Steve Askew and the EBow
One of the famous sounds used in KajaGooGoo tracks was that of the EBow as used by Steve Askew.
This device is a small battery powered unit where instead of the strings being plucked by the fingers or a plectrum, they are moved by the electromagnetic field created by the EBow, producing a sound similar to that of a bow.
The EBow gives a very distinctive sound, a great example is here with Steve playing ‘Too Shy’ from the Hammersmith concert.
Watch from 2m30secs where Steve plays those long notes on the EBow, fabulous sound:
Another superb example is in Frayo from the same show
Watch from the 2m point, you can see the EBow attached to the guitar and Steve picks it up and then those EBow notes are very distinctive.
Steve was aware of the EBow from usage by Rob Dean of Japan, though many artists have used the EBow over the years. These include The Edge, Brian May, James Hetfield and Noel Gallagher.
It’s a superb device and an important part of the early KajaGooGoo sound. Unfortunately, the original EBow used on Too Shy packed up in 2003 but Steve did recently find it tucked away in his studio. Working or not, that’s a major piece of Goo history there!
He does have another and if you see the band playing live, look for for Steve using the EBow and listen out for that screaming sound!
2011 KajaFax
KajaGooGoo White Feathers Hammersmith Odeon Ticket
Back on Tuesday 31st May 1983, KajaGooGoo played the second of two nights at the Hammersmith Odeon, and the last night of the 1983 UK tour.
We’ve spoken about this concert many times on KajaFax and this is an item I’m really happy to have in my collection. It’s not in perfect condition but it’s not bad for a 28yr old piece of paper!
A ticket stub can never make up for being at a concert but they’re nice to have and I’d love to get one from every gig of the tour. I particularly like this one because it’s the show that got recorded and is the White Feathers concert that we all know.
I’m sure there would be a lot of memories attached to this ticket for someone, the excitement of the concert, the screaming of the crowd and the amazing show that we know was to follow that evening.
There are many related posts to ‘White Feathers’. For more information, click the ‘White Feathers’ KajaTag to the right.
2011 KajaFax
KajaFax Poll Results
Two weeks ago, we ran a series of polls to find out what the fans views were on various questions relating to the band.
Here are the top answers of all seven polls, as voted by you!
Poll 1
Who is your favourite KajaGooGoo member?
The winner with 34.38% of the votes was Nick Beggs.
Poll 2
Which is your favourite KajaGooGoo album?
The winner with 50% of the votes was White Feathers.
Poll 3
Have you ever seen KajaGooGoo play live?
The winner with 55.17% of the votes was Yes, in their own show.
Poll 4
Have you ever met KajaGooGoo?
The winner with 43.33% of the votes was Yes, I’ve met the full band.
Poll 5
Which is your favourite era of the band?
The winner with 48.28% of the votes was Kajagoogoo with Limahl.
Poll 6
Is your interest in the band?
The winner with 53.57% of the votes was Very Active.
Poll 7
Do you read KajaFax
The winner with 24.14% of the votes was Daily, I subscribe.
Many thanks to all who took the time to take the polls, they’re fun and very interesting to see your responses. Some surprising! We might revisit this one in the future if the responses do creep up over time.
I’m sure we’ll do some more polls in the future, please do leave a comment if you can think of any you’d love to hear the results from.
2011 KajaFax
Nick Beggs and Kim Wilde
Out of all the many collaborations between Nick and other artists, his association with Kim Wilde is right up there with the ones I appreciate most.
Kim Wilde and her band including Nick Beggs on bass, are touring Europe this year and it’s a tour that sees her on the road from February, pretty much right through until July 2011. The band are currently in rehearsals and they both very kindly posed for this picture just for KajaFax, thanks guys!
After first appearing on the music scene back in 1981 with ‘Kids in America’, Kim Wilde has enjoyed huge success and a very loyal fan following over the years. As the most charted British Solo Female Act of the 80s, she’s a superstar!!
Back in 2006, Kim released her tenth studio album ‘Never Say Never’ with EMI Germany and from this, the glorious single ‘Perfect Girl’ was released. Nick performed with Kim across Europe in 2006 and again in 2007 and also in 2008 and yes, also 2009!
In the video to Perfect Girl, here we see a familiar bass player:
Video courtesy of kimwildeisback
It’s a fantastic track and has over 1.1 million hits on YouTube so far. This track performed very well in Germany where Kim holds a very high fanbase (remind you of any certain Goo lead singer?). Why do our best pop acts have a higher following in Germany than in the UK?!!
Before we move to to the new album and the tour, let’s see some live footage of Nick with the Kim Wilde Band.
This piece is very short at only 28 seconds but is a wonderful little bass solo from Nick and is unmissable!
Video courtesy of frenchbutnice
More of that track here and Nick comes in around 1m39secs
Video courtesy of xs4allbeenz
Chequered Love at Retrofest 2008
Video courtesy of johngall6
In August 2010, Kim Wilde recorded and released her eleventh studio album, ‘Come Out and Play’ with the label ‘Starwatch’.
The debut single from this new album is the incredible ‘Lights Down Low’
Video courtesy of columbiadeutschland
Nick wrote on this album and performed in Germany, Spain and the UK in 2010 on a promotion tour. This album also features Glenn Gregory from Heaven 17 and Nik Kershaw. Another very special guest on this album is Kim’s son Harry who plays a guitar solo on the track ‘This Paranoia’.
Kim says on her website that this is the best album she’s made in over twenty years and it’s evident why.
This brings us onto the Come Out and Play 2011 tour and here are the dates:
All of these dates, ticket information, purchasing and all official information is available via the Official Kim Wilde website:
http://www.kimwilde.com/
If you can get along to this tour, definitely do. I only wish there was a non-festival type show on the UK calendar there, would love to see that happen. The UK needs more Kim Wilde!!
This brilliant video shows Kim performing ‘Lights Down Low’ live in Germany in September 2010, featuring Nick on bass:
Video courtesy of piemat1989
The album is available from all good outlets, do get hold of it and appreciate the new music of Kim Wilde and our very own legend, Beggion!
No Nick on this video but an incredible performance from Kim, live on German television performing ‘Real Life’, the second single from Come Out and Play, plus interview :
Video courtesy of mfgr2008
The more Nick works with other artists, the less likely we are to see time put into KajaGooGoo. As much as that is disappointing, it is also understandable when the result of that time is music of this quality.
Kim Wilde is one of those mysterious creatures that seems to get more attractive as each year goes by. She’s sexy and gorgeous and I do hope she continues to keep a spark for what she does and continues to do what she does best. Love you Kim!
Do have a look around the official fan site, it’s full of interesting features.
The official fansite for Kim is called ‘Wilde Life’:
http://www.wilde-life.com/
2011 KajaFax
Too Shy French 12″
Vinyl releases with differing packaging are always of interest and this French 12″ release of Too Shy is particularly nice.
It’s very similar to the UK/US/DE versions but came with this rather striking white sleeve instead of the black.
I’ve never seen one of these before and can only assume it must be quite rare, I really do love the white cover!
If anyone has any further on this one, we’d love to hear from you.
Many thanks to ‘Steve AKA theraggedtiger’ for sharing this one from his amazing collection!
2011 KajaFax
VH1 Bands Reunited
In October 2003, music television channel VH1 manage to achieve what had seemed an impossible task until then, they reunited the original five members of KajaGooGoo for a one off special show for their series ‘Bands Reunited’.
It’s a brilliant show and there are some lovely moments of the band getting back together for the first time and rehearsing and then some songs from the live show.
It’s a shame that a future for the band could not have been worked out right after this as the offers were certainly there, that’s something that would take another five years to come together.
The band state that they had unfinished business and this show was an important part of the Goo history, it sparked the fires burning again and who knows if we’d have had Goo 2008/2009 without having had Goo 2003.
Courtesy of ‘Steve AKA theraggedtiger’ who is an absolute star, here is that entire show for your viewing pleasure:
There are a couple of videos on YouTube with clips of this show, this one is the full episode.
Anyone who follows the Goo will probably have met or be aware of Dan AKA Spider. He’s a loyal fan and he gets to many gigs. I always love the fact that anytime I see a photo set of any Goo event, Dan always manages to turn up in at least one photo. I was absolutely delighted when I first saw this show and spotted Dan in the crowd, see if you can see him!
Enjoy!
2011 KajaFax
Concert Reviews: The Stables 2008
KajaGooGoo @ The Stables 2008
Even though this concert was over two years ago, I still remember it extremely clearly and could review it as easily today as I could the day after. This story tells of the lead up to the concert and the show itself. I hope it serves as a nice reminder to anyone who was there and also, as a useful story to anyone who wasn’t.
I’d not been a fan of the band for too long when this show was announced. I only knew the main tracks they’d done and so I was really very spoiled to get a live show this soon into my Goo ‘career’.
The official forums were a hive of activity at that point and there was a real buzz about this show, it had been a long time coming and I felt really excited that I was going to be there, this wasn’t the sort of gig I wanted to read about down the line.
I was never a seasoned concert go-er, I’d only ever been to a small handful of concerts before and they’d be mainly quite large shows like Guns ‘N’ Roses, Simple Minds and UB40. The more I was learning about the band, the more I was anticipating being at the gig and I’d spoken to my friend ‘Dave’, (who has so far been with me to all of the Goo gigs I’ve been to) to see if he was up for it. Thankfully he was and with our tickets bought and in hand, we waited for the date to come round.
We booked a hotel nearby to stay at and headed over nice and early to the venue to get something to eat beforehand. Now, the thing with me and events is that you’d think I was the one performing, I get quite nervous. Remember here that this was my first concert for a while and I hadn’t been to many before. It is very rare that I see anyone famous so I find it quite strange to see famous people stood right in front of me, I get really quite starstruck. So unfortunately, I didn’t eat so much at all!
Another fact that I learned afterwards was that a very nice young lady by the name of ‘J’nae’ had been sitting in the same room as us right before the show. I’ve met the acquaintance of some fantastic people during my following the band and J’nae is definately one of those people. She’d actually travelled all the way from the USA just to be at this show, that’s how much this gig meant to the fans. It’s one of only three let downs from this show was to know later that I’d been in the same room as J’nae and not known, I’d have loved to met her, opportunities for that won’t come often!
So by this point, the foyer is bustling and we’re being ushered into the venue to our seats. As we approached our row, two people had to stand up for us to let us through to our seats. Now I mentioned just earlier three let downs and this is the second. I later found out from the photographs that the person who had stood up to let me through was the one and only Nik Kershaw. I just didn’t recognise him at all and I wish I had of so I could have slipped in a casual, ‘Hey thanks Nik’!
The venue soon fills up and the anticipation is building rapidly. I was nervous earlier but nothing like now, I literally felt quite sick and event felt a small urge to want to leave the room but thankfully, that passed!
As I said earlier, seeing famous people is really quite surreal to me and when Paul Gambaccini came onto the stage to announce the show, that really was quite weird. It’s like wow, it’s actually him and he’s speaking with that famous voice of his! I think they made a great move by having Paul along to introduce, it just added something and it certainly added to the anticipation.
Limahl and his swing band were first up and I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this part of the show. I think anyone that thought this was a bit of filler before the band would have been pleasantly surprised. When he came onto the stage, that was very surreal also. It’s a strange feeling of seeing someone famous right there in front of you, it really is. He was looking very striking that night, very swish indeed and he sounded superb. The band and he had obviously put a lot of hard work into that show and it worked beautifully. It went down very well and the whole thing was so tight and together. The band looked like they were really enjoying the show themselves and this just came across in the way they played. Limahl was the perfect showman and had the crowd following his every word. Even singing tracks like ‘Spiderman’ it just worked. It was fun and it was a shame when it had to end.
This led to the interval and Dave and I actually said that if that was the end right there and there was no second half, you’d still go home happy because that really was a fantastic show. Short break later and we’re back in for KajaGooGoo…..
Back in our seats and that feeling of anticipation floods back over you because you know that any second, something is going to happen and this is the band you’ve been waiting to see. The intro music started to play out and search lights were flashing over the crowd, this played on and had that amazing effect of having everyone thinking any second now, they’re going to come busting onto the stage!
And then there they were, the guys come running onto the stage and the crowd absolutely erupted as they immediately kicked into KajaGooGoo. It was just amazing to see Nick start to play out that bass intro from the track, like it’s really him and he’s really playing it right now! It was just really cool to sit and listen to track after track of the band playing live and just on absolute top form. They looked at home and they looked like they were having a great time. Nick and Limahl shared lyrics, they even shared the lyrics on Neverending Story.
Thankfully, some people did start to stand up and wander right to the front to dance. I can only but imagine that for a band playing such energetic music, it must be quite strange to see a load of people just sat there. It’s not exactly proving the feedback that inspires a band to shift things up a gear. We joined them along with a bunch of others and there we were right at the front dancing and singing along to KajaGooGoo and having the best time.
I was guilty back then of something that is a funny subject for me now, the depths of that are another story though. In short, this was that I was mostly eagerly awaiting ‘Too Shy’ and really enjoyed it when they played it, dancing and singing away like crazy! It’s a fantastic track, nothing will ever change that and to be in front of the band as they play it is really brilliant.
These days, if the band offered that they’d play ten festivals or one private performance at the Stables, I’d choose the Stables without a second’s thought. Now if they also said they’d do one show with 10 huge tracks like ‘Too Shy’, ‘Ooh to be Ah’ or they’d play 5 tracks such as Frayo, I’d take the 5 absolutely!
Now, back to the fact that earlier I said there were three let downs for me and we’ve looked at two. The third one is that the final track of the night was Monochromatic. How can this possibly be a let down you say? Well, it wasn’t in itself, it was absolutely incredible. The let down for me was that so early in my Goo ‘career’, I did not appreciate this song as I hadn’t really heard it so much. If that was now, I’d be beyond stoked if the band played Monochromatic!! I just wish I could have truly enjoyed it to the maximum possible because it is a magnificent track!
Thus the show ended and we made our way out of the venue. I was utterly captivated by what I had seen and that cemented to me the fact I’d just seen a group of musicians doing what they do best and well, here I still am!
The Stables is a wonderful music venue. Not too small, not too big, exactly the right size. I would love to see the band play there every year, even if they did no other live shows. It’s just special and it holds fantastic memories now too.
2011 KajaFax
KajaFax SuperFan #3
KajaFax SuperFan Series #3
Our third super fan in the series is Lulu Kyriacou from the UK.
Lulu. Photograph taken by Cymon Taylor
If you haven’t already read the Fan Stories #1 piece from Lulu, it would make sense to read that first and then come back!
https://kajafax.co.uk/2011/01/22/fan-stories-1-lulu/
Hi Lulu, many thanks for agreeing to be part of our SuperFan series.You are most welcome.
I’d like to start off talking about those early days, it must have felt very exciting to be there right at the start?
Well we didn’t really realise that while we were there, it got much more exciting when there were other fans, security and Paul Ryan to dodge!
Were the Kajagang happy when everything exploded or was there an element of you that wanted to keep it all to yourselves!?
I don’t know about the others but I was bloody furious when Linda turned up at the studio with Gill and Julie (who did turn out to be dedicated) after Too Shy was a hit! But it didn’t make that much difference in the end!
You were all very young and you did a lot of travelling and hanging around, how were your parents about that situation?
They had no choice and to be honest the band were so clean cut (in public) they were probably quite happy. We could have been chasing round after some real mean rock and rollers!
In those early days, did you appreciate the music or was it all about the image?
Personally I had a better image than them (I thought!!) so if they hadn’t been able to play their instruments and make a decent tune, I wouldn’t have bothered once Nick Rhodes had gone.
The foyer of the Royal Gardens Hotel, the first night Lulu met Limahl
How did it feel to be part at the last night of the tour? With such a huge show as the Hammersmith one, being there must have been quite something.
It was amazing. We were all posing in the front row, we made sure we made a mass entrance when everyone was looking about 15 minutes before the band appeared so all the ‘normal’ fans could see us come in!!
When ‘Ooh to be Ah’ came out and subsequently reached No7 in the charts, was there any feeling of a decline in the band support or did this have no relevance to the fans at that time?
I dont think it made any difference at that time and I loved the track myself.
When the news came out that Limahl was parting company from the band, how did this news affect you?
The cracks had been showing, we were not surprised. Only one of us ‘Nicki’ abandoned ship to follow Limahl, the rest of us sort of let him get on with it.
We’re you excited about the four piece band continuing or was there quite a dramatic drop in the fans feeling of the band at that point?
Probably outside our group there might have been but we thought Nick would be an able replacement and so not to us.
Did you follow Limahl as a solo artist at all?
Oh yes, but we didnt trail round everywhere behind him. You have to be single minded as being a superfan takes up enough of your free time and money as it is.
Limahl at The Stables 2009. Photograph by Lulu.
What was your impression of the Islands album when you bought it initially and what are your thoughts about that album now? Did you see this album as progression or just too much of a change from White Feathers?
I think it is fair to say that if the band had just released Islands, it might have been a bigger hit than it was as the tracks were mostly good on it, but Nick particularly had got quite spiritual and there was a little too much of that and I did notice fans drifting away. I think you could say the surrounding attitude was not ‘rock and roll’ enough, there was nothing wrong with the music.
At the point of Crazy People’s Right to Speak coming out, what level would you say your fan loyalty was at that point, we’re you still an avid fan and what did you make of that album?
Well by then the band were calling themselves Kaja by then and we were sorry to see Jez leave but the others were trying out lots of different stuff and I liked it much better on the whole than Islands. The hardcore were still pretty dedicated, though we didn’t need to sit outside recording studios. We knew where the office was and just dropped in if we had time. Myself and Donna were pretty buddy with Steve and Anna by this point and went round for dinner or whatever but I was just about to leave London. I dont think avid is the best term for me, I am far too objective but on the other hand I still turned up every night when they did a residency week in a Watford venue!
When the band finally parted company and concentrated on their own projects, did you think that was the last time the band would ever come together?
Yes I did. I figured they would end up playing for other bands as they were all so able. I did go and see Nick when he was in Ellis Beggs and Howard (big Bubbles was a great track) although I didn’t wait to see him afterwards (my boyfriend at the time would have been horrified) and I kept in touch with Donna (still do) who kept in touch with Anna for a long while, but then I moved to the USA and that was sort of that for me being a superfan in person!
When the band were reunited by VH1 in 2003, were you at that show or aware that show was going ahead? What was your reaction to knowing the full band would come together again?
You are giving me too much credit! In 2003 the internet was still a baby thing (broadband had not arrived) and I was barely not in the country, I totally missed it all until I saw something about it on tv in holland or somewhere, I was astonished! I tried to get hold of the girls but only Donna was still in touch but she was living in County Durham and we didn’t have contact details for any of the band and we figured they wouldn’t remember us anyway. Although I did used to see Limahl about at various clubs when I was in London which was quite amusing, but I didn’t know how to get hold of any of them.
Did you attend any of the Retrofest shows that featured the band?
No I was out of the country and the fact they were playing barely registered! I think it was when I was home in 2008 I turned on the tv pretty much the day I got back and some some chat programme was on and I looked up and thought “gosh, that guy looks just like Nick Beggs but it can’t be cos that other one looks exactly like Limahl” but as you know already it was indeed them so I got on the internet and found the forum just in time to get to the Stables in 2008. The only member of the band I saw to speak to was Stuart on that occasion. Although I had a message from Steve via the website and had a reunion with Anna at the gig.
Steve Askew at The Stables 2009. Photograph by Lulu.
When the band released Gone to the Moon, did you download the album and spend some time listening to that? What were your thoughts on the direction of the music?
I thought it was very like them just grown up if you see what I mean. Better lyrics, more depth.
Very shortly after that album, the reunion announcement was made and the concert at the Stables in 2008 felt like a very special evening, were you at that concert and if so, what was your interpretation of that show? Did you feel the magic of seeing the band together again like that?
Well as I said above I managed to get there, with one of the old gang and and it was great. I loved having Limahl back and his Swing Band were fab. It was hysterically funny that aside from a new track or two they pretty much played the same songs in the same order! 25 years and the set list hadn’t changed! As I said I did meet Stuart who did remember me by name (I was amazed) but I was firmly not going to hang about stage doors at my age in the damn freezing cold!
When the tour was announced and the EP released in 2009, did you attend any of those shows and did it take you back to 1983 in any way at all?
I was away for most of the tour and flew back from a job in Rio the morning of the London gig but with the best will in the world, I couldn’t do a drive from Salisbury to Kings Cross after an 11 hour flight with jet lag. But there was a gig in Southampton a couple of days later and I trotted down on my own, I figured it wouldn’t be a proper reunion tour if one of us didn’t turn up at least once! And it was a tiny place and I was standing at the back and before the gig was talking to one of the roadies. After the gig the roadie asked me what I thought and I said I was gratified to see they could still play their instruments after 25 years. He asked what my connection was and my exact words were “I am Lulu, not the most dedicated but certainly the first ‘superfan’” and I said goodbye and went to wait in the queue for my coat. While I was there waiting the roadie came up and tapped me on the shoulder and said would I follow him. Have to say I was a bit dubious about following strange roadies about dark clubs at midnight but he took me backstage and said wait here for a minute. Then he came back opened a door and all the band were there and I was speechless when they all jumped up and said ‘OMG its Lulu’ or words to that effect! We had a massive group hug (Nick called it a Lulu sandwich!) and I was amazed (again!) about how much they all remembered not only about me, but all the other girls. It was really emotional for me, I was so fond of all of them.
With the band making only two appearances last year and both at festivals, do you see a future for KajaGooGoo as a band in their own right or only making appearances at 80s type events?
I think they themselves have moved on a bit from Kaja. Reforming the band is fun but they make their living doing other stuff. If they wanted to really go back to the studio and touring circuit I am sure they would come up with some fantastic stuff but I think they would be more cult than mainstream, they were already going that way in the 80s.
We’re lucky enough to have some of your KajaGooGoo photographs in this feature and they are absolutely fantastic, is this something you do professionally?
Thank you and sort of! I take some pictures of horses!! You can find me easily if you google me on the web, but I am not a pro. Except for the second Stables concert (Steve: kinda horse related!!), a friend had lent me a large posh camera which I could hardly sneak in (officially no photos) but I saw Anna in the foyer and she suggested I pounce on the tour manager who was passing. The poor man who had seen me at Southampton probably didnt have a clue about my past history but I said just go and tell the band Lulu is here and wants to do posh pictures and bless him, he actually did cos he came back and said ‘Jez said you can do what you like’, I will fix it with the venue and the next minute I was being interviewed by the theatre manager and announced as the official photographer!! So just as well the shots came out ok to be honest!!
Nick Beggs at The Stables 2009. Photograph by Lulu.
You were there in 1982 before it started and you’re still here in 2011, what keeps you such a loyal fan to the band? What would you like to see from the band in 2011 and beyond?
I went to see Haircut 100 last night and funnily enough someone asked me that there. The answer is simple enough, they could play their instruments and made good pop songs. And they were all decent guys, there was never any worries that unscrupulous rock and rollers might take advantage of a bunch of young fans, on the whole the band and their connections looked after us in a way. Even if they never play together again and I really hope they do, it has been great seeing them all again and finding out they are in good form with lovely families (and more children than you can shake a stick at!!).
Okay now onto the quick fire three!
What is your favourite KajaGooGoo song? Lies and Promises or Monochromatic. I love the guitar riff on that track, it was Steve’s big moment!
What is your favourite KajaGooGoo album? All of them have really some really excellent tracks, it would be easier to say that Islands is my least favourite.
Who is your favourite KajaGooGoo band member? To be fair I have never had a particular favourite there either, unlike most of the girls, I adored them all for different qualities, but I probably got on best with Steve-I-Know-Nothing-Askew and Jez.
Stuart Croxford Neale at The Stables 2009. Photograph by Lulu.
Is there any message you’d like to send out to the band and the fans?
I suppose to thank the band for their indulgence, we had the best time following them about and I have been so happy to have seen them all again in such good form. And to the fans, as long as you are not sitting on their doorsteps (which for the true fan was a massive no no, we figured they were entitled to some privacy) enjoy yourselves, they might deny it but deep down I think they all still LOVE the attention!
We really do hope to hear much more from you in 2011, Lulu thank you for talking with KajaFax.
Related Posts:
https://kajafax.co.uk/2011/01/12/kajafax-superfan-2/
https://kajafax.co.uk/2010/11/23/kajafax-superfan-1/
2011 KajaFax
White Feathers DVD Update 2
A short while ago back on December 20th 2010, KajaFax published a desire to see the White Feathers concert from 31st May 1983 at the Hammersmith Odeon finally make it to DVD.
Incase you’re wondering how this is Update 2 and where the first one went, Update 1 was edited onto the actual campaign post.
That post can be read here:
https://kajafax.co.uk/2010/12/20/kajagoogoo-hammersmith-1983-dvd-campaign/
The situation as it currently stands is unfortunately, standstill.
EMI did reply to me and although very courteous and forthcoming, they were not willing to make this release themselves. They did give the encouraging information that a licence would be granted to another company to produce this DVD if the commercial terms were right, as would be expected.
Cherry Red also very courteous and forthcoming, were not willing to make this release either.
I have contacted two other companies about this release, Eagle and Edsel and neither have replied.
I am still searching for companies that are in this line of business. There are many companies out there who shoot live footage and make presentation DVD etc but it seems hard to find anyone that licences old concerts and releases them to DVD. I think Cherry Red really were the hot favourites.
I’ve had many emails from fans who would love to see this show released to DVD, the fan support is out there. This update is a request to all the fans out there who may know of other companies that would be worth contacting to ask about this show.
If anyone has any ideas at all about how we could see this show released to DVD, anything at all, please do contact me and let me know your thoughts.
If this could happen, this is what we could have:
This is a DVD back up of the laser disc show, but it gives a great idea of how the released item could look, true to the original releases.
Just incase anyone has any concerns over copyright, here is proof of ownership of one of my laserdiscs along with the DVD back up. I must also say that due to copyright law, it would not be possible for me to make copies of this DVD for anyone so please don’t ask!
Hopefully this story can have a happy ending and as they always say, where there’s a will, there’s a way!
2011 KajaFax
Art Nouveau Fear Machine 2000
Inspired by a message left on the answerphone of Steve Askew, this rework of ‘Fear Machine’ is really quite different from the original. It also makes you wonder just what sort of phone calls Steve gets!!
When I first heard the track, I wasn’t convinced. A few listens later and I really appreciated what had been done with the track. I’m a big fan of the original, I think that’s a fantastic dark synth sound and everything about it was right. This reworking gives the track a drum ‘n’ bass soundtrack and drops in some lovely acid towards the end, I’d like to think that was a bit of 303 action!
At around 3m into the track, the beat drops to leave the original Fear Machine line and then comes in that fantastic acid which stays with the track till the end unless we get to the beautiful crackle to fade.
Have a listen to the track, see what you think:
And then we have the original to compare, which is just such a superb track:
As you’ll hear, the two tracks are totally different, what do you think about Fear Machine 2000?
Related Posts:
https://kajafax.co.uk/2010/11/18/art-nouveau-fear-machine/
https://kajafax.co.uk/2010/12/08/art-nouveau-1979-footage/
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