the sound of music

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there's no easy way to put this, but, when did become alright to like gary numan? there seems to be a rehabilitation programme going on to restore gary to his factory settings as the single most important soul in electronics. surely not, when i was a lad, and that wasn't too long ago, gary was an androgynous figure of fun ploughing a lonely furrow in the ever-growing complex world of electronic music. gary was the non-thinking android who expressed the inner turmoil of his ice-cold soul through the medium of proto-elecrtonic pop. these days he is the last standing knight in irridescent armour, still upright and alone in a field of his own, although this time he has an adoring audience who inadvertently believe him to be the inventor of modern music.


how do things like this happen? how do we surruptitiously undo thirty years of perceived wisdom in order to big up the least likely hero of the post-punk era. i have a theory you see? i reckon just because the bloke out of lcd soundsysyeem or the foppish one out of the mighty boosh claim gary numan to be THE pioneer of british electronic music, doesn't necessarily mean that they are right. in the late 70's europe was undergoing a purple patch of electronic experimentation, earnest young men were laying down their guitars, snuggling up with a copy of 'the man machine' and experimenting on instruments they had no idea how to play. a whole sub-culture was forming in bedrooms all over the shop, creating challenging different sounds that would change the way music was perceived, produced and listened to forever. gary wasn't part of this, what he failed to grasp was that tere's more to the future than pretending you're a robot. and bigger than god.

at a time when the nation was crippled by mass unemployment and soaring poverty gary stood up for what he believed in, shouted it from the rooftops and manned his own personal barricade. unfortunately for gary what he believed in was thatcher, the miracle of the free market and money in general. as you can imagine, this didn't sit too well with a lot his punk/new wave peers who tended to sympathise with the plight of the nation's doomed youth. gary may have only been speaking his mind -just like joe strummer would- but he came across a s crass and insensitive, not only to the nation's situation as a whole, but to the awful mess some of his fans found themselves in.


right here i'd like to say that the reason that gary numan is still every bit as shit now as he was thirty years ago, is not because his politics were suspect, not even because he came across as aright berk in interviews, no, the reason gary is still every bit as shit as he was thirty years ago is simply bercause the music is so awful. with some music that you despised as an idealistic youth, you can come back to in later life and look at it from a completely different perspective and deep down inside appreciate it for what it is. with gary's dirges the music is so fuckin' dire that to like it would take an awful lot of effort on the listener's behalf that the energy put in would coplertely outweigh whatever you got out of it. his whiney fuckin' voice has the similar effect as an over-riding cut-off switch. yea, even before the voice has arrived, you know it's coming, so switch of in advance. really, 'cars' has got to be up there with the truly worst records ever made, a pointless excercise in nothing at all. nothing, nothing at all. and, that's the high;light of his career, bland, beige electronic music for people who don't like music.

of course there's nothing wrong with commercial synth-pop at all, at the time when gary was top of the pops and sucking in his cheekbones under the bright white lights, the human league (mark two) were formulating their concept for world domination that involved creating million selling mainstream pop records, played on synthesizers, for the modern age. the boundaries were indeed pushed and floodgates flew open, the ones who knew what to do with it, picked up their drum-machines and run, never looking back. gary himself stalled, dithered over his new image, played wembley for a week then 'retired' from touring to spend more time with his private jet. what a twerp!

the current pop cognisenti look up to gary in the same way my peers looked up to buddy holly or gene vincent, a loose cannon, influencing figure who inspires their most creative moments. but they are wrong, so bloody wrong. and let's be honest, if you are using gary numan as a reference point and influence on your shiny bright fututre, how shit's your shiny bright future gonna be? JUST SAY NO!

finally two small points; julian cope once said that it's not good enough top simply hate u2, you have to know why. this certainly applies to gary numan, and i hope this small text will push you in the right direction. remember, there's only one.

and, almost thirty years ago to the day, i went to see joy division, killing joke and section 25 at ulu in london. written on a toilet wall that night was: gary numan is a cunt. everybody now say aye. x


this week: the sun may have got his hat on but we didn't notice.


WE WILL NOT SHY AWAY FROM POP MUSIC.


say you.....colourbox.
wouldn't matter.....maxmillion dunbar.
tap turn on the water.....ccs.
b-line fi blow.....smith & mighty.
this is what she's like.....dexys midnight runners.
missing in action.....comsat angels.
persian funk.....debruit.
murphy's law.....cherie.
farewell captain.....drink up buttercup.
come on little girl (second cut).....tony brevitt/king tubby.
say goodnye to what.....bullion.
flight.....a certain ratio.
suite: judy blue eyes......crosby, stills & nash.


produced for audio enjoyment by the bernard and the sike. hearingisms. thank you. x


we need to know vaguely how many people -if any at all- log on/listen to/download our transmissions, this site stopped giving us statistics months ago, whish is a pain in the arse, but it is fre, which is the really important thing. if you could, please leave a message here -it's simple, painless and doesn't take long- or on our facebook page, if you're that way inclined. i'm starting to feel that if there's no-one listening, there's no point in doing it. also, the ego feels a bit knocked about. ta. x

Download this episode (86 min)   

the other week i received a message from the digga via the miracle of social networking. it read, something along the lines of: the four tops or the temptations, once and for all? i like a challenge, as long as it's risk free and isn't too challenging, of course. i also sort of like thinking too, as long as the issues aren't too pertinent and don't take up too much of my time. but, the weighty concept of the four tops vs the temptations is about as cerebral as i can muster right now, again providing it doesn't require tons of research and doesn't induce an agonising stress over minor points of order and insignificant detail.


and so it goes.............


when it comes to a slugfest between two of the greatest vocal groups in the history of music, for me, the choice is simple. where the tepmtations had both eddie kendrick and david ruffin on either end of the scale and the established production team of norman whitfield and barratt strong, turning hit after hit, the four tops had the spellbinding vocal talent of levi stubbs and the heaven-sent writing, arranging and production services of holland-dozier-holland, possibly the greatest songwriting team of the late 20th century.

if h-d-h had only ever made one hit record with the four tops their names would be cemented into the higher echelons of the history of pop. where they toyed with nursery rhymes and instant chart fodder with acts like the supremes and martha & the vandellas, with the four tops their levels of sophistication in both songwriting and arrangement hit an unprecedented high with their september 1966 release reach out (i'll be there). here is a piece of music that is so ubiquitous and familiar that it is engrained in the psyche of everybody between the age of 40 and 75, not just in the usa or the uk, but all over the western world.
in the 44 years since its original release has soundtracked the highs and lows of everyday life in a way that only rolling news seems to fit these days.


the reason for this is glaringly obvious, it is without doubt one of the best songs ever written, by anybody, anywhere, ever. it sold squillions of copies to all sections of every society and broke the mould with how sophisticated and complex so-called 'disposable' pop music could be. there all manner of suoerlatives to throw at this music, the bassline -played by the immortal james jamerson- takes the previously simplistic rhythm of blood and fire church music and reproduces it in a manner never witnessed before, not even at the ever expanding motown, where the childlike, yet million selling chants of say, beechwood 4-5789 by the marvelettes-only three years previous- had long since been replaced with a new kind of soul, the real, authentic sound of young america.

all soul is based on the template of church music played for a secular audience. in reach out (i'll be there) the proximity to god or the outside force is never far away. the pleading tone of levi stubbs vocla would be the same pleading tone he would have heard in the chapels of detroit throughout his life. what h-d-h did was amp-up those fiery emotions and reconstitute them to appeal to a black and a non-black audience, which was crucial.' reach out' would never have had the same impact had it been intended solely for a black market,and, more importantly, i would not be salivating over my keyboard almost 45 years after it release trying to explain to myou why the miracle of its existence keeps me awake at night.



inspired by the raging success and studio invention of the beatles, h-d-h would create -not just with the four tops- pocket symphonies to the miracle of youth and its living ecoutrements. in a way only brian wiolson would understand at the time these incredibly young sonic pioneers threw everything they could at the studio technique intheir endless quest to create a huge lasting differnce on the landscape of conteporary pop. only brian wilson had the ability and the nous to take pop in a similar direction without alienating the audience and shifting millions of units. listen to the way the song is constructed, it's lurching shifts from major to minor chords stands it out from any of its nearest competitors, head and shoulders above, skyscraping in its lofty regard. the backing vocal are by both four tops and the andantes (motown's resident back-up vocal group) and are truly descended from heaven -if indeed it exists. if it doesn't, we shall have to create a sacred area within our own minds to keep it precious forever.


reach out (i'll be there) hit the number one spot on billboard on 24 september 1966, it replaced cherish by the association as the nation's favourite for two weeks. cherish was another indicationof how far american pop music had travelled sinc ethe arrival of the beatles on their shores in february '64, just over two and a half years previous. reach out (i'll be there) is a monumental piece of recorded sound, mind-blowing in the extreme and a s familiar and welcoming as a your immediate family. it was number one on both sides of the atlantic and probably about 20 other countries too. in certain circles that in itself relegates it to the level of pop superstardom and some say that makes it naff and crap, here at the sound of music we say, pah! listen to the damn thing, anything i could ever write or say will never be able to do justice to its unbridled genius. click on the link below and say thank you to the elderly gentlemen who wrote, arranged and produced this modern classic. tell them you love them too, they deserve it and you owe it to them. thanks. x

http://www.hollanddozierholland.com/

this week: all the colours of the rainbow. in stunning monochrome.


WE WILL NOT SHY AWAY FROM POP MUSIC.

sugar sugar.....the archies.
dance of the cosmo aliens.....sun ra.
the monkey.....dave bartholemew.
do it.....disko drunkards.
cherry red.....groundhogs.
autobahn 66.....primal scream.
sweet girl.....ringo deathstarr.
space is the place.....jonzun crew.
my computer is an optimist.....anthony 'shake' shakir.
turn the radio off (studio remix).....love is all.
too nice to talk to (dubweiser).....the beat.
lay down (candles in the rain).....melanie with the edwin hawkins singers.


made, made and made again by bernie sike (back from the grave and back for good.) x

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i have spent the last three hours writing what i thought was a brilliant piece for this very page about why i love reach out (i''ll be there) by the four tops. inspired by my great friend, digga lines i had painfully and creatively decostructed the months and hours that became the life of both the four tops and their producers/creators, holland-dozier-holland. what has happened is, i've lost every single word i'd written thanks to the miracle of the modern computer. don't ask, iam currently wearing an over-sized hat with the words 'fuckin' berk' emblazoned across the front. and i deserve it. i'm sure you can understand why.


due to the lateness of my posting this thang -it's already two days late- i'm gonna have to forego our usual somewhat amusing text for this week, in order to get this thing in yer ears in time for the weekend. and, if i don't do get it on now, it becomes perilously close to not happening at all. which is not on offer.


next week, the four tops is as in yer face as it can be, if it hadn't have disappeared as i bent down to sip my tea, what we would have had is one of the best things i have ever written. even if i say so meself. and, next week i'm gonna use 'word', that's what it's there for. apparently.

anyhow, the diggga says no-one will notice. let's see if he's right.

i don't think that i can take it, cos it took so long to bake it. and i'll never have that recipe again. oh, no!

this week; same rubbish, different order. again.


WE WILL NOT SHY AWAY FROM POP MUSIC.


shakin' all over.....johnny kidd & the pirates.
halleluhwah.....can.
no bones for the dog.....joe gibbs & the professionals.
the eyes of the lord.....james pants.
slaughtered by the sun.....modlang.
i love how you love me.....paris sisters.
lay back in the sun.....spiritualized.
jealous of roses (pivot mix).....bibio.
could heaven ever be like this?....idris muhammed.
ride captain ride.....blues image.
we want war.....these new puritans.
kings of the wild frontier.....adam & the ants.
in this shirt.....the irrepressibles.
fingerpoppin'......ike & tina turner.


produced and audiocated for one week only by bernie & the wanderin' weezle.
sike is sick. we got through it.
thank you, masked man. x


please give whatever you can to the haitian disaster fund. we ARE the world, we ARE the children. thank you. x

http://www.dec.org.uk/

Download this episode (86 min)   

new year, new danger. the annual race to absolve the sin and pleasure of the previous twelve months can be a prickly beast to handle. the cavalry like charge of the guilty conscience can and does bring about drastic over-reaction to non-situations.

don't fight it, feel it.

as i write, half of january is nearly over and here in LIVERPOOL, crushed by the onslaught of snow and ice, i can see the resolution revolution melting into a mess slush and ONE giant missed opportunity. new year certainly is the most perculiar place. what possesses otherwise intelligent, sane human beings to make wildly over-ambitious promises to themselves which they have no intention of keeping and which deflates them on a massive scale upon the discovery of their own self-delusion. looks ace on paper, the theory fits, but the practical is a bridge too far, requiring unthinkable levels of self-sacrifice.


surely the object of the game where self-sacrifice is concerned is, aim low, therefore lower expectations. wildly trying to mpredict the outcome of the next twelve months of your life is an insane gamble with your own state of mind, laying out paths and guidelines is asking for trouble, an accident waiting to happen. that crushing feeling of personal defeat upon failing to reach your unachievable target is a carrier-bag of downers and if not treated right could fuck up your year before spingtime.


as a suggestion, i would simply take a leaf out of auntie karen's book of eternal optimism, no goals or budensome agendas, just bright postive thought. light, small things, one at a time, make it last the whole year long and not just fizzle out before february. start by attempting things you wouldn't normally consider; try READING something previously thought unfathomable. likewise, attempt music you may like but don't understand, maybe jazz, or counrty. or norwegian death metal. no TWO souls are the same, so try and figure out which is the one for you.

this should be just enough to qualify as a rosy, propective year, and, let's face it, if your only must-do in any given year is to listen to more than one frank zappa album all the way through, then your chances of absolute fulfillment are absolutely enormous.

happy new year to all our readers.


this week: we missed you so much, it hurt.


WE WILL NOT SHY AWAY FROM POP MUSIC.

taxi.....deaf school.
feel to good.....the move.
cruel intentions (maurice fulton remix).....simian mobile disco/beth ditto.
rock me gently.....andy kim.
tell daddy.....clarence carter.
life begins at the hop......xtc.
dead disco dancer......o.children.
the morning the sky went away.....liverpool scene.
concrete and clay.....eddie rambeau.
ab/7a.....throbbing gristle.
psychic chasms......neon indian.
junocide.....logo.
oh, pretty woman.....albert king.
the flood.....the blue orchids.
six am.....mike slott.
i'd like to get to know you.....spanky & our gang.
elephant (single version).....tom tom club.


made in heaven by bernard and sike. electronically tested and sound-o-lated for your maximum pleasure. x


dedicated to the memory of sam davis (eric shark). rip. x

Download this episode (114 min)   

the final part of the sound of music festive jigsaw is a non-stop, bernie-free party mix/selection for your new year's delectation. most of it has been played on these shows before so it will be familiar and warm to you, like an old jumper. more to the point, if was coming round to your house with a box of records tonight, this is more than likely the set i'd play. also, it's more of less the set i played at our xmas party the other week, so if you weren't there, this gives you an idea of just how ace it was. thanks for all your support this year, it's been a startling revelation to me, the sound of music now exists in a universe of its own, a universe created by you, and i'm eternally grateful for that.

after this show we'll be taking a fortnight off, to perform some vital engineeering works and catch up on the backlog of unheard music. back on 13th january. hope you have a gear new year and it all swings in your general direction.

this week: wringing out the old.

WE WILL NOT SHY AWAY FROM POP MUSIC.


with a hip.....echo & the bunnymen.
barabajagal. donavan with the jeff beck group.
turn the heater on.....keith hudson.
super-good (parts 1&2).....myra barnes.
disco stomp.....hamilton bohannon.
sultana (danny krivit re-edit).....titanic.
dance with the devil.....cozy powell.
hum along and dance.....jackson five.
disco devil.....lee perry.
wordy rappinghood.....tom tom club.
15 to 20.....the phenomenal handclap band.
kaw-liga.....the residents.
night of the hunter (prins thomas remix).....tussle.
ulysses (disco bloodbath mix).....franz ferdinand.
don't turn it off (brennan green mix)....40 thieves feat. qzen.
baby can't stop (aeroplane remix).....lindstrom & christabel.
been caught stealing (12" remix).....jane's addiction.
israel.....siouxsie & the banshees.
is this dub?.....bob marley & the wailers.


selecta'd by mr bernables. made into an issue by thee sike o' kan-dee. sounds of the season (slight return). happy new year and all the best for 2010 from the sound of music people. x x x x x

Download this episode (93 min)   

.....love is still all around.

WE WILL NOT SHY AWAY FROM POP MUSIC.


feel it all around.....washed out.
greetings from beverlys.....frank cosmo.
disco connection.....isaac hayes.
destination tokyo.....nisenenmondai.
working on a building of love.....chairmen of the board.
the bells of st mary's.....beverly king.
screaming target.....big youth.
holiday in congo.....rainbow arabia.
incense and peppermints.....strawberry alarm clock.
chicke dream inside egg.....pink skull.
right on for the darkness.....curtis mayfield.
something stupid.....carson & gaile.
space movement section 6.....creation rebel. third stone from the sun.....jimi hendrix experience.
silent night.....baby washington.
nothing rhymed.....gilbert o'sullivan.

a very merry xmas from bernie, sike and the sound of music. we love you. x x x

audiolised and festivated by bernie and sike. sounds of the season. x x

Download this episode (83 min)   

......still basking in that festive love.


WE WILL NOT SHY AWAY FROM POP MUSIC.

i'm waiting up for santa claus.....nervous norvus. satta mass gana.....the abyssinians.
baby can't stop (aeroplane mix).....lindstrom & christabel.
cousin norman.....marmalade.
sleigh ride.....the ventures.
free flight (max essa dub).....acos coolkas.
juke.....little walter & his nightcats.
dancing queen.....p.
christmas everyday.....the miracles.
little black egg.....the nightcrawlers.
running out of rope.....silk flowers.
talki about the blues (for the saints & sinners mix)......jon spencer blues explosion.
pretty paper.....roy orbison.
how can we hang on to a dream.....tim hardin.
we come in pieces.....jumbo.
the crown.....gary byrd & the gb experience.

a very merry xmas from bernie, sike and the sound of music. we love you. x x x