Legends – Page 10 – 7th Level Music

Motörhead set to unleash new version of their “Bad Magic” album – “Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic” – with bonus tracks and a full live album.

Motörhead, the iconic Godfathers of heavy metal, released their 23^rd (and final) studio album Bad Magic in 2015. Instantly hailed as one of the best the beloved trio had recorded in many years, Bad Magic: SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC enjoys a bonus-packed refresh, adding two previously unreleased tracks from those furious sessions:

“Bullet in Your Brain” and “Greedy Bastards” as well as a snarling, fangs-out live performance from that subsequent tour at the giant Mt Fuji Festival in Japan in 2015. Fans will also get “War, Love, Death and Injustice”, an audio interview with Lemmy conducted by Motörhead expert Robert Kiewik during the tour, and should the desire to have a chat with Lem or anyone beyond this mortal coil arise, the box-set will exclusively contain a MURDER ONE ouija board (complete with the Ace of Spades planchette to spell out the conversation).

A new video for “Bullet In Your Brain”, featuring exclusive, never before seen footage of Motörhead in the studio for the Bad Magic sessions, is available right now. A foot-down, fist-pumping, Lemmy-bass-driven stomper with a deliciously dirty Campbell riff, and Dee-driven dynamics, both the song and footage are a tremendous treat for fans who have craved new Motörmaterial.

Watch/Listen to “Bullet In Your Brain” here

At the time of its release back in 2015, Bad Magic arrived as a massive kick in the teeth for anyone who believed Motörhead were going to amble along into a peaceful little pasture containing fluffy little lambs, folk music and perhaps the odd medieval lute here and there. Big-rig head crushers such as “Thunder & Lightning” and “Teach Them How To Bleed” brought such people to their knees begging for forgiveness, as the album unfurled into their toughest, leanest, meanest and most uncompromising album in aeons. Much of this came down to long-time producer Cameron Webb getting the band to record live at NRG North Hollywood, Maple Studios and Grandmaster in California together for the first time in the Kilmister/Campbell/Dee era, and from the crackling punk energy of “Electricity” to Brian May of Queen’s scintillating guest-appearance on “The Devil”, a vast wealth of aggression, attitude, and excellent songwriting was cultivated in that furious working environment. Phil Campbell didn’t just record possibly his finest guitars, he threw down most certainly his best solos for decades, while Mikkey Dee’s drumming found new tribal resonance with the Motörhead sound he had helped nurture. There was also one of Lemmy‘s rawest lyrical life reflections on “Till The End”, and a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil” which made the song feel like one of their own. One of the hidden gold-dust additions to Bad Magic: SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC, is Motörhead’s famous, and internationally acclaimed, version of David Bowie’s classic “Heroes”. Originally slated for inclusion on the last release only to be withdrawn at the last minute, it was a cover version which Lemmy had a great affection for, and as such its inclusion here is both fitting and just.

As the title says, this is Motörhead delivering some SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC.

Bad Magic: SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC will be released on Double 12” Vinyl, CD Digipak with Bonus Disc, Limited Edition Boxset, Digital Download and Streaming. The Limited Edition Boxset will contain the CD Digipak with Bonus Disc, Double 12” Vinyl, exclusive Lemmy War, Love, Death and Injustice audio interview on 12” vinyl and exclusive edition Motörhead – MURDER ONE Ouija Board and Planchette. Pre-order all formats at this location

Bad Magic: SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC Track List:

1. Victory Or Die

2. Thunder & Lightning

3. Fire Storm Hotel

4. Shoot Out All of Your Lights

5. The Devil

6. Electricity

7. Evil Eye

8. Teach Them How To Bleed

9. Till The End

10. Tell Me Who To Kill

11. Choking On Your Screams

12. When The Sky Comes Looking For You

13. Sympathy For The Devil

14. Heroes

15. Bullet In Your Brain

16. Greedy Bastards

Live at Mt Fuji Rock Festival 2015 – Sayonara Folks! Track List:

1. We Are Motörhead

2. Damage Case

3. Stay Clean

4. Metropolis

5. Over the Top

6. String Theory

7. The Chase is Better Than the Catch

8. Rock It

9. Lost Woman Blues

10. Doctor Rock

11. Just ‘Cos You Got the Power

12. Going to Brazil

13. Ace of Spades

14. Overkill

Keep your mind open.

[It might be seriously bad magic if you don’t subscribe.]

[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Midnight Oil to release rare, raw 1982 live recording for Support Act’s Roadies Fund.

Midnight Oil are the 29^th act to throw support behind Support Act’s Roadies Fund through the Australian Road Crew Association (ARCA)’s awesome Desk Tape Series.

The Series was created by ARCA to raise funds to provide financial, health, counselling and well-being services for roadies and crew in crisis.

The recordings are made off the sound desk by a crew member. MIDNIGHT OIL LIVE at the OLD LION, Adelaide 1982 was recorded by Mark Woods, and is another fantastic tribute to the great sounds engineers produced for the early Aussie pub rock scene. This live tape is released on ARCA’s Black Box Records through MGM Distribution and on all major streaming services.

THE BAND

Peter Garrett – lead vocals
Peter Gifford – bass, vocals
Rob Hirst – drums, vocals
Jim Moginie – guitars, keyboards
Martin Rotsey – guitars

CREW

Mark Woods (sound)
Michael Lippold (stage/ production manager)
Ron “Wormy” James (lights)

TRACK LISTING

1 Written In The Heart
2 Brave Faces
3 Armistice Day
4 I’m The Cure
5 Bus To Bondi
6 Quinella Holiday
7 No Time For Games
8 Burnie
9 Cold Cold Change
10 Powderworks
11 Koala Sprint
12 Back On The Borderline
13 Don’t Wanna Be The One
14 Wedding Cake Island
15 Stand In Line
16 No Reaction

The MIDNIGHT OIL LIVE at the OLD LION Adelaide 1982 live tape and all the ARCA Desk Tape Series recordings are available through Black Box Records – ARCA (australianroadcrew.com.au) and the following: Amazon, Anghami, Apple Music / iTunes, Boomplay, Black Box Records, Deezer, MGM, Pandora, Shazam, Spotify, TenCent, Tidal, TikTok, YouTube Music.

The Old Lion show on Friday March 26, 1982 was part of a two-week run through Victoria and South Australia. At that stage, the band were doing 180 shows a year, and firing on all eight cylinders.

Rob Hirst admits: “I’m exhausted listening back to the tape, it’s relentless! We were, excuse the pun, a well-oiled machine, angry young men against the world.”

Mark Woods, who filled in as sound engineer on the run, called it the “Speed and Dust Tour.” It was hot and the tour moved at a frantic pace. Woods had just finished a run with Men At Work, with two weeks off before MAW’s first US visit. When the Oils’ run ended in Whyalla in regional South Australia, he drove 14 hours overnight without sleep back to Melbourne, in time for the Los Angeles flight with Men At Work.

Woods didn’t mind: he was a massive fan. “I thought they were the best band in the world. On this run they were at their absolute peak. Much of the set was from Place Without A Postcard, which was just released four months before, so the songs sounded fresh. It wasn’t that they were loud, it was the power. They weren’t ‘screamy’ or harsh listening, they just had a very full solid big fat sound.”

“They were all red hot players”, Woods recalls, citing how Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey’s guitars intertwined, and how the Peter Gifford/ Rob Hirst rhythm section locked in.

“I loved Giffo’s playing, he was the perfect bass player for them and at his best on this tour. There was something about his beat which worked well with Rob’s drums, they were right on the beat, really driving it forward.”

Gifford left a few years later to become a businessman in Byron Bay. Michael Lippold spent as much time on stage as the band, unravelling Pete’s mic leads from the guitarists’ legs as he danced manically about. Hirst’s drum kit had to be nailed down. Not only did he attack them with exuberance, breaking pedals and sticks, but he’d also jump into the air off his stool for greater power when he landed.

Listening to the Old Lion tape, Hirst chuckles, “It reminds me of the breakneck speeds we used to play those songs! The album versions chugged along but the live versions were 30% to 40% faster, if not faster. It’s almost as if we couldn’t wait to get to the (hire cars) and fishtail out of there!”

Also giving him a buzz on the tape were how the guitars sounded so distinctive and Garrett’s onstage patter recalling which politician or issue was irritating him in 1982. The tape shows how the Oils were starting to musically move around at that time. In 1981 when famed English producer Glyn Johns (Stones, Who) saw an Oils show at Selinas in Sydney, he invited them back to England to record in his new studio in Surrey.

“It was supposed to be our big break,” Hirst relates. “It wasn’t.” Hirst says Johns expected them to arrive with 12 fully formed songs, but he and Moginie, as the Oils’ main writers, had been unable to write songs due to the band’s hectic touring schedule. Even worse, Johns failed to capture the Oils’ live roar on the record.

Hirst: “The creativity and the song writing was getting stronger. But we were frustrated with the sound on the albums so far. They didn’t grab you by the throat and wrestle you to the ground. It was only working with Nick Launay (in 1982, on the 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 album) and disassembling the Midnight Oil live sound in the studio and starting again that we started to understand studio craft.”

Johns had a deal with A&M Records in America to release his productions. A&M wanted the Oils to go back to the studio and cut a single for the American market. The Australians gave them a two-finger salute and returned to Sydney.

The Old Lion tape captures how some of Postcard songs should have sounded. “Armistice Day” was an example of their new found song writing depth.

“I’ve always been obsessed with my family’s military history,” the drummer explains. “Songs like ‘Forgotten Years’ were about my father and grandfather’s military service. We knew as soon as we recorded ‘Armistice Day’ that no matter what happened to the rest of the album, it was going to be the lead track.”

“I Don’t Wanna Be The One” was in the spotlight when the Oils were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006.

LIVE At The Old Lion Adelaide 1982 is the latest initiative by the Oils to support roadies and crews in crisis. Hirst readily admits that the members relied heavily on their crew, “we had the best sound and lighting guys in the business. It is the crew that helps with any band’s success.”

On their farewell tour in 2022, Hirst’s drum tech for nine years, Clem Ryan, wanted to sit it out. Rob rang him, “I’m not doing this tour until you’re doing this tour.” Long-time front of house Colin Ellis wanted to retire before the run. They talked him out of it. “Retire? You’re younger than us!”

LIVE At The Old Lion Adelaide 1982 also highlights how dedicated the fans were.

Woods recalls: “Big lads, well charged up, a happy blokey crowd which sang along, boisterous, rowdy but never unpleasant.”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Midnight Oil’s press crew.]

Review: Motörhead – Iron Fist (40th anniversary edition)

Forty years after its release Motörhead classic Iron Fist album is given a stunning reissue that includes enough bonus tracks for two full albums.

The album sounds harder than ever with the new remastering. The title track opens the record with furious drumming from Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, and the album rarely, if ever, lets up. “Heart of Stone” is just as angry as it’s always been, as is the raw “Go to Hell” – a song you’ll want to send to your boss at that job you hate as you walk out the door. “Speedfreak” sums up Motörhead’s lifestyle, really.

After the send-off of “Bang to Rights,” we’re treated to six demo tracks from 1981: “Remember Me, I’m Gone,” “The Doctor,” “Young & Crazy,” “Loser,” “Iron Fist,” and “Go to Hell.” Seven more bonus tracks follow on the CD and digital versions of the album: The wonderfully grungy “Lemmy Goes to the Pub,” “Same Old Song, I’m Gone,” a crushing alternate version of “(Don’t Let ’em) Grind Ya Down,” “Shut It Down,” and three instrumentals – “Sponge Cake,” “Ripsaw Teardown,” and a barely recognizable cover of the “Peter Gunn” theme.

As if all this wasn’t enough, there’s also a previously unreleased live album recorded at the Apollo in Glasgow, Scotland on March 18, 1982. It’s a stunning, fuzzy, eardrum-blasting recording that opens with a version of “Iron Fist” that sounds like they’re playing it while the Apollo is on fire. Lemmy Kilmister barely takes a breath until they get to “The Hammer” and he encourages the Glasgow crowd to shout throughout it.

The live version of “White Line Fever” sounds like getting punched in the face by an ogre – multiple times. Kilmister’s raspy growl on “Go to Hell” is the match and Fast Eddie Clarke‘s guitar is the gasoline on the track. Kilmister chastises Glasgow again before “(We Are) The Road Crew,” saying their cheering is so lame that they “sound like Leo Sayer,” which only gets the Scots to go crazier. Of course, this live version of “Ace of Spades” is liable to set fire to your face. They close the main set with venue-shattering versions of “Overkill,” “Bomber,” and “Motörhead.”

It’s a stunning reissue of an already stunning record. Don’t miss this if you’re a fan of Motörhead of NWOBHM.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Rewind Review: The Stooges – self-titled (1969)

The Stooges, who would become known for their fierce punk garage rock, could’ve been one of the greatest psychedelic rock bands of all time if they had chosen to go down that road.

Take the opening track (“1969”) of their debut album, for example. It’s loaded with psych-fuzz guitar from Ron Asheton that sounds like he just walked in from San Francisco instead of Detroit, and Iggy Pop‘s vocals are almost spoken word poetry rambled from a dingy coffee house. “I Wanna Be Your Dog” almost induces bad acid trip panic.

The third track, “We Will Fall,” is over ten minutes of floating down a lazy river while monks wearing saffron-colored robes chant and play hand percussion instruments along the banks. “No Fun” brings back the grungy fuzz with Dave Alexander‘s distorted bass leading the romp. “Real Cool Time” has Asheton jamming like a damn sawmill of sound tearing through your house.

Pop’s vocals on “Ann” blend right into Asheton’s guitar squalls while Alexander and Scott Asheton lay down a hypnotic rhythm to further trip you out of your headspace. “Not Right” has Pop feeling frisky, but his lady friend isn’t “feeling right,” so he’s stuck again frustrated, and then even more so when she’s finally in the mood and he isn’t. “It’s always this way,” he moans while the rest of the Stooges proceed to melt our faces. The album closes with “Little Doll” and its swirling, scratchy, savage guitars fading the album, and us, into oblivion.

Everyone knows how important The Stooges are to music, but their debut album is a forgotten psychedelic rock classic.

Keep your mind open.

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The National remix NEU!’s “Im Glück” for tribute album.

Listen to “Im Glück (The National Remix)”

NEU! are a product of Düsseldorf, Germany, home to Kraftwerk’s Klingklang studios, as well as galleries, graphic designers and advertising agencies. Rother and Dinger drew on all of this and their impeccable musical training to create the overall concept of NEU!. They intended to create a previously unheard new music, aping the processes of commodification while remaining resolutely hostile to the commerciality of the music industry. Like other experimental bands of the late 60s and early 70s gathered under the Krautrock banner, NEU! were driven by a mixture of political and artistic imperatives to reject the clichés and conventions of orthodox, blues-based Anglo-American rock and create a music that was, formally, West German in origin.

Pre-order NEU! 50!

Watch “Hallogallo (Stephen Morris and Gabe Gurnsey Remix)” Visualizer

Listen to “Weissensee (Fink Version)”

Listen to “Zum Herz” by Guerilla Toss

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

The long-lost “Iron Fist” Motörhead album trailer has been unearthed!

LONG LOST FILM RESTORED & RELEASED

FEATURING UNHEARD, INSTRUMENTAL DEMO

‘RIPSAW TEARDOWN’

WATCH HERE

SPECIAL 40^th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS OF

IRON FIST

TO BE RELEASED ON 23^rd SEPT 2022

PREORDERS & EXCLUSIVE MERCH BUNDLES HERE https://motorhead.lnk.to/ironfist40thPR

Once upon a time the loudest, nastiest, speed-freaked trio in the land – the mighty Motörhead – decided that they needed an intro-film to come on stage to, so they could tour their brand-new album Iron Fist. Not for them some gentle promo video, for this was Motörhead in 1982 comprising the seminal three amigos line-up of Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke and Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor.

What they produced has been buried in the mists of time, confined to dodgy bootleg VHS’s, but it’s a gory, brutal, hilariously OTT short movie directed by Nick Mead where knights are murdered and maidens are in distress. Shot in a Hertfordshire forest it features a medieval, battle-hardened band stomping around a darkened forest, fuelled by vodka and brandishing weapons, wearing horned helmets and looking fierce whilst punching the air with their Iron Fist!

Imagine a recklessly non-health-and-safety, amphetamine-nightmare, super low budget take on Monty Python and the Holy Grail and you’re halfway there.

And now, in honour of the 40^th Anniversary of the album that inspired this piece of cinematic pastiche, the Iron Fist trailer has been re-discovered, digitised and officially released for the world’s viewing pleasure. Originally cut to Gustav Holst’s ominous ‘Mars, Bringer Of War’, it now features the previously unreleased instrumental demo ‘Ripsaw Teardown’ as its audio soundbed. It’s really quite something, and sets up the forthcoming release of the Iron Fist 40^th Anniversary editions

Whilst the album was rudely dismissed by critics on release, it now reveals itself as a vital snapshot of the band at a crucial period. It followed the consecutive triumphs of Ace Of Spades and No Sleep Til Hammersmith, when the three-piece found themselves caught in the tornado of success, but in true Motörhead style, they careered into their next phase at such velocity it transcended logic or reason to become this trio’s final kamikaze joyride.

Forty years later, Iron Fist sounds like prime Motörhead with the gloves and seat-belts off. For sheer velocity, it could be fastest, most out-of-control of all their releases. To celebrate the anniversary it is being presented in new deluxe editions. There will be hardback book-packs in two CD and triple LP formats, featuring a hammer fist blow, remaster of the original album, previously unreleased demo bonus tracks and a full concert, originally broadcast on Radio Clyde from 18^thMarch 1982. Plus the story of the album and many previously unseen photos. There’s also a limited edition, blue and black swirl of the original standalone album.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe.]

[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Midnight Oil announces final shows of final tour.

Since Midnight Oil’s new album Resist debuted at #1 early this year, the legendary Australian band has toured around Australia, North America, and then Europe, on their last concert tour. The final leg of this epic run kicks off this week at the Mundi Mundi Bash near Broken Hill followed by rescheduled gigs in Cairns, Darwin, New Zealand, Perth and Canberra to make up for various climate and Covid disruptions earlier this year. In addition, this final leg will include shows at Broome’s Stompem Ground Festival (after a 20 year hiatus) and a new WA gig in Busselton (see below for all details).

Today, the last four dates of this tour were revealed with Midnight Oil announcing two uniquely intimate extra shows in both Melbourne and Sydney. A portion of proceeds from each of these new gigs will be donated to environmental and Indigenous causes and general public tickets will go on sale 10am local time on Monday 22 August via: midnightoil.com/tour

Melbourne will finally experience Midnight Oil playing their classic album 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 in its entirety at the Palais Theatre on Monday September 12 under the banner “One For The Planet”. The band had originally announced this special idea for a benefit show back in March, but Covid got in the way so, like their other cancelled gigs, they are now making good on that earlier promise.

Two nights later, on Wednesday September 14, the Oils will play a final show at the Palais under the banner “One For The Road”. This extra Melbourne date will see the band performing the entire show (ie: no support) and delivering an extended set that will include classics from every Midnight Oil album and EP across their storied career.

Sydney will experience these same two special shows a few weeks later, as “RESIST: The Final Tour” ends with a bang back in the band’s hometown. “One For The Planet” (featuring “10-1” in its entirety) will be staged at the Luna Park Big Top on Wednesday September 28. Then “One For The Road” (an extended concert including classics from every album and EP) will celebrate the end of Midnight Oil’s touring career on the Labour Day public holiday – Monday October 3 – at the famous Hordern Pavilion where the band staged some of their most memorable Sydney gigs back in the day.

“The shows we’ve just done overseas have been some of the best and most enjoyable of our career”, said Midnight Oil guitarist/keyboardist, Jim Moginie. “Every gig on this last tour has had extra emotion around it so we’re looking forward to bringing those feelings back home again.”

“We’ve always supported causes that we believe are important during our tours so these four extra gigs are partly a way of doing that”, explains frontman, Peter Garrett. “They will allow the band and the audience to have a different experience each night by digging deep into the back catalogue in venues that are a bit smaller than the ones we’ve usually been playing in over recent years.”

“From the opening track on our first album through to the last song on our new one, we’ve always been blessed to have fans who are really passionate about what we do”, observed drummer Rob Hirst. “One For The Planet and “One For The Road” are our way of acknowledging that connection over 45 years. We’ve all shared an amazing journey together, so we want to celebrate that by playing something for everyone in places that feel special”.

The Midnight Oil fan pre-sale for these new shows kick off from 10am local time (staggered times – see below) on Thursday 18 August before the General Public on sale starting 10am local on Monday 22 August. Tickets from midnightoil.com/tour

The newly announced RESIST show at Barnard Park, Busselton, WA with special guest Regurgitator on Friday 23 September now joins the existing RESIST shows at Munro Martin Parklands, Cairns with special guests Busby Marou on Thursday 25 August, Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin with special guest Leah Flanagan on Saturday 27 August and Fellows Oval – ANU Campus, Canberra with special guests King Stingray, Emily Wurramara (solo) and Moaning Lisa on Saturday 1 October. Tickets via: midnightoil.com/tour

The band’s a day on the green Nikola Estate, Swan Valley, WA show with special guests Goanna and Stephen Pigram on Sunday 25 September is on sale now.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Sir Elton John – Soldier Field – Chicago, IL – August 05, 2022

It was Sir Elton John‘s first time playing in Chicago’s Soldier Field, but it would be his last time playing in Chicago or Illinois after scores of performances in the city and state. He’s on the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, which he has stated is his final one. As he told the packed stadium, he’s now seventy-six years old and wants to spend the rest of his time with his husband and sons.

So, he and his top-notch band, some of whom, like drummer Nigel Olsson, have been with him since his first record, played their hearts out and had a great time. The audience did, too, dancing and singing in the heavy humidity to “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man.”

He and the band (which, by the way, included Olsson behind a drum kit and two other percussionists) went nuts on “Levon,” which boomed through the entire stadium. “Candle in the Wind” was also a big hit with the crowd.

They tore through “The Bitch Is Back,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Crocodile Rock,” and ended the main set with “Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting” – any of which could’ve been a finale.

The encore started with his newest number one single, “Cold Heart,” and he followed it with his first number one hit – “Your Song,” which I must admit brought me to some brief tears. He ended, of course, with “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” to a standing ovation to the huge, sweaty crowd.

This was the middle of his North American tour before a short summer break. Don’t miss him if he comes near you. You won’t get another chance.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: “Weird Al” Yankovic and Emo Philips – Lerner Theatre – Elkhart, IN – July 26, 2022

“One of the reasons we wanted to do this tour was to highlight this incredible band,” “Weird Al” Yankovic said at one point during the packed show at Elkhart, Indiana’s Lerner Theatre. The show consisted of all original material and style parodies from Yankovic’s huge catalogue. None of his parody hits were played until the encore, and even then in a medley.

Instead, he and his band (of over forty years) played a lot of lesser-known songs that had everyone rocking and / or laughing. Speaking of laughing, veteran stand-up comic Emo Philips opened the show with his odd and often dark humor in which he skewered everything from religion to dating. He had a joke about a banana that he set up within the first ten minutes of his set and then didn’t pay off until near the end – much to the delight of everyone.

Yankovic and his band soon showed everyone how well they can rock by playing hard tracks like “Young, Dumb & Ugly,” “My Own Eyes,” and the dark, twisted “Larry.” The theme to his film, UHF, was a bit hit with the crowd, and the lounge version of “Dare to Be Stupid” (their famous Devo style parody) was stunning. “He’s even parodying himself,” said a guy next to me about it after the show.

It was a great example of how he and his band can play multiple genres with high skill (and switch back and forth between them) with apparent ease. The Doors style parody, “Craigslist,” showed how well they can play psychedelic rock. The closer of the main set was “Albuquerque,” a wild track that has to be seen and heard to be believed. How Yankovic remembers all those multi-layered lyrics is beyond me.

After a fake encore, in which they went barely offstage and pretended to check their phones and tune a guitar while in full sight of everyone, they came “back on” to do a sharp cover of The Isley Brothers‘ “Nobody but Me” and then the parody medley that went from “Amish Paradise” to “Yoda” and included everything from calypso to acapella Afrobeat chanting. I missed a lot of the humorous lyrics because I was too stunned try their musicianship to notice them.

It was a fun show, and one you should catch if it’s anywhere close to you. Don’t go for the hits, go for the experience.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re here.]

NEU! to release 50th anniversary box set of their first album.

Photo by Thomas Dinger: from left – Klaus Dinger, Michael Rother

NEU!, the legendary Krautrock duo of Michael Rother and the late Klaus Dinger, celebrate the 50th anniversary of their self-titled debut album with the NEU! 50! box set, out September 23rd via Grönland. NEU! 50! includes albums NEU! NEU! 2! and NEU! 75 plus the brand new NEU! Tribute Album, a NEU! stencil and booklet. The Tribute Album features reworkings by The National, Idles, Man Man, Mogwai, Alexis Taylor, and more. Today, Grönland presents two new tracks off the tribute album – “Weissensee (Fink Version)” and “Zum Herz,” a new, NEU!-inspired song by Guerilla Toss.

NEU!’s version of “Weissensee” evokes a majestic river, cascading, waves crashing. Fink honors the beautiful, lapping waterscape of the track. “I have walked around Weissensee many times – a little urban lake in a pretty rundown part of Berlin - particularly beautiful when it’s frozen over. I had to try this one. Stepping up to NEU! and the anniversary of their debut was an honor, a challenge and a joy.”
Listen to “Weissensee (Fink Version)”
Guerilla Toss’s “Zum Herz” is a salute from a band whose members were not yet born in NEU!’s heyday. “Zum Herz” draws heavily from the NEU! aesthetic, with an emphasis on the repetitive beat and multi-layer guitar production. The band explains: “NEU! is one of the most important bands of the 20th century, and a personal favorite of GT’s. Their influence on psych, rock, punk, and electronic music is enormous. The lineage of so many great bands can be traced back to NEU!. We are thrilled to be part of this compilation. I like to think that the U.S. / U.K created Rock music, but the Germans made it forever weird. Thanks, NEU!“
Listen to “Zum Herz” by Guerilla Toss
NEU! are a product of Düsseldorf, Germany, home to Kraftwerk’s Klingklang studios, as well as galleries, graphic designers and advertising agencies. Rother and Dinger drew on all of this and their impeccable musical training to create the overall concept of NEU!. They intended to create a previously unheard new music, aping the processes of commodification while remaining resolutely hostile to the commerciality of the music industry. Like other experimental bands of the late 60s and early 70s gathered under the Krautrock banner, NEU! were driven by a mixture of political and artistic imperatives to reject the clichés and conventions of orthodox, blues-based Anglo-American rock and create a music that was, formally, West German in origin.

NEU! are one of the great, belated success stories of rock music. Their influence continues to be internationally widespread. Since paving their own road ahead, they’ve created a model of forward propulsion away from conventional rock clichés. The NEU! Tribute album shows how much there is for subsequent generations to unpack in NEU!, how much is buried, implied in their sound.
Watch “Hallogallo (Stephen Morris and Gabe Gurnsey Remix)” Visualizer

Pre-order NEU! 50!

NEU! Tribute Album Tracklist:
1. Im Glück (The National Remix)
2. Weissensee (Fink Version)
3. Super (Mogwai Remix)
4. 4+1=5 – Alexis Taylor
5. Hallogallo (Stephen Morris and Gabe Gurnsey Remix)
6. Lieber Honig (Yann Tiersen Remix)
7. Super (Man Man Remix)
8. Negativland (Idles Negative Space Rework)
9. Zum Herz – Guerilla Toss
10. After Eight (They Hate Change Cover)

NEU! 50 Vinyl Boxset:
1.     LPGRONI / NEU! / NEU!
2.     LPGRONII / NEU! / NEU! 2
3.     LPGRONIII / NEU! / NEU! 75
4.     LPGRONTI / NEU! / Tribute album
5.      LPGRONTII / NEU! / Tribute album
6.     Stencil
7.     Booklet

NEU! 50 CD Boxset:
1.     CDGRONI / NEU! / NEU!
2.      CDGRONII / NEU! / NEU! 2
3.     CDGRONIII / NEU! / NEU! 75
4.     CDGRONIV / NEU! / NEU! `86
5.     CDGRONT / NEU! / Tribute album
6.     Stencil
7.     Booklet

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]