PYLON! C or D?

Indeedio, thanks for this. The current dB's album, Falling Off The Sky, is pretty good too, and just got this press sheet:

CHRIS STAMEY’S NEW RELEASE, LOVESICK BLUES,
DUE OUT FEBRUARY 5, 2013

dB’s founder, esteemed songwriter and Southern alt-pop godfather
hits a creative high with intimate, expansive new set

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Lovesick Blues is Stamey’s first full-length release since A Question of Temperature, his 2005 collaboration with Yo La Tengo. The new album follows on the heels of Falling Off the Sky, the long-awaited, much-acclaimed reunion album of the dB’s, as well as Stamey’s involvement as musical director and orchestrator for a series of all-star concert performances of Big Star’s classic Third album in New York, London, Austin and Carrboro, NC.

While his prior work has established Stamey as an incisive songwriter, compelling performer and innovative sonic architect, Lovesick Blues finds the artist staking out some new songwriting territory, with inspired results. Such vividly forthright new tunes as “Skin,” “London,” “Wintertime” and “I Wrote This Song for You” deliver bittersweet, personal lyrics and inventive acoustic arrangements that employ strings, woodwinds and vocal harmonies to evoke the songs’ emotional landscapes.

Those intimate numbers are balanced by more upbeat tunes like the vibrantly jangly "Astronomy" and the playful road-trip memoir "You n Me n XTC." Another highlight is the poignant late-night torch song "Occasional Shivers," which Stamey first recorded as the B side of a limited-edition Christmas single in 1986. The album's musical and thematic centerpiece is the seven-minute "Lovesick Blues," dedicated to the late North Carolina guitar great Sam Moss, and encompassing solitary late-night heartbreak, sweeping orchestral drama and redemptive uplift.

The resulting album is a landmark for Stamey, balancing his new songs’ unfiltered emotional honesty with the effortless melodic craft that’s always been a hallmark of his work.

“I wanted to make a record that could make you feel less alone, like someone else has been there before you,” Stamey explains. “I was thinking about records like The Ballad of Todd Rundgren and Nick Drake’s Bryter Layter and Robert Wyatt’s “At Last I Am Free” and Richard Thompson’s Small Town Romance. Those are all records that were a source of comfort to me at various points in my life. They were records that seemed to speak one-on-one, records that weren’t trying to sell you anything. It’s that old saw about the blues being sad yet making you feel better. None of the songs on Lovesick Blues are traditional three-chord blues, but some of them speak that same emotional language.”

Like the recent dB’s album, Lovesick Blues was birthed at Modern Recording, the small yet technologically advanced Chapel Hill studio that Stamey has operated for the past two decades, where he’s produced recordings by the likes of Whiskeytown, Alejandro Escovedo, Flat Duo Jets, Le Tigre and Tift Merritt. The Lovesick Blues sessions found him handing the production reins to fellow North Carolina musician/producer Jeff Crawford, who’s also a solo artist and a member of the band the Old Ceremony. The album also draws upon the talents of the Fellow Travellers, a core group of musically literate young players from the Chapel Hill area who participated in the Big Star concerts, as well as members of the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra.

“I wrote most of the songs during one two-week period,” Stamey explains, adding, “I’d wake up early and go into a room where the light was good and write a song every day. Then I played them for Jeff, and we picked the ones that seemed best for the way we wanted to record. On most of the songs, we first did live takes, with me playing guitar and singing at the same time. Then we’d orchestrate them, adding the string and wind and vocal colors that we thought were needed to underline the meaning of the songs. In the process, I added a couple of older songs, ‘London’ and ‘Occasional Shivers,’ which seemed to make sense for this album.”

Some unexpected but helpful input arrived in the form of XTC’s Andy Partridge, who entered the picture after Stamey invited him to make a vocal cameo on “You n Me n XTC.” Partridge declined the offer, but ended up getting involved in the project anyway, offering some key production, arranging and mixing suggestions via transatlantic email.

“He didn’t like the repetitive chords of ‘You n Me n XTC,’” Stamey admits. “It was only after I played him the other songs that he started getting really into it. He became a long-distance safety net for us; Jeff and I would send him mp3s of songs in progress and he’d write back with very detailed, specific suggestions. It was like having an exceptionally intuitive Ouija board, and it really enlivened the process.”

Growing up in Winston-Salem, Stamey made his earliest ventures into recording with a series of homemade avant-garde experiments with future Let’s Active leader Mitch Easter during grade school, then studied formal composition at UNC-Chapel Hill before starting the obscure but ultimately influential Sneakers. Stamey launched his own pioneering indie label, Car Records, in 1976, and the following year moved to New York, where he played bass with Alex Chilton before forming the dB’s.

The dB’s recorded a pair of albums, 1981’s Stands for Decibels and 1982’s Repercussion, that remain indie-pop landmarks. Stamey then departed for a solo career, turning out a series of smart, musically adventurous gems including It’s A Wonderful Life, Instant Excitement, It’s Alright, Fireworks, Travels in the South and the holiday-themed Christmas Time. His catalog also includes a pair of duo albums with Peter Holsapple, Mavericks and Here and Now, as well as the experimental instrumental departure The Robust Beauty of Improper Linear Models in Decision Making, a collaboration with guitarist Kirk Ross, and A Question of Temperature, on which he was backed by longtime friends (and early production clients) Yo La Tengo.

Having recently wrapped up a round of rocking live shows with the reunited dB’s, and energized by the understated intensity of his new solo effort, Stamey is planning on bringing Lovesick Blues to the live stage with an acoustic chamber-pop format, touring on his own and calling on local string players and harmony singers to play the notated arrangements.

By embodying the qualities that have always been at the heart of his work, while introducing some vital new elements to the mix, Lovesick Blues demonstrates that, after a lifetime of music-making, Chris Stamey’s flame still burns as brightly as ever.

“I’ve been very lucky to have been around a lot of great, creative musicians in my life,” he states, adding, “I still learn things all the time from them, and I know that I still have a long way to go. But I think this is the closest I’ve gotten on record to expressing what is unique about what I do, the part that’s been there all along.”

# # #

x-post. Seeing that Pylon live at Danceateria video reminded me of when I saw Pylon in NYC a year or so later at a New Music Seminar associated event. Most of the folks there were too cool to even nod their heads.

I didn't realize Chomp didn't come out until 1983; seems more like '81 in my memory. Saw them on that tour, and danced like a dervish.

Someone came up to me and my friends at that NYC gig when they saw us dancing, and said, "You must not be from here." I also saw them in DC opening for GO4 and later in 83, opening for U2.

what was that like in 83, opening for U2? Watching the Athens, GA Inside/Out documentary, that tour seemed to be a turning point where Pylon collectively got freaked out by what they were doing, the bigger audiences, didn't seem like it was "fun" anymore, etc.

Yep, before several thousand people at University of Maryland Richie Colesseum, where I had once seen the Clash. Most of the crowd was not interested in Pylon, and the acoustics in that cement gym were not that good either. I interviewed Pylon afterwards and it was going to go in my fanzine but for some reason, it never did. Somewhere I still have the transcript sitting in a box I think.

PLEASE POST IT

i have pylon fever in 2012, you have to help me

My absolute favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyca-sGEoZE

Manages to be both a little scary and a hell of a lot of fun.

Yeah, I have that 10 inch as a 12 inch. It has the longer, dubbier version of "Danger."

Somewhere online, Randall B.'s U2 experience: "It was like opening for Jesus Christ." Not meant as a compliment. Also said that when they told their manager or label rep they were dropping out of the tour, he indicated they better think about their priorities. So they did, and dropped out of showbiz.

Haven't watched this yet but it sounds good (1 hour).

Pylon at 40 Watt Club 2005

I was at that show! If it's as good as I remember you're in for a treat. Looking forward to watching the synchronized guitar poses.

nickn, thank you! I need to watch this when I'm not at work. Previewed the first bit,and while Vanessa's less feral twenty-some years down the line, this sounds great.

Pylon's farewell performance (the first time around) was filmed at the time, and I've never seen any of that surface.

"Feast On My Heart," starting at 42:20, has the great guitar poses. Thanks for linking this.

Okay, I'm 11 minutes in and retract what I said about "less feral." It just took her a bit to get warmed up!

Young Doctor Casino, trying manfully to hit on Vanessa's daughter: "Your mom's band was totally awesome last night!"

http://www.madmuseum.org/events/new-wave

Pylon in NYc circa late 70s early 80s footage, among many other bands, showing April 18th and April 24th

Described by the New York Times as, “The Lewis and Clark of rock video”, video artists Pat Ivers and Emily Armstrong spent their nights from 1975-80 documenting the burgeoning punk scene in nightclubs around New York City. Ivers and Armstrong were acutely aware of the significance of that era and their material captures the sprit of the time. The edited results were shown on their weekly cable TV show NIGHTCLUBBING

http://www.gonightclubbing.com/

I need to bring a showing to DC

New Interview with Vanessa.

http://punkglobe.com/vanessabriscoehayinterview0315.php

Interesting even if some of the questions are not the best ("the new wave sound")

http://flagpole.com/blogs/homedrone/posts/yes-that-was-a-pylon-song-in-that-lexus-commercial

Commercial was mentioned on this other Pylon thread

PYLON

I hadn't actually seen it yet, the music works very well.

Also, 2 record live album is great news, and the line "someone with major post punk band mastering experience" made me smile for some reason.

"first final show" also made me smile, haha. i didn't know about the live album, i think they buried the lead there

Briscoe is quoted by xpost Flagpole re live double album, on *vinyl*, so OK, I give up: what kind of turntable should I get, for plugging into wall and listening on headphones (I'm told USB turntables are garbage, true? Speakers wouldn't be cool in this household)(yes there are turntable threads, but I want to know what Pylon heads think)

(a live single for April in Amazon MP3 store, so alb may not be vinyl-only)

update:

If you're not familiar with PYLON, they were contemporaries of The B-52's and R.E.M. in the Athens, GA scene in the early 80s -- this new double live album documents their incredible last show in 1983. DFA also reissued their two studio albums back in 2007 & 2009. They also released a split single with Deerhunter in 2011 where they covered each other's songs. This live album captured them at their peak as a band, absolutely essential for any post-punk fan.

PYLON - Live
Street Date, July 25th, 2016, Chunklet

"(PYLON) stands as shockingly modern and unparalleled these many years later.”
-Michael Stipe, R.E.M.

“PYLON is still my favorite Athens band, in fact, one of my favorite bands!”
-Fred Schneider, The B-52s

“Randy Bewley and Michael Lachowski’s simple lines display untoward rhythm and melody, respectively. Curtis Crowe bangs away so obdurately it’s hard to understand why he didn’t become rich. Vanessa Briscoe Hay barks and brays whatever incantatory phrases seem called for. Timeless. Cool.”
-Robert Christgau, Dean of American Rock Critics

1983 was a banner year for PYLON. The Athens quartet released their second album, Chomp, on Atlanta-based DB Records, toured the country extensively, and played several opening slots for then-up-and-comers U2. And then, without a hint of explanation, they quit.

Their final show at the Mad Hatter in Athens, Georgia, was, as was always the case, a frenzy of minimal disco thud, post-punk guitar scree, and deliriously inspired howl. Oh, and dancing – always dancing – both in the crowd and on stage. The gig was recorded (both audio and video) for a failed PBS pilot called Athens Shows, and the tapes were put away and forgotten. That is, until now.

Around three years ago, after PYLON’s DFA reissues hit the street, Chunklet CEO (and card-carrying member of the PYLON Fan Club) Henry Owings emailed the band bemoaning the lack of bonus material on the CDs(meaning "previously unreleased," I take it, since Gyrate Plus and Chomp More do add singles, prev album-ized only on Hits) which sparked a larger conversation. “My favorite PYLON is live PYLON,” said bassist Michael Lachowski, with which Henry wholeheartedly agreed. Following a cordial sit-down at Michael’s apartment over the New Year’s holiday of 2015, an exhaustive search began for live recordings by PYLON. More specifically, live recordings from Athens in the early ’80s. Oh, and that sounded as good, if not better, than their proper full-length albums.

Numerous dead ends followed, but finally, and somewhat fittingly, the multitrack recordings of PYLON’S final performance at the Mad Hatter in 1983 were unearthed. Once the tapes were transferred and subsequently mixed, the explosive and compelling sounds raised one very significant question: Why in the world did PYLON quit?

For a band whose legacy, in their original incarnation at least, was two full-length albums and a handful of singles, PYLON were first and foremost a live band who weren’t as interested in working in a studio. PYLON’s raison d’être was performing for a crowd, and now there’s conclusive validation.

PYLON LIVE is a double vinyl album recorded on the band’s home turf at the culmination of their powers, and the results could not be more stellar. An all killer, no filler set with nothing left on the cutting room floor, PYLON LIVE includes powerful versions of the PYLON canon from their first and second LPs and even the hard-to-find song “Party Zone” (previously available only on a DB Rec comp) and their never-before-released rendition of the “Batman Theme.”

When compared to the band’s prior body of work, PYLON LIVE bookends all of it; some might even say it’s a better representation of this Athens quartet, who thrived on bouncing around on stage infinitely more than sitting in a studio.

There’s little arguing that the Athens powerhouse trifecta of R.E.M., the B-52’s, and PYLON is peerless. And while all three bands have achieved great critical acclaim, only the first two had the commercial acclaim they deserved. PYLON LIVE intends to correct that.

Limited to 200 on magenta vinyl.
Limited to 200 on clear vinyl.
Unlimited on black vinyl.[
(also as downloads, maybe CDs)

Track List:

SIDE A
Working is No Problem
Driving School
No Clocks
Altitude
Gravity

SIDE B
Crazy
K
Cool
Italian Movie Theme
Buzz

SIDE C
Danger
Reptiles
Stop It
Feast On My Heart
Beep

SIDE D
M Train
Volume
Weather Radio
Party Zone
Batman

PYLON REENACTMENT SOCIETY TOUR DATES:

07/29 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
07/30 Athens, GA – 40 Watt

Listening now. Haven't heard a lot of their shows, but clear sound, music's cool & rough, not too dry, best for dancing, incl. vs. and with "Gravity": "Yew can't. Yew can't." Yes I can! Bumping into counts.

dizzy among "Reptiles," drawn into wet tunnel of pedals & bass

The gig was recorded (both audio and video) for a failed PBS pilot called Athens Shows

WANTWANTWANT VIDEO!

They have three studio albums, dagnabit!

Funny, all these years, I've been remembering a genius track on the Athens, GA: Inside/Out soundtrack, Golden as being Pylon and remembering/forgetting to search it out. Searched and now find it was Dreams So Real. Only available on the soundtrack and a bootleg cd comp Discogs lists.

I need to hear this

the live Pylon album and the Dreams So Real track

ooooh, i always forget i have a copy of inside/out, it gets buried down in the soundtracks/comps. will pull that out for today's listening, thanks.

Report back to us on that, please.
They have three studio albums, dagnabit! Yep, and Chain is worthy, but the press release is all about hyping Phase One: this is "the last show" until reuniting and it sure felt goood.

dizzy among "Reptiles," drawn into wet tunnel of pedals & bass On headphones, now think they're all fingers, fingers, fingers

Good interview--- maybe source for the press sheet's backstory of Pylon Live, but other good bits too, like debunking the source of their name, also another name they considered. w visual deal, both still worth another band/solo artist's consid:
http://www.eldredgeatl.com/2016/07/01/art-punk-perfection-deerhunters-bradford-cox-interviews-pylon/

Vanessa & Michael make a mixtape of early 80s Athens bands, comment on 'em too---some deep out-of-catalog listening here:

http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2016/07/22/pylon-a-sonic-reminiscence-of-1980s-athens-ga/

Yep, remember the names of many of those groups (the Squalls, etc.) but not the songs

Interview with Vanessa and Michael
http://observer.com/2016/07/americas-other-best-band-pylons-brilliant-punk-minimalism-lives-on/

Nice. I remember them opening for U2 at the U of MD in 83, and eventually I will find the never published interview I did with them then that was going to go in my fanzine's next issue, but we ended the zine before that could happen.

The dancing crowd shots in that Side Effects footage make me so nostalgic. That's how I spent my early 20s too.

Saw Pylon Reenactment Society the other night. The band is not quite Pylon, but they re-do the tracks pretty well, and Vanessa still powerfully switches between her screetch and a more melodic tone

In addition to the Reenactment Society tour, the Pylon Live in 83 album is out, music from "Cool" is in a Lexus commercial, and they're namedropped by young hip Baltimore post-punk artist Sneaks (recently signed to Merge)

PRS is touring again this summer.

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2018/06/12/pylon-reenactment-society-tour-dates/

Chomp More disappeared from Apple Music! Gah.

Spotify too. Main thing left seems to be live album

Chomp More was on DFA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_3sPmTRsFs

live 1981