The extraordinary and searingly honest personal story of musician Miki Berenyi, revealing the highs and lows of navigating the madness of the ’90s music industry. Formed in 1988, Lush were part of the London gig scene during one of the most vibrant and creative periods in UK music. now, Miki Berenyi, tells all. The book begins with her childhood of extremes. from the bohemian lifestyle of her father’s social circle to the privileged glamour of her mother’s acting career, Miki’s young life was a blur of travel, celebrities and private schooling. but frequent relocation, parental neglect and the dark presence of her abusive grandmother resulted in crippling shyness, mental-health issues and a vulnerability to exploitation.
The route out of this hole was music – a passion shared by schoolmate Emma Anderson, the teenagers began attending gigs together and would eventually go on to form Lush. Peppered with anecdotes involving a cast of hundreds (including Blur, Sean Connery, Tracey Emin, Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers), this uncompromising autobiography documents Lush’s thrilling rise, dispiriting fall and subsequent bounceback, reliving the tours, recording sessions and problematic managers they experienced along the way. but at the heart of the book are Miki’s own battles: the conflict between her mouthy public persona and her thin-skinned private identity; the trials of being a woman in an infuriatingly male world; the struggle to find a middle ground between safe indie obscurity and sell-out international success. the memoir also explores Miki’s complex relationship with Emma – one that has fluctuated between camaraderie and rivalry over the years – and addresses the most devastating tragedy of all: the suicide of her soulmate, Lush drummer Chris Acland. Told through frank confession, wry humour and emotional honesty, this is the incredible tale of a trailblazing woman and a seminal band.
The official release live of the month is “MSG 05/16/88”
The final stage of the 1988 US tour opens May 16th at Madison Square Garden in New York with a sensational show set up in this month’s official live. The setlist includes 32 songs that reflect the “Tunnelof Love Express Tour” show structure and some goodies and premiere tours. The album’s nine tracks (including the last performance of “Walk Like A Man” until 2005), added “Boom Boom”, “Be True”, “AdamRaised a Cain”, “Seeds”, “War”, “Born In The USA” and “Light Of Day”, the premiere tour of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) “and the versions of “Cover Me” and “Part Man, Part Monkey” which respectively include “Gimme Shelter” and “Love Is Strange” in the others. The solo acoustic version of “Born To Run” is extraordinary and remains among the most suggestive ever performed.
In addition to this Bruce’s first show with the E Street Band at MSG after eight years he also saw a special instrumental closure with “New York, New York” and a rare cover of “Crying” by Roy Orbison. Orbison’s“In Dreams” is also included in the live, recorded during the soundcheck and never performed on tour.
The Tunnel of Love tour again? That’s surely a sentiment some are expressing with this month’s release of New York 5/16/88, the outstanding opening night performance from the final, five-show stand on the US leg of the 1988 tour.
On the surface the POV is understandable, as most shows on the Tunnel of Love Express Tour shared the same narrative arc and core songs. However beautifully realized it was, the argument goes, how distinctive is one Tunnel show from another?
It’s curious that 1988 comes in for such carping when one of Bruce’s most-beloved tours, in support of “Darkness on the Edge of Town” ten years earlier, followed a similar formula, largely sticking to a consistent group of songs for the core set, augmented by select cover versions and rarities that made a particular show extra special.
Both tours showcased a trove of material not found on Springsteen’s studio albums. In 1988, that included originals “Be True,” “Seeds,” “Part Man, Part Monkey,” “Light of Day,” and “I’m a Coward,” the latter a (nearly) complete rewrite of Geno Washington’s “Geno Is a Coward.” Bruce played those five songs across the US tour. But as the Express rolled on, cover songs—most entirely new to Springsteen setlists—began to appear, seemingly out of nowhere. But behind the scenes, their origin was part of the 1988 journey all along.
While the ’88 main set stayed consistent over the tour’s first two months, Bruce and the band operated as a virtual jukebox during their afternoon soundchecks,, test-driving dozens of cover songs. Eventually, some graduated from these private rehearsals to the main set.
These pre-show performances were explorations of the music Bruce and the band—and importantly, the horn section—grew up on or newly admired. Long soundchecks, like those that took place in Atlanta,Tacoma, and New York, were practically mini-concerts played for their own enjoyment.
On opening night at Madison Square Garden, cover songs born in soundchecks ultimately tip the show from good to great. Now released in brilliant, multi-track audio with one very special bonus track, in the immortal words of Nigel Tufnel, MSG Night One “goes to 11.”
John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” is the first cover of the night, newly added to the set two shows prior in Minneapolis. Gritty guitar and horns combine to give “Boom Boom” swagger, and its inclusion feels topical given the subject matter (“take you in my arms, I’m in love with you”). Bruce tosses in a long, bonus “make loooove” to eliminate any ambiguity.
Between “Boom Boom” and the first set’s other cover, Edwin Starr’s depressingly still-appropriate “War ” we are treated to a number of terrific performances. “Adam Raised a Cain,” reborn in 1988, offers a weighty lead vocal, including a fresh exchange with Nils towards the end. Bruce’s guitar work at the top of “Adam” and later in the solo are fiery, and the horns raise the drama to arena level. “Two Faces” is thoughtfully rendered and thematically resonant, as is “Cover Me”: Bruce dips into lyrics from the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” declaring “I need a little shelter now,” “It’s just a kiss away,” and his own revealing improvisation, “I can’t see no sunshine.” Not surprisingly given the circumstances we get an especially earnest “Brilliant Disguise,” too.
The cracking first set ends with another epic “Born in the U.S.A.,” played at a seemingly pacier tempo and loaded with emotive guitar soloing, synthesizer pitch-wheel bending, and a nifty bit of Max Weinberg cymbal pinging between channels as Bruce’s voice rises to sing, “I’ve got a picture of him in her arms.”
The second set keeps pace with the first, and while there are no surprises per se (those are still to come), the band is playing at their 1988 peak. For highlights, first among equals is “Walk Like a Man,” making its second full-band appearance in the Archive series and sounding more vivid and widescreen than the version captured in Detroit in March. The arrangement features what might be the best work by the Horns of Love of the entire tour. While everyone in the band is playing brilliantly, Garry Tallent’s bass gives the song a lush bed on which the other instrumentation flourishes. It’s a stunner.
The encores on the 1988 tour were consistently strong, and the addition of “Have Love, Will Travel” by The Sonics delightfully balances the Memphis soul of “Raise Your Hand” and “Sweet Soul Music” with Northwest garage rock. “Have Love” is another song that graduated from the encore to the main set, and for the night’s most special moment, Bruce played that hand again.
“I’m gonna do a song now that’s a favourite song of mine,” he says. “I don’t sing it as good as the guy that originally sang it, but I like it a lot, and this is my night in the big room. I just love this song.”
What follows is a majestic, reverent, and perfectly arranged rendition of Roy Oribson’s “Crying.” Optimized for his vocal range, the performance features Springsteen singing with stunning control. What Orbison brings the song in soaring, operatic notes, Bruce makes up for with power and conviction. What a treat to add it to the master song list of the Live Archive series.
It’s no surprise that Bruce was feeling triumphant at the end of the night, and his band commemorates the moment in the most Big Apple way possible, playing an instrumental “New York, New York” for his walk-off music.
“New York, New York” was the last song of the 5/16/88 show, but it isn’t the final track on this release. We’re gifted a glimpse into those legendary soundtracks with the inclusion of “In Dreams,” recorded pre-show.
Bruce’s Orbison bonafides were well established even before participating in the television tribute special A Black and White Night, shot in September 1987. He had explored The Big O’s music in soundchecks for weeks leading up to New York City. The only E Street Band performances of “Crying” appeared during this MSG run, but “In Dreams” never even made it to the show.
The Archive has been fortunate to feature two other songs from 1988 soundchecks, “For You Love” from 5/23 and “Reason to Believe” from 3/28. But “In Dreams,” perhaps the most mystical song in the Orbison canon, feels most like we’ve snuck into the venue early and heard something only intended for the musicians on stage. What a treat. When “In Dreams” finishes, Bruce offers a self-review of their performance that I won’t spoil, but you’re sure to smile as I did.
The first night at Madison Square Garden in 1988 is an outstanding “Tunnel of Love” performance and, better still, a previously unheard and worthy homage to one of the biggest musical influences in Springsteen’s career.
Miracle Legion were a Connecticut-based band that immediately sprang to life on the heels of a post-R.E.M. guitar rock boom, chiefly because lead singer Mark Mulcahy’s voice bore an uncanny resemblance to Michael Stipe’s, and the arpeggio guitar structures were akin to Peter Buck’s sound.
Band Camp Friday is here again.Today we are happy to release ’No Flags’ by Miracle Legion. It’s ML opening for Pere Ubu in Birmingham England. Recorded on the 4th of July 1989, it’s the last show of a long and wonderful tour. Great set, great sound. Even an encore. Very nice, and I think our first live show from the UK on BC.
Oh to be in England on the 4th of July……Give them a good look at the one that got away. This show was the last show of a very long and very groovy tour opening for Pere Ubu. Nobody was confident enough to drive on the wrong side so they hired us a driver who had at some point worked for Pink Floyd. Not sure what if anything he did for them, but likely was not driving. After several very close calls and one chance at a fatality we protested. Our manager at the time, Brad Lee, flew in from New Jersey to fire him, Pink Floyd be damned. Mr. Lee showed up in a Birmingham rage and made you man redundant.
Free from English terror once again. In his bag the manager had four tiny paper flags. Four flags of freedom. We clucked with pride, but then somebody said this was a no flags show. No flags. Maybe it’s better that way…..In rock.
Band Camp Friday is the one day the artists get all the money from whatever you buy.
Guitar played by R.D. Neal The Younger of Edinburgh Drumming by Arch Duke Anthony ’Sir Anthony’ Boutier Sung by The Earl of Mark J. Mulcahy Bass played by Lord D. Allen McCaffrey
Recorded July 4th at The Irish Centre in Birmingham UK
Special thanks to David Thomas,Tony Maimone, Scott Krauss, Eric Drew Feldman, and most especially to the beautiful Jim Jones.
Arcade Fire have released their sixth studio album, “WE”.The sprawling new record marks the band’s first release since the departure of long time band member Will Butler late last year.
Win Butler and co. recorded “WE” across New Orleans, Texas, and Maine with Radiohead’s frequent studio go-to Nigel Godrich. “It was the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever,” Butler explained in a statement.
After revealing that new work was underway on a new Arcade Fire record during the pandemic, the band made good on the promise with “The Lightning I, II” in March, announcing its sixth album “WE” with the single. Arcade Fire also released “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” from the album ahead of its release. “WE” is Arcade Fire’s final album with Will Butler, who announced his departure from the group just two days after the arrival of “The Lightning I, II.”
The reviews describes the record as “an album that reclaims the band’s trademarks after a decade spent fighting against them.”
“WE’s” cathartic journey follows a definable arc from darkness into light over the course of seven songs divided into two distinct sides – Side “I” channelling the fear and loneliness of isolation, and Side “WE” expressing the joy and power of reconnection.
On the album’s cover, a photograph of a human eye by the artist JR evokes Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy. This stunning image – embellished by the distinctive airbrush colour tinting of Terry Pastor (utilizing the same physical technique he employed on David Bowie’s iconic Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust covers) – is the visual expression of WE.
As a result of the ongoing production challenges the vinyl record industry presently faces, organizers of Record Store Day scheduled an “RSD Drop” date in June for titles that didn’t make it out of the pressing plant in time for the April event. As previously reported, next month’s RSD Drop goes down June 18th, packing shelves with a selection of titles that may have been announced for Record Store Day 2022, but were unable to be delivered in time for the special day.
Among the highlights are previously announced releases from of Wilco’s forthcoming “Cruel Country“, a 2xLP set of Miles Davis live at the Montreal Jazz Festival in July 1983, a 2xLP reissue of Prince’s 1995 album “The Gold Experience“, the first vinyl reissue of Pearl Jam’s exceedingly rare “Live on Two Legs” since its 1998 release, and many more.
Richard Thompson’s score for “Grizzly Man” – Werner Herzog’s 2005 documentary film of real life and death in the Alaskan wilderness – is one of the best-kept secrets in the British guitarist’s epic canon: an instrumental masterpiece disguised as a movie soundtrack.
Recorded over two days as Thompson played live in the studio to Herzog’s footage – mostly alone, at times in chamber settings with cello, piano and percussion – these tenderly detailed melodies and quietly visceral improvisations are cinema in their own right, rendered with pictorial instinct and the dazzling technique forged in Thompson’s lifelong passage through traditional folk, psychedelia, North African modes and intensely personal song writing.
Here is RichardThompson at his natural best – finger-picking dance; snake-curl twang and singing-wire harmonics – in a solo clarity that runs from jig-like joy to deep-note meditation, the “Grizzly Man” blues march with its echoes of Fairport Convention’s “Sloth” to the long night of “Treadwell No More,” a harrowing darkness in slicing treble and tremolo shiver. Produced by guitarist Henry Kaiser, “Grizzly Man” is a record of powerful solitude – as bold and majestic as the land in Herzog’s film; as intimate as prayer – and essential Richard Thompson.
Pink Mountaintops’ are about to release their first new album in eight years features 12 songs sparked from Stephen McBean’s magpie-like curiosity for a wild expanse of cultural artifacts: David Cronenberg, Disney Read-Along records from the ’70s, early Pink Floyd, mid-career Gary Numan, John Carpenter movies, and Ornette Coleman live videos. Featuring counterculture icons like Steven McDonald (Redd Kross) and Dale Crover (Melvins), “Peacock Pools” alchemizes those obsessions into a body of work with its own enchanting power.
Track List: I Fuck Mountains Can You Do That Dance? Leslie Plastic Man, You’re The Devil The Second Summer of Love
The folk-rock band Dawes has graced us with another music release. On May 6th, the band announced their forthcoming eighth album and simultaneously dropped the first single from the record titled “Someone Else’s Cafe / Doomscroller Tries To Relax.”
“The first half of this song could be about tyrants,” Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith said in a statement. “But it could also be about anyone who thinks that a little more control is gonna make everything ok. The second half is a response to that developing reality of the first half. The world might be a scary place sometimes but, to some degree, I want to believe I can decide how I respond to it.
“Every time a take was completed felt like a major accomplishment. It being 10 minutes really raised the stakes. Didn’t wanna be the guy to mess up in minute 7 or 8 with everyone playing flawlessly up to that point. This whole album, and this song especially, felt a little beyond our comfort zone and I’m really proud of what that’s done to the music. I like to think that you can hear the eye contact, that you can hear us thinking on our feet. It’s already become a top 5er to play live. Happy to finally have it out in the world.”
Just the first of the band’s new music, Dawes also explained their excitement surrounding the upcoming album which is titled “Misadventures Of Doomscroller”. The album is set for release on July 22nd before their concert heavy schedule in August.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on being minimalists. With this record we set out on being MAXIMALISTS,” Goldsmith said. “Still a quartet. Still not letting these songs hide behind any tricks or effects. But really letting the songs breathe and stretch and live however they want to. We decided to stop having any regard for short attention spans. Our ambitions go beyond the musical with this one.
“We also wanted to honor the traditional length of a vinyl record – 40-45 minutes – but disregard any concern for numbers of tracks. The way Miles or Herbie often did. Documenting the songs is only half of the picture. For this record, they’re also the platform for us to jump off from and get lost in. I think the best way I can say it is – we wanted this record to be less a collection of songs and more a collection of music.”
Bassist Wylie Gelber added, “We wanted a musical drama, an ensemble cast with linked arms kicking highly; a transcription of a band meeting we haven’t even had yet. Eight legs and eight arms, in a room, stretching deeper than we ever knew we could…The Intros have Outros. The Outros have Bridges.”
About this track – Every time a take was completed felt like a major accomplishment. It being 10 minutes really raised the stakes. Didn’t wanna be the guy to mess up in minute 7 or 8 with everyone playing flawlessly up to that point. This whole album, and this song especially, felt a little beyond our comfort zone and I’m really proud of what that’s done to the music. I like to think that you can hear the eye contact, that you can hear us thinking on their feet. It’s already become a top 5er to play live.
The Official Audio for Dawes new single “Someone Else’s Cafe/ Doomscroller Tries To Relax”, off their forthcoming album ‘Misadventures Of Doomscroller’ releasing July 22nd, 2022.
Some artists embrace folk aesthetics when it suits them; S.G. Goodman, meanwhile, is a modern troubadour through and through.
The Kentucky-born singer songwriter is a bold voice from out of the South, representing a niche of Americans who were raised in a place that didn’t align with their values, but who remain closely tied to that place nonetheless. Goodman infuses alt-country sounds with her gay identity an essential perspective that hasn’t been amplified in that space .
“Heart Swell” arrives ahead of her new album, “Teeth Marks”, arriving June 3rd via Verve Forecast. Like the previously released title track, it showcases her distinct, conversational vocal style and intimate lyrics, one piece of what promises to be another rich tableau from the artist.
When I wrote this song on my back porch in Kentucky, the cicada calls were not as loud as they had been in the summer of 2015. They were so thick around my house that year that you could hear them with the door closed. I just so happened to be going through a breakup and found it appropriate to describe to friends inquiring about my state that the intensity of the cicada calls was what I felt like on the inside. Heartache was buzzing, it was constant, and there was no escaping it. The cicada’s eventually left their little skeletons, and I guess I managed to walk out of the shape I was in, too.
This is the fourth single from their much-anticipated debut “Deep in View” (Released May 20th,through Fire Talk), Cola continue to carry Ought’s sound forward, introducing new and exciting permutations. Tim Darcy describes “Degree” as evoking “what it feels like running to catch the bus when you’re in a daze and suddenly have to sprint,” his lyrics dancing artfully around that concept of incomplete presence, divided attention. “Have you been to the movies lately? / Did you read the marquee? / It’s not even started and there is a push to leave,” the vocalist matter-of-factly observes. Meanwhile, drummer Evan Cartwright regulates Darcy and Ben Stidworthy’s strumming post-punk guitar and bass, the song gallop’s ahead despite its uncertain destination.
From Cola’s ‘Deep in View’ out May 20th on Fire Talk & Next Door Records.
The Fat Angel Sings 