Monday Long Song

On reflection, I'm pretty sure that my school chum James must've had an older brother or sister, though by this point, a lifetime later, it's difficult to be absolutely certain about such details. What convinces me, all these years down the line, is that so many of the 'serious' rock records that I was only dimly becoming aware of via the weekly music press, already seemed to be sitting on the shelf in his house before I'd even started to save up my pocket money. I can only guess that James had an older sibling, with a job presumably, who brought the records home, steadily introducing him, and by extension me, to a whole new musical world. 

James and I were in the right place at the right time for Glam - T.Rex, Bowie, Sweet & Slade etc providing the soundtrack to our day-to-day school lives, but whenever I took the 10 minute bus ride over to his gaff, he'd throw me by slinging something like Pink Floyd's 'Meddle' or Genesis' 'Nursery Cryme' onto the turntable - quite the eye-opener for this 12 year old. Another LP I first heard over at James' place was that literal definition of prog, 'Close to the Edge' by Yes. I don't mind admitting that the band's frequent tempo variations, baffling lyrical content and seemingly random key changes initially proved too much for my young brain and instead I gravitated towards the altogether more accessible prog (if there be such a thing) of Emerson Lake & Palmer. I got there in the end though. 

James and I corresponded for a year or two after I moved out of London in 1975 and in our last letters I remember him being steadfastly unconvinced by the burgeoning punk scene. Half a century later, online searches throw up no leads on the whereabouts of my old pal, but I hope he's still out there somewhere, happy and healthy, listening to this old favourite.

Close to the Edge

Monday Long Song

1977's 'The Bonny Bunch of Roses' was Fairport Convention's 12th studio album and first after leaving their spiritual home of Island Records for new label Vertigo. The title track is an epic reworking of a 19th Century ballad, revolving around a conversation between Napoleon Bonaparte’s widow and son, following Napoleon’s death. The son promises to avenge his father’s defeat, while his mother cautions that '...England, Ireland and Scotland, their unity will ne’er be broke...'

Great though the 1977 version is (and it really is great), seven years earlier, in the Summer of 1970, Fairport took their first (and best) crack at the song. Richard Thompson is still in the band at this point and it sounds to me as if they're channelling 'The End' by The Doors. It's a magnificent, meandering retelling of the story, that bafflingly remained unreleased for the next 29 years.

Bonny Bunch of Roses

Friday Photo(s) #72

At this time each year, the area's livestock is moved to higher ground, as the chance of local flooding increases. This is my sixth winter here (my how time flies) two of those being particularly heavy flood seasons. So far this year, the water has been contained mainly to the marshes and fields, with comparatively little finding its way onto roads or into properties, though it was still a sight to behold when I took a wander a couple of weeks back. The photo at the top of the page shows the river, full and wide. The thin strip of green is all that's visible of the far bank and beyond that, the flooded fields where cattle usually graze.

I couldn't make it all the way round my usual circuit, as, a little further along, the river had burst its bank on my side. I sploshed onward for a bit, but eventually started sinking, so reluctantly turned back.

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Prints are another American band who were big news in Swede Towers for a brief period in 2007/8. During that time they released one album and one EP before vanishing, though constituent members Kenseth Thibideau and Zac Nelson appear to keep themselves busy with a number of other projects.

Prints - Too Much Water

Monday Long Song

If you've been lucky enough to see the great Martin Carthy in concert at any point over the past 50 years, there's a very good chance that you would've heard him perform the daunting 17th century ballad, 'Famous Flower of Serving Men'. As well as being an a staple of his live repertoire, Carthy has also recorded the 32 verse epic on several occasions throughout his career, firstly on 'Shearwater' in 1972 (listen below), again on 'Waiting For Angels' in 2006 and finally the intimate spoken word interpretation on last year's 'Transform Me Then Into a Fish'. There was also an Andy Kershaw session version in 1988, an appearance on limited live album 'At Ruskin Mill' in 2005 and another on a Leigh Folk Festival compilation in 2011. 

I've seen Martin Carthy play 'Famous Flower of Serving Men' perhaps a dozen times over the years, most recently in 2024 - a beautifully frail and hesitant performance. He spoke that day of how the song had captivated him and that he'd returned to it time and again because he never felt that he'd quite nailed it. He was wrong of course. He nailed it every single time. Sadly there will be no more opportunities to see this remarkable man in concert, or to hear further renditions of the song that he's wrestled with for so long. Last month Martin was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer's Disease, scuppering plans for a farewell tour with his daughter Eliza that was due to start in the middle of February.

Famous Flower of Serving Men

Friday Photo #71

Over the course of recent weeks, the familiar local landscape underwent not one, but two transformations as a substantial snow covering was quickly followed by torrential rain and flooding. I managed to get out for a wander in the aftermath of both weather events. I'll get to the floods in due course, but today here's a snapshot taken on the first of those memorable walks. I left the house initially intending to check out my immediate locale and just kept walking, eventually arriving back at home some 2½ hours later.  

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Samara Lubelski is an American musician and recording engineer, who has released ten albums under own name and contributed to dozens more by artists such as MV & EE, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Thurston Moore, Fiery Furnaces and Animal Collective. Her fourth solo record, the gently woozy Parallel Suns was a firm favourite in our house circa 2007/8 and still sounds as gorgeous to these ears today.

Samara Lubelski - Snowy Meadows II

Monday Long Song

My love of Kungens Män's music has been well documented on these pages over the years. The many records made by these guys (and their various offshoot projects) weigh heavily on the shelves and floorboards of this house. 'Resande I Rockmusik' (translates as 'Travellers In Rock Music') is the latest groovy addition to both their catalogue and to the likelihood of my gaff's future subsidence. Side Two track one 'Respekt för Naturen' requires no translation, though who amongst us would've guessed that Side One's closer, the ultra Scandinavian sounding 'Skördetröskan', would translate to something as mundane as 'The Combine Harvester'?

Magisk Magi

Maybe

I've accumulated a wealth of Seb Rochford's music over the years, principally in his role as drummer with the great Polar Bear between 2004 and 2015, though also as part of Acoustic Ladyland and Sons of Kemet. All of the above are, to some extent, jazz combos, but his new project, Finding Ways, treads more of a post-rock path. The self-titled album features a rotating cast of guitarists including Verve's Simon Tong, Portishead’s Adrian Utley and Tara Cunningham, who has recently played with both Red Snapper and Modern Nature. Cunningham will be on duty when the Finding Ways tour passes my way in February and I already have a ticket for the show pinned to my digital notice board.

Finding Ways - Maybe