Nostalgia of the Future

Düssledorf, the capital of the North Rhine-Westphalia, second only to Frankfurt for international and financial importance in Germany. Twinned with Reading, Berkshire. Also - the most important City in 1970s rock history. Local chaps Kraftwerk changed the way music is made: but they started off as an organic group with a drummer and a guitarist. The former, Klaus Dinger, late of 1966 garage- punks The No is the most unsung and important man in rock music of the time, influencing Bowie, Johnny Rotten, Talking Heads and Brian Eno. Once he’d got fed-up playing drums with Kraftwerk (on their first LP and touring it) he linked up with gentle soul Michael Rother (the afroementioned guitarist) and studio avatar and minimalist Conny Plank in NEU! for three of the most fascinating, cold, modern, City-scape, super-human LPs that there’s been. Best listened to while tavelling on public transport: lose your self in that Motorik beat as the City glides by, certain of itself but unknowing of your presence…

 We shall return to Dinger and Düssledorf again soon.. Billy Reeves

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The moustache can amuse, disturb and challenge, simply because it’s outré. The soup-strainer is a backwater-icon of pop and jazz as well as Film Noir and Edwardian Professional Footballers. My favourite ‘tache is the Ronald Colman-style matinée idol, sported by my dear chum Martin Koerner from London’s charming literate pop group Marcel. So, with said group supporting the legendary David Devant & His Spirit Wife this week in London, it’s time for Marty to play us the best ‘taches in pop! (or should that be the best pop played by chaps with ‘taches..?) Anyhoo, I’m Billy Reeves and I have ‘tache envy.

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Bonjour, je m’appelle Billy Reeves. The Serge Gainsbourg biopic is out now (in France) ‘ entitled La Vie Heroique (naturellement). So, as promised here’s the fabulous Will Kane from ‘World Of Kane’ (worldofkane.blogspot.com) to help us merely scratch the surface of Gainsbourg’s music career. And where better for us two Francophile groovers to chat, but at L’institute Francais in central London  - over a glass of Bordeaux. So whether you are a Gainsbourg expert or a beginner (or indeed intermediate), listen to some vignettes from his vie heroique and swoon to his unique chanson. 2010, annee erotique!

Aural issue: the third song: ‘Mr William’ goes a bit funny. Not sure why, will try to mend..it’s all OK after that

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To ease me, Billy Reeves into ‘entry level’ Prog from my Mod Ivory Tower I asked my chums to Facebook and email me the following:  .. “short tracks by artistes that would be filed under ‘Prog’, but when listened to without knowing this would seem to be English Whimsical Pop or as sexy as the best Dusseldorfian Krautrock - and when one finds out who it’s by one feels a bit dirty”. ..And I got lots of response: things I’d never heard, so my chum David ‘The Mozzer’ Morison checked them to see if they fitted the remit - so I’m hearing these for the first time - without prejudice! Do the same, it’s fun.. 

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It’s Elvis’s 75th birthday this week, so I, Billy Reeves have dug out some recordings which the King covered: yes, it’s the originals. We hear Leiber & Stoller’s first production gig, from the man who played Cledus in Smokey & The Bandit, The Drifters, Sister Rosetta Tharp, the man who invented ‘Swamp Rock’ and a tune from Jesse Stone, one of the 10 most important people in the history of rock ‘n’ roll (what d’y mean you never heard of him? Well, watch out because you get practically Mr Stone’s life-story herein!) And what with this being Not-er-fer, of course you get not one but two French Chanson which were later recorded by Elvis. Happy Birthday, Mr Presley!

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Billy Reeves here. At NotF we’re not afraid of the other formats. Mini-disc, cylinder, 8-track cartridge, it’s all the same to us; if the music is, erm, unusual thereon. When we were kids the Flexi-disc was the happening way of giving away free music, extra tracks and to get you to groove to the advertising jingle. So, to take us through the dangerous folded-up crackly world of the Flexi here’s my good mate and fellow Brentford FC supporter Graham ‘Sultan of Sound’ Clark (in his first broadcast interview) to pleasure us with the ultra-rare and the unloved boot-sale oddity. FRUG to the sound of Smiths Crisps! SING with the rock-a-boogie birthday card! TWIST To the sounds of MAD! Magazine - and be honoured at the first spin outside of Uncle Bob’s (courtesy of Miss JT) yes, it’s Stock Car Racing Is Magic…!

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Everybody, come on, get on down! Disco was THE musical phenomenon of the 70s: punk may be written about more but in the dank, grey England of the 3-day week we wanted to boogie. And there was a thriving home-made scene to feed the clubs and the record shops. You will shake your groove thing to the finest exponents of the British Hustle in this, your Not-er-fer for New Year’s Eve! You’ll hear how mod musicians turned to funk during the tragic tale of the early line-up of Average White Band, of the influence of African Highlife in Osibisa; of the great Anglo-Indian genius Biddu: and find out what the Brit-funkers did afterwards (winning Crufts and furthering the career of Michael Jackson, mainly). You may know that Saturday Night Fever was based on a story about a London mod and had it’s soundtrack written by the British Bee Gees, now hear what else the British Disco scene had to offer. Can you feel the FORCE?

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Hello. As the windows of the Newley suite frost over it’s time to give you part 2 of the Solstice NotF (pronounced Not-er-fer in an attempt to rip off Richard Herring’s ‘AIOTM’ and sound a bit ‘young’). And, as you’re busy around Xmas yet don’t want to miss out on your NotFs (Not-er-fers) the music’s been skillfully programmed so you can listen to it at any time of the year! Festive felicitations, your chum, Billy Reeves.

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RING OUT! Yuletide, the season to be jolly, 21st December, the holiest night of the year - as it is the shortest day. From here the days shall be getting longer and the sleeping trees shall come back to life - rejoice with those solstice bells!

Part 2 comes later in the week as we head into the Christ-mass area…

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Hello. As I sit in the Newley Suite I watch the last leaf fall from the trees, and the garden is blanketed with decay. I should get the rake out and tidy them up: but no! I am instead incited by ennui to play you 24 versions of my favourite song (and a song written about my favourite song) in 45 minutes. Autumn Leaves started as a French chanson and has become an integral part of the great American songbook and a jazz standard. It’s beautiful lyric combined with a simple chord sequence: a ’round of fifths’ so allows for many interpretatons. We hear from the crooners, the jazzers, the mods and the country superstars. Pour a hot toddy, lean back and have a good old yearn….

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