Music is a really useful distraction at the moment, a good displacement activity. Some of it genuinely helpful, a balm of some kind (or respite from tinnitus), and some of it just allows my mind to go elsewhere for a while. Later on of course it all suddenly crashes back in unexpectedly and you're crying while eating your tea.
Two long mixes to take you/ me elsewhere on 23rd December. First, last month's edition of God's waiting Room, David Holmes' monthly visit to NTS radio. David is a star. This month's two hour show takes in everything from the cinematic sounds of Pierre Barouh, psychedelic folk and off kilter 60s pop to Don Cherry, African Head Charge, Daniel Avery and Chris Carter, a wealth of sounds from around the globe and at the end Sault and Group Zero. You can listen here and the tracklist is here.
Meanwhile over at The Rotating Institute on Soho Radio Justin Robertson takes the controls for two hours of fun starting with Tangerine Dream and scooping up a chugging, shuffly, psychedelic and cosmische selection with tracks from the likes of Jezebel, Mugwump, Komodo, Pye Corner Audio, Jas Shaw, Tokyo Offshore Project and Curved Light before finishing with the latest release on Golden Lion Sounds, the label running out of The Golden Lion in Todmorden- the B-side of the forthcoming 7" is from The Summerisle Trio, a three-piece comprised of Sean Johnston, Duncan Grey and Sarah Rebecca and their cover of Willow's Song from The Wicker Man. 21st century psychedelic folk- it'll make perfect sense when you hear it. Listen to Justin's mix here.
Willow's Song in the film The Wicker Man was written by Paul Giovanni and played by Magnet (there's some dispute about who sang it). Willow (Britt Ekland) sings it to Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward, the actor not the useless chief executive at Manchester United). Haunting, lilting, slightly trippy and somewhat entrancing.
5 comments:
Thanks for giving me all the excuse I needed to listen to Willow's Song for the first time in ages. Of course, that took me to Wikipedia to read more about the "who sung it" debate, and that led me to a cover by Sing-Sing, featuring former Lush guitarist Emma Anderson. The cover is pretty faithful and, I think, quite compelling in its own way; it's here.
I'm sure I read somewhere that Britt Eckland couldn't carry a tune in a bucket so they knew someone else would have to sing it and Eckland would lip-synch in the film. As well as having a body double for the nude shots...
Willow's Song (and the original film of course!) are just so excellent. I'd also like to proffer another great cover version by Sneaker Pimps ('How Do').
Excellent mixes from Messrs. Holmes and Robertson, as usual.
I probably first saw The Wicker Man as part of Alex Cox's Moviedrome series on BBC2 (was that the late 80s?), but I also got to see it on the big screen years later at a local arts cinema. A friend lent me the soundtrack about 10 years after that and Willow's Song has always captivated me. I've generally loved the multitude of cover versions, too.
When I bought The Go! Team's 2nd album, Proof Of Youth, in 2007 there was a bonus CD with their take on the song. Despite my expectations, it turned out to be a surprisingly faithful version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j1KEvmqZpk
The cover version suggestions are all good, thanks everyone.
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