Psychic TV - "Godstar"

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge died about a month ago.  You probably never heard of Genesis, and I'm not going to be able to summarize their career in any meaningful way (I must confess, I understand -- truly understand -- only a small portion of it myself).  But among the many things that Genesis did was be the focal point for both Throbbing Gristle, arguably the first industrial band, and later Psychic TV, arguably the first acid house band.   For more about Genesis and their impact on modern music, read the articles by BBC, NPR, Pitchfork, The New Yorker (!), and Rolling Stone.  You might not have heard of bands like Throbbing Gristle, but they were influential on bands that you have heard of, like NiN.  His influence also extended into mysticism projects like Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, which included members of other bands in Genesis's orbit, such as Coil (one of Herbert's favorite bands).

I first heard of Psychic TV via Terry when we lived on Chesapeake Ave in the mid 90s.  He got a VHS tape, probably "8 Transmissions 8", and we watched it on his giant projector.  Clearly it made quite an impression on me, especially the video for "Godstar", an homage to Brian Jones.  "Godstar" is probably some of Genesis's most accessible music; I'm almost embarrassed to use this song to memorialize Genesis, but it's simply a great song.

I thought about marking Genesis's death during Women's History Month, or postponing it until Pride Month (June).  But I'm honestly not sure if either are completely appropriate.  On the surface, you could say Genesis was trans, but the "Pandrogeny Project", where he and his wife Lady Jaye underwent body modifications to become the same person, some how seems different.

In summary, although I know only the tiniest portion of their canon (Throbbing Gristle has 87 LPs and Psychic TV has 90), I know enough to know that Genesis might be the most influential modern musical artist you've never heard of.

Psychic TV - "Godstar"

Questlove - DJ Set Tribute for Bill Withers (2020-04-03)

Bill Withers passed recently, which I first noted via a comment on the "No Diggity" post (Blackstreet sampled "Grandma's Hands"). Via Scott Fur on Facebook I came across this four hour DJ set by Questlove (of The Roots) as a much better way to memorialize him.

If you just want uninterrupted Bill Withers, listen to "Live at Carnegie Hall" or "Still Bill".  Questlove gives a four hour lecture, with personal stories, exploring the many covers of Withers' work, the even more songs that sampled his work (including "No Diggity"), along with the contextualization of Bill Withers and his discography (see also NPR's "Bill Withers' Legacy Is So Much Deeper Than The Hits We All Know").

Yoko Ono - "Listen the Snow is Falling" (the song remains the same)

In my final installment for Women's History Month 2020*, I'll conclude with Yoko Ono's "Listen the Snow is Falling".  I have limited knowledge of Ono's discography, as well as Lennon's non-Beatles discography, and how they intersect and overlap, but it appears that "Listen the Snow is Falling" was first released as a B-side to the Plastic Ono Band's 1971 single "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", and then later as bonus tracks on re-releases of 1969's "Wedding Album".

My introduction to this song is from Galaxie 500's 1990 final studio LP "This Is Our Music", and bassist and occasional lead vocalist Naomi Yang turns in an understated but powerful cover; one of the LP's highlights to be honest.  Galaxie 500 made incredible, genre-defining music but part of their appeal to me was their impeccable taste in choosing cover songs (see also: the posthumously released "Peel Sessions" LP).  Thanks to Galaxie 500 for choosing this obscure but delightful B-side, almost 20 years after its release, and thereby furthering my education.

Yoko Ono - "Listen the Snow is Falling"
Galaxie 500 - "Listen the Snow is Falling"

* This post was begun in March, but events delayed it until April.