A staggering 55 years ago, Trevor Midgley, aka Beau, a British singer-songwriter of a folk stripe, issued his sophomore album on which he was backed by the musicians of a band called TRACTOR, and their collaboration didn’t end after "Creation" was released. In 2000 Midgley and the ensemble’s drummer Steve Clayton teamed up to work on a musical dedicated to the great Andy Warhol and his motley coterie: Steve penned the play and Trevor wrote the songs. Still, the results of their toil and trouble stalled at the demo stage and eventually got shelved – until very recently. Incensed by seeing promos – discs used to shop it around – crop up on eBay for princely sums, Midgley returned to the original recordings and then, as he puts it, “re-imagined, re-engineered and re-produced them” using today’s studio techniques.
There are no 12-string guitars this time. “The original concept was Steve’s idea,” says Trevor. “It seemed bizarre to him then – and it’s still weird now – that the Warhol era had hardly been explored at all, other than on the old Reed/Cale ‘Songs For Drella’ album. For me, it was an interesting exercise. I’m not used to writing to characters. Usually I develop my own scenarios, then people them where necessary. What’s outside my comfort zone is representing the thinking, actions and attitudes of known people. That’s not what Beau does, and that’s why this is – and remains – a ‘Trevor Midgley’ piece. Singing and writing the women’s parts was fascinating; and maybe they do sound a bit weird in a male voice! But in the end, be grateful I didn’t try them in falsetto! My falsetto’s appalling… These are my own concise arrangements of the songs, but they do work both as standalone performances and as worthy demos for the ‘Warhol’ project!”
Warhol – The Musical: The Demos
The album will see the light of day – as a digital release, made available in the online stores – on November 6th.
1. Andy Warhol’s Song #1 – The Way It Was
2. Julia Warhola’s Song – Little Angel
3. Gerard Malanga’s Songs – Changing Times (Parts I-IV)
4. Billy Name & The Cast’s Song – The Sweet Messiah
5. The Cast’s Song #1 – Famous For Fifteen Minutes
6. Brigid Polk’s Song – In The Distance
7. Fred Hughes & The Cast’s Song – We Are The Business!
8. Paul Morrissey’s Song – Green Dollar Bill
9. Edie Sedgwick’s Song – We Will Be Dancing
10. Valerie Solanas’s Song – The Part We Have To Play
11. The Cast’s Song #2 – America For Sale
12. Andy & Edie’s Song – A Candle In A Searchlight
13. Ondine & The Cast’s Song – The Rise And Demise Of Andrew Warhola
14. The Cast’s Song #3 – Andy And His Camera
15. Andy’s Song #2 – In The Court Of Conscience
16. Fred’s Song – Web Of Tangled Reason
17. Andy, Brigid & Edie’s Song – Kiss Me With Your Eyes
18. Brigid & The Cast’s Song – The Shining Star
19. Curtain Call – Famous For Fifteen Minutes (Reprise)
