TALKING HEADS Quirky, preppy, oddball punk - funk rock with a squeaky voiced singer.
Later "matured" into the yuppies favourites, slick egghead world dominating
money machine monster, but I prefer the early stuff.
Saw them at the Top Rank, Brighton, either 77 or 78. Excellent performance,
if a little nervous. That only served to endear them to the audience though.
Essential "77", "More Songs About Buildings and Food", and "Fear of Music" l.p.s.
CECIL TAYLOR Ultra fast and furious piano improvising genius. Saw him give a solo
performance at the Gardener Arts Centre, Brighton. He came on stage dancing
and chanting. He kept approaching the piano, then dancing away from it,
going all round and behind it. It was as if he was working himself up into
a trance, and the piano was a wild animal he was going to jump on and tame.
He danced closer and closer, then kind of fell onto the stool, his hands
hitting the keys at the same time his bum hit the stool. As soon as his
hands made contact, they started flurrying at up and down the keyboard
incredible speed, but with a kind of structure and not out of tune. He
kept this up for about 45 minutes, then stopped suddenly, but on the RIGHT
note, then jumped up and ran off the stage. We called him back for an encore,
and he came back out and played for another 20 minutes or so. We called
him back again, and this time he played for about 1 minute. Brilliant stuff.
Saw him again at the Outside In festival, Crawley. This time he was
accompanied by drummer Tony Oxley. This wasn't so good. Cecil played brilliantly,
and subtlely; but Oxley just seemed to be playing as fast as he could,
as if it was a race, oblivious to what Cecil was doing. There was no interplay
at all.
Essential Anything.
Cecil
Taylor site TEARDROP EXPLODES Copey is a great singer and writer, and with this band had a touch
of spangley 60's R&B, and a hint of Jim Morrison. I prefer this to
his later , more wigged out solo stuff. Saw them at the Brighton Dome.,
the tour when he had the red climbing frame mikestand. A great performance.
Essential All the singles, and "Wilder" l.p., which includes the sublime "Passionate
Friend".
TEENAGE FANCLUB Underrated, slightly Byrds influenced Scottish rockers, who put a lot
of care and craft into their art. Great harmonies, exceptional songwriting.
Not a dissimilar sound to Velvet Crush. Essential "Bandwagonesque", "13", "Grand Prix" and "Songs From Northern Britain"
l.p.s.
TENPOLE TUDOR Eddie has a wonderful unique voice and a great startled look. His singing
of "Who Killed Bambi?" is the best bit of "The Great Rock n' Roll Swindle"
film.
Essential "Swords of a Thousand Men " single.
THREE JOHNS Drummerless political power trio. Great warbly vocals from singer John.
Bit of a Beefheart influence in the rhythms. Saw them several times, always
exciting and energetic.
Essential "Atom Drum Bop" l.p., all the 12 inchers.
THREE MUSTAPHAS THREE Wonderful, weird, wild and wacky. Claimed to be from "The heart of
the Balkans", and played "Local music from the world". The basic line up
was bazouki, accordion, violin, hand drums, bass, and "kit of drums"; but
they all played several other instruments, and were often augmented by
other musicians and dancers. Their music ranged from ethnic to free form
to smaltz, and was always very infectious, you couldn't help but dance
to it.
First time I saw them was at Canterbury University, With Jolly
Party. What a wonderful evening. They did 2 sets; during the first we (the
audience) were sitting on these wooden chairs. We all wanted to dance,
but there was no room really. During the break we went out to the car park
for a smoke, then we heard the opening strains of "Mehmeteli" calling us
in like a muezzin from a tower. Back in the hall the people had removed
the seats and the dancing began. A really magical night.
Saw them again in London without the party, and spoke briefly to the
accordion playing mustapha. What a nice man. What a strange conversation.
Again at the Gardener Arts Centre Brighton, supported by Ostrich Ostrich
Ostrich Ostrich. My unbeliever friend, Nick McGurgh (McGurk?) claimed he
recognised them, and they were ex members of Brighton band Amazorblades,
but I paid him no heed.
Essential "Bam! Mustaphas Play Stereo", "Local Music", "Shopping", "Heart of
Uncle", "Soup of the Century" and "Friends Fiends And Fronds" l.p.s.
Sabah Habas Mustapha
homepage THROBBING GRISTLE Deliberately alienating, shocking, scary sonic sound sculptors. Used
a lot of electronics and tapes. Sailed very close to the wind, with pieces
about burns victims, Charles Manson, and the Nazi gas chambers, and covers
with photos of Auschwitz, and a 5 year or 6 year old girl showing her knickers.
Saw them once at Brighton Art College. Very intense, but amazing. The
music somehow helps you come to terms with your own inner fears and revulsions,
and you feel strangely cleansed.
Essential "2nd Annual Report", "D.O.A. (Third and final annual report)", and
"20 Jazz Funk Greats" l.p.s., and "United" single.
TOURS Made one perfect punky pop single "Language School" .
TYLA GANG Bluesy, slightly Beefheart influenced biker band. Made a great single
"Styrofoam".
Saw them at Tunbridge Wells with the Doctors of Madness. Great songs.
Good guitar interplay.
TYRANNOSAURUS REX / T. REX The bopping elf himself. Had a unique style. In the early days, with
Steve Peregrine Took, they had a somewhat minimalist approach, usually
just acoustic guitar and bongoes. They would kind of sing parts for other
instruments with their voices. Took had an instinctual, almost telepathic
sense of harmony. A lot of the vocal and instrumental colourings they employed
were pretty far out and experimental. Marc had a wonderful warble, but
was not always easy to understand. From the second album on, lyric sheets
were included, and they revealed the songs to be the most beautiful nonsense.
What could be more beautiful, (or nonsensical) than this?:
"Woven deep beneath the caves of melted steel
Stalks a mage, a necromancer heel
His tortured runic clasps of old aztecean skill
The condor flies scared skies in search of Aznageel"
From "Anznageel the Mage".
Or this:
"Small girl with a smiling gibbon
Bridled with an orchid ribbon
Curved brow in scarlatti fashion
Boots that ride the night sky eagle
Salamander palaganda
To whit to woo
Oh palomino blue
Salamander palaganda
to whit to woo
Junes buffalo too
In the Parisian z z z z zoo"
From "Salamander Palaganda"
Or even this:
"The toad road licked my wheels like a sabre
Winds of the marsh lightly blew
Stone jars stacked with stars on her shoulders
Hunters of pity she slew
Chariots of silk she rode
Stallions of gold she owned"
From "Chariots of Silk"
Last one, I promise:
"Her with moon trodden prow
Herds of African cows
Grazed on her beauty, fragrant and pale
Young once, youthful still now
Muse to the willow and ploughed
Fields arched with orchids, blooms of the stars
Day whipped his black dray
Opaque orphan of ring
Myrrh coated rider
Guider husband to matron the king"
From "Wind Cheetah"
In 1970 Took left for reasons unknown, (to me anyway), and Marc teamed
up with Mickey Finn, and got an electric guitar. Over the next 2 years
they slowly transformed themselves from underground cult heroes into teenybopper
schoolgirl fantasy sex gods. The music WAS simpler, and more commercial,
but it still had that uniqueness, and really ROCKED. By 1975 though,
the rot had set in, and Bolans talent was a shadow of its former self.
Saw them once, in 70 or 71, just as they were changing, at the Big
Apple , Brighton. The first 30 minutes or so they were sitting on an oriental
mat, Marc on acoustic, Micky on bongoes and congas. They did "Deborah",
"One Inch Rock" etc. Then Marc strapped on an electric, some other musicians
joined them, and they did "King of the Rumbling Spires", By the Light of
a Magical Moon", "Elemental Child" , and I think "Ride A White Swan". I
loved it all. Marc was a really magnetic performer, you couldn't help but
warm to him, plus he was extremely talented.
Essential All the singles, and all the albums up to "Bolan's Zip Gun"