SEVEN WONDERS - The Rules
- It has to be seven things you've discovered in the last month
- It has to be seven things other people can find
- It has to be seven things that have inspired or caused a reaction.
- It has to be a paragraph on each
It doesn't have to be music, it can be a film, a play, a painting, a cartoon, a different take on the familiar etc, but it does have to comply to the rules.
Sometimes we'll have guest features, but we want your inspirations. Submit here.
Go seek them out
SEVEN WONDERS
Seven things that have excited Spencer Leigh this month….
Spencer Leigh is the author of the new biography, Bob Dylan: Outlaw Blues.
A Case Of You - Kris Kristofferson and Brandi Carlisle (2019)
Last year there was a birthday tribute to Joni Mitchell in LA, Joni 75, and I have got round to viewing it on Sky Arts. Rufus Wainwright was exceptional, but James Taylor lost the melody of Woodstock on his way to the stage. What makes the concert unique is Kris Kristofferson's A Case Of You. Generally speaking, KK doesn't have the voice to sing anything but his own songs and he should never have been allocated A Case Of You with its rises and swells. He seems to be suffering from dementia and he is having great difficulty remembering the words. The one word he knows is "Darling". At first, I thought he was ruining the song, but having viewed it four times, I find it moving as Kris couldn't have had a better person to help him through it than Brandi Carlisle. She steadies his hand just before he plays guitar and she sings along when he's getting lost. You can sense how tense the occasion is by watching the accompanying musicians watching Kris. It made little sense in the context of Joni 75 but it was the highlight of the night.
Harry Dean Stanton - Ian McNabb (2020)
The leader of The Icicle Works calls this a work in progress and put the song and its video on You Tube, but it seems complete to me. Harry Dean Stanton was the quirkiest of actors and his resignation and determination in Paris, Texas is one of the great screen performances. This song is a haunting companion to Bob Dylan's Blind Willie McTell and to my ears, not far behind it. Could his Bobness have come up with a better line than "Harry Dean Stanton ain't around no more, but he ain't exactly dead."
Will You Love Me Mañana - Sir Doug and Randy (1993)
One word can make all the difference. Doug Sahm with his Tex-Mex version of the great Carole King and Gerry Goffin song. I love the accordion but what nails it for me is the new title line "Will you still love me mañana?" I know this is a song of anguish, but I can't stop smiling when I heard it. Randy is another San Antonio musician, Randy Garibay, who had a blues group called Cats Don't Sleep.
The Swimming Song - Loudon Wainwright (1973)
I loved Loudon Wainwright's free concert for the Royal Albert Hall website which he opened by saying, "How do you like my plague beard?" His room looked pleasantly lived in and I'd have liked to have studied the books in his shelves and the memorabilia on the wall. Was that a photo of his father Loudon Wainwright II, for example? He talked of opening for the Everly Brothers at the Royal Albert Hall in 1973 and being booed off "but not by Don and Phil, they were very cordial". |The Everlys' audience probably didn't want songs about dead skunks but how could they not go for The Swimming Song, a contender for every summer playlist.
Small Town Talk - Amos Garrett and Maria Muldaur (1996)
The excellent Canadian roots label Stony Plain released a double-album for its 20th anniversary in 1996 and this was one of the new tracks. Bobby Charles' original version was excellent but this revival is exquisite. They were drawn to the song because they both lived in small towns. There's a delightful playoff where they gossip together but what a pity it fades away.
Space Guitar - Johnny 'Guitar' Watson (1954)
There is no way that anyone would guess that Johnny 'Guitar' Watson's instrumental dates from 1954 and even its title suggests a later date. It is a dynamic, echo-drenched instrumental, full of string-bending, reverb and feedback and not so much heralding rock and roll but looking ahead to Jimi Hendrix. Johnny 'Guitar' Watson was only 18 at the time and if it had taken off, rock and roll would have been different and so would Johnny's career.
Guitar Drag - Christian Marclay (1999)
Setting up the year 2,000, but it could have been the year 20,000 as these are the weirdest guitar sounds of all-time, outclassing Johnny 'Guitar' Watson by several miles and I choose my words carefully. Christian Marclay attached a Fender Strat to his flatbed truck and went for a ride down some dirt tracks. You get scrapes, scratchings, feedback, screams. In a way, it's a pity he released the video as guitar fans might still be wondering how he did it. Also, it sounds so good when it's over.
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Corsair is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.
Folk Friday Radio
Check out our shows and many other great shows on: