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Dwight Twilley
Mostly remembered if at all for two almost big hits, 1978's stupendous 'I'm On Fire' and 1984's slightly less stupendous 'Girls,' Twilley was in fact one of the most distinctive and dashing rock stylists of his era. Combining post-Beatles, high art rock song structures/arrangements with vocals whose no nonsense eroticism make Jim Morrison sound like Charlotte Church, and an elaborated, tweaked Sun Records era chugging rhythm that seemed to be occurring in fast and slow motion simultaneously, Twilley's signature sound is at its heights on his extraordinary first two albums: Sincerely and Twilley Don't Mind. His subsequent records are less flawless but always include at least a few great songs. That younger bands haven't discovered, championed, and slavishly copied his work is completely bewildering to me.
Dwight Twilley Official Website
Dwight Twilley @ Myspace
2010 SXSW Interview w/ Dwight Twilley
Dwight Twilley page on bedazzled. com
'Looking for the Magic' (3:37)
'I'm On Fire' (3:54)
'Girls' (2:55)
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Peter Ivers
Ivers was one of the many hopelessly eccentric music artists who benefited from the relative openness and adventurous spirit that gripped certain major record labels back in the late 60s and early 70s. He released several albums to little critical or commercial success before his work finally got the boot. Ivers is mostly remembered today for (1) writing 'In Heaven (The Lady in the Radiator Song)' for David Lynch's Eraserhead, and (2) producing, writing, and hosting the early 80s USA Network series 'New Wave Theater,' which gave mass exposure to some of the more interesting, uncommercial bands of that time. Ivers was bludgeoned to death in 1983. His murder remains unsolved.
Peter Ivers Appreciation Page
A short clip of Peter Ivers on New Wave Theater (0:53)
Andy Kaufman's last performance was on 'New Wave Theater.' This is a remembrance of that event and of Peter Ivers in general.
Peter Ivers on Wikipedia
'In Heaven Everything Is Fine' (1:36)
'In Heaven Everything Is Fine' (1:16)
'Request for Peace: A Tribute to Peter Ivers' (7:06)
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Lewis Furey
Furey is the classic case of an artist too varied in his talents and artistically fidgetty to sit well within the rock music industry. A French Canadian, he was a Julliard trained violinist who fell in love with rock and released three barely noticed English language albums in the 70s whose sound has been accurately described as a cross between VU-era Lou Reed and 'Three Penny Opera'-era Kurt Weill. Most of his success occurred in France where he wrote, directed, and appeared in a number of plays and films, most of them starring his rather well known (in France) singer/actress wife Laure. In 1984, he collaborated with Leonard Cohen on a very odd feature film titled Night Magic. As far as I know, he's currently living somewhere in France.
Lewis Furey's albums
'Night Magic:' Info, lyrics, etc. at leonardcohen.com
Lewis Furey bio at thecanadianencyclopedia.com
Excellent Lewis Furey Fan Page (in French)
'Clean Up Time' (2:37)
'Louise' (3:43)
'Hustler's Tango' (1:54)
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Emitt Rhodes
"Most cult heroes are cult heroes by design. Either his or her music is too esoteric to be accepted by the mainstream, or his or her personality too erratic or weird for most people to understand or tolerate. Then there's people like Emitt Rhodes, who's a cult hero for no good reason whatsoever. Far from obscure, his music is loaded with melodic charisma, that essential ingredient that makes you want to hear some records over and over again. Often called a musical dead ringer for Sir Paul McCartney, Rhodes is really the Macca we all wish Macca would be: an incredible pop tunesmith without all the gooey sentimentality and overflowing cuteness. The crown jewel of Rhodes' small body of work is his self-titled debut album. Released to critical acclaim and modest commercial success in 1970, 'Emitt Rhodes' has since taken on mythical status among power-pop and '70's rock aficionados. His work has begun to be rediscovered in the last several years after the inclusion of his song 'Lullabye' in the soundtrack to Wes Anderson's film The Royal Tenenbaums." -- Steven J. Hyden (Read on)
1997 interview with Emitt Rhodes
Emitt Rhodes Official Website
Emitt Rhodes @ Perfect Sound Forever
Emitt Rhodes's albums
'Live', 'You're a Very Lovely Woman' (4:11)
'Really Wanted You' (2:48)
'Lullabye' (1:15)
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Andy Pratt
Pratt's second self-titled album falls roughly into the camp of great records that are the sound of an artist having a nervous breakdown on vinyl, a la Neil Young's Tonight's the Night or Skip Spence's Oar or John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band or Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs, etc. It's a lot prettier and more overtly artful than the aforementioned albums, managing to be as emotionally tortured as it is aesthetically complex. It spawned Pratt's only big hit, 'Avenging Annie,' but the album itself is now bizarrely obscure. Not long after recording this LP, Pratt found God and recorded a very lush, even minded album, Resolution, that in its day was widely hailed as a masterpiece, although it too is all but forgotten now. He subsequently released a number of albums, many of which fall into the Christian music genre, and most of them not necessarily worth seeking out. But his most recent output has turned dark and strange and very interesting again. Andy Pratt (1973) is a total jewel.
Andy Pratt Official Website
Andy Pratt's albums
'Andy Pratt,' the album, on Wikipedia
Andy Pratt's myspace page
'Avenging Annie' (5:09)
'Who Am I Talking to?' (2:48)
'I Don't Want to Live Anymore' (3:22)
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