Watch Captain Beefheart perform "Abba Zaba" in Paris, 1972

Here's some rare footage of Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band live at The Bataclan in Paris on April 15, 1972 and more.

Safe As Milk demos & acetates

Assorted demos and acetate versions of Safe as Milk songs. The songs from the acetate disc were recorded along with the rest of the Safe as Milk album in April/May 1967 at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, California. The first two songs were recorded in March 1967 at Original Sound Studios in Los Angeles, California. This was roughly the time when the Magic Band was dropped from A&M and signed to Buddah. The other demos were recorded throughout 1965-1967 at various locations. Pictures are of the band before and during the Safe as Milk era.

00:00 Somebody's Leaving

02:14 Somebody In My Home

04:55 Sure Nuff 'n' Yes I Do (1967 Demo)

07:06 Sure Nuff 'n' Yes I Do (Acetate Version)

09:21 Call on Me (1965 Demo)

12:25 I'm Glad (1966 Demo)

16:13 Electricity (Acetate Version 1)

19:15 Electricity (Acetate Version 2)

22:17 Yellow Brick Road (1967 Demo)

23:56 Yellow Brick Road (Acetate Version)

26:09 Abba Zaba (Acetate Version)

28:47 Plastic Factory (1967 Demo)

31:41 Plastic Factory (Acetate Version)

34:38 Where There's Woman (Acetate Version)

36:45 Grown So Ugly (Acetate Version)

39:04 Autumn's Child (Acetate Version)

Watch DEVO on French TV in 1980

DEVO performing live for an annoyed and/or perplexed crowd on French TV in 1980? Mais oui! 

Brigitte Fontaine shares sleeve image from forthcoming Pick Up album

French avant-pop legend Brigitte Fontaine recorded Pick Up at the Limiñanas studio in Perpignan. Watch for a single release soon.

Writes Brigitte...

"Alors voilà, je suis très heureuse d'enfin pouvoir vous annoncer la sortie de "Pick Up" mon nouvel album que j'ai enregistré en grande partie à Perpignan, dans le studio des Limiñanas.  

Il sera disponible dès le 25 octobre en CD Digipack, Vinyle Noir & Colorées (Éd. Limitées) et vous pouvez déjà le précommander ici : https://brigittefontaine.lnk.to/PickUp 

Je vous donne rendez-vous le 30/08 car je vous dévoilerai le tout premier extrait "Cantilène"

"So here it is, I'm very happy to finally be able to announce the release of "Pick Up" my new album that I recorded mostly in Perpignan, in the Limiñanas studio. It will be available on October 25 on CD Digipack, Black & Colored Vinyl (limited edition) and you can already pre-order it here: https://brigittefontaine.lnk.to/PickUp 

"I will reveal the very first extract "Cantilène" on August 30." 

 

 

Toronto's dynamic duo Catl rock Summer Live 4 in Lixing-lès-Rouhling, Saturday

If you happen to be in northeastern France this weekend, don't miss Catl with The Courettes & Bob Log III on Saturday! 

Oh yes Belgium, Catl are headed your way for three fab Flemish frolics in Sint-Truiden, Tongeren and Oostkamp! 

Watch Manu Dibango live on French TV

Here's saxophonist Manu Dibango performing live on Puslations (1968-71). Sadly Manu died from coronavirus on March 24, 2020. 

Soft Machine captured live in France & Holland 1970 with Facelift package

Cuneiform's Facelift 2CD + DVD package reveals the quintet version of Soft Machine at their early peak. Check the trailer. 

Here's the scoop...

From their beginnings as a psychedelic rock band in 1966, sharing stages with Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, to being one of the originators of electric jazz/rock by early 1969, Britain’s Soft Machine were restlessly creative. Facelift France and Holland captures them at a pivotal moment in the first quarter of 1970 as a short-lived quintet, just before they recorded and released their breakthrough album Third. 

As broadcast on the French TV programme Pop 2, the film of Soft Machine’s concert at Paris’ Théâtre de la Musique, which constitutes the main course of the present release, stands as an exceptional document of the band at, arguably, its artistic peak. 

It is the earliest footage of the band to be commercially released and also the only video footage known to exist of the quintet line-up that was active from January to March 1970. The broadcast contains the only professionally-recorded performance of “Out-Bloody- Rageous” with Lyn Dobson on second sax and it also is the only professionally-recorded alternative performance by the quintet of “Facelift” (the original appearing as the opening track on Third). 

Facelift France and Holland marks the first official release of the entire show in both audio and video format. Footage of the concert was previously released in 2008 on DVD, but we have gone through the original footage once again to improve video quality as well as remove or lessen soundtrack issues including fake applause and hard edits. 

In addition to the March, 1970 material presented here on CD and DVD in splendid stereo sound and looking better than it ever has before, Disc 3 presents a previously unreleased soundboard performance at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw from January 17, 1970. 

-------------------------------------------------------------

Soft Machine:

Elton Dean – Alto sax, saxello 

Lyn Dobson – Soprano and tenor sax, flute, harmonica, vocals 

Hugh Hopper – Bass 

Mike Ratledge – Hohner Pianet, Lowrey Holiday Deluxe organ 

Robert Wyatt – Drums, vocals 

CD One: Recorded at Théâtre de la Musique, Paris, France, March 2, 1970. Licensed from I.N.A. 

CD Two Recorded at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, January 17, 1970.

Check out the trailer and an audio clip of "Out-Bloody-Rageous" below. Get Soft Machine's Facelift: France & Holland via Bandcamp right here. 

 

Happy Birthday Françoise Hardy!

Celebrating the birthday of French chanteuse François Hardy with her boating video for "Le temps de l'amour"

Billy Childish vs. Link Wray

Wild Billy Childish & his CTMF crew cut loose on Link Wray's Comananche as a closer at BBmix in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.