Armand Wilhelm

My personal blog about pop music and modern art. I live in the Netherlands. Working in the ICT business.What is the answer to Life, the Universe, Everything ? 42! Feel free to submit a post for my blog.

[armandwilhelm]

Paris Opera, Romeo and Juliet (1965) - Marc Chagall

[armandwilhelm]

Academy - by sir Peter Blake

[armandwilhelm]

Bert Jansch strolling down the highway

It’s been a long time but here come’s another review. This time for Bert Jansch. This year I started to love folk music of the 60's en 70's. Artists like Nick Drake, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bridget St. John and Donovan. Bert Jansch's first album from 1965 and untitled is definitely his best. Exactly what we want from him. Fully accoustic on guitar and with many good melodies. The album was recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder at engineer Bill Leader's kitchen at home with borrowed instruments. Some songs are instrumental. He later formed the folk group Pentangle with John Renbourn. His music was a big inspiration for many artist like: Neil Young, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Johnny Marr of The Smiths and Noel Gallagher of Oasis. Also Donovan referred to Bert in his songs. If you like to listen to acoustic guitar music then you should try out Bert Jansch.

Bert Jansch (1965) Strolling Down the Highway / Smokey River / Oh How Your Love Is Strong / I Have No Time / Finches / Rambling's Gonna Be the Death of Me / Veronica / Needle of Death / Do You Hear Me Now? / Alice's Wonderland / Running From Home / Courting Blues / Casbah / Dreams of Love / Angie

[armandwilhelm]

Judy's in the bedroom, inventing situations

In 1978 the Talking heads released their second album titled "More Songs About Buildings and Food" produced by Brian Eno. So do we get more of the same like songs as on their debut album? No! This time we get a mixture of many different styles thrown into their typical Talking Heads style. Where the debut album is darker this album has a happy overall sound. Great funky guitar riffs like probably their best on "Found A Job" and Tina's Bass accomponying David. The best known song from this album is the cover of Al Green's "Take Me To The River". "Stay Hungry" can be considered the only song about food on the album. The albums is heavily underrated in comparison with the other albums they released. It deserves your attention!

More Songs About Buildings and Food Thank You For Sending Me An Angel / With Our Love / The Good Thing / Warning Sign / The Girls Want To Be With The Girls / Found A Job / Artists Only / I'm Not In Love / Stay Hungry / Take Me To The River / The Big Country

[armandwilhelm]

Melllow Yellow

Mellow Yellow is the fourth album by Donovan from 1967 that was never released in the Uk because of a contractual dispute with his british record company. Again an album by the most underrated artists of the 60′s. Psychedelic folk and pop at it's absolute best with some of the most interesting fun songs I have ever heard. According to a recent biography ("Darker Than The Deepest Sea: The Search For Nick Drake"), the album was a significant influence on Nick Drake. We are getting the typical folk sounds from Donovan again produced by Mickie Most.

The happy hit single “Mellow Yellow” which in 2015 became the anthem for the Minions from that popular animation movie,  A typical medieval ballad: “Writer in the Sun", Some influences from jazz and blues,  "House of Jansch" is a tribute to Bert Jansch from Pentangle, sadness in "Young Girl's Blues",  medieval harpsichords on “Hampstead Incident”. Closing with the wonderful “Sunny South Kensington”.

Mellow Yellow (1967)

Mellow Yellow / Writer In The Sun / Sand And Foam / The Observer / Blead City Woman / House Of Jansch / Young Girl Blues / Museum / Hampstead Incident / Sunny South Kensington

[armandwilhelm]

Another Green World

The fourth studio album by Brian Eno is hist most praised work ever. It's titled "Another Green World" and was released in 1975. The album consists of instrumentals and again experimental songs. Hist first 2 albums were glam rock like he did with roxy music but with experimental influences. His third album "Discreet Music" was an ambient album. A little bit of ambient can also be heard on "Another Green World".

The opener “Sky Saw” is an instrumental and perhaps the reason for David Bowie to have Brian as a producer for his albums "Low", "Heroes" and "Lodger" (Berlin trilogy). We can hear instrumentals like this on Bowie’s mentioned albums.

Another great love song/poetry is “I’ll Come Runing” with some humor incorporated. “I'll come running to tie your shoe”.

The album cover represents the music as a work of art. That's what his music is! His music is hard to compare with anything else. It’s excentric.

Another Green World Sky Saw / Over Fire Island / St. Elmo's Fire / In Dark Trees / The Big Ship / I'll Come Running / Another Green World / Sombre Reptiles / Little Fishes / Golden Hours / Becalmed / Zawinul/Lava / Everything Merges with the Night / Spirits Drifting

[armandwilhelm]

Road to York through Sledmere (1997) by David Hockney

[armandwilhelm]

Sunshine Superman

Original US album

UK album

Another great artist from the 60's/70's would be Donovan Philips Leitch better known as simply Donovan. He was born in  Glasgow in 1946. Started as a folk artist in style of Bob Dylan changing into psychedelic flower power. Together with Mickie Most he made the best albums of his career. In 1966 he recorded "Sunshine Superman". His first one experimenting with psychedelic sounds and his breakthrough in the USA. Of course it includes the title track which became a worldwide hit as well as “The Trip”. The original album released in the US included 10 songs. The english release differed from the original and dropped 3 songs to be replaced by 5 songs from the next album "Yellow Mellow" to make things complicated. His songs are romantic, sometimes medieval (like in “Three Kingfishers” and "Guinevere"), good melodies, with simple and minimal approach (guitar, sitars and harpsichord). The album ends with probably his best ballad titled “Celest”.

Sunshine Superman Sunshine Superman / Legend Of A Girl Child Linda / Three King Fishers / Ferris Wheel / Bert's Blues / Season Of The Witch / The Trip / Guinevere / The Fat Angel / Celeste

[armandwilhelm]

Nick Drake

Five Leaves Left (1969) Time Has Told Me / River Man / Three Hours / Way To Blue / Day Is Done / Cello Song / The Thoughts Of Mary Jane / Man In A Shed / Fruit Tree / Saturday Sun

Bryter Layter (1970) Introduction / Hazey Jane II / At the Chime of a City Clock / One of These Things First / Hazey Jane I / Bryter Layter / Fly / Poor Boy / Northern Sky / Sunday

Pink Moon (1971) Pink Moon / Place to Be / Road / Which Will / Horn / Things Behind the Sun / Know / Parasite / Free Ride / Harvest Breed / From the Morning

Nick Drake was an artist with not much popularity in his life. He was born in 1948 in Myanmar and grew up in the UK. He picked up the guitar when he was 16 years old. He started studying at Cambridge University in 1968 and wrote his own songs. Then he was discoverd by Ashley Hutchings of Fairport Convention. In his lifetime he recorded three albums: Five Leaves Left, Bryter Later and Pink Moon. Because he was very shy and didn’t care for promoting his music to the press he got isolated and that lead him into depression. After three albums he decided he would leave the music industry and became computer programmer. But in 1973 he began writing songs again. Drake had recorded four when he died in bed at his parents' home in 1974, the result of an overdose of antidepressant medication.

Years later his work became popular and admired by many late artists. His music consists of emotional folk rock with minimal instruments.

[armandwilhelm]

The Butterfly Man in Venice - Homage to Damien Hirst 2011 by Peter Blake

[armandwilhelm]

1984

In 1984 the Eurythmics made the soundtrack for the Michael Radford movie "1984" based on George Orwell's novel. The were asked to write music for the movie by Virgin Films. Michael Radford was not very fond of this soundtrack and also made an orchestral score that was used for the director's cut. Besides that the album is not bad at all. Perhaps it's the best album they've ever made. The album had 2 singles. The big hit "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)" and the long ballad "Julia". Other great songs include the atmospheric "For The Love Of Big Brother" and "I Did It Just The Same".

I Did It Just the Same / Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) / For the Love of Big Brother / Winston's Diary / Greetings from a Dead Man / Julia / Doubleplusgood / Ministry of Love / Room 101

[armandwilhelm]

Collage - Henri Matisse - date unknown

[armandwilhelm]

Tug of war/Pipes of peace

In the 80's Paul McCartney released 2 great albums which are teamed as albums for war and peace. Teamed with Ringo Star and Eric Stewart (10CC). His career needed a boost by doing duets on both albums. First with Stevie Wonder on Tug Of War: "What's That You're Doing?" and "Ebony And Ivory". The recording sessions already started in 1980 but were interrupted when John Lennon was murdered. The album was finally finished in 1982 and dedicated to John Lennon.

On Pipes Of Peace he did two duets with Michael Jackson: "Say Say Say" and "The Man". Only the first one was released as a single but the second one was proposed as a third single from the album. A promo video was eventually made but never released. Probably because he already did another duet with Michael also for the album Thriller titled "The Girl Is Mine" .

Tug Of War is one of the best albums Paul recorded. Pipes Of Peace is the weaker of this series. Tug Of War: Tug Of War / Take It Away / Somebody Who Cares / What's That You're Doing? / Here Today / Ballroom Dancing / The Pound Is Sinking / Wanderlust / Get It / Be What You See / Dress Me Up As A Robber / Ebony And Ivory Pipes Of Peace: Pipes of peace / Say say say / The other me / Keep under cover / So bad / The man / Sweetest little show / Average person / Hey hey / Tug of peace / Through our love

[armandwilhelm]

Paris through the window - Marc Chagall 1913 (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA )

[armandwilhelm]

A grand central station - James Rizzi

[armandwilhelm]

Taking Tiger Mountain (by strategy)

Brian Eno's second solo album after his departure from Roxy Music is "Taking Tiger Mountain (by strategy)" released in 1974. It is a concept album with themes ranging from espionage to the Chinese Communist revolution. No singles were released from this album and therefore it didn't chart. However this album appears to be the best Brian ever released at least performed by himself besides many productions he made for David Bowie and U2. The album is structured with songs with vocals. Unlike his next album which also has instrumentals. Experimental but accessible.

Burning Airlines Give You So Much More / Back In Judy's Jungle / The Fat Lady Of Limbourg / Mother Whale Eyeless / The Great Pretender / Third Uncle / Put A Straw Under Baby / The True Wheel / China My China / Taking Tiger Mountain

[armandwilhelm]

The Notary (1983 - Jean Michel Basquiat)