After Montreal in 2008 and Tokyo in 2009, Lewis
Furey now announces on his site some dates in Paris, from February 4 to 7 2010
at l'Europén. This should give Europeans an opportunity to catch
his "Selected
songs" recital.
Tickets are now on sale. More info on L'Européen's
web site, including the press
kit.
If the news of these concerts was not enough to satisfy Lewis Furey's fans,
they can all the more rejoice with the announcement contained in the press kit
of the reissue early in 2010 of "Lewis Furey"
and "The humours of...", as well as
the release of a "Selected songs" compilation with the first recorded
versions of the songs of the recital, and also the publication of a songbook
!
Here's an extract from one of these concerts in Montreal
:
If one of the comments to this video is to be believed,
new shows would be lined up for March 2009 in Tokyo. One will watch closely
the
news posted on Lewis Furey's official website , crossing one's fingers hoping
that Lewis Furey will soon perform in France with this live set-up !
LEWIS FUREY : "Hustler's tango"
/ "Last night", A & M, 1975 (USA promo)
LEWIS FUREY : "Lullaby"
/ "Lullaby", A & M, 1976 (USA promo)
LEWIS FUREY : "Top ten sexes"
/ "Top ten sexes", A & M, 1976 (USA promo)
LEWIS FUREY : "Waiting on you"
/ "Pretty baby", RCA / Saravah, 1979 (France)
LES PETITES FILLES : "Sauverais-tu
ma vie ?" / "Sauverais-tu ma vie ?" (version instrumentale),
RCA / Saravah, 1979 (France)
LEWIS FUREY & CAROLE LAURE : "See
you monday", RCA / Saravah, 1979 (original soundtrack from "Au revoir...
à lundi) (France)
LEWIS FUREY & CAROLE LAURE : "Fantastica"
/ "What's wrong with me", RCA / Saravah, 1980 (original soundtrack
from "Fantastica") (France)
LEWIS FUREY & CAROLE LAURE : "I
should have known better" / "Slowly, I married her", RCA /
Saravah, 1982 (France)
LEWIS FUREY & CAROLE LAURE : "Fire"
/ "Angel eyes", RCA / Saravah, 1985 (original soundtrack
from "Night Magic) (France)
Appearances on other artists' records
Violin on the album "New skin for the old ceremony"
by Leonard Cohen (CBS, 1974)
Voice on the song "Fame a la mode", from
the album "Michel Polnareff" by Michel Polnareff (Atlantic, 1975),
also released as a single in France
Backing vocals on the album "Numbers by Cat Stevens
(1975)
Poetry
Some poems were published by After Dark Magazine,
in march 1972, november 1974 and in 1975, among which "Sugar's suicidal
trance" et "Rusty's swan song"
"Some Faustus material", by Lewis Furey,
linocuts by Josette Trépanier : 11 page portfolio, limited edition
of 45 copies, published in Montreal in 1975 by P. Guillaume.
here are five photographs taken on the set of the
film "Fantastica" (circa 1979-1980) by Charles
McRobert
Lewis Furey covered by others
Lewis Furey has written many songs for others. As for himself, to my
knowledge, he has only covered one song ("Ordinaire" by Robert Charlebois,
in english under the title "Ordinary guy" on "The sky is falling").
His own songs, still to my knowledge, have rarely been covered y others.
Here are the three instances I am aware of :
Tom Robinson covered "Closing the door"
on stage in 1979. A version can be found on the record "Cabaret '79"
released in 1982 (rereleased
in 1997 by Castaway Northwest) ; I don't know this record, but Tom
Robinson introduces the song like this :
"Well... good evening and welcome and thank you for coming - this IS
a gay show, you realise? (Camp voice: "Well I didn't for a start")
Well you're not getting a refund !! This is a song by Lewis Furey, who is
a strange Canadian: somebody sent me an album of his - that was only released
in the U.S. - about 3 years ago, I tried to make all my friends listen to
it. It had stuff like 'The Hustler's Tango' on it: "You say you want
to rape, rape me b...baby, first you know you've got, you've got to pay, pay,
the match is fixed, set up, set up already, you're gonna wrestle
with an angel..." then all the backing singers go, er... "Do you
wanna make a deal..."
I'm not going to play that one - I'll play you another one of his... "
(Closing the door)
Tom Robinson again, but in the studio in 1982, covered
another song from the "Lewis Furey" album, which he really must
have liked: "Love comes", on the album "North by Northwest"
(rereleased
in 1997 by Castaway Northwest)
If the gay discography by Hans Christophersen, that
was available on the web at one point, is to be believed the "Beminnen"
album by a belgian guy named Luc Bral, released in 1979, should contain at
least one Lewis Furey song, probably a cover in dutch, but as I can't trasnlate
the titles, It's impossible for me to tell which.
Here's what this discography said :
Luc Bral: "Beminnen", Jojo 21002
Belgium 1979. Dutch/French. Gay pop/cabaret. LP.
Songs by Luc Bral / Lewis Furey et al.
Side 1: Thuis (4:16); Lekkere Pim[?] (3:33); Engel (2:40); Angelo (4:05);
Je Ne Veux Que Toi (5:13).
Side 2: Als Ik Bedenk (3:10); Mijn Lief (2:11); Nacht Vol Kleuren (3:32);
Ode Aan de Nacht (2:13); Ballade Van De Schone Jonker (8:07).
In 2004, Sabine, from Holland, writes :
"I have a small addition to make: in the "Lewis Furey covered by
others" section you write about an album by Flemish artist Luk (with
a k) Bral. It was actually released in 1977 and the song "Lekker pijn"
(not "Lekkere Pim"), which means "delicious pain", is
a cover of "Kinda shy". It is a long time since I have heard it,
but as far as I remember it was not a literal translation. I think it is the
only Lewis Furey cover on the album. Apart from being a singer/songwriter,
Luk Bral also had a radio programme on Belgian radio, called "Het Vlaams
liedboek" ("the Flemish songbook") if I remember correctly,
around 1976-1978. It is my favourite radio programme ever. In it he played
music by Jacques Brel, The Velvet Underground, Nico, David Bowie, Iggy Pop,
Jonathan Richman, and the like, but especially lots and LOTS of Lewis Furey."
Thank you Sabine for this information ! Luk Bral has his own website : http://www.geocities.com/lukbral/bralenglish.html
Marc
Almond covered "Hustler's tango" on stage when he played a series
of concerts at the Almeida Theatre in London in July 2004. The song is featured
on the "Sin
songs, torch and romance" DVD released in 2005 (I haven't watched
it...).
