JEHNNY BETH
continued from page 22
pauses, sensing a need to go into greater
into veal calves, boxed up and waiting for
the end, or perhaps a reprieve from the
governor.
“I really wanted to make a record that
called for several listens,” explains Beth,
35. “And I think it’s quite layered, built up
around the nature of being human, and
that’s what I want the record to reflect.
And it reminded me that that’s what I used
to love about an album — the fact that it
was rich and with more people’s voices
merged together, with a great sense of narrative
from start to finish, but also very
classic and contrasted. I love those kinds of
records. So I wanted to make a record like
a collection of songs, but to make it cyclical,
as well, like a spiral, so when it stops,
you can start again.” That was the first
question co-producer Atticus Ross asked
detail. “You know when you live in cities,
and it’s very crowded, people are not necessarily
very nice, and it smells bad,” she
continues. “Especially Paris. You think of
Paris as this very beautiful city, but actually,
it’s quite dirty as well. And sometimes,
I’m just fed up. I’m fed up with the world
and with people’s minds and their closedmindedness.
And sometimes, I just want to
shout out that I’m not responsible, I can’t
save the world, I just don’t have enough
room in my heart. So there are those things
that were shameful. But it’s like writing a
novel — you take the most shameful
thought as the core and then work from
there. And obviously this record is not just
about that. But I wanted to put moments of
lightness in contact with moments of
despair because that’s how I know life is.”
her, she says — just how deep did she want What other revelations occurred
to go? She chose the sonic rabbit hole. “In
pop culture, there is this tendency to simplify
and have a very clear message. But I
like things that are not just one thing — I
like to have several meanings in one, while
— I hope — still being able to be entertaining,
nonetheless. That was my intention, at
least.”
You truly have to admire a songwriter
who has such reach-for-the-stars ambition.
Where did the singer muster such solo-set
through Beth’s therapy sessions? They
don’t hit like lightning overnight, she says
— she’s been going for three years, and
true Aha moments take a while. It takes
work to sort through a lifetime of conflicted
memories, feelings, and beliefs. “But I
had one of those moments recently that
was very personal, something about my
family,” she admits. “And I don’t think I
would be the same person if I hadn’t chosen
to start doing this. Sometimes, I feel
Savages (circa 2016) L to R: Fay Milton, Gemma Thompson,
Ayse Hassan, Jehnny Beth. photo by TIM
courage? It all started with her return to
Paris three years ago, she says, after 12
years spent living in London and working
on Savages. She wanted to be near her family,
and she was feeling fractured, out of
sorts, at odds with the entertainment
industry. “There were parts of me that I felt
were not connected together,” she elaborates.
“So basically, I went into therapy
because I needed to regroup — there were
parts of myself that I felt were preventing
me from moving forward. And that also
worked for my art in a way, which I also
felt was evolving and not just staying
where I’d left it.” Hence her song
“Innocence,” she adds, which describes
her frustration and isolation in feeling separated
from the human race. A weirdly
prophetic sentiment, given the coronavirus
constrictions that now encircle us.
But there was some heavy Catholic
guilt involved in said sentiment, as well,
Beth points out. “I was not feeling empathy
with my peers, and I felt like I needed
to be honest with myself about these feelings.
So the whole of the record is about
admitting those flaws and not hiding them
away and just being honest about what it
means to be human. Because I am a complex
human being, and I have contradictory
flaws, so “Innocence” is expressing a
feeling of disgust with humanity.” She
like you’re just rambling about, rambling
on about stuff. But it was important for me
to have a place where I can say anything
and not be afraid and there’s’ no consequence
at all about what I’m going to say.
And when you think about it, there are not
many places like that in the world. And
you really need to talk about your
thoughts without judgment. I think the
whole record is about that — liberating the
mind, liberating the thoughts, and not having
them be judged. And if you can liberate
the mind from having all these contradictory
thoughts — like sometimes you can
love someone and hate them at the same
time — then that’s okay. But if you’re
repressing that? That’s when real, real bad
shit can happen, in my opinion.”
Was it therapy that freed Beth to get
back to her first love, acting? And then
pursue parallel careers in radio, television,
and literature? She’s not sure. “But they’re
all fuel for me,” she notes. “When I started
doing the radio show, for instance, I was
still on tour with Savages. And then I went
on tour with Gorillaz, so I ended up being
showered with new music in a way that I
had never been before, because every
week, I was doing a radio show about new
music. So they would prepare playlists for
me with music that was just out that week,
and as an experience, it was quite intense
continues on page 30
Continued from page 24
Unedited versions of “’T’ Plays it Cool”
and “’T’ Stands for Trouble” allow more
room for each member of Gaye’s top-flight
R&B ensemble and orchestra to shine.
“That had a real good feel; very tight,”
Gaye says from the recording studio’s control
room in praise of his musicians at one
point. The Trouble Man soundtrack was further
notable as Gaye’s follow-up to his
landmark 1971 album of social protest
What’s Going On, and More Trouble illustrates
the power and mastery of Gaye’s
ideas and execution during the period.
Newly remastered for vinyl, these tracks
were previously heard on the expanded
40th anniversary CD release of Trouble Man
in 2012. In addition to the heavyweight
vinyl, the More Trouble sleeve includes
Andrew Flory’s insightful essay to further
enlighten studious listeners.
– Jeff Elbel
9
INXS
Live Baby Live: Wembley
Stadium
(Eagle Vision)
INXS’ concert film Live Baby Live was originally
released on VHS in 1991, following
the Aussie dance-rock kings’ juggernaut
world tour supporting 1990’s X album.
The Summer XS event was held at
London’s original Wembley Stadium at
the peak of the sextet’s popularity, cementing
the multiplatinum success of 1989’s
smash LP Kick and its powerhouse followup.
The generous 22 song set list puts
viewers in prime seats for a stadium show
celebrating those world-dominating chart
successes, with 9 songs drawn from both
albums. The band had performed at the
celebrated sports haven and famed Live
Aid venue previously, becoming the first
Australian band to perform at Wembley
Stadium while supporting Queen in 1986.
But on July 13, 1991, INXS were headlining
in front of their own sold-out audience of
74,000 fans on a perfect summer night. The
band was clearly energized by the accomplishment,
delivering a performance
worth immortalizing on 35-mm film. “It’s
the biggest pub we’ve ever played,” says
singer Michael Hutchence at one point.
Director David Mallet’s crew included 17
cameras and a helicopter, capturing
dynamic close-ups and bird’s-eye perspective
long before the age of the GoPro or
drone camera. Video has been restored
and repositioned in widescreen from the
original 35-mm print to 4K Ultra HD quality.
Audio has been remastered in immersive
and vibrant Dolby Atmos by Giles
Martin and Sam Okell at Abbey Road
Studios. Longtime fans may voice common
grievances about absent favorites,
including a couple of fairly conspicuous
omissions. Not only did INXS eschew
popular fare like “Kiss the Dirt” or the title
track from 1985’s Listen Like Thieves at this
gig, but they also ignored breakthrough
1982 album Shabooh Shoobah
entirely–meaning older concert staples
“The One Thing” and “Don’t Change”
were shunned. This is partially rectified by
the concurrent live album of the same
name, which collected 16 songs from different
stops on the 1991 tour. The Live Baby
Live CD track listing includes “The One
Thing” in addition to “One X One,” “This
Time,” and The Swing favorite “Burn for
You.” Alas, the Wembley crowd is not
treated to the improvised soundcheck jam
“He’s Got No Pants On” heard on the
older CD release. Those few differences
combined with Live Baby Live: Wembley
Stadium’s longer set list and its deeper dive
into Kick and X, however, will simply send
many fans to claim both documents as
must-haves. In its favor, the film includes
11 songs not present on the Live Baby Live
album. The trade-off for any diminished
breadth across the band’s catalog during
this concert is evident when seeing INXS
enthusiastically supporting its most recent
work, which has since been enshrined
with classic status three decades later. The
2019 update of Live Baby Live also restores
the slinky and previously missing X song
“Lately” to the lineup. The bouncing and
soulful “Bitter Tears” is announced as the
band’s new single. There are no projection
screens or major production diversions in
the band’s presentation. This is simply a
well-oiled rock unit delivering a finely
tuned set at peak power. Kirk Pengilly
switches between chiming rhythm guitar
and wailing saxophone on “New
Sensation,” while the crowd surges and
drummer Jon Farriss plays a pile-driving
beat. Pengilly’s sax is featured again during
a revved-up “I Send a Message.” His
guitar leads the ascent of “The Stairs” and
uncoils the memorable riff of “Need You
Tonight.” The crowd joins together as a
massive choir during “Mystify.” Tim
Farriss’ guitar slashes and sparks through
a thundering encore of “Devil Inside.”
Songwriter Andrew Farriss anchors the
band on keyboards and various other
instruments including guitar, percussion,
and harmonica, and is featured during
Continued on page 28