Monthly Archives: November 2023

Nov 26 2023
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CD, reissue, vinyl

Klark Kent • Klark Kent [CD, LP]

KLARK KENT has come out of seclusion! With a new kollection of the Policeman’s solo recordings from back in the day, there is now ample evidence to support the opinion that Stewart Copeland was, indeed, the one with all the talent. Available as a 2LP vinyl or 2CD kompact disc release (downloads are also available), Klark Kent is the kleverly-titled kompilation that brings together all of the one man (band)’s recordings, including never-before-released demos (on the CD version).

Kent’s discography starts back in 1978 when his first two singles were released. An 8-song vinyl EP, Klark Kent, followed in 1980. The secret about Kent’s identity wasn’t exactly safe, as the press release included in the US promo, for instance, made barely-veiled konnections to Copeland. Intrepid Police fans knew. I knew (having that US promo version, with press release inside, helped). What is so kool about Kent’s tunes is that they’re snappy and fun. If you’re unfamiliar with Klark Kent (either the original 8-song or this new 18-song version), think of the songs attributed to Copeland on the first two Police albums (“Contact,” “On Any Other Day”). I played the hell out of this on my college radio show back in the early ’80s, especially “Don’t Care” and the teenage freedom epic, “Away from Home.” It may be due to the sheer exuberance of Kent’s tunes that I lost interest in The Police as they got bigger; the quirky fun evaporated as Sting took kontrol of the band (assuming he didn’t already have it). A couple of years after the EP’s release, nascent music video channel MTV aired the IRS Records-subsidised The Cutting Edge, which featured IRS and other record labels’ new wave artists and used “Theme for Kinetic Ritual” as its theme.

Klark Kent released numerous singles in the UK, nearly all of which included tracks not on the original 10″. (“Don’t Care” made the Top 50 in England and included 2 non-EP tracks, for instance.) This new Klark Kent (kinda konfusing; kouldn’t they kome up with something more katchy?) has all of the early B-sides and tracks released on the 1995 Kollected Works CD, and you get the never before released, bombastic “It’s Gonna Rain,” the similarly over the top “Someone Else,” and Kent’s lone Khristmas tune, “Yo Ho Ho,” which had originally appeared on IRS Records’ Just in Time for Christmas (among other compilations). In all there are 18 tracks on the 2LP and first disc of the CD set and they’re all alotta fun. Disc 2 of the CD set features a dozen of Klark’s demo versions and they’re all pretty interesting, too, some being quite different from their final, official versions. The vinyl release, though, is a beautiful pressing on thick wax and has a great gatefold cover, too. You’ll probably need your readers to check the kredits, though, so be ready for that. (You youngsters, just skip past that last comment. Oh wait – you’re already past it now. My bad.) Since Kent played all the instruments, though, you may not need the kredits to enhance your enjoyment when listening to his amazingly cheerful discography.

So there you have it. Klark Kent is back and the best thing to do about it is to welcome him into your home. Krank him up! – Marsh Gooch

4/5 (BMG 538907281, 2023)

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Nov 25 2023
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7" vinyl, CD, Download

The Beatles • “Now and Then” [7″, CD single]

It’s new, it’s now!, it’s… odd. THE BEATLES have returned to the charts with what is being touted as their last single and the press is all over it. The YouTube video brigade has weighed in heavily, too, but there’s not much opinion about the music – it’s all “the cover is horrible,” “this one’s on clear-with-blue-streaks vinyl,” “the packaging on the CD single’s cheap and thin,” etc. “Now and Then” is certainly a pretty good song but as can be the case so often these days, the marketing of the single and the timing of its release has taken the spotlight. (I’ve already mentioned some of it here before talking about the song itself!) Well, Fab Four Fans, I’ll give you my opinion and it’s worth every cent you paid for it.

“Now and Then” is a sweet, melancholy song. It started out as a late ’70s cassette recording of just John Lennon singing at the piano. Yoko sat on it (literally, I don’t know) for decades and in the mid ’90s Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr attempted to do something with it the way they had with similar Lennon home recordings (“Real Love” and “Free As a Bird,” which were tarted up by the remaining Beatles and released as singles and on the first two Anthology collections). They shelved it at the time and 25 years later took another crack at it (without George, since he died in 2002). AND WHAT WE HAVE NOW, THEN, is a nice tune augmented by every trick in the Beatles’ book. Paul and Ringo (okay, it’s mostly Paul) have heaped so much on top of John’s humble recording that it practically buckles under the weight. (Hey Paul, you mean you didn’t add any theremin? What’s wrong with you?!) Seriously. Somewhere under multiple guitars, orchestra and more is a nice little song trying to get some air. I also find that what has been added sounds off-time from John – like everything else is just… off… center. (Houston, we have a latency problem.) And finally, Paul and Ringo’s backing vocals add a very weird flavor: you’ve got these two old men, over 80 years old, singing along with 37 year old Lennon and it’s kind of eerie. When Paul, George and Ringo added vocals to those mid ’90s Anthology centerpieces, their voices hadn’t changed so notably so it sounded like everything could have been recorded around the same time. Now there’s a noticeable difference. (Your mileage may vary…)

“Now and Then” is still a beautiful song, and it has brought a wee lil’ tear to each of my eyes nearly every time I’ve played it (I bought the clear vinyl, for those of you keeping score at home). Who knows where it will land in The Beatles canon? It could end up sitting right next to their greatest, or it could end up at the kids’ table. But it’s The Beatles! Yeah. Yeah? Yeah! – Marsh Gooch

3/5 (Apple/Parlophone Records 0602448145864/45-R 4814586, 2023)

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