley, told me. The bands that mainly stick to their guns and play original music - will be playing to a different type of audience. Justin Beynon, guitarist with Cynon Valley band The Broken Vinyl Club, who are signed to Acid Jazz Records, confirms this: Justin: It really does depend where you play as to the type of audience you are getting. The venues and the type of music you play will determine that. The pub/club crowd will always want popular covers. If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard, “play something we know,” shouted from the audience - I’d be a wealthy man. Jonathan Owen, who was in ‘90s Merthyr Valley band, The Pocket Devils, says it is all about an audience that, “gets you.” His band would play to packed places in Merthyr and Mountain Ash, without doing covers. He added that, in the early ‘90s - everywhere wanted covers bands. “We were very specific, so it could be hit or miss for us. Blackwood Miners Institute was a great place to play. Another crowd that got us. You could see there were lots of kids into that sound. When Oasis hit and Britpop - even more so Although there are plenty of bands writing and performing original music within the valleys, there are limited opportunities for them to play locally because most of the venues tend to be pubs and working men’s clubs - catering to cabaret or cover bands. These pubs are the lifeblood of these communities. The South Wales Valleys are sleepy on the weekdays and come to life on Friday and Saturday. People let go on the weekend. The music made and consumed here - has a similar pace. The verses are quiet and slow (the working week), the choruses are loud and euphoric (the weekend). Wales, especially the south, has a long history with alcohol. Does this, or any other drug, play a part in the music scene and influence it? Justin says, “alcohol is more a part of society than a deliberate part of the music scene.

FOCUS ON But the two definitely collide.” Dai has a more blunt opinion, “I don’t know any band who’s sound is defined by their choice of drugs.” The pubs these bands play in are more home to drugs - then the musician’s creative space. Darren Broome, who makes music documentaries for the BBC and, “used to be the one who got all the demo cd’s at BBC Radio Wales,” has this to say: Darren: I grew up in Aberdare. The main venue to see new and covers bands in the ‘80s and ‘90s was The Carpenters Arms. I remember distinctly going into the gents loo, a number of times, to see syringes lying around. It was that kind of pub. The druggies used to go there and get spaced out. It didn’t however cross that much over into the bands I knew. Darren adds that alcohol, “is, was and always will be a big thing for the valleys.” Simon Price, who originates from South Wales and is a music journalist for The Independent, notes that alcohol and drugs play a part in every scene, “if only, as a social lubricant.” He also identifies heroin as the drug that comes to mind when people talk about the valleys, but that it’s not an influence on the music. He says, “Is there a particular smack-rock scene? Not that I’ve noticed.” I wanted to explore whether SouthWales bands influence each other, so, firstly, asked Justin:

“Historically, bands from Wales just didn’t get signed. Bristol yes, Cardiff no. Even the Newport ‘New Seattle’ tag didn’t really generate that much in the way of lasting success for bands.”

of rock music,” Darren Broome told me. He says, as for anything remotely alternative or indie, the valleys never had a strong tradition and always “echo to the sound of AC/DC.” There’s a theory that heavy metal and rock - thrives in areas of heavy industry, because they are unpretentious, no-nonsense genres whose percussive, aggressive sound echoes the sounds of industry. There was once a large heavy metal scene in the South Wales Valleys that echoed the times. Lots of bands had that influence. “In the ‘80s, this area definitely wanted poodle rock/hair metal or just metal in general,” Simon Price says. The influence is seen on Bullet For My Valentine, Funeral For A Friend and Manic Street Preachers. Loud hard guitars and simple melodies. The music made here, always reflects what the audience want. You rarely see a band that deviates away from the traditional formula of vocals, bass, guitar and drums. Dai Hill, song-

SINGER SONGWRITER

Justin: Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever been influenced musically by any Welsh bands. I think bands that are influenced by the same genre of music will have similarities in the music, but I think that comes more from the artists they are inspired by. For 10 years from the early ‘90s to ‘00s, Alison Stokes was music/entertainment editor at the South Wales Echo. Alison says, referring to the Manic Street Preachers and the Stereophonics, “As with anything that’s successful, there will always be forms of imitation, but in general I think valleys bands are influenced by global sounds.” Because the valleys

MAY 2013 PAGE 15


(Welsh language bands) have their own thing going and influence each other – and cite these influences.” He concedes that the Manic Street Preachers, “changed everything” but only a, “few bands were influenced by that.” Could it be a simple fact that there are just not that many Welsh bands signed to record labels? But why? I asked Darren about this:

that the industry overlooked them because of where they hailed from. To be honest, labels don’t give a shit where these people hailed from; they probably didn’t know the location of half the places anyway. If you take a cross section of where successful bands are from, you’ll see that. It’s too easy to say we didn’t make it because we were Welsh. It’s a dog eat dog cesspit of an industry, but not in that way.

Darren: Historically, bands from Wales just didn’t get signed. Bristol yes, Cardiff no. If there were any prejudices towards Welsh Even the Newport ‘New Seattle’ tag didn’t bands, it would’ve certainly been a thing of anreally generate that much in the way of last- other era. By the early ‘90s, the Welsh language ing success for bands. Manic Street Preachers were so politi- Justin Beynon of The Broken Vinyl Club cal about the prejudice they felt about coming from Wales, it was incredible to see them sticking up against the out and out racism that was felt towards Welsh bands. To explore Darren’s opinion on prejudice towards Welsh bands, Jonathan Owen was asked if there were any prejudices to him and his band for being Welsh or was he aware of it - or witness to it? Jonathan: No, not really. I mean I’ve learned it’s probably easier to get noticed in London when you get to know people and have personal relationships - then of course that has an effect, but the truth will out as they say. You need that one person in power to give you the chance or believe in you. I never found being Welsh detrimental to that. Basically, if you’re good enough you’ll make it whether you are Welsh, English, black, white, Peruvian or an Eskimo. All the other members of bands, past and present, which were interviewed - didn’t share Darren’s opinion. And of course, it may be just that - an opinion. I turned to Paul Dixon who has over thirty years of music industry experience. Paul is originally from Swansea but lived in London in the early ‘80s and managed 007 who later became The Scene. A band that supported The Jam. He later managed Gouge, The Pocket Devils and is now manager of The Broken Vinyl Club:

music scene was being noticed, thanks in part to John Peel championing the Ankst Records stable of bands such as Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, Melys and the Super Furry Animals. Even American magazine, Spin, proclaimed Newport to be the ‘new Seattle’ with an A&R buzz

ence a current breed of Welsh sound makers. There were few, if any, grunge bands or rap/ hip hop collectives. If some did come along – that alternative scene was long dead and buried. “Our tastes have always been a bit five years behind the rest of the UK,” Darren says. Rhondda Valley band, Lostprophets, although not spearheading the nu metal movement - were pretty close to its incarnation. They had access to new sounds quicker through music sites, blogs and YouTube etc. They could be at the forefront of something instead of trailing it and could also distribute more effectively and efficiently. People didn’t have to come to their music – there was now a way of taking it to them. Bands from the valleys can now target bigger and more diverse audiences. Justin, of The Broken Vinyl Club, who were discovered through Myspace by Cardiff label See Monkey Do Monkey, said, “Before the Internet, the world was a bigger place, it took time for cultures and musical movements to filter though. Getting access to new alternative sounds was only within reach of those obsessives ready to dig.” Music journalist, with The Independent, Simon Price says that the geographical home of music makers will become less of an influence as a result: Simon: I think it’s less important than it used to be, since the rise of the Internet. Prior to the late ‘90s, access to culture was geographically determined. If you were in exile from the swing of things, it was much harder to plug into what was going on. And that kind of exile can lead to strange and beautiful mutations (just as it does in terms of the evolution of fauna on remote Pacific islands). Which is my theory on how bands like Super Furry Animals started appearing. John Robb believes, “It’s never that fair to say bands have a geographical sound. Wales produced a lot of indie rock bands.” The “indie rock band” tag is certainly true with the Cardiff music scene. An independent or alternative sound was evident when I went to The Moon Club, in the centre of Cardiff. It is the city’s newest independent music venue. The audience here is a lot younger and dare I say – more in tune to the current trends. Those, which were spoken to, were students. Half of them not from Wales. Their style is in keeping with the latest hipster subculture trend. Oversized spectacle frames, tight jeans that only reach the ankle and small beanie hats. Again, in this venue – the first band on look like their audience. There’s an air of coolness about them. A four piece playing music reminiscent of The Kooks. The sound is all together more light.

“It informs everything I do. I am from the valleys and like I said, I found there were hundreds like me.”

Paul: The music business would sign TheClangers if they could make money out of it. If there is any regional preference, it would only be in a, “they’re from Wales - offer them less” type way. But I honestly didn’t witness that. The music business is one of the least racist industries I have ever come across. If anything, being Welsh is a slight advantage. There are a lot of bitter and twisted people in the music business. Most bands have a whole array of chips on their shoulders. I have heard bands from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Midlands and the West Country etc. moan

MAY 2013 PAGE 16

around 60ft Dolls. The list of recent acts that have had mainstream hits is, for a country with a small population, quite generous. Funeral for a Friend, Bullet for My Valentine, Lostprophets, The Automatic, The Broken Vinyl Club etc. But these are bands of the Internet age. Before the Internet, MTV was the sole global music media. And although that aired in America in the early eighties, satellite TV wasn’t financially available for some years later in parts of Wales. Popular shows, such as, 120 minutes and Yo MTV Raps, couldn’t influ-

SINGER SONGWRITER


Clean guitar tones, and danceable drum and bass rhythms. There’s a lot more freedom in their sound. Next on is Swansea band, Heavy Petting Zoo. This band does not play any slow numbers. The songs are loud – but with an art school approach. Singer, Amy-Ski Zachariah, is clearly influenced by Siouxie Sioux and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Karen O. Could these two bands have originated from the South Wales Valleys? Possibly – but probably not. Geographically, Cardiff isn’t that far away. Musically – it very much is. It’s a metropolitan area with a transient population, particularly with students coming and going. This increases the interchange of ideas. As a result, some of the most notable Cardiff bands, such as Los Campesinos and Future Of The Left, are actually nonWelsh, either partly or entirely. Darren criticizes what he calls “a certain coolness” about this Cardiff scene: Darren: It’s about playing the same gigs and playing to 30 or 50 of your mates. Not really that healthy, Welsh bands should concentrate on getting seen and noticed outside of Wales.

ology. Early on in their career, the Manic Street Preachers would refer to themselves as a band from Europe, whereas the Stereophonics were adamant they’d be known, not as a Welsh band or even an Aberdare band – but a band from Cwmaman. The later were the most local of local bands. The former – the more literary. How important is this place on sound made here? Dai says, that he’s proud of where he’s from and it may have an indirect influence in regards to things influencing him subconsciously - like the natural beauty of the place. “I like the natural surroundings and that may influence my writing, but not so much in like a commentating sense or autobiographical.” Justin shares a similar writing perspec-

Aberdare’s Dead Shed JokersJ

Whereas The Valley’s music scene seems unaffected and uninfluenced by the Manic Street Preachers and the Stereophonics, Simon Price notes this is not the case with another Welsh band - and their influence on the music scene of the capital.

tive as the Manic Street Preachers once did. There’s a form of escapism in what he says:

Simon: I’ve noticed that there’s a real post-Super Fury Animals sound (psych-pop with electronic elements) to a lot of bands on the Cardiff scene. SFA’s legacy is huge.

Justin: Coming from the valleys, it has had an influence on my writing for sure. I have never deliberately written about the valleys on purpose, but the life that you lead here, and the way you grow up, does come through in the process. I think life is bigger than the valleys and it comes more from there.

Unlike the other Welsh bands, the Super Fury Animals are more of a collective. Each member has side projects and operates in different genres. They have roles outside the Super Fury guise. Keyboardist, Cian Ciaran is label manager for SomBom and Strangetown Records. He also produces. He’s very influential on the Cardiff music scene. You can get a picture of the valley’s music scene from two of its biggest commercial successes, Rhymney Valley’s Manic Street Preachers and Cynon Valley’s Stereophonics. From the outside they might appear to be similar: rock vocalists, in the classic sense, and overdriven guitars, but deeper inspection reveals more differences then similarities. These differences come in the form of lyrics and ide-

“Of course. It informs everything I do. I am from the valleys and like I said, I found there were hundreds like me,” Jonathon adds. Paul Dixon has a different view, he believes, where you are from has no bearing whatsoever. Music transcends geographical locations. “It ain’t where you’re from, it’s where you’re at.” Paul further adds that a location specific phenomenon evolves, not from a geographical sound but through press labels. A product of the London music press was Cool Cymru. These bands were pretty much working class – predominated by boys with guitars. This was in the mid to late ‘90s. Not much has changed. The main reason being – this area is still working class. To truly grasp the sound of the South Wales Valleys, and label it a “rock music” area - you

SINGER SONGWRITER

first have to define the term. Then that label can be attached, because the valleys do not have one rock sound. Each Valley has its own. The music made here is as broad as that genre itself. Those with a better-tuned cultural microscope might even argue that it has five scenes – one for each valley. The South Wales Valleys sound is art and expression which encompasses all of its surroundings. As times move on and music becomes more diverse, you can see that permeate into the music coming out of the bands that are playing. There are so many bands performing - and a really strong young music scene. Together with that and the fact that music is now so accessible, with so many genres out there to access, it all comes out in the many, many sounds that spring up. Musicians who expose themselves to lots of different music, and bring that into the music they make, will always keep a change happening. It’s what keeps music evolving. The ease of access to new sounds - may change the sound of these valleys. But place will always give meaning. Perhaps you have to live in this area to recognise your own. You may not instantly think a band is from here – but once that becomes known – it never seems a surprise.

TEN ESSENTIAL TRACKS FROM THE LAND OF SONG Manic Street Preachers – Motorcycle Emptiness Stereophonics – Local Boy In The Photograph 60 Foot Dolls – Stay The Alarm – 69 Guns Badfinger – Without You Catatonia – Strange Cat Super Furry Animals – Something 4 The Weekend John Cale - Andalucia Young Marble Giants – Final Day Duffy – Stepping Stone

MAY 2013 PAGE 17


Q&A

E

than Johns came into the consciousness of the music world in 2000 with his production work on Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker album. The album was bathed in praise: “Astonishing musical proficiency, complete honesty and severe beauty,” and “impassioned, lyrically and melodically,” went the Pitchfork and Mojo reviews. Johns is no stranger to the music business; he’s the son of legendary record producer Glyn Johns who produced albums for The Who, The Faces, Eric Clapton, The Eagles and Bob Dylan, and is an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, he again produced an album that topped end of year lists. Ray Lamontagne’s debut album, Trouble, proved that Heartbreaker was no fluke. His quiet and spare production work – now becoming his trademark. Johns was now the go-to-guy for getting the very best from an artist. Ethan, son of Glyn, was disappearing. Johns went on to produce, engineer and guest as musician on further albums by Adams and Lamontagne, as well as releases from Kings Of Leon, Laura Marlin, Rufus Wainwright and many more. In 2010, he made a U-turn and produced Praise And Blame for Welsh vocal powerhouse, Tom Jones. The album included country, folk and soul covers. It received favourable reviews and led to a second album between the two, two years later. The producer has just recorded his first solo album, If Not Now Then When, on his own record label. To promote the release, he’s performing Q&A sessions in independent record shops throughout Britain. Singer Songwriter caught up with him at, The Oldest Record Shop In The World, Spillers Records. Dressed in a suit and sporting an impressive beard, Ethan Johns greets the packed shop, and then, not so much launches, but strolls into a song from his own debut release. In-between songs, he talks about his career so far. What are your aims and goals as a producer? I approach recording music with a documentarian attitude. I can compare record making to filmmaking, because I love film making too. Sometimes a basement is the place you need to go to create the atmosphere, which is right for that record. Sometimes you want to give Spielberg a call. Sometimes a really good recording studio is the place to go.

MAY 2013 PAGE 18

Ethan Johns: performing in Spillers Records to promote his debut solo release. Are there any rules? Absolutely, there are no rules. Some of my favourite records were made on 4-tracks in bedrooms, with two (Shure Microphones) 57s. If you’ve got a great song and the person singing it is making an interesting sound, it doesn’t really matter where you’re putting it down. Who decides on the direction of the music you make? The relationship between composer and producer changes. During the making of a record, sometimes the relationships are fluid, sometimes the artist will lead and the best thing I can do is sit back and let it happen. Sometimes the artist maybe floundering a little bit and I’ll step in and go, “OK. I’ll grab the flag here. March this way for a few days.” The best relationships are always the

most fluid give and take. Fifty-fifty all the way down the line. The best ones for me have been seamless – back and forth. What is it like working with Ryan Adams? Ryan’s amazing. One of the most off trackgeniuses I’ve ever worked with. He’d write songs in the afternoon, in the night, he’d record them – and that would be the master. He carries an awful lot of stuff around in his head. Heartbreaker was a quick record. It took ten days. You’ve got to kind of strap yourself in really - and be ready. Record everything. Tell us about Gold and the label situation with that release? When we went in to record Gold (Adams’ second album), it was conceived as a double album, very specific. I had four sounds for each of the four sides. There was a chrono-

SINGER SONGWRITER


logical and geographical journey. All made sense. The label, Lost Highway, then told us that it had to be a single record. They made me take eight songs off the album, which took me weeks to do, almost took me as long as it did to make the bleeding thing.

furious. I mean there’s some great stuff on that record. That was my first experience with Lost Highway. Not a good one and all of the rest were the same.

you do it. Eight executives breathing down your neck telling you how to make something good for Radio One. Not my idea of fun. Ray Lamontagne and his debut, Trouble, seemed to come out of nowhere. How did you come to produce that album? He came out to visit me with just his guitar. He didn’t say much – because he doesn’t talk much. We played music all afternoon and played records for each other. The flow between us was just instant. As soon as we started playing music for one another, we went on this walk. Without deciding where you are going, you just go. You end up at a place you both intended to end up. It was amazing.

“Everyday is a new day for me. I never know how I’m going to approach a recording until I get in there.”

How did that make you feel? I was disappointed how that record came out. It never hung together the way it was planned to hang together. It just felt like a scattershot. A bunch of different sounds and ideas. When it’s sequenced properly and is played on four sides - it makes perfect sense what we were doing. Then, they (Lost Highway) put out the first 70,000 with an EP. I was absolutely

SINGER SONGWRITER

Is it always this way? Didn’t used to be. Me and Ryan had a lot of fun on Heartbreaker and Whiskeytown’s Pneumonia. Totally care free. No one was telling us what to do. A couple of young guys let lose in a recording studio. You’d never get to do that now because they wouldn’t let

MAY 2013 PAGE 19


How long did the recording process take? Trouble was put down in ten days. That was one of those sessions. Unbelievable. Energy. I find it quite difficult to listen to the records I make, but that one I listened to almost repeatedly for days after making. It was done so fast; I’d put it on and go, “Woah, man. Listen to that.” It was really a phenomenal couple of weeks. How did the album you produced by Kings of Leon differ from your others? Lots of microphones on that record. I wanted a different sound. No artificial compression, just bloody good balances. There’s a lot of tape compression on there. The less microphones you have up, the less phase problems. You get a good sounding drum and a good sounding room - you really only need two microphones. Can you tell us about Tom Jones? I’m really proud of those records (Praise and Blame, and Spirit in the Room). Tom was absolutely the man for what worked and what didn’t. There were a few songs that were a little out of the blue, but Tom is so trusting, he’ll give anything a go. He doesn’t have any pre-conceived ideas, he’s amazing to work with, completely open. Very experimental, which you would not expect from a guy that’s sort of legendary. But, yeah, he’s game. He’ll chase something down - incredibly tenacious. Always gives 100% - never get a lacklustre performance from him.

What have you learned from your dad? I just love his ethos, he’s one of the purest record makers you’ll find; there really isn’t another engineer like him on the planet. There is no one that can get the sound he does. I’ve watched him for years and I still have no idea how he does it. I swear it is magic. He just has to look at the equipment. What about the famous Glyn Johns drum sound? It’s all in the imaging. If you want the snare to appear in the middle of the stereo, you have to have the mics equal distance. I don’t use the Glyn Johns drum method though. I have my own version of it. I understand it. I have used it in the past. I’m one of the few people who genuinely understand what it is. The drum sound on Trouble is only two mics. One over head and one bass drum. There’s a lot of drum sound coming from Ray’s vocal

I’ve only met Neil once. He’s not a normal fella. I mean, he’s a pretty cool guy and everything but the rules just don’t apply to Neil Young. He does a lot of amazing stuff. He’s a good man. I love Neil, end of story. Another of your idols is Townes Van Zandt? I wish I’d have known Townes Van Zandt. When I was part of Emmylou Harris’ backing band (Johns is also a multi-instrumentalist), she’d talk about him all the time. Definitely a guy I’d liked to have known. Can you tell us about recording studios and their future? You walk into Abbey Road Studio 2, I don’t know if it’s because The Beatles recorded in there and the history, but there is just something special in that room. You make music in that room and you just light up. Something really magical about it. The room sounds unbelievable. If they turn it into flats, it means no one is going to go there and record. What a drag. We need to try and look after them.

Who’s to blame? It is the industries fault. I’ve seen budgets fall so drastically in the last ten years. Album Off track genius: Ryan Adams budgets are getting smaller and smaller. Studios are and guitar – that’s where all the room’s comgetting paid less and less and less, which ing from. So you know, that’s one extreme. means the maintenance guys are getting fired, left, right and centre. Places are falling apart. Are there any recording techniques you It’s a vicious cycle sadly. But yeah, there are really don’t like? some great studios around; it’s a shame that Nobody puts a microphone on a guitar they’re all closing. The history in these rooms is incredible.

“Ryan’s amazing. One of the most off track geniuses I’ve ever worked with. He’d write songs in the afternoon, in the night, he’d record them – and that would be the master.”

Were there many overdubs on those rcordings? Every single vocal on those records is live with the band playing behind him. In the room, no headphones. Totally live. He’s phenomenal. So loud. He’d break stuff he’s so loud. I remember pushing a fader up when we went back to mix it, he managed to get into a bass microphone that was in a booth. He’s that loud. He’s astounding, absolutely amazing.

MAY 2013 PAGE 20

anymore. A direct-injected acoustic guitar just sounds like a bunch of rubber bands on a plank of wood. If you want an electric sound, play electric. In the past you’ve talked about the admiration you have for Neil Young? Have you ever met him?

What’s the solution? Peter Gabriel lets people use his studio. Mark Knopfler is building an amazing studio There’s a patronage system occurring. Thank god for those guys. How important is vinyl? Very. I tried to get the vinyl sounding good on Laura Marling’s last album, but I couldn’t. I heard the pressing and went, “argh, this is no good,” and the lines went dead. I went

SINGER SONGWRITER


to some great lengths to making my record sound good on vinyl. It’s not an easy thing. It’s hard. Really hard. The thing with vinyl is that the format is capable of tremendous reproduction - but even a mid range system isn’t going to give you what the disc potentially has on it - which is the most frustrating thing. The compromise is making a record, which will sound good on as many systems as you can because how many people have 3,000, 4,000 pound systems?

How is your relationship with the record business now? I have to work very hard to keep the freedom I enjoy. Definitely. It wasn’t that hard when I started out. People used to leave me alone, but they (record companies) don’t anymore, they try and interfere. I won’t let them but they try. You’d be amazed at what they get up to. It takes a lot of energy, energy

“He came out to visit me with just his guitar. He didn’t say much, because he doesn’t talk much.”

Do you always have an eye on budget? The goal is to go for the highest quality you can possibly get no matter what the format. The price point thing is really interesting, mainly because it does cost a lot of money to make these records. This is the tricky thing. Our pound doesn’t go as far as it used to go. As a record maker and a label – I’m trying to find that middle ground. Are there records you heard when you were starting off and thought – I want to get that sound? Never knowingly, maybe subconsciously. There was a phase when I was learning about equipment. I was so obsessed Acoustic troubadour: Ray Lamontagne by sound, that if I heard music, I’d rather spend making records. Funny old my brain would immediately click into – well time. that sounds like a 57 on the piano and that could be a 49 on the vocal (57 and 49 refer It’s not all bad; there are good people out to microphones). Totally obsessed. You never there. I’ve just finished the new Laura Marlin really have time to think about recreating record (Virgin). Total support, completely left someone else’s sound though. You’re doing alone, absolutely brilliant. So it’s possible. so many things at once when making a record.

SINGER SONGWRITER

ALBUMS IN THE KEY OF JOHNS Ryan Adams Heartbreaker Ryan Adams’ first solo outing, after previously recording and writing with Alternative Country band, Whiskeytown. An album about love – expressing it, suffering from it, wanting to die without it – and that naked, human three-in-the-morning feeling when the empty bottle starts talking back to you and the difference between love and lone is no difference at all. A quiet and spare record. Impassioned, lyrically and melodically. Johns subdues the backing band into hushed sympathisers. Guests include Gillian Welch, Kim Richey and Emmylou Harris – the latter, the queen of country heartbreak. Harris duets on, Oh My Sweet Carolina, one of the standouts. This is just beaten by My Winding Wheel as the album’s centerpiece. Ray Lamotagne Trouble Former shoe factory maker to singer-songwriter. An album of grace, genuine songs about heartbreak, vulnerability and hope. The title track, Trouble, tells the original blues tale: "Trouble been doggin' my soul since the day I was born ... worry just will not seem to leave my mind alone." Forever My Friend, with a backdrop of bongos and shakers, is a song of pure optimism. Johns, whose production skills, string arrangements, bass playing, drumming and percussion were responsible for turning Trouble into something special.

Q&A MAY 2013 PAGE 21


Spillers Records, Cardiff

RECORD STORE DAY 2013 RECORD STORE DAY 2013

R

ecord store day’s release list this year is a giant collection of some weird and wonderful stuff as well as the predictably tired old re-release-a-thon. Starting off, because this Chinese New Year is actually the year of the David Bowie, you will all be treated to three 7” singles, probably with his face printed on it or something. (“The Stars”/”WAWN”, “1965! EP” and “Drive In Saturday”). Alternatively you could pick up a re-release of Pink Floyd’s “See Emily Play”, Frank Zappa’s “In The Slime/Montana”, or Men Without Hats’ “The Safety Dance” on a picture disc. If you really wanted to. There’s also a release of The Munsters theme on white and black vinyl.

MAY 2013 PAGE 22

Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen’s versions of “Hallellujah”, Kate Bush’s Olympics remix version of “Running Up That Hill” on 10”, Mike Oldfield’s “Theme From Tubular Bells” (you know, of the exorcist) and erm, Chas N Dave’s “Rabbit” on a fucking rabbit shaped 7”. Jesus. Some artists do something new for Record Store Day. MGMT are releasing new single “Alien Days” off their next album available on cassette, because that’s cool. Public Service Broadcasting, whose debut album is due in May, release lead single “Signal 30” on orange vinyl, and Dutch Uncles are releasing a Grace Jones-inspired track titled “Slave To The Atypical Rhythm” on 12” (get it? - they have complicated-ish time-signatures!)

Albums also get re-released, like At The Drive-In - “Relationship Of Command” on two LPs, Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Psycho Candy” on red and black splattered vinyl and Mercury Rev’s “Deserted Songs” on white or clear vinyl. But the biggest (literally) release of this kind would have to be Flaming Lips’ “Zaireeka”. Originally released in 1997, before their hit album “The Soft Bulletin”, this album was a four disc release where each song consists of four stereo tracks, one from each CD. When played simultaneously on four separate systems, the four CDs would produce a combined sound. Silly, isn’t it? Well now you can own this on vinyl. Have fun. By Billy Horwood

SINGER SONGWRITER


REVIEWS W

BILLY BRAGG - Tooth & Nail

hen Billy Bragg’s name comes up in conversation, for a lot of people it conjures up the images of miner’s strikes, the Thatcher government and songs about socialism, but there’s so much more to this artist’s back catalogue than political songs and ones about protest. Bragg has proven in the past that he can write love songs that are up there with the best, A Lover Sings being a particular favourite. Billy’s back after five years since his last album and his voice is sounding great, perhaps better than it ever has done. The new album, Tooth and Nail, has obviously been influenced by Bragg’s love of the American singer from the great depression, Woody Guthrie. It has been compared to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska and it does have that Steinbeck’s America feel to it. He hasn’t completely left his political side, singing about the human struggle in I Ain’t Got No Home and No One Knows Nothing Anymore a song with some of his best lyrics, where he speaks about the impossible quest to answer life’s biggest questions.
The album has its share of love songs as well. Handyman Blues tells the story of someone who may not be able to offer the love in their life skills in DIY, but can offer the alternatives of poetry and song writing instead. Your Name On My Tongue is also another top love song to add to his repertoire.
 The album also has a good balance of emotion with the optimism of songs like Tomorrow’s Going to be a Better Day, to the melancholic Goodbye Goodbye, a very emotional and seemingly personal song about someone’s final thoughts before they pass away.
The album may be disappointing for some of Bragg’s more traditional fans who want to hear the distorted, electric guitar and punk rock that he made his name on, but overall the album offers a healthy balance of songs of all emotions and is certainly the best album he has done for a long time.

T

DAVID BOWIE - The Next Day

he album’s high point has got to be So Lonely You Could Die. It’s an epic sweeping ballad that sees Bowie reflect on the past and mortality. It’s like the older, more disgruntled cousin of Five Years from Ziggy Stardust, and it throws everything from a choir, backing strings and presumably the kitchen sink into the mix without ever managing to feel bloated. Also it contains some truly wonderfully dark lyrics as Bowie cries: “Death along shall love you, you feel so lonely you could die,” seemingly struggling to be heard over the building instrumentation. In conclusion, this is certainly a special kind of comeback album. Since Bowie nearly defined the 1970s and the 1980s single handed and then swerved spectacularly off course in the 1990s, people’s expectations were extremely high yet a little suspicious. The Next Day not only recaptures old glories but firly carves out new ones. If this is David Bowie’s last album, then it will be a fitting end to one of the most impressive musical legacies the world has ever seen, but of course things are never as they seem on planet Bowie. From the sound of things, the singer still has a few good fights left in him and who knows, this could well be the start of an exciting new chapter.

By Owen Chambers

F

JOHN GRANT - Pale Green Ghosts

or John Grant, the road to Pale Green Ghosts has been anything but smooth. After his first band, The Czars, remained ignored by most of the world for ten years, depression, substance problems and relationship problems looked poised to prevent the Denver born singer from ever reaching an audience that would appreciate his beautiful lovelorn and damaged brand of music. At the brink of obscurity, old pals Midlake persuaded the singer to go into the studio and record a solo album - and what followed was something special. The album entitled The Queen Of Denmark was a stunning voyage through a troubled soul sound tracking Grant’s demons, with shimmering vintage sounding ballads and fragile but operatic ditties. The follow up is perhaps even more intense and personal than its predecessor (which is no mean feat). Pale Green Ghosts swaps the rock instrumentation of Queen of Denmark for a deep analogue synthscape, and whilst the method of delivery may be slightly different, the subject matter remains the same. Recorded not with Midlake this time but with a cadre of Icelandic musicians, including members of electro-pop outfit Gus-Gus and the not so Icelandic Sinead O’Conner, the album opens with a slinky and frankly ominous title track that sounds like the theme tune for a future James Bond theme (Sam Mendes if you’re reading this which I’m sure you are, make it happen!) and shows that whilst writing music must be therapeutic for John Grant, he hasn’t purged his demons yet.

By Owen Chambers

By Joel Thomas

SINGER SONGWRITER

MAY 2013 PAGE 23


T

Singer Songwriter DIARY

his month I’ve been discovering and enjoying the soft rock sounds of the ‘70s. Dubbed “yacht rock’ by journalists at the time – because, not so much as the music spoke about owning an expensive water item, but because it was the music deemed to be favoured by the extremely wealthy. At the forefront of this sound were The Doobie Brothers. But to be more precise, the blue-eyed-soul of Michael McDonald. Granted, the later material of groups such as Hall and Oates, Bread and Todd Rundgren was low in substance – but that should not deter from exploring their earlier material. Songs such as It Keeps You Running, Echoes Of Love, I Saw The Light, Hello It’s Me, She’s Gone etc. – haven’t left my iPod. It’s time to reassess this genre. Record store day came and went. There was an interesting debate between Billy Bragg and owner of ‘The World’s Oldest Record Store,’ Ashli Todd, on twitter. Bragg tweeted that he’d be selling his new album direct from mail order with incentives of discounts and freebies. Ashli challenged him about taking business away from small independent record shops. Tweets went back and forth about what Record Store Day truly means. Both had differing ideas – and what is so often the case with social networking media – the written word fails to translate what the spoken word can. As The Daily Star did, both made their excuses and left. As for the Record Store Day releases,

Words from the editor, Michael Patrick Hicks

there was a one-off Nick Drake release (who features in this issue). A limited edition heavyweight vinyl in gatefold sleeve, remastered by, engineer, John Woord and on 180gram audiophile vinyl that came with an original US shop poster. No rarities were included on the release. It was just an eight track sampler. Initially selling for £25, later appearing on eBay with a buy it now price of double the original. Long running live music television show, Later... with Jools Holland, returned. Now broadcasting from The Maidstone Sudios, after 10 years at BBC Television Centre. It has not be vintage Later … It’s failed to attract big names and one episode contained an awful pop-country star. His name was Eric Church. Probably on the show because he’s selling loads of records in America’s Bible Belt and his record company paid the BBC a lot of dollars to get him on. It did feature performances by Laura Marling and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs to dilute the awful sounds of Church.

CONTENTS Issue 1: May 2013 PAGE 4: The Island Three: The enduring legacy of Island Records’ holy trinity. PAGE 8: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow: The power of the love song. PAGE 10: Political Songs: With the recent death of Margaret Thatcher, we examine what impact war and conflict has on songwriting. PAGE 12: The Under Thirty Club: An exploration into the cult of pre-thirty-year-old classic albums. PAGE 13: Nevermind - 20 Years On: A look back at the seminal grunge release. PAGE 14: The Sound Of The South Wales Valleys: A rock music hotspot or something else? PAGE 18: Ethan Johns: In-depth strum and chat with the superstar producer. PAGE 22: Record Store Day 2013: Spin the black circle.

Top, Left to Right: Rundgren, Hall and Oates, The Doobie Brothers, Bread

PAGE 23: Reviews: Bowie, Bragg and Grant.

SUBSCRIPTION OFFER!

FREENICKDRAKEALBUM! Page 5 MAY 2013 PAGE 3

SINGER SONGWRITER


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.