Tag Archives: Seasonal
Seasonal Highlights :The Cleaners From Venus
One of the great tunesmiths of our time, gardener and poet, well actually a relict of the jangling 60’s – Martin Newell from Wivenhoe, Essex has published this year’s “almost traditional Christmas EP” as usual as pay what you want / can release:
Listen and Enjoy.
He also overhauled his online presence after years and besides a new homepage and bandcamp he can be found on twitter, fb and instagram easily.
And while I’m at it; there’s also a documentary in the makes which should be published in one way or another next year – watch the trailer on yt;
Besides staying inside like what felt the whole year many re-mastered releases and nearly lost albums made it back in the limelight and to my pleasure the very first real Cleaners From Venus post 1980’s album, the excellent “English Electric” whose title was immediately snatched by O.M.D. found it’s way back in November too.
The Cleaners From X-Mas Eve
Yes it’s already that far with Martin Newell, just after Robbie Williams offered his seasonal highlight to the record buying public here he rides the season with his very own free digital EP with a lovely designed used 7″ cover;
Martin Newell on the other side far from retiring with a youthful age of 66 he just published his second Memoir, “The Greatest Living Englishman” (of course…).
No this does not sound pretentious – This is of course a homage to his best-known solo Album which finally put him on the map for wider recognition and left critics overwhelmed with joy due to the Andy Partridge production. Well, just to let you know I think the production is far from superior – at least the tracks I’ve known before sounded more direct and electrifying before this elder statesman of complicated Pop layed hands on them. But it worked and Newell was gained with moderate success so I won’t complain.
In this bound (!) book he tells his story 1975 up to 1995, if it’s as entertaining written as his “Little Ziggy” in which he took a close look on his 60’s let’s hope that he continues up to the revival he went through during the last years general reissue campaigns by Captured Tracks a.o.