Doom & Gloom Dispatch #49: Outside In
Ananya Ganesh, Sandy Denny, John Martyn, Julie Byrne, Will Hermes, Sonic Youth
At just about 16 minutes, Ananya Ganesh’s Precis-Loving feels fleeting, over before you know it. But that makes sense. These improvised piano and voice pieces capture something very in-the-moment and spontaneous; it’s almost as though you’re hearing Ganesh think out loud, eavesdropping on her inner monologue. The fact that this collection was recorded in non-professional settings on a phone (you’ll catch bits of ambient background noise at times) adds to the intimacy. I don’t know whether this approach will be carried forward in Ganesh’s future releases, but for now Precis-Loving is a priceless document.
Sandy Denny + John Martyn - Sundown Theatre, London, England, October 26, 1972
The perfect October double-bill? Yeah, maybe! What’s not perfect is the lamentably lo-fi recording quality of this tape, which I believe is the only audio representation of Sandy Denny and her friend John Martyn’s run of UK dates together in the fall of ‘72. And this is coming from your Doom & Gloom pal, who has listened to the worst VU bootlegs in existence (and enjoyed them, damn it!). So, uh, buyer beware?
But is this tape worth checking out? Don’t be silly, of course it is! The evening begins with Martyn surely scaring the folkie crowd, throwing them into the deep end right away with a long, effects-laden version of “Outside In,” sounding more like Pink Floyd than Steeleye Span. Things get a little more straightforward as the set progresses — until John gets to his dubbed-out jam on Skip James’ “Rather Be The Devil.” Righteous.
“I had a WEM Copicat which I was using to try and extend the sound of the fuzztone on the guitar so I could play the same note for half an hour if I felt like it, and twitch it now and again,” Martyn said of his gadgetry. “And of course it broke, as they do, and I bought the Echoplex and it sounded very nice, and completely by chance I found out that you could make rhythmic noises with it. I was actually looking for sustain. I wanted to sound like Pharoah Sanders …”
Sandy, meanwhile, had just released Sandy, her second LP, and plays a bunch of those tracks, including stirring solo renditions of “It’ll Take A Long Time,” “Sweet Rosemary” and “The Music Weaver.” Like I said, this is a very amateur recording — but part of the ummm pleasure (?) is hearing Denny’s powerful pipes come close to literally lacerating the tape, cutting through the darkness like the Queen of Light. The Lady could sing! Stick around to the end for a subtle, almost jazzy rendition of her signature tune, “Who Knows Where The Time Goes.” Magic. The main disappointment? That Sandy doesn’t invite John onstage to duet on her lovely cover of Dylan’s “Tomorrow Is A Long Time.” That would’ve been soooooooo good.
It’s taken a minute to sink in, but Julie Byrne’s The Greater Wings, released earlier this year, is a total masterpiece. The tunes here burn with a quiet intensity, blending grief with joy, heaven with earth. Byrne works in the standard singer-songwriter mode — hushed vocals, fingerpicked guitar, gentle melodies — but there’s something more unique and personal that comes across in her musical vision, a dream that can last.
Anyway, definitely go grab the LP — and also check out this beautiful Takeaway Show filmed last summer in upstate New York, featuring Byrne accompanied by Katie Von Schleicher and Jake Falby in various bucolic settings. You can also dig into an excellent mix that Julie made for Crack Magazine, with some very nice sounds …
Lou Reed: The King of New York (In Conversation with Will Hermes)
Grab an egg cream and head over to Aquarium Drunkard to read my chat with Will Hermes, author of the new/extraordinary biography, Lou Reed: The King of New York.
Many years ago, when I heard the news that Will was going to write a Lou book, I rejoiced. His Love Goes To Buildings On Fire was one of those instant classics, something I can pick up and flip to any page and find something new and exciting every time. Hermes seemed like the perfect writer to tackle Lou’s strange, bewilderingly complex saga — rigorous in his research, empathetic in his overall attitude.
The King of New York didn’t disappoint in the least, and it was an honor/pleasure to pick Will’s brain about all things Lou. (It was also an honor/pleasure to find my own name in the acknowledgments section of the book — though I’m still not sure what I did to deserve it!)
Will Says: As an artist, [Lou] was a “transformer,” and everybody has their own version of who he was. What they want him to be, what aspect of his character they wanted to take in. I tried to show them all. I don’t know if they all morph into a single, intelligible human being. But maybe that is part of what was endlessly fascinating about him. He was all of these things simultaneously and they didn’t all necessarily add up.
Sonic Youth - L’Olympia, Paris, France, June 29, 2002
We're more than 20 years into our #SonicSummer expressway — and I can tell that some of you Doom & Gloomies are losing steam! Fair enough, I know that not everyone has the same tolerance for these extended deep dives ... but I’m not kidding when I say that you’re missing out. The more I listen to the 1998-2004 era of Sonic Youth, the more I’m convinced that the band was peaking as a live act at this point.
For example: Let’s revel in the version of “Rain On Tin” from this show in Paris — the effortless triple guitar tapestry, the rises and falls, the steady-but-shifting groove. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it comes close to that fabled Grateful Dead-plays-“Marquee-Moon” ideal that we’ve all dreamt of. Sublime!
“Rain On Tin” comes from Murray St., the album that Sonic Youth was touring behind in 2002 and 2003. It’s a record that stands up with their very best, honing the open-ended vibe of the previous few years into a sharper edge, indulging in a few welcome folk-rock moves and psychedelic leanings. Onstage, these tunes get even better, thanks in a major way to Steve Shelley. His drumming is a master-class here, building songs up and breaking them down with ease — plenty of energy, but subtle and dynamic, too. Steve is one of the very best!
There are some great dips into the past, too, including a particularly haunting “Shadow of a Doubt,” a raving “Skip Tracer” and a whiplash rendition of “Kissability.” The whole show ends with a real archival dig — a rare “Inhuman” that leaves this rowdy crowd of Parisian noise freaks fully satisfied. They’ve learned their lesson the hardest way!
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From the Doom & Gloom Archives
Young Marble Giants - Live 1980
I woke up this morning with Young Marble Giants’ “Final Day” running through my brain – the best song about the end of the world? Maybe. So here are two short-but-satisfying live sets from the Cardiff trio (Stuart and Philip Moxham and Alison Statton), recorded in the summer of 1980 (thanks go to Patrick T. for sending them my way!).
Simon Reynolds: [L]ike an old fashioned pocket watch with its casing open to reveal the moving parts, the Young Marble Giants sound would be pared and bare, its meshwork of cogs and spindles exposed in all its intricate distinctness. As Philip would later express it, “You write the gaps as much as you write the music.”
Currently Reading: Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith by John Szwed