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"...Back Street Luv..."
There's
nothing like a big fat hit single and Pans People on Top of the Pops doing a
sexy lingerie routine to its groove to put an otherwise difficult band on the
map. And June 1971's tan label Warner Brothers UK 7" single "Back
Street Luv" was that doozy. When the album followed in September of that
amazing year (see my e-book "There's Something About 1971...") the
single had caused a flurry of interest and pushed its elaborate 'multiple
flaps' sleeve presentation up to No. 11 in the UK LP charts – impressive stuff
for a band that came on like a precursor to Roxy Music with a hot girl singer
out front instead of a man sporting glitter and a squinty face. Warners even
gave the American gatefold sleeve different artwork when they finally put the
album out there in November 1971 - but Curved Air never made any real waves
Stateside and it didn't chart.
Which
brings us to 2018 and Esoteric Recordings of the UK (part of Cherry Red) who
have clearly developed a passion for the band because like their exemplary
Greenslade and Colosseum reissues – they've gone the full Prog Hog on England's
CURVED AIR with dusted off archive recordings from the BBC and even
Promotional/Euro Pop Programme footage on DVDs – much of it Previously
Unreleased. They are even declaring that the fourth album "Air Cut"
from 1973 is only now being released with the use of real master tapes (all
other variants have been dubbed from vinyl apparently). Let's get the ever
dance...
UK
released 24 August 2018 (September 2018 in the USA) - "Second Album"
by CURVED AIR on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22637 (Barcode 5013929473744) is a
CD + DVD 'Expanded Edition' Reissue/Remaster that plays out as follows:
DISC
ONE - CD (71:26 minutes):
1.
Young Mother [Side 1]
2.
Back Street Luv
3.
Jumbo
4.
You Know
5.
Puppets
6.
Everdance [Side 2]
7.
Bright Summer's Day '68
8.
Piece Of Mind
Tracks
1 to 8 are their second studio album "Second Album" – released
September 1971 in the UK on Warner Brothers K 46090 and November 1971 in the
USA on Warner Brothers WS 1951 (in different artwork). Produced by Colin
Caldwell and Curved Air – it peaked on the UK LP charts at No. 11 (didn't chart
USA).
BONUS
TRACKS:
9.
Young Mother In Style
BBC
Radio One JOHN PEEL 'Top Gear' Session – Recorded 5 Jan 1971
10.
It Happened Today
11.
Blind Man
12.
Propositions (including What Happens When You Blow Yourself Up)
13.
Vivaldi
Tracks
10 to 13 are BBC Radio One 'John Peel Sunday Concert' Recordings from 4 March
1971, recorded at the BBC Paris Theatre, Regent Street, London – PREVIOUSLY
UNRELEASED
DISC
TWO - DVD (75 minutes, NTSC, All Regions):
Curved
Air On The Air – Television Recordings 1971
1.
It Happened Today
2.
Vivaldi
3.
Screw
Tracks
1 to 3 are a 'Warner Brothers Present Curved Air' – A 1971 Promotional Film –
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
4.
Back Street Luv
5.
Propositions
6.
Interview
7.
Vivaldi
Tracks
4 to 7 are 'Pop Deux' – Recorded at Taverne de l'Olympia, Paris on 6 July 1971.
First Broadcast 4 September 1971 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
8.
It Happened Today
9.
Propositions
10.
Vivaldi
Tracks
8 to 10 are 'Beat Club' Radio Bremen TV Sessions 1971 recorded March 1971
11.
Back Street Luv (Version 1)
12.
Piece Of Mind
13.
Back Street Luv (Version 2)
Tracks
11 to 13 are 'Beat Club' Radio Bremen TV Sessions 1971 recorded September 1971
CURVED
AIR was:
SONJA
KRISTINA (Linwood): All Lead Vocals
DARRYL
WAY: Vocals, Electric Violin and Piano on "Puppets"
FRANCIS
MONKMAN: Guitar, Keyboards and VCS3 Synthesizer
IAN
EYRE: Bass Guitar
FLORIAN
PILKINGTON-MIKSA: Drums
The
three-way foldout digipak and booklet reproduce all aspects of the John Kosh
original album artwork – a many-flaps sleeve with the rainbow design that
mirrored the concept of Terry Riley's "A Rainbow In Curved Air" US
album from 1969 on Columbia Masterworks from whence the band took their name.
Although they had no input into the design, it certainly made the LP feel
substantial and combined with that lightning-in-a-bottle single – propelled the
12" record out of the racks into onto Garrard SP25s everywhere. There are
also lots of great black and white photos of the band from the period – most of
which I've not seen before and the May 2018 liner notes by MALCOLM DOME are
typically excellent and informative. The only thing I would say is that the US
gatefold card sleeve had different artwork and it seems a tad remiss not to
have reproduced it here.
The
Remaster has been done by band member FRANCIS MONKMAN and compared to my 2008
Rhino Encore version is a big improvement. The opener "Young Mother"
explodes on so many levels – those violin and keyboard passages and the power
in "Back Street Luv" with that right speaker keyboard separation is
almost disconcerting.
Speaking
of which - in the 24-page booklet that features new interviews – Sonja recalls
how the "Back Street Luv" seven-inch single changed everything for
the band – coverage, acceptance and even screaming from the front rows of
subsequent tours. Originally released 18 June 1971 (ahead of the LP) as Warners
WB 8029 with the album track "Everdance" on the B-side – when
distribution of the Warner Brothers 'Kinney Music' catalogue started 1 July
1971 (previously done by Pye) – somewhere in there the single for the British
"Back Street Luv" 45 was re-pressed as Warner Brothers K 16092. Using
this catalogue number, it entered the charts for the week ending 7 August 1971
at No. 34, dropped out for a week and returned 21 August 1971 at No. 30 and
thereafter quickly rose to a peak of No. 4 for the chart week ending 18
September 1971. Sitting comfortably alongside The Who's "Won't Get Fooled
Again", Family's "In My Own Time", T. Rex's number 1 "Get
It On" and Atomic Rooster's "Devil's Answer" (similar sounds
around those same weeks) – the Funky Prog Rock groove of "Back Street
Luv" grabbed the listener by the short and curlies and didn't let go (the
sultry looks of lead vocalist Sonja Kristina helped matters too). The album of
course benefitted from this hugely as did the size of gigs they were now
playing.
Despite
the obvious killer sexiness of the single - for me one of the LP's best
melodies is "Jumbo" – a ballad by Darryl Way and Sonja Kristina that
feels like a string quartet is accompanying all those keyboard moments – it's
almost Tom Waits in its gorgeousness (stay in your room after dark, don't
venture outside, Sonja warns her young listener). We're back to rocking with
the guitar-driven "You Know" – a deadringer for a second 45 from the
album but Warners never went with it (Monkman plays a blinder here and a huge
Remaster too). Side 1 ends with another Way/Kristina composition – five and half
minutes of "Puppets". It opens with giggles, then keyboard phasing
and I must admit I found the Remaster has somehow made that rhythm section seem
even discombobulating and not necessarily in a good way. Monkman provides all
three on Side 2 beginning with the manic "Everdance" – sort of like
The Flock let loose at the local school hall. I've always had an aversion to
the three-minute manic-jaunt that is "Bright Summer's Day '68" – a
relationship disintegrating in a disconcertingly happy-go-lucky
sunshine-shining-down kind of a way. It ends on the album's undoubted monster –
the near thirteen minutes of "Piece Of Mind" - an opus sounding not
unlike ELP meets Blood, Sweat and Tears via Linda Hoyle's Affinity (over on
Vertigo Records). The Remaster has made that pounding piano and violin duo feel
even more eerie and powerful and when that keyboard solo comes in and the pace
kicks up a notch – the effect is spectacular – Sonja talking the lyrics (wish
they'd reproduced them in the booklet).
The
opener BBC track "Young Mother In Style" features a typically excited
BBC intro at a new song from the ‘sensational’ band. The following Peel Session
(recorded in March 1971 and Previously Unreleased) features four songs from
their "Airconditioning" debut alum released in November of the
previous year – one of which "Propositions" incorporates the
non-album B-side "What Happened When You Blow Yourself Up" (the
flipside to their first British 45 "It Happened Today"). The audio is
a wee bit distorted for the beginning of "Blind Man" as Sonja warbles
her voice but thereafter it’s really rather shockingly good. The heavy guitar
and bass "Propositions" stretches to six and half minutes as it
incorporates the funky keyboard groove of "What Happened When You Blow
Yourself Up" towards the end (the essence of creation baby). There’s hiss
too on "Vivaldi" but the performance is all out at eight and half
minutes. Which brings us to the visuals...
The
DVD is pleasingly long at one hour and fifteen plus minutes - beginning with a
decidedly ragged-looking lead in to a 1971 Warners Promotional film that gives
us three tunes from their debut. Both Bassist and Guitarist sport plastic
see-through body instruments (oh you're so cool boys) while Darryl Way dangles
a scarf from the tuning screws of his violin – Sonja looking absolutely
gorgeous in silver tassels. There doesn't appear to have been any restoration
to the footage of newspaper clippings as the band plays "It Happened
Today" nor as Way goes on a wild violin whig-out during "Vivaldi"
(impressive playing by the way). Better is the French footage that begins at 16
minutes with a storming live cut of "Back Street Luv" – Curved Air
singing "...ragged back streets...head on a wall..." and
sounding/looking like a band that's arrived. There's a short between tunes
interview with Sonja and Trevor that's translated into French on screen before
we're back to the best footage of all – the three at the end that feature great
image and sound combined – the Version 2 of "Back Street Luv" simply
showing more visual effects than Version 1 because someone no doubt thought it
looked cooler.
All
in all – this is a great reissue of an album that’s been all but forgotten
except by the faithful. Fans will adore it and Prog investigators will need to
dive in and get air-conditioned. Well done to all...
2018
CURVED AIR Reissues on Esoteric Recordings
Francis
Monkman Remasters
Nos.
1, 2 and 3 are 'Expanded Editions' - No. 4 is album-only
1.
Airconditioning (November 1970 UK Debut LP)
2CD
Remaster UK released 26 January 2018 on Esoteric Records PECLEC 22616 (Barcode
5013929471641)
2.
Second Album (September 1971 UK LP)
CD
+ DVD Remaster released 24 August 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22637
(Barcode 5013929473744)
3.
Phantasmagoria (April 1972 UK LP)
CD
+ DVD Remaster released 27 July 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22638
(Barcode 5013929473843)
4.
Air Cut (April 1973 UK LP)
CD
Remaster (no Bonus material) released 26 January 2018 on Esoteric Recordings
PECLEC 2617 (Barcode 5013929471740) First Use of Original Tapes
