What Is Love For?

Its a great question! For one thing it is the title of an absolutely outstanding lp. Reason for blogging it that this is about to be released on vinyl for first time. Just in time for xmas or say a birthday!

 

I really think this deserves so much more recognition!

New Justin Currie lp due August

Good news that Justin Currie is back with a new lp and hitting the road later in the year.

Here is the lead track, sounds great to me if not particularly ground breaking for him.

http://youtu.be/4u_Z1_3i2K4

The new album Lower Reaches. Released 19th August.

Celtic Connections 2012

A somewhat belated link to this years Celtic Connections Festival. Have to admit not quite as much grabbing my, or Michaels, attention as in previous years. But there is always someone who you will want to see. Anyway here is the link and a couple of clips of acts that I will see:

http://www.celticconnections.com/

Firstly a very welcome return for Steven Lindsay and The Big Dish. This promises to be a real highlight of the Festival and I would expect you need to get your tickets quickly:

http://youtu.be/SY7ylNTiqRQ

Justin Currie

Billed as a co-headling show with Naomi Bedford readers of this psace will know that any Justin Currie show is a must. Intimate venie I am betting on an acoustic show, hopefully with a couple of new tracks.

http://youtu.be/OVduFCBkfuM

and a terrible audience clip of a great song which I hope he keeps in the set:

http://youtu.be/5gI8owIXtF8

Celtic Connections - Justin Currie ABC

Another great gig on Friday 21st at Glasgow ABC where Justin Currie was the headline act.

Fronting a full band Justin was in absolutely superb form and performed the majority of the new album The Great War and a healthy smattering of classic Del Amitri Tracks. A very minor grumble from me was the lack of material from the first solo album with the exception of No, Surrender.

Hopefully someone will post some clips that I can link to, in the meantime an approximation of the set list:

Ready To Be
Cant let Go Of Her Now
Just Like A Man
As Long As You Don't Come Back
Anywhere I'm Away From You
If I Want You
At Home inside of me
Always The Last To Know
Sleep Instead Of Teardrops (new song?)
A man With Nothing To Do
Everyone I Love
Move away Jimmy Blue
Not Where it's At
The Fight To Be human

Encore:

Here And Now
Ain't I A Lucky Guy (new song?)
No, Surrender
Be My Downfall


And a correction! Thanks to "Anonymous" Nothing Ever Happens was played after No, Surrender. many thanks!

Celtic Connections 2011

An outstanding programme of live muisc again for January 2011. Including Justin Currie, Love and Money, A Dylan 70th tribute night, Marty Stuart, Teddy Thompson.....

Check the link here:

http://www.celticconnections.com/

BBC4 Songwriters Circle - Boo Hewerdine and Justin Currie Tonight 10:15

This looks like being a great programme:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v4kf0

Justin Currie, Chris Difford and Boo Hewerdine are the featured artists as BBC Four combines great singer-songwriters for unique concerts celebrating the craft of the song.

Filmed at Bush Hall on Uxbridge Road in west London, these concerts see three singer-songwriters perform their classic songs in turn, while helping each other out musically with harmonies and the odd guitar part. The artists only meet an hour or two before going on stage and, in between performance, take viewers inside their work, chattng about their songs, their history and background.

The three songwriters - Justin Currie, formerly of Del Amitri, who wrote hits including Nothing Ever Happens; Chris Difford, who mixes his solo work with Squeeze hits such as Up the Junction; and Boo Hewerdine, formerly of The Bible and perhaps best known for writing Patience of Angels for Eddie Reader - compare notes on songwriting, life after Top of the Pops and the male menopause.

Justin Currie ---- again

Justin Currie - The Great War

Fantastic new album from the ex Del Amitri front man and a worthy follow up to What Is Love For! Just had the chance for a couple of quick run through but some superb material on this album which has much more of a band feel.

Standout tracks for me are

A Man With Nothing To Do
Cant Let Go Of Her Now
As Long As You Don't Come Back



It is just a superb record with great lyrics, brilliant playing......cannot recommend this highly enough.

Forgotten Album Friday #3, Justin Currie - What Is Love For

This is not so much a forgotten album as one that did not really got noticed in the first place despite tremendous critical acclaim. The album is moody, melancholy, wonderfully produced sounding lush yet sparse at the same time.

Justin Currie's masterpiece. There is not a bad track on this album, and a couple of real crackers left off it!

Key Tracks:

What Is Love For
Goldust
Where Did I Go
No Surrender

and how on earth was this a b side - Let It Be Me