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the archetype of a sort of poetry girl — I like the idea of a Poppy Byron , who embodies all that sort of poetry stuff from those days , the days of the great English poets . And I like the idea that somehow she survived and she ’ s still amongst us , and it would be nice to have a little song about her . These songs are whimsical , like when you fall asleep , and you go into the hypnagogic stage . There ’ s a stage between being awake and being asleep , and it ’ s called the hypnagogic stage . And that ’ s what I ’ m trying to make my songs like — they ’ re like thoughts you ’ re having as you ’ re falling asleep . It ’ s like they ’ re no longer thoughts , but they haven ’ t yet turned into dreams , just like little imaginings , reveries , or daydreams , little ideas floating pas that don ’ t have any substance or any reality to them . I ’ m trying to do that with a song , trying to capture that liquid stage where anything can happen . My favorite songwriters that I always bang on about , like Marc Bolan and David Bowie — they had that in their songs . They had this fluidity that you didn ’ t question because it was in a song . I think songs and poems are the only things that can do this — just follow the fluidity of the human mind as it
jumps from subject to subject . I ’ ve got a friend , and every time I have a conversation with him , he ’ ll just jump from subject to subject to subject . And I like that idea , and I like the fact that your mind can do that . So that ’ s what all these songs are — they ’ re the fluidity of a human mind in full swing , backed up with music . Poppy Byron can do anything she likes because she ’ s just a character in a song , and you don ’ t really know much about her .
IE : Is “ Woman Number Nine ” a reference to Patrick McGoohan ’ s The Prisoner ? SK : No , but it could be ! “ I am not a number ; I am a free man !” I did another interview with an American writer , and I said , “ I ’ m the kind of guy that — because I have so little regard for mathematics — I do Song Number Two for the album , and I call it ‘ Woman Number Nine .’” And this guy started laughing and said , “ Well , Steve — you ’ re still sticking it to the man !” Which I thought was funny .
IE : But “ Birdeen ” is an actual lorikeet ? SK : Yeah . “ Birdeen ” is a lorikeet , and she turns up here every day . You don ’ t have lorikeets in America , do you ? She and her husband turn up here every day , and
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they ’ re kind of strange creatures . But I ’ m in sort of a relationship with them now , because they turn up and they like music . They did a bit of a deal , I think , with God , because they ’ re the most beautiful birds , but their voices are just terrible . They can ’ t carry a tune . But then you look at a lark , and it ’ s kind of a very dull and boringlooking bird , but it can sing beautifully . I mean , Birdeen ’ s dressed up like she ’ s going to a bloody debutante ball , and yet she can ’ t sing at all — she just makes this horrible squawking sound . But she really likes music , and she really likes honey . And she sort of just turns up and demands things . She ’ s very demanding . She doesn ’ t just turn up and humbly go , “ Uh , excuse me — do you have any food ?” She turns up and says , “ Where ’ s the fucking food ? What the fuck is going ON here ?” Very amusing but very demanding — they have grand presumptions that they ’ re always gonna get fed .
IE : Who is “ Baby Poe ”? In the chorus , it sounds like everybody in the neighborhood — even the lorikeets — dropped by to sing on that one . SK : I don ’ t know if you ’ ve noticed this —
and The Beach Boys took it to its logical conclusion — but every now and again in the ‘ 60s , you ’ d hear these records that were just really exciting . As soon as the song comes on , it comes on with this feeling of excitement , and when you listen carefully , there ’ s sort of like a little party going on in the studio . So I wanted to capture that idea . And I guess “ Baby Poe ” is a little poet . She ’ s like a little Chinese poet .
IE : And “ Lillian in Cerulean Blue ”? SK : A ghost . Baby Poe , who really exists , saw Lillian one day in this flat that I ’ m living in and said , “ There ’ s a ghost here called Lillian ,” and immediately , I was touched by that idea . And in certain lights under certain conditions , I think you can see the former inhabitants of where you ’ re living at the time .
IE : Given that you ’ re probably sensitive to otherworldly phenomena , have you ever been in contact with anything like that ? SK : Yeah , I have . I have . Aliens and ghosts both . And gods and spirits . I ’ ve seen a lot of things in my time , and I am sort of sensitive to things like that . Sometimes I can
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and cited as the Halloween tradition , “ King Kong .” The November 1 performance of 27 songs plays like a greatest hits selection of the prior two shows , but opens with a string of six unique selections including “ Zoot Allures ,” “ I ’ m the Slime ,” Mothers of Invention chestnut “ Pound for a Brown ,” “ Dave & Al ” and Apostrophe ’ s “ Cosmik Debris .” Zappa ’ s dynamite band featured fresh talent on the path to lasting acclaim , including bassist Scott Thunes , keyboardist Robert Martin , and drummer Chad Wackerman . These players joined veteran singer and rhythm guitarist Ray White , percussionist Ed Mann and keyboardist Tommy Mars . Wunderkind and “ stunt guitarist ” Steve Vai was making his second tour with Zappa . The pair ’ s combined guitar prowess ignites songs like “ Easy Meat ” and the eponymous “ Stevie ’ s Spanking .” Martin ’ s liner notes describe Zappa ’ s approach to maximizing his revolving cast , saying , “ He would put each musician under the microscope and learn every possible sound that they could produce , then find a way to use that sound to his advantage .” This meant that Zappa ’ s catalog of songs adapted to the musicians and evolved , rather than have the musicians duplicate past recordings . 1981 ’ s You Are What You Is was merely a month old at the time of these shows , and the double album ’ s material figures heavily in the set lists . Seven fresh songs were performed in the first Halloween set including “ Dumb All Over ” and “ Suicide Chump .” The late show featured nine songs from the new album including “ Doreen ” and “ I ’ m a Beautiful Guy .” On its way to becoming Zappa ’ s top seller , 1979 ’ s Sheik Yerbouti is also well represented . The early show featured a half dozen songs from the album , including dazzling and witty fare such as “ Dancin ’ Fool ” and the caffeinated funk of “ City of Tiny Lites .” The late show adds “ Tryin ’ to Grow a Chin ,” and the following night includes a reprise of “ Broken Hearts are for Assholes .” Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch and the pop success of “ Valley Girl ” was around the corner with a May 1982 release . In addition to the semi-title song “ Drowning Witch ,” the album is previewed with performances of “ Envelopes ” and “ Teen-Age Prostitute .” Likewise , 1983 ’ s The Man from Utopia album is foreshadowed with performances of “ Cocaine Decisions ” and “ Mÿggio .” “ Why Does it Hurt When I Pee ?” and “ Joe ’ s Garage ” represent catalog touchstone Joe ’ s Garage : Act I . Highlights include successive versions of Over-Nite Sensation ’ s “ Montana ,” in which Zappa fantasizes about escaping frenetic city life for time spent riding the utopian range of his very own dental floss farming empire . There are also two chances to be captivated by the orchestral grandeur of the middle movement from the “ Sinister Footwear ” suite ( as heard on Them or Us ). “ Well , it ’ s been lovely having you with us tonight , folks ,” says Zappa amid the cinematic whimsy and bombast of “ Strictly Genteel .” “ Except for the asshole that threw the egg .” Halloween ’ s early show concludes with a Zappafied encore of the Allman Brothers Band ’ s “ Whipping Post .” The late show wraps with a swaying and comically histrionic “ Auld Lang Syne .”
It ' s a shame that this set doesn ’ t include the film footage taken of the costume-clad hijinks ( or Zappa conducting the band during “ Sinister Footwear II ” and “ Strictly Genteel ” in his hot magenta jumpsuit ) and brilliant instrumental work at the Halloween night shows , but the sonic evidence captured here is a gift for Zappaphiles , counter-cultural musos , or anyone who appreciates virtuosic and iconoclastic music . As keyboardist Martin writes , “ The elements of sonic exploration and social commentary that run through all of Frank ’ s albums and tours are especially well represented in this release , perhaps amplified by the surreal aspect of Halloween and the openness of the crowd to participate even more fully in the ‘ anything can happen ’ experimental atmosphere that Frank lived in and personified .”
– Jeff Elbel
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PAUL WELLER On Sunset
( Yep Roc )
Following the acoustic-based folk-pop of 2018 ’ s True Meanings and the retrospective decks-clearing of 2019 ’ s live set Other Aspects , On Sunset finds Weller luxuriating with a lush double-length set of Northern Soul . The album infuses Weller ’ s insightful songwriting with R & B , orchestral flourishes , and psychedelice electropop ( try “ Earth Beat ” for a dose of the latter ). In addition to peering to inward depths on fare like “ Old Father Tyme ,” Weller ’ s vision expands outward to craft an immersive world of sound . “ More ” takes production flourishes from classics by Isaac Hayes and Norman Whitfield while seeking contentment apart from materialistic pursuits . “ Village ” follows suit with the flair of a Smokey Robinson ballad , expressing satisfaction among familiar and unpretentious surroundings . The breezy acoustic title cut remembers bygone summer days in Hollywood as if they belonged to someone else ’ s life , while the song threads the line between Phil Spector-produced George Harrison fare and Otis Redding ’ s classic R & B-pop singles . The amiable “ Walkin ’” blends the carefree bounce of McCartney tracks like “ Penny Lane ” and “ Let ‘ Em In ” with spacious and beatific Brian Wilson-styled gestures . With its New Orleans rhythm , “ Baptiste ” embraces the divine within music . This is the 15th solo album by the former frontman of The Jam and Style Council . Among those collected catalogs , On Sunset is transcendent and bound to be recognized as a highlight . ( paulweller . com )
– Jeff Elbel
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BEASTIE BOYS Beastie Boys Music
( Capitol )
The unyielding momentum and fascinating creative development of erstwhile punk / hip-hop upstarts Beastie Boys concluded with the untimely passing of Adam “ MCA ” Yauch in 2012 due to cancer , but the trio ’ s popularity and influence show no sign of abating . This collection will complete your set as a companion piece to the Beastie Boys Story documentary and Beastie Boys Book . The group ’ s LP catalog began in the vinyl era with 1986 ’ s Licensed to Ill and the brash “ Fight For Your Right ,” and exploded with CD-era tracks like Ill Communication ’ s “ Sabotage ” and Hello Nasty ’ s “ Intergalactic .” Beastie Boys Music isn ’ t the place to find rarities like “ Cooky Puss ,” B-sides , or even the captivating blend of R & B , soul , and funk instrumentals from The Mix-Up . Instead ,
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