Walter Verdin Cold Turkey / Instant Karma! Record Store Day 2021 Edition

Record Store Day 2021 release on photoluminescent vinyl. In 1981 Walter Verdin recorded the demos for two songs of Lennon's Plastic Ono Band before he formed the group Pas De Deux, the Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1983.The artwork of this 7" is inspired by the artwork of the original record sleeves. Walter Verdin is the Belgian chameleon changing constantly between different musical styles and audiovisual art. At the end of the seventies, he released 'Storingen', a Flemish reggae single with some musical friends under the name of Specimen & The Rizikoos. In 1980 he had a number one hit in Flanders with 'Er is iets', taken from the album 'Cinema'. In the same year he started to work as a video director in the studios of the Audiovisual Services at the KULeuven. At night he experimented with video and sound. For the next 20 years, the studios became the cradle for his video art and musical experiments. In 1981, before he formed the group Pas De Deux (the Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1983), he recorded the demos for two songs of Lennon's Plastic Ono Band. These songs ended on the B side of their mini-LP 'Des Tailles'. On this 7" vinyl: the demo versions of 'Cold Turkey' and 'Instant Karma!'. They are recorded ping-ponging between two stereo tape recorders. All the instruments were programmed and played by Walter Verdin without the possibility of mixing or 'picking in'. Adding an instrument or a voice meant another copy from beginning to end. The roughness and the spontaneity of these recordings are remarkable, especially when you compare the tracks with the professional recordings that were made later at the famous ICP studios in Brussels with Pas De Deux, where the cheap Boss rhythm box was replaced by a Linn Drum and other instruments were added. Walter Verdin is a big fan of Lennon's music and social engagement. These demos were made only a couple of months after his passing in December 1980. The choice for the specific songs is not accidental: they are the songs with which John Lennon started a new musical adventure. Also, for Walter Verdin it was the start for a new way of music making, after a very short career as a 'Flemish singer songwriter'. The text -the message- of both songs is more topical in 2021 than it was at the beginning of the eighties, when they were recorded.