Back in the 1980s, in the days of awful opera crossover records, Private Eye ran a spoof ad for an album called ‘Kiri sings the Sex Pistols’.
Now, leftfield early music pioneers Concerto Caledonia, best known for their explorations of Scottish 18th century music, have followed this unlikely lead, releasing a 7” single that features opera star Lisa Milne MBE singing the Buzzcocks song Boredom – but in her own Aberdonian accent.
Also featured is the group’s collaboration with cult singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston (of ‘The Devil and Daniel Johnston’ movie fame): a version of his classic song Walking the Cow, with added baroque strings and harpsichord recorded in a 15th century Scottish church.
Director David McGuinness said: ‘We needed a creative response to the declining CD market. Elsewhere in classical music, symphony orchestras tend to get overexcited about webcasts that no-one will ever watch all the way through, but we thought we’d embrace redundant technology instead and release some music on an old format that only obsessives still use. The record itself is a beautiful artefact, on translucent red vinyl with unique artwork – so if you can’t get your laptop to play it you can always hang it on the wall.’
Concerto Caledonia's witty reworking of Buzzcocks' Boredom replaces guitar with flute 'n' fiddle and Shelley with operatic soprano Lisa Milne, clearly taking sheer enjoyment from spitting out lyrics like "ring a-******** ding" over frenzied harpsichord.
4 Stars : Chris Buckle, www.theskinny.co.uk
Hear it at www.myspace.com/lioncd
Released September 2008 on label aufgeladen und bereit A&B014
- Concerto Caledonia featuring Lisa Milne – Boredom (Shelley/Devoto)
- Concerto Caledonia featuring Daniel Johnston – Walking the Cow (Johnston)
- Future Pilot AKA featuring Kim Fowley – Devil Town (Johnston)
available at www.concal.org/cds.htm
concert dates :
- September 24 Synod Hall, Pittsburgh, USA with the Chris Norman Ensemble - Pittsburgh Renaissance and Baroque Society
- October 3 Mugdock Country Park, near Glasgow
- October 4 Marryat Hall, Dundee – Fest ‘n’ Furious
- October 10 ABC, Glasgow with Future Pilot AKA, Alasdair Roberts - Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival
For Press Review Copies and more information on the music of Concerto Caledonia - contact LoganArts Management
or visit Concerto Caledonia : www.concal.org
