It was Maurice Ravel who once said: “Whatever sauce you put around the melody is a matter of taste. What is important is the melodic line”.
What Lloyd Cole has always managed within his songs throughout his career, be it ‘Perfect Skin’, ‘Rattlesnakes’, ‘Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?, ‘Brand New Friend’ or ‘Like Lovers Do’ is strong melodic lines. Coupled with his bittersweet lyricism, he has been one of the UK’s leading exponents of masterful glum rock. But for ‘Guesswork’, he has put synthesizers and drum machines into his textural palette.
Cole actually first experimented with synthesizers and songs on 1993’s ‘Bad Vibes’, but considering it an artistic failure, it led to the songsmith keeping his future electronic interests purely instrumental and his songwriting traditional, and “never the twain shall meet”.
Cole eventually recorded an experimental album ‘Selected Studies Volume 1’ with German legend Hans-Joachim Roedelius of CLUSTER in 2013. Released by Bureau B, custodians of the iconic Sky Records back catalogue, there was also a solo instrumental collection entitled ‘1D Electronics 2012-2014’.
Self-produced in Massachusetts and mixed by German producer Olaf Opal, despite reuniting with two former Commotions bandmates Neil Clark and Blair Cowan for the first time since 1987’s ‘Mainstream’, ‘Guesswork’ focusses on synthesizers and programming. Referencing CHINA CRISIS and PREFAB SPROUT, Cole has also expressed a love of SUICIDE, ULTRAVOX, PET SHOP BOYS and LCD SOUNDSYSYTEM.
Certainly the application of his synthesizer knowhow became fully realised for the album’s wonderful first single ‘Violins’. On first impression, Cole appears to have turned into OMD, but the man himself cites Robert Palmer’s cult electronic pop favourite ‘Johnny & Mary’ as its main inspiration, especially in its incessant synthbass and Motorik backbone. The violin is often seen as a symbol of self-pity and while the move might have surprised his regular fanbase, ‘Violins’ did include a hefty guitar solo at its conclusion to not totally alienate them.
Not in a dissimilar vein to ‘Violins’, the shimmering ‘Moments & Whatnots’ is the most KRAFTWERK-esque of the eight tracks on ‘Guesswork’, with its simplistic electronic percussion and synthetic sparkles recalling ‘Neon Lights’. But as a song and in its afflicted delivery, it couldn’t really be anyone else but Lloyd Cole.
However, the biggest surprise comes with ‘When I Came Down From The Mountain’, a bouncy drumbox driven synthpop number. With jazzier electronic inflections that Thomas Dolby would have been proud of, its chorus even nods towards the era of Dolby-produced PREFAB SPROUT.
Meanwhile with some kosmische modular sequencing, ‘Night Sweats’ utilises a pentatonic aesthetic that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on an early CHINA CRISIS record, although some eagle-eared listeners will point a finger towards THE CLASH’s ‘Straight To Hell’.
But ‘Guesswork’ begins with an almost silent ambient drone; while in ‘Stranger Things’, they fear ‘The Upside Down’, Cole muses hauntingly about the aura of ‘The Over Under’.
Meanwhile on the cinematic ‘Remains’, synths beautifully substitute for orchestrations and brass arrangements in the manner of THE BLUE NILE. These songs cleverly offer the new electronic direction without being too threatening, a subtle change of sauce without ruining anyone’s appetite.
Decorated with some great E-bowed six string, the solemn swinging overtures of ‘The Afterlife’ show that Cole has learnt from John Grant, probably the best known modern day defector from the traditional to the electronic, while ‘The Loudness Wars’ provides a relatable metaphor to the breakdown of a relationship in a fine hybrid synth and guitar closer, swathed in glorious midlife angst.
Yes, his poetic melancholy does remain, but as Lloyd Cole recently said: “Now I’m starting to think that old age could be a lot more fun. Because really what have we got to lose?”
After all, how many veteran singer-songwriter guitarists decide that electronics are the way to go? Whether long-standing enthusiasts or new admirers, many will find a lot of joy within Lloyd Cole’s sophisticated artistic diversion on ‘Guesswork’.
‘Guesswork’ is released by earMUSIC in CD, vinyl LP and digital formats
LLOYD COLE & THE COMMOTIONS were the kings of Glum Rock.
But for a 2015 German tour, Lloyd Cole announced: “I’m calling these shows LIVE ELECTRONICS, and I should be clear here – there will be none of my songs performed, I will not be singing at all, or playing guitar. My instrument will be my modular synthesizer, along with some effects units and maybe a keyboard.”
Despite being a purveyor of jangling poetic indie tunes like ‘Perfect Skin’, ‘Rattlesnakes’, ‘Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?’ and ‘Brand New Friend’, Cole had actually been experimenting with electronics since 2001’s ‘Plastic Wood’ and recorded an album ‘Selected Studies Vol 1’ with Hans-Joachim Roedelius of CLUSTER in 2013. Released by Bureau B, custodians of the Sky Records back catalogue including works by Michael Rother, Conny Plank and Harald Grosskopf amongst others, there was also a solo instrumental collection entitled ‘1D Electronics 2012-2014’.
But Cole has been putting that modular knowhow into a song based format with a charming new synthy single ‘Violins’ in which he seems to have turned into OMD! However, not totally alienating his main fan base, guitars make their presence felt amongst all the machinery about two thirds of the way through.
‘Violins’ is from Lloyd Cole’s new album ‘Guesswork’ which has been self-produced in Massachusetts and mixed by German producer Olaf Opal. Despite reuniting with two former bandmates Neil Clark and Blair Cowan for the first time since 1987’s ‘Mainstream’ long player, ‘Guesswork’ credits ‘synthesizers’ and ‘programming’ rather a lot while the man himself has recently talked of his guitar as “going, going but not quite gone”.
As well as referencing CHINA CRISIS and PREFAB SPROUT, Cole has also expressed a love of SUICIDE, ULTRAVOX, PET SHOP BOYS and LCD SOUNDSYSYTEM, while stating that ‘Guesswork’ is predominantly an electronic album, fashioned from classic and modern keyboard, modular and drum synthesizers with occasional guitar.
Asked whether the remaining songs on ‘Guesswork’ would be of a similar vein to ‘Violins’, he replied on Twitter: “No. The instrumentation is similar. Hopefully the songs go together nicely.”
While some will not necessarily appreciate Cole’s new direction, he has no qualms about the joy of his artistic diversion: “When I was 27, the concept of the washed up older guy seemed very entertaining. Now I’m starting to think that old age could be a lot more fun. Because really what have we got to lose?”
‘Violins’ is from the new album ‘Guesswork’ released on 26th July 2019 by earMUSIC in CD, vinyl LP and digital formats
Gary Daly is best known as the lead vocalist and synth player of CHINA CRISIS. For the Kirkby lad, it was the ideal vehicle to creatively channel his love of Brian Eno, David Byrne and Howard Devoto.
Together with bandmate Eddie Lundon, the pair have released seven acclaimed albums in a recording career that began in 1982. At their commercial peak, they netted four Top20 singles ‘Christian’, ‘Wishful Thinking’, ‘Black Man Ray’ and ‘King In A Catholic Style’.
While CHINA CRISIS continue to tour regularly and issued their most recent long player ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ in 2015, Daly has taken the plunge with a full length solo record entitled ‘Gone From Here’.
The twelve track offering is an intriguing atmospheric mix of acoustic and electronic palettes straddling pop, folk, jazz and classical with The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and harpist Tom Moth among the many guests on the record.
Also featuring is John Campbell of IT’S IMMATERIAL who reprises his spoken mannerisms from ‘Driving Away From Home’ on ‘Carousel Of Stars’ over a drum machine backbone and some beautiful synth ‘n’ sax. Not on the album but appearing in spirit, the artist formally known as Antony Hegarty is paid a touching tribute by Daly in a ballad called ‘Antony’.
The wonderful first single ‘I Work Alone’ acts as a statement of intent as well as an affirmation in self-belief, while the wistfulness of ‘Write Your Wrongs’ and the uptempo Scouse Soul of ‘Time It Takes’ both offer familiar aesthetics that will satisfy fans of classic CHINA CRISIS.
As reflected by ‘In The Cloudy Domain’, ‘Dead Of Night’ and the closing title song, the album sensitively deals with the themes of pain and loss as a melancholic audio diary of midlife. Richly melodic with dreamy synths and Daly’s distinctive afflicted voice taking centre stage, there is however a hopeful optimism for what remains.
While on a UK tour with Howard Jones, the CHINA CRISIS frontman kindly talked about his continuing artistic motivations, digging out his old synths and much more…
You had two solo mini-album releases before with ‘The Visionary Mindset Experience’ in 2007 and ‘How To Live & Love Your Life’ in 2008, so what inspired you to do a full-length record?
Basically I had been in the middle of making my debut solo long player when I realised there was way too much interest for a new CHINA CRISIS album for me to even consider finishing my solo album. I had recordings which featured both Kevin Wilkinson and Gazza Johnson… so it was just a matter of getting Eddie involved and then Brian McNeil… and I was of a mind, well, that’s the classic Chinas line up right there…
I’m very pleased with the way ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ turned out… and most importantly the fans loved hearing us together again… so it was all worth it in the end… and it allowed me to get back to finishing my solo album. . .which I have now done and yikes! No turning back now, arrrgghh!!
How do you look back on ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’?
Making ‘Autumn…’ involved a great many people, all determined to make the very best record we could… I think everything about it works well… from the title to the artwork to the music it contains. The fact the fans likened it to some of our very best recordings, well, that was just marvellous…
It was hard work at times and a huge learning curve, everything from the new technologies to managing budgets. It really did empower us as artists, taking control of every element of the process, very liberating… we are now, truly, indie!
So apart from the obvious, how does your solo venture differ conceptually and musically to CHINA CRISIS?
Well , it’s a very very personal record and I really don’t understand how it differs, other than when I listen back to it. I am completely connected to every single line being sung and know what exactly what I’m singing about… and the feel of every song has emanated from me. I don’t question the arrival of songs, I just go with the process and sometimes that process can last a long time and the song / idea can change / mutate as I go along. But you learn to be patient and delight in the process. Musically, I’d say it’s very much more early Chinas than it is late Chinas…
‘Gone From Here’ seems to have a more distinctly English feel than ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’?
Yeah, I love that fact I seem to have found my “Northern Englishness” again… when I listen to the ‘Fire & Steel’ or ‘Difficult Shapes’ albums, that music could not have been written anywhere other than the northwest of England and I love that sound soooo much.
The fact my new album is resonating the same kind of sound / feel, that’s deffo something to do with me getting back to my synth / songwriting roots. With ‘Autumn’, I still think it’s very English sounding but I think maybe there’s a polish, a sheen there that gives it an overall AOR feel… which is no bad thing… but not really something that interests me much…
The opening song ‘Write Your Wrongs’ appears to hark back to the earlier period of CHINA CRISIS?
I must admit, I’m hearing that from lots of people, and I’ve not really the foggiest what that means…. is it the drum machine, is it the vocal? I‘ll tell yer what though, the second verse has a lyric “say what you want, but just don’t be a c**t , no don’t be that way”, I like that lots, especially in these testing times… Brexit, Trump, rise of the right etc etc… I do love ‘Write Your Wrongs’, if anything it reminds me of the band AIR which I’m very pleased about…
‘I Work Alone’ is a lovely whimsical piece of Casiotone folktronica, how did that come together?
Ha Ha! Believe it or not, I started at the piano and immediately thought “OOOOOooo lovely I’ve got a Philip Glass thing on the go”! Then of course I started singing along… then, when I got into the studio, I needed a “click” to play and sing along to and BOOM! It suddenly became a bit KRAFTWERK, it’s very much ‘Neon Lights’ meets ‘Autobahn’ and one of my very fave tracks on the album… quite simply, it’s all a bit perfect pop… I never tire of hearing it.
‘Carousel Of Stars’ is available as a free download and sees John Campbell of IT’S IMMATERIAL doing a monologue in the introduction?
I had the song all finished with myself doing lead vocals and didn’t like it! So I made up an instrumental version and started to mimic John talking over it, then had the idea to actually ask John… he’s a bit of a neighbour of mine, so that’s what I did. John went away to his studio and wrote this beautiful spoken word song, I then added the chorus and yeah, it’s a beautiful thing with a lovely back story… but I’ll let John reveal that when he gets his IT’S IMMATERIAL album out which he is busy sorting at the moment.
The album features a prominent use of synths, did you dust off your Jupiter 8? Do you consider it as classic vintage instrument as a Hammond Organ, Fender Stratocaster or a Gibson Les Paul?
Absolutely my fave synth of all time bar none… I got my original JP8 just before the making of the ‘Fire & Steel’ and it was such an incredibly user friendly synth, knobs and faders , that’s what I like… we used a great many what would be called classic synths, the Juno 60, DX7 and producer David Berger had his Korg Poly Six, a Chinas classic… I’d used the Korg Poly Six on everything from ‘Christian’ to ‘Wishful Thinking’, so it was magical having all these synths back in the studio… absolute heaven and I’m hoping people will hear them and love hearing them again.
You started with a Yamaha CS10, Roland SH2 and Octave Cat, how do you view synthesizer technology now and what do you think of VSTs?
The Yamaha CS10 we got from Eddie’s mum’s catalogue and it was a revelation… add some reverb / echo delay and it sounded amazing. I’m not mad keen on the new synths, I’ve no real interest… I write at the piano, sometimes a guitar and then in the studio, get everything together I love working with. A pal even brought along a Yamaha SPX 90 effects unit, Eddie and myself both had one of these back in the day and they are wonderful, we had so much fun applying the effects. So for me now , it’s all about the song and not the soundscape… the soundscape is something that happens naturally along the way. So I keep the design of the song very simple, voice / instrument… then, once in the studio, it all becomes alchemy… MAGIC so to say!
The more acoustic ‘Of Make Do & Mend’ hints at THE ART OF NOISE ‘Moments In Love’ in its intro…
Ha Ha! Yes it does a little… but you would have to ask Tom Moth, harpist with FLORENCE & THE MACHINE about that, he played those notes , not me… ahaaa! I think the song is actually one of the most romantic songs I’ve ever written and if you replaced my vocal with Kate Bush, it could easily be off her ‘Lionheart’ album… I do like early Kate…
The reflective closing title song is very poignant, is it about any people in particular?
Very much so… firstly, it’s all about Mrs Weir and myself and us growing up together… and then there’s all the people I have called friends, family and they are gone… for all manner of reasons they are gone, gone from here… and I find it one of the saddest things we learn to endure… I love the middle 8 of this song and how it’s incredibly positive… like yeah, it’s sad but there’s hope, always hope… onwards, upwards…
You put a 15 minute ‘Ambient Musics’ teaser on YouTube “from and / or inspired by the album” which recalls the brilliant CHINA CRISIS instrumental B-sides like ‘Watching Over Burning Fields’ and ‘Dockland’, would you like to explore this area again as a future project?
That’s very kind of you to say… I have indeed got an album of ‘Ambient Musics’ ready for release, it’s called ‘Luna Landings’, a little nod there to Brian Eno’s ‘Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks’. I will be giving it away as a free download… it’s soooo lovely, all my little recordings from the 80s. I love it sooo much and can’t wait for people to hear it .
‘Gone From Here’ has been mixed by Mark Pythian who you have worked with on your last three albums, was it important to have a familiar face for this?
Mark, in my humble opinion, is one of the most gifted people I’ve worked with, we go way back and yeah, it was always gonna be Mark mixing ‘GFH’, his ears are Grammy Award winning lug holes. We first met in ’83, when he was getting some work experience at Amazon Studios working on our ‘Fire & Steel’ sessions. It’s been so lovely handing over the tracks to Mark and seeing him take his time delivering his audio-vision of what my songs should sound like. I must admit, I’ve been in total agreement with every mix he’s done on the album… amazing man.
CHINA CRISIS have worked with a diverse portfolio of producers like Gil Norton, Peter Walsh, Mike Howlett and Walter Becker, do you have any particular memories or fun stories from working with them?
Crikey! That’s way too much question, right there… how could I possibly convey what it’s been like to work with all those great people? I will say this though, I have very very lovely memories of working with every one of them and the way they were so kind and generous to Eddie and myself and the band… every one of them. It’s usually the case, well, in my experience, that the most gifted people are usually the most generous with their time and talent… and everyone you’ve mentioned was certainly that… and if I could meet them all again, I would most deffo shake their hands and say a big big “thank you”.
‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ used Pledge Music to fund its recording; with the well-documented problems of Pledge Music, how did you support the recording of ‘Gone From Here’, especially as there are quite a lot of musicians involved including The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra?
There’s a song on there you mentioned earlier, ‘Of Make Do & Mend’ and that’s exactly what I did… a favour here, a little session there, all the time believing I was asking the right people, at the right time, to do the right thing and get involved. If you’re lucky , you learn very early on there’s people in it for all the right reasons… and the best you can do, is to aspire to be one of those people… and when that happens, you really can “make things happen“ monies or no monies…
How do you find the today’s music business landscape? What are the various advantages and disadvantages for you as an independent artist?
I don’t really understand the business now, but I never really have had much understanding of “business” full stop. And why would I? Sure CHINA CRISIS would have done a lot better had we had more knowledge of the business and Eddie teaches kids in Macca’s fame school, the pitfalls etc etc.
But really, I’m more about the art of just keeping on, keeping on… and to continue enjoying it. And I must admit the indie aspect of us releasing our own records… well, that’s a little like how we started and I absolutely love it. What’s not to like, in charge of everything, from the first note recorded to the finished record posted and delivered… now that, in my book, is taking care of business.
You once described ‘African & White’ as your ‘X-Factor’ moment and here you are, still making music and touring?
Yes, please make it stop! Ahaaaa! Only messing! Well, I am in the best band to come out of Kirkby, East Lancs, Liverpool. And the writing, every step I take is a song. Music is in my head almost all of the time, I’ve written a song about it…”God knows how it works, it’s a blessing and it’s a curse, only messing, it’s much worse…”
Touring with the Chinas now is way more enjoyable than back in the day… then it sort of all got consumed with having to promote the single or album, now it’s all about us trying our best to just enjoy the concert and night, each and every place we visit.
The first three CHINA CRISIS albums ‘Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms’, ’Working With Fire & Steel’ and ‘Flaunt The Imperfection’ were given the deluxe reissue treatment in 2017, how do you look back at that period on how the band developed from post-punk to getting ‘Smash Hits’ front covers?
The first three albums or as I like to call them “The Trilogy” are my fave China albums and in that order, ‘Shapes’, ‘Fire &Steel’ and ‘Flaunt’… we were so fearless and got to work with some amazing people and chime with the times, that just doesn’t happen every day. I’m not too keen on living in the past, so don’t really pay it much mind.
I would like to think we made each and every transition, musically, because we made the right choices and worked with the right people and really made the most of every opportunity. After all, when we worked in places like the Manor Recording Studio in Oxford, all the time I’d be thinking “Crikey! ‘Tubular Bells’, ‘Rubycon’! We are here in the most magical of music making places…”
Which CHINA CRISIS album means the most to you and why?
‘Difficult Shapes’… I love all the songs, I love the way Ed and me from the off were not a “band” and we made the most of every musician who contributed to our songs. And just everything about the making of that record was a bit mental, we kept firing producers, top flight people. But like I said, we was fearless and trying to make a record as great as the ones we loved, we failed but we certainly tried…
Have you been surprised about the musical impact that CHINA CRISIS have had in modern electronic pop acts like MIRRORS and VILLA NAH?
MMmmmm! Well, yes… I liked a quote I once heard that said if there was no CHINA CRISIS, there would be no BELLE & SEBASTIAN… I think that’s fair to say… as for “impact”, I’m not sure that’s the right word.
1994’s ‘Warped By Success’ was an excellent CHINA CRISIS album that is under rated and kind of got lost, will that ever hit the public domain again?
Yes, I hope so… Eddie and myself demo’d that album with Mark Phythian… I should imagine we’ll release that version, it’s well better than the actual record that was put out.
The CHINA CRISIS ‘Synthpop Quartet Fun & Laughter Show’ continues at selected venues this Autumn, so for those who are not aware, what is the format?
Well, it’s a four piece, Jack Hymers on keys, programming and vocals, Eric Animan on sax and percussion, Eddie and myself… and we like to have a bit of a fun time on stage which helps make every gig a bit of a one off…
I can’t really describe it other than you’d have to bop along and check it out… it’s quite electronic, so we get to play lots of our early electronic tracks which we don’t really get the chance to perform with the full band.
What’s next and will there be solo dates to go with ‘Gone From Here’?
Touring with the Chinas a lot and I mean a lot… and no, no solo shows… I’m not keen!
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Gary Daly
Special thanks to Julie Eagleton
‘Gone From Here’ is released on 31st May 2019 in CD and vinyl LP formats, available direct from https://www.musicglue.com/gary-daly where there is also a link for a free download of ‘Carousel Of Stars’
The CHINA CRISIS ‘Synthpop Quartet Fun & Laughter Show’ 2019 dates include:
The Picturedrome (12th July), Darwen Library Theatre (20th July), Wigan The Old Courts (6th September), Reading SUB89 (13th September), Leamington Spa Zephyr Lounge (20th September), Southampton Engine Rooms (27th September), Worcester Huntingdon Hall (3rd October), Torrington Plough Arts Centre (10th October), Portishead Somerset Hall (11th October), Birmingham PizzaExpressLive (18th October), Cardiff Acapela (19th October), York Fibbers (2nd November), London Holborn PizzaExpressLive (8th November), St Neots Town FC (9th November), Tunbridge Wells Forum (16th November), Wolverhampton Robin 2 (17th November), Derby The Flowerpot (30th November), Kinross Backstage (7th December), Dundee Clarks (8th December), Liverpool Cavern (13th December), Glasgow Oran Mor (14th December), New Brighton Floral Pavilion (21st December)
The Grade II listed London Palladium saw the double-bill of Howard Jones and CHINA CRISIS reunited after the two acts shared the same bill over twenty five years ago, albeit reversed.
CHINA CRISIS were one of the bands, along with OMD, that helped give Jones exposure when the artist was first starting out, so it was fitting that the two acts should again share the same stage.
Because of the requirements of the headline stage set, CHINA CRISIS performed in front of the Palladium’s curtains with a streamlined set-up, their normal seven piece line-up condensed down to four with Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon flanked on either side by synth player Jack Hymers and saxophonist Eric Animan.
The band opened with ‘Black Man Ray’ from 1985’s Walter Becker produced ‘Flaunt The Imperfection’ and the eight song performance featured early singles ‘Christian’ and ‘African & White’. Alongside them were ‘Fool’ from the Pledge Music funded ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ and the superb ‘Arizona Sky’ from ‘What Price Paradise’, a single that deserved to be a bigger hit than its No48 UK chart position suggested.
‘King In A Catholic Style’ added some audience participation and with the exception of the Kenny G-style sax which nearly threatened to spoil ‘Wishful Thinking’, it was an engaging set with Daly’s amusing between song banter keeping the audience entertained throughout. It was a pity that the band were only allocated 30 minutes; another 10 would have surely allowed tracks such as ‘Tragedy & Mystery’ and ‘Hanna Hanna’ to get an airing.
Howard Jones took to the stage solo, sat at the grand piano and kicked off his set with the song that he played at Live Aid, ‘Hide & Seek’; although renowned for his usage of electronics, it is easy to forget what a gifted pianist he is too and the inclusion of this ‘Human’s Lib’ track prompted an early sing-a-along in the Palladium crowd.
Backed by the ever faithful Robbie Bronnimann on synths and Robin Boult on guitar, there was new band addition in youngster Dan Burton on synths and electronic percussion who looked like he probably might have still been a baby even when the ‘Revolution Of The Heart’ album came out in 2005!
For those in the audience expecting a perfunctory run through of his greatest hits, tonight would have provided a bit of surprise with the majority of Jones’ new album ‘Transform’ being given the lion’s share of his set with 8 tracks in total. This included the recent single ‘Hero in Your Eyes’ with a back projection of Jones’ beloved Roland Jupiter 8 and Moog Prodigy from the track’s promo video.
Unsurprisingly the three BT collaborations were also played with Jones strapping on his keytar and coming to the front of stage for some of the material. Worthy of a big mention was the staging and lighting throughout; where many electronic acts skimp on budget and imagination when it comes to their backdrops, Jones’ staging was absolutely superb throughout.
There were recognisable nods to NINE INCH NAILS with some of the lighting design, but it was refreshing to see an artist treat the presentation of their material as a spectacle and not just trot out generic back projections with little or no thought and imagination. There are many acts from Jones’ era that should take note!
At one point, Jones’ iconic dancer Jed Hoile appeared on the back projections during a powerful rendition of ‘Equality’. Eventually a patient Palladium audience got the hits that they wanted in the form of ‘What is Love?’, ‘New Song’, ‘Like To Get to Know You Well’ and ‘Life in One Day’. A short encore break saw Jones and his band come back on for the anthemic ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ and funky ‘Transform’ track ‘Stay With Me’.
Tonight’s show was superb entertainment throughout, The Palladium providing a fitting backdrop for both acts. It was a timely reminder also that HOWARD JONES remains on top of his game with his new material.
Where some bands from this era are happy to wheel out the same sets year after year, it is refreshing to witness an artist who is not afraid to take risks with both their song selection and visuals.
The ‘Transform’ tour is an extensive one and will take in US dates later on in the year and also feature a visit to Japan; so if you are able, do try and catch one of the UK’s finest synth performers, you won’t be disappointed.
With thanks to Asher Alexander at Republic Media
‘Transform’ is released by Dtox Records as a deluxe 2CD with book, standard CD, vinyl LP and download
Howard Jones 2019 35th Anniversary ‘Transform’ tour with special guests CHINA CRISIS continues:
Leicester De Montfort Hall (29th May), Manchester Bridgewater Hall (30th May), Edinburgh Queens Hall (31st May), Gateshead Sage (1st June)
Celebrating the 35th anniversary of his debut album ‘Humans Lib’, synth veteran HOWARD JONES will be touring UK theatres in May.
The tour also signals the launch of his brand new album ‘Transform’ which features the sparklingly catchy ‘Hero In Your Eyes’ and ‘Tin Man’, a distant musical relative to early B-side ‘Change The Man’ with its piano motif. Both songs reflect the long player’s distinctly classic synthpop feel with electronically derived rhythms and sequencers.
As well as driving numbers such as ‘Eagle Will Fly’ and ‘Take Us Higher’, the other songs on ‘Transform’ range from the chanty electro-funk of ‘Stay With Me’ to orchestrated ballads like the emotive musical thanksgiving of ‘Mother’.
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK was extremely pleased to be able to speak to HOWARD JONES during a break from rehearsals for the forthcoming ‘Transform’ tour.
Is there a spiritual theme or concept to ‘Transform’?
I’m coming from the point of view that if you want to make a change to society or the world, if you don’t agree with what’s going on, the first place you have to start is with ourselves, to transform ourselves rather than just go moaning about what’s going on *laughs*
The first place to start is home and then let it ripple out from there, so that’s one of the themes of the album, to change what I’ve got in my head and have a new take on the world, it’s up to me, that’s what I’m saying.
‘Transform’ is your most synthy album for a number of years, so how did your approach compare with say ‘Engage’ or ‘Ordinary Heroes’?
‘Ordinary Heroes’ was very acoustic album using piano and a string quartet really, but ‘Engage’ was like a multi-media extravaganza with video and stuff that was conceived as a live show rather than just a studio album.
So ‘Transform’ is almost like going back to my roots in a way, back to the synths and back to the electronics, back to those song structures… I just felt like doing that! *laughs*
Did the root of it start with when you were invited to contribute music to the ‘Eddie The Eagle’ film?
Yes, but there were a couple of things… one was I working on the remastering of the first two albums so we were collecting rare mixes, demos and video. I was watching and hearing a lot of things from the early days and thinking “oh wow”, I really enjoyed those days of working as a one-man band, having loads of synths and drum machines around me.
And then Gary Barlow asked me to write a couple of songs for ‘Eddie The Eagle’ which of course is set in the 80s. He wanted to have an 80s sound but with contemporary songs. Those came quite quickly to me, I recorded them really fast and thought this could be the basis of the new album. So it was those two things I think that really pushed me towards the sound of the new album.
‘Eagle Will Fly’ is an interesting one in that it has a very driving American feel despite the synths?
It’s a shuffle and there are not many shuffles in synth, although ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ by TEARS FOR FEARS is one… I read the script of the film and just based it on my feelings towards the ‘Eddie The Eagle’ story. I do what I do, I don’t really think how about how it’s going to fit in the world, I try and use the technology of the day to do my best work.
Photo by Simon Fowler
What was the idea behind ‘Hero In Your Eyes’ which was also from the ‘Eddie The Eagle’ sessions?
I was really drawn to the part where his parents were amazing, continuing to believe in him when he was obviously not really very good at what he’d chosen to do, they kept on supporting him.
So him being a hero in their eyes always, that “I’ll be there for you” feeling, I thought that it was something a lot of people could relate to, parents in particular.
The song stands on its own, it doesn’t have to be part of that story. It’s how you can feel about anybody close to you or that you really care about.
The video to ‘Hero In Your Eyes’ features your trusty Jupiter 8, Pro-One and Moog Prodigy, how much hardware did you use on ‘Transform’ and how did you balance in out with VSTs?
I use both, I get the old synths out when I really want to get a particular sound and I’ll record it live into a Mac. But I use software synths as well, I use the best things that are available to make a great sounds. I worked with BT on a few tracks and his studio is absolutely crammed with vintage analogue synths, so he used those a lot on the tracks we did together. When I went to the studio with him, I played a lot of those.
What do you think of these new old synths like the Pro-2, Prophet 12 and various Moogs?
I’ve got a Prophet 12 and I think it’s great, it’s a wonderful synth. But definitely on my shopping list is the Moog One which I really want! It’s a must have for any synth nut, I still have keyboard lust! *laughs*
Among the tracks you worked with BT on are ‘The One To Love You’ and ‘At The Speed Of Love’, how did this come about and what did he bring to the party?
My long term collaborator Robbie Bronnimann turned me onto BT’s music and I became a huge fan of his work. I really thought this guy was really taking electronic music forward with programming and coding, I just loved what he did.
I went to see him in Miami where he was mixing orchestras and electronics, he unexpectedly gave me a namecheck from the stage which was a bit embarrassing! I met him afterwards and he invited me to his studio to hang out and chat. We started messing around with some modulars which was amazing fun and I suggested that we should make a record together because we had come from the same sort of place.
Because I was such a big fan of his work and he been listening to my early work since he was 13, it was a perfect combination really. I think that’s why those tracks have turned out really well. I hardly ever collaborate with people, it’s just with Robbie who I’ve worked with for nearly 20 years. So really, it’s quite a big deal for me to collaborate with people.
Did you two talk about your pop group diversions, him with NSYNC and you with SUGABABES?
No, we didn’t actually! He’s worked with all kinds of different people, unlike me! *laughs*
‘Beating Mr Neg’ has an important message. Now you have been known over the decades as Mr Positive, what’s your secret?
I think everyone has huge capacity for being negative and cynical about the world and themselves, I think that’s what makes us human. We have this great potential for positivity but also this nagging negative urge that often stops us from doing brilliant things.
But it’s a very serious subject, so I wanted to have some fun with that idea, and give Mr Neg a character… of course at the end, you temporarily defeat Mr Neg and are positive about the future.I’m looking forward to playing it live because Mr Neg is represented on the video screen, all nasty and cynical and whispering things in your ear that you don’t want to hear. I’ve had a lot of reaction to the lyrics of that one which is great, people have got where I was coming from.
So who is the ‘Tin Man’?
The ‘Tin Man’ is a AI entity who wishes he could be human, feel pain and joy, and dance the bossa nova. It’s quite a sad song really because he wants to hear the nightingale singing and ponder the universe, but he just can’t because he’s not human. It’s me exploring the idea of Artificial Intelligence and how far that needs to go, will it ever be like the way we think?
What format will the forthcoming ‘Transform’ shows take?
It’s the biggest production I’ve done maybe ever for a theatre tour in the UK. Because the album is very electronic, it’s going to be three keyboard players including me and loads of synths. It’s unashamedly electronic, the drums and bass are coming out of Ableton and we play our stuff on the top, it’s the only way electronic music can sound right. Occasionally I will go to the piano and will play a song acoustically with my guitarist Robin Boult.
It’s very exciting. There will be eight of the songs from the new album, interspersed with heritage stuff. We’ve worked on the older tracks to facelift and update the sounds, get the timing better and have a bit more of the flavour of the new album. So when we play songs back-to-back, it will feel like a continuum rather than jumping back and forth in time. I’m not into nostalgia, I’m always looking forward and how you can create something new, giving older stuff new life.
When you first got your break, you supported CHINA CRISIS in 1983 and you’ve invited them to open for you on the ‘Transform’ tour, it’s great that you’re still friends after the extremely positive reception you got back then…
It’s kind of payback isn’t it really, that tour was so important for me. It was my first national tour and it kind of broke me.
I’d got to the right audience and they went out and bought the ‘New Song’ single, it just was brilliant. I’ve always been friends with CHINA CRISIS ever since then, so it’s really lovely to have them on the tour with me.
The best thing about it is that you’re both still around and making good music… so how does it feel to be celebrating the 35th anniversary of your debut album ‘Human’s Lib’?
It’s a good question, I mean I’m as passionate about the work as I’ve ever been and I’m surprised at that! But it is an absolute fact, I am obsessed with making the best music I possibly can for the fans and I love putting on a show.
It’s what I do and I’m sort fortunate that I’ve found out what it is that I can contribute to our world. It makes me very happy whilst driving me completely nuts as well.
Trying to get things to sound the way I want them to sound, it seems like forever to do it. But it’s really worth it when you get out there and people hear the music and they enjoy it. That’s the pleasure of doing it.
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to HOWARD JONES
HOWARD JONES 2019 35th Anniversary ‘Transform’ tour with special guests CHINA CRISIS includes:
Birmingham Symphony Hall (23rd May), Southend Cliffs Pavilion (24th May), London Palladium (25th May), Cardiff St David’s Hall (26th May), Leicester De Montfort Hall (29th May), Manchester Bridgewater Hall (30th May), Edinburgh Queens Hall (31st May), Gateshead Sage (1st June)
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and recorded an album 
in which he seems to have turned into 
or 
albums, that music could not have been written anywhere other than the northwest of England and I love that sound soooo much.
… we were so fearless and got to work with some amazing people and chime with the times, that just doesn’t happen every day. I’m not too keen on living in the past, so don’t really pay it much mind.
track prompted an early sing-a-along in the Palladium crowd.
album came out in 2005!
being given the lion’s share of his set with 8 tracks in total. This included the recent single ‘Hero in Your Eyes’ with a back projection of Jones’ beloved Roland Jupiter 8 and Moog Prodigy from the track’s promo video.
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