from Oannes *

1989. Οι Cale & Reed συνεργάζονται για πρώτη φορά από το White Light/White Heat (1968), γι’ αυτό εδώ το άλμπουμ – αφιέρωμα στον Andy Warhol, εγκαταλείψαντα τα εγκόσμια 2 χρόνια πριν. “Drella” ήταν το παρατσούκλι του εκλιπόντος, συνδυασμός των ονομάτων Dracula & Cinderella (πηγή της έμπνευσης, ίσως, για την ονοματοθεσία των μελών των…Marilyn Manson).
Η κυκλοφορία αποτέλεσε το προοίμιο του αποτυχημένου, “νοσταλγικού” reunion των Velvet U, τρία χρόνια αργότερα.
Ακούμε 5 από τα 15 τραγούδια του Drella, τρία από τον Lou Reed, δυο απ’ τον John Cale.
Και οι δυο είναι μέλη του March born musicians club.

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1989. Cale & Reed are collaborating for the first time since White Light/White Heat (1968), for this album – tribute to Andy Warhol, who’s passed away 2 years before. “Drella” was the nickname of the deceased, a combination of the names Dracula & Cinderella (a source of inspiration, maybe, for the naming of … Marilyn Manson’s members).
The album was prelude to the failed “nostalgic” Velvet U reunion three years later.
We hear 5 of Drella’s 15 songs, three by Lou Reed, two by John Cale.
Both of them are members of March born musicians club.

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00:00 Style It Takes (Cale)
02:55 Work (Reed)
05:36 Faces And Names (Cale)
09:50 Images (Reed)
13:21 Slip Away (Reed)

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STYLE IT TAKES
❝ You’ve got the money, I’ve got the time
You want your freedom, your freedom mine
‘Cause I’ve got the style it takes
And money is all that it takes
You’ve got connections and I’ve got the art
You like what I do and I like your looks
And I have the style it takes
And you know the people it takes
Why don’t you sit right over there
We’ll do a movie portrait
I’ll turn the camera on, and I won’t even be there
A portrait that moves, you look great I think
I’ll put the Empire State Building on your wall
For 24 hours you sit on your wall
Watch the sun rise above it in your room
Wallpaper art, a great view
I’ve got a brillo box and I say it’s art
It’s the same one you can buy at any supermarket
‘Cause I’ve got the style it takes
And you’ve got the people it takes
This is a rock group called the velvet underground
They play when we show movies, don’t you like their sound
‘Cause they have a style that grates
And I have art to make
Let’s do a movie here next week
We don’t have sound, but you’re so great you don’t have to speak
You’ve got the style it takes
You’ve got the style it takes
You’ve got the style it takes
You’ve got the style it takes ❞

WORK
❝ Andy was a catholic, the ethic ran through his bones
He lived alone with his mother, collecting gossip and toys
Every sunday when he went to church
He’d kneel in his pew and he’d say, “it’s just work…
All that matters is work.”
He was a lot of things, what I remember most
He’d say, “I’ve got to bring home the bacon
Someone’s got to bring home the roast.”
He’d get to the factory early
If you’d ask him he’d have told you straight out
“It’s just work!”
No matter what I did it never seemed enough
He said I was lazy, I said I was young
He said, “how many songs did you write?”
I’d written zero, I’d lied and said “ten.”
“You won’t be young forever,
Tou should have written fifteen, It’s work!”
“You ought to make things big
People like it that way
And the songs with the dirty words – record them that way”
Andy liked to stir up trouble, he was funny that way
He said, “it’s just work”
Andy sat down to talk one day
He said decide what you want
Do you want to expand your parameters
Or play museums like some dilettante
I fired him on the spot, he got red and he called me a rat
It was the worst word that he could think of
And I’ve never seen him like that
It’s just work, I thought he said it’s just work
Work, he said it’s just work
Andy said a lot of things, I stored them all away in my head
Sometimes when I can’t decide what I should do
I think what would Andy have said
He’d probably say “you think too much”
That’s ’cause there’s work that you don’t want to do
It’s work, the most important thing is work
It’s work, the most important thing is work ❞

FACES AND NAMES
❝ Faces and names, I wish they were the same
Faces and names only cause trouble for me
Faces and names
If we all looked the same and we all had the same name
I wouldn’t be jealous of you or you jealous of me
Faces and names
I always fall in love with someone who looks
The way I wish that I could be
I’m always staring at someone who hurts
And the one they hurt is me
Faces and names, to me they’re all the same
If I looked like you and you looked like me
There’d be less trouble you see
Faces and names I wish they’d go away
I’d disappear into that wall and never talk
Faces and names
I wish I was a robot or a machine
Without a feeling or a thought
People who want to meet the name I have
Are always disappointed when they meet me
Faces and names, I wish they were the same
Faces and names only cause problems for me
Faces and names
I’d rather be a hole in the wall – looking out on the other side
I’d rather look and listen, listen and not talk
To faces and names
I had a breakdown when I was a kid
I lost my hair when I was young
If you dress older when you’re not, as your really age you look the same
If we all looked the same, we wouldn’t play these games
Me dressing for you and you dressing for me – undressing for me
Faces and names if they all were the same
You wouldn’t be jealous of me o me jealous of you
Me jealous of you – I’m jealous of you
Your face and your name
Your face and your name
Faces and names ❞

IMAGES
❝ I think images are worth repeating
Images repeated from a painting
Images taken from a painting
From a photo worth re-seeing
I love images worth repeating, project them upon the ceiling
Multiply them with silk screening
See them with a different feeling
Images images images images
Some say images have no feeling, I think there’s a deeper meaning
Mechanical precision or so it’s seeming
Instigates a cooler feeling
I love multiplicity of screenings
Things born anew display new meanings
I think images are worth repeating and repeating and repeating
I’m no urban idiot savant spewing paint without any order
I’m no sphinx, no mystery enigma
What I paint is very ordinary
I don’t think I’m old or modern, I don’t think I think
I’m thinking
It doesn’t matter what I am thinking
It’s the images that are worth repeating
Images images images images
If you’re looking for a deeper meaning, I’m as deep as this high ceiling
If you think technique is meaning, you might find me very simple
You might think the images boring
Cars and cans and chairs and flowers
You might find me personally boring
Hammer, sickle, Mao Tse Tung, Mao Tse Tung –
I think that it bears repeating the images upon the ceiling
I love images worth repeating and repeating and repeating
Images images images images ❞

SLIP AWAY
❝ Friends have said to lock the door
And have an open house no more
The said the Factory must change
And slowly slip away
But if I have to live in fear
Where will I get my ideas
With all those crazy people gone
Will I slowly slip away
Still there’s no more Billy Name
And Ondine is not the same
Wonton and the Turtle gone
Slowly slip away
Slowly slip away
If I close the Factory door
And don’t see those people anymore
If I give in to infamy
I’ll slowly slip away
I know it seems that friends are right
Hello daylight, goodbye night
But starlight is so quiet here
Think I’ll slowly slip away
What can I do by myself
It’s good to here from someone else
It’s good to hear a crazy voice
That will not slip away
Will not slip away
If I have to live in fear
My ideas will slowly slip away
If I have to live in fear
I’m afraid my life will slip away
If you can’t see me past my door
Why your thoughts could slowly slip away
If I have to lock the door
Another life exists no more slip away
Friends have said to lock the door
Watch out for who comes through the door
The said the Factory must change
But I don’t ❞

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Enjoy!

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As always, I’m happy to hear your thoughts, however I’d highly recommend a direct dialogue with the …’source’ [why comments are closed here], so please visit Oannes’ page where you can also listen to the songs!

More about these reblogs

* For my friends who didn’t know, or first timers here, Oannes [aka Socratis Papahatzis] is my husband, partner in life and music and the one with my undying admiration. Together we have a band MK-O [the music of Marina Kanavaki & Oannes]. So, it’s my pleasure to share with you his [and sometimes mine] musical selections. • Do visit his site. He has my highest recommendation!