15160 - Jeeves

THE KS CIRCLE
15th Year
May 2010
Issue no. 160
Bom dia! Bonjour. ¡Buenos días! Ciao! Dag! Dzie½ Dobry. Hei. Hello. Ola. Privet!
Servus & Guten Tag.
From a mail exchange I had with an American business man and KS fan in Moscow:
Mike: A couple of weeks ago I went to Alan Parsons Live Project show in Moscow.
Sound was great but I found no difference between what I got on concert and than 2
hours later in my car equipped with hard disk and the newest Bose amplifying speaker
system. They were absolutely dead at concert. The same kind of music robots can play.
kdm: I told KS about it, yesterday. About the fact that some artists sadly "play save"
in concert, which means: most certainly they use a formerly recorded music from a
harddisk. It's a kind of "playback" concert, which is also known or reckoned from
some of J.M. Jarre's huge super concerts: They play save, and they have to, especially
when a worldwide tv show (and a lot of manpower and money) is involved. I have
some professional understanding for it, but as a music fan I must say: it's not exactly
a "concert" anymore because the tension is missing. It's like listening to a CD with an
additional light show :-)
Mike: I'm very disappointed I've been not able to attend KS concerts in Tokyo despite
I have an open visa to Japan.
kdm: KS told me about the concerts. Two normals concerts. Nothing special happened
except for the fact that there was too much "security" and KS cannot explain and does
not know why? Klaus was not allowed to enter the stage again after his concert, to give
autographs or sign some CD or speak with some fans, as he is doing normally after the
concert is over.
And backstage it was the same! There was another musician in the audience,
Ryuichi Sakamoto, who wanted to speak to KS, and KS wanted to speak to him. It was
even planned to do and to record a joint interview for the instrument company
"Roland". The Japanese promoters forbid all people backstage and even asked this
Japanese superstar to leave this area (!). No long and friendly talk with Sakamoto and
no combined interview was possible. Strange. And no one knows why the responsible
Japanese acted so unusual. A little mystery.
þ
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There were further concerts planned, for example in Moscow and St. Petersburg. But
I haven’t heard again of those plans; probably these concerts are cancelled -- same as
other formerly planned concerts in East European towns such as Budapest, Bukarest
and Warsaw -- because the local promoters have not enough capital anymore...
As far as I know, the Tokyo concerts will be released on CD as well as on
DVD, in September. ...
–
Mike told me then about one of his adventures with Eastern mysteries:
I do remember as I went with my wife and son in 1995 to Thai (NEVER AGAIN!!!)
At the border desk of airport, Mr. Border Control Officer asked me about our
passports and visas. I took our 3 passports and pass them all to him.
About a minute he sits like frozen and watched something on his desk, then he asked
me about our passports again.
I told him our passports are already on his desk.
Then he asked me the same thing again.
I gave him the same answer.
And then the cycle was repeated 2 times more.
After all I pointed him with my finger our passports lying on his desk.
He was very surprised but finally placed all the necessary stamps and said: Welcome
to Thailand!
I'm not sure if he was a ganja smoker or what, but I've been very glad to meet the very
first Thai man in my life. The Eastern people are very special and very smart.
Ask Klaus - nobody knows what exactly he'd like to do on stage after the concert maybe he has a thought to steal a couple of keys from his keyboards, doesn't he?
ÚÚÚ
In the new “Shrek” movie in 3-D, “Shrek Forever After”, is a part where the Donkey
(Eddie Murphy’s voice) raps about “These Eyes”, which is taken from an old song by
the Canadian rock band “Guess Who”.
The German synchronisation studio will use for this part of the donkey
(“Esel”) the lyrics of IDEAL’s song “Blaue Augen”. Therefore, in the film “Für immer
Shrek” (release in June 2010) the Germans will most certainly hear: “Nur deine blauen
Augen machen mich so sentimental, wenn ich dich so anschau’ ist mir alles andre egal,
total egal.” (In fact the original is: “...when Du mich so anschaust...”). Because I am
the publisher of this song they had to ask me and of course they got my permission;
after all I’m also a Shrek fan.
Ú
In a longer interview from 2005 I found a strict statement from Klaus Schulze: “I have
nothing to do with Krautrock.” I loved to read this again, because the day before I told
exactly this to a little German label who asked for permission to use a Schulze track
for another rock sampler called KRAUTROCK. I told them that KS is not specially
known for doing “Rock” music and that he actually loathes the term “Krautrock”.
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Besides, it was not my business to give them the track that they wanted, because I
don’t own the recording rights.
It was good to read exactly what I had told them, one day after, in that long
(& good) interview with Klaus Schulze from the year 2005.
Ú
During Easter every year (since 28 years!) Circle member Tormod Aas in Norway
has his new sales catalogue out. It contains again second-hand records (LPs, singles,
CDs) and also a bit of some other stuff (posters, T-shirts...). It’s mainly “Deutschrock”,
from “Amon Düül” to “Zweistein”. If you are interested in old recordings and want the
14 pages “catalogue”, please contact Tormod:
Ohrmusic - Tormod Aas - Anton Schjoeths g 10 - 0454 OSLO - Norway
or by e-mail: tormod.aas@ergogroup.no
Giorgio Gomelsky (see Wikipedia)
These days I am listening to some old Brian Auger & Julie Driscoll recordings and at
the same time & by accident I discovered a Giorgio Gomelsky interview from 2002 in
Archie Patterson’s EUROCK website, which I have read now with stark interest. After
all, it was Giorgio Gomelsky who founded and managed Brian Auger’s Trinity with
Julie Driscoll (and also: the Yardbirds, the early Rolling Stones, Magma, Gong, and,
and...). In this interview Gomelsky also speaks about (his) French concert company
"Rock pas dégénéré" during the early seventies ( »...and then we formed an agency
“Rock Pas Degenere”...« ), and this rang a bell!
I checked - and my memory was right! Schulze's very first solo concert was
given 1973 in Paris and his contractual partner was indeed Gomelsky’s company
"Rock pas degenere". A picture of the old contract I had printed on the last page of
“The KS Circle” issue no. 7 (May 1996). Here again is a detail of it:
Here is a little part from it, from the section 7, “The Grand Half Price Sale” (= you
only pay half of the given Euro price)
Ú
Der beste deutsche Interviewer fragt die beste deutsche Geigerin:
André Müller: Sie wollen die beste sein.
JULIA FISCHER: Nein.
André Müller: Aber das will doch jeder. Dieses Ziel muß man doch haben.
JULIA FISCHER: Dieses Ziel hat man vielleicht im Sport. In der Kunst ist es das
falsche Ziel. Kunst ist nicht Sport. Eine Konkurrenz gibt es nicht in der Kunst.
("F.A.S." am 24.02.2008 und "Weltwoche" am 30.04.2008 )
Ú
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Tokyo: Klaus even played electric guitar during the concert. But of course he’s doing
it not in the usual way people play electric rock guitar during the last fifty years.
Technical remark: The red instrument looks like a Gibson SG.
Ž
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Für so manchen, der mir schreibt und Fragen über KS’ Tun stellt, gibt’s nun das Buch:
“Was Musiker tagsüber tun” von Milan Turkovic für knapp 20 Euro beim
Buchhändler Eures Vertrauens.
(don’t misunderstand me: it’s N O T about KS)
Ú
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SOM E OF YOUR CO M M ENTS THAT CAM E WIT H YO U R “TO P TEN”
“...zum Vorschlag eines rein elektronischen Circles: Keinesfalls bin ich dafür!
Kopfhörer auf, KS hören und vor dem Computer setzen und lesen? nein, nein, ich liebe
das Heftchen.”
“Special: The documentation from the ‘Rheingold’ album.
The 158 editions of ‘The KS Circle’.”
“Würde ‘Schillers’ ‘Zenit’ mit in die Wertung kommen, hätte ich den auch unter die
drei ersten Tracks gewählt; faktisch ist das ja wohl KS pur (hat ‘Schiller’ mal in einem
Interview gesagt).”
“The ‘Rheingold’ box is a dream.”
“I still find new KS music and I am still surprised by his musical achievements.”
“I have enjoyed the game of picking my favorites.”
“Seit 27 Jahren begleiten Klaus’ Werke mittlerweile mein Leben. Bin gespannt, wie es
weitergeht.”
“I look forward to the continuation of the LVE series and hope that more unheard
gems may await.”
“‘Rheingold’ is special because I was in the audience at the Loreley festival.“
“Any idea when the next LVE will come out?”
“I like very much the new KS, or better I like very much the new music he did in the
past ten years. I can only thank Klaus for his continuing inspiration. And I thank you
for appreciate what KS has done and permit me to externate (? kdm) my emotions via
‘The KS Circle’. Thank you very much. Ciao”
“Die Alben die ich nicht mag: ‘Beyond Recall’ (spanische und lateinamerikanische
Synthesizer-Musik!), ‘Royal Festical Hall’ (zu viel Geräusche!), ‘The Dome Event’
(arabische und spanische Klänge vermasseln alles!), ‘Goes Classic’ (ohne Interesse),
‘Are You Sequenced?’ (zu viel ist zu viel, Techno!).”
“Bonjour,
Je crois savoir que vous parlez français. Alors, permettez-moi
d’accompagner ma modeste contribution de ces quelques mots.
Que dire de cette somme musicale ? Tous les albums de Klaus ont un point
commun : l’amour de la musique. Et quand on est amoureux, on ne compte pas, on fait
des erreurs, on est parfois sublime, parfois ridicule, mais toujours sincère et généreux.
Je suis toujours aussi impressionné par l’inspiration totale et la réussite
miraculeuse qui traverse les albums et sets que je propose. Je les ai choisis
essentiellement parce qu’il ne sont traversés par aucune faiblesse.
Les titres choisis m’ont percuté dès la première écoute et ne m’ont pas lâché
de la première à la dernière seconde. Une mention spéciale pour quelques
«anomalies»:
« Follow me Down… » : ce n’est pas une immense composition, mais ces fragiles
essais mélodiques, qui s’accrochent à une séquence d’une sécheresse totale, sont
simplement miraculeux !
« Entfremdung », que j’ai eu la chance de découvrir en concert, est d’une virtuosité et
d’une énergie impressionnantes. Il n’y a pas de doute, les synthés obéissent !
« The Big Fall » : rien de remarquable, une fois de plus, mais le son typique de cette
période, que je n’affectionne pas plus que cela, est ici totalement en phase avec une
mélodie millimétrée. L’équilibre parfait !
« Ways of Changes » a curieusement bien traversé les années. Ce n’est pas immense.
Mais c’est unique.
Tant d’albums et de morceaux en position 11…
Bien à vous, ...”
“Special: The new CD/DVD Japan 2010 set (assuming it happens!)”
“I treat most of KS’ albums as a single piece of music. The division into albums and
titles seems artificial.”
“I like many more titles but there aren’t any points left.”
“This poll should be interesting! Maybe there will be a few recent albums at the top of
people’s selection. I put a couple myself. My favorite album in the recent years is
‘Kontinuum’ without any doubts. It has a deep atmosphere that is compelling. I was
fortunate enough to attend Klaus and Lisa’s concerts in Paris and Brussels last year.
There were sometimes pure moments of magic. Really.”
“Putting together a top 10 KS list is difficult... Tomorrow, the list could change.”
(Remark by kdm: who said that it will be easy?)
“I was been difficult to make this TOP TEN!! But it will ever be a great pleasure to do
these two TOP TEN.”
“Good idea to ask for the new top ten!”
“‘Rheingold’ finde ich auch sehr gelungen! Schade, dass ein paar ‘Pfeifen’ trotz
deutlicher Gesten von KS dazwischen gepfiffen haben; aber eben live!”
“Ich wünsche Euch beiden, Klaus + Klaus, alles Gute und viele, viele gesunde und
kreative Jahre.”
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“Sorry but I cannot even consider the ‘Album’ column, as there are too many to
include and more worringly, too many to ignore. Hope you understand.”
“Last two weeks I listen to all of my CDs, and my votes are:...”
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þ
“Gar nicht so einfach... Die alten Stücke von Klaus kenne ich (Jahrgang 1969) seit
über 30 Jahren. Ich hatte bereits im recht frühen Alter (andere hörten die Schlümpfe
oder ‘Teens’ etc.) Zugang zur Musik von Klaus Schulze. Erste Platte “X” zum
Geburtstag 1979. Nach und nach kamen dann die noch fehlenden LPs dazu. Diese
Titel haben mein bisheriges Leben begleitet und werden das auch weiterhin tun.”
“Special: ‘Schiller’ mit KS - ‘Zenit’, die 32 Minuten Version. Auf dass KS noch viele
Jahre Musik machen kann.”
“This was not an easy task as I have so many favorite albums and tracks.”
“Should really have been a top 20 or 25, but okay here it is then:... Could be different
tomorrow! So many tracks bubbling under! So, it’s best to send it now.”
“Richard Wahnfried - Tonwelle bleibt für mich mit ‘Druck’ und ‘Schwung’ eine der
besten CDs überhaupt.”
“Nice set of Tokyo pics of the other Klaus on the website”
(wrote us Dennis from South Africa)
Yes, Dennis,
it took a few days, because my webmaster is doing these things in his spare
time. Normally he's working as computer crack at a German University.
Seems like all the gear was taken over, must have been an expensive
operation.
Yes it was. That's the main reason we never played outside Europe.
Also the airplane seats for some additional people are not for free. In the past
- long ago - I (alone) did the job of those people, and it also worked perfectly
:-))
“The best concert: Berlin, Tempodrom, 2009.”
“Auch wenn solch Wertung nicht ganz leicht fällt und sich das schon mal verschiebt,
besonders bei den Einzeltracks. Aber gewisse Vorlieben sind beständig, teils über
Jahrzehnte. Zum Thema Circle per PDF: als Programmierer sage ich spontan
‘natürlich, was denn sonst’. Aber als Musikhörer ist das Lesen des Circle auf der
Couch, nachts, in Ruhe und fern der Arbeit, nur mit KS im Hintergrund, fast schon ein
Ritual geworden. ...”
I haven't yet found any reviews of the two gigs anywhere (at least in English)?
Are there any, do you know?
Why should a newspaper or a magazin outside Japan print a review about one
of the many daily concerts in Tokyo? These things just do not happen and
would make not much sense (for a Canadian, or South Africa, or British, or
Australian, etc. newspaper).
“Here are my votes. You are doing a very good job.”
I was surprised to see guitar/s on stage.
“Und zum Schluss was für die Statistik: Alle CDs von KS (ohne DVD und Wahnfried)
füllen bei mir ein Regal von 89 cm Länge.”
(thanks to Rolf v.M. for the pic below)
Klaus played guitar in his earlier years. You can hear him play an electric
(and, if I remember well, also: acoustic) guitar on some of the historic
recordings from around 1970, in Historic and in Jubilee Edition. Klaus’
acoustic guitar playing is also to hear on BLACKDANCE.
What makes ME wonder: is it accidential? = it is the same guitar model that
Manuel used to play since the early seventies: a "Gibson SG".
I really hope these gig/s make it onto CD or DVD .... preferably both!
Yes, it is planned. But before it is for sure and a release date is scheduled, I
don't speak about it :-)
Best regards
Unser Dank an alle!
Our sincere THANKS to all of you!
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Klaus D. Mueller
Ú
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Most probably due to illegal offers and downloads in the worldwide web we have our
first fan now in Egypt:
A historic part, again. In Circle number 8 from June 1996 I wrote about some wrong
info that I had found, thanks to the invention of the internet:
Dear Mr/Klaus
Because some pert wiseacres in the internet know nothing about KS, but tell
the faithful a lot about him... I have to express now, once and for all: Messages
about KS from a certain "Don" from Australia are always plain nonsense.
Please, spread it around. For instance, his "news" that the music of "Totentag"
will be included in the JUBILEE EDITION. This is not true. The rest of what Don
writes, is of the same stupid calibre. Also, sorry to say so, Frits of KLEM, since
he uses the internet, spreads some 'news' around, that are not true (= The Big
Moog in Derby, the Derby concert available on a free [!] CD). I don't comment
this, I just say: Be suspicious when you read “news” about KS from Frits of
KLEM in the internet.
I like Your music so much and I live in Egypt near the Pyramids and I'm dreaming that
we can arrange a concert and play there and add your touch in this place forever!
Regards,
Basem Soliman
Ú
Because of more and more SPAM coming in especially via the server
“...@hotmail.com”, all mail from this server will now automatically deleted. This will
be done directly at my mail server, so that I don’t even see it anymore.
If YOU use the mail server “hotmail”, better look for another (better) one,
if you intend to send me a mail, because any “@hotmail.com” will never reach me.
Ú
Aus gegebenen Anlass hier nochmal in kurz, weil ein Circle-Mitglied mich nett danach
fragte:
Stimmt es, daß SPV bankrott erklärt haben (es kann ja nicht an den Releases von
Klaus Schulze gelegen haben, denn deren sind ja nicht wenige bestellt worden, wenn
man sich umhört, oder liest)?
Das heißt heute - at least in Germany - nicht mehr "bankrott" sondern "Insolvenz
beantragen". Darüber habe ich im Circle mehrmals berichtet. Auch die Musikpresse
und einige deutsche Tageszeitungen hatten über SPVs Insolvenzantrag berichtet.
“Insolvenz” meint, dass die Firma SPV unter Aufsicht irgendwie weiterwuselt, aber ohne die Lieferanten (in unserem Fall: Musiker, Produzenten, etc.) zu
bezahlen oder bezahlen zu müssen (!)
Deshalb erscheinen zum Beispiel die noch ausstehenden Folgen der LA VIE
ELECTRONIQUE und neue Alben von KS dort nicht mehr. Die Veröffentlichungen
der bereits 2008 komplett fertiggestellten LVE-Serie bei einem anderen Label
verzögern sich leider, ebenfalls nur wegen des juristischen und finanziellen Kuddelmuddels bei der Firma SPV.
Ú
Nochmal etwas zu IDEAL:
“Anfang der 80er gab es erstmals deutschsprachige nicht peinliche
Rockmusik” (Na bitte! Gefunden in: “Wie ging es Ihnen, Herr Küppersbusch?
Friedrich Küppersbusch erklärt uns an dieser Stelle immer die Welt. Heute erzählt er
von seiner Jugend” ...in der taz am 19. April 2010).
#
Today’s view about the little historic article above:
The amount of wrong oder nearly wrong info, the amount of guesses or just
hearsay about a “famous” musician like Klaus Schulze, is today surely larger as it was
in the innocent era of 1996. Today, I don’t want to read all this nonsense, and this is
also the reason I never (!) google for the name “Klaus Schulze”; my time is limited and
my nerves & mind prefer peace and coolness.
From time to time some nice people tell me something which they have
found about KS in some websites, but I never (or rarely) follow their links. My dear
wife Julia - a music fan - also tries to tell me sometimes this or that which she found
about KS in the www, or what her friends tell her in e-mails about KS, and I always let
her know: Sorry, my dear, but I don’t want to hear (most of) it.
It’s probably the maturity.
)
Another historic part (from Circle number 9, August 1996):
In der Juli-Ausgabe des deutschen Musik/Studio Magazin KEYS ist ein
schöner Artikel über Klaus und ein Interview mir ihm. Zusammen: 5 Seiten.
Auch neueste Fotos seines total umgebauten Studios... Die dem dicken Heft
beigefügte CD hat als Track 20 einen kurzen Spruch von KS (15 Sekunden)
und als Track 21 einen Titel (4'26) von KS/Schaaf (=Wahnfried), der nur dort
veröffentlicht ist (!). Wegen der für Klaus ungewöhnlichen Kürze wurden die
4½ Minuten spaßigerweise "DREIEINHALB STUNDEN" betitelt.
In the interview with KS, the 'KEYS' man also asked KS about the old
times, anno 1970/71. Klaus: »It was quite different then. Our problem was,
how to get the money so that we could make music. Today, many people
seem to think: 'I do music, then I don't have to work anymore.' And that's the
erroneous view. It should be the other way 'round...«
Ú
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Two more oddities from the historic Circle number 9:
A propos 'Techno'. Eins der Magazine, die diese Klientel bedienen, 'Loop',
hatte eine grosse Klaus-Schulze-Geschichte im Mai-Heft. Einiges in diesem
Jubel-Aufsatz ist ja recht stimmig abgefasst, aber ein Großteil der
abgedruckten Fakten und Daten über Klaus, sein Tun und seine Geschichte
ist schlicht falsch (ganz zu schweigen vom mieserablen Deutsch...).
Klaus' W AHNFRIED-Partner, Jörg Schaaf, hat versucht, mit diesen
Techno-Schreibern darüber zu reden. Die ignorante Reaktion darauf hat den
noch unerfahrenen Jörg ziemlich verunsichert.
Dieter Hildebrandt sagte 1994 in einem Interview für das Berliner
Magazin 'Radio Kultur': "Jede Generation fängt immer neu an, nichts zu
wissen." Er wurde daraufhin gefragt: "Bedeutet das, daß man von einer
zyklischen Verblödung ausgehen muß, die von Generation zu Generation
wiederkehrt?" Dieter Hildebrandt: "Ich glaube ja".
Ú
Even the Swiss 'Migros' consumer magazine for the housewife (of 8th of May
1996) reports on one page about the most recent musical trend, “techno/
ambient” and it recommends ten “CDs for Beginners”, whereof the first three
are from our old heros: TIMEWIND by Klaus Schulze, FORCE MAJEURE by
Tangerine Dream, and MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS by Brian Eno.
•
These historic parts above are mainly for the new members of THE KS CIRCLE, but
I suppose or hope that also some of the “old” members will have fun reading this stuff
again (?).
Ú Ú Ú
Jeeves.Blogger.de
Let me say again, that you are invited to comment matters about KS and his music, or
about other music or matters, in my weblog, http://jeeves.blogger.de
For the log-in you have to “register” first and only once: choose a name (any
name or -preferred- your real name), a password, and give your valid e-mail address.
Don’t forget it, for your next visit. (“Blogger.de” is a trustful little independent
company and they will not give your data to a third party).
If I don’t use this little one-time-only “registration” barrier, I will get too
much silly comments and postings, because there seems to be a rule in our world:
everything which is for free or which is too easy to handle, is an invention for
blockheads.
(
Another cartoon by our friend in Iran, Mohammad Reza Akbari.
Ú
GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FÖRDERUNG GEHOBENER DEUTSCHER UNTERHALTUNGSMUSIK,
INSBESONDERE DER WERKE VON KLAUS SCHULZE
Klaus D. Mueller Dessauerstr.13 D-12249 Berlin
kdmueller@klaus-schulze.com
www.klaus-schulze.com
www.kdmueller.com/surprise.htm
http://Jeeves.blogger.de
© 2010 Klaus D. Mueller
Tea & Sympathy: Printing House Blanche, Berlin & St.Petersburg
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