Where is the love for Wendy & Lisa?! Hmm - hello MOG, what up with that?!
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Artist:
If you are not aware but the ladies who worked with and helped influence Prince, Wendy and Lisa have released a new album called, White Flags of Winter Chimneys here www.wendyandlisa.com
Love the COVER!!
I feel guilty that I don't have their other albums which I am on a frantic look out to get NOW. I was totally in my own world not knowing they were releasing music as their own music entity, "Wendy & Lisa" for I thought they were doing more work behind the scenes.
I am looking at their profile here on MOG and I see there are listeners but no blogs on them. Please, help the ladies out. They are that fantastic! I don't know that much so I will be exploring. But I do know they are currently working on doing the music scoring for the NBC Show, "Heroes".
I was over on htto://prince.org, and they had shared a thread about an interview that was given and not released. Here it is if you are interetsed:
Biggest regret in 2008: Not publishing this Wendy and Lisa interview - December 30, 2008 -
http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2008/12/my-biggest-regr.html
It gives you a great history of their work with Prince and their personal views on him. Pretty hilarious , candid, sincere and true.
Also, they are pretty funny and approachale online. I got CLOWNED by @wendyandlisa yesterday because I was rambling how I could not see and I honestly had no idea who may have been listening to my rambles and then I check my reply section of twitter and this is what @wendyandlisa said to me:
[my name on Twittter is @thejenntafur]
My favorite tweet EVER. I need to print it and frame it! xoox (not joking!!!)
By the way, I am loving the album alternative rock, funk, soul and little punk. Love it all. Not the typical music that some people would think I listen to but I do such as my admiration for the late, Elliott Smith (link to a past post I did on Elliott Smith). I love acoustic sets set to an acoustic guitar. My absolute favorite.
Locating MOG account...
Comments (11)
Girlfriend, you must find 'Eroica'! When I was making pop albums with Japanese singers in the 80s [god that sounds weird to read - it was even weirder to do] the production/musician core we used all had a major crush on Wendy & Lisa's albums. They have such amazing arrangements and production chops. 'Eroica' was the 2d or 3rd album and is a major work that rewards months of sustained listening. We used to crank it up in the studio at the end of sessions just to hear it on huge speakers. The track you've posted here is a pretty good sample of what those albums sounded like.
It's funny you posted on this, as I've been musing on them quite a lot in the past few weeks. It happens every time I watch 'Heroes' because what I find brilliant is that what they do there doesn't sound at all like music and most of the time you don't even hear it. I think that's an amazing achievement to pull off.
@jonh - I feel so in the dark that I did not know. Okay, I am going to find all their albums and just buy them. Their current album has been cranked up almost every day for me. I am totally enjoyeing everything they put into every track. I honestly did not realize how THEY have influenced Prince (in my humble opinion). Ladies are funky.
It's a DAYUM shame too how the industry wanted to label them by race and not give them the true recognition that they deserve. This is like the problem that singer Timi Yuro had. She was white and sounded (as they said BLACK) but to me sound does not have a color but it is a feeling. It is pretty evident to me with all my musical adventures that I am more into SOUL, FEELING than the COLOR. So STUPID to me how this industry wants to label and not allow you to go on gut feeling. Ugh. That is the art of music!
Thank you for sharing so openly with me. I am going to find these albums today!! Thank you for stopping by!
Hey Jen...Maybe it is just me but I think that upload went bad. It sounds awful. And its a damn shame 'cause I like what I can hear thru the distortion.
Jennifer - You are so right about music being about feeling and not colour. It never occurred to me growing up what skin colour a person like Timi Yuro was, and I still feel the same way now. It moves me or it doesn't. There are lots of stories of mixed UK bands going to the US and the record company guy saying, 'I'll take you down to the black music dept.,' to general befuddlement from the band. There's no such concept over here. It's the same story with Eva Cassidy - no record company would sign her because they couldn't figure out what "category" to place her in. It took Charles Brown of go-go fame to get her started because all he heard was a fabulous voice. She broke in the UK because a guy on BBC radio loved her so much he started playing her, only to be swamped by phone calls wanting to know who she was.
Makes you wonder just what people in record companies think they're doing there.
@deadmandeadman - thank you for letting me know that. I reloaded the song again. Let me know if you can hear it better?! That was strange : / Ugh.
@jonh - it's an on going battle I have been reading over and over in the music industry. I don't *get it* for I thought the entire concept of music is ART?!! When I was learning to play the violin and the piano both of my teachers emphasized to play the instrument as though it was an extension of me. Never once did they say "oh, this is how you have to play the instrument." They told me it was always my interpretaiton of how I felt the songs that they were treaching me.
But I got so impatitent with them that I stopped learning how to read music and I started playing by ear. I became so stubborn and then I quit playing the piano because I was getting in trouble for not learning how to read the music.
: /
Thank you for the story behind Eva Cassidy and Chuck Brown. I never knew that. Chuck Brown is like the DC version of James Brown. His music still inspires me and makes me want to jump out of my seat: www.windmeupchuck.com
Bob Dylan's early singles were sold in plain brown sleeves through out the south. The record company thought the record wouldn't sell as well if folks knew it was a skinny little jewish kid singin' "blowin' In The Wind".
This is pretty glorious. Off to find more....
Haven't followed them at all since I was far more into Prince & they seemed to drop off the radar. Glad they are back. I went over to their website & listened briefly to each song & it seems like a good album that would need repeated listenings to truly appreciate. Unfortunately what I heard wasn't unique or interesting enough for me to pursue further. Thanks for the headsup though.
@deadmandeadman - really? Wow, why would they do that. Ugh. I enjoy Bob Dylan. He speaks TRUTH.
@ivylander - yeah yeah - ME TOO . Don't forget to BLOGGGGGGGGGGGG
@augusts1 - I understand your musicial tastes. I have been enjoying the entire album though it is pretty layed. You have to sit back and just allow them to put you in a trance. But, again I know this may not be your liking. I appreciate you considering it! xoxo
I'm always open to considering new music. I'm constantly surprised at what I like, so I don't cross anything off my list until I give it a quick listen at least. And I can usually tell right away 'cause if it doesn't catch my attention immediately I know it's not going to keep my interest in the long run.
@deadmandeadman - shows you how the music industry wants to have a certain image. Sounds like the same things done with Timi Yuro. People did not know she was white till she showed up and sang. People were like - she's white? Timi Yuro http://mog.com/2Serenity/blog/113036 (old blog - comments by Oiver Penn are the key for he personally knew Timi Yuro)
@ivylander - yeah yeah yeah!
@augusts1 -I'm glad you at leat considered. I did not think they would fit your taste but what I appreciate is that at least you tried and you are honest about it! xoxo Beautiful thing about music is that we have so many choices!