Hugh Cornwell Mercury Lounge New York 17th March 1999

 

Here's a late '90's acoustic gig from Hugh in New York. Here too he was dipping his toes into 'Nosferatu' waters with the inclusion of 'Mothra' and 'Wired'. I was always rather surprised that he didn't play more of the album early on, at a time when he had a reluctance to play Stranglers material. 'Nosferatu' could have been a workable compromise since it was a 'solo' album recorded at the height of Stranglers' first flush of success. Rather that than 'One in a Million'! Perhaps the experimantal nature of the 'Nosferatu' material jarred to much with his newer, more melodic, material. Who knows?

MP3: https://we.tl/t-WMW0WdfY5Y

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-C1JLmiwmGM

Nosferatu Staked - The Critics Don't Get It (10th November 1979)

 

Ill Met By Moonlight

(Messers Vanian and Cornwell compare vampiric breath)

The Cornwell/Williams 'Nosferatu project had a difficult gestation suffereing from a number of delays to its release schedule. This is perhaps not surprising give the extent of the frenetic activity within Camp Stranglers in the second half of 1979.

When it eventually landed on the critics' turntables, the reception that it received would perhaps been enough to see old Nosferatu scampering for the reassuring comfort of his coffin. Basically, they didn't get it, seeing the album as a Cornwell vanity project, a dabble in experimental surrealism that was beyond his capability, despite the luminaries in such avant garde music that he had on board.... Ian Underwood (Zappa), Williams (Beefheart) and Mothersbaugh x 2 (Devo).

See for yourself...

New Musical Express (10th November 1979)

Record Mirror (10th November 1979)

Nosferatu Hits The Road - 46 Years After Release!

'The one you've all been waiting for!'
Duncan Poundcake 1979

46 years! I finally get to see the Hugh Cornwell performance that was missing. Cornwell takes the plunge and announces his intention to play Nosferatu in its entirity. Let's call it a spin-off, since rather than a solo album it was a collaboration with Robert Williams. But as spin-offs go it was the best of the bunch, and the competition from his fellow Stranglers has been of a very good quality over the years. 

Dark and brooding as an album it can be quite an uncomfortable listen at times. Cornwell and Williams did not balk at the notion of being experimental in both sound and lyrical contant, the latter of which provides the listener with a rich canvas of imagery from implausible circus freak-show attractions to armoured steam trains traversing the continent menacingly, carrying with it a revolutionary message. 

Fair play to Hugh for finally giving this remarkable album its place in the spotlight (or at least a little eerie limelight) four decades after the original dates failed to materialise.

Needless to say I will be digging up some Nosferatu related material to post in the coming days.

'Amazing!'
Duncan Poundcake 1979

Xmal Deutschland 9:30 Club Washington DC 11th June 1984

 

Very envious this afternoon as I sit in my bombsite of an office looking out on a sodden road in front of the house. Meanwhile, a friend is at present entrained on the Eurostar, replete with chilled white wine, Paris bound to see the extraordinary Anja Huwe play a rare gig at La Marbrerie tonight. The only counter I have to this is to post an Xmal Deutchland gig... and that is poor competition.

Here is Anja, caterwauling as Owen Carne had it (!), in the company of her fellow Xmal Deutschlanders at the famed 9:30 Club in Washington DC. Nice sounding recording this is too.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-2JGGkkvivUWKb225

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-3DbaZugEJ5kMaZyP

Dave Greenfield And JJ Burnel Fire And Water Outtakes

 

One last solo related post today, prompted by an excellent piece of artwork posted on the 'Stranglers IV' Facebook page. Here then is the Rat Zone compilation of the 1983 Greenfield/Burnel soundtrack outtakes for the 'Ecutez Vos Murs' art film.

A great album with some material that would have been a good fit in a Stranglers' set. I have said it on many occasions that the band should have played 'Nuclear Power' live.... Burnel's last punk roar!

Many thanks go still to the folks behind Rat Zone.... would love to see some more. And thanks to the creator of the alternative art... a considerable improvement upon the above I'm sure you'll agree.

WAV: https://we.tl/t-sdtjFZzb7F

JJ Burnel Arts Centre Swindon (30th May 2000) And The Adelphi Preston(3rd December 2000) DVD

 

Following on from the earlier Royal Festival Hall gig, here are two more sets from the 'Songs and Stories' dates, one from the first leg (Swindon) and one from the second leg (Preston). Whilst the filmer(s) (unknown to me I am sorry) was well positioned for both gigs, the image quality has suffered somewhat over the years. However, the sound quality is good. Across these two complete gigs I think all of the 'lost' solo material is included;

'Talkin' 'Bout Me & You'

'Frogs Crossing The Road'

'Norfolk Coast'

'By The Sea'

'Big Thing Coming'

'A Kiss'

'The Girl & The Sea'

... almost enough for an album!

DVD image: https://we.tl/t-yuW3FNIY9G

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-mAFy12moqg

JJ Burnel Purcell Room Royal Festival Hall London 13th December 2000

 

Looking back, an incredible 25 years now, at these solo dates from Burnel in the middle of a crisis period for the band, it strikes me that this was the beginning of the recovery that culminated in the release of 'Norfolk Coast' four years later. It was a fight for the hearts and minds of a tired and disallusioned fan base. The biggest part of the battle was to win back the heart and mind of old Burnel himself! 

Hats off to whoever seeded the idea into the bass players mind, I have no idea whether it was JJ's idea or whether it came from others within The Stranglers' camp. 'Now listen JJ, things have got a bit stale with the band, we need a boost, arm your self with a six-string, a bottle of red and get you arse out into the provincial towns and remind people just what it was that you did in the punk wars and beyond!' And he did, even to the extent of playing Burgess Hill library (my old home town) on a tempestuous Tuesday night, the night before this gig in fact... I think the rest of the band owed him big time for that gig!

Is it just me that thinks that its a shame that some of the solo material, including the stuff that wound up on 'Norfolk Coast' was not pursued and turned into his next solo album? OK, so these songs are perhaps not as finessed in the same way as the 'Fire & Water' or 'Un Jour Partfait' songs are (but who knows how they could have turned out with a bit of studio attention lavished upon them). I think that it is a little regrettable that the record of these songs is limited to a VHS video (a defunct entertainment medium that few can still play these days) and a handful of bootlegs.

Anyway, here he is on the second leg of the 'Alone & Acoustic, Songs & Stories' tour in the prestigious Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank.

Many thanks to yesican for replacing by knackered copy!

WAV: https://we.tl/t-YRZipbgT75

Alternative artwork: https://we.tl/t-mUOy2JwZlp