Have You Heard? – (29) “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”

Posted on December 6, 2012 by John S

With apologies to any all-out rockers reading this blog, who might have strayed this way having read my Top Ten on Air Guitar, this is all about a wonderful love song. No riffs, just beauty…

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was written by the Scottish folk singer, Ewan MacColl, in 1958.  It’s the same age as me! (I snuck into that year on 25 Dec, famous for something else…). It’s a beautiful love song, with some simple, heart rending lyrics. I think it was written by MacColl for his new love at the time, Peggy Seeger.  It’s a love at first sight song:

The first time ever I saw your face, I thought the sun rose in your eyes…

I knew the song, probably heard it lots on BBC Radio 2 back in my childhood days.  Subliminally logged in my brain. Loads of people covered it. But it was just recently that it came back to the forefront of my consciousness. The reason? A lovely, raw rendition of the song by Emily Barker in a video for the brilliant Songs From The Shed Series.

It’s not technically perfect, but it’s all the better for that. It’s real.

Emily and her band, the Red Clay Halo, have also recorded the song and it’s available on a free download.

And here’s a link to her website where you can download it. I got it from the Soundcloud route, but it’s also on Bandcamp.

https://soundcloud.com/emilybarker/first-time-ever-i-saw-your

Emily’s rendition of the song is heavily influenced by the classic take by the great soul songstress, Roberta Flack.

But there are a lot of other wonderful versions.  I went a bit mad on iTunes and eventually made myself a playlist of 20 versions! Mostly middle of the road stuff, but here are three more. That will do!

George Michael covered the song on his album, “Songs From The Last Century”.  I remembered I actually owned this just before I downloaded it again! George Michael is a wonderful singer – such a shame he’s faded away. Hopefully he’ll sort things out and come back.

Can’t resist a reggae version: Marcia Griffiths. A great reggae tradition, covering the soulful love songs with that beat.

And in some ways the best take (apart from Emily, of course) from someone who I wouldn’t usually pay much attention to: Leona Lewis. Sung with gusto – I could imagine Alicia Keys, or Beyonce,  doing it this way. But Leona makes the song her own here. I love this version.

Oh, and maybe I should mention the original. Sung, I think, by Peggy Seeger, even though it’s about her. Very different to later versions. Folkier, less developed sonically.  But with the essence…

 

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Sportsthoughts (54) – West Ham and England do the incredible!

Posted on December 2, 2012 by John S

What an incredible afternoon of sport! As in unbelievable. As in results so unlikely that if you’d gone the bookies and put a tenner on the double you’d be walking away with a few thousand pounds.

Football: West Ham 3 Chelsea 1

Rugby: England 38 New Zealand 21

As the sadly deceased commentator, David Coleman, used to say: quite remarkable!

After a quick cycle round North Ealing, I settled on the sofa at 12.45, cup of tea in hand, ready for four hours of bracing live sport. Bracing as in a cold wind of harsh reality sweeping through my teams’ aspirations. Hopefully entertaining, if most likely excruciating. Had to be watched, no matter what the outcome.

First up the football. West Ham have had a great return to the Premier League. Top eight pretty much all season. But in the middle of a difficult run of fixtures. Lost away to Tottenham and then Man Utd – no surprises there – and now a home game against Chelsea.  Of all the teams in the league, the one I generally hold out least hope against is Chelsea. Not beaten them since 2003.  There was just a glimmer of hope, which was the crazy turmoil at Chelsea, after the Russian chairman, Roman Abramovich, inexplicably sacked manager Roberto di Matteo, who won him the Champions League in May, and even more inexplicably, appointed Rafa Benitez, much reviled by Chelsea fans when he was Liverpool manager. But I feared that West Ham would provide him with the respite he needed, the easy win to get his tenure going.

The first half bore out those fears.  West Ham were timid, apprehensive.  Chelsea, marshalled by the brilliant Spaniard, Juan Mata, pulled the Hammers all over the place and led 1-0 at half time. It should have been 3 or 4, to be honest. Fortunately striker Torres was misfiring and the West Ham goalkeeper, Jussi Jaaskelainen was in heroic form.

But at half time something happened. Actually, it was quite obvious. West Ham brought on their player of the season so far, Mohamed Diame. Why he was left out in the first place is a good question. Big Sam said he was a bit tired after the Spurs and United games. Well fair enough, he should know, but it was a risky tactic. Anyway spurred on by Diame, West Ham upped their game massively, used the wings and provided striker Carlton Cole with some decent balls rather than hopeful lunks. They pressed higher up the pitch and started to turn the game.  After about twenty minutes the equaliser came: Cole climbing all over Chelsea centre back Ivanovich to head into the net. A bit lucky he wasn’t penalised, but I’m not complaining! Chelsea then came back into it and Mata hit the post. But West Ham hung on and towards the end racked up the pressure.  Diame powered in the second goal after a great lay off from Cole, and then sub Maiga finished it off just before the 90 minutes were up.

3-1 against Chelsea! Unbelievable…

Which leads us on to the rugby. Had to watch it on slight delay as the games overlapped, but thanks to Sky Sports I could see all of both. (Just had to deny myself the joys of Twitter during the game to avoid prior knowledge of the score). I wanted to see the start of the game because one of the great sights in rugby is the All Blacks performing the Haka. Brilliant theatre, always increasing the sense of anticipation, even if, today, the sound was drowned out by the England fans singing “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”.

The Autumn rugby internationals are a highlight of the rugby season, but always a reality check, as the Northern hemisphere sides generally suffer against Southern hemisphere teams. England, being the biggest money-spinners, get to play all three of the world’s top teams, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. It is usually a sobering experience. This season England, rebuilding, lost the first two, against the Aussies and Boks. Both games were close, but England’s handling was imprecise, most of their play a bit laboured.  Against the top defences in the world, mind. Last weekend, the captain, Chris Robshaw was slaughtered by the press for choosing to take the three points from a penalty a couple of minutes from the end, rather than have the fly half, Owen Farrell, kick to touch for a lineout, which possibly could have led to a try.  Possibly. No such thing had happened in the rest of the game. Kicking the three points (which Farrell did) would put England one point behind, with a chance to gain possession from the South Africa kick off, and then go through the phases, with the chance of another penalty, or a drop goal, or even a try. The only problem, in the end, was that Mauritz Botha dropped the ball, therefore ruining the plan.

I should declare an interest. Robshaw is a Quins man, a magnificent leader and player. But I do think he took the right decision. It was the execution that went wrong. At Quins it may well have worked.

Anyway, with England having lost to both South Africa and Australia, expectations were low heading into the New Zealand game. The All Blacks, after all, are the best team in the world. But, as with West Ham v Chelsea, there was just a glimmer of hope.  In this case it was the feeling that England  are actually quite good, and are developing into a top team. Maybe this was the game when it would click. Maybe…

Most of the chat beforehand was about the margin of defeat for England.  I opted for ten points.  Thinking they’d push New Zealand, but still be outclassed.

Well, how wrong I, and everyone else was!

England came out of the blocks competing fiercely, and took New Zealand by surprise with their intensity.  The first half was all about penalties.  Owen Farrell scored four out of four; the world No 1 Dan Carter missed both of his kicks. 12-0 England. We started to think, could it happen?

In the second half Farrell slotted over another penalty to make it 15-0. I was enjoying this!  But then the backlash – or should that be blacklash? – occurred. New Zealand upped a few gears and tore through England’s defences for two quick tries. Carter converted both.  15-14. Oh well, it was good for the first forty five minutes…

We waited for the next NZ try.  But then something else happened. England scored three! In rapid succession. They ripped New Zealand apart. All the tries by backs who’d taken a bit of stick after the first two matches, for lack of creativity and penetration. First, centre Brad Barritt, then winger Chris Ashton, then the other centre Manu Tuilagi. And it was the latter who was most responsible for the breakthrough. He was clearly the back New Zealand most feared and that led to mistakes in their defending for the first try. Ashton’s try came after a Tuilagi burst, and the third came from Tuilagi himself after he intercepted a New Zealand pass. Incredible stuff – suddenly England were 32-14 up!

England by now were playing with verve and great confidence.  The forwards were awesome – they were winning all the battles. The All Blacks were seriously rattled. Then the substitutions began. I can understand why.  Fresh legs, unbattered bodies, are needed. But it made me nervous. Owen Farrell off, debutant Freddie Burns on. Why take that risk? What if Burns fluffed it, great prospect though he is?  (He didn’t: in fact he turned the screw on New Zealand, as the management would have anticipated). England got another penalty, converted by Burns. 35-14. That helped, though I couldn’t escape the mindset that even with a few minutes to go, New Zealand were perfectly capable of turning everything around. They did get one try back and threatened the England line again. As the threat of defeat finally receded, I wanted this to be the biggest defeat of the All Blacks ever. The commentator told us the previous margin was 13 points. Hold on to that 17! New Zealand attacked.  There was a melee on England’s try line.  Surely not a try? No, the ref blew the whistle….

38-21. The record winning margin for England against New Zealand. Truly amazing.

Flanker Tom Wood got man of the match. Right that a forward got it. It was the intensity of the forwards’ performance that set England up for victory. Then the backs did the business. The old adage: the fowards win you the game, the backs determine by how much. A bit unfair, given the defensive shift the backs put in too, and their role at the breakdown; but that is the nature of rugby union.

There were fifteen MoMs out there. Chris Robshaw was everywhere, leading from the front. The two second rows, Geoff Parling and young Joe Launchbury, were immense. Dan Cole at prop was ruthlessly efficient in the rucks. Owen Farrell kicked and passed brilliantly. Ben Youngs at scrum half was back to his pacy, probing best. Mike Brown, on the wing, gained the hard yards and was superb under the high ball. And Barritt and Tuilagi were solid and dangerous in the centre.  Which takes us back to the point made earlier that the All Blacks clearly feared Tuilagi, and in the end, he was the game changer.

So maybe Tuilagi was the true man of the match, the catalyst.  I’ve had my doubts about him, but today we saw how his raw power makes the difference.

Wow! I never thought I’d be writing about the England rugby team like this.  Not today, anyway. But this really is a result to savour for a long time. And one to give us hope that this team could become great, maybe even win a World Cup. No, no let’s not get too carried away. It’s one fantastic result. That’s all. It could be the turning point, but let’s see if the level of performance can be sustained.

Roll on the Six Nations!

 

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Emily Barker at the Union Chapel… and the Rocking Trio at the King’s Head, Islington

Posted on November 22, 2012 by John S

I’ve just had the most brilliant musical evening. I’m staying up late to write about it because I’m away for the next few days. And I’m still buzzing…

It started with Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo at the Union Chapel in Islington.  If you follow my blog closely, you’ll know I love this band and have reviewed them before.  This was a big concert for them tonight.  The final gig of a headlining tour. I’d not been to the Union Chapel before.  It’s a lovely venue. Still a church, but multi-purpose. Magnificent arches and diagonal seating which focuses the whole congregation on centre stage. Which, tonight, was Emily. It’s the third time I’ve seen her and the band in the last year. You could sense the occasion tonight. She was a little nervous at the start. And who wouldn’t be at such an important moment.  I felt for her.

It was a fantastic concert. Beautiful tunes, singing, playing, everything.  My personal highlight was about half way through with the wonderful “Pause”, just Emily strumming on her electric guitar and all four members of the band singing the loveliest harmonies. And following that,  a delicate tune from the first album, “Photos.Fires.Fables”, called ‘This Is How It’s Meant To Be”, a wistful melody, lovely plucked guitar and some harmonica at the end which was just so perfect. Really moving. I felt the tears welling for these two songs.

There were a few new songs, from the forthcoming album in the new year. They were a bit more electric, a bit more upbeat. Preparing for a bigger stage? I liked them (of course). The music had a hint of Springsteen.  That is always OK by me!

The concert ended quite early – around 10.15 – so there was an option to have a couple more beers. One of my friends, Shane, and I decided to wander down Upper Street and find a decent pub. Shane lives locally, so he knows where to go.  We went into the Kings Head and found a rock’n’roll band playing. A trio called… The Rocking Trio. They were really good.  When we arrived they were playing that music that just pre-dated the rock’n’roll explosion, a hint of jazz and swing, Latin. A few people were dancing; one couple were jiving. The vibe was good.

Shane and I got our lagers and slipped towards the back of the pub where we could still talk. But the music increasingly captured our attention. Rock’n’roll classics: Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Elvis. It was really good!  Superb guitar, a classic double bass, a solid drum beat holding it all together. I’d only intended to have a quick pint. But it was so enjoyable that I suggested one for the road… and then another! It wasn’t the beer, it was the music. We didn’t want to leave. At 11.45 I started to think about the tube home to West London, so had to leave, but I could have stayed. It was great stuff.

Simple, brilliant rock’n’roll. The essence.

I loved the end to this evening. Emily Barker was just so good. But then Shane and I had this bonus. Purely by chance. Wonderful.

I think the word is serendipity.…

(Previous review here)

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Have You Heard? – (28) Grand Drive

Posted on November 20, 2012 by John S

Grand Drive are one of my favourite bands of the 2000s. You could call them Americana, country rock, a combination of the Byrds, Neil Young, Crowded House and Teenage Fanclub with a hint of Bruce Springsteen. Or you could just say that they made some damn’ fine records! You’d think they were from America, but in fact they were from South London, with their singer Danny George Williams and brother Julian originally hailing from Australia.

I was first put on to their debut album, “Road Music”, released in 1998, by a friend, Keith,  who made a tape for me – yes a cassette tape! On the other side was a compilation which included the wonderful Jayhawks, another band with similar roots to Grand Drive. More of them another day. I remember listening to “Road Music” in the car, thinking, what a voice.  So fragile, so perfect for the music. Those lovely melodies, tender and uplifting. Full of hurt, but also the love of rock’n’roll.

The opening tune was “Tell It Like It Is”. A great piece of road music.

There were some other great tracks on that first album, not least “Falling Out”.

The second album, “True Love and High Adventure” came out in 2000, and had even more wistful melodies and lush arrangements. The first track, “Wheels” is a real favourite of mine.

And “Nobody’s Song In Particular” is heart-rending and has some searing guitar.

 

The third album, “See The Morning In”, from 2002, kept up the standard. “Firefly” was one of the loveliest tunes.

I saw the band play at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in May 2003. They were brilliant.  The harmonies, the guitars and the sheer joyousness of the music, shone through. There was a real humility about the band too.  After the gig they circulated, just delighted to be there, having people enjoy their music. We talked to Danny, who came across as a really humble, decent guy.

It was one of those weeks. I had one of those concert surges.  Like the proverbial buses. Three in close succession after none for ages.  Bruce at Crystal Palace. Neil Young at Hammersmith Apollo, playing “Greendale”. And Grand Drive.  All three were brilliant, but, you know, I think Grand Drive gave me the warmest glow. It was the intimacy of the small venue, the fact that I was still discovering the music and, just meeting the band, I guess. But they were that good.

Two more albums followed. In 2004, “The Lights In This Town Are Too many To Count”. The best track was the opener, “Love and the Truth”.

And truth be told, it wasn’t as consistently good as the first three albums. “Everyone” in 2007 dipped a little further… except it had possibly my favourite Grand Drive track ever, “Talking In Your Sleep”. I remember a period, walking to work from Green Park station, when I just couldn’t take the track off my iPod. Just a beautiful, simple, moving tune.

The band broke up after that.  Danny has a new band, Danny and the Champions of the World. They are good, and have more than a touch of Springsteen.  But there’s not quite the majesty of Grand Drive’s best songs. Not yet.

If this post interests you, I’d say start with the first two albums.  There is so much to enjoy on them.  If you agree, then move on to the rest. You won’t regret it!

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Have you Heard? – (27) “Dead & Born & Grown” by The Staves

Posted on November 16, 2012 by John S

The Staves are three sisters from Watford (which is just outside London) who sing the most beautiful harmonies. Jessica, Emily and Camilla. Their music is kind of folk, kind of pop. It’s a music that highlights the voices: most of their musical arrangements are simple, supporting the melodies rather than driving them. My iTunes play count tells me the reality: I have played The Staves more than any other band this year. I discovered them via a retweet from the DJ Bob Harris, which linked to a video of their song “Mexico”. I liked that a lot, so checked what else they had done. At the time it was just a couple of EPs in terms of recorded output. But everything I heard, I loved. Why? Well, the music was just… beautiful, soothing, uplifting. Music to retreat to after a difficult day.

I’ve written about the band in a few blogs before. See the end of this review for references.

The important thing now is that they have released their first album, “Dead & Born & Grown”. Guess what? I love it!

That said, part of the impact of the release, for me, was lessened because I already have quite a few of the tracks, from earlier EPs. But if you haven’t heard the band before, the album is a wonderful introduction.

It starts with “Wisely and Slow”, which is a song in two parts – a lovely acappella followed by a burst of African-style drums, which reminds me a bit of Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk”, from many years ago. Live, they just do the acappella, around the one mic. It’s fantastic. Here’s an example.

The next three songs are all old favourites: “Gone Tomorrow” is one of the first I heard, and I still love it. You might notice my dishonesty, well I’m only 23. (Is that an excuse?). “The Motherlode” and “Pay Us No Mind” were both on the “Motherlode” EP with “Wisely and Slow”. The title track is a sparkling song and quite lush in its arrangements, by the Staves’ minimalist standards. “Pay Us No Mind” has a drifting electric guitar in the background and surprises us with a random use of the F-word. Getting across the message I think, that the beauty of the songs doesn’t mean this is all a bit too nice.

We then get into the newly recorded songs – or should I say the songs I haven’t downloaded before?  One of my favourites so far is “Facing West”, with a lovely lilting melody, those harmonies, and a little bit of mandolin and accordion in the background. The whistling isn’t necessary, but, hey, I don’t mind. And then “In The Long Run”, which gives me a shot of that wistful soul, which moves me every time. “Winter Trees” has a folky drone at the beginning and end which reminds me a bit of another band I really like, Espers.  “Eagle Song”, the last track, suggests new directions and greater complexity in the future. More layers, more changes of pace and tone within a song. I’m intrigued by that, as long as they preserve those harmonies…

The song I first fell for is slipped in between the new ones. “Mexico”. It sounds as good as ever. And there’s no harm in posting the video here, again. The minimal backing, the sweet vocals, and the serenity. The essence of The Staves.

All three of the sisters take their turns with the solo singing through the album and they all have great voices, but it is always with the harmonies that the music really takes me in. It is then that it is truly music to soothe the soul.

Look, I know that there are probably loads of other singers and bands with similar talents and sounds. It’s not music that is going to change the world. But it is music that makes the world feel like a better place. And I love The Staves for that.

If you can catch them live, do. The simple power of their singing comes across in a way that is always difficult to replicate on record, even if “Dead & Born & Grown” does a pretty good job.

Here are my previous blogs that mentioned The Staves;

The Staves at the Tabernacle. Great concert.

Latitude festival – the detail. The Staves were there.

Two gigs and three discoveries. When I first came upon the band.

The latter post includes the band singing an old folk song called “Silver Dagger”, which I first heard being sung by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. I like The Staves version better, and it may still be my favourite Staves song. The one where their harmonies are at their most glorious. As a bonus, if you’ve read to the end, here is that tune…

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Skyfall !

Posted on November 13, 2012 by John S

I’ve just got back from seeing the latest Bond movie, “Skyfall”, at Leicester Square Odeon. Wow! I’m still reeling. An awesome film.

I’ve always enjoyed the Bond movies – they never fail to be entertaining. The sixties films with Sean Connery were truly iconic. As much part of the era as the Beatles and mini skirts. Roger Moore turned the series into wry comedy thrillers and I can’t remember a lot about the Dalton and Brosnan eras. May even have missed a couple. Daniel Craig restored a hard and darker edge, as new technology rubbed up against the classic glamour and style of the early films. Both “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace” were up there, for me, with the best.

But “Skyfall” is on another level. I expected a good film, having read a few reviews, but not this good. I found the whole film riveting and the denouement in spooky, misty Scotland incredibly gripping. I was buzzing at the end!

You never get too much character development in a Bond movie, but there was a journey into the dark past of M (Judi Dench), Bond and the malevolent villain Silva, played with grotesque elan by Javier Bardem. It added an intensity to the film, a deeper interaction than usual between the central characters. Intensity was the word for me.  There were relatively few scenes, but as a result there was time in each to build a genuine tension.

And of course there was great imagery.  The opening chase scene through the alleys, up the steps and along the rooftops of Istanbul was thrillingly spectacular. The pursuit of the assassin through the glassy tower in Shanghai, all looming structures and confusing reflections, was reminiscent of “Blade Runner” (my favourite film).

The confrontation on the devastated island, somewhere off China, was brutal. And London played a big part, much of it subterranean.  The dark heart, the underbelly of the city.

And then that final confrontation in Scotland. Explosive, destructive, like so many Bond movie final scenes.  But focused, intense, claustrophopic.  Dare I venture that I felt a Harry Potter moment about it all? Silva as Voldemort? I wonder…

“Skyfall” is reputedly heading towards being the biggest grossing Bond film of all time, so I’m not exactly preaching to uninitiated here. But if you haven’t seen it, and like Bond movies even a little bit, go and see this one.

It might leave you, like me, shaken and stirred…

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Sportsthoughts (53) – Battle of the Exes

Posted on November 10, 2012 by John S

Tomorrow afternoon West Ham are away to Newcastle. West Ham’s manager, Sam Allardyce, was sacked by Newcastle in 2008, after a rather unhappy period in charge. Newcastle’s manager, Alan Pardew, was sacked by West Ham in 2006 after quite a successful period in charge. But things went wrong behind the scenes. I think there were some personal reasons, but there were footballing reasons too.

Around 2006-7 was the brief period when we Hammer’s fans thought we might be getting a benefactor who would buy the players to take us to the top. Unfortunately he was an Icelandic biscuit magnate who was wiped out in the collapse of the Icelandic economy in 2008. Classic West Ham – no oil-rich sheikh or oligarch for us! Instead the club was brought to its knees after all the reckless commitments it made – notably the hiring of the two Argentinians, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, through some “third party” arrangements, which turned out to be against the rules. And paying gargantuan salaries to all sorts of players, including the ex Newcastle badboy Kieron Dyer, who hardly ever played because of injury.

Pardew took West Ham to the FA Cup final in 2006, where we were very unlucky to lose to Liverpool on penalties. Things looked promising. But on the football side, the hiring of Tevez and Mascherano seemed to be his undoing. Both were established internationals, high quality players.  Tevez struggled to score at first, but always gave 100% and the fans loved him. Especially when he discovered his shooting boots and help save us from relegation. By then Pardew had gone and Alan Curbishley was manager.  Mascherano, though, just couldn’t get in the team. One of the world’s finest holding midfield players kept out of the West Ham team by no less a player than… Hayden Mullins.  “Who he?” I hear you cry.  Exactly. What was Pardew’s problem? I don’t know, but I suspect the players were imposed on him and he didn’t like the loss of control.  Mascherano was the casualty.

Of course Mascherano went on to play with distinction for Liverpool before moving to Barcelona. Yes, Barcelona. Good enough for Barca, but not the happy Hammers. Bizarrely, he is now playing centre back  for Barca, presumably on the basis that he is one of the shortest players in the team!

So Sunday is the battle of the exes, but not just on the managerial side.  Our centre forward is Andy Carroll.  Ex Newcastle. A true Geordie favourite, sold to Liverpool for a crazy £35m, moderately successful in his first season, but not deemed suitable for the style of play under new manager Brendan Rodgers. So now he is on loan at the Hammers, where his heading ability and muscular bustle is perfect for Big Sam’s direct style of play. And I must say it’s exciting to have him at Upton Park, even though he hasn’t actually scored yet.

And Newcastle’s in-form striker? The Senegalese, Demba Ba. Ex West Ham.  He shone in our relegated side of two years ago. Scored a few, excited the fans.  Moved on when we went down. Fair play: he was too good for the Championship.

And we musn’t forget the Hammer’s captain, wily goalscoring midfielder, Kevin Nolan. Naturally, bought from Newcastle! In fact he is a Big Sam man: played under him at Bolton as well as Newcastle.

I feel West Ham and Newcastle have a fair bit in common, despite the Geordie/Cockney antagonism. Both sides have a tradition of good football, but with a soft centre, which has prevented them winning very much. Both have passionate, loyal fans, with, perhaps, unrealistic expectations. Both have been hideously mismanaged at board level in the not too-distant-past, but both now seem to be stabilising under regimes which were seriously questioned initially.

I like to see Newcastle doing well, and I’m pleased to see Alan Pardew succeeding at a pretty big club.  It took him a while to recover from the West Ham experience. But he has Newcastle playing some very good possession-based football, with a strong French influence in the team. If the team continue to thrive, he’ll probably be a candidate for the England job, when Roy Hodgson gets the chop (after our next failure).

But tomorrow, my good wishes are suspended! The Guardian tells me that West Ham haven’t won in Geordieland since 1998, so it’s about time we did. How about 2-1 with Carroll and Nolan for the Irons and Ba for the Magpies?

The immutable law of the exes.

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Have You Heard? – (26) “Walk Away Renee” by Billy Bragg

Posted on November 8, 2012 by John S

You’ll probably know this song, if you do at all, through the Four Tops version.  A grand, rather desperate plea. There should be a “Just” in the title.

But I want to share with you a version that you may not have heard. More a poem, or just a monologue. By the Essex punk-folk bard, Billy Bragg. A simple tale of ordinary love lost.

This is what I’ve just written about the song for my book on my musical journey.

” My favourite Billy Bragg moment is on a single from 1986, “Levi Stubbs’Tears”. Levi Stubbs was the singer from the great Motown soul band, the Four Tops. They had a hit single in 1968 called “Walk Away Renee”. It was originally recorded by a band called the Left Banke in 1966. The second song on the B Side of the Billy Bragg single was a version of “Walk Away Renee”.  Not the lyrics, but just the melody eked out on a lovely acoustic guitar while Billy tells a story of falling in love, and then being jilted . The tale of a gauche lad, who can’t get his words right, delivered with touching humour.

I said “I’m the most illegible bachelor in  town”, and she said, “Yeah, that’s why I could never understand any of those silly letters you sent me.”                                                                         

The break up hurts:

I went home and thought about the two of them together, 

Until the bathwater went cold around me…

What a powerful image of everyday love and hurt that is!

And…then one day it happened…

She cut her hair and I stopped loving her.

Comes out of the blue…

I love that line so much. Is it trivial, superficial, sexist, or just incredibly profound? Why should cutting her hair make any difference to a real love? And yet…

Especially when you are trying to escape the hurt. A simple lad. A simple love. But no different to the rest of us.  A universal love. A universal hurt. And a universal escape.

With that classic, rather grandiose melody, gently strummed in the background.

A piece of simple genius by yer man, Billy Bragg.”

 

What do you think?

Posted in Music - Have You Heard? | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Some summer sun – a Costa Brava walk

Posted on November 5, 2012 by John S

In these cold, wet and and gloomy November days, with the darkness setting in by 5 o’clock, it’s good to remember the days of summer. Here are a few photos from a lovely walk I’ve done many times when on holiday on the Costa Brava, Spain’s northern Mediterranean coast. We stay at a site called Cala Gogo, which is situated in between two towns, Platja D’Aro and Palamos.  The former is a lively tourist town, mainly for the Spanish themselves, although there are quite a few French and Dutch too. It has a really nice feel to it, especially along the beach promenade. Palamos is more of a working town, still a fishing port and also a stop off for some pretty huge yachts. Between Palamos and Platja D’Aro there are a string of settlements and every bit of available beach is heavily populated. But there’s a relaxed feel to the area. It hasn’t been invaded by the lager louts. The photos here are a few from the coastal walk from Cala Gogo’s beach to a place called St Antoni, on the way to Palamos. It’s a rocky path, with lots of ups and downs.  In the summer sun you can work up quite a sweat. The majority of people lounge on the big beaches, but if you like rocks and coves and snorkelling, there are plenty of opportunities to indulge. (My family prefer the lounging!)

Starting with a few of the rocks and coves.

Glancing back into the sun, “our” beach. On the far left the Cala Gogo strip.

More rocks. Great to linger on, these ones.

I can’t remember the name of this tower, but it’s a distinctive feature of the coastline.

I love this flat, dancing  tree.

Looks like a cool time is being had on this yacht.

The beach at St Antoni. Some lovely cafes, serving the best baby squid…

Close ups.

Blurry.

Palamos in the distance.

Sparkling sun, azure seas, the rocks and trees.

Love it!

Posted in Photos, Random stuff | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Sportsthoughts (52) – Quins keep winning!

Posted on November 3, 2012 by John S

Tonight I was at at the Stoop to see Quins beating Gloucester 28-25, the second week in a row that they’ve won by the nervous margin of three points.  But wins are wins and they stay top of the Premier League as a result.

Last week was a bit lucky.  They were away to London Irish, in Reading (which may sound like a contradiction in terms, but right now Quins are the only London side who actually play somewhere that is recognisably London). It was a scrappy sort of game and the teams were evenly matched.

Quins fell behind in the battle of the penalties and it looked like a loss was on the cards until a five minute phase of possession right at the end led to a try in the last moment of the game. To the naked eye it looked like the try scorer, Tom Casson had knocked the ball on. Even Tom Casson thought he had, judging by the look on his face. But the ref called for a TV replay and that showed the ball had gone backwards when Casson dropped it (which is OK) and then he and the ball had both slid over the line when he touched it down with his chest. So, rather unorthodox, but all legitimate.  A try was awarded and Quins sneaked the win. I can understand Irish fans being aggrieved though.  Luck tends to favour the successful.

Doesn’t look like the boys thought it was a try!

This weekend was different. Gloucester have been playing well this season and whoever won this game would go top, at least for the evening. It was the first of a series of games where teams lose players to international call ups. Quins, now that they are one of the best teams – hell, no, the best! –  have lost six players to the England squad, something that Leicester, in particular, have grown used to over the years. Two – Mike Brown and George Robson – were allowed back for this game, but we were missing Robshaw, Monye, Care and Marler. Gloucester had Charlie Sharples missing, while Ben Morgan, their No8, had been allowed back for the game.

But, for Quins, fly half Nick Evans was back from injury, as was hooker Joe Gray, so things didn’t look too bad. There is real depth in the Quins squad these days. With Chris Robshaw away, there was a first chance this season for flanker Luke Wallace, who had looked like a real star for the future last season.

It was a funny sort of game.  It was all a bit frantic.  Both sides showing attacking intent, but there were lots of dropped balls and misplaced passes, and a super-fussy referee: step forward Mr Wayne Barnes. Quins looked stronger and scored three tries in the first half – all quite opportunistic – against none for Gloucester.  But they kept on giving away penalties and Freddie Burns – one of England’s most promising fly halves, didn’t miss a thing. So it was 22-12 at half time, when maybe Quins should have been out of sight.  The second half was bitty, but Quins had so much possession that this should have been a big win.  But it felt like the wrong decisions were taken too often.  Lots of quick breaks or choosing scrums when penalties were awarded, rather than playing for more control with kicks to touch for the line outs, or taking the three points on offer. Easy for me to say so sitting in the stands of course, but you did wonder whether Chris Robshaw’s calming influence as captain was missed. Even though the mighty Nick Easter, with a wealth of experience, was standing in.

So, while they really never looked like losing, Quins did manage to let Gloucester back in at the end and only win by three points. Which meant that “Glaws” got a bonus point that they didn’t really deserve.

But, hey, as they always say in football, the mark of a good team is when they keep winning when they aren’t playing that well. The last two weeks have shown Quins in that light. And there were some superb individual performances. For me, the centre, Matt Hopper, was the best of the bunch. Amazing speed and daring, and some excellent tackles too. And a great try. Not long before he gets an England call too, I suspect.

So it all feels good.  The team are building on the success of last season. And still trying to play the kind of running rugby that makes the game so exciting.

Come on you Quins! …. #COYQ 

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