cclxxii. TANGERINE DREAM: Identity Proven Matrix

cclxxii. TANGERINE DREAM

Identity Proven Matrix (2017)
Edgar Froese, synthesizer
Thorsten Quaeschning, synthesizer, guitar
Ulrich Schnauss, synthesizer
(5:21)

from Quantum Gate.

Edgar Froese -- who founded TD -- died in 2015 (leaving behind much material used here; his performance here was recorded before he passed).

This release -- roughly their 150th! -- celebrates 50 years of TD. They altered the musical landscape and today's techno-poppers owe them a great deal.

"so einstein was wrong when he said 'god does not play dice.' consideration of black holes suggests, not only that god does play dice, but that he sometimes confuses us by throwing them where they can't be seen." -- stephen hawking

The video is gorgeous.

cclxxi. KENEALLY, Mike: The Scorpions

cclxxi. KENEALLY, Mike (1961-       )

The Scorpions (2016)
MK, guitar, keyboards
Rick Musallam, guitar
Evan Francis, saxophone
Bryan Beller, bass
Joe Travers, drums
(5:31)

from Inkling.

(A severely alternate version of "Salve-Dependent Scorpions" from The Scambot Holiday Special EP.)

cclxx. BEATLES, THE: All My Loving

cclxx. BEATLES, THE

All My Loving (1963)
Paul, vocal, bass
John, backing vocals, guitar
George, backing vocals, guitar
Ringo, drums
(2:07)

from With The Beatles.

In the spring/summer of '63, as The Beatles were touring with Roy Orbison, Paul wrote the lyrics (he had just met Jane Asher) and then the tune.

Possibly for the first time, John realized what an incredible writing partner he had -- and a sort of friendly competitive songwriting began in earnest.

Again, Paul's sense of syncopation informs the feel and a sophisticated sense of harmonic movement (see bars 8-10 = ii / bVII / V7 / ii ) + that fantastic over chord in bars 20 and 24 (C#Maj7/C) ...

cclxix. BEATLES, THE: Magical Mystery Tour

cclxix. BEATLES, THE

Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
Paul, vocal, bass, piano, percussion
John, guitar, backing vocal, percussion
George, guitar, backing vocal, percussion
Ringo, drums, percussion
George Martin, celesta (?)
Mal Evans, percussion
Neil Aspinall, percussion
David Mason, trumpet
Elgar Howarth, trumpet
Roy Copestake, trumpet
John Wilbraham, trumpet
(2:50)

from Magical Mystery Tour.

After coming up with the idea of the film, Paul quickly wrote the "theme song."

The idea of adding trumpets was conceived early on. But during the sessions, as Paul was trying to dictate to Martin his ideas, one of players -- Howarth -- got fed up and wrote the arrangement quickly [see Post cxx for a similar incident about Paul being annoying].

George, John, Brian Epstein, Paul

cclxviii. ZAPPA, Frank: A Small Eternity with Yoko Ono

cclxviii. ZAPPA, Frank (1940-1993)

A Small Eternity with Yoko Ono (1971) (2022)
FZ, guitar, vocals
Mark Volman, lead vocals
Howard Kaylan, lead vocals
Ian Underwood, keyboards, wind, vocals
Bob Harris, keyboards
Jim Pons, bass, vocals
Aynsley Dunbar, drums
Don Preston, Minimoog
John Lennon, lead vocals, guitar
Yoko Ono, vocals, bag
(6:27)

from The Mothers 1971.

This 8-CD set contains the complete recordings of FZ's gig at the Fillmore East in June, 1971 -- one of the last concerts played there.

In August of that year, FZ released Fillmore East -- June 1971; sometimes known by Zappa fans as "the album with the pencil on the cover":

That album contained material culled from the four shows on June 5th and 6th, expertly razor-bladed by Zappa, the editor. It did not include anything from the (in)famous appearance of John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Late Show of June 6th.

**

Zappa and Lennon agreed to share the masters from that part of the show, and Lennon released his version on Sometime In New York City (1972):

That led to some unpleasantness between John and Frank, because John failed to give Zappa writing credit for the King Kong jam, which John called "Jam Rag," with writing credits to John & Yoko. They settled.

**

Shortly before his death, FZ released an album called Playground Psychotics (1992):

This does contain the Lennon/Ono appearance, including this track.

**

With the release of this massive 8-CD set, the hardcore Zappa fan gets to hear all four shows in their entirety. The clever title indicates that 6:27 does -- in fact -- constitute a "small eternity," but I include it here to make the point.

In fact, I'm a fan of Ono -- in general. I think her work on Double Fantasy (1980) [see Post cclviii] is pretty cool. And her conceptual art is sometimes quite interesting.

I leave it to the listener to decide what makes up a "small eternity."

cclxvii. ZAPPA, Frank: Went on the Road

cclxvii. ZAPPA, Frank (1940-1993)

Two versions

Went On The Road (2015)
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.
(1:41)

from 200 Motels: The Suites.

200 Motels (1971). If you've never seen it ... well, it's possibly the best film ever made about a rock group's Life On The Road -- with a healthy dash of some of the most amazing orchestral music ever written by a supposed Rock Star.

Zappa always considered himself a composer above anything else. The Rock Star/Gonzo Guitar Player/Stuff You Couldn't Play On The Radio -- all that took a backseat to his real passion: writing little dots on manuscript paper and doing whatever he had to do to hear the result. He wrote most of it in airports.

200 Motels is still unavailable on DVD, but you can scoot over to Pluto TV and watch it for free.

**

This one-time live performance at Disney Hall occurred on October 23, 2013. It is a 90-minute exploration of all the music from the film (and some that got left on cutting-room floor!) ...

Compare to the original:

from 200 Motels (soundtrack).

Would You Like A Snack? (1971)
FZ, bass, guitar, drums
George Duke, trombone, keyboards
Ian Underwood, keyboards, woodwinds
Big Jim Sullivan, guitar
Martin Licket, bass
Aynsley Dunbar, drums
Ruth Underwood, percussion
Jimmy Carl Black, vocals
Howard Kaylan, vocals
Jim Pons, voices
Mark Volman, vocals
Theodore Bikel, narrator
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Elgar Howarth. cond.
(1:23)

cclxvi. GENTLE GIANT: Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It

cclxvi. GENTLE GIANT

Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It (1977)
Gary Green, guitars
Kerry Minnear, keyboards
Derek Shulman, lead vocals
Ray Shulman, bass
John Weathers, drums
(2:23)

from: The Missing Piece.

So you're a GG fan in 1977, and you say to yourself, "geez, these guys really are amazing prog-rockers -- but I wonder if they could ever get down and play some simple two-chord rock & roll?"

betcha thought we couldn't do it?

**

I betcha thought we couldn't do it
And if you did we wouldn't try
I betcha thought we couldn't do it
But if we didn't we would die [sheesh]

We built our houses stone by stone
Little help, we were on our own
Made the town, torn it down. Now you
Know, tell me how it feels

We've been waiting such a long long
Time. To fit the pattern, fill the
Rhyme
Now we can't stick in our old ways
Now it's out we'll see how you feel

**

More prog-rock, please.

cclxv. BEACH BOYS, THE: Unreleased Backgrounds

cclxv. BEACH BOYS, THE

Unreleased Backgrounds (1966)
Brian Wilson, vocals
(0:50)

from Pet Sounds.

Probably from Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder); probably just Brian multi-tracking.

Precious stuff.

cclxiv. ZAPPA, Frank: Hitch Hike

cclxiv. ZAPPA, Frank (1940-1993)

Hitch Hike (1964-65)
FZ, guitar, vocals
Ray Collins, vocals
Roy Estrada, bass, vocals
Jimmy Carl Black, drums
(2:54)

from Joe's Corsage (2004).

Joe Travers was and still is the Vaultmeister for the Zappa Family Trust.

Posthumous releases that rhyme with Joe's Garage, include:

1. Joe's Corsage (2004) (early stuff)
2. Joe's Domage (2004) (Grand Wazoo rehearsals)
3. Joe's XMASage (2005) (very early stuff)
4. Joe's Menage (2008) (1975)
5. Joe's Camouflage (2014) (1975 band that never recorded or toured)

**

This is a Marvin Gaye cover. Joe thinks it probably comes from this pre-Mothers bar circuit gig at the Broadside, in Pomona.

cclxiii. CARAVAN PALACE: Miracle

cclxiii. CARAVAN PALACE

Miracle (2019)
Charles Delaporte, programming, bass, synths, backing vocals
Arnaud Vial, programming, guitar, synths, backing vocals
Hugues Payen, programming, violin, synths, backing vocals
Antoine Toustou, programming, trombone, synths, backing vocals
Colotis Zoé, vocals
Paul-Marie Barbier, piano
Victor Raimondeau, saxophone
(3:24)

from Chronologic.

Do you realize that every day is a miracle?

**

The facts:

I'm addicted to this band (heard them in L.A. last February) and to this track, in particular ...

Colotis zoe is a butterfly found in Madagascar.

An apt description for this fantastic singer in this fantastic French band.

I love the verse, which she sings using only three notes, and I love the chorus with its call-and-response: (Give it to your lover) / And all the people you miss ...

For more of their amazing videos, see Post cv.

**

Can you feel the pain?
See the mess and trouble in your brain?
Anger you retain
Pressure rocks you like a hurricane
Is it time for
You to jump into the next train
Change of hand, make a stand
I can see your heart change

Wake up
No more nap, your turn is coming up
You feel lazy, but
Stop the fantasies and bubble butts
If you need to hear
Go for it!
I will teach you how to feel the things
So close to you, connect it all

(Act like a brother)
Every day is a miracle
(Help one another)
Connect back with the people
(Give it to your lover)
And all the people you miss
(Let's go already)

(Act like a brother)
Don't think you're invisible
(Help one another)
Connect back with the people
(Give it to your lover)
And all the people you miss
(Let's go already)

Would you show your head?
Would you text me from your rest bed?
Running from the dead
In the battle of cyber-heads
You should think twice
Cuz they will make your brain melt
New device, better price
Keep you feeling impressed
Stop it all, every day we live a miracle
Unpredictable
You don't need an upgrade anymore
Can't you see the link?
Don't worry
I will teach you how to take the pill
To feel the thrill and touch it all

(Act like a brother)
Every day is a miracle
(Help one another)
Connect back with the people
(Give it to your lover)
And all the people you miss
(Let's go already)

(Act like a brother)
Don't think you're invisible
(Help one another)
Connect back with the people
(Give it to your lover)
And all the people you miss
(Let's go already)

cclxii. SPIRIT: Fuller Brush Man

cclxii. SPIRIT

Fuller Brush Man (1969)
Jay Ferguson, vocals, percussion
Randy California, guitars, vocals
John Locke, keyboards
Mark Andes, bass, vocals
Ed Cassidy, drums, percussion
(3:18)

from Clear.

• Always thought it was incredibly cool that Randy California started a band with his stepdad (Cassidy) ...
• This is a "bonus track" not originally on Clear.
• Hey kids, did you know the Fuller Brush Man (or Woman) used to come knock on our mom's door and try to sell her all sorts of useless crap?
• There's even a movie about it, starring Red Skelton.
• He invented a character named Clem Kadiddlehopper.

cclxi. CHICAGO: In The Country

cclxi. CHICAGO

In The Country (1970)
Peter Cetera, bass, vocals
Terry Kath, guitars, vocals
Robert Lamm, keyboards, vocals
Lee Loughnane, trumpet, vocals
James Pankow, trombone
Walter Parazaider, woodwinds
Danny Seraphine, drums, percussion
(6:35)

from Chicago (Chicago II):

The three "non-Classical" albums on heavy rotation my senior year in high school (IAA):

1. Frank Zappa: Hot Rats
2. The Beatles: Abbey Road
3. This one

**

The intensity (and balance) of horns and rock band was something pretty new back then.

This Kath tune hits the mark for how it combines it all into a great sound. At 5:30, the horns blare out a really funky, soulful riff, immediately followed by an outstanding simple guitar riff.

cclx. WILCO: Hummingbird

cclx. WILCO

Hummingbird (2005)
Jeff Tweedy, guitar, vocals
John Stirratt, bass, vocals
Glenn Kotche, drums, percussion
Mikael Jorgensen, keyboards
Nels Cline, guitars, lap steel
Pat Sansone, keyboards, guitars, vocals
(3:19)

from Kicking Television: Live in Chicago.

Tweedy:

"A rock concert is 'kicking television.' If you're out of the house and with a bunch of people enjoying something together, that's kicking television to me. I don't think very many people, myself included, will ever kick television cold turkey, but I certainly think more people should be aware of what it's doing to them."

Right on!

This two-disc set features material from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001) and A Ghost Is Born (2004), where this track first appeared.

**

His goal in life was to be a nickel
Riding alone, town and town, toll after toll
A fixed bayonet through the great southwest to forget her

She appears in his dreams
But in his car and in his arms
A dream could mean anything
A cheap sunset on a television set can upset her
But he never could

Remember to remember me
Standing still in your past
Floating fast like a hummingbird

His goal in life was to be an echo
The type of sound that floats around
And then back down like a feather
But in the deep chrome canyons of the loudest Manhattans
No one could hear him
Or anything

So he slept on a mountain
In a sleeping bag underneath the stars
He would lie awake and count them
The gray fountain spray of the great Milky Way
Would never let him die alone

Remember to remember me
Standing still in your past
Floating fast like a hummingbird

A hummingbird

cclix. MANNERS, Mimi: Soeurs

cclix. MANNERS, Mimi

Soeurs (2000)
MM, vocals
(2:42)

Earlier, I posted another track from this intriguing album (see Post ccix) ...

Here she multi-tracks her voice in a short piece that sounds like a Renaissance motet.

She's also an incredible painter:

Young Bamboo

cclviii. LENNON, John: Beautiful Boys

cclviii. LENNON, John (1940-1980)

Beautiful Boys (1980/2010)
JL, guitars, keyboards, voice
Yoko Ono, voice
Earl Slick, guitar
Hugh McCracken, guitar
Tony Levin, bass
George Small, keyboards
Andy Newmark, drums
Arthur Jenkins, Jr., percussion
Ed Walsh, Oberheim
(3:15)

from Double Fantasy, Stripped Down.

This is an Ono song -- not to be confused with Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy), a Lennon song.

Don't be afraid to go to hell and back.
Don't be afraid to be afraid.

cclvii. PERSUASIONS, THE: Hotplate Heaven at the Green Hotel

cclvii. PERSUASIONS, THE

Hotplate Heaven at the Green Hotel (2000)
Jerry Lawson, baritone, lead vocal heroics, duodenum
Jimmy Hayes, bass, falsetto, scat trombone
"Sweet Joe" Russell, tenor, excellent cuisine, ay-yi-yi's
Jayotis Washington, baritone, tenor, dramatic reading
Bernard "B.J." Jones, baritone, good vibes
Raymond Sanders, tenor, impossible high notes, cayenne pepper tea
(2:54)

from Frankly a Cappella: The Persuasions Sing Zappa.

In 1969, a guy named Stan Krause in Jersey City, New Jersey owned a record store, and promoted a cappella groups on the side. Another guy (David Dashev, who knew Zappa) heard a tape of the group, called up FZ and played the tape over the phone.

"I could tell, even over the phone, that these guys were something special." -- FZ

Dashev knew that Zappa had started his own label (Straight Records, a Warners subsidiary) and set out for California to try to convince FZ to sign them.

Dashev recalls that he played the first song on the crude tape ("Searchin' For My Baby"), as Zappa sat stone-faced and unresponsive (the way he always listened to music) ...

"Let me get Gail."

**

Thus began the career of one of the greatest a capella groups in history. They didn't actually meet Zappa until the 1971 Carnegie Hall concert.

This album was recorded after Frank's death.

cclvi. METHENY, Pat: Barcarole

cclvi. METHENY, Pat (1954-       )

Barcarole (1982)
PM, guitars, guitar synthesizer
Lyle Mays, keyboards
Steve Rodby, bass
Danny Gottlieb, drums
Naná Vasconcelos, percussion
(3:15)

from Offramp.

First studio album where Pat used his new Roland GR-300 guitar synth.

Steve Rodby replaced Mark Egan on bass. This spacey track started off the album.

cclv. MINTZER, Bob: What's the Word

 cclv. MINTZER, Bob (1953-       )

What's the Word (1995)
BM, tenor saxophone
Gil Goldstein, piano
(4:23)

from Longing.

Two monster instrumentalists, composers and arrangers get together to record duets. Who needs a rhythm section?

A Mintzer tune, the two geniuses slide in and out of each other's phrases like two birds in flight.

After a 32-bar head (16 A, 8 B, 8A), Bob solos, Gil solos, and then they join back in conversation, recap the head and out ...

Magnificent intimate music.

ccliv. BEATLES, THE: Got To Get You Into My Life

ccliv. BEATLES, THE

Got To Get You Into My Life (1966)
Paul, vocal, bass
John, lead guitar, organ
George, lead guitar, tambourine
Ringo, drums
Eddie Thornton, trumpet
Ian Hamer, trumpet
Les Condon, trumpet
Peter Coe, tenor saxophone
Alan Branscombe, tenor saxophone
(2:29)

From Revolver.

A Paul song; an ode to cannabis.

Recorded April 7, 8, 11; May 18, June 17, 20 and 22.

Nine takes.

The first version (April 7th, Anthology 2) is radically different than the final cut.

It was during the May sessions that Paul decided to replace the fuzz guitars with brass.

An indication of how valuable track space was in those days, listen at 1:44 when the tambourine is suddenly cut off, and at 1:56 when Paul's vocals go from double-tracked to single!

ccliii. STOCKHAUSEN, Markus: . . . Breaking . . .

ccliii. STOCKHAUSEN, Markus (1957-       )

. . . Breaking . . . (1989)
MS, trumpet, fluegelhorn, synthesizer
Gary Peacock, bass
Fabrizio Ottaviucci, piano
Zoro Babel, drums
(2:50)

from Cosi Lontano . . . Quasi Dentro.

Son of the great Karlheinz, he naturally gravitated towards a musical career, first learning piano, then trumpet.

This was his second album (for ECM).

Sandwiched between the first track So Far . . . (Cosi Lontano) and the final track . . . Almost Inside (Quasi Dentro), are titles with elipses before and after the title.

This track seems to translate the title through music -- the players are breaking through -- (. . . through is the next track!).

His father's influence is definitely apparent.

cclii. BEATLES, THE: The Ballad of John and Yoko

cclii. BEATLES, THE

The Ballad of John and Yoko (1969)
John, vocal, guitar, percussion
Paul, drums, backing vocal, bass, piano, maracas
(3:05)

from The Ballad of John and Yoko/Old Brown Shoe (single).

A lot of people think this is a post-Beatles song -- but it was recorded on April 14, 1969, and released as a Beatles single in late May/early June.

The ballad is the story of how the couple tried so hard to get married.

First they wanted to have the ceremony on a cross-channel ferry. They went to Southampton only to discover that Yoko couldn't go because she wasn't English.

Paris was similarly complicated. They called Peter Brown, who proposed Gilbraltar. They married there on March 20, 1969.

Peter Brown called to say
You can make it okay
You can get married in Gibraltar, near Spain

They flew back to Paris, had dinner with Salvador Dalí, and then on to Amsterdam, where they held their famous seven-day bed-in for peace at the Hilton, Room 902.

They returned to London on April 1st, and John immediately brought the song to Paul.

Paul immediately reacted to the lyrics about Christ and crucifixion:

"Jesus Christ, you're kidding, aren't you? Someone really is going to get upset about it."

Paul helped John finish the final verse and they immediately got Geoff Emerick to reserve Abbey Road on the 14th.

George was away, recording chants with Raha Krishna monks, and Ringo was filming The Magic Christian.

Eleven takes, and it was in the can.

ccli. DUKE, George: Dog-Man

ccli. DUKE, George (1946-2013)

Dog-Man (1979)
GD, keyboards
David Myles, guitars
Byron Lee Miller, bass
Ricky Lawson, drums
Gary Herbig, saxophones
Bill Reichenbach Jr., trombone
Jerry Hey, trumpet
(4:37)

from Master of the Game.

Stone Cold Triplets.

ccl. ZAPPA, Frank: King Kong

ccl. ZAPPA, Frank (1940-1993)

King Kong Itself (as played by the Mothers in a studio) (0:52)
King Kong (Its Magnificence As Interpreted By Dom DeWild) (1:20)
King Kong (As Motorhead Explains It) (1:45)
King Kong (The Gardner Varieties) (6:21)
King Kong (As Played By 3 Deranged Good Humor Trucks) (0:32)
King Kong (Live On A Flat Bed Diesel In The Middle Of A Race Track At A Miami Pop Festival)
FZ, guitar, low grade vocals, percussion
Ray Collins, swell vocals
Jimmy Carl Black, drums, droll humor, poverty
Roy Estrada, bass, cheesburgers, Pachuco falsetto
Don (Dom De Wild) Preston, electric piano, tarot cards, brown rice
Billy (The Oozer) Mundi, drums on some pieces before he quit to join RHINOCEROS
Bunk (Sweetpants) Gardner, piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, bassoon (all of these electric and/or no-electric depending)
Ian Underwood, electric organ, piano, harpsichord, celeste, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, special assistant, copyist, industrial relations & teen appeal
Artie (With the Green Mustache) Tripp, drums, timpani, vibes, marimba, xylophone, wood blocks, bells, small chimes, cheerful outlook & specific inquiries
Euclid James (Motorhead/Motorishi) Sherwood, pop star, frenetic tenor saxophone stylings, tambourine, choreography, obstinance & equipment setter-upper when he's not hustling local groupies
(7:29)

from: Uncle Meat.

King Kong (or some variation thereof) appears on 28 official FZ albums:

1. Lumpy Gravy (1967)
2. Uncle Meat (1969)
3. Weasels Ripped My Flesh (1970)
4. Chunga's Revenge (1970)
5. Fillmore East -- June 1971 (1971)
6. Tinsel Town Rebellion (1981)
7. Guitar (1988)
8. You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 (1989)
9. Make A Jazz Noise Here (1991)
10. You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 (1992)
11. Playground Psychotics (1992)
    
12. You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 (1992)
13. Ahead Of Their Time (1993)
14. Trance-Fusion (2006)
15. The Lumpy Money Project/Object (2009)
16. Hammersmith Odeon (2010)
17. Carnegie Hall (2011)
18. Road Tapes, Venue #1 (2012)
19. Finer Moments (2012)
20. Roxy By Proxy (2014)
21. Meat Light (2016)
22. Road Tapes, Venue #3 (2016)
23. Halloween 77 (2017)
24. The Roxy Performances (2018)
25. Halloween 73 (2019)
26. Halloween 81 (2020)
27. The Mothers 1970 (2020)
28. Zappa -- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2020)

+ Jean-Luc Ponty's fantastic 1970 album, King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa.

**

From (18) above:

"We would like to play for you 'The Legend Of King Kong.'

Story about a large, electric gorilla marooned -- marooned on an island somewhere in the middle of the ocean, leading a happy, banana-fed existence, until one day some very shrewd Americans discover that he's happening on a cosmic giant gorilla level on the island, and they figure that -- seeing as how they're smart, and shrewd, and American businessmen, you know, unequaled in the world of creative finance, you know how they are -- they're gonna get themselves together on a boat and go to the place where the gorilla is and they're gonna snatch him right up.

So they do, they go out there and they catch the gorilla -- who is obviously not very thrilled about it -- and they knock him out, stick him on the boat, bring him back to the United States, make a lot of money off of him, then they kill him."

ccxlix. KENEALLY, Mike: Dee 'n' A

ccxlix. KENEALLY, Mike (1961-       )

Dee 'n' A (2002)
Marcelo Radulovich, atmosphere, sounds
Nathan Hubbard, drums, percussion, sounds
MK, other instruments, singing, sounds
(6:46)

from: Wooden Smoke.

"For those of you who've had trouble digesting my standard 70-minute-plus CDs in the past, this is the Keneally album for you. I went into this project wanting to make a 50-minute CD, and I've done it! Are you proud of me? I'm thrilled to have finally made an album which feels complete, but which you don't have to struggle to work into your schedule. I got to the point with this one."

ccxlviii. KENEALLY, Mike: David Lynch's Curtains -- Sleepwalk With Me

ccxlviii. KENEALLY, Mike (1961-       )

David Lynch's Curtains -- Sleepwalk With Me (2002)
Nate Hubbard, drums, percussion
Lee Elderton, saxophone
MK, other instruments, singing, sounds
(1:49)

from: Wooden Smoke Asleep.

"Wooden Smoke Asleep is a somnambulistic, abstract reflection of the original acoustically-based Wooden Smoke album, comprised of remixes, reinterpretations and additional music. The premise is that after you've listened to Wooden Smoke, you fall into a deep slumber. Wooden Smoke Asleep comes to you in a dream."

ccxlvii. GTO's: The Captain's Fat Theresa Shoes

ccxlvii. GTO's

The Captain's Fat Theresa Shoes (1969)
Miss Christine, vocals
Miss Mercy, vocals
Miss Cinderella, vocals
Miss Pamela, vocals
Miss Sandra, vocals
Jeff Beck, guitar
Lowell George, guitar
Ry Cooder, guitar
Roy Estrada, bass
Craig Doerge, keyboards
Ian Underwood, keyboards
Nicky Hopkins, keyboards
Don Preston synthesizer
Jimmy Carl Black, drums
Frank Zappa, tambourine
(1:56)

from: Permanent Damage.

"This is a song about a pair of crazed shoes CAPTAIN BEEFHEART wears."

Music by Davy Jones.

A brown felt top hat wrapped with a bow
Yellow wrap around girl-watchers that never show
His blue eyes, his blue eyes
What a fantastic disguise
He's so grand and fantastic, so wonderful.

The T of his T-strap stands for Tippie-Toes
His Tippie-Toes fit him to a T.
Oh C.B. do a tap dance for me.
With you bigga fat Tippie-Toe Theresa shoes.

A jacket with virgin, virgin button holes
Reaching for experienced buttons
Thin striped chords that circle his
Porcelain ankles funneling down to
The Captain's fat Theresa shoes.

ccxlvi. SHANKAR: Darlene

ccxlvi. SHANKAR (1950-       )

Darlene (1979)
S, violin
Phil Palmer, mandolin, guitars
Dave Marquee, bass
Simon Phillips, drums
James Lascelles, keyboards
(3:02)

from: Touch Me There.

Lakshminarayana Shankar was born in Madras (now Chennai) and raised in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) ... he came to the U.S. in 1969 and studied ethnomusicology at Wesleyan.

In 1975, he and John McLaughlin formed Shakti ("creative intelligence, beauty, power") and recorded three magnificent albums.

He played with Zappa for a short period -- producing a magnificent track called Thirteen (from You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 6).

**

Zappa produced this album.

Here Shankar rips it up in a gorgeous, short tune mostly in FIVE. At 1:41 the band plays a fast, unison lick reminiscent of something FZ might have written.

Sharp acute stabs which nicely interrupt the previous rhythmic flow, and comes back to conclude the tune.

ccxlv. GRATEFUL DEAD: Dark Star

ccxlv. GRATEFUL DEAD

Dark Star (1969)
Tom Constanten, organ
Jerry Garcia, guitar, vocals
Mickey Hart, drums, percussion
Bill Kreutzmann, drums, percussion
Phil Lesh, bass, vocals
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, vocals, congas
Bob Weir, guitar, vocals
(23:07)

from: Live/Dead.

February 27, 1969, Fillmore West. Tickets were $3.75 ...

Out of nothingness, Garcia's guitar worms its way through the haze of the sonic vibrations of the atmosphere ... and

Dark star crashes
Pouring its light into ashes
Reason tatters
The forces tear loose from the axis

Searchlight casting
For faults in the clouds of delusion
Shal we go you and I while we can
Through the TRANSITIVE nightfall of diamonds?

Garcia finds a riff, the rest of the band latches on and off they go, until ...

Mirror shatters
In formless reflections of matter
Glass hand dissolving in ice petal flowers revolving

Lady in velvet
Recedes in the nights of goodbye
Shall we go, you and I
While we can

Through the TRANSITIVE nightfall of diamonds ...

ccxliv. METHENY, Pat: Open

ccxliv. METHENY, Pat (1954-       )

Open (1980)
PM, guitar
Charlie Haden, bass
Dewey Redman, tenor saxophone
Jack DeJohnette, drums
(14:26)

from: 80/81.

After huge commercial and critical success after five albums with the Pat Metheny Group, PM had no particular reason to go out and to do this kind of adventurous -- potentially non-commercial -- outing, other than wanting to stretch himself musically and play ...

And stretch and play he did.

This is adventurous stuff, you only need to glance at the cats on the cover to see that. DeJohnette by himself is an amazing adventure.

This long open tune gives everyone a chance to stretch out their chops. The whole band vibrates with intensity and Pat needs no coaxing to become an ensemble player -- it's his date, after all, and he could have fronted the thing more obviously if he had so desired -- but he is a total team player.

**

The last few minutes were apparently something PM wrote out for the band to finish up on. The rest is just a group improvising like mad, creating some of the best ECM music from the time.

A million stars.

ccxliii. MINGUS, Charles: Better Get It In Your Soul

ccxliii. MINGUS, Charles (1922-1979)

Better Git It In Your Soul (1959)
CM, bass
John Handy, alto saxophone
Booker Ervin, tenor saxophone
Jimmy Knepper, trombone
Horace Parlan, piano
Donnie Richmond, drums
(7:20)

from: Mingus Ah Um.

A rousing blues in 6/4 which feels like it's got plenty 'o church in it!

Ervin's first up, with Knepper in the background playing a repeated single tone. Then Parlan -- a simple repeated riff, again with Knepper in the background.

Handy sneaks in and out of the driving rhythm section. Parlan again -- this is Mingus keepin' things moving.

Ervin returns with only handclaps accompanying him for a chorus until the rhythm section bursts back in.

Richmond trades choruses with the band coming in and out with that single, repeated-note riff ...

The head and the slowed-down ending:

ccxlii. ZAPPA, Frank: The Evolution of Twenty Small Cigars

ccxlii. ZAPPA, Frank (1940-1993)

The Evolution of Twenty Small Cigars

1. Transition (Section 1, in Session)
Ian Underwood, piano
Max Bennett, bass
John Guerin, drums
(6:17)

14 takes. Girdle Rides Up Girdle Rides Down. Guerin tries to kill a fly with his brushes.

2. Transition (Section 1, Master Take)
same as (1)
(2:25)

Got it!

3. Transition (Section 2, Intercut, In Session)
(1:50)

Frank wants Ian to make the left-hand chords fatter!

4. Transition (Section 2, Intercut, Master Take)

(2:43)

Got it!

5. Transition (Section 3, Intercut, In Session)

(2:29)

FZ: Watch those chords, Ian! Some of 'em are a little bit ... weird.
Ian: [...] Wrong!
FZ: I wanted to be tactful, seeing as you've been playing for seven hours.
(Ian gets frustrated) ...

6. Transition (Section 3, Intercut, Master Take)

(2:13)

Got it!

7. Transition (Full Version)

same as (1) but add FZ, guitar

(6:22)

(2) (4) and (6) combined.

all from The Hot Rats Sessions (2019).

8. Twenty Small Cigars
same as (7)
(2:17)

from: Chunga's Revenge (1970).

and Frank -- having renamed the tune -- doesn't include it on Hot Rats; and like a master filmmaker who knows that a cutting room has a floor for a reason -- cuts out all but the first 2:17, and slaps it on Chunga's between Road Ladies and The Nancy & Mary Music!