KATIE MELUA: "The Ultimate Collection"

Original released on CD Digipak BMG 538433672

(EU 2018, October 5)

Divas Cantam Caetano

b.s.o. almodóvar

Original released on Double CD EMI 50999 5 1 2859 2 0

(MEXICO 2007, December 4)

¿Qué tienen en común Caetano Veloso, Manzanita y Miguel de Molina? Lo mismo que Chavela Vargas y Sara Montiel con Los Panchos: Pedro Almodóvar. Estos nombres y muchos otros han prestado su voz al director en las bandas sonoras de sus películas y ahora quedan reunidos en "B.S.O. Almodóvar". El disco recoge la esencia de la filmografía del realizador de "Todo sobre mi madre". «Las canciones en mis películas son parte esencial del guión, una especie de voz en of musical que explica, desvela secretos y enriquece la acción donde aparece», escribe Pedro Almodóvar en el libreto de "B.S.O. Almodóvar", un doble CD que recoge 29 canciones de sus filmes elegidas por el manchego. «En esta banda sonora recopilatoria de las canciones que han aparecido en mis películas hay de todo, y sobre todo intérpretes geniales (con la excepción de un servidor berreando el divertimento que lleva por título "Gran Ganga")», explica Almodóvar. «Impera el eclecticismo, hay mucho desgarro, pero también hay pop ligero, incluso 'disco music', y ternura y emoción a raudales».

 

Toda la filmografía 'almodovariana' está representada por artistas «en la cima de su talento y cantando temas inspiradísimos», según la opinión del director. Es una mirada diferente y fundamental hacia su cine a través de la música porque estas canciones «tienen una función dramática y narrativa, y son tan descriptivas como los colores, la luz, los decorados o los diálogos». Cantantes que, afirma Almodóvar, «he tenido la suerte de que me acompañaran y enriquecieran mi vida y mi cine, y me gustaría compartirlos con vosotros y que los disfrutárais tanto como yo».

DISCO 1:

1. Tajabone (Ismaël Lo, 1996) 

"Todo Sobre Mi Madre"

2. Cucurrucucú Paloma (Caetano Veloso, 2002) 

"Hable Con Ella"

3. Luz de Luna (Chavela Vargas, 1991) 

"Kika"

4. Tonada de Luna Llena (Caetano Veloso, 1994) 

"La Flor de Mi Secreto"

5. Ne Me Quitte Pas (Maysa Mataraso, 1966) 

"La Ley del Deseo"

6. Lo Dudo (Los Panchos, 1953) 

"La Ley del Deseo"

7. Espérame en el Cielo (Mina, 1981) 

"Matador"

8. La Bien Pagá (Miguel de Molina, 1957) 

"Que He Hecho Yo Para Merecer Esto?"

9. Quizás, Quizás, Quizás (Sara Montiel, 1963) 

"La Mala Educación"

10. Soy Lo Prohibido (Olga Guillot, 1993) 

"Trailer Para Amantes de lo Prohibido"

11. Puro Teatro (La Lupe, 2006) 

"Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios"

12. Soy Infeliz (Lola Beltrán, 1969) 

"Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios"

13. Por Toda a Minha Vida (Elis Regina e António Carlos Jobim, 1974) 

"Hable Con Ella"

14. La Cumparsita (Xavier Cugat, 1946) 

"Kika"

15. Las Espigadoras (La Rosa del Azafrán) (F. Delta, 1962) 

"Volver"

DISCO 2:

1. Un Año De Amor (Luz Casal, 1991) 

"Tacones Lejanos"

2. Piensa en Mi (Luz Casal, 1991)

"Tacones Lejanos"

3. En el Último Trago (Chavela Vargas, 1994) 

"La Flor de mi Secreto"

4. Encadenados (Lucho Gatica, 1989) 

"Entre Tiniebles"

5. Sufre Como Yo (Albert Pla, 1995) 

"Carne Tremula"

6. A Good Thing (Saint Etienne, 2005) 

"Volver"

7. Gran Ganga (Almodóvar & McNamara, 1982) 

"Laberinto de Pasiones"

8. Where Is My Man (Eartha Kitt, 1983) 

"Trailer Para Amantes de lo Prohibido"

9. Resistiré (Dúo Dinámico, 1988) 

"Átame"

10. Volver (Estrella Morente, 2006) 

"Volver"

11. El Rosario de Mi Madre (Duquende con Manzanita, 1999) 

"Carne Tremula"

12. Se Nos Rompió el Amor (Bernanda y Fernanda de Utrera, 1990) 

"Kika"

13. Voy (Bambino, 1967) 

"Trailer Para Amantes de lo Prohibido"

14. Cuando Nadie Te Quiera (Bambino, 1964) 
"Trailer Para Amantes de lo Prohibido"

NEIL YOUNG: "Live At Massey Hall, 1971"

Original released on CD Warner Music Canada CDW 43327

(CANADA 2007, March 13)

The second volume of Neil Young's long-promised, suddenly thriving Archives series is "Live at Massey Hall", preserving a 1971 acoustic show at the Toronto venue. Where the first volume captured a portion of Neil's past that wasn't particularly well documented on record - namely, the rampaging original Crazy Horse lineup in its 1970 prime - this second installment may seem to cover familiar ground, at least to the outside observer who may assume that any solo acoustic Young must sound the same. That, of course, is not the case with an artist as mercurial and willful as Young, who was inarguably on a roll in 1971, coming off successes with Crazy Horse, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and his second solo record, 1970's "After the Gold Rush". The concert chronicled on "Live at Massey Hall" finds Neil dipping into these recent successes for material, as he also airs material that would shortly find a home on 1972's "Harvest" in addition to playing songs that wouldn't surface until later in the decade - "Journey Through the Past" and "Love in Mind" wound up on 1973's "Time Fades Away", "See the Sky About to Rain" showed up on 1974's "On the Beach" - and then there's two songs that never showed up on an official Neil Young album: the stomping hoedown "Dance Dance Dance," which he gave to Crazy Horse, and "Bad Fog of Loneliness," which gets its first release here. This is a remarkably rich set of songs, touching on nearly every aspect of Young's personality, whether it's his sweetness, his sensitivity, his loneliness, or even his often-neglected sense of fun. 

True, the latter only appears on "Dance Dance Dance," but that comes as a welcome contrast to the stark sadness of "See the Sky About to Rain." But even if "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" retain their intense sense of menace when stripped of the winding guitar workouts of Crazy Horse, this concert isn't dominated by melancholy: it's a warm, giving affair, built upon lovely readings of "Helpless," "Tell Me Why," "Old Man," and an early incarnation of "A Man Needs a Maid" (here played as a medley with "Heart of Gold") that removes the bombast of the "Harvest" arrangement, revealing the fragile, sweet song that lies underneath. While this concert isn't as freewheeling and rich as Young's studio albums of the early '70s - each record had a distinctive character different from its predecessor, thanks in part to producer David Briggs, arranger/pianist Jack Nitzsche, and Young's supporting musicians, including Crazy Horse or the Stray Gators - it nevertheless captures the essence of Neil Young the singer and songwriter at his artistic peak. That's the reason why this concert has been a legendary bootleg for nearly four decades and why its release 36 years after its recording is so special: it may not add an additional narrative to Neil Young's history, but it adds detail, color, and texture to a familiar chapter of his career, rendering it fresh once more. No wonder Briggs wanted to release this concert as an album between "After the Gold Rush" and "Harvest": it not only holds its own against those classics, it enhances them. ["Live at Massey Hall" was also released as a two-disc set that contained a CD of the show and a DVD containing the same concert in high fidelity audio.] (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

"My Father's Eyes" By ERIC CLAPTON

Across The Universe (OST)

Original released on CD Interscope B0010553-02 

(US, 2007)

    

PETER CINCOTTI: "East Of Angel Town"

Original released on CD Warner Bros

(EU 2007, September 18)

Peter Cincotti's "East of Angel Town" is the vocalist/pianist's first album since his 2004 sophomore effort, "On the Moon". That album found the onetime neo-crooner moving from jazz standards to more contemporary pop-oriented original material. "East of Angel Town" finds Cincotti having fully made the crossover move, and fittingly the album features production by crossover Svengali David Foster as well as Humberto Gatica and Jochem van der Saag. Foster has helmed similar efforts from such genre-bending artists as vocalists Josh Groban and Michael Bublé. That said, neither of those artists has ever gone quite as far toward the pop/rock vein as Cincotti does here. Still displaying a knack for jazz and blues-inflected melodies, Cincotti nevertheless dives headlong into the rock world. Tracks such as the sharp-tongued and urbane leadoff title track, with its hard-edged guitar backgrounds and lyrics detailing the superficial lives of N.Y.C. scenesters, bring to mind the theatrical '70s singer/songwriter pop of both Rupert Holmes and Steely Dan. 

In fact, Steely Dan seem to be the biggest touchstone for Cincotti here. Which isn't to say he rips off them off - on the contrary, as the production on "Angel Town" is so thoroughly modern, you'd never mistake it for classic Steely Dan. Nonetheless, Cincotti's mix of jazz, blues, and crisply drawn singer/songwriter lyrics clearly draws much inspiration from Steely Dan and other eclectic artists of the '70s and '80s, including Elton John and Billy Joel. Keeping in that tradition, it's not just the rockers, but primarily Cincotti's ballads that really stick in your ears, with both "Lay Your Body Down (Goodbye Philadelphia)" and "Cinderella Beautiful" delivering a warm, melancholy afterglow vibe. Similarly, "Man on a Mission" is a perfect soft rock ballad. Taken as a whole, "East of Angel Town" is a somewhat sprawling and stylistically varied pop album that finds Cincotti meandering all over the creative map. However, in the world of crossover singer/songwriter pop that's actually kind of the goal, and in that sense Cincotti is right on course. (Matt Collar in AllMusic)

OST: "Harold and Maude"

Original released on LP Vinyl Films VFR-2007-3

(Special Collector's Edition, 2007)

Um dos grandes trunfos do filme "Harold And Maude / Ensina-me a Viver" foi sem dúvida a sua banda sonora, composta pelas canções de Cat Stevens, na altura a viver o seu apogeu criativo. Essas canções ajustam-se que nem uma luva às imagens, quer através das letras quer musicalmente. E o mais curioso é que a grande maioria foi retirada de dois albuns já existentes no mercado: “Mona Bone Jakon” e “Tea For The Tillerman”, ambos de 1970. As duas únicas novidades, compostas expressamente para o filme foram os temas “Don’t Be Shy” e “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out”.

Dada a edição recente daqueles dois albuns, não foi considerada importante na altura a saída de um novo LP com a inclusão completa das canções que apareciam no filme. Apenas no Japão apareceu uma pequena edição pirata rotulada de banda sonora que rapidamente desapareceu da circulação para desgosto de possíveis coleccionadores. Em meados da década de 80 aqueles dois temas apareceram por fim editados legalmente no 2º Volume dos “Greatest Hits" de Cat Stevens. Mas não era isso que os verdadeiros fãs queriam. Esses queriam uma verdadeira banda-sonora do filme, com as palavras “Harold”, “Maude” e “Soundtrack” estampados na capa.

Tivemos todos de esperar 37 anos, tempo mais do que suficiente para Cat Stevens ter mudado de nome, trocado as luzes da ribalta pelo recolhimento religioso e ter por fim regressado à gravação de novas canções. Mas a espera é capaz de ter valido a pena. Numa altura em que os tempos do vinil estão pouco a pouco a regressar, o aparecimento de uma edição especial para colecionadores nos fins de 2007 representou a concretização de um sonho já muito antigo. A edição foi limitada (apenas 2.500 unidades) pelo que rapidamente se esgotou. Felizmente consegui a minha cópia a tempo (apesar de ter dispendido quatro vezes mais do que o preço "oficial") e ela aqui está, em todo o seu esplendor.

O autor deste projecto chama-se Cameron Crowe, um coleccionador obsessivo de bandas-sonoras e também escritor, director, produtor e arquivista em part-time, que durante os últimos três anos meteu mãos à obra, ajudado pela sua própria editora, a Vinyl Film Records, e também pela Paramount, que produziu o filme. E, claro, contou também com a ajuda do Senhor Yusuf Islam, o regressado Cat Stevens. O resultado é excelente!

Desde logo a inclusão óbvia de todos os temas, incluindo versões alternativas e instrumentais, e prensados em vinil colorido, com oito cores diferentes à escolha (a minha cópia é em rosa claro-escuro, como se pode ver aí em cima). Vem também incluído um single de 7 polegadas com versões demo dos dois temas extras, também impresso em vinil colorido (no meu caso é branco) e acompanhado de uma pequena folha manuscrita com as letras das duas canções. Isto tudo vem inserido num dos lados da dupla capa (gatefold), a qual, no seu interior, apresenta uma montagem fotográfica de uma série de imagens relacionadas com o filme: livros, fotos, bilhetes, contas, singles, posters, enfim, uma autêntica parafernália de “Harold and Maude”.

No outro lado da capa encontra-se um grande envelope onde se pode ler “Harold & Maude Publicity Kit 25 Stills”, que é uma cópia do envelope na altura enviada à imprensa com fotografias para promoção do filme. No interior encontramos um catálogo com 36 páginas, recheado de fotografias originais e com histórias, curiosidades (sabiam que Elton John chegou a ser abordado para o papel principal?) e depoimentos de todos quantos estiveram envolvidos na produção do filme. A finalizar dois posters gigantes, um de Cat Stevens, a preto e branco, e outro com o poster a cores da edição japonesa do filme. Como se referiu atrás, este vinil encontra-se há muito esgotado, podendo apenas adquirir-se a preços exorbitantes (no Ebay encontra-se um único exemplar disponível, por mais de 600€).

(VER CRÍTICA AO FILME AQUI)

Share Your Breakfast With Stacey

Original released on CD Blue Note 5099950161126 

(2007, October 2)

Kent is what men used to call a classy broad. Her elegant fashion sense and understated vocal style make her sound like a woman from another time, an unflappable sophisticate with a warm, slightly world-weary persona. She was born in the United Sates but after a trip to France, she decided to become a jazz singer. In the early '90s she landed in Oxford where she met her husband, musical director/sax player Jim Tomlinson. Tomlinson also produces Kent's albums, and this time out, he composed several charming tunes that sound like potential standards, plus collaborations with lyricist Kazuo Ishiguro, author of "Remains of the Day". Original tunes like "The Ice Hotel" and "I Wish I Could Go Traveling Again" are full of wry humor, and Kent delivers them with her usual effortless grace. "The Ice Hotel" is a samba that talks of forsaking the tropics for a room that keeps the temperature at a "steady five degrees." The ambivalent lyric is perfectly suited for Kent's unassuming style. Is she chiding a lover for his detached demeanor or promising a passionate night that will raise the temperature and put a sizzle in the air? 

It's hard to tell, and with the music is as warm as the lyric is cool, the tune has a delicious tension. "I Wish I Could Go Traveling Again" sounds like the kind of tune Noël Coward used to write, full of urbane humor and references to "overpriced hotels devoid of charm." Its melancholy meditation on lost love is enhanced by John Parricelli's rippling guitar and Graham Harvey's subtle bluesy piano. Kent slows down "What a Wonderful World" making it sound more blue than celebratory. Her wistful phrasing imbues the song with a painful melancholy. On "Hard Hearted Hanna," Tomlinson supplies a brief, breezy solo while Kent sounds sly and impudent, playing up the lyric's over the top humor. "Ces Petits Riens," a Serge Gainsbourg tune, benefits from a percussive arrangement featuring bongos, muted guitar notes, and drummer Matt Skelton's brush work; Kent drops in brief faux trumpet accents. Kent's band provides subtle support throughout. Each player steps out for brief impressive solos, but mainly they lay back and support their boss' unobtrusive style. (in AllMusic)