Topper Headon does a version of Gene Krupa’s “Drumming Man” with Didi Sketcher on vocals.

“Drumming Man” was released as a 7 inch single in 1985.
 

 
Although Liars’ monumentally brilliant Sisterworld was one of my top five favorite albums of 2010, I have to admit that at first I didn’t get it.

It’s always been that way with me and Liars. With Liars, I usually have to listen to a song at least three times before it grabs me. That was true with “Brats” from the stunning WIXIW album. The first time, it didn’t really do anything for me. The second listen… still nothing (I was reminded of Underworld, a band I never particularly cared for). After the third spin, the song drilled itself into my psyche like an earwig demanding to be fed with the CD on repeat for weeks at time. It’s always been that way with me and Liars.

“Brats” will be available on vinyl from October 15th. The new animated video for “Brats” is a striking motion-capture affair directed by Ian Cheng. 
 

 
Mike Oldfield’s 1973 recording of Tubular Bells is the most famous progrock “symphony” of them all—and a bit of a “love it or hate it” affair amongst music snobs—but in actual fact, most of the instruments played on the album are played by Oldfield himself, layered during the recording process.

Wikipedia lists Oldfield as playing “acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar, Farfisa, Hammond, and Lowrey organs; flageolet, fuzz guitars, glockenspiel, “honky tonk” piano (piano modified to sound more percussive), mandolin, piano, “Piltdown Man,“percussion, Spanish guitar, producer, “taped motor drive amplifier organ chord,” timpani, vocals and tubular bells.” He was just twenty-years-old when the album was recorded.

Oldfield did bring in a few others—notably his sister, vocalist Sally Oldfield and the Bonzo Dog Band’s Vivian Stanshall as the “Master of Ceremonies”—but it’s fair to say that, a few embellishments aside, that Tubular Bells is (almost) the work of a “one man band” or in this case, a one-man orchestra. Initially championed by BBC disc jockey John Peel (who played the entire album on his radio show), Tubular Bells has sold an estimated 16 million copies worldwide and was the first album to be put out on the Virgin Records label, making Sir Richard Branson a very rich man. The opening theme was famously used as the title music for The Exorcist.

An “in the round” live-in-studio performance of side one of Tubular Bells was taped for the BBC program Second House on November 30th, 1973 and aired on December 1. Taking part in this performance are Oldfield himself on bass and acoustic guitar, his brother Terry on flute, Fred Frith (and other members of Henry Cow), Gong’s Pierre Moerlen and Steve Hillage, Tubular Bells co-producer Tom Newman, Mike Ratledge and Karl Jenkins of the Soft Machine, Rolling Stone Mick Taylor and others. (Vivian Stanshall, in his role as the MC, is present, reading off the list of instruments at the end of the first movement in his plummy voice, but, sadly is not captured well on camera).

Oldfield has returned to his most famous work time and again over the decades. A newly remastered version of the original Tubular Bells album came out in 2009 that includes this video (in great quality) and a superb 5.1 DVD-A surround mix of the piece.

After Michael Oldfield’s performance at the 2012 London Olympics, The Quietus reported that the HMV record chain saw sales of Tubular Bells spike over 850%.
 

 
‘Now then now then… ‘

An auction of the late Sir Jimmy Savile’s belongings raised almost half-a-million dollars yesterday in Leeds, England. 700 on-line bidders competed with 350 buyers at the Savile Hall for an excess of gold lame suits, platform shoes, and a selection of the DJ’s bling.

549 lots were up for grabs in a sale organized by Dreweatts. These included gold lame suits, jogging gear, kilts, cigars, cigar boxes, shoes, trainers, furniture, records, record player, photographs, cartoons, numerous awards, assorted glasses, memorabilia, including Christmas cards from Royalty, and Jim’ll Fix It medallions, presentation gifts and the famous red-upholstered chair.

The auction lasted 13-hours, which saw the legendary DJ and broadcaster’s Rolls-Royce (nick-named “The Beast”) sold for $200,000, his famous red chair sold for $13,300, and individual items, such as one highly sought after Jim’ll Fix It medal reach $3,130.

All of the items reached over their original asking price:

Lot 174 - A pink satin padded bedspread with a gold J.S. monogram was sold for over $200.

Lot 185 - A novelty egg cup teapot with picture of Sir Jim holding it raised $60.

Lot 549 - Sir Jimmy’s favourite ashtray complete with a Romeo Y Julieta cigar - went for $220.

All money raised will be donated to charity.

The auction catalog can be seen here, and more on the story here.
 

Edinburgh Evening News front cover printing plate.
 

A photograph of Jimmy Savile with Elvis Presley.
 
More of Sir Jimmy Savile’s booty, after the jump…
 

 
Roger Ballen’s haunting black and white photographs of people and places in South Africa possess some of the same dark poetry as those of Diane Arbus’s New York City photos and Shelby Lee Adams’ Appalachian portraits. They’re beautiful and disturbing - rich with stories real and imagined. The empathetic eye of the photographer keeps the shocking nature of many of the photos from being exploitation. Within the squalor and twisted flesh, souls are revealed like a punch in the face.  

Ballen’s photographs have inspired and influenced the imagery that appears in the videos of Die Antwoord. The look of the video for “I Fink U Freeky” is particularly informed by Ballen’s art and in this short film the photographer addresses the connection between his work and that of Die Antwoord’s.
 

 
Mixmaster RIAA mashed-up a U.S. Army Airborne marching cadence version of Don Ho’s “Tiny Bubbles” with The Velvet Underground’s “Guess I’m Falling in Love” (sans vocals) and the result is “Guess I’m Falling Into Bubbles.” I added some video to give you something to look at.

“Guess I’m Falling Into Bubbles” appears on RIAA’s compilation called Risque, Illicit and Adult and you can download all 19 tracks here.
 

 
The great British singer-songwriter-musician is 54 today. A world that lacked Kate Bush would be a world less sensual, truly.

From the Dangerous Minds archives:

Kate Bush on her favorite vegetarian dishes

Famed zoologist Desmond Morris interviewing Kate Bush on his BBC talk show,1980

Endearing photos of Kate Bush as a child

Kate Bush: ‘Wuthering Heights’ slowed down to a gorgeous 36-minute symphony

Documentary on Kate Bush’s First and Only Tour, 1979

Below, the animated video for the haunting “Eider Falls at Lake Tahoe,” conceived and directed by Kate herself:
 

 
Happy birthday Kate Bush, who turns 54 today. Did you know that she’s the same age as Madonna, who also turns 54 in a couple of weeks? That’s a wee bit of a surprise to me, as both artists feel like they come from completely different eras. I suppose Kate had a head start though, having had her first worldwide smash hit at the tender age of 19.

To celebrate Kate Bush’s birthday, here is a rare, live recording from Sweden. The film was made in 1979, on December the 21st to be exact, as part of her Tour Of Life (her one and only full live tour.)  While the footage on this upload suffers from some video warping, the sound is pretty decent, and at 22 minutes long, the five songs featured are:

“Moving”
“The Saxophone Song”
“James And The Cold Gun”
“Feel It”
“Kite”
 

 
I posted this video here a few years back of cartoon Beatles singing Dead Kennedys’ California Über Alles. Almost as soon as I did, it was promptly yanked from YouTube for unknown reasons.

Well, here it is again in all of its wacky glory. Enjoy!

Animation by Kota Ezawa.
 

 
Completely berserk clip of Einstürzende Neubauten performing the title track from their 1981 Kollaps album at the Festival Genialer Dilettanten in Berlin.

As one of the YouTubers commented: “This is like finding gold!” and I have to agree. This is fucking amazing. And primal. And druggy. And weird.

Turn it up LOUD (or not, if you’re at work)
 

 
Via WFMU’s Beware of The Blog