Monday, May 29, 2017

Tai Phong : Windows 1976



Tai Phong is a French progressive rock band formed by two Vietnamese brothers Khanh Mai (guitar, voice) and Tai Sinh (bass, guitar, voice, keyboards), in 1975. They were joined by Jean-Alain Gardet (keyboards), Stephan Caussarieu (drums, percussions) and Jean-Jacques Goldman (guitar, voice, violin).
The sound is comparable to Camel, and Novalis, but the most telling description is 'France's answer to Barclay James Havest.


They released three albums between 1975 and 1979 : Tai Phong (1975), Windows (1976) and Last Flight (1979). Sister Jane (1975), the first single from their first album, was a radio hit.


The first incarnation came together in 1972, and included an American and a German (keep telling yourself this is a French band). They were in the process of recording, when contract disputes broke out. Because the brothers refused the terms (thus leaving them without a deal), the other two members left. Soon after, they would be replaced by keyboardist Jean Alain Gardet, and the now famous (or infamous)

In 1973, they again entered the studio. However, more artistic disputes, and contract haggling, with recording executives would keep them from releasing anything for the next couple of years. By 1974, they had a contract they could live with, but still needed a drummer. They chose 17 year-old Stephan Caussarieu. The classic lineup of Tai Phong was now complete, and would remain intact for the first two albums. This was also a potent combination of talent and ego.

After the release of 1976's "Windows," some of the members branched out. Jean-Jacques dabbled in some solo work, and Gardet recorded an album with Alpha Ralpha. It is during this period that trouble started brewing. "Windows" did not sell very well, and the band spent all the money from the first album on a new sound system. Goldman did not wish to perform live, which was a serious problem considering his contribution to the band's sound. This disheartened Jean Alain, causing him to exit. The band went on tour in 1977 with bassist Michael Jones also taking over lead vocal, but it just wasn't working. They decided to cancel any remaining shows, and just concentrate on studio work. This is the moment when brother Tai left.




After much turmoil, they released 1979's "Last Flight," but the magic was gone. By 1980 interest in the band was waning, and they were in yet another contract dispute. Rather than push ahead with a fourth album, the band broke up. 

This is one of the greatest Progressive albums  ever . And it's very rare .



Track List:

01.When It's The Season (Jean-Jacques Goldman) - 8:12
02.Games (Khanh Mai) - 4:07
03.St. John's Avenue (Khanh Mai, Tai Sinh) - 7:44
04.Circle (Jean Alain Gardet) - 5:29
05.Last Chance (Tai Sinh) - 3:45
06.The Gulf Of Knowledge (Tai Sinh) - 9:54

Bonus:

07.Dance - 4:26
08.Back Again - 4:15
09.Cherry - 4:24

Tai Phong:

 
Khanh Mai - vocals, guitars
Tai Sihn - vocals, bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards
Jean-Jacques Goldman - vocals, guitars
Jean Alain Gardet - keyboards
Stephan Caussarieu - percussion, drums

WHEN IT'S THE SEASON   LYRICS
(Jean-Jacques Goldman)

Faster! Drive it faster! Speed up if you can
Look at the time you lose when everything is a question of time.
Louder! Speakers louder! Music in my blood!
If you can't follow me, loser, sorry! I don't wait!
Faster! Ladies faster! Shorten if you can
Look the time you lose and love's just a question of fact.
One glass and another, hot steam in my blood!
Rather burn my life than give it up to dust.

Sixty years old, it's not old, specially in my case.

Remember how I was envied yesterday
But there's a girl who laughs, staring my jeans.
She's much too young to know me but if she had the time.


I could have told her how loved I was when I, but she just goes by.
It's cold tonight for the season, it's cold tonight.

I'd like to have someone here just someone to talk with.
She wanted a child but I didn't, she left.
How could I have foreseen? Where are they now?

Sometimes frightened, I listened pass the seconds of an hour
Was it a reason to waste them? Was it a reason to despise?
It's cold tonight, it's cold tonight, so cold well, it's the season.

GAMES  LYRICS

Games you lost me in your game
Games just never end the same
Cry don't retain all your tears
Time will vanish all your fears

Games washed by the golden sand
Games you and i hand in hand
Waves rising high to the sky
Fly till the end of the night


Love is gone
If you stay let me have my way
Can't you see you're the one ?


This post is dedicated to my brother friend Phillip Dimopoulos who lives in Australia 
LONG LIVE TO ROCK:N:ROLL 
Remember me !!!

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Fields Of The nephilim : Power Ep 1986



Of all the bands involved in Britain's goth rock movement of the 1980s, Fields of the Nephilim were the most believable. The group's cryptic, occult-inspired songs were sung in a guttural roar by vocalist Carl McCoy.

Live appearances were shrouded with dim light and smoke machines, while bandmembers stalked the stagein black desperado gear inspired by western dress. The group was also one of the longest lived of the original goth rock groups, finally breaking up in 1991 when McCoy left for another project. Fields of the Nephilim formed in 1984, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with an original lineup of McCoy, guitarist Paul Wright, his brother Nod on drums, saxophonist Gary Whisker, and bassist Tony Pettitt.
The quintet played many live shows and released the EP Burning the Fields in late 1984. Whisker then left the band, just as Peter Yates was added as a second guitarist. Beggar's Banquet, also the home of goth rockers Southern Death Cult and Bauhaus, signed the Nephilim and released the singles "Power" and "Preacher Man" in 1986.

Both did well on the independent charts; "Preacher Man" made it to number two, increasing the expectation for debut album Dawnrazor, which appeared in 1987. The album also did well on the indie charts, but later that year Fields of the Nephilim finally cracked the pop singles chart with "Blue Water."
In June 1988, second album The Nephilim reached number 12 in the pop charts, while the single "Moonchild" made number 28. A live video titled Forever Remain was also released in 1988.




The May 1989 single "Psychonaut" also cracked the Top 40, but the resulting Elizium (1990) proved to be the group's last studio effort. The live double album Earth Inferno was also released in 1990, and the singles "For Her Light" and "Sumerland (Dreamed)" both charted, but Carl McCoy left the band and took the name with him in October 1991. 
          

Remaining members Yates, Pettitt, and the Wright brothers added vocalist Alan Delaney and released What Starts, Ends (1992) as Rubicon; McCoy formed Nefilim, and began releasing material, including the 1996 album Zoon. Beggar's Banquet issued a two-disc retrospective in 1994 titled Revelations.

Nothing was heard from the band until 2002 when Fallen appeared. Although the album looked new, it was a collection of outtakes released without the permission of the band. They truly returned in 2006 with Mourning Sun, and played live often during the 2000s and 2010s. Studio recording took place during 2014, and the band shared a pair of singles "Earthbound" and "Prophecy" for an album with the working title The Darkness Before Dawn.

 Artist Biography by John Bush

TRACKS

Side 1.
01. Power

Side 2.


01. Secrets
02. The Tower

Format : Vinyl EP
Label : Situation Two
Made in : England
Year : 1986

Take it Here

Albums of Fields Of The Nephilim on URBAN ASPIRINES HERE

Tuesday, May 09, 2017

Οσα Ναυάγια

ΟΣΑ ΝΑΥΑΓΙΑ

Ρηχά νερά είν' ο δικός μου ο καημός
πως ν' αρμενίσει ο εργένης στεναγμός ;
βράχια σπαρμένη η δική σου η ζωή
πως να σαλπάρει της αγάπης το σκαρί ;

" Όσα ναυάγια ,
  Ζωή μου έχεις δώσει
  κι όσες αγάπες που γοργόνες τις θρηνούν
  τόσα τα θαύματα
  καρδιά μου που'χω νιώσει
  στο όνομά σου
  που τα χείλη μου καλούν "

Ψάχνω ένα φάρο στης αγάπης τον αφρό
να μη τσακίσω και σα πλοίο να βυθιστώ
φτιάχνω τραγούδια να σου λέν' πως στη Ζωή
όσο χτυπάει η καρδιά πάντα μπορεί .

Ρηχά νερά είν' ο δικός μου ο καημός
πως ν' αρμενίσει ο εργένης στεναγμός ;


Thursday, May 04, 2017

Little Shop Of Horrors - Original Soundtrack 1986


A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.
Director: Frank Oz
Writers: Howard Ashman (screenplay), Howard Ashman (based on the musical play "Little Shop of Horrors")
Stars: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia
Little Shop of Horrors is a 1986 American rock musical horror comedy film directed by Frank Oz. It is a film adaptation of the off-Broadway musical comedy of the same name by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman about a nerdy florist shop worker who raises a vicious, raunchy plant that feeds on human blood. Menken and Ashman's Off-Broadway musical was based on the low-budget 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman.

The 1986 film stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, and Levi Stubbs as the voice of Audrey II. The film also featured special appearances by James Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, and Bill Murray. It was produced by David Geffen through The Geffen Company and released by Warner Bros. on December 19, 1986.

Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles, June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the R&B group the Four Tops, a group known for a variety of Motown hit records and other songs created in the 1960s and 1970s. He has been noted by writers for his emotional, often dramatic, style of singing.
This picture was nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 12 nominations.

TRACKS

 A.1 Prologue (Little Shop Of Horrors)     3:27
A.2 Skid Row (Downtown)     4:17
A.3 Da-Doo     1:24
A.4 Grow For Me     2:24
A.5 Somewhere That's Green     3:50
A.6 Some Fun Now     2:17
A.7 Dentist!     2:27


B.1 Feed Me (Git It)     3:25
B.2 Suddenly, Seymour     3:27
B.3 Suppertime     2:04
B.4 The Meek Shall Inherit     3:21
B.5 Mean Green Mother From Outerspace     4:48
B.6 Finale (Don't Feed The Plants)     1:30

In 1978 Alan Menken and Howard Ashman created a new musical take on Roger Corman's 1960 film Little Shop Of Horrors, which became a Broadway hit. Both involve a man-eating, Venus flytrap-inspired plant named Audrey II, named Audrey II, raised in a skid-row flower shop into a massive beast with excessive chloroplast (testosterone?) levels.
Though the film was inventive and campy, Menken and Ashman's music music - a mix of doo-wop and lavish songs along the lines of Rocky Horror Picture Show -- made the show's fun hilarious, its thrills outrageously gruesome. The soundtrack to Frank Oz's 1987 film adaptation carries on the musical's spirit: Steve Martin's rendition of "Dentist," about a demented psychopath who drills mouths (not just teeth) without novocaine, is achingly funny.

"Downtown" is a full-powered choir of the slums; Rick Moranis works for an uptight flower shop manager ("He took me in, gave me shelter, a bed, crust of bread and a job, treats me like dirt and calls me a slob, which I am.") Martin and Moranis' sincere if limited singing is charming, and Ellen Greene returns as the original Audrey from the Broadway version; the way she belts out earth-shakingly high notes is bewildering, particularly on the lovely duet with Moranis, "Suddenly Seymour."

The Four Tops' Levi Stubbs is a scene-stealer as Audrey II, particularly on the new track, the raunchy, boisterous finale "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space"; since film nominations must be new songs, it was added in hopes of an Academy Award (and did indeed receive a nomination.) When Disney added a tribute to Howard Ashman on the Beauty and the Beast credits after his death in 1992, it read: "To Ashman who gave a Mermaid her voice and a Beast his soul." He also gave a plant its appetite.
AllMusic Review by Peter Fawthrop

Little Shop of Horrors is a 1986 American rock musical horror comedy film directed by Frank Oz. It is a film adaptation of the off-Broadway musical comedy of the same name by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman about a nerdy florist shop worker who raises a vicious, raunchy plant that feeds on human blood. Menken and Ashman's Off-Broadway musical was based on the low-budget 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman.


The 1986 film stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, and Levi Stubbs as the voice of Audrey II. The film also featured special appearances by James Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, and Bill Murray. It was produced by David Geffen through The Geffen Company and released by Warner Bros. on December 19, 1986.

Cast

Rick Moranis as Seymour Krelborn, a nerdy florist who loves "strange and interesting" plants. He has good intentions, but is easy influenced: the plant, Audrey II, tricks him into feeding it humans.

Ellen Greene as Audrey
, a kind, shy, friendly and awkward coworker who is the object of Seymour's affections, but who is dating the sadistic Orin Scrivello.


Vincent Gardenia as Mr. Mushnik, the grumpy, stingy owner of Mushnik's Flower Shop.

Steve Martin as Orin Scrivello, DDS, a sadistic, nitrous oxide-addicted dentist and Audrey's violent, abusive boyfriend.


Levi Stubbs as the voice of Audrey II, an evil and boisterous flytrap-like extraterrestrial plant with plans to take over the planet.

Tichina Arnold, Michelle Weeks, and Tisha Campbell as Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon
, the three mysterious girls who act as a Greek chorus and often provide back-up to the songs throughout the film.

 James Belushi as Patrick Martin, a Licensing and Marketing executive from World Botanical Enterprises who offers Seymour a proposal to sell Audrey IIs worldwide. Belushi appears in the theatrical release after re-shoots, as actor Paul Dooley (who played Martin in the original ending) was unavailable to reprise his scenes. 




John Candy as Wink Wilkinson, the WSKID DJ (the only one) who enjoys putting on a radio show about "weird stuff" called, "Wink Wilkinson's Weird World"
Christopher Guest as The First Customer, the first customer to enter the flower shop and notice Audrey II.

Bill Murray as Arthur Denton, a hyperactive masochist who visits Orin the dentist for "a long, slow root canal."




Miriam Margolyes as a Dental Nurse, Orin's cynical nurse/secretary who Orin frequently appears to enjoy hurting.



Stanley Jones as the Narrator, whose voice is heard reading the opening words.

Format : Vinyl LP
Label : Geffen Records
Year : 1986
Made in : France