Top 8 videos capturing Britpunk beginnings in all its snarling glory

Music, People

“Don’t accept the old order,” Johnny Rotten drones monotonously as he clips his nails for ITV’s cameras. “Get rid of it.” Host Janet Street-Porter was the rare mainstream journalist sympathetic to early punk, documenting the original vibrancy as record company contracts were first offered to the new order Rotten represented. Refreshingly, the reportage eschews all of the later sensationalism, presenting an organically grown culture as it was germinating. The original Glen Matlock-era Sex Pistols detonate “Pretty Vacant” in front of a pogoing audience—demonstrating what a powerful band they were—before fielding questions in their Denmark Street rehearsal room, Steve Jones rising from bed to pull on his trousers. The Clash vibrate chemically through their first televised interview, bassist Paul Simonon rocking and chewing his lip. Early punk fans known as “The Bromley Contingent” meet in a cafe, with future Siouxsie And The Banshees bassist Steve Severin lamenting, “We’ve been there for five years or more, just waiting for this to happen!” 100 Club booker Ron Watts insists that the punk scene “was the only thing that could happen. It…didn’t come from the industry.” Source: Top 8 videos capturing Britpunk beginnings in all its snarling glory

UbuWeb Sound – Obscure Records

Music, People

GO TO THE SOURCE TO HEAR THE MUSIC! Obscure Records was a U.K. record label which existed from 1975 to 1978. It was created and run by Brian Eno, who also produced the albums (credited as executive producer in one instance). Ten albums were issued in the series. Most have detailed liner notes on their back covers, analyzing the compositions and providing a biography of the composer, in a format typical of classical music albums, and much of the material can be regarded as 20th century classical music. The label provided a venue for experimental music, and its association with Eno gave increased public exposure to its composers and musicians. In their original editions, all albums used variations of the same cover art of a collage by John Bonis, covered up by an overprinting of black ink. The picture beneath the ink can be seen somewhat clearly under a strong light. Each volume except the seventh has one small window in the black overprint to reveal a different portion of the picture on each album. The red and white label design is a blurred photo that appears to be spires on roofs of buildings. Brian Eno’s album Music for Airports (1978) was intended as the eleventh Obscure album, and has catalogue number OBS-11 written and then scratched out in theContinue Reading →

Return of reel-to-reel as musicians reject digital for better sound of dated technology

Music, Review

I have kept my Akai Reel to Reel that I used in the 70s. Real sound-on-sound. Combining digital and analogue has been my plan since my first record in 2008. I’ve never looked back… It began with vinyl, and cassettes closely followed. But now reel-to-reel tape decks have joined the analogue revival and are making a comeback, as musicians reject new technology for the “unbelievable” sound of the classic machines. Pop stars including Lady Gaga, Florence and the Machine and Tame Impala have all recorded albums through the dated technology for a warmer sound. Searches for the vintage machines on second-hand websites have also increased by a quarter in the last six months and the trend has pushed up the price of the best decks. Once associated with the 1940s and the tones of Bing Crosby, the clunky machines with their iconic dual wheels are now a staple in modern recording studios and all-star music producers like Mark Ronson are leading the trend to create amalgamated sounds that haven’t existed in the past. Other artisanal record companies are dismissing high-tech software altogether and recording music, such as jazz, solely on tape. Source: Return of reel-to-reel as musicians reject digital for better sound of dated technology