as the sun still burns away

Ten Years After are sometimes illustrated as a ‘hard rock’ band, but this number was relatively easy to play.

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That band got their name as they were formed a full decade after the ten day 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Two of the members of 10YA were massive Ferencváros fans.

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To the song: allegedly Alvin Lee wrote “As the Sun Still Burns Away” not about the star at the centre of our solar system, but about the newspaper of, at that time, several years standing, which had published lurid details of the band’s partying habits. They wanted no-one to know: Ssssh.

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“As the Sun Still Burns Away” is drawn from their 1970 album Cricklewood Green. Ferencváros play in green, hence the second part of the album name. The first, Cricklewood, is taken from the area in London from whence the band purportedly got their supplies.

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In tribute to 10YA, Van Credenza is releasing a vinyl copy of this song, one side playing at 45rpm, the other at 78.

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Pop Muzak MMXII

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Van Credenza took an extended break for the Christmas/New Year Celebrations (2011-2012). but they did make a trip to Montrose to record this tribute to Robin Scott (M), who a bloke down the pub told them had died.

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Unfortunately, Scott hadn't. So Biscuit changed the lyrics a bit, and Van Credenza rattled this version out.

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A selection from the tune:

"Newmills, Larbert, Partick, Gourock

Everybody talk about pop muzak

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Dance in the corner shop

Buy it on the net

Holness on Countdown

Celebrity Big Brother

I can't get Jumping Jack Flash, Get Back

Moonlighting Willis, Cybill Shepherd

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Newquay, London, Parkhurst, Thurrock

Everybody talk about, mm, pop muzak

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Do you read me?

Loud and clear"

Space Policemen

Space Policemen

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They're not a future phenomenon: space policemen have been with us for years (over 50 at a conservative estimate, Van Credenza doesn't know). Witness the early tv programmes set out for our children in the early 50's (including the Woodentops and Twizzle......even the titles were indicative of maintaining law and order in our cosmos): regulations must be obeyed, universal public order must be enforced.
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Mass small screen viewing was clearly the best method of implementing and conditioning suitable behaviour. Earlier experiments with cinematic control had been less successful, due to diverse distractions in picture houses. But the new domestic tube medium achieved results beyond the visions of our space policemen, especially when the very young could be brought under control from a very early age.

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And it didn't all start here, on Earth. Residents on Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons (Earth-discovered' in 1655) have been TV box controlled by the space police for over 100 years.
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For this number, Van Credenza fused several influences and tunes, ranging from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee to the Z-Cars theme based on the Liverpool folk song Johnny Todd (arranged by Fritz Spiegel as a military march).
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Here Come The Warm Jets

This song was originally devised by eventual Liberal Democrat adviser on youth issues Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno, peculiar in that at the time of his appointment, 'Eno' was almost 60 years of age (2007).

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But for those who have closely followed this principal innovator of ambient music, this political involvement came as no surprise. Brian Eno was an undercover pilot for a long number of years, serving in locations as diverse as Iraq and the Falkland Islands. In fact, the album 'Here Come The Warm Jets' was a collaboration with Argentinean dissident Eduardo Sanguinetti.

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See this: "The title Warm Jets came from the guitar sound on the track of that name, which I described on the track sheet as 'warm jet guitar', because it sounded like a tuned jet. Then I had the pack of playing cards with the picture of the woman in there, and they sort of connected. That was one of the things that was going on at the time: this idea that music was still tied to some idea of revolution, and that one of the revolutions was a sexual revolution. I wasn't making a big political point, I just liked having fun with those things. Most people didn't realise for a long time -- it was rather deeply concealed!"
Brian Eno, interviewed by Andy Gill in Mojo, June 1998"

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Recently, Mr Eno has expressed dissatisfaction at the political direction pursued by Nick Clegg. Appearing as a lost soul, aged 63, don't be fooled by this apparent discontent. He's probably off on another mission soon....'rather deeply concealed!'

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Van Credenza record this as a cover song, in a similar manner to Eno covering/concealing his true life purpose for all these years. 

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Nothing to say. Beware.





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Doktor Konrad

Van Credenza, in collusion with self styled "DDR King of Pop" Artur Cotzin (ex Border Guards) of Berlin who provides vocals, offer this take on the death of Michael Jackson, and the subsequent guilty verdict found against his physician, Dr Conrad Murray.


As a band, Van Credenza sides with no party in this, or any other case. We all have our own thoughts, and have let Conzin express his.


Further, we do not actually understand the views expressed by Conzin in this number, as none of us are able in the German language.

Aquarium

In 1836, Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (inventor of the Wardian Case) proposed to use his tanks for tropical animals. By 1841, with aquatic plants and toy fish, he did so, but was preceded by Félix Dujardini in 1838 who developed a saltwater aquarium. 

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Soon to be networked in Europe, this is the theme tune commissioned for "The Aquarium: An Unveiling of the Wonders of the Deep Sea" ("Der Ocean auf dem Tische" in Germany), produced by William Stimson.

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Eye Level

Eye Level

The Simon Park Orchestra produced music for the De Wolfe Music Library amongst others, and ‘Eye Level’ was selected as a theme tune in 1973 for the popular Van der Valk series, set in Amsterdam and produced by Thames Television (which closed in 1992). 

An associate of the Simon Park Orchestra, Jack Trombey (real name Jan Stoeckart), was a distant relative of our drummer Hot Stix (not his real name either) and from Trombey, Stix developed his love of goats. Trombey wrote the hook for Park’s arrangement: without that top line, nicknamed ‘the Hook of Holland’ in the business, Eye Level may never have sold over 1 million pressings.

Stix insisted on Van Credenza covering this number as a tribute to Stoeckart, many of whose tunes are familiar to you, but uncredited. This is because Stoeckart, like Van Credenza, produced music for stock use, and he also used many aliases. 

Rehabilitation Mortuary Part 2

Part 2: hope for Hilton Coldstream?

Is it now open to all? We’ve seen the signs. Some new hospitals offer another chance of life: we’ve seen it with our own eyes.

Perhaps controversially, Van Credenza hopes to collect enough of Hilton Coldstream together to assemble a new being, one at least capable of contributing to the band, as contracted. Already, we have the body parts purportedly sent by his kidnappers and killers from Asia. These are mainly digits and limb sections: sufficient for a tuneful contribution, if these rehabilitation mortuaries are to have any credibility.

Publically, here, we plead with any individual and/or group with anything more to give (of Hilton): send to the usual address, no questions asked.

In the meantime, Rehabilitation Mortuary Part 2, in the style of Coldstream’s favourite genre, serves as a reminder to those Oriental criminals that there may just be redemption for us all.

Rehabilitation Mortuary Part 1

Rehabilitation Mortuary Part 1

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This happened around 100 years ago.

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A mortuary existed where recently departed would be taken, more in hope than expectation of another chance at living. Only for the wealthy and/or unprejudiced, the Rehabilitation Mortuary showed a low percentage rate of success, but for the dead, it was a chance worth taking.

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Two world wars, and a superfluity of progress clouded the existence of this second chance phenomenon: now, Van Credenza remind everyone of the opportunity.

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Rehabilitation Mortuary Part 1

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Echolocation

Van Credenza have recently been collaborating Artur Cotzin from legendary German band The Border Guards, the result being this cover version of that band's underground hit of the seventies, Echolocation.

The Border Guards were based in the eastern sector of Berlin, and began life as a Steve Marriott cover punk outfit (Fumble Pie), who went on to be known as The Spartacus League. Cotzin provided guidance, engineering and the bass line for this cover.

He explains: "As a registered blind man in East Germany, I was able to operate more freely than most under the Honecker administration. Pop and rock music was seen as decadent by the DDR regime, but my friends, all with some form of disability, were largely ignored by the Stasi. In fact, we were invited to play several times at Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlandsfunctions. At one point, our recordings filled every position in the East German Top Twenty. Erich Honecker's daughters Erika and Sonja were great fans of The Border Guards, and their influence meant we could gain access to the best recording facilities on offer in East Germany.
We hope to release a box set of recordings in 2012, which would include the original Echolocation. But for now, enjoy Van Credenza's interpretation."