Showing posts with label Randy Newman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Randy Newman. Show all posts

August 3, 2024

20,000 vinyl LPs 372: Performance Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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Performance soundtrack album 
vinyl LP front cover 
 cover photo by 
photo of album cover by Styrous®


On Monday, August 3, 1970, the film Performance was released in the U.S. It was the first movie Mick Jagger acted in and it was a doozy of a performance by him.        
 
From Wikipedia:
Performance is a 1970 British crime drama film directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, written by Cammell and filmed by Roeg. The film stars James Fox as a violent and ambitious London gangster who, after killing an old friend, goes into hiding at the home of a reclusive rock star (Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones).       

The film was produced in 1968 but not released until 1970, as Warner Bros. was reluctant to distribute the film, owing to its sexual content and graphic violence. 
Ever notice how illicit items become so overwhelming attractive? Way to go Censors! Nothing like the scent of forbidden fruit! Of course the poster for the film subtly oozed a world of sin.      
  
 
Performance - poster
 
 
Then the trailer for the film amped it to Heaven! Or was it Hell? It's frenetic, bizarre & violent at times. Decide for yourself; it's on YouTube llink below).              
 
Performance is a very dark tale about swinging London as the 60s began to decay and explores the relationship between sex and violence that revolted critics and the public. Marlon Brando was originally chosen to play the gangster role that Fox took over.            

The music personnel for the soundtrack is amazing! It featured Ry Cooder, Keith RichardsMick Jagger, Bernard Krause, Jack Nitzsche, Randy Newman and many more. Coder is at his very best.        
 

Performance soundtrack album 
vinyl LP front cover 
 cover photo by 
photo of album cover by Styrous®





it magazine cover - 2018





Rolling Stone magazine cover - 2018






 
Performance soundtrack album 
vinyl LP, side 1 & 2
 cover photo by 
photo of album cover by Styrous®



   
Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
A1 - Randy Newman - Gone Dead Train, vocals by Randy Newman, written by Russ Titelman - 2:55
A2 - Merry Clayton & Bernard Krause* – Performance, vocals by Merry Clayton - 1:47
A3 - Ry Cooder  – Get Away, Guitar [Bottleneck Solo] – Ry Cooder - 2:05
A4 - Ry Cooder – Powis Square Guitar [Bottleneck Solo] – Ry Cooder - 2:23
A5 - Bernard Krause* –    Rolls Royce And Acid - 1:47
A6 - Buffy Sainte-Marie – Dyed, Dead, Red
Vocals, Strings [Mouth Bow] – Buffy Sainte-Marie - 2:32
A7 - Jack Nitzsche – Harry Flowers - 4:00
       
Side 2:
       
B1 - Mick Jagger – Memo From Turner, written by Keith Richards, vocals by Mick Jagger - 4:02
B2 - Ry Cooder & Buffy Sainte-Marie – The Hashishin Dulcimer [Solo] – Ry Cooder, Strings [Mouth Bow Solo] – Buffy Sainte-Marie - 3:35
B3 - The Last Poets – Wake Up, Niggers, written by Alafia Pudim - 2:43
B4 - Bernard Krause* & Merry Clayton–    Poor White Hound Dog
Vocals – Merry Clayton - 2:45
B5 - Bernard Krause* – Natural Magic - 1:37
B6 - Bernard Krause* & The Merry Clayton Singers – Turner's Murder - 4:15
       
Companies, etc.
       
    Record Company – Warner Bros. Inc.
    Copyright © – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
    Mastered At – Artisan Sound Recorders
    Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Santa Maria
       
Credits:
       
    Art Direction – Ed Thrasher
    Bass – Bobby West*
    Conductor – Randy Newman
    Design [Package Design] – Ken Duskin
    Drums – Gene Parsons
    Guitar – Lowell George, Russ Titelman
    Percussion – Milt Holland
    Producer, Arranged By – Jack Nitzsche
    Santoor – Nasser Rastegar-Nejad, Synthesizer [Moog] – Bernard Krause*, written by Jack Nitzsche (tracks: A1 to A7, B2, B4 to B6)
       
Notes:
       
© 1970 -- Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Warner Bros. Records Inc., a subsidiary and licensee of Warner Bros. Inc.
Made in U.S.A.
A Goodtimes Enterprises Production.

Original pressing with green labels.

OST of the movie "Performance" directed in 1968 by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg.
The lyrics of "Memo From Turner" were re-written for this film and therefore different than on the Rollings Stones' Metamorphosis LP from 1975.
According to Colin McCabe (in his book "Performance"), the Moog synthesizer was so new that none were commercially available and a prototype was used for these recordings in 1968 by Bernie Krause.
       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
        
    Matrix / Runout (Label Side A): S39650RE1
    Matrix / Runout (Label Side B): S39651RE1
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A, etched (Variant 1)): BS-2554-A 39650 RE-1 1B
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B, etched (Variant 1)): BS-2554-B 39651 RE-1 1A
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A, etched (Variant 2)): BS-2554 39650 RE-1 A3
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B, etched (Variant 2)): BS-2554. 39651 RE-1 A3
    Matrix / Runout (Runout both sides, stamped (Both Variants)): [logo of Artisan Sound Recorders]

Various – Performance: Original Motion Picture Sound Track
Label: Warner Bros. Records – BS 2554
Format:    Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1970
Genre:    Electronic, Rock, Funk / Soul, Blues, Stage & Screen
Style:    Blues Rock, Acoustic, Abstract, Psychedelic, Soundtrack
         
         
         
        
         
Viewfinder links:        
         
Marlon Brando           
Merry Clayton        
Ry Cooder        
Mick Jagger       
Bernard Krause          
The Last Poets          
Randy Newman           
Keith Richards        
Buffy Sainte-Marie          
        
Net links:        
        
bfi ~ Performance         
The Guardian ~ I Still Don't Understand It        
lecinemadreams.blogspot ~ Performance 1970         
Roger Ebert ~ Performance        
        
YouTube links:        
        
Memo from Turner (Featurette)         
Performance - (Theatrical Trailer)         
Performance PT 10         
Performance links          
         
         
 
 
 
Mick JaggerPerformance film still
 
 
 
 
        
        
Styrous® ~ Saturday, August 3, 2024       
       
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 














Randy Newman articles/mentions

 ~        
      
     
     
mentions:     
Performance      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
date &photographer unknown
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

January 21, 2020

20,000 vinyl LPs 202: Peggy Lee ~ Is That All There Is?

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Peggy Lee ~ Is That All There Is? 
vinyl LP album cover
cover Illustration by William George  
photo of album cover by Styrous®


Eight years ago, on January 21, 2002, one of my favorite singers, Peggy Lee died. On this anniversary of her death, for some reason, I have been wondering if she may have said the words or felt the sentiments of the song she immortalized fifty years ago . . .

           

Peggy Lee ~ Is That All There Is? 
vinyl LP album back cover
cover Illustration by William George  
photo of album cover by Styrous®
 

This may be one of the most depressing songs ever written, however, somehow, there is a quiet, logical beauty to the lyrics (link below) and the cabaret style music á la Kurt Weill with banjo gives it a lightness that perhaps tones it down. The song opens the album, which is very strange as it has always seemed to me it should have come somewhere in the course of it, even, perhaps at the end.     
        

Peggy Lee ~ Is That All There Is? 
vinyl LP album back cover detail
detail photo of album back cover by Styrous®


Is That All There Is? was written by the songwriting team, Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller and is totally out of the character of what they have done. The song was supposedly inspired by the 1896 short story Disillusionment (link below) written by the German novelist, Thomas Mann. It was first offered to and refused by Barbra Streisand and Marlene Dietrich (considering the mood and styling of the song, an obvious choice). After researching Lee's life, which was not the ideal one would hope for, it makes total sense for her to have accepted it and make it her very own.   

It has been covered by many singers with varying interpretations: Chaka Khan, Giant Sand, Sandra Bernhard, John Parish and PJ Harvey who phone it in with an organ dirge, Alan Price, an A cappella version by The Bobs, Firewater with a bouncy New Wave sound, Amanda Lear (German accent and all), The New Standards with a male vocal accompanied by vibraphone, piano and bass. There is an almost comedic New Wave/punk version by Christina and a VERY scary version by The Tiger Lillies. It has even been interpreted into Japanese by Pink Martini and Saori Yuki (links below).   


Peggy Lee ~ Is That All There Is? 
vinyl LP album back cover detail
detail photo of album back cover by Styrous®


The entire album is excellent with interpretations of "regular songs" in the style one had come to expect from Peggy Lee, gentle, sophisticated and always beautiful. Me & My Shadow is the one exception; arranged by Mundell Lowe, it is a charming interpretation of the song written by Billy Rose and Dave Dreyer and made famous by Al Jolson in 1927. It is performed with what sounds like only one-finger playing the keys of a piano to harmonize with her vocal and a bass and brushed snare backup for both. I love her cover of the song.     
          


Peggy Lee ~ Is That All There Is? 
vinyl LP labels, side 1 & 2
photos by Styrous®


Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Is That All There Is?, arranged By, Conductor – Randy Newman, written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller - 4:19

A2 - Love Story, arranged By, Conductor – Mundell Lowe, written by Randy Newman - 3:27

A3 - Me And My Shadow, arranged By, Conductor – Mundell Lowe, written by A. Jolson*, B. Rose*, D. Dreyer* - 3:04

A4 - My Old Flame, arranged By, Conductor – Bobby Bryant, written by Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow - 4:24

A5 - I’m A Woman, arranged By, Conductor – Benny Carter, written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller - 2:07

Side 2:

B1 - Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show, arranged By, Conductor – Mike Melvoin, written by Neil Diamond - 3:00

B2 - Something, arranged By, Conductor – Mike Melvoin, written by George Harrison - 3:14

B3 - Whistle For Happiness, arranged By, Conductor – George Tipton, written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller - 2:25

B4 - Johnny (Linda), arranged By, Conductor – Mundell Lowe, written by Randy Newman - 2:47

B5 - Don't Smoke In Bed, arranged By, Conductor – Mike Melvoin, written by Willare Robinson* - 3:31

Companies, etc.

    Manufactured By – Capitol Records, Inc.
    Record Company – Capitol Industries, Inc.
    Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Scranton

Credits:

    Illustration – William George (3)
    Producer – David Cavanaugh (tracks: A5), Lieber & Stoller* (tracks: A1, A3), Phil Wright (tracks: A2, A4, B1-B5)

Notes:

Green target labels
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (Side 1 etched): ST1-386-B2
    Matrix / Runout (Side 2 etched): ST2-386-A1
    Matrix / Runout (Side 1 & Side 2 stamped): IAM [in a triangle]

Peggy Lee ‎– Is That All There Is?
Label: Capitol Records ‎– ST-386
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: August, 1969
Genre: Jazz, Pop
         
       
         
        
       
Viewfinder links:         
       
Peggy Lee     
Pink Martini        
Is That All There Is? lyrics          
         
Net links:         
   
A number of Young Lovers ~ Disillusionment by Thomas Mann        
Broadway World ~ Is That All There Is? Celebrates 50th Anniversary           
Medium ~ Trump’s Favorite Song         
NY Journal of Books ~ The Strange Life of Peggy Lee          
NY Times ~ Is That All There Is?, a Peggy Lee Biography         
Peggy Lee website              
Simon & Schuster ~ Is That All There Is? The Strange Life of Peggy Lee   
Songfacts ~ Is That All There Is?           
Undiscovered Music ~ The Peggy Lee Classic That’s More Than Enough
Vulture ~ The Story Behind Is That All There Is?           

YouTube links:         
     
Peggy Lee ~     
         Me & My Shadow         
         Is That All There Is?     
         Is That All There Is? (live) 1969    
The Bobs ~ Is That All There Is?
Christina ~ Is That All There Is? 1980           
Firewater ~ Is That All There Is?       
Giant Sand ~ Is That All There is?       
PJ Harvey & John Parish ~ Is That All There Is?               
Chaka Khan ~ Is That All There is?
Amanda Lear ~ Is That All There is?           
Bette Midler ~ Is That All There Is? (live with tears)
The New Standards ~ Is That All There Is?    
Pink Martini & Saori Yuki ~ Is That All There Is?    
The Tiger Lillies ~ Is That All There Is?          
       
     
    
   
       
      Peggy Lee - 1950 
publicity photo
                 
     
            
So, did she say it? 
Will I say it?
I hope not 
   
      
          
         
Styrous® ~ Tuesday, January 21, 2020