19/3/11

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway/Genesis

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is a double concept album recorded and released in 1974 by the British rock band Genesis. It was their sixth studio album and the last album by the group to feature the involvement of lead singer Peter Gabriel.


Premise

The album tells the surreal story of a half Puerto Rican juvenile delinquent named Rael living in New York City, who is swept underground to face bizarre creatures and nightmarish dangers in order to rescue his brother John.[1] Several of the story's occurrences and places were derived from Peter Gabriel's dreams[citation needed], and the protagonist's name is a play on his surname.[citation needed] In an interview Phil Collins remarked, "It's about a 'split personality'[citation needed]. In this context, Rael would believe he is looking for John but is actually looking for a missing part of himself. The individual songs also make satirical allusions to everything from mythology to the sexual revolution to advertising and consumerism. The title track, as well as "The Carpet Crawlers" and "In the Cage", are live favourites for the band. Both "In the Cage" and "The Carpet Crawlers" were included in 2007's Turn it On Again: The Tour, with "The Carpet Crawlers" played as the closing number.

Background

Gabriel was absent from the album's writing and rehearsal sessions due to personal problems – his first wife was having difficulties with her first pregnancy.[2] For this reason, most of the music was written by band members Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford, with some contribution from Steve Hackett and, at first, virtually none from Gabriel. Gabriel, for his part, insisted on writing the story and all the lyrics himself, which caused friction, in particular because Rutherford had originally suggested another project for the band – an album based on Antoine de Saint Exupéry's The Little Prince. In the event, Banks and Rutherford did write the words for "The Light Dies Down on Broadway", as Gabriel could not come up with a linking piece between "Ravine" and "Riding the Scree". In addition, when Gabriel put lyrics to a piece of music written by one of the other band members (such as Banks' "The Lamia" and Hackett's "Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist") the composer would often insist on adjusting the lyrics slightly to better fit the music, an action Gabriel did not take kindly to.[citation needed]

Gabriel's then-wife Jill pointed out in Spencer Bright's Peter Gabriel: An Authorized Biography that he wrote the main melody for "The Carpet Crawlers", of which he is especially proud.[3] Tracks like "Anyway" and "Lilywhite Lilith" and "Colony of Slippermen" were developed from earlier unused 1969 compositions by the band ("Frustration" and "The Light" respectively) which were likely to have been group efforts, which Gabriel had played some part in creating.[citation needed]

During the album's pre-production, Gabriel was contacted by filmmaker William Friedkin, (at the time enjoying success with The Exorcist), about a possible film project after Friedkin read Gabriel's short story on the sleeve of the Genesis Live album.[1] Despite his bandmates' disapproval, Gabriel left them to work on some early script drafts. However, the project came to nothing (Friedkin instead working with Tangerine Dream to score his next film, Sorcerer), and Gabriel returned to the band.

Live performance

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway met with mixed reviews, and reached number 10 in the UK, while nearly cracking the U.S. Top 40, reaching number 41 and eventually going Gold. The band went on a world tour upon its release, performing the album in its entirety 102 times. The Lamb Tour was slated to begin on 29 October 1974, but due to an injury to Steve Hackett's hand, the tour was postponed until 12 November.[3] Opening night for the tour commenced at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on 20 November 1974. The final show on The Lamb tour was 27 May 1975, at the Palais des Sports in Paris, France. Early into the tour, Gabriel decided he would leave Genesis, although he would finish the tour amicably with the band and not go public until August 1975.

The tour saw the summation of Peter Gabriel's interest in theatrical presentation, masks and costumes, which had initially been something to hide his shy persona behind and to give the band a distinctiveness. In addition to Gabriel's theatrics, three screens above the band showed slides to accompany the story.

Gabriel showed restraint for the first half of the show, dressed as Rael in leather jacket, T-shirt and jeans, while relying on effective lighting and dramatic expression without the use of props or costumes. During the second half, however, the costumes and other visuals became much more elaborate. During "The Lamia", for instance, Gabriel was surrounded by a spinning cone-like structure decorated with images of snakes. For the last verse of the song, the cone would collapse to reveal Gabriel wearing a body suit that glowed under the stage's black lights. However, the most notorious of Gabriel's costumes was the Slipperman, a naked monster with inflatable genitalia and covered in lumps, who emerged onto the stage by crawling out of a phallus-shaped tube. At the intro to the final song "It," a huge explosion set off twin strobes, and the audience was faced with both Gabriel and a dummy dressed identically, clueless as to which was real. "It" also featured an alternate ending with Gabriel vanishing from the stage in a flash of light and a poof of smoke.

Although these visuals were, as in past concerts, meant to enhance the experience, the rest of the band became frustrated with the press focusing only on the theatrical side of the show and not the musicianship. Another problem for the band was that many fans reacted as if Gabriel was the star and the rest of the group merely his backing band. Collins stated in Hugh Fielder's 1984 book, The Book Of Genesis, that backstage after a Lamb concert, "people would steam straight past Tony, Mike, Steve and I, go straight up to Peter and say, 'You're fantastic, we really enjoyed the show.' It was becoming a one-man show to the audience."

The show would feature some of the band's most famous instruments, including Mike Rutherford's double neck that consisted of a MicroFret six string bass and a Rickenbacker 12 string guitar, and Phil Collins' largest drum kit with Genesis featuring four timbales, a red seven-piece Ludwig kit (and later a natural finish Premier kit in same configuration,) a Fibes Crystallite snare, a set of five red temple blocks, a vibraphone, a set of orchestral bells, tubular bells, and a set of tuned tambourines (which can be heard on "In the Cage.")

Aside from the band's frustration at the amount of attention given to Gabriel, the tour was fraught with other difficulties. According to Tony Banks, the slides which accompanied the music never worked well and only came close to working perfectly on four or five occasions. Gabriel often had difficulty getting a microphone near enough to his mouth to be heard in some of his costumes, especially the Slipperman. And, during a performance of "It" in one concert in Oslo, a stage manager's error resulted in an explosion so intense that it caused the band to stop playing, fearing for their safety. Still, the concerts were not without some enjoyable surprises: at the final Lamb concert in Besançon, roadie Geoff Banks, just for a joke and without telling the band beforehand, put on the dummy's leather jacket and – wearing nothing else – replaced the Gabriel dummy on stage for the intro to "It." (citation needed)

Genesis never had any of their Lamb concerts filmed in their entirety, although several pieces from the show were filmed, including some bootleg footage taken by audience members. The 5.1 DVD edition of The Lamb, released in November 2008, features a visual "reconstruction" of the concert, utilising all of the band's original slides from the show, some bootleg footage, and photographs. There is also a nearly-complete audio recording of their Lamb performance from 24 January 1975 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles that is available on their box set, Genesis Archive 1967–75, although it has some re-recorded vocals and guitar parts by Gabriel and Hackett, as both men were dissatisfied with their performances on the original concert recording (as well as technical flaws; e.g. Gabriel's vocals at one point being inevitably muffled by the Slipperman costume). Also, the tape ran out during the performance of "It," so a remastered version of the studio original with a new lead vocal by Gabriel is substituted.

In 2004, Genesis considered reuniting for a brief reunion tour of "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway." All five former band members met in November 2004 to discuss the possible "Lamb" tour, but ultimately Gabriel bowed out due to his solo commitments. In 2007, Banks, Collins and Rutherford went ahead with the Genesis reunion tour without Gabriel and Hackett, playing only a couple of "Lamb" songs during the show, the standard live numbers "In the Cage" and "Carpet Crawlers." However, the trio had all stated that they still hope a reunion tour of "The Lamb" with Gabriel and Hackett would still happen at some point, but it all depends on Gabriel's availability and commitment.[citation needed]

Track listing

Music by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, and Mike Rutherford, except "Lilywhite Lilith" and "Anyway" Banks / Collins / Gabriel / Hackett / Phillips / Rutherford.

Lyrics by Peter Gabriel

CD disc one

Vinyl side one
  1. "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" – 4:55
  2. "Fly on a Windshield" – 2:47
  3. "Broadway Melody of 1974" – 2:11[4]
  4. "Cuckoo Cocoon" – 2:14
  5. "In the Cage" – 8:15
  6. "The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging" – 2:45
Vinyl side two
  1. "Back in N.Y.C." – 5:49
  2. "Hairless Heart" – 2:25
  3. "Counting Out Time" – 3:45
  4. "The Carpet Crawlers" – 5:16
  5. "The Chamber of 32 Doors" – 5:44

CD disc two

Vinyl side three
  1. "Lilywhite Lilith" – 2:40
  2. "The Waiting Room" – 5:28
  3. "Anyway" – 3:18
  4. "Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist" – 2:50
  5. "The Lamia" – 6:57
  6. "Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats" – 3:06
Vinyl side four
  1. "The Colony of Slippermen" – 8:14
    a. The Arrival
    b. A Visit to the Doktor
    c. Raven
  2. "Ravine" – 2:05
  3. "The Light Dies Down on Broadway" – 3:32
  4. "Riding the Scree" – 3:56
  5. "In the Rapids" – 2:24
  6. "it." – 4:58

Singles

Personnel

plus

Reception

In the Q & Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #14 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".[5]

The album came 9th in Uncut's "10 best concept albums", where it was described as an "impressionistic, intense album" and "pure theatre (in a good way) and still Gabriel's best work".[6]

Reissues

A digitally remastered version of "The Lamb" was released on CD in 1994 on Virgin in Europe and on Atlantic in the US and Canada. The remastered CD's booklet features the lyrics and story that came with the original vinyl, though some of the inner sleeve artwork was not reproduced.

A re-recorded version of the song "The Carpet Crawlers," titled "The Carpet Crawlers 1999", was released on the compilation album Turn It on Again: The Hits, with both Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins contributing lead vocals.

A SACD / DVD double disc set (including new 5.1 and Stereo mixes) was released in November 2008.

Charts

Year Chart Position
1974 UK album chart 10
Billboard Pop Albums 41

Certifications

Organisation Level Date
BPIUK Gold 1 February 1975
CRIACanada Gold 1 May 1978
RIAAU.S. Gold 20 April 1990

Covers

  • In 1994, Kevin Gilbert and his band Giraffe performed an abbreviated version of the album (12 songs) at Progfest '94, celebrating its 20th anniversary. Gilbert also provided a version of "Back in N.Y.C." for the Genesis tribute album Supper's Ready (Magna Carta, 1995).
  • In 1998 Jeff Buckley's posthumous album Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk was released, featuring a cover version of the song "Back in N.Y.C.".
  • Tony Levin (who has been Gabriel's working bassist through his whole solo career) regularly plays "Back in NYC" with his solo band, a recording of which appears on the live album Double Espresso.
  • In 2000, The Flower Kings covered the title track of the album on their first live album Alive on Planet Earth.
  • In 2001, the entire album was performed by a Genesis tribute band called ReGenesis at G2, the second international Genesis fan convention, in Guildford, UK. This included a completely new multimedia show. The band then toured their Lamb show all over the UK and Europe.
  • In 2003, Paul Gilbert covered the title track on his album Gilbert Hotel, using acoustic guitar as lead instrument.
  • In 2004 and 2005, the entire Lamb was performed by the Quebec Genesis tribute band called The Musical Box during their worldwide tour, celebrating its 30th anniversary.
  • In 2008, the band Rewiring Genesis (Nick D'Virgilio and Mark Hornsby) released A Tribute to the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway featuring newly interpreted versions of the songs and performances from Nashville studio musicians.
  • On 1 August 2009, Nick D'Virgilio performed the album in its entirety live in Whittier, CA. It included "a 15 piece band with a giant horn section"[citation needed].
  • In 2009, Francis Dunnery covered "Back In N.Y.C.", re-titling it without the abbreviations as "Back In New York City", on his album There's a Whole New World Out There.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Daryl Easlea (23 April 2007). "Classic Pop/Rock Review - Genesis, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/pgn8. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  2. ^ Genesis: A History. VHS Polygram Music Video (PMV), 082 769-3, VHS Virgin Video, 1991.
  3. ^ a b "Peter Gabriel: An Authorized Biography by Spence Bright, 1988, pub. 1989 by Headline Book Publishing PLC, ISBN 0-7472-3231-8."
  4. ^ The 1994 CD remaster of the album tracked "Fly on a Windshield" at 4:23 and "Broadway Melody of 1974" at 0:33. The songs merge together seamlessly and, in fact, the "Broadway" song actually starts at 2:45 of "Fly on a Windshield", an error by the manufacturer.
  5. ^ Q Classic: Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, 2005.
  6. ^ Uncut magazine, May 2007, Issue 120.

External links










(De wikipedia)


Doble LP de Genesis editado a finales de 1974. Aunque para los fans de este grupo es uno de sus mejores trabajos, para otros (incluyendo a los propios miembros de la banda) es un trabajo que podría haberse mejorado considerablemente por lo apresurado de su composición y grabación.

En aquel tiempo Peter Gabriel tenia un particular corte de cabello. Tenía un espacio afeitado que, según el, significaba una facilidad para contactarse con Rael (ver más abajo). Así se le puede observar en algunos videos y fotos.

La letra fue escrita por Peter Gabriel mientras que parte la musical corre a cargo del resto del grupo. Esto causó que éstos últimos no se sintieran demasiado cómodos (solo una canción, "The Light Dies Down on Broadway, sería escrita por Tony Banks). Esto resultaría en problemas y tensiones en el grupo desde la misma grabación del doble vinilo y especialmente en la gira de presentación del mismo lo que terminaría con el abandono definitivo de Peter Gabriel, aunque él lo atribuye a motivos personales. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, muestra un trabajo progresivo complejo y con un deseo de conquistar América de una vez.

El álbum es un disco doble conceptual, la historia aparece en formato prosa en el forro del disco, complementa y simplifica el entendimiento de las líricas del álbum. Es una historia compleja, con múltiples escenarios e historias, todas relacionadas a Rael, un inmigrante puertorriqueño que intenta hacerse un nombre en las calles de Nueva York. Es partícipe de un viaje extraño al rescate de su hermano John, como de película de ciencia ficción, en la cual debe sufrir una serie de experiencias que lo ayudarán a trascender la experiencia terrenal y resurgir como un nuevo ser "It". Como ni las líricas ni la historia escrita en la carátula son muy claras, las interpretaciones del disco serán múltiples. Baste decir que es exactamente esto lo que lo hace una obra superior, o, para algunos, una obra maestra del Rock Progresivo de todos los tiempos, para otros, uno de los trabajos más ambiciosos de la era del Rock Progresivo y que también marca los últimos buenos años del Rock Progresivo, ya que poco después llegaría el Punk y el Glam a destronarlo.

Curiosamente, mucho del álbum contiene elementos proto-Punk o proto-Glam, la puesta en escena de Gabriel, la cual se valía de diferentes y vistosos disfraces sería después muy común con el Glam Rock. Mientras que Rael (su personaje en escena) vestía chaquetas de cuero. Back in N.Y.C., es considerada una canción proto-punk.


Historia

Tras Selling England By The Pound, la banda se puso a trabajar en su siguiente proyecto. Una de las principales ideas era la de adaptar El Principito de Antoine de Saint Exupéry en un álbum conceptual, propuesto por Mike Rutherford. Sin embargo, Peter Gabriel propuso el argumento de The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway; inspirado, según el propio Gabriel, en El Topo de Alejandro Jodorowsky.[1] Peter insistió en escribir todas las letras y el argumento del álbum mientras que la banda se encargaba de la parte musical. Esto originó fricciones entre los miembros de la banda. Steve Hackett estaba especialmente descontento por la poca aceptación que tenían sus ideas y por su escasa participación.

Paralelamente a esto, William Friedkin, director de El Exorcista, contactó con Gabriel para pedirle su colaboración en su siguiente proyecto cinematográfico, impresionado por el relato impreso en la carátula del álbum Genesis Live. Esto no hizo sino aumentar las fricciones dentro del grupo. Además, empujó a que el resto de los integrantes tuvieran que crear piezas instrumentales de puente entre canciones por falta de material; como The Waiting Room. Finalmente, Friedkin dejó el proyecto porque no se quería sentir como causante de la separación de la banda.

Cuando la banda comenzó con lar representaciones en vivo, el álbum no había sido publicado aún lo que originaba el desconcierto de algunos fans que no eran capaces de seguir la historia (el álbum venía acompañado con un relato escrito por Gabriel para ayudar a comprender mejor las letras de las canciones). Peter Gabriel solucionó esto con pequeñas intervenciones habladas entre algunas canciones.

Aunque Gabriel había decidido abandonar la banda antes de la gira, decidió no hacerlo público hasta acabar la misma. La rapidez con la que fue preparada hizo que se produjeran algunos fallos técnicos (como errores en el uso de los materiales pirotécnicos -que en cierta ocasión llegaron a causar que la banda dejase de tocar-). Por ese motivo, Genesis denegó a que se grabara. Tan solo existen algunas imágenes retransmitidas por la televisión italiana. La banda canadiense tributo The Musical Box se basó en el poco material existente y en entrevistas con los propios miembros de la banda para realizar una serie de representaciones fieles a la original entre los años 2004 y 2007.

Argumento

Rael, un inmigrante puertorriqueño, vagabundea por Nueva York al pie de los fastuosos edificios y los flamantes neones de Broadway. Al romper el alba, una nube negra desciende de los cielos sobre Times Square y comienza a absorberlo todo. Rael no puede escapar a su fuerza y acaba por ser tragado por ella.

Al despertar, se encuentra dentro de una especie de cápsula. A pesar de no saber dónde se encuentra, Rael está tranquilo y apacible; se vuelve a dormir despreocupadamente. Al despertar de nuevo, Rael descubre que la cápsula ha desaparecido; ahora, él se encuentra en una gruta donde las estalactitas se forman, se destruyen y se mueven a ojos vista. Rael comienza a caminar pero queda atrapado entre unas estalactitas que se han formado y movido a su alrededor, formando una especie de jaula. Aprisionado por las rocas, observa a alguien en el exterior de la misma: su hermano, John. Rael le pide auxilio pero John le abandona. Finalmente, las rocas se disuelven y Rael cae al suelo desvanecido por el dolor y la emoción.

Cuando se recupera, Rael llega a una especie de galería de una factoría donde observa muñecos con forma humana con números en la frente. Sorprendentemente, encuentra muñecos con el rostro de sus conocidos, e incluso, con el rosto de John y de él mismo. Rael siente miedo y comienza a recordar su pasado en NY: sus días con los chicos de la banda, su paso por el reformatorio de Pontiac, su primer encuentro amoroso, su pérdida de la inocencia (que Rael representa en su mente como una mano que afeita su corazón peludo)... Tras la galería, Rael accede a otra galería cubierta por alfombras y repleta de seres extraños. En un extremo, frente a una gran puerta (por la que se accede a una sala con mesa con un festín de comida y una escalera de caracol) se encuentra un conjunto de personas moviéndose lentamente de rodillas en el suelo. Rael trata de hablar con ellos y razonar por qué no se levantan y acceden a la otra sala; sin embargo, no consigue obtener ninguna respuesta coherente. Rael abandona la galería, atraviesa la sala del festín y sube por la escalera de caracol. Al final de la escalera se encuentra una estancia con forma semiesférica con 32 puertas. La estancia está llena de grupos de personas que hablan en voz bien alta: un sacerdote, un hechicero, un campesino... Todos ellos opinan sobre qué hacer, dónde ir, qué puerta atravesar... pero nadie sabe nada. La única persona que le puede ayudar es una anciana, una lilit ciega, que le puede llevar por las puertas guiada por las brisas.

Rael se adentra en una de las 32 puertas con su guía pero, una vez en la oscuridad de la caverna, ella lo abandona. Rael se queda sentado, asustado. Entonces llega una luz cegadora por un extremo de la gruta y se produce un desprendimiento. Rael queda atrapado inconsciente. En su delirio, cree haber muerto y estar en presencia de la mismísima muerte. Sin embargo, cuando Rael vuelve en sí, descubre que todo era una alucinación y consigue zafarse de lar rocas que le aprisionaban.

El desprendimiento de rocas ha abierto el camino a una estancia bañada por suaves aromas en la que se encuentra una piscina de agua rosácea. Rael se desnuda y se adentra en las aguas. Entonces aparecen en la piscina tres lamia, tres reptiles con pechos y rostro de mujer. Rael es seducido por ellas y deja que muerdan su carne y beban su sangre. Cuando esto ocurre, ellas se convulsionan y mueren. Rael, que había quedado enamorado de ellas, en una muestra de entrega y amor, devora los cadáveres de sus tres amantes y abandona la piscina.

Tras una caminata, Rael llega a un poblado lleno de seres deformes que le dan la bienvenida (entre ellos, descubre, a pesar de la deformidad de su rostro, a su hermano, John). Ellos le cuentan cómo las tres lamia se les aparecieron a todos ellos y cómo todos tuvieron el mismo encuentro amoroso con ellas y cómo cada día se regeneran para atrapar a otro incauto. Tras ello, a Rael no le queda más alternativa que esperar su destino: transformarse en un ser deforme como ellos, dominado por el abandono al placer de los sentidos. Sin embargo, Rael no se resigna y visita junto con su hermano John al "Doktor Dyper". El doctor les dice que la única manera de solucionar su situación es acabar con la fuente del placer y del dominio de los sentidos: extirpar el órgano reproductor. A pesar de ser una medida extrema, Rael y John acceden y tras ello, el doctor les devuelve sus órganos dentro de un tubo de plástico amarillo.

Cuando parece que todo está solucionado, una gran ave negra aparece y arrebata a Rael el tubo. Rael pide ayuda a su hermano para capturar al ave pero John dice que es un mal presagio y que él no le ayudará. Rael va tras el ave pero justo cuando le va a atrapar, el ave tira el tubo a un torrente de agua. Justo en ese momento, Rael ve que aparece en el cielo un vórtice, una especie de ventana por al que puede regresar al mundo real, a Nueva York. Pero entonces ve que su hermano John ha caído al mismo torrente de agua al que el ave había arrojado el tubo amarillo.

A pesar de que su hermano le ha abandonado varias veces, Rael salta a salvarle. Mientras tanto, la ventana se desvanece, desapareciendo así sus oportunidades de regresar a casa. Finalmente, Rael rescata a John y lo arrastra hasta la orilla. Pero entonces, Rael descubre con sorpresa que su hermano John no es su hermano... es Rael... tiene su mismo rostro. Entonces una nube púrpura los envuelve y ambos entes se disuelven en un resplandor amarillo.

Lista de canciones

Disco 1

Pista Título Inglés Título Español Letras por Duración
1. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway El Cordero Se Acuesta en Broadway Gabriel 4:50
2. Fly on a Windshield Mosca en el Parabrisas Gabriel 2:45
3. Broadway Melody of 1974 Melodía de Broadway de 1974 Gabriel 1:58
4. Cuckoo Cocoon Cuckoo Cocoon Gabriel 2:12
5. In the Cage En la Jaula Gabriel 8:13
6. The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging La Gran Desfile de los Envases sin Vida Gabriel 2:46
7. Back in NYC De Regreso en NYC Gabriel 5:43
8. Hairless Heart Corazón Afeitado Instrumental 2:13
9. Counting Out Time Bajo la Cuenta Regresiva Gabriel 3:40
10. Carpet Crawlers Los Que Se Arrastran por la Alfrombra Gabriel 5:15
11. The Chamber of 32 Doors La Cámara de 32 Puertas Gabriel 5:41

Disco 2

Pista Título Inglés Título Español Letras por Duración
01. Lilywhite Lilith Lily blanca Lilith Gabriel 2:42
02. The Waiting Room La Sala de Espera Instrumental 2:13
03. Anyway De Todos Modos Gabriel 3:08
04. The Supernatural Anaesthetist El Anestesista Sobrenatural Gabriel 3:00
05. The Lamia La Lamia Gabriel 6:56
06. Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats Lamento Silencioso en Botes Vacíos Instrumental 3:07
07. The Colony of Slippermen (Arrival - A Visit to the Doktor - Raven) La Colonia de los Hombres Resbaladizos (Llegada - Una Visita al Doktor - El Cuervo) Gabriel 8:14
08. Ravine Barranco Instrumental 2:04
09. The Light Dies Down on Broadway La Luz Se Apaga en Broadway Rutherford 3:33
10. Riding the Scree Cabalgando la Corriente Gabriel 3:56
11. In the Rapids En los Rápidos Gabriel 2:24
12. it ello Gabriel 4:17

Diseño

El diseño del álbum fue llevado a cabo por el estudio inglés Hipgnosis (el estudio de diseño fundado por Storm Thorgerson), encargado del diseño de álbumes de otros grupos como Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Alan Parsons Project y, más notablemente, Pink Floyd. Se trata de la primera colaboración entre este estudio y la banda Genesis (tras esta, vendrían A Trick of the Tail, Wind & Wuthering y And Then There Were Three).

En la portada y contraportada se representan distintas imágenes que muestran la historia del personaje principal del álbum. En los créditos, el modelo fotografiado aparece simplemente como "Omar".

En 1994, se publicó una versión remasterizada digitalmente. En el libreto del CD, aparecieron las letras y el relato publicados con el vinilo original, aunque algunas partes de los diseños de las cubiertas interiores fueron suprimidas.

Formación

Tony Banks - Teclados
Phil Collins - Batería, percusión, vibráfono, coros
Peter Gabriel - Voz principal, flauta, oboe
Steve Hackett - Guitarras
Mike Rutherford - Bajo, guitarra de 12 cuerdas

Músicos adicionales

Brian Eno - Enossification (efectos de voz en The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging)

Enlaces externos

Ronda de Nit 201 01-04-11


A aquesta Ronda de Nit:

Genesis - Cuckoo Cocoon

Frank Zappa - Montana

Paolo Conte - Azurro

Pink Floyd - Welcome to the Machine

Traffic - Withering Tree

The Velvet Underground - Sunday morning

Ryuichi Sakamoto - Nostalgia

Jacques Brel - Voir un ami pleurer

Golpes Bajos - No mires a los ojos de la gente

Chick Corea - The Woods

Pierre Henry - Psyche Rock
Vols descarregar-te aquesta Ronda de Nit?**

18/3/11

Talking Heads



(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_Heads)


Talking Heads was an American rock band formed in 1974 in New York City[1] and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison. Auxiliary musicians also regularly made appearances in concert and on the group's albums.

The New Wave musical style of Talking Heads combined elements of punk rock, avant-garde, pop, funk, world music and art rock. Frontman and songwriter David Byrne contributed whimsical, esoteric lyrics to the band's songs, and emphasized their showmanship through various multimedia projects and performances. Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes Talking Heads as being "one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the '80s, while managing to earn several pop hits."[2]

In 2002, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of the band's albums appeared on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and the Channel 4 100 Greatest Albums poll listed one album (Fear of Music) at number seventy-six.


History

1974–1977: First years

Talking Heads at Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto in 1978

David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth were alumni of the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. There Byrne and Frantz formed a band called "The Artistics" in 1974.[3] Weymouth was Frantz's girlfriend and often provided the band with transportation. The Artistics dissolved within a year, and the three moved to New York, eventually sharing an apartment. Unable to find a bass player in New York City, Frantz encouraged Weymouth to learn to play bass by listening to Suzi Quatro albums.[4] They played their first gig as "Talking Heads" opening for the Ramones at CBGB on June 8, 1975.[1]

In a later interview, Weymouth recalled how the group chose the name Talking Heads: "A friend had found the name in the TV Guide, which explained the term used by TV studios to describe a head-and-shoulder shot of a person talking as 'all content, no action.' It fit."[5]

Later in 1975, the trio recorded a series of demos for CBS, but the band was not signed to the label. They quickly drew a following and were signed to Sire Records in 1977. The group released their first single, "Love → Building on Fire" in February of that year. In March 1977, they added Jerry Harrison (guitar, keyboards, vocals), formerly of Jonathan Richman's band The Modern Lovers.

Their first album, Talking Heads: 77, which did not contain the earlier single, was released soon thereafter.

1978–1982

Tina Weymouth on bass in Minneapolis, MN Photo: Michael Markos

It was with their second album, 1978's More Songs About Buildings and Food that the band began its long-term collaboration with producer Brian Eno, who had previously worked with Roxy Music, David Bowie and Robert Fripp; the title of Eno's 1977 song "King's Lead Hat" is an anagram of the band's name. Eno's unusual style meshed well with the group's artistic sensibilities, and they began to explore an increasingly diverse range of musical directions. This recording also established the band's long term recording studio relationship with the famous Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas. "Psycho Killer", from the debut album, had been a minor hit. However, with the help of a Saturday Night Live appearance in February 1979,[6] it was More Songs... cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River" that broke Talking Heads into general public consciousness.

The experimentation continued with 1979's Fear of Music, which flirted with the darker stylings of post-punk rock. The single "Life During Wartime" produced the catchphrase, "This ain't no party, this ain't no disco."[citation needed]

1980's Remain in Light, heavily influenced by the afrobeat of Nigerian bandleader Fela Kuti, to whose music Eno had introduced the band, explored African polyrhythms, foreshadowing Byrne's later interest in world music. In order to perform these more complex arrangements the band toured with an expanded group, first at the Heatwave festival in August, and later in their concert film Stop Making Sense. During this period, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz also formed a commercially successful splinter group, the hip-hop influenced Tom Tom Club, and Harrison released his first solo record. Likewise, Byrne – in collaboration with Eno – released My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, which incorporated world music, 'found' sounds, and included a number of other prominent international and post-punk musicians. All were released by Sire.

The Remain in Light album's lead single, "Once in a Lifetime", became a Top 20 hit in the UK but initially failed to make an impression upon its release in the band's own country. But it grew into a popular standard over the next few years on the strength of its music video.

After releasing four albums in barely four years, the group went into hiatus and nearly three years passed before their next release, although Frantz and Weymouth continued to record with the Tom Tom Club. In the meantime, Talking Heads released a live album, The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads, toured the United States and Europe as an eight-piece group, and parted ways with Eno, who went on to produce albums with U2.

1983–1991

1983 saw the release of Speaking in Tongues, a commercial breakthrough that produced the band's only American Top 10 hit, "Burning Down the House". Once again, a striking video was inescapable owing to its heavy rotation on MTV. The following tour was documented in Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense, which generated another live album of the same name. The Speaking in Tongues tour was their last.

Three more albums followed: 1985's Little Creatures (which featured the hit singles "And She Was" and "Road to Nowhere"), 1986's True Stories (Talking Heads covering all the soundtrack songs of Byrne's musical comedy film, in which the band also appeared), and 1988's Naked. The sound of Little Creatures and True Stories was much more American pop-rock, while Naked showed heavy African influence with polyrhythmic styles like those seen on Remain in Light. During that time the group was falling increasingly under David Byrne's control, and after Naked the band went on "hiatus".

It took until 1991 for an official announcement to be made that Talking Heads had broken up. A brief reunion occurred, however, later that year for "Sax and Violins," an original single that appeared on the soundtrack to Wim Wenders' Until the End of the World. Only Byrne and Harrison appear in the song's video, however, lending doubt to Frantz and Weymouth's participation on the track. During this breakup period, Byrne continued his solo career, releasing Rei Momo in 1989 and The Forest in 1991. This period also saw a revived flourish from both Tom Tom Club (Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom and Dark Sneak Love Action) and Harrison (the Casual Gods album/band).

1992–present: Post break-up

Despite David Byrne's lack of interest in another album, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison reunited for a one-off album called No Talking, Just Head under the name The Heads in 1996. The album featured a number of vocalists, representing some of the most distinctive voices of '80s and '90s alternative rock, including Debbie Harry of Blondie, Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde, Andy Partridge of XTC, Gordon Gano of Violent Femmes, Michael Hutchence of INXS, Ed Kowalczyk of Live, Shaun Ryder of Happy Mondays, Richard Hell, and Maria McKee. The album was accompanied by a tour which featured Johnette Napolitano as the vocalist. Byrne took legal action against the rest of the band because of "The Heads" abbreviation—something he saw as "a pretty obvious attempt to cash in on the Talking Heads name."[7]

Byrne has continued his solo career, while Harrison has become a producer of some note – the latter's résumé includes the Violent Femmes' The Blind Leading the Naked, the Fine Young Cannibals' The Raw and the Cooked, General Public's Rub It Better, Crash Test Dummies' God Shuffled His Feet, Live's Throwing Copper, No Doubt's song "New" from Return of Saturn, and most recently work by The Black and White Years and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Frantz and Weymouth, who were married in 1977, had been recording on the side as Tom Tom Club since 1981. Tom Tom Club's self-titled debut album sold almost as well as Talking Heads themselves, leading to the band appearing in Stop Making Sense. They achieved several pop/rap hits during the dance-club cultural boom era of the early 1980s, particularly in the UK, where they still enjoy a strong fan following today. Their best-known single, "Genius of Love", has been sampled numerous times, notably on old school hip hop classic "It's Nasty (Genius of Love)" by Grandmaster Flash and on Mariah Carey's 1995 hit "Fantasy". They also have produced several artists, including Happy Mondays and Ziggy Marley. The Tom Tom Club continue to record and tour intermittently, although commercial releases have become sporadic since 1991.

The band played "Life During Wartime", "Psycho Killer" and "Burning Down the House" together on March 18, 2002, at the ceremony of their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, reuniting for a concert tour is unlikely. David Byrne states: "We did have a lot of bad blood go down. That's one reason, and another is that musically we're just miles apart."[8] Weymouth has been critical of David Byrne, describing him as "a man incapable of returning friendship"[8] and that he doesn't "love" her, Frantz, and Harrison.[9]

Discography

Talking Heads' debut album Talking Heads: 77.

Influence

Talking Heads have been cited as influences by many artists, including Kate Bush,[10] Sarah Blasko,[citation needed] and Bell X1.[11] The band Radiohead took their name from the Talking Heads' song "Radio Head" from the 1986 album True Stories.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ a b Talking Heads Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, retrieved November 23, 2008
  2. ^ Talking Heads biography at allmusic
  3. ^ Gittins, Ian, Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime : the Stories Behind Every Song, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2004, p.140 ISBN 0-634-08033-4, 9780634080333
  4. ^ Tina Talks Heads, Tom Toms, and How to Succeed at Bass Without Really Trying Gregory Isola, Bass Player, retrieved November 23, 2008
  5. ^ Weymouth, Tina (1992). In Sand in the Vaseline (p. 12) [CD liner notes]. New York: Sire Records Company
  6. ^ SNL Transcripts, February 10, 1979 (performances of "Take Me to the River" and "Artists Only"), accessed 2010-11-07.
  7. ^ Levine, Robert (June 26, 1997). "Byrne-ing Down the House". Rolling Stone. DavidByrne.com. http://www.davidbyrne.com/music/cds/feelings/feelings_press/feelings_RollingStone_interview.php. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
  8. ^ a b Blackman, Guy (February 6, 2005). "Byrning down the house". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/Music/Byrning-down-the-house/2005/02/04/1107476787488.html. Retrieved 3 October 2009.
  9. ^ http://www.bassplayer.com/article/tina-weymouth/mar-97/5958
  10. ^ Kate Bush – Reaching Out – Interviews and articles, Gaffaweb
  11. ^ Matthew Magee (2003-07-27). "Clear as a Bell X1". Sunday Tribune. http://www.tribune.ie/article/2003/jul/27/clear-as-a-bell-x1/. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  12. ^ About Radiohead, biography 1992–1995
  13. ^ David Byrne interviews Thom Yorke for Wired (November 11, 2007)]

Further reading

  • David Bowman, This Must Be the Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the Twentieth Century (New York: HarperCollins, 2001). ISBN 0-380-97846-6.
  • David Gans, Talking Heads (New York: Avon Books, 1985). ISBN 0-380-89954-X.
  • Krista Reese, The Name of This Book is Talking Heads (London: Proteus Books, 1982). ISBN 0-86276-057-7.