A Head Full of Wishes is a site for Galaxie 500, Luna, Damon & Naomi, Dean & Britta and Dean Wareham. With news, articles and lists of releases and past and future shows.
My record collection
[251] Luna / Cheval Sombre - Lonesome Cowboy Bill
This lovely single was released by Feral Child Records in 2017 at the same time as they released the California Blue / Rock Yr Baby single. The single has Luna performing The Velvet Underground’s Lonesome Cowboy Bill on the a side, and Cheval Sombre’s take on the same song on the aa side.
I must admit to having two copies of this, so it’ll turn up again later in the series so… rather than talking about the single, I’ll talk about a 1928 almost-silent film instead (although… there is a connection, or two, or at a push… three)
One of the things that drew Hazel and I together was our love of classic cinema, our first long chats in lunchtime visits to the pub would have been about that. Back then it would have been over the classic Hollywood films of the 30s and 40s but in the last 10 years or so we have found ourselves falling in love with the cinema of the late silent period. Of course most silent film presentations aren’t silent at all - and more often than not are not only films, but places to experience live music.
A few months ago I came across a 1928 film I was unfamiliar with called Lonesome (see the connections are already appearing) on YouTube, I downloaded it and had it on a USB stick, unwatched, for ages. A couple of weeks ago Hazel and I were spending our last night in Groningen where we’d been to see a Dean Wareham show. We’d had a lovely day cycling around and so we found ourselves worn out, and back in the hotel room quite early - there was nothing on the telly, but I did have that USB stick. By this time I’d completely forgotten why I had decided to download Lonesome, and didn’t have a clue what it was about.
So… we popped the USB stick into the TV and we watched Lonesome.
What a film! It’s a simple and beautiful story of two lonely working people in New York, who have a half-day holiday on the Fourth of July weekend and both end up at the Luna Park amusements in Coney Island where they meet, and fall in love, and then get separated, and of course find each other again - how classic a storyline is that? But it is so beautifully told with some smart and cutting edge methods:
- the film is mostly silent but has three dialogue sequences that were put in at the insistence of the studio - most folk find these awkward and unnecessary but I must admit that I found it a beautiful surprise and it was lovely hearing Mary and Jim talk - even if it was stilted and awkward (like early love should be!)
- when I say mostly silent it did have a synchronised score, and sound effects - so… not silent at all.
- the director used so many wonderful tricks to make the film even more special:
- stencil coloured sequences
- mounted the camera to amusement park rides
- overlays and split screens
- some lovely dissolves
… it was thrilling, and such a lovely surprise - I still find it astounding that 50+ years being a film fan and I’m still finding things to fall in love with.
I’d highly reccommend watching Lonesome - there’s a decent copy of it on YouTube although I’d love to see it on the big screen some time.
Meanwhile, I’ve pulled Luna & Cheval Sombre play The Velvet Underground’s “Lonesome Cowboy Bill” (to give it its full title) off the shelf, and slipped it out of the sleeve - and what do I find on the label (on the a side) but a photo of the entrance to Luna Park in Coney Island - at first I thought it might even have been a frame from the film… but I don’t think so.
Now I’ve no idea if the (uncredited) record designer knew that Lonesome the film featured Luna Park or whether they just thought using Luna Park’s entrance to show Luna’s side of the record was cool (which it very much is). I hope that they knew, but either way I love that it happened.
In 1928 Harold Lloyd made a film called Speedy that also involved an extended visit to Luna Park, and it also turns up in the 1925 King Vidor film The Crowd… I guess if I’d just watched either of those I wouldn’t have ended up writing this post, but Lonesome and Lonesome Cowboy Bill mean you’ve got a film review this time.
So… three connections, sort of:
- The word Lonesome.
- Luna Park in the film and on the label.
- It all takes place on the Fourth of July weekend
OK, that last one is a bit of a stretch!
- Catalogue Number: AHFOW 11/071
- Artist: Luna / Cheval Sombre…
- Title: … play The Velvet Underground’s “Lonesome Cowboy Bill”
- Format: 7"
- Bought from Dom at Great Pop Supplement who either was (or was fronting for) Feral Child
- You can buy Luna’s cover of ‘Lonesome Cowboy Bill’ as part of their Postscripts EP on Bandcamp