Tbis month: Kate and Anna M{larigle

Eacb month u)e test a musician with a set of records wbih they're asked t0 clnzment 0/t and

"mark out of fiue" - tuith no prior knowledge of what it is tbey're hearing! This month: Kate and

Anna McGarri gle take the test uith PhiLip 'W'atson.

Fn c Ncu-CA N A Dr AN singer- songwriters Kate and Anna McGarrigle may be recognised for having produced some of rhe mosr poignant, affecting music of the last 20 years, but defining it can be more prob- lematic. Daughters of a Qu6becois mother and Irish-Canadian father, the McGarrigles create music infused by folk forms ranging from Celtic )igs to traditional French- Canadian lullabys, country and western, and such popular American singers as Hoagy Carmichael and the Everly Brothers- They also favour using traditional acoustic instru- ments such as fiddles, accordions, banjos and hand-held drums- \While the McGarrigies' songs have been recorded by such artists as , , Loudon \Wainwright III (Kate's former husband) and Marianne Faith- full, the sisters launched their own recording careers in 1976 with their celebrated, highly original debtt Kate And Anna McGarrigb The Nc{}arrigle Sistr: u,ai fu tbe flash to go off. Photo by MarkDouet (\Tarner Bros). Since then the duo have produced six albums including Tbe French be. She's very consistent in that her story- PATSY CLINE Album (Hannrbal), a collection of old and telling tradition, lack of rhyme, and long, "Sweet Dreams" from Golden Greats: Patsy new songs with French lyrics, and last year's very tight phrasing are immediately recog- Cline, The Original Recordings (MCA). Cline Hedrtbeats Accelerating (Private Music), a nisable. Even though her music's changed (v); no personnel listed. richer, more textured recording, and their over rhe years, she manages to stay herself. first for seven years. Although live perform- Kate: But she's not really been an influence. Kate: Oh, that's "Sweet Dreams". ances in Europe have been sparse in recent rJTe didn't listen to a lot of contemporary Anna: Is this the original? Is it Patsy Cline? years, the McGarrigles played the Royal singer-songwriters, we mostly listened to Kate: (laughing) Great line: "1 shall neuer Festival Hall inJuly as part of The Chieftains traditional music. I mean, I don't own aJoni ue,z.r llilr ring". Her singing is so cultured - Music Festival. Mitcheli record. She's a little jazzier than we every breath, every note - it's like a trained are - we tend to stick more to traditional singer. That voice would sit right out in kinds of chords. But she's definitely great, front of the track and there's not one mistake ,oNr MTTCHELL there's no doubt about that. in it. "Cherokee Louise" from Night Ride Hone Anna: Yeah, she's probably the single Anna: And no one can imitate that voice

(Geffen). \fayne Shorter (ss); Mitchell (g, greatest female . because it's in the genes, it's in the accent kbs, v); Larry Klein (b); Vinnie Colaiuta (d); Kate: Composer . and timbre of the people in that area (Virgi- Karen Paris (voc). Anna: Of her time and beyond it. And her nia). The whole thing is very stylised, too, influence on all these new singers like Tracy compared to some of the more naive country Kate: It sounds like Joni Mitchell, but I Chapman is enormous. music that was being made at the same time. don't know this song. Kate: She has an attitude, she has a style, This stuff must have sounded so cool and Anna: Is this from her most recent record? and . I'11 give it five. super-sophisticated. Yeah, it's floatier-sounding than it used to Anna: Yeah, five. Marks ?

uire @ magazine This montb: Kate and Anna McGarrigle

Kate: Oh, five. The kind of counrry \Well, that I a white audience. You can almost hear thar Kate: I've never heard of rhem. I ger prefer is somerhing a little simpler and less Sophie Tucker influence, but it's as ifthey've the feeling that these kids were groomed by strident, but this is there, all you can'r studied diction or somerhing. their parents in the way theJacksons were by improve on it. rWhen Anna: they do those close harmonies theirs. They're making a living I suppose, Anna: Yeah, that's.a perfect five. and swoops it reminds of some of the sound- but this is too poppy popular music for me. rracks ro rhe Disney films. And rhe word "dancing' seems ro come into KD LANG Kate: Yeah, I can't take this too seriously the song an awful lor; you certainly know "\Wallflower $7a1tz" from Absohtte Torcb And musically. They've already taken somerhing they're in the mood by the end of the song. Twang (Sie). Lang (g, v); Greg Lister (steel - I prefer to go to where they took it from It's as ifthey're trying to sound like no one in g); Ben Mink (g, mand, strings); John and make somerhing out of that. And the particular; I don't hear a personality in the Dymond (b); Michel Pouliot (d). song kinda went all over the place. I'll give vocals. thar a rhree. Anna: It was well done, but it's like a Anna: (After a whispaed conference.) That's Anna: Oh, I'd give it more rhan that. It generic hit - you think you might have heard very good singing, but we don't know who ir doesn't touch you, and it's not really saying it, but you haven't. is. anything, but everything was executed well. Marks? It's hd lang. I'll give it four-and-a-half. Kate: Oh (pause). VeLl, the Boswells' cut Kate: Oh, it is. Okay. don't rhe I like song was more interesting because you could at very much. have associating I trouble her SINEAD O'CONNOR least hear the individual voices. On this track visual image of the old cowboy "Nothing big hat, the Compares 2 IJ" from I Do Not I can't really hear whether it's two voices, chaps sitting around the camp fire, and Vant Vhat I Hat)elt't Glt (Ensign). O'Connor five, or 12. turn-of-the-century cowboys out on the (v): no other personnel listed- Anna: The song is not terribly good. \Wirh- range with the warm, very feminine voice (Togoher) It's Sinead O'Connor. out being impolite: two. that comes out of it. Anna: Great singer, terrific. Anna: Yeah, she's not a really good old girl; Kate: Her performance on rhe Grammy /LI N DA RONSTADT/ she's not really like people brought up in the Awards was rhe best thing I've seen on TV EMMYLOU HARRIS country or on ranges and farms. for years. She was looking sharp, and it just "To Know Him Is To Love Him" lrom Trio Kate: But I like her background, I like thar didn't matter, she was just so intense and so (\Tarner Bros). Parton/Ronstadt/Harris (v); kind of mus.ic - she's using traditional in- great. It was raaaauunt4t,, and I was really Ry Cooder (g); Albert Lee (g); David Lindley struments and - I like the fact they reaily moved by it; it's like she's all in it. There's (g, mand); Kenny Edwards (b); exaggerare the music, every chord is really somerhing of the beauty and the beast in her (d). leaned into. But I'm never really sure if - she's incredibly beautiful and vulnerable- they're quite making fun of it. looking, but at the same time rhere's some- Kate: (innediate$'Ihis is Trio, right? y eah, Marks? thing incredibly raw and animal about her. we have this record. Anna: \Well, certainly rhe anangement on Anna: Yeah, she's exciting, and I'd have to Anna: Yeah, it's very nice. It's a beautiful that cut was very good. I'd give her a five. say rhat I agree with Sin6ad's commenrs on Kate: Yeah, we're basing the five on the the Gulf \Var - more power to her. I think Kate: Phil Spector wrote it, didn't he? He quality of what she's is doing. kd lang people tend to be more outspoken over here wrote it for his father. rVhat's interesting is excellent, she's a force. than we do in Canada or America. If you had that they're all very different personalities as opened your mouth and said something singers. Linda s nor really a counrry singer, rJ7ar THE BOSIVELL SISTERS negative about rhe Gulf you would have Dolly's definitely a counrry singer of the old "Shout, Sister, Shout" from Nothing \Vas been a marked person. mould, and Emmylou's a new brand of Sweeter (Ace Tban Tbe Boswell Sisters Of Mark:? country singer. The record was good, but Hearts). Martha, Connie and Vet Boswell (v) Kate: Six. this track I found a little slow. with a (tp); (g); o Manny Klein Eddie Lang Anna: Sure- Anna: Yeah, this was a nice rendition, and Venuti (vn), (vib). Joe Chauncey Moorehouse Kate: Becuase she took a song writen by a their vocal blend is very beautiful, but the great songwriter and a terrific personality modulation I'm not too sure about. rJ7ell, Anna: it's certainly nor The Sup- and she made it her own. That's real ability. Markrl remes. I don'r know who ir is. Anna: It's hard for us because we're biased - Kate: And it's too early for the McGuire THE NOLANS both Linda and Emmylou have recorded Sisters. "I'm In The Mood For Dancing" from Tbe songs oFours. Okay, again, because it's just a It's The Bostull Sisters. Best Of Tlte Nolau (Ditto). No personnel cover and I'm biased in favour of rhe Teddy Kate: The only sruff I have from that era is listed. Bears'original . Ma Rainey, that's even but earlier, and I Kate: Yes, in my opinion the original was really love her because she's so raw. This is Kate: I've got no idea. Who is ir? more exciting . very sweet; it's beginning to stylise blues for It's the Nalan sisten. Anna: I'd have to say four-and-a-half.

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