New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Pretty self-explanatory
bronxapostle
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by bronxapostle »

WIWC a clunker??? Come now! a great record returning to rock after six years away. A clunker does not happen around here often. Number one clunk for me: THE RIVER IN REVERSE: forced and boring, yet.....THAT TOUR WAS IMMENSE!
Last edited by bronxapostle on Mon Jun 08, 2020 6:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
jardine
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by jardine »

"It's the musical setting and production that give it extra oomph, at least to my ear." agreed. it SOUNDS wonderful and fresh and disturbing. the key change[s] catch me off guard each time, and then, at one point, the bass and guitar are in different keys, just perfectly incompatible enough to jar
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Lester Burnham
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by Lester Burnham »

The homemade yet aggressive sound reminded me somewhat of National Ransom No. 2 from 2011 or so. I gave it another listen and remembered thinking at the time how much I wished he’d do an album entirely like that — just him performing everything — and I wonder if we’re finally getting that now?
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by Offshoreram »

Standstobeinsulted wrote:Absolutely agree, shades of Andy Gill. One of the most criminally underated guitarists of all time alongside Steve Cropper, Mick Green and Richard Thompson. Still sticks in my craw that The Edge(sic) has never acknowledged the debt he owes to Andy Gill
Totally agree.
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sweetest punch
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by sweetest punch »

Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by Poor Deportee »

bronxapostle wrote:WIWC a clunker??? Come now! a great record returning to rock after six years away.
:lol: :lol:

I stand by what I said! By EC's standards, WIWC is a clunker. It reminds me of what John Lennon said about 'Mind Games' - the 'work of a semi-sick craftsman.'

Anyhow, carry on!
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bronxapostle
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by bronxapostle »

Please...let me just name a few: ALIBI, SPOOKY GIRLFRIEND, TART, DUST, DADDY CAN I TURN THIS?, DISSOLVE, 15 PETALS, RADIO SILENCE, DOLL REVOLUTION...may i ask, can it be you missed the tour??? Great live songs. But i do love POOR DEPORTEE the song ever since i saw him sing it 3 or 4 times in 1986. As you were.
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by Hawksmoor »

Lester Burnham wrote:The homemade yet aggressive sound reminded me somewhat of National Ransom No. 2 from 2011 or so. I gave it another listen and remembered thinking at the time how much I wished he’d do an album entirely like that — just him performing everything — and I wonder if we’re finally getting that now?
I don't think so. Piecing together things that have been let slip on the Daily Improvisation (by Elvis and Steve), a roughly reconstructed chronology would be something like...

Mid-February: EC goes to Helsinki and records two or three tracks with himself playing all the instruments (of which 'No Flag' is one). Probably (but not definitely) for inclusion on the LP.

Late February: EC attends SN's birthday party in Paris and either immediately afterwards or some time around then, EC/SN cut eight or nine tracks in a Paris studio as demos, with a view to recording full-band versions later.

EC contacts Nick Lowe and has the 'I know you don't do that kind of thing, but we both know you could' conversation and tentatively sets up NL to produce some or all of an LP.

EC books Abbey Road for three (four?) days in late March/early April to bang out a quick/noisy LP with the Imposters and Nick Lowe producing. Then lockdown hits.

Is that how everybody else is reading what's happened, or have I got the wrong end of the stick here?
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by migdd »

Pretty much hit it on the nose, Hawksmoor.
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by sulky lad »

Hawksmoor wrote:
Lester Burnham wrote:The homemade yet aggressive sound reminded me somewhat of National Ransom No. 2 from 2011 or so. I gave it another listen and remembered thinking at the time how much I wished he’d do an album entirely like that — just him performing everything — and I wonder if we’re finally getting that now?
I don't think so. Piecing together things that have been let slip on the Daily Improvisation (by Elvis and Steve), a roughly reconstructed chronology would be something like...

Mid-February: EC goes to Helsinki and records two or three tracks with himself playing all the instruments (of which 'No Flag' is one). Probably (but not definitely) for inclusion on the LP.

Late February: EC attends SN's birthday party in Paris and either immediately afterwards or some time around then, EC/SN cut eight or nine tracks in a Paris studio as demos, with a view to recording full-band versions later.

EC contacts Nick Lowe and has the 'I know you don't do that kind of thing, but we both know you could' conversation and tentatively sets up NL to produce some or all of an LP.

EC books Abbey Road for three (four?) days in late March/early April to bang out a quick/noisy LP with the Imposters and Nick Lowe producing. Then lockdown hits.

Is that how everybody else is reading what's happened, or have I got the wrong end of the stick here?
Sounds both credible and feasible -
a quickly put down series of tracks with Nick Lowe in mind for producer suggests most of the songs were pretty much complete by the time they would have convened at Abbey Road. Does anyone remember Jake suggesting Elvis' next (sic) album ws going to be just Elvis and a comb and tissue paper called Wembley ? Not a million miles from Abbey Road ! or of course he could have called it "Lords" :wink:
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by sweetest punch »

Hawksmoor wrote:
Lester Burnham wrote:The homemade yet aggressive sound reminded me somewhat of National Ransom No. 2 from 2011 or so. I gave it another listen and remembered thinking at the time how much I wished he’d do an album entirely like that — just him performing everything — and I wonder if we’re finally getting that now?
I don't think so. Piecing together things that have been let slip on the Daily Improvisation (by Elvis and Steve), a roughly reconstructed chronology would be something like...

Mid-February: EC goes to Helsinki and records two or three tracks with himself playing all the instruments (of which 'No Flag' is one). Probably (but not definitely) for inclusion on the LP.

Late February: EC attends SN's birthday party in Paris and either immediately afterwards or some time around then, EC/SN cut eight or nine tracks in a Paris studio as demos, with a view to recording full-band versions later.

EC contacts Nick Lowe and has the 'I know you don't do that kind of thing, but we both know you could' conversation and tentatively sets up NL to produce some or all of an LP.

EC books Abbey Road for three (four?) days in late March/early April to bang out a quick/noisy LP with the Imposters and Nick Lowe producing. Then lockdown hits.

Is that how everybody else is reading what's happened, or have I got the wrong end of the stick here?

This is what Elvis said in the Dailey Improvisation # 24 ( https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v= ... _permalink ) about his recent recordings and his recording plans: http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB3 ... =2&t=11450.

Quick transcript of the relevant portion:

"We were making a record while we were planning this tour. I went to Helsinki and I cut some music on my own and then I flew to Paris. I was hitting all the hotspots, you have to say. I flew to Paris on Steve's birthday. We celebrated in the most beautiful way at your apartment, and that was the last time I was in a gathering of people, other than at a football match, for just purely pleasure. To hear everybody sing 'Happy Birthday To You' and we did much what we're doing now, we were singing songs around the piano. Everybody sang 'La Marseillaise' because you also got your French passport and that's why you're safely there, and I'm really glad you are.

But you know, can we tell people — hey, who's going to stop us, Steve, if we tell people — we were in the studio. We cut, how many, nine songs in two days. We cut all these songs and we were going to start again with all the band. The songs Steve and I cut, they were with a group of friends in Paris. They were some wonderful musicians: Renaud and T.T.(?) and Michel and Antoine..."

(Muriel says Antoine — a.k.a. AJUQ — was on drums.)

"...and Steve, of course, leading the band, and I was doing what I do, and they were all, you know, songs that I wanted to cut in this really unusual way. And I don't know, we're trying to find, right now I can't get ino the studio to edit or mix or do any of that stuff you do before you release things. Maybe we'll try and get those out to you, because the other thing that this contagion cost us was three days that we had held at Abbey Road immediately after the show in Birmingham that we had to postpone. We were going into the studio to cut as many things as we could cut in three days while we were all, while our blood was up, as they say.

Our pal Sebastian Krys, you know, he was willing to fly even when things were good and then the border situation changed and he couldn't do that. And so I called up a pal of ours, and I ain't going to say his name, but I said to him, 'Would you come and produce this session for us?' and he said, 'well, you know, old chap, I don't really do that kind of thing anymore,' and I said, 'Yeah, but you know that I know that you can.' And one of these days we're all going to be back in the studio with that gang of people, and maybe it won't be too long. It's the way everybody feels right now, when is life going to go back to normal. You can probably guess who that person is if you followed our career..."


Chris Willman wrote about this in Variety: https://variety.com/2020/music/news/elv ... 234578267/
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Lester Burnham
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by Lester Burnham »

Hawksmoor wrote:
Lester Burnham wrote:The homemade yet aggressive sound reminded me somewhat of National Ransom No. 2 from 2011 or so. I gave it another listen and remembered thinking at the time how much I wished he’d do an album entirely like that — just him performing everything — and I wonder if we’re finally getting that now?
I don't think so. Piecing together things that have been let slip on the Daily Improvisation (by Elvis and Steve), a roughly reconstructed chronology would be something like...

Mid-February: EC goes to Helsinki and records two or three tracks with himself playing all the instruments (of which 'No Flag' is one). Probably (but not definitely) for inclusion on the LP.

Late February: EC attends SN's birthday party in Paris and either immediately afterwards or some time around then, EC/SN cut eight or nine tracks in a Paris studio as demos, with a view to recording full-band versions later.

EC contacts Nick Lowe and has the 'I know you don't do that kind of thing, but we both know you could' conversation and tentatively sets up NL to produce some or all of an LP.

EC books Abbey Road for three (four?) days in late March/early April to bang out a quick/noisy LP with the Imposters and Nick Lowe producing. Then lockdown hits.

Is that how everybody else is reading what's happened, or have I got the wrong end of the stick here?
Yeah, that chronology tracks, but more what I meant was the sound of the "album" – aggressive, homespun, and electronic. I more wondered if, given that all his plans had changed, EC was going to go in that direction for this "album" (I use "album" in quotes because we don't even know an album might come from this) rather than what he had planned on doing this year.
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by Neil. »

I love the 'beamed in from another planet' weird spooky sound at the start and I LOVE the jangly, crazy maniac riff. It reminds me a bit of 'Master and Servant' by Depeche Mode.

The vocal is too ranty for me and I don't like the production of the voice. I've never been a big fan of these kinds of Elvis songs - Bedlam, Button My Lip - kind of ranty noisy ones. They put his voice in quite an ugly place. But that's probably the idea.

If it was a more restrained vocal - maybe close mic - done more like Beyond Belief vocal - I think I'd like it more. And then maybe letting rip with the rantier vocal toward the end.

Just a matter of taste and it's still bloody good!

The return of the 'postcard from another planet' halfway through with new, added Morticia singing is great.

So excited to hear the other new stuff - such a shame the Imposters and Kitten and Briana couldn't get into that studio with Nick before the virus struck! Bah!
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by Poor Deportee »

Neil. wrote:I love the 'beamed in from another planet' weird spooky sound at the start and I LOVE the jangly, crazy maniac riff. It reminds me a bit of 'Master and Servant' by Depeche Mode.

The vocal is too ranty for me and I don't like the production of the voice. I've never been a big fan of these kinds of Elvis songs - Bedlam, Button My Lip - kind of ranty noisy ones. They put his voice in quite an ugly place. But that's probably the idea.

If it was a more restrained vocal - maybe close mic - done more like Beyond Belief vocal - I think I'd like it more. And then maybe letting rip with the rantier vocal toward the end.

Just a matter of taste and it's still bloody good!

The return of the 'postcard from another planet' halfway through with new, added Morticia singing is great.

So excited to hear the other new stuff - such a shame the Imposters and Kitten and Briana couldn't get into that studio with Nick before the virus struck! Bah!
Very good point about the vocals. I like the way the vocal is produced, with some distortion, but the "ranty noisy" shouting style isn't my favourite, either; 'Beyond Belief' is a gold standard for my money.
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Is Arlo McFurlow a real person or a new pseudonym (Arlo McFourlow is credited with Eamonn Singer for the lyric video)?

Am I missing a pun?
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by johnfoyle »

Oddly enough Elvis getting a OBE may have been a contributory factor to these recordings happening.

He got the medal at a ceremony in London on Feb. 14th. That was two weeks before the UK tour started on Feb. 28th. I gather these ceremonies are scheduled very far in advance. It would have been more convenient for Elvis if the ceremony was closer to the 28th. It could be that Elvis decided to stay in Europe for the interim period, rather than heading back to North America. Hence the recording sessions in Finland, France and ,maybe, the U.K..

If so , it would be another another example of a recording session happening as a result of adapting to circumstance. When I Was Cruel was meant to be a solo album , just Elvis and his box of tricks. Then he got booked for a support slot of a stadium show by Bob Dylan in Ireland in the summer of 2001. That paid for the Imposters being in Europe and the basic tracks were done in a week or so of sessions in Dublin.

Ditto , Momofuku. Jenny Lewis had a big enough budget from Warners in January 2008 to pay for guest appearances by the like of Elvis. He so liked the set up in Van Nuys , California he convened the Imposters there for a week the following month and banged out a album.
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by johnfoyle »

Is Arlo McFurlow a real person or a new pseudonym (Arlo McFourlow is credited with Eamonn Singer for the lyric video)?
It seems likely its a new pseudonym.
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by Fishfinger king »

Clearly a pseudonym for our times in lockdown- Furlow = furlough
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by rightbrain »

Indeed. The "Arlo" would also appear to be a nod to Arlo Guthrie, a protest singer in his own right, and son of Woody Guthrie, whom EC has covered in the past: "So Long, It's Been Good To Know Yuh (Dusty Old Dust)" at Mill Valley, and "Pretty Boy Floyd" snippets during "National Ransom."
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by johnfoyle »

At about 58 minutes into Steve Nieve's recent show on Facebook, with Elvis guesting, Muriel mentions that Sebastian Krys is watching. It prompts Elvis to drop some interesting hints about what seems to be ongoing sessions involving the Look Now producer. I imagine it's some kind of internet link up between Elvis in Vancouver & Krys elsewhere .

My attempt at a transcript.

'We've been working so hard, he's got all these surprises. I'm not going to say what they are. We are in the midst of some fun, exciting, exhausting, in the best way, things where they are - it's not exhausting, that would make it sound like work - draining, when you're contemplating a song with a lot of feeling. I need to think for a while when singing a song like that....amazing, really , yeah. '

Maybe mixing of the songs done in Finland & France, with vocal overdubs.

There is also the project mentioned at the Grammies, which Sebastian is/was part of , the overdubbing of non-English vocals on Attractions recordings- or was that a wind up ?



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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by emotional_fascism076 »

I finally got around to hearing this on the local college station today. I really like it. It has an experimental vibe to it. I really hope there's more to come like this.
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by sweetest punch »

Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
Hawksmoor
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Re: New song "No Flag" released June 5, 2020

Post by Hawksmoor »

johnfoyle wrote:At about 58 minutes into Steve Nieve's recent show on Facebook, with Elvis guesting, Muriel mentions that Sebastian Krys is watching. It prompts Elvis to drop some interesting hints about what seems to be ongoing sessions involving the Look Now producer. I imagine it's some kind of internet link up between Elvis in Vancouver & Krys elsewhere .

My attempt at a transcript.

'We've been working so hard, he's got all these surprises. I'm not going to say what they are. We are in the midst of some fun, exciting, exhausting, in the best way, things where they are - it's not exhausting, that would make it sound like work - draining, when you're contemplating a song with a lot of feeling. I need to think for a while when singing a song like that....amazing, really , yeah. '

Maybe mixing of the songs done in Finland & France, with vocal overdubs.
It does all sound pretty exciting. For me the two big potential disappointments are: (a) we may have missed out on a three-day Abbey Road session with the current touring line-up and Nick Lowe producing, which is a real shame; and (b) it may be that a bunch of songs that were intended for a full-blown EC/Imposters LP will now trickle out as one-off releases or smaller-scale projects.

But those are minor frustrations. The biggest positive I can see is EC's commitment to the various project/s he'd started in early 2020 and a real determination to get them out there somehow. Whether the Helsinki sessions, the Paris sessions and the (abandoned) Abbey Road sessions were all intended for the same LP anyway is still unknown: 'Hey Clockface', for example is a very different kind of thing from 'No Flag'. On the other hand, his comments about finding it difficult to get into a studio to do any editing and mixing would imply that he has plenty of stuff already recorded and which just needs editing and mixing.

So frustrating times, but exciting times!
johnfoyle wrote:There is also the project mentioned at the Grammies, which Sebastian is/was part of, the overdubbing of non-English vocals on Attractions recordings- or was that a wind up?
We never got to the bottom of that, did we! It certainly sounded like a wind-up/joke, but it's been cryptically mentioned several times now, so...who knows?

I guess one of of the things we can say for certain is that it's going to be a looong time before 'A Face in the Crowd' will be appearing at any theatre. So maybe EC will think 'd'you know what, this project is just cursed as a theatrical exercise, so maybe I just cut an LP with those songs on it'?
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