Guitars and Life

Very often these days I'll hear something the radio or the TV and when my daughter says "I really like this" I'll say "You should listen to the original" and then dig it out of either my collection, Spotify, YouTube etc. to show her the difference between a performance with the passion of the writer often in it vs one just cleverly produced by the pop music factories that churn these things out constantly these days. However the other day I was listening to a cover of Dear Prudence by folk band Lau.  Now I really like Lau but this one didn't cut the mustard as a cover for me.  However one did in the past so I wondered about my top list of covers, where I feel the cover is better in some way... Here it is... Starting with - Dear Prudence by Siouxsie And the Banshees.  I just love the guitar sound on this her vocal this really works so much better than any other version for me.  Next - Mr Jimi Hendrix.  Ok I struggled and gave up - dear Jimi i...

My life is it five years already? John Martyn five year anniversary. Update 31st Jan...  Here are a couple of moments of John's brilliance...

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Long time no reviews... I need to put that right. Firstly here is a first for good old Luddite Furtheron, funny I work in IT and generally do believe that technology is a great thing, look at what it does give us... just look around you now; simply from the clothes you are wearing, the chair you are (probably) sitting in, the computer you are reading this on, the internet that delivered it, the electricity needed all over the place to do that and provide the light, heating, cooling etc. etc.    I'm going on a bit but anyway... the first of these reviews is actually... a download review!!!  I know, I know but it is true Furtheron for once didn't buy a hard copy CD so that he could then read the lyrics, timing of tracks to the nearest second, muse on the value of the various engineers on particular tracks etc.  I decided to buy something, went to Amazon, clicked on it, downloaded it and bunged it on my MP3 player in a matter of seconds... damn clever all this ne...

Over the past few days the BBC has shown a couple of tributes to the late great John Martyn. Firstly they reshowed the great documentary made in 2003/4 when John was recording what came to be the last album he released – On The Cobbles. Incidentally I think it a really great album reaching back to John’s acoustic roots within the group setting of his later work. If you are a John fan of any era I’d recommend you check it out if you haven’t done so. Also the BBC reshowed an Old Grey Whistle Test solo set recorded in 1973 which was brilliant. The final programme in this set was John Martyn at the BBC which was a selection of songs John had played live in some context for the BBC between the early 1970s up to his last appearance on Later with Jools Holland in 2004. If you wanted a snapshot of this stunning songwriter and performer and to see his immense capacity to perform this had it. In an hour you are taken from solo performances for the Old Grey Whistle Test of May You Never, Smal...

I don't know what's come over me... I've drilled/sawed a hole in the back of a cabinet so my daughter could move her stereo to create a "make up desk", then Mrs F suggested I paint the kitchen ceiling which has been an outstanding job for ages and I've got that done. Couple that with me cooking a curry last night and obviously having to cook dinner tomorrow for Mother's Day I'm not sure what is going on, most unlike me :-) The French are stuffing the Italians at the moment and I'm awaiting the start of the England game. I watched the BBC tribute to John Martyn last night, a great documentary made in 2003 as he was having his leg removed and finishing of the Off The Cobbles album. Then an Old Grey Whistle Test gig from 1978. I would have been 15/16 when that was aired, I still remembered it as probably the first time I was introduced to Mr Martyn. Just him, his Martin acoustic with pickup gaffa taped on, a Fender Twin, bunch of effects including...

I can’t let the passing of John Martyn going without some form of tribute to this great musician. John Martyn had his spiritual roots in Glasgow although he was born in England. He emerged onto the British folk scene in the late 1960s and was signed to the great Island record label by Chris Blackwell. Almost as soon as his career was launched though his eclectic influences and diverse style began to move from folk to include elements of Jazz and Rock. In the early 70s he developed a unique style of guitar playing using an old Martin acoustic fitted with a pickup that he fed through various effects including an echoplex echo unit to create a looping chaotic sound. Solid Air was released in 1973 and is one of the defining albums of the 70s. By now Martyn was working with the great bass player Danny Thompson and also his vocal style was developing into the utterly unique Martyn drawl that so defined much of his work. To me he used the voice not simply to convey the story of the song ...

We will always love you. Sad news the great great John Martyn passed away this morning. May You Never - possibly his most famous song and just brilliant. Sweet Little Mistery - That one gets me, I've had the odd knowing of losing love in my life - this song gets to that emotion in a millisecond. Hurt in your Heart - Just emotion in a tune, plus a great little insight into Martyn himself in this little extract from a BBC documentary.