The Noir Players - Vampire Cantata- A Noir Vampire Drama, With A Twist!

 

The Noir Players Orchestra repertoire is of a serious  nature most of the time, albeit their subject matter can be campy, even tongue in cheek. This new recording, Vampire Cantata- A Noir Vampire Drama, With A Twist! goes beyond campy! It starts out with a thunderclap, and a frantic soprano voice telling of her impending doom by a vampire. The vampire sings how she is correct in her wailing of impending doom. Just as he moves closer, in for the kill - we hear a jolting record scratch!

The voice of the vampire then complains about the 'cheapo' radio stations he's working at, and about the announcer being a sleep in the vampire's coffin! So not only does the vampire have to adjust the sound and write his own script, now he has to do the commercial break as well! He proceeds with commercial for McClusky's blood bank, gives directions how to get there, and says they will give you a cookie and orange juice after you are finished with the donation! Then the drama continues.

The soprano re-enters with more lamenting, the vampire is close to her getting ready to make his move. As the action speeds to the big finish, the music suddenly stops and a microphone drop is heard! A normal female speaks and tells how they need to take their act to a different station! Joe (the vampire) agrees! They stomp out of the studio, slam the door, which leads to the rustling of bats wings flapping and the bats chirping as a wolf howls in the background...

So the twist of the tale is that the beginning drama is but a deception as the video is a comedy! 

Soprano
The fog is thick... the candles bleed!
Oh, heavens, save me from this night!
The elders words I did not heed...
I’m trapped within his shadow’s might!
I feel the shaking in my knees...
He comes! ... I hear his velvet drag on the floor!
Can no one help me...HELP ME PLEASE!
Help me! Someone lock the door!
 
Vampire
There is no lock
There is no key
You precious sun will never rise
Surrender now your breath to me
And look into my hungry eyes
Do not look back…do not look down
It is your blood I want to use
Your blood belongs to me and to my crown
So relax, my dear
You cannot refuse
My will is not to be denied
So bare your neck! You cannot refuse!
 
Commercial
Marvin?
Yo! Marvin!
*sigh*
Is the narrator sleeping in mine coffin again!
That's what I get for working in a cheapo radio station!
I have to adjust the sound!
I have to write mine own script!
Now…I...I...even have  to...to...to do the commercial break mineself?!
OY VAY!
How humiliating for a great talent such as I!
 
Oh well...someone has to do it if I want to get paid!
 
Say friends when was the last time you give blood…
Hmmm?
You know, blood is the life, Renfield....
Er…
Friends...
Take a trip down to McCluskeys blood bank.
Especially if you have type O....that's oh...
For ohhhh so delicious!
You need directions?
Is easy to find...
Take the first exit to Fang Road,
Make a left onto Mummy Boulevard,
Then a right on Platelet Avenue
But be careful!
You end up in the swamp, you took wrong
Turn on the Creature bypass,
And you end up giving all your blood
To the green eating machine!
Don’t do dat,
Too many humans give him gas!
Is not a good thing!
 
So donate a pint or two this Saturday!
They give you orange juice and
A cookie afterwards!
Tell them your friendly neighborhood
Vampire sent you!
Now...back to the drama!
 
Soprano
The fog is closing in so fast!
I hear his footsteps on the stair,
This hour is doomed to be my last!
A freezing chill is in the air!
Oh, heavens save me from this blight!
Can no one hear my final plea?!
I am so weak...I cannot fight!
I beseech you...don't do this to me!
 
Vampire
Ahahaha!
There is no place for you to hide!
Step out into the dark outside!
Your blood belongs to me, so please!
Look deep into the eyes of me!

Soprano
I feel the shaking in my knees!

Vampire
Yield up your soul unto my might!

Both together
TRAPPED WITHIN THIS ENDLESS NIGHT!
 
Soprano
Wait... *sigh*Listen, Joe,  I'm tired of this
Flea bitten, two-bit outfit!
We can take this vampire
Victim bit to another  station..!
Let's just get out a here!

Vampire (Joe)
Yeah.
Marvin's still
Asleep anyway
Let's go!

The Noir Players - All Hallows' Eve

 

We were expecting The Noir Players to make an appearance about now. Haven't heard anything from them for a while, but with the coming of October comes the coming of Halloween, a holiday this group revels in. Don't let the title of this song fool you, All Hallows' Eve and Halloween are interchangeable names for the same thing. Halloween is a contraction for All Hallows' Eve, which refers to the eve before All Saints' Day, November 1st, which is still observed in the Catholic and many Protestant churches. All Hallows' Eve was originally a vigil held by the church, and as with other observances of the church was taken by the early church from pagan rites and rituals, perhaps to help acclimate the Christian converts from paganism to their new religion by using the same days for Christian observances. Now it has come full circle, as now it's turned into a largely secular celebration.

 This mini-cantata is for orchestra, pipe organ, chorus, and an appropriately creaky sounding soloist.  The history of Halloween is interesting, as the song relates the origins of the Jack O' Lantern was to ward off evil spirits as well as dressing up in costumes was to make someone invisible to the influence of evil spirits. Many of the traditions of the holiday were Celtic in origin and were brought over with immigrants. 

Halloween is a much more popular holiday than years ago. Halloween merchandise has gotten more prevalent (and more expensive!) Many brands of candy have a Halloween version, and adult Halloween parties give adults an opportunity to dress up. From a time in ancient history that was full of suspicions and tales of the day, to a time of solemn vigil before a religious remembrance, to the gruesomeness becoming fun...how things change over times!

With dread, with horrible terror
The day is approaching fast
When the horrors begin again
It's All Hallows’ Eve at last!

The spirits of the departed
Trod the earth on this holiday
Most know little history
Of this most terrifying day

Jack O' Lanterns ward off spirits
People wear costumes do the same,
The veil 'tween the living and dead
Is thinnest! It isn't a game!

Candy, treats, caramel apples!
All make a blur of the dark night!
We trick or treat with our children
While spirits are free in the night!
]
Those in olden days would travel
At least those who were most brave
To give prayers to their neighbors
Try to help their souls to save!
BECAUSE SPIRITS DON'T BEHAVE

The poor would knock on many doors
To beg for food and assistance
Some neighbors would give it to them
WHILE SOME POSSESSED BY SPIRITS

Keep to all the traditions
Brought from the parent countries
Just in case a kernel of truth
Makes the spirits try to seize!

Do not lessen the meaning of
The evil that lurks all hallows eve
Have your fun, but do not forget...
The spirits that tug at your sleeve!

Vestiges of evil sublime
Swirl as an undead tornado
Mist containing dead souls profound
Creep from an eerie volcano

Bats and vermin impede your way
If you dare to venture outside
Knocking on doors for your candy
May open up, drag you inside!

What might happen, if you are caught
Is too terrible to relate
Be forwarned!.. You've been advised!
Don't suffer an eternal fate!

Do not lessen the meaning of
The evil that lurks All Hallows’ Eve
Have your fun, but do not forget...
The spirits that tug at your sleeve!
]
If you insist on going trick or treating
Be vigilant...be wary... and if you trick
because you got no treat...
FOR THE TRICK MAY END UP ON YOU!!!
HA HA HA HAAAAAAAA!
 

The Noir Players - Changes (Tugboat Jackson Cover)

The Noir Players latest is the second cover of our blues  artist Tugboat Jackson's song Changes. This
one transforms the blues song into a mini-opera for orchestra and a particularly rich and deep female vocal. It's interesting in that the music is changed considerably while the lyrics are verbatim from the original. The content as well as the lyrical possibilities are myriad, and we at Big And Tall Records are proud of Tugboat's talent and the talent of those who have chosen to make their version of his song. Tugboat himself remains humbled by the experience as he writes:

When I wrote the song, I noodled out words and chords together for a laid back blues tune, something different than my previous few songs that were a lot more intense. The Noir Players version really blows me away, as well as Sonny Hotchkins version does, although it's a hell of a lot different. Tell ya, don't know what it is about the lyrics that speak to other musicians so much that they're inspired to create their own versions. Sure wasn't intentional I can tell ya'll that!  I am honored and humbled at the same time!

 

The way the world is can be troublin’ 

Yeah, it shore as hell can be troublin’ 

Ya gotta take a side, but keep it in stride 

Or your own troubles you’ll be doublin’ 

 

 There is a great need for big change

 But remember we all are resistant 

Keep all your desires in range 

Try your be to be persistent 

 

 If you think that change is needed

 Really think that change is needed 

Whatever you do, change pertains to you 

Things to bring it about heeded! 

 

 Make every effort for compassion 

Sometimes it’s very hard to do

 Isn’t always the trending fashion 

With some no matter what you do 

 

Gotta do what you can to be stable

 Make the effort to keep yourself stable

 Passion is fine, but keep it in line 

Do it the best that you are able 

 

On occasion, say to hell with it all! 

Yeah, just say to hell with it all! 

Keep it understood, that life still is good 

Cherish things in your life that are small 

 

Every generation has its ills 

For sho, generations all have their ills 

You’ll wonder what for, we still fightin’ war

 After history shows all that it’s killed 

 

 Keep fightin’ on for things that are right

 But take a break from all of the trends 

Enjoy whatever gets you through the night

 And your family, neighbors , and friends

 

The Noir Players - Dirge Of The Dead

 The Noir Players stay true to form and submit the Dirge Of The Dead. The leader of the group Thomas Fauren brought together an ever changing ensemble of singers and instrumentalists to perform macabre, sometimes gruesome songs and mini-cantatas.  We don't know much about the group or Mr. Fauren outside of that. But we here at Big And Tall Records like variety, and publish all different kinds of artists and music! 

It is within us all to die 

It is hardwired within 

The moment we're born 

Our death begins 

 

 We sing the dirge of the dead 

We sing to our common fate 

We know what lies ahead

 For we will all await 

 

Our lives play on as they will 

Whether short, whether long 

Whether fruitful or wasted 

We sing our own song 

 

We sing the dirge of the dead 

We sing to our common fate 

We know what lies ahead 

For we will all await 

 

It strikes fear in some of us

 To know what is our fate 

But live your life fully now 

Before it is too late 

 

We sing the dirge of the dead 

We sing to our common fate 

We know what lies ahead 

For we will all await 

 

So accept the inevitability 

You return from whence you came 

The question if there is anything else 

Will be revealed to all the same 

 

We sing the dirge of the dead 

We sing to our common fate 

We know what lies ahead 

For we will all await

The Noir Players - The Vampire

 We're back to Halloween time, as The Noir Players have a new recording, this time dealing with vampires. There's no doubt this is a full orchestra group as we get an extended introduction before the song itself begins. Their recordings amount to mini symphonic cantatas that always deal with morbid subjects. Honestly, sometimes they come off as rather corny, but this doesn't seem to bother the leaders of the group. 

So for those of you who enjoy their excursions, we present their latest: The Vampire

Some say they are but a myth
A figment of the imagination.
But where there is a myth,
There is an underlying consideration.

Within every myth, there is something concrete
That has been expanded out of proportion
To the basic truth that lies there,
A most unsettling emotion.

Are vampires of this earth?
Are they real, a tangible being?
Or are they merely a product,
Of a night of horrible dreaming?

Because of the modern world's depictions,
They don a mask of sexuality
Males suave and debonair,
Women beautiful and predatory

But in folklore, they are far from that.
Their ghastly form attacking all.
From full grown adults,
To children so very small.

Do they really travel in different forms?
Looking for their next victim?
Seeking another blood feast,
A meal that's fit for him.

Vampires exist in the sense
That they inhabit our unconsciousness
A representation of ancient fears
Of a death of violence and bloodlessness

With our corpses completely bled out
And dead for eternity
It is what so many are afraid of
A death for all eternity!

So belief in the myths of the past
Run underneath all our desires
Going back years and eons
To feed the myth.... of the vampires!

As it is with the blood sucking myths
Goes with the rest of man kind's story
With parts of it hard to comprehend
That is sick, tragic, and gory!

Imagine, an attack from a vampire,
Taken from the folklore of many
Asleep in bed, they attack to be fed
And leave your bloodless body.

But there is something carries over
From their vicious blood drinking
Your soul is commandeered,
Your self-determination is shrinking!

You have become a vampire, like them.
And after a while, you feel a hunger
And you too go off to feed,
And tear lives and souls...asunder!

The Noir Players - Death In Winter

 There's not much we can say about The Noir Players, except it is a full orchestra that performs mini- operas dealing with the strange and morbid.  Their latest follows the trend for them; a song about death. The lyrics say it all.

 Didn't leave in summer with sun bright 

Not in autumn with short'ning day 

Spring wasn't the time, with sun aglow, 

But it was in the winter...... 

The long...cold...stark...shivering winter. 

 

 I knew that it would happen then. 

No way to defend, or prevent it. 

Resources had been depleted, 

Efficiently death has defeated, all efforts.

It is the end of a being, and 

all the dreaming we had. 

 

 I believed that it would never end.

 But there was nothing left. 

Our love was so strong, 

 I thought it'd last forever! 

All things of us are gone 

with the stillness of love no more. 

 Love did not conquer all, 

The end of it........... I feel so black 

 No one can talk to me and tell, 

It is not the end of me as well.

 

 I twist and turn in nightmares 

Dreamt while awake! 

Thoughts are tortured and bloody, 

Like a thirst that can’t be slaked!

 I try to keep away thoughts of a lost love, 

But they haunt me, the life I once knew taunts me! 

Is there nothing left? Will it be the theft of my own life? 

 

 I feel the frigid, bony hands upon me. 

Chilling cold settling deep into my body. 

I can see the clouds of my icy breath turn a sickly green, 

I lay stagnating in my bed. 

Frigid bony fingers.... creep into me. 

Cold settles... deep into... me. 

The mist of my icy breath turns green, 

I lay stagnating in my bed. 

The worst fear.....that passes through my fleeting sanity.....

is that my soul... is freezing to death.......while my life......goes on........

The Noir Players - Memento Mori

 The Noir Players continue their recordings of rather morbid subjects, this time being a ditty they name Memento Mori, which is a Latin term that roughly translates as 'Remember, you will die. The phrase has acted for hundreds of years as a reminder to all that we have the same fate. The theme has been represented by many forms in art in poems, books, paintings, and music.

In music it has seen the form of the Danse Macabre, or Dance of Death, and it is in  this form that The Noir Players recording is in. This 'tune' is pretty noisy, appropriate enough for the genre, and the lead singer is pretty frantic, especially towards the end. Be interesting to see what this group comes up with at Halloween time! 

In the moonlight shadows spin 

Chatters in the wind begin 

Dark is the night outside 

With death we slowly glide 

 

Echoes scream in the dark 

Heartbeats unequal and stark 

The mood will sway 

With the finale we play 

 

Death's dance engulfs us all 

Weak, strong, large and small 

Shrieks with the shivering night 

Hopelessly black is the sight. 

 

Dirty fog flows over the floor 

Feet that dance, bloody and sore 

No time to stop and rest 

By death we're all possessed 

 

Eerie murmurs, damning sound 

Echo off the frozen ground 

Every step we're drawn within 

The damning music pulls us in 

 

Death's dance engulfs us all 

Weak, strong, large and small 

Shrieks with the shivering night 

Hopelessly black is the fright. 

 

We see the already dead dance as well, 

With entrails hanging, tangling their feet. 

They break all to pieces, all fell, 

Proves death is not so sweet! 

 

 It awaits all of you! 

There's nothing you can do! 

Hopefully delay it, a little while,

 But death will show its smile 

 

Death is not satisfied with few, 

It takes all, including you! 

You'll dance with shivering fright 

And feel death's killing bite!

 

 It awaits all of you! 

There's nothing you can do! 

Hopefully delay it, a little while,

But death will show its smile 

 

And on the morning, on the next day. 

The living will not know passed this way. 

They have no idea how it is so rough, 

But they'll find out soon enough!

 

The Noir Players - The Banshee

The latest from The Noir Players is a piece about the ancient Celtic legend of The Banshee.  The Irish legend says for the most part that it is a female spirit that wails and cries at the death of a family member. There are numerous regional differences in its appearance and behavior, and the term Banshee comes from Old Irish and roughly translates as 'fairy woman'. 

There have been many depictions of the Banshee in the arts, with a particularly vivid portrayal in  the 1959 Disney movie Darby O'Gill And The Little People. Some of our associates have seen the movie, with one of them being old enough to have seen it when it premiered! Disney himself went to Ireland twice and did research in Gaelic folklore as well as interviewing Irish Storytellers. Besides portrayals of Leprechauns , a Banshee appears amongst the ruins on top of a mountain

Compared to modern special effects, this might seem a little tame, but to a boy of 7 (our associate) that has a very clear memory of seeing it +60 years ago, it was terrifying! 

The Noir Players piece is short and atmospheric, and the group very seldom creates music of the atonal or of ultra dissonance the way this could be portrayed. 

In misty moors she wails 

A cry so cold it chills 

Ghostly sound whispers woe 

Wherever she roams 

 

 In fog her shadow nears 

The world of unseen fears 

Voice that cuts through the veil

 Of the fog strewn night 

 

 The banshee’s song on the breeze 

Makes brave men freeze 

With every note a death forms 

In a ghostly, misty form 

 

She glides beneath ancient trees 

Haunting a world few can see 

Fields soaked in sorrow's lore

 Her scream's been heard before 

 

Celtic stars so bright 

In the dead of night 

Through the glens 

To souls their ends 

 

The banshee’s song on the breeze 

Makes brave men freeze 

With every note a death forms 

In a ghostly, misty form

 

 

The Noir Players - The Witch Of New Orleans, A Waltz

 The Noir Players is new to Big And Tall Records, and the group is kind of hard to categorize. They're somewhat of a pickup group with artists joining for specific projects. The leader of the group is Thomas Fauren, a session musician who has a fine baritone voice (he's heard on this recording). 

Noir, the French Word for black, in their name for good reason, as most of their performances are dark in nature. Funeral marches, songs of evil entities, etc. This song, The Witch Of New Orleans plays on some of the superstitions of that area, and is more spooky Halloween type music than seriously dark. So the group has their campier side as well. It is in the form of a waltz, a tribute to western music traditions, for there has been many Dances Of Death over the years by many composers, such as Danse Macabre by Saint-Saëns and Totendanz by Liszt. 

 When the sky is festering with blackness, 

And your soul is rotting within. 

Then you need to bond with the darkness, 

And go to her den of sin! 

When your enemies have got the upper hand, 

and you don't know what to do. 

Take the bull by the horns, and make a stand,

 And come visit her satanic land! 

 

The witch of New Orleans 

casts spells while you wait! 

Nothing is as it seems, 

you will find out much too late!

 

 She's had many customers through the years, 

Each one its own peculiar case.

Some have dealt with a flood of tears, 

some with evil too dark to face. S

he's helped ev'ry one who's came, 

To stand up and face the fray. 

But none of them have ever been the same, 

She charges a fee hard to pay.... 

 

The witch of New Orleans 

will take special care of you! 

Her roots and berries, incantations, 

will make you a special brew! 

 

If you want her help, a word to the wise,

 her fee is very dear. 

She will merely change you into her guise, 

of a new and much stronger fear. 

For you see, she has a force behind her back, t

hat guides her ev'ry move. 

A figure that's powerful draped in black,

 and that gives her its full approve!

 

 The witch of New Orleans 

exchanges earthly extremity 

for what she's about to do, 

and condemns you....to a soulless....eternity.