1000 SONGS - DAY 294 SONG # 325

Day 325: The First Song by Kevin Coyne I Came to Know

Kevin Coyne (1944-2004) was a great artist and a strange guy. He made some great records, he was very sensitive and he had some trouble with the booze. Just like me, minus the artistry, the records and the sensitivity. At least, I am strange, too. The very first song written and performed by him I came to know was "Marlene". It is so wonderful a song that I do not want to say anything about it for fear of destroying the marvellous mood it creates. And I do not feature some of the later versions to be found on UTUBE because I can't stand to look at old Kevin, marked and scarred by life and simply raddled. I once owned the single version of the song (flip side: Sea of love, there were two singles w/h different flip sides), and the first album I did own by Kevin was "Matching Head and Feet", featuring a guy called Andy Summers (of whom you might have heard) on the guitar. There is the nice story that my friend Samir Köck gave my copy of that album (which I had left with him) to Kevin, who did not have one any more, or so. Nevertheless, later on, I bought another copy of that fine album. Furthermore, Nikki Sudden (1956-2006), another one of my Brit-Non-Pop heroes, and another one who has already passed away, is featured with a version of that song about a girl called Marlene on a tribute album to Kevin, released after Sudden's death, at least you can get a glimpse of it here

Cheers for Kevin!

1000 SONGS - DAY 293 SONG # 324

DAY 293: The Very Best of Classic Pre-Hard Rock

Led Zeppelin are sometimes labelled as Hard Rock and sometimes as forerunners of the genre. Be that as it may, they are rightly listed on the blues-influenced side of the bands with an impact on later hard-rock bands. John Bonham, influential rock-drummer, died on Sept. 25, 1980, 32 years of age, because of drinking too much vodka (40 shots or so), as has been reported. Within only a few days this will be 33 years ago. "Stairway to Heaven", from Led Zeppelin IV, has been eagerly discussed for its alleged reverse-masking: it is said to  contain satanic messages if heard backwards. I do not understand who the fucking hell should have any interest to listen to this song rendered backwards - the forward version really is beautiful - starting with a kind of english folk tune and gradually growing into a rock tune that makes you jump like wild... Anyway, here is a link on a discussion of that reverse masking-thing (interestingly, the passage under suspicion is the one where the drums come in). Jimmy Page may be an adept of good (or bad) old Aleister Crowley, self-declared Anti-Christ, but as Christianity is still a major religion in this here world and Crowley is dead, wtf? Nietzsche, another self-declared Anti-Christ, surely had the better arguments against Christianity, and no reverse masking needed (try to read Nietzsche's Antichrist backwards...). There is also a version of Stairway to Heaven by the Maestro himself, as rendered on his 1988 tour, the great FZ, featured after the LZ version. I think that this is one of the greatest rock songs ever (until now) recorded. And, although I think that Zappa was one of the best musicians that ever lived (in a line with Mozart and Strawinsky), I like the Zeppelin version more (that does not mean that I would not be aware of all the great musicianship in Zappa's arrangement and the way his band realises it).

1000 LIEDER - TAG 292 Lied # 323

Tag 292: Ein Lied von einem Poeten

Sven Regener ist ein Poet; er kann in so einfachen Sätzen soviel sagen. Mehr muss man dazu auch nicht sagen. Passend zur Jahreszeit: Über Nacht von Element of Crime.

1000 LIEDER - TAG 291 LIED # 322

Tag 291: ein Lied von einem Deutschen

Tobias Gruben hat als Kleiner mit Christoph Schlingensief in der Band "Die 4 Kaiserlein" gespielt, danach in einer sog. Gruft-Rock Band gesungen. Später hat er die Band "Die Erde" gegründet. Da lernte ich ihn kennen und ich kaufte mir die 12" Single Version von "Leben den Lebenden" (passables Wortspiel, übrigens. Das Lied gefällt mir immer noch, jetzt wo Tobias Gruben, in Athen geboren, in Starnberg aufgewachsen und auch mal in Hamburg wohnhaft, schon lange tot ist. Er starb am 02.12.1996 an einer Überdosis Heroin. Auch Christoph Schlingensief lebt nicht mehr, ihn raffte der Krebs dahin. Es gibt kein geregeltes Leben.

Hier: Die Erde, Leben den Lebenden



Und Hier: Die 4 Kaiserlein, Karat: