|
11-1994 Friends Of The Pastels newsletter / Clank out those winning parts kinetic
freedom’s reaching
Alright. New Pastels records are out and on way.
1. Yoga is complicated steel and glass construction.
Elongated and elaborate, stretching to the sky.
Video already shot in Super 8. Imagery is horses,
fireworks and us clanking out our winning parts.
(Domino 12’’ / CD. In U.S. Matador
7’’ / CD)
2. Mobile Safari. Beginning with the magic expectant
feeling of airports late at ninght, runway lights
with planes landing and taking off. I just wondered
if somehow everyone’s connected up by what’s
happening in the night-time sky. Will atempt to
develop our idea on future recordings cause we
pushed ourselves to the limit with this. Fantastic
participation from S. Pastel, Aggi, Katrina, David,
Gerard Love, Norman Blake, Dean areham. 12 songs.
Wow. (Domino LP / CD. Forthcoming with other labels)
3. Safari Companion. Only available with 1st vinyl
pressing of Mobile Safari. Order up now, this
is our 4 newest recordings done up in double speed
time to prove that we can reduce any deadline
we like to a burnt offering. Tracks include some
of the hardest and softest Pastels anywhere and
a song for the Silver Jews.
4. Al Larsen and Pastels / Some Velvet Pastelism.
Al is spending November, December and January
in Glasgow as part of a cultural exchange project
between Olympia and our city. With him will be
his wife Stella Marrs (who is also his design
partner in Pebbles 2000) and daughter Cypress
Jane. Needless to say we aim to make a record
together that will rock your world.
Since the last newsletter wich was admittedly
quite a long time ago, most of our efforts have
been with trying to finish up Mobile Safari for
November, and we could have made it except the
mastering was fractionally out. This record means
too much for us for it not to be 100% : result
– Christmas KO, release Feb. 95. Through
it all Domino (wich is our new record co. For
Brit and Euro) have been quite laid back and supportive.
Signing with Laurence is probably our smartest
move of the 90’s apart from Katrina learning
drums, and it’s exciting for us to be on
a label that’s putting out some of our favourite
music.
Missing from action at upcoming shows will be
longtime Pastel 4 – David. The plan is that
he will still play on some studio stuff but his
lifestyle is really not geared up for live shows,
especially when he has to travel 100 miles just
to practise with us, and he prefers ski slopes
to rock and roll halls.
Royal gossip is that in June David got married
to Caroline and we were there. Mainly we’ve
been playing with Gerard Love but he’s now
telling us he plays in another band so when he
can’t do it we’ll have Al Larsen while
he’s here and hot new find, Jonathan Kilgour
who is on Safari Companion.
Confusion is o.k. but Katrina Mitchell does not
play in Policecat, it is Katrina Dixon and they
will have a new single on Domino before too long.
Melody Dog have finally recorded a great version
of Stampede and it will come out on Pat Laureate’s
vib new label Vesuvius as part of a 10’’
that also includes Lung Leg, Yummy Fur and other
mainstays of the metallic scratch/ minimalist
renaissance. Meanwhile Teenage Fanclub have just
recorded a new LP and we’re getting to hear
some rough mixes tomorrow. A great day.
Stephen Pastel
A great day indeed. Hi. We are back with you in
the other world now after the mind-boggling months
that were making Mobile Safari. I’ve pretty
much unboggled myself enough now to concentrate
on Friends of the Pastels and so apologies to
anyone who’s been neglected ; I am on your
case right now. Subscriptions will not be due
for, well ages – we are scientifically experimenting
with physically stretching out a year as far as
it’ll go before it snaps – don’t
worry, it’s going to last out for well over
18 months, maybe even more. Exciting, huh ? In
some of this extra created time we’re coming
out to play for you and we hope to see you at
a venue near you. Al will be playing a solo set
at each show and guitar with us at a selection.
Also Al will do an evening at John Smith’s,
Byres Road, Glasgow on Fri. Nov. 4th at 6.30 pm
for free. We’ll hopefully have with us at
the wheel and at the stall Friend n°240, Double
double Tigers speedway champion and all-round
hero, David Walsh. That’s if we can stop
him from partying all winter long.
What else ? We playend the frumpy Phoenix festival
where we stole Steve Shelley from the great Raincoats
to play drums on Hot Wheels with us. Thanks Steve,
you were top. We were an impromptu feature in
the wedding video of Momus, I was a piano feature
of Teenage Fanclub in a new song at T in the Park
this summer.
In your envelope you should find a Sound City
booklet featuring 2 Pastelish pages written by
Aggi and Stephen about the crazy Big Day In and
Flightpaths to Each Other (if you didn’t
receive a colour poster for this a few week ago,
please write and I’ll send you one). We
had a complex competition in our last newsletter
– the correct answer was ‘The Pastels’
and the 2 happy winners are : Alison Raftery (Friend
278) and Norbert Sanna (Friend 303). Well done
you. Listen out for Beat Patrol on BBC Radio Scotland
next Sunday Nov. 6th – S, A, K and Al will
be playing some songs together live on air. Tomorrow
is another exciting day when Al, Aggi and I will
follow flightpaths to each other and meet head
on at Glasgow International Airport. Stella and
Cypress will follow across on some different flightpaths
in a week. We are all looking forward to everything
and you.
Katrina
|