Monday Long Song

My abject despair, towards the end of 2024, at being informed that 'Bluffer's Guide to the Flight Deck', the debut LP by Flotation Toy Warning, had just turned 20 years old (20 bloody years!) was almost immediately quelled with news of an imminent anniversary reissue. Despite this exotic collection of melancholic, far-out pop songs being one of my favourite albums of.....well....., the past two decades apparently, I'd never actually owned a physical copy. For ten years or so it was only available on CD and the initial vinyl pressing in 2015 sold out in the blink of an eye. This time round a mere 500 copies were up for grabs and there was no way I was going to miss out again. If 'Donald Pleasance' tickles your fancy, head over to Flotation Toy Warning's Bandcamp page (here) to check out the rest of the album, particularly the frankly magnificent 'Popstar Researching Oblivion', which, at a smidgen over 6 minutes is sadly a little too short to qualify for this feature. Rules are rules.

The band's splendid follow up, 'The Machine That Made Us', arrived 13 years after their debut and the wait for album number three is now into its 8th year. Come on lads.

Flotation Toy Warning - Donald Pleasance

All Our Years Become a Tale That is Told

In May 1994 I flew to New York for the third time to stay with my cousin and her husband. In later years whenever a trip to the Big Apple was looming, I'd pre-book tickets for gigs or other events of interest online, but in those pre-internet days she would mail me a copy of The Village Voice listings guide a couple of weeks before I travelled, then order any tickets I required and I would settle up with her when I arrived. It was all very analogue back then, but that was how I found out about an concert entitled 'In Their Own Words - A Bunch of Songwriters Sittin' Around Singin''. It was one of a series of similar events at The Bottom Line, a small venue on West 4th Street, taking place bang in the middle of my stay and a show I definitely didn't want to miss. For $18 I got to spend a couple of hours in the company of Ted Hawkins, Roger McGuinn, Pete Seeger and Joe South as they sat in a semi-circle on the stage talking about their lives and playing music acoustically, together and individually, in a very informal setting. 

I'd seen Ted Hawkins live in Norwich in 1986, on his first wave of success following radio exposure from Andy Kershaw, but he'd fallen off the radar again quite soon after. By 1994, however, he'd been re-discovered and chatted enthusiastically on stage about his new album on the major label, Geffen, and played us a few songs from it. Tragically, Ted's life was to end seven months later as the result of a stroke, aged just 58. 

In spite of Hawkins' considerable contribution to the evening, the majority of the New York audience were there for McGuinn, Seeger and South, all of whom played their best known material interspersed with anecdotes and memories. Inevitably, given the location and the parties involved, Bob Dylan loomed large in several of the conversations. Roger recounted the 'give this to McGuinn' story regarding the opening line to 'Ballad of Easy Rider', Pete Seeger gave his version of the mythical axe incident from the day Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 and, perhaps most fascinating of all, Joe South spoke a little about the Nashville 'Blonde on Blonde' recording sessions in 1966. It was an unforgettable evening. 

We lost Joe South in September 2012, by coincidence the same month that Pete Seeger, at the age of 93, released what he claimed was the first album of all original music he'd ever recorded. 'A More Perfect Union' was written and performed in conjunction with Seeger's long-time friend Lorre Wyatt. Guests on the album included Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris. Though I have immense respect for his achievements, I can't claim to be a scholar of Pete's music, but 'Fields of Harmony', sung by Seeger alone, is a remarkable performance. The vocal, by this stage little more than an abrasive whisper, is extremely moving. 

Pete Seeger passed away 11 years ago today.

 'When my days have been consumed, like smoke

 I will lay me down to sleep, in peace 

Over fields of harmony, I'll fly.' 

Pete Seeger - Fields of Harmony

Friday Photo #67

In my mind, this series is a relatively recent, if not altogether regular, feature on the blog. Of course nothing has been particularly regular round these parts for some time, but you catch my drift. Anyway, imagine my horror to discover that the very first Friday Photo entry was way back in June 2021 - 3½ years ago! I set out my intentions in that very first post. 

'...a photo, probably taken on my phone while out walking, or maybe an oldie retrieved from the family archive, perhaps even an anonymous antique snapshot plucked from what remains of my collection of such ephemera. To accompany it, a tune, ideally one that's at least partially inspired by the image...'

Up to now, the majority of photos that I've shared have been drawn from the second category - the family archive. Unsurprising really, as it's a gift that keeps giving and there'll be more to come no doubt. Although I've dispatched hundreds of old anonymous photos that I picked up along the way, a few boxes still remain to be sifted through and/or scanned and shared - I hope to make some inroads in that direction over the coming weeks and months.

Here's an unknown drummer from the Royal Army Service Corps during WW2. He has a very modest kit, handy for moving in a hurry I would guess, though I wouldn't have wanted to be perched anywhere near that huge bass drum when it kicked in.

Jackie Mittoo - Drum Song