The murky world of Barry Adamson

Description

What a journey for this kid from Moss Side in Manchester (next to Trappes, it's Juan-les-Pins), angular bassist of Magazine during the height of the new wave explosion, and then a founding pillar of Nick Cave's Bad Seeds. Haunted by a cinemascope vision of music, he embarked on a solo career in '88, producing six albums and a few singles since then, creating an imaginary soundtrack sometimes laid over very real images (from Gas, Food And Lodging by Alison Anders to Lost Highway by David Lynch, not to mention Natural Born Killers by Oliver Stone). The shadowy world of Barry Adamson, as compiled here, faithfully reflects his slow journey towards the light. His first solo single is a cover of The Man With The Golden Arm by Elmer Bernstein, honoring what he has always loved away from the constraints of a band, but he only completes the circle with his latest album, As Above As Below, where he finally fully realizes his abilities as a singer and band leader (as evidenced by his stage appearances last year). This compilation drives the point home by offering four of his latest sung compositions (What It Means, Can't Get Loose, Jazz Devil, and the unreleased Walk The Last Mile) while excluding collaborations as brilliant as those recorded with Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, or the late Billy MacKenzie on his most accomplished album to date, Oedipus Schmoedipus. However, from the latter, the triumphant The Big Bamboozle, The Vibes Ain't Nothin' But The Vibes with its vibraphone caressing the walls of a damp lounge cabaret, and especially the masterpiece Somes-thesie Winches This Way Somes, the perfect quintessence of his work where organ, clarinet, and strings weave through dark alleys paved by Lalo Schifrin, Henry Mancini, and John Barry, have been retained. Thus, on The Snowball Effect, the breathless chase between organ and brass transforms the piece into a thrilling musical Bullitt. For the cheeky version of 007, A Fantasy Bond Theme, Barry Adamson takes the secret agent to Kingston in a tonic and rejuvenating ska, while for the other unreleased track Mitch And Andy, the cymbals lurk in the shadows to punctuate a laconic "talk over" recounting the inevitably tragic fate of two crooks. A shadowy world indeed, but one that shines brightly and illuminates our visual imagination with musical flashes without blinding us. His name is Barry, Adamson Barry.