Newsletter June 2010

Dear friends,
It's been a while since I've been in touch, but a few things have been happening recently that I felt I wanted to let you all know about. Chief among these was the recent opening of an exhibition of Kevin's artwork in Erlangen. This wonderful celebration was very well-attended and proved a great success, but it was especially moving for me. When Kevin first settled down in Germany back in the Eighties, he held his first exhibition in Erlangen, organized by the late great Max Beck, a very well-respected figure in the art world. So this was a special place for Kevin and I was so happy and proud to see his work on display there once again. It brought back so many memories for me.
This time, the exhibition was organized by the curator Dr Sandweg, and his team, who did a really splendid job. I am so grateful to him for the dedication and flair that he brought to the project. An extra special dimension to the opening of the exhibition was a live performance by my stepson, Robert Coyne, who sang some of the songs from his new acoustic album Woodland Conspiracy, which was released on CD and LP in May by Meyer Records. It was a wonderful performance and I'm sure Kevin would have felt very proud looking on. If you're interested in listening to Robert's album, please go to his My Space site (www.myspace.com/robcoyne) or visit Meyer Records website at www.meyerrecords.com. Also there to honour his father was Eugene Coyne, as well as Robert's wife Wendy (who contributed an illustration to Robert's album sleeve) - so it was quite a family gathering!
I would also like to take this chance to thank Eugene for his tireless efforts in putting Kevin's anthology together. I know that he and Robert worked very hard on the tracklist, on sourcing the material for the booklet and Eugene in particular brought a great deal of skill, diplomacy and patience to the job of liaising with EMI on what turned out to be a very difficult project. I am so grateful for all this hard work and dedication and am pleased to say that it was well worth it in the end! Already I've been getting lots of emails from people who are so happy with it. But our work goes on. There's still a lot of unreleased stuff in the archive which we'll gradually sort through - there are some interesting bits and pieces from the many summers Kevin spent touring in the US, where old friend and collaborator Michael Lipton often recorded his shows, there is the last live show which was recorded in Hamburg, plus the final solo recordings…so don't worry, there's plenty more in the pipeline!
And while we're on the subject of keeping Kevin's music and memory alive, I'd like to say a word of thanks to Karl Bruckmaier who has recently been playing some of Kevin and Robert's songs on his radio show. If you're interested in listening to a lively, thoughtful mix of music, I strongly urge you to check out his show Nachtmix (www.le-musterkoffer.de) on Monday nights on Bayern 2.
At this point I would really like to say a very special thank you to Werner Steinhauser, who you all know was Kevin's drummer and friend. Werner has become a great friend to me too over the years and I am so grateful to him for his continued support and encouragement and for his work as joint partner in Turpentine Records. In the last few days Werner and myself have begun to make plans for some more tribute concerts to Kevin, which we hope will take place here in Germany in 2011. These plans are of course at an early stage, so if any of you have ideas to contribute, please feel free!
Finally, I say a heartfelt word of thanks to all of you in the Kevin Coyne group all around the world who continue, even five years after Kevin's death, to keep his music and art alive, archiving and collating and just appreciating and listening. I hope you'll keep the spirit and spread the word in the years to come.
Have a great summer. All the best,
Helmi Coyne

Newsletter January 2010 (from Eugene Coyne)

Dear Friends,

I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone involved with the Belgian tribute gigs. After hearing such nice things about them from Rob it was wonderful to finally meet Jon Langford, Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby, and they, alongside Werner Steinhauser – my fathers’ drummer and friend for 13 years, and a lovely man – and my brother Robert created a band that could really do justice to my fathers songs, from a delicate ‘Are You Deceiving Me’ (sung by Amy at the keyboards, with Eric accompanying her) to flat-out rockers such as Eastbourne Ladies (sung by Eric) and Saviour (sung by Jon, Eric and on the final night, guest Patrick Riguelle).  With Brendan Croker adding guitar and acting as an anarchic ‘Master Of Ceremonies’ there were many wonderful moments. Family commitments meant I could only join the band for the final three of the six shows but alongside the songs I’ve already mentioned, highlights included Rob’s version of ‘Children’s Crusade’, Jon’s ‘God Watches Over You’ and Brendan’s ‘Open Up The Gates’. Nightly contributions from singer-songwriter Erik Van Den Broeck and actor-turned-singer Frans Joseph Goof were deeply felt and affecting. For myself, it was a very moving experience. I had been very nervous about appearing, not having sung on stage for six or seven years since the band I played in with Rob ended. I wasn’t sure I could do it any more, and I found the idea of singing four of my father’s songs very daunting, especially emotionally – ‘I Confess’ is probably my favourite song of my Dads, and one that evokes strong memories and feelings. In the end it was all fine, due in no small part to the love and support I received from Rob and the rest of the band. The arrangements and musicianship were wonderful, and I really enjoyed performing ‘Day To Day’ (from ‘Bursting Bubbles’), ‘A Loving Hand’ (from ‘Sanity Stomp’) and a hypnotic, keyboard-led version of ‘Let Love Reside’ (from ‘Pointing The Finger’). The final night at the Stadsschouwburg in Brugge was very special. The theatre was old and very grand and sitting watching the band as they soundchecked I couldn’t help but think how much my Dad would have enjoyed playing there. So when Patrick told me that he’d seen my father there in the late 70s with Bob Ward it really made me happy… waiting in the wings to join the band, standing where perhaps my father had stood, I felt very close to him. We closed the evening with ‘A Loving Hand’. It’s a wonderful song, with beautiful lyrics, and Amy’s 12-string guitar gave it a chiming, Christmassy feel. It felt like the perfect song to send the audience out into the snow. I’d tried not to say too much at the gigs, mainly because I did find them so moving, and I was afraid I might get upset if I talked too much. But I wish I’d said… Dad believed in God and Heaven. If you believe in them too he was with us, cheering us on and enjoying the celebration. But regardless of your faith and what you believe, for me, if you are a great artist you never really die. My father’s spirit is in the songs, and as long as they remain, he is alive.  If you want to know what he was like, play his music. Read his books. Look at his pictures. He’s in all of them.

Finally, a big thank you to Karin for getting the ball rolling, and to Rob, for all his tireless work behind the scenes, from organising chord charts and liasing with  the band, to leading the group on stage. I know it wasn’t easy, but you did a great job.  It couldn’t have happened without you. And a final thank you to all the fans, who love his music and came out to celebrate his life with us. With a little luck 2010 will be a good year for all of us. 

‘I Want My Crown’ Anthology And Remastered ‘Marjory Razor Blade’ Finally Available

Monday the 11th of January finally sees the release of the four-CD anthology ‘I Want My Crown’ and the remastered double disc ‘Marjory Razor Blade’. It’s been a long haul. Over two years ago, when we first heard that EMI were planning to reissue my father’s Virgin catalogue, we contacted them and asked to be involved. We offered them unreleased songs, unseen photos and advice because we didn’t want the re-releases to be as shoddy or as ill thought-out as the Virgin 1991 CDs. We wanted the CDs to be the best they possibly could be, and they welcomed our involvement. At times it was difficult but I’m satisfied that for the most part we achieved what we set out to do. New listeners will hear the best of my father’s music. Hopefully they’ll want to learn more. And existing fans will see, hear and learn things that they never knew before. We did our best, and I am so pleased and proud of what we achieved, especially when at one point it looked like they could have gone the way of ‘Blame It On The Night’, ‘Matching Head And Feet’ and ‘Dynamite Daze’, and become download-only releases. For us it was important that Dad’s wonderful music was backed up with the best possible presentation. This would not have been possible if the anthology and the remastered ‘Marjory Razor Blade’ were only available as digital downloads.

A Few Words On The New Digital Downloads 

Originally EMI intended all my father’s Virgin catalogue to be remastered and made available as expanded editions, beginning with ‘Marjory Razor Blade’, ‘Blame It On The Night’, ‘Matching Head And Feet’, ‘In Living Black And White’ and ‘Dynamite Daze’. Last year however, they made the decision to just make the anthology and ‘Marjory Razor Blade’ available on CD. The others would be available on download only. This was disappointing but not devastating, as Mark Powell – who was already involved with the reissues (‘Project realisation, mastertape research, artistic liason and additional compilation’) – seemed to be keen to release them on CD through his label Esoteric. Based on emails from EMI, and on Mark telling us that he would specifically raise the issue with EMI when he visited them (we never heard back from him to the contrary) we expected just the albums themselves, without outtakes or bonuses, to be available from January 11th. Instead, ‘Blame It On The Night’, ‘Matching Head And Feet’ and ‘Dynamite Daze’ are now available online, each with a second disc of outtakes, sessions and unreleased material (as is ‘In Living Black And White’, with no extras but still missing ‘Saviour’, a song that was cut when Virgin released it in 1991 so the double album could fit on a single CD).  Which is fine… sort of. Obviously we’re pleased that the albums are now legally available. But we’re not happy that the albums haven’t been remastered (EMI have confirmed this), and that we didn’t have any involvement in choosing the bonus tracks (what do they sound like? We don’t know. I’ve asked EMI to send me copies of the songs but they haven’t arrived yet. When were they recorded? Who can say? There’s little or no information about any of the unreleased songs online). After lavishing so much love and care on the anthology and ‘Marjory Razor Blade’ it seems a shoddy way to make them available. To be honest, while we would encourage any fan of my fathers to download them, the way that they have been made available makes it impossible to stand 100% behind them. And as for seeing them released on CD, through Esoteric or some other label... Who knows? Even assuming someone still wants to release recordings that are now readily available over the internet, EMI (or Esoteric, come to that) are under no obligation to let us know of any impending releases, or to involve us in them. EMI own my father’s Virgin catalogue and they can exploit it in any way they see fit. In our opinion our involvement has only strengthened the anthology and the remastered ‘Marjory Razor Blade’. Time will tell if EMI agree.

Illegal Downloads

Finally, if you are hosting downloads of albums that are commercially available, please stop. You’re not a freedom fighter liberating my father’s music. You’re part of the industry that meant he had to gig and tour constantly because he was never paid fairly for his recorded work. Provided no money changes hands we have no objection to out-of-print recordings or live shows being traded or made available for download. But as far as commercially available recordings go, if we want EMI or anyone else to release more of my father’s music we have to demonstrate there is a demand. And we can’t do that if no one is prepared to pay for his work. Albums that are legally available for download include ‘Marjory Razor Blade’, ‘Blame It On The Night’, ‘Matching Head And Feet’, ‘In Living Black And White’, ‘Dynamite Daze’, ‘Millionaires And Teddy Bears’ and ‘Babble’. A more complete list can be found on Amazon’s UK website: just look under ‘MP3 Downloads’ and type in ‘Kevin Coyne’.

Eugene Coyne

Robert Coyne

Robert Coyne: New CD "Death Is Not My Destiny" available now!

'Death Is Not My Destiny' , released on April 2nd, 2007, is the first solo album by Robert Coyne, younger son of the late, great Kevin Coyne. In addition to recording and touring extensively with Kevin, Robert has also worked with the Barracudas, The Scientists, Eric Burdon, Amy Rigby, Venus Ray and Sky Saxon, among many others, most recently touring Europe as guitarist in Chris Wilson's Groovin' Flames.
Largely self-written and self-performed, the music reflects Rock'n'Roll influences ranging from '50's vocal groups like the Paragons, Chimes, Sonics and Flamingos, to '70's hard rock bands such as Bloodrock and Blue Oyster Cult, while also including analog synthesiser sounds and treated guitar tones reminiscent of electronic music pioneers The Silver Apples, Giorgio Moroder and Chrome.
Lyrically and vocally, Robert takes many cues from his father - whose idea the album was - seeking to move and to entertain by writing and singing directly, humorously and unflinchingly. The title track, a haunting modern Doo-Wop ballad, is drawn from Robert's soundtrack to 'The Great Happiness Space: Tale Of An Osaka Love Thief', a fiilm on the Japanese host-club scene which won the Best Documentary award at the 2006 Edinburgh Film Festival. 'Fan Letter' recalls the sinister role-reversal of Joseph Losey's classic film 'The Servant, while the tragi-comic 'Which One Of You', a cowbell led riff-rocker, is a cry of rage from a frustrated woodwork teacher.
For further information, please contact Turpentine management at kevin.coyne@t-online

The CD can be purchased by e-mail (click here >>). Price is 18,- € for Germany, 20,- € for the rest of Europe and 22,- € for elsewhere. This price includes postage and shipping. For customers who want to pay by bank transfer:
Turpentine Records, Volksbank Nuernberg, Germany, Bank Identifier Code (BIC) GENODEF1N02 IBAN: DE60 7606 0618 0002 7 173 10.

New CD "Underground" available now! 

New 13-track studio album recorded at Musication studio, Nuremburg between April and October 2004. Produced and engineered by long-time friend, collaborator and Kevin Coyne Band drummer Werner Steinhauser, the album features Kevin on vocals, acoustic guitar and piano, accompanied by Andreas Bluml and Michael Lipton on guitars, Harry Hirschmann on bass, Werner on drums and Andrea Fleissner on backing vocals. With artwork by Ralph Steadman, full lyrics and written contributions from author and journalist Robert Chalmers, wife Helmi Coyne, sons Eugene and Robert Coyne, and long-standing friends Paul Warren and Werner Steinhauser.

It can be purchased by e-mail (click here >>). Price is 18,- € for Germany, 20,- € for the rest of Europe and 22,- € for elsewhere. This price includes postage and shipping. For customers who want to pay by bank transfer:
Turpentine Records, Volksbank Nuernberg, Germany, Bank Identifier Code (BIC) GENODEF1N02 IBAN: DE60 7606 0618 0002 7 173 10.

Wolfgang Doebeling, Rolling Stone, Deutschland, 28.06.2006:
Aufgenommen im Angesicht des Todes, schnüren diese unsentimentalen Songs wohl jedem die Kehle zu, der den Grantler mochte. Coyne saß im Rollstuhl, hing am Sauerstoffgerät, mobilisierte letzte Energiereserven. Und wundert sich noch einmal über den Irrsinn des Lebens, mit bärbeißigem Humor, ohne Selbstmitleid.

Samir Koeck, Die Presse, Österreich:
Nur etwa vier Wochen vor seinem Tod spielte er ein letztes Konzert im legendären Londoner 100 Club. Er reiste mit Rollstuhl und Sauerstoffmaske an. Der große britische Singer/Songwriter mit der viel zu kleinen Karriere, war zeit seines Lebens präziser Chronist moralischer und sozialer
Ungereimtheiten, klagte in seinen Songs mit grimmigem Humor und musikalischer Pranke an. Für sein nun posthum erschienenes, letztes Album, bündelte er nochmal seine kreativen Kräfte. Das Ergebnis ist schlicht das beste Kevin-Coyne-Album seit den siebziger Jahren. Der auch als Maler tätige Künstler aus Derby wußte, daß es mit ihm zu Ende geht. Den düsteren Aussichten zum Trotz kreierte Coyne einige seiner schönsten Melodien, zeigte dem Tod die lange Nase und ließ auch in seinen letzten Wochen nicht von deftiger Sozialkritik etwa in "Mr. President". Die schönsten Songs sind allerdings jene, in denen Coyne seine eigene Hinfälligkeit poetisiert. Etwa das raue "Low I Try", das lebenslustig groovende "Paper Romance" und das große "Underground", das die britische Musikpresse als besten Song im gesamten Ouvre Coynes feiert. Ein spätes, von der Witwe liebevoll ediertes Meisterwerk, ausschließlich über die Homepage www.kevincoyne.de erhältlich.

CD: One Day in Chicago

The January issue of Mojo contains the following review:

One Day In Chicago ****
Typically skewed- yet - touching swansong from underated Derby troubadour.
That Kevin Coyne died as this 'comeback' album was being mixed lends a sad, final twist to the droll socialworker - turned - singer-songwriter's disjointed biography. Very nearly Jim Morrison's replacement in the Doors, Coyne's career was dogged by wilfulness and alcoholism - though he issued 30 albums. He recorded for increasingly obscure labels since his relocation to Germany in the 90's; One Night In Chicago might have finally rejuvenated his profile. Recorded in one 15 hour day with ex-Mekon John Langford, its 11 breezy essays marry wry country pastiche to gruff blues and slanted folk-rock; their lyrics made up on the spot by what was still one of the sharpest of minds. Indeed, Coyne's ability to flip between ingenuous love song (Over Land And Sea) and scabrous satire (Money Like Water; "I'm not penniless, I'm happy!") while investing words like "greengrocer" and "crinolines" with ineffable poignnancy - remained peerless to the end.
David Sheppard

When the legendary British singer, artist and writer Kevin Coyne arrived at Western Sound Labs in Chicago on a cold December day in 2002 to record a few songs with Jon Langford & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts he was fit to burst. Pacing the control room while Engineer Ken Sluiter set up some basic drum sounds he became more and more agitated, desperate to uncork the words and tunes that were bubbling up inside him. Before the band had even finished plugging in Kevin was on the mike in the throws of spontaneous creation, spitting dense chunks of lyrics out of the top of his head while using his thumb to form weird bar chords on an acoustic guitar that lay flat across his lap just as Langford remembered it from the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test back in the early 70s. In the control room, jaws hung slack but tape rolled as the band scrabbled to get onboard. In all 15 tracks were recorded in the space of a few hours; at least 10 of them conjured up on the spot.

Jon Langford and Kevin Coyne first crossed paths when the Mekons signed to Richard Branson's Virgin label in the late 70s. Kevin had recorded a series of classic LPs for them throughout the decade (Marjory Razorblade, Millionaires & Teddy Bears, Babble) but by 1980 was almost as unpopular as the Mekons. Years later the Mekons covered Kevin's anti-Branson diatribe Having A Party while they were embroiled with A&M Records. Tales of Kevin's cantankerousness are legion (he refused to write lyrics for Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells OR join the Doors when invited after the death of Jim Morrison!) but when he and Langford met up again in Chicago in 2002 they clicked straight away; their mutual divergence into visual art and the written word making this collaboration almost inevitable.

The Pine Valley Cosmonauts have been the Bloodshot Records house band for a while now recording twisted tributes to Johnny Cash, Bob Wills, The WLS Barn Dance as well as the 3 CD Executioner's Last Songs series (backing Steve Earle, Dave Alvin, Sally Timms, Rosie Flores, Mark Eitzel, Rhett Miller, Otis Clay etc.) and a full-length album with Kelly Hogan. On this CD Cosmonauts Langford, John Rice, Tom V. Ray and keyboardist Pat Brennan are joined by Kevin's son Robert Coyne on guitar and drums plus Dan Massey and Steve Goulding on drums, Dave Alvin on guitar and Deano from the Waco Brothers on backing vocals.

The four bonus tracks on One Day In Chicago are taken from Kevin's triumphant Old Town School Of Folk Music show which took place in Chicago just days after the Western Sound Lab session. It was Kevin's last US show and in his mind perhaps his best. Kevin Coyne died at home in Germany on December 2nd 2004 just as Langford and Ken Sluiter were putting the finishing touches to this CD in Chicago.

It can be purchased by e-mail (click here >>). Price is 18,- € for Germany, 20,- € for the rest of Europe and 22,- € for elsewhere. This price includes postage and shipping. For customers who want to pay by bank transfer:
Turpentine Records, Volksbank Nuernberg, Germany, Bank Identifier Code (BIC) GENODEF1N02 IBAN: DE60 7606 0618 0002 7 173 10.

CD: Live rough and more

THIS LIVE ALBUM RECORDED IN BREMEN, GERMANY IN 1985 FEATURES ONE OF KEVIN COYNE'S BEST EVER BANDS IN SCINTILLATING FORM. THE SPIRIT AND POWER COMES FROM INTENSIVE TOURING ROUND EUROPE, FROM A GROUP USED TO IMPROVISING TOGETHER. LISTEN TO STEVE LAMB'S JAZZY FRETLESS BASS AND PETER KIRTLEY'S BLUESY, ROCK INFUSED GUITAR PLAYING. FOR THE ARTIST IT MIRRORS ALMOST PERFECTLY THE ANGST AND HUMOUR CONTAINED IN THE LYRICS. CLASSIC COYNE EFFORTS LIKE "HOUSE ON THE HILL" AND "SAVIOUR" NEVER SOUNDED BETTER.
THE ADDITION OF THE SINGLE "HAPPY HOLIDAY" IS A GENUIN BONUS TOO, FEATURING COYNE IN A HEARTFELT COMMERCIAL MOOD. "LIVE ROUGH AND MORE" IS A STANDOUT PIECE OF ROCK HISTORY.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY IT.

It can be purchased by e-mail
(click here >>). Price is 18,- € for Germany, 20,- € for the rest of Europe and 22,- € for elsewhere. This price includes postage and shipping. For customers who want to pay by bank transfer:
Turpentine Records, Volksbank Nuernberg, Germany, Bank Identifier Code (BIC) GENODEF1N02 IBAN: DE60 7606 0618 0002 7 173 10.

CD: Donut City

Donut City is an album full of musical surprises, a mixture of melody, blues realism and rich humour with a fair sprinkling of love ballads. The album features mainly Coyne songs with the additional writing skills of his son Robert and West Virginian guitarist Michael Lipton. It was made over a period of twelve month and reflects the ups and downs of a difficult year. Kevin was diagnosed with lung fibrosis ( an illness that creates severe breathing difficulties) over a year ago, a situation that made the artist even more determined to express himself freely.
Turpentine records is to be the vehicle for Coyne's musical ideas. Donut City has all the qualities that made albums like "Millionaires and Teddy Bears" and "Marjorie Razorblade" such classics. The CD was produced in the Musication Studios, Nuremberg, Germany and includes some fine instrumental work from Werner Steinhauser, drums, Andreas Blüml, guitar and Harry Hirschmann, bass (his touring band).
Donut City is dedicated to the individualist in all of us, to those that have grown tired of mass produced meaningless emotion. Stand out tracks are "Locked out", which features some stirring Kevin Coyne piano, and the humorous slice of social comment "Donut City". There are seventeen tracks on the album.We hope you enjoy it.

Donut City is available now. It can be purchased by e-mail (click here >>). Price is 18,- € for Germany, 20,- € for the rest of Europe and 22,- € for elsewhere. This price includes postage and shipping. For customers who want to pay by bank transfer:
Turpentine Records, Volksbank Nuernberg, Germany, Bank Identifier Code (BIC) GENODEF1N02 IBAN: DE60 7606 0618 0002 7 173 10.