| Ana da Silva |
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ANA DA SILVA
THE RAINCOATS ALWAYS COLLABORATED ON IDEAS AND SONGS - AND PLAYED GUITARS! WITH THIS PROJECT, THE LIGHTHOUSE, I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT – SOMETHING I HADN’T DONE BEFORE.
I DECIDED TO BUY A SMALL DIGITAL INSTRUMENT WHICH HAS LOTS OF SOUNDS, A MINI KEYBOARD, AND A SEQUENCER (YOU CAN PROGRAMME ALL THE NOTES AND BEATS INTO ITS MEMORY) ALL OF THE ALBUM, EXCEPT MODINHA, WAS RECORDED WITH THIS INSTRUMENT AND MY VOICE ONTO AN EIGHT TRACK DIGITAL RECORDER. SOMETIMES THIS WAS ALL VERY OVERWHELMING, BUT AT LEAST IT’S ALL AS I WANT IT TO BE, HAVING WRITTEN, PLAYED, RECORDED AND MIXED THE WHOLE ALBUM MYSELF.
FOR ME, MAKING THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS A REALLY CHALLENGING AND STIMULATING EXPERIENCE – I WANT THE SONGS TO EXPRESS FEELINGS AND TO CREATE WORLDS IN WHICH THE LISTENER CAN ROAM IN THEIR OWN PARTICULAR WAY.
THE RAINCOATS
WE ALL LOVE OUR SECRET BANDS. KURT COBAIN CAME ACROSS A RAINCOATS ALBUM, AND FOUND THERE A BUNCH OF SOUL MATES WHOSE HONEST EMOTIONS AFFECTED HIM SO MUCH THAT HE TRACKED DOWN FOUNDER MEMBER ANA DA SILVA SOMEWHERE IN NOTTING HILL, PERSUADED DGC (NIRVANA’S RECORD LABEL) TO RE-ISSUE THE RAINCOATS BACK CATALOGUE AND ENCOURAGED THE BAND TO RE-FORM. IN 1977 DA SILVA AND GINA BIRCH, INSPIRED BY THE EXAMPLE OF THE PISTOLS AND THE CLASH, OF COURSE, BUT ALSO BY THE WOMEN OF THE SLITS AND X-RAY SPEX, HAD RESPONDED TO PUNK’S DIY CALL TO ARMS AND EVENTUALLY PERSUADED THE SLIT’S DRUMMER PALMOLIVE TO JOIN THEIR RANKS. WITH THE ADDITION OF THE CLASSICALLY TRAINED VIOLINIST VICKY ASPINALL, THE RAINCOATS WERE AN ALL FEMALE BAND WHO OWED NOTHING TO MALE FANTASY OUTFITS LIKE THE RUNAWAYS, AND PRODUCED A PRIMEVAL PUNK-FOLK SOUND ON ORIGINAL SONGS LIKE ‘FAIRYTALE IN THE SUPERMARKET’ AND ‘IN LOVE’ OR DECONSTRUCTING THE KINKS’ ‘LOLA’ WITH CHEEK, FUN AND A PINCH OF SALT.
THE BOOK OF ROCK, PHILIP DODD, PAVILION BOOKS, 2001.
ALBUMS
LOOKING IN THE SHADOWS, 1996, DGC.
MOVING, 1984, ROUGH TRADE, DGC.
THE KITCHEN TAPES, 1983, ROIR.
ODYSHAPE, 1981, ROUGH TRADE, DGC.
THE RAINCOATS, 1979, ROUGH TRADE, DGC.
SINGLES
DON’T BE MEAN/VICIOUS/I KEEP WALKING, 1995, ROUGH TRADE
EXTENDED PLAY, 1994, BLAST FIRST
ANIMAL RHAPSODY/NO ONE’S LITTLE GIRL/HONEY MAD WOMAN, 1983, ROUGH TRADE
NO ONE’S LITTLE GIRL/RUNNING AWAY, 1982, ROUGH TRADE
FAIRYTALE IN THE SUPERMARKET/IN LOVE/ADVENTURES CLOSE TO HOME, 1979, ROUGH TRADE |
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