I first got to know Joël Bolan through a buy on ebay funny enough at the time thou he was going under the name of Joel Ramone and had released a wonderful full orchestral version of Marc’ Bolan’s ‘Children of Rarn Suite’ including Marc’s original vocals from 1970.
This was an outstanding peace of work that I found that I often play over the years to come. I then started to look out for that name and later found Joël himself singing Marc Bolan’s classic ‘Left Hand Luke’ that same day while on myspace I came across a Joël Bolan http://www.myspace.com/bolanjoel and was surprised to find him to be the very same guy & we’ve been friends ever since.
Before I give the review of his new track ‘Promised World which is based on Marc Bolan and Joël’s late father Jean-Paul I am going to tell you a brief bio of Joël Bolan so you get to know him and understand the reason for this release and it’s lyrics.
Over the years many people thought Joël changed his name to Bolan due to the T.Rex link but the truth is, which is very interesting that Bolan is his family name and the Bolan’s came to France in 1700s and a distance relation around 1856 was called Marc Bolan. Strange to think many years later Joël would get to show a love for the rock star’s music with the same family members name maybe due to that family connection (*in name only).
Born in the 60s with a family background full of artistic affections with father and uncle and even his grandparents all musicians, Joël in his early years already started showing his abilities in painting, drawing and poetry.
It was not till he was 13 that he would buy his very first album ‘The Best of T.Rex’.
Hearing this had a massive effect on the rest of his life as music started to be and has been since his main interest in life.
Joël however was not content on just listening to T.Rex he wanted to learn to play their music. He brought his first acoustic guitar & soon learnt how to play all his favorites. Once he had done this he was still not content so started to compose his own.
Thing was in the 80s Joël was not happy with what sounds were going around so he started to study classic rock guitarists which was not only Marc Bolan but Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page and the more he studied the more the need to play electric grew within.
After a while much of his music included more electric sound but on the whole his main ballads stayed around the acoustic sound.
It was after the birth of his son Hendrik in 1992 that Joël’s love for music added another string to it’s bow when he started to study more on production, composition & arrangements by diving into the works of such greats as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - numerous classic compositions were the result of this.
Joël’s work “Wiener Quartett" received a mention at a composer-competition in Vienna. At this time he composed several classic compositions like for example “Mass for organ and soprano” He also composed classical music with elements of the rock music for film and theatres.
This was the build up to where I first came to know of Joël’s music with his 1996 orchestral demo of Marc Bolan’s rock opera ‘Children of Rarn Suite’.
We jump to 2007 where Joël Bolan started again to work more in the rock- and pop-music scene for the duet Fervencies, he composed and arranged all their songs. The music much like the Swedish pop of the 70s. This work with Fervencies didn't satisfy him. His ambition strove for more. And at least it was his son Hendrik, who brought him back to the rock-music. You can hear Hendrik on 'Promised World' as he plays the bass guitar as yet again the love for music runs in the Bolan family line.
In 2009-2010 Joël Bolan while talking to me on MSN talked of maybe leaving his French roots behind and singing more of his own songs in English. Over 2010 this became a passion to the state where he was re-recording his older songs into English form. Like many of his friends in UK I was lucky to hear this happen in the form of MP3 samples being sent to hear his growth, his change in direction.
Then new excitement came in conversation of a new song he was aiming to finish and release by 16th Sept 2010 simply called ‘Promised World’.
Right from the start Joël let his close friends follow this project as bit by bit we all heard this song in sample format (MP3) grow to it’s finished glory.
Even at the early stages we all knew this was something special. I could hear Joël’s voice change, grow as he had now been singing more English and getting a master and delivering that emotion within the lyrics.
In one part of the song he sings
‘a silver tear evoking memories
erroneous of many years
and really not to judge’
and his emotion in his vocals just gives you goosebumps.
What was strange even thou I have followed other artists songs from early demo forms many times before this song I had heard grow so much in a short time it became to me like a masterpiece, a painting where the artist was adding many layers of colours before sitting back, putting the brush down and saying “my work is done”.
I now listen to the finished work and it’s various layers of guitars build and flow together like good friends.
His electric guitar work in some parts so reminded me of Gary Moore’s classic sound even thou Joël didn’t see this but I have to say what I hear.
The 30 piece orchestra was the last thing I heard added and to hear these strings sound as if they are crying it is so beautiful. I was blown away when again on MSN Joël explained how he composes his music such as this amazing string section. He said “I sit behind my desk in my study paper & pen in front of me and I work it out, hear it in my head and just write it down” It just staggered me to think he composes this way with no use of any instruments.
The lyrics are not meant to be funny, happy joyful as it is the sad story of not only missing his father Jean-Paul but the idol that got him to where he was Marc Bolan.
The opening lines go ‘ dusk of a night in September, the frozen womb of an obscurity, in your heart wounded by the cold’ this just takes me back to ’77 and hearing that news that morning on the radio and sort of gives me a shiver.
Also within you hear maybe a sound of hope with ‘the archangel summoned your soul, open the door of a universe’ all very heavy stuff with the added question ‘why are you gone so quickly?’
‘Promised World’ is a song by a singer/songwriter/composer but more important a fan and a son to two people that were very special in his life this song is very much personal to Joël Bolan.
Saying that thou when hearing it you can find some part of it feeling personal to you too.
Promised World
(Joel Bolan)
Dusk of a night in September
The frozen womb of an obscurity
In your heart wounded by the cold
Took you towards its darkness
The archangel summoned your soul
Open the door of a universe
Named by the mortals, paradise
Promised World, paradise
Losing on the earth
A silver tear evoking memories
Erroneous of many years
And really not to judge
Why are you gone so quickly?
Will I see you in a new day?
In a cloth of light dazzling the promised world
Singing the song
The song of life
Now on sale at http://www.joel-bolan.com/single/singlecd.html
