THEORIES, RANTS, ETC
Beatles, punk, Dylan and Teutonic terminology.
listen to an artist’s work chronologically, hearing the music unfold before you in the order in which it was created. That is the process we undertook this month as we assembled the exclusive Lou Reed covermount CD that accompanies this issue. We started with his first solo album in 1972 and worked forward to 1986 to deliver a selection of classic tracks and deeper cuts from The Complete RCA & Arista Collection that provide you with a unique view of an artist who truly helped to define the vocabulary of modern rock. Enjoy the music and join us as we celebrate the man with a revelatory cover story that starts on page 68…
Everything got a little weird
OK, I know I’m being obsessive and pedantic, but I can’t let it go! I’ve not seen the film yet (Eight Days A Week), but from Paul [Du Noyer]’s essay – Encore Blimey! [MOJO 275] – I can tell that the clip of Don’t Let Me Down is the current Apple version. As per Let It Be... Naked, this is a composite edit of the first and second versions of the song as performed on the roof of Savile Row. In the first version, at the point where the vocal should be “And from the first time that she really done me...”, John sings deliberate gibberish (approx: andlowlygotchlyblootchlygoomy ), and grin sat Paul. When Let It Be... Naked was released, the gibberish was replaced with the proper line from the second version, as it was in the official version in No1. In the official video, a clip of George laughing is flown in to make sense of John and Paul grinning. I bet some other pedantic bugger sends in a similar letter! Peter Robson, via e-mail
You were good!
Just had to praise you good folk for a fantastic new issue [MOJO 275]. The Stones, The Beatles, and The Fall amongst other greats. I’ve been buying it for years (in print – the only way) and the mag just gets better. This one, I have to say, is the best I’ve seen. Cheers! Chris Morris, via e-mail
An unforgettable magic show for the masses
My wife wondered why I cried when I heard about George Martin’s passing [in March 2016]. It may be hard to explain, in some ways, but I tend to think that, if there wasn’t a ‘Beatles’, the world, as we know it now, would be very different. Sure, other folk were more involved in the social transitions that took place during the 1960s, but I would suggest that few others brought the clearly defined hints of the counterculture to as many people as did The Beatles. Other folk had a broader sword – Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane et al – but none had a broader sweep. In effect, through their popularity, and with their wonderfully inclusive music, The Beatles brought what were previously left-wing, and occasionally marginal considerations, into the widening frame of social conscience. The Beatles brought a newfound liberty. I would posit that Dylan would become the (inadvertent) spokesman for this (our) generation, much as he’d rather not have been, but that it was the Beatles that breached the proverbial dam. Dylan himself has always acknowledged the influence of the Fab Four. And if there was no George Martin, I would suggest that there was a very high chance that we would have also had no Beatles. Andrew Knight, Lismore, New South Wales
I’m not nervous, I’m scared
At last! A proper piece about The Fall in a proper magazine! [MOJO 275] Ian Harrison’s piece really was a fascinating read that proved to be a genuine study of one of rock music’s most enduring and influential characters. In fact, Mark E Smith seemed in remarkable form, and opened up in a way I’ve never read
before. Delving into his background and those early days was also illuminating… although I am not entirely sure that I agree with his purported view on the aftermath of the Brexit vote! James Lewis, Kent
Uppers and downers, inners and outers, screamers and shouters…
The attraction of MOJO is the in-depth articles devoted to a particular cover star. The apocryphal (cynical?) thing often leveled at MOJO (by those who don’t read it) is the constant re-cycling of the same artists (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Bowie, Dylan etc). Personally, to those naysayers I say “pah!” – there is always something worth reading, and always a new angle on what seems like the same story. Now, it can’t have escaped your notice that 2016 marks the 40th anniversary of punk. Indeed, February’s issue [MOJO 267] had the Pistols on the cover and one of my favourite cover CDs of recent times [Pretty Vacant – MOJO Presents 15 Pre-Punk Nuggets]. My question is, are you planning on doing anything more about the punk times? The beginnings have effectively been covered, and The Story of 1977 may be treading old (well known?) ground, but how about an article (or set of articles) looking at the end of punk and splintering into post-punk, new wave, goth, ska, etc – 1978 and All That! (You can include Oi, but I’m not sure there’s that much of interest, or historical importance, there). Developing the ska and 2 Tone reference, the 2 Tone Story is worthy of investigation and a write-up, and I really believe that Madness have endured to a point where they are worthy of their own cover issue. New album is coming in December, the new material I’ve heard sits brilliantly well with “old school classics”, and they really are approaching National Treasure status. Their catalogue, and their legacy, must surely rank in the lexicon of Great British Songwriters along with The Kinks, Ian Dury, The Jam and The Smiths. Just a thought... Phil Pelling, via e-mail
What this space, Phil…
Things that make you go sideways
Your recent Tiny Tim [MOJO 273] article prompted a memory from me: It was the late ’80s in NYC’s Upper West Side. I entered the post office and was astonished to see Tiny there, at a small table, writing a letter. I went up and introduced myself, then mentioned I had just been listening to the 1968 Beatles Christmas disc, on which he was featured. “Ah, the good old times when I was signed to Reprise and played in England and hung out with The Beatles…” is what he said. He then asked what I did for a living and was very courteous. Upon leaving, though, I could just see glitter on his eyelids, which was making its way down to the white paper of his letter… Tim Mantovi, via e-mail
More juice!
As a long-time reader I really enjoy the coverage you give to bands and artists that didn’t always get the wider attention they deserved at the time. Can I help you get ahead of that curve by recommending that you consider features on some of the bands that tend to play the smaller venue circuit and who have intensely loyal support? I’m thinking of The Urban Voodoo Machine, The Tiger Lillies, and Ian Siegal as prime examples. Gary Williams, via e-mail
You gonna apologise, rude boy?
I’m getting really fed up about the use of the term “Krautrock” in MOJO (all the other music mags too). Not only was the term “Kraut” a very derogatory name for a German (it still is!), but almost to a man these musicians in the ’70s German music underground scene hated the term. John Wienzierl of Amon Düül II was particularly vociferous. He and many other well known German musicians have despaired at such a label. It is also totally meaningless, as there were so very many different types of bands and music being made that no one term remotely covered them all. Is any music made in Scotland known as “Jockrock”? No. So don’t be so ignorant as to keep using “Krautrock”. You really should know better. John McDonald, via e-mail
You guys are totally stoned!
Your Blonde On Blonde Revisited vinyl edition [MOJO 272] is an absolute joy! I first heard Blonde On Blonde LP on a copy borrowed from a public library. My late father used to bring me LPs to listen to that he thought I might like. Early summer 1974 he handed be Blonde On Blonde and a Django Rheinhardt record. Both records had a massive impact on me. However, I played the Dylan record constantly that summer – extending the loan to almost 12 weeks. I loved it and remember buying my copies of Planet Waves and Blood On The Tracks when they came out. I was hooked for life. Anyway, I bought the MOJO vinyl release of Blonde On Blonde and it has not been off my record player. The versions of the songs are incredible. Truly appreciated. Jim Wallace, via e-mail