Estratto dal film documentario "Hail! Hail! Rock n Roll!" del 1987 diretto da Taylor Hackford 

Il documentario racconta due concerti del 1986 che celebrano il sessantesimo compleanno di Chuck Berry. 

In questo estratto in particolare si vede il "padre" del rock & roll, sconsolato, dare una lezioncina su come si suona la sua "Carol" al "figlioccio" e oramai famosissimo Keith Richards. E' divertente vedere come Richards, umilissimo anche se evidentemente infastidito dai modi di Berry, si impegni al massimo a reimparare un brano che, con gli Stones, aveva più volte suonato molti anni prima.

"..Leave the amp as i set it! That's my amp and I'm setting it the way i wish it!...That's the way Chuck Berry plays it, you understand?!" 

The Small Faces "All Or Nothing" - 1966

I thought you'd listen to my reason
But now I see, you don't hear a thing
Try to make you see, how it's got to be

Yes it's all, all or nothing
Yeah yeah, All or nothing
All or nothing, for me

Things could work out just like I want them to, yeah
If I could have the other half of you, yeah
You know I would, If I only could

Yes it's yeah, all or nothing
Oh yeah, all or nothing
You'll hear my children say, all or nothing, for me

I didn't tell you no lies
So don't you sit there and cry girl
Yeah, all or nothing
Oh yeah, all or nothing
Oh yeah, all or nothing
D'you know what I mean
You got to, got to, go to keep on trying, yeah
All or nothing, mm yeah
All or nothing, to keep on working on to me
All or nothing for me, for me, for me
Come on children, yeah
All or nothing, yeah,yeah, yeah, yeah
All or nothing, I kept on singing to myself
All or nothing, yeah for me, yeah

Devendra Banhart "A Ribbon" - 2004

Video diretto da Michel Gondry

I'd like to sing to you, if you'd like me too
I'd like to sing to you, if you'd like me too
I'd like to sing, sing, sing, sing, sing to you

I'd like to dance with you, if you'd like me too
I'd like to dance with you, if you'd like me too
I'd like to dance, dance, dance, dance, dance with you

I'd like to sleep with you, if you'd like me too
I'd like to sleep with you, if you'd like me too
I'd like to sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep with you

Ribbons around the fumes, we'll be sleeping soon
Ribbons around the fumes, we'll be sleeping soon

Frank Black And The Catholics "Black Letter Days"

Capitol 2002 UK
Prodotto da Nick Vincent
Registrato da Ben Mumphrey a Los Angeles nello studio di registrazione mobile di Frank Black & The Catholics 
Copertina: Sammy Zax
Design: Butter x 10
Tutti i brani sono composti da Frank Black eccetto dove diversamente indicato.
Titoli: 1. The Black Rider (Tom Waits) 2. California Bound 3. Chip Away Boy 4. Cold Heart Of Stone 5. Black Letter Day 6. Valentine And Garuda 7. How You Went So Far 8. End Of Miles 9. 1826 10. The Farewell Bend 11.Southbound Bevy 12. I Will Run After You 13. True Blue 14. Jane The Queen Of Love 15. Jet Black River 16. 21 Reasons 17. Whispering Weeds 18. The Black Rider (Tom Waits)
Musicisti: Frank Black - voce, chitarra; Scott Boutier - batteria; Eric Feldman - tastiere, sintetizzatore, voci; Rich Gilbert - chitarra, pedal steel, tastiere, sassofono, voci; David McCaffrey - basso, voci; Dave Philips - chitarra, pedal steel, voci; Moris Tepper - chitarre e voci; Nick Vincent - maracas

Recensione:

Con questo doppio album, Frank Black, ex cantante dei Pixies, e i suoi Catholics mettono a fuoco perfettamente il percorso musicale intrapreso nel 1998 con l' uscita dell' omonimo album, fatto di rock impetuosi, ballate elettro- acustiche, echi country e più capricciosi pezzi dalle reminiscenze Pixies. Il lavoro allinea, rispetto al recente passato, una numerosa carrellata di canzoni stupende e trascinanti, senza cadute di tono, dall’ impianto classicamente rock e da una omogeneità che ne fa il suo punto di forza. Da ricordare la cover in apertura di “The Black Rider” di Tom Waits, "Chip Away Boy" con cadenza western, la bellissima “California Bound”, la ballata “Cold Heart Of Stone”, l'energica title-track, “Southbound Bevy” con tanto di pedal-steel guitar e aria decisamente country, la bella ripresa di "I Will Run After You", anche se un pò inutile perchè quasi identica a quella registrata nel precedente "Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day" del 2000, la breve ed intensa "True Blue", e "Jet Black River".

"Black Letter Days" può senz’ altro essere considerato il disco più riuscito di Frank Black dopo il diverso ma altrettanto bello "Teenager Of The Year" del 1994, secondo lavoro solista del nostro. 
Nota: il titolo si riferisce a tutti i giorni dell'anno non festivi, in contrapposizione ai "Red Letter Days" che negli Stati Uniti stanno ad indicare appunto le vacanze.

Pieces Of A Dream "We Are One"

Elektra 1982 USA

Prodotto da Grover Washington, Jr.

Registrato e mixato al Sigma Sound Studio

       

Townes Van Zandt "Pancho & Lefty" - dal film "Heartworn Highways"

Townes Van Zandt "Waiting Around To Die" - dal film "Heartworn Highways"

Il video vede Townes Van Zandt seduto nella cucina del vicino di casa, il fabbro settantanovenne Uncle Seymour Washington. Durante una lunga conversazione a proposito dei meriti del whiskey, Washington dice: "People condemn whiskey, but but they have no right to. ’Cause when God created the heaven and earth, he also created barley, and rye, and if he didn’t think those things were good for man, he wouldn’t’ve let those things grow. Just like he created food for us to subsist on, but he didn’t mean for us to eat so much of it until it was detrimental to us. You don’t have to drink a barrel of whiskey just because it’s sittin’ in front of you …” 

"Heartworn Highways" - Film Trailer 


"Heartworn Highways" è un film-documentario diretto da James Szalapski che racconta alcuni dei fondatori del movimento chiamato "Outlaw Country" (che si contrapponeva negli anni '60 e '70 al "Nashville Sound") nel Texas e nel Tennessee, e si focalizza in particolare sui grandi cantautori texani come Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, John Hiatt, Larry Jon Wilson, David Allan Coe, Guy Clark e Townes Van Zandt. Il film venne registrato nelle ultime settimane del 1975 e nelle prime settimane del 1976, ma fu realizzato soltanto nel 1981.

"Nude" - fotografia di Edward Weston - 1936

"Pepper Number 30" - fotografia di Edward Weston -1930

Edward Weston (Highland Park, Illinois, 24 marzo 1886 - Wildcat Hill, California, 1 gennaio 1958) - fotografato da Tina Modotti nel 1924

Ansel Adams: "Weston è uno dei pochi artisti creativi del nostro tempo... I suoi lavori illuminano il viaggio spirituale dell'uomo verso la perfezione"

Soft Machine "Moon In June" - The Peel Sessions

(Words and Music by Robert Wyatt )

I can still remember 

The last time we played on Top Gear 

And though each little song 

Was less than three minutes long 

Mike squeezed a solo in... somehow 

And although we like our longer tunes 

It seemed polite to cut them down 

To little bits - they might be hits 

Who gives an... after all ? 

Tell me how would you feel 

In the place of John Peel ? 

You just can't please 

all of the musicians all the time 

Playing now is lovely 

Here in the BBC 

We're free to play almost as long and as loud 

As a jazz group, or an orchestra on Radio 3 

There are dancehalls and theatres 

With acoustics worse than here 

Not forgetting the extra facilities 

Such as the tea machine, just along the corridor 

So to all our mates like Kevin, 

Caravan, the old Pink Floyd 

Allow me to recommend Top Gear 

Despite its extraordinary name 

Yes, playing, playing now is lovely 

Here in the BBC 

We're free to play almost as long and as loud 

As the foreign language classes... and the John Cage interview... 

and the jazz groups... and the orchestras on Radio 3 

Pop stars drink each others' wine 

Plough each others' earth 

Hoping for companionship 

And then perhaps rebirth 

Plant seeds in fresher plots of earth 

Bound up in concepts and dreams 

And fears of worse things to come 

They never do 

They stay the same 

Music-making still 

Performs a normal function 

Background noise for people 

Eating and talking and drinking and smoking 

That's all right by us 

Don't think that we're complaining 

After all it's only leisure time, isn't it ? 

I could almost sing this song 

In a nice tone of voice 

If I had to, I'd be glad to 

It's awfully nice to be here 

So let's open the beers and get tipsy 

We'd be mad to 

But if you sound refined 

You just can't blow the mind of a kiddy 

Or a young lady 

And if you come from the sun 

You just can't fool them all into thinking 

That you're alright really 

So before this feeling dies 

Remember, I could be telling lies 

Now, I love your eyes 

See how the time flies 

I think it's so great 

You seem to change your fate 

By working and playing 

Something new in every way 

Can be yours in a day 

But I wonder what I'm really saying 

So just before this feeling dies 

Remember I may be telling lies 

Falsehoods 

White lies 

Adverts 

Idle-check 

Banter 

Half truths 

Rumours 

And just lies, plain lies... 

I shan't say... 

One more word... 

So instead... I'll play drums... 

John Coltrane "Coltrane"

Impulse! 1962 USA

Foto di copertina: Pete Turner

Lato A: 1.Out Of This World (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) 2. Soul Eyes (Mal Waldron) Lato B: 1. The Inch Worm (Frank Loesser) 2. Tunji (Coltrane) 3. Miles' Mode (Coltrane) CD Bonus Tracks: 1. Big Nick (Coltrane) 2. Up 'Gainst The Wall (Coltrane)

Musicisti: John Coltrane - sassofono tenore/sassofono soprano; McCoy Tyner - pianoforte; Jimmy Garrison - contrabbasso; Elvin Jones - batteria

Miles Davis immortalato da Irving Penn per la copertina dell'album "Tutu" del 1986

James Brown "Mother Popcorn" - Live Music Scene 1969

Howlin' Wolf fotografato da Peter Amft

The Rolling Stones "Brown Sugar" - Top Of The Pops 1971

The Rolling Stones "Wild Horses" - 1971

The Rolling Stones
da sinistra: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Mick Taylor e Bill Wyman - interno del LP "Sticky Fingers" del 1971 - fotografia di Andy Warhol