Patti Smith Lists Her Favorite Books Of All Time
Patti Smith gave out a list of her favorite books at the Melbourne International Arts Festival a few years ago. It’s an interesting blend of cult books, the expected Beat classics, and the complete Sebald.
“The Master & Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov
“Journey To The East” by Hermann Hesse
“The Glass Bead Game” by Hermann Hesse
“Heart Of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad
“Moby Dick” by Herman Melville
“Billy Budd” by Herman Melville
“Songs Of Innocence” by William Blake
“The Wild Boys” by William Burroughs
“Howl” by Allen Ginsburg
“A Season In Hell” by Arthur Rimbaud
“Illuminations” by Arthur Rimbaud
“Wittgenstein’s Poker” by David Edmonds & John Eidinow
“Villette” by Charlotte Bronte
“The Process” by Brion Gysin
“Cain’s Book” by Alexander Trocchi
“Coriolanus” by William Shakespeare
“The Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde
“The Sheltering Sky” by Paul Bowles
“Against Interpretation” by Susan Sontag
“The Oblivian Seekers” by Isabelle Eberhardt
“Women Of Cairo” by Gerard de Nerval
“Under The Volcano” by Malcom Lowery
“Dead Souls” by Nikolai Gogol
“The Book Of Disquiet” by Fernando Pessoa
“Death Of Virgil” by Herman Broch
“Raise High The Roof Beams Carpenter/ Franny & Zooey” by J.D. Salinger
“The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
“A Night Of Serious Drinking” by Rene Daumal
“Swann In Love” by Marcel Proust
“A Happy Death” by Albert Camus
“The First Man” by Albert Camus
“The Waves” by Virginia Woolf
“Big Sur” by Jack Kerouac
anything by H.P. Lovecraft
anything by W.G. Sebald
“The Thief’s Journal” or anything by Jean Genet
“The Arcades Project” or anything by Walter Benjamin
“A Poet In New York” by Garcia Lorca
“The Lost Honor Of Katharina Blum” by Heinrich Boll
“The Palm Wine Drinkard” by Amos Tutuola
“Ice” by Anna Kavan (or anything by her)
“The Divine Proportion” by H.E. Huntley
“Nadja” by Andre Breton
Francis Ford Coppola: “Death is on the back of everyone’s minds”
This interview was recorded on July 28, 1996 when Francis Ford Coppola was promoting the film, Jack, starring Robin Williams.
“Death is on the back of everyone’s minds whether they want to admit it or not. We move through life very fast and it’s not a matter of how long you live it’s a matter of how well you live. But that’s the theme sort of Camus’ The Happy Death. There are people who die young but they die happy because they’ve done a whole lifetime’s worth. Death is a funny thing and it’s obviously on the back of everyone’s minds or their psychology whether they want to admit it or not.”
Kurt Ballou of Converge’s Business Card Is A Distortion Pedal
Kurt Ballou, music producer and guitarist for the metal band Converge, made his business card a distortion pedal. Read that again. It’s a printed circuit board that can be used to build a working distortion pedal Ballou calls the “Brutalist Jr.” With around $40-50 in parts, he created his own unforgettable moment with proof you’ve met him. The only way to get the card is to see Ballou on the street or at a show.
Neil Young’s Never-Released Hitchhiker Album Will Be Out August 4
Neil Young will release a new studio album — which he originally recorded in 1976. The disc, dubbed Hitchhiker, is set for an August 4 release via Reprise Records and will be available on vinyl, CD and digitally.
The 10-track acoustic album was recorded live in the studio August 11, 1976, at Indigo Studios in Malibu, California. It contains some of Young’s best-loved songs plus two previously unreleased tracks.
The original session was produced by Young’s longtime studio collaborator David Brings with new post production by John Hanlon, who has worked with Young since 1990 and produced his most recent works, including Peace Trail, Earth, The Monsanto Years, etc.
As these songs were recorded in a single session, the resultant performances are breathtaking and passionate. The simplicity of a single voice and guitar captured here are as pure and powerful as the creator intended with only Young and Briggs in the room at the time of recording.
Many of the songs would not appear on vinyl until years later. The title track, for example, did not officially appear until 2010’s Le Noise and naturally sounds worlds apart from the original. The version herein of Captain Kennedy has certain raw spontaneity compared to the slightly gentler version that would eventually surface on Hawks & Doves in 1980.
Perhaps the most noticeable jewels in the crown of Hitchhiker are the two previously unreleased tracks that have remained in the vaults since 1976: Hawaii, a soaring ballad and unlike anything else Young had recorded at the time. Side one closes out with Give Me Strength, which would be occasionally performed live in the mid-Seventies but now available here for the first time and may well be considered one of Young’s best long lost gems.
Hitchhiker Track Listing
1. Pocahontas
2. Powderfinger
3. Captain Kennedy
4. Hawaii
5. Give Me Strength
6. Ride My Llama
7. Hitchhiker
8. Campaigner
9. Human Highway
10. The Old Country Waltz
CBC Perfectly Parodies A Social Media Family Of Influencers And Thought Leaders
In a hilarious spoof (but think it’s going to hit home to a lot of people I know, including my own family) by the CBC comedy series This Is That, the comedy troupe details a family and their money making abilities as Social Media Influencers and Thought Leaders. Last year, they made about $1.3 million through sponsored content and collectively have over seven million followers. AJ, the self-proclaimed “man of three accounts,” operates all of his channels under the umbrella of a personal brand that he calls Try. At the moment, he’s hoping to secure a strategic partnership with Starbucks. Brit and AJ are trying for a third child. AJ hopes that the pregnancy will bring “nine months of pretty solid content.”
Ringo Starr Celebrates His Birthday With Revealing New Album “Give More Love,” Available September 15
Today Ringo Starr celebrates his birthday at Capitol Records. Family, friends and fans will join Starr in front of the Capitol Records Tower in a noon “Peace & Love” salute, while satellite salutes and events are happening all over the world.
Ringo also reveals details of his 19th solo album, Give More Love, which will be released on digital and CD format on September 15, with vinyl to follow on September 22.
Recorded at his home studio in Los Angeles, Give More Love has 10 new tracks featuring collaborations with friends including We’re On The Road Again featuring Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Edgar Winter, Steve Lukather; Laughable co-written and performed with Peter Frampton as well as Benmont Tench, Timothy B Schmidt, Richard Page and Amy Keys; Show Me The Way co-written and performed with Steve Lukather and with Paul McCartney; Speed of Sound co-written with Richard Marx and featuring Steve Lukather, Peter Frampton and Nathan East; Standing Still co- written with Gary Burr; King of the Kingdom including performances by Dave Stewart and Edgar Winter; Electricity co-written with Glen Ballard and featuring Joe Walsh and Don Was; So Wrong For So Long co written and performed with Dave Stewart; Shake It Up co written and performed with Gary Nicholson and including Don Was and Edgar Winter; and Give More Love co-written with Gary Nicholson including Timothy B Schmidt and All Starrs Richard Page and Gregg Bissonette.
Give More Love also has 4 bonus tracks, Back Off Boogaloo, You Can’t Fight Lightning, Photograph and Don’t Pass Me By. This version of Back Off Booglaloo is based on the original recording Ringo made when he wrote the song, having recently discovered the tape when moving houses. The other three bonus tracks are collaborations based on performances from Starr’s 2016 Peace & Love Birthday event. Alberta Cross performed You Can’t Fight Lightning and Vandaveer performed Photograph and Don’t Pass Me By. Starr loved their renditions and asked them to each record them for his new album, also adding his own vocals.
In October, Starr will hit the road in the US with his All Starrs, the same beloved line up he has performed with since 2012: Steve Lukather, Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie, Richard Page, Warren Hamm and Gregg Bissonette. No Canadian dates have been announced.
The Verve’s Urban Hymns Gets A 20th Anniversary Edition. Come On!
Every now and again, the world of music throws up a record that is out of the ordinary, something in its timing, quality and spirit that just feels right.
The Verve’s 1997 album Urban Hymns, released September 29, 1997, was one such record. It captured the mood and spirit of the times with songs of an emotional and musical depth that touched a raw nerve throughout the world and ensured this band would graduate from highly respected indie favourites to a genuine rock colossus. A certified classic, Urban Hymns is one of the 20 biggest-selling albums ever in the UK (now 11 times platinum) and has sold over ten million copies worldwide.
The album spawned three highly successful singles. The first was the epoch-making worldwide smash Bitter Sweet Symphony, which trailered the album and became the sound of the summer, followed by The Drugs Don’t Work (UK No. 1) and Lucky Man (UK No. 7).
20 years on the strength of the writing, the quality of the ensemble playing and sensitive production ensure the album sounds as riveting as ever and to mark this anniversary, Virgin/Universal Music are releasing a remastered version of the album with a bounty of bonus material – all of the accompanying b-sides (and The Verve’s b-sides were genuinely something special) plus three hours of powerful, previously unreleased live material, including the full triumphant May 1998 hometown show in front of around 35,000 fans at Haigh Hall, Wigan (on both CD and DVD).
The remastering and mixing work has been undertaken by Urban Hymns’ original co-producer Chris Potter and Metropolis’ Tony Cousins – as it was for the two super deluxe Verve reissues issued last year, A Storm In Heaven and A Northern Soul.
The DVD includes the documentary ‘The Video 96-98’, only ever previously available on VHS.
The deluxe packages also feature new interviews with all the band and all physical releases draw on a vast array of previously unseen photography by Chris Floyd, who first travelled with The Verve on their US tour of 1994 and was granted unprecedented access during the making of Urban Hymns and beyond – up to and including the Haigh Hall show. His work brilliantly captured the band in the studio, on stage, backstage, during down time, on their video sets and tour bus.
The Super-deluxe CD includes a lavish 56-page hard cover book plus poster and 5 postcards. The Vinyl edition comes in a gatefold sleeve and includes a 20-page booklet plus download card which entitles purchaser to all audio from the super-deluxe CD box.
The track-listing of each of the 4 formats is:
Standard CD remastered album:
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Sonnet
The Rolling People
The Drugs Don’t Work
Catching the Butterfly
Neon Wilderness
Space and Time
Weeping Willow
Lucky Man
One Day
This Time
Velvet Morning
Come On
2CD deluxe
CD1 – Remastered album
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Sonnet
The Rolling People
The Drugs Don’t Work
Catching the Butterfly
Neon Wilderness
Space and Time
Weeping Willow
Lucky Man
One Day
This Time
Velvet Morning
Come On
CD2 – Live 1997/98 – ALL UNRELEASED
Tracks 1-11 from Haigh Hall concert – May 24, 1998
This Is Music
Space and Time
Catching the Butterfly
Sonnet
The Rolling People
Weeping Willow
The Drugs Don’t Work
Lucky Man
Life’s an Ocean
Velvet Morning
Bitter Sweet Symphony
A New Decade – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
History – Brixton Academy (16/1/98
Slide Away – Manchester Academy (11/8/97)
3) Super Deluxe (Remastered) Version – 5CD/1DVD
CD1 – Remastered album
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Sonnet
The Rolling People
The Drugs Don’t Work
Catching the Butterfly
Neon Wilderness
Space and Time
Weeping Willow
Lucky Man
One Day
This Time
Velvet Morning
Come On
CD2 – B-sides
Lord I Guess I’ll Never Know
Country Song
Bitter Sweet Symphony (James Lavelle Remix)
So Sister
Echo Bass
Three Steps
The Drugs Don’t Work – original demo
The Crab
Stamped
Never Wanna See You Cry
(Bitter Sweet Symphony) MSG
The Longest Day
Lucky Man (Happiness More or Less)
CD3
B-sides (cont.) + 2 session tracks issued in 2004*
Bitter Sweet Symphony (extended version)
This Could Be My Moment *
Monte Carlo*
BBC Evening session 27/8/97 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Life’s An Ocean
A Man Called Sun
The Drugs Don’t Work
On Your Own
So Sister
CD4
Live at Haigh Hall 24/5/98 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
This Is Music
Space and Time
Catching the Butterfly
Sonnet
The Rolling People
Neon Wilderness
Weeping Willow
The Drugs Don’t Work
Lucky Man
Life’s an Ocean
Velvet Morning
Bitter Sweet Symphony
CD5 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Haigh Hall Encore:
One Day
History
Come On
Further live material (Washington / Brixton / Manchester – 1997/8)
A New Decade – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
The Rolling People – Brixton Academy (16/1/98)
On Your Own – Brixton Academy (16/1/98)
History – Brixton Academy (16/1/98)
The Drugs Don’t Work – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
Slide Away – Manchester Academy (11/8/97)
A Man Called Sun – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
A Northern Soul – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
Space and Time – Brixton Academy (16/1/98)
This Is Music – Manchester Academy (11/8/97)
Weeping Willow – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97)
Stormy Clouds (and Reprise) – Manchester Academy (11/8/97) 7.24
DVD
The Video 1996-1998
Later with Jools Holland – 01/11/97 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Lucky Man
Life’s An Ocean
The Drugs Don’t Work
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Live at Haigh Hall – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
This Is Music
Space and Time
Catching the Butterfly
Sonnet
The Rolling People
Neon Wilderness
Weeping Willow
The Drugs Don’t Work
Lucky Man
Life’s an Ocean
Velvet Morning
Bitter Sweet Symphony
One Day
History
Come On
The promo videos:
Bitter Sweet Symphony
The Drugs Don’t Work
Lucky Man
Lucky Man (US version)
Sonnet
4) VINYL BOX SET
DOUBLE LP1
Remastered album
Side 1
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Sonnet
The Rolling People
Side 2
The Drugs Don’t Work
Catching the Butterfly
Neon Wilderness
Side 3
Space and Time
Weeping Willow
Lucky Man
One Day
Side 4
This Time
Velvet Morning
Come On
DOUBLE LP2
B-sides, session tracks issued in 2004*
Side 1
Lord I Guess I’ll Never Know
Country Song
Bitter Sweet Symphony (James Lavelle Remix)
So Sister
Side 2
Echo Bass
Three Steps
The Crab
Stamped
Side 3
The Drugs Don’t Work – original demo
Never Wanna See You Cry
(Bitter Sweet Symphony) MSG
The Longest Day
Side 4
Lucky Man (Happiness More or Less)
Bitter Sweet Symphony (extended version)
This Could Be My Moment*
Monte Carlo*
DOUBLE LP3
Live at Haigh Hall – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Side 1
This Is Music
Space and Time
Catching the Butterfly
Sonnet
Side 2
The Rolling People
Neon Wilderness
Weeping Willow
The Drugs Don’t Work
Lucky Man
Side 3
Life’s an Ocean
Velvet Morning
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Side 4
One Day
History
Come On
D2C 12” SINGLE
A
Bitter Sweet Symphony Alt. Version (limited promo-only in 1997)
B
The Drugs Don’t Work – Washington DC 9.30 Club (3/11/97) (unavailable elsewhere on vinyl)
Shania Twain Reveals Track Listing For New “Now” Album, Out September 29
Urged by fans eager for more music and news, today, Shania Twain unveils the track listing of her upcoming album, NOW. To be released September 29, and offered as both a 16-track deluxe and a 12-track standard album, both feature Shania’s current single, “Life’s About To Get Good”, playing on country radio now.
All songs on NOW were written solely by Shania, who also served as co-producer on the project. Shania worked with four producers across the 16 tracks including Matthew Koma, Ron Aniello (Bruce Springsteen, Gavin DeGraw), Jake Gosling (Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes) and Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Norah Jones).
SHANIA TWAIN – NOW Deluxe Track Listing
Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed
Home Now
Light Of My Life
Poor Me
Who’s Gonna Be Your Girl
More Fun
I’m Alright
Let’s Kiss And Make Up
Where Do You Think You’re Going
Roll Me On The River
We Got Something They Don’t
Because Of You
You Can’t Buy Love
Life’s About to Get Good
Soldier
All In All
SHANIA TWAIN – NOW Standard Track Listing
Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed
Home Now
Light Of My Life
Poor Me
Who’s Gonna Be Your Girl
More Fun
I’m Alright
Roll Me On The River
We Got Something They Don’t
You Can’t Buy Love
Life’s About To Get Good
Soldier
Annoying Things Only Drummers Have To Deal With
I don’t play drums, but I’m great on the steering wheel in the car. I can relate to this. Somewhat.