STEWART COPELAND

So, I've been over at the dive shop all day, learning a bunch of new techniques to teach our students...get home, I'm exhausted, all wet, hungry...and hubster immediately brightens my day when he hands me a copy of...

THE KLARK KENT RECORD!! THE 10" GREEN VINYL ONE! It's in perfect condition, original shrinkwrap and everything. I just finished eating dinner, gonna bail out here and go listen to it shortly.

I heard it 20 years ago on a cassette a friend gave me in high school, but haven't since. I'm tickled pink I get to hear it on vinyl, as I've been trading the CD player for the turntable more and more often lately...three cheers for awesome husbands!!

Hub's best mate, who owns a fantastic record store, had a big sale today and hub was over there all afternoon, but I didn't realize he'd noticed I've been feverishly digging through the K bin lately. (I think he mildly suspects I've lost my mind, since I've been on here so much lately...what can I say: great people, awesome musicians, lots of music talk. I may have to drag him over here to see for himself what all the fuss is about.)

that's awesome! tho i can't agree on the preference of wax over digital, i'd NEVER trade my green klark kent records! i bought two copies of that ep, one with a diecut cover. plus all the singles, i think every one of them is green too.

too kool!

I still haven't found the records, and I'm to nervous to order them from ebay, they'd melt by the time they got here.

And my local record shop (well they have records, lol) never has them, although it's always fun looking.

Dive, what is your favorite song from KK material?

I just knew about it:

In my personal point of view, KK songs aren't silly songs, not even if Sting didn't want to sing them to The Police... (Q & A New York 2006; Everyone Stares, The Police inside out)

Is like a potrait of how young people were in that time, and by now they are almost the same. At least my students still being very similar like that guy. The meaning of the lyrics is simple but deep, and the music is very accurate for it.

For me finding this material (long time ago) from someone that I didn't knew who was it at first, still having kind of magic since then.

Many times things happen the way they should be...

Jesus X. Almighty!! I'm alternately flabbergasted and pissed off:

* Flab: I didn't have a copy of this already and it's fabulous;

* Pissed: How come Stewart didn't make any more of these?! He played every instrument on this thing, several of the tracks sound for all the world like full-blown Police material, and somehow Klark couldn't escape the phone booth for the past, oh, 26 years?

* Flab: The quality of this thing is amazing. You guys kept talking about it being kind of silly lyrically, which I'll grant you, but it's not insipid, and there's a difference. At first I thought it was going to be several tens of minutes of versions of that song "I'm an Adult Now," by Pursuit of Happiness, but I think I'd compare some of the songs to Offspring instead: silly, but inspired. Intelligent, even. But musically, this is much superior to either of those bands.

Stewart's said he doesn't like the sound of his own voice, but I've thought before he sells himself short as a vocalist, and here's the pudding (I found a few grains of what look an awful lot like proof floating around in the bottom...) He probably wouldn't have the range of someone like, say, Tim Buckley without years of practice, and if that's not his thing, well, OK, then. But it isn't because he somehow lacks any native ability.

*Pissed: I don't know if Stewart or one of his brothers wrote the hilarious liner notes. I have my suspicions, but truth be told it could be either of them...

*Flab: The quality of the instrumentation. How come we, um, don't ever hear about Stewart on the guitar?? How come we didn't know he was aces on the keyboard? Well, we did, since most of us listened to this record, but it's not something that gets discussed a lot. Sheeez. No wonder he didn't feel like taking orders from Sting.

*Pissed: OK, well, we're back to no more KK records. I guess my "pissed" list is pretty short after all.

*Flab: The production...here's Stewart with Nigel Gray and this thing is as tight as could be.

OK, I suspect I'm going to have some more thoughts about this going forward. I had to listen in kind of a hurry because I'm cramming like crazy to pass a dive-theory test in the morning, but I'll have more time shortly.

So far I'm really liking "Grandelinquent," which sounds A LOT like half of Regatta de Blanc...Jedsoon, should I buy the singles if I can find 'em on Ebay? Any bonus materials or laugh-out-loud liner notes?

you are missing four "real" klark kent songs: office girls, office talk, thrills, and too kool to kalypso, all of which are must haves and are easily as good or better than the material on the ep. they were issued as b-sides on green vinyl. they all sort of have that police-y sound.

the '95 kollected works cd compiles the ep and all the b-sides (guerilla isn't listed on the back cover, but it's a hidden track after the last song),
as well as adding three new songs to the klark kent repertoire, but they were all recorded later. they're stylistically different, but all still feature stewart's vocals, which are terribly underutilized.

strange things happen was originally released on vinyl as part of the texas chainsaw massacre part 2 soundtrack, released in 1985. it plays it its entirety at the end of the movie as well. it's a perfect little song with a bit of country twang in it even, as well as the trademark copeland humor.

love lessons is available in two versions, the superior of which is actually also a vinyl release, as the b-side to the equalizer theme, which incidentally is also different from and superior to the album version. also available on the live for life album, but it's not live. the lead vocals are by derek holt, with backing vocals by stew (i think?). i'll never know why stewart didn't just sing it outright, as holt's voice is virtually a dead ringer for stew's. this is '80s pop, pure and simple, originally released in 1987/8.

finally, stay ready is unique to the kollected works cd. it's the least accomplished song of the set, but i wouldn't trade it, since stew c vocals are so rare in his vast body of work. lyrically, it comes closest to capturing the essence of the character as described in those liner notes.

this is one case where you might come out ahead financially by actually tracking down the vinyl copies, as the cd is highly collectible.

he's made asides to a potential return for klark kent, but there is so much on his plate it's anyone's guess as to when. i'd love to see it happen. it's right behind the rhythmatist on my wish list!

Well, I may take this one on as a project, since you've already got the Rhythmatist-on-CD bases covered. Although I guess I'm already part of the clamoring-for-new-Oysterhead committee...

Jeeeeez. I'm still marveling this morning (as I gulp down coffee and run out the door)... I thought it'd be good, but not this good.

>you are missing four "real" klark kent songs

Let's not forget "Yo Ho Ho", the KK song from the IRS holiday album "Just in Time for Christmas"!

Theres also the 'Yo Ho Ho' christmas tune on a compilation i cant recall just now. Someone round here will remember it.....

Well remembered sockii!!!

Thanks for the information Sockii, I knew nothing about this song.

"hey, is that a rabbit?
it's reindeer in the sky.
look at all that stuff they've got.
i bet they need some apple pie!"

yeah, i've got that one too, but i forgot it was actually credited to KK.

there's a klark kent japanese cd listed on amazon right now, but it only has the 8 tracks from the ep. it's also $140!! i own it as well, but only paid about 30 for mine. i got it before it was rereleased in the states. by contrast, the rhythmatist is available right now to for a mere $40. i've definitely seen it go for more.

whoa! check out from rumblefish to gridlock'd:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... 15?ie=UTF8

three copies available, one for $75, one for $200, one for $645! unreal! the troubling thing is, its almost tempting. half that cd is unavailable on any other soundtrack.

wait, i just found the US version of klark kent. "only" $90:

http://www.amazon.com/Kollected-Works-K ... F8&s=music

our very own sockii has written reviews for both kk and the rhythmatist. awesome!

if you want those kk songs on vinyl, i would say go ahead and seek them out on 45s. i doubt their value will drop any over time. but if you want the cd, i would wait for it. he's recently mentioned the possibility of re-releasing it in the future, and you've already got the guts of it on vinyl.

similarly, i have to believe rhythmatist will see re-release around the time of the upcoming movie. we might have to wait a while for it, but maybe it'll have a few more songs on it as well!

I'd like to get my mitts on a SACD remastered version of any and all KK releases. I have a pretty good sound system, but things don't sound quite as crisp on the record as I'm betting they do on the masters.

I'll keep my eyes open for those singles. I wouldn't mind owning the CD, but I have a handy dandy MAudio preamp I'm planning to use to MP3-ize the record anyway.

I'm tempted to suggest some of us go in shares and buy some of these $500 CDs, and make copies for each other...we could send the originals to Gio for a Master Copeland Library...

WOW



This Copeland's works are now pure gold

So fans or guys who have these material got a treasure