Musings on the byways of popular culture
20/12/2024
My good pal Mark Case has created this seasonal promo for recent releases on the splendid Madfish imprint. I was delighted to have worked with Mark, and Madfish, this year past on the Fairport Convention 12-disc set featured in the promo. I’ll be involved in at least three Madfish projects next year (Horslips at the BBC 4CD+DVD, Martin Carthy at the BBC 20CD and a mystery Horslips item later in the year) – and perhaps more. Exciting!
Historians often talk of ‘the long 18th century’ and ditto of the 19th century, with a few years either side of the calendar century deemed to belong with the hundred-year period in terms of style, innovation, industry, values, etc. The 60s, as we understand them as a cultural decade, are similarly not quite calendrical. But what can we say vis a vis British history (the US is a separate case, let’s not bring it in here) – as a bit of fun but also as something useful to the study of history – are the start and end points?
Phillip Larkin’s poem referencing ‘the Beatles first LP’ (March 1963) is helpful. One could make a case for October 1962 (‘Love Me Do’ becomes a hit – a month after skiffle sensation Lonnie Donegan’s last UK hit, which is conveniently baton-passing in retrospect). I’m tempted by 1963, maybe even beginning in January 1963 – the Marquee Club in London beginning its weekly R&B nights, initially with the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers (soon to be Mannfred Mann) and ex-trad jazzer (who saw which way the wind was blowing) Big Pete Deuchar’s Country Blues, but soon ushering in the likes of the Rolling » Continue Reading.
The first slab of original music from Britain’s leading all-female Slade tribute act, Slady. I say ‘original’ but the ladeez have cleverly tweaked the DNA of a few old familiar Slade numbers here. Good luck to them.
Song in comments.
25/04/2025
Pentangle: The Albums: 1968-1972 boxset to be released on vinyl for the very first time via Svart Records on 16th April 2025
1968 to 1972, saw the release of 6 studio albums from Folk’s first supergroup Pentangle. Featuring the songwriting talents of guitarists Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, alongside bassist Danny Thompson, drummer Terry Cox and singer Jacqui McShee, their innovative folk-fusion encompassed elements of jazz as well as pop, which left a lasting influence and legacy.
The first 5 albums were released on legendary Folk label Transatlantic, while Solomon’s Seal (1972), on the Reprise label, was their final album with the original line-up.
Now for the first time ever, these albums are available as a 14LP deluxe box set. Each album has been expanded with a wealth of bonus material, including choice selections from contemporaneous solo LPs by Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, out-takes and live tracks. Across the package, there is an impressive amount of 22 recordings which are previously unreleased on LP. Some of the albums are being reissued on vinyl for the first time in decades with Solomon’s Seal last being released as an LP in 1977, shortly followed by Reflection in 1980.
Each » Continue Reading.
Dick Gaughan, a colossus of Scottish folk music, slipped away into unexpected retirement in Edinburgh in 2016 after a stroke. I’m working on a project that may, if all goes to plan, find a route to market and remind the world what an extraordinary singer, guitarist and artists he was. The film below, possibly from Belgian station RTBF, appeared on YouTube a couple of months ago – a reminder of his brilliance at the end of what I’d regard as phase one of his career (almost entirely focused on traditional music) and the beginning of phase two (incorporating more songwriting and politics of the present day).
…Dave McLarnon’s Shock Treatment, featuring a penetrating interview (by Coughing Colin H) with Dave McLarnon on the sofa plus Bazza McIlheney interviewed in the recording studio, with footage of the Treatment making their sensational comeback album ‘Exclusive Photos’. In the comments…
Colin H on imaginary meetings in songs
Word on the highway, the National Seven, the road to Newquay, the road less travelled and the paths of glory is that British folk-blues pioneer and total original Wizz Jones has finally called it quits at 85 and played his last show – at the Acorn Theatre, Penzance, on Saturday 3rd August. It’s the county in which he was filmed busking on the beach by Alan Whicker for a BBC magazine show in 1960, gently protesting about local antagonism to beatniks like himself. People protesting against others who are slightly different to themselves – wouldn’t happen in Britain today, would it…?
To Brit folk connoisseurs, Wizz is one of the all-time greats – a contemporary of Davy Graham, an influence on Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Ralph McTell and the rest. He swung like no one else, with a plaintive voice that captured something of the poverty and fragility of British youth growing up after the Second World War, looking, hoping for a better way to live. He was still brilliant to the end – not advertising his last show, as far as I’m aware – just quietly telling people on the night that he was stopping because ‘I just can’t » Continue Reading.
I’m delighted to say that the crowdfunder / purchasing opportunity for Mike Butler’s latest volume in his eight-book series ‘Sounding the Century’ – on 1950s-70s British/Irish folk music producer Bill Leader and his circle of characterful associates – is now ‘live’.
As Mike has been abroad, with most of his sales in Britain/Europe, I’ve taken on the responsibility of organising the printing of the book and the mailing out to purchasers, and Norman Boyd – newly freelance designer, highly recommended – has very kindly handled the typesetting etc.
We’ve added two extra ‘rewards’ for those wishing to help Mike towards a fifth volume (I am taking zero monies from the enterprise – after costs, it all goes to Mike): a limited edition revised-packaging repress (50 units) of 70s folk-rockers Hunter Muskett’s 2014 comeback album ‘That Was Then…’ (the last album Bill produced); and a totally exclusive 68-page book by me (50 units), being an enhanced ‘lost chapter’ of my book on uilleann piping, focused on Bill’s adventures in that area.
More info, and a video message from Mike, in the link in the comments. 🙂
My old pal Brian Houston has a new album out, ‘Belfast Troubadour’ – very much in the Americana vein influence-wise, but a fairly big production rather than a campfire vibe on most of it. It’s not streaming anywhere, so I can only post a live version of the lead track – my favourite on it, the best song Hank forgot to write (in my view) 🙂
If anyone (in the UK) fancies reviewing the album, PM me and I’ll have a copy posted to you. It’s tough out there for sole trader artists to get heard. I’ve written a couple of times before here about Brian – someone else’s turn. One interesting thing about the release is that the vinyl version is a different mix to the CD. I can have both posted out if one person with time on their hands and a bit of interest wants to hear both. 🙂
Colin H on future legends and future nonentities
Venue:
The American Bar, Belfast
Date: 06/07/2024
There may be those who thought that Dave McLarnon was pushing a fridge up a mountain in pursuing the goal, with quiet determination, of re-establishing Shock Treatment – his 1978-82 Ulster punk band – as an active, inspiring, celebratory band of then and now… But if those people exist, they weren’t there yesterday afternoon at the American Bar. Metaphorically, Shock Treatment blew the bl**dy doors off – and if they’d done so literally, it would been very welcome indeed, because the place was rammed, the heat was hot and outside the sun had got its hat on. But no one left because Dave and the boys were on fire!
Covid/lockdown took a lot of wind out of the sails of the local gig scene in NI – people’s attending habits, opportunities to play, etc. – and it’s perhaps only now that things are looking a bit healthier on that front. Chris Roddy runs the American Bar’s ‘Saturday Afternoon Club’. Chris is a legend who deserves to be celebrated widely. Unlike some in the NI music world, he doesn’t go around talking about himself so it’s up to others to do that for » Continue Reading.
I haven’t seen this mentioned here yet – a recent documentary from the Gallagher family broadcast on RTÉ and BBC NI (but presumably not BBC nationally). It’s extremely well made – a human interest doc, not one for guitar bores alone.
I’ll put the iPlayer link in the comments.
A decent video clip from Punk on the Peninsula recently, with Stinky Turner introducing the new Cockney Rejects (albeit with a stand in for the permanent new fellow on drums).
(video in comments)
Limited Edition 11CD+DVD Set. For the first time ever, fans can experience the timeless magic of Fairport Convention’s ‘second golden age’ all in one place with this meticulously crafted and comprehensive 11CD and DVD deluxe boxset ‘It All Came Round Again: Onstage and On Air 1982-90’. The set includes over 160 tracks, 57 of which are previously unreleased recordings.
Also included in this limited edition set is a replica festival programme signed by Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks and Richard Thompson. This bespoke Madfish offering, curated by Bert Jansch/John McLaughlin biographer Colin Harper, is the definitive tribute to the legendary British folk-rock band’s enduring legacy.
The Fairport Convention legend was forged between 1967 and 1979 – 12 years, 16 albums, umpteen line-ups and four exhausted people at the end of it. In August 1980, the last line-up – Simon Nicol, Dave Swarbrick, Dave Pegg and Bruce Rowland – reunited for a day in a farmer’s field in Cropredy, Oxfordshire, establishing the iconic ‘Fairport’s Cropredy Convention’ festival in the process. Five relatively quiet years passed by before, in 1985 and by popular demand, a new recording and touring Fairport Convention assembled around Peggy and Simon. Everything moved up » Continue Reading.
One should always be focused… on the finest of Dutch progressive rock. The tunes entitled ‘Focus’ and numbered 1-5 can be found across that mighty ensemble’s ‘original era’ albums of 1970-76. ‘Focus 6’ is fairly obscure, having appeared originally on a 1981 Thijs Van Leer (organ/flute in Focus) solo album. When Focus rebooted as a recording/touring sensation in 2002, the first album was called ‘Focus 8’ (featuring, of course, a tune of that name). The album ‘Focus 12’ is due in July… featuring not a tune of that title but one called ‘Focus 13’. (See below for the answer to ‘where’s ‘Focus 12′?’)
But what of ‘Focus 7’? Well, it seems to have first appeared on a little-known live album (sold on the band’s merchandise stall rather than being a ‘proper’ release called ‘Live in America’ in 2003 and then on an even more obscure semi-release called ‘Live in South America’ the following year. A studio version of ‘Focus 7’ belatedly appeared on the 2006 album ‘Focus 9’ (along with, obviously, ‘Focus 9’). Luckily, for those of us who were blinking and missed things, the well-marketed ‘Focus 50’ (referring to their 50th anniversary – not that they’d jumped several dozen » Continue Reading.
A couple of weeks ago I hosted a pal, let’s call her ‘Sally McDaid’, and her driver / soundman / manager ‘Morton Tesco’, for three nights during an Irish tour. Sal – a critically well-regarded singer/songwriter/guitarist living in ‘Devon’ – has been touring Ireland more or less annually for 15 or more years, along with extensive touring in the US, GB and northern Europe. Indeed, her first (pre-professional) album was released in the mid 90s in Ireland, where she lived for many years, about 10 years before her full-time music career proper began. I’ve seen her play to audiences of 6 to 200 at various places in Ireland over those years. Before Covid, it had been slowly but surely building. But Covid now seems like a merciless line in the sand. For various reasons – cost of living for punters, people getting out of the gig-going habit, Brexit costs for touring artists from the UK (Sally travelled in to Dublin), etc. – the always fragile pub-level touring game seems done for.
This time around, with 8 gigs booked, 4 were cancelled at the 11th hour while Sally and Morton were on the island, having invested time and money getting there » Continue Reading.
Someone from this crew has recently joined the reformed Cockney Rejects. This is their new single. Do any of us have ‘previous’ with the ‘Sparrer?
My pal Kyle ‘The Kylemeister’ Leitch – 70s record retailer and Belfast’s other ‘Godfather of Punk’ – started a podcast recently. Episode 4, out yesterday, is the best so far – only available on Spotify (link below).
It’s a good-natured, upbeat ramble through Henry’s time in Stiff Little Fingers and Highway Star before that – Henry being one of Kyle’s best customers in Caroline Music, Belfast at the time. Henry published a memoir recently, which sold out – a reprint is in the offing.
The interview / chat proper starts at 8:50, after some introductory byways about Kyle’s recent AirBnB / Booking.com adventures.
Colin H on Pirate radio, mods & rockers
Radio Caroline began 60 years ago last week (28 March 1964). Three days later, there was a bit of scene on Brighton beach involving something called mods & rockers. Here is part of a chapter from the draft version of my John McLaughlin book ‘Bathed in Lightning’ (2014). I enjoyed going off an a tangent and lifting a few stones to peer underneath them when writing a chapter concerning McLaughlin-related goings on in 1964, but it was a tangent that was excised when the book mushroomed. I later included it as a standalone piece in ‘Echoes From Then’ (2017) – a companion volume to BIL. Given the anniversary, here it is – with the front page of the Coventry Telegraph the day after Brighton.
*
Pirate Radio, London Mods, British Soul (1964)
‘There were a certain number of coloured Americans around who should have been all right, but there weren’t any James Browns among them… ‘Soul’ in British pop was a non-starter.’ George Melly, Revolt Into Style, 1970 [1]
In a way, Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames were responsible for changing the world, or so the Scene Club’s co-owner/manager, 24-year-old » Continue Reading.
Eight months back Jeff ‘Pungent’ Turner from the Rejects put out an important announcement – quashing misunderstandings about the Rejects’ farewell tour being, well, a farewell. They would do the odd festival, he explained, but no more big tours.
But now, it seems, Jeff can’t quite live with that – he wants to carry on, so the rest of the boys have said farewell to Jeff… and Jeff’s forming a new Rejects – with someone from the Business/Cock Sparrer, someone from the Toy Dolls and someone else.
Announcement in the comments.
How do we feel about this? Do any Cockney Rejects get the feeling they’ve been cheated or is Jeff riding in with the cavalry?
18/02/2024
There is no way of doing this that doesn’t seem ridiculous, but here it is… my friends Barry Devlin and Cormac O’Kane have made a documentary about me and my ‘world’. In a way, it has spun off (out of any normal sense of reason) out of the 35-disc Horslips box set that I curated for Madfish, released early last year.
Barry (Horslips alumnus, later an adventurer in the world of TV and film – scriptwriting, U2 promos, documentaries etc.) didn’t know me before that process. He didn’t know Cormac either – Cormac, an old friend of mine who has tolerated/aided/abetted my adventures in music recording for nearly 30 years, had mastered the Horslips box set.
Barry seemed to find our circle to be fun… and around June last year he decided that the world needed this documentary and set about creating it. Somehow, he convinced BBC NI to acquire it – and then convinced technological wizard and can-do man Cormac O’Kane to direct it, with Cormac’s mild-mannered studio sidekick Richard Brown roped in as editor. The whole thing has been made on wings, prayers and enormous goodwill. My contribution was organising a couple of interviews/performance things » Continue Reading.
