The Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother/Free - My Brother Jake

The Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother/Free - My Brother Jake

Free Hollies Old Pa's Poetry Corner R.I.P.

R.I.P CLIFF

MY BROTHER CLIFF

FUCKING CANCER TOOK MY BROTHER!

MY BROTHER CLIFF

My Brother Cliff was 11 years older than me

But although we grew up at a distance

He was always there

I thought Cliff would be there for ever

Although we did not see too much of each other

And lived apart sometimes at great distances

He was always there 

Always there and it was a kind of comfort

Just to know that

Although we were different

We still shared a sense of humour

We shared our heritage

I knew Cliff would always be there

In any time of my need

I remember Cliff taking me to see

Aberdeen V Rangers in the Cup

Before he married Mary in the sixties

And she gave me 2/6

Trying to impress me I thought

You think of Cliff and you immediately think of Mary

They say behind any Great Man is a Great Woman

Mary is that woman

Cliff worked hard and was successful

In no matter whatever he did

He was one of the last to do National Service

(Bring back National Service, I say)

And even there he became a Corporal

He seemed to get promotion

Throughout his life

And I was proud of Cliff for that

I always thought he could become

The Prime Minister

But as I got older I realized

He was too honest for that job

There was not a dishonest bone in his body

You know the saying ‘salt of the Earth’

Well that kind of sums him up

My brother Cliff

In his last few years he suffered tragedy

That no Dad or Mum should suffer

And they both handled it with Dignity

Cliff & Mary you did not deserve that

You will be a big loss Cliff

To all who knew you?

To all whom you have touched

Especially to your loving family

Your laughter would light up any room

I have always loved you Cliff

I always will     

Your  little Brother Brian

sfw Pada 03:24 7 Komentar

R.I.P.Jack Bruce

R.I.P.Jack Bruce

Cream Jack Bruce R.I.P.

R.I.P. Jack Bruce

I FEEL FREE

 

WHITEROOM - Cream

 

Not only does Scotland have a great upcoming football team, Andy Murray and Robert Burns, but we had one of the great bassists ever and part of one of the greatest bands ever Cream and I am saying that. So sad to hear that JB has passed away at the age of 71.

I was knocked out when I first heard Cream in the sixties and got all their albums immediately on release. Disraeli Gears with it's Martin Sharp Cover is a seminal part of the sixties culture and still one of my favourite albums of all time. I remember having to choose between Best of Cream or the Beatles new album Abbey Road, I choose the Cream. (we could only buy one album a month in these days)

His solo stuff too did not dissappoint and he also teamed up with Robin Trower with some fabulous results.

Great bass and fabulous Vocals. I loved Jack Bruce. What more can I say!.   

sfw Pada 11:17 2 Komentar

R.I.P. - 'Allen Peter Bazeley' - April 15th 1989

R.I.P. - 'Allen Peter Bazeley' - April 15th 1989

George Jones & Gene Pitney Neal Pet Shop Boys Phil Collins R.I.P.

Who the bleep is Allen Peter Bazeley I hear you ask... Well let me tell you

He was my Dad and the person I miss the most. April 15th 1989 is a date etched in history due to the horrific scenes that happened at Hillsborough that Saturday afternoon. For me it is the worst date ever... It was the day my Dad died.

The last photo of Dad, taken about 2 weeks before he died with his niece Zoe

I was born in 1972 on the sunny island of Cyprus, Dad was in the British Army and was stationed there at the time. Shortly after I was born he found out that he had 'Hodgkins Disease' a form of cancer that fights the immune system, meaning that just getting the common cold could be really serious for him. I remember being told that his Mum looked it up in her medical books and it stated that the only cure was arsenic !!

For the first 17 years of my life the cancer came and went a total of 4 times. Each time it took more of a toll on his body and made him weaker. I remember about 3 or 4 years before he was in hospital and the surgeon told my Mum that he wasn't expected to last the night. He did, but as part of the operation he had 6 feet of gangarous gut removed. He was a fighter that's for sure. It sounds awful but on the morning of April 15th I was annoyed with him. He'd fallen ill over night and needed to be taken into the hospital. The reason I was annoyed was because it was FA Cup Semi Final day and I was a Liverpool supporter and I knew that I was gonna miss the game. He'd been ill so many times that I was beginning to feel he was invincible and therefore I didn't see the point in going. I'm glad I did obviously. He was transferred to Hammersmith Hospital where he passed away at 21.30. It wasn't the cancer, his body had finally given in.

But enough of the morbidness, I would like to share a couple of songs that he loved combined with some memories of him. I hope you like them as much as he did.

Phil Collins - 'In The Air Tonight' (1981)

My Mum remembers a funny little story about this song... These are her words.

'In 1981 while living Kerkrade in Holland we went to the out of town hypermarket and one of the many things we bought was Face Value, the Phil Collins LP. After unpacking the shopping when we got home. We realised that we had left the LP in the shopping trolley!! Needless to say we were angry, but we saw the funny side of it.  We did buy it again, not sure from where, possibly the NAAFI, and I think it is upstairs in the attic right now.'

Laughing about the missing album ??

My favourite musical memory of my Dad was when I bought the tape of the Pet Shop Boys album 'Disco' it only had 6 songs on it , 3 on each side of tape. Dad borrowed it from me one day and it remianed in his car for well over a year. It was the only thing he listened to for that entire time, thankfully the car stereo in his Yugo Zastava was advanced enough to play it and turn the tape over automatically. He never got sick of it, and to be honest even now I still love the album. This was his favourite track on the tape.

Pet Shop Boys - 'In The Night' (1986)

Finally I'll leave you with one of his favourite artists of the 1960's from a few years before he met my Mum

George Jones & Gene Pitney - 'Don't Rob Another Man's Castle' (1965)

25 years on... RIP Dad

sfw Pada 13:30 6 Komentar

DYLAN COVERS # 135 R.I.P. Pete Seeger - Farewell/It's a Hard Rains a Gonna Fall/Paths of Victory/Who Killed Davey Moore/Forever Young...

DYLAN COVERS # 135 R.I.P. Pete Seeger - Farewell/It's a Hard Rains a Gonna Fall/Paths of Victory/Who Killed Davey Moore/Forever Young...

Bob Dylan Pete Seeger R.I.P. Weavers Woody Gutherie

R.I.P. Pete Seeger 1919-2014

Where have all the Flowers Gone?

It was with great sadness I heard of the death of Pete Seeger at the great old age of 94. I first heard PS as a very young chap listening to Children's favourites on a Saturday morning in the early sixties. His Little Boxes cover was always one to sing along to.

PS was a champion of Tradition Folk songs and kept true to his deep roots until the end. It is amazing to know that he was a contemporary of the great Woody Guthrie and sang with him.

His group the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy era and he later became  a champion of the protest movement of the sixties.

PS was also a writer of songs and is probably most famous for his Where have all the flowers Gone, If I had a Hammer and Turn, Turn, Turn.

It was PS who first invited Dylan to sing at the Newport Folk Festival where Dylan later first turned electric.

To celebrate the great Pete Seegar here are five tracks of Pete covering Dylan. There are several different takes available of PS covering  A Hard Rain.

 

PETE SEEGER - Farewell 

 

PETE SEEGER - A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall

 

PETE SEEGER - Paths of Victory

 

PETE SEEGER - Who Killed Davey Moore

 

PETE SEEGER - Forever Young

sfw Pada 01:50 2 Komentar

DYLAN COVERS #130 R.I.P - Phil Everly - Abandoned Love/Lay Lady Lay

DYLAN COVERS #130 R.I.P - Phil Everly - Abandoned Love/Lay Lady Lay

30 Second Interview Bob Dylan Dylan Covers Everly Brothers R.I.P.

R.I.P. Phil Everley 1939-2014

The Brothers Everly

Growing up in the 50's and 60's it would be hard not have heard the the fabulous Everly Brothers. At one time they were my favourite group and Cathy's Clown was my favourite song for a very long time.

They had a string of great songs which still pass the test of time. I bet all you 'young guns' out there are aware of many of their hits like, Cathy's Clown, The Price of Love, Wake up little Suzie, Crying in the Rain, Love Hurts, they go on and on.

Phil may have passed away but he will always be remembered.

Bob himself recognised the major influence they had.

Here are 2 Dylan covers they released in the 80's. The first is a brilliant take of Abandoned Love and is taken from the album Born Yesterday (1985). The second cover is Lay Lady Lay and is from the album EB 84 (1984)   

 

EVERLY BROTHERS - Abandoned Love (1985)

 

EVERLY BROTHERS - Lay Lady Lay (1984)

sfw Pada 02:11 1 Komentar

Simple Minds - 'Mandela Day'

Simple Minds - 'Mandela Day'

Flycasual R.I.P. Simple Minds

R.I.P. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

When I heard the news that Mandela had passed away, a strange feeling came over me, as if a small part of me had also died. A little melodramatic maybe but I had grown up in the eighties where Apartheid was at it's height, the boycotts, the savage imagery and the protest songs were always in the news. I also visited South Africa, albeit on holiday, with my parents when I was 8 years old and saw it first hand...'white only beach', 'white only shop', 'white only drinking fountain' and I never understood why and perhaps I never will. Then there was this man, who despite it all, kept 'rowing against the current', taught us about redemption and irrespective of colour, class or creed inspired many across a nation and throughout the world.

Simple Minds - 'Mandela Day' (1988)

There have been many songs from various artists that have covered Mandela's life but I suppose Simple Mind's 'Mandela Day' struck a chord with me when it came out in 1988, capturing a mood which I remember to this day. It has been a long time since I heard it and it came on the radio this morning, it was 'a everyone be quiet and stop what you're doing' moment. We lost one of the good guys....RIP Nelson R Mandela

sfw Pada 03:33 1 Komentar

R.I.P. - Lou Reed 1942-2013

R.I.P. - Lou Reed 1942-2013

Heavens Supergroup Lou Reed R.I.P. Velvet Underground

 

VELVET UNDERGROUND - Heroin

It was with great sadness I heard that Lou Reed passed away at the age of 71. Lou had a liver transplant earlier this year.

Lou was the founder member of the iconic band the Velvet Underground the first real Punk band in my book. Their first album still stands up today as a genuine classic and I still often play songs from that album.

I saw Lou around the early seventies when he had just released his brilliant Transformer album. I remember well a magnificent version of the Velvet's Heroin. I still get goosebumps at the very thought of it.

R.I.P. Lou Reed you will be missed.

sfw Pada 23:36 1 Komentar

DYLAN COVERS # 122 Noel Harrison - Love Minus Zero/Don't Think Twice

DYLAN COVERS # 122 Noel Harrison - Love Minus Zero/Don't Think Twice

Bob Dylan Dylan Covers Noel Harrison R.I.P.

R.I.P. Noel

 

NOEL HARRISON - Love Minus Zero (1965)

It is very sad to hear the passing away of Noel Harrison at the age of 79. He was the son of Rex Harrison the British actor. He is probably most famously know for his song Windmills of Your Mind, an excellent song from the sixties.  But believe it or not he has done quite a few Dylan Covers. His first self titled album from 1965 contained 4 Dylan covers. If you can find a copy of that CD let me know as it's price has certainly increased in value over the past few days.

Love Minus Zero come from that album.

The second track is from the album The Great Electric Experiment is Over (1969) which also contains I'll be Your Baby Tonight.

R.I.P Noel Harrison

NOEL HARRISON - Don't Think Twice it's Alright (1969)

sfw Pada 14:25 2 Komentar

DYLAN COVERS # 122 Noel Harrison - Love Minus Zero/Don't Think Twice

DYLAN COVERS # 122 Noel Harrison - Love Minus Zero/Don't Think Twice

Bob Dylan Dylan Covers Noel Harrison R.I.P.

R.I.P. Noel

 

NOEL HARRISON - Love Minus Zero (1965)

It is very sad to hear the passing away of Noel Harrison at the age of 79. He was the son of Rex Harrison the British actor. He is probably most famously know for his song Windmills of Your Mind, an excellent song from the sixties.  But believe it or not he has done quite a few Dylan Covers. His first self titled album from 1965 contained 4 Dylan covers. If you can find a copy of that CD let me know as it's price has certainly increased in value over the past few days.

Love Minus Zero come from that album.

The second track is from the album The Great Electric Experiment is Over (1969) which also contains I'll be Your Baby Tonight.

R.I.P Noel Harrison

NOEL HARRISON - Don't Think Twice it's Alright (1969)

sfw Pada 14:25 2 Komentar

R.I.P. JJ Cale

R.I.P. JJ Cale

Heavens Supergroup JJ Cale R.I.P.

December 05 1938 - July 26 2013

It was great sadness I learned this morning that great JJ Cale passed away as the result of a Heart attack. JJ has always been one of my favourite artists since I first heard his album Okie in the seventies. I bought everything by JJ before and after that album.

He had a unique style and when you described it as laid back, well that is an understatement. He is probably one of the originators of what we now call Americana,  a mixture of blues, country, Rhythm and Blues and of course rock 'n roll.

He came to prominance when Eric Clapton covered his classics Cocaine and After Midnight.

If you want a crash course on JJ, his anthology Any way the Wind Blows will set you up for hours of pleasure.

I will always have the image of JJ sitting on his porch, Clyde at his feet, a bottle of Rye close at hand and him pickin' on that ol' geetar.

R.I.P. JJ   Cale

 

JJ CALE - Any way the Wind Blows

sfw Pada 01:52 4 Komentar

R.I.P. - James Gandolfini - Alabama 3 - 'Woke Up This Morning'

R.I.P. - James Gandolfini - Alabama 3 - 'Woke Up This Morning'

Neal R.I.P.

I heard on Thursday whilst sitting in the back garden with Shell Hunter that James Gandolfini died of a heart attack. I was gutted and immediately said that we should watch The Sopranos as soon as possible. We were listening to an old compilation on random that we made in 2005 and 20 minutes or so after I'd heard the news, this song came on and I immediately decided that I wanted to write a few words to say goodbye and thanks for some great memorable scenes.

I first remember seeing James Gandolfini getting the shit kicked out of him by Alabama Worley in True Romance. The 'donk' sound of the toilet cistern hitting him on the head still gives me goose pimples.

After that I remember Chili Palmer picking him up by the 'nads and throwing him down a flight of stairs in Get Shorty, but it was okay he was playing a stuntman called The Bear !!!

Then came the part of Tony Soprano and unless you live under a rock (albeit with an internet connection that allows you to read this) then I don't need to say any more.

James Gandolfini RIP

sfw Pada 13:30 2 Komentar