The Dead and Alive Songs
The Dead and Alive Songs is a limited edition 7 inch vinyl single and accompanying screenprint making reference to all the songs in Palmer’s record collection that include in their titles the words ‘dead’, ‘death’, ‘die’ and ‘dying’, ‘alive’, ‘life’, ‘live’ and ‘living’. The vinyl single features two compositions demonstrating that in popular song optimistic proclamation is equally countered by dire pessimism: the alive side is a celebration of all the songs about existence while the dead side includes an arrangement based on all the songs about expiration. The Dead and Alive Songs is packaged in a full-colour sleeve accompanied by a 7 inch square screenprint featuring an image of by Sharpen Temple’s 1973 single of the same name.
Vinyl records have an interesting quality in that they are a kind of defunct technology that refuses to go away. The advent of MP3s has seemingly made vinyl more popular – if you’ve downloaded a track to listen to on your iPod but also want an object to add to your collection, vinyl records are somehow much more interesting and tactile than CDs, the artwork more appealing and the record itself a warmer and more fulfilling listening experience.
To accompany the release of The Dead and Alive Songs an exhibition of related works at Vane, Newcastle upon Tyne, included a new series of paintings featuring images of charity shop purchased 7 inch singles. Each of the records’ sleeves, all of which are the paper variety rather than picture sleeves, have been customised in some way by their former owners – sometimes simply by the addition of the song title or band’s name in a youthful scrawl, or in one case an attempt to recreate an entire picture sleeve, by hand, using felt-tip pens.
Read Robert Clark’s Preview, The Guardian, The Guide at www.guardian.co.uk
The Dead and Alive Songs
7 inch vinyl record and 2 colour screenprint in full colour spined sleeve
Edition of 175 plus 25 artist’s proofs
Retail price: £45
To buy The Dead and Alive songs visit Shop at www.vane.org.uk
View more images of the exhibition at www.vane.org.uk
Top right: Ned Loves Grace, oil on canvas, 30x30cm, 2008.
Above top: The Dead and Alive Songs (excerpt), 2008.
Above below: The Dead and Alive Songs, 7” vinyl single, 2008.
