The Protecting Veil.

It is Tuesday morning, and the sun is shining. It was nice yesterday as well. I went up town and outside Morrison’s they had plants for sale, so I bought two trays of assorted plants suitable for hanging baskets. When I got home, I made up four hanging baskets which I’ll show you when they grow a bit. I noticed that my white camellia is in bloom now as well. After that I sat outside the back door and soaked up the sun. My tiny yard is a little heat trap, even more so now that I have painted the wall white. I was listening to a CD of The Protecting Veil by the composer John Taverner which arrived recently. A couple of weeks ago when I wrote my piece about Arvo Part, a friend read it and suggested I might also enjoy this music. I do like it, very much indeed.

John Taverner

There is a connection between the two composers in that they were both members of the Russian Orthodox Church. The title of the music comes from an appearance of the Virgin Mary at a church in Constantinople in the 10^th century. At the time it occurred there was an invasion by the Saracens and Mary threw her protecting veil over the Christians which gave them the courage to repel the invaders. The Feast Of The Protecting Veil has been held ever since. The music is a composition for cello and strings and was commissioned by the BBC for the annual promenade concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. This recording was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize in 1992. 

Steven Isserlis.

It features the cellist Steven Isserlis. I love the sound of the cello which is played constantly throughout the 45 minutes of The Protecting Veil. The word serenity comes to mind when I try and think of words to describe this music. There is also a shorter piece called Thrinos (Lament) for solo cello. The recording is completed by a work by Benjamin Britten called Third Suite For Cello op 87 which I also enjoyed. In total there is 75 minutes of wonderful music which helped to make Monday afternoon a most enjoyable experience. John Taverner was knighted in 2000, two years after his work was performed at Princess Diana’s funeral. He sadly died aged 69 after years of ill health. His funeral was held at Winchester cathedral on 28 November 2013. The service was conducted in the Orthodox rite and 700 people attended. His legacy is the wonderful music, and I am grateful to my friend for recommending the work of John Taverner. 

Richard Thompson, Beeswing, Fairport, Folk Rock & Finding My Voice 1967-75,

The past two days I have been reading Beeswing, Fairport, Folk Rock & Finding My Voice 1967-75, by Richard Thompson. I enjoyed it immensely and finished it in two marathon sessions. It has humour and sadness in equal measure. Anyone who has seen Richard Thompson play live will know he is a very humorous person and a great storyteller. He seems to take to writing a book as easily as a duck takes to water. However, there was also a lot of tragedy in his life during this period which must have been difficult to write about. On 12 May 1969, not long after recording their third album Unhalfbricking, Fairport Convention’s van crashed on the M1 motorway, on the way home from a gig at Mothers Club in Birmingham. Drummer Martin Lamble was killed outright in this accident at the age of only 19. Richard’s American girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn also died. This traumatic episode would have finished a lot of bands, but somehow Fairport survived and their next album Liege & Lief remains one of my favourite albums of all time and created the genre of British Folk-Rock. They had another dramatic incident later in 1971 when they were all living in a former pub called The Angel. A lorry on the road outside, missed a turn and crashed into the house killing the driver and ended up in Dave Swarbrick’s bedroom.

There is quite a ruthless side to the band displayed at times, such as when they dismissed the original drummer Shaun Frater, also the singer Judy Dyble. I suppose sometimes, in order to progress you have to be quite ruthless. Judy was replaced by Sandy Denny who many consider as Britain’s finest ever female singer-songwriter. When she failed to turn up for a Danish tour the band also sacked Sandy which was tragic for all concerned. Fairport did not try and replace Sandy because they thought she was irreplaceable. Without a female singer they had lost their unique sound. They still made some interesting albums, but in my opinion never reached anything like Liege & Lief or What We Did On Our Holidays. Celia from The Trees might have been a good replacement in my opinion, but it is not for me to say.  Without Sandy, Richard was the only genius left in the band. He had outgrown the others and eventually left to pursue his solo career.

I will not say much more, or I will end up writing my own biography of Fairport and Richard. I will just mention a few little things I found interesting. In the book he writes about the Incredible String Band and on page 136 talks about the disappearance of Licorice McKechnie and how 35 years later in 2019 she reappeared. That was a surprise to me, so I googled her and could find nothing about her being found. Either Richard has made a mistake, or knows something that we do not. Another thing I found interesting is that only the night before the book arrived, I had been reading online about an album by Mike & Lal Waterson called Bright Phoebus that had attained legendary status with Folk fans. I had looked to find a CD to buy, and none were available. In his book Richard says that album is a classic and he is proud to have been a part of it.

It was great to read about many people who I have previously written about on my blog page. Phil Ochs, Joe Boyd, Anne Briggs, Johnny Moynihan, Nick Drake, Jackson C Frank, Tim Hardin, Bert Jansch, Shelagh McDonald, John Martyn, Vashti Bunyan, Nik Jones and many more. It almost seemed as if he had been through my record collection to write this book!.  I thought there would be a lot more about Richard’s spiritual journey and why he converted to Sufism. Pir Vilayat Khan is mentioned though, and there is a vivid account of his journey to Mecca for the Haj. Richard’s great song Beeswing seems to be partly inspired by a tramp called Ted who did occasional work for them in Suffolk, also from what he knew about the wonderful Anne Briggs. I will not say anymore because you might want to read it yourself. I should mention that there are some wonderful photos. There is also an appendix where Richard talks about his dreams. I skipped through that bit. It was the only part of the book that I did not enjoy. Otherwise, I would say that this is one of the best books about music that I have read, and I hope Richard writes a sequel about the later parts of his brilliant career.

 

Tuesday Night Ramblings.

First pint since last year.

The pubs reopened yesterday. You cannot sit indoors though, just outside. I thought I would go round there at 5.00. My pub is only about thirty yards away. I was disappointed to find our usual seats were taken by this gang who had been in there since it opened at 12.00 mid-day. The pub has converted the carpark into a beer garden, so I sat out there. It was quite pleasant to see a couple of friends for an hour. It was quite chilly though, so I did not stay any longer. Hopefully, it is a sign that things are getting better. I’m going for an eye test tomorrow. I broke my glasses over a year ago. I fell asleep in my chair one evening and my glasses fell off my head. When I woke up, I trod on them and they cannot be mended. Because of lock-down I have been using a cheap pair. I get headaches if I am reading or being on my computer for very long, so it will be good to get a decent pair of glasses.

Edington Priory.

I haven’t done a lot lately. I pottered about in my garden this afternoon and put in a few bulbs and bedding plants. I’ll be glad when it warms up a bit and I can sit out there. Last Saturday was a good day. I went to the nearby village of Edington to visit my niece Lee. There is a beautiful church there called Edington Priory. I might go and have a look inside it one of these days. They have a music festival there every year which features international choirs. When I got home, I watched the Grand National. I bet on a horse called Talk Is Cheap because that is the title of a Van Morrison song. It didn’t come anywhere of course. I was really pleased for Rachael Blackmore who became the first ever female jockey to win. Horse racing in this country will never be the same. There is absolutely no reason why female jockeys can’t perform as well as men. They just haven’t been given the opportunities to ride the best horses before, so well done Rachael. Also on Saturday, my team Peterborough United won 3-0. They just have to keep it going for a few more games and they will be promoted.

Rachael Blackmore.

Cross My Heart. An Introduction To Phil Ochs.

The warm weather has ended for the time being. There is a cold northerly wind blowing which means I will not venture outdoors today. I thought I would pass the time by telling you about a CD which arrived a few days ago. It is called Cross My Heart, An Introduction to Phil Ochs. I first heard one of his songs in 1965 when Joan Baez had a top ten UK hit with There but For Fortune. At the time I didn’t know that Phil wrote that song. It was only decades later that I heard his name. For years I have liked the whole ethos of the scene in Greenwich Village, New York. The association with the Beat Generation writers, the music, the left-wing politics and the creative atmosphere. Reading books in recent years by the likes of Suze Rotolo and Dave Van Ronk and seeing the film Inside Llewyn Davis all added to my fascination with this time and place. 

As well as the obvious people like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, in recent times I have acquired albums by the likes of Karen Dalton, Dave Van Ronk, Tim Hardin and Richie Havens. A name that kept cropping up as one of the leading figures in that scene was Phil Ochs. I thought it was high time I bought an album by Phil. What finally made my mind up was when a Facebook friend shared a video of Neil Young singing a song called Changes which was written by Phil Ochs. Neil spoke passionately about Phil and said he was one of the greatest poets. I have put that video on this blog page because I thought it was great. The album that arrived the other day is a compilation of songs from various periods in Phil’s career. When I first played it, I was surprised because most of the songs were nothing like what I expected to hear. I thought it would be a collection of simple protest songs, just vocals, acoustic guitar and maybe some harmonica. What I heard was very intricate, highly orchestrated, almost neo-classical, complex arrangements. At first, I was not sure I liked what I heard, but after listening attentively and making an effort to understand the songs, I like it very much indeed.

The first song is Chords Of Fame which was produced by Van Dyke Parks who I have always admired from his work with Brian Wilson. I did like this song instantly. It has a very lively bluegrass sound with fiddles, piano and great guitar picking. It is a warning about the cost of fame and Phil would know all about that. The second track Cross My Heart is quite different, with harpsichord, strings, brass and bells. I would describe it as baroque. While listening to this album I sometimes thought it was similar in some ways to American Gothic by David Ackles. The lyrics suggest that Phil might have been going through a difficult period in his life. Rehearsals For Retirement is a simpler, slower piece with piano to the fore. It is a song of despair at the state of the world. When you look at recent events it makes you think that things have got even worse. I shudder to think what Phil would have thought of Trump. The next song Crucifixion is an epic. It seems to be about how it is human nature to want heroes like Jesus or JFK, but the dark side is that the masses want them to die, so then we can have great outpourings of collective grief. The music is almost like modern opera, with bells and strange percussion sounds, often descending into a chaotic cacophony to symbolise the madness of the modern world. That is my theory anyway.

White Boots Marching In A Yellow Land is a much less ambiguous song to understand. It is a simple ant-war song. There is acoustic guitar and army style bugles and brass. The lyrics say, ‘The comic and the beauty queen are dancing on the stage. Raw recruits are lining up like coffins in a cage’. That would be a reference to Bob Hope and Miss World entertaining the troops in Vietnam. The Scorpion Departs but Never Returns is based on the true event of a nuclear submarine USS Scorpion which sank in 1968. The lyrics are quite harrowing and could be a metaphor for Phil’s own sinking mental condition. After witnessing riots and police brutality Phil wrote The War Is Over in defiance of the government, even though the war was far from over. The next song Niko Mchumba Ngobe is the most joyous song on this album with happy dance-able African rhythms. He wrote it during a trip to Kenya. It could be the beginnings of what we now call ‘World Music’. This was years before Paul Simon thought of bringing African music into Western culture. Joe Hill is not the song we associate with Joan Baez and Woodstock. This is an epic 22 verse song by Phil which tells the whole story of Joe Hill’s life and his framing by the authorities. It is more like the acoustic guitar music I was expecting to hear. Jim Dean Of Indiana is a quiet piano based homage to James Dean inspired by Phil’s lifelong interest in cinema. Pretty Smart on My Part is a darkly humorous satire, seen through the eyes of a right-wing sociopath. It has frenetic guitar playing.

Pleasures Of The Harbour is a return to the baroque sound with lush arrangements. Phil was inspired to write it after seeing a John Ford movie called A Long Voyage Home about a British cargo ship in WW2. I Ain’t Marching Any More is a straightforward anti-war song which chronicles the whole history of conflicts that the USA has been involved in. It was recorded live at Carnegie Hall. 

Phil’s health declined in the 1970s. He began drinking heavily, behaving erratically, and was deeply affected by the murder of his friend Victor Jara by the Pinochet regime in Chile. He was diagnosed as bi-polar and finally took his own life in 1976. However, his legacy lives on and his songs have been covered by dozens of performers. I am pleased that I finally got around to discovering his music and message. When you look at the state of the world today you realise that we need more people like Phil Ochs.

Neil Young - Changes. (Written by Phil Ochs. Live at Farm Aid 2013)

16 Lovers Lane by The Go-Betweens.

In one of my recent reviews, I mentioned The Go Between by L.P. Hartley. My niece Katherine read it and told me that one of her favourite bands was called The Go-Betweens. Then my Danish friend Bent Sorensen joined in and said that he liked The Go-Betweens as well. I am always open to new ideas, so I thought I would buy myself an album. I chose their sixth release called 16 Lovers Lane because I read that it was their most successful work and in a book of the 100 greatest Australian recordings it was named 12^th best Aussie album of all time. It was recorded in Sydney in 1988 after the band had returned from five years in London. They were Grant McClennan vocals and guitar, Robert Forster vocals, guitar and harmonica, Amanda Brown violin, oboe, guitar and vocals, John Willsteed bass, organ and piano. Lindy Morrison drums. You may be interested to hear that Tracey Thorne of the band Everything But The Girl has just publish a highly acclaimed book about her long friendship with Lindy Morrison. 

At the time of this album being recorded Grant had just started a relationship with Amanda and Robert had just broken up with Lindy. That might explain the subject matter of the songs. There are no songs about the great issues of the day. All the songs here are about the highs and lows of romance. All the songs are written by Grant or Robert and I think it is quite easy to spot who wrote which song. Grant wrote the first two songs which are Love Goes On! and Quiet Heart. I read in the Thanks section of the sleeve notes, they thanked The Byrds. I can hear that influence in the guitar sound and the harmonies. Lindy’s relentless drum rhythm on Quiet Heart also reminded me slightly of early U2 songs. I also love the sound of Robert’s harmonica which obviously brought Bob Dylan to mind.

Love Is A Sign and You Can’t Say No Forever were both written by Robert, and you can see the different style of song writing. There are no chorus’s, and the lyrics are more enigmatic and poetic. ‘London no longer exists’ is sung quite vitriolically which makes you think that they were pleased to get back to the sunshine of Australia after the cold grey skies of England. The Devil’s Eye is a short song written by Grant who also composed The Street Of Your Town. On first listen I found this the most immediately accessible song, but now I like all of them. With Amanda’s backing vocals and having instruments like the oboe, another band of the 80s came into my mind which was The Dream Academy who had a hit with Life In A Northern Town. On the surface this catchy Go-Betweens song sounds quite mellow, but the lyrics mention butchers’ knives and battered wives which give it an underlying sinister feel.

Clouds is possibly the most poetic of all the songs here and contains quite mysterious lyrics. Robert seems to be the deeper of the two songwriters, while Grant seems to have more of an ear for a catchy melody. Was There Anything I Could Do? is for me easier to understand. It seems to be about a free-spirited woman who the singer has trouble dealing with. When I saw the title of, I’m Allright I thought it was a typo error. I am always spelling all right as alright which is bad grammar, but Allright is wrong as well isn’t it? Anyway, that is how they spelled it several times in the lyrics. It is a good song anyway. Dive For Your Memory brings the album to a close. An acoustic guitar intro and then Lou Reed style semi spoken lyrics. I love it. I read on Wikipedia that Grant Mclennan sadly died in 2006 at the young age of 48 which meant the end of The Go-Betweens, but I am sure their reputation will continue to grow. Thank you very much Katherine and Bent for introducing me to the most enjoyable sound of The Go-Betweens.

  

The Plot Thickens.

My new pots.

I was up early today, about 7.30 because I had to go for a blood test at 8.50. Later, I had to go to Morrison’s for some provisions and I bought a Peace Lily. I have bought about five indoors plants recently. I cannot walk past them without buying one. Apparently, sales of indoor plants have gone through the roof during this lock down. People who have not got pets are buying plants, just to have some living thing to look after. Anyway, I like ‘em. After that I pottered about in my garden for a while. My neighbour Judith gave me two really nice blue pots. I went to my compost bin and filled my new pots with fresh compo. Then I carried on and got about ten bucketsful of compost and spread it on my little garden. The plot thickens!

Sunflowers doing well.

I do not know what I will put in my garden and my new pots. There are very few places open at the moment to buy plants. Hopefully, that will change in a couple of weeks’ time. My sunflowers are doing well, but I will not even consider planting them for about another three weeks or so. This nice weather will not last. There is still a chance of frost. The postman delivered a new CD today. It is an album my niece Katherine recommended. I have a backlog of music to review, but with the nice weather I could not be bothered to write notes while listening. I will wait until the weather changes and I am back indoors again. 

Indoor plants on top of fridge.