eclipsed No. 121 / 6-2010

THE ROLLING STONES
Exile in Stones style

In 1971 the Rolling Stones had their back to the wall - almost broke, they had fled from the English tax into exile in southern France, where they wanted to record a new album. "Exile On Main St.", created under adventurous circumstances in the cellar of Keith Richards' Villa Nellcôte, became a myth.

40 YEARS "BITCHES BREW"
John McLaughlin looks back on a revolutionary piece of music

There are only a few monuments in the history of music with a similar significance. "Bitches Brew" by Miles Davis is not one of the best-selling records in the world, it's not even Miles' greatest success. But "Bitches Brew" marks a turning point that not only had consequences for jazz, but also for rock and other musical styles. In 2010 the album will be forty years old. Star guitarist John McLaughlin (68) is a crown witness who remembers this beacon for eclipsed.

STEVE WINWOOD
pick-me-up for Eric Clapton

His name has stood for quality for 45 years. After three short-lived but successful and influential bands, Steve Winwood launched a solo career that continues to this day. Now an extensive retrospective of his work is published.

THE PINEAPPLE THIEF
cheerful in places

The Pineapple Thief's new album "Someone Here Is Missing", which shows the serene, sometimes even cheerful side of the melancholiacs, has the potential to finally bring the deserved recognition to the British new art rockers.

PAIN OF SALVATION
On the way along the salt road

With "Road Salt One", the Swedish progressive metal band Pain Of Salvation are releasing the first of two albums that are thematically and musically closely linked. But the new sound of the band has little to do with metal, as Daniel Gildenlöw told us shortly before the start of the European tour with TransAtlantic.

LOU REED
Dignified roar

35 years ago, Lou Reed made a momentous decision: The Glamrock star decided to commit commercial suicide. The murder weapon: Metal Machine Music. While the noisy double album was simply considered inaudible when it appeared, it has now reached the feuilletons. Now the infamous feedback opus appears in a remastered version.

LAURIE ANDERSON
Homeland of the brave

For nine long years there was no studio album of her. The avant-garde artist and Lou Reed wife Laurie Anderson was one of the first in New York after the 9/11 trauma to find her voice again. On her new CD "Homeland" she stays the same and still raises new questions.

MGMT
The charming middle finger

With "Oracular Spectacular" the duo from Brooklyn played their way into the hearts of all hip kids. But three years later, Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden have lost all interest in the pop world. On "Congratulations" they practice one discipline in particular: the charming total refusal.

ALEX CONTI
The Rosenkavalier

The cover of Alex Conti's new CD "Shetar" features a Gibson Les Paul and a white rose. A declaration of love? The instrument? General to the music? The guitarist at any rate - sometimes Rock'n'Roll roughneck, sometimes Blues player - shows an unusual side here. The delicate instrumental album, a long-cherished wish, is a clever move that no one would have expected of it. But with the ex-Atlantis/-Lake musician expectations have always been out of place.

THE ECLIPSED FESTIVAL PREVIEW

Which festival suits me best this season? The outdoor-loving rock fan faces this question every year anew. At least when he wants to visit other festival beaches in addition to his body and stomach open air. eclipsed navigates through proven and worth exploring at home and abroad.

EINKAUFSZETTEL - Collapsing new
buildings including dead ends

Only a few bands are so consistently evading all categories for evaluation as Einstürzende Neubauten. The story of the troupe around Blixa Bargeld, founded thirty years ago, is a piece of history of their hometown Berlin with all its contradictions, conflicts and openings. A volatile adventure, as constructivist as it is destructive. You can love or hate the band - it's best to do both at the same time. It's the same with her albums..

Keep the text up! Cult Songs and their Significance
ROBERT JOHNSON - ME AND THE DEVIL BLUES

IT IS NO FUN TO FEEL THAT FOREIGN SPIRITS SEIZE THE POWER OVER ONE'S OWN SOUL. ROBERT JOHNSON EXPRESSED THIS FEELING CONGENIALLY IN HIS FREQUENTLY COVERED SONG "ME AND THE DEVIL BLUES".