RIP John Martyn

Sometimes a song just resonates with you and that's how it was when I first heard "may you never" by John Martyn who sadly died in Ireland on 29 January 2009. I cant lay claim to being a big fan but the hairs on the back of my neck always stood up when I heard that song.

Paying tribute to Martyn, BBC Radio 2's folk presenter Mike Harding said: "John Martyn was a true original, one of the giants of the folk scene".



Strangely I always thought is needed a harmony vocal so i was pleasently surprised to find this on You Tube - Enjoy

This made me smile...

You better not pout, you better not cry

probably the best of the Xmas ditties



Have a great holiday everyone

Gary Moore (a very young and jazzy version)

As many of you know, I'm a big fan of Gary Moore. Of all the guitarists I've seen, his speed, versatility and technique just blows me away, not least because, unlike many modern players, he has such an original style. So I'm really indebted to a friend who sent me this youtube link




Its a very young Gary playing with Colosseum II (with Don Airey on Keyboards, Jon Heisman on drums and John Mole on Bass). This was where I first heard/discovered Gary Moore and the video is from a BBC "sight & sound in concert" broadcast. Its incredibly self indulgent jazz rock from the seventies - who ever gave Gary that stage gear should be shot - but his playing is a taster of what was to come.

Enjoy

You need hands - just hands

It's goning to be a bit quiet here for a while - I'm travelling on business

Police at Wembley - 20th October 2007

The Police's final concert of their European tour and I was lucky enough to be there. Some late comers - presumably those who'd been glued to a pub TV in the vain hope that they might see England win the rugby world cup - in a final against South Africa - really ?? - missed the excellent support band- Fiction Plane. A cross between U2 and The Police themselves they were fronted by a tall bass playing vocalist who resembled Sting in many ways. No surprise then to find that Fiction Plane are fronted by one Joe Sumner, son of Gordon Sumner. Must have been fun negotiating that support slot - nepotism rules OK.

It was a crowd full of people of a 'certain age' - me included - but we were treated to a blistering 'greatest hits and more' show with Sting, Andy and Stuart belting through their back catalog with remarkable aplomb. Message in a Bottle, Walking on the Moon, Don't Stand So Close, Every Little Thing, and I Can't Stand Losing You had everyone on their feet. The lights went red to set the scene for a great version of Roxanne and tee-up the two encores which featured 'King of Pain, So Lonely, a roof lifting version of Every Breath you Take and finally the rocking Next to You.

Stings vocals, given that the previous date had to be cancelled due to throat problems, were assured and majestic as ever and, though he's showing his years a little more than the rest, Andy Summers can still cut a jazzy lick or three. Stuart was just Stuart - switching his drum styles in an instant and loosing more sticks in a set than most drummers use in a lifetime, he kicked out tight reggae and rock beats that drove the band forward.

One of the London free papers noted in review that "... considering the band was only together for six years 20 years ago, they produced some of the most peerless pop songs in the world" ; hard to argue with that.


Full Set List
Message in a Bottle
Synchronicity II
Walking On The Moon
Voices Inside My Head
When The World Is Running Down
Don't Stand So Close To Me
Driven To Tears
Truth Hits Everybody
Hole In My Life
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Walking In Your Footsteps
Can't Stand Losing You
Roxanne
King Of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
Next To You

Just Amazing

Prince at O2 (6th Sept 2007)

The little purple one returned to the O2 for his last set of shows at the venue and I was lucky enough to be there. Its my first Prince show since seeing him back in the eighties (when Jacko was disappointing 'em all at Wembley Stadium, I was enthralled by the little man at the Arena) and I have to admit I was quite excited – despite the patchy reviews. I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

From the opening medley, that lasted for some 25mins – who can manage that !! - it was clear that this is a guy who just lives for the performance. Some call him arrogant, self obsessed or just down right strange but no-one can deny this mans talent. Whether he was dancing, singing, soloing on his symbol shaped guitar or just sat paying solo at the piano you couldn't’t take your eyes off him. His pre gig video had his bands saying that he could and does play all their instruments and you get the idea that he probably can play them as well or better than any of them. He is the ultimate showman and works an audience with consummate ease. Let’s go crazy sets a blistering pace, Little red corvette is delivered as a piano solo and Purple Rain takes the roof off. Prince tells us the “dis is mahhhh house” and frankly we believed him.

It all got me thinking, particularly in the light of the recent “controversy” about giving away his album in the Mail on Sunday, about the measure of talent and value. Some people had complained about the length of the Prince set. He played with no support and the show itself was well under two hours – less if you deduct the encore gaps. However this misses the point. Seeing Prince live is a rare event and frankly I'd rather see 100mins of pure genius than 3 hours of padded out dross. JP Rangaswami posts on the subject of the because effect in this context and rightly observers that ".... the point is that Prince understands how he makes money, what’s scarce and what’s abundant about it. Digital downloads are abundant. Concert appearances are scarce. He makes money because of his CDs and not with them". This is spot on. Seeing Prince is a rare event, one that I was fortunate to be at and one that I hugely enjoyed.

I'm off to see The Police in a few weeks - a gig that will no doubt further underscore my views on abundance, scarcity, talent .... and probably the because effect.

Why I play guitar the way I do (youtube update)

I'm a fan of youtube; yes, I know there's some distasteful stuff out there, but I love the way I'm continually surprised by what I can find. Anyway, recently I wondered if I could update my guitar playing post with actual video referenecs and of course I could .... so here goes....

5 reasons why I play the way I do

1. Let It Be - the Beatles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67J_66hdN-I
the first guitar solo I ever learned note for note

2. Suffragette City - David Bowie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3dQDPNHtbY
the first solo I payed live back in 1975 (yes I did start playing quite late) and I think I played it better than this (and had better trousers)

3. Live and Dangerous - Thin Lizzy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FmPhJkdTwU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsIubn5Pp6s
Still probably the greatest live album even and I learnt the whole thing, from track1/side1 - Jailbreak right through to the close of side4 - The Rocker. The only trouble was that I learnt the whole thing half a tone down so "Ab" instead of "A" as I never knew they tuned down by a half when playing live to help Phil Lynott's vocals. Still it taught me some interesting shapes :-).

4. One more for the road - Lynyrd Skynyrd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlCMZ5AlNys - T for Texas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GyOgVFDocs - Gimme 3 steps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1140NzFo5A - Freebird
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvzfOgQGM9Q&feature=related
I went to the "One more for the British Road" tour and saw one of the last shows before the fateful plane crash that prematurely ended the lives of singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, and vocalist Cassie Gaines, as well as seriously injuring the rest of the band and crew.
Anyway, in the late 70's the band I was with had a local residency where the Landlord was a huge Skynyrd fan and insited on our set being closed with Freebird. Gimme 3 Steps, Sweet Home and T for Texas occasionally made their way into the set but Freebird was always the close or encore

5. Strangers in the Night / MSG - UFO/ Michael Schenker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aatjerFCRP8 - Lights Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrRBHO28iLY- into the arena
A hugely underrated talent, many of today's uber flash players owe a huge debt to Michael Schenker who with his trademark flying V (or arrow as he called it), Marshall 50W stack and use of wah wah as a tone effect completely change my ideas of melodic soloing.

Beyond these "five reasons", here are some other awesome guitar talents that I wish I could get close to.

Joe Satriani - just the absolute best - bar none
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yc8xyL0Xxo - always with me always with you (still my favourite)

Gary Moore - fastest (and most emotive) right and left hands I'd ever seen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWp-Mazmf88 - from the Montreau jazz festival (a Roy Buchanon number that sounds like an inversion of Parisian walkways)

Eddie Van Halen - wrote the book on tapping, the first and the best
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULEBSxP725w - Eruption (from 1994)

Mike Petrucci - Dream Theatres wonder player, probably the best of the techno players and does just about everything
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsRatZykj8M - hollow years
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4WEAHRLorM - Erotomania

Learning from your kids .... cont

I've no idea how long I'm gonna continue this topic - I guess until my kids stop surprising me so it'll probably run forever .....

Anyway, I always said I'd never be like my parents when it came to music. If I had £1 for every time my father came upstairs to tell me to "turn that bl**dy racket down" when the Marshall was cranked up and I was practising along to something suitably heavy, I'd be a wealthy man right now.

I'm sure his comments were more often than not directed at the songs rather than my skills as a guitarist (I hope) but recently I have caught myself doing the same thing and its quite a frightening experience. So imagine my surprise when my 19 year old daughter gives me a CD and says "just put this in the car and drive".

We'll I'm 9 tracks in, haven't heard a duffer yet and I'm suitably surprised. The band are Fall Out Boy and I'm sure lots of people know them. Now this doesn't make me 'down wiv da kids' or increase my cool / street cred one iota but hey - it made me smile

I must be getting old - 25/06/07

Glastonbury - the quintessential stage for new and interesting talent - forget the mud baths that preoccupy the media, this one is all about the music. Well so I'd hoped. Forget the blanket coverage from the "trying to get down with da kids - BBC" and their scatter gun programming that had it popping up on their various digital channels - its a place to showcase musicianship, attitude, fire, passion.

Now maybe I'm just too old for festivals - I did Reading and Kenbworth in the 70's and 80's - I'd seen The Who when they still had fire in their bellies (Keith was alive), Zeppelin when a Jimmy Page riff could stop time and a whole host of other bands / artists now consigned to the 'dinosaur category' by today's version of angry young men, but still I desperately wanted to be enthralled by this years Glastonbury. Getting a ticket turned out to be as likely as hearing an unspun sentence from Tony Blair, but never mind ..... so I contented myself with the next best thing - dipping in and out of the weekends broadcast coverage from the comfort of my living room with a few beers. How could the line-up fail to impress - Strong staples like The Killers, The Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys; bands I'd heard but not seen - Bloc Party, Gulliemots, Damien Marley; and some old boys who might still cut it - Paul Weller, Iggy, The Who. It was a line up to drool over.

Well no - sadly not. Apart from Damien Marley who's set shone with inspiration, it was a truly disappointing affair. The "big acts" - Killers, Kaisers just failed to deliver and the new kids didn't live up to the promise. Poor sound and an over reliance on attitude to overcome naive stage craft and a lack of underlying talent. Someone needs to tell these guys and girls that the odd hit single, catchy riff and smattering of swear words is not enough. Until the climax. .....

I really wanted to hate The Who's set. As I said, I'd seen them nearly 30 years ago when Keith was alive and really kicking and John would dominate the "bottom end " with an mixture of technical grace and breath taking (...the hit to your chest really did take your breath away) simplicity. Roger and Pete surely couldn't kick it up in this company. Well I was wrong and thank the Lord I was. They were the stand out act by a country mile - great songs, great musicianship and the irony of hearing a 60 year old sing my generation after the damp squib performances that had characterised the weekend was not lost on me. Maybe I am getting old but .....meet the new boss - same as the old boss ... listening to you - I feel excitement at your feet.

BBC License fee - Worth every penny - not

Did anyone see the Princess Diana birthday / 10th anniversrary concert last night?

If you did, and apparently squilions of people round the world were tunning in to see the broadcast from the BBC, I assume you were as appalled as I was at the inept display from the BBC. Woeful sound mix, shocking production, appalling editing and presenters who seemed to receive their links to and from VT, interviews and stage appearances as if they were hospital passes in an England Vs Argentina football match. To call it rank amateur would be to insult amateurs.

Some of the artists performed admirably given the circumstances that were stacked against them - Joss Stone (Tom J, why did you call her Josh ??), Kanye West, James Morrison, Roger Hodgeson and even Elton's last set ..... but who, in their right mind gave Ricky Gervais the nightmare slot to fill for Elton. Ricky is probably one of the most talented writer/ comedians around at present but to witness him being continually being asked to fill 2 more minutes and the 2 more minutes and then 2 more minutes but a muppet stage hand with a peice of scrappy paper was plain embarrassing.
And how is this world wide extravaganza brought to a close - a poignant montage of early Dianna footage followed by ??????? yes nothing !!!! just the sight of people streaming out of the stadium with a bemused Elton John left on stage. Even my 9 year old could work out that you run the VT before the final number which is then used as the rousing finale

Oh well, good idea and good causes but another example of the incompetence of the amateurs at the BBC who continually waste our license fees.

Rant over ..... for now :-)