Radio: Jon Savage – Savage Music 007 / Motorik

If you enjoy the cosmic/kraut/motorik sound, or elektronische musik as Soul Jazz recently called it, then this radio show is for you. Jon Savage, our presenter, has interviewed many of the main players within the scene and here presents a show focusing on the sound, his love of it and interviewing the likes of Conny Plank. If you haven’t listened to any of the Savage radio shows this is a fine place to start.

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Tune in weekly to ByteFM for the Savage Music shows.

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Radio: Jon Savage – Savage Music 001 / Meridian 1970

Image: Aubrey Mayer

Jon Savage is one of the UK’s most respected music journalists, authors and social historians. Many of you will know his classic book on punk, ‘England’s Dreaming’ and it’s recently released companion, ‘The England’s Dreaming Tapes’, which consists of many of the source interviews for the book including all four original Sex Pistols, Joe Strummer, Chrissie Hynde, Jordan, Siouxsie Sioux, Viv Albertine, Pete Shelley, Debbie Wilson, Tony Wilson, Jah Wobble and more.

He also wrote ‘Time Travel: From the Sex Pistols to Nirvana – Pop, Media and Sexuality, 1977-96’, the highly recommended book on youth, Teenage, and edited the Factory focused The Hacienda Must Be Built.

We were doing some work with Mr Savage recently in the office and were given some of his radio shows which I was totally unaware of. Jon records the shows for Germany’s ByteFM, the Savage Music shows appearing here. They are, as he says in the first show, ‘just a way of putting a lot of great music together’. To be honest they are a bit more than that. They are a treasure trove of music and knowledge with the character, stories and honesty of Savage at the helm.

Bit of background on the station these were originally recorded for. ByteFM was founded in January 2008 and covers many different genres, from alternative rock to country, techno to dubstep, reggae, French chansons and many other styles. The shows are presented by around 80 radio music journalists from all over Germany, many well known within their fields and they have won many awards. I think it may be a bit of an untapped source.

Everyone I shared the Savage Music shows with has thoroughly enjoyed so we spoke to Jon, as well as Klaus and Ruben at ByteFM, to ask for permission to use the shows on Test Pressing. Kindly the chaps have all said yes so here we go with the first show. By way of introduction here’s a brief Q&A with Jon.

How did this series come about? What was the original thinking behind it? How did you meet the ByteFM guys?

I was asked to do it by Klaus Walter after I did a long interview with him in Hamburg to promote the German language England’s Dreaming. Klaus is a friend of my translator Conny Losch.

We hear you have an amazing record collection at home, have you kept most of the music you have been sent over the years?

Well yes and bought music I like as well. I still buy records. I’ve been reviewing records since 1977. Mmm, quite a long time.

How do you catalogue? By artist? Genre?

Periods, artists and genres.

When it comes to prized pieces of vinyl or cassettes please could you list your top three.

First Velvet Underground Album mono promo.
Acetate of Byrds’ Eight Miles High.
White label of Sex Pistols “Never Mind The Bollocks” US – formerly the Ramones’ copy. They hated the Sex Pistols so it is barely played.

What’s next for you?

Script for feature documentary of ‘Teenage’ book and starting plans for new book. Working on exhibition of Joy Division materials this summer. And on Punk Graphics book for Rizzoli.

I think one of your most underrated compilations to date has been the Dreams Come True – First Wave Of Electro on Domino. What were the first records you heard form this scene and how did you come to it. Was it through the electronic/industrial side of things or more the disco side?

Big cross over between black American dance music and white avant-garde in the early 80s. I DJ’ed at the Hacienda in 1982 and so was exposed to a lot of early Electro/Rap thanks to Hewan Clarke and Mike Pickering. But I was going that way anyway. Then a bit later Vince Aletti showed me the true delights of Disco, which of course you were not allowed to like during the punk period (although I Feel Love and Magic Fly escaped the fatwa).

Favourite record of last year?

Oh something on Kompakt. Anything on Kompakt.

Back to the shows, I understand it is to be a series of 100 shows? Why?

Not necessarily 100. Maybe yes, maybe no.

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Tune in weekly to ByteFM for the Savage Music shows or stay tuned for the next update. Forthcoming shows include Queer Noise, Songs About The Sun, Moon Songs, Motorik and more.

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Radio Show: Massive Attack – Kiss 14:09:94 (Part Three)

Back, on it and here we go again. More classic Bristol sounds. ‘Looking at my Gucci it’s about that time…’.

Massive Attack – Kiss 14th September 1994 (Part Three)
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Radio Show: Massive Attack – Kiss 14:09:94 (Part One)

Mushroom on the wheels once again showing us how to walk the genres in a fine style in this, the first part of the second week of Massive Attack’s promo shows for the ‘Protection’ album.

Massive Attack – Kiss 14th September 1994 (Part One)
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Test Pressing FM – We’re On The Radio…

Monday at 5PM Test Pressing is live on Diesel Radio with co-hosts Steve Terry of ESP and Phil Mison from Reverso 68 and Cantoma. Expect Steve’s slow house vibes, some mellow sounds from Phil and some Island Records as it’s their 50th birthday. So, 5pm here if anyone fancies. We’ll try and upload the show soon.

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Danny Rampling: Kiss FM 1990

If you want a flavour of London clubland in 1990 then you could do worse than take a listen to these pause button tapes of Danny Rampling on London’s Kiss FM. From the balearic Army of Lovers through to some hip house and er, Rozalla, it’s all here.

Danny Rampling: Pause Button Style 1990 (Part One)
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Danny Rampling: Pause Button Style 1990 (Part Two)
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Radio Show: Massive Attack – Kiss 07:09:94 (Part Four)

Final part of the first week of the Massive Attack ‘Protection’ promo shows on Kiss FM, London. Here they run some Bozo Meko, the Wild Bunch take on ‘The Look Of Love’ and more quality hip-hop.

Massive Attack – Kiss 7th September 1994 (Part Four)
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Radio Show: Massive Attack – Kiss 07:09:94 (Part Three)

More killer no filler from the Massive Attack Kiss shows…

Massive Attack – Kiss 7th September 1994 (Part Three)
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Another Weatherall Radio Show…

So what better on a Monday in these financially gloomy times to lighten the mood than an old Andrew Weatherall radio show. This one comes from a time (1994 to be precise) when acid jazz almost meant that, Sabres Of Paradise were the new way and trying to be a band (we did try and support), East London was coming alive and techno still had melody and wasn’t split into twenty genres and part of London got the hang of doing what soul and jazz heads had been doing for years – digging. It was almost a balearic revival on a jazz note.

Andrew Weatherall – Kiss FM 1994
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Life & Times: No.1 – Curtis Mayfield

I love an obituary, mini-biographies that they are, and was discussing with my colleague the other day that it would be great to have a place to pull together obituaries from across the board. Obviously to Test Pressing this means musical heroes and cult figures through time so here we go. First up we are taking a look at the gentle genius of Curtis Mayfield. The following obituary, written by Spencer Leigh, first appeared in The Independent newspaper, and as I couldn’t find a better one here it is as it was published. Following this is a lovely radio show from the good Dr Bob Jones bringing together some of the great mans work – solo, with The Impressions and some of his many productions. This was aired in 1999 on Greater London Radio (GLR), just after Curtis passed away. Press play and read on…

When Curtis Mayfield sang, “I’ve got my strength and it don’t make sense not to keep on pushing”, he was singing his own epitaph. He may not have had much success in the UK record charts, but he is among the most influential musicians of the past 30 years.

Mayfield was born in Chicago in 1942 and was raised by his mother as his father left the family home. He criticised parents who have left the family home and a sense of family pervades his own work. His mother wrote poetry and encouraged his sense of rhythm and verse. In 1996, he dedicated his book of lyrics Poetic Licence to her. Mayfield was singing publicly from the age of seven and was soon teaching himself to play guitar. He commented, “I was writing songs from when I was 12. My songs always came from questions that I need answers for.” He also said, “My fights and arguments, even with God, went down on paper.”

When Mayfield was 14, he met Jerry Butler, who was three years older, and sang with him in a gospel group, the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers. They befriended a vocal group, the Roosters, who had come, chasing success, from Chattanooga to Chicago. Butler joined them as a lead singer and Mayfield sang tenor and played guitar. Their first performances as the Roosters were not successful as the audiences would crow as soon as they heard the name. They became the Impressions and secured an audition with Chess Records. When the receptionist would not let them through, they went to Vee-Jay Records and recorded one of Butler’s songs, a soaring ballad, “For Your Precious Love”, and its style was a considerable influence on the 16-year-old Mayfield.

“For Your Precious Love” made the US Top Twenty but the billing on the record label, “Jerry Butler and the Impressions”, created friction. After a promotional tour, Butler went solo but he retained his friendship with Mayfield who wrote several of his records, notably “He Will Break Your Heart”, a No l R&B hit in 1960, and “Find Another Girl”.

Mayfield with the brothers Richard and Arthur Brooks, Sam Gooden and Fred Cash made further records as the Impressions for Vee-Jay, Bandera and Swirl, but their break came when they signed to ABC Paramount Records in 1961. Their US hit single “Gypsy Woman” contained erotic imagery (“Her eyes were like that of a cat in the dark”) and was the first of many tender love songs that they took on to the charts. Their gospel influence showed in their biggest US hit, “It’s All Right”, which climbed to No 4 in 1963.

Despite the British invasion of the US charts by the Beatles and their acolytes, the Impressions did remarkably well in 1964 and each single was a classic: “Talking About My Baby” (No 25), “I’m So Proud” (14), “Keep On Pushing” (10), “You Must Believe Me” (15) and a stunning arrangement of the gospel song “Amen” (7). Mayfield also wrote for Major Lance and one of the songs, “Um Um Um Um Um Um”, was a UK Top Ten hit for Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.

With his sublime sense of melody and sensuality, Mayfield could have become a leading pop songwriter, rivalling the tunesmiths in the Brill Building. However, he was impressed by Bob Dylan, who had brought civil- rights issues into popular songs, but Dylan was white and Mayfield wanted to present songs from a black perspective. He believed in the creed “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”, and he idolised Martin Luther King. Both “I’m So Proud” and “Keep On Pushing” reflect his philosophy, but he became more explicit with the years, releasing an inspirational single, “Choice of Colours”, backed with “Mighty Mighty Spade and Whitey”, in 1968. His music was more melodic and less raucous than James Brown’s and, hence, less threatening to a white audience.

Mayfield’s greatest moment is with the stunning “People Get Ready”, a US hit for the Impressions in 1965. It is both a gospel song and an anthem for the civil-rights movement. Bob Marley and Rod Stewart are just two artists who have recorded successful versions.

Mayfield wrote many songs that were successful for other performers, notably “Mama Didn’t Lie” (Jan Bradley), “The Monkey Time” (Major Lance), “I Can’t Work No Longer” (Billy Butler and the Enchanters) and “Just Be True” and “Think Nothing About It” (both for Gene Chandler). Mayfield and his business partner Eddie Thomas set up publishing companies so that he could control his own work and they established their own label, Curtom.

His first solo album, Curtis (1970), was a poignant picture of ghetto life including three of his best songs, “(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below, We’re All Gonna Go”, the UK dance hit “Move On Up” and surely one of the best song titles of all time, “We the People Who are Darker Than Blue”. He followed this with a stunning double album, Curtis/ Live (1971), where his spoken introductions are as moving as his songs.

In 1972 he was asked to score a “blaxploitation movie”, Super Fly. As with Isaac Hayes’ Shaft, the soundtrack was far better than the film and Mayfield used the film, which centred around cocaine deals, to comment on America today. Both “Freddie’s Dead”, which was banned by the BBC, and the title song were US Top Ten hits.

This led to Mayfield’s scoring other black films, often working with other performers. They include Claudine (1972) and Pipedreams (1976), both for Gladys Knight and the Pips, Sparkle (1976) with Aretha Franklin and Let’s Do It Again (1975) with the Staple Singers. He had difficulty with the Staple Singers as their leader, Pops Staples, refused to sing the word “funky” as he disliked its sexual connotations.

Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On is a key album of the early 1970s and Mayfield expanded Gaye’s concepts with Back to the World (1973) and the ironic There’s No Place Like America Today (1975). In 1978 he produced a second album for Aretha Franklin, Almighty Fire.

In 1983 Butler, Mayfield, Gooden and Cash reunited as the Impressions for a tour and LP. He toured regularly and he became involved with British politics when he attacked Thatcherism in “(Celebrate) The Day After You”, which he recorded with the Blow Monkeys in 1987. This might have become a significant hit record but it too was banned by the BBC.

In August 1990 Mayfield was paralysed from the neck down when a lighting rig fell on him during a concert in Brooklyn, but he determined to continue with his music. He wrote songs for Erykah Badu and in 1996 was nominated for a Grammy for his album New World Order, which he had had to record one line at a time. In 1998 he contracted diabetes and had a leg amputated.

Mayfield was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once as a member of the Impressions and once as a solo performer. In 1998 the Georgia House of Representatives honoured him calling him “an undisputed genius of modern music”.

His songs have been used in contemporary films and Ice-T sampled his “Super Fly” recording for The Return of Superfly in 1990. One of his older songs, “Giving Him Something He Can Feel”, was a hit for En Vogue in 1992. Mavis Staples summarised his work – “There’s a beauty about him, an angelic state. Everything he wrote had a whole lot of love.”

Curtis Mayfield, singer and songwriter: born Chicago 3 June 1942; twice married (10 children); died Roswell, Georgia 26 December 1999.

(Originally published in The Independent on Tuesday 28 December 1999)

Dr Bob Jones: A Tribute To Curtis Mayfield
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(Thanks to Andy Crysell for help with the idea.)

Radio Show: Massive Attack – Kiss 07:09:94 (Part Two)

Massive Attack – Kiss 7th September 1994 (Part Two)
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Part Two of Massive Attack’s guest spot on London’s Kiss FM here for you. Carrying on where we left off in part one we go from Blondie’s ‘Rapture’, to some Dennis Coffey Band, and into ‘Eurochild’ from their then unreleased album ‘Protection’. Nice to hear them playing ‘Get Stupid Fresh Part III’ by Mantronix and The Artifacts graffiti tale ‘Wrong Side Of The Tracks’. Mushroom cuts it up in the last third in true old-school style. Nice.

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Radio Show: Massive Attack – Kiss 07:09:94 (Part One)

Massive Attack – Kiss 7th September 1994 (Part One)
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Keeping the Bristol connection alive here’s part one of a four part selection coming your way on Test Pressing. Here we have Massive Attack hosting a show on London’s Kiss FM as they hit the promotional trail before their second album ‘Protection’ was released. I seem to remember staying up late with tapes at the ready for this one as I was such a fan of ‘Blue Lines’ and wanted to hear what was coming. ‘Expectation’ was writ large on this album and it must have been a relief for them to have finally got to the point of ‘done’ on the difficult second album. As we know Mushroom was soon to depart (did he leave with the ‘soul’?) but nice to hear them all together in these sessions.

Hello to our Japanese friends on the image here! Sayonara.

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Radio Show: Andrew Weatherall – Manchester Kiss 102 1996

Andrew Weatherall on Kiss 102: 1996
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Widening the net here at Test Pressing, I’ve dug out a tape (hence bad quality) of an old Andrew Weatherall guest appearance on Kiss 102 in Manchester from 1996. He is interviewed by a bit of a chump if truth be told, but through the hour or so plays some great records, talks a little about life on the road with Primal Scream, what hip hop and dub mean to him, and is pretty slanderous about Derrick May which can be no bad thing considering the dirty donald reputation the techno legend has. Also, he plays the genius ‘UVA’ by Richie Hawtin in Fuse guise which is an excuse to post it below in its full glory (check the whole ‘Dimension Intrusion’ album for some classy minimal techno).

Fuse: UVA
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For our European cousins who don’t get the Weatherall ‘thing’, by way of explanation, he has always moved forwards (a given for a true casual) and it’s been a long journey from putting funk loops on indie records to Gun Club influenced electronica. Seems odd to think he has been producing music for twenty years now. Here are some of my favourite early Weatherall mixes and it should be noted here, as most of you know, that his recent work is pretty tidy (check the mix of ‘Uptown’ by Primal Scream for the full circle). Finally, carrying on the talk of slander, check the ‘Leon Brittan… all nonces’ lyric in ‘Imperfect List’.

Big Hard Excellent Fish: Imperfect List (Andrew Weatherall Mix)
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The Impossibles: The Drum (Andrew Weatherall Mix)
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Finitribe: 101 (Andrew Weatherall Mix)
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