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The Searchers: Final curtain call for When You Walk In The Room
In the jingle-jangle morning, The Byrds came following. It is not too great a stretch to trace a line from the opening motif of When You Walk In The Room, which is repeated throughout and closes the song, to the instantly recognisable hook that introduces Mr Tambourine Man
4 days ago
56 views


Scene and Heard: The bands and clubs that put Southend on the map
Procol Harum are its best-known gift to the world. Yet as a new exhibition titled The Scene By the Sea at the Beecroft Art Gallery demonstrates, there’s far more to Southend (182,000 inhabitants), Canvey Island (38,000) and their corner of Essex than skipping the light fandango and cartwheels across the floor.
5 days ago
37 views


Procol Harum: A Whiter Shade Of Pale, a deeper shade of controversy
A Whiter Shade Of Pale regularly appears near the top of any list of the greatest singles of all time. There is no argument about its brilliance. But every other aspect of the song and its creation is surrounded by controversy.
5 days ago
52 views


Don Shinn: How fame eluded a wizard of the keys
You would be forgiven for thinking that this was Keith Emerson in action. Emerson was indeed there but in the audience, sitting open-mouthed and experiencing a Road to Damascus epiphany. The organist was Don Shinn of The Soul Agents.
7 days ago
39 views


David Bowie: A lyrical Oddity
I was happily mansplaining this point to my wife as we were entering the garden centre recently when she shocked me by saying that my interpretation was wrong and that it’s Major Tom who sings ‘She Knows’
Jun 4
99 views


Listen To The Lion: Van Morrison's mystical quest
Listen To The Lion has precious few lyrics, but Van Morrison delivers each word, each syllable with mantric devotion
May 30
44 views


Pulp: Spike Island and an anniversary of anthems
Spike Island: Pulp’s singer and lyricist Jarvis Cocker has now written two tracks, three decades apart, which draw on the much-mythologised event on the banks of the Mersey. Neither could be described as a celebration
May 15
103 views


First Aid Kit: Emmylou's tears and a big thank you to my favourite DJ
According to the Söderbergs, the song is about the joy of singing with someone you love, and it name-checks two of music’s most famous partnerships
May 8
67 views


Roberta Flack: The first time ever I heard your voice
It sounds radically different from Flack’s majestic later interpretation which Peggy would always admit dwarfs her effort in every sense
Feb 26
177 views


Sidsel Endresen and Rachelle Ferrell: A tale of two versatile voices
There is more fluidity about Ferrell's singing but there is still a regular dip into her repertoire of long-held notes or octave cascades
Feb 10
315 views


Sufjan Stevens: Beauty and the beastliness of Illinois
Musically, John Wayne Gacy, Jr. is one of his simplest pieces. But it is expressed with an exceedingly rare degree of grace and empathy
Jan 7
199 views


Iko Iko: Sugar Boy Crawford and the Black Indians of New Orleans
Originally titled Jock-A-Mo, the song perhaps pre-dates its first recording and is considered emblematic of New Orleans
Dec 18, 2024
264 views


Sly Stone: Thank You For Talkin’ To Me, Africa
To comprehend the nasty buzz of that song the listener must appreciate the jubilant inclusivity of Sly And The Family Stone’s earlier music
Nov 27, 2024
170 views


Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band: Tout Suite!
The authenticity of the sentiments, framed within a pretty, waltz-like tempo, give Tout Suite! an uplifting feel
Oct 25, 2024
176 views


Pet Shop Boys: The muted brilliance of King's Cross
King's Cross has a muted brilliance – the perfect mix of lyrical interest, a great tune and a generous dollop of melancholy
Oct 13, 2024
585 views


Neil Young: The strange attraction of A Man Needs A Maid
A Man Needs A Maid is strange but it is wonderful. Like all great art it makes you look at the world differently
Jul 25, 2024
1,121 views


Lloyd Cole & The Commotions: Perfect Skin, perfect song
Cole carried on excavating (the heart, that is) into his seventh decade with a steady stream of moving recordings
Jul 11, 2024
343 views


Tracy Chapman: Fast Car, a song that spans the ages
Neil Morton The beaming smile and twinkling eyes said it all as the audience roared their approval when it dawned on them who was on...
Apr 15, 2024
551 views


Dionne Warwick: Walk On By, the original that couldn't be surpassed
Rob Steen If you see me walking down the street And I start to cry, each time we meet Walk on by Walk on by The larynx that introduced...
Apr 11, 2024
851 views


Van Morrison: Fifty years a fan – and it's too late to stop now
Rob Steen It’s far too bloody late to stop now. For yours truly, never mind Van the Man. Sorry, Sir Van the Man. At 78, George Ivan...
Mar 21, 2024
2,065 views


Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl: Tragic tale of what might have been
The tale is a tragic one but Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl left behind some high-quality songs on their album Children Of Fortune
Dec 27, 2023
7,313 views


Another Sleepless Night: My songs with Breakdown and About Time
Neil Morton After six years of writing about songwriters I admire for Here Comes The Song, I nervously introduce you to a collection of...
Nov 29, 2023
203 views


Leonard Cohen: Famous Blue Raincoat and a Hydra odyssey
Ian Malin In the harbour of Hydra Town find a narrow passage by the Pirate Bar and follow the winding stone steps upwards. It’s hard work...
Oct 5, 2023
1,361 views


Bob Dylan: Joey, the story-songs and the enduring appeal of Desire
Ian Malin The darker side of human nature has always attracted artists. From Hamlet and Paradise Lost to The Sopranos and Breaking Bad we...
Aug 2, 2023
1,077 views


Gordon Lightfoot: The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Ian Malin Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau struck the right note when he said of the death of Gordon Lightfoot: ‘He captured our...
May 6, 2023
652 views


Taylor Swift: The Last Great American Dynasty
Ian Malin Remember the early days of Covid lockdown in 2020. All that walking, all that staring out of the window? We all had our pet...
Feb 8, 2023
14,968 views


I Saw The Light: Todd Rundgren still a force half a century later
Rob Steen At a guess, 99 per cent of music zealots couldn’t possibly cite their favourite album, if only because the choice is usually so...
Oct 12, 2022
1,893 views


Cat Stevens: Catch Bull At Four 50 years on and why Sitting stands out
Rob Steen Oh I’m on my way, I know I am Somewhere not so far from here All I know is all I feel right now I feel the power growing in my...
Sep 28, 2022
1,710 views


Max Richter: Dream 3 (in the midst of my life) and the sound of serenity
Russell Cunningham In 1951 the composer John Cage visited the anechoic chamber at Harvard University. Upon entering he had expected to...
Jul 21, 2022
695 views


Kate Ellis: The story behind my song The Story You’ve Been Told
Kate Ellis And when you feel you’re breaking It’s just your past unmaking You’re perfect, you are whole I don’t know what you’ve been...
Jul 18, 2022
253 views


Kurt Vile: Like Exploding Stones and the pain of the creative process
Rob Steen Time to fess up. I was more or less a Kurt Vile virgin until last week. My son, Joe, had raved aplenty but only one song, One...
Jul 12, 2022
406 views


Jukebox Story: A magical music machine for the single-minded
Phil Shaw In the days before ubiquitous mobiles, a mate who owned a jukebox was having it repaired when the engineer asked if he could...
Jul 1, 2022
708 views


Elvis Presley: In The Ghetto and its enduring relevance
Rob Steen I probably shouldn’t be writing this. After all, I am by no means an Elvis fan. I giggled at his movies, never bought anything...
Jun 30, 2022
2,150 views


Brian Wilson at 80: The Beach Boys and You Still Believe In Me
Phil Shaw It scarcely seems possible but Brian Wilson – still celebrated for his sumptuous teenage symphonies for The Beach Boys six...
Jun 20, 2022
1,059 views


From Red to blues: Got My Mojo Working by Muddy Waters
Ian Tasker If you are talking blues standards then they don’t come much more ready-made, boil-in-the-bag than Muddy Waters’ Got My Mojo...
Mar 1, 2022
954 views


The Beatles: I Need You and a personal appeal for Help!
Tim Woods What kind of Beatles fan are you? Maybe the obsessive type, the sort who whistles the chorus to Honey Pie without even...
Feb 24, 2022
709 views


Cowboy: Please Be With Me – and please remember Duane Allman
Ian Tasker Today is a day for remembrance, reflection and wondering what might have been, for exactly 50 years ago on October 29, 1971,...
Oct 29, 2021
3,698 views


Steely Dan: Bodhisattva and the outfunking of The Skunk
Rob Steen Bodacious cowboys. Snook-cocking hipsters. Coolest white dudes on the Seventies block. Steely Dan, aka The Dan, are the...
Oct 20, 2021
1,581 views


Duster Bennett: Worried Mind and British blues of the vintage kind
Phil Shaw Perhaps Robert Johnson’s deal with the devil at the crossroads was to blame for all the blues artists, here and in America, who...
Oct 12, 2021
770 views


Lindsey Buckingham: Swan Song and the spoils of an inner war
Rob Steen Lindsey Buckingham has pulled off quite a coup with his latest album. Emulating Sting, not to mention leaving Paul, Mick, Keef...
Sep 30, 2021
960 views


The Band: In cahoots with Van Morrison for 4% Pantomime
Rob Steen Freddie and Bowie. Crosby and Bowie. Crosby and Nash. Mahalia and Mavis. Aretha and George Michael. Michael McDonald and Joni....
Aug 19, 2021
2,498 views


Jason Mandell: The story behind my song Soul Of America
Jason Mandell in Los Angeles There’s a great Julian Barnes line: ‘I don’t believe in God, but I miss him.’ That’s kind of how I felt...
Jul 29, 2021
238 views


Whitney Houston: How Will I Know and a daughter's dance of delight
Tim Woods As a parent, you have certain responsibilities towards your children. You need to keep them safe, provide them with a home,...
Jul 19, 2021
247 views


Allison Russell: How a Nightflyer became an angel of the morning
Neil Morton Reading the harrowing back story of Allison Russell while listening to her remarkable debut solo album is a humbling...
May 26, 2021
11,671 views


Ronald Isley at 80: Behind A Painted Smile lies a voice for the ages
Phil Shaw OK, so who’s the oldest singer or musician from the rock ‘n’ roll era onwards still performing? When the question was posed at...
May 13, 2021
1,254 views


World Party: Karl Wallinger, Always and the McCartney parallel
Rob Steen So I sat in the attic, a piano up my nose And the wind played a dreadful cantata (cantata, cantata) Sore was I from a crack of...
May 10, 2021
2,337 views


Billy Connolly: Everybody Knows That and the ballad years
Shug Hanlan It is impossible to mistake the looks of genuine joy and affection on the faces of the various ‘celebrities’ assembled for...
Apr 4, 2021
951 views


The Beautiful South: I'll Sail This Ship Alone
Tim Woods Record sales that topped 15 million. Eight top 10 studio albums, with two reaching No1 in the charts. Twenty-two singles that...
Mar 29, 2021
2,487 views


Nick Drake: Northern Sky and the short life of a brighter talent
Ian Malin Fifty years ago, in the second week of March, an album that now has almost mythical status was released and hardly anyone...
Mar 13, 2021
3,953 views


Oasis: Round Are Way, six minutes of joyous, rollicking perfection
Tim Woods There are people out there who don’t like Oasis. Plenty, in fact. Some find the constant bickering between the Gallagher...
Feb 25, 2021
5,153 views
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