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Plays: 52533
Views: 18464 |
Formed: 1952
Official Site: www.myspace.com/steveswindellsspace
iSound Site: www.isound.com/steve_swindells_gb
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| This is 'Demos For The Departed', Steve Swindells' double album of home recordings and studio demos from the mid-80s right up until the present day (recorded using Garage Band on a MAC PRO at home, that's all the newer songs). Steve recently reached #3 most-played on iSound |
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 | Demos For The DepartedNot Rated
Released: 2007
Mp3 Price: $9.99
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This is 'Demos For The Departed', Steve Swindells' double album of home recordings and studio demos from the mid-80s right up until the present day (recorded using Garage Band on a MAC PRO at home, that's all the newer songs). Steve recently reached #3 most-played on iSound and is a multi-talented singer/songwriter/producer/musician and the lead singer in the band DanMingo. He is also musical director of the legendary Hawklords, who recently reformed - www.hawklords.com
Just about everything is played, programmed and sung by SS, apart from the 'ah ah ahs' on 'My Pocket Guru' from Lady Sovereign (2008), the trumpet on Barcelona from Sade's sidekick(who's name, I'm ashamed to say, I've forgotten, well, it was '85 or something), the electric guitars and additional high backing vocals from James (The Korgis) Warren on The Last Chance Saloon and Way To Go (1995) and then all the groovy electric guitars on several more recent tracks (unless it's SS faking it on the keyboards) from the inimitable Jerry Richards. Enjoy!
Steve was/is in space rock band Hawklords, pop band Pilot, and has had two solo albums on major labels: Messages (RCA 1974) and Fresh Blood (Atco/Wea 1980). FResh Blood is being released for the first time on iTunes etc and on CD on July 27th 2009 (http://cherryred.co.uk/atomhenge/product.php?display=ATOMCD1015)
His band DanMingo www.isound.com/danmingo) features some famous musicians and Steve's songs have been covered by Hawkwind, The Who's Roger Daltrey and Lulu, amongst others.
He has collaborated with Jerry Richards on his Earth Lab project, UK rapper Lady Sovereign, R&B singer Christian Karter, Spirits Burning & Bridget Whisart, Loretta Heywood (Bomb The Bass), Shanks (of Shanks & Bigfoot) and the mysterious Wicked Uncle Woo on more funky stuff, along with many other notables, then and now... |
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| Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
Barney Bubbles' Blog... by The Mighty Thunder Rider.
THUNDER RIDER SPEAKS
I'm talking about the Barney Bubbles memorial concert at the Roundhouse and Barney, my inspiration, collaborator and friend.
Some months ago i was involved in organising a memorial, benefit concert for Robert Calvert in Herne Bay, to celebrate Robert's life and his creative work. Featured was a band comprised of people who had worked with Robert:
Steve Swindells, Martin Griffin, Harvey Bainbridge (basically the original Hawklords), plus myself ('The Mighty Thunder Rider' of the original 'Time of the Hawklords' book) and Adrian Shaw, Jerry Richards, Alan Davey, Ron Tree, the lovely Miss Angel, and a guest appearance by Commander Jim Hawkman.
Also included at the event were two of Robert's plays, 'Cattle at Twilight' and 'The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice', performed by The Pentameter Players. The band Maximum Effect also performed. The event was used to raise some money for Robert's wife, Jill Calvert, and was an unqualified success.
Then, a Sunday Implosion Concert at the Roundhouse was mooted, featuring the 'new' Hawklords performing the 2009 version of the original Hawkwind 'Space Ritual', as performed in 1973. I realised that Barney Bubbles had devised and designed the '73 Space Ritual stage show and presentation with Robert, who had conceived the idea. Barney had also realised Robert's concept, by designing the Hawklords album and tour '25 Years On', along with the stage set for Robert's play, 'The Stars that Play with Laughing Sam's Dice'.
A wonderful book called 'Reasons to be Cheerful', about Barney and his fantastic artworks, had been recently put together by Paul Gorman, and i thought that it would be a great idea to make the Roundhouse show into a memorial concert for Barney; to celebrate and highlight Barney's life and wonderful creative works, and bring him to the attention of a wider public. He is an unsung hero of the visual arts, inspiring many current young cutting-edge artists with his work, many of whom have been unaware of who he was.
The Space Ritual '09 would be inspired by Barney's original concept, where the stage and the band were the space ship, and the audience were what powered it to other worlds and dimensions, and incorporating Barney's use of the Pythagorean Music Of The Spheres, where a cord stretches across the cosmos, from base matter at one end, to pure spirit at the other, and revolving upon it were the planets of the Solar System, each producing it's own tone as it hurtled through space, and thus producing the basis for the western scale. Also incorporated would be astrological signs, ruling planets, and corresponding colours of members of The Hawklords, for use in the light-show, visuals and staging. There will also be a performance of Robert's play, with Barney's design, of 'The Stars that Play with Laughing Sam's Dice' by the Pentameter Players, and performances by Quintessence, friends of Barney, for whom he designed album covers, and Amon Doul 2. In short, a Barney quadruple-plus whammy!!
i first met Barney, through Robert, in the early days of Hawkwind, and we struck a chord in each other. I used to sleep on his floor quite regularly, and we had inspiring times together. He came to a Hawkwind gig and was awestruck.
My vision of the spirit within the band embodied a lot of concepts and ideals that Barney related to, and he was happy to put his creative energy into it, designing the 'Peace and Love' poster, and then the 'Xin Search of Space' album cover, log-book, and concept. and later the 'Space Ritual' album cover and stage concept.
He painted my motorcycle jacket, naming me 'The Thunder Rider', and went on to design the extraordinary Hawkwind album covers for, 'Doremi Farsol Latido', 'Hall of the Mountain Grill', 'Roadhawks', and 'Amazing Music and Astounding Sounds'. When i left Hawkwind and went to Egypt, partly inspired by our common interest in Egyptology and Ancient Civilizations, and recorded flute music inside the Kings Chamber of the Great Pyramid, and turned it into an album, Barney agreed to design the album cover of Nik Turner's 'Sphynx - Xitintoday', on condition that he could design it as concrete poetry/art, and use in his exhibition,and that he could choreograph the stage show, which he did, at the Roundhouse for the free, all-day concert which he and i put together, as 'Nik Turner's Bohemian Love-in'. After touring free festivals with this egyptian-esqe show, with my pyramid stage, i formed another band of high energy punk cabaret comic strip music, which Barney named 'Inner City Unit' (he got the name from the Islington Council community organisation). Barney was given some studio time by Nick Lowe, with whom he worked, in his studio, U.K. Pro, and he gave this to me to make a single with Inner City Unit. Trying never to miss a trick, i used the time to record the album, 'Pass Out'. Barney, of course, named and designed the album cover, doing part of it by throwing the pics in the air, and using them wherever they landed, and randomly spraying ink on the cover. Wonderful stuff. I put this out on my own record label, Riddle Records (you know, Sphynx-like!?). I later put out another two Barney-titled and cover-designed albums: 'Maximum Effect', and then 'Punkedelic'.
During this time Barney asked me to work on an album project with him, which became 'Imperial Pompadours - Ersatz'. one side was whacky impressionist (we only heard the songs long enough to cop the lyrics) expressionist rock and roll -Barney designed and produced it like visuals - and the other side was expressionist/costructivist political comment about King Ludwig of Bavaria (or King Louis, the dream king), Hitler, Wagner, and the woman in all their lives; all completely wild, whacky and off-the-wall: the lost psychedelic album.
During all this time I lived with Barney off and on, in various studios and houses, and we always had wonderful times together which were full of inspiration and creativity and weird, wild and whacky. He was a great fan of 'objects trouveŽ', and I feel a debt to him for all his help and inspiration over the years. It is therefore both a privilege and an honour to be part of this memorable memorial concert in honour of the great talent, artist, creative genius and man, my awesome friend, Mr. Barney Bubbles.
Barney I love you, my brother .
Nik Turner.
www.nikturner.com
www.hawklords.com
http://barneybubbles.com/blog
Barney Bubbles
| | Posted By Steve Swindells (GB) @ 10:53 AM |
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