RIP Paul Kantner

It has not been a good January. I am becoming concerned that I may be wearing out certain keys on my computer keyboard. Namely R, I and P.

Today I have learned of the death of Paul Kantner at the age of 74. 

Kantner was a founding member of Jefferson Airplane who for me were probably at the vanguard of the West Coast US bands that I became attracted to in the mid to late 1960's. I vividly recall hearing 'White Rabbit' playing on Radio Luxembourg one night with the signal drifting in and out as it was prone to. The song just blew me away and I became an avid collector of the albums of the Airplane.

I suppose it is inevitable that we should now be hearing of the passing of members of that generation but these were musical heroes for many and the news is hard to take. I think that God must surely have enough members for his great band in the sky. So no more for a while please.

PLEASE!!

RIP Ray Pointer

It was with sadness that I read today of the death at 79 of Ray Pointer.

His name may be unfamiliar to you but I mention him in these pages because he was the first professional footballer I ever met when he paid a visit to our school. At the time his was a well known name as he played centre forward for Burnley who in May 1960 had clinched the English First Division title. His visit occurred because he was a native of nearby Cramlington and being an impressionable youngster I immediately adopted Burnley as my "second team" for a while.

Pointer scored a total of 133 goals in 270 appearances for Burnley (118 goals in 223 league appearances) and he went on to represent England on three occasions. Not long before his visit I had seen him playing for Burnley in the 1962 FA Cup final, though sadly they lost 3-1 to a Tottenham Hotspur side featuring the great Danny Blanchflower and Jimmy Greaves who both scored.

Pointer passed away earlier today at a care home in Blackpool.

RIP Ray, and thanks for making a bunch of school kids very happy.

Box Sets #23 - David Bowie Five Years 1969-1973 (Vinyl)

For reasons that should be obvious to everyone, my thoughts in recent weeks have turned to the music of David Bowie. As I first became a fan of his music during the five years covered by this set and it remains my favourite period of his career, I was obviously drawn towards this package released in September last year. My own albums from that era were in need of an upgrade, so the decision was made and the credit card was put into action.

But what exactly does one get within this package? Well, there are no fewer than 13 LP records broken down as follows:

• David Bowie AKA Space Oddity (remastered in 2015)
• The Man Who Sold The World (Remastered in 2015)
• Hunky Dory (Remastered in 2015)
• The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (2012 remaster)
• The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (special 2003 mix by Ken Scott)
• Aladdin Sane (2012 remaster)
• Live in Santa Monica 1972 (2 LP)
• The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (soundtrack 2 LP)
• Pin Ups (Remastered in 2015)
• Re:Call - a collection of non album singles, B sides and alternate versions (2 LP)

Also there is a sumptuous LP sized 82 page hard backed book containing a short introduction by Ray Davies, background information about all of the enclosed albums and numerous previously unpublished photographs including alternative artwork for many of the records. There are also contemporary articles about each of the albums from magazines such as 'Rolling Stone' and 'New Musical Express'. Best of all though are notes about the recording, production and mixing of each album by in turn, Tony Visconti and Ken Scott. The detail provided in these notes makes the listening experience all the more enjoyable and I have arrived at the conclusion that this book is perhaps the finest in any music set I have ever encountered.

There are far too many anecdotes to repeat here, but one from Ken Scott concerned Bowie's vocal performance on 'Five Years'. Scott reveals how almost all of Bowies vocals were performed live in one take. And so it was with 'Five Years' although the very final phrase "We've got five years" had to be re-recorded as by the end of the song Bowie was in tears and sobbing so much that the words were indecipherable. 

Musically of course the collection is superb representing the period when Bowie emerged as a true rock icon. I am no audiophile but I find the sound on all of these discs absolutely outstanding. I am of course very familiar with all of the studio albums (less so with the live ones) yet I find I am still hearing parts that I had either missed altogether or had forgotten. In part this may be down to the helpful notes by the producers, for example Ken Scott refers to the bad edit as the drums enter on 'Starman'. I had never noticed it before. Also the fact that the listener can hear virtually no cymbals at all throughout 'Ziggy Stardust'. Why? Well, simply because Mr Scott had developed something of an aversion to them at that time and preferred to let Bowie's 12 string acoustic guitar drive the rhythm along. And it clearly worked.

I should add that one of the things I particularly like about this package is the fact that the albums have all been kept as they were originally and all of the "bonus" material is included on the separate 'Re:Call' discs. Just the way I prefer it.

I confess that this item involved an expensive outlay, though I considered it a bargain when I recently spotted a copy in a local record store for considerably more, but the expense was worth it to hear what I consider to be the absolute best of David Bowie in such wonderful audio quality. Now, I have the difficult task of weaning myself away from these albums as there are other musical delights demanding my listening attention.

Top of the pile is the new album from Lucinda Williams, of which more in due course I suspect. 

Bowie has gone but life goes on. 

David Bowie - Blackstar

After my inane ramblings upon hearing of the death of David Bowie early on Monday morning, I wondered out in something of a daze and purchased his latest and though it pains me to say it, final album, 'Blackstar'. A young man made a comment that having heard this record on 10th January, it sounded very different the following day. A very astute comment I believe, as of course Bowie's death was announced on the 11th.

I did not have the benefit of having heard the full album prior to the sad announcement, merely the two tracks, 'Blackstar' and 'Lazarus'. Though I was mesmerised by the music of the former, the lyrics mystified me. Then upon hearing the full album after news of his passing, it all seemed to become clear. No doubt Bowie was aware of the extent of his illness when this album was being written and recorded and it must seem obvious to all now that the songs are full of hidden messages referring to his imminent demise.

Even the cover and the booklet hint at what was to come. I usually have a hatred of CD packages that are designed in colour schemes that make it impossible to read the contents. Yet here, Bowie (assuming that he had a hand in the design) chose to present the information in black ink on a black background. I suspect he was having a final joke with us.

Under the circumstances it is difficult for me to now express an opinion about the album without putting it into the context of his illness and death. However, I have tried hard to separate the events and having now listened to the seven songs on this disc almost a dozen times, I am convinced that it is an absolutely brilliant album. If this was not the case then I suspect that I may have listened two or three times and then put it to one side in favour of something else that demands my listening time (and there is plenty of competition). However I have been repeatedly drawn back to it in a way which seems quite rare these days, though is all the more welcome when it does happen.

The title track is in my opinion a work of genius and sustains my interest throughout its 10 minute duration. My feeling on first listening to it conjured up similar sentiments to when I first heard 'The Bewlay Brothers' back in 1973, not that the songs are by any means similar. It's just that few artists are or were daring enough to present us with this kind of material. It doesn't end there because on 'Blackstar' every one of the remaining six tracks offers up something new and interesting. Throughout, Bowie sounds in fine voice but it is his voice alone that reminds me that this is a David Bowie record. In other respects it sounds different to me than anything else I personally have heard by him.

At the moment, I am of the opinion that this may in fact be his finest work. What? Better than 'Hunky Dory' or 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' or - insert your own favourite here? Well this is where I may be becoming influenced by the circumstances surrounding the creation and release of this record and I accept that it will be easier to assess the merits of this album in five or ten years time. Nevertheless, the fact that I can even consider it for such an accolade is testament to just how highly I rate this wonderful piece of work.

Talk about going out with a bang. But then this is David Bowie. Why should we be surprised?

RIP David Bowie

I have woken this morning to the devastating news of the death of David Bowie and I don't recall a time that I have been as affected by the death of someone I never met, since I woke to news of the murder of John Lennon 35 years ago.

So, in this state of shock and disbelief, I sit here recording my own personal thoughts about the man born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947. 

I first became aware of him I suppose, when 'Space Oddity' became a massive hit in 1969, but it wasn't until I turned 21 in the summer of 1972 that I went out and purchased my very first David Bowie album, the seminal 'Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars'. Like so many others, I was blown away by it and it was probably played more often by me than any other album during that year. I quickly added his earlier albums 'Hunky Dory' and 'The Man Who Sold The World' to my collection and discovered that they were equally as good. They were followed by the different but equally brilliant, 'Aladdin Sane'.

I continued to hear albums by Bowie throughout the remainder of the 1970's but without actually purchasing any. The trio of albums 'Station to Station', 'Low' and 'Heroes' intrigued me but were just a little too electronic for my more rock-orientated tastes. I then pretty much tuned out to his music, yet I recall referring to him during the 1980's as one of the most influential musicians of all time. And I stand by that opinion as besides having the rare ability to continually reinvent himself, Bowie also influenced a host of other acts that flourished during the 1980's and beyond. True, not all of them were necessarily good but there can be no doubting the impact that Bowie had on the music of those times.

From a personal point of view, whilst continuing to enjoy my very favourite Bowie albums, I ceased listening to the rest of his recorded output. That is until the release of his 2013 album, 'The Next Day' which I described at the time as 'a great return to form' after ten years of silence.

Over the past week or so I have been hearing and reading great things about Bowie's new album 'Blackstar' which was released three days ago on his 69th birthday. It sounded intriguing and it was only yesterday that I seriously thought about ordering the album. My decision has now been made. I somehow feel that it is the right thing to do. And I suspect that I will not be alone and that within days the album will be riding high at the top of the album charts.

I also suspect that people of my generation will today be digging out those 1970's albums and playing them, perhaps with a tear in their eye. Younger folk may be playing their own favourites, be it 'Let's Dance', 'Tin Machine' or 'Earthling'. We all will all have our personal favourite and that surely is the measure of his legendary status, that he has continued to push boundaries and win new fans in the five decades since 'Space Oddity'.

The words 'great' and 'legend' are vastly overused these days but Bowie was truly one of the absolute great musical icons - a true legend.  He will be sadly missed.

RIP David.

Denis Law CBE

I confess that I don't generally take too much notice of the honours that are bestowed upon so called deserving people around the time of the Queen's birthday or New Year. However I did belatedly notice the name of Denis Law in the recent awards. He has been given the CBE (Commander of the Order or the British Empire) for services to football and charity.

Law was my boyhood hero, signed by Manchester United in 1962 a couple of years after I began following the team. Thereafter, despite the presence of the great George Best and Bobby Charlton, Law remained my favourite. And that's how it stayed until the emergence in the 1990's of Eric Cantona.

These days while watching the current crop of United players and seeing another goal scoring opportunity go begging, my son and I will look at each other and wistfully say, "Denis Law would have scored that. Even now - at 75, Denis would have scored that!"

Despite not being a fan of the honours system, I am of course delighted to see The King recognised in this way. 

Congratulations Denis.

'Outside Woman Blues' and the Mystery of Blind Joe Reynolds

Half way through side 2 of Cream's 1967 album 'Disraeli Gears' is a track called 'Outside Woman Blues' which is credited to a certain Arthur Reynolds. Although Cream were rooted in blues music, this album saw them moving into a more psychedelic phase, yet 'Outside Woman Blues' is one of the few songs on the album which does hark back to their blues origins. But who on earth is or was Arthur Reynolds?

Collectors of pre-war blues music will of course be familiar with the song by a certain Blind Joe Reynolds. It was recorded in November 1929 in Grafton, Wisconsin, the home of Paramount Records and it was released coupled with 'Nehi Blues' on that label (Paramount 12927). 

Two further tracks were also recorded by Reynolds at that session - 'Ninety Nine Blues' and 'Cold Woman Blues' and they were subsequently released on the same label (Paramount 12983).

Why Cream should choose to credit him as Arthur Reynolds remains a puzzle but then so much surrounding this character is shrouded in mystery. For example, research in the late 1960's by blues historian and writer Gayle Dean Wardlow revealed that his name was not Reynolds at all but that he may have been born Joe Sheppard in 1900 or 1904. Even this 'fact' is disputed however by his nephew Henry Millage, who claimed that he was born Joe Leonard but changed his name to Sheppard when he got into trouble with the law. This seems to have been a regular occurrence in the tumultuous life of the man who eventually became known on record as Blind Joe Reynolds.

He was raised in Tallulah which lies about 20 miles west of the Mississippi River near Vicksburg and began strumming guitar and hanging around with a few older players when still in his early teens. He was rarely out of trouble though and in the early 1920's he spent time in the Arkansas State Penitentiary. It was also during this period that he was blinded by a shotgun blast in Louisiana. In 1929 his guitar playing was heard in a lumber camp near Lake Providence by talent scout and music store owner, H. C. Speir. It was Speir who encouraged Reynolds to travel to Grafton to cut the four sides referred to above though Speir later confessed that he had already heard of Reynolds through other musicians (either Bo Carter or Charley Patton).

The following year, in November 1930, Reynolds recorded a further four songs in Memphis. 'Third Street Woman Blues' and 'Married Man Blues' were released on a 78 rpm record on the Victor label under the name Blind Willie Reynolds. Sadly the other two songs recorded that day, 'Short Dress' and 'Goose Hill Woman Blues', were never released and would appear to have been permanently lost. Fortunately all six of the released songs by Reynolds have survived although only three copies of 'Nehi Blues' / 'Outside Woman Blues' and only one of 'Ninety-Nine Blues' / 'Cold Woman Blues' have been discovered. Thanks to the generosity of their owners, all surviving tracks are currently available for our enjoyment on various blues compilations.

Although he never recorded again, Reynolds continued playing and singing and in the 1950's switched to an electric guitar. He died of pneumonia on 10 March 1968, only 10 months after Cream recorded their own version of his signature tune, 'Outside Woman Blues'.

Here is a link to Reynolds' version of that song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEI4MYoTBMM

Best Music of 2015 - The Compilation CD

It is traditional with a group of friends to put together a CD compiling our favourite tunes of the year.

So, without further ado, here is my selection.

1. Mount the Air - The Unthanks
2. Same Minds - Ryley Walker
3. Wind and Weather / The Fisherman and the Sea - Inge Thomson
4. Courage - Villagers
5. Govan / Superfly - Varldens Band
6. Tapping on the LIne - Calexico
7. Gimme All Your Love - Alabama Shakes
8. Hand Cannot Erase - Steven Wilson
9. Cold Slope - Wilco
10. Cry Me a River / Williamsburg Sleeve Tattoo Blues - Sun Kil Moon
11. Across the River - Blitzen Trapper
12. Children of Children - Jason Isbell
13. Fourth of July - Sufjan Stevens
14. Till the Water is all Long Gone - The Decemberists
15. Shifting Ground (live) - Slowlight Quartet

My best of 2015 condensed into 80 minutes.

Here's looking forward to some great music in 2016.

Happy New Year!