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Pantomime of Wealth

by Latin Quarter

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1.
The Pantomime of Wealth (Skaith, Jeffries, Stevens, Buys) It was the wedding of the year I’d say, if not the century The helicopter taxis filled the sky And the dress cost a country And our job was to sit and stare, open-mouthed And reflect on our place in this lottery. Here’s the renaissance man from the 80’s band talking to the oligarch He’s heard all the rumours but he wants to find out for himself But the daughter assures him they’re fans of human fights So he’ll sing for his supper in this pantomime of wealth In this worldwide pantomime of wealth. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free Make room for the butlers, the maids, the domestic help Some will get smart uniforms, others hidden beneath the stairs Extras in this pantomime of wealth. It was the wedding of the year I’d say, if not the century The helicopter taxis filled the sky and the dress cost a country And our job was to sit and stare, open-mouthed And reflect on our place in this lottery. In this worldwide pantomime of wealth In this worldwide pantomime of wealth We are many, they are few.
2.
Beat The Air 03:25
Beat the Air (Skaith) Lying in her bed, Counting the planes and hoping they all come home From the raids to night in Coventry or Bremen Huddled on a basement floor, Praying that those planes would just go home Back to whatever hell they came from. Beat the air Screams howl into silence Tear the bonds Their humanity will never save them Never save them She holds her children close Hoping the God she has is watching still To answer these young bewildered questions As the city falls Where are the heroes she can cling to? In this war so hard and full of deception Beat the air Screams howl into silence Tear the bonds Their humanity will never save them This cruel sky This heartless rain will never soothe them The only truth, the only truth we can be nothing We can be nothing Members in the chamber speechify Regret the loss of every innocent life We go to war for honour and for pride Now every year is 1939
3.
Oh Mexico 02:59
Oh Mexico (Skaith) She said it’s worse now boy Than when you first stepped off the plane. Corpses now at 10 cents a time. There’s people here that you can just buy then betray I don’t feel like this country is mine. Government pendejos with their smiles and suits Promises, excuses and lies. A poor politician is a poor politician They told the truth that time. Senorita say Gods packed up and went away Packed up and took the key Oh Mexico, Oh Mexico! She said it never was perfect but just look around Imagine what it could be. These mountains, these lakes and these waterfalls This music, these dances, these feasts. Frida yes she was only just one of us But her colours they speak for us all And the best of us are trying but you’ve got to weep When the worst of us are running it all. Una guerra ridícula contra el narco en la que han y siguen muriendo personas inocentes. Más de doscientos cincuenta mil hasta hoy Miles de desaparecidos, hombres, mujeres y niños Que ante los ojos del mundo no valen nada Periodistas asesinados por reportar la verdad Una verdad que el gobierno cubre con sangre. A pointless and failed war on drugs that continues to slaughter innocent people – more than 250,000 to date. Thousands of men, women and children who have disappeared Who seem to have no value in the eyes of the world Journalists murdered for reporting the truth A truth that the government covers with blood.
4.
20,878 02:39
(Jeffries)
5.
Niamh 02:27
Niamh (Jeffries/Jones) Niamh, you have to believe That when December hangs above your roof The winter’s only half the truth That smile of yours is all the proof you need Niamh, no tricks up my sleeve I’m not asking you to take a card Or make a choice you find too hard Life’s made of moments we discard and leave Believe Here’s an ancient saying that I just made up ‘It’s the drowning man who understands it all’ And I know you won’t be throwing me a lifeline But maybe, just maybe, you could call… Niamh, it’s you that I breathe And my breathing tells me I exist But barely since the last we kissed Now I’m a paid-up pessimist in need Niamh, don’t be so naïve It’s beyond us to right every wrong Took all I had to write this song It’s summer now and far too long, indeed Believe, Oh, Niamh, Believe, Oh Niamh…
6.
Free as Bird (Skaith) Here we go again She’s got something that she wants to talk about. I can guess Cos I can see that look in her eyes There’s a new guy it seems They’ve been doing more than hanging out And she asks ‘Don’t I, don’t I too feel something’s gone wrong?’ And I say ‘No Oh please don’t go’. I can go out tonight I am free as a bird Do anything I like I am free as a bird With anyone I like I am free as a bird I just can’t fly back to her I just can’t fly back to her. Don’t it always seem The moment the star is shining brightest That’s when they end the dream Maybe it’s just me who got it wrong again But I don’t want I don’t want this thing to just slip away Cos love like this don’t grow on trees No matter what my friends say I say ‘No Oh please don’t go.’ Free as Bird (Skaith) Here we go again She’s got something that she wants to talk about. I can guess Cos I can see that look in her eyes There’s a new guy it seems They’ve been doing more than hanging out And she asks ‘Don’t I, don’t I too feel something’s gone wrong?’ And I say ‘No Oh please don’t go’. I can go out tonight I am free as a bird Do anything I like I am free as a bird With anyone I like I am free as a bird I just can’t fly back to her I just can’t fly back to her. Don’t it always seem The moment the star is shining brightest That’s when they end the dream Maybe it’s just me who got it wrong again But I don’t want I don’t want this thing to just slip away Cos love like this don’t grow on trees No matter what my friends say I say ‘No Oh please don’t go.’
7.
A Bit Part in Life Itself (Jeffries/Jones) He sent his little girl away with fifty cents When fifty was four times her age He had head full of headlines and higher rents And all the world’s a stage. But then his ardour turned to harder Turned to turnip greens Stacked up on a supermart shelf He had to settle down to living out in Santa Clara And a bit part in life itself You’re too close lady You come too close To some people’s comfort You come too Too close lady She saw the train pull out at half past eight And it ate up all the past as it went And a young man sweeping up the marshalling yard Helped her when the fifty was spent But then a bedding turned to wedding Turned to other women And he didn’t even do it with stealth So she left him to his exits and entrances And his bit part in life itself She gave the flatlands up for a northern town And working in a lady’s room Where the famous play a game of courting her And send her the occasional bloom But flowers wilt in hours Limp in lonely nights In apartments that can pull apart your health But she’s put more into living in a hundred days Than a bit part in life itself.
8.
Four Leaf Clover (Skaith/Jeffries) I think you’re right My faith was slipping back I think you’re right I had my doubts in you But now you showed me No battle is won or lost Until the time You’re counted out Now I’ve found my four-leaf clover Oh I found it it’s true Such a long, long time Now the search is over My four-leaf clover is you. There is no plan There’s no intelligent design Luck is king I had given up on mine But you showed me There’s no battle won or lost Until the time you’re up on the cross.
9.
Trees 03:01
Trees (Skaith/MacNeill) Some are Majestic, And some will grow lean Some tower above all the others dominating the scene. Some will be pictures Some maybe just frames Some with deep roots, some never seen again Some will suffer Some will thrive Some cover the skyline, blocking out the sky Some line the streets Steering a path Shedding light on the questions you ask. Some will blossom Some wither and die Some you will find only half alive Some with histories Some with no names Breathing for the planet and all of its shame Some prime for growth Some with different barks Some with inner circles, different creeds and different castes Some remain majestic Some crash in a rage All at different stages, defining our age
10.
I Want You 02:44
I want You (Skaith) Well did I say too much to you Or take up too much room? Did I move too fast for you? Wasn’t it what you wanted Or was it just too soon? The last time that I saw you Imagine my surprise I told you how I loved you You said ‘Thank you, I’ll text you And vanished from my eyes Oh what can you say? Oh what can you do? One day it’s good, next day it’s bad But I want you. Well my friends say just forget her And I’m sure that’s very wise They are just trying to be helpful But they haven’t slept in your bed Never woken up to your eyes. Is there no end, is there no end? To where you stop and I begin? Is there no end, is there no end? To where you stop and I begin?
11.
The Lamentable Ballet (Skaith/MacNeill) Standing on tiptoe to see the other side of the world Dropping the flag they want to show unfurled Dying with elegance, a swan to fall You never felt so cold with your back against the wall. Jet from one to the arms of another Not quite your friend, not quite your lover A socialite more sinister, connections on high Dashing arabesque, fingers to the sky. A call from your mother, your brother’s in arms Damage to your family, reputations harmed Adored by so many but loved by so few A passion for your artistry but not for the curfew Enjoying all that the west had to offer Till that disease that you finally suffered Stage directions when you stepped into the limelight Forever outcast, the circumstance of sight. The lamentable ballet Choreographed with precision Republic outrage and crowds of derision From Moscow to Paris Turn your back to the old The Lamentable ballet was being retold The lamentable ballet was being retold.
12.
All I could Do (Jeffries / MacNeill) It’s all I could do To stop the sound of the sirens And the sounds of the crying Holding the hands of the shaking And those of the dying Those that were praying Those that were lying. It’s all I could do It’s all I could do It’s all I could do To walk in silence To listen to the streets Can’t immerse in my own world Of rhymes and beats Global success, public defeats It’s all I could do It’s all I could do It’s all I could do To turn off the screen And look again to a post That said save your country And those you love most Angels with automatic weapons And the holy ghost It’s all I could do It’s all I could do To know a name and call it aloud To sense the misery of the scattering crowd To celebrate the people That still make me proud It’s all I could do It’s all I could do
13.

about

(english text below)
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Pantomime of Wealth ist das mittlerweile vierte Album von Latin Quarter seit 2012 und die Band stuft es als ihre bis dato stärkste Produktion ein. Neben den politischen Songs der Band über die Superreichen, die Angst vor Bomben oder einen Terroranschlag in London, beinhaltet das Album auch einige sehr persönliche Titel, z.B. über das Thema „Liebe und Matheprüfung“. Die meisten Texte stammen von Sänger Steve Skaith, einige von Michael McNeal, (der im wirklichen Leben Fussballscout ist), und zwei Texte vom hochgelobten Latin Quarter-Texter Mike Jones, der früher festes Mitglied der Band war.

Am Bass ist einmal mehr YoYo Buys und - als Überraschung - Mary Carewe dabei, eine Sängerin, die schon für zahlreiche Alben von Künstlern wie Joe Cocker die Backing Vocals eingesungen hat und in einigen der bekanntesten Konzerthallen der Welt aufgetreten ist, darunter in der Londoner Royal Albert Hall und der Carnegie Hall in New York.

Hintergrund:
Latin Quarter wurde 1984 gegründet, aber erst mit dem Erfolg ihres ersten Albums Modern Times 1986, wurde die Band einem breiteren Publikum bekannt. Mit Hits wie „Radio Africa” und „The New Millionaires”, verkaufte es sich mehr als 300.000 Mal und wurde von der New York Daily News als „One of the most exquisite electro-pop albums ever to come out of England“ bezeichnet. Im selben Jahr war Latin Quarter dann Hauptact beim legendären Glastonbury Festival und spielte ein ausverkauftes Konzert im Hamburger Stadtpark.

In den vier darauf folgenden Jahren, war die Band nahezu pausenlos auf Tour, während sie drei weitere erfolgreiche Alben aufnahm. 1990 löste sich das ursprüngliche Band-Line-up dann auf. Die Gründungsmitglieder Steve Skaith und Richard Wright machten mit einer neuen Besetzung weiter und produzierten, unterstützt von solch namhaften Musikern wie Martin Ditcham (Sade, Chris Rea), John McKenzie (u. a. Seal, Tina Turner, David Bowie) und Blair Cunningham (Paul McCartney, Pretenders), die Alben Long Pig und Bringing Rosa Home.

2012 reformierte Steve Skaith die Band mit drei weiteren Mitgliedern der Ur-Besetzung - Steve Jeffries, Yona Dunsford und Greg Harewood. Es wurden mit Ocean Head und Tilt zwei neue, von Kritikern hoch gelobte Alben produziert, bevor Greg und Yona 2015 die Gruppe wieder verließen, um sich eigenen Projekten zu widmen. 2016 nahm die Band - mit den neu dazu gestoßenen Mitgliedern Martin Ditcham (erneut) und YoYo Buys (Roachford, The Christians) - das Album The Imagination of Thieves auf, das vielen als das Beste der drei nach der Reunion veröffentlichten Alben gilt und sehr gute Kritiken erhielt. Live wurde die Gruppe vom Original-Latin Quarter-Schlagzeuger Richie Stevens unterstützt, der schon auf Modern Times spielte und dessen Referenzen Tina Turner, Simply Red, Oleta Adams, Joan Armatrading und viele weitere Künstler umfassen.

Weitere Informationen:
www.latinquartermusic.com
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Latin Quarter were formed in 1984 but came to most people’s attention in 1986 with the success of their first album, ‘Modern Times’. Featuring hit songs such as ‘Radio Africa’ and ‘The New Millionaires’ it sold over 300,000 copies and was described by the New York Daily news as ‘One of the most exquisite electro-pop albums ever to come out of England.’ ( April 25th 1986)

For the next 4 years, Latin Quarter toured constantly, played main stages such as the one at the Glastonbury festival whilst making three other successful albums. The band line-up split in 1990 but two founding members, Steve Skaith and Richard Wright carried on working as Latin Quarter with new musicians, and two more albums – ‘Long Pig’ and ‘Bringing Rosa Home’ were produced. These albums featured Martin Ditcham (Sade, Chris Rea) John McKenzie (Seal et al) and Blair Cunningham (Paul McCartney, Haircut 100, Pretenders).

The range of musicians (recently including Chris Rea) who have worked in depth with Latin Quarter over the years shows the attraction of the music and songs.

In 2012 Steve Skaith was able to reform Latin Quarter with 3 of the very original members – Steve Jeffries, Yona Dunsford and Greg Harewood. Two new albums were produced - ‘Ocean Head’ and ‘Tilt’ – both to critical acclaim, before in 2015 Greg and Yona left to pursue their own projects.

In 2016, the band – with new members Martin Ditcham (again) and Yo Yo Buys (Roachford, The Christians) recorded the album ‘The Imagination of Thieves’ which is seen by most people as the best of the recent 3 albums, and received excellent reviews. Live, they were joined by the very original LQ drummer, Richie Stevens whose credits include Tina Turner, Simply Red, Oleta Adams, Joan Armatrading, among many, many others.

Latin Quarter has not lost the spark that ignited their souls in the early '80s. Their 2016 album, THE IMAGINATION OF THIEVES, is perhaps their finest full-length since their 1985 debut album, MODERN TIMES ….Latin Quarter is still one of the most musically and lyrically relevant bands in Pop music today. (Stephen SPAZ Schnee - Discussions magazine.com)

Latin Quarter are now on the fourth album since 2012. Entitled ‘Pantomime of Wealth’, the band see it as their strongest production to date. The songs are variously very political for our times (as you would expect) but there are also some much more personal tracks. On bass is Yo Yo Buys and the added surprise is Mary Carewe, vocalist in her own right who has sung backing vocals on numerous recordings from Steps to Joe Cocker and has performed at iconic venues around the world including the Royal Albert Hall, London and Carnegie Hall, NY.

credits

released April 13, 2018

Performed and arranged by Latin Quarter.
Steve Jeffries - keyboards, programming and backing vocals
Steve Skaith - acoustic guitar and vocals
Richie Stevens - drums
Yo Yo Buys - bass
Mary Carewe - vocals.

Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Steve Jeffries.
artwork by neomania design

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Latin Quarter UK

Latin Quarter are celebrating the 40th anniverary of their 'Modern Times'-album this year. They first burst onto the scene with their singles "Radio Africa" and "New Millionaires" – songs that stayed for months in the German single charts in the 80s. The band split up in 1998. In 2011 five of the original musicians got together again. 7 new albums released after this reunion. . ... more

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