Tosh Berman's Blog, page 178
July 25, 2016
July 23, 2016
The Evening Series: Volume 3
The Evening Series : Volume 3
When the sun goes down, and the stars come out, it is at that moment I put on Elvis’ “Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits: Volume 1” on the turntable. The recordings are in Mono, and what I have here are the original Mono mixes. The sounds bounce out of the speakers with a certain amount of intensity. I met Elvis once when I was a child. He and his buddies used to play touch football in our neighborhood park every Saturday when he was in town. “Town” being Los Angeles. To be specific I’m talking about Beverly Glen Park on Beverly Glen Blvd . He would show up late afternoon, and they would play till the darkness came. They left at dusk in a series of expensive looking cars, and it was like seeing ghosts during the daylight hours.
The last time I saw Elvis was not long ago. I was at the Four Oaks cafe having a beer, late at night, you know around 11ish. That’s late for me. I have to get up early for work, especially on the weekends. He came in by himself, and there was no one else in the cafe. He took the counter seat across from me. He told the waitress behind the counter that he wanted to have a coke in a bottle. She served him the coke by getting it out of the fridge and sliding it across the countertop - and he caught the bottle before it was about to fall off the end of the counter. He said to her “Thanks Mam.” He looked at me, and I looked at him. She looked at her dish towel while drying a dish or two.
As I was finishing off my beer, he called out to me ‘hey do you want another?” I just smiled at him and said “sure.” He then got the waitress’s attention, and said “give Tosh another beer.” I was surprised that he knew my name, even though we have met briefly in the park, it was some time ago. “Tosh, do you mind if I sit with you?” I said “sure, come around.” I then asked afterwards saying that, “or do you want me to come over there.” He smiled, and made a gesture to get up, but then sat down again. As I got up, he then got up, and I sat down. We did this for a few more seconds, and we began to laugh hysterically. He then said, “tell you what, I’ll meet you half-way.” I said “OK.” “I’ll count up to five, and we will both get out of our seats at the same time.” I counted one, he counted two, I counted three, he counted four, I counted…. Five! And we both got out of our seats by five, and we sat in the middle of the counter bar. “Wow that was something.” Elvis had a funny way of phrasing the most obvious thing, at the right time and place.
There was a juke box in the corner of the cafe. I asked him if he minded if I played a song. He said “sure go ahead.” I went over and found a song by The Cramps called “Human Fly.” I put the quarter in, and the needle hit the vinyl, and I began to shake. I started to dance for about a few seconds, and then Elvis got up and started dancing with me. We danced really close without touching each other. He took out his comb, which was like a switchblade. He opened it and began to comb his hair while dancing. He then handed me the comb and I put it through my hair as well. I can sense the hair cream on his comb, and it felt good to put it in my hair. After the song was over, we went back to our seats.
I bought him another Coke. I immediately thought of the Frank O’Hara poem about drinking Coke. Elvis knew the poem and he said that he loved it. He started to recite it to me:
“Having a Coke with Youis even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonneor being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelonapartly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastianpartly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurtpartly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birchespartly because of the secrecy…”
I told him to stop there.
We sat there for a while without saying a word to each other. I still had his comb in my hand, and I gave it to him. He took it, and put it through his hair, just once. He drank down his coke in one gulp, sort of burped, and he then smiled at me. He got up, and rubbed my two shoulders, and said “I’ll be seeing you.” And I said, something like “Yeah.” He walked out of the cafe, and went straight into the darkness outside. He disappeared. I finished my beer, and I got up, and I too went into the darkness. Who knows what we will find in total darkness?
- Tosh Berman, July 23, 2016 (7:30 PM to 8:30 PM) (Poem by Frank O’Hara)
"The Ongoing Moment" by Geoff Dyer
ISBN: 978-1-4000-3168-9 VintageI tend to love books that dwell on a subject matter and ramble on afterwards. Geoff Dyer's subject matter is photography and photographers. Here he captures various moments by either European or more likely, American photographers at work. The book really focuses on the works of Alred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Walker Evens, André Kertész, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, Diane Arbus, and my personal fave, William Eggleston. A lot of these photographers have focused on the same subject matter or weird visions of Americana as it was found or happened. Personally I have never come upon a photo of a landscape or a park that doesn't make me feel sad. In a sense, it's the passing of time or even death in certain situations. What we have here is actually a very focused view on the photograph and its artists. The one's I listed above, I think you can get a clear picture (no pun intended) of what this book is about. Very enjoyable read, by a really good writer, on a subject matter that is sometimes hard to write about.
- Tosh Berman
Annette Peacock "I'm The One" RCA Records (1972)
Annette Peacock "I'm The One" (RCA Records) 1972
I'm approaching this album as a David Bowie lunatic-fan. And beyond that, more likely through a Mick Ronson (Bowie's guitarist in the Ziggy years) connection. Annette Peacock put out an album in January 1972, called "I'm The One" on RCA Records. In 1974, Ronson made his first album, and on that record he did a version of two Peacock tunes, "I'm The One," Seven Days", and oddly enough, an Elvis' "Love Me Tender," which is more of a cover of Annette Peacock's version of the Elvis classic. So many years later, it was astonishing to hear Peacock's album.
When hearing the album now, one can hear slight traces of the Bowie/Ronson sound, but also Mike Garson, the long term keyboard player for Bowie, also appears on this album. Perhaps before his association with Bowie? Nevertheless, it can be just a matter of taste, but I do believe there is a link between this album and the world of Bowie. Besides the obvious, like the Ronson connection, this is a very strong soulful jazzy avant- pop with an unique way of handling a moog. Great jazz players on this album, like her husband at the time, Paul Bley, makes this a fascinating listen. The first minute or two of the title song is simply majestic, due to its orchestration, and it reminds me a bit of Bowie's "Sue." Not surprising, because this is music once heard, will stick in your DNA for awhile. And it's like three different tunes wrapped in this one song. And again, the arrangement is multi-textural. The moog playing with the horns and the voice (which I believe she sings through the moog) is both soulful as well as being futuristic, in that 70s sense, sound. There is likewise a Nina Simone touch throughout the album. A perfect hybrid of jazz, songwriting pop, Brazilian music and avant-garde flourishes here and there.
And again, it's enchanting that Mick Ronson cover three songs from this album, on his first solo effort. Ronson is for sure a musician who loves arrangements. And this album is very much about jazz orchestration as well as being off-kilter pop. A great record.
July 22, 2016
"Necrophilia" by The Rolling Stones (Bootleg vinyl picture disc)
The Rolling Stones"Necrophilia"
For me, due to the inner-world I live in, this is the Stones album for me. And oddly enough, it's a bootleg. "Necrophilia" is sort of the bastard version of their collection "Metamorphosis" but of course, much better. I don't really know the history of this particular bootleg, except I think at one time this was going to be released as a rarity album of goodies - why it didn't happen, I don't know. Still, it's my favorite Stones album.
Some of the material on this album sounds more like the Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra with Jagger on vocals - or perhaps session musicians (Big John Sullivan & Jimmy Page?) but clearly some of the recordings here were meant to sell the songwriting of Jagger and Richards to other artists. "Neocrophilia" captures the band between being a R&B band and popster songwriting duo. Even the 'hits' that we know are different on this album. "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby" is either an early mix, or more stripped-down version. It has always been one of my favorite Stones cut. It is like hearing a blending machine mixing your favorite ingredients for a drink. Pure cocktail of sound. Trumpet? Blaring in the background, echoy vocals fighting out with the background vocals, and it is simply wonderful.
This album is sort of the negative version of "Aftermath," in that I'm sure it was recorded around the same time, or in a sense the "Aftermath" notebook. Notes for an unfinished album. The nature of recordings that are bootlegs is to see the wizard behind the thick velvet curtain at work. It is like we are in the studio but invisible. "Hear It," is the mystery cut. The beauty of this particular song is that it sounds like a soundtrack to a film, but discarded. Lot of guitar pickings, and then this beautiful string section takes over, but it goes back and forth with the guitars. Somehow I don't feel this is a Keith Richards guitar. Brian Jones related production? Or maybe Jimmy Page? A beautifully arranged piece.
"Some Things Just Stick In Your Head" is a throw-away song, but that is also its charm. It is a country arrangement with the full pop Jack Nietzsche arrangement. The song is not that hot, but the production and arrangement are amazing. "Aftermath" is a jam session, and I'm sure I can hear Phil Spector's voice in the background. So this maybe the Spector/Gene Pitney gets together with the Stones
"I'd Much Rather Be With The Boys" is the classic Mick and Keith song. This is where they show their true worth and sensibility. I often felt that the best love songs by Mick and Keith were really about them. The sexual energy in that band is not going outward, but very much inward. It is more of a yearning to be within one's gang then out with another 'girl. "Andrew's Blues" song is about sucking. And I believe this is also Phil/Gene and I want to point out the Motown influence in the early Stones - especially during this period.
An early period of "Street Fighting Man" but here with different lyrics and called "Pay Your Dues." The height of the Brian Jones sitar, strong bass playing by Wyman, and the great Nicky Hopkins. It's magic really. Now comes my favorite of the favorites, "Each & Every Day of the Year." The slow built-up is almost Roy Orbison intensity, with his sort of lyrical world and melody. It's a beautiful song. Majestic. It is so good, I suspect that it isn't the Stones, but Mick with session players. "The Sleepy City" is another fave of mine. It appeals to the Situationist instinct in me. To walk in an urban area in the early morning - perhaps after a long night out, or just waking up to this beauty of a landscape. I often walk around the town here, with this melody in my head.
The version I have is a vinyl picture disc. I wish that there was more concrete information about these recordings, like who plays what and so forth. On the other hand, the mystery is extremely appealing. Sometimes the information that is in my head is totally wrong, but yet, enjoyable. Nevertheless a superb collection of songs that are lost in the Stones world.
