June 14, 2006


Katie Melua — Piece by Piece

After a meeting with yet another European academic visiting Armenia to research the Yezidi minority in the country I had some time to kill and decided to browse the CD/DVD shops on Yerevan’s central Abovian Street. Wasn’t expecting much as pretty much all of them stock the same tedious selection. Therefore, I was pleasantly suprised to find albums by Georgian born singer-songwriter Katie Melua.

Ketevan “Katie” Melua (Georgian: ქეთევან “ქეთი” მელუა) (born September 16, 1984) is a British singer and musician, born in Georgia and raised in Northern Ireland and England from the age of 9.

Her first album, Call Off the Search, was released in November 2003 and reached the top of the United Kingdom album charts. Her second album, Piece by Piece, was released in September 2005 to commercial success.

Beautiful voice, and she’s quite cute as well (Chris, if you’re reading this, you were right). It’s also nice to run into a young and talented musician from the South Caucasus take an interest in fighting poverty, as she recently did for Oxfam. I can’t ever remember an Armenian singer lending their name to such an endeavour.

Katie, aged 20, was born in Batumi, in Georgia, where more than 50 per cent of the population live below the poverty line. Katie Melua left Georgia and moved to Moscow at the age of three for four years, before returning to Georgia until the age of nine, when the family moved to Northern Ireland.

Katie says: “I want to see life change for poor people across the world - especially in my home country of Georgia.

“Life is really tough, and so many families struggle each day just for the basics - like healthcare and earning a decent living.

“I want 2005 to be an historic year that the world never forgets in the fight against poverty. How it happens, is up to us. We’re the first generation with the power to rid the world of poverty.

“Let’s work together to make this happen.”

Well, I have to admit that I’ve always been impressed with the way Georgians are more open about everything than Armenians, especially in the Diaspora. In that sense, it’s interesting to note that while she does openly address the problem of poverty in Georgia, she still retains her connection with the country of her birth.

“People may assume I’m English, because I speak the language better than Georgian now.

“But Georgia will always be home to me. The rest of my family is still there. I’d like to be buried there.”

Anyway, Piece by Piece is a nice album — very mellow and she has a beautiful silky voice — so I should probably go get Call Off The Search. Would love to hear some of the material she sings in Georgian which is not on the album, but anyway. Looks like she’s currently on tour in the U.S. and Canda so catch her live if you can.

Katie Melua has a web site at http://www.katiemelua.com.

Posted by Onnik @ 1:59 am. Filed under: Armenia, Georgia, Culture, Music, Caucasus, United Kingdom, Jazz




10 Comments »

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  1. Incidently, I was also pleased to find MP3 collections of albums by the Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited, formed by the Sex Pistol’s Johnny Rotten later. The Sex Pistols are still fantastic 30 years later.

    The Sex Pistols were, despite their short existence, a very influential British punk band. Of the original set of U.K. punk bands, The Clash were perhaps more articulate and politically motivated, The Damned more versatile, and Buzzcocks possessed of more astute pop sensibilities. But the Pistols achieved more recognition through their iconic punk rock passion and flamboyancy, and no other band of the era made such a lasting impression on British popular culture.

    Amazing to think of how much controversy they caused in the 70s when their music still works so well even by today’s standards. Fantastic stuff. System of a Down sound like pansies in comparison.

    Comment by Onnik — June 14, 2006 @ 11:32 pm

  2. Talking of the Sex Pistols:

    B****cks to fame, we’re the Sex Pistols
    Age hasn’t mellowed the punk pioneers, and their chairs at one US awards bash will be staying pretty vacant
    By Anthony Barnes
    Published: 26 February 2006

    As punk pioneers, the Sex Pistols spent a brief, chaotic time kicking and snarling against the system. Nearly three decades on, they have shown they are still spitting - over attempts to make them part of the establishment - by declining one of the music industry’s greatest accolades.

    The band have decided to snub their induction into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an annual extravaganza in which the music business honours its most influential figures.

    http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/news/article347817.ece

    Bodies: Sex Pistols and Abortion Art

    I believe “Bodies” remains the most important song to deal with abortion, a major political issue of the 1970s when it was written.
    Mike Mosher

    Issue #55, May 2001

    Coffee helps, but I need Punk. On sleepy Mondays I pop in the Sex Pistols’ 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks while driving seven miles to the university where I teach. Kicking off the work week with the opening song “Holidays in the U.K” is bracing, but it’s the high-energy second track “Bodies” that is always the most fun and thought-provoking.

    http://bad.eserver.org/issues/2001/55/mosher.html

    Comment by Onnik — June 15, 2006 @ 10:14 pm

  3. I’m quite surprised that the albums of the Sex Pistols and PIL are available in Yerevan’s CD stores. I believe that their songs are still urgent and relevant, and are indeed more urgent than ever in the Armenian society. I truly wish that there would be a revival of the 70’s garage/punk rock among the Armenian youth with genuine movement and do-it- yourself attitude. I would prefer to see pretty vacant, colourful punks, screaming out in frustration with the current socioeconomic state of affairs on the streets of Yerevan, than empty-headed, dressed in black&white, shemushka-chyrtogh youngsters constantly chatting on their cell phones.

    Comment by Raphael — June 16, 2006 @ 12:12 am

  4. Thanks for your comment, Raphael. I too would like to see an anti-establishment music scene along the lines of rock or punk rock emerge in Armenia. Unfortunately, the powers that be continue to manufacture pro-establishment musicians who are even wheeled out to perform for pro-government rallies during election time. This happened in 2003 and most recently for last year’s referendum to ammend the constitution.

    Anyway, nearly 30 years on I’m still impressed with Never Mind the Bollocks as an album. It’s still loud and in your face today so god knows what a sensation it must have created in the UK in 1977. Anarchy in the UK, Pretty Vacant, Bodies, Problems etc are still awesome today. Anyway, I can remember some of the shock from that time, but not much as I was only 9 years old. ;-)

    The group’s second single, released by Virgin on 27 May 1977 was “God Save the Queen”, a stinging attack on the ideals and institutions of Britain, delivered in Johnny’s trademark sneer. The song is summarized in the line “There is no future … in England’s dreaming,” which became a de facto position statement for British punk. The song was widely perceived as a personal attack on Her Majesty, and seemed to be personally offensive to most of his countrymen. Rotten however stated that the song was not specifically aimed at the Queen’s person at all (”God save the queen/We mean it man!”), but was written to attack the ‘old order’ of British Society. Coming at a time when deference to royalty was still a predominant trait in both the establishment and the country as a whole, it caused tremendous public outcry, and the record was quickly banned from airplay by the BBC, whose Radio 1 dominated music broadcasting at the time. As Rotten later remarked, “We had declared war on the entire country—without meaning to!”

    Nevertheless, in the week of Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee, the record reached number two in the official UK chart, held off by Rod Stewart’s “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” / “The First Cut Is The Deepest”. When counting down this chart, the BBC mentioned the Pistols’ song without playing it; it is claimed that in other (unofficial) listings the number one spot was left blank. Many believe, with evidence, that the Sex Pistols record actually reached number one, but the charts had been rigged to prevent such a spectacle. At least one radio station announced the song as number one, but stated that they would not play the record, as they had been advised it might cause unrest, especially during the national celebrations. The Pistols’ song also hit number one in the NME chart.

    Meanwhile, the Pistols themselves decided to mark the Jubilee, along with the success of their record, by chartering a party boat, upon which they sailed down the Thames, past Westminster and the Houses of Parliament, performing their live set (which was, of course, intended to include God Save the Queen). As usual, the event ended in chaos; the boat was raided by the police, despite being licensed for live music, and McLaren, the Pistols and most of their entourage were taken into custody. It was arguably all good fun and a great publicity stunt, but matters took a distinctly uglier turn when young punk followers of the Sex Pistols became victims of physical attacks in the street by ‘pro-royalists’, and Rotten himself was assaulted by a razor-wielding gang of ‘Teddy Boys’ outside the Pegasus pub (which was a music venue at the time) close to Newington Green, Islington, who, it seems, didn’t see the humour of the Pistols’ antics. This delayed the tour of Scandinavia by a couple of weeks, which would have started at the end of June, but because of the attacks, it started in mid-July. This was followed by a secret tour of the UK at the end of August (known as SPOTS, Sex Pistols On Tour Secretly), with the band playing under pseudonyms to avoid cancellation.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_pistols

    Not sure if any band has ever come even close to hav ing the influence on society that the Sex Pistols did back then. Quite amazing for a band that didn’t last long at all in terms of a recording career, but which has taken its rightful place in the history of western contemporary culture.

    Theres no point in asking us youll get no reply
    Oh just remenber a dont decide
    I got no reason its all too much
    Youll always find us
    Out to lunch !

    Oh were so pretty oh so pretty vacant
    But now and we dont care

    Dont ask us to attend cos were not all there
    Oh dont pretend cos I dont care
    I dont believe illusions cos too much is real
    So stop your cheap comment
    Cos we know what we feel

    Were pretty pretty vacant
    Were pretty pretty vay-cunt
    And we dont care

    http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/sex+pistols/pretty+vacant_20123600.html

    Actually, although the anger and emotion of the song was more one of rebellion, the chorus perhaps sums up Armenian youth in a nutshell. :-(

    Anarchy in the UK

    Right ! now ! ha ha ha ha ha

    I am an antichrist
    I am an anarchist
    Dont know what I want but
    I know how to get it
    I wanna destroy the passer by cos i

    I wanna be anarchy !
    No dogs body

    Anarchy for the u.k its coming sometime and maybe
    I give a wrong time stop a trafic line
    Your future dream is a shopping scheme cos i

    I wanna be anarchy !
    In the city

    How many ways to get what you want
    I use the best I use the rest
    I use the enemy I use anarchy cos i

    I wanna be anarchy !
    The only way to be !

    Is this the m.p.l.a
    Or is this the u.d.a
    Or is this the i.r.a
    I thought it was the u.k or just
    Another country
    Another council tenancy

    I wanna be an anarchist
    Oh what a name
    Get pissed destroy !

    http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/sex+pistols/anarchy+in+the+uk_20123592.html

    God Save The Queen

    God save the queen her fascist regime
    It made you a moron a potential h bomb !

    God save the queen she aint no human being
    There is no future in englands dreaming

    Dont be told what you want dont be told what you need
    Theres no future no future no future for you

    God save the queen we mean it man (God save window leen)
    We love our queen God saves (God save… human beings)

    God save the queen cos tourists are money
    And our figurehead is not what she seems
    Oh God save history God save your mad parade
    Oh lord God have mercy all crimes are paid

    When theres no future how can there be sin
    Were the flowers in the dustbin
    Were the poison in your human machine
    Were the future your future

    God save the queen we mean it man
    There is no future in englands dreaming

    No future for you no future for me
    No future no future for you

    http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/sex+pistols/god+save+the+queen_20123626.html

    Problems

    Too many problems
    Oh why am I here
    I dont need to be me
    cos youre all too clear
    Well I can see
    Theres something wrong with you
    But what do you expect me to do?
    At least I gotta know what I wanna be
    Dont come to me if you need pity
    Are you lonely you got no one
    You get your body in suspension thats no
    Problem problem
    Problem the problem is you

    Eat your heart out on a plastic tray

    You dont do what you want then youll fade away
    You wont find me working nine to five
    Its too much fun a being alive
    Im using my feet for my human machine
    You wont find me living for the screen
    Are you lonely all you needs catered
    You got your brains dehydrated

    Problem problem
    Problem the problem is you
    What you gonna do

    Problem problem
    Problem the problem is you
    What you gonna do with your problem

    In a death trip I aint automatic
    You wont find me just staying static
    Dont you give me any orders
    For people like me there is no order

    Bet you thought you had it all worked out
    Bet you thought you knew what I was about
    Bet you thought youd solved all your problems
    But you are the problem

    Problem problem
    Problem the problem is you
    What you gonna do with your problem
    Ill leave it to you
    Problem the problem is you
    You got a problem
    Oh what you gonna do

    They know a doctor
    Gonna take you away
    They take you away
    And throw away the key
    They dont want you
    And they dont want me
    You got a problem
    The problem is you
    Problem problem
    Problem the problem is you
    What you gonna do
    Problem problem problem

    Problem problem problem
    Problem problem problem
    Problem problem problem

    http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/sex+pistols/problems_20123589.html

    Comment by Onnik — June 18, 2006 @ 3:28 pm

  5. Also picked up the Neurotic Outsiders as well. Not bad either, albeit obviously more polished and commercial than the Sex Pistols.

    Neurotic Outsiders was a supergroup founded in 1995, consisting of Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, and John Taylor of Duran Duran.

    Originally a gathering of friends jamming together at the Viper Room, they eventually recorded one album, Neurotic Outsiders (1996) on Maverick Records, and did a brief tour of Europe and North America.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotic_Outsiders

    Still has a punk feel to it although the vocals are perhaps far too smooth. Still not bad, especially when I need something to listen to over the crap that passes as “contemporary music” in Armenia.

    Comment by Onnik — June 18, 2006 @ 4:34 pm

  6. Onnik, I’m glad someone else shares my views on this subject. It’s unfortunate that there isn’t any good Armenian band that dare to say out loud what they really think and feel.

    I had a chance to chat with the members of the AlterEgo band http://www.alterego.am/ When I asked why they sing about imaginary “Rishikesh” (the name of their song), rather than real life in Armenia, they said that they put the music first and hate the politics. Well, at least they sing about Jim Morrison, Jimmy and Janice in contrast to that dreadful cheap’n’ cheesy stuff that is constantly being aired on Armenian TV and radio.

    JOHN LYDON - Open Up
    (An awesome mix of Johnny’s voice with the Chemical Brothers techno beat!)

    Open up
    Now open up
    You lied
    You faked
    You cheated
    You changed the stakes
    Magnet toss that pie in the sky
    Unrehearsed let the bubbles burst
    All in all a three-ring circus
    Of unity with parody tragedy or comedy
    Probably publicity

    Open up
    Make room for me
    Now open up
    Make room for me

    Lose myself inside your schemes
    Go for the money, honey
    Not the screen
    Be a movie star Blah, blah, blah
    Go the whole hog
    Be bigger than God

    Burn, Hollywood, burn
    Taking down Tinsel Town
    Burn Hollywood, burn
    Burn down into the ground
    Burn, Hollywood, burn
    Burn, Hollywood, burn

    Take down Tinsel Town
    Burn down to the ground
    Down into the ground
    Burn

    PIL - Disappointed

    Disappointed
    Promises
    Promises
    Old tired
    Worn out second hand sentences
    One thing
    With you is certain
    You’re a really sad person
    So sad

    Disappointed a few people
    When friendship reared its ugly head
    Disappointed a few people
    Well, isn’t that what friends are for
    What are friends for

    You
    You’re just a really bad person
    Who won’t
    You won’t listen to anyone
    No not you
    With those half moon eyelids
    Just babbling on
    Your useless defences
    So sad

    Disappointed a few people
    When friendship reared its ugly head
    Disappointed a few people
    Well, isn’t that what friends are for
    What are friends for

    This erratic haphazard
    Fluttering
    This to-ing and fro-ing
    Like a confused moth
    The collusion
    Illusion
    And it’s all ad infinitum
    You’re a really sad person
    You’re really so sad

    Disappointed a few people
    When friendship reared its ugly head
    Disappointed a few people
    Well, isn’t that what friends are for
    What are friends for

    Fools and horses
    Running their courses
    And brow beaten down
    Like dust on the ground
    You cheat easily
    Like sweet charity
    And all of the bastards
    The world despises
    Springing surprises
    In newer disguises
    You cheat easily
    Like all charity

    Comment by Raphael — June 21, 2006 @ 2:49 am

  7. You know, sometimes I wish I could be like Malcolm McLaren (in a better way of course) and just find the right guys to start up an Armenian punk rock band called something like Hot Chilly Apricots or zZvanqner that would sing about a new blank generation (pooch serund? : ). And the first album could be named after Johnny Rotten’s immortal line: “Ever get the feeling you’ve cheated?” : )

    Comment by Raphael — June 21, 2006 @ 3:31 am

  8. Oh by the way, if you haven’t seen THE FILTH AND THE FURY, a documentary film about the Sex Pistols directed by Julien Temple, I would highly recommend it.

    It’s the best rock documentary I’ve ever seen. Well, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, Jeff Stein’s documentary about The Who is very good too.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0236216/

    Comment by Raphael — June 21, 2006 @ 8:29 am

  9. Raphael, it doesn’t surprise me that Altergo don’t sing about politics seeing as their bassist works in the President’s Office. Likewise, their site carries the logos of Public TV and PanArmenian.net, news outlets controlled by the government.

    Perhaps its just as well they stay out of politics on either side of the divide. ;-)

    Cheers,

    Comment by Onnik — June 21, 2006 @ 9:10 pm

  10. I enjoyed reading this! There’s actually a rock journalist named Talia Sogomonian (I think that’s how you spell it) who does all these cool interviews. My cousin knows her sister in law or something and apparently she’s a big-time journalist. I found links of her interviews on nme.com and musicomh.com. But my cous tells me she’s working in paris for a while now.
    as an armenian and a music fan, just wanted to share .

    Comment by Jenson — August 29, 2008 @ 5:51 am

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