Tune Tag #71 with Tad Callin of "All Kinds Musick": REM, Neko Case, Scritti Politti, Afro Celt Sound System, Elaine Stritch, She & Him, Jean-Michel Jarre
In our first "Tune Tad," we feature a recording artist who's also a fellow Substack-er, and we check in on one of our favorite people, Matthew Sweet, and get caught up on his recovery & prognosis!
“Your move, Tad.” I said, “It’s YOUR MOVE, TAD!”
Tune Tag welcomes Tad Callin of for our very first Tune Tad!
Tad Callin is currently the Editor of All Kinds Musick, and an Associate Editor at Pseudopod.org. He has had many adventures over the years, serving as a linguist in the U.S. Air Force, failing at truck driving, and successfully raising four kids. He published most of those stories in his 2016 memoir/novel Tad’s Happy Funtime. He also writes about genealogy and family history at Mightier Acorns!
Last week, we welcomed of Ryan’s Reviews to the Tune Tag arena:
Next week, you’ll want to set your alarm for and his If You Get Confused, for his debut Tune Tag turn!
Tad’s song #1 sent to Brad: Jean-Michel Jarre, “Zoolookologie,” 1984
Tad’s rationale: I started with something that is not quite as obscure as many people might want it to be.
Jean-Michel Jarre brought Laurie Anderson on board for the track “Diva,” but I’m pretty sure he sampled her voice for “Zoolookologie” (on his 7th album, Zoolook, on Polydor Records for EU, but no U.S. release; composed and produced by Jarre). Adrian Belew is credited with guitars and “effects,” and the bass is credited to a young jazz player named Marcus Miller.
I’ve been enjoying Miller’s solo work since I ran across the SMV project he did with Victor Wooten and Stanley Clarke (briefly, in 2008), and I only recently noticed that he had played with Jarre (of all people!). I loved Zoolook when my friend and college roommate introduced me to it in 1991.
Brad, I expect your response will probably go through Belew - but who knows? [Brad: I almost went with Linda Ronstadt’s “Belew Bayou.”😁]
Brad’s song #1 sent to Tad: Scritti Politti, “World Come Back to Life,” 1988
A song recorded during the Provision sessions (according to Wiki), “World Come Back to Life,” was released as the B-side of the “First Boy In This Town (Lovesick)” single, but was never included on any edition of the Provision album.
Brad’s rationale: It started like this and ended something like that: Knowing that Jarre is French, and he recorded Tad’s first song in Paris, my first thought was a song with nonsense lyrics (like “Zoolookologie”), then moving quickly to a song off the self-titled sophomore Paris album (1976, Capitol Records/U.S.): A fascinating “super trio,” they were former Fleetwood Mac guitarist, Bob Welch, former Jethro Tull bassist, Glenn Cornick, and former Nazz (with Todd Rundgren) drummer, Thom Mooney!
I then checked to see if one of my favorite ‘80s groups, Scritti Politti, had something French to add. I know their lead-everything, Green Gartside, has done something in Paris…if not working, then visiting. Alas, no immediate songs seemed to have French (or nonsense) lyrics, to speak of, but I found this new gem, “World Come Back to Life,” recorded with the songs on their 1988 Provision album, but didn’t make the cut for album track-listing.
And, Marcus Miller played bass on the album, four years after guesting on the Jarre!
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