 On the 30th anniversary of Carmaig de Forest’s 1987 Alex Chilton-produced album, I Shall Be Released Omnivore Recordings will issue a special expanded version of the album entitled, I Shall Be Re-Released that will reintroduce an artist many may have missed the first time around. The package combines de Forest’s original album and live EP with four previously unissued tracks from the original album sessions plus an additional unissued live recording, and includes new liners from set co-producer Pat Thomas, new interviews with Carmaig and his contemporaries, and rare photos. With the album out November 10th, de Forest kindly took the time via email to talk about the album, Alex Chilton, and more. Many albums do not receive re-issues. Does Omnivore releasing I Shall Be Re-Released have any special significance for you and do you have any hopes for the album since the original never received proper exposure? The original never received proper exposure? Well it’s true that Good Foot Records (who put out the LP in the US) was a tiny label that didn’t survive the climate of independent distributor bankruptcies of the late 80’s and yes Alex and I were “supposed” to make an LP for a bigger label with major distribution. But from where I sit, the world is full of real injustice and tragedy. Though not heard by many, I Shall Be Released got heard by supercool booking agent Bob Lawton who added me to his roster, I was able to tour, do a residency at CBGB, meet and work with a really high level of musician (e.g. Will Rigby, Jim Sclavunos, Bob Wiseman), play big festivals, and all sorts of other cool things. Sure, Good Foot closed shop, the LP was unavailable mere months after its release, a lot of people who would have probably dug my music never got to hear it, blah blah blah – that’s just life. And now, like you said, Omnivore has put this reissue together and ha-ha, I Shall Be Re-Released ;~) Significance? I left music for a new career almost 13 years ago. So rather than point you to the ukulele-playing punk whose name is on the cover, let me suggest I Shall Be Re-Released is more significant as an undertold chapter in the Alex Chiton story. Seven years after his death, I get the sense that fans and musicians are still trying to fathom Alex’s depth and brilliance as a recording artist. The projects he took on as a producer certainly offer clues – both from the not-from-central-casting gallery of artists he chose to record and his choices and techniques in the studio – and in this case the recording aspect is stunning and his guitar playing is a wonder to behold. I’m certainly proud of my own contribution here, but in the grand scope of things the significance belongs to Alex. Hopes? Hell yes. I’m full of hopes. I love music, and love learning more about the music and music makers I love. I’d be thrilled if this reissue became a part of any larger exploration of Alex Chilton’s legacy and of course of me, me, me. There are a few other gems in my basement that I’d be happy to see reissued as well :~) How were the bonus tracks, particularly the ones that were previously not issued, chosen? And were you actively involved in the process?
I sent Pat and Cheryl a copy of everything I recorded with Alex. The tracks that ended up as I Shall Be Released, additional cuts we recorded but decided not to put on the LP, plus a whole other collection of tracks Alex had produced a year earlier for Big Time Records (which instead of becoming what was originally planned to be my debut LP, ended up in an abandoned storage unit in North Hollywood). I didn’t pick the tracks, but Cheryl decided to release to ISBR tracks + one version of each song that wasn’t on the LP. I thinks it’s telling that she chose the lost 1986 versions of “Kate Said” and “Dark Place” rather than the ones we recorded, and then rejected for the final sequence in 1987 – that certainly supports Alex’s impulse to leave our ’87 recordings of those songs off the original LP, perhaps he realized we didn’t quite get it the second time around. And then Pat calls and asks if I owned the rights to the live EP that New Rose put out in Europe shortly after it released ISBR. I did and was happy to have their reissue include a bonus EP, another excavation process began. I discovered I had not only a reel to reel safety master of what I had sent to New Rose, but also a couple other tracks that Pat McDonald mixed down for possible inclusion. In this case I was actively involved in picking the bonus tracks: I did give Omnivore the original EP plus the live “Dayenu.” However I spared them, and everyone else, a Velvet Underground song we attempted that night – best relegated to the dustbin of history. Where did the title, I Shall Be Released originally come from? Big Time Records was going to title my debut The Possibilities are Endless. After that blew apart, New Rose stepped up and offered to put the album out in Europe, then Good Foot appeared and said they’d put it out in the US. Big Time however, decided they wanted more money for the masters than it cost to record them so Alex said, “Fuck ‘em, let’s just record it again.” Which we did. Everyone knows the Dylan song “I Shall Be Released” and Alex had actually recorded it back in the 60’s with the Box Tops. Using that as a real title for the LP started as a joke I suppose, but it had legs. And when Paul Curtin brought in a mockup of my picture with a day-glo orange halo over my head as an idea for the jacket, the title made perfect sense. You worked with Alex Chilton on the original project, that must have been incredibly special. Do you have any memory that particularly stands out? Alex came to the studio eager to play music. He was very focused, very chill, and very high. He has a great ear and really listened, finding his way into a song. He wanted everyone playing to be present in the moment, and he did a great job leading by example. Basically, he produced this record the same way he produced his Feudalist Tarts and No Sex EPs. We did all the takes live including vocals, and overdubbed very little. Fixing some vocals or bum notes, adding the harmonica to “Dayenu” etc. The last overdub of the Big Time session was the guitar on “I’ll be your Angel” – one of a few songs that Alex just had Eddie, Greg, and I lay down without him. It was late. I think it was just Tom Mallon, Greg Freeman and me there by then. Alex takes his Tele into the isolation booth and tells me, “I think I’m gonna try some jazz substitution chords – they’ll be different from the chords you’re playing but they’ll totally work.” then he shuts the door, sits down with his guitar and tells Tom to start rolling. Instead of playing the jazzy chords he talked about, he just went with these incredible, super minimal fills. Tom, Greg and I are just awestruck by what were hearing. Then the bridge begins, Alex is listening for the next place to fill in... but keeps holding out for the entire bridge, waiting the first line of the last verse to come in. Totally in the moment, totally brilliant. The ever taciturn Mallon stops the tape and utters, “wow!”) Alex emerges from the isolation booth with a huge grin very satisfied grin on his face. You’re not afraid of expressing your political opinions in song. Does the current political climate in the US find you writing? / Trump / McConnell / Ryan / Pence: / The Fascist threat we’re now up against / Are you still actively involved with music currently? Yes, but very differently. I do an afterschool folk song group with elementary school kids, and I’m the official dad minstrel of my daughter’s girl scout troop which means I emcee the skits and lead the campfire singalongs. I also write songs with my kids sometimes. And I listen. I’m a very active listener of music. Finally, what do you listen to, either something recent or something you find yourself returning to again and again?
For more information: http://omnivorerecordings.com/music/i-shall-be-re-released/ http://omnivore.11spot.com/checkout/cart/ https://www.amazon.com/Shall-Be-Re-Released-Carmaig-Forest/dp/B075LW1L1L
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |