Cuff the Duke is prepping for the release of Morning Comes in the US. Fans of CtD know they rarely take the foot off the gas, but to celebrate the launch they hammered out an EP of covers and we're happy to have the Canadian premier of "I Hear You Calling." Wayne Petty connected with Bill Fay's words, empathized with the plight of his city's condition. To Petty, Oshawa was no different than Detroit. Both were towns abandoned of hope when the factories started closing, one were lives were defined the minute you punched in [...]
Bill Fay is a name that has crept back into the underground consciousness in recent years due to some unexpected word-of-mouth publicity culminating in a series of commendable reissues of the artist's work. Going into Time of the Last Persecution, however, I was unaware of such recent windfalls. Initially I was a bit uncertain as [...]
Bill Fay's is a name that has crept back into the underground consciousness in recent years due to some unexpected word-of-mouth publicity which has culminated in a series of commendable reissues of the artist's work. Going into Time of the Last Persecution , however, I was unaware of such recent windfalls and totally unprepared for what I was delving into save for having read a record store tag-line which compared him to Ray Davies and Bob Dylan, or something along those lines. Sounded like hype of the highest order, but I was willing to take a chance; it was [...]
Woody Guthrie's New Year's Resolutions, 1942 After all the champagne is gone and the confetti swept off the floor, we're faced with a brand new year and a second wind of optimism. This year, you'll start running, you'll quit smoking, you'll waste less time, you'll kick television, you'll love more and eat less. Whether you're trying to save up or get your weight down, as long as your resolutions last, here's your soundtrack. Full track list after the jump! Track listing: [...]
Download five new covers by Okkervil River, featuring mysterious songwriters (one of whom simply vanished 35 years ago).
Yes, GORP, GRANOLA, and all those other trail snacks are all about personal preference and the art of worldly wisdom. (The GORP pictures above, from an old BACKPACKER , feature a recipe with Teddy Grahams. Genius.) And on the few occasions that posts about food have showed up on this rag, the conversations have turned out to be pretty darn interesting. Nerdy as hell, but pretty darn interesting nonetheless. Most of the time, as I'm sure you'll agree, trail snacks are better to make at home (when you're carving your pumpkins this season, roast the [...]
About three weeks ago, I posted the first part of my interview with Bill Fay, where the legendary artist spoke of his early childhood and how he first began to play the piano. You can check that out here . Now, we will go a bit further into Bill's life, seeing his first connections with the Deram/Decca label, which would first release his amazing music. After the jump, Bill tells the story [...]
In the early '70s, the Decca/Deram label released amazing records by artists like Michael Chapman, Egg, T.2., Mellow Candle, and many others. However, for me, the crown jewel of this marvellous era would be 1971's Time of the Last Persecution , an album by a singer-songwriter named Bill Fay, which featured accompaniment from the amazing Ray Russell and his equally talented group. Time of the Last Persecution is bold, unnerving, and ultimately honest in a way few records are. The material Fay sung about on the [...]
Bill Fay brought forth folk visions of a turbulent future with the enigmatic Time of the Last Persecution . In the Bible, there is an interesting story about a largely disregarded prophet named Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a prophet in Israel, before and after its capture and exile to Babylon. In a time when most people in that nation were living in what they thought was "love, peace, and happiness"; Jeremiah was walking around telling everyone that judgment and destruction were imminent. For telling the inevitable truth, Jeremiah was ostracized and out of sync with...
35 covers by the indie legends, plus opening sets from Jeff Tweedy, Mission of Burma, and Bonnie "Prince" Billy.
Wilco's long list of covers helps illustrate the band's changing sound through the years.
I didn't post an entry last night. I was too busy enjoying a birthday dinner with my girlfriend. I know some of you mongoloids see it as an affront whenever I skip a day of blogging, but hopefully you'll understand the circumstances this time. Furthermore, I just don't like you, and I don't give a fuck if you come here every Sunday looking for MP3s. I wanted some good Italian food last night and I was not going to let a silly little website stand in my way. Speaking of which, I got a letter from the city [...]
I stumbled across a project by Richard Swift and Damien Jurado entitled Other People's Songs where the duo perform various covers with nothing but a ribbon mic and 4 track tape recorder (overall not bad). As I sat down to listen to the first song "Be Not Fearful" I was reminded of something...I just couldn't put my finger on what. After further investigation I knew that this was the song that Jeff Tweedy sang in the AMAZING Wilco DVD I Am Trying To Break Your Heart . The song is originally written by Bill Fay (touted as [...]
Anyone who says that Fay's first album was overproduced or too baroque can go to hell. This album is the work of a genius. From "Garden Song" - saxophone and all - straight on through to the end. I'm sure you wouldn't dare say that shit about Elliott Smith, would you? Even when he was double-tracking the same melody in left and right channels, with the guitar on one side and the piano on the other? Fay's orchestral instrumentation always heightens or depressed the mood. It serves its intended purpose. How else are you going to capture the essence of [...]
See y'all when the weekend comes to its premature end. Enjoy the sunshine and Happy Trails. MP3: Bill Fay - Maudy la Lune MP3: Bill Fay - We Want You to Stay MP3: Bill Fay - Tiny
Bill Fay - Time of the Last Persecution British songwriter Bill Fay's second album was coldly received by reviewers and listeners alike at the time of its release. Focusing his stark lyrical sense on social consciousness issues as refracted through an exposition of the book of revelations; Fay proved too complicated a figure for most to absorb themselves in even at a time of rapid social change and introspection. The album is much more rock oriented than his previous efforts thanks in large part to guitarist Ray Russell who lends an evocative hand to [...]
The 1946 film Humoresque , starring Joan Crawford, John Garfield, and Oscar Levant is a real gem, and a real oddball movie. It's a New York movie at heart. Garfield is a rough and tumble guy who grew up above his father's Brooklyn grocery store (I'm thinking in my haunt of Williamsburg- it has that A Tree Grows In Brooklyn feel). It turns out he's a child prodigy violinist. He's got a plain-jane musician girlfriend, until vampy Joan Crawford comes around, turned-on by Garfield's music and ethnic upbringing. The film has amazingly witty dialogue courtesy of Clifford [...]
Initially I thought I'd compile a bright playlist of songs about the sun to help combat the blahs that's sure to inflict many of us this fall and winter. But, as I started plucking tracks from my collection, I discovered that a majority of the songs avoid using the sun as a symbol of positivity, or of they do, it's to bemoan the lack of it. So much for trying to cheer you up!
I have nearly completed my quest to try ten new styles of cuisine. People in LA laughed heartily when I mentioned I've never eaten Korean barbecue. How the hell was I supposed to know that Koreatown has the world's second-largest Korean population after Seoul? I can barely get through a day without having someone remind me to eat - I'm not exactly a distinguished gourmand. Oh, wait. ChoSun Galbee (3330 W. Olympic Blvd.) came highly recommended by Mark and Gary. I was supposed to eat there with Nicci once, but something stopped us [...]
Ik was toch wel een beetje teleurgesteld. Het beloofde "prachtige boek volledig gemaakt van gerecycled materiaal (waaronder bananenblad) en bijeen gebonden met hennepdraad" bleek een dun vodje met onregelmatig afgesneden papier, rommelig als een werkstuk die je op de basisschool maakte. De "excellent" (en ik citeer) zwart-wit foto's zijn vooral zwart-wit omdat ze onder een [...]
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Song Of The Week: Glass Candy "Life After Sundown"
