Tosh Berman's Blog, page 112

"Maybe The People Would Be The Times" by Luc Sante (VCP)

 

I identify with Luc Sante's writings because we seem to share an interest in urban street history and its culture and music, films, French crime books & literature. He's a superb essayist with very sharp intelligence, and I love how he approaches his subject matters by making it personal.  Born in 1954,  he was born in Belgium and moved to the United States. His sensitivity is that he's very much aware that he lives in a duo-cultural existence. He's both an American and a European. Through his writing, I get the impression that he feels like an alien in a different world. Sante approaches to culture as buying a nice winter coat in the cold. The very essence of music, art, and literature is deadly important to him. 

"Maybe The People Would Be The Times" is a compilation of Luc's writings from the 21st-century. It includes essays on music, cultural history, writers (great article on Richard Stark), Punk Rock & Reggae, and life in Manhattan during the 1970s. The book's title came from an Arthur Lee song, "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale," a classic tune from Love's "Forever Changes" album. I can tell that Sante wrote poetry due to his dense but straight forward prose, but not a wasted word in these essays. Reading some of the chapters in this book is like a physical presence in one's conscious. I can feel Georges Simenon, Patti Smith, Ricard Stark, and others in this volume as if they are sitting across from me. 

Tosh's Favorite Books: 2020

 I've been doing a lot of reading in 2020, and mostly books on music for our podcast BOOK MUSIK. Still, here is the list of my favorite books I read this year, and I recommend that you too, give these books a read. Not in any special order:

1) "Self-Portrait with Russian Piano" Wolf Wondratschek (Fiction)2) "Maybe the People Would Be the Times" Luc Sante (essays)3) "A Sound Mind" Paul Morley (Music History/Essays)4) "Peter and the Wolves" Adele Bertei (Memoir)5) "Recombo DNA: The Story of DEVO, or how the 60s become the 80s" Kevin C. Smith (Music & Culture)6)"Sweet Dreams" Dylan Jones (Music History)7) "Suppose a Sentence" Brian Dillon (essays)8) "William N. Copley: Selected Writings" (art history)9)"Wagnerism" Alex Ross (music history)10) "Written in Invisible Ink" Hervé Guibert (Fiction)11) "Niche" Momus (memoir)12) "Felix Fénéon: The Anarchist and the Avant-Garde" (art/literature history)13) "Wrong: A Critical Biography of Dennis Cooper" Diarmuid Hester14) "Figure It Out" Wayne Koestenbaum (essays)15) "Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things" Robin Muir (Social History)16) "Tapping the Source" Kem Nunn (Surf-Noir)17) "The Kinks: Songs of the Semi-Detached" Mark Doyle (music history/London)18) "Stockhausen Serves Imperialism" Cornelius Cardew (Music & Politics)19) "Gidget" Frederick Kohner (Surf biography)20) "Dora Lives: The Autobiography of Miki Dora" (Surf art/Memior)21) "French New Wave: A Revolution in Design" Tony Nourmand (Film and graphic design history)22) "It Gets Me Home, This Curving Track" Ian Penman (music essays)23) "Parallel Play" Tim Page (memoir)24) "The Subversion of Images" Paul Nougé (art/surrealism)25) "Tony Conrad Writings" Andrew Lampert (essays)

"Self-Portrait with Russian Piano" by Wolf Wondratschek; translated by Marshall Yarbrough (FSG)

 

ISBN: 978-0-374-26049-1

 




"Self-Portrait with Russian Piano" is an interesting title to this dream-like narrative of an unknown narrator having a series of cafe meetings with a Russian pianist named Suvorin.  The novel goes from first-person to third and beyond, as we get a series of stories about a great musician's life. Does the title hint that the Suvorin is giving the story about his life, or is it more of an imagined or made-up landscape by our mysterious narrator? 
I never heard of Wolf Wondratschek, whose name sounds like a James Bond villain, but that is probably because I'm a Californian fellow with love for the exotic - real or not real.  The location is set in Vienna and a series of cafes or an Italian restaurant.  Suvorin mostly orders water and is keen to talk about his life to this stranger.  He is old, a widow, and it seems that he may have met a new and one presumes a young lover.  We are never sure what is fact or fiction, but we do get the full personality of Suvorin, in that reminds one of an eccentric Glenn Gould.  Like that pianist, Suvorin grew to dislike the sound of applause from a live audience.  He prefers silence or a meditative series of moments after performing a piece. 
The duality is that it is a book about music and the dream-like encounters one has in life, and perhaps a bit of a self-conversation among the pros and cons of culture in a city like Vienna.  Wonratschek is an amazing writer, and this tightly told work in short chapters, which reads like a short story to me at times, is quite remarkable. 

Tom Recchion - "Chaotica" CD, Album, 1996 (Birdman Records)

 

I treasure Tom Recchion's sensibility.  I tend not to separate his graphic arts work from his work as an artist and composer.  He takes second-hand information, in this case, music from another era, that held promise to the American imagination, which was exotica.   Recchion makes the old recordings and transforms them into new music, but not erasing the music's original purpose.  To transform the listener into another world.  As Exotica music is a tour of the outside world, "Chaotica" is a journey into the inner world.  Exotica brings relaxation, "Chaotica" brings relaxation but with an emotional edge. 
There were no overdubs or edits made during the recording.  Recchion used pre-recorded tape-loops and then improvised over the music using keyboards and various digital and analog effects.  "Chaotica" is a relative of Musique Concréte, but with a refined delicacy.   A great album from a brilliant artist. 

The Bachelor Pad: "All Hash and Cock: The Very Best of The Bachelor Pad (Emotional Response)

 

"All Hash and Cock: The Very Best of The Bachelor Pad - The Bachelor Pad (Emotional Response)

There are moments in life when one is confronted by something familiar but so beautiful. The Batchelor Pad is a band from Scotland, who released a handful of singles and one album "Tales of Hofmann." They recently released "All Hash and Cock: The Very Best of The Bachelor Pad," a compilation of their old recordings from 1987 -1991, but sounds like a solid album, not a collection of old recordings. It starts off with the song "The Album of Jack" that references "She Loves You" by the Fab Four and ends with "I Want To Hold Your Head," which lightly comments on "I Want to Hold Your Hand." In-between those two songs, you are taken on a ride through the 1960s/1970s UK pop music but never losing the touch of The Bachelor Pad's originality and humor. To define their sound, I could say they're noisy with irresistible pop melodies. Psych-rock in the most real sense, but their canvas is much larger than that.  

Listening to this compilation, I can hear various artists' presence, but not necessarily a full-end tribute. It's more like a Richard Hamilton college or a Joseph Cornell box sculpture where there are individual pieces that tie to a specific visual or sensibility, but as a whole, it becomes an original artwork. The Bachelor Pad is the same in that they are part of their influences, but the way they put their songs together, it becomes un unique aural sound piece.  

All the songs are layered with guitars, keyboards, bass, and drums, but merge into a sound that is partly Joe Meek meets classic Move (Roy Wood) when they did their early singles. The songs are written by Tommy Cherry and Martin Cotter, and both are credited for guitars and vocals. Due to the sonic qualities, I can't tell who or what guitar is playing; it all blends in such a style as an early Associates recording. They throw in the bathtub and sink, but the sound is chaos with plenty of hummable melodies. "Do It For Fun" sounds like a demented Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich song, but even crazier.   

There are no weak cuts on this compilation, but the stand out is what I believe was their last recording, and it was solely written by Cherry "Meet the Lovely Jenny Brown." The definition of this song is 'Perfect Pop." A beautiful build-up to the catchy chorus, it's a hit song that somehow fell through the cracks of time. A remarkable song on a perfect compilation that sounds like an amazing album. -Tosh Berman. 

December 19, 2920 (Poem)

 December 19, 2020

Tree limb breaksscotch tape it together with the saplingif it doesn’t takepull the tree downChances are, it’s a reflectionof lovesurviving a crisisOh my, I fallThe stars above are covered by tree leavesthe light reflecting between kindling and frondis nature’s spotlightwe can be movie stars if we tryI’ll stay here, facing the heights of the skythan say meeting the depths of despairtorn issues of Face Magazine still placed in numeral orderfrom issue one to issue whateverpretty much describes my life

David Bowie - "Metrobolist (Nine Songs by David Bowie) Parlophone

 

In our reality, David Bowie is Elvis Presley. Not only do they share the same birthday and both recorded songs called "Black Star," but also in death, their music is released and looked as new. Tony Visconti, a significant figure in Bowie's career and music, has done a series of classic Bowie work remixes. One may think this is nothing but exploitation or a grasp to make more money in the memory of David Bowie. The truth is, Visconti has done magnificent work as a remixer as well as the original producer of these recordings. It's an artist (as producer) going back to his canvas to clean or refresh the imagery on one level. "Metrobolist" (Nine Songs by David Bowie)" is such a work. Most of us fans and consumers know this album as "The Man Who Sold The World," but it seems that wasn't the original title that Bowie given this record. At the last moment, the label changed titles without Bowie's knowledge at the time. 

"TMWSTW" has always had a muddy sound that made the songs heavy and mono-orientated sounds. It's like someone taking a shovel of mud and throwing it in your face. My first reaction to the album in 1972 was that this is a hard rock record compared to "Hunky Dory," his next album at that time. It's obvious to a listener in the early 70s can see Bowie worked from a broad landscape of different worlds sound-wise. "TMWSTW" is a great album and will always be an essential recording from a legendary artist. Including the contributions from Mick Ronson and Visconti knew how to take Bowie to the next level. "Metrobolist" is a mirror reflection of that album but cleaned up and allowing more textures to be added for the supreme listening experience. 

Nuances show up, more than 'ah-ha' moments while listening to "Metrobolist." The vocals have a touch of more echo. Still, the drums' presence mixed to another volume is especially lovely, and hearing the layered guitars from Ronson and the acoustic guitar work from who I think is Bowie. The Moog is also clearly heard in these new mixes. When you hear "Metrobolist," I hear or more aware of the arrangements. It sounds like a work from a band (Visconti, Bowie, Ronson, drummer Mick Woodmansey, and Ralf Mace, who is credited for the Moog playing and Mick Ronson) than a solo artist. 

"The Supermen" is incredible here, with the galloping drums by Woodmansey. If you're a Bowie fan, this is a must-hear or buy. Beyond that, both albums are superb, and now both in print. The world is a better place with "The Man Who Sold The World" as well "Metrobolist." 

Wallace Berman, BOOSTER, 1967 - Kohn Gallery

 

Wallace Berman, BOOSTER, 1967800.00

Now available limited edition vintage poster from the estate of Wallace Berman. Offset poster published by John Martin. Dimensions are 25 x 22inches

Wallace Berman, BOOSTER, 1967

Wallace Berman, LOVE, 1965

 

Wallace Berman, LOVE, 1965500.00

Now available limited edition vintage poster from the estate of Wallace Berman. Offset poster. Dimensions are 17 x 21 inches

Wallace Berman, LOVE, 1965

David Bowie - "Ouverz Le Chien (Live Dallas 95) ISO Records

 

It was not exactly a redesign of David Bowie, but of a re-think, or a new charge of energy and thought into his career and music in 1995.  For me, this is when Bowie got back his groove, and he became fascinated with the world around him.   After hitting a creative (and perhaps commercially) dead-end in the late 1980s, he started up with a band, Tin Machine. A guitar-driven band that reminds me at times of a rave-up era of The Yardbirds. All that is missing are songs by Graham Gouldman. Still, Bowie actually filtering the great British hitmaker in supplying or co-writing songs with fellow band members that are retro in the sense of the importance of being in a band.  In a manner, it is very much Bowie losing himself as a brand being part of a band.  The truth is, Bowie has always been a collaborator with every musician he has worked with in the past. 
"Outside" (1995) was the album that gave him an entrance back to the avant-garde, and re-invent a new approach in recording that album.  For example, almost every song is written by all the musicians during the recording of that music.  If not, co-written by Eno.  It's a late Bowie masterpiece, and when he went on tour to support "Outside," he put together a new band, except for his guitarist (and co-writer) Reeves Gabriel, Mike Garson, and Carlos Alomar.  The new star of the show is bassist and backup singer Gail Ann Dorsey, who is amazing. Lucky us there are live tapes of the shows.  "Ouverz Le Chien" is a show that took place in Texas, and it's a refreshing listening experience. 
For one, Bowie does only a handful of his older songs, and they are usually not done live at the time or deep cuts in his excellent catalog of material.  What is remarkable are the live versions of music from "Outside."  In the studio, it sounds very much like work produced in a laboratory.  Here, they come off as songs of great force and grace.  He does a re-work of "The Man Who Sold The World" without the major guitar riff until the end as a quiet reminder that is faint as a loving memory.  This must have been a remarkable show to witness, but at least we have a great recording, for those who weren't there, or a few that lives with that evening as a ghost-image of a wonderful performance.