DESMOND LESLIE – MUSIC OF THE FUTURE
Yes, hello and welcome to the Des Les Page. And what an eccentric, what a chancer, what an all round groovy man. He made some very peculiar music, of a musique concrete nature, by tape looping, with car engines and breaking pianos. And then issued it all on his own odd little hand made acetate. And gave it away to friends. Later on, when he decided to make no more music, he was spotted running out of the audience and punching Bernard Levin on a live episode of “That was The Week That Was”, only because Mr Levin was slagging off Mrs Des Les and her recent play. And it doesn't stop there for our Des. He also wrote the very first book on Flying Saucers with famous Sci Fi writer Adamski (who later went on to write the seminal “Inside The Flying Saucers” but not with Des). Des also lived in a Castle, Castle Leslie in fact, and if you look it up on the internet you can go and stay there, or, like Paul McCartney, go and get married there.
Before dabbling in music, Leslie was an RAF fighter pilot (1942-45) and then post 1945 he became an author. In 1953 he penned his most infamous book - "The Flying Saucers Have Landed" which were based on his strong beliefs that ancient momuments and artefacts were obvious proof of alien involvement in human history.
Around the mid-1950s Leslie started to nurture his interest in contemporary music. From his small, private studio came some extraordinary results. His musical output was small and the recordings that exist were privately issued by Leslie himself (for his friends) on a single acetate called "Music of the Future".
Some of this music was later licenced to the London music publisher Joseph Weinburger who pressed it onto 78 RPM library records. These tracks were occasionally used in science and mystery-based programming and even in some early Doctor Who episodes.
This is the first time this recording has ever been released. We are all very lucky. The recordings date from 1955 - 1959, and were all made, we believe, at Castle Leslie. Some of the music was later issued by the Joseph Weinburger library for synchronisation - it's difficult to trace which cues may have been used over the years but talking to Weinburgers (or JW Media as they are now known), it seems that Des was on the nag all the time, trying to annoy, intimidate or just embarrass the company into getting his Musique Concrete used. Threats normally came in the form of World War Two style Spitfire pilot talk.
Anyway, here are some original liner notes from Music Of The Future by Des Les, which will give you a fine flavour of the man we are dealing with here. What a guy.
Here we go....“Put this record on a good Hi-FI set. Twiddle the knobs till you find the levels you like. Tell the neighbours to go to hell (they'll probably only think it's the plumbing). Sit back and enjoy yourself.
My MUSIQUE CONCRETE is meant to be enjoyed”
SIDE ONE
Theme Music from the film: “THE DAY THE SKY FELL IN”.
1. “Play in”. (0:26)
2. “Destruction of the Flies”. ( 4:46 )
3. “Invention of the Weapon”. (0:45)
4. “The Stranger”. ( 1:40 )
5. “The Stranger's Quest”. ( 1:05 )
6. “Finale and Play-out”. ( 1:51 )
MUSIC OF THE VOIDS OF OUTERSPACE.
7. “Asteroid Belt”. ( 2:11 )
8. “Mercury, fleet messenger of the gods”. ( 1:05 )
9. “Comet in Aquarious”. ( 1:30 )
10. “The Warhorns of Mars”. ( 1:40 )
11. “Saturn-Chronos”. ( 4:13 )
SIDE TWO
SACRIFICE, B.C. 5,000.
1. “Dawn, Invocation”. (2.45)
2. “Gathering of the Elders”. (4.43)
3. “Coming of the Elementals, The Victim. (6.47)
DEATH OF SATAN
4. “Esoteric Tone Poem”. (6.34)
Yes, hello and welcome to the Des Les Page. And what an eccentric, what a chancer, what an all round groovy man. He made some very peculiar music, of a musique concrete nature, by tape looping, with car engines and breaking pianos. And then issued it all on his own odd little hand made acetate. And gave it away to friends. Later on, when he decided to make no more music, he was spotted running out of the audience and punching Bernard Levin on a live episode of “That was The Week That Was”, only because Mr Levin was slagging off Mrs Des Les and her recent play. And it doesn't stop there for our Des. He also wrote the very first book on Flying Saucers with famous Sci Fi writer Adamski (who later went on to write the seminal “Inside The Flying Saucers” but not with Des). Des also lived in a Castle, Castle Leslie in fact, and if you look it up on the internet you can go and stay there, or, like Paul McCartney, go and get married there.
Before dabbling in music, Leslie was an RAF fighter pilot (1942-45) and then post 1945 he became an author. In 1953 he penned his most infamous book - "The Flying Saucers Have Landed" which were based on his strong beliefs that ancient momuments and artefacts were obvious proof of alien involvement in human history.
Around the mid-1950s Leslie started to nurture his interest in contemporary music. From his small, private studio came some extraordinary results. His musical output was small and the recordings that exist were privately issued by Leslie himself (for his friends) on a single acetate called "Music of the Future".
Some of this music was later licenced to the London music publisher Joseph Weinburger who pressed it onto 78 RPM library records. These tracks were occasionally used in science and mystery-based programming and even in some early Doctor Who episodes.
This is the first time this recording has ever been released. We are all very lucky. The recordings date from 1955 - 1959, and were all made, we believe, at Castle Leslie. Some of the music was later issued by the Joseph Weinburger library for synchronisation - it's difficult to trace which cues may have been used over the years but talking to Weinburgers (or JW Media as they are now known), it seems that Des was on the nag all the time, trying to annoy, intimidate or just embarrass the company into getting his Musique Concrete used. Threats normally came in the form of World War Two style Spitfire pilot talk.
Anyway, here are some original liner notes from Music Of The Future by Des Les, which will give you a fine flavour of the man we are dealing with here. What a guy.
Here we go....“Put this record on a good Hi-FI set. Twiddle the knobs till you find the levels you like. Tell the neighbours to go to hell (they'll probably only think it's the plumbing). Sit back and enjoy yourself.
My MUSIQUE CONCRETE is meant to be enjoyed”
SIDE ONE
Theme Music from the film: “THE DAY THE SKY FELL IN”.
1. “Play in”. (0:26)
2. “Destruction of the Flies”. ( 4:46 )
3. “Invention of the Weapon”. (0:45)
4. “The Stranger”. ( 1:40 )
5. “The Stranger's Quest”. ( 1:05 )
6. “Finale and Play-out”. ( 1:51 )
MUSIC OF THE VOIDS OF OUTERSPACE.
7. “Asteroid Belt”. ( 2:11 )
8. “Mercury, fleet messenger of the gods”. ( 1:05 )
9. “Comet in Aquarious”. ( 1:30 )
10. “The Warhorns of Mars”. ( 1:40 )
11. “Saturn-Chronos”. ( 4:13 )
SIDE TWO
SACRIFICE, B.C. 5,000.
1. “Dawn, Invocation”. (2.45)
2. “Gathering of the Elders”. (4.43)
3. “Coming of the Elementals, The Victim. (6.47)
DEATH OF SATAN
4. “Esoteric Tone Poem”. (6.34)
Ο Desmond Leslie είναι μια εμπειρία μοναδική [η μουσική του τουλάχιστον], όσοι ξέρουν τον Basil Kirchin κι έχουν μελετήσει μοντερνιστές σαν τον Ξενάκη θα προσκυνήσουν. Oι υπόλοιποι ας προσπεράσουν, έτσι κι αλλιώς αυτό το post παραείναι βαρύ [κι ασήκωτο]. Και μεγάλο και στα αγγλικά και με γράμματα που σου βγάζουν τα μάτια και με κλεμμένο κείμενο. Ελπίζω να μην βρω καναν μπελά. Μπες εδώ για πιο πολλές πληροφορίες [αν καίγεσαι] -επίσης, αν καίγεσαι και μπεις, ΚΑΙ ΔΕΝ ΣΕ ΞΕΡΩ, θέλω να σε γνωρίσω!
Anyway, αν κάνεις τον κόπο και μπεις στο τρομερό site της εταιρίας του Leslie [TrunkRecords], μην παραλείψεις να δεις τις συνταγές και τα δωράκια που δίνει για να μην αισθανθείς ότι σπατάλησες το χρόνο σου. Αυτός ο Johnny είναι πολύ μερακλής. Johnny δεν τον λένε;
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