New Springsteen Song - Wrecking Ball

This will possibly be a one off as it is written to commemorate the forthcoming bulldozing of Giants Stadium

Bruce Springsteen performs his new song Wrecking Ball at Giants Stadium

Gene Clark, Iain Anderson Show - Lyric of The Week

last week the lyric set was:

"If the falling tide
Can turn and then recover
All alone we must
Be part of one another"

It is of course from the magnificent title track to Gene Clark's No Other Album. i am glad they took up my suggestion as cunningly of course Iain played the track! Hurrah.

Whilst thinking about the Gene Clark album I saw that Soulsavers were playing Some Misunderstanding in the encore to their recent live set which would be great to hear. I also came across a great review by David Bennun of the No Other lp which had the following great piece:

"How could a record this good, this gorgeous, this inspired exist for almost 20 years without you even having heard of it? You, who know so much about pop music that people are prepared to give you money to air your opinions. Derisory sums of money, it's true, but what the heck, you'd pay to do it if you had to. Not for the first nor last time, it occurs to you that maybe you're not as well-informed as you might have thought. Maybe you are, in fact, an ignorant slob. But you're an ignorant slob who knows out-and-out magnificence when you hear it. By the end of the journey, you're on your third play of No Other and (this is truly a first) you don't want the train ride to end. You are as close to being happy as you will ever be on your own at six o'clock in the morning."

you can read the rest of his article and many other good pieces by him here:

http://bennun.biz/musicfeat/noother.html

Springsteen hits 60

well can't let it pass without a wee comment. Amazing to think he is 60 with the energy and committment he is still putting into his shows. I accept that WOAD is not his best album but Magic is up there and he is still producing great work.

A couple of clips in celebration:

Leonard Cohen - not seriously unwell

I am pleased to see that after his collapse on stage last week (scary looking footage) old LC is alive and well and due back on stage tonight. Food poisoning apparently!

Forgotten Album Friday #8 - Pete Townsend, All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes

Not my normal kind of thing, I suppose, but I have always been a huge Who fan and a great admirer of Pete Townsend.



This album was release, I think between the Who's Face Dances and It's Hard. It is completely different than those albums with much more of an 80's pop / synth feel to it. Throughout the album Pete is clearly very introspected especially on the absolute key track The Sea Refuses No River.

This is far from Pete's best work....but that is not always the point!!

The eagle eared among you may spot the future Big Country Rhythm section of Mark Breziki and Tony Butler in brilliant form throughout this album.

Key tracks

The Sea Refuses No River
Slit Skirts
Somebody Saved Me
Face Dances Pt.2

Mark Erelli, Ethan Johns, Ray Lamontange, Josh Ritter

I am horribly late in posting this but a few of us were at a great gig in Usher Hall, Edinburgh with these great artists. I have to admit I was there principally to see Josh Ritter and I think a good section of the audience was as well. That said the headline act, Ray Lamontange, was really good. But no-one can touch Josh and if I was a performer he would be one of the last guys I would have as support!

The hall was very dark, principally I think because Ray is so shy, but I took some clips and photos anyway - not good quality I am afraid. Great gig all round though.