It’s September and time to hit the books. That doesn’t have to mean textbooks and studying. There are some wonderful books on music to either keep close to your couch on the coffee-table or for reading as the nights grow longer and colder.

First up is A Life in Focus: The Photography of Graham Nash (Insight Editions) by Graham Nash. Along with releasing his solo albums, recordings with David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young and the Hollies, Nash has pursued photography. This book brings together a lifetime of work from behind the lens. Nash is not just a musician who dabbles in photography. This book clearly proves that with works that feature people, places and things, captured in mostly stark, evocative, black-and-white moods, but there are also plenty of stirring color images. If you’re looking for a wide selection of books, visit this website at https://my-passion.com/genres/yateen.

Nash includes many photos of his musical collaborators and contemporaries, including Allan Clarke, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Judy Collins, Cass Elliot, J.D. Souther and many more. There are photos of a very young Kris Kristofferson and some of the folk artists that presaged the British Invasion such as Phil Ochs. Those behind the scenes, such as Bill Graham, Ahmet Ertegun, and David Geffen, are also featured. Fellow photographers and visual artists Henry Diltz, Joel Bernstein, Elliot Landy, and Gary Burden, who created some of the most iconic album covers and rock images, are represented as well.

Nash moved in the worlds of Swinging London, Laurel Canyon, Hollywood, and New York, which are all represented with photos of Twiggy, Dennis Hopper, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Leon Russell (captured at the famous Bangladesh concert). Musicians from many styles, including the likes of Taj Mahal and Johnny Cash, are also included. Many images of a geometric nature, while others are abstract, almost surrealistic thought-provoking photos to linger over and ponder. This is a book that tells the story of a musical life from a searching wanderer whose eyes are wide open.

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Yara Asmar is a multi-instrumentalist, video artist, and puppeteer who currently lives in Beirut with her house cat Mushroom. Just 25 years old, her debut release offers an uncommonly rich blend of experimentation, field recordings, and ambient sensibilities across seven tracks. Recorded in her place of residence via mobile phone and cassette, the aptly titled Home Recordings 2018–2021 is also appropriately issued on tape, with chosen format nicely echoing the method of conception, and it’s available in an edition of 200, so don’t dawdle in procuring a copy. It’s released through Hive Mind Records, one of the most reliably interesting labels on the contemporary scene.

Yara Asmar provides a concise bit of biography and then lets the music do the talking, which is much appreciated. But neither is she calculatedly mysterious; in the rundown of the instruments played on Home Recordings 2018–2021, it’s mentioned that the accordion used on the set belonged to her grandmother, and that it was found in the attic of her grandparents’ home in Lebanon (and so, a pertinent tidbit of further background).

Asmar also plays piano (both standard and toy models), metallophone, glockenspiel, synthesizer, toys, and music boxes, and in the tape’s fascinating second track, “Sleeping in Church – Tape 1 – On a Warm Day I Turned to Tell You Something but There Was Nothing There,” she interweaves field recordings of hymns sung in Lebanon churches into the scheme, at one point manipulating them to surreal and ominous effect.

The cassette’s opener “It’s Always October on Sunday” is loose and at times sparse as it makes its introductions, but it’s never random, beginning with a combo of bold chimelike tones (the toy piano, the metallophone, those music boxes), elements further mingled with bits of percussive rattle (later, more directly rhythmic interjections), and sustained, resonating tones. The piece and others on the tape do suggest sound collage at times, a similarity aided by the use of field recordings, natch, but distinguished by the fact that Asmar plays everything else.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Much like Santa Claus himself, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong devoted his life to “the cause of happiness,” as he once put it, bringing joy to audiences around the globe every time he put his trumpet to his lips or crooned with his instantly-recognizable, gravelly voice. Yet, while Satchmo’s holiday recordings have become standard yuletide fare, he never released a Christmas album during his lifetime. Now, for the very first time, Louis Wishes You A Cool Yule—out October 28 via Verve Records/UMe, presents Armstrong’s holiday recordings as a cohesive body of work, marking his first-ever official Christmas album.

Since his passing in 1971, Armstrong has become one of the most oft-played artists during the holiday season, his golden trumpet tone still able to cut through the din of even the most bustling shopping mall. Available for pre-order today, Louis Wishes You A Cool Yule features nearly the entirety of Armstrong’s holiday output: six Decca singles from the ‘50s, including “Cool Yule,” “Christmas Night in Harlem,” and the swinging “‘Zat You Santa Claus?.” The 11-track album also features duets with two of Pops’ favorite vocal partners, Velma Middleton (“Baby, It’s Cold Outside”) and Ella Fitzgerald (“I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”). An official video for the Louis and Ella classic debuts today, hand-drawn by director and animator JonJon in his distinctive “line and shape” style.

Rounding out the collection is the artist’s signature hit, “What a Wonderful World,” which has become something of a yearlong hymn of hope and celebrates its 65th anniversary this year, plus a very special gift to fans: a previously unreleased reading of Samuel Clement Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” popularly known as “The Night Before Christmas.” Paired with a groovy, newly-recorded musical underbed by New Orleans pianist Sullivan Fortner, the poignant recording marks the first new Louis Armstrong track in more than 20 years and is notable for being the last recording he ever made.

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Talk about your one-chord wonders. England in the mid- to-late seventies was awash in them, punk bands that woke up to the fact that you didn’t have to be Queen to seize the stage and play rock and roll. The spirit of the day was “Look ma! I just picked up a guitar ten minutes ago and played my first gig last night!” And it was The Adverts who perfectly captured that spirit on the opening cut of their 1978 debut LP Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts, “One Chord Wonders.”

Early arrivals on London’s punk scene, The Adverts perfectly encapsulated The Replacements’ sentiment “I hate music/ Sometimes I don’t/I hate music/It’s got too many notes.” And on “One Chord Wonders”—a feedback-laced hit of pure punk amphetamine—they turn it into both a point of pride and a manifesto. Their message: “I wonder how we’ll answer when you say/”We don’t like you – go away”/”Come back when you’ve learned to play.” And, “The wonders don’t care–we don’t give a damn.” On “Bored Teenagers” they channel the ennui of a time when the only way to get a job was with a personal referral from the Queen. Looking for something new isn’t paying off, opines T.V. Smith, tying yourself to the railway tracks isn’t a completely unreasonable idea, and everyone’s “looking for love/or should I say emotional rages.”

“New Church” is stripped-to-the-bone power pop in an era when power pop meant the Raspberries, On it T.V. Smith gobs on the notion that the meek shall inherit the earth, so he intends to stick with the winners: “So long – goodbye to the blind and the weaklings/I’ll follow my feelings/Be strong – I’ll do what I want.” “On the Roof “ is a drag that picks itself up only to fall down again, and what Smith is getting at is adult hypocrisy, which he wishes was a joke—he’s “waiting for the punchline” but it ain’t coming, and in the meantime he’ll “be on the roof/Waiting for you/Where we’ll hide.”

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Led by the songwriting and virtuoso musical duo of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, Steely Dan released an extraordinary run of seven albums on ABC Records and MCA Records from 1972 through 1980. Filled with topline musicianship, clever and subversive wordplay, ironic humor, genius arrangements, and pop hits that outshone the Top 40 of its day, their records, which were as sophisticated and cerebral as they were inscrutable, were stylistically diverse, melding their love of jazz with rock, blues, and impeccable pop songcraft.

Now at long last, Steely Dan’s classic ABC and MCA Records catalog will return to vinyl with an extensive yearlong reissue program of the band’s first seven records, which is being personally overseen by founding member Donald Fagen. The LPs, most of which haven’t been widely available since their original release, will be available on 33 1/3 RPM 180-gram black vinyl via Geffen/UMe, and as a limited-edition premium 45 RPM version on Ultra High-Quality Vinyl (UHQR) from Analogue Productions, the audiophile in-house reissue label of Acoustic Sounds. Analogue Productions will also release this series of titles on Super Audio CD.The series will kick off on November 4th with the album that started it all, Steely Dan’s legendary 1972 debut LP, Can’t Buy A Thrill, now in its 50th anniversary year, featuring the band’s breakthrough hits, “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years,” and the recently viral “Dirty Work,” with original lead vocalist David Palmer.

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Celebrating Colin Newman, born on this day in 1954. —Ed.

Most bands are fortunate to get in the ballpark of a single masterpiece during their existence, but from ’77-’79, and right out of the gate with their debut, Wire produced three in a row. In the process, they delivered a blueprint for minimalist art-punk (from which many have swiped but never bettered) while becoming one of the defining acts in the emerging genre of post-punk. 

As the final studio album before Wire’s first hiatus, 154 inevitably registers as a culmination. However, if the byproduct of chances taken, repetition disdained, and unsurprisingly, friction between band members, the album’s experimentation with and extension of rock and pop form ultimately transcends the tag of post-punk, with its contents remarkably cohesive and betraying no signs of strain from creative differences.

For an outfit who stated they’d quit because of a dearth of new ideas, 154 is loaded with them. If it’s a taste of the band at the end of their tether that you desire, then the live recording Document and Eyewitness, revised and expanded in 2014, is the release to check out; fascinatingly flawed but in this writer’s view somewhat underrated, it stands as the true end of Wire’s first period.

But don’t let’s lose track of the subject at hand. 154 easily extends the brilliance established on Wire’s prior releases by unveiling another major spurt in development, though the sheer intensity of invention did them few favors. The reality of all this rapid-fire progress? Wire was simply moving too fast to cultivate their listenership, and by extension, disappointment from their label EMI was certain. Furthermore, as their sound was at odds with the general trend toward post-punk refinement (e.g. New Romanticism), the response from critics could often be indifferent, perplexed, or even hostile.

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PHOTO: ALEJANDRO ROS | Nobody likes to be pigeonholed; we all have different aspects to us that we’d like to be appreciated for. Life is short, and even though it takes a long time to become a master at something, there’s still time to become recognized for something else.

Juana Molina comes from a family of artists and entertainers and was one of the most widely recognized comediennes in her home country of Argentina. Even with that success, she still yearned to explore her musical interests. As is often the case with entertainers who switch tracks during their careers, the public who adored her for her comedy skills was not so sure about following her on this musical journey. However, Juana persisted and soon enough—after discovering her excellent second album Segundo—David Byrne invited her to be the opening act on one of his North American tours, and the rest was history. Juana is now an internationally respected musician specializing in experimental electronic indiepop music.

While she and I talk about all of these things, we’re really here to discuss her label’s efforts in reissuing an album that was important to a young Juana. Originally released in 1971, Musicasión 4 1/2 is a rare LP which was released in Uruguay and it features recordings of a series of performances by a group of artists who mixed theatrics, poetry, and improvised stage effects with rock and Latin American rhythms. During the pandemic, Juana reconnected with an old friend who had recently been given access to unreleased and rare recordings of the same musicians on the original album. Juana knew that the time was right for her new record label Sonamos to reissue the album and give it the 50th anniversary it rightly deserved.

So, join me and Juana—who joins me from Argentina—to discuss her career, Musicasión 4 1/2 and how it’s never too late to change the trajectory of your life, as long as you allow yourself to follow your heart’s true passions.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

A small gathering of the press, experts on The Beatles from a wide variety of media, and some music industry members gathered at Republic Studios in Chelsea, in downtown Manhattan on Tuesday, September 13th for a sneak listen to the new Revolver reissue from The Beatles, due on October 28th.

The throng was treated to the new sounds at the intimate state-of-the-art facility by none other than Giles Martin. Martin, the son of The Beatles’ producer George Martin, has overseen this new reissue project, as he did for those for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, Abbey Road, and Let it Be. Martin began his involvement with these remix projects back with the Cirque du Soleil Love release in 2006. Since 2018, Martin has also served as Head of Audio & Sound for Universal Music.

Martin, resplendent in his trademark waistcoat (that’s a vest for you Yanks), talked about how the latest reissue project got off the ground and played some outtakes that will appear on the reissue in October, as well as the entire new remix of the album and the single “Paperback Writer”/”Rain” in Dolby Atmos. At the end he answered questions.

Work on Revolver was very different than on previous reissues, as the nature of the recording and particularly mono mixing of the original album made it difficult to go back and remix from scratch. The technology that Peter Jackson’s audio team used on the Get Back series provided the springboard to do with Revolver what was needed. Emile de la Rey led Jackson’s team and became the person that Martin collaborated with to “demix” the musical instruments and vocals.

It is reminiscent of Martin’s then more primitive approach, when he worked with Ron Howard on the Eight Days A Week movie and, in particular, on The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl reissue in 2016. The team’s new technology uses Artificial Intelligence to recognize all the elements of sound in the mono mix and then basically to separate out all the ingredients with no bleed-through of instruments or vocals. This method becomes absolutely needed when creating the Dolby Atmos mix.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | “The wisdom and the lessons she shares will illuminate not only the world of songwriters but anyone who seeks the sustenance of a creative life and practice.”
—Mary Chapin Carpenter

Prolific and iconic singer-songwriter Dar Williams has released an all-new songwriting book called How to Write a Song That Matters (Hachette Books, 09/6/22). Intended for songwriters of all levels and backgrounds, the book combines tips, tools, and encouragement that anyone can use to get started with or to keep momentum alive in their creative process. Dar Williams fans will also enjoy anecdotes and origin stories about songs they know and love. The book is available in paperback, digital reader format (kindle/nook) and audio book read by the author. More details are available here

How to Write a Song That Matters is an invaluable guide to writing music by a woman who knows how to do it and do it well: beloved singer-songwriter, Dar Williams. For years now, Williams has led songwriting retreats for musicians, from beginners to professionals, in which she elevates the process of songwriting over the assessment of the product. This book makes those intimate experiences accessible for songwriters across the globe, gifting them with the insight Williams has gleaned from her decades of experience.

First, it encourages songwriters to find something that inspires them and then to follow that inspiration, letting the clues of those first few notes or lines lead their narrative. Soon, the initial rhythms, the unique sounds of the melody, and/or specific vocabulary emerge, giving birth to a “voice” or a “world” that the song can exist in. As the writer proceeds, Williams encourages them to ask themselves: “Where did I go? Where did I REALLY go? What happened? What REALLY happened? What am I bringing back?”

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