Arthur (Modie) Albrighton

Arthur (Modie) Albrighton

By Pete Clemons

Arthur (Modie) Albrighton was born in Bell Green, Coventry on September 3 1940. He is the eldest son of Arthur (Senior) and Anne Albrighton. His Father was an engineer in the defence industry and was also a pianist.

Brought up in a musical environment it was not long before Modie began performing. During the weekends Arthur (senior) would entertain at working men’s clubs and by the age of 5 young Arthur would accompany his father on harmonica. During this time he also got to meet and perform with the legendary Larry Adler.

At 16 Arthur began to study radio and television technology. Initially he trained as an electrical engineer by first of all attending courses at Coventry Technical College (The Butts). Then in 1961 he began an advanced apprenticeship which he completed in 1962.

Modie’s gigging career began as far back as 1956 when he began playing with bands like The Solpanos and The Firebirds while, at the same time, introducing his brother Roye to the guitar. Roye of course found worldwide success with progressive rock band Nektar.

It was also at that point that Arthur began to be known as ‘Modie’. The name derives from the word moody, because says Arthur, ‘if things did not go right when we used to practice, I was getting real moody’. To this very day the name has stuck.

After a spell with the Ricky Thompson Dance Band, who were based at the Grand Ballroom, Coalville, the early to mid 1960’s saw Modie join the short lived bands Makeshift and The Plague. 1968 saw those last two groups evolve into the first formation of Peppermint Kreem.

Paul Kennelly remembers 'As far as I recall, when Modie first linked up with me, he had been living in Ibstock and had been playing bass in the Ricky Thompson band, hence his conventional hair cut ! By the time we met, he had moved into 188 Barkers Butts Lane, the ground floor flat, that became the Plague / Peppermint Kreem H.Q. and where the likes of Roye Albrighton and Journey of a Lifetime would gather and chill out.

Peppermint Kreem toured extensively and worked incredibly hard during 1968. They appeared regularly at venues like The Navigation and The Walsgrave. Their line-up was made up of vocalist Paul Kennelly, Ray Haywood on lead guitar, Dave Fairclough on keyboards, Tom Ryan on drums and Modie on bass guitar.

Due to long term commitment issues Peppermint Kreem folded and Modie moved on to bands such as Heaven Sent and New City Sounds. New City Sounds had, by then, become regulars at the West End Club amongst other venues around the city. He was not, though, a part of the line up who would appear on TV talent show Opportunity Knocks.

1972/73 then saw Modie founding his own company that specialised in radio, TV and jukebox repairs. That same period also saw the reformation of Peppermint Kreem who went onto to achieve more good things. This time around Modie had switched to lead guitar with the rest of the band being vocalist Paul Kennelly, Keith James on bass, Bob "Spindler" Hopkins on keyboards and finally Pete Davoil on drums.

Modie began to make contacts in Germany and in 1976 he went over to there to tour with a band called Sabina. He must have taken to life in Germany because by the end of 1977 he had emigrated there. Initially, and through to the 1980’s he toured the German circuit with many different bands including Bullfrog and Trysapter.

But at the same time he needed to put down roots and establish himself. So to make ends meet he worked for the US army in Fulda, a town near Frankfurt, and took on any other work that he could get in order to get by.

But, over time, he did settle down and, through his music, he was able to make new acquaintances along the way. Here are some words written about Modie by the highly respected German artist and musician Paul Eddie Pfisterer:

‘I received a phone call from Modie Albrighton. He was interested in getting a group together. At that time Modie was playing guitar in several groups in Germany. In around 1978 I played with him in a band called ‘Trysapter’. This was short lived and I lost contact with him for many years. So it was a great shock when I got this phone call again. All the memories of the old times of real rock music came back. We managed to get a very good bass player called Michael Gawlik. This was crazy, as we never had a practice and yet it all came together as if we had played together for years. We made three CD´s, that, even today, I constantly listen to. Modie is an extraordinary guitarist, talented in a way that never exists in present time. He is a multitalented, playing guitar as well as Blues-Harmonica, Bass, Keyboards, Singer, Show and all the things a real professional musician is expected, including the unexpected things. Michael was a very young hot blooded Bass player with an immense energy, which was needed for ‘Nuts and Bolts’ as it was only a three piece band’.

During 1986 Modie built and founded Falcon Studios in the town of Bad Salzschlirf. As well as being a recording and production house, the aim of Falcon Studios, has been to encourage talented singers and musicians. And this he has done for well for many years now.

In addition to his various studio based projects Modie has successfully released many solo albums whilst in Germany. These include 'My Style' and 'Out of the Blue', Relax, Feelings, Roof Top Blues and Modie rocks the universe volumes 1, 2 and 3.

Until recently, and as far as I know ongoing, the studio continues to flourish with Modie putting together a dedicated team all working for the best possible recording and production results.

Thanks to Paul Michael Kennelly for his input around the Peppermint Kreem history and also for the images..

More of Modies videos on youtube  https://www.youtube.com/user/modie47/videos

The Flys – Coventry Pioneers

The Flys – Coventry Pioneers

by Pete Clemons

Get the album here

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/the-flys-today-belongs-to-me-the-complete-recordings-1977-1980-2cd/

The four piece Flys burst onto the power pop and new wave battlefield during mid 1977. The boom in Power Pop and New Wave followed the Punk Rock explosion and The Flys were one of the pioneers of that field.

The Flys were Dave Freeman - lead guitar, Joe Hughes – bass, Pete King – drums and Neil O'Connor – rhythm guitar and vocals. Their musicianship was melodic and imaginative and, with a regular slot at La Chaumiere in the Burges during August and September 1977, their future looked assured. Especially after an early break for them when they hooked up for a support slot alongside Buzzcocks at Mr Georges club during October 1977.

That particular night was meant to be a one off but it went so well that the Buzzcocks invited The Flys to do most of the remaining tour dates. Especially those around the Midlands. So the band ended up doing around six more dates with them.

Before that Buzzcocks gig The Flys had laid down the tracks that made up their self financed debut, the 'Bunch of Five' EP on Zama Records. And all this early activity had alerted EMI who promptly signed them up. Zama Records was also the home for Black Parrot Seaside and their epic EP release.

With so many talented bands around, at that time, you needed that little extra boost like a session on the John Peel show. And there was no shortage of opportunity. The Flys appeared on his show at least three times. The first being during March 1978 when they performed 'New Hearts', 'Fun City', 'We Dont Mind the Rave' and 'Living in the Sticks'.

Further Peel Sessions were recorded during November 1978 when they performed 'Love and a Molotov Cocktail', 'Name Dropping', 'I Don't Know' and 'Waikiki Beach Refugees'. And once more during September 1979 when, by then, drummer Pete King had left and Graham Deakin had replaced him. For that session the band aired 'Lets Drive', 'Energy Boy', 'Frenzy is 23' and 'I'll Survive'.

And almost all those tunes, along with many others, – the complete studio recordings 1977 to 1980 in fact – can be found on a wonderful release titled 'Today Belongs to Me'. Additionally this release contains seven previously unheard songs.

In hindsight, the punk rock and new wave era was an incredibly short window of time. As such, timing was crucial. By the end of 1978 people were already saying that punk and new wave was dead. It just seemed to have run its course.

Power pop was mainly applied to UK bands and had no real legs overseas. So it was limited in its appeal. Having said that the likes of Elvis Costello and Squeeze faired well. But by and large the new wave soon became the old wave.

A lack of real commercial success led to internal bickering. And, despite a valiant effort, it was always a struggle. The Flys called it a day during the spring of 1980. But, and as this new release proves, what a legacy they left us. Listening to these songs 40 years on they still sound so fresh and not at all dated. And this double CD package comes with a wonderfully informative booklet.

Post Flys, Neil O'Connor joined his sister Hazel's band. Bass player Joe Hughes and guitarist Dave Freeman would team up again in The Lover Speaks. They also penned the ballad 'No More I Love You's' for Annie Lennox and took her into the charts during 1985. Pete King joined After the Fire but sadly passed away during 1987 aged just 26.

TRACK LISTING 

DISC ONE

1. WE DON’T MIND THE RAVE
2. BEVERLEY
3. LOOKING FOR NEW HEARTS
4. SHE’S THE ONE
5. MONSOON SKY
6. FUN CITY
7. DON’T MOONLIGHT ON ME
8. SOME KIND OF GIRL
9. I DON’T KNOW
10. WAIKIKI BEACH REFUGEES
11. SATURDAY SUNRISE
12. DARK NIGHTS
13. LOVE AND A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL
14. CAN I CRASH HERE?
15. ME AND MY BUDDIES
16. JUST FOR YOUR SEX
17. CIVILIZATION
18. FUN CITY (single version)
19. E.C.4.
20. WAIKIKI BEACH REFUGEES (single version)
21. BEVERLEY (edited single version)
22. NAME DROPPING
23. FLY V. FLY
24. ADRIAN (DON’T CALL ME JIMMY)
25. I’LL SURVIVE
26. LIVING IN THE STICKS (first demo version)

1-12 The album Waikiki Beach Refugees, EMI EMC 3249,
released October 1978
13-14, 17 Single, EMI 2747, released January 1978
15-16 From the EP Bunch Of Five, Zama ZA 10, released
December 1977
18-19 Single, EMI 2795, released May 1978
20 Single, EMI 2867, released October 1978
21 Single, EMI 2907, released January 1979
22-23 Single, EMI 2936, released April 1979
24-26 Previously unreleased

DISC TWO

1. LET’S DRIVE
2. ENERGY BOY
3. FASCINATE ME
4. TALKING TO THE WALL
5. 16 DOWN
6. FORTUNES
7. NIGHT CREATURES
8. WHEN 2 AND 5 MAKE 9
9. UNDERCOVER AGENT ZERO
10. CHEAP DAYS
11. WALKING THE STREETS
12. THROUGH THE WINDSCREEN
13. FREEZING
14. FRENZY IS 23
15. WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES
16. LIVING IN THE STICKS
17. NIGHT CREATURES (single version)
18. LOIS LANE
19. TODAY BELONGS TO ME
20. WHAT WILL MOTHER SAY?
21. UNDERCOVER AGENT ZERO (single version)
22. COME ON STUPID
23. PROGRAM
24. DOWN YOUR END OF THE PHONE
25. HANG ON
26. I SAY
27. LIVING IN THE STICKS (second demo version)

1-14 The album Own, EMI EMC 3316, released
October 1979
15-16 Single, EMI 2979, released July 1979
17-19 From the EP Four From The Square,
Parlophone R 6030, released February 1980
20-21 Single, Parlophone R 6036, released May 1980
22-27 Previously unreleased

Girl Power

Girl Power

by Pete Clemons

Incredibly, music first released during the same week John F Kennedy was assassinated, still resonates today. Especially at this wintery seasonal time of year. Yet, at the time, and possibly due to the sad events back then, the album was a relative failure.

The album 'A Christmas Gift For You from Philles Records' – named after the Philles label but was later re-titled 'from Phil Spector' - was recorded during the back end of 1963. It contained 13 tracks and was, predominantly, an all girl album in terms of vocals. It came from Phil Spector's production skills that became known as the Wall of Sound.

Girls began to put together popular music groups as early as late 1950s in New York. And a good number of significant ones were formed between the rock n roll years and the beat bands era.

The Bobbettes were one one of the earliest. They released a number of singles over the years but none surpassed 'Mr Lee' released in 1957 and sold over 2 million copies in America.

The Chantels were next up. They were a do-wop harmony group inspired by Frankie Avalon and scored a hit with 'Maybe' in 1958.

In the Manhattan area of New York – Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Jeff Barry, Barry Mannis, Ellie Greenwich all teenagers at the time, according to Neil Sedaka 'writing songs in cubicles' within the Brill Building. Collectively they became known as the 'Brill building Set'.

All those song writers had their fair share of major success but it was Goffin and King who were the first to write a hit for an all female group. The Shirelles covered their song 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' in 1960. It was a massive success but the lyrics were controversial. Lyrics covering the subject - will you still respect me tomorrow or is this a one night stand – were not the norm back then.

Inadvertently, the sound of the girl group was expanded by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who had written several hits for Elvis Presley a few years earlier. They had added elaborate orchestral sounds and strings to the 1959 Ben E King song 'There Goes my Baby'. And that, in turn, had inspired Phil Spector, who was also based in the Brill building, and he studied the methods used.

One of Ben E King's next hits, 'Spanish Harlem' was co-written by Spector, produced by Leiber and Stoller and contained more of their lavish production.

Phil Spector's imagination ran wild. But his downfall was vanity as life revolved just around him. The records he produced were his records. The artists who sung on them became just a conduit.

'He's a Rebel' by The Crystals became Spector's second number one during 1962. Although not a member of the band, vocalist Darlene Love lip synced the lead vocal as Phil Spector began to manufacture the hits. The Crystals follow up hit similar 'He's Sure the Boy I Love' was given similar treatment. The Crystals did tour the UK during 1964. Alongside Manfred Mann, they appeared at Coventry Theatre.

But then came Darlene Love's greatest moment and it is her voice we hear year after year, by way of TV adverts, with her version of 'Christmas (Baby please come home)' and this was just one of the songs from the album 'A Christmas Gift For You from Philles Records'.

Originally dancers from the Peppermint Lounge in New York, The Ronettes joined the growing list of girl groups. After a couple of minor hits, Phil Spector auditioned and signed them to the Philles Label.

The Ronettes were the final piece in the jigsaw as Phil found 'the sound he had been looking for'. That sound became known as 'Wall of Sound productions' - Symphonies for the kids that created a rich and powerful sound.

During mid 1963, 'Be my Baby' became the first, of what became massive hits for the Ronettes. Phil later married lead vocalist Ronnie Bennett but, as with his music skills, he took total control. The Ronettes supported The Rolling Stones on their UK tour of 1964 as well as appearing at the Co-op hall in Nuneaton.

But it wasn't all about Phil Spector. Another band from New York, The Shangri La's, became the next big all girl group. The Shangri La's came with an image of all black clothing. 1964 saw hits such as 'Remember (Walking in the Sand)' and 'Leader of the Pack'. These songs brought another view of how women could behave. The lyrics were moody dramas and plays.

The explosion of girl groups had not been confined to New York either. It soon spread to Detroit. The Marvellettes were a five piece formed during the early 1960s. Soon after he auditioned them, The Marvellettes gave Berry Gordy his first number 1 for his Tamla Motown label with their song 'Please Mr Postman' during 1961.

The music of the girl groups, created between the later part of the 1950s, through till the mid 1960s, has certainly endured the test of time. It has never been far from our pshyche for almost 60 years now and shows no sign of letting up.

Mr Lee - The Bobbettes

Gene Clark – No Other

Gene Clark – No Other

by Pete Clemons

What makes a great record?. Many reasons I guess. It's all very subjective. But one thing life has taught me is that it is nothing to do with how many copies it sold or weeks on chart.

I do think, however, it is all about time and whether or not an album still has the capacity to move you over time.

And exactly that seems to have happened to a relatively unknown album first released September 1974. Many, who have heard it, will testify as to how wonderful it is and how it moves them.

That album is titled 'No Other' and was released by Gene Clark. Recently, it has been given the deluxe treatment. It has been re-appraised and re-released in various formats with additional versions and out takes of the songs.

After a spell with the New Christy Minstrels, Gene Clark moved to Los Angeles during 1964.

There Gene met Jim (Roger) McGuinn at the Troubadour. Jim was adding Beatles influences to his own songs. He was sat in a room of the Troubadour, called folk down, writing songs. At some point soon after, David Crosby happened to turn up with his guitar. David joined in and magic was formed.

Deciding that they had the potential for a band and, to achieve it, they required a bass player and drummer, they recruited Chris Hillman and Michael Clark. The Byrds were formed. And Gene Clark was a prolific songwriter and he was the creative glue of The Byrds.

Each of the individuals within The Byrds were completely different characters, according to Crosby. For example, Gene Clark was a totally honest guy. The band would pay bills by using bad cheques to get by. After 'Mr Tambourine Man' broke, bringing in much needed funds, Gene went back to honour those bills.

But according to other sources Gene could not handle the pressure that came with success. At one point The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Byrds were all spoken of in same breath. Gene's issues were further compounded by a fear of flying.

On 27th February 1966 while on a plane, Gene broke out into a cold sweat. Jim McGuinn thought Gene was picking up on something – a vision of disaster maybe. Gene simply got up and walked off plane. It was the beginning of the end as Gene officially left The Byrds during April 1966 to begin a solo career.

Gene did rejoin The Byrds briefly but, during 1974, he admitted it had been a mistake leaving the band in the first place.

After spells with The Dillards and yet another Byrds reunion 'No Other' was released on Asylum Records which, at the time, was run by David Geffen who instantly recognised Gene Clark's talent.

David Geffen spoke to producer Thomas Jefferson Kaye and offered him Jackson Browne or Gene Clark for there up coming projects. Gene had been away for year and had written a bunch of songs. It had been a spiritual time for Gene and lot of soul searching had been done. It was felt that Gene needed a producer and sole mate.

Chris Hillman mentioned that 'Gene came up with divinely inspired lyrics'. 'He went somewhere in that writing experience'.

The completed 'No Other' was designed to take you places and apply it to your own life. It was a joy for the musicians involved in it as it was open to interpretation. And they really went for it. It truly is a unique and magnificent album.

David Geffen was apparently disappointed with 'No Other' as it only contained 8 songs. As such the album didn't receive finance to tour and to support it. It also, didn't help I guess, when Gene Clark punched David Geffen. Frustratingly, Gene had rightly felt totally let down. 'No Other', today, really is considered as a lost classic.

A follow up album 'Two Sides to Every Story' came a little later after which Gene took a break from music. As mentioned many times by friends and acquaintances, 'Gene continually missed ships leaving the harbour'. Having said that, a brief comeback with Carla Olsen was seen as something of a success in Americana circles as their two voices blended together delightfully.

Gene Clark passed away on 24th May 1991. However, he lived just long enough to see The Byrds inducted to the rock and roll hall of fame. They played together one last time 16th January 1991.

The Trees - 'Here Come the Trees'

The Trees - 'Here Come the Trees'

by Pete Clemons

Trees. Great lumbering things. Behomoths. What's the point of them?. What purpose do they serve?.

Well firstly, they store carbon dioxide taken in from the air, along with water from the ground. And in the process of converting that mix into wood they release oxygen back into the air for us to breathe.

Due to the amount of water they drink, they are a natural flood defence.

There are theories that they are able to communicate through their network of roots. Or even send chemical hormones to each other. Or, that they send pheromones to each other via the air.

But it is not only us humans they support. They are pivotal to the ecosystem and sustaining other animal and insect life due to the fruits they provide.

Amongst other things, they also provide us with construction materials and that is a partial reason for the vast deforestations happening around the world right now. It really is a fine balance. Maybe one that we are not getting right at the moment.

And these issues have been tackled by a host of local musicians in the form of an album titled 'Here Come the Trees'.

The concept for the album came from Christopher Sidwell, soon after the release of the last Crokodile Tears album, 'Old Skool'. Christopher also provided lyrics for the project along with poet Morphelia Ansell and Melanie Moon.

For this release Christopher enlisted the musical and recording skills of Keith Fabrique and Mick Walker.

And the storyline: in Christopher's words 'Well it’s generally about man vs. nature, or man vs. man (in the case of Conservationists vs. Big corporations) and explores the idea of ‘Heroes’. The lonely poet was looking for a man to save her but realised that she can save herself (as he’s not going to do it!) People expect Moon Girl to come and save them and their trees but she comes too late to save the trees. An ordinary person, her alter ego, Melanie Moon speaks out about the trees being cut down and Jack’s brother Zack gives up his job as a lumberjack as he starts to love trees and so rebels against his bosses at the lumber company'.

Strip back the bark and underneath you have a really decent album that has many fine musical moments. A host of musicians have been drafted in for this project and they have all excelled themselves. 'Here Come the Trees' is an absolute delight to listen to.

Talking to those behind it, 'Here Come the Trees' was clearly a lot of fun to put together. It was a relatively smooth production and there was an obvious mutual respect for each other.

Although there is a serious side to the album it is also a light hearted affair with plenty of humour, at a superficial level, within it. It also contains many metaphors. The heroes, that Christopher mentions, could well be the youth of today and their stance for the environment.

The project also has the potential for a theatre production as opposed to a gig. But that is one for the future.

One thing is for sure though, and that is 'Here Come the Trees' is a one off. Those behind it are not wanting to exhaust the theme and, as such, will not be following it up. It is a stand alone album and will not be an elder.

There is a lovely dedication at the bottom of the sleeve notes. It is to all you little acorns out there. Together, you can be big enough.to make a difference.

Hawkwind at 50

Hawkwind at 50

By Pete Clemons

When I realised that Hawkwind were touring to celebrate 50 years of the band, my first thought was, wow, where did that go. After all, I and countless others, have followed the band for a good proportion of that time.

Hawkwind, of course, were pioneers of giving you more than just performing a set of songs. They brought drama and lights. Stage dancing and stage creations.

But it has not been an easy ride for Hawkwind. Despite charting albums and well attended gigs they seemed to lumber from one financial crisis to another. Some of it their fault, like wasted money. Some of it not like the time they lost a load of uninsured kit, leaving the band equipment less.

The gig itself, teleported to The Empire – the old Paris cinema - after the demise of the Leamington Assembly (which, I am glad to report, has now reopened), was career defining and evoked some wonderful memories, as Hawkwind found time for many old crowd favourites.

They opened with 'Motorway City'. I remember seeing Hawkwind perform that one at Tiffany's when Ginger Baker was in the drum seat.

'Silver Machine' was also given an outing. As was 'Born to Go'. This was originally a part of the Space Ritual set that kind of broke the band to a whole new level back in 1972.

Following an incredibly busy touring, schedule that included a couple of gruelling tours of the US, the band returned to the UK to tour Hall of the Mountain Grill album during 1974. This included a visit to Coventry Theatre and I remember there being a lot of interest in the gig. So much so that I spent a night outside the box office, in a sleeping bag, in search of tickets.

'Spirit of the Age' was another old fave. This time however, I popped across to Birmingham to see that particular supporting tour. I can still see Bob Calvert providing the vocal to this incredible piece of Hawkwind history.

'Assault and Battery/The Golden Void' from the Warriors on the Edge of Time album wrapped up the set before the band returned to the stage for their encores.

These included 'Hurry on Sundown', from Hawkwind's very first album release and 'Master of the Universe'. 'Hurry on Sundown' was one tune which I, personally, cannot recall ever hearing live before.

All Hawkwind tours have a concept, and this one is no different. Gone are the lavish stage productions of old but the lighting and backdrops were still quite impressive throughout. The theme and visuals for this particular one is based around extinction. And in-between the above mentioned classics is a good selection of songs from the recent chart entering album 'All Aboard the Skylark'.

A totally enjoyable evening for many reasons. And, given the healthy audience size, Hawkwind proved that they can still create a lot of interest. Thanks for the memories and here's to the next 50 years.

No-Man – Love You to Bits, Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson

No-man – Love You to Bits.

Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson

By Pete Clemons

On first listen I was immediately cast back to a time in the mid 1970s when, I was listening to styles of music, I would not admit to to some of my friends and peers. Although I suspect they knew.

Despite my love for progressive/underground music I did have a penchant for Chic, Donna Summer and others. And, on occasion, I didn't mind a visit to the disco.

'Love to you to Bits' was a totally surprising listen. But should it have been?. Via a video, promoting the album, Steven Wilson revealed that the roots of this release had been conceived some 25 years earlier.

This would have been around the time of the 'Flowermouth' album released during 1994. I was curious as to whether this was before or after 'Flowermouth'. So I took the liberty of asking vocalist, Tim Bowness, direct. He said:

'From memory, LYTB (the opening song section) was written in 1994 after the release of Flowermouth. At around the same time, we also wrote the beginning of what became Lighthouse. Both songs developed and changed over the years and the album of LYTB features a great deal that was written over the last year'.

Around a year after 'Flowermouth', and before the more hard edged 'Wild Opera', the band released a cassette (later a CD) called 'Flowermix'. This was a more dance/ambient oriented release. So the seeds of LYTB kind of fits to that time.

Moving away from the over-riding beat I was also curious to learn more about the lyrics. To me they seemed to be about some kind of romantic tragedy. But given the style of music I was also getting a vibe that the lyric might be about the death of disco itself. Tim also kindly enlightened me:

'Lyrically, the idea is to cover the aftermath of a relationship from the perspectives of both participants as well as the third perspective, which is the one they share (but can’t discuss with one another because communication has broken down). On the physical formats, the lyrics are colour coded so you know which voice is talking. My other hope was that I could capture the optimistic beginnings (thereby giving the piece more of a sense of light and shade). If it has a metaphorical aspect, in some ways it could also be read as a depiction of the creative death of a band,

Weirdly I did write a song about the death of disco called The Death Of Disco Dottie with Centrozoon in the early 2000s'.

Again, and away from the main theme, there are many incredible solo moments woven into it all including a particular delicate few minutes from a brass band. It all works together wonderfully well.

no-man are a pop art band. With no real boundaries. Expect the unexpected from them. Personally, I must say that this record is like a breath of fresh air. The story line is particularly engaging. I love it to bits.


With thanks to Tim and Steven.