Dead Rabbit, Outer Hebrides 2006

Return to Summerisle for a musical Wicker sequel (one probably making more sense than Wicker Man II – yes it exists, yes it was written by Tony Shaffer, yes it was bonkers. Being molested by tree gods and throwing people off cliffs with eagles attached to them? Anyone?).

This time returning to focus on the contemporary possible inspirations for the Wicker Man soundtrack, and some later music I think has been influenced by either the soundtrack or the related music of that time, music that contains the same love for early music or combines the same mixture of acid/psychedelic/freak folk mixed with a more uneasy dread or pagan longing.

Unlike the last show a lot of high conjecture (it might all have been Carport Convention and Inedible String Band for all I know! ) so I throw in speech and music from the original film as well as some amazing modern day covers.

I forgot to say these sources of information and inspiration:

1. The Music of the Wicker Man – brilliant article and the last show heavily leant on (ie stole) this information – hope you don’t mind!
2. Inside the Wicker Man: How Not to Make a Cult Classic (excellent book – most ‘interviews’, ‘documentaries’, ‘new information’ and ‘shocking exposes’ are seemingly this book reheated/nicked – it’s a good read despite having heard a lot of the info from elsewhere, not the books fault as this seems to be the source for all of that)
3. Wiki Man (lol)
4. Gary Carpenter – Setting the Score – interesting info especially about the Trunk release, although in fairness I have to link their response and without the Trunk release being successful there would be no other versions or anything to kvetch about. Also I think the legalities of performance fees are now very different from 1973.
5. Burnt Offerings – Cult of the Wicker Man
6. Wicker Man Enigma – both on the DVD
7. A Darker Shade of Pagan – Wicker Man posts

Phew I think that’s all! You probably can’t hear it in the shows with all the umming and erring, but I did an uncommon amount of research on this one.

he now wears cuckold’s horns, and they’re growing full, pushing through the soil (88Mb, 97Min)

Tracklist:

• Paul Giovanni – Beetle
• The Pentangle – Light Flight
• Forever Children – Merry Go-Round
• Paul Giovanni – Fire Leap
• Vashti Bunyan – Here before
• Wendy & Bonnie – By The Sea
• Linda Perhacs – (Hey Now) Who Really Cares?
• Forest – Graveyard
• Turid / Song
• Paul Giovanni – Lullaby
• Doves – Willow’s Song
• Sneaker Pimps – Johnny
• Willow’s Song (Hammer sandwich mix) – Spacedog
• Fleet Foxes – Silver Dagger
• Midlake – We Gathered In Spring
• Paul Giovanni – Hum
• The Low Anthem – Ticket Taker
• Paul Giovanni – Approach
• Mudboy – Solitron Wave
• The Leisure Society – The Last Of The Melting Snow
• Paul Giovanni – Appointment With The Wicker Man
• Wild Beasts – His Grinning Skull
• Paul Giovanni – Sunset
• Paul Giovanni – Festival / Mirie It Is / Sumer Is A-Cumen In

Those B-boys and DJs should look on in awe to the moves and scenes in this 1977 Granada documentary – for in the late 60′s and 70′s at places like Wigan Casino kids were getting down and dancing amazing moves (some of which are seen now as b-boy breakdancing staples) all night without alcohol and mostly no aggro – and I’m thinking pretty queer-friendly with the likes of Ian Levine DJing on the scene – hyped up on amphetamines and Northern Soul – rare-groove Motown and forgotten 60′s 7″ soul records like Gloria Jones ‘Tainted Love’ – and was a precursor of the later house and rave scenes – indeed many DJs and other music folk started in that scene (most famously Dave Ball of Soft Cell, Norman Cook, Mike Pickering, Pete Waterman, Russ Winstanley and Ian Levine). Northern Soul also had a big influence in DJing – not just in the UK but the concept of building up and breaking it down flow which came more and more important, especially in the later house and rave scenes.

As the guy describes in this video:

‘I think there’s something wrong with the world really, to get enjoyment out of life during their teens and twenties people do have to build more or less an alternative society just to enjoy th’selves because they can’t within the normal channels. They can’t go the normal Mecca/Tiffany’s circuit and enjoy it because it’s just not an enjoyable experience’

Doesn’t that describe just as much the later rave and mashup scenes just as much as punk or northern soul? Thanks to Scott Cairo for pointing me in the direction of this video.

An aside at 9:32 – John used to do that, sell Socialist Worker on the streets at that time. I had to do a doubletake

I mean Slayer vs Jean Jacques Perrey*, what’s there NOT to like? Bonus – it also annoys Disney, and I’m thinking there’s quite a bit of US imperialist globalist war criticism in this juxtaposition too. Good work g3rst!

* the music used by Disney for the Mainstreet Electrical Parade is originally by Jean Jeacques Perrey – Baroque Hoedown…he didn’t even know til he took a trip to Disneyland and heard his own music!

I posted this clip over a week ago, and it seems it has become an internet sensation – rightly so as it’s so funny yet so joyous – and the singer’s rather odd Botox-style smile and plastic fixed expression is mesmeric. It now has it’s own website Facebook fanpage and name (they call him Trololololololololololo and even copycats have popped up). But who is he?

Well a little Google Translate on the original clip reveal the subject to be ‘I am very glad, because I’m finally back home’ and the info to be ‘The original clip. Singer Edward Gil’ – now searching on the latter comes on this website with this other, wonderfully cheesy video:

And doesn’t this sound familiar (same set and all) – must be from the same show as Trololo, and I suspect ‘Moon Stone’ – it’s ‘Woodcutters’ by the same composer, that’s why:

And another song by the ‘Trolololo’ songwriter Arkady Ostrovsky, a song called ‘Moon Stone’ – holy green-screen Batman!

Turns out the man is Eduard Anatolyevich Khil (or sometimes Gil or Hill) born September 4 1934 in Smolensk, known for several songs (look at the website link above for a list) and is part of a band with his son called Prepinaki.

The song that’s the viral hit is indeed called ‘I Am So Happy to Finally Be Back Home’ and “is an Ostrovskii composition, meant to be sung in the vokaliz style, that is to say sung, but without words”.

Oh in more modern times, with his sons as Prepinaki, it seems Trololololololo man has gone all gypsy drum and bass

Also digging using the cyrillic for ‘vokaliz’ found what is the precursor to trololololo man – it’s a cover?

or maybe that was a cover of this:

And Benny Hill on acid meets Trololololo?:

The mystery deepens…and I suddenly want to hear more strange joyous Russian scat musics…

*well blog post, like the BBC we’re cutting back.

After the ‘wonder’ of Shine, now we have another ‘musical’ selection courtesy of Robert Popper’s wonderful and funny blog.

As I said in my post about Shine – just singing/playing badly doesn’t cut it anymore in this era of Guitarband and autotune and kids messing around on YouTube and people intentionally playing badly. No you have to try hard and be almost certifiably deluded in your own ability, and have a video that is not badly shot, it’s attempting something else and failing utterly.

As a fan of ‘bad music’ or ‘outsider music’ it’s harder and harder to come by as the post-modernists and internet holds up a mirror to people – but nice to see some soldier on unwittingly and unknowingly, like X-Factor auditionists.

Talking of X-Factor (or American Idol in this case) exhibitauditionistas producing high-quality car crash entertainment:

In this JEdward World, he’ll probably *snap* go a long way…

Next up – Crystal Swing, the mother/daughter/son team that not only have a magical invisible drummer and guitarist, play the wrong notes on the keyboard and talk dirty in Spanish to EACH OTHER. WRONG. This is what they apparently get up to in Cork…so famous it inspired a drag queen takeoff

‘Pardon me’? I don’t think even the Pope could get you out of that shit. Has become a meme, so the legendary Maxine Swaby has been re:re:re:re:re:re:’d to death and shown up by 6 year old Esme who can sing better. And now – with rabbits! AAARGH THE RECURSION!

Lori Watts ‘Chill in my Veins’ does this, and provides a chill (sort of a blackboard back of neck thing) in every way. Is she looking for track marks? Also check out the literalism – that’s a common thing in these videos

Suzi Cramp lingers. On your finger. I’d call the police if I were you…

And this is a class music video – one of those miming ones, with of course the same ‘throw them all in’ approach to video effects. But is it me or is a 50 year old miming about the 16 year old angel next door say more ‘Police scene do not cross’ rather than ‘sweet’?

Finally the YouTube classic – the appallingly bad cam video. Tend to avoid these as we all do stupid shit on the internet right? But sometimes it’s so bad it goes beyond just embarassing.

This guy really can beatbox, Honestly.

Oh and more bad rap nonsense…worst rap duo ever? Best bit him trying to do the robot. And yes that was a little weak…talking about throwing your thumbs didn’t improve it either *facepalm*

SUPER…DOOOOOD. If super suddenly means retarded, yes.