FREAKS OF NATURE
Sometimes, the impossible happens, but in fact the history revision started when THE BEATLES released their “Anthology” multi-album with all the fake mixes of the work tapes with the master takes and things like that, which just thikened the myth. Now, there’s another myth being “diverted and perverted”, as George Harrison would have said if he was alive to veto the forthcoming release of“Let It Be… Naked”, a new version of The Fabs’ 1970’s record.
Recorded mostly during January 1969 sessions at the Twickenham Studios, where the filming of the documentary which would become “Let It Be” was taking place, the album hit the stores in April 1970, at the very same time that the news of the band’s split broke. The quartet didn’t pay as much attention to the project as to their real farewell masterpiece, “Abbey Road”, and it was famous producer Glyn Johns who handled what was originally called “Get Back”, instead of George Martin. Still, having had two goes on the album and having created two versions the boys found unsatisfactory – it reflected a bad vibe around the ensemble rather than their return to the rock roots – Johns handed the tapes over to John Lennon’s favourite meister, Phil Spector. The “Wall Of Sound” creator put his indelible stamp on the album when he added strings and female voices to some of the songs, “The Long And Winding Road” being the most exemplary of Spector’s approach, and had been harshly criticized over the years by Paul McCartney, the instigator of the “Naked” thing.
“De-mixed and re-mixed, un-dubbed of orchestration, choirs and effects and stripped-back to the raw”, it’s said to appear “as the nature intended”. Could be such, but everybody knows the name of Mother Nature’s son. And it it was such, there would have been numbers like “The Rocker”, “Save The Last Dance For Me” and “Teddy Boy” included, and the dialogue snippets, “Dig It” and “Maggie Mae” wouldn’t have been taken off the new version, even though the “Don’t Let Me Down” restoration within the context is justified. The content of “Let It Be… Naked” looks like this:
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1. Get Back 2. Dig A Pony 3. For You Blue 4. The Long And Winding Road 5. Two Of Us 6. I’ve Got A Feeling 7. One After 909 8. Don’t Let Me Down 9. I Me Mine 10. Across The Universe 11. Let It Be |
While the cover artwork is still considered tentative, the fact that it’s a negative is quite telling. That’s how react to the project long-time fans who (like DME) have the 60 CD-plus “Get Back Journals / Day By Day / Thirty Days” bootleg in their posession: alright, this is for aficionados, but then, why accompany the new album with a 20-minute bonus “fly-on-the-wall” disc featuring extracts of the tapes? More so, there are “historic photography of the recording sessions and extracts of band dialogue from the original booklet that first accompanied early copies of the 1970 album” in the CD booklet, as the press release has it – oh yes, but you can’t call the original thing of 150 pages a booklet, as it was a book (another great artefact in DME’s collection).
Well, we will place “Naked”, out on November 17th, alongside “Let It Be”, yet don’t whisper about the nature. Too Zen it would be,
THOSE CRIMSON “EYES”
Seeing KING CRIMSON is quite a risky and hazardous experience, so taking it on home to savour in whatever one’s personal dose is feels not a bad idea at all. To the band themselves as well, it seems, because Robert Fripp’s ensemble unleash the double DVD-set called “Eyes Wide Open”, on October 7th. Not much of classic material on there, this should be a delight anyway, though an inclusion of David Bowie’s “Heroes” is a dubious delight even with the song’s relation to Fripp. But the sound, the sound…
Disc 1 – Live In Japan:
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Disc 2 – Live at the Shepherds Bush:
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STANDING ON THE ROCK
He was the finest Scottish male voice, Frankie Miller. Unfortunately, he can’t sing now due to bad health, yet the warbler’s still adored by many. And these many should rejoice as there’s Frankie remastered albums bound to appear on September 29th, all augmented with bonus cuts – so it’s about time to get rid of the previous, Repertoire re-issues. The first batch of the CDs will have the following additional material on:
“Once In A Blue Moon”
– I Can See The Train
– Blow My Whistle
– Rules Of The Game
– And It’s Raining
“Highlife”
– Brickyard Blues (live)
– The Devil Gun (live)
– If You Need Me (live)
– With You In Mind (live)
“The Rock”
– A Fool In Love (live)
– Hard On The Levee (live)
– Sail Away (live)
– Drunken Nights In The City (live)
– Walking The Dog With Rory (live)
“Full House”
– Free And Safe On The Road (live)
– It Takes A Lot To Laugh (live)
– This Love Of Mine (live)
– Down The Honky Tonk (live)
QUIET STORMWATER
He’s an unsoppable human machine, Pete Townshend, and despite the fact that THE WHO numbers are just two now, their number’s not up still. With the “Tommy” 5.1 remix in the pipeline already, the veteran has set about doing the same trick with “Quadrophenia”, so the DVD version is guaranteed. But while polishing the past is a gratifying chore, Pete’s not afraid of the future, which lies in the band’s new album, another concept thing entitled “The Boy Who Heard Music”. The plan is to cut the demo version at the end of the year, then take it to the studio in March 2004 and on the road the following year. As to who will join Townshend and Roger Daltrey in their effort, it’s still uknown, though one can bet on Zak Starkey and Rabbit Bundrick.
FUNDA-METAL-LY AND KINGLY
Now that Rob Halford is firmly back at the JUDAS PRIEST mike stand and the tour in the works, what better way to remind everyone of what a force the band can be live than release a good DVD? The DVD featuring the metal kings’ fundamental promo videos, rare TV performances and the 1986 show, has a title of “Electric Eye” and due out on November 17th.
Videos:1. Living After Midnight |
“Priest……Live!”
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BBC Television Performances:1. Rocka Rolla – Old Grey Whistle Test (25.4.75) |
