Dalis Car 1984 (Peter Murphy & Mick Karn)
Introduction
Midway through the 1980s everything that had to do with Japan, David Sylvian and Mick Karn was essential listening and reading for me. Bring Bauhaus into the mix and there’s nothing else than a certifiable recipe for greatness. A look back at the short partnership that was Dalis Car.
Dalis Car
The years 1982, 1983 and 1984 were tumultuous for Mick Karn and Peter Murphy, both personal and in business: problems in their respective bands Japan and Bauhaus and the start of new musical paths.
The story of Japan is rather well-known, especially for frequent readers of my blog. If not, read all Japan stories here. In 1982 the final Japan tour was done and in 1983 the band worked on goodbye album Oil On Canvas. The Bauhaus story was somewhat different, but the end result was the same. Relations within Bauhaus were abominable, which the band recognized while recording their last album Burning From The Inside. On July 5, 1983 the band played their last show, 10 days before the release of their last album.
In the meantime Mick Karn had started a solo career with the release of the stunning debut album Titles in November 1982. Unfortunately, the album wasn’t very successful and Karn was in search of a chance to prove his music could constitute commercial success.
The story goes that Karn and Murphy got in touch through an interviewer of Japanese magazine Quiet Life. During an interview Murphy talked about Karn and the admiration he felt for his music and bass playing. Incidentally the interviewer had talked to Karn just the week before. Murphy got his telephone number, they spoke and met at a restaurant. There was a connection. With drummer Paul Lawford a real band was formed: Dalis Car.
Three theories were in circulation about why the band was named Dalis Car. It refers to:
- the song Dali’s Car, coming off Captain Beefheart’s 1969 Trout Mask Replica album
- a piece of art by painter Salvador Dali, called Dali’s car
- a dream Murphy had, in which he was given the opportunity to buy a car from Salvador Dalí, which would guarantee a big “mystical” experience
The first option was rebuked by Karn and Murphy. Based on the theories the name of the band should really be “Dalí’s Car”, but Dalis Car is used on all manifestations.
Dalis Car – The Waking Hour
The Waking Hour
Het debut album by Dalis Car, The Waking Hour, was released in November 1984 by record label Paradox. Later releases were handled by Beggars Banquet.
The recordings for the album proved to be difficult, primarily because of differing musical insights and performance anxiety of the young drummer Lawford, leaving its mark on the album’s rhythm (and feel). Mick Karn:
There would be whole sections I’d leave for the vocals to take over the track, whereas Pete saw it from a completely different musical perspective; “Well, this is such a nice musical break I don’t want to touch it.” So I guess there was a certain amount of friction caused by that because we both heard the tracks in a completely different way.
He [drummer Lawford] was supposed to be the other third of the band. Originally, that was the idea. He would be playing live drums – we got on with him very well, he was very young and eager – unfortunately when we got into the studio we found that nerves took over and he couldn’t actually play so much. So we ended up having him programme most of the patterns rather than play them.
Dark Entries: Bauhaus and Beyond, Ian Shirley, 1995
Karn and Murphy hardly saw each other while recording, as they both preferred to work solo on the music and sending their taped contributions by mail. One of the times they actually got together was for the video of their one and only single The Judgement Is The Mirror.
Album cover
The album cover was identical to the Moody Blues album The Present, which was released one year earlier: it portrays a part of Maxfield Parrish’s painting Daybreak.
Dalis Car – The Waking Hour – Ad
Review
To me Dalis Car was a, theoretical, gift from heaven. The worlds of Bauhaus and Japan culminating in a unique partnership. That could be nothing else than pure magic. Unfortunately, that promise wasn’t fulfilled, the result is a hybrid of sorts, one where detachment and warmth are in constant conflict with each other. The electronic drums and the production provide a cold atmosphere, while Karn’s melodies bring in emotion and warmth. Murphy’s vocals are somewhere in between.
But, it does provide some interesting and unique pieces of music. Dalis Car, His Box, Artemis and Create And Melt are all beautiful. The single choice, The Judgement Is The Mirror, is a rather unhappy one: it’s the least song on the album.
Songs
All songs written by Mick Karn and Peter Murphy, unless stated otherwise.
- Dalis Car
- His Box
- Cornwall Stone
- Artemis (Mick Karn)
- Create And Melt
- Moonlife (traditional)
- The Judgement Is The Mirror
Musicians
- Mick Karn – all instruments (except percussion)
- Peter Murphy – vocals
- Paul Lawford – “rhythm construction”, percussion, drums
Dalis Car – The Judgement Is The Mirror
After The Waking Hour
The band didn’t tour for the album. Dalis Car did play one song on television music show The Old Grey Whistle Test, with the band performing live over a backing track of His Box. Mick Karn’s idea, of proving his music could constitute commercial success, failed miserably. Not only was the album badly received and sold badly, the recording process had overspent its available budget.
Nevertheless, Karn was still interested in the band and wanted to continue, but Murphy was done. He didn’t show up for the recording session for the B-side for their single, essentially turning High Places into a solo Mick Karn exercise.
Murphy and Karn didn’t speak for 26 years and reflected negatively on their time in Dalis Car. Until August 2010, when Peter Murphy announced he and Mick Karn were scheduled to go into the studio and work on a second Dalis Car album. Unfortunately, Karn had recently been diagnosed with cancer. The illness performed its destructive work way faster than expected, substantially limiting recording time. On January 4, 2011, Karn passed away.
Dalis Car – InGladAloneness
InGladAloneness
The songs they had worked on were released on April 5, 2012, on the EP InGladAloneness. The song Artemis Rise, a reworking of Artemis stemming from The Waking Hour, was released on July 24, 2011 (the day Karn should have turned 53 years old), as a digital download. Subhanallah is a solo song from Peter Murphy he had recorded around 2000, probably added to the EP’s tracklist as a kind of parting prayer for Karn. The cover depicts a painting by Jarosław Kukowski.
Review
InGladAloneness is a beautiful goodbye to and by Mick Karn. The music, partially due to the addition of live drums by Japan’s Steve Jansen, sparkles and vibrates. Karn sounds sublime throughout and Murphy is in better form than he was on The Waking Hour. It most likely was the last project Karn ever worked on before his untimely death. Highly recommended!
Songs
All music written by Mick Karn and Peter Murphy, all lyrics by Peter Murphy, unless stated otherwise.
- King Cloud (lyrics: David Hornsby)
- Sound Cloud
- Artemis Rise
- Subhanallah (traditional)
- If You Go Away (Ne Me Quitte Pas cover, Jacques Brel)
Musicians
- Mick Karn – bass, bass clarinet, guitar
- Peter Murphy – vocals, keyboards
With help from:
- Steve Jansen – drums
- Jakko M Jakszyk – guitar, guzheng
- Theo Travis – saxophone, flute
- Şengül – vocals on Subhanallah
- Gill Morley – violin
- Ellen Blair – violin, viola
- Pete Lockett – percussion
- Paul Lawford – congas
- Steve D’Agostino – keyboards
Mick Karn & Peter Murphy 1984
In closing
What’s your take on Dalis Car, The Waking Hour and InGladAloneness? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Dalis Car, the story of Mick Karn and Peter Murphy. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
