Paul Roland

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Paul Roland 1995

Paul Roland (born 6 September 1959 in Kent, England), is a singer-songwriter, author, journalist and paranormal researcher.

Since the release of his first (shared) single Oscar Automobile in 1979 Roland has been spinning his tales against a backdrop of gothic rock, psych-pop, folk and, occasionally, baroque strings. His character creations include a Regency magistrate, various 19th Century murderers, a retired executioner, an opium addict, and an entire court of medieval grotesques.

Joshua Pfeiffer (of Vernian Process) is quoted as saying “As for Paul Roland, if any­one deserves credit for spear­head­ing steampunk music, it is him. He was one of the inspi­ra­tions I had in start­ing my project. He was writ­ing songs about the first attempt at manned flight, and an Edwar­dian air­ship raid in the mid-80’s long before almost any­one else….” [1]

Paul has been called ‘the male Kate Bush’ by one-time label mate Robyn Hitchcock, and ‘The Lord Byron of Rock’ by influential French music magazine ‘Les Inrockuptibles’

“Paul Roland has remained a cherished figure on the gothic rock and Psych pop periphery for 30 years…a treasury of detail and eloquence…Roland’s impeccable narratives (and) formal, baroque instrumentation…creates the antiquated yet timeless ambience his songs deserve”. (Marco Rossi ‘Record Collector’ May 2010)

Background and personal life

Paul Roland was born in England in 1959. Roland's father was a writer of short stories and TV comedy scripts and his mother an actress.[2]

In 2006 Roland left England to live in Germany.[3] He returned to the UK in 2010 and now lives in Cambridgshire with a wife and two sons.

Music

Roland’s first album The Werewolf of London (1980), with historical and supernatural themes was picked up by Armageddon Records in the UK. It was there that Roland met Robyn Hitchcock who later appeared on tracks for Roland’s second album. After an abortive flirtation with the music business, when he was managed by David Enthoven (manager of Roxy Music) and June Bolan (widow of Marc Bolan),[4] Roland returned to Armageddon Records for the mini-album Burnt Orchids. Its title track was the first to feature Roland backed by a small string and woodwind ensemble, a trademark of many of his albums of the 80s and 90s.

The success of the album led to Roland's first tours in Europe, label deals in France (New Rose Records), Germany (Pastell), Greece (DiDi Music), Italy (Diva Records), the USA (Revolver) and Japan (Century Records) and offers to work with film composer Michael Nyman and members of the Velvet Underground. Other cult figures such as Robyn Hitchcock, Nick Saloman (a.k.a. The Bevis Frond), Nick Nicely, and Andy Ellison (of John's Children) made guest appearances on Roland's subsequent albums, several of which are now listed as highly collectable[citation needed] including the psych cult classic Danse Macabre, the acoustic based mini-albums A Cabinet Of Curiosities and Happy Families with stories of eccentric characters , the rockier Duel with its medieval-tinged three-song suite The King Must Die and the folk rock outing Masque, Roaring Boys, a mini-album of cover versions entitled Strychnine, Sarabande and Gargoyles which completed the first chapter of the Roland discography in 1997.

Roland took a seven year break from music in 1997 to raise his two young sons, and write a series of books on mysticism and true crime.

Return to music

In 2002 Roland returned with an appearance at the Herbstnächte-Festival in Berlin in September of that year.[5] After that a series of re-issues appeared, beginning with Duel which was released by Haunted Forest Records in Greece (2002).

In 2004 Roland returned with his first new album in seven years, the largely acoustic Pavane, which was released on Roland’s own (revamped) label Gaslight Records.[6] The album provided a further glimpse into his mind including a brief baroque instrumental piece that he had discussed recording with film composer Michael Nyman many years earlier. This album was re-issued by Black Widow Records in Italy in 2006.[7]

In June 2007 Roland released Re-Animator, his first rock album for many years. It featured musicians who have recorded with Caravan, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Hillage and many great musicians of the 1960s Canterbury music scene. This album was released by Black Widow Records in Italy and re-issued as an expanded edition by Syborgmusic in Germany.

In 2008 Roland’s album Nevermore was released on Syborgmusic in Germany.[8] This album has a selection of songs in a variety of styles from seafaring folk to psych-pop and more whimsical fantasy this time inspired by Poe and Jules Verne. The album contained the three song cinematic soundtrack suite "The Last Voyage Of The Nautilus".

The new album Grimm is a true solo album. Roland played every instrument on the album and engineered the recording in his own studio. All of the songs are based on the dark fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, so there is a touch of the macabre and the doomed romantic about the lyrics although the musical setting is baroque acoustic psych pop.

Discography (a selection)

The complete Paul Roland discography (1979–2013) is extensive and comprises 99 releases and appearances on 42 Various Artists compilations.

  • Oscar Automobile (shared double A-side 7” single - 1979)
  • The Werewolf of London (as Midnight Rags LP - 1980)
  • Blades of Battenburg (12" - 1983)
  • Burnt Orchids (LP - 1985)
  • Death or Glory (12" - 1986)
  • House of Dark Shadows (compilation CD/LP/MC - 1986)
  • Gabrielle (12" - 1987)
  • Danse Macabre (CD/LP - 1987)
  • A Cabinet of Curiosities (CD/LP - 1987)
  • Alice's House (12" - 1987)
  • Confessions of an Opium Eater (‘Best Of’ LP - 1987)
  • Happy Families (CD/LP - 1988)
  • Duel (CD/LP - 1989)
  • Acoustic Radio Sessions 1986-88 (LP - 1989)
  • Live in Italy (CD/LP - 1990)
  • Masque (CD/LP - 1990)
  • Roaring Boys (CD/LP - 1991)
  • Strychnine (CD - 1992)
  • Sarabande (CD - 1994)
  • Live in Germany (CD - 1995)
  • Waxworks (‘Best Of’ 2CD - 1995)
  • Gargoyles (CD - 1997)
  • Duel (reissued CD - 2002)
  • Gaslight Tales (Best Of CD - 2003)
  • Pavane (CD/LP - 2004)
  • Strychnine…And Other Potent Poisons (re-issued CD/LP - 2005)
  • Re-Animator (CD/LP - 2007)
  • Danse Macabre & Burnt Orchids (reissued on CD - 2008)
  • Nevermore (CD - 2008)
  • A Cabinet of Curiosities & Happy Families (reissued on CD - 2009)
  • Demos (CD - 2009)
  • Duel - 20th Anniversary Reissue (CD - 2010)
  • In Memorium 1980-2010 (2CD released to mark Roland's 30 year recording career - 2010)
  • Grimm (CD - 2011)
  • Masque (reissued CD - 2011)
  • Roaring Boys & Sarabande (reissue CD - 2012)
  • Bates Motel (CD- 2013)
  • The Werewolf of London (reissued on CD - 2013)

Books

Roland is the author of more than 30 books on the subject of mysticism, crime and the occult[9] His books, which have been translated into more than 15 languages including Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Greek and Hebrew, cover spiritual and occult traditions, which culminated in his creation of The Kabbalah Cards (AGMuller/Urania) in collaboration with artist Sylvia Gainsford. The cards are a radical reinterpretation of the Jewish mystical teachings with a serious psychological orientation which distinguished them from the Kabbalah themed tarot packs which preceded them.[citation needed]

Roland in his book The Complete Book of Ghosts (2007) develops his own theory of ghosts and claims that ghosts are the "manifestation of people still living, proving that out-of-body experiences are not as rare or as impossible as some people might think."

Bibliography

  • The Curious Case of Richard Fielding and Other Short Stories (1987)
  • Revelations: The Wisdom of the Ages (1995)
  • Prophecies and Predictions (1996)
  • Complete Guide to Dreams (1997)
  • Angels - A Piaktus Guide (1999)
  • Kabbalah - A Piaktus Guide (1999)
  • Teach Yourself... Rock & Pop (1999)
  • Jazz Singers (1999)
  • New Age Living (2000)
  • Investigating the Unexplained (2000)
  • How to Meditate (2000)
  • Chrysalis Guide to Rock & Pop (2001)
  • Meditation (2002)
  • Meditation Solutions (2002)
  • How Psychic Are You? (2002)
  • Kabbalah Cards (2003)
  • Explore Your Past Lives (2004)
  • Contact Your Guardian Angel (2005)
  • The Complete Kabbalah Course (2005)
  • Crime Scenes - Revealing the Science behind the Evidence (2006)
  • I Remember Dying - Remarkable True Stories of People Who Return from Heaven (2006)
  • The Crimes of Jack the Ripper (2007)
  • The Complete Book of Ghosts (2007)
  • Guitar Chords - All the Chords You’ll Need… And More (2007)
  • The Nazis and the Occult (2007)
  • The Complete Book of Ghosts (2007)
  • In the Minds of Murderers (2007)
  • Reincarnation - Remarkable Stories of People Who Recall Past Lives (2008)
  • Hauntings: True Stories of Unquiet Spirits (2008)
  • Illustrated History of the Nazis - The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (2009)
  • The Magician of Grimm (2009)
  • The Nurenberg Trials (2010)
  • Dark History of the Occult (2011)
  • Biography of Marc Bolan (2012)

References

  1. ↑ Joshua Pfeiffer (of Vernian Process) on the Steampunk Bible website Steampunk Bible
  2. ↑ autobiography on Paul Roland Homepage
  3. ↑ See Interview (in german) with the online magazine NonPop
  4. ↑ For details see interview with italian magazine Nobody’s Land (undated).
  5. ↑ See interview with Nico Steckelberg on Der Hörspiegel from Autumn 2002.
  6. ↑ http://www.gaslightrecords.de
  7. ↑ http://www.blackwidow.it
  8. ↑ http://www.syborgmusic.de
  9. ↑ Details of which can be found on .

External links

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