Everything today is thoroughly modern (check your personality!)

[venta]

It's Friday, it's about 3 o'clock. It's time to go underneath the covers (with the lights out).

I always recommend listening to a cover version without knowing what or who it is, so click on the link before reading ahead...

(NB My server seems to be responding rather slowly at present, so bear with it...)

Today's cover version [link to mp3 download expired]

That was One World Orchestra[*] covering the theme from The Magnificent Sevent, originally scored by Elmer Bernstein

OK, OK, in many ways this isn't a great example of a cover. But it went on to become a theme of those protesting against Slobodan Miloševic's government, so I think it deserves noting. Anyone who doesn't know this story is directed towards 45, Bill Drummond's wayward and varigated autobiographical collection. It's very worth reading, even if you've never listened to any of his music.

Anyway... reading October's edition of Q magazine (which, due to the peculiar way in which magazines are published, is already about three months out of date) there was an article marking the 15th anniversaty of the making of the War Child album, Help (which featured The Magnificent).

The article told the story of one man's ghost of an idea being turned into a frenzied single day of production to create the 20-track album to raise money for the children of the Serbian conflict. The Smash Hits 1984 annual (which I have, don't mock) contained the story of the original Band Aid recording, and both these things read very similarly. How artists, great and small, suddenly managed to put aside their egos and just knuckle down for a day.

Q's tale was genuinely warming, with its talk of Paul McCartney handing round the tea and biccies, and Noel Gallagher working all night to take things from A to B, then turning up back at Abbey Road at dawn "in case he was needed". I'm sure some of them went back to being gits the following day (and Noel Gallagher still annoys me immensely), but such stories do go some way to restoring a bit of faith in humanity in general.

And they provide charities with money, so do feel free to pop along to your nearest record shop and lay in a copy of Help.

If you like your charitable albums a bit more up to date, then instead I commend you to go and purchase 1969, which is raising money for the very worthy Centrepoint.

[*] A collection of people better known as the KLF.

Comments

[venta.livejournal.com]

No. I'm aware of the Bowie tribute, but haven't heard it. It's on my to-investigate-and-maybe-acquire list :)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Although I admit I'd forgotten it was done by War Child, or I'd have mentioned it!

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

Certainly worth a listen, I'd say - it's a bit patchy but there are some gems (and a lot of variety both in the interpretations and in the Bowie eras represented!)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Well, you seem like a sensible chap, so if you rate it maybe I'll cut out the investigating stage and just buy it :)

[mrlloyd.livejournal.com]

My first thought was 'OH, I've got this one', and then I couldn't remember who it was. KLF would have been my guess, so thanks for pointing out that it was actually them under (yet) another name.

The war child album was great. Although I seem to recall that Kate Moss gets to say something at the end of the Oasis track and sounds completely false. Is that enough reason to go on hating Oasis, even as they're doing their best - I don't know.