Fantastic interview with Harley about Sparks early career - fascinating stuff.

Great interview!  loved it. Great selection of tunes too, the best!

Get the song: http://penfriend.rocks/seventeen

Seventeen. Is there a more complicated age? Not quite yet an adult, but impatient to be treated like one; navigating an avalanche of new experiences and urgent emotions, dismissed by the grownups as “teenage angst” or “just a phase”. An exhausting quest to negotiate a new space for ourselves, juggling the interests of parents, teachers and friends while not knowing to question their motives. 

This song is an excavation, a letting go, an act of self-forgiveness.

Traumatic events from the past can feel just as fresh, years later, the ghosts of our former selves creeping up to tap us on the shoulder with icy fingers. 

Sometimes we need to package up our memories with tidy words to dispel the haunting. 

Sometimes we just need to stop blaming ourselves. 

Sometimes writing songs is like painstakingly sculpting sounds from thin air; other times they arrive in a whoosh, fighting to be heard. “Seventeen” appeared on a summer Saturday evening, falling out of me in jagged swathes.

Facing up to our ghosts isn’t a pleasant experience, but this song helped me over a major stumbling block from my past, bringing me a fresh perspective and new freedom.

CREDITS
Written, produced, performed and recorded by Laura Kidd at The Launchpad, Bristol. Drums by Max Saidi. Piano arranged by Laura Kidd, performed and recorded by Catherine Anne Davies. Mixed by Dan Austin. Mastered by Katie Tavini. Artwork by Alex Tillbrook, concept by Laura Kidd.

PENFRIEND - Seventeen

The World We Knew (OST)

Gangsters contre fantômes

Stoker

In Part 2 of this special edition of Retrosonic Podcast we are very pleased to welcome back Harley Feinstein, the original drummer with Sparks. Harley appeared on the band's first two Bearsville Records albums "Halfnelson/Sparks" and "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing", and their very first visit to the UK back in the early Seventies. In the previous Episode Harley told us about how he first met Ron and Russell Mael and joined the band. Now in Part 2, Harley talks about the band's first experiences in a studio with Todd Rundgren and James Lowe of The Electric Prunes and how a notorious bunch of Groupies contributed to them getting signed to Bob Dylan's manager's record label. This introduces the band to the nefarious world of the music business with it's aggressive managers and pressure to "make it". There's the enforced name change from Halfnelson to Sparks and we discover some of the hilarious, and slightly worrying, alternate names that the band might have been lumbered with. We follow the band to England and their first TV appearance on Old Grey Whistle Test and sold-out gig at the Marquee and residency at The Pheasantry and the taste of what can be achieved on record company expenses. We then find out how an ill-fated trip to Zermatt in Switzerland became the final nail in the coffin for the band at that time. Soundtracked by early Sparks songs including material from their original demo album, this is a fascinating tale of Sparks' formative years.

For more information on Harley's new project Crash 74 and their gig in London, including exclusive Paul Slattery photographs, please visit www.retromanblog.com

Sparks: The Bearsville/Halfnelson Years Part 2 with Harley Feinstein

Que Calor !

Que Calor ! (Neida Remix)

Que Calor ! (Nova Materia Cover)

Welcome to Retrosonic Podcast Episode 47 where Steve is joined by Rock Photographer Paul Slattery to discuss "Retrospectively Yours", the excellent new compilation from Ronnie Mayor of The Tours, the criminally underrated, short-lived Power Pop/New Wave band who Paul first photographed and championed way back in 1979. There's a special feature on the album which highlights Ronnie's songwriting skills with The Tours and Da Biz and we pick a selection of songs from both bands. Steve talks about another great night of conversation at The Exchange in Twickenham hosted by Gary Crowley with his special guests Debsey Wykes from Dolly Mixture and Mick Talbot from The Style Council and we play a classic Dolly Mixture song. Then we have brand new releases from former bandmates in The Prisoners, Graham Day and Allan Crockford, Graham with his debut solo single and Allan with Sounds Incarcerated, the lockdown cover version project with Viv Bonsels. Then there's Autoramas, our favourite Space Age Garage Rockers from Brazil, some perfectly crafted modern day French Ye-Ye from Monsieur Paul et Les Solutions, there's the melodic Glasgow sound of Neil Sturgeon & The Infomaniacs and some blistering tuneful Punk Rock from Suzi Moon. Paul picks his three favourite bands from his time living in Boston, The J. Geils Band, Duke & The Drivers and Lyres and there's songs from Magazine and The Ronettes and Paul reminisces on the time he was kissed by Ronnie Spector, and we the photographic evidence to prove it! For the feature with full tracklisting, photos and links to where you can buy the new music played in this episode, please check out the link to Retro Man Blog below:
https://retroman65.blogspot.com/2022/02/retrosonic-podcast-episode-47-this-is.html
Retrosonic Podcast has a PRS licence.

Stephen Worrall's Album

Episode 47 "This Is No Audition" with Rock Photographer Paul Slattery

The Jack Cades is a mix of a shared passion for inspirational sounds such as 1960s Garage bands, Snotty Punk from the 1970s, Sun-kissed sweaty Rhythm n' Blues, and a lot of inspirational people. Pre-order: https://thejackcades.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-children-2

The Jack Cades - Identity Crisis

The Jack Cades is a mix of a shared passion for inspirational sounds such as 1960s Garage bands, Snotty Punk from the 1970s, Sun-kissed sweaty Rhythm n' Blues, and a lot of inspirational people.  Pre-Order: https://thejackcades.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-children-2

The Jack Cades - Head In Sand

The Jack Cades were born in late 2017 when Mike (Lead Guitar, Vocals) and Elsa (Rhythm Guitar, Vocals) decided to record some of their songs at Mole's (Drums) notorious State Records Studios in Folkestone, Kent. They invited John Gibbs (The Masonics, The Wildebeests) to record bass on some of their songs at the time, which resulted in a mini debut LP "Music for Children", which will be released May 18th on Dirty Water Records.  Pre-Order Vinyl/CD/Digital: http://smarturl.it/thejackcades

The Jack Cades - Don't Let Them Bring You Down

The Jack Cades is a mix of a shared passion for inspirational sounds such as 1960s Garage bands, Snotty Punk from the 1970s, Sun-kissed sweaty Rhythm n' Blues, and a lot of inspirational people. http://smarturl.it/thejackcades

The Jack Cades - Get A Life

Steve from the Retro Man Blog and Adam from The Jetsonics are joined in the Pod by the legendary Rock Photographer Paul Slattery. Throughout the series we will play and discuss some hidden gems and rare nuggets from Punk Rock, New Wave, Power Pop, Soul, Psychedelia, Mod, Garage Rock, Ska and Reggae from house-hold names to new and unsigned bands. There will be reviews and reports on gigs and music related events featured on Retro Man Blog such as book launches and exhibitions. We'll also be inviting in various Special Guests from the world of music - including Musicians, Bloggers, Photographers and Artists, to discuss their work and their influences. Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS Certificate.

Sparks: The Bearsville/Halfnelson Years Part 2 with Harley Feinstein

Retrosonic Podcast

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