Ralph Alfonso, vocals
Michael Rummen, guitar, bass
Graham Howell, sax, flute
Ron Stelting, percussion
Tom Harrison, percussion, vocals
Tracy Marks, keyboards, bass, sage advice
SONG INFO:
"Billy Fury Billy Fury" This is a tribute to Billy Fury - the UK's first real rock star and the first UK rock artist to release an album of all original (self written) material ("The Sound Of Fury") before The Beatles (Billy Fury is from Liverpool). This started life as a poem in my zine, then reprinted on my bongobeat.com site where it was spotted by Harry Whitehouse of the Billy Fury fan site (www.billyfury.com) where you will find the original version in their Tributes section. In 2004, a prototype of this song was performed at The Cavern Club Liverpool with Kimberley Rew on guitar. The song caught the attention of Spencer Leigh, author/broadcaster (BBC Merseyside) who has written a book on Billy Fury, who mentioned it in a review. This year, for our return to the IPO Festival, I refined it via phone rehearsals with Bongo Beat artist Ari Shine and tightened up the lyrics on the day of the show where we performed it for the first time together to great reaction. A repeat performance the next day at Lennon's Bar Matthew Street brought out some Fury fans who'd heard about it and liked it. Duly inspired, on my way back home, Ari and I booked time at Marc Olivier's London home studio (he is the leader of another Bongo Beat act, Plastic Heroes) and recorded our version with just enough time for me to make my flight home! As we left the session, I found out that Joe Meek's famous Holloway Road studio was literally one minute away from our studio.... which may explain some of the vibe we tried to capture... I would like to believe other forces moved through us that morning (I honestly do believe that). Anyway, here it is. It is a very sincere piece born out of a genuine love for the mystery and magic that was Billy Fury which I first encountered back in 1977 when I found his Halfway To Paradise lp in a thrift shop (and which I still have to this day). I hope you like it.
"April Say" was recorded at Kevin Quain's studio at The Cameron House, Toronto, last year, during a wicked snowstorm. Mr. Quain plays piano and accordian. I'm exploring a lot of French these days and that sweet lyricism of forgotten old songs that spoke from the heart. Sometimes another language says it best.
Another demo from the Dave Rave Sessions at Paramount Recorders, Vancouver; "Yesterday and Today" is about Pirate Radio in the UK in the 60s and the DJs who lived on board in international waters, stateless in a way, beaming out music back to the UK. This demo was primarily done as a guide for Kimberley Rew so we (Kim, Alex Cooper and Lee Cave Berry) could perform it live at The Cavern Club, Liverpool, for the IPO Festival. Anyway, since both Dave and I come out of the 1977 Toronto punk scene, we kind of start exhuming our inner Iggy as the song picks up steam. I wish I had a copy of our live at the Cavern Club version - ohmygod! Those of you who were there - this is for you..
"Buona Sera di Campobasso" is an Italian rockabilly song, basically about partying in Campobasso and waking up in Napoli (Naples) the next day. How? Why? When? Where? Who? It wasn't really written to be a rockin tune but we had fun in the studio. That is Dave Rave on guitar on this demo. Don't worry - it switches to English towards the end.
"Stars That Are Silver" is from the same session and is a song for Phil Ochs. We are joined ..boards by Gord Nichols (Pointed Sticks), Dave Rave (acoustic guitar), Mike Rummen on bass and lead guitar.
"Les Etoiles Qui Tombe" was written for my late mother. This is a demo with myself and Michael Rummen on guitar. Recorded at Paramount Recorders in Vancouver.
ORDERING BOOKS AND CDS
If you would like to purchase any of RALPH's 4 CDs, they are available on iTunes and many other similar services. You can buy them for $12 US ea (North America) or $15 US ea (rest of the world) through Paypal (ralph@bongobeat.com). The price includes postage.
If you are looking for the two books by Ralph Alfonso, they are $15 US ea (postage included).
The price includes postage to anywhere (Europe, N. America, etc). The books are trade paperback and are 128 pages each, printed in black & red with lots of pictures and illustrations. "Coffee Jazz and Poetry" is the first one, and "This Is For The Night People" is the 2nd one.
You can paypal payment to: ralph@bongobeat.com
or you can mail international money orders to (AFTER AUG 1, 2008):
Ralph Alfonso
2049 Melrose Ave
Montreal, Quebec
Canada, H4A 2R6
Influences
Jack Kerouac, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Phil May, Mose Allison.
RALPH, "People That Love Forgot" (excerpt, Liverpool, Lennon's, May 23, 2008)
RALPH, "Billy Fury Billy Fury", May 24, BBC Radio Liverpool concert
..
RALPH, "Venus In Violets", directed and animated by Patrick Jenkins.
RALPH, "Last Year's Valentine", directed by Chris Hooper (excerpted from the film "vie de nuit" which Ralph toured in 2001).
RALPH, "I Love You Baby But You Gotta Stop Wearing Those Ugly Shoes" from
the Coffee Jazz and Poetry CD.
RALPH, "Ooh la la C'est Comme Ca" recorded live on the street in Vancouver, 1995.
RALPH, Guerilla Poetry Series, Vancouver, April 22, 2007. Just having fun on Main St. Plus my homage to Crad Kilodney.
Sounds Like
Jack Kerouac, Mose Allison, Ray Davies, Phil May, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Chet Baker, Paul Desmond.
RALPH Christmas songs on iTunes!
If you like "C'est Jolie Noel - Christmas Is Nice" (featuring the wonderful harmonica and acoustic guitars of Graham brown), it is available on my album, Sophisticated Boom Boom (iTunes, Amazon.com, etc etc). There is also another cool Christmas track called "All I Want From Santa, Baby, Is You" which was previously only heard every Christmas on CBC Radio but is now exclusively on iTunes as part of the Bongo Beat Christmas EP. Both songs were written especially for an appearance on CFRO Radio in Vancouver way back in 1995 by Ralph and Graham Brown on Andy Creeggan's ABC Radio Show. In fact, "All I want" was recorded live on the show and features Andy on background vocals!!
Here is the iTunes link to the Bongo Beat EP that has both songs.
Yes! I am posting new poems now and then in my blog area; jazz, mod, nostalgic, french, italian - inspired by les femmes aux cigarettes (and les monsieurs aussi). Thank you for stopping by. Relax. Enjoy a coffee.
to see older postings, first choose "VIEW ALL" and then just keep clicking "OLDER" in the blog area
DISCOGRAPHY:
1995 - RALPH, Coffee Jazz and Poetry
1996 - RALPH, Olympia 66
1997 - RALPH, Sophisticated Boom Boom
2001 - RALPH, This Is For The Night People
BOOKS
1997 - Ralph, Coffee Jazz and Poetry (by Ralph Alfonso)
This book collects issues 1-25 of the RALPH zine. Printed
in black/red duotone in a 50s/60s style. Illustrations by
Tom Bagley, Michael Kaluta, etc
2001 - Ralph, This Is For The Night People (by Ralph Alfonso)
This book collects issues 26-50 of the RALPH zine. Again, it's printed
in black/red duotone with lots and lots of photos and illustrations.
Illustrations by Ken Steacy, Tom Bagley, Molly Kiely, etc, etc.
'Twas the night before Christmas and all thru the pad, Not a hep cat was swinging - and that's dullsville, dad, The stove was hung up in that stocking routine, Like, maybe the fat man would soon make the scene.
The kids that fell by had just made the street; I was ready for Snoresville, and man, was I beat; When there started a rumble that came on real frantic, So I opened the window to figure the panic.
I saw a slick rod that was making fat tracks, Souped up by eight ponies, all wearing hat racks; And a funny old geezer was flipping his lid. He told them to make it, and man, like they did!
They were out of the chute, making time like a bat, Turning the quarter in eight seconds flat. They parked by the smokestack in bunches and clusters, And Chubby slid down, coming on like gangbusters,
His threads were from Cubesville and I had to chuckle, In front, not in back, was his Ivy league buckle! And the mop on his chin had a button-down collar, And with that red nose he looked like a baller.
Like he was the squarest, the most absolute, But let's face it, who cares when he left all that loot? He laid the jazz on me and peeled from the gig, Wailing, "Have a cool Yule, Man!" and clutched off in his rig.
Thanks for the kind words Ralph! You and Allison are great people and friends. Wishing you the best of health and success in the transition back to Montreal. Any help you need don't hestitate to ask. Welcome back !!!!!!!!!
Hey Ralph - just sending you this fan drawing of the boys I did back in the day. I gave Doug the Canuck, down in Austin, Texas the news, and he'll be giving some Teenage Head on his "This Great White North' radio show tonight. - Gerry, (Tyranna / Wayouts)
THE NEW YORK UNDERGROUND SCENE 1972-1977 PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL ZONE JULY 12 - AUGUST 31 2008 www. drkrm. com DARK ROOM GALLERY LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA OPENING RECEPTION JULY 12th 7-11 PM SPECIAL GUEST DJ KRISTIAN HOFFMAN FEATURING PHOTOS OF: blondie marc bolan david byrne stiv bators clem burke blessed c.b.g.b. alice cooper wayne county cheetah crome chelsea hotel peter cook divine ray davies jimmy destri eric emenson chris franz ace frehley plesent gehman debbie harry richard hell kristian hoffman duncan hannah hudson brothers david johanson lenny kaye kiss ivan kral arthur kane lance loud pat loud walter lure richard lloyd new york dolls jerry nolan natasha max's kansas city david walter mcdermott christopher makos mercer arts center ron mael russell mael philippe marcade manic panic billy murcia anya phillips iggy pop kid congo powers lou reed ramones joey ramone dee dee ramone johnny ramone tommy ramone martin rev t.rex johnny thunders tish & snookie patti smith stephen sprouse anna sui stooges suicide sparks paul stanley gene simmons chris stien sylvain sylvain richard sohl alan vega cherry vanilla arturo vega gary valentine armand zone miki zone & paul zone
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