After witnessing a fabulous solo gig at the mecca that is Ashington Miners' Welfare, I've been on a major Clive Gregson kick this last week or so, availing myself of all five albums he made with Christine Collister as well as most of his solo and Any Trouble back catalogue. Here is a songwriter, singer and guitar player of rare distinction. It's hard to single out any one album that stands out, such is the consistency of his work, but I'd point anyone interested towards his recently issued 'Best Of' and Gregson/Collister's stunning breakup album 'The Last Word' as good places to start;
Otherwise, I've been listening to:
Nils Lofgren 'Back It Up' - superb official bootleg capturing Lofgren at his raw, live peak: much more satisfying than the disappointing live double that appeared in the late 70's. Sad to say that this has fallen into the same black hole of non-availability that has befallen so much of the A&M label's output, though it has been temporarily available in the States on the collector's Hip-O-Select imprint at a daft price. I'd say it was worth every cent;
Richard Thompson 'R.T.' - patchy box set of outtakes, live recordings and alternative versions of real interest to diehard fans (which I am not quite) only, but there are some fine things here, not least the disc of long, intense live workouts showcasing the man's stellar guitar talent;
Kevin Ayers 'Bananamour' - his last great album before the long period of inactivity and only occasional brilliance that ended with the excellent 'Unfairground' of a couple of years ago. I've played both albums this week and loved them anew;
Shakin' Stevens 'Take One' - okay, take the piss why don't you, but this comes from the immediate post-Sunsets period when the young(ish) Michael Barratt was making decent music and mixing with the cream of Britain's country-rock cognescenti, Albert Lee included. Shaky's subsequent devolution into commercial pap has denied him even the last ounce of credibility (as admitting to this has no doubt me), but his early work with and without the Sunsets is mostly damn fine rock and roll. Unlike that unmentionable tw*t from Stoke, this guy trod the boards for years with a real, hard working band before achieving solo success. And admit it, wasn't his rockabilly take on 'This Ole House' - another Albert Lee showcase, by the way - a gas? Too bad he went sour after that;
Eddie and the Hot Rods 'Teenage Depression' - which in its Captain Oi! reissue is enhanced with all the early 45's and EP tracks including the staggering take on 'Get Out Of Denver' that was my first pointer in the direction of UK punk - is a terrific and underrated gem ripe with magic riffs and relentless energy;
Nick Drake 'Pink Moon' - singer-songwriting at once introspective, painful and perfect;
Faust 'So Far' - where rhythm, stripped down to its most primal basics, is the key to an ace record that almost threatens to become commercial at some points!
And that - alongside a shedload of Bach organ music played by Helmut Walcha and Kay Johanssen - is about it for me over the last few weeks.
May your week's musical pleasures be plentiful and profound, dear HHers. And as a great man once said, maybe if you all shout, someone will hear you...
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