Imaginary Albums [2]

Imaginary albums was one of the topics for many years in the blog before the re-start early 2022. It  was based on the "Debut album game" that was making its rounds around bulletin boards and blogs over ten years ago. The idea was to create an album cover for a fictional band (anything that came up in the random Wikipage generator) with a fictional title (the last four words of the very last quote of the page generated at the Random quotations site) and a cover image found by searching for a random Flickr Explore photograph. I have been trying to find out who had the original idea, but so far no success.

I made a few changes to this procedure: I opted to take any four words (although preferably the final ones) of a random quotation to give me the album title. Moreover, also because of copyright constraints, I decided to choose suitable images from my own Flickr streams for the cover. Finally, to spice things up a bit, I added a fictional review for these fictional albums.

I have decided to post all of the album covers I made this way since 2009 (and maybe add new ones later) in groups of twelve in chronological order. Here is the second batch (the image above is made via Photofunia).

 

 

Be Asleep All Day by Gordon Beard

 

It has taken a while, but Canada has finally given us a new Leonard Cohen. His name is Gordon Beard, and this 23 years old Torontonian has now released his first album. With a tongue-in-cheek reference to the style of Cohen, which has been described as sleep inducing by his opponents, he named this record "Be asleep all day". You will find 15 self-penned gems here, slow ballads dealing with life in the modern city. And to round it off, a beautiful cover of Cohen's Sisters of mercy - and kudos to Beard for staying away from Hallelujah in this respect. Warmly recommended - a treat. 

 

Quote by Anonymous: Better to get up late and be wide awake than to get up early and be asleep all day.

 

 

Some Reason in Madness by Shut up!

 

Tribute bands are generally very successful on the road, especially if the original band no longer performs, but records tend to do less well. Somehow the situation is reversed for the Liverpool band Shut up! Named after a single of their heroes, those late seventies and early eighties' chart huggers Madness, they have not succeeded to get a large following in their concerts so far, but their first album entered the charts last week at #42. Sixteen of Madness' greatest hits, including Grey day, Baggie trousers, and One step beyond, sung in a style that is astonishingly close to the original versions, be it with superior recording quality. Still, it beats me why buyers would select this over the original. To which the band would undoubtedly reply: Shut up! 

 

Quote by Friedrich Nietzsche: There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness. 

A Fairly Good Time by Pink-In 

 

The latest greatest band from China. Pink-In, a trio from Shenyang, won the very first Chinese National TV Pop Idols conquest and are ready to conquer the world with their first album in English, with the delightful title A fairly good time - makes you wonder whether someone botched a translation there. The album itself is a pleasant surprise. Make no mistake, these girls can really sing and have decent pop material to work with. Especially Nanjing nights and Love me forever are strong tunes that should get a lot of air play here as well. Not essential, but good pop music. 

 

Quote by Edith Wharton: There are lots of ways of being miserable, but there's only one way of being comfortable, and that is to stop running round after happiness. If you make up your mind not to be happy there's no reason why you shouldn't have a fairly good time.

 We Practice To Believe by Lispkit Lisp

You may have seen them on TV in America's Evangelical Idol, where they came third even though they were a huge crowd favourite. This quintet from Boston, who go by the ill-adviced name of Lispkit Lisp, have lost no time in recording their first album. This is your typical middle of the road Christian rock, with titles such as Help me Jesus, The Lord watches over me, Seeing is believing, and so on. Decent playing (especially on the drums and the organ), decent singing, but nothing to stand out from the crowd. If you liked them on TV, you can safely order the CD. If you have not seen them yet, I would recommend listening to it first.

 

Quote by Laurence J. Peter, misquoting Scott: Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to believe.

The Leaves of Autumn by Bob Brechtel

 

Saxophonist Bob Brechtel is a household name in modern jazz, but his latest album will surely raise a lot of eyebrows. In what comes dangerously close to looking like a Kenny G project, he recorded 16 songs loosely arranged around the theme of autumn, supported by the Bronx Quartet, and featuring a number of guest vocalists. Some songs work very well, and none better than the album's opener, Autumn leaves sung in the original French version by Madeleine Peyroux (the album's closer is an instrumental version of this classic). Not all guests are as famous as she is, but some are well worth hearing. In particular Matt Robbins, who takes care of great versions of U2's October, and Justin Hayward's Forever autumn. The most surreal track is without doubt Sean Connery's parlando rendition of the Guns 'n' Roses anthem November Rain, although paradoxically this features some of the most beautiful saxophone playing on the album. The absolute highlight is the cover of Earth, Wind and Fire's September. Unsupported by a singer, Brechtel showcases his perfect technique and feeling in a 16 minutes delight, full of improvisations that keep the listener spellbound. An essential disc.

 

Quote by John Muir: Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.

 

 

Weather Forecasts and Ecomonists by List of Jehovah's Witnesses Publications

 

This is the weirdest CD that has landed on my desk this year. According to the brief press release package, List of Jehovah's Witnesses Publications is a new band from Debrcen, Hungary, consisting of four conservatory students in their early twenties. How they got their bizarre name, or the equally bizarre title for their first album, typo and all (Weather forecasts and ecomonists), is a mystery. Their web site, the link to which is courteously included on the back of the CD, contains neither photographs nor text, except for one line in capital letters: WE DO NOT KNOW EITHER. After all this, it is probably stupid to expect any connection between their music and the strange cover art - and indeed, I could not find one. Anyhow, to the music. You guessed it - bizarre. Although their basic music patterns fall under the instrumental post-rock genre, every so often they go off on a tangent. Fragments of czardas dances, a string quartet playing Schubert, a brilliant impersonation of Pavarotti singing Puccini's Nessun dorma, and samples of Russian speeches by Brezhnev - to name a few. In the end, all this madness works surprisingly well, and when the album had finished, I just had to play it again. Weird, absurd, yet fascinating stuff. 

 

Quote by Kelvin Throop III: Isn't it interesting that the same people who laugh at science fiction listen to weather forecasts and economists? (Yes, I made a typo, but in the context it worked well enough not to change it).

A Season of Hope by Claudette Lali

 

Chances are that you have not heard of Claudette Lali yet - but she has become a sensation in her native France over the past few weeks courtesy of her success in the TV talent show Presence. The parallels with Britain's Susan Boyle are obvious - Mademoiselle Lali is not exactly an attractive appearance but she does have a marvelous voice. The record companies have tried to cash in as quickly as possible by releasing her first album last week just 4 days after starting the recordings. There is of course a reason for this rush, as they have controversially opted for a Christmas album as debut. Sixteen traditionals, surprisingly all sung in English, whereas one would have expected that cashing in on her fame in France with a French album would have made more business sense. The album itself is OK, but nothing special, and I honestly can't see this make any impact on the international market. One can only hope that Claudette Lali will be given a second chance with less traditional material. 

 

Quote by Robert Veninga: Human pain does not let go of its grip at one point in time. Rather, it works its way out of our consciousness over time. There is a season of sadness. A season of anger. A season of tranquility. A season of hope. 

 

 

A Pile Of Junk by The Macedonians

 

There was a time in the sixties that the Macedonians were mentioned along the likes of the Hollies and the Fortunes. This Birmingham based quartet scored six top40 hits in the UK within two years, with the 1967 summer hit A pile of junk the most successful, topping at #12. And just as quickly as they came up, they went down again, and virtually disappeared altogether before the end of the decade. Even their hits are never played on the radio anymore. This compilation collects their 12 singles (including the 6 later ones that did not chart at all) and to be honest, they do sound hopelessly outdated. The real interest for me was in some of the 12 B-sides which are included as well. To my surprise, these included three covers of Dutch hits from that decade: That day by the Golden Earring(s), Russian spy and I by the Hunters, and I see your face again by Sandy Coast. The informative booklet explains the connection: their bass player Ron Jenkins was married to a Dutch girl and picked up these songs via her. All in all, an important CD from a historical point of view, but not one you need to have in your collection. 

 

Quote by Thomas A. Edison : To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
 

 A Man is Interesting by Kelly Harms

The debut album of the young Vancouver based singer/song writer Kelly Harms is a fascinating one. Sounding like a cross between Alanis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan, Kelly is equally at home in tender ballads and rocking songs. Fifteen high quality self-penned gems all around the theme of broken relationships - but she is not pining after what might have been, just shrugs her shoulders and moves on. The sixteenth song is a fascinating cover of Garbage's Cup of coffee - and she gives Shirley Manson a run for her money here! Will this album sell millions? Unfortunately not, especially since in spite of her good looks she has refused to do a video clip for one of her songs. But ten years from now, when the likes of Lady Gaga will have been reduced to a footnote in music history, people will still be playing Kelly Harms. 

 

Quote by Marlene Dietrich: Without tenderness, a man is uninteresting.

 

 

The Universe is Winning by Hispanic Paradox

 

We have had four cellos combining to play metal music to great effect in the band Apocalyptica, and now we have eight king-size synthesizers in the band Hispanic Paradox combining to play space music to, well, not quite as great effect. This octet from San Jose plays it safe on their first CD, and selected well-known space songs to cover with their electronic beasts: the likes of David Bowie's Space Oddity, Pink Floyd's Interstellar overdrive, Elton John's Rocket man and Radiohead's Paranoid Android. The inclusion of a medley of Star Wars themes also is hardly surprising, and the only perhaps more striking choice is an amalgamation of classical music themes as used in 2001 A Space Odyssey, from Strauss to Ligeti. The end result is always somewhat entertaining, but honestly too much to take in one session. Pick and choose, and put 1 or 2 on the MP3 player.

 

Quote by Rick Cook: Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.
 

 

The Shame of Art by Knockatallon

 

Would you expect that the next big thing in Death Metal would come from Ireland? Well, the five young men (age 20-22) who named themselves after their home town of Knockatallon might be just that. Their concerts in Ireland and the UK have been sold-out for the past year, and they finally released their debut album last week. The shame of art is not an eye opener, but for fans of this death grunt style metal, a must hear. Best songs: Cadaver, and the album closer, a flabbergasting version of Genesis' Blood on the rooftops.

 

Quote by Izaak Walton: Those little nimble musicians of the air, that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them to the shame of art. 

 

 Art for Art's Sake by Delgado 

A fascinating experiment. Delgado, a successful progressive rock band from Bilbao, Spain, have released a concept album unlike any other for their fifth studio CD. They have taken seven UK chart hits from the seventies, made by artists who flirted with prog but never fully got there, and gave these songs a full-blown prog rock treatment - none of these covers last under 10 minutes. And no matter which one you try, you have to admire their musicality and good taste - and enjoy the result. On this album you will find their versions of 10CC's Art for art's sake, Bowie's Heroes, ELO's Rockaria!, Queen's Somebody to love, Supertramp's Dreamer, Roxy Music's Angel eyes, and Alan Parsons Project's Lucifer. My favourite record of recent months.

 

Quote by E.M. Forster: Works of art, in my opinion, are the only objects in the material universe to possess internal order, and that is why, though I don't believe that only art matters, I do believe in Art for Art's sake . 

I could not believe my eyes that this one actually came up.....

 

 

Copyright statement: all imaginary album covers are based on my own photographs. Copyright Hennie Schaper.

The compositions of Franz Schubert

Franz Peter Schubert (31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast oeuvre, including more than 600 secular vocal works (mainly lieder), symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music, and a large body of piano and chamber music. He died at the age of 31, the cause officially attributed to typhoid fever, but believed by some historians to be syphilis. Appreciation of Schubert's music, while he was alive, was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in Vienna, but interest in his work increased greatly in the decades following his death. Today, Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers in the history of Western music and his work continues to be admired (from Wikipedia).

 

As with all posts dedicated to one composer, I will select my 12 favourite works, listed in chronological order. All depicted CD's are from my own collection.

Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished", D759 (1822)

Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished", D.759, was left in an unfinished state in 1822. The first two movements were completed and there were sketches of a third - but the manuscripts were abandoned by the composer and the publisher, until they resurfaced in 1860. It was finally recognized that the first two movements make a perfectly satisfying symphony, and any attempts to complete it have been unsatisfactory and unnecessary. The version shown above is by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields under Neville Marriner on a Philips CD.

Moments musicaux, D.780 (1823)

Six moments musicaux, D. 780, is a collection of six short pieces for solo piano. It has rightly become a staple in the piano concerto repertoire. Little known fact: they were originally published in a misspelled version as Momens musicals. The version shown above is by Daniel Barenboim on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.

Die Schöne Müllerin, D.795 (1823)

Die Schöne Müllerin, D.795, is a song cycle for voice and piano. The cycle consists of twenty songs on texts by Wilhelm Müller, about a young man wandering happily through the countryside, falling and failing in love with a miller's beautiful daughter, and taking his own life, in typical romantic fashion  It is the earliest extended song cycle to be widely performed. The version shown above is by Fritz Wunderlich and Hubert Giesen on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.

Octet in F major, D. 803 (1824)

The Octet in F major, D. 803 was composed by Franz Schubert in March 1824. This work in six movements, scored for clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello, and double bass, is one of his longer works, taking about an hour to perform. It is my personal favourite chamber music composition for seven or more players. The version shown above is by the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble on a Chandos CD.

String Quartet No. 13 "Rosamunde", D. 804 (1824)

String Quartet No. 13 "Rosamunde", D. 804 is one of his two 'named' late string quartets that are generally considered to be among the best ever composed in the genre. The name "Rosamunde" refers to the use of a theme from his music for the play of the same name. This is not a sunny work, as he was already coming down with ailments at the time, but it is very moving and beautiful. The version shown above is by the Quartetto Italiano on a Philips CD.

String Quartet No. 14 "Death and the Maiden", D. 810 (1824)

String Quartet No. 14 "Death and the Maiden", D. 810, is the second one of his two 'named' late string quartets that are generally considered to be among the best ever composed in the genre. The name "Death and the Maiden" refers to the use of the opening theme from his song of the same name. Even more than the Rosamunde Quartet, this work illustrates Schubert's sympathy, perhaps even longing, for death. The version shown above is by the Takacs Quartet on a Hyperion CD.

Arpeggione sonata, D.821 (1824)

The Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor, D. 821, is the only substantial composition for the arpeggione (which was essentially a bowed guitar) extant today. Given the lack of functioning arpeggiones (and arpeggione players), it has become common practice to use a cello instead, although I also have a viola version. The version shown above is by Maria Kliegel and Kristin Merscher on a Naxos CD.

String Quartet No. 15, D.887 (1826)

The String Quartet No. 15 in G major, D. 887, was the last quartet written by Franz Schubert in June 1826 (from Wiki)The work focuses on lyrical ideas and explores far-reaching major and minor modes, which was uncommon to this degree in his compositions. Schubert reinforced this with a range of dynamic contrast and use of texture and pizzicato. (from Wiki). It is not an easy piece to appreciate, but well worth the effort. The version shown above is by The Verdi Quartett on a Hänssler CD.

Winterreise, D.911 (1827)

Winterreise, D.911, is a song cycle for voice and piano. The cycle consists of twenty four songs on texts by Wilhelm Müller, about a young man traveling through a winter landscape, lost in more ways than one. A dramatic and complex work, resigned and incredibly bleak, it is widely seen as the best song cycle of all time. More information can be found in the excellent Wikipedia article. The version shown above is by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.

Impromptus, D.899/935 (1827)

Although formally split in two sets of four, the Impromptus were composed in the same year and usually performed together, so I decided to list them as one entry. The name Impromptus was given by the publisher, not by the composer. These works contain some of the most haunting melodies by Schubert, and remain ever popular, including frequent use in movies. The version shown above is by Radu Lupu on a Decca CD.

Piano Trio No. 1, D.898 (1828)

The Trio No. 1 in B-flat major for piano, violin, and cello, D. 898, was composed in the last year of his life. It is a stunning 40-minutes work that in many ways foreshadows the masterpieces of Brahms for this ensemble. The version shown above is by the Florestan Trio on a Hyperion CD.

String Quintet, D. 956 (1828)

The String Quintet, D. 956, is sometimes called the "Cello Quintet", because Schubert chose to add a second cello to the regular string quartet, rather than a second viola as Mozart and Beethoven did. Schubert completed it just two months before his death. It is generally regarded as one of the pinnacles of chamber music - it certainly is for me. The version shown above is by the Amadeus Quartet and Robert Cohen on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.

Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use.

The Art of Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch (12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter, who painted in a rather personal style hovering between post-impressionism and expressionism. His best known work, The Scream (1893), has become an iconic image, and I decided not to include it in this post, focusing instead on other, less famous, works. The above image is a self portrait 'in the clinic' from 1909.

Beach (1888)

There are a few themes that are often recurring in Munch's oeuvre - the beach (with or without people) is one of them. This is one of the first where was finding his own style.

Summer night, Inger on the beach (1889)

Another one on the same theme, this time including a model, Munch's youngest sister. I first came across this image as a CD cover for songs by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg in the version of Anne Sofie von Otter, soprano, and Bengt Forsberg, piano.

Melancholy (1894)

Two recurring themes in one painting: the beach scenery and the feeling of melancholy. This painting exists in a number of versions, and has been hailed as the the first Symbolist painting by a Norwegian artist.

The Girls on the Bridge (1901)

Another frequent theme: girls on a bridge, and this bridge in particular. Several of my favourite Munch paintings can be found within this series, but for sake of variety, this is the only one I selected.

Garden in Lübeck (1903)

A souvenir from a trip to the German Hanseatic city Lübeck. This one of the most joyful paintings in his repertoire.

Shore with Red House (1904)

Back to the Norwegian shores - literally. A straightforward scenery with the red of the house less eye catching than one would expect. And yet I like this a lot.

Two Girls under an Apple Tree in Bloom (1905)

Capturing a moment of bliss for these girls in a garden, dressed (I think) in traditional Norwegian costumes. 

Elgersburg (1905)

Another trip to Germany. Elgersburg is a small village in Thuringia, near Erfurt. I like the unorthodox use of colours, ad the inclusion of the figures, which reminds me of Werefkin's work.

Man and Woman on the Beach (1907)

Another beach scene. Depicting couples is a rather rare occurrence in Munch's work, and if he does it, they usually do not like very happy. Perhaps this is related to his own life - he never married.

 

 

Melancholy (1911)

 

Melancholy is back on the menu for this one. I always thought that psychologists could deduce a lot about Munch's mental state from his works.

 

Man in the Cabbage Field (1916)

A theme Van Gogh could have tackled, although of course the styles are different. Notone of his most famous paintings, but I like it a lot.

Starry Night (1924)

Closing out with another painting that reminds one of Van Gogh, even including the title. The contrast between the French and Norwegian setting is immense though.

Copyright statement: images all in public domain.

Vintage Coffee or Tea Posters

Vintage advertisement posters are much sought after, and have been recognized for their artistic merit as well giving us a chance to look at days gone by. There have even been dedicated exhibitions of such posters in art museums. I like these nostalgic images and will post a few grouped per theme. Today's theme is "coffee or tea". The image above is created via Photofunia and is free from copyright issues.

Cafe Jacamotte (1896)

Kicking off with an Art Nouveau beauty for the Cafe Jacamotte in Brussels. This poster was designed by Fernand Toussaint.

Bitter Oriental (1897)

Art Nouveau with some Asian influences. This poster for the alcoholic drink Bitter Oriental somehow shows up in many searches for vintage tea posters, so I'll leave it here (possibly it was regularly served in tearooms). It was created by Belgian illustrator Henri Privat-Livemont.

Italian Coffee (1900's?)

For this Italian poster, I can not even identify the product it is selling - the text translates as "Coffee, Espresso, Instant Service. I like it a lot so I include it anyway. Taking a stab at the dating - first decade of the century?

Marco-Polo (1910's?)

Marco-Polo was a tearoom in Munich. I could not find any information on this poster - I would date it roughly in the 1910's, but I could be way off.

Chocolate Amatller (1914)

Although the poster is for chocolates by this Spanish company, the girl is enjoying them with a cup of coffee, so it fits today's theme. The posted was designed by Rafael de Penagos.

Van Nelle Tea (1920)

Van Nelle is a Dutch tea brand that is still going strong today - I can hear their jingle in my head as I am typing this. As a Dutchman the old-fashioned formulation and spelling of "Vraagt Uwen Winkelier" (Ask your shop owner) brings a smile to my face.

Café Martin (1921)

A poster to advertise Turkish coffee in the Parisian Café Martin. As the text says: beware of copies! The posted was created by illustrator Leonetto Cappiello.

Horniman's Teas (1926)

Horniman was a tea trading and blending business. founded in 1826, and the brand can still be obtained  in parts of the world. This poster, designed by H. Banks, is a blend of Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles.

French Roast Coffee (1930s?)

Another rather obscure generic coffee poster, style-wise most likely from the 1930s. I have also seen similar patterns with some colour changes advertising specific coffee places in France.

L. Voisin (1935)

An advertisement for L. Voisin Coffee and Chocolates (whether it is a manufacturer or a coffee place I don't know). The poster was designed by Noel Saunier.

Kanis & Gunnink (1947)

Sporting a smiling Dutch girl in traditional costume, this is a rare vintage poster that has a connection with our home town of Kampen. Kanis & Gunnink used to produce coffee and tea here, and I still remember their TV advertisements in the seventies, when they were among the biggest selling coffee brands in the Netherlands. 

Indian Coffee (1950)

To finish today's post, I selected this one for Indian Coffee. I found it very charming in its simplicity. And it took me longer than I care to admit to figure out what the XL stands for.....

Copyright statement: posting lower quality vintage advertisement posters is deemed fair use.