Lou is a sucker for albums with pretty women on the cover and he has a fascination with the Spanish island of Mallorca, so when he saw Auf Wiedersehn Bye Bye Adios Mallorca sunbathing in the ten-dollar bin, he had to give it a listen. On further review, it should probably be drowning in the two-dollar bin, but que sera sera. Mallorca is a compilation album issued by Olympo in 1976. There seems to be several similar Mallorca-themed compilations out there over the years. Lou saw one mentioned on the Net described as a funk album. Not this one. Lou also had hopes that this album might be a dance record with a Balearic flavor. Think Ibiza. No such luck. (Sidebar: If you are interested in a terrific book on DJ scenes from the 1960s onwards, get a copy of Last Night a DJ Saved My Life by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton which documents the role of the DJ in 20th Century music. Very readable and informative on scenes from Northern Soul through disco into rave. Recommended.)
If Mallorca were Mexican, not Spanish, it would be playing over the sound system of a Chi-Chi’s in the 1980s while culinary tourists dug into their reheated vittles. Lou was partial to the chimichanga or Pollo Magnifico and the wonderful chips and salsa. Despite talk of a comeback, Chi-Chi disappeared years ago although at the supermarket you can still get the Chi-Chi’s brand salsa. It is Lou’s favorite of the mass market brands. Dinner at Chi-Chi’s would be finished off with fried ice cream and there would be a nada colada to wash it all down. Lou was a heavy drinker even in his youth.
Similarly, the songs of Mallorca might be heard playing at a seaside bar awash with German tourists tying to get some Lebensraum away from the Fatherland. This is a record of Spanish standards with a tie-in to tourism and holidaying in the sun. Just like The Sex Pistol’s “Holiday in the Sun”. Lou wishes.
Even if this record was not Lou’s glass of chilled white wine, it did make him long for a trip to sun-drenched Mallorca, not so much for the beaches or food or drink, but for the literary sightseeing. Mallorca has a long history of attracting creative types from George Sand and Frederic Chopin to Jorge Luis Borges. Lou has a thing for two of the alternative presses that operated out of Mallorca in the 20th Century. Printing is cheap in Mallorca, which accounts for its rich tradition in publishing.
From 1927-1935, Robert Graves and Laura Riding operated Seizin Press. From 1930, it was based on the island until the Spanish Civil War forced them to cease operation. After leaving Mallorca and moving to New Hope, Pennsylvania, Graves and Riding broke up, but for a time, the pair ran one of the great presses of the Modernist Era. Graves returned to Mallorca without Riding after the peace in Europe in 1946 and eventually started up the press again. Graves was a notable figure on Mallorca and his estate in Deià is now a tourist attraction and museum.
The example of Graves and Riding is no doubt part of what drew poet Robert Creeley and his wife Ann to the island in the 1950s. With Ann’s inheritance, the Creeleys started Divers Press, which is one of the great presses of the post-WWII period. Must be something about that Mallorcan sea breeze. The publications of Divers Press are some of Lou’s all-time favorites of any small press and they look fantastic. The typography of Creeley is a joy to behold and to hold. Over the years Lou has been able to acquire most of the Divers Press titles and that may be as close to Mallorca as he will ever get. But that is the thing about books and magazines, they can transport you anywhere. Records too. Talk Vinyl Vogue down to $2 for the Mallorca LP and you can put it on and imagine you are seaside enjoying a drink while the woman on the cover sunbathes beside you. As for Lou, he drinks alone, of course.
Suggested Sites and Sounds:
Creeley’s Typography: Jacket 31 - October 2006 - Kyle Schlesinger: GETTING Behind the Word: Creeley’s TyPOGRAPHY
The Robert Graves Experience: lacasaderobertgraves.org/en/
1 comment
Lou, I’d do $2 Chi-Chi’s tequila shots with you any day of the week.