"A Spaghetti Western for rural England" General Malaise

15 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, ROCK: Adult Contemporary

Show all album songs: Draining Venus Songs


Details:
Working with producers Chris Thomas and Joshua J. Macrae during 97-98, Perkins recorded approximately 20 songs, sometimes in a "live band" format and others based around a Casio-portable keyboard.

The latter, more experimental songs allowed Perkins to draw from his many diverse influences; Spike Jones, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, Avro Part, Mantavani's strings, Screaming J. Hawkins, Karen Finlay and James Blish amongst others.

Being stripped of more conventional bass and drum rhythms, the songs take on a more cinematic audio-visual picture almost cabaretesque "Jesus meets John Wayne."

DRAINING VENUS

The Plot:

It is a pocket opera charting the tragic/comedic rise and a fall and rise of one Miss World in a world of others.

Featuring; two seekers, sickness, innocence, sacrifice, sobriety, relapse, resentment, anger, fear, suicide, self-help, self-mutilation, self-realisation, serenity, shopping, shooters and shit ! ...fuelled by a delicate cocktail of modern echnology and archaic magic.

A spaghetti Western for rural-England.

Perkins appropriates from the world of popular culture and personal experience which defines his work as part of the post modernist sensibility, turning away from the modernist notion of the individual maker of a precious original work of art. Perkins is an experience, a culmination of consciousness.

Perkins like Orpheus, has passed through the mirror and now seems to live "as if on the other side of things".

Full Review by Jonathan Meades (June 2001):

"This is wonderful... Draining Venus I mean. Iâd heard the tape but just excerpts certainly none of the bluesy stuff (the slide guitar is worthy of the beautiful young man whose photo looks down on me and who died 32 years ago come the 3rd of July)"

"Anyway since it arrived at lunchtime Iâve just sat here drinking Marcillac and smoking tobacco no additives, sort of drenched in it. It is amazing stuff. Thereâs so much going on: vaudeville, shanty, parody, hurt, dirt, wit - "rebirth certificate" is ace, Iâm just listening to Childhood Sweetheart (for the fifth time) "my future ex-wife", "an old cold sore thatâs weeping again", "bloodshot sunsets" you must know that this song is a marvel."

"Itâs as exciting as listening to Lou and Love all those years ago with Steve Walton out of our heads on a furnished flats floor - when tobacco always had additives and we drank Brandy to come down from the stromonium."

"It is fantastic to feel engaged by something I thank you for that. And for the fact this has taken three hours to compose."

The Musicians:

Matt Exelby, Keith Prior, Chris Sheehan, Kevin Jefferies, Roger Taylor, Melvin Duffin, James Brackley, Cannon Billy Rumfit, Jimmy Taylor, Martin Chambers, Chris Thomas, Phil Spalding, Nick Pyall, Jonathan Perkins.

Brass Arrangements for 'Anything Goes' and 'Childhood Sweetheart'
by Peter V. Perkins.

Producers: Joshua J.Macrae, Chris Thomas, Jonathan Perkins

Engineers: Joshua J.Macrae, Dean S. Crathern, Nick Pyall, David "Chipper" Nicholas.

"Immaculate Miss Conception"
Caroline Perkins

Art and Design: Jonathan Perkins Jeremy Stonehouse, Simon Pool.

Very Special Thanks to:
Sally Gallagher, Martin Groves, Hilary and Robin Parsons, Pauline Lo, Joe Griffiths, Charles Garside, Stuart Hornall, Caroline, Unity, Christian, Buster, Patricia Perkins, Judith Jackson [1940-98].

What Actually Happened (track by track):

1/ 'Couture'

Wiltshire and District Catholic Orthopaedic Shoemakers Society Brass Band,
written and arranged by P.V.Perkins, Vocals Jonathan Perkins.

2/ 'Anything Goes' (Cole Porter)

Produced by Chris Thomas.
Engineer: Nick Pyall / Pete Morris.
Nick Pyall Guitar.
Phil Spalding Bass.
Chris Thomas Keyboards.
Mrs Parsons Catering
J.P.Perkins Vocals Keyboards,
Recorded Rondor Studios London '93? or '94?
I think we did it all in one evening, it was a bit of a rush.

3/ 'Highway 45'

Produced by Joshua J.Macrae and Jonathan Perkins.
Engineer Dean Crathern.
Matt Exelby Guitars, Backing Vocals, Hamonica.
Roger Taylor, Chainsaw.
Jonathan Perkins Keyboards, Lead Vocals.
Recorded Cosford Mill Studio Surrey 97
Recorded and mixed at Full Speed in a day.

4/ 'She's Rich'

Produced by Joshua J.Macrae and Jonathan Perkins.
Engineer: Dean Crathern.
Roger Taylor, Bass Drum / Snare.
Matt Exelby Guitars, Backing Vocals,
Jonathan Perkins Lead Vocals.
Recorded Cosford Mill Studio, Surrey, '97.
Recorded and mixed in a day.

5/ 'Cream in Quarantine'

Jimmy Taylor Guitars
Jonathan Perkins piano, Lead Vocals.
Recorded Cosford Mill. '97

6/ 'Mermaid Brides'

Produced by Joshua J.Macrae and Jonathan Perkins.
Melvin Duffin pedal steel.
Matt Exelby Guitars, Keyboards.
Mr Nice and Mr Poodle Ambience and Sea sickness.
Jonathan Perkins Keyboards and Lead Vocals.
Recorded Cosford Mill, Surrey '97.
Port out, starboard home.

7/ 'Childhood Sweetheart'

Produced by Joshua J.Macrae and Jonathan Perkins.
Engineer: Dean Crathern.
Keith Prior Drums / Percussion.
Kevin Jefferies Bass.
Jimmy Taylor Guitar,
Matt Exelby Guitar
James Brackley Cannon Saxes, Trumpet.
Billy Rumfit Trombone.
Jonathan Perkins Keyboards, Lead Vocals.
Insects* appear courtesy of Millhanger Gardens.
Recorded at Cosford Mill Studio, Surrey '98.
( * no insects were intensionally harmed during the making of this record,
although they did start eating each other before we realised what
was happening, it was awful.... bloody awful)

8/ 'Labbadabbadeeda'

Produced by Joshua J.Macrae and Jonathan Perkins.
Engineer Dean Crathern.
Jonathan Perkins Keyboards, Lead Vocals.
Norman Wisdom Backing Vocals, Ventriliquism.
Recorded Cosford Mill Studio, Surrey '97.

9/ 'This Way Up'

Produced by Joshua J.Macrae and Jonathan Perkins.
Engineer Dean Crathern.
Roger Taylor Backing Vocals.
Martin Chambers (The Pretenders) Backing Vocals.
Kevin Jefferies Bass.
Keith Prior Drums / Percussion, Backing Vocals.
Melvin Duffin Pedal Steel.
Matt Exelby Guitars, Backing Vocals.
Jonathan Perkins Keyboards, Lead Vocals.
Recorded Cosford Mill Studio, Surrey '97.

10/ 'Dress Rehearsal'

Produced by Joshua J.Macrae and Jonathan Perkins.
Engineer: Dean Crathern.
Chris Sheehan Guitar.
Keith Prior Drums / Percussion.
Jonathan Perkins Keyboards, Lead Vocals.
Recorded Cosford Mill Studio, Surrey '98
"True Confessions Session"

11/ 'The Importance of Being Realistic'

Produced by Joshua J.Macrae and Jonathan Perkins.
Engineer: Dean Crathern.
Chris Sheehan Guitar.
Keith Prior Drums / Percussion.
Jonathan Perkins Keyboards, Lead Vocals.
Recorded Cosford Mill, Surrey 97
Samples (see writing credits) It started as a hoot but it went too far.

12/ 'Christmas Day 31-10-97'

Produced & Engineered by Dean Crathern.
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Ambience.
Jonathan Perkins Keyboards, Lead Vocals.
Recorded Cosford Mill Studio. Surrey. 31.10.97.

13/ 'The Call'

Produced by Joshua J.Macrae & Jonathan Perkins.
Engineer: Dean Crathern.
Matt Exelby Guitar.
Jonathan Perkins Keyboards, Lead Vocals.
Recorded Cosford Mill Studios Surrey '97.

14/ 'Why Don't Stars Fall Anymore'

Produced by Joshua J.Macrae and Jonathan Perkins.
Engineer: Dean Crathern.
Chris Sheehan Guitar.
Melvin Duffin Pedal Steel.
Keith Prior Drums / Percussion.
Kevin Jefferies Bass.
Matt Exelby Guitar, Harmonica.
Debs Horses.
Jonathan Perkins Keyboards, Lead Vocals.
Recorded Cosford Mill Surrey '97.

Finally I would like to thank Mr Roger Taylor, for being the "Perfect Host"
and Mr Chris Thomas for his help, encouragement and charity work.

I dedicate this adaptation of the "Lords Prayer" to him:

'The Producers Prayer'

Our Father who art in Ealing
Hallowed be thy Hearing,
Thy Group come, Thy Production be done
On the Radio as it is in the Studio
Give us this day our daily demo
And Forgive us our Overdubs
As we Forgive those who Overdub against us
And lead us not into Remixing
And Deliver us from the A+R Man
For Thine is the EQ, the Power and the Dolby
Forever, But Never Again.

MISS WORLD '93