THEORIES, RANTS, ETC
Tantalising Kate, moving Steve and Yonkers Tots.
FEW ARTISTS ARE AFFORDED THE LUXURY of deciding exactly how to take their final bow. This issue contains some poignant reminders of that very fact. In the case of Black Sabbath, however, the three remaining members have spent the best part of 18 months saying farewell. This month, as we look to a new year, we bring you what is bound to be one of their final interviews. We do so by focusing on the one element that often gets overlooked in a remarkable career that has spanned close to five decades: the music. It lies at the core of Keith Cameron’s revelatory cover feature. Of course, in two years’ time Sabbath have the chance to mark a full 50 years of active service. Will that be cause for one final hurrah? But for now, this is The End. Cue that tolling bell…
I don’t know what to tell you…
The death of Leonard Cohen leaves a place in modern music that will never be filled. A greater poet in music, we will never hear. Shockingly, though, the more ‘mainstream’ tributes have centred on the impact of Hallelujah on the so-called X Factor generation. His impact travels far beyond that, as you will no doubt agree. Farewell, then, to a man who transformed what modern songs could actually sound like and who made us all more literate as a result. And, yes, things are darker now without him… Roger Stevens, via e-mail
He is my friend
My first wife left me with three things that I will be forever grateful for. Two were sons, who now have families of their own, and of whom I am exceptionally proud. The third is the music and lyrics of Leonard Cohen that she introduced me to. I feel I have lost a friend… Graham Looker, Cornwall, via e-mail
The passing of a titan
The loss of Leon Russell in a year full of terrible losses is genuinely tragic. Thankfully, though, Elton John brought him back to the fore with [2010 album] The Union – a reminder that Leon’s impact on music should never be forgotten. I hope for a full and fulsome tribute in the next issue of your publication. Ian Michaels, via e-mail
Very tasteful
Thank you for a fascinating interview with the wonderful Kate Bush [MOJO 278]. As someone who had the pleasure of catching the Before The Dawn show, it was a treat that allowed me to re-live elements of that incredible night – which I suppose was what you were trying to do. At a time when we are losing so many key figures in music, her thoughts on mortality and her legacy were particularly poignant. I had no idea she was a Paul Simon fan, either. Thinking about it, though, I can totally understand why she would be, the two of them making pop in the most sophisticated sense of the word. Most significant of all was her tantalising promise of some new music. As ever with Kate, we live in hope… Simon Major, via e-mail
Give me an exploded view
After reading the latest issue I am left wondering why anyone ever bothers interviewing Kate Bush. Seriously. I love her work and attended Before The Dawn, which was the best gig I’ve ever seen. But the woman herself is bloody infuriating. Your entire interview told us nothing that we didn’t already know, and was just one giant free advert for her current product. I suppose her face on the cover sells copies for MOJO, also. But for the consumer, it’s not a good deal. Thinking about what she’s been doing for two years, I am at a loss. If she listened to two recorded shows from BTD each day, and listed the best performances, that would take a month. Let’s be generous and give her another four months to whip up packaging and choose which tracks to use on the CD. That still leaves 18 months of what? Clearly, she isn’t willing to talk about what she does, or anything that might be of actual interest to her fans. Worst of all, after asking fans not to record BTD – because she would – KB withholds the DVD on spurious
grounds. If it was all about the audio, why did she spend a reputed million quid on the most lavish stage show ever seen? Surely, she’s bright enough to realise that millions of fans could not get tickets, and would love to see that show, even if the view is only from two cameras. But she has “no plans” to release it, which is a kick in the balls. Adam Webb, via e-mail
Nice job
As a long-time fan of The Band, I’ve read 99.9 per cent of Robbie Robertson interviews. The interview by Michael Simmons [MOJO 278] is the best I’ve read simply because Simmons managed to get Robertson to give much more than the same old answer to questions he’s been asked before. It is an excellent piece of work. Peter Stone Brown, Philadelphia, via e-mail
Good roll, good roll
The Steve Jones interview [MOJO 278] may be the best thing you have ever printed: intense, intimate, informative, surprising, very moving… and as well as all that, it includes a picture of Gaye Advert!! Can we have an interview with her too, please? Graham Peck, London, via e-mail
You can’t afford to be this naive
To the punters who are REALLY into their music, the Tindersticks’ astonishing album The Waiting Room is the album of the year. To not have this great LP in your Top 50 albums of the year is a comictragic statement on a par to your customary comictragic pals Bowie, Cave & Cohen who are (always) very prevalent in this list. As a life-long reader of MOJO, I can’t remember such an unbelievable blunder from your esteemed periodical to omit an LP that could easily be in the Top 5 of the annual best – if not album of the year. I think deep down you know this is a ‘gaffe for the books’. Harry Stiles, Newcastle, via e-mail
Is it too much of a problem to ask?
I don’t know if I missed it during my years of subscription and that you have already covered them – or if you’re just doing a cool, blokey refusal about The Moody Blues, but given that you’ve covered loads of prog bands, it would be great to see a retrospective on this band. From their earliest blues days to the Justin Hayward era… Jane Easton, via e-mail
I would apologise
The Tots, Lou Reed’s post-VU backing band hailed from the NYC suburb of Yonkers, NY, not Long Island as your article stated [MOJO 276]. They were barely out of high school and toured with Reed through Europe and the US. Check out Lou’s long bootlegged ’72 live radio broadcast, recently released officially as American Poet, to hear The Tots in action. These guys could rock! Joe Brya, via e-mail
I’m not on fire
I cannot help but write you re: your placing Brian Wilson’s memoir on the second page and Bruce Springsteen’s as the major review in your Filter Books space [MOJO 276]. What a slap in the face to Brian Wilson! I mean, Bruce is popular and I know that there are many who cannot wait to read what he has to say about his early life in the industry. But to place Brian Wilson’s on the next page shows a lack of understanding, if not a total lack of respect. Brian Wilson is an important, no, an essential ingredient in popular music. To shove his memoir to a secondary place is like saying that he does not matter, that his story is not as Important… Brian’s demons are serious and have led him down many ‘interesting’ roads. I am not trying to say that Bruce Springsteen has not faced some serious challenges, but by placing Brian Wilson on your back pages it seems to me you ignore the words of a contemporary, Frank Zappa, who said: “Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.” This describes Brian’s genius perfectly. Grant Thomas, via e-mail
Worse things have happened
Re: John McDonald’s frustrations with the term Krautrock [MOJO 276]. I’ve seen people get touchy about that term many times before, from under YouTube comments, to actual articles, but why the fuss? Apparently it’s derogatory, and the British music press once coined the term. Well, it’s not the first nor, by far, the last stylistic label the music press has come up with and I’ve spoken to people not happy about other catch-all terms, like grunge, Britpop and so on. But is it worth the aggravation? It simply makes it easier for everyone from critics and journos to fans and casual readers to put across what they mean. Krautrock is just an easy way to group all these great bands from that certain time and place. And while the ‘Kraut’ in it may be offensive to some, others took to it with a bit of humour, like you should (Faust’s song titled ‘Krautrock’ opens their album IV). Surely we’d rather not call these bands ‘new German experimental electronic rock music’ every time Can, Neu! et al come up in conversation? And if John indeed is so offended by a term certainly not aimed at him, maybe he can come up with something easy for us all to say from this point on? It’s not that serious, is it? Sander Varusk, Tallinn, via e-mail