Charles Frank Black Francis Thompson

Discussion on new albums, developing listening skills, critical listening to others' work, as well as TOMB members' MP3 links, online recording critiques

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shedshrine
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Post by shedshrine » Wed May 02, 2012 1:41 pm

Haven't had a chance to see the DVD yet, but I've heard the cd a few times through and really like that.

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Another thing I identify with with Frank is the whole UFO thing. In one of those attached interviews he talks about seeing a UFO when he was a kid.
He and his brother playing in the mud saw a cylindrical shaped object in broad daylight.
They watched it slowly move down the street then went back to playing in the mud. I think the interviewer asked it as "the first time you saw a UFO?.
I don?t know about other sitings, I'll try and find that out.

In my case it was In the late '90s visiting home one summer.
I went out for a walk around 2:30 in the morning as it was too hot to sleep and I was jetlagged.
I eventually came to the next neighborhood's elementary school and lay out in the middle of its playing field.
The sky that night was clear and moonless and still. I saw a couple stars go out of and come back into view.
It was then I noticed a triangular shape was slowly moving silently across the sky high overhead.
Soon it stopped and six or seven faint lights began to pulse-glow in a circle. This went on for maybe 20 seconds or so,
then it slowly started moving forward again for about another 20 seconds before stopping then shooting up at a sharp angle into the sky.
It turned into a white ball of light as the speed shot up, a couple zig zags and it was gone. Wow.
I often wonder what was going on during that glowing lights time frame as it was directly overhead.
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Post by vvv » Wed May 02, 2012 4:45 pm

You ain't seen me waving at ya out the window? :twisted:

Yeah, that's a big theme of Frank's, alla UFO stuff.

I mean, also, drugs and bondage and bad love and even prison, but he writes a lot about UFO's.

I can imagine such a experience being pretty huge.
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Post by shedshrine » Thu May 03, 2012 7:30 pm

Can't find my copy of The Golem. It comes in a little paper cover. Anyway, Frank wrote a soundtrack to go with an old silent movie. (1920 German expressionist film The Golem)
It is sparse in arrangement and sounds like he's just tossing it off, making it up as the movie rolls by. That's a good thing here. Very catchy, and fun.
There are woodwinds and horns, and at least one tune with prominent mellotron.

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Review:
"Trimmed down from the five-disc extravaganza Black Francis sold in a limited edition of 500 copies on his website, this version of The Golem focuses more on his full-fledged songs for the 1920 silent horror film The Golem: How He Came into the World and less on his instrumental cues. While this decision might disappoint some of the film and film score geeks among Francis' fans, the album still has plenty to offer, not the least of which is Francis' reunion with longtime collaborator Eric Drew Feldman. Feldman's keyboards and Francis' voice and guitar just sound natural -- and immediately recognizable -- together. Joined by a backing band that includes Ralph Carney on horns, they craft music that doesn?t borrow too heavily from the ?20s or from the film?s setting of 16th century Prague, but its loose-limbed rock still conveys the otherworldly eeriness and fable-like story of its source material. The city?s rabbi creates the Golem out of clay to project the Jewish ghetto, but the Golem rebels, devastating the city. ?The Obedient Servant,? the Golem?s song of devotion to his master, is strangely sweet, but dark undercurrents lie in lyrics like ?Don?t cry/It?s they who?ll die? and its brass melodies. In ?Miriam and Florian,? Francis cleverly captures the love affair between the rabbi?s daughter and her knightly suitor, turning the song into a mini rock opera in its own right. The enjoyment that Francis and crew display in channeling the film?s devilish moments (?Astaroth,? ?The Conjuring?) as well as its tender ones (?The Flower Song,? ?[Oh How I Wish I Could] Stay") is palpable even in The Golem's edited state, and the project suggests another exciting realm in which Francis can prove his talent. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi
Read more at http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/a ... fLKLcb6.99

"Sam" in Ireland's signed (many times over) lp:
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Link to vimeo of the movie accompanied by Frank's soundtrack The Golem.
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Post by vvv » Thu May 03, 2012 9:10 pm

Golem is just aiight, I thought, altho' I gotta say we are doin the X-files box sets and last night wartched, yep, "The Golem" episode - word. (And if ya saw it, ya know "word" is a pun re "truth" vs. "death" ... )

But today I finally got Death to the Pixies what I missed somehow!

Great love show, lotsa nostalgic fun. :twisted:
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Post by shedshrine » Sat May 05, 2012 1:33 pm

(1993) Debut Frank Black &
(1998) Debut Frank Black & the *Catholics :

*Cult of Ray had same lineup but "Catholics" added to name on this one.
Last album with Lyle Workman as a primary guitarist. This was the first of Frank's live-to-2-track albums.


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12" 45 rpm with three songs with Frank and Eric Drew Feldman.
A cover of the Beach Boys "Hang on to Your Ego" and two instrumentals, the second being a 10 minute Surf Epic on side 2.

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Post by vvv » Sat May 05, 2012 1:54 pm

It's like a, eh, like a shrine. :lol:


BTW, is it jes' me or does the "LOL" graemlin's smile look a little pained?
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Post by shedshrine » Sat May 05, 2012 2:08 pm

vvv wrote:It's like a, eh, like a shrine. :lol:
Never could find my copies of Dog in the Sand, The Golem or Pistolero,
but yeah, why not. :)

If nothing else, Charles Frank Black Francis Thompson is a prolific mofo.

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Post by shedshrine » Sat May 05, 2012 6:42 pm

Hey, the Golem showed up.

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Post by shedshrine » Wed May 09, 2012 7:26 pm

Pistolero (1999)
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"Pistolero is Black's second try as Frank Black and the Catholics. Originally slated to be a multi-faceted release with numerous instruments composed and arranged into this extravagant concept, Black immediately ditched the idea and recorded the album live on to two-tracks with no overdubs in the matter of 10 days, the complete opposite from his 1996 release The Cult Of Ray. With help from Nick Vincent - Black's drummer on his first self-titled solo album - to help oversee the project."

- Andrew Duncan
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ultimately, here below is the reason to obtain this particular tune collection..
vvv wrote:Bluefinger is one of my faves, altho' I like Pistolero the best..
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Post by shedshrine » Mon May 14, 2012 6:58 pm

Dog In The Sand (2001)

Dog in the Sand, Frank Black's third album with backing group the Catholics.

Though retaining the live-to-two-track method of recording of the previous two albums,
this album found the band branching away from purely electric rock to incorporate acoustic guitar,
pedal steel, and Rhodes Piano and Wurlitzer organ into the sonic template. - wiki

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interview during this tour


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Oddballs (2000) CD of B-Sides collection. Vinyl came out 2013.

"A collection of rare gems recorded between 1994 and 1997. It is here for the first time on vinyl ever.

Though technically a re-release, Oddballs is a special treat for fans and historians of Black?s epic career. In its initial release in 2000, it was only sold to the 5000 lucky folks who bought the first and only pressing. The album is currently out of print, which should be a crime.

Oddballs? was made during Frank Black?s transition from a solo studio magician to a purist who recorded everything totally live to 2-track (the method which would eventually be perfected by Frank Black and the Catholics).

Many of Oddballs? treasures are b-sides either from Black?s 1994 acclaimed studio masterpiece Teenager of the Year or from the totally raw and powerful Cult of Ray from 1995. Though these oddities are obscure, they are in no way throwaways. Rather, Oddballs gives us a deeper glimpse into Black?s unique vision of rock n? roll. There are moments of real poetic beauty in the very surreally rocking ?Announcement? and in the punky adieu to actor John Candy ?At the End of the World?. These are songs at the heart of who Frank Black is at heart: an oddball. Here he is most open and carefree about it. Not many people can yell ?Hate Me! My jacket?s not right? at the top of their lungs and make us like them, yet somehow Frank Black knows how to do it.



Oddballs also features outtakes from that era including covers of Roxy Music?s ?Remake/Remodel? and the Beau Brummels classic ?Just a Little?.


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Played by Lyle Workman, David McCaffrey, Scott Boutier, Eric Feldman, Nick Vincent and Frank Black."


FYI Reissued on silver vinyl 2021. Attachment added of hype sticker at bottom of this post.

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"vaporware" (as of 5-01-2014)
Frank Black & the Catholics Box Set

Jan 29, 2015 EDIT: available now for pre order:
Frank Black & the Catholics pre-order the Ltd Edition 7CD Box Set



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"On the bench right now is the packaging for alt-rock legend Frank Black. ?Frank Black and the Catholics? 6 CD Boxed Set and book with illustrations.
It?s a total honor for me to be doing this project. They are one of my all-time favorite bands.
Frank Black?s other band may be more popular but the Catholics made some truly awesome rock?n roll y?all.
Most of the entire catalog was recorded ?live to two track? by the way? in the music business that means that you are a badass.
More to come. -Mark Lemhouse"

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Hope they put these all out separately on vinyl as well..

The box set breaks up the albums as one alphabetical run through,
hence the following track listing:

And here is the complete track list.

Disc One
? All My Ghosts
? Angst
? Are You Headed My Way?
? Back To Rome
? Bad Harmony
? Bartholomew
? Belle Isle*
? The Big Hurt*
? Billy Radcliffe
? Black Letter Day
? The Black Rider (rock version)
? The Black Rider (surf version)
? Blast Off
? Blizzard 1989 [unreleased]
? Bullet
? California Bound
? Changing of the Guards [unreleased]
? Changing of the Guards
? Chip Away Boy
? Coastline

Disc Two

? Cold Heart of Stone
? Constant Sorrow Man
? A Dab?ll Do Ya
? Do Nothing
? Do You Feel Bad About It?
? Dog Gone
? Dog in the Sand
? Don?t Clip Your Wings
? Down in the Hole
? End of Miles
? End of Miles [unreleased]
? Everything Is New
? The Farewell Bend
? Fields of Marigold
? Goodbye Lorraine
? Heloise
? Hermaphroditos (Is My Name)
? His Kingly Cave
? Horrible Day
? How You Went So Far

Disc Three
? Humboldt County Massacre [v1/unreleased]
? Humboldt County Massacre [v2]
? Humboldt County Massacre [v3]
? I Gotta Move
? I Love Your Brain
? I Need Peace
? I Switched You
? I Think I?m Starting to Lose it
? I Want Rock & Roll
? I Will Run After You
? I Will Run After You [unreleased]
? I?ll Be Blue
? I?m Going Down
? I?ve Seen Your Picture
? If It Takes All Night
? Jaina Blues
? Jane The Queen of Love
? Jet Black River
? John the Revelator [unreleased]
? King & Queen of Siam

Disc Four
? Le Cigar Volante
? Living on Soul
? Living on Soul [unreleased]
? Llano Del Rio
? Ludwigshaffen
? The Man Who Was Too Loud
? Manitoba
? Massif Centrale
? Modern Age
? My Favorite Kiss
? Nadine
? Nadine [unreleased]
? New House of the Pope
? Out of State
? Pan American Highway
? Pray for the Girls
? Preacher?s Daughter
? Robert Onion
? San Antonio, TX
? The Scene

Disc Five
? Selkie Bride [unreleased]
? Selkie Bride [instrumental/unreleased]
? Show me Your Tears
? Song of the Shrimp [unreleased]
? Sister Isabelle [unreleased]
? Six-Sixty-Six ? Larry Norman
? Skeleton Man
? Sleep
? Smoke Up
? The Snake
? Snake Oil
? So Hard to Make Things Out
? So. Bay
? Solid Gold
? Some Things (I Can?t Get Used To)
? Southbound Bevy
? St. Francis Dam Disaster
? Steak ?n? Sabre
? Stupid Me
? Suffering

Disc Six
? Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day [unreleased]
? The Swimmer
? Take What You Want
? This Old Heartache
? Tiny Heart
? True Blue
? Valentine and Garuda
? Valley of our Hope
? Velvety
? Western Star
? When Will Happiness Find Me Again?
? Whiskey in Your Shoes
? Whiskey in Your Shoes [unreleased]
? Wu?re Such a Wire
? 21 Reasons
? 85 Weeks
? 1826
? 1826 [unreleased]

Bonus Disk Seven ? ?True Blue? ? alternate versions of songs from Black Letter Days
? Black Letter Day
? California Bound
? Chip Away Boy
? Cold Heart Of Stone
? How You Went So Far
? Jane the Queen of Love
? Jet Black River
? Southbound Bevy
? Western Star
? The End of Miles
? The Farewell Bend
? Valentine and Garuda
? Whispering Weeds


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Meanwhile..

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(Yes, that should be a tele up top there)
Attachments
Frank Black Oddballs Silver lp.jpg
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Post by shedshrine » Fri Apr 14, 2017 9:51 am

Okay, lets' all turn the lights down low and get in touch with our feelings shall we?

Y'know that song song that made you cry? Oh, I mean they were manly tears and all,
expressing your rage at the inequity between your idealistic notions and the hard realities unfolding before you. but hey, there they were.

Seems to me it's all about how you come at pain or sadness. Expressed as release it becomes joy.

As far as Charles Frank Black Francis Thompson's music and its ability to convey that joy, well..
In the right place at the right time to accept it, usually driving, I've definitely been moved to that point by many of his songs.

The all-in sincerity of Chip Away Boy and I Will Run After You .
And with End of Miles, around the parts "Sold my el Camino"and "Stranger helped me out when I was thirstiest" particularly.
Brings imagery of when you are first setting out on your own and there are just so many things you don?t know.

But even the shouty Suffering with lyrics about being hit with a shopping cart at the supermart, and I Need Peace off of the first Catholics album have got me there occasionally.

Hearing Black Francis tear into Threshold Apprehension hit me just right the first time I heard that driving home from yet another day at work in commute traffic.
Beautiful release saying (to me anyway) shake things up if you?re feeling dead damnit! Can't Break a Heart and Have It as well. Whew!

After you've heard these songs many times maybe they don't affect you as strongly every time you hear them of course, but if it's been awhile and you come back to them..

Definitely one of the main reasons I have always dug the man's music is the range of expressiveness he brings to the table. I enjoy his way with words and the unique arrangement approach of his best stuff.
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Post by vvv » Fri Apr 14, 2017 10:04 am

I just ordered Oddballs, what I never heard of before - don't know I missed that.

Lately, I have been listening to his live stuff, both solo and with The Catholics, and Fast Man Raider Man.
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Re: Charles Frank Black Francis Thompson

Post by shedshrine » Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:12 am

Record Store Day releases of his first solo album and Teenager of the Year for 2019.

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.gif off the 4AD site:
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Re: Charles Frank Black Francis Thompson

Post by vvv » Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:32 am

So didja/doya like the latest two Pixies records? I think they were very underrated ...
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Re: Charles Frank Black Francis Thompson

Post by shedshrine » Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:58 am

I have Indy Cindy on vinyl. It's up in the loft at the moment. I listened to it when I first got it, and listened to it a year later or so. I don't know, it didn't grab me at the time, but I bet it's a grower. I'll throw it on again in your honor this week.
What a fickle fan. I haven't even heard Head Carrier yet. :shake:

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