Conclusive proof... The Internet is Great!

As a wee nipper in the 70's, I was a bugger for a bit of kids TV. In these days of multiple channels devoted to the little ones, it's hard now to remember what kids TV was like in those days... but 'limited' would probably sum it up quite well. During the week it was no more than an hour at lunchtimes (with programmes such as Rainbow, Pipkins, Little Blue... Issi Noho and Animal Kwackers anyone??!), and a couple of hours after school (Blue Peter, Magpie, How?, Grange Hill, Rentaghost, The Ghosts of Motley Hall, Barbapapa, Runaround, Record Breakers, The Tomorrow People, The Double Deckers etc etc). The Beeb would normally finish off with a five minute'er (like The Magic Roundabout, Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog) before that boring programme that dad liked came on. What was it's name again... ah 'The News' that's right.

The only time for a mini TV addict like myself to really 'fill me boots' was during school holidays and sometimes on Sunday mornings, where hours of fun awaited. The love of all things nostalgic has ensured that most of the popular kids programmes (certainly the majority of the ones I've mentioned above) have been preserved for posterity with books, websites and\or DVDs available to relive your childhood. But what about the ones that got away?

I'm sure ITV used to save all the best stuff for weekday afternoons - and any 'ol pony they weren't sure about was palmed off on us committed Sunday viewers (anyone remember the Sunday cracker - The Funky Phantom??!). One programme I vividly remember in that slot was a mad cartoon series called 'Tomfoolery'. Even at the time I don't think many watched it, as nobody at school ever mentioned it. This surreal show featured nonsense rhymes, poems, jokes, sketches and general oddness, that could only have come from the brain of a bunch of whacked out students. In my memory it was like a cross between the Banana Splits, Monty Python and Spike Milligan's Q.

I never found another person who'd heard of this show until a chance conversation with a mate in the mid-80's. At last, someone else remembered it. Who was it? none other than Mr Planet Mondo himself! I had remembered characters such as The Yongy Bonghy Bo and The Unmbrageous Umbrella Maker, where as Mondo was keen on the weekly 'running gag' of some fella wandering around trying to deliver a large plant shouting 'Plant for Mrs Discobolus!'.... erm, you probably had to be there. My chat with Mondo got me all fired up again about this show, but in those pre-internet days, your options were fairly limited.

I'm rather ashamed to admit it, but when i very first got my hands on this new fangled 'inter-computer-web-net' thing (mid 90's?), 'Tomfoolery' was the first word I ever typed into a search engine! But it seemed that bar Mondo and me, the rest of the world had forgotten about it too, and all my searches brought up links to various on-line dictionaries and thesauruses providing me with handy definitions of the word. I continued to search for it every so often, but never with any success, and eventually, even I forgot about it.... Until this weekend that is! On Saturday I was messing around on-line and BING! 'Tomfoolery' comes into my head... no idea where that came from! So i immediately punch it into Google and... yes!! at last, people did remember it after all! Within minutes I'd gained pretty much all the info I needed..

Made by Rankin-Bass, much of 'The Tomfoolery Show' was based on poems by Edward Lear, Ogden Nash, Frank Gelett Burgess and Lewis Carroll. As well as the characters I mentioned above, others included the straw hatted and bow-tied 'Scroobious Snake', the Enthusiastic Elephant (who spoke like W.C. Fields), and the Fastidious Fish (who lived in a goldfish bowl and moved around on stilts!!). 17 episodes were made between September 1970 and September 1971, and although an American cartoon, it was actually made here in England (at the Halas and Batchelor Studios in London and Stroud). Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I found a full ten minutes worth on YouTube, complete with opening credits! I've not seen this programme for about 35 years, but as soon as I watched that clip it seemed like only yesterday - I remembered it so clearly!

But the best was still yet to come... during my searches I stumbled on a Rankin-Bass historian - Rick Goldschmidt. Rick runs a website devoted to locating and preserving all of the works released by Rankin-Bass (which, as it turns out, it quite some list... they were also responsible for the Jackson 5 cartoon and the Osmonds one too). A couple of e-mails wizz back 'n forth, and within 24 hours, he's sending me a DVD containing the only 4 episodes of Tomfoolery that have so far been unearthed (Rick got these directly from the archives).

The internet may be great for shopping, blogging, keeping up-to-date with bands and global sports events, but this weekend it finally showed me its full potential.

Anyone else remember this show? Or have you got a show that only you seem to remember??

Piley

You can visit Rick Goldschmidt's Rankin-Bass website here

Oh, and here is that ten minute YouTube clip!

Cheesy Choonsday: Salena Jones and John Schroeder

Another couple of winners from the vaults here at Piley Towers.

First up is American singer Salena Jones. Today Salena is best known for her jazz versions of standards and classics (she's still recording and has notched up over 40 albums), but in the 1960's she was a funky hit on this side of the Atlantic. Her first two albums ('The Moment of Truth' and Everybodys Talkin About Selena Jones') were both produced by Cheese legend Keith Mansfield, and he gave both a solid 'swingin London' feel. Have a listen to 'Right Now' from her debut album.





The second track is from John Schroeder, and his Hammond frenzied version of 'Papas Got A Brand New Bag'. I'm not sure how successful Schroeder was in his day (although he did wright 'Walkin Back To Happiness' for Helen Shapiro), but he was one of the big names in the Cheesy Listening revival. This track is taken from his 1966 groove-fest 'Working in the Soul Mine'.





Piley

Who's Gonna Watch the Watchmen?

If you’ve followed my old wafflings for a while, you’ll already know that if there is one thing that makes me jittery, it’s movie adaptations of comic books\graphic novels.

I’m not really bothered about the films that feature characters from comics (your Batman’s, Hulk’s, Spiderman’s, Superman’s etc etc). The stories for these are usually developed especially for the movie, so if they suck, it doesn’t really taint your comic book enjoyment of these chaps. No, the ones that make me nervous are the adaptations of specific stories - fuck those up on the big screen and you also soil the original comic.

Take ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ for example, one of my all time favourite comic books. A really clever and intelligent story, beautifully written and drawn, and one I’ve re-read many times. Unfortunately the film of it was a ‘dumbed down’ turkey of the highest order. This pisses me off on two accounts….

1) It taints the original comic. I now can’t read the book without thinking of that god-awful film.
2) It gives non-comic readers more ammo to take the piss (like they need any more ammo!), as they naturally assume that the comic was equally as naff.

Nearly 25 years ago, Alan Moore (story) and Dave Gibbons (art) invented the ‘graphic novel’, when their 12 issue masterpiece ‘The Watchmen’ was collected into a 400 page book. This incredible deconstruction of the superhero, revolutionised the comic genre, prising it away from what was until then almost exclusively ‘kids territory’.

In an alternative USA in 1985, superheroes are all but extinct - after a police strike, a law was passed banning all lycra clad do-gooders from interfering with crime solving. Forced to hang up their capes, the superheroes have gone into retirement. One of them (The Comedian) gets murdered, and rebel Rorschach starts to investigate.

Moore pulls out every trick in the bag - flashbacks, autobiography excerpts and magazine articles all go into the mix to bring this story to life. As the story develops, we start to learn that many of these caped wonders were not the all-American heroes they tried to portray. They have skeletons in the closet, hang-ups and personal problems… I.e. they are real people! There is a very clever sub-plot involving a "traditional style" comic book about pirates which merges in and out as the story progresses. You’ve got to keep your wits about you on this one!

And it’s this intricate story telling in the Watchmen, that has kept it off the cinema screen for all these years. 3 or 4 attempts were made, but each one was eventually abandoned as the makers slowly realised it was impossible to transfer it to celluloid. In 2001, Alan Moore said of these attempts "With a comic, you can take as much time as you want in absorbing that background detail, noticing little things that we might have planted there. You can also flip back a few pages relatively easily to see where a certain image connects with a line of dialogue from a few pages ago. But in a film, by the nature of the medium, you're being dragged through it at 24 frames per second."

But it looks like the latest attempt to make it into a film (due for release in 2009) is actually going to make it, and this weekend the very first trailer hit the net. As opposed as I am to the making of this film, I have to say this taster looks pretty decent - but then who ever saw a trailer that didn’t look promising??! Alan Moore is still not impressed, he has already had his name removed from the film, and recently said “I shan't be going to see it. My book is a comic book. Not a movie, not a novel, a comic book. It's been made in a certain way, and designed to be read a certain way: in an armchair, nice and cozy next to a fire, with a steaming cup of coffee."

If you’ve never come across the Watchmen, do yourself a favour and give it a go in the way Alan Moore wanted you to - in the comic medium (and don't forget the fire and the coffee!). It’s still in print, and even the local library usually caries a copy. It’ll change the way you view comics forever.

Here's that trailer:



Piley

The Line-Up From Hell

The premier venue in Southend for all the biggest shows is the Cliffs Pavillion (this is no tin-pot affair either, it must be a 1500 seater). Located less than 4 miles away from Piley Towers, it's the ideal theatre to have a few pints and still be home in no time... Well it would be if they ever had anything decent on! I've been going to shows here for over 30 years, but it really is the odd little nugget in a vast field of shite (if I'm there more than twice in one year it's a miracle). The crazy thing is, they are preaching to the converted here - i love nothing better than a night out at the theatre, and where more convinient than the one on your doorstep? Yet they rarely provide me with anything to make me spend my money. Like a fool I always get excited when their booklet of upcoming shows drops through the letterbox... yet minutes later it's thrown in the bin with disgust. Even before you open it you know what it'll contain:

• at least 4 or 5 tribute acts, one of which is ALWAYS an Abba one
• a few shit musicals
• a few old fossils you though had died years ago
• a smattering of racial hatred (allegedly!)
• a few shows that just sound terrible
• and a partridge in a pear tree....

The new booklet that has just arrived is no exception, and the above categories are ably filled by:

• 'One Night of Queen', 'Elvis is in the Building', 'The Illegal Eagles', 'They Will Rock You - Rod Stewart and Tina Turner' and (of course!) 'Abba Mania'.

• 'Hello Dolly' with Anita Dobson, 'The Jungle Book', 'Fiddler on the Roof' with Joe McGann, 'Shout' with Claire Sweeney and Sue Pollard, 'All The Fun of The Fair' with David Essex (love the insightful line in the book which informs us that this new musical is "inspired by Davids debut album 'All The Fun of The Fair' as the words of the title suggest" well thanks for clearing that one up for us!).

• Joe Pasquale, Chas and Dave, Jane McDonald, The Drifters, Derek Acorah, Level 42 and Steve Steinmans 'Vampires Rock' (special guest Toyah Wilcox as the devil queen)

• Jim Davidson, Roy Chubby Brown.

But this time they have excelled themselves, and i think I've spotted the worst line up ever. Entitled "Best of British Variety Tour 2008", this show is undoubtedly the work of the devil, featuring (and I quote) "the cream of variety entertainment" (surely one for the Trade Descriptions people if ever there was one). So who have we got lined up then??

Cannon and Ball, Paul Daniels, Frank Carson, Jimmy Cricket, Brotherhood of Man and the fuckin' Krankies!!

Tickets for this laughter-fest are a 'fan-dabbi-dozy' £25, but i would genuinely pay someone that just so i didn't have to suffer it.

Anyone recall a worse line up?

Piley

Cheesy Choonsday: Sandie Shaw

Sandie Shaw will always be best known as the mop-topped, bare-footed winner of the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest, but there is a lot more to her musical career than you might think…

In 1969 she released her 5th album, ‘Reviewing The Situation’, which I stumbled on in a charity shop 20+ years later (I’m sure it was 10p!). It’s an album of wall to wall covers, and Sandie produced the whole thing herself. It’s quite a varid collection, going from the title track (from the Oliver soundtrack) thru to the Stones (a pretty good attempt at ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ but how could she forget to do the ‘woo-woos’??! – you find yourself putting them in to help her out!), via the Beatles, Dylan, Donovan, Lovin Spoonful, Rufus Thomas, Bee Gees and Led Zeppelin! - a stunning version of Your Time Is Gonna Come. In 2004 it finally got a CD release, and is well worth picking up.

By far the best two groovy cheesers are 'Love Me Do' and 'Reviewing The Situation', which are here for you to shake a leg to. I know you’re thinking the Oliver one will be shit, but trust me on this one ok?!

Love Me Do:


Reviwing The Situation:


And whilst I'm on a Sandie\Beatle-y buzz, here she is doing a 'fab four' medley:



Piley

Damn Fine Comic!

Earlier this year I was mourning the loss of the British comic (in the traditional sense), so imagine my excitement when on Friday 30th May, a brand new one was finally released!

The DFC is a spanking new weekly anthology comic (collecting strips both serious and funny), and is the brainchild of David Fickling (note: there is no official definition of DFC as yet, but with this piece of information in mind, it is likely to simply be the Dave Fickling Comic). You won't find this title in the local newsagent though... apparently people such as W.H. Smith's wants so much money for the privilege of putting your mag on their shelves, that the venture is simply no longer financially viable... David and Co therefore have taken distribution into their own hands, and the DFC is a subscription only comic, arriving on your doormat each and every Friday -- the perfect way to start the weekend!

So what's it like? Well for me it was a step back in time. If you are a child of the 60s, 70s or 80s you'll no doubt remember a time when kids were given a bit of credit. The anthology comics of our day (titles such as Action, Battle, Valiant, Lion, Warrior, Tiger) provided us with intelligent stories that continued to build over the months, and although they were predominantly aimed at a (male) teenage market, they were written well enough that Dad would often have a crafty read once you were tucked up in bed! Let's never forget that Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta (arguably the best ‘graphic novel ever written) started life as a continuing story in Warrior.

Aimed at 8 - 12-year-olds (boys AND girls), the DFC has tapped into this 'old school' approach, bringing a delightful selection of quality, varied strips, all written and drawn so well that this fortysomething thoroughly enjoyed every one of them to! The main stories are:

John Blake -- This is without doubt the flagship story for the DFC. A real coup for them too, as it's written by Philip (Golden Compass) Pullman. It is already building into a fascinating story, revolving around a ghost ship that sails the Pacific.

The Super Animal Adventure Squad -- delightfully silly story of crime-fighting animals doing battle against the evil Dr Nefarious! Younger kids will love this.

The Boss -- is shaping up to be a 21st-century 'famous five', as a bunch of school kids try to thwart the bad guys…

Monkey Nuts is by far the funniest story -- it actually made me laugh out loud! My all-time favourite 'funny' comic is Sergio Aragones’ Groo, and the Etherington Brothers certainly capture much of that same fun and madness in this story of good guys 'Monkey' and 'Robot' (who is an unwanted coffee vending machine!), and their efforts to defeat the Amazing Amazing! with some exceptional gags (both visual and written) en route..

Vern and Lettuce is top-quality fun about a sheep (Vern) and a rabbit (Lettuce). Again, sure to be a firm favourite of all the younger readers.

The Spider Moon looks to be an intriguing mystery, set to unravel throughout the summer. As it stands we're still not exactly sure how and why yet, but Bekka looks to be the only person who can save her doomed world and it's all somehow tied in with her sea diving exam. This one has me hooked!

Mo-Bot High follows new kid Asha on her first day at a new school, where she finds playground fights take on a completely new meaning…

Good Dog Bad Dog is the continuing story of two cop dogs (Bergman and McBoo) on a mission to rid the world of crime! Very original and very funny!

Add to this the odd irregular strip, jokes, quizzes and general madness and this is a real find. The production quality is also well worth a mention… This is nothing like the poor black and white newspaper quality comics we used to live on… beautiful, full colour pages on heavy stock paper, and a cardboard cover are the order of the day here... all wrapped up in a striking red and yellow striped envelope – you wont miss it when the postman calls that’s for sure!

It's difficult to liken this little gem to anything that has been before, the great mix of both dramatic and funny strips aimed at boys and girls evokes memories of a classic era (60s - early 70s) Buster. But whereas that title (and most other comics of that era) was aimed at a working class readership, the DFC has a definite middle-class air about it (imagine the stories of Buster mixed with the brain of the Eagle!). The audience this comic is aiming at are the kids (and parents) who are enjoying the new book revolution, the Harry Potter/Alex Rider/Young James Bond etc readers. And when you think what a massive market this is, it's amazing that it's taken so long for someone to tap into it with a comic.

The other thing I love about the DFC is the fact that it has morals (giving it yet another wiff of bygone days). Its sole aim is to bring quality storytelling to our youngsters -- there is no product placement, not a single advert and no tacky bits of 'free' plastic stuck to the front - just cover to cover stories and beautiful artwork. Something I really admire and I hope they will continue with it. In these days of 'dumbed down' culture, it's a breath of fresh air to see something produced for kids that is this good - and it works just as well with adults.

At £3 a week, the DFC is possibly straying from 'pocket money' territory, but if it helps to get kids interested in reading (and keeps ‘em quiet for an hour or two in the process!) that's got to be a bargain, right?!

If you've got little ones in the 8 - 12ish age range (or even if you don't!), why not give the DFC a go? You can buy a single issue to try (and all back issues are still available -- a service we only dreamed of when we were kids!).... but a six-month subscription is where the smart money is, bringing the price down to less than £2 an issue.

DFC may stand for Dave Fickling Comic, but in this household it's definitely Dad's Favourite Comic!

You can find out more about the DFC including how to buy\subscribe here

Piley

Cheesy Choonsday: More Sitar Grooves

Following on from the last edition of Cheesy Choonsday, i'm bringing you two more sitar treats...

Gianpiero Reverberi is an Italian pianist and composer, and it was he that brought us Rondò Veneziano in the late 70's - remember them??! Renaissance-clobber wearing chamber orchestra, playing classical music in a rock styley (believe it or not, they are still going, and have cranked out over 70 albums!)... Back in the 60's though, Reverberi created this slice of genius, 'Sequence 36'. Not a heavy sitar driven track, but it's in the mix, and is a groovy little fella of the highest order. Reminds me of hazy smokey evenings at the Laurel Tree in Camden, circa 1994.

Gianpiero Reverberi - Sequence 36:


The second track is from Pakistani composer Sohail Rana, who in the 60's created some of the finest film soundtracks ever. This super-funky gem is called 'Soul Sitar'.



Sohail Rana - Soul Sitar:


Piley

Sparks: Hello Young Lovers - Live Review

Sparks: Hello Young Lovers, Live at the Carling Academy, Islington, London. 11th June 2008.

Before I start this review, I'd just like to say a big thank you to photographer extraordinaire Tony Bartolo. Believe it or not, Tony was the only press photographer to cover every night of 21x21 - ensuring this historic event was preserved. He has kindly allowed me to use some of his stunning photos for this review, and also for my previous Propaganda review. More about Tony and his photos in the links section at the end of this article.


Back in 2002, Sparks fans were looking forward to Ron and Russell's first album of the 21st Century… but with the best will in the world, I doubt many expected the masterpiece that was Lil’ Beethoven. The creativity of the Mael brothers never ceases to impress, but this album broke yet more new territory, and took them to an even higher level. Critics and fans alike put this, their 19th album, as their best yet. So, after more than 30 years in the business, Sparks had finally reached their peak right? Well no actually, because album number 20, 2006’s Hello Young Lovers, topped it!

I can't tell you how much I love this album, but suffice to say, eight and a half years into the 2000’s, it’s still looking like I'll have the easiest choice ever for my 'album of the decade' award. It’s just about as perfect an album as I think I'll ever find - this multilayered gem has so much in it, that it is almost impossible to 'get it' within the first few plays. This is no background music -- it's a complex album that demands your full attention for the full duration. The phrase "blown away" is severely overused (I actually heard someone at work last week claiming they had been "blown away with the new Coldplay album", now come on, is that really very likely?!), but I genuinely was with this album (and still am). I'd never heard anything quite like it and just couldn't stop playing it, even now it's impossible to just play once.

For me, Hello Young Lovers sums Sparks up perfectly – it’s intelligent, arty, funny and experimental. It's classical music and its rock, it opera, pop and it’s dance… quite often all at the same time! So here I am, waiting to see if they can possibly improve on this album, live. The stakes were high, could this gig possibly live up to all my expectations?

Ron and Russell enter to tremendous applause for this, their final night at the venue that has become their home in the last month or so. The stage is set up radically different to my last visit, due mainly to the inclusion of the jumbo video screen sitting on the stage – an addition which has become a regular feature to accompany the live shows for the more recent Sparks albums. As a consequence, the rest of the band are squeezed either side of the screen, and they perform behind a black mesh.

Straight away we're into the opening song, Dick Around. I've sung the praises of this track before, but suffice to say, live, this fabulously OTT opener is more intense than ever. The supporting band either side of the video screen are plunged into darkness, each member lit only by a single spotlight from the floor. As the band are rather cramped for room, by necessity they are all standing at different levels, and the result is very Bohemian Rhapsody looking -- which may well be deliberate... Dick Around has the feel of a 21st Century This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us, and many believe that song was a big influence on Queen when writing Bohemian Rhapsody.

Perfume sounds fresher than ever, and it’s already clear that tonight is going to be no disappointment. By the time we reach track three, The Very Next Fight, the jumbo screen has come into its own, and 'real life' Ron is taking on a 'digital' Ron for a no holds barred fight. The timing of each punch thrown is perfect, finishing with a sucker punch from live Ron that sends his 2D counterpart flying off screen! The Very Next Fight also gives the crowd their first real chance to join in, as they ‘help’ Russell out with the repetitive “open displays of affection” line!

Anti-war song (Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country? is next…. Y’know, it’s a natural temptation for people to write off older artists -- as either 'past it' or living on their past, but watching Russell completely commanding the stage, as he marches up and down (accompanied by an on screen army of military Maels!), you realise he is still one of the best front men in the business. Ron straps on a Vintage electric for Rock, Rock, Rock, where he become guitar hero (for one track anyway) and cranks out a deafening heavy metal strum that would have Velvet Revolver heading for cover…indeed the on-screen stack of cartoon speakers are wobbling and bulging like something out of Tom and Jerry with every attack of the strings!

There have been some grumblings about the sound quality at some of these shows, but as the gorgeous piano sound kicks in on Metaphor, I suddenly realise that tonight, the sound (and just about everything else too!) is just perfect. Ron takes another trip to the screen to catch, and then discard, the falling words that drop as Russell sings them… “a diamond ring”, “the first day of summer”… The crowd have been very interactive throughout, but Metaphor is a fun song with lyrics just aching for a bit of audience participation, and it’s great to hear them take full advantage…

Russell: Whose up for a metaphor?
Crowd: We're up for a metaphor!
Russell: Are you chicks up for a metaphor?
Crowd: Yes, we're up for a metaphor!
Russell: Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't mix them
Crowd: We, we, we won't mix them!
Russell: Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't mix them
Crowd: We wouldn't dream of mixing ‘em!

Waterproof is as good a ballad as Sparks have ever written, and although it’s impossible for me to pick a favourite track, this would have to be a contender. I go all goose-pimple-ly for the entire song, as Russell gives a note-perfect performance. 20 nights in, and his voice is holding up wonderfully. The video screen provides Russell with the perfect set of backing singers for Here Kitty Kitty… four felines in their best suits!

There's No Such Thing As Aliens is hauntingly stunning, and the two creepy figures with the big hands directly behind Russell add to the eerie feel of this song. The show has flown by, and incredibly it’s already the final track, the frantic madness that is As I Sit To Play The Organ At The Notre Dame Cathedral. Complete with maniacal church organ and the scariest hallelujah chorus you're ever likely to hear! At one point, Ron takes to playing a cartoon organ on the jumbo screen! It looks incredible, and makes yellow submarine look quite sensible in comparison!

The applause at the end of this performance goes on longer than I think I've ever witnessed at any gig – it must be close on ten full minutes. The band look almost embarrassed as they stand there with no signs of it stopping. There is genuine emotion on display, as all the band members hug each other as though they’d just completed a marathon (which in musical terms, over the last 4 weeks they have!). Although there is one more night of 21x21 to come (the very first performance of their brand-new album at Shepherd's Bush in two days time), there is a feel of completion tonight. These first 20 nights were the past, from now on it’s the future.

The encore tonight, unlike most of the previous nights, has nothing to do with the album performed. Profile, is one of their best ever b-sides (the flip of 1975’s Get In The Swing), and the crowd go crazy for it!

An incredible night, which leaves me completely stunned… yet the cherry for tonight's cake was still to be served. A fortuitous ‘bump’ into a friend of a friend, means I end up in the after show party, and within minutes, I’m standing 2 feet away from Ron and Russell. Surely no better opportunity to finally meet my heroes? Well, no, not really. They are happily winding down after the performance, and it's not really that kind of environment. Over in the corner we spot ex-Sparks bass player Ian Hampton, seconds later Ron and Russell spot him to. It's obviously been a long-time and there are genuine shows of affection all round as the three are reunited. It's my last memory of the evening, and what an appropriate one. This whole mammoth feat -- performing 21 albums in 21 nights -- was all about reacquainting ourselves with old friends, both musical and human…job well and truly done.


SPARKS RELATED LINKS:

Tony Bartolo is the only photographer in the world who took profesional photos every night of the whole 21x21 event. He has some very exciting projects under way, and you will soon be able to purchase some of his incredible work from the Sparks Spectacular. Be sure to keep watching his website - Snazmusic - for full details. Tony currently has a competition running to win a signed Sparks album cover... so be sure to check his site out here

See my review of the Propaganda show here complete with more exclusive photos from Tony Bartolo.

Download or listen to the full 22 minute interview that Sparks gave Simon Mayo to promote 21x21 here

See my Introducing Sparks article here, containing exclusive comments from Ron and Russell Mael!

My exclusive interview with ex-Sparks member Martin Gordon is here and here

My interview with indie popsters Silvery is here, and there's plenty of Sparks related chat!

Visit the official Sparks websitee here

Visit the official Sparks MySpace Page here


Piley

Cheesy Choonsday: Mathar

I kicked this semi-regular feature off a couple of weeks ago over on Planet Mondo, where as guest blogger, I posted 3 Cheesy nuggets by Peters and Lee, James Last and Henry Mancini... follow the link above if you missed 'em.


This week, Mathar. Not particularly rare to find, but you'll struggle to find a better piece of sitar big beat psychedelia than this!


Dave Pike was a jazz musician in the 50's and early 60's. In the late 60's he formed the Dave Pike Set and experimented with a more funky jazz sound, incorporating experimental sounds. The 1969 LP "Noisy Silence - Gentle Noise" featured the Sitar led track Mathar, which some 25 years later became a massive club favourite in the early BritPop\Cheesy Listening era. In 1994 the track was re-recorded by Indian Vibes (which was actually Paul Weller in disguise). Oddly, his version is now a much rarer item than the original.

They are both here for you to enjoy, get ya dancin shoes on....

Dave Pike Set:


Indian Vibes:



Piley

Magic Ship: Maiden Voyage

Climb on Board the Magic Ship - Destination Americana!

I was delighted to receive Magic Ships' debut CD ‘Love Tel Motel’ last week - regular readers will already know them as fellow blogger Axe Victims' band. Over on his site, we’ve seen this project go from a twinkle (or maybe a ‘twang’) in Axes’ eye, through to final fruition with the album release and accompanying gig to launch it last weekend. The regular blog updates certainly added to the whole appeal for me, and gave a great insight into the labour of love that goes into getting a project like this off the ground… Over the months I’ve heard the demos, read about the rehearsals and recording sessions, viewed various potential designs for the artwork, and been privy to all the trials and tribulations the guys have been through on the way. So to see the final product drop through the letterbox was rather satisfying even for me… imagine how Axe and his (magic) shipmates must be feeling??!

Ok, so I’ve already appreciated all the hard work and effort that went into getting the CD off the ground, but how does the finished article fair? Pretty damn well actually! And it’s just about lived in the CD player ever since I got it!

It’s obvious from the outset that these guys know their stuff, they are experienced musicians with an in-depth knowledge of music. As they storm through this blistering, riff laden, 10 track album there are nods to everyone from the Stones and the Faces to the Byrds and Neil Young. From the Black Crows to Oasis and even the Fratellis. Vocally, Axe evokes comparisons with Mark Lanegan, Joe Cocker and Leon Russell.

But don’t go thinking this is some pseudo sound-a-like album, Magic Ship are much smarter than that. There is a restrained light touch on all the influences… a dash of Lynyrd Skynyrd, a drop of Tom Petty, a sprinkling of Primal Scream… What comes out is 100% Magic Ship.

So if you’re looking for a bona fide rocker to see you through the (long?! hot?!) summer, Magic Ship could be just the band for you – Gawd bless ‘er, and all who sail in her!

All the links you need:

Magic Ships' Official Website
Axe Victims' Blog
Buy Love Tel Motel from Stone Island Records

Piley

Richard Cheese

Firstly, an extra warm welcome to any new visitors, who have wandered over due to my ‘guest spot’ over on Planet Mondo. Thanks for dropping by! Have fun clickin’ around and I hope you’ll pop back from time to time…


I love the way you stumble across new music. Lately the iPod has become a real boon for this, as people now walkabout with room-fulls of music in their back pocket. A while back, I was heading off to a meeting in London, and bumped into an old friend on the train. Both music fiends, we spent the whole journey connected to each other's earphones, linked only with sentences like "check this out" "have you heard these" "I can't get enough of this" etc etc. And it was this chance meeting that introduced me to Richard Cheese, whose complete back catalogue I now own.

Richard Cheese’s slant is genius, Sinatra-fied versions of punk, metal, rap and indie toons! Ah! I hear you cry, we’ve seen all this before with Paul Anka... But Mr C actually predates Anka’s cover albums by a few years, and has been releasing his brand of lounge classics since 2000. To be fair, Paul Anka is playing it pretty straight with his CDs anyway. He’s chosen sensible-ish songs with sensible-ish lyrics. Had you not known the originals, you'd probably be happy to take them as Anka originals (my father for example loves Anka’s covers albums, but is unlikely to know the Van Halen, Pet Shop Boys, Oasis originals).

With tongue firmly in cheek, Richard Cheese makes a beeline for songs with quirky, odd and downright rude lyrics, making the whole experience much livelier… oh, and much much funnier! Martini Metalica anyone?! How about some Swingin’ Snoop Dog or maybe a Chili Pepper Cocktail??! These songs are ‘laugh-out-loud’ funny, yet at the same time, you can't help but be impressed at the quality of the arrangements, production and the musicians involved (who, by a remarkable coincidence are Bobby Ricotta, Gordon Brie and Buddy Goulda!). After six albums of bizarre covers, the latest release by Dick (yes I know, Dick Cheese…) is a CD choc-full of TV themes.

I urge you to investigate the Dickster, or at the very least check out the three samples I’ve added below…. It was tough to narrow it down to 3, but in the end I went for a shot of ‘Slipknot at the Sands’ (I mean, anyone, who can make a Slipknot song sound good, MUST be a musical genius right??!), and a slice of ‘ring-a-ding’ Radiohead. All finished off with my personal favourite, a dash of Dead Kennedys.. Las Vegas style!

Enjoy!

People = Shit (Slipknot):



Creep (Radiohead):



Holiday in Cambodia (Dead Kennedys):


Oh and don’t forget to check out Richard’s website, where you can buy all his CDs and only the finest quality merchandise!

If these toons have given you the taste for more cheesy morsels, why not pop over to Planet Mondo, where as guest blogger, i've just posted 3 forgotten nuggets!

Piley

Destination Mondo Land

I’ll be nipping over to Planet Mondo tomorrow as guest blogger, where I’m being let loose at the controls for this weeks edition of the legendary 'Funky Friday' feature. Joining me for the journey will be three mature slices of cheesy listening -- all taken from my personal collection, and Caerphilly (sorry!) converted from vinyl to MP3 for your delectation. Do please pop over and have a listen…

My appearance on Planet Mondo heralds the start of a new regular feature here at Start The Revolution Without Me, which I’m calling 'Cheesy Choonsday'. I'll be diggin’ deep into the vaults at Piley Towers, to bring you a gourmet cheese-fest, as I unearth lost gems from the 60s and 70s. All the tracks will come from LPs that I've picked up at charity shops and car boot sales over the years, the vast majority of which have almost certainly never been released on CD. Download ‘em week by week and by Christmas we’ll have you looking like an extra from Randall and Hopkirk or Jason King!

See you over at Planet Mondo!!

Piley

Sparks - The Simon Mayo Interview

Last week, Sparks gave a 22 minute interview to Simon Mayo on Radio 5, to promote their new album "Exotic Creatures of the Deep", and their 21x21 shows in London. I know a lot of people have been searching for it, and it's now gone from the 'listen again' feature. I managed to get an MP3 of it at the time, so for a limited time only, here is the full interview:



And while you're enjoying the interview, why not have a read of my reviews of the recent 21x21 shows. The Propaganda review is here, and the Hello Young Lovers review is here.

Piley

Sparks: Propaganda - Live Review

Sparks: Propaganda, Live at the Carling Academy, Islington, 20th May 2008.

Many thanks to photographer Tony Bartolo for allowing me to use some of his stunning photos for this review, and also for my Hello young Lovers review. More about Tony and his photos in the links section at the end of this article.


You've got to take your hats off to em.. no matter if you're a fan or not, the idea that Sparks came up with this year was simply astonishing…

They formed back in the late 60s as Halfnelson, and since then have put out 20 albums -- and just about every one of them is great too, in fact album number 20 (‘Hello Young Lovers’) is possibly my favourite album of theirs to date. Album 21 ‘Exotic Creatures of the Night’ was released on Monday, and to celebrate its arrival, Sparks announced a 21 night residency in London… yup you guessed it, all 21 albums, in order!

I know the 'album concert' is not a particularly new concept, but I can't think of anyone who’s taken it to such mammoth proportions as this. I can't even begin to imagine the logistical nightmare of attempting it -- I mean, with encores you're looking at over 250 tracks to rehearse. A feat even for the Mael brothers, but spare a thought for the brave backing band signed up for these shows, learning the lot from scratch!

When these shows were announced a few months back, I felt like a kid in a sweet shop as I looked longingly at the dates (and the lure of the 'Charlie and the chocolate factory’-esqe Golden Ticket, was truly tempting), but alas, I could only stretch to a couple of gobstoppers, so had to choose very carefully. Tonight was the first of my picks, Propaganda, and I was obviously in good company, as this was one of the first nights to sell out. I've been a fan of Sparks for about 30 years, and this album is the one I've come back to the most during that time – every single track is perfection, the production is fantastic, and it still sounds fresh as a daisy.

Ron and Russell Mael took to the stage just after 9 p.m., accompanied by a very young looking set of backing musicians… all sporting a uniform of black, topped off with a propaganda album cover T-shirt. We start off with the 30 seconds of acappella that is the title track 'Propaganda', which seamlessly blasts into 'At Home At Work At Play'… and we’re off! The first thing that hits you is just how energetic front man Russell remains, as he spins, swirls and treads every inch of the stage. What really pleases me is that it soon becomes apparent that this show is going to be a faithful reproduction of the album. I remember seeing Alice Cooper live in the 80s, ‘Schools Out’ was 15 minutes long, ‘Elected’ was 20 minutes long, the songs were no longer the tunes I knew, and it ruined it. But tonight, all the tracks are reassuringly familiar. There's maybe a slightly rockier feel to the guitar sound -- almost as though Slash had joined Sparks for the night! But other than that, it’s a time machine back to 1974.

I've been listening to this album for the vast majority of my life, yet tonight I see a different aspect to it, that I've never seen (or at least appreciated) before. I've never particularly considered it an anthemic album, yet tonight, hearing the crowd chant along with just about every track, I suddenly realised this is perfect pop, that lends itself beautifully to audience participation! We rattle through the album, and during the penultimate track 'Who Don't Like Kids', Ron Mael, who has kept his trademark stony face throughout, can contain himself no longer! And he takes centre stage to display the ‘Ron Rumba’, complete with fixed cheesy grin! He stops as suddenly as he began, looks all sheepish and then apologises profusely to the audience “it’ll never happen again" he promises… (well not till tomorrow night at least!). This is a great example of the humour of Sparks -- speak to the casual music fan, and they’ll describe Sparks as morose or painfully serious, yet they couldn't be more wrong. Read their lyrics, see them live, hear them interviewed, these are very funny guys!

'Bon Voyage' was always an appropriate track to finish the album, but it seems even more appropriate to finish the gig with, and the sea of waving and swaying arms make it the ideal curtain closer. After much persuasion, they reappear for an encore of ‘Lost and Found’ - b-side of ‘Amateur Hour’ and strictly speaking, more appropriate to last nights show!, but it’s a cracking song and nobody seems to be complaining!

All in all a great night, I’m not sure the sound was quite all it could have been – it was shocking in some parts of the room as I wandered round for a better view – but you couldn’t fault Ron and Russell, who put in as good a performance as I’ve ever seen them give… as Russell said this evening “only 17 left”!

Here's an audience video of that encore 'Lost and Found':



SPARKS RELATED LINKS:

Tony Bartolo is the only photographer in the world who took profesional photos of the whole 21x21 event. He has some very exciting projects under way, and you will soon be able to purchase some of his incredible work from the Sparks Spectacular. Be sure to keep watching his website - Snazmusic - for full details. Tony currently has a competition running to win a signed Sparks album cover... so be sure to check his site out here

If you enjoyed this review, why not check out my review of the Hello Young Lovers show here.

See my Introducing Sparks article here, containing exclusive comments from Ron and Russell Mael!

While you're here, don't miss my EXCLUSIVE, extensive interview with ex-Sparks member Martin Gordon, and he had plenty of interesting Sparks stories to tell! Part 1 is here and part 2 is here

See my interview with upcoming indie popsters Silvery here, where we had a long chat about all manner of Sparks related things!

To celebrate these shows and the new album, fellow Sparks fan Klitzfrug has put a fantastic 'goodie bag' of rare Sparks albums to download on his blog - no less than TEN albums in fact! Get over to his blog fetusveneris now, they won't be there forever! link to fetusveneris here

Piley

Marc Almond - Lavender

In my recent review of Marc live at Wilton's Music Hall, I mentioned the song Lavender, which at the show, was accompanied by a very striking slideshow, depicting a number of celebs and non-celebs alike, who in the past;

a) hid their sexuality for fear of losing their popularity (or just for fear); or

b) came out, and paid the consequences.

I've found that very slideshow, along with a demo version of Lavender. Have a look, and listen to the lyrics, it's pretty moving stuff.... oh, and note the two pictures of a young Marc that pop up in it too!

Lavender


Piley

Ghost World

One of my all-time favourite comic book stories is Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. Initially it was serialised in his own independent comic book 'Eightball', where it took almost 4 years (June 93 – March 97) and eight issues to tell the tale of Enid Coleslaw (the anoraks among you may be interested to note that Enid Coleslaw is an anagram of Daniel Clowes!) and her best friend Rebecca Doppelmeyer. Eventually it was pieced together as a graphic novel in the late 90s, where it found a much wider audience. This story is such a rare treat, and one I find I have to 'top up' on at regular intervals -- you know, like you have to do with those most favourite films…..

Although Dan Clowes writes and draws all his own stories, the real art of this piece is how the hell this middle-aged man managed to nail the thoughts and characterisations of these two teenagers so well! The dialogue is spot-on, and the relationship between the girls and their ‘friends’ is agonisingly real. Everyone goes through that awkward 'no longer a kid, not yet an adult' phase, and I guess that's why this book is so easy to relate to. It's one of those stories where, on the face of it, little happens, yet dig a little deeper and it's pretty much the whole of life, wrapped up in eighty odd pages.

High school friends Enid and Rebecca are two alienated and very opinionated girls, who know exactly what they don't like -- of course, like most teens, they are less sure what they do like, as the realisation of a directionless future hits them (ring any bells?!). The girls live in an un-named town, but you almost certainly live in it too (or at least very near it)… All the life has been sucked out, and all the character buildings, and things that used to personalise it and make it unique are being torn down, replaced with cinema complexes, theme diners and shopping malls. The girls seem to despair at the loss of their towns identity, and to me, this suggests where the stories title comes from - although Clowes has never really explained it, saying only that he once saw some graffiti on a wall containing the words. Enid and Rebecca’s dream had always been to quit school and achieve adulthood, yet when it finally comes, it slowly tears their friendship apart. The ending is left up to the reader to decide, but many believe there are enough signs in the last few pages to show that Enid commits suicide… I however like to go for the thought that Enid has gone in search of a new town that still has its soul.

It’s a thought provoking read – with a lot to say about throw-away society and the decay of our surroundings.

The first whiff I caught of Ghost World being made into a film was sometime in the late 90’s, and I was mortified. Hollywood doesn't have a good track record of adapting comic books at the best of times, let alone subtle, underground titles like this. I had visions of it being rewritten as an ‘American Pie’ style teen flick… ugh. On its release in 2001, I somehow managed to find a cinema in Essex actually showing it (admittedly only for one day), so my partner and I nervously attended the first showing. But against all the odds, one of my top three comic books became one of my top three films! The film (starring Thora Birch as Enid and an at the time little known Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca) faithfully reproduced the book, and the additional storylines (all written by Clowes) added to and complemented the original perfectly - particularly the decision to expand the ‘Seymour’ character, played to painful perfection by Steve Buscemi – in fact it was nominated for an Academy Award for the ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’.

Lately I’ve seen the DVD kicking around in HMV at the crazy price of £3… which really is too cheap for this little gem. If you see it around at that price snap it up, you won’t regret it. However, do yourself a favour and make sure you read the book 1st.

I've managed to track down the original trailer for the film, which gives a good flavour of this underrated quirky flick:






Piley