A great uptempo advance track from Duran Duran's forthcoming album Future Past was released today. Check out "Anniversary" now...Robert Kinsler
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Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Duran Duran share new track "Anniversary" from forthcoming album 'Future Past'
Monday, August 30, 2021
'The Velvet Underground: A Documentary Film by Todd Haynes - Music From the Motion Picture Soundtrack' coming Oct. 15
Mondays aren't all bad. A media release of special interest to fans of The Velvet Underground...Robert Kinsler
‘THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: A Documentary Film By Todd Haynes – Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack’
To Be Released October 15
The Critically Acclaimed Apple Original Todd Haynes Documentary ‘The Velvet Underground’
Premieres October 15 In Theaters and on Apple TV+
Los Angeles, CA – August 30, 2021 – The Velvet Underground: A Documentary Film By Todd Haynes – Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack, a 2CD and digital soundtrack that features both well-known and rare Velvet Underground tracks, will be released on October 15, 2021 via Republic Records/UMe. Curated by the documentary’s director, Todd Haynes, and music supervisor Randall Poster, the album is the official soundtrack for the critically acclaimed Apple Original documentary, The Velvet Underground, which will be released in theaters and premiere globally Friday, October 15 on Apple TV+. To pre-order/pre-save Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack go, HERE.
Featuring some of The Velvet Underground’s most well-known tracks, rarities and songs that influenced them, The Velvet Underground: A Documentary Film By Todd Haynes – Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack serves as the perfect introduction to the band and companion piece to the film. The soundtrack features such Velvet Underground favorites as “Sunday Morning,” “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” “Pale Blue Eyes,” “I’m Waiting for The Man” and “Sweet Jane,” as well as the mono version of “Heroin” and the rare cut “Foggy Notion.” Also featured are live versions of “After Hours” and “Sister Ray,” Nico’s “Chelsea Girls,” and the tongue-in-cheek novelty song “The Ostrich” by The Primitives, an early band formed by Lou Reed and John Cale.
Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack also features tracks by artists who influenced The Velvet Underground including a live version of “Road Runner” by Bo Diddley; “The Wind,” a doo-wop classic by The Diablos featuring Nolan Strong; and the previously unpublished La Monte Young composition, “17 XII 63 NYC The Fire Is A Mirror (excerpt),” performed by The Theatre of Eternal Music.
Today, The Velvet Underground's own immense influence is universally acknowledged.
Apple Original Films and Polygram Entertainment present
in association with Federal Films a Motto Pictures and Killer Films production
“THE VELVET UNDERGROUND” a documentary film by Todd Haynes
Associate Producer J. Daniel Torres Line Producer Marissa Torres Ericson Co-Producers Josh Braun Dan Braun Esther Robinson Music Supervision by Randall Poster Archival Producers Wyatt Stone Bryan O’keefe Cinematography by Edward Lachman, asc Edited by Affonso Gonçalves, ace Adam Kurnitz Executive Producers Danny Bennett Pamela Koffler John Sloss Produced by David Blackman Produced by Julie Goldman Christopher Clements Carolyn Hepburn Produced by Christine Vachon
Directed and Produced by Todd Haynes
The Velvet Underground: A Documentary Film By Todd Haynes – Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack
Track List
Disc 1
1 Venus In Furs - The Velvet Underground 5:12
2 The Wind - The Diablos 3:05
3 17 XII 63 NYC The Fire Is A Mirror (excerpt) - The Theatre of Eternal Music 6:21
4 Heroin [mono] - The Velvet Underground 7:14
5 Road Runner (Live) - Bo Diddley 4:14
6 The Ostrich - The Primitives 2:25
7 I'm Waiting For The Man - The Velvet Underground 4:40
8 Chelsea Girls - Nico 7:27
9 Sunday Morning - The Velvet Underground 2:56
Disc 2
1 Sister Ray (Live) - The Velvet Underground 19:03
2 Pale Blue Eyes - The Velvet Underground 5:40
3 Foggy Notion - The Velvet Underground 6:59
4 After Hours (Live) Version 1 - The Velvet Underground 2:56
5 Sweet Jane - The Velvet Underground 4:09
6 Ocean - The Velvet Underground 5:14
7 All Tomorrow’s Parties - The Velvet Underground 5:53
New Music: Bob Marley and The Wailers, Nina Simone, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Buck Owens and His Buckeroos
The horrific events unfolding in Afghanistan over the past several weeks, a continuing pandemic, devastation in the wake of Hurricane Ida and wildfires in California, and an escalating wave of violent crime gripping America can collectively feel overwhelming to be sure. Leave it to a diverse field of great artists to lift us up with song via a range of long-lost treasures and reissues as well as a long-awaited new studio album.
Title: The Capitol Session '73 (Tuff Gong / Mercury Studios)
You might like if you enjoy: Bob Marley and The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Joe Higgs
Tell me more: On the eve of global super stardom, Bob Marley and The Wailers performed a closed-door set at Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles in October 1973. Nearly a half century after the performance featuring Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Joe Higgs, Aston Barrett, Carlton Barrett and Earl "Wya" Lindo was captured via four cameras, the performance is coming to DVD+CD, colored 2LP vinyl, digital and audio CD (the latter format reviewed here) on Sept. 3. The footage was long considered lost until a freelance researcher uncovered a few frames. After more than 20 years, the complete film was found, restored and remastered. A single listen to the audio recording reveals the exhaustive efforts that included a search of archives and storage units in New York, London, San Diego and beyond was worth the effort. Marley is rightfully considered reggae's most influential and important artist; all of the Jamaican artist's strengths as a singer, songwriter, musician and band leader are on display across The Capitol Session '73. After Tosh (who would soon embark on his own successful career) sings the opener "You Can't Blame The Youth," Marley takes the reins for a compelling set of timeless protest- and social justice-minded classics. The intoxicating "Slave Driver," rhythmic "Burnin' & Lootin'," entrancing "Stir It Up," defiant "No More Trouble" and explosive closer "Get Up Stand Up" make for a magical trip back to the metamorphosis of a legend. Information: bobmarley.com.
Title: Little Girl Blue (BMG)
You might like if you enjoy: Nina Simone, Dorothy Donegan, Mary Lou Williams
Tell me more: Singer-songwriter/composer/virtuoso pianist Nina Simone burst on the world in 1959 with the release of Little Girl Blue. Only 25 at the time, her brilliant debut has been newly remastered and reissued; it is available via vinyl, audio CD and digital platforms. Listening to the timeless album today is still an astonishing experience, all the more impressive when you learn that the 11 tracks on the disc were recorded in a single 14-hour recording session where she was accompanied by Jimmy Bond (bass) and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums). While the future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer performs a lone original work on "Little Girl Blue" (the dashing instrumental "Central Park Blues"), her fleet take on Duke Ellington's swinging "Mood Indigo," refined reading of Arthur Hamilton's "He Needs Me," buoyant jazz-meets-Baroque "Love Me or Leave Me" and the classical music-flavored title track — the latter which creatively incorporates the traditional Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas — all showcase her signature contralto vocals and improvisational talents at the keyboard. Several of her best-known recordings are also on the album; her evocative version of "I Loves You, Porgy" (a major hit at the time of the album's release) and joyful "My Baby Just Cares For Me" are truly remarkable. Information: bmg.com and amazon.com.
Title: Starting Now (Abe's Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Toad the Wet Sprocket, Pete Yorn, Del Amitri
Tell me more: Toad the Wet Sprocket is back with their first new studio album since 2013 — the 10-track masterwork Starting Now — that also happens to be one of the best new albums I've heard in 2021. The Santa Barbara-spawned heroes don't tinker too much with their signature sound blending folk and alternative rock styles but now that it's 2021 the trio uses its musical voice in the service of songs aimed at the here and now. The events of 2020 and 2021 have made most of us rethink our own lives and the world itself and singer-guitarist Glen Phillips, bassist Dean Dinning and lead guitarist Todd Nichols capture and explore those forces brilliantly on Starting Now. Take "Hold On," where singer Phillips delivers a poignant plea: "I need a little bit of hope, one ray of light / need just enough peace to make it through the night." In the glorious title track Phillips delivers a more hopeful message as he sings: "I've wasted years, won't waste another instant / I fed my fears on things that haven't been yet / Well hope don't mean you sit there, just waiting for the changes / It's fighting for the long shot / It's getting in the trenches." The songs are uniformly strong on "Starting Now." The yearning "Transient Whales," Americana-styled "In the Lantern Light," experimental "Dual Citizen," affecting climate change warning-aimed "Fever" and soulful "Best Of Me" (the latter featuring guest vocalist Michael McDonald) are among my other favorites on the terrific return. Information: ToadTheWetSprocket.com.
Titles: Sweet Rosie Jones; I've Got You on My Mind Again; Tall Dark Stranger (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Dwight Yoakam, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard
Tell me more: Beginning earlier this month and continuing through Oct. 1, Omnivore Recordings is in the midst of reissuing nine albums featuring Buck Owens and His Buckeroos. The albums are being released in their original configurations on audio CD and Digital (in both standard and high resolution); each has been mastered from the original analog tapes by Michael Graves and produced for release by Grammy-winner Cheryl Pawelski, and all feature expanded artwork and new liner notes from Owens biographer Randy Poe.
One of the reasons Owens was so successful can be heard across the myriad of reissues; his musical approach was straightforward with his signature baritone vocals used to propel songs featuring winning story lines and clever wordplay, catchy vocal choruses ( with two-part vocal harmonies featuring his guitarist Don Rich) and nuanced musicianship from his terrific Buckeroos.Sweet Rosie Jones was the troupe's third album of 1968; 10 of the 12 songs on the set were written or co-written by Owens. The title track, a lovely acoustic ballad, hit number 2 on the country singles chart; the parade of other great cuts on the disc includes the uptempo "Hello Happiness, Goodbye Loneliness," high-flying "If I Had Three Wishes," twangy delight "The Heartaches Have Just Started" and authentic cover of Merle Haggard's "Swinging' Doors."
Another 1968 release, I've Got You on My Mind Again, featuring outstanding tracks including the catchy "Let the World Keep On a Turnin'" (a hit duet with Buck's son Buddy Alan) and tuneful "I Wanna Be Wild and Free" and "Sing a Happy Song." Originally released in September of 1969, Tall Dark Stranger, features the album's enticing hit title track that was a number 1 on the singles chart as well as the mournful "White Satin Bed (co-written with Gene Price) and captivating "Across This Town and Gone." Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.
Robert Kinsler
Friday, August 27, 2021
William Shatner announces new spoken word album 'Bill' set for release on Sept. 24, 2021
I am a big fan of William Shatner and this forthcoming title sounds as it is very personal (Read my review of Shatner's riveting live performance at the Coach House in October 2013 HERE). Listen to the two compelling advance tracks from "Bill" released today and learn more about the album via the media release below...Robert Kinsler
RELEASES TWO SINGLES “CLOUDS OF GUILT” FEAT. JOE JONAS
AND “SO FAR FROM THE MOON” FEAT. BRAD PAISLEY TODAY
PRE-ORDER BILL HERE
LISTEN TO “CLOUDS OF GUILT” FEAT. JOE JONAS HERE
LISTEN TO “SO FAR FROM THE MOON” FEAT. BRAD PAISLEY HERE
LISTEN TO “SO FAR FROM THE MOON” FEAT. BRAD PAISLEY HERE
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 27TH – Today, award-winning actor, director, producer, writer, and chart-topping recording artist William Shatner announces his forthcoming new album, BILL, set for release on September 24th via Joe Jonas’ new label Let’s Get It! Records/Republic Records. To celebrate the announcement, William Shatner teams up with Joe Jonas and Brad Paisley to release the first two singles from the album, “Clouds of Guilt” feat. Joe Jonas and “So Far From the Moon” feat. Brad Paisley, out now.
LISTEN TO “CLOUDS OF GUILT” FEAT. JOE JONAS HERE
LISTEN TO “SO FAR FROM THE MOON” FEAT. BRAD PAISLEY HERE
LISTEN TO “SO FAR FROM THE MOON” FEAT. BRAD PAISLEY HERE
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| William Shatner performing at The Coach House on Oct. 25, 2013. Photo: Kelly A. Swift |
Through spoken word and genre-bending music, the songs on BILL chronicle significant autobiographical moments in William Shatner’s life and the ideas, challenges, and questions he’s confronted along the way. The tracks were co-written and produced by Grammy Award-winner Dan Miller [They Might Be Giants], while the lyrics were a collaboration between Shatner and his friend and writer Robert Sharenow. In addition to Joe Jonas and Brad Paisley, BILL features guitarist Joe Walsh [James Gang, Eagles, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band], pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph [Robert Randolph and the Family Band], musician John Lurie, saxophonist Dave Koz, and more. See the full tracklist below.
On creating the album remotely during the pandemic, William Shatner says, “Through a series of phone calls, texts, and emails, music and words flew back and forth across the country. The [Covid-19] crisis created an urgency and quickly unleashed a candor between us that allowed us to peel back layers that sat on the surface of a subject to reveal the depth of truth buried underneath. What better time to contemplate life’s biggest questions than during a global pandemic? Some songs touched on painful or beautiful moments, while others turned into elliptical philosophical explorations about the very nature of existence and death.”
He continues, “BILL blends long-form autobiographical poetry and prose, music, spoken word performance art, and philosophical exploration. Toggling between passion and despair, reflection and yearning, this collection explores my life journey during a pivotal and chilling moment of history.”
On “Clouds of Guilt,” William Shatner explores the strangely powerful role guilt has played throughout his life, with equal measures of wit, irony, and self-awareness.
Joe Jonas states, “I’ve been a fan of Bill’s for as long as I can remember. He’s iconic. To not only be featured on one of his songs that mean so much to him but to also get to be a label partner on the entire project, it’s an honor.”
While on “So Far From the Moon,” William Shatner revisits a pivotal moment in his life after the cancelation of Star Trek and his divorce, when he was doing dinner theater and living out of the back of his pickup truck. One the night of July 20th, 1969, as he lay out in a sleeping bag in the back of the truck, staring at the sky, he listened to the live broadcast of the moon landing. Despite being at a low point in his career, Shatner found inspiration and a connection to the astronauts in the sky above, who he had met years before while they were training for their mission.
Brad Paisley comments, “It’s so interesting to hear what effect the moon landing had on Bill, because every generation of astronauts since those days credit him with inspiration. I’m so proud to be on this track.”
The other songs on BILL dive into various stories and topics, including the nature of relationships, the struggle with fame and identity, the meaning of life, and more. Like epic song cycles of the past from Homer to Kendrick Lamar, William Shatner’s journey is both extremely personal and universal, extraordinary and relatable. His unique insights and delivery, beloved by millions worldwide, give voice to the joys and struggles we all face.
Stay tuned for more music to come from William Shatner soon!
BILL TRACKLIST:
- “I Ride”
- “Made In The Shade” feat. Joe Walsh
- “Clouds of Guilt” feat. Joe Jonas
- “So Far From the Moon” feat. Brad Paisley
- “Love, Death, and Horses”
- “Just Forgive” feat. Robert Randolph
- “Loneliness” feat. John Lurie
- “Thunder and Fire” feat. Joan as Police Woman
- “The Bridge” feat. Daniel Miller
- “Black Horse”
- “Masks” feat. Dave Koz
- “Monday Night in London”
- “Toughie” feat. Robert Randolph
- “What Do We Know”
ABOUT WILLIAM SHATNER:
William Shatner has cultivated a career spanning over 60 years as an award-winning actor, director, producer, writer, recording artist, and horseman. He is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable figures and a major philanthropist. In 1966, Shatner originated the role of “Captain James T. Kirk” in the television series Star Trek. The series spawned a feature film franchise where Shatner returned as Captain Kirk in seven of the Star Trek movies, one of which he directed. Shatner played the title role in the hit television series T.J. Hooker before hosting television’s first reality-based series Rescue 911. He won Emmys and his first Golden Globe for his portrayal of eccentric lawyer “Denny Crane” on both The Practice and Boston Legal. He received four more Emmy nominations as well as other Golden Globe and SAG Award nods. Mr. Shatner currently is the host and executive producer of The UnXplained on The History Channel. His love of music inspired him to record the critically acclaimed album Has Been. The Milwaukee Ballet performed “Common People,” a dance presentation set to several numbers from the record; the event and its preparations are featured in the documentary Gonzo Ballet, which played to sold out houses at film festivals worldwide. In October 2020, Shatner released an album titled The Blues, which quickly reached number one on Billboard’s Top Blues Albums chart. Shatner previously released the country music album, What About Me, in August 2018 with Jeff Cook and Heartland Records. Quickly following that, Shatner experienced much success with Shatner Clause: The Christmas Album, a holiday album released in October 2018 which peaked in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 Chart. Off the screen and broadcast waves, Shatner has authored nearly 30 best-sellers in both the fiction and non-fiction genres. His autobiography, Up Till Now, was a New York Times best-seller and was followed by Shatner Rules, which was released in October 2011. William Shatner’s book, Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man, was released in February 2016 appearing on the New York Times best-seller list. William Shatner’s newest book, Live Long And...What I Might Have Learned Along the Way, was released in September 2018. In April 2011, Shatner launched his hugely popular one-man show Shatner’s World on Broadway. He toured in Australia and New Zealand, followed by tours in Canada and over 50 cities in the United States. Shatner has been successful in another area—horse breeding. His passions for horses and philanthropy were united when he started the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, which benefits Los Angeles-based children’s charities. Shatner continues to act, write, produce, direct, and write and record music, while still making time to work with charities and further his passion in equestrian sports. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
WILLIAM SHATNER: INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | WEBSITE
Elvis Costello's "Radio Radio" gets Spanish makeover by Argentine atar Fito Paez; exciting and innovative collaboration debuts today With video and chat between Costello & Paez
A timely media release of big interest to fans of Elvis Costello...Robert Kinsler
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS’ 1978 CLASSIC, “RADIO RADIO,” GETS SPANISH MAKEOVER BY ARGENTINE STAR FITO PÁEZ
COSTELLO AND PÁEZ DEBUTED THE COLLABORATION TODAY FOLLOWING A LIVE CHAT BETWEEN THE LONGTIME FRIENDS AND MUSICAL ADMIRERS
SPANISH MODEL DUE SEPTEMBER 10 VIA UMe
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “RADIO RADIO”
Los Angeles – August 27, 2021 – The song that came to be known as “Radio Radio” began life in 1975 as “Radio Soul,” written in shameless imitation of Bruce Springsteen’s romantic references to American radio by the 20-year old D.P. MacManus.
The BBC radio of the songwriter’s youth was both magical and mundane. His father sang the hits of the day on live radio broadcasts with a dance band but the recorded music output of “The Light Programme” was limited by a quota called “Needle Time.” The music scene was only illuminated by faint signals beamed in from Radio Luxembourg and shipboard, pirate radio stations.
When Elvis Costello re-recorded his song as “Radio Radio” in 1978, it caught the frustration and disappointment of a listener playing waiting games for one precious airing of a favorite song among the deadening uniformity of daily radio.
When Elvis Costello and the Attractions toured America for the first time in November 1977, the unreleased song was already part of their repertoire. The magnitude of their task in breaking into largely indifferent and equally uniform FM (or even AM) radio became more and more apparent leading Costello to substitute the unknown song in place of the scheduled title, live on-air during their U.S. television debut on “Saturday Night Live.”
It would have been an utter absurdity for Costello and producer Sebastian Krys to ask anyone to re-fight this ancient battle for their Spanish Model album but they were nevertheless startled and delighted when Fito Páez delivered a complete lyrical re-write of “Radio Radio.”
Costello tells us, “I was standing in Disneyland when the first mix arrived on my phone. I held the speaker to my ear. I heard Fito sing my name and the word ‘whiskey’ and I knew he had taken a leap into the dark (or perhaps into the light) and that he was telling his own story.”
“We live in a world to which Joni Mitchell alluded when she wrote the line about ‘none of the crazy you get from too much choice.’ Every device and each circuit is speaking to us, if not yelling at us. It isn’t always easy to hold on to what you love and value but Fito knows how to do that.”
Recording his vocal over the original Attractions instrumental parts Fito Páez sings with unique humor and passion about how he intends to tune out some of that static and nonsense by tuning in “Radio Radio,” the very song he is singing.
Argentine musician Carlos Vandera assisted with the adaptation. Spanish Model will be released September 10 via UMe.
Costello added, “What Fito has given our album is like a great episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ and almost incidentally an explanation of the very process of making this new album, Spanish Model. I wanted accompanying illustrated and animated clips to complement Fito’s imaginative and funny re-interpretation.”
The musical short film by “Eamon Singer” and Arlo McFurlow imagines Fito discovering This Year’s Model in a San Telmo record store, hailing a cab and flying to London where he brushes pass a welcoming committee including the Queen of England, as he hails another cab to a King’s Road record shop where he discovers a copy of Spanish Model in the racks with his face on the cover.
There is nothing else that he can do than spin the radio dial and pour a relaxing potion.
Ahead of the video’s premiere on YouTube, Costello and Páez discussed the song and album in a compelling nearly half hour chat that delved into how the longtime friends and mutual artistic admirers first met, Costello’s idea and interest in recreating this album for the Spanish-speaking world, Páez’s novel approach to the song, their similar experiences with radio in their respective countries of England and Argentina, and much more. The conversation and video are available to watch here: https://elviscostello.lnk.to/RadioVideoPR
“When we discovered that the actual music on the tape was as vivid and as strong, when you took my voice away, that the band had tremendous force, had tremendous power and cohesion, it was really like a canvas prepared for a new picture,” Costello said in the chat. “Each one of the singers has come in, particularly the young women who have turned the perspective of the song on its head, that has been a transformation that has been very, very exciting to hear. Your interpretation, I didn’t want to ask you to fight a battle that we fought 43 years ago about how radio felt because radio was the only way to communicate. Radio and records, these two things had to live together.”
“Now we have a million different ways to communicate and a million ways to become confused, this is what I feel is what you said in your interpretation. I laughed so much when I heard it, when I heard you singing my name I thought wait a minute, I couldn’t follow it at the speed it was going, he just sang my name and that’s not in the lyrics and neither is whiskey. Sebastian gave me a translation back into English and I understood the humour and I thought this is perfectly pitched for the moment today that we live in a time that things are either greatly over complicated or they are so swiftly dismissed without proper consideration, either thing is a mistake, and you just have such a good humour about the way you say it and it makes our track sound like a crazier kind of energy, which I just loved.”
The BBC radio of the songwriter’s youth was both magical and mundane. His father sang the hits of the day on live radio broadcasts with a dance band but the recorded music output of “The Light Programme” was limited by a quota called “Needle Time.” The music scene was only illuminated by faint signals beamed in from Radio Luxembourg and shipboard, pirate radio stations.
When Elvis Costello re-recorded his song as “Radio Radio” in 1978, it caught the frustration and disappointment of a listener playing waiting games for one precious airing of a favorite song among the deadening uniformity of daily radio.
When Elvis Costello and the Attractions toured America for the first time in November 1977, the unreleased song was already part of their repertoire. The magnitude of their task in breaking into largely indifferent and equally uniform FM (or even AM) radio became more and more apparent leading Costello to substitute the unknown song in place of the scheduled title, live on-air during their U.S. television debut on “Saturday Night Live.”
It would have been an utter absurdity for Costello and producer Sebastian Krys to ask anyone to re-fight this ancient battle for their Spanish Model album but they were nevertheless startled and delighted when Fito Páez delivered a complete lyrical re-write of “Radio Radio.”
Costello tells us, “I was standing in Disneyland when the first mix arrived on my phone. I held the speaker to my ear. I heard Fito sing my name and the word ‘whiskey’ and I knew he had taken a leap into the dark (or perhaps into the light) and that he was telling his own story.”
“We live in a world to which Joni Mitchell alluded when she wrote the line about ‘none of the crazy you get from too much choice.’ Every device and each circuit is speaking to us, if not yelling at us. It isn’t always easy to hold on to what you love and value but Fito knows how to do that.”
Recording his vocal over the original Attractions instrumental parts Fito Páez sings with unique humor and passion about how he intends to tune out some of that static and nonsense by tuning in “Radio Radio,” the very song he is singing.
Argentine musician Carlos Vandera assisted with the adaptation. Spanish Model will be released September 10 via UMe.
Costello added, “What Fito has given our album is like a great episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ and almost incidentally an explanation of the very process of making this new album, Spanish Model. I wanted accompanying illustrated and animated clips to complement Fito’s imaginative and funny re-interpretation.”
The musical short film by “Eamon Singer” and Arlo McFurlow imagines Fito discovering This Year’s Model in a San Telmo record store, hailing a cab and flying to London where he brushes pass a welcoming committee including the Queen of England, as he hails another cab to a King’s Road record shop where he discovers a copy of Spanish Model in the racks with his face on the cover.
There is nothing else that he can do than spin the radio dial and pour a relaxing potion.
Ahead of the video’s premiere on YouTube, Costello and Páez discussed the song and album in a compelling nearly half hour chat that delved into how the longtime friends and mutual artistic admirers first met, Costello’s idea and interest in recreating this album for the Spanish-speaking world, Páez’s novel approach to the song, their similar experiences with radio in their respective countries of England and Argentina, and much more. The conversation and video are available to watch here: https://elviscostello.lnk.to/RadioVideoPR
“When we discovered that the actual music on the tape was as vivid and as strong, when you took my voice away, that the band had tremendous force, had tremendous power and cohesion, it was really like a canvas prepared for a new picture,” Costello said in the chat. “Each one of the singers has come in, particularly the young women who have turned the perspective of the song on its head, that has been a transformation that has been very, very exciting to hear. Your interpretation, I didn’t want to ask you to fight a battle that we fought 43 years ago about how radio felt because radio was the only way to communicate. Radio and records, these two things had to live together.”
“Now we have a million different ways to communicate and a million ways to become confused, this is what I feel is what you said in your interpretation. I laughed so much when I heard it, when I heard you singing my name I thought wait a minute, I couldn’t follow it at the speed it was going, he just sang my name and that’s not in the lyrics and neither is whiskey. Sebastian gave me a translation back into English and I understood the humour and I thought this is perfectly pitched for the moment today that we live in a time that things are either greatly over complicated or they are so swiftly dismissed without proper consideration, either thing is a mistake, and you just have such a good humour about the way you say it and it makes our track sound like a crazier kind of energy, which I just loved.”
“Elvis is a titan of the arts, and we receive every artistic gesture as a gift, many great writers are adapted and translated into different languages, like Shakespeare and Borges, why not take a contemporary artist like Elvis and have this be part of his story?,” Páez said. “I lived a very similar experience with radio and the way we got music down there (Rosario, Argentina) so it was destined to happen, that I had to tell this story as well.” He went on to say about his adaptation, “In this case you had to say something that was relevant. I’m so proud of this version, it was one of the most important things I’ve done in my life.”
Sebastian Krys, the Argentine-born, Latin GRAMMY Producer of the Year and Costello’s musical co-conspirator on Spanish Model, moderated the conversation and served as translator for Costello and Páez. He reflected on hearing Páez’s interpretation for the first time: “For me, I remember when Fito sent the song, I couldn’t believe it because it all of a sudden, in a lot of ways, explained the album. That was the song that I was like OK if somebody doesn’t understand what this album is about just listen to this song and this will explain to you what this is all about. It was just a really great moment for me when I heard his version because it really crystalized the idea.”
Spanish Model features such artists as: Cami, Draco Rosa, Fito Páez, Francisca Valenzuela & Luis Humberto Navejas (lead singer ofEnjambre), Gian Marco & Nicole Zignago, Jesse & Joy, Jorge Drexler, Juanes, La Marisoul, Luis Fonsi, Morat, Nina Diaz, Pablo López, Raquel Sofía & Fuego, Sebastián Yatra, and Vega. They sing these timeless and universal songs, which have been expertly translated and adapted into Spanish to retain their meaning, energy, attitude, and wit. The concept represents what may be a first: an artist replacing their vocals with newly recorded performances by other artists singing in another language, backed by the original music.
This Year’s Model, which has been newly remastered, will also be released concurrently on CD and 180-gram black vinyl with the addition of “Big Tears” and “Radio Radio.” A limited edition version, that pairs both Spanish Model and the new pressing of This Year’s Model together as a 180-gram double LP, will be released exclusively via ElvisCostello.com, uDiscover and Sound Of Vinyl webstores.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions (with Various Artists) — SPANISH MODEL [CD + LP]
CD/DIGITAL
All Songs With Elvis Costello & The Attractions
1. No Action – Nina Diaz
2. (Yo No Quiero Ir A) Chelsea ((I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea) - Raquel Sofía y Fuego
3. Yo Te Vi (The Beat) – Draco Rosa
4. Pump It Up – Juanes
5. Detonantes (Little Triggers) – La Marisoul
6. Tu Eres Para Mi (You Belong To Me) – Luis Fonsi
7. Hand In Hand – Francisca Valenzuela y Luis Humberto Navejas
8. La Chica de Hoy (This Year's Girl) – Cami
9. Mentira (Lip Service) – Pablo López
10. Viviendo en el Paraiso (Living In Paradise) – Jesse & Joy
11. Lipstick Vogue – Morat
12. La Turba (Night Rally) – Jorge Drexler
13. Llorar (Big Tears) – Sebastián Yatra
14. Radio Radio – Fito Páez
15. Crawling To The U.S.A. - Gian Marco y Nicole Zignago
16. Se Esta Perdiendo La Inocencia (Running Out Of Angels) - Vega
LP
SIDE A
1. No Action – Nina Diaz
2. (Yo No Quiero Ir A) Chelsea ((I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea) - Raquel Sofía y Fuego
3. Yo Te Vi (The Beat) – Draco Rosa
4. Pump It Up – Juanes
5. Detonantes (Little Triggers) – La Marisoul
6. Tu Eres Para Mi (You Belong To Me) – Luis Fonsi
7. Hand In Hand – Francisca Valenzuela y Luis Humberto Navejas
8. La Chica de Hoy (This Year's Girl) – Cami
SIDE B
1. Mentira (Lip Service) – Pablo López
2. Viviendo en el Paraiso (Living In Paradise) – Jesse & Joy
3. Lipstick Vogue – Morat
4. La Turba (Night Rally) – Jorge Drexler
5. Llorar (Big Tears) – Sebastián Yatra
6. Radio Radio – Fito Páez
7. Crawling To The U.S.A. - Gian Marco y Nicole Zignago
8. Se Esta Perdiendo La Inocencia (Running Out Of Angels) – Vega
ELVIS COSTELLO
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