Neil Young contains multitudes. Sensitive singer songwriter, grizzled ‘godfather of grunge’, lifelong stoner, model train enthusiast. He’s a contrarian whose style has morphed and changed sometimes dramatically between albums. He’s worked solo. He’s collaborated too, with Buffalo Springfield first then Crazy Horse and most famously Crosby, Stills and Nash. He had and orchestral side he explored with the producer Jack Nitzche.
This is the introduction to a series of essays and video essays*. In them I’ll be exploring some of the factors that gave rise to Joy Division. Not only the music they listened to but… Read More »The Aesthetic & Social Roots of Joy Division
Miles Davis electric period is sometimes called Jazz Funk, Jazz Rock or Jazz Fusion. All of these are technically correct but the names come with Baggage. It was when he merged electric, electronic and world instrumentation with funk rhythms. Many of the players in Miles Davis Electric band went on to define these genres. Names like Herbie Hancock, John McLauchlin and Joe Zaniwul to name but three.
The invention of recorded music opened up new areas of experience for humankind. Music & memory are deeply linked and give us a form of immortality. With the very same device you’re using to read this article, you could, if you wished, listen to just about any music ever made, we all live with electric ghosts of the past and take it for granted.
In the Introductory post (‘What is Krautrock‘?) I tried to look at some of the forces at play in the development of German music from the 1970s. By nature it´ll be a quite subjective list… Read More »The Best Krautrock Albums-Part One
Martin Hannett was the pre-eminent post-punk producer. With Unknown Pleasures and Closer Joy Division and Hannett created new types of sounds. Those records have gone on to be vastly influential. Their production was informed by… Read More »Martin Hannett & Joy Division: A match made in Heaven
