Full Circle - The Blog At One Year Old

How appropriate that one of my most recent posts should concern the weekend open days at Abbey Road Studios, as it was almost one year ago to the day (23 March 2012) that I wrote my first post on the very same subject.

So, on 23 March, this blog reaches its first birthday.

On such an auspicious occasion I'd just like to offer my thanks to those of you that have read my comments and especially to those of you who have bothered to get in touch and offer encouragement or criticism, or make comments of your own. You have made the White Room a less lonely place :-)

Now, I'm going to take a well deserved break but fear not, I shall return early in April.

Bye for now.

RIP Jason Molina. Dead at 39!

I was shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Jason Molina at the weekend.

I have several albums by him as a solo artist and with one of his bands, Magnolia Electric Co. and I believe that he had a great talent. Fortunately I was able to see him play a solo gig in Newcastle (The Cluny) a few years ago and he seemed in fine form and appeared to be in good health but I understand that he has had a health problem (brought on by excess alcohol) for some time now.

It's always hard when a great talent is lost but at the age of only 39, the loss is harder to comprehend.
RIP Jason.


Check out 'Lonesome Valley' here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etGlfBPFs4w

And 'Spanish Moon Fall And Rise' here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV7-HM_Mg1k

Abbey Road Studios Open Again

One of the highlights of last year for me, was a visit to see the inside of Abbey Road Studios. You can read about it and see my photos here - http://eddie-graham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/abbey-road-studios.html

It's therefore great to see that another crowd of people are getting the opportunity over this weekend. Once more Abbey Road experts Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan are delivering their lectures to eager audiences inside the hallowed walls of Studio 2. If you have just found out about it, I'm sorry but all six sessions have sold out.

Perhaps next year. Why I may even have to go back myself.

Meanwhile console yourself with this interview with the pair.
http://www.sabotagetimes.com/music/channeling-abbey-road-brian-kehew-kevin-ryan/

The Beatles - All These Years Volume 1 by Mark Lewisohn

Having expressed envy and disappointment at not being able to purchase 'Places I Remember', the fine book of Beatles photographs by Henry Grossman (http://eddie-graham.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Henry%20Grossman), it appears that there is another fine tome on the way.

The eagerly awaited first volume of Mark Lewisohn's work on The Beatles is now scheduled for release on 10 October 2013. At £30.00 for the hardback book, it would seem to be quite reasonable and should surely be on everyone's Christmas list. However I can see many being tempted by the 'Extended Special Edition Hardback'. I have no idea what that includes but the price is a hefty £120.00! (The book also must be hefty, running to 1,856 pages). Remember that this is only Volume 1 and covers only the early Liverpool and Hamburg years.

No other details have been released yet but rest assured that I will keep you posted as I receive news. I'd also appreciate any tip-offs from you good people out there. Meanwhile I will start saving my pennies.

PS
There's not much info there yet but check out the webpage http://thebeatlesbiography.com/

The Magic Band at The Cluny, Newcastle

I went prepared to be booglarized.

I had been hoping to see these guys play live for some time having forever carried with me the disappointment of never getting to see the late great Captain Beefheart. Consequently I wasted no time in ordering a ticket when I heard that John 'Drumbo' French, Denny 'Feelers Rebo' Walley, Mark 'Rockette Morton' Boston, Eric Klerks and Craig Bunch would be playing in my home city on 11 March. French, Boston and Walley were all former sidemen of Beefheart and Walley additionally spent quite some time working with another late, great, Frank Zappa.

Originally planned for Cluny 2, demand for tickets led to this gig being moved into the sister venue next door. There may have been flurries of snow and icy winds blowing off the River Tyne but the band wasted no time in getting the enthusiastic audience nicely warmed up. Former band drummer, French is now the front man and has adopted the persona of Beefheart, taking on the howling, growling vocals, playing harp, soprano sax, a bit of guitar and adopting Beefhearts' mannerisms of arm waving and finger pointing.

First number was 'My Human Gets Me Blues' followed by a host of other crowd pleasers which included 'Hot Head', the Willie Dixon/Bo Diddley song 'Diddy Wah Diddy' and a rocking, scorching version of 'When It Blows It Stacks' which had the crowd yelling their approval. 

After a fifteen minute break, 'Drumbo' lived up to his nickname by opening with a drum solo that showed he has lost none of his talent behind the kit. He remained on drums for the following instrumental and then Bunch took over once more as the band delivered more favourites including 'Hair Pie Bake 1', 'Steal Softly Thru Snow', 'Carson City (Owed T'Alex)', 'Click Clack', 'Sun Zoom Spark' and 'Moonlight On Vermont'. At one point French asked the audience if anyone present had not heard any of their material. Only one person confessed to which French replied, 'You must find it strange'. To the uninitiated, strange it must seem to hear this free form poetry set to weirdly disjointed rhythms. But it is strangely compelling. For the most part, the band were preaching to the already converted which seemed to come as something of a surprise. French explained their reason for not having visited Newcastle for some considerable time. They had been given the advice, 'Don't go to Newcastle. No one will like your stuff there.' Gladly the crowd proved that advice wrong to the delight of the band members who fed off the adulation and raised their game even further.

By the time of the finale, people were dancing in front of the stage. A superb version of 'Floppy Boot Stomp' had French stomping his way around the stage and the fingers of 'Rockette Morton' who was dressed like an over-age space cadet, hammering down on his bass strings. At the end the band said their thanks, took their bows and left the stage to cheers and whistles of approval.

As I write these words I have Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band on the hi-fi and a cheesy grin on my face. It was that kind of night.

Oh and I also got 'Drumbo' to sign my copy of his great book, 'Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic'!

For those of you who must know such things, the full setlist was:
My Human Gets Me Blues
Low Yo-Yo Stuff
Diddy Wah Diddy
Bass Solo
Clouds (No Birdies)
When It Blows It Stacks
Hot Head
Dr Dark
Circumstances
Drum Solo
On Tomorrow
Alice In Blunderland
Suction Prints
Hair Pie Bake 1
Steal Softly Thru Snow
Carson City (Owed T'Alex)
Click Clack
Sun Zoom Spark
Moonlight On Vermont
Big Eyed Beans From Venus
Floppy Boot Stomp

Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer at Caedmon Hall, Gateshead

My second gig of the week involved a trip to a venue that is new to me, the rather intimate Caedmon Hall which is part of the building housing Gateshead Central Library. The purpose of the visit was to witness a performance by one of my particular favourites, Anais Mitchell.

On this occasion she was accompanied by her friend and musical collaborator, Jefferson Hamer to perform music from their recent release, 'Child Ballads'.

I should first mention the support band, a male trio from Teesside in north east England who call themselves The Young'uns. Having seen so many average or downright bad support acts in recent years, it has been my tendency to spend more time in the bar and take my place in the venue in time to catch the main act. The car was my easiest mode of transport to get to the Caedmon Hall, so no bar for me on this occasion. It was a good move as the three guys gave us a wonderful performance of songs mainly concerning the industrial and political past of the towns and cities on the banks of the River Tees. Being fascinated by the heritage of the north east of England, the songs appealed to me anyway but they were delivered in such a way that the whole audience were captivated from the start. Occasionally unaccompanied, but sometimes with guitar and accordion backing, the three voices blended beautifully. Also, their between song chatter often had us in stitches. A worthy warm-up for the main event.

Without fuss, Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer took to the stage.

The problem with performing the Child Ballads is that there are so many versions of these songs, it becomes difficult to make comparisons between them. Consequently, not everyone may appreciate the interpretation of these two American singer songwriters and I am aware that not everyone takes to the distinctive but rather childlike tones of Ms. Mitchell. Personally though, I became accustomed to her voice about a year ago and have since eagerly devoured all of her recorded work and seen her live whenever the situation has allowed. Happily the audience in the Caedmon Hall wholeheartedly agreed with me.

The pair took us through all seven of the ballads included on their recent album and for added measure we were treated to 'Wedding Song' from 'Hadestown' and 'Wilderland/Young Man In America' from last year's album 'Young Man In America'. Anais Mitchell explained that most Child Ballads have a hero called Willie and a heroine who becomes pregnant. That seemed an opportune moment to tell us that she was midway through her own pregnancy so she felt right at home with the songs.

Not having seen Jefferson Hamer before, I was struck by the quality of his voice particularly on a couple of his own songs, and his fantastic guitar playing complemented the music perfectly.

Sadly it was over all too soon, but to end their well deserved encore, the couple paid a homage to their respective parents who introduced them to the music of Jethro Tull. The song they chose to end with was 'Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day'!

It had been commented that the first time Anais Mitchell played in the north east (in Newcastle), there were about a dozen people in attendance. With each visit she is acquiring a new band of followers. Long may that continue.

Kevin Ayers Tribute

Although I was out seeing Richard Thompson on Sunday evening, I was alerted to the fact that Stuart Maconie was broadcasting a tribute to Kevin Ayers so I decided I had to give it a listen courtesy of BBC's iPlayer.

He began his tribute by playing the opening track to Ayers' 1971 album 'Whatevershebringswesing' featuring great orchestral arrangements by David Bedford. However the highlight had to be an interview with Robert Wyatt who had come out of self enforced retirement to pay his own tribute to a man who he clearly liked immensely. Humorous anecdotes were told of their initial meeting as teenagers in east Kent, of Ayers inheriting his poshness from his father and of Ayers' tips on how to choose the best Chinese restaurants. It was great stuff and recounted with great fondness.

If you have an interest in Kevin Ayers and missed the show, I highly recommend that you catch it while it is still available.

Richard Thompson at The Sage, Gateshead

To promote his recent 'Electric' album, Richard Thompson took to the stage in Hall One of The Sage at Gateshead on Sunday 3 March.

Owing to a 'senior' moment, I nearly missed the gig. Having purchased my ticket some time ago, I had stored it away safely but entered the wrong date into my diary. Ooops! Thankfully while having a beer with friends last week, the subject came round to meeting up for a beer or two before the gig. I thought they were being a bit premature until someone put me right about the date.

As one would expect, the set list revolved around half a dozen songs from the current album mixed in with a few, to use Thompson's tongue-in-cheek phrase, 'old classics'. These included two old Richard & Linda songs, 'Wall of Death' and 'For Shame Of Doing Wrong' and an absolutely scorching version of 'Can't Win' from his 1988 album 'Amnesia'. Things then got a bit more jazzy with, 'Al Bowly's In Heaven'.

Throughout, Thompson was superbly supported by Michael Jerome on drums and Taras Prodaniuk on electric Fender bass and assorted facial expressions. (He looks like he could be a younger brother of Fabio Capello and/or Lou Reed).

Sadly, before we knew it, the band were taking their bows and leaving the stage. Of course, Thompson returned alone having traded his red and white Fender Strat for an acoustic guitar and we were treated to a mini acoustic solo set. This consisted of 'From Galway To Graceland' preceded by fans favourite (and mine), 'Beeswing'. I was struck by the fact that despite having seen Thompson many many times through the years, I don't think I have ever seen him perform that song. A great treat and Thompson made it all look so bloody easy!

He was then reunited with the band and his Stratocaster and made some comments about them yearning to be a power trio. You may recall me jokingly referring to them as a powerhouse trio when I wrote about the 'Electric' album back on 31 January and I facetiously suggested that they may be trying to do a Hendrix or a Cream. I was proved almost right when the band next launched into the opening guitar chords and familiar drum pattern of Cream's 'White Room'. As it happens to be one of my favourite songs (and provided the name for this blog), I was in my element. I never expected to see Richard Thompson play it though.

Finally the band closed with two rockers, 'Stony Ground' from the new album and another old favourite, 'Tear Stained Letter'. The band took their final bows and we happily left the building to the strains of Ringo singing 'Goodnight'.

And it was a good night!

Family - Once Upon A Time - A Hands-On Verdict

Following on from an earlier post on the subject of the 'ultimate Family box set' which is now released, I can now update my opinions having been fortunate enough to get hold of a copy. If you are not familiar with 'Once Upon A Time', let me briefly remind you that it is a box containing a total of 14 CDs, a 72 page hardback book, a certificate of authenticity signed by lead singer Roger Chapman and a facsimile copy of 'Sounds' music magazine from the early 1970's. The CDs represent the eight studio albums released by Family between 1968 and 1973, one live album recorded in 1971, three CD singles and two discs of outtakes and alternate versions of songs dating mainly from the 'Fearless', 'Bandstand' and 'It's Only A Movie' albums.

I should also add, and omitted to mention in my previous post, that six of the studio albums have been remastered from recently discovered tapes.

I have been asked by one reader, which of the 6 albums had been remastered. Although the package does not make this clear, I can safely assume that they are all the studio albums excluding the first two ('Music in a Doll's House' and 'Family Entertainment'). The reason I reach that conclusion is because the discs are labelled differently with the first two being the versions released by Pucka several years ago.

The three CDs containing the singles feature the A & B sides of singles from the later period of Family's career. They also come in replicas of the original sleeves. For the albums, all of the original artwork is reproduced in fine quality and includes all inserts where appropriate. These include a scaled down version of the poster included with 'Family Entertainment'.

Regarding the sound of the remastered versions, I have to confess that having listened to two of these ('Old Songs New Songs' and 'A Song For Me') side by side with the original masters, I can find no discernible difference. What I have noticed is that the sloppy editing that existed at the beginning of 'Peace Of Mind' on the earlier version of 'Old Songs New Songs' where the track begins with two beats instead of the one it should have, has been rectified. Aside from that, I can find no difference but I am ready to stand corrected if any of you have hearing that is better than mine.

So, it would seem that the major selling points of this set are the fact that it is a limited edition, the presence of a 72 page book and the inclusion of two CDs of outtakes and alternate versions. I have listened to the two discs in question and while they are mildly interesting to hear once or twice, they are not something I shall be returning to with any frequency. For example, the first of these has twelve tracks. Of these, three are instrumental versions of 'Sat'd'y Barfly', five are instrumental versions of 'Spanish Tide' and two are bits of studio chatter. While I think that 'Spanish Tide' is a lovely song and hearing the instrumental backing on it's own allows you to focus on just how beautiful it is, after four or five versions, my patience was starting to wear thin. The second disc is similar featuring three attempts at 'My Friend The Sun' and three alternate versions of 'Ready To Go'.

While this is a very nice package, I personally think that opportunities have been missed. Perhaps there were copyright issues to blame but I feel that it would have been great to have all of Family's BBC recordings included. There are three CDs of this wonderful material available. Also as the first two albums were not remastered for this box set, it would have been wonderful to have had the mono versions of these included. It is my understanding that the first two albums were recorded separately for mono and stereo so the two versions are said to be quite different.

Let me be absolutely clear by saying that this is a collection for avid fans of Family. At £125 a shot, I simply can't see the casual music fan being tempted. Those wishing to check out Family can do so without laying out such a large amount of cash by picking up copies of albums which are readily available elsewhere. This then begs the question, would fans of the band not already have most of this material anyway?

I look forward to hearing your views.