Guten Nacht
I’ll be dead before dawn

Kind, mein Sohn
I’ll be dead before dawn

And though your eyes appear wry and withdrawn
I’ll be dead before dawn
I’ll be dead before dawn

Father! Father I fear for the night
when the Erl King comes to collect us.
Father! Father! I fear for my soul as you should
Father Father make sense of the night

Let’s turn back our horse
and flee from this unsightly terror,
that is trembling through these woods

My son you must be pacified
these scenes of dreams are only imagination

My son, you must be satisfied
I’ll keep you safe from fancy apparitions

My dear young son, with eyes so wild
Be still my son, you waggish child.
I’ll hold your head and keep you warm
There’s nothing here to harm you.

Child you’re beautiful
come lie with the Erl King

Child you’re beautiful
come quiet, come willing

The gifts I could give to you
The wind and the wild river spring

Child you’re beautiful
come lie with the Erl King

Child you’re beautiful
come quiet, come willing

Father! Father can’t you hear his cries?
The Erl King comes to collect us!

Father! Father I fear for my soul
as you should

Father! Father! Make sense of the night
Let’s turn back our horse
and flee from this unsightly terror
that is trembling through these woods.

My dear young one I hear it clear
a hooing owl burrows near
No Tophet trolls or urchin fear
There’s nothing here to harm you.

Child you’re beautiful
come lie with the Erl King

Child, you’re beautiful
come quiet, come willing

The gifts I could give to you,
the wind and the wild river spring

child you’re beautiful
come quiet, come willing.

Father gallops frantically,
trembling with dread

For when he reached the weeping hearth
The child was dead.

You can hear a new track, and view some really beautiful photos at www.myspace.com/ghostbees.

Or watch some older songs performed live on Vimeo.

Tracks on last fm here

MySpace

Get them here while you can (http://richardmoult.wordpress.com/).

“Words by David Tibet; music by Richard Moult. Performed by David Tibet and the Dream English ensemble. From the album ‘Whilst The Night Rejoices Profound And Still’ which waits in the Silent Desert for its time.”

Do you believe in God?
Do you believe in Christ?
What monsters we’ve become
This flight from ease will finally kill us all
And all we need is something
Let us lie and sleep and dream
Other dreams
Brighter dreams
Better dreams
Please

Reminiscent, unsurprisingly I guess, of David Tibet’s hissy bits (yay!) with Antony’s blues voice. Usual great piano of all those who lurk in Current 93 circles.

Lyrics can be found here, including these 3 beauties:

Black But Comely

I’m black but comely
As a night shot with stars
I’m black but comely
As a night shot with stars
And I’m not a tree of sticks
No, I’m not a tree of sticks
But a forest of hemlocks and beeches
Of waters dark as wine from boundless reaches
Black but comely
As a night shot with stars

I tried to find you
And I missed you by a mile

The soldiers found me
And they took me for a whore

If I can’t have you
I can love you just the same

I’m black but comely
As the smoke of home
I’m black but comely
As the smoke of home
And I’m not a tree of sticks
No. I’m not a tree of sticks
But a forest of hemlocks and beeches
Of waters dark as wine from boundless reaches
Black but comely
As a night shot with stars
As a night shot with stars

Unheard of Hope

Unheard of hope
As hands made big to give
Press small fingers round a coin
And say “Here. Take this. It’s for you.
Mind now, don’t lose it.”

I’ll take your heart
The one you thought was yours
And give you one to call your own
And say, “Here. Take this. It’s for you.
Mind now, don’t lose it.”

A god’s remorse
For a ruined world
Small voices made sweet to sing
And say, “Here. Take this. It’s for you.
Mind now, don’t lose it.”

The cutters come
And a tree must fall
With a great forgiving rush of wind
And say, “Here. Take this. It’s for you.
Mind now, don’t lose it.”

And Anne Marie Does Love to Sing

And Anne Marie does love to sing
And Anne Marie does love the day
And I can’t stop my heart
And I can’t take my eyes away

And come the time of gentle light
And morning star does visit night
And come the time of gentle light
And evening star does visit night
One gentle light does have two names

And Anne Marie does love to sing
And Anne Marie does love the day
And I can’t stop my heart
And I can’t take my eyes away

And I did lose you
I did lose you
And where will I go now
And where will I go
And where will I go now?

So write my song with a triad bright as a belt of stars
Orion-like to run before the hounds
Orion-like, compelled by love to run where love abounds
To run where love abounds
To run where love abounds

And write my song on the five black lines of a bluejay’s wing
And fly in winter’s face a man to sing
Orion-like, by love compelled to run where love abounds
To run where love abounds
To run where love abounds

And in the throats of gelded boys who sing themselves to sleep
Let voices waken oceans deep
Orion-like, by love compelled to run where love abounds
To run where love abounds
To run where love abounds

So patient wait the valley’s bloom
And grateful sing the summer’s end
With rose of sharon overgrowing
Overgrowing
Overgrowing

Samples and more: www.babydee.org

We all hope it is released and successful sometime soon.

Anyway – onto the show. Wearing the look of the character created for the cover – a white tulle skirt (once lifted to reveal a silky and astonishingly shapely leg), a black tailcoat, her white hair (? wig?) in knots with bead and diva-esque makeup Deborah Harry remains an amazing vision. I have seen some shots closer than row 9, which I was in, and she is showing age, but in a natural way. She inspires by her humour, style, elegance and ability to do a crazy little punk dance and never look ridiculous.

The band has lost more original Blondie members – down to Chris Stein and the always strong Clem Burke. The new guitarist seems to think he is a rock star of the tackiest variety and is annoying, but that aside the music was fresh with the new keyboard player Matt Katz-Bohen adding some interesting sounds and cool pants.

One knows  the old hits will be present – strangely I enjoyed ‘The Tide is High’ most of these. For me it was more about the new songs as Blondie’s albums have always been really strong and it must be so tiresome to be performing the same thing again and again…And then, it started. The last thing I ever expected. I had even thought of emailing to plea that she perform it in honour my wedding anniversary (wishful thinking – fantasy makes life bearable) but I knew that to be a dream. My favourite Blondie song, exotic as Cocteau Twins, evocative as Eyeless in Gaza, timeless due to its near-abstract lyrical mystery. ‘The Hunter’ album is ignored or classified as a mess, but contains some of their best songs and vocal preformances by Debbie)…..

…..Blondie performed ‘Orchid Club‘. I see now it seems to be a tour standard – perfect for the ‘Panic of Girls’ cover actually, as well as the rarity that the name ‘Endangered Species Tour’ suggests.

I cried with joy; it was a perfect moment.

Here is a video of it from the UK stint – the performance I got to see was better

They encored with a great cover of Taio Cruz’s ‘Break My Heart’ (original is horrid), leaving one with a hope that this band gets to have one more go at success; the new album MUST be released. Do not let this endangered species go extinct.

www.blondie.net

Jeffrey Lee Pierce produced some of the most moving and beautiful rock music with The Gun Club, as well as his more bluesy solo work. This collection of covers and completions of unfinished works is faithful to his spirit and done with great care and love. Nick Cave opens with the lyrically gorgeous ‘Ramblin’ Mind’. Cave plays piano on Deborah Harry’s cover of Lucky Jim, from the brilliant and ignored last Gun Club release, but what makes the collection so coherent is the use of Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s guitar playing on most tracks. Cave and Deborah Harry duet on Free to Walk, and these two geniuses voices work together spectacularly well. Lydia Lunch pops up repeatedly, her voice is showing age and she sounds at time like Stevie Nicks meets Marge Simpson, but is as entertaining as ever. David Eugene Edwards (16 Horsepower/Woven Hand)seemingly can make any song sound Apocalyptic – quite hair-raising. This is the first time I have heard The Sadies and will investigate them further. One of those rare compilations that hang together in a similar mood with great performances throughout. A noble tribute to one of the musicians I miss most.

Despite some tracks being performed multiple time, they are so differently approached as to prevent any sense of repetition.

Full Tracklist and Musicians:

1.Nick Cave – Ramblin’ Mind
Bass – Barry Adamson
Engineer – Paul Emons , Peer Rave
Guitar – Cypress Grove , Jeffrey Lee Pierce
Guitar [Lead], Acoustic Guitar, Piano – Mick Harvey
Guitar [Slide] – Kid Congo Powers
Percussion – Willie Love

2. Mark Lanegan – Constant Waiting
Banjo, Mandolin – Jeff Zentner
Bass – Barry Adamson
Guitar – Cypress Grove
Percussion – Willie Love
Steel Guitar [Lap] – Rene van Barneveld

3. The Raveonettes – Free To Walk
Acoustic Guitar – Cypress Grove
Guitar, Other [Treatments], Percussion – Sune Rose Wagner

4. Deborah Harry – Lucky Jim
Drums, Percussion – Willie Love
Guitar – Jeffrey Lee Pierce
Guitar [Moog] – Chris Stein
Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals – Cypress Grove
Piano – Nick Cave

5. Lydia Lunch – My Cadillac
Acoustic Guitar, Bass – Cypress Grove
Guitar [Ambient] – Kid Congo Powers

6. David Eugene Edwards – Ramblin’ Mind
Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar [Slide] – Jeff Zentner
Drums, Percussion – Willie Love
Guitar, Bass – Cypress Grove
Steel Guitar [Lap] – Rene van Barneveld

7. The Sadies – Constant Waiting
Bass – Sean Dean
Drums – Mike Belitsky
Guitar – Dallas Good
Guitar, Vocals – Travis Good

8. Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell – Free To Walk
Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar [Slide] – Jeff Zentner
Guitar, Bass – Cypress Grove
Percussion – Willie Love
Steel Guitar [Lap] – Rene van Barneveld

9. Lydia Lunch – St. Marks Place
Guitar, Bass, Piano – Cypress Grove

10. Crippled Black Phoenix – Bells On The River
Drums, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Mixed By, Producer – Justin Greaves
Electric Guitar – Karl Demata
Organ – Kostas Panagiotou
Synthesizer [Modular], Sampler, Effects – Mark Ophidian

11. Cypress Grove – Ramblin’ Mind
Backing Vocals – Nick Cave
Guitar – Can Khan Oral , Kid Congo Powers
Percussion – Willie Love
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Bass – Cypress Grove

12. Johnny Dowd – Constant Waiting
Drums, Bass – Brian Wilson=
Guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Engineer – Billy Coté
Guitar, Vocals, Producer, Engineer – Johnny Dowd

13. Nick Cave & Deborah Harry – Free To Walk
Acoustic Guitar [Nylon String] – Mick Harvey
Acoustic Guitar, Bass – Cypress Grove
Engineer – Paul Emons , Peer Rave
Guitar [Moog] – Chris Stein
Percussion – Willie Love

14. Mick Harvey – The Snow Country
Backing Vocals, Translated By [Reverse Translation Vocals] – Gene Temesy
Drums – Willie Love
Guitar – Jeffrey Lee Pierce , Spencer P. Jones
Guitar, Bass – Cypress Grove

15. David Eugene Edwards & Crippled Black Phoenix – Like A Mexican Love
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Resonator Guitar [Dobro] – Karl Demata
Drums – Merijn Royaards
Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, E-bow, Mixed By, Producer – Justin Greaves
Organ [Hammond] – Danny Ashberry
Piano – Kostas Panagiotou

16. Lydia Lunch , Dave Alvin & The JLP Sessions Project – Walkin’ Down The Street (Doin’ My Thing)
Backing Vocals – Christine Duneleavy , Gene Temesy , Can Khan Oral, Texacala Jones , Willie Love
Backing Vocals, Percussion – Kid Congo Powers
Guitar [Lead] – Dave Alvin
Guitar, Bass, Drums, Backing Vocals – Cypress Grove
Harmonica – Walter Daniels
Piano – Mike Stark

Grinderman

Thu 11 November – Phoenix, Toronto, ON
Fri 12 November – Metropolis, Montreal, QC
Sat 13 November – House of Blues, Boston, MA
Sun 14 November – Nokia Theatre, New York, NY
Tue 16 November – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Thu 18 November – Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
Fri 19 November – Cannery Ballroom, Nashville, TN
Sat 20 November – Minglewood Hall, Memphis, TN
Mon 22 November – Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL
Tue 23 November – First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Fri 26 November – Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
Sat 27 November – King Cat Theater, Seattle, WA
Mon 29 November – Warfield, San Francisco, CA
Tue 30 November – Music Box, Los Angeles, CA
Wed 1 December – House of Blues, San Diego, CA

grinderman.com

I’ve felt uncomfortable since the day that I was born
Since the day I glimpsed the black abyss in your eyes
There’s no way you could make all of this shit up on your own
It could only come from the mastermind with eyes

I can’t believe that I’ve considered taking my own life
Cos I believed the lies about me were the truth
It will be magic to watch your transformation when you realise that you’ve been had
It’s enough to make a guy like me feel sad

Cos you tell me that
Jesus
He hates fruit loops, son,
We told you that when you were young
Or pretty much anything you want him to
Like sitcoms, pedophiles and kangaroos
Morons who cut and line
Three-bean salad and parking fines
And when we win this war on society
I hope your blind eyes will be opened and you’ll see

The arrogance it takes to walk around in the world the way you do
It turns my brain to jelly every time
The rage and fear I’m feeling have begun to make me sick
And I think that I might be about to commit a crime

And you tell me that
Jesus
He hates homos son
We told you that when you were young
Or pretty much anything you want him to
Like coco puffs, red cars and jews
Postal clerks who waste your time
Weight loss shakes, and the local news
And when we win the war on society
I hope your blind eyes will be opened and you’ll see

Cos Jesus,
He hates faggots, son
We told you that when you were young
Or pretty much anyone you want him to
Like niggers, spicks, redskins and kikes
Men who cannot tame their wives
Weaklings, cowards, and bald dikes,
And when we win the war on society
I hope your blind eyes will be opened and you’ll see

www.bellaunion.com