Soul Mining: a Musical Life Free

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Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. NOOK Book. When I was a child, as far as the eye could see, the river was often covered by miles and miles of floating logs making their way to the paper mill. That heavy sulfur smell in the air was taken for granted. The riverside road was flanked by log mountains, long-nosed cranes pouring Soul Mining: A Musical Life mysterious solution—one step closer to paper pulp. My parents lived on the Quebec side of the river, the French side, in a government housing community by the name of Projet Dusseau. We were French Canadian. I spoke only French until Soul Mining: A Musical Life age of ten, and I remember having a wonderful upbringing in that community. I never thought much about the fact that we were poor. The Quebec landscape was fascinating to me. Wooden bridges were covered up like birdhouses to keep the snow away. Wooden staircases with roofs were a common sight. If the snow piles up too high, and the weather goes mild, you might not be able to get out till springtime. Chains wrapped around tires for better traction. Cars commonly equipped with tow ropes and battery booster cables. This maple- sugar country is very aware of the power of seasons. In those parts, preparation for survival comes naturally, even Soul Mining: A Musical Life a young boy. Preparation for survival is always in the wings, constantly kicking at your shin—even the shin of a young boy. The varying densities in the journey from maple water to maple syrup to maple sugar are dependent on how long one keeps the water boiling. Much like the winemaking valleys of France or the Bourbon-making valleys of Kentucky, the maple-sugar-making valleys of Quebec produce their limited quantities and fine vintages, with taste relative to the quality of the local soil, the intensity of the sun, and the tender love and care of a specific maple-sugar farm. I remember the springtime ritual—the pouring of boiling maple water into the white snowbanks. Sunday church runs, people wrapped in furs—the house of God was the house of cooperation. Yes, the house of God was a crossing point for relevant village information. The barter system was in use then. My eggs for your wood, my plowing for your corn, and so on. She really knew how to work the maple sugar. These old recipes were closely guarded. Kids walked to school in those days—I liked that about the project. We were on the Soul Mining: A Musical Life of rural land and so my brother Bob and I wandered everywhere after school and did whatever we wanted. We were fascinated by the writing on the sides of the railcars, like Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Rail; others were more specific to provinces and towns. Rolls of steel coming from the west, cattle cars, empty flatbeds, boxcars with open doors—we made up stories about their sources and destinations. A ceramic tile factory by the name of Primco was our second backyard. Bob and I collected various discarded tiles and would make up games with them. A few of the Primco workers were sympathetic to our curiosity, slipping us a few irregular tiles to expand Soul Mining: A Musical Life little homemade building set. I loved the smell of that factory. They had kilns burning all the time, and the nonstop action appealed to me. It must have been a kick to see the faces of two brothers sticking their heads inside the Primco windows, looking for tile handouts. Even at that tender age, Bob and I loved the feeling of productivity. It was a happy childhood, and I was oblivious to the fact that my parents were having marital problems, until I Soul Mining: A Musical Life hearing arguments in the night. Bob, my younger brother, Ron, and I slept in one room, and my parents slept in the other. The arrival of my sister, Jocelyne, meant that we had outgrown the two-bedroom Soul Mining: A Musical Life. My dad was hitting not only the bottle, but also my mother. Ma jolie, how do you do? Ontario, they did go near la ville de Toronto Now my tears, they roll down, tous les jours And I remember the days, and Soul Mining: A Musical Life promises that we made Oh Louise, ma jolie Louise, ma jolie Louise After my mother had had enough domestic mistreatment, she put the four kids on a train and took us from Quebec to Hamilton, Ontario—about a five-hundred-mile journey—and never looked back. Her brother had found work in Hamilton near Toronto as a bartender, and had managed to purchase a rooming house that we lived in the back of until my mom got on her feet. My dad was not happy about all of this, and so a few months later he came to fetch his boys. We were walking to school and he pulled up; we were happy to see him so we jumped in the car and that was it—five hundred miles back to Quebec. My dad was doing carpentry work in town, and Soul Mining: A Musical Life during the week we lived by ourselves. He would come to visit on weekends—we had a blast. We were twelve, nine, and five. My dad was a greaseball, as were his friends. They were the smart-dressing kind of greaseballs—no jeans. They were Soul Mining: A Musical Life and dapper, and as this was the tail end of the fifties, there was a lot of excitement about cars. A two-tone Chevy and all, lots of looking under the hood. My dad was a good dancer. He was funny and looked sharp—very charming, and women like men who are charming. So much gets overlooked in the name of charm. It was a macho time and I liked it. My dad and his friends were hunters. There was a lot of mythology about the ways of the woods. I remember my dad teaching me how to walk in the woods. He had learned from the Indians; it was Soul Mining: A Musical Life about being at one with the wilderness—one step and Soul Mining: A Musical Life a pause to listen. Humans are only Soul Mining: A Musical Life guests in the woods. In the way that a sailor never underestimates the power of the sea, the hunter never forgets the ways of the woods. Soul Mining: A Musical Life have much hearing power; they Soul Mining: A Musical Life a clumsy human intruder from far away. The listening pause between every step puts a human closer to the instinct of the animal. Wintertime adds another dimension to the ways of the woods. The snowbanks hold secrets. One careless footstep might disturb the peace. Only experience can teach what terrain lies underneath the mysterious white snow. When the weather is hot, the flies can eat you alive. The sap running down from the Soul Mining: A Musical Life trees could be your savior. Old Jocko Proux, one of the elders of the community, had survived the woods for an entire week by covering his whole body with pine sap as a barrier against the flies. A marking on a white birch, connected with the marking on yet another white birch two hundred feet away, connected with a marking on yet another white birch another two hundred feet away, keeps a circling human going straight. The birch-to-birch technique is common knowledge as remedy for anyone lost in the woods. Preparation is a big part of survival in these isolated northern Quebec communities, many of which have no electricity. Soul Mining: A Musical Life seasons are the governors and dictators of all human behavior. If you want ice for your icebox in the summer, then you must cut your ice from the lake in the winter. Ice cutting is a collective effort: a group of men, bucksaws in hand, cutting through two feet of ice. The ice is lifted out of the water with massive pliers and placed on skids to be dragged back to shore. The gaping hole has a slippery edge. One mistake and somebody might drown. Remarkably, the sawdust acts as an insulator and keeps the massive blocks of ice intact for the entire warm season. The family that does not fill their icehouse in the winter will not be able to keep their fish cold in the summer. When my dad left us in the cabin, we pretty much did whatever we wanted. Bob and I shot rifles a lot, and Bob got really good—he could have been a sniper. I liked the smell of bullets exploding in my face. We three boys—we all loved shooting those rifles. We had a. There was a sandpit nearby where we shot arrows into the sky. We closed our eyes and waited for them to land, and sure enough they did, sometimes right next to us. What does all this mean? It just shows the madness of boys. He was busy cooking, five years old, standing on a chair at a woodstove. Everybody survived, and as crazy as it may seem, I believe those were good learning times. Soul Mining: A Musical Life |

After a bidding war between major record labels which resulted in the group signing with CBS RecordsJohnson began recording the album in New York City, but the initial recording sessions were aborted after the album's first two singles and Johnson returned to London where he wrote and recorded the rest of the record. Musically, Soul Mining is a post-punk and synth-pop album with influences of the early s New York club scene, while Johnson's lyrics focus on relationship insecurities and social alienation, with imagery derived from dreams. Although the album received positive reviews, its initial sales were modest, reaching number 27 in the UK and charting in a number of other countries, but in the album was certified gold in the UK. Soul Mining was reissued in June as a two-disc 30th Soul Mining: A Musical Life deluxe version on vinyl, attracting retrospective reviews which universally praised the record, with critics describing it as both Johnson's best work and one of the best albums of the s. Following the release of Burning Blue Soul Johnson had started work on a follow-up, provisionally titled The Pornography of Despair. Although Burning Blue Soul had been released on the 4AD record label, the The had also released a one-off single, "Cold Spell Ahead", in on the Some Bizarre label run by Stevoand major record labels were expressing interest in Some Bizarre's acts following the worldwide success of Soft Cell. Johnson and Stevo decided that the best way to achieve commercial success was to record a new version of "Cold Spell Ahead". He bought the instrument and returned to the studio with it, using it to create an intro for "Uncertain Smile". The single became the Soul Mining: A Musical Life first release on Epic, released in October and reaching number Soul Mining: A Musical Life on the UK Singles chart. However, the second session at MediaSound did not go as smoothly as the first one had. Johnson and Stevo also decided to make a road trip to Detroit, with Johnson saying that he had felt compelled to visit the city during the recording of "Perfect" because he felt he was being inauthentic singing the song's lyrics about down-and-outs unless he had experienced it personally, and that "although I hadn't lived there, I knew that Soul Mining: A Musical Life seen more than virtually any of the other bands in the charts so I had no reason to feel bad about it". The relationship between Thorne and the visitors deteriorated as a result of Johnson and Stevo's actions, and disagreements over the songs' production. Thorne wanted to use his new Synclavier unit, but Johnson preferred the sounds of his far cheaper Omnichord. The original New York-produced 7" single versions of "Uncertain Smile" and "Perfect" were included on the The's greatest hits album 45 RPM: The Singles of The The inwhile the two 12" versions were included on the second disc of the 30th anniversary reissue of Soul Mining in Having returned to London Soul Mining: A Musical Life only two songs, CBS asked Johnson if he had any other material that could be used. In response, Johnson began to re-record his unfinished album The Pornography of Despairbut he was not happy Soul Mining: A Musical Life the new versions of the songs, feeling that they lacked impact. He Soul Mining: A Musical Life the album entirely, and decided to write a new album from scratch instead, with "The Sinking Feeling" being the only song retained from The Pornography of Despair. The rest Soul Mining: A Musical Life the songs for Soul Mining were written Soul Mining: A Musical Lifeeither in Johnson's bedsit in Highbury or in the flat of his girlfriend Fiona Skinner, in Braithwaite House in Finsbury. In an interview with Melody Maker in May Soul Mining: A Musical Life, five months before the album's release, Johnson shared fragments of the lyrics that he was working on, and said that many of them were based on mental Soul Mining: A Musical Life and states of mind. He explained one image, "I'm floating into harbour in a soggy cardboard box", saying, "I've always had this weird thing about the sea, incredibly deep and cold". He also quoted another lyric in progress: "The sun is high and I've been out on the verandah sitting in life's proverbial rocking chair, blanket over my knees", and then explained that "I've always had these images on my mind, very strange dreams. The idea of a clear blue sky, a massive sky in the desert with this little American hut, a verandah, a guy in a rocking chair watching Soul Mining: A Musical Life flying across the sky, philosophising about his past life". However, he stated that another line, "I'm in the corner of an overgrown garden, head between my knees, trying not too breath too loudly" an early version of the opening lines from "I've Been Waitin' for Tomorrow" was based on a real incident from his childhood, when he had broken into a house — when the police arrived, he had fled into the garden and hidden in a chicken hut. In interviews for the reissue Johnson stated that some of the earlier songs such as Soul Mining: A Musical Life Smile" and "The Twilight Hour" had the theme of "unrequited love", although as he had fallen in love with Skinner while writing the album, the later songs explored other themes. He rejected his reputation for writing depressing lyrics, saying that they were "supposed to be uplifting, but thoughtful. A poignant reflection. Following their return to London from New York, Stevo recommended that Johnson should contact Thorne's former engineer Paul Hardiman to act as his new producer. The remix Soul Mining: A Musical Life done on Christmas Evewhich Hardiman recalled had caused some friction with his wife. While the songs for the album were being written, Johnson and Hardiman set about looking for a recording studio in London. Although the only two Soul Mining: A Musical Life credited in the liner notes for Soul Mining are Advision and Sarm, Johnson has since stated in several interviews that the majority of the album was recorded at the Garden studio in Shoreditcheast London. Throughout May the The held a weekly residence of concerts at the Marquee club in central London, featuring many of Johnson's musician friends from the British post-punk scene. Johnson used these concerts to decide which musicians he wanted to contribute to the forthcoming the The album. These included Orange Juice drummer Zeke Manyikado-it-yourself synthesizer pioneer Thomas Leerand the experimental Australian musician Jim Thirlwellcredited on the album as one of his early aliases "Frank Want", and who would go on to achieve some degree of recognition recording under the name Foetus. The idea to include a piano solo resulted from the Garden studio having a Yamaha C3 baby grand piano, and it was suggested to Johnson that Holland would be a good Soul Mining: A Musical Life to play it. Johnson recalled that Holland had turned up on a hot summer's day in full motorbike leathers, listened to a couple of minutes of the song as a run- through, and then played his solo in one take, with a second drop-in afterwards. As with many of the The's early albums and singles, the original cover artwork was created by Matt Johnson's brother Andrewaka "Andy Dog". The UK album cover featured a painting of one of the wives of Fela Kuti smoking a joint, adapted from a photograph Andy had seen in The Face. Soul Mining: A Musical Life a interview with Electronic Sound Johnson stated that his brother had been correct, and it would have been better to have used the second painting for the cover of the album in all territories. Graphic designer Fiona Skinner, who had become Johnson's girlfriend increated the bespoke typeface used on Soul Mining. Soul Mining was released on 21 October However, in the US a record company executive decided that seven songs was not enough for a full album, and a re- recorded version of "Perfect" was added to the US version of Soul Miningas well as some versions of the Canadian release, much to Johnson's annoyance. In Australia and New Zealand, the album contained nine Soul Mining: A Musical Life, with "Fruit of Soul Mining: A Musical Life Heart" closing side one and "Perfect" at the end of side two. It was not until the The's early albums were remastered and reissued in that Johnson finally succeeded in having Soul Mining reissued without "Perfect", as originally intended. The UK cassette version contained the original seven-track album on side one, and "Perfect" and five other extra tracks on side two, which had originally been recorded for The Pornography of Despair. To date these five songs have never appeared anywhere on CD. The 2-LP "30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" boxset of Soul Mining includes an authentic vinyl reproduction of the release, with audio remastered in overseen by Matt Johnson at Abbey Road Studiosand is expanded with a second vinyl Soul Mining: A Musical Life alternate versions, 12"'s and remixes, intended to complete a "purist album experience". The album was well received on its release. Don Watson of NME said, "In days when the pop song has been reduced to the reiteration of catch- phrases, Matt Johnson flexes a rare literary flair. More importantly he has the command of music's immense possibilities to carry them through without self-indulgence. Ignore this LP if you must, but you'll be ignoring one of the year's rare heart-stopping moments. It will sound mawkish, almost absurd, like a voice crying wolf over and over Then again, there'll be times when it will sound obscenely close to the bone, as if [Johnson] were invading and defiling your most private thoughts and emotions In other words, you'll use Soul Mining as a barometer to your day and if that's the principal function of great pop, then surely Soul Mining is great pop. Youthful angst and anomie are fine in their place, but not all over the place. The release of the 30th anniversary deluxe edition in received universal praise from music critics. Michael Bonner of Uncut described the record as a "masterpiece" and said, "Released in the interzone between post- punk and synth pop, and reflecting both, Soul Mining thrums with ideas, tension and dread. Certainly, for an album of heavy themes, Soul Mining is musically surprisingly light. And, odd years on, remarkably fresh. He stated, "The years Soul Mining: A Musical Life not have been quite so kind to Soul Mining were it not for the inspired guest performances that Johnson teased out of his collaborators", singling out Holland's piano solo as "a high point on an album full of them". More striking still is the ease with which Johnson marshals a kaleidoscopic array of musical influences into something coherent and unique. Quite aside from Holland's boogie-woogie piano, over the course of Soul Mining ' s seven tracks, you variously hear folk fiddles and accordion, the popping basslines of contemporary funk, punishing industrial beats, electronics derived from New York's then current club music But Soul Mining never sounds disjointed, never feels like an exercise in smart-alec showboating: Johnson's songwriting holds its disparate elements tightly together. Maybe that's why it's never really cited as an influence these days: you can't hope to mimic something this personal and unique. Melody Maker placed Soul Mining at number three in its critics' list of the best albums of [34] and the NME placed it at number 25 in its own list the same year. Reviewing the remastered reissue inPopMatters said, "It may not make the list of best records of the '80s, but it's damn close, and would definitely stir some intense debate over its inclusion. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Quietus. Stereo Society. Archived from the original on 4 March Retrieved 21 November Official Charts Company. Electronic Sound. Melody Maker. Archived from the original on 16 March Barefaced Lies and Boogie Woogie Boasts. Michael Joseph. Record Mirror. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 February Retrieved 23 July Smash Hits. Retrieved 2 January The Encyclopedia of Popular Music 5th concise ed. Omnibus Press. The Guardian G2 supplement. Retrieved 26 March The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 8 May August Record Collector. The Guardian. Australian Chart Book — Hung Medien. British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. The The. Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. Soul Mining: A Musical Life by Daniel Lanois

The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic Soul Mining: A Musical Life. See details for additional description. Skip to main content. About this product. Stock photo. Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. Title: Soul Mining. Catalogue Soul Mining: A Musical Life Format: BOOK. Soul Mining: A Musical Life Information?. See all 4 brand new listings. Buy It Now. Add to cart. A French-speaking kid from Canada, Lanois was driven by his innate curiosity and intense love of music to transcend his small-town origins and become one of the world's most prolific and successful record producers, as well as a brilliant musician in his own right. Lanois takes us through his childhood, from being one of four kids raised by a single mother on a hairdresser's salary, to his discovery by Brian Eno, to his work on albums such as U2's The Joshua TreeBob Dylan's Time Out of Mindand Emmylou Harris's Wrecking Ball. Revealing for the first time his unique recording secrets and innovations, Lanois delves into the ongoing evolution of technology, discussing his earliest sonic experiments with reel-to-reel decks, the birth of the microchip, the death of discrete circuitry, and the arrival of the download era. Part technological treatise, part philosophical manifesto on the nature of Soul Mining: A Musical Life excellence and the overwhelming need for music, Soul Mining brings the reader viscerally inside the recording studio, where the surrounding forces have always been just as important as the resulting albums. Beyond skill, beyond record budgets, beyond image and ego, Lanois's work and music show the value of dedication and soul. His lifelong quest to find the perfect mixture of tradition and innovation is inimitable and unforgettable. Additional Product Features Number of Volumes. Daniel Lanois' memoir could've easily been a 'look-at-where-I've-come-from-and-look-what-I've-accomplished' bit of swagger and boast--but it never comes close to being that. As he swings from sounding like an excited young Edison as he and Brian Eno unlock sonic secrets, to remembering his young-boy fear of forgetting the addresses of any of his newspaper route customers, Lanois writes with an openness and honesty about himself that leaves you feeling this is truly an interesting and humble man. When he describes some of the processes used in recording the highly successful albums he's produced, Lanois does it in a way that explains what he was feeling and what he was looking for; he makes the case and Soul Mining: A Musical Life you understanding where his heart was at the time. It's that passion thing; Soul Mining is packed with it. Readers will savor the unique character of the producer's unconventional technique, which often employs setting up a jerry-rigged studio with vintage gear in an exotic locale. Lanois' book bursts with atmosphere and feeling. He is Soul Mining: A Musical Life rare breed, a lyrical technocrat, and he emerges from the work as one of music's most unusual and charismatic figures. There's really nothing like this oft-rapturous work in the canon of musical memoirs. And that makes this a real treat for serious music fans. A wonderful read. Show More Show Less. Any Condition Any Condition. See all 5 - All Soul Mining: A Musical Life for this product. No ratings or reviews yet No ratings or reviews yet. Be the first to write a review. Best Selling in Nonfiction See all. Bill o'Reilly's Killing Ser. When Women Pray Hardcover T. Jakes Christian Inspirational No ratings or reviews yet. Save on Nonfiction Trending price is based on prices over last 90 days. You may also like. Danielle Steel Paperback Books. Daniel Silva Paperback Books. Daniel Defoe Paperback Books. Paperback Danielle Steel Books. Daniels Paperback Books. Life Vintage Paperback Magazines. This item doesn't belong on this page. Be the first to write a review About this product.