BP Fallon

Robert Plant & BP Fallon & evidence, Abbey Road recording studios London Feb 25 2010

Robert Plant was singing at Abbey Road studios in London in aid of Cancer Research, the charity driven by Bob Harris who once had cancer. It was an amazing evening. Over £200,000 was raised.

Full review here of an extraordinary night from the Led Zeppelin magazine ‘Tight But Loose’ by the editor Dave Lewis

Robert Plant, after singing with a 76-voice choir – singing the Scott Walker opus ‘Farmer In The City’ and then ‘I Bid You Goodnight’ from The Incredible String Band’s ‘A Very Cellular Song’ with Nigel Eaton on the hurdy gurdy, all magnicent stuff, Robert singing so fucking soulful – after that Robert says to BP “There’s this book someone left for me to sign. There’s a picture of us back then. We must get our picture taken with it”. So they do.

Evidence: BP Fallon & Robert Plant & Vanessa Gilbert meet the snake & the snake man, the balcony of The Continental Hyatt House, Sunset Strip, West Hollywood May 1973. Photograph from ‘Led Zeppelin – The illustrated Biography’ by Gareth Thomas.

February 12th 1970 saw BBC TV’s ‘Top Of The Pops’ first broadcast of the classic performance of ‘Instant Karma’ by John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band with – from left to right – John Lennon [vocals & piano], Yoko Ono [knitting & Kotex eyewear], the Beatles’ road manager Mal Evans [tambourine], BP Fallon [bass guitar & hat], the Apple Records official House Hippy Richard DiLello [camera], Klaus Voorman [bass guitar] and Alan White [drums].

‘Instant Karma’ produced by Phil Spector.

The following week John Lennon was to be heard being interviewed on BBC radio by Emperor Rosko and telling his host “BP Fallon playing the bass guitar, that’s concept art”.

“I can’t play bass” says BP today, laughing, “but it’s better than whacking a tambourine into John’s left ear and almost putting him off his singing”. Which – as our next two pictures show – is what BP did the previous week on the Top Of The Pops of February 5th 1970…

Instant Karma: John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band TOTP Feb 5th 1970

Poets Of Rhythm, Art From The Heart, People For Peace:
Yoko & John with Peter Fallon and Eamon Carr’s Tara Telephone
‘Capella’ publication, the very edition – ‘Capella 3′ – that contained the drawing that John Lennon had done for ‘Capella’ the previous year at his and Yoko’s Amsterdam Bed-In.
‘Capella 3′ cover artwork by Jim Fitzpatrick.
Yoko & John photographed 1970 by Richard DiLello.
Photograph printed 1970 by Pete Saunders for Peter Fallon.

“And we all shine on…”

Photography: A Misfit, a Teddy Bear and flowers, Strawberry Fields Central Park New York City by BP Fallon

eBay has revealed this little bargain:

BP Fallon’s ‘Fame #9′ rare white, yellow and black tricolour vinyl 7″ 45 – only 150 of these records were pressed at United Record Pressing in Nashville with 100 sold in person at the Third Man Records store in Nashville at $5 each and 50 of these tricolour singles inserted randomly into world-wide mail-orders…

This tricolour ‘Fame #9′ 7″ baby is only $149.99 plus shipping!
Cheap at half the price.

We’re very happy with our black vinyl one – $5 plus shipping

Or the three fab tracks on iTunes this very second for 2.97

We’re happy anyway. We wish you the same. Happy everything.

Image: Wax into gold – BPF ‘Fame #9′ rare tricolour vinyl 7″ 45 single.
Image (top): 4 X 4 on Third Man Records – top left clockwise -
Wanda Jackson, BP Fallon, The Black Belles and Carl Sagan.
The original Third Man Records sleeves for Wanda/BP/BBelles:
Photography by Jo McCaughey

You asked to hear it again, we’re happy to give it to you!

BP Fallon: “It’s kinda a sick subject but it’s serious too,
the brown bread boogie”.

Photography: BPF

BP Fallon & Dave Fanning present
‘IS DEATH A GOOD CAREER MOVE IN ROCK’N'ROLL?’
RTE Radio 2FM (75:00)

The Players & What Was Played When

00:00 – Dave says “Shut up!” and BP says “Why am I getting echo?”
00:26 – Rock’n’Roll – Led Zeppelin
04:04 – I Wanna Be Your Dog – The Stooges
07:08 – Fallon & Fanning: John Bonham and ‘Starship’ and Ron Asheton
and “the lonely and sad death of Kurt Cobain”
11:50 – The Man Who Sold The World – Nirvana
15:24 – Fallon on Fanning: Courtney in the Hole and Bobby Fuller on fire
18:10 – I Fought The Law – The Bobby Fuller Four
19:21 – I Fought The Law – The Clash
21:54 – Fallon on Fanning: Strummerville and Buddy Holly and King Curtis
24:27 – Reminiscing – Buddy Holly & King Curtis
26:22 – Fallon on Fanning: “The most obnoxious group ever, Queen”
plus Richie Valens and Zeppo and Mrs Valens and Dr John
30:20 – Spanish Stroll – Willie De Ville
32:58 – Fallon & Fanning: Willie De Ville
33:50 – The Wizard – Johnny Thunders w/ BP Fallon (harmonica/vox)
35:36 – Fallon & Fanning: “Hold on a second now!” says Dave and BP talks about Johnny Thunders and Chris Wood of Traffic and Phil Lynott and Steve Marriott
36:19 – Daddy Rolling Stone – Johnny Thunders & Phil Lynott & Steve Marriott plus Steve Jones & Paul Cook
39:17 – Fallon & Fanning & Marc Bolan
41:59 – 21st Century Stance – Marc Bolan & BP Fallon
44:16 – Fallon & Fanning: The Prophecies Of Sages Marc to Jimi to Henry McCullough
47:42 – Red House – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
51:25 – Fever – The Cramps
52:46 – Fallon & Fanning: Lux Interior & Bryan Gregory & Johnny Kidd & Mick Green
54:16 – Shot Of Rhythm’n’Blues – Johnny Kidd & The Pirates w/ Mick Green
55:20 – Fallon & Fanning & John Lennon
56:29 – I Am The Walrus – The Beatles
60:02 – Fallon on Fanning: plane-crashes & murders & “John Lennon and The Beatles changed the world with their attitude” to Michael Jackson RIP at The Apollo in Harlem
62:38 – I Want You Back – The Jackson 5
64:17 – Fallon on Fanning on ‘Death By Doctor’
65:35 – Little Sister (false starts) – Elvis Presley
67:35 – Fallon & Fanning: Elvis & Lady GaGa & ‘I Believe In Elvis Presley’
70:24 – I Believe In Elvis Presley – BP Fallon

Added bpfallon.com bonus track
Casting My Spell – The Pirates

The Pirates: Johnny Spence (bass/lead vox) & Mick Green
(guitar) & Frank Farley (drums). Mick Green RIP.

Photography: BP Fallon and Jack White by Jo McCaughey
at Third Man Records Nashville Tennesee
with wondrous words by Allan Jones Uncut magazine March 2010

See this shot bigger on BPF’s Flickr (All Sizes) plus Fr Christmas and two birds

DJ Latola in The Den on BreakThruRadio has a chinwag a go go with BP Fallon. A fascinating chat, talking about everything under the sun and a few things under the moon too. Riveting.

“One Shangri La of a show!” says DJ Latola. “BP Fallon is rock’n'roll. A rock’n'roll icon…”

Subjects covered in this in-depth interview range from Phil Spector and Beatles manager Brian Epstein to Hope Sandoval’s sandwiches and BP’s biggest vice – to the most expensive thing he’s ever broken plus the 1960 movie of the Jack Kerouac book ‘The Subterraneans’ and why people listen to music. “I’m all for madness and danger and wildness” says BP.

BP Fallon interviewed by DJ Latola in The Den On BreakThruRadio

“I was rolling a joint in a club in New York and Jack White came over to me and asked me to make a record with him.”

It’s the sort of sentence only one person could have uttered, writes Brian Boyd in The Ticket in today’s Irish Times before continuing:

We all know that Irish musical Zelig BP Fallon can talk the talk but he’s also walked the walk: working with The Beatles’ Apple label in the 1960s, being T.Rex’s press officer, working with Led Zeppelin, representing Ian Dury, managing Johnny Thunders, touring with U2 and now, with Alan McGee, globe-trotting around with the Death Disco club night.

Credentials established and CV scrutinised, we still need to know why the most important figure in popular music of the past decade, Jack White (whose reputation has been greatly enhanced by his scene-stealing performance in the current It Might Get Loud documentary) fancied a tangle with the man Bono calls a “vibe master”…

Read more of Brian Boyd’s article

Tonight at 7pm GMT BP Fallon is the special guest of Dave Fanning in the one-off RTE 2FM live radio programme ‘Is Death A Good Career Move In Rock’n'Roll?’

This sick-but-serious show promises to showcase everyone from Led Zeppelin and The Ramones to Nirvana, The Clash, Buddy Holly, Johnny Kidd And The Pirates, Willie De Ville, Johnny Thunders and The Jimi Hendrix Experience to T.Rex, Michael Jackson, The Cramps, The Fabs and Elvis.

BP will be doing rabbit and recollections and asking the question “Is Elvis really brown bread and hanging out with Old Shep?”

Hear it live here at 7pm GMT

The latest work by esteemed director Shimmy Marcus…

Shot in New York, in Dublin and at All Tomorrow’s Parties in England’s Somerset, at times the video bows to Bob Dylan’s classic ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ clip by DA Pennebaker with its use of lyric boards displayed by Miss B and Jennifer McLawhorn who are joined by the mysterious Shea plus Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream, Kevin Shields of my bloody valentine and the sublime singer Gemma Hayes.

Shimmy Marcus previously directed BP Fallon – as the drug-dealing sage Blowback – in the award-winning film ‘Headrush’.

‘I Believe In Elvis Presley’ – words by BPF with music by BPF and sometime-New York Doll Aaron Lee Tasjan – is one of the three cuts on Fallon’s debut 45 single on Third Man Records. The other tracks are the spoken word piece ‘Fame #9′ – written by BPF – and BP Fallon Interview by Jack White.

The record is produced by Jack White III.

Buy the ‘Fame #9′ 7″ vinyl single at the Third Man Records Online Store!

Buy the three tracks on iTunes!

Dig the video again on YouTube!

To mark Elvis Presley’s 75th Birthday, BP Fallon guested live this evening on Ireland’s national radio station Today FM on ‘The Last Word’ programme hosted by Matt Cooper

Happy 75th Birthday, Elvis!

‘I Believe In Elvis Presley’ – video stills and out-takes and more

Photography: Elvis at All Tomorrow’s Parties ‘Nightmare Before Christmas 2009′ by BPF

Photography: Alan McGee & BP Fallon DJ at Death Disco by Barney

Alan McGee writes:
Spoken word has become a lost art in rock’n'roll – so give thanks to the White Stripes frontman for reviving the genre.

“I believe in vinyl records/I believe in MP3/I believe in Tutti Frutti/I believe in R&B/I believe in psychedelics/I believe in LSD…”

The above words are from BP Fallon’s spoken word and rock’n'roll instructional record ‘I Believe in Elvis Presley’. Fallon is a personal friend, cultural raconteur, DJ, writer, photographer and now a musical spoken-word poet (with the help of Jack White’s Third Man Records). Fallon is indeed a legend, having worked with Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and T.Rex.

‘I Believe in Elvis Presley’ – a call to arms for the post-internet generation – is coming out as a three-sided spoken word 7″ on Third Man. It could, in itself, be a manifesto for Third Man Records with its shared belief in the blues, MP3s and classic vinyl. Third Man Industries is fascinating. It’s another faction of what can be reasonably called “the music industry of Jack White”

Alan McGee Guardian blog continues

We spent Christmas Day in upstate New York. The day was beyond splendid and we graciously and gratefully thank those who know. “Just Say Know”, y’know?

And Christmas Day and night time was a visual feast of Yuletide USA. Snow and lights and sights like Santa’s pickup truck. And his helicopter. Tacky? Magnificent? Both. It made us smile and feel even warmer. 

Father Christmas Meets Andy Warhol. Or something

Photography by & © BP Fallon Dec 25th 2009 
More ‘Christmas In America’  images by BPF 

We’re only now getting our head around the wild adventure that was the my bloody valentine-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ at Butlin’s Holiday Camp in Minehead in Somerset in England.

Right beside the sea we were and it was cold and windy and rainy – just like those old tales of British holiday camp holidays, the sleet in our faces when we sought refuge in our little chalets, refuge from too much good music and too many good people – and it was excellent.

Photography: BPF and mbv bass-player Deb Googe discuss biology and beards @ ATP by Rosalynde Roberts

mbv played three times and, yes, Kevin Shields and chums were beyond sublime. Primal Scream rocked it dirty, Gemma Hayes glowed and The Wounded Knees floated… an amazing music festival with more magnificent music sometimes missed. Ah well.

Photography: mbv adoration @ ATP by BPF

Mr BPF DJed twice before mbv and also DJed up a storm at his own packed-out ATP headline gigs at Crazy Horse and The Irish Bar. Some of the fine music he played is listed here plus there are seven dynamite shots by Dave G Kelly of BP’s controversial Candlegate here

Mega fun was had, multi merriments and social explorations – and laughter from those saved-sinner souls looking for redemption or drugs or both in Chalet #219 on Lost Highway Avenue. “Ye are not lost because you are always where you’re at” or something like that. Dawn would be bursting out all over – and we’re talking about the daybreak here, not the girl. Ah well again.

Brilliant, really.

More pix by BPF of mbv & ATP ‘Nightmare Before Christmas 2009′

More mbv & ATP on bpfallon.com

“… one of the most unique 45s this year”

‘Fame #9‘
“‘Fame #9′ is my favourite spoken word track ever and is certainly up there with Lenny Bruce’s ‘Psychopathia Sexualis’ or David Shrigley’s ‘The Jist’”.

‘I Believe In Elvis Presley’
“This track is pure magic… Got this one on constant loop. Could this be the best/first 45 to name drop Oscar Wilde and Lewis Carroll? Just love everything this tune encompasses…”

BP Fallon Interview by Jack White
“Again this track for me is pure gold… The booming of Jack’s disembodied voice over the talk-back monitor… is like BP is being interviewed by his own conscious (sic) or God himself”.

Much more here on Seanear1ey’s Blog

The 7” vinyl 45 single is available for only $5 or the equivalent at the Third Man Records Online Store and at groovy record stores globally

Buy the tracks on iTunes here
- only 2.97 for all three tracks!

Pictured above: the limited-edition tricolour vinyl of the BP Fallon 45. Nashville’s United Record Pressing have pressed only 150 – 100 to be sold at the Third Man Records store in Nashville at 623 7th Avenue South, Nashville TN 37203 tel: +615 891 4393 – and 50 to be inserted randomly into online purchases

Pictured below: jukebox tag for the 45

Footnote: today three short months ago the single was recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville. It was a Sunday, too. Which didn’t make it an easier secret to keep!

More ‘Fame #9′ on bpfallon.com

Jack White’s Third Man Records have announced the release of the very first single by BP Fallon – produced by Jack White who also plays guitars on it.

It is released next Tuesday December 8.

BP Fallon – ‘Fame #9′ b/w ‘BP Fallon Interview by Jack White’ & ‘I Believe in Elvis Presley’

Back cover of the single sleeve

Recorded at Third Man Studios in Nashville in September, BP’s release will be the first in Third Man Records’ new Spoken Word Instructional Record series and will also mark the release of the first-ever three-sided 45 record – presented by TMR in their patented and exclusive ‘Single Signal’ sound design.

Side A: ‘Fame #9′ written and spoken by BP Fallon

Side B left side of groove: BP Fallon Interview by Jack White

Side B right side of groove: ‘I Believe In Elvis Presley’ written by BP Fallon and Aaron Lee Tasjan, BP Fallon: Vocals, Jack White: Guitars, Patrick Keeler: Drums, Society Red: Bass, Guitar

On Side B of the record if you wish to listen to either the interview or the song by itself, simply turn the balance knob completely to the left or right side

Produced by Jack White III. Recorded at Third Man Studios Nashville TN September 2008

Engineered by Vance Powell assisted by Joshua V Smith. Mixed by Jack White and Vance Powell

Sleeve design by Jack White and Miles Johnson. Layout by Miles Johnson. Photos by Joe McCaughey

Front cover of the single sleeve

The 7” vinyl 45 release is available at the Third Man Records Online Store and at groovy record stores globally.

The three tracks are also available on iTunes.

A foggy day in Dublin town – the view from EI 157 by BPF Nov 28 2009

BP Fallon has whizzed over from New York to Dublin via London to prepare for his DJing All tomorrow’s Parties ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ next weekend in England. Taking place at Butlin’s Holiday Camp in Minehead, Somerset next Friday, Saturday and Sunday December 4/5/6, the three-day festival is curated by My Bloody Valentine – ie Kevin Shields and chums chose all the acts – and among the other brilliant bands playing are Primal Scream, Sonic Youth, E.P.M.D, Sun Ra Archestra and De La Soul.

Gemma Hayes, Television Personalities and The Tyde and  have just been confirmed as joining the fun and frolics.

As well as DJing each night before My Bloody Valentine unleash their magic, BP DJs the Crazy Horse party Saturday night/Sunday morning 2.30am to 5.30am and the Irish Bar on Sunday night/Monday morning midnight to 2am. Wheeew!

Just announced! My Bloody Valentine will perform a special warm up rehearsal show at ATP Centre Stage on Thursday 3rd December. BP Fallon will DJ this very special event. Details here

‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ full lineup & stage times

ATP on bpfallon.com

BPF thanks Radek and Delta and Aer Lingus

Alan McGee turned us onto this hypnotic tune and its mesmerising video. Band members: Nonni Dead and Henrik Björnsson and Ryan Van Kriedt and Aislinn Van Kriedt. Influences: God – Magick – Truth – Love. Sounds like: Inside our head. Record label: Unsigned.

Alan McGee on Anton Newcombe and Dead Skeletons

BP Fallon & Alan McGee DJing at Death Disco Dublin
Video by Frances Roe

The Dead Weather are the best new band in America. It’s not a race and who’s counting but there it is. Wham bam thank you man.

Are we biased? Fuck yes.

Announced only days before the gig and sold out in less than a minute, The Dead Weather’s appearance at Williamsburg Music Hall was nothing less than stunning, ranging from the rampaging raunch of ‘I Cut Like A Buffalo’ to the swamp-country seduction of ‘Will There Be Enough Water’ with Jack White leaving his treat-me-like-your-motherfucking drumming for a mo’ to play searing guitar as he and Alison Mosshart burn vocals into the same mic.

TDW’s choice of covers alone is reason enough to be a believer: Jack’s dramatic reading of the Van Morrison/Them song ‘You Just Can’t Win’ and Dylan’s ‘New Pony’ being rocked out of its revered socks. And alongside the pummeling ‘Trampled Underfoot’ Led Zep groove that guitarist Dean Fertita and bassman Jack Lawrence bring to ‘Child Of A Few Hours Is Burning To Death’ by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, we get hot new songs like ‘Jawbreaker’ all stacatto crunch that roars plus Alison’s feral stylings in the jittery ‘No Horse’ and Mr White’s explosive twanging in ‘I Can’t Hear You’. Sonic dynamite.

Photography (above): Jack White and Alison Mosshart and (below) The Dead Weather – Dean Fertita, Jack White, Alison Mosshart and Jack Lawrence – by BPF Nov 17 2009

Permit us to recommend the new Dead Weather digital release, an unannounced EP ‘Live From Third Man West’ which features five songs and four videos from their performance at the Third Man Records pop-up store in Los Angeles in August. Available through iTunes.

More Dead Weather pix

And meanwhile Jack White has been producing The Queen Of Rockabilly herself, Miss Wanda Jackson. ‘Let’s Have A Party’ indeed! Amazing. Wanda hails Jack as “one of the biggest stars on the planet” and the pairing may sound similar to what Jack did with Loretta Lynn for her 2004 Grammy-winning record ‘Van Lear Rose’ – but 2009 Rock’n'Roll Hall of Fame nominee Wanda says “They had a super album but he didn’t have her do anything different, you know. She just did her little Loretta Lynn songs. But he told me he’s gonna stretch me some, so we’ll see.”

Says Jack of working with Wanda: “It was just supposed to be a seven-inch [single] but we did a lot more songs, so maybe it will be something bigger. There was a lot of good stuff. It’s a wild record.”

Can’t wait!

Photography: Wanda Jackson and Elvis 1956 photographer unknown. In the mid-50s Elvis and Wanda toured America’s Deep South together and while they were dating he turned the country girl onto this new sensation he was helping invent called rock’n'roll.

Photography: BPF & Kevin Shields at Death Disco London 2002 by BPF

BP Fallon has been announced as DJing the three-day All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in England starring MBV, Primal Scream, Sonic Youth and Sun Ra Arkestra among the cast of some thirty must-see bands.

ATP’s ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ takes place the weekend of Dec 4 to Dec 6 at Butlin’s Holiday Camp in Minehead in Somerset, nicely situated beside the seaside. All the artists and the audience take up residence in the holiday camp chalets and bungalows for the three days – and nights  - of festivities, musical or otherwise.

This is be the second time My Bloody Valentine have asked BP to DJ with them at ATP – in America last autumn, he DJed the MBV-curated ATP in the Catskill Mountains north of New York. “The American one was beyond brilliant. ATP are outlaws in the world of corporate live music, they’re rockin’ on the borderline” say BP. “And the lineup in England is particularly killer, a skilled bit of choosing by Kevin, Colm, Bilinda and Deb. I mean, where else would you get the likes of this? I’m honoured to be part of this sonic circus. This is rock’n'roll”.

Photography (below): BPF & Bobby Gillespie flying Belfast to London by BPF

• MY BLOODY VALENTINE
• PRIMAL SCREAM
• SONIC YOUTH
• DE LA SOUL
• E.P.M.D.
• SUN RA ARKESTRA
• THE HORRORS
• BUZZCOCKS
• SPECTRUM
• FUCKED UP
• LE VOLUME COURBE
• THE WOUNDED KNEES
• THE PASTELS
• J MASCIS AND THE FOG
• LILYS
• A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
• WITCH
• BOB MOULD
• SWERVEDRIVER
• DIRTY THREE
• YO LA TENGO
• BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT
• SERENA MANEESH
• THE MEMBRANES
• ARIEL PINK
• JOSH T.

Hilarious bit of 1974 footage of The James Last Orchestra splendidly throttling Hawkwind’s 1972 hit ‘Silver Machine’ – which was written by Lemmy.

We believe Lemmy would love this version, with a tantalising glimpse of Neil Young on guitar and Mr Last in his cream suit showing us all that he’s a very nifty mover indeed.

Classic.