Roman P.

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Roman P. is a song by the band Psychic TV . The song first appeared in the band's live repertoire around 1983 and was released in a first studio version in 1984. The Fireball Mix , published in 1986 and used as music in a VW commercial in the mid-1990s , became famous . The song has been part of the band's live repertoire until recently and has also been featured on numerous live releases.

history

The song title refers to Roman Polański and the murder of his wife Sharon Tate by the Manson Family . The composers are Psychic TV mastermind Genesis P-Orridge and the band's first guitarist, Alex Fergusson . The oldest versions of the song can be found on the albums New York Scum (live recording from New York from November 19, 1983) and Those Who Do Not (live recording from Reykjavík from November 1983). In 1984 Roman P. appeared as a single on the French label Sordide Sentimental . The B-side contained u. a. Voice recordings by Charles Manson and Jim Jones , on the enclosed promotional photo the band posed in T-shirts with the likeness of Manson. The single, originally limited to 3003 pieces, was later reissued at an unknown amount. The early live versions and the single version from 1984 are performed slowly and sluggishly.

In 1986 Psychic TV released a single with a cover version of Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys on their own label Temple Records . The B-side of the Beach Boys cover and one of the four songs of The Magickal Mystery D Tour EP (Temple TOPY 023), also released as a double 7 ", was the new recording called Fireball Mix by Roman P. It was produced for the previous one Work of the band Exceptionally driving and poppy release by Genesis P-Orridge and Ken Thomas, the mix was done by Mark Freegard , who later became famous for his work as a producer for Marillion . VW used this new recording in 1995 in the advertising campaign Drivers wanted .

The song has been part of Psychic TV's live repertoire since its inception and is featured on numerous live recordings and compilations, with mostly faster versions being played live in the late 1980s. Due to the development of the band and their various style changes, especially in the course of the 1990s, the song was no longer at the gigs of the band, which had at times shrunk to a duo or trio, just at the time when it became better known through the VW campaign heard live. When Psychic TV was reactivated in 2003, Roman P. was back in the repertoire and has been performed again and again in the slow version ever since. The Fireball Mix was on the 2004 album Godstar. Thee Director's Cut with other recordings from the 1980s that originally only appeared on singles and EPs and were partially unreleased, first published on a studio album that belongs together.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ So on the Fireball mix. For the older live recordings and the 1984 single, only the musicians involved are sometimes listed instead of the composers.
  2. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Psychic-TV-NY-Scum/master/17396
  3. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Psychic-TV-Those-Who-Do-Not/release/194109
  4. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Psychic-TV-Roman-P/release/118813
  5. ↑ PTV 3 - Live At Thee Coral Room, December 5, 2003, Track 2.
  6. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Psychic-TV-Godstar-Thee-Directors-Cut/release/352138

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