Saturday 26 August, 2000
This is Cinerama!
When David Gedge decided to take a break from The Wedding Present, it was after 13 years of releasing uncompromising guitar music that had brought 17 UK Top 40 chart hits and several critically acclaimed albums. He had also equalled Elvis Presley’s record of 12 Top 30 singles in one year. Enlisting help from girlfriend and long-term Wedding Present associate Sally Murrell, debut album ‘Va Va Voom’ was released in 1998. Gone were the hard guitar sounds and simple songs, and in their place were intricately layered flutes, keyboards and violins. Two years on, Cinerama are about to release their second album, and The Edge invited them into the studio to play two live songs.
The Cast
‘Disco Volante’, named after Largo’s boat in the Bond film ‘Thunderball’, is being released on Cinerama’s own label, Scopitones. David Gedge has come full circle since the early days of The Wedding Present, who released their first few recordings on their own Reception Records label. Gedge says of his decision to return to his own label:
“I’m now in total control… I’ve got to have complete control over every aspect of my work because, well, otherwise I get very upset! Ironically, I had the most artistic control ever when The Wedding Present were signed to RCA, and that’s a major label! You’d expect an independent label to respect the wishes of their artistes… but in practice I haven’t found that to be the case.”
‘Va Va Voom’ was recorded primarily by Gedge and Murrell. But ‘Disco Volante’ is more of a band project, with the touring members of Cinerama now fully involved in the creative process. Gedge says:
"For ‘Va Va Voom’ we just brought in other musicians as and when we needed them but then after we’d formed a group to play live, it seemed the obvious thing to record like that too. So, yeah, they’ve had much more input which you can tell, because the record’s better!"
The Soundtrack
Films and soundtracks have been influential to Cinerama. The cover of ‘Va Va Voom’ was a tribute to ‘60s film ‘Blow Up’; the latest single, ‘Lollobrigida’, is named after the legendary Italian actress; and the influence of John Barry and Ennio Morricone soundtracks are noticeable in the use of brass and string instruments. ‘Disco Volante’s opener ‘146 Degrees’, is named after the angle of a Cinerama screen, and the album contains recordings of everyday life linking the songs together like a soundtrack.
The lyrics plot a familiar course, with songs of desire mixing with tales of break-ups and infidelity. While primarily a slower, softer album than ‘Va Va Voom’, electric guitars are used more, blending in with the orchestration. 'Because I'm Beautiful' features Gedge’s first full duet with Murrell, who had previously sung lead vocals on ‘Pacific’. Gedge says of the orchestration:
"I actually know what I’m doing now, in terms of arrangement for those other instruments, so maybe because the orchestration is better and more cinematic, maybe it’s become more important… more striking?"
The Producer
The new album is produced by Steve Albini, the American musician / producer who has also produced albums for PJ Harvey and Nirvana. The Wedding Present’s 1991 ‘Seamonsters’ album was also produced by Albini. These albums, and Albini’s own music with Big Black and Shellac, had a much harder sound to them. So why did Gedge choose Albini to produce the softer sound of Cinerama?
"I thought he would bring out some of the tension in Cinerama and make it more substantial and darker… And then, of course, when people started telling me that it would never work I suppose I became determined to try!"
The closest song to The Wedding Present’s sound, and that which has the most obvious Albini influence, is ‘Wow’. A previous single for Cinerama, described by UK magazine Melody Maker as “good, dirty fun”, it is extended to seven minutes on the album, ending with familiar Albini-tinged feedback. ‘Wow’ may be the most accessible for die-hard Wedding Present fans, but does Gedge wonder if he’s sometimes alienating his other band’s followers?
"I’d be a bit vain, and stupid, to assume that everyone’s going to like everything I ever do! So I don’t bother. Which means it came as a nice surprise that so many people have stuck with me. But… there are a lot of new fans coming along nowadays who say: ‘I love Cinerama, but aren’t you in some other band, too? I’d like to hear them…’ And I think… boy, have you got a lot to catch up on!"
On General Release
‘Disco Volante’ is released on September 18th. For the rest of the year, Cinerama will be promoting it and trying to fit in a UK and US tour. They have also recorded their 4th session for John Peel’s Radio One show. There is an obvious mutual admiration between Gedge and John Peel. Both Cinerama and The Wedding Present are regulars on Peel’s programmes, and after a recent performance Peel remarked:
“The boy Gedge has written some of the best love songs of the Rock ‘n’ Roll era. You may dispute this, but I’m right and you’re wrong!” |
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| Discography |
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Singles
Kerry Kerry (Cooking Vinyl, 1998)
Dance, Girl, Dance (Cooking Vinyl, 1998)
Pacific / Kings Cross (Elefant, 1999)
Manhattan (Scopitones, 2000)
Wow (Scopitones, 2000)
Lollobrigida (Scopitones, 2000)
Albums
Va Va Voom (Cooking Vinyl, 2000)
Disco Volante (Scopitones, 2000) |
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| On Screen |
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Fred Waller invented the original Cinerama screen. The first feature, 'This Is Cinerama', was played for the first time in New York in 1952. The screen displayed three overlapping films and used around 600% more image area than the 35 mm standard.
Only a handful of films were produced for the Cinerama format, including 'How The West Was Won' and 'Seven Wonders of the World'. Few screens exist now, including one in Bradford, UK and one in Seattle, USA. |
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