Ricky Gardiner-guitar/bass/vox.
Virginia Scott-vox/keys.
Tom Gardiner-drums.
Beggars Opera are legendary progressive classical rockers who formed in 1969. They were signed to the Vertigo label and had four albums with them (the most any band did and has). They went their seperate ways in the mid seventies where various solo careers kicked off, but they have now reformed to produce new works.
For the 1st time the freshly remastered BEGGARS OPERA /THE FLOOD ( xprt)
ON YOUTUBE
Beggars Opera /Ricky Gardiner: GUITAR, CX5 AND TAPE 1986.
AND
Paintings and Drawings : Virginia Scott 1994-2005.
Influences
Life and King Crimson, Robert Fripp, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, Average White Band, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, Mountain, John Cage, Schumann, Wagner's Ring, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Frank Sinatra, Iggy Pop, Tangerine Dream, Edgar Froese, Maggie Bell,Tony Visconti, Ed Ruscha, Patti Smith, Blondie, Nico, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Withers, Rainer Burke, ALASDAIR GRAY writer/artist LANARK and POOR THINGS, David Bowie, Iron Butterfly,Tin Machine, Dracula, A.L.Kennedy,Stockhausen's Mantra, Piobaireachd, Hank Marvin, Shirley Bassey, Different Trains, Martha Argerich, Keith Jarret, Dave Brubeck, Bob Dylan, Dr Angus MacDonald, The Lament for Viscount Dundee, Colloseum, Pete Brown, Jeff Beck, Heimat/Edgar Reis, Glenn Gould, Dante's Inferno, Messiaen/ Quartet for the End of Time, Ratcatcher,Pink Floyd, Roy Wood Electric Light Orchestra, Franz Von Suppe, William Seward Burroughs, Astrology, Charles Dickens, Aldous Huxley, Yngwie Malmstein,Carlos Alomar, Joanna MacGregor, The Battle of Waterloo, The Italian Campaign WW2, Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, D H Lawrence, Janice Galloway /CLARA, Sandie Shaw, David Lynch, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Cash, Stevie Wonder, Eric Satie,The Shadows,Tina Turner, Salvador Dali, Jackson Pollock, William Makepeace Thackery,Lon Cheyney, Always Crashing in the Same Car, Vladimir Horowitz,Mo Tucker,Michael Landy's Breakdown,Bram Stocker, James Brown, Cardonald, Tamla Motown, The Beauties of Scotland /RO Forsyth, Bob Dylan, Peggy Lee, Steinway Pianos, Johannes Brahms, Rolling Stones,
In the pipeline
FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING LYRICS PLEASE VISIT THE NEWLY REBURBISHED
Ricky Gardiner Website
>
Sounds Like
Miss G: After reading an article recently in Wire about Sonic Youth, they explained that they were uninterested in pushing a sense of ’newness’ in their albums, yet still being explorative. How important is it to push ’newness’ whether it is re inventing the wheel or appropriating old for new the post-modern way? What is the Beggars Opera standpoint on that notion?
Virginia: In 1962, when Ricky Gardiner and I were musically conjoined in our first ever band The Vostok’s, the notion of musical collaboration was inevitable.He to me was a cool slick guitarist, who could play ’Mystery Man’ better than Hank Marvin of the Shadows. What was I to him? A singer with dark long black hair and blue eyes who could play anything, jam and hang out with guitars, keys and the vinyl of the day through Scottish dawns and gloamings? I was studying classical piano in Italy when Ricky formed Beggars Opera and on my return was appointed composer in residence. I still am.
The art/Dadaist link you refer to, and therefore the use of said as a means of producing the ’new’ or the ’less predictable’, does not apply to a ’reinvention’ but to a ’revivification from cryonation’ for Beggars Opera, or a link in the concatenation of retrospective musical aspirational energies invested in Beggars Opera’s identity as a postmodern structure, which kept evolving subliminally.
I know little of Sonic Youth’s music except through the ’Trainspotting 2’ cd and an interesting track called ’Atmosphere’.I am more aware of Kim Gordon their bassist through her ’Her Noise’ installation at the South London Gallery, which I read about in Modern Painter’s. But I see what you mean by asking this interesting question.
NEW SLIDE SHOW OF OLD PAINTINGS by Virginia Scott .
RICKY GARDINER SONGS LOGO WAS DESIGNED BY
SIXTILLNINE
Close to My Heart
Beggars Opera
New CD available now.
£10.00 (including postage)
postmaster@beggarsopera.co.ukwww.beggarsopera.co.uk
Kumara Confluence
Ricky Gardiner and Virginia Scott with Trevor Stainsby.
Cover: Nigel Wood
NIGEL WOOD'S WEBSITE
'My idea for Kumara was to bring five different elements together, allow the elements to co-exist simultaneously while not necessarily depending one upon the other.
After a reasonable time had elapsed I found one of the elements brought forth nothing and one of the other elements struck me as unsuitable for the project but had a lot to offer for another time and another project.
That left three, myself, Virginia Scott and Trevor Stainsby.
The process was quite simple. Virginia recorded seven pads made up mostly of strings. They were very slow moving with no absolute pulse. I selected four of the passages for further work.
These four were duplicated and I worked on one lot and Trevor worked on the other. Trevor had the midi information which was driving the original string parts and substituted his own sound as he saw fit.
He also added ad lib 'one of' sounds.
He then added percussion in such as way so as to blend with the synth part.
I worked on the original and added guitar.
On White Spring this turned out to be regular electric and I improvised a melody on top of the strings.
On the other three pieces I used a sustaining device called an E BOW to elicit the 'bowed' effect from the electric guitar
After editing the guitars which meant eliminating the redundant sections , Virginia then recorded her voice on top.
She paid particular attention to making her voice sound like one of the instruments.
Trevor and myself then got together, amalgamated our equipment and started playing back everything together .
By retaining the elements that we agreed worked musically and rejecting everything that did not, we arrived at what became Kumara - Confluence.
My choice of the Kumara name comes from Sanat Kumara which translates as the 'Spirit of the Earth' or the 'Inhabitant of the Earth'
Confluence was chosen to reflect the converging of the quite separate streams to form the one entity.
Is not all music like this ?'
Beggars Opera - Official Page's Friend Space (Top 32)
Special guests Hunt and Tony Sales! The Sales brothers were original members of Todd Rundgren's UTOPIA and also played on the RUNT album. They have a new CD available titled "Hired Guns". .."Rundgren Radio .." 6/26/2008 7:00 PM - Call-in Number: (646) 716-9262
SALES BROS/ HIRED GUNS SALES BROS., ..'HIRED GUNS.." They will be premiering the new CD on the Steve Jones radio show, Jonesy’s Jukebox. Indie 103.1 FM Liner notes written by Best selling author & Queen of the Groupies – Pamela Des Barres
June 6, 2008 - The Sales Bros. Blast Off - Our first foray into Soul is one of the best albums of its kind that I have ever heard. Hunt & Tony Sales toured the world with David Bowie and Iggy Pop as Tin Machine. This is their first solo album. The tracks were recorded in an empty swimming pool 28 years ago, but they sound as clear and pristine as if they were recorded yesterday. It is an experience like you have rarely lived it. You have to listen to it. It's absolutely fabulous.
Hello ! Thanks for Your nice comment ! Love Your music for a long long time ! And now You sound even more crazy ! It's a pleasure to have You among our group of friends ! Cosmic Love to YOU ! Michael - CLA
Thank you! Tuesday 3 June, on my radio programm RADIO ALTRA MUSICA will be broadcast your song "Memory". You can listen it from the day after on my MySPace! bye! Andy
hi lads , last time i seen you lot was in ayr , at the bobby jones , must have been in the early 70s , & i still remember the gig , take care & keep rocking
