Liverpool’s Jane Weaver recently released new album The Silver Globe. To celebrate she’s made us a Playlist of music that celebrates her favourite “mythical beasts”.
Cybotron – Colossus
“I saw the video for this a few years ago and was impressed with its over ambitious Aussie epic-ness, to me its like Goblin with Sax, it changed the way I’d previously felt about saxophones in rock music really because this makes sense. I got in touch with the band and was lucky enough to work transatlanticaly with Steve Maxwell Von Braund for my album, he added the sax solo to Argent.”
Gong – The Pot Head Pixies
“I first heard Gong in the mid 80s and still find the band and their associated history pretty fascinating. I recently watched a great French documentary about them living commune style. Steve Hillage, Gilli Smyth et al in the early 70s at a French chateau. Daevid and Gilli founded Gong in Majorca in the mountains at Deja, which is such a beautiful place, we found the old Gong house last year whilst visiting the island, inside were a band of twenty-something spanish boys walking around in their underpants eating breakfast… they were totally unaware of the history of the house.”
Hawkwind – Star Cannibal
“This late period Hawkwind project is one of my favourite albums, I first heard it when I was around 16 and it still inspires me, so much so that I sampled a bit of Star Cannibal for a track on my new album. Even though Hawkwind are known all over the world, I still think Dave Brocks genius as a writer and artist isn’t maybe noted as much as it should be.. maybe its peoples perception of him being just a cosmic space rocker! but if you really listen to some of the production on this record with him at the helm its not only experimental and creative but pretty sharp. Superb!”
Emerald Web – Chasing The Shadowbeast
“These days ‘new age’ music tends to be confined to your local garden centre, whether it be rain forest noises, monks chanting or the sound of a mouse whispering, you can get it all. But in the 70s/ 80s the electronic musicians behind the new-age movement had more in common with punk and krautrock. Emerald web were an anti-corporate Californian husband and wife team called Bob Stohl and Kat Epple, they created their own blend of ‘electronic space music’ and wrote for film sometimes playing live in rad places like planetariums.”
Zdenek Liska – The Song Of The Siren (Theme)
“This album is stunning, the soundtrack to a 70s czech version of The Little Mermaid, I love early Disney-esque choral led vocals. It’s something I try to emulate in the studio especially on more instrumental, conceptual songs. This is unique because it comes from Czechoslovakia where they have a great history in folklore but on this soundtrack the traditional elements are also combined with the magnetic electronic noises. It’s a pretty special record that sits alongside other lost soundtracks like Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders.”
Ennio Moriconne – The Lizard (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin)
“Edda Dell’ Orso is one of my favourite female voices, I first heard her when I worked with Geoff Davis from Probe Records years ago, he’s a big Moriconne fan and lent me some records, which I then lost (but thats another story). I love the way her vocals communicate without using language. She worked with composers such as Nicolai, Alessandroni, Morricone and this is a perfect example on how brilliant she is, combined with the styling and cinematography in the film , all the half speed dream state psychedelic sequences benefit from her indecipherable sultry groans.”
Acanthus – Flightless Bird
“I freaked out when I first heard this, its so odd because the guitar has a naivety of something you would write as a 14yr old at home on a four track then I found out apparently the French band Acanthus were 16yrs old when they recorded this which is amazing, its from the Jean Rollin film Les Frission Des Vampires.”
Krzysztof Komeda – Rosemary’s Baby
“Based on the Ira Levin sinister thriller novel, I think this and The Stepford Wives could be up there in my ‘most watched films’ category, though both film soundtracks are pretty different by contrast The Stepford Wives includes electronic music by the amazing Suzanne Ciani, but here Komeda combines a very human childlike Mia Farrow vocal with his haunting orchestration. Sadly Komeda died too young when ‘friendly rough and tumble after a drinking party’ led to a tragic accident.”
Goblin – Goblin
“The prog rock horror score is always a winner. Imagine watching Argento’s Profundo Rosso (Goblin) or Mario Bava’s Shock (Libra) without the insane progressive backdrop? Goblins early Non-Soundtrack LP is nuts though, a heady mix of changing instrumental solos and time signatures, always fun to DJ out as its quite difficult to dance to!”
Jean Claude Vannier – Mort Du Roi Des Mouches (Death Of The King Of The Flies)
“I’ve so much respect for Jean Claude, his arrangements and compositions are sublime, I’m a Gainsbourg fan but mostly prefer his work with Jean Claude, you can’t beat heavy orchestration but when that fuzz guitar comes in.. maaaan. I’ve been lucky enough to go to a few of his concerts performing ‘L’enfant D’assasin des mouches’ and ‘Melody Nelson’, I cried whilst watching the dress rehearsal it was so beautiful.
For more head to Facebook.com/janeweavermusic.
