Magma / OTIS, a translation attempt

     "Je vais vous parler d'un chanteur qui est mort en 1967 dans un accident d'avion, avec son orchestre les Bar-Kays. Il a contribué à perpétuer le cri; ce cri universel et intemporel, propre à toutes les musiques grandioses et célestes. Ce soir nous allons aussi essayer de perpétuer le cri. Nous te dédions ce morceau. Merci, Otis Redding."  

                                                        Christian Vander, Magma en concert à Bobino, 27/30 mai 1981.         

     "Let me tell you about the life of a singer who died in a plane crash accident in 1967, with his band The Bar-Kays. He helped to keep the 'scream' alive; that kind of timeless and universal cry, specific to all heavenly and great kinds of music. Tonight, we too will try to share that 'cry' with you. We dedicate this tune to you. Thank you, Otis Redding."

This is how Christian Vander introduced his track 'OTIS' during the Magma shows in 1981.
The song is a tribute to the life and music of the American singer-songwriter Otis Redding, who died on 10th December, 1967 in Lake Monona (Wisconsin) where his personal airplane crashed with him and four members of his band, The Bar-Kays.

Here is an attempt to translate the french lyrics to english. This work was done with my english students of the CFPM School of Music.

OTIS

instrumental intro is a quote from « Try a Little Tenderness » by Otis Redding

VERSE PATTERN 4/4 ||: F/Bb | Eb/Bb :||

Il est la vie, il est l'enfant
Il est la nuit, il est le chant – océan ...
Oooh ooh, ha ha, la mort n'est pas en Lui
Il me sourit, il est vivant ... OTIS

He's Life itself, he is the child
He is the night, he is the chant – from the sea...
Ooh ooh, ha ha, he's never gonna die
I see him smile, he is alive... OTIS OM

CHORUS 4/4 ||: Ebsus2/Bb F-/Bb | Gb/Bb Ebsus2/Bb | F-/Bb Gb/Bb Ebsus2/Bb:||

OTIS, ELÏSS, ELÏOSS, OTIS, ELÏSS, ELÏOSS¹

Comme un vaisseau dans l'océan
Comme un vaisseau vers le Néant – tu voles
Ta vie s'étire comme le plus beau sourire
Oiseau d'argent au firmament ... OTIS
 
Like a vessel sailing to sea
Like a vessel towards the void, you fly
Your life was like the most beautiful smile
Silvery bird in the Heavens ²... OTIS
OTIS, ELÏSS, ELÏOSS, OTIS, ELÏSS, ELÏOSS

Et dans ta nuit, les yeux blessés
Tu vois Memphis, illuminée
(Écoute) Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa, résonne encore LE CRI
Résonne OTIS, LE CRI est né.

In the darkness, follow the way
You'll see Memphis ³, glowing away
(Listen) Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa ⁴ ; echoing through the seas           

Cry out OTIS, THE SCREAM's in me

Réveille-toi OTIS ! ELÏOSS 
Réveille-toi OTIS ! ELÏOSS 
Tu te souviens DU CRI, OTIS... ELÏOSS 
Tu te souviens LE CRI, OTIS
... Dans les profondeur de ta nuit.
 

Come back to us OTIS, ELÏOSS
Come back to me OTIS, ELÏOSS
CRY one more time, OTIS ... ELÏOSS
D'ya remember THE SCREAM, OTIS
… Deep down in the abyss of the night.

Wooooh

Hey OTIS, yes !
Yeah OTIS, yes you're here

Good to me
Come, come … Got it OTIS ... Rise … Sing !!!

OTIS, ELÏSS, ELÏOSS...

CHORUS VARI 4/4 ||: Ebsus2/Db F-/Db | Gb/Bb Ebsus2/Db | F-/Db Gb/Db Ebsus2/Db:||

… OTIS !

ELËHN DEÏSS SEHND ELÏOSS
OTIS …

¹Kobaïan possible double interpretations / inspirations :

OM => ॐ  Hinduism/Buddhism : sacred sound that signifies the essence of the ultimate reality.

OTIS -He, the wealthy,   German, « son of otto » or « wealth, wealthy » / OTIS => Of Thee I Sing.
ELÏSS -He who is plenitude,   Elissa, Hebrew : « de elîsaba », « my God is plenitude ».

ELÏOSS -He, the light Eternal     Greek : « Hêlios », « sun ».

DEÏSS => close to « deus/dei », latin for « God », « the divine one », « supreme being ».

² All this verse seems to allude to the plane crash; the "vessel" and "silvery bird" could be the airplane, or Otis himself, "sailing" on the Styx, the river that forms the boundary between the earth and the Underworld in Greek mythology. The next verses could be seen as Otis' rebirth through incantation (the 'cry', the song itself), as if Vander could be possessed by him thanks to the 'cry/scream'.

³ Memphis, Tennessee is where Redding's label (Stax Records) was based. Knowing Vander's love for Egyptian mysticism and spirituality, there could be a double reference here; Memphis was also the ancient capital of Lower Egypt and inspired a Freemasonic ritual filled with Egyptians references known as the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraïm.
See: 'Upper Egypt-Lower Egypt' by Pharoah Sanders (a major influence on Vander) on the album Tauhid, 1967.

⁴ Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) is a 1966 song by Otis Redding, that captures his habit of scatting with the horn section.

A great cover of the song by the band JAFIS recorded in 2009 for the album "Hür! Hommage à la musique de Christian Vander":

Wings - Red Rose Speedway (extended)

RRS was one of the few Wings album I didn't quite get (with London Town). Always felt the songs and sequencing was a bit... poor. Until I discovered that it was supposed to be a double LP, and that most of the songs that were left off to single it out were the ones I prefered! Ach!
It is said that the two-record set was deemed too uncommercial in light of the relative failure of Wings' debut LP, Wild Life.

Two original track-listing made by Paul of the planned double-LP do exist:

SIDE 1
01. Big Barn Bed
02. My Love
03. When The Night
04. Single Pigeon
SIDE 2
05. Tragedy
06. Mama's Little Girl
07. Loup (1st Indian On The Moon)
08. I Would Only Smile

SIDE 3
01. Country Dreamer
02. Night Out
03. Only One More Kiss
04. Jazz Street
SIDE 4
05. I Lie Around
06. Little Lamb Dragonfly
07. Get On The Right Thing
08. 1882 (Live)
09. The Mess I'm In (Live)

That first one, taken from the double acetate dated to the 13th December 1972, is a bit poor sequencing-wise with sides quite uneven. The second one comes from another set of acetate and is closer to the final vision Paul had of the project (according to Bruce Spizer's book The Beatles Solo on Apple Records). It goes like this:

SIDE 1
01. Night Out
02. Get On The Right Thing
03. Country Dreamer
04. Big Barn Bed
05. My Love
SIDE 2
06. Single Pigeon
07. When The Night
08. Seaside Woman
09. I Lie Around
10. The Mess (Live)

SIDE 3
01. Best Friend (Why Do You Treat Me So Bad?) [Live]
02. Loup (1st Indian On The Moon)
03. Hold Me Tight
04. Lazy Dynamite
05. Hands Of Love
06. Power Cut
SIDE 4
07. Mama's Little Girl
08. I Would Only Smile
09. Only One More Kiss
10. Tragedy
11. Little Lamb Dragonfly

It sounds a bit better, but I thought the sequencing could still be bettered in some places. For example, the opening and closing songs should, to me, really be "Big Barn Bed" and the Medley -as it is on the original single LP (even if "Little Lamb Dragonfly" also is a great closer!).

So, tweaking the sides a bit, here is my Red Rose Speedway:

SIDE A (17:18)
01. Big Barn Bed
02. Get On The Right Thing
03. Country Dreamer
04. My Love
05. Single Pigeon
SIDE B (17:38)
06.When The Night
07. Seaside Woman (Linda McCartney)
08. I Lie Around
09. The Mess (Live)

SIDE C (21:38)
01. Night Out!
02. I Would Only Smile (Denny Laine)
03. Mama's Little Girl
04. Only One More Kiss
05. Tragedy * (Gerald H. Nelson/Fred B. Burch covered by Thomas Wayne & The DeLons, The Fleetwoods, etc)
06. Little Lamb Dragonfly
SIDE D (19:41)
07. Best Friend (Why Do You Treat Me So Bad?) [Live]
08. Loup (1st Indian On The Moon)
09. Hold Me Tight / Lazy Dynamite / Hands of Love / Power Cut

** I re-mixed the intro of this one a bit, using take 2 (with sitar) but adding the acoustic guitar from take 1 on the intro.

It makes the album sounding much more eclectic and interesting to me. Great mid-rockers (Get On The Right Thing, Best Friend), a very folky RAM kinda feel (Big Barn Bed, Country Dreamer, I Lie Around, I Would Only Smile, Little Lamb Dragonfly) and great power ballads (My Love, When The Night, The Medley). All of what makes WINGS great in a double Magnum Opus.

Add to this some period tracks, and you're set for a great listen:

01. Hi, Hi, Hi
02. C Moon
03. Live & Let Die
04. The Mess (Studio Version)
05. Thank You Darling
06. Tragedy (Take 1)
07. Jazz Street
08. Mama's Little Girl (1989 B-Side mix)

Ânanda! (woo-eeh) Heeey Ânanda! (wooh ooh)

ॐ

Jannick Top - VIVA UTOPIA [update]

Here is my attempt to gather together all the 70's solo material from Jannick Top released via his Utopic Records label, but also adding his various collaborations not included on these albums.

PHASE I

 SIDE A (19:48)
01. Utopia
02. Hypnose n°1
03. Hypnose n°2
04. Epithecantropus Erectus II
 SIDE B (11:07)
05. Hypnose n°3
06. African Dance n°3 (Soleil d'Ork)
07. Hypnose n°4

PHASE II

 SIDE A (18:07)
01. Glas
02. Vaterunser
03. La Musique des Sphères
 SIDE B (24:29)
04. De Futura Hiroshima

"Utopia" & "Epithecantropus Erectus II" are taken from the UTOPIA VIVA solo single from 1975 (Epithecantropus being an embryonic version of "De Futura") and feature Jean Schultheis on drums.
"Hypnose n°1-4" are taken from the 1974 IML library record Hypnose; which is "a basic argument treated by different modern composers dedicated to radio, film and TV musical illustrators" also featuring Teddy Lasry and Gérard Lévêque. "African Dance n°3" is an embryonic version of "Soleil d'Ork", recorded for Speed Limit's second eponymous album (1975).

Then comes the Infernal Futra cycle. Here I tried to structure the different parts of the Futura piece to which his 2008 album, Infernal Machina, was the follow-up. "Glas" is a demo recorded in 1976. "Vaterunser" is taken from the original intro to "De Futura", to be heard on the demo recorded in 1975 with Richard Pinhas (featuring real crying babies and the "our father" prayer recited in german). "La Musique des Sphères" was composed in 1976 but recorded in 1980 in Sénégal during the sessions for Bernard Lavilliers' Noir & Blanc album (the track is Seigneur de Guerre). It was committed to tape in one take during lunch break (featuring Doudou N'Diaye et les Tambours de Dakar on percussions).

The album ends with the 1975 Nancy Jazz Pulsation version of "De Futura Hiroshima" recorded on 16, october 1975. It features 18 musicians: MAGMA -Jannick Top (bass), Chrstian Vander (drums), Gérard Bikialo (keyboards), Stella Vander (vocals), Didier Lockwood (violin); Jean Schultheis (drums), Sauveur Mallia (bass "fret cello" created by Jannick Top), Hervé Derrien (cello), Denys Lable  / Jocelyn Pitchen [from Nucleus] (guitars), Philippe Briche (keyboards), Georges Gasquy (synth), Jean-Pierre Sabartet (piano), Kris Stassinopoulos (percussions), Michel Ripoche [from Zoo] (violin), Mohamed Larbi Ousni (Tunisian violin), Frédérique Gegembach & Martine Toureil (vocals).

To be totally comprehensive, add to the list the existing 1976 tour recordings, released via Jannick's UTOPIC Records label, that include a strange remix of a live extract from MDK, and a strange recording of "La Musique des Sphères" mixed with thunder sound effects in Part 1 and at the end of KMX.

VanderTop

01. Hhaï
02. De Futura
03. La Musique des Sphères / KMX - AXII (Opus 11) [bass solo]
04. Tröller Tanz
 All recordings from 2nd November 1976 (Théâtre de la Renaissance).

01. De Futura [10th, November 1976; Toulon]
02. La Musique Des Sphères / KMX - AXII [19th, October 1976; Antibes]
03. Mekanik Zaïn (Jannick Top Remix) [5th, November 1976; Paris]

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The Beatles - Yellow Submarine

I always liked the songs on the Yellow Submarine album, but never have been fan of the redundancy of the two tracks that were already released on *official* albums by that time though: "All You Need Is Love" being on the great US Magical Mystery Tour, and "Yellow Submarine" on Revolver. It feels half-baked, and a bit strange in the whole Fab discography, due also to the addition of the George Martin orchestral tracks. There's a great Beatles album hidden somewhere in 1968 that could use most of the stray-tracks from that time. The bridge between the psychedelic Mystery Tour and the raw whiteness of the Great White Record.

To create that bridge, let's take the CAPITOL route and combine the original planned Yellow Submarine EP, with the non-album singles from that time, as it was done for the 67 singles and EP.

An EP you say?

The songs appearing in the Yellow Sub'movie were planned to come out in march 1969 in the form of an EP. The Beatles nixed the idea to release the LP we know today. It was supposed to go like this:

SIDE A
01. Only A Northern Song
02. Hey Bulldog
03. Across The Universe

SIDE B
01. All Together Now
02. It's All Too Much

A mix of outtakes from 1967 ("Northern Song" from Pepper, "All Together Now" and "Too Much" from Mystery Tour/All You Need Is Love) and new tracks from 1968 recorded before the trip to India. Interesting but it could flow better than that.

We are left with songs recorded in 1967 and 1968 not used on an official LP at the time: "Lady Madonna" and "Across The Universe" (recorded during the "Hey Bulldog" sessions in 68), "The Inner Light" (recorded by George Harrison in Bombay during the sessions for his Wonderwall Music LP) and the "Hey Jude" / "Revolution" single, recorded during the white-sessions and released in August 1968, 3 months before the White hit the shelves. I'll do some minor cheating and consider "You Know My Name" as a great contender to the set; it was recorded in 1967 but not completed until Lennon and McCartney added vocals in April 1969. Nonetheless, it sounds to me like it could really belong in here.

So here is my Yellow Submarine LP re-sequenstruction:

SIDE A - Songs and music from the animated film Yellow Submarine (20:31)
01. Hey Bulldog
02. Only A Northern Song
03. All Together Now
04. Across The Universe
05. It's All Too Much

SIDE B - ...plus these other selections (19:55)
01. Lady Madonna
02. The Inner Light
03. Revolution
04. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
05. Hey Jude

I used the 2009 Mono masters for most of the tracks, except for "It's All Too Much" using the RM1 unedited 8 minutes version. For the stereo versions, I used the 2009 masters, the 1999 stereo remix for "Only A Northern Song", and the complete mix of "You Know My Name" (an hybrid between the original and the Anthology version). Enjoy !

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