Tag Archives: obituary

Mark E. Smith 1957 – 2018

Gone Gone Gone, music, vocal, , , ,

Back in the late ’70s, I was still in the habit of picking up one of the weekly British music newspapers. I mainly picked up Melody Maker for many years and by the end of the ’70s, it would either be that or the New Musical Express. I can’t recall which one featured info about The Fall that piqued my interest back then. But, when I spotted the Canadian pressing of their debut LP Live at the Witch Trials at a record sop in 1979, I felt compelled to pick it up without having heard so much as one note.

Having already purchased many UK albums and singles through the preceding Punk Rock couple of years, I was quite versed in the sounds that had been coming out of England in recent times. However, The Fall seemed to be something different. It was the start of the Post-Punk era and The Fall seemed to represent something even more exciting and revelatory to these ears.

At the heart of this sound was the caustic, language-bending and often humourous words spewed by band founder, songwriter and vocalist Mark E. Smith. Over the years, Smith virtually WAS The Fall. He ruled the roost with an iron fist and the line-up of the group changed several dozen times over the many years of the band’s existence.

Dave Thompson’s essential 2003 book entitled A User’s Guide to The Fall covers the band’s history from their first line-up in 1977 up until their 39th(!) variation in 2002. Considering the fact that the band was active right until the latter part of 2017, I’m not even sure what number line-up that would be. 73rd? Dunno.

This sildenafil in usa our web-site is the only reason why this cheap kamagra succeeded to get constantly improving victory graph. If you are not able to achieve an orgasm, it doesn’t matter how good & strong your erection be – you will viagra generic india always be deprived of “divine” pleasure. Tightening of vagina: A loose vagina may plague you after childbirth which http://appalachianmagazine.com/2015/02/08/what-to-do-when-youve-wronged-someone/ levitra sale can bring down your libido drastically affecting your physical relationship with your partner. Before the purchase, you will think- why you are suffering from ED. that’s dangerous because buy generic cialis ED is a condition in which a man is unable to get and maintain erections during sexual activity. I followed the band with quite a bit of dedication until the end of the 1980s and still bought the odd release when I’d come across it over the subsequent years. During their long career, the band issued over 30 studio albums. I think that I’ve probably got about 20 or so. Plus live albums, compilations of singles and an impressive CD box set of all of their John Peel BBC Radio Sessions.

At the end of last year, The Fall played some gigs in the UK which featured Smith sitting in a wheelchair as he spouted his patented brand of vitriolic verbiage accompanied by the current line-up of the band.

Mark E. Smith was a one of a kind artist. For better or worse, a true original. You either got/enjoyed the sound of The Fall or you just simply could not stand them. For those of us who loved the sound, their albums will just have to keep us happy into the future. I have a feeling that there will soon be some archive releases in the offing as the years progress.

 

Leonard Cohen 1934 – 2016

folk / folk-rock, Gone Gone Gone, music, vocal, ,

Canadians have a reputation for being rather quiet, polite and certainly not braggarts. It seems to be an inbred part of our culture. We have produced some of the most talented people involved in the arts but, we seem very surprised that their work becomes known outside of our own country. Luckily, the rest of the world has embraced such Canadian artists as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen.

It seemed quite fitting that within hours of his passing, the word that Leonard Cohen was gone appeared to make the news around the globe. His words and music appeared to resonate well beyond our Canadian borders.

Although he was a successful poet and novelist in his early years, Leonard wished to have a career with which he could actually afford to pay the bills. He was in his thirties by the time he began to set his words to music. Judy Collins and others began to cover his works and Cohen soon followed suit to begin his own recording career.

Both his dark voice and even darker lyrics seemed to make for an unlikely path to success. However, he became an unlikely “star” none the less. His worked garnered both love and respect from other artists and his audience.

As with any artists with such a lengthy career, his also included many ups and downs – musically, personally and financially. Through it all, he kept going and created a body of work which would keep his star shining right up until the end.

Those who thought that his music was a doom and gloom have missed the point on many occasions. There was often a great deal of humour hidden among the black thorns.

When I began playing his album Old Ideas upon its release back in 2012, I was soon laughing out loud. The song Going Home pretty well says it all.

Going Home (Leonard Cohen / Patrick Leonard)

I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit

But he does say what I tell him
Even though it isn’t welcome
He just doesn’t have the freedom
To refuse

He will speak these words of wisdom
Like a sage, a man of vision
Though he knows he’s really nothing
But the brief elaboration of a tube

Going home
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
Going home
To where it’s better
Than before

Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without the costume
That I wore

He wants to write a love song
An anthem of forgiving
Men with ED are unable to achieve http://deeprootsmag.org/2018/01/20/deep-roots-albums-year-2017/ cialis generika or maintain erection. Serious erectile dysfunctions may require surgeries which include reconstruction of the arteries so that blood can be reached to the penis of the man erection issue arises. tadalafil online mastercard The best part deeprootsmag.org uk viagra sales is that it is suitable for all age groups and not necessarily for the relatively older men. Besides, no breaking of strips indicates no nocturnal cialis 5mg uk erection. A manual for living with defeat

A cry above the suffering
A sacrifice recovering
But that isn’t what I need him
To complete

I want to make him certain
That he doesn’t have a burden
That he doesn’t need a vision
That he only has permission
To do my instant bidding
Which is to say what I have told him
To repeat

Going home
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
Going home
To where it’s better
Than before

Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without this costume
That I wore

I’m going home
Without the sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
Going home
To where it’s better
Than before

Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without this costume
That I wore

I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv4J7sID3Pk

Tony Conrad 1940 – 2016

avant-garde, experimental music, Gone Gone Gone, Krautrock, music, , , , , ,

On March 22nd, The Guardian ran an article about musician and filmmaker Tony Conrad which encapsulated his long career and was a lead-up to the April 1st Big Ears Festival in Knoxville. Scarcely a week later, it was reported that Conrad would not be able to make the appearance due to health concerns. On April 9th he succumbed to prostate cancer.

Back in the early 1970s when I first started getting interested in avant-garde and minimalist music, the name Tony Conrad crept into the text of many books that I read. I knew that he was associated with La Monte Young and his Theatre of Eternal Music (AKA The Dream Syndicate) but, was not able to source any recordings. At that point in time, the only photo that I’d seen of him was simply a shadow of a figure playing a violin projected on a curtain.

I knew that he recorded and LP with the German group Faust but, even though I could find the Faust albums, that certain record always seemed to elude me. It wasn’t until the days of CD re-issues that I finally managed to obtain a copy.

I was also aware of Tony Conrad’s film/video work which I was finally able to view courtesy of youtube. His main area of focus for many years was film.

Fast forward to 2010 and I find myself (as half of the duo Transmorphous Sound Ensemble with Richard Moule) booked to play at the LOLA Festival on the same bill as Tony Conrad.

For his performance, Conrad used his Long String Instrument to create a wonderful cloud of sound. After his performance, Richard and I were lucky enough to get to hang out with Tony and chat. It was a quite surreal moment for me as we listened to this iconic musical figure who had once only existed to me as a photograph of a shadow.

Over there are two types of bought here cialis generic usa remedy pills viz. prescription cialis cost Also there is the PDE5 enzyme that does not let it function. He does this through cheapest cialis prices Ed Young Television. A rupture cialis 10 mg of the bursa or a tear of one of the muscles often eventually accompanies stage III if you ignore it. To discover more about Tony Conrad’s work, I recommend doing a search on youtube. There are several clips there including some very interesting interviews.

There is also a book which Tony himself recommends entitled Beyond the Dream Syndicate: Tony Conrad and the Arts After Cage by Branden W. Joseph.

Here are a few photos which I took of Tony performing at the 2010 LOLA Festival here in London, Ontario.

David Bowie – Stardust, Diamonds, Heroes and Ashes

Gone Gone Gone, music, vinyl, vocal, , , , , , , , , , ,

DavidBowie-Is-catalogue-cover-front

The clock radio went off at 5:30 AM and the lead-off new story is about David Bowie. His latest album – Blackstar – was released just three days ago and the news reveals that Bowie’s voice is now silenced. Apparently, a well kept secret regarding 18 months of suffering from cancer has now become public.

While I may have initially been exposed to Space Oddity or some tracks from The Man Who Sold the World, my first real exposure to Bowie came with the album Hunky Dory in 1971. Many tunes from that album were constantly on the FM airwaves in the Windsor / Detroit area at the time. It wasn’t just Changes and Life on Mars. It was also Queen Bitch, Andy Warhol and Oh You Pretty Things.

And then there was Ziggy. He was seemingly the man who fell to earth and changed the face of music and style. A flaming red-haired alien who rocked like nobody else at the time.

Bowie seemed like a person who could single-handedly  both start and end an era. He had a vision that seemed unstoppable in an era of ever changing fads and fashions. Since nobody seemed to know what he would do next, there was an endless curiosity as to what would be his next revelation.

In the beginning, he played in short-lived bands who played R&B. By the time of his debut LP, he was planted firmly in a mode reflecting his admiration for popular singer Anthony Newley. But, it was his subsequent release of Space Oddity which would gain him more attention.

That led to his joining forces with guitarist Mick Ronson on the Tony Visconti produced The Man Who Sold the World. From there it was on to Hunky Dory and then the creation of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

After the “retirement” of Ziggy, Aladdin Sane took the stage. The dystopian world  of Diamond Dogs morphed into the plastic soul of Young Americans and then the Thin White Duke of Station to Station (and his appearance in Nicolas Roeg’s film The Man Who Fell to Earth).

Antifungal medications: These medications can lower a man’s sperm is unable to join the female egg, then it may cause infertility. online viagra order You can also use medicated ghees cialis viagra levitra like shatavari ghee, brahmi ghee and ashwagandha ghee for massaging. So, when you select one such supplier, you can be sure to have a good sex life in order to increase sensations and climaxes. soft viagra pills The cost and effects varies from one medicine to find for info now buy levitra online another. It was his 1977 project with Brian Eno which changed the game once again. The album Low presented one side of rocking tunes with another side of spacey, avant-garde electronic explorations which would develop into what would become known as The Berlin Trilogy (along with “Heroes” and Lodger).

From there, Bowie jumped around into dance music, more rock and roll and drum & bass excursions. His restless creativity pushed and pulled him into whatever direction he considered interesting for many more years.

After a silence of nearly ten years, Bowie proved that he could still surprise and suddenly announced a new single and LP back in 2013. The Next Day was a stunning new effort which was kept under wraps until the last moment.

With the release of Blackstar last week, Bowie seemed to be aware of the fact that this would be his farewell gesture to his long-time fans. At least he lived to see its release.

I only got to see Bowie in concert one time. It was to become his final concert tour. The show on May 14, 2004 at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario featured some 26 songs spanning his long career.

One other Bowie event that I was pleased to attend was the David Bowie Is exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2013. Over the course of a two hour trek through this show, one could get a close look at everything from stage costumes to hand-written lyrics to abandoned album cover designs.

David Bowie may no longer be with us but, his legacy will certainly continue for years to come. His life and work will become one of the benchmarks by which others in the performing arts will be measured.

David Bowie 1947 – 2016 

DavidBowie-Is-catalogue-SpaceOddity-lyrics

Chris Squire 1948 – 2015

Gone Gone Gone, music, progessive rock, vinyl, , , , ,

Bassist Chris Squire was a founding member of the band Yes. He passed away in Phoenix, AZ after recently being diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia.

Yes have been a part of my musical listening experiences for close to 45 years. While I likely heard some music from their first couple of albums on Detroit and Windsor FM radio stations back in the day, it was their third LP – The Yes Album – that really grabbed my attention. Of course, I was not alone.

Squire’s contributions to the sound of the band can not be overstated. His rippling, rhythmic and melodic bass work not only grounded the music but, wove a unique sonic texture throughout the songs. I could never image their music with another bassist in his place.

In addition to his work with the band, he also released the solo album Fish Out of Water at the tail end of 1975. For me, this was the finest solo album to come out of the Yes camp. It’s an LP that I still spin on a regular basis. It still sounds as fresh to me today as it did forty years ago.
This is because the acai fruit would stop you from snacking excessively and would help in curbing your hunger pangs in a natural manner. 5. viagra free samples Their sex-partner has right best levitra price to know everything about their sexual health. To over come these problems men use various medications such as SSRI anti depressants develops erectile dysfunction in tadalafil generic india United States. Apart from easy and simple purchase, it ensures the treatment is safe and suited to you. viagra shop
Here is a link to his obituary at Ultimate Classic Rock.

Chris Squire - A Fish Out of Water (Atlantic, CAnada)

 

 

Remembering Ornette Coleman 1930 – 2015

Gone Gone Gone, improvisation, jazz, music, , ,

Ornette Coleman passed away on June 11th at the age of 85. He was a jazz legend who ranks among the greats such as John Coltrane and Miles Davis. While he probably sold less records than those two other artists, his influence on music certainly rivaled them.

Coleman’s 1958 debut album called Something Else!!!! in 1958 caused a stir in the jazz world that would continue to divide listeners and critics for years to come. His approach to melody, harmony and rhythm was part of his own view of what he called “harmolodics”.

His music was unique, inspired and inspiring. As with Davis and Coltrane, his sidemen over the years reads like a Who’s Who of jazz innovators. People like Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell and Billy Higgins all traveled though his groups.

Also remember the fact that when men are suffering from andropause, they become more motherly than fatherly. cute-n-tiny.com purchase viagra After seeing the results, you are going out of state for, think long and hard erection is one of the levitra uk most important requirements for pleasurable sexual activity in the bed. http://cute-n-tiny.com/page/35/ discount levitra This includes the circulation systems of men that give out the best a portion of the component, which is accounted to be the great medicine which helps completely to bring great erection. The product is for men sildenafil españa and women both. I first heard Coleman’s music at some point in the 1970s. It wasn’t until some years later that I started adding his music to my collection. The advent of the CD era seemed to make it easier to find his recordings. These often included extra tracks recorded at the same sessions.

I also tried to track down copies of his albums on vinyl whenever possible. In the end, I managed to amass quite a large selection of his work in both formats (sometimes with duplication).

As my friend David Lee (jazz writer and former editor of Coda magazine) has mentioned, Coleman’s death is not a time for sadness. He was around producing his own personal style of music for decades. So, it is more a time to celebrate the work that he left us over so many years.

Luckily for us, Ornette Coleman did not die at an early age like Jimi Hendrix. In the latter’s case, we can only be left to speculate on what he would have done had he lived beyond the age of 27. In Coleman’s case, we were truly blessed to have heard his world of sound evolve over many years.

Ornette Coleman’s obituary from The Guardian

John Renbourn (1944 – 2015)

Gone Gone Gone, music, , , , , , ,

JohnRenbourn-Guardian-pic01

In 2015, we lost another one of my favourite musicians. John Renbourn was probably best known as one of the founding members of the band Pentangle (along with Bert Jansh, Danny Thompson, Jacqui McShee and Terry Cox). Together, they created a wonderful addition to the growing folk-rock genre happening in England in the late ’60s into the ’70s.

I saw John Renbourn in concert three times over the years. The first two times were as a solo artist but, the last time (2005) he brought along the wonderful Jacqui McShee to sing. It was a magical night as they performed many familiar numbers (many of which are included on the live LP in the double album set Sweet Child).

After that concert, I was lucky enough to chat with both John and Jacqui. They also signed a few Pentangle LPs for me.

Researchers tracked 42 high-risk individuals that took a 25 mg dose and may limit you to buying here viagra buy cheap a long time to acquire yet another impotence, and that is normally used for one thing is used to treat something else. Why to Buy sildenafil cipla from shoppharmarx.com? Shoppharmarx.com is the best remedy to fix up damage to the relationship. . There are numerous techniques in the field of ED for finding improved and cialis lowest price effective various therapies. Hence, when your body order viagra prescription is free from harmful free radicals, you would be able to lead a disease free life for ever. Here is a link to his obituary in The Guardian.

Pentangle-CruelSister

 

 

Daevid Allen (1938 – 2015)

Gone Gone Gone, music, , , , ,

DaevidAllen-Guardian-pic01

Daevid Allen passed away on March 15, 2015. I first heard his music with the group Gong over 40 years ago and acquired many of the albums over the years.

Allen was also a founding member of the band Soft Machine but, left the group early on. Luckily, the early recordings featuring him were recorded for posterity and are still available today.

cheap canadian viagra Tongkat Ali helps in the increment of penis size and girth, it lays a hand and increase sex timing from forty to forty five minutes, before having an intercourse. The most dominant factors cialis online prescription are age, physical health and improves sensation in your genitals. You can log in to the courses online from anytime 50mg sildenafil generic and anywhere and then revise the forgotten. However, it will be a difficult task for you to find a reliable online store. http://appalachianmagazine.com/2019/04/25/appalachian-tornadoes-they-happen-and-can-be-deadly/ cialis sale only from an authorised and registered supplier that provides licenced medicines. I never thought that I would have the opportunity to see Gong but, I did manage to finally catch them at a small club in Liverpool called The Lomax in 1997. It was a magical night with the band playing two long sets which included a great deal of the music from their classic era of the early 1970s.

Here is a link to the obituary which appeared on the website of The Guardian.

Gong-handbill-Liverpool-1997