{"title":"Peter Ivers","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"peter-ivers-becoming-peter-ivers","title":"Peter Ivers - Becoming Peter Ivers","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCAT: ReRVNG09\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRelease Date: \u003cbr\u003eNovember 9, 2019\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBecoming Peter Ivers\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of the late \u003cstrong\u003ePeter Ivers\u003c\/strong\u003e, a virtuosic songwriter and musician whose antics bridged not just 60s counterculture and New Wave music but also film, theater, and music television. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten and recorded in Los Angeles in the mid-to-late-1970s, \u003cem\u003eBecoming Peter Ivers\u003c\/em\u003e raises the curtain on this mischievous master of ceremonies, who, harmonica in hand, rarely missed a chance to light up an audience. Since his untimely death in 1983, Ivers' short but storied life has been the subject of much research and remembrance. \u003cem\u003eBecoming Peter Ivers\u003c\/em\u003e is the most expansive effort yet to collect his archival recordings.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Demos are often better than records,” Ivers wrote. “More energy, more soul, more guts.” The statement anticipates the appearance of \u003cem\u003eBecoming Peter Ivers\u003c\/em\u003e, which was assembled from a trove of demo cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes that Ivers recorded variously at his home in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, and Hollywood studios for a pair of major label albums in 1974 and 1976. While the two commercially released albums feature the resources of session musicians and state-of-the-art studio detail, \u003cem\u003eBecoming Peter Ivers\u003c\/em\u003e highlights the private moments of Ivers’ musical energy, frequently pared down to piano, drum machine, harmonica, and Peter’s ageless voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough technically not Ivers’ debut album (in 1969 Epic Records released \u003cem\u003eKnight Of The Blue Communion\u003c\/em\u003e, Peter’s psychedelic jazz odyssey of sorts), \u003cem\u003eTerminal Love\u003c\/em\u003e was the A\u0026amp;R brainchild of music legend \u003cstrong\u003eVan Dyke Parks\u003c\/strong\u003e. Already a masterful harmonica player (respectively mentored by blues legend \u003cstrong\u003eLittle Walter\u003c\/strong\u003e and jazz bassist \u003cstrong\u003eBuell Neidlinger\u003c\/strong\u003e while he was a student at Harvard in the late 60s), Ivers wove his harp melodies through the sensuously colored but unconventionally arranged pop compositions of Terminal Love and its self-titled follow up, which, like the \u003cstrong\u003eNew York Dolls\u003c\/strong\u003e at the same time, explored the libidinous, ironic, and artful possibilities of the rock template.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA studious artist, Ivers recorded hundreds of writing and rehearsal sessions onto reel-to-reel and cassette tapes, but notes were either scarcely kept or have since been lost. RVNG Intl. collaborated with Ivers’ friend and supporter \u003cstrong\u003eSteven Martin\u003c\/strong\u003e under guidance from his longtime girlfriend \u003cstrong\u003eLucy Fisher\u003c\/strong\u003e, to tell an intimate story of Peter’s creative journey through this untold music. The collection includes tracks that recurred in Ivers’ ouvre over the years; “Alpha Centauri,” “Eighteen And Dreaming,” “Miraculous Weekend.” And, of course, “In Heaven” – the song co-written with \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Lynch\u003c\/strong\u003e and commissioned by the filmmaker to be featured in a now-iconic scene of \u003cem\u003eEraserhead\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn accomplished Yogi by the late 70s, Ivers was as spiritual as he was playful. Accentuated by his cherubic face and compact height, Ivers’ vitality and curiosity became a part of his poetic sensibility, a quality that also characterizes his singing voice. Fisher remembers Ivers calling his days holed up in the studio as “snowy days,” as if he had been cut from school and let free to roam on his own. “No one knows what Peter Ivers does on a snowy day,” he would say. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1980, Ivers became involved with the Los Angeles-area public access show \u003cem\u003eNew Wave Theatre\u003c\/em\u003e, serving as its host and paternal misfit. Ivers would introduce a new generation of groups like \u003cstrong\u003eFear\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eDead Kennedys\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eSuburban Lawns\u003c\/strong\u003e while playing a kind-of “straight” man, deliberately baiting the punks with square questions and frocked fashion. His signature question to guests was delivered deadpan: “What is the meaning of life?\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIvers died, tragically, the victim of a violent homicide in 1983 that remains unsolved. A shock to his community, his death all but fazed the LAPD, who treated the investigation with less than minimum care.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA labor of love that took RVNG Intl. over five years to complete, \u003cem\u003eBecoming Peter Ivers\u003c\/em\u003e re-frames Peter’s music as the centerpiece of his captivating story, concentrating on the work he made during his numerous retreats into art, or, as he put it, during his snowy days. Available as a double LP, CD, and digitally, \u003cem\u003eBecoming Peter Ivers\u003c\/em\u003e includes liner notes by \u003cstrong\u003eSam Lefebvre\u003c\/strong\u003e and Steven Martin and an array of unseen ephemera from Peter’s life and times.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn behalf of the estate of Peter Ivers, a portion of the proceeds from this release will benefit \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/homeboyindustries.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eHomeboy Industries\u003c\/a\u003e, a rehabilitation organization run by Father Greg Boyle to assist previously incarcerated former gang members with counseling, legal services, and work training programs. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/commendnyc.com\/come-mend\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eCome! Mend!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2X4xR360z_U\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e \u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wLaGyXHkQEM\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"ReRVNG09","offers":[{"title":"DIGITAL - $15","offer_id":29481839525957,"sku":"ReRVNG09DIGI","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"DBL LP + LTD 7\" - $34","offer_id":29492750876741,"sku":"ReRVNG09LTDDBLLP","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"DBL LP - $30","offer_id":29481839460421,"sku":"ReRVNG09LP","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD - $15","offer_id":29481839493189,"sku":"ReRVNG09CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0026\/6993\/6709\/products\/RERVNG09-Digital-Cover-1500px_e0ec519a-0e0c-40ee-a6bd-a615e42085a2.png?v=1606241305"}],"url":"https:\/\/igetrvng.com\/collections\/peter-ivers.oembed","provider":"RVNG Intl.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}