Rocktrospectiva: The Impressive, Intimacy And Cohesive "Vespertine" Turns 25

Released on 18 August 2001 first in Japan and on 27 August in the USA, "Vespertine" was the 4th., studio album by the Icelandic singer and songwrite Björk, according to her, she aspired to create an album with minimal and intricate electronic music to evoke an intimate and domestic feeling, in contrast with the louder styles of her previous studio album Homogenic.  She enlisted producers such as Opiate, Console and the duo Matmos, and also worked with harpist Zeena Parkins. The album spawned the singles "Hidden Place", "Pagan Poetry" & "Cocoon". The music videos of the latter two were banned on MTV for their depictions of sexuality.

Björk composed arrangements with thin-sounding instruments, including the harp, the celesta, clavichord, strings and custom music boxes. Assisted by Matmos, Björk created "microbeats" from various commonplace sounds, such as that of shuffling cards and ice being cracked. Lyrically, the album drew inspiration from Björk's new relationship with Matthew Barney, exploring themes related to sex, intimacy, eroticism, and love. Other lyrical sources include the poetry of E. E. Cummings and British playwright Sarah Kane's Crave. The album has been noted for its erotic, intimate mood and sonic experimentation, Vespertine received universal acclaim from music critics, with some considering it Björk's best album to date.  

Björk had released her previous studio album, Homogenic, in 1997. The album's style differed from her previous two releases, described by her as "very emotionally confrontational and [...] very dramatic". She also described "All Is Full of Love"—Homogenic's closing track—as the first song on Vespertine, as it opposed the rest of the album's "aggressive, macho" aesthetic. Writer and critic Mark Pytlik writes, "Her appetite for thumping techno had been, temporarily at least, subsumed by a desire for stark melodies and minimalist production".

In 2000, she starred in Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark, and composed its soundtrack, Selmasongs. While she worked on the film, she also began producing her next album, writing new music, and teaming with new collaborators. She has said "Selmasongs was the day job and Vespertine was the hobby". During this time, she also began to use her new laptop to write music, and Vespertine has been retrospectively referred to as "her laptop album"She initially set about making a record with a domestic mood featuring "everyday moods and everyday noises translating into melodies and beats", hence its working title Domestika.

Her new relationship with artist Matthew Barney, and the stress she experienced while filming Dancer in the Dark, have been referred to as the two major forces that shaped what would become Vespertine. Her relationship with Barney influenced her lyrics, which became more intimate, detailed, and revealing in contrast to her past works. As Björk had to be extroverted during the filming process, the music she wrote for Vespertine also became hushed and tranquil as a way for her to escape. In fine style, Björk had set out to write an album about making sandwiches. She'd ended up with an album about making love". A stylistic antecedent was her poem "Techno Prayer", published in Details magazine in July 1996, which would later be used as part of the lyrics of "All Neon Like". It featured thematic ideas such as cocooning and thread-weaving that she would later explore on Vespertine.

Björk has stated that she wanted the album to sound like "modern chamber music", referring to the times where "the most ideal music situation was in the home, where people would play harps for each other". She also considers Vespertine to be the opposite of her previous studio album Homogenic, the former being an introverted, quiet, winter record; the latter a loud, dramatic, summer record. Björk has also described the album as "more electronic folk music". Critics have classified Vespertine as electronica, art pop, psychedelia, ambient, folktronica, and glitch pop. Björk's performance on Vespertine has been described as that of an "art-rock torch singer".

Stylistically, Vespertine incorporates elements of both art and dance music. For example, the instrumentation of choir, strings, and harp is suggestive of Romantic art music, while the "synthesised keyboard sonorities, filtering effects and complex percussive sounds" are elements characteristic of dance-based pop. Vespertine is also characterised by "the obsession with sonic traces of analog technology – that is, the pervasive use of loops, static and white noise". Unlike her previous albums like Debut and Post, "electronic sounds are the norm, and the acoustic sounds become the interjections." Influenced by the 1999 album New Ancient Strings, a recording of kora duets by Toumani Diabaté with Ballaké Sissoko, Björk's voice was used as a supplement to "the complex electronic textures". Her vocals often appeared to be recorded close to the microphone and with little treatment, and sung in a sometimes "unstable whisper", conveying a sense of close proximity and reduced space suitable for the 

The album opener "Hidden Place", featured a soprano section and strings, "over the top of a warm, intimate melody". Björk sang about "how two people can create a paradise just by uniting", as she intones: "I'm so close to tears/And so close to/Simply calling you up/And simply suggesting/We go to that hidden place". "Cocoon" was based around an exploratory bassline and beats that sound like fingertips on skin". "It's Not Up to You" has been described as a "dizzying ballad" and a song that lifts the album upward. The "caressing lyrics" of "Undo" assure that: "It's not meant to be a strife/It's not meant to be a struggle uphill". "Pagan Poetry" is a "harp-splashed" song that concerns unrequited love. The instrumental interlude "Frosti" has been described as "metallic tundra".

"Frosti" faded into "Aurora", while "a warm, faintly crunchy sound" is heard. These are samples of footsteps in the snow—the work of Matmos—re-appropriated as the song's "subtly shifting beat". "Aurora" has been described as "something that appeals to a child-like imagination", and having a "magical and airy quality". "An Echo, a Stain" is underpinned by a creeping choir line and nibbling clicks, and featured an "unresolved, ominous tension" that is atypical of her writing style. "Sun in My Mouth" was an adaptation of E. E. Cummings' poem "I will wade out/Till my thighs are steeped in burning flowers", with an emphasis on the vocal and accompaniment provided by a string orchestra, a harp, and soft electronica. "Heirloom" altered "between what sounds like a samba preset on a vintage Wurlitzer organ and skittering breakbeats, and is decorated with inverted synthtones and analog keyboards". Film director Harmony Korine wrote "Harm of Will"'s lyrics. The Slate album review noted the minimalist nature of the track, pointing out a lack of hook, beat and melody. It was a slow song, as it was the closing track, "Unison". The latter contained a refrain directly inspired by Björk's experience in Dancer in the Dark and a healthy dollop of self-effacing humor evoked to counter the balance"

The cover art, shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in Los Angeles, California, was a black and white photograph of Björk lying down on the patterned ground next to a swimming pool, covering her eyes from the sun and wearing the Marjan Pejoski swan dress that she wore at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001,

Vespertine received universal acclaim from music critics. The album received some praise for its themes of intimacy and introversion, considered one of the most impressive and cohesive albums of that year 2001, for its nuance and delicacy, describing its sonic palette as a breath of fresh air.

 

Vespertine Track List: 

 

1. Hidden Place

2. Cocoon

3. It's Not Up To You

4. Undo

5. Pagan Poetry

6. Frosti

7. Aurora

8. An Echo. a Stain

9. Sun In My Mouth

10. Heirloom

11. Harm Of Will

12. Unison

Rocktrospectiva: The Breakingthrough "Slippery When Wet" Turns 40

Released on 18 August 1986 "Slippery When Wet" was the 3rd., studio album by the US rock band Bon Jovi, it was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and is considered a breakthrough for hair metal, cause it was the album that turn heavy metal into a radio-friendly pop format. The album spawned four singles that nowadays are considered amongst the band best-known songs "You Give Love A Bad Name", "Livin' On A Prayer", "Wanted Dead Or Alive" & "Never Say Goodbye." 

Slippery When Wet was an instant commercial success, spending eight weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and was named by Billboard as the top-selling album of 1987, and is considered  Bon Jovi's best-selling album to date.

Upon its 1985 release, 7800° Fahrenheit achieved moderate success, but Bon Jovi had not yet become superstars. The band changed its approach for the next album, with a more mainstream sound than the heavier first two albums. Hiring Desmond Child as a collaborator, the band wrote 30 songs and auditioned them for local New Jersey and New York teenagers, basing the album's running order on their opinions. Bruce Fairbairn was chosen as the producer for the album, with Bob Rock as the mixer. 

Much of the album was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, whereas "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "Without Love", and "I'd Die For You" were co-written by the duo with Desmond Child, and "Wild in the Streets" was by Jon Bon Jovi alone. This was the first time Desmond worked with Jon and Richie. He came to New Jersey, where they worked on the four songs in Sambora's mother's basement.

Jon Bon Jovi explained, "I liked what Bryan Adams had done with Tina Turner so I suggested we do something similar: I write a song for someone like her, and then we do the song together. But that got changed, and our A&R guy came up with Desmond's name ... He hasn't tried to change what we are, but to refine it slightly; to suggest extra ways that we could wring a bit more out of what we had." Jon Bon Jovi was initially reluctant to include "Livin' on a Prayer", believing it was not good enough. Sambora convinced him it was a hit in the making, and so the band rerecorded it, releasing the second version on the album. It is Bon Jovi's signature song.

The album's name was changed during its inception, including Wanted Dead or Alive. A proposed cover with the band dressed as cowboys was later used for the single release of the track of the same name. According to Jon Bon Jovi, the band named the album Slippery When Wet after visiting The No.5 Orange strip club in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to Sambora, "This woman descended from the ceiling on a pole and proceeded to take all her clothes off. When she got in a shower and soaped herself up, we just about lost our tongues. We just sat there and said, 'We will be here every day.' That energized us through the whole project. Our testosterone was at a very high level back then."

The cover consists of a wet black garbage bag with the words "Slippery When Wet" traced in the water. "So simple, and not very impressive", said Sambora. The album originally was to feature a busty woman in a wet yellow T-shirt with the album name on the front of the shirt. This was swapped for the plastic bag cover just prior to release. The reasons given for the switch were record executives' fears that dominant record store chains at the time would have refused to carry the album with a sexist cover, and Jon Bon Jovi's dislike of the bright pink border around the photograph the band submitted.

However, the album that changed everything for the New Jersey rockers was Slippery When Wet , which debuted in record stores on August 18, 1986. A work full of huge anthems that became the album that made Bon Jovi known both in their country and throughout the world.

 

Slippery When Wet Track List:  

 

1. Let It Rock

2. You Give Love A Bad Name

3. Livin' On A Prayer

4. Social Disease

5. Wanted Dead Or Alive

6. Raise Your Hands

7. Without Love

8. I'd Die For You

9. Never Say Goodbye

10. Wild In The

Books: It's Time The Tale Were Told "A People's History Of The Smiths"

 

It's Time The Tale Were Told – A People’s History of The Smiths is the story of the UK’s most influential indie band. This book collects together 500 first-hand memories from fans, support acts, promoters, fanzine writers, record store owners and the band's lighting designer of the band in action. From the earliest club shows through to the final gig at London's Brixton Academy, and including memories of more than 20 North American dates, this is a portrait of The Smiths painted by those who were there. With personal photographs, memorabilia, anecdotes and first-hand accounts of over 150 gigs in total, readers get a front row view of Manchester’s indie music legends in action.

The Smiths were indeed a moment in time marking a point in the early 80s when "Indie" moved from being "small audience material on minor record labels" to a crossover into the mainstream.
This is not intended to be a definitive history but a history across 300 pages told by those who were involved, were there, bear the scars, and still hold the highest esteem for an outspoken (some would say odd-ball) singer, musical partner in crime and tune, plus backing from a solid if un-noticed (until the court case) rhythm section.

The stories range from their fist gig at The Hacienda when Morrissey got annoyed with the crowd and the poster stating “We are THE Smiths, not just Smiths”, to first appearances on The Tube and Top Of The Pops (not as many stories of people going home, buying a deaf aid and waving gladioli about as I though there may have been), to the last recording sessions in Streatham, before Johnny Marr quits and the NME publish the “Smiths To Split” headline.

The band's time was brief (effectively 1983 to 1987 as a recording unit), but in the same time it took Yes to go from 90125 to Big Generator, The Smiths had formed, released 4 albums, 2 compilations and 20 singles, and disbanded. Indeed, they started something that they couldn’t finish. Didn’t hang about to actually finish it, and have spent years fighting each other to make sure they don’t actually finish it.

 

Title: It's Time The Tale Were Told "A Poeple's History Of The Smiths"

Author: Iain Key & RIchard Houghton

Pages: 300

Publisher: Spenwood Books

Language: English

Format: Paperback 

The Compilation: Now Yearbook Vault '86

NOW Music's Yearbook Vault series continues next month, when the spotlight falls on 1986, and songs that were minor hits, hit-adjacent or, and let’s use the word, flops.

For this release, the usual "Yearbook" 4CD option of deluxe hardcover book packaging or more basic card sleeve edition, offers 77 tracks, while a 3LP coloured vinyl (purple) delivers 44 songs from 1986.

For this Vault compilation, because there's some relatively big names here such as Paul Young's first single from his third solo album, 1986's Between Two Fires, had been "Wonderland". Vault ’86 also reminds us that acts we know and love as one hit wonders did actually ‘try again’; they didn’t want to be one hit wonders, after all. So yes, Belouis Some did release a few singles that weren’t ‘Imagination’ and funnily enough one of them was called ‘Some People‘! It was a very minor hit, but if history teaches us anything, it’s that 1986 was not a year to release a song called ‘Some People’. ‘Ed’s Funky Diner‘ was actually a great follow-up to It’s Immaterial’s ‘surprise’ hit.

Other tracks include Nik Kershaw's ‘Nobody Knows’ (No 44) and Howard Jones’ All I Want (No 35), both artists, like Paul Young, experimenting with new producers (in Nik’s case himself!) and it not really working out. The Thompson Twins‘ ‘Nothing in Common’ wasn’t released in the UK, but it didn’t trouble the upper reaches of the American chart when it was issued there (their previous two singles had been top 10 hits Stateside). Three singles from Sting's brilliant The Dream of the Blue Turtles album failed to get into the UK top 40 which seems crazy, and ‘Moon Over Bourbon Street‘, when issued as the fifth 45 (A&M were probably enthused because ‘Russians’ had reached No 12) was the last of them (No 44). Sting would have to wait until 1994 before chalking up a solo UK top 10 single (‘When We Dance’).

Tears For Fears make an appearance on Vault ’86, with a song that was both the first and last single from Songs From The Big Chair: ‘Mothers Talk‘. Included here is the US Mix, not issued in the UK. In America, it reached 27 which sounds decent, until you recall that the first three singles from the album were No 1, No 1 & No 3!. Roland Orzabal told this writer that he much preferred the version re-recorded for the North American market: “I always thought we got ‘Mothers Talk’ slightly wrong. It was a bit too fast. The US version worked really well, we were happy”. There’s plenty more interesting selections on this new compilation; scroll down for full tracklistings.

NOW Yearbook Vault ’86 will be released on 18 September 2026.

 

4CD Track List:

 

CD 1

1. Paul McCartney – Only Love Remains

2. Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart – The Miracle Of Love

3. The Lover Speaks – No More “I Love You’s”

4. Sting – Moon Over Bourbon Street

5. Chris Rea – On The Beach

6. The Bangles – If She Knew What She Wants

7. Belinda Carlisle – Mad About You

8. Billy Idol – To Be A Lover

9. Daryl Hall – Dreamtime

10. Paul Young – Some People

11. Wax – Right Between The Eyes

12. Nick Heyward – Goodbye Yesterday

13. Nik Kershaw – Nobody Knows

14. Thompson Twins – Nothing In Common

15. Howard Jones – All I Want

16. Ultravox – Same Old Story

17. Belouis Some – Some People

18. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – We Love You

19. ABC – Ocean Blue

 

CD 2

1. David Sylvian – Taking The Veil

2. Talk Talk – Living In Another World

3. Arcadia – The Flame

4. John Taylor – I Do What I Do (Theme for 9 1/2 Weeks)

5. China Crisis – Arizona Sky

6. It’s Immaterial – Ed’s Funky Diner

7. The Mission – Stay With Me

8. The Jesus And Mary Chain – Some Candy Talking

9. Siouxsie And The Banshees – Candyman

10. Cocteau Twins – Love’s Easy Tears

11. Mint Juleps – Only Love Can Break Your Heart

12. Everything But The Girl – Come On Home

13. Sandie Shaw – Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?

14. Big Audio Dynamite – C’Mon Every Beatbox

15. The Stranglers – Always The Sun

16. The Housemartins – Sheep

17. Fine Young Cannibals – Funny How Love Is

18. The Blow Monkeys – Wicked Ways

19. Simply Red – Jericho

20. Elton John – Cry To Heaven

 

CD 3

1. The Communards – Disenchanted

2. Bronski Beat – C’mon! C’mon!

3. Yello – Goldrush

4. Grace Jones – I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect For You)

5. Aretha Franklin – Another Night

6. Chaka Khan – Love Of A Lifetime

7. Cameo – Candy

8. Hollywood Beyond – No More Tears

9. El DeBarge – Who’s Johnny

10. Matt Bianco – Dancing In The Street

11. Carmel – Sally

12. Dee C. Lee – Come Hell Or Waters High

13. Maxi Priest – Strollin’ On

14. UB40 – All I Want To Do

15. Loose Ends – Slow Down

16. Ruby Turner featuring Jonathan Butler – If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)

17. Billy Ocean – Love Zone

18. Lionel Richie – Love Will Conquer All

19. Gloria Estefan – Words Get In The Way

 

CD 4

1. Tears For Fears – Mothers Talk (U.S. Remix)

2. Wang Chung – Everybody Have Fun Tonight

3. Stacey Q – Two Of Hearts

4. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (with Full Force) – All Cried Out

5. The Fixx – Secret Separation

6. The Outfield – Your Love

7. Glass Tiger – Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)

8. Pat Benatar – Le Bel Age

9. Heart – Nothin’ At All

10. Boston – Amanda

11. Don Johnson – Heartbeat

12. Meat Loaf – Rock ‘N’ Roll Mercenaries

13. ZZ Top – Stages

14. Mr. Mister – Is It Love

15. Huey Lewis & The News – Hip To Be Square

16. The Moody Blues – Your Wildest Dreams

17. Mike + The Mechanics – All I Need Is A Miracle

18. Billy Joel – A Matter Of Trust

19. Bruce Springsteen – War (Live at LA Coliseum)

News: Morrissey And Johnny Marr Have Worked On A New Rare Vinyl Released From The Smiths

 

Morrissey and Johnny Marr have both helped to create a rare new seven-inch release from The Smiths, as part of an upcoming Rough Trade boxset.

The legendary London independent label will release its second volume of newly printed classic singles, titled ‘Rough Trade 45s: Volume 2’, on October 30. It will comprise tracks from The Fall, Aztec Camera, Mazzy Star, Scritti Politti, Robert Wyatt and more, and the boxset will be limited to just 1000 copes, released on October 30. 

Among them is a new release from The Smiths, with "The Headmaster Ritual" on the A-side, and "I Want The One I Can't Have" on the flip side. Both songs originally appeared on the band’s second album "Meat Is Murder" in 1985, but they were never released as a single on Rough Trade.

Now, they will be available as a single for the first time, with Morrissey and Marr both requesting the two tracks. Morrissey has also overseen the creation of the new artwork, choosing a 1939 image of the American actor Billy Halop. It follows in the tradition of The Smiths' artwork throughout their career, with Morrissey having previously selected the likes of Truman Capote, Candy Darling, Alain Delon and Elvis Presley.

Both Morrissey and Marr have also both contributed sleeve notes for the release, and the booklet will also include writing from Elvis Costello, Stewart Lee, Green Gartside, Jonathan Richman and The Go-Betweens' Robert Forster.

You can pre-order here: Rough Trade 45s 

The Compilation/News: Rough Trade Announced 45s Volume 2 Boxset

 

Rough Trade Records announced the release of their Volume 2 of seven-inch singles boxset. The legendary London Label will release a second volume of their acclaimed boxset series tracing some of the key seven-inch singles in the independent label's history on 30 October.

Following the first set which came out last year and focused on the indie's first few years of existence, Volume 2 will feature nine seven-inch singles from the 1980s to the early 1990s, marking the period when Rough Trade came of age as a label.

Nine disc set includes repressings of handpicked 1980s and 1990s releases from The Fall, Scritti Politti, Robert Wyatt, Aztec Camera, The Go-Betweens, Jonathan Richman, The Sundays and Mazzy Star Additionally The Smiths' The Headmaster Ritual becomes a Rough Trade single especially for this release at Morrissey and Marr's request, with unique b-side plus new artwork from Morrissey

Sleeve notes feature new interviews with Rough Trade co-MDs Jeannette Lee and Geoff Travis, plus contributions from Elvis Costello, Harriet Wheeler, Anton Corbijn, Stewart Lee and more.

Handpicked by Rough Trade’s co-MDs, Jeannette Lee and Geoff Travis, the tracks represent a mix of key releases and personal favourites. Starting with The Fall's 1980 Totally Wired, Scritti Politti's The Sweetest Girl, Robert Wyatt's Shipbuilding, Aztec Camera’s Oblivious, The Go Betweens' Cattle and Cane, Jonathan Richman's That Summer Feeling and The Sundays' Can't Be Sure have all been repressed on seven-inch, including b-sides, as they were released by the label at the time.

Mazzy Star's cover of Love’s Five String Serenade, which appeared on Rough Trade's single's club in 1993, appears as the original release, but its b-side has been switched at Lee and Travis' request for David Roback and Hope Sandoval’s version of Slap Happy’s Blue Flower to create a unique “covers release”.

In addition to these original releases, Volume 2 also boasts a ninth,  "new" single which has been created at the request of members of The Smiths, and will only be available in this edition. Although it was released in Netherlands, The Headmaster Ritual had never been an official Rough Trade single until now. At Morrissey and Marr's request the track from Meat Is Murder is backed by I Want The One I Can’t Have as its b-side, while Morrissey has overseen the creation of brand new artwork for the seven-inch.

Both band members have contributed to the sleeve notes that accompany Volume 2, which also includes contributions from Elvis Costello, Stewart Lee, Roddy Frame, Green Gartside, Jonathan Richman, The Sundays’ Harriet Wheeler, David Gavurin and The Go-Betweens' Lindy Morrison and Robert Forster. Plus, there is a brand new, extensive interview with Travis and Lee, who discuss the label during the 80s and 90s, the music and their collaborations with the artists featured.

The sleeve notes also contain memorabilia and imagery from the Rough Trade archive, along with contributions from Anton Corbijn, Laura Levine, Paul Slattery, David Corio and more, who photographed the artists at the time.

Like its predecessor Volume 1 – which included singles from Augustus Pablo, Young Marble Giants, Cabaret Voltaire, The Raincoats and more – this second Rough Trade seven-inch boxset is strictly limited to 1000 copies worldwide.

Rough Trade 45s Volume 2 Box Ser Tracklisting:

 

7" -  RT056 - 1980

The Fall - "Totally Wired"
B-Side: "Putta Block"

7"   -  RT091 - 1981
Scritti Politti - "The Sweetest Girl"
B-side: "Lions After Slumber"
 
7"  RT115 - 1982
Robert Wyatt - "Shipbuilding"
B-Side "Memories of You"
 
7"  -  RT122 - 1983
Aztec Camera - "Oblivious"
B-Side "Orchid Girl"
 
7"  - RT124 - 1983
The Go Betweens - "Cattle and Cane"
B-Side: "Heaven Says"
 
7" -  RT152 - 1984
Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - "That Summer Feeling"
B-Side: "This Kind of Music"
 
7" -  RT0507S - 2026
The Smiths - "The Headmaster Ritual"
B-Side "I Want the One I Can't Have"
(Originally released in the Netherlands 1985 with B-side Oscillate Wildly - new B-side for this release selected by the band)
 
7" - RT218 - 1989
The Sundays - "Can't Be Sure"
B-Side: "I Kicked a Boy"
 
7" -  45rev19x – 1983
Mazzy Star "Blue Flower"
B-Side: Mazzy Star  Five String Serenade
(the single was originally released with B-side Under My Car, but has been changed at Rough Trade’s request for this edition)

Rocktrospectiva: New Order's Outstanding Comeback Single "Crystal" Turns 25

Released in the UK on 13 August 2001 "Crystal" was New Order's first single from thir 7th., studio album "Get Ready", the single was the band's first released in eight years attracting considerable attention and critical praise as the band's comeback single. The song also found success internationally, peaking at number three in Canada, number seven in Finland, and reaching the top 50 in Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden. "Crystal" appears as the first track on the album in a version different from the single release, with an extended intro and coda.

Singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner originally gave the song to German record label Mastermind for Success, and it was recorded by label artist Corvin Dalek. However, DJ Pete Tong heard the song and declared it to be the best New Order single since "Blue Monday", leading Sumner to reconsider the gift and have New Order record and release it.

A version of the single was also released in Japan to promote the release of the New Order DVD 316, and has a different cover that resembles the 316 cover. B-sides for the single were 4 live audio tracks taken from the DVD. The single was B-sided by a variety of remixes, and an original song titled "Behind Closed Doors", which was produced by Arthur Baker. All versions feature extensive backing vocals from Dawn Zee, mostly wordless. Zee has continued to perform with New Order on all their successive studio albums.

The main music video, set to the album version, was directed by Johan Renck, produced by Nicola Doring through London production company Jane Fuller Associates and cinematographed by Fredrik Callinggård. It does not feature New Order; instead, it depicts a younger band miming to New Order's music and words. At the end, a large number of people come on stage to pull them off-stage. The cover art for the CD and DVD shows actress and model Nicolette Krebitz with her trousers below her knees.

The single was called as possibly one of New Order's best singles" and described it as "fantastic" and the "confident, strutting return of a band that knows that the music industry has missed it." The fictional band seen in the song's music video is named "The Killers". This would inspire the name of American rock band the Killers, who would also lift a number of elements of the set layout in the "Crystal" video for their own video "Somebody Told Me".

 

Crystal Track List:  

 

CD1: NUOCD8 UK & Europe

 

1. Crystal

2. Behind Close Doors

3. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock mix edit)

 

CD2: NUCDP8 (UK & Europe)

 

1. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock mix edit)

2. Crystal (Lee Coombs Remix)

3. Crystal (John Creamer & Stephane K main remix edit)

 

CD: WPCR-10985 (Japan)

 

1. Crystal

2. True Faith (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

3. Temptation (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

4. Atmosphere (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

5. Isolation (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

 

CD. 9 42397-2 (US)

 

1. Crystal (radio edit)

2. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock radio edit)

3. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock mix)

4. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock dub)

5. Crystal (Lee Coombs remix)

6. Crystal (Lee Coombs dub)

7. Crystal (John Creamer & Stephane K main remix)

8. Crystal (Creamer K main mix)

9. Behind Closed Doors

Books: The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect "The Last Indie Music Scene 2000-2010"

The first, cohesive account of a seminal period in UK music history affectionately referred to as ‘Indie Sleaze’. At the turn of the millennium, Britain was suffering from a post-britpop hangover. The whirlwind successes of Oasis and Blur had fizzled out and the British music industry, stagnant and directionless, was churning out bland singer-songwriters, identikit girl-groups and boybands – music culture was a vacuum, waiting to be filled.

However, across the Atlantic, something was brewing. In New York City, The Strokes were exploding across the music scene, igniting a new wave of rock’n’roll that catalysed and inspired a new genre: indie rock. Suddenly, kids from both sides of the Atlantic wanted to pick up an instrument, cause a ruckus and join a band. Spawned out of regional D.I.Y scenes and the success of genuinely independent labels and venues, this is the story of ‘the last indie scene’ in the UK.

Based on thrilling, informative and often hilarious interviews, The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect chronicles the legendary gigs, records, parties, drugs and cheap decadence that coalesced to form a messy, dissolute movement and subculture. An impactful and entertaining social history, author Janine Warren conducts personal interviews with core movers and shakers from the era: from members of the Libertines, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and The Cribs, as well as pivotal figures such as controversial NME editor Conor McNicholas and superstar producer Paul Epworth.

 

Title: The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect "The Last Indie Music Scene 2000-2010"

Author: Janine Warren

Pages: 336

Publisher: Omnibus Press

Language: English

Format: Hardback 

Rocktrospectiva: Pet Shop Boys' Summery And Fun Single "Se A Vida É" Turns 30

Released on 12 August 1996 "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" was a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, as the second single from their sixth studio album, Bilingual (1996). The song was based on "Estrada Da Paixão" by African-Brazilian band Olodum, which Pet Shop Boys heard during the South American leg of their Discovery tour in 1994. The band shares songwriting credits with Pet Shop Boys. The correct English translation of "Se a vida é" from Portuguese is actually "If Life Is...". ("That's the way life is" would be "É assim que a vida é..." or "A vida é assim".) The other Portuguese lyric is "Essa vida é..." ("This life is..."), which sounds very similar to "Se a vida é". Neil Tennant acknowledged that he started writing the lyrics with a mistranslation of the phrase but decided he liked it as is. The addition of "Essa vida é" was intended as a more accurate way to convey "that's the way life is".

"Se A Vida É" spent eight weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number eight, and became a top-five hit in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Spain. It topped the European Hit Radio chart, with airplay on 98 stations in 23 countries. 

In the United States, the song was released in 1997 as a double A-side with "To Step Aside". This version reached number eight on the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales chart while "To Step Aside" by itself reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

The single covers (CD1 pictured) featured photos from the music video shoot at a water park, taken by Lynda Churilla. The photos were printed on a yellow background in duotone pink, blue, green, red, and orange, with flecks of spot varnish to give an effect of splashing water. The 12-inch double vinyl cover had plain panels of the same colours, with the photos on the inner sleeves. The compact discs were yellow, and the vinyl records were green for side A/B and yellow for side C/D. Designer Mark Farrow described the look as "summery and fun and wet and sexy".

The accompanying music video for "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" was shot at the Wet 'n Wild water theme park in Orlando, Florida, and was directed by Bruce Weber, who had also directed the video for "Being Boring" (1990). Actress Eva Mendes appeared in a small role as a teenager with her friends at the park. The video entered heavy rotation on MTV and VH1 that summer.

The single has been described as "a sexy and vibrant song", and a "life-affirming lambada". Other described it as the best Pet Shop Boys single in years. Justice demands it be the biggest of summer hits." An extremely commercial and very positive song, it features a four-piece brass section, a guitar and 20 female drummers. The latter's inclusion gives a sometimes thunderous rumble to appropriate sections of the song, but the rest is very lightweight and breezy, with a vaguely Latin flavour floating in with the brass section.

 

Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) Track List: 

 

UK And Australian CD1 Japanese Maxi-CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Betrayed

3. How I Learned To Hate Rock 'n' Roll

4. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Pink Noise Mix)

 

UK And Australian CD2:

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picciotti's Deep And Dark Vocal) 

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picciotti's Shelter Dub)

3. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)" (Deep Dish Liquid Remix)

 

UK Cassette Single And European CD Single

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Betrayed

 

Japanese Mini CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Go West 

US CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Album Version) 

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picchiotti's Deep And Dark Vocal)

3. To Step Aside (Album Version)

4. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Disco Vox)

5. The Calm Before The Storm

6. Betrayed

 

US 2x12 inch Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Pricchiotti's Deep And Dark Vocal)

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Deep Dish Liquid Remix)

3. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Disco Vox)

4. To Step Aside (Hasbrouck Heights Mix)

5. To Step Aside (Davidson Ospina Dub)

6. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Old School Dub) 

7. To Step Aside (Brutal Bill Mix)

8. To Step Aside (Ralphi's House Vox)

Rocktrospectiva: The Groundbreaking And Globally Succesful "The Black Album" Turns 35

Released on 12 August 1991 "Metallica (The Black Album)" was the fifth studio album by the US heavy metal band Metallica. The album marked a change in the band's music from the thrash metal style of their previous four albums to a slower, heavier, and more refined sound. Metallica promoted Metallica with a series of tours. They also released five singles to promote the album: "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam", and "Sad but True", all of which have been considered to be among the band's best-known songs. The song "Don't Tread on Me" was also issued to rock radio shortly after the album's release but did not receive a commercial single release.

Going back to 1988's ...And Justice for All , Metallica had pushed their epic and often complex thrash metal as far as it could go. But as Kirk Hammett said: We realized that the general consensus was that the songs were too long. Everyone in the audience had these long faces, and I was like, Damn, they're not enjoying it as much as we are. As drummer Lars Ulrich confirmed: The ten-minute, twelve-tempo-change Metallica phase had run its course. We wanted to streamline and simplify things. They had reached the glass ceiling of thrash metal and were ready to shatter it. However, to achieve such a drastic stylistic shift, the band knew they needed a powerful sound that would pack a punch. And they knew exactly the right producer to deliver it. The arrival of Bob Rock was the first indication that Metallica was willing to risk their reputation to achieve their musical goals. Rock was renowned for his work with Bon Jovi and The Cult, and Metallica had chosen him for the sound he captured on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood . 

The first song written during the "Black Album" sessions, "Enter Sandman" was built around a basic riff and set the standard for the "less is more" approach Metallica aimed for on their fifth album. After this break, they were quick to prove they hadn't lost any of their heaviness in the slow, crushing riff of "Sad But True." It was clear the band's venomous sonic bite hadn't lost its potency, permeating the vigorous "Holier Than Thou" and the abrasive "Don't Tread On Me," while "Wherever I May Roam" showcases the considerable experience the band members had gained in songwriting. "Through The Never" offers a twisting and turning structure very similar to the band's previous material, but this time it gets straight to the point in just about four minutes.

Metallica learned the dynamics of songwriting early on, using lighter moments to make the heavier parts sound colossal. On "The Black Album," "The Unforgiven" offers a respite while also recalling the desperation of the band's then-biggest hit, "One." Even the ballad "Nothing Else Matters" gets a jolt of power to ensure it never veers into cheesy territory. Meanwhile, the thunderous crunch of "Of Wolf and Man" and the rattling of "The God That Failed" keep things focused, which in turn leads into the heartbreaking "My Friend of Misery," before the frenetic "The Struggle Within" brings the self-titled album to a close. Bob Rock encouraged Metallica to use the drums to drive each song, rather than letting them lag behind the guitars. It was a technique that propelled the band to stratospheric success 

At the time of Metallica's recording, the band's songs were written mainly by frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, with Hetfield being the lyricist. The duo frequently composed together at Ulrich's house in Berkeley, California. Several song ideas and concepts were conceived by other members of the band, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted. For instance, Newsted wrote the main riff of "My Friend of Misery", which was originally intended to be an instrumental, one of which had been included on every previous Metallica album. The songs were written in two months in mid-1990; the ideas for some of them were originated during the Damaged Justice Tour.

Metallica was impressed with Bob Rock's production work on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood (1989) and decided to hire him to work on their album. Initially, the band members were not interested in having Rock producing the album as well, but changed their minds. Ulrich said, "We felt that we still had our best record in us and Bob Rock could help us make it". Four demos for the album were recorded on August 13, 1990; "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters" and "Wherever I May Roam". 

Because it was Rock's first time producing a Metallica album, he had the band make the album in different ways; he encouraged them to record songs collaboratively rather than individually. He also suggested recording tracks live and using harmonic vocals for Hetfield. Rock was expecting the production to be "easy" but had trouble working with the band, leading to frequent, engaged arguments with the band members over aspects of the album. Rock wanted Hetfield to write better lyrics and found his experience recording with Metallica disappointing: the recording experience was so stressful that Rock briefly swore never to work with the band again.

The album cost US$1 million to produce. The troubled production coincided with Ulrich, Hammett, and Newsted divorcing their wives; Hammett said this influenced their playing because they were "trying to take those feeling of guilt and failure and channel them into the music, to get something positive out of it. The album was a change in Metallica's direction from the thrash metal style of the band's previous four studio albums towards a more commercial, heavy metal sound. Despite this, it still had characteristics of thrash metal. Some critics also described the album as hard rock and groove metal. The band took a simpler approach partly because the members felt the songs on ...And Justice for All were too long and complex. Hetfield said that radio airplay was not their intention, but because they felt "we had pretty much done the longer song format to death," and considered a good change doing songs with just two riffs and "only taking two minutes to get the point across".

Instruments not usually used by heavy metal bands, such as the cellos in "The Unforgiven" and the orchestra in "Nothing Else Matters", were added at Rock's insistence. Rock also raised the volume of the bass guitar, which had been nearly inaudible on the previous album ...And Justice for All. Newsted said he tried to "create a real rhythm section rather than a one-dimensional sound" with his bass. Newsted credited Rock with helping him find a sound that would work without interfering with the bass drum or the guitar, which Newsted claimed had always been an issue in his experience. The lyrics of Metallica written by James Hetfield were more personal and introspective in nature than those of previous Metallica albums; Rock said Hetfield's songwriting became more confident, and that he was inspired by Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and John Lennon.

Metallica was met with widespread acclaim from both heavy metal journalists and mainstream publications, including NME, The New York Times, and The Village Voice: "Metallica may have invented a new genre: progressive thrash". Retrospective appraisals have been positive by saying Metallica was the album that propelled the band out of the metal ghetto to true mainstream global rock superstardom", a deliberate departure from the band's thrash style on ...And Justice for All, "Metallica was slower, less complicated, and probably twice as heavy as anything they'd done before".Classic Rock called it "the absolute pinnacle of Metallica's long and successful career", and credited the album for inspiring 1990s post-grunge music and convincing the music industry to embrace heavy metal as a genre with mass appeal.

 

Metallica The Black Album Track List: 

 

1. Enter Sandman

2. Sad But True

3. Holier Than Thou

4. The Unforgiven

5. Wherever I May Roam

6. Don't Tread On Me

7. Through The Never

8. Nothing Else Matters

9. Of Wolf And Man

10. The God That Failed

11. My Friend Of Mysery

12. The Struggle Within