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Category Archives: music
Red Noise
Bill Nelson formed Red Noise having become restless as a guitar hero and leader of the band Be-Bop Deluxe. After a string of successful albums and singles, this change of style was a difficult change for both fans and record label alike. As a result, his record label Harvest dropped Nelson and this commenced his solo career which has seen him produced over 150 albums.
In this interview I discuss Bill Nelson’s Red Noise album and one of its tracks with Steve Peer, who performed on the Red Noise live shows. The lyrics on the album are inspired by science fiction and are a joy in themselves. Although the album was dismissed by some audiences in 1979, it has gained critical acclaim as being ahead of its time.
Find all Bill Nelson’s work at Bill Nelson.com
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The Police on Television
Check this video out in our series “The Peer Reviews”, where we discuss Marquee Moon by Television. My co-presenter Steve Peer was Television’s roadie and has previously unheard insights about the band and its music, including stories about Brian Eno, Patti Smith and other aspects of their development.
Also The Police – Synchronicity II. This song foretold a lot about the times we live in and I still go back to it for some stimulation in dark times.
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Celtic Angel
Our tribute song for Bernie Torme is now released with a contribution to the Teenage Cancer Trust. Get copies of the songs on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify etc. There are both male and female vocal versions.
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Prince
Prince defies classification. Funk, Rock, Jazz, Pop, fusion, ambience and so on. In this video we take a look at one of his early tracks and look at his ability to seamlessly fuse genres, genes and jeans.
Read our article on Prince at Linkedin which achieved record numbers of views.
Download our homage of songs for Prince at Bandcamp.
Listen to our interviews with Prince collaborators and band members Ida Nielsen, Andy Allo, Marcus Anderson, George Clinton and Sheila E at interviews with music giants.
Ask us to deliver a Prince masterclass with parallel lessons for leaders.
Read our books “The Music of Business” and “Sex, Leadership and Rock’n’Roll“. Contact me for signed copies. The books contain analysis of Prince’s contribution to music and of course his philosophy on life.
Prince and me – extract from the Linkedin article
The last few days have been something of an emotional roller coaster for me, as someone who is the same age as Prince and who has followed his career from start to finish. Prince Rogers Nelson’s untimely death at 57 has deprived the world of one of its greatest polymaths and on Friday I was compelled to give a talk on his life, creative contribution and perform some of his songs at Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Money Lounge. Whilst preparing to give the talk I listened to Marvin Gaye’s rendition of “Abraham, Martin and John” and finally broke down in tears – I always think “better out than in” 🙂 and 10 minutes of uncontrollable sobbing gave me enough energy to carry the rest of the day without losing control. I also recalled our wedding day some 22 years ago – we had “The Beautiful Ones” as our wedding dance, much to the surprise of my Father in Law, once the screaming started … 🙂 As part of my own cathartic release of energy surrounding this very sad event, what then can I say about the man behind the controversy, sexual ambiguity, a symbol which journalists could not type on a keyboard and platform shoes that has not been said already in the media?
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Roxy Music
In this edition of The Peer Review, Steve Peer and Peter Cook examine Roxy Music’s opening track “Re-Make, Re-Model”. Roxy Music were an unusual fusion of glam, rockabilly, avant garde and much more. Check the review out:
In 1972, it was indeed common to “trade instrumentals” by taking a break in a song for individual musicians to take a solo break. However this generally did not extend to ambient synthesiser breaks, nor quotes from “March of the Valkyries” on sax! Nor was it common to quote the number plate of a car as a refrain. Roxy Music broke boundaries. Too many for Polydor records ….
They also influenced massively. Brian Eno went on to be an ambient professor and production legend whilst Bryan Ferry became a style icon with Roxy Music and then in his own right.
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Smoke on the Water
In this edition, we examine the classic rock track “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple. Check out Steve Peer’s interview below:
In the interview we deal with subjects such as:
- Which was the definitive Deep Purple line up? One of our commenters sums up the answer!
“It just isn’t the same band. Oh sure, they say it’s still Deep Purple but to me, “Purple” was Gillian, Glover, Lord, Blackmore and Ian Paice. With new players, the band has evolved into a completely different entity. Good music yeah…but not stone cold Purple.“
- What are some of the distinctive elements of the track that make it so enduring? The drummer’s view and the guitar hero’s obsession?
- What about the anatomy of the band? How do you hold dysfunctional and explosive elements together?
To access the transferable lessons for businesses and leaders check out our article on Linkedin on the topic.
Do check our book out “The Music of Business” for more insights into business and personal development from music:
Our next interview will focus on a classic Roxy Music track. What’s her name? No, it’s not Virginia Plain!
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A Celebration of Bernie Tormé 1952-2019
Oh Celtic Angel, it’s time to fly
Axe Victim, crying to the sky
On the Sabbath, with Demon’s Eye
All strung up, but too young to die
Celtic Angel is a tribute to Bernie Tormé R.I.P. 1952-2019, band leader, guitarist and songwriter for Ian Gillan and Ozzy Osbourne. The song was written by Peter Cook who first met Bernie by accident in 2010 at his studio, whilst recording a song for a friend. A friendship evolved and Peter was privileged to perform with this gentle giant on a number of occasions. Bernie reflected this in his own words on cover of one of his albums after Peter spent some time with Bernie on his renaissance.
Celtic Angel reflects many of Bernie’s influences, with various nods and winks to Deep Purple, Hendrix, Ozzy, Bill Nelson and his infamous Big Muff effects pedal which Bernie used to push his Marshall amps over the cliff edge to ear splitting volumes. Featuring sitars, guitars turned up to 11 and some soaring sonics that give a wink and a nod to the great man from the emerald isle. Although Celtic Angel was conceived in a basement, it is a truly global production, featuring Gareth Dylan Smith from New York City, Tim Hands from the North of England, David Bourke and Rosie Horne from Kent. Video production by Mark Duffy.
“What a sad day. We’ve lost another great musician. Bernie was a gentle soul with a heart of gold. He will be dearly missed. I send my sincere condolences to his family, friends and fans. Rest in Peace Bernie.”
Ozzy Osbourne
“I always enjoyed our time spent talking about music, business, philosophy and politics. Bernie was so much more than a guitar player. Thank you for your time and patience with an apprentice.”
Peter Cook
Celtic Angel is released worldwide on April 23 with a contribution to the Teenage Cancer Trust. I hope that you will join me in celebrating the life of one of rock’s gentle giants.
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Supergroups
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Talking Heads – An interview with Steve Peer
I was delighted to interview Steve Peer recently. Steve started life in a host of bands, ending up playing at CGBG’s with The Talking Heads alongside TV Toy, The Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop and so on.
He was asked to join Bill Nelson’s Red Noise and has a set of fascinating stories about how to work in the music business with transferable lessons for anyone trying to achieve success. Great insights for everyone.
Here’s a rare clip of the beginning of the 2nd Red Noise that not ever happened – Steve played drums on “Ideal Homes” and “Instantly Yours”.
And this is the wonderful John Peel introducing Steve’s band TV Toy.
Find TV Toy at https://www.facebook.com/tvtoy.newrockmusic
The Crown Vics at https://www.facebook.com/thecrownvicsband
