Goodbye Mrvica

Just found out that my little cat friend is not to return from his roaming around the village anymore - he was missing for some time, but his owner (my first neighbour) was not concerned as it was natural for cats to disappear occasionally, just to return all hungry and exhausted from adventures. Animals here in countryside are seen more as help around the house than as pets and it was me and my city ways that made me always a sucker with a soft spot, who is bringing animal delicacies from shop (even lagging them from town to my cottage) playing with them and enjoying them for company. I guess for locals is natural way of dealing with life, some animals they kill for food, others are to be kept around the house to either protect it or keeping the mouses away.

"Mrvica" (The tiny one) was around for almost two years now - he lived next door but was always welcome guest here and being the only cat around, he grew unto quite bossy and territorial boy who absolutely controlled his area, announced his entrance with loud meowing and demanded food right now this very moment. He had his own personality and would not play or cuddle unless he was in the mood. We got along just fine, since I was his human friend though he could be annoying sometimes, specially as dog arrived on the scene and attention had to be divided. Knowing he won't be back anymore, I really regret every single time I pushed him away and argued with him now, because he was wonderful company and I enjoyed having him around, specially as he would curl next to me as I read and purred with pleasure when I caressed him. The main oddity with this cat was how he learnt to enter the house whenever it pleased him trough half-open windows and climbed somehow inside, just to curl on my bed, where he occasionally slept during cold evenings (it never bothered me). As always, it seems that his death (from a car wheel, somewhere down on the village road) is upsetting me more than anybody else and I still expect to see him curled comfortably in my bed, every time I open the door. I am sitting now in the warm kitchen and thinking about all those times he used to purr here and sleep so comfortably - I miss him. Everything in this life is so darn brief and transitory. If Heaven is made up from our dreams and memories, he will wait for me on the other side. 

"L'immortelle - 24 of Her Original Recordings 1946-63" by Édith Piaf

Today I indulged myself with epic "sleep in" and while the autumn fog completely surrounded my house, I watched youtube duet of Charles Aznavour and his old friend until I could sing along. When these electronic duets first came along, we dismissed them as a cheating but with time we got used to them and some of them actually work just fine, this is one of them. It works wonderfully actually because visually it doesn't try to patch up old & new but shows Aznavour looking at ghost of his own memory and I am sure he did this privately many, many times. I just melted, utterly fascinated. 

At this point Édith Piaf has been away from this world longer than she had been in it - some half of century, to be precise - but my God, what a wonderful flame this little candle has left us! I can't even remember the very first time I've heard her voice, it feels like she was alway around - but where other "classic" singers fall more or less in time when they performed, there is something truly everlasting about her old recordings, they feel like a monument to France and for most of us she IS France. The place of our dreams.

I still remember one particular very late night when I was walking home trough streets of Zagreb, everybody has been listening popular radio station 101 at that time and it was usually very trendy, current hit music but that evening someone decided to end the program with "La Vie en Rose" and there was Édith, singing from every single window as I slowly walked home, now looking back some 30 years later I know it was one of the prettiest memories of my life. 

To get swept in her music one doesn't necessarily have to understand either the language nor the facts (much later in life I found about Marguerite Monnot and Damia) after all, everything in this life is so transient and brief, yesterdays tears are just past. What is fascinating about Piaf is that her music even today radiates sheer magic and class, where by all accounts this little child of the streets shouldn't be the one who knew about these things at all. Books, movies, articles and memoirs usually focus on sordid aspects of the myth that threatens to completely cover the real person buried somewhere under countless layers of these stories. Than you come to her music and discover real emotions, laughter and "joie de vivre" mixed up with drama and defiance, it opens up like the best work of art or wonderful book inviting you to come in - no matter what her life might have been and how lowly her start was, there was this absolutely fascinating spark of the universal spirit in this little body and it soared to the skies in life-affirming joy that was instantly recognised by millions who heard her and are listening even today. On some unconscious level we all understand this is all real and there is nothing artificial about Piaf who comes across as genuine sound of the heart. I heard people saying that they don't understand this or her voice was not "feminine" but it just shows their ignorance or unwillingness to open up to something that was unique even in her time. Not for nothing is she remembered, towering above absolutely everybody else who was her contemporary back than (good as they might have been) - no matter what I listen to and where life leads me, this is one of the cornerstones, pillars of my music collection and its so etched in my personality that I don't even need to have it physically with me in order to hear this sound in my dreams. Thanks to this recordings, her spirit would continue to live long after all of us flicker out. 

Tina Turner is 75 today

... and that sounds really serious but more from the perspective of us, her audience (are we all going to rust slowly?) than considering great lady herself who is ageless anyway. The thought about her age stopped me a little bit today because I was acutely aware that being her fan from that particular MTV afternoon in 1984 means I also belong to that certain, now middle-aged group. Oh well. Proud Mary keeps on turning.

What Turner did for our lives? 

Sure, she was slaying audiences for decades long before that final 1980s eruption and different generations loved and supported her long before that. Black audiences in small clubs around St.Louis loved her for being one of their own who was female James Brown. Later Phil Spector made sure her regal roar was heard well and truly by British Rock aristocracy across the Atlantic and everybody from Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger to Lulu was stunned, they were all her fans long before finally American mainstream audience accepted her. Young Bette Midler was one of those people who witnessed volcanic live concert that in her words changed her life. Janis Joplin was fan and she said it live on TV during interview with Dick Cavett. So even post-Ike years in wilderness, when chances looked slim and recording companies avoided her as a washed-up has-been were times when a lot of people passionately loved her. Check any taped concerts from that time and see for yourself - she might not had hits or records but people flocked to see her. However, MTV catapulted Tina into mid-1980s mega stardom and ever since the whole world was suddenly aware of what fans already knew, that she was super-original and vital entertainer who simply had no competitors. There is absolutely no other black girl like her who established herself in a Rock world.

Most of us who were introduced to her music back than in 1984 were simply awed with powerful voice that soared above cold synthesizers (than ultra-modern UK production) and televised performances that streamed like a lava out of our TV screens. People loved her for all kinds of reasons - men simply liked this powerful, attractive woman who commanded respect, authority and primal sex-appeal even though she wasn't actually a classical beauty, women found her impressive example of confident freedom appealing because she was middle-aged warrior queen who would not bow to anyone. Back in 1984 we didn't know anything about dark horror of Ike years but we could sense this is a bruised survivor who hammers her strength and independence instead of whining about past and suffering. That this was a 45 years, black woman in a completely teenage-oriented music industry, not some young bleached marionette but a grown-up person (there was always something so real about her, sweat and all) just made her even more interesting for us. Later she might get all the airbrush treatments that wealth could afford but we could still see that under all that cellophane she was that ballsy ol' sassy sister.

As for me personally, I could never get enough of watching her concert performances. Not sure did other people analysed this, but even when her later music turned predictable and creamy, concerts were always phenomenal and they made me excited and rejuvenated. Even now I get all thrilled just to watch any old concert although I am aware its just a show and everything has been rehearsed - the powerful connection she has with audiences cannot be rehearsed or scripted though, its pure and simple enchantment that works both ways and the more this woman gives, the more she receives back. Its really interesting to think that other performers use perhaps far more sophistication and all sorts of tricks to get across but Tina has always been accepted not as a product but as a real person. Another fascinating thing is that we all understand that behind this sassy, sexy and wild image she is basically a very sweet, decent and perhaps even old-fashioned lady who acts the role - to me she appears very well balanced human being who is part rock mama and part cute tomboy in private. I am perfectly fine with her decision to retire and she deserves it, in fact wouldn't like to see her going on forever until it became caricature - long may she live in happiness of her chosen home.

"Before Sunrise" (1995) by Richard Linklater

I came to this movie from "My Dinner with André" so it wasn't such a surprise and I knew what I expected from art-movie.
In theory I would immediately dismiss anything described as "romantic comedy" and under no circumstances would even accept to watch something created for sentimental entertainment - however this turned out to be such a nice experience that I am still surprised what an effect it had on me. For the start, even though we are absolutely aware that this is scripted and rehearsed, movie appears so life-like, real and natural that for the life of me I can't see anything artificial or contrived here. Acting is superb, both Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy completely inhabit their characters and I must say to me they are absolutely adorable as two people caught up in the beauty of young love which is so right and natural at that age. You must be seriously cynical or old to forget how it once was.

Sure, not everybody allowed themselves freedom and exuberant pleasure of being in the moment as shown here - some people simply don't know how to let go - but most of us had at least moment or two where mornings dawned and we were too excited to be tired. "Before Sunrise" has this rare gift to make us think about our own lives while watching something on the screen. Which in my opinion makes it unforgettable and great movie. This is where I caught myself standing in the middle of the room (with a plate in my hands, halfway going somewhere) glued to the screen and waiting for two actors to finally kiss. And darn it if several times I didn't find myself completely and utterly melting (scene with a poet), smiling and purring like a happy cat. Considering how many movies are just a boring cliché, this came as wonderful feel-good experience.

"Diva" (1992) by Annie Lennox

To the kids today this might not seems to exciting but I was there in 1992 and I remember the huge, massive attention this long-awaited solo debut created everywhere in media. After all, Lennox waited some 12 years to finally has her own spotlight and not unlike Tina Turner she had shed a bothersome partner to show her colours. 

It was such megalithic success (album of the year, five hit singles, best British female artist) that it perhaps overshadowed the fact that music was not so different from what she was actually doing before. As I listen to it now while writing this, I still have the same opinion from back than, that this was not completely new turn into unknown direction but well-produced, superbly polished pop album that if you don't know, you could simply call another "Eurythmics" product. Which is just fine as back catalogue was very decent and usually devoid of anything banal, perhaps Lennox had such well established music persona that it would be pointless to expect something radically different from her - she is basically a white soul singer who just happened to flourish in decade of synthesizers and successfully conquered them.

Unwittingly, Lennox also brought term "diva" back into public consciousness and it kills me to see how many people took title of this album seriously , when its so obvious she took it as a self-mocking description of slightly worn-out alter-ego. There is nothing worn-out about her singing, she sounds stunning as ever and if anything, perhaps shows more tenderness here than previously. It is still a high mark in her career and for me this was never surpassed, everything else that came later lacked enthusiasm and inspiration present here. 

"Medusa" (1995) by Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox was always a spectacular white-soul singer from the very start but her legend was cemented in 1980s during her "Eurythmics" day and I never found her solo career particularly inspired. Both she and Dave Stewart got lot of attention for their solo debuts because media was curious what they will come up and naturally focus was more on visually attractive Lennox who always knew how to use her androgynous image, though I always thought her solo music was too similar to that previously done, icy sound backed with synthesisers.

I clearly remember this album being a turning point where for the first time I started to think that Lennox was not so impeccable after all - up to that point everything she did was quite spectacular (I even convinced myself that her solo debut was not so bad) but this all-cover collection was really just trading a water. In theory I have nothing against covers and Lennox sings well as always, its just that it looks not like step forward but standing in one frozen spot, not really any artistic improvement on what she had previously done. Compare this to her covers of "The Doors", Lou Reed and The Beatles (recorded a decade ago while she was still in "Eurythmics") and its basically same thing.



Listening now, almost a decade later I enjoy it probably slightly more than during original release, it might be that either I got used to it or her music needs some more attention. However I would never call it essential.

"Phil Spector" (2013) by David Mamet

Ah, again that American obsession with celebrities and disembodiments of privileged people. Its really frightening to think that fame might be just a prelude before media starts cutting somebody to pieces. No wonder so many people turn into hermits in order to avoid the frustrated glare from down bellow, from millions of anonymous people who never achieved anything but still give themselves right to criticize and judge.

Very strange disclaimer at the beginning of the movie (claiming that this is a fiction and not based on real characters) describes the whole approach here, where things are not being said in order not to offend anybody - why making this movie at all? - and never going into real dirt and making a statement but pussyfooting around very real crime like "it doesn't really matter" so it all turns into courtroom drama about lawyers fighting and nitpicking, building the case and planning how to destroy the opponent. Some interesting points: main attorney taking his salary (a cold million) and pulling out with money just to leave his client because of "other obligations", a woman asking "How would you feel if he gets out of it and kills another woman?" Like with everything else, movie simply skips these little details and goes on about Phil Spector being weird recluse who is misunderstood because he is washed-up eccentric and delusional modern day male version of Norma Desmond. But my main objection here is, no matter what public perception there is, the fact is still that we are talking about crime. A person can wear a flowerpot on top of his head and still won't end up in court if there is no other objection. I absolutely love 1960s music that Spector created but it doesn't take away the fact that guy was known for decades as a gun weaving sadist who usually got along with everything because of his wealth.

Even if script is disappointingly and maddeningly avoiding any statement, acting is superb as we have clash of Titans.  Al Pacino bites in his role for all that's worth and no matter what he says, how he rages, pleads, charms and tries to behave, he knows what he knows and we are just left guessing. Helen Mirren as his replacement-attorney holds perfectly her own against this monumental ego and calmly tries to built up a case for defense that occasionally even make a sense. Often she has to behave like Sister Rachel in "One Flew Over The Coockoo's Nest" towards her client who is so darn irrational and we can sense her struggle in getting a job done. I must say that Mirren is so good at this that I can't possibly imagine director's first choice (Bette Midler) in this role. At the end, it probably depends how much are you familiar with subject in order to enjoy this courtroom drama.

"Moonrise Kingdom" (2012) by Wes Anderson

Completely and utterly Wes Anderson movie, which means highly recognisable visual style, quirky characters and a universe of its own. 

With time they will be remembered as influential and classics, now being current they are criticised for being outside of the box. I can't help but seeing "Amelie" in all of this, but this is my problem and it doesn't really take away from the fact that Anderson's work is highly enjoyable.

"Moonrise Kingdom" is a good, old-fashioned children's movie with some dark undertones (loss of innocence) focused on modern-day Romeo and Juliet who found each other as a comfort from outside world. But where everybody finds literary characters completely acceptable, here it brings all kinds of of reactions with viewers that actually sound very philistine to me, as "originals" were not much older. If I remember correctly, Juliet was around 14 so there you go. These kids are lonely outsiders and whatever intimacy they share, its a dreamy world full of books, music and camp fire. And earrings made from fish hooks. 

Watching this, I couldn't help but wondering has every child at least once thinking about running away from home - my little gang had extremely detailed plans about our collective escape, though of course it sounds so silly now to remember how one girl wanted to take her plastic bath tub with us in case of the rain (this gives you idea how small she must have been). Lots of grown-up actors here but they don't really matter and perhaps its a waste of big names since all the attention is on kids anyway. Again, I just love all the visual effects here and no matter how artificial, silly or cartoonish they might be, its beautiful, particularly that little isolated bay with one tent. Its a dream. 

"Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green" (1959) by Blossom Dearie

What initially seems like just another of 1950s Songbook-themed albums that Norman Granz created for Ella Fitzgerald, turned out to be completely different kind of music. The only thing they have in common is focus on one composer, but where Fitzgerald got herself a royal treatment with cinematic strings and the glitzy cellophane, this album is pure and simple jazz of nightclub variety, where singer is backed only by small trio and often simply sing along to her own piano. 

Blossom Dearie is such an unusual, unpretentious artist that her little girl voice comes as a shock - she is so darn eccentric, unique and original that I can't think of anybody else to compare her to. Perhaps Bobby Troup is the only singer who I remember doing wonders with what is basically very small, intimate voice but naturally they share only approach, not the sound. In theory, somebody cooing and whispering like Betty Boop at the age of 35 sounds terrible on the paper, but you need to hear Blossom Dearie just once to get caught up in her universe. I have always found her immensely appealing but this little flower is so modest and unassuming that it usually takes me a year or so before I remember re-visiting her music.

Recorded just at the right time when pop music was still inspired by Broadway shows, "Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green" is hypnotic and mellow like some piano music by Erik Satie. Its truly a comforting and dreamy sound one listens when alone in the evening and I even caught myself getting lost in the lyrics which are actually very sophisticated. Dearie was not a slouch when it came to songwriting herself but here she perfectly acts and inhabits lonely drifter persona created by somebody else. Just a masterpiece from the beginning to the end.

"Nostalgia" (2014) by Annie Lennox

Every time a middle-aged singer turns to American songbook repertoire, there is a public outcry about cul-de-sac and lack of original ideas (or even worse, selling out to mainstream) and to be honest, I was cynical myself upon seeing that Annie Lennox turned that route. But for the sake of old affection towards "Eurythmics" and genuine curiosity about dramatic photo cover that presented singer unadorned of make up or any frills, I decided to give it a go.

It turned into surprisingly good album - its all about pre-WW2 material, but its decidedly not a Jazz album. Just like Autumnal photo on its cover, "Nostalgia" is a serious, all-ballad collection, backed by impeccable orchestration and all is held together with wondrous voice that still amazes with its sonorous sound - Lennox was always a strangely haunting singer completely distinguished from anybody else in pop music and I dare to say that limits of the media (and its constant strive towards commercial aspects of the business) probably tired the singer long time ago. So instead of suspecting her intentions about going all Gershwin, I hear artist singing what she truly loves and enjoying being theatrical and authoritative in genre that allows it. 

We have actually heard Lennox in this type of music long ago on Cole Porter's tribute ("Every Time We Say Goodbye") so its surprising that it took her decades to get here. Perhaps she overdosed a bit on Billie Holiday (four songs associated with her!) and at the times her intense approach leans more towards Gospel, but than we get something like "You Belong To Me" that truly amazes with beauty and she sounds like modern-day incarnation of Jo Stafford, which is a high praise indeed since original was so perfect. For an artists that is pushing 60 in pop arena it actually looks like a perfectly dignified and natural step, just give it a listen. Kids probably won't care but "Eurythmics" fans are now all older and we will enjoy it. This is almost unplugged Annie Lennox without any electronic gadgets or synthesizers, its a pure singing for the joy of it.

"Hello Like Before" (2014) by Shirley Bassey

For a while it looked like Welsh bigger-than-life music legend might seriously update her sound and trough collaborations with new generation of hipsters even became seriously relevant again. As her new album shows, Bassey is either comfortable at where she is at this point of her life (still performing sold-out concerts, still selling her back catalogue re-recorded and re-packaged in various disguises) or can't be bothered with expanding far out of her comfort zone. So its back to the ballads, back to the covers and easy-listening repertoire that she did for decades.

Its not so much fault of singer herself who does what she always did, gives her best as usual and blasts the roof with that authoritative operatic voice as much with her advisers or managers who couldn't find anything that has not been done before. Another "Goldfinger"? "I'm Still Here"? Even when things get lively like in "We Got Music" I couldn't help but think about her early 1970s pop albums when she already did this kind of thing, covering "Spinning Wheel". The duet with current young kid ("Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend") is cute but its just a gimmick to promote Christmas sales. The rest is basically Bassey belting with big band, which means heroic survivor's statement from still powerhouse veteran but it signals we can't expect any surprises from her.

The Babadook (2014) by Jennifer Kent

Horror movie was never one of my favourite genres - besides childish pleasure I get from classic pre-WW2 fantasies like "Dracula", "Frankestein" and "The Wolf Man" (too familiar to be really scary) and certain 1950s B movies (again, simply fun) what I saw as growing up was continuous saga of blood, guts and fingers spilling all over the place in disturbing and sick variations. Its interesting why some people turn to Horror as entertainment because as exciting as it might be, it desperately needs new ideas or else it turns into worn-out cliché dangerously leaning towards parody.

Perhaps I have simply seen too many movies in my lifetime so Horror genre rarely thrills me with something original. The only instances when I was genuinely amused were without exception stories where evil was unseen and unknown - the very moment I see "the monster" on the screen I am left unmoved and 9 times out of 10 I would even feel compassion for it. Occasionally, like in "The Others" I was genuinely interested in story because it was weaved so well, again around unknown psychological danger. "The Babadook" belongs to that category simply because it circles around clichés and tries to sidestep what we have all seen so many times.

Australian director Jennifer Kent toys with atmosphere similar to the one in "The Others" while adding her own twist to it. Its "us" against the world, familiar things that turn into demonic and crippling fear coming from our own living spaces. Very simple in cast that counts only handful of characters, the movie focuses only on single mother and her little son who are slowly sliding down into danger that lurks somewhere from inside this house. Avoiding the simplicity that would result from simply pointing at one focus of demonic possession, Kent plays around with it, suggesting all kinds of explanations and ideas, cleverly keeping our attention all the way trough. What personally I found most interesting is the relationship between parent and the child used in Horror context, which was rarely if ever been so well used like here. Actors are absolutely brilliant, though in retrospective I am not so happy in using little Noah Wiseman for this kind of movie, because I wouldn't like my own child to be exposed to such disturbing things in such tender age. Call me over-sensitive but I am very protective towards what we are putting in kid's heads while they are still growing up and soaking everything in. We are dealing with all sorts of taboos here.

Kad je Rock bio mlad Vol.1

This was part of 1995 CD box created by Siniša Škarica who obviously took a quite big and serious task to dust off old archive recordings and re-release anthology of very beginnings of Rock in Ex Yu, at least those released by Zagreb's "Jugoton" which was pre-eminent recording company back in the day. Judging by the state of Croatian pop music today, we went backwards quite a few steps in the meantime and the music I hear today is so simplistic and banal that it comes as a relief to hear that several decades ago we actually had artists who were genuinely enthusiastic about what they did.

"Estrada susreće Rock'n'roll" (Show business meets Rock'n' Roll) covers a decade between 1956 and 1965 and its full of sweetly innocent goodies recorded by artists who were without exception all very young and playful, either twisting the night away or emulating Italian rockers who in turn imitated American singers. In a strange turn of events, lacking access to US original recordings they listened Italian singers like Adriano Celentano and Mina and created their own versions of  Rock, which they later even performed on tours in Soviet Union and therefore brought Rock there in a Trojan horse. 

I seriously doubt that singers like Ivo Robić, 4 M, Marjana Deržaj or Lola Novaković ever considered themselves as Rock performers - they were part of current generation of family entertainment and simply covered anything that moved, be it Paul Anka, The Platters or Bill Haley but these singles brought new kind of music to our homes and since we didn't know originals, this is where we learned from. In fact, its wonderful to hear these old tracks from Arsen Dedić, Gabi Novak, Dragan Toković, Zdenka Vučković, Duo Hani (young Zdenka Kovačicek!) and Zafir Hadžimanov (all senior citizens today) as they once were in first bloom of the youth. Even Tereza Kesovija twisted once! However, the "real" Rock comes in the second part of CD where around 1962 artists like Bijele Strijele, Karlo Metikoš and Crveni Koralji finally stepped out of this glitzy, TV entertainment crowd and broke some serious ice with their recordings that no matter how clumsy they might appear today. These were venerable grandfathers of everything that came later. 

Nana Mouskouri

A Voice - the Very Best Of Nana Mouskouri

Once during conversation about all the embarrassing moments of our childhood and what crap music we listened, friend and I mentioned Nana Mouskouri and both laughed upon remembering bespectacled, teacher-looking lady who was constantly on TV everywhere during 1970s, hands clasped as in prayer and all so pure, white and virginal that it just seemed so annoyingly sweet to us teenagers - something from that conversation stayed with me unconsciously much later when I found myself in a Athens CD shop when I found myself roaming around and being utterly unfamiliar with names of the singers, Mouskouri however was the only once I recognised. And so I decided to purchase this compilation that focused exclusively on her Greek recordings, from pre-international fame and beyond.

Its easy to be cynical about someone who seems so sincere that it provokes immediate reaction that this must be contrived (contradictory as it it) and since we are used to show business to be artificial, some of us assumed Mouskouri couldn't possibly be so immaculate in real life. I still remember my initial response to hearing the very first song here, where her young tender voice was so honestly pure-hearted that it actually embarrassed me. There was no doubt that girl caught on a record in 1959 was so clear and angelic that it must touch some deep spot in a listener and this strange connection between ear-and-heart is where Mouskouri build her life work on (as opposite to eye-and-ear). Very much like Barbra Streisand, Mouskouri was ugly ducking who could easily turn into a beautiful swan with pure magic and they both not only made themselves somehow glamorous in their own terms in process but appealed to millions around the world. It takes a particular skill for a unknown, impoverished girl from Greece to find her way into hearts of audiences from Australia to Canada and out of the millions she was the one, the rightful daughter of mythological Orpheus who could enchant demons who guarded the underworld.

For some reason I have always found Mouskouri's Greek recordings the most perfect ones, maybe because singing in her native language didn't sound as artificial as when she would later tackle any pop song from international repertoire. Sure, she was just fine with Paul Simon or Edith Piaf, but there was something in Greek music that we simply accept as part of her soul, while all those foreign covers were perhaps routine for someone who was multi-lingual. This is why I like this best from anything that I have ever heard of Nana Mouskouri. CD 1 is all about her very beginnings and its magical - Manos Hadjidakis, Kostas Yannidis and all those composers who found her their own Ella Fitzgerald for Greek songbooks (and believe me, these songs are still in repertoire of Greek musicians heard around). The voice was slightly different back than, somehow huskier and deeper but nevertheless very appealing. Around 1962/1963 Mouskouri spread her wings into different markets and left her native country so CD 2 collects selected Greek tracks recorded sporadically since than - they are fine, but not as half as exciting as the very beginnings because artist here is now already too sophisticated and mannered. The discovery here is choice from her all-Greek 1985 album "I endekati entoli " that is by far most interesting experiment in otherwise fairly mainstream and mild repertoire. Towards the end of compilation we can unfortunately witness the unavoidable effects on age to a once-impeccable instrument and my impression is that lady should have retired long before this became too obvious. 

That Nana Mouskouri still holds the record as one of the biggest-selling recording female artist of all times is a testament not only to millions of her faithful fans around the world, her immense appeal to different audiences from Australia to Canada and back, strong management who new how to market her, lady's multi-lingual skills and career that goes back to late 1950s but also to the curious fact that Mouskouri did it all without using any gimmicks and tricks pop stars are using today - in fact, her success is based exclusively on her voice and people truly responded to her "ugly ducking" story with greatest affections. To any uninformed new listener, Mouskouri could best described as dwarfed classically trained singer who - because of circumstances - turned to pop music, put Manos Hadjidakis and "Never on Sunday" on the map and ever since made some hugely impressive steps in multi-lingual markets as various as Germany, France, UK and Canada. 

Personally I always found her earliest Greek music the most interesting, since at the very start there was a sense of being at the right place in the right time, when Greek composers found her the best instrument to express their ideas. Everything that came after mid-1960s was kind of only slight variation of proved recipe, where singer would cover international hits in that innocent and virginal voice but she very rarely had her own original material. Not that anything was wrong with Mouskouri (who clearly had lot of integrity to hold her own against any suggestions to change her image) or with her voice which always was one of the loveliest instruments in pop music, its just that her multi-million selling records always turned out so mild and unadventurous that you can't help but wonder what would happen had she decided to do something unexpected or unusual just for a change. That is why I found her mid-1980s return to Greek composers much more satisfactory and experimental than any of her platinum and gold records collected here, where she sings covers.

"Passport" was a generous compilation of Mouskouri recordings from the time when she was at the top of the world, in late 1960s/early 1970s. If Barbra Streisand was reigning queen in USA, Mouskouri spread her wings over Europe where BBC TV shows introduced her to audiences who watched her weekly on small screens and she was doing everything from Greek originals to songs in Spanish, French and English to semi-classical pieces like 200 years old "Plasir d'Amour" that sounds as it was written for her. Moskouri could and did cover everything from Paul Simon to Edith Piaf and audiences apparently could never get enough of her recordings. Sure, all this success backlashed in a way that it made her uncool to younger audiences who would probably prefer artist to starve unrecognized instead of being such ubiquitous presence but Mouskouri was too busy touring around the world to ever stop and think about effects of over-exposure, in fact she prepares another tour even at this moment. Listening to this compilation its easy to get swept away in sheer beauty of her voice, though I still find her the most interesting in Greek material above all. 

Before she became a world-known pop phenomenon, politician and UNICEF ambassador, Nana Mouskouri was actually classically trained singer at the Athens Conservatoire from where she was famously expelled for moonlighting in jazz clubs around the town, after eight years of studying. It sounds terribly cruel and unnecessary dogmatic decision against young girl who probably thought it was the end of the world for her (specially as parents could not afford having both daughters trained and decided on her instead of the other equally talented sister) but luckily, Greek pop composers like Manos Hadjidakis found her voice the perfect instrument for their ideas and she eventually became very successful megastar indeed. Trough the decades Mouskouri established extremely strong following around the world, serving mostly international hits sung by that sweetly virginal voice and even made a conscious statement with holding on to consistently light pop material and those glasses, refusing to bow to any outside pressure which is quite remarkable in face of what we know about the business.

At the age of 60 Mouskouri returned to her classical roots with album consisting exclusively of classical material - it sounds like a interesting idea to hear her versions of Mozart, Bizet, Albinoni and Rossini but honestly by now singer was too settled in easy-listening mannerisms so everything she does sounds very much alike. I won't go into the fact that voice couldn't possibly be like in younger days because this is expected, perhaps it should have simply been done some twenty years earlier. Mouskouri approaches this material with her trademark seriousness and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it (orchestration and arrangements are excellent) except that it would probably appeal not so much to lovers of classical music as to her fans who might even get a nice introduction to something outside of the box. 

When we read about all those millions of records that Nana Mouskouri so successfully sold around the world from Greece to Hong Kong and back, I can't help but to feel its a bit cheat, because as much as lady was obviously hard-working and regularly in studios, it seems that half of those albums were compilations from already published tracks. Perhaps nothing wrong with that, except that we are still talking about rehashed and repackaged material.

"Un Canadien Errant" is another of those compilations, this time focused on Canadian authors that Mouskouri covered trough the years - since that virginal voice easily could (and did) sing in absolutely any language of the world and lady had already enchanted audiences in France, Canada was obvious next step. The very first Canadian track on this compilation dates back to 1966 and the rest is pulled from various 1970s, 1980s and 1990s albums, with Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" from 2011 being newest recording. For the majority of the material here, Mouskouri sounds her usual self, equally at home in English and French, crooning gently and sweetly songs by Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Sylvia Tyson and others, all very mild and embodiment of easy-listening. Nothing wrong with easy-listening except that this light pop can be a bit of overkill in such quantity (19 songs!) so I would suggest a careful dosage. Like everybody else, Mouskouri eventually fell out of fashion and its just a matter of time before we get another virginal ugly duckling erupting on international stage, since everything always comes up in circles. Maybe somebody in the future will remember that it has already been done.

Erich von Däniken

Decades ago, when I was still an impressionable kid visiting various public libraries around the town (because one would become too familiar and I expected that another library would have something completely different, I guess) one of the ubiquitous names that really appeared absolutely everywhere was Swiss author Erich von Däniken who at the time smashed all the best-selling charts and was hugely popular. Today Däniken seems like grand predecessor of every pseudo-archaeologist who came later but I must say now that he didn't sprung out of Zeus head, he actually based his ideas on theories mentioned elsewhere in previous generations - this doesn't mean anything disparaging, what I mean is that his first book "Chariots of the Gods?" came in perfect time when we started exploring the Moon and world was ready to read about different possibilities of our creation. That book was such a phenomenon that it made his name and established his career to this day, where he became unofficial grand priest of every "ancient astronauts" theory fans around the world. I dare to say that for every sharp-knifed critic laughing at Däniken, there is a seriously intrigued reader somewhere around the world.

For a while I got distracted with other kinds of literature, but I never completely forgot about Däniken. It shows in passion with which I continued reading books by Graham Hancock and other younger writers who basically continued his path in a more sophisticated way - all of them might say what they want but they are forever indebted to Däniken who broke the ice first and got real avalanche of criticism for it. Last year I found his "Return to the Stars" on Interliber book fair and bought the original 1970s second-hand volume out of sweet nostalgia - this year I continued the tradition with something that has not been translated in English yet, but I have Croatian version (its named "Auf Den Spuren Der Allmächtigen" in original, it is translated as "Tragom Bogova" or "In the Footsteps of Gods"). 

As always, I read this with greatest interest and curiosity - Däniken might be older now but he is still more than capable to stir readers brain with interesting theories and surely as much as universe is fascinating, there are just so MANY unexplained mysteries left from ancient civilisations on our very own planet that its almost impossible not to get caught in author's enthusiasm for pointing at various theories and most of all, questions he makes. Sure, at times he appears a bit zealous and perhaps too obsessed with everything but its part of his charm and after all, this is his life's work. What I still find interesting is the way he looks under every forgotten corner of the world and comes up with ideas that others simply left untouched or unexplained. Its very easy for all these academic scientists to laugh and dismiss him but they don't have explanations and he has courage to ask the questions. I distinctly remember having a very strange, intuitive sudden feeling about deities described as "bees" on South American temples while reading this - creatures shown coming down to Earth with unusual poses, focused downwards and having insect faces - while author himself doesn't go so far, I couldn't help but start wondering about appearances of these "Gods" and how alien they might have been looking to locals back than. Not to mention interesting ideas about so many of half-animal deities from ancient temples, where Däniken poses interesting theory that this was simply primitive description of what they saw (Indian Elephant God being a person dressed up as astronaut, with some kind of respiratory device on him or the famous South American "winged snake" being actually a symbol for what we see today as a mark of a flying objects in the sky). Fascinating. I am also aware that Däniken occasionally repeats himself and rehashes old stories mentioned elsewhere, that his theories can naturally be explained differently if one is familiar with history (rockets on ancient monastery fresco in Serbia could easily have been than-current representations  of the Sun and Moon, for example - but they DO look like rockets) and that other, younger authors today write with far bigger skill and sophistication (see Graham Hancock) but they all simply follow in his footsteps. 

From old gramophone: pre-1920s pop music

Classical superstars from my previous post came naturally in the footsteps of previous generations - but not everybody was lucky to get invitations from Metropolitan Opera House, some singers might have sound operatic but opted for popular songs of the day. Out of curiosity I have checked what was actually considered "pop song" at the very beginning of the last century and discovered some cute gems that I truly like. The first one that really caught my attention was this one, lovely duet of Ada Jones and Billy Murray - which led me to more discoveries about them and their contemporaries.

It turns out Ada Jones was very popular "pop singer" of the pre-1920s era so we are now going really way back in time, long before Jazz, Charleston and Prohibition, we are talking about vaudeville, music halls and "Titanic". In fact, this particular duet was mentioned in a movie "Titanic" as soundtrack of times. Jones - who came to USA from her native Lancashire and was successful comedienne who often recorded duets, this one was done when she was almost 40 and it came as surprise that I actually know the song very well. 

Not only that, it turned out I am familiar with the next song as well. Ada Jones was really chart topping singer of her time, though this sweet little plump lady would probably be shocked to see how music business have changed with time. What listeners back than considered risque and even bawdy (in other words, not something to be played in elegant salons) is nothing compared with half-naked pop singers today who are definitely going into direction of pornography as the only possible next step. She had recorded tons of singles in her time and is inexplicably forgotten today.

Her duet partner was even more famous, the son of Irish immigrants and affectionately called "The Denver Nightingale" - Murray was superstar of his time and continued to work and perform long after new music trends came along. Again, its one of the songs that I know very well from later jazz versions. Since I heard several other singers of his generations, I can sincerely say that Murray was at the top of his profession. 

His friend was Walter Van Brunt who also happened to have Irish background. Van Brunt was equally adorable and I love his voice as well. In popularity he was only second to Murray and this friendship helped him to find work after some messy public scandals, apparently Murray always got him radio engagements. It all sounds like some quaint circus music but since I heard early 1920s recordings now I can see where they came from. 

Even earlier generation is Blanche Ring who sounds like true classically trained singer - she was in fact famous theatre entertainer and the next song was one of the biggest hits of her career (and the biggest hit of 1909). She might have been the first to record "Come Josephine" and as really a big deal in her time, though my guess is that she probably appealed to completely different audiences than her legitimate classical music colleagues.

Completely different bird was Nora Bayes who had absolutely no pretensions towards sounding classical - to me she is kind of Sophie Tucker/Al Jolson entertainer who sing-talked and clowned in all sorts of accents, which was very popular at the time. The next song comments on return of American WW1 soldiers from Europe and it was big hit for her. All these old family portraits are fascinating and since I am already familiar with Jolson, Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor and several others, this now clears the picture little bit further.

p.s.

Almost forgot wonderful Arthur Collins who was a grandfather of them all - he sang, acted, clowned and was absolutely adorable. He was also known as "King of Ragtime" so naturally this appeals to me very much. Today he is known only to connoisseurs and record collectors, but I have no interest in material worth of collecting, I simply enjoy his music as wonderful uplifting experience. This is probably what young Bing Crosby heard when he was growing up.

Photo of the day

What an interesting, fascinating photo!

Four of 1950s biggest names of classical music at one place, obviously enjoying the camaraderie and the wonderful moment. We are being constantly told that successful people thrive on competition, envy and gossip but I don't think so - as this picture shows, when real stars gather they love being in company of equals and they perfectly understand what it takes to get there. Each one of these ladies left a huge mark in the business and they were all exceptional in their own way, there is no point of telling who is "better" because they lifted themselves up from humble beginnings on the sheer force of the talent and no producer, manager or husband could create something out of nothing if the voice wasn't there. Joan Sutherland followed the footsteps of legendary Melba from her native Australia and in my opinion surpassed her by far. Renata Tebaldi was a great exponent of classical "bel canto" singing and polished it to a perfection. Lisa Della Casa had such unbelievably beautiful voice that I get dizzy from listening to her, she was the only one who is in my opinion almost on the same level as Elizabeth Schwarzkopf in "Four Last Songs". And finally Schwarzkopf herself, who emerged like steel-willed nightingale from completely destroyed and ruined post-WW2 Europe, constantly dazzling audiences with her class and art. 

We can only guess what did they talk amongst each other, did they lash at the impresarios, compare the roles, discuss the plans or simply had a girl talk? Judging by their smiles, they had a wonderful time together.

Mary Pickford

Just saw a very interesting documentary about Mary Pickford, who was one of the first true movie stars at the very dawn of the cinema.

I am not 100% sure that I am actually familiar with her work, though I certainly know her name, however I know Lillian Gish so they probably belong to the same category of pioneers of the media. Documentary is fascinating because it explains how it came to be that girl actually entered than-unrespectable business of movies which were considered even worse than theatre. If theatre was just slightly above prostitution (in the eyes of middle-class audience striving towards upward mobility), movies were bottom of the bottom. But crushing poverty left no other option to a girl who was raised by impoverished single mother so little Gladys Smith learnt how to use her pretty looks very early in life in order to provide for a family - she was a cutie pie of her day and quickly learnt her way around theatre stages, in fact the whole family lived nomadic life constantly on the road in search of new engagement. This also means Gladys had no education worth mentioning and no childhood either - all her energy was focused on work, salaries and money to feed the mother, sister and brother. On the other hand, the child grew up to be self-assured, energetic and go-getter who was a completely self-made success. 

The move into new media - motion pictures - was at first just an experiment and another job, but her pretty features and those legendary long locks quickly made her prominent. She also had natural acting talent and used far less of big, dramatic poses that other actors used back than - she expressed it all with her face and the eyes. In the pre-1920s she became world's biggest female movie star and her fame was such that millions around the world adored "American sweetheart" who in their eyes embodied virginal purity and innocence. That in reality she was a shrewd businesswoman who provided for alcoholic siblings and envious husband was beside the point. Such was her power that in 1919 she became one of the cornerstones of new company "United Artists" along with Charlie Chaplin, D.W.Griffith and Douglas Fairbanks - four of them created this in order to promote their own work and to have total control over production. So much about long locks and pretty face.

She had also divorced her first husband and married charismatic Douglas Fairbanks who was big star himself and knew how to handle the media frenzy that made them into Hollywood royalty. But the arrival of sound movies also signalled the new era where Pickford didn't fare so well. Not that she had ugly voice, far from it, but in a desperate attempts to change with times (and understanding that she can't go on forever playing children and teenage girls) she perhaps went a little bit too far - she cut those legendary locks and emerged in fashionable "bob", even worse she tried more mature roles that audience simply wasn't buying into. Even though she was awarded with one of the very first "Oscars", new generation of movie stars slowly replaced Pickford who turned into real-life Norma Desmond and after a while refused to leave her mansion. I became so bad that husband nr.3 simply played the tape with her welcome message to visitors.When in 1976 she was awarded another "Oscar" for lifetime achievement, camera men had to visit this frail and elderly lady in her home and TV audiences were shocked to see "American sweetheart" as aged and obviously ill shell of her former self. 

Time machine: old movie clips from various cities around the world

This Internet is surely one huge labyrinth and you can so easily get distracted with thousands of interesting things. I admired those photos of old Zagreb and somehow got pulled into another direction - old movie clips of famous cities. I watched and watched it like the most beautiful dream - it reminded me of all those wonderful black & white silent movies I always loved but this was something not staged by director, this was real life and real people walking around in their clothes, minding their business and going on about their lives. Yes, dear reader, obviously I have soft spot for old houses, old music, old movies and everything that works as a time machine. It thrills me exactly in the same way great art touches me and right now I can't think about better way to get lost in daydreaming than to spend some time with these beautiful old clips.

Photo of the day

This is a very pretty picture of than-young rock stud Mick Jagger and his beautiful girlfriend Marianne Faithfull.

They were both in the first bloom of youth, famous music stars and privileged with wealth, fame and mass adoration that will soon turn into all sorts of police arrests, media witch hunt and scandals that will eventually push Faithfull out of the picture for a while. By some magic she not only survived but lived on to became very much respected artist who occasionally enjoys her own notoriety. I read her interviews and between the lines feel that she understands that her myth and "bad girl" image makes her interesting to people, so although she can't escape constant digging trough long-gone scandals (which must be very frustrating as she makes music, after all) sometimes she mentions it herself and drops anecdotes and names, just for her own entertainment. I am still waiting for the news about her filmed biography which hopefully will happen while she is still around to enjoy this potential revival of interest in her.

Veronika Desinićka - Croatian Anne Boleyn?

Lo and behold finally something really interesting on local TV and I tuned in just to watch this fascinating documentary about famous legend about this castle that is towering above my little country house vacation spot. Usually I avoid TV at all costs because it just upsets me most of the time, but last night t was exciting + it was documentary.

"Veliki Tabor" (Big fortress) is a massive castle that probably goes back to 15th century and was built as a defence from Turks. It changed hands often and owners were mostly aristocratic families connected to a royal court. There is a very interesting folk legend about young girl who was imprisoned and probably killed here because of her forbidden love for aristocrat - I believe this is combination of forgotten and confused historical facts and later folk tradition told by superstitious, illiterate and uninformed locals whose descendants (as this documentary clearly shows) are still not 100% sure about it. What is very interesting is that we know names of four main protagonists and its truly a Shakesperian tragedy for all included, but it takes some re-thinking and analysis to see it from different perspective.

In a nutshell: powerful count Hermann (pictured above) hunts down his disobedient son Friedrich (who is already married) and his young mistress (legendary low-born Veronika Desinićka - Veronika from local village Desinić), imprisons the son and orders the girl to be killed here in this castle, where her ghost still weeps according to local tourist tradition. It makes for a very romantic love story and it inspired a lot of artists trough centuries not to mention that it appeals to sensitive audience who like the idea of forbidden love. But I watched the documentary last night and mulled it over in my head since.

What was fascinating was how differently people look at it - historians from neighbourhood Slovenia (where these lords originally came from) are far more informed because they actually researched original documents and can explain some motives of characters. On the other hand, locals filmed here (with exception of lady who works in the castle/museum) are all confused, giggling crowd repeating what they have heard and not only nobody stop to think about possible reasons and historical roots of the story but they clearly show centuries-old hostility towards injustice towards "little people" (because Veronika was victim of ruling classes), some of them even meekly repeat superstitious claims that she was witch. Absolutely nobody has any opinion about what actually might have happened and who was victim here.

Here is what I think.

Count Hermann was powerful but not invincible lord who also had to explain himself to the king and the court. Like all aristocrats of his time, he planned prosperity of his descendants with marriage that would ensure that in the future generations, family wealth would spread until the Adriatic sea - because of this he had arranged marriage of his only son with rich Croatian lady. So far, so good. But the son being sole inheritor, is spoiled, strong-willed and disobedient and whores around, ignoring the bride Elizabeth of Frankopan who in fact ends up murdered so the stage is clear for her replacement, the low-born village Veronika who might have manipulated her lover into this. Come on people, who is a victim here? Not a word about poor, innocent Elizabeth who was sold into cold and cruel marriage, but everybody feels sorry for Veronika. While Croatian aristocracy is in uproar, in order to hush up the scandal and very probable royal punishment, count Hermann imprisons his own son himself (effectively protecting him) until the dust settles and orders meddlesome girl strangled to make sure she won't stand on the way later. In all probability the couple really loved each other, which I see in a careful ways young count Friedrich tried to protect her in monasteries and isolated castles later - that they both eventually got caught up and separately imprisoned & punished is surely cruel and later in life Friedrich never forgot his real, true love whose body he got exhumed and re-buried, her face painted in local chapels as "St.Veronika" from Gospel stories. As historians explained in this documentary, this was era when marriages between aristocracy was almost never arranged for love but for various material reasons so public relationship with low-born girl was a political suicide and Friedrich would have done much better if he kept Elizabeth as his wife and Veronika as secret lover, which he could have done easily. I am tempted to see Veronika as Croatian Anne Boleyn who must have been aware that her high-born lover is already married and something must have be done about it.

Its really strange that tradition and legends made her into romantic heroine, I analysed this from various perspectives and see it a little bit differently though I admit that love between these two people could have been genuine. And yes, nobody mentions what happened to the child they supposedly had with them during hiding in a monastery?