Rudi

Ok man. For you, anything! The highlights are history

I saw this singer at the tail end of the One Show last night. I'm usually not impressed, but I thought she was terriffic. This is not the song I heard (dunno what it was) but I've just discovered her name. Lianne La Havas. Hope you get out of there soon all fit & healthy John.

Daughter of the Everglades - Rory Gallagher

Its not the same without you Mahesh. I hope these difficulties are soon overcome. Good luck.

cry for home - Van Morrison

Not heard of it. Is this for buying stuff? or charity?

Fortunate Son Creedence Clearwater Revival

Close To You - Rihanna

So Many Roads - Grateful Dead

Drum Trip - Rusted Root

Soldier - Groundhogs (soldier = tommy)

Rabbit Hills - Michael Chapman Love this. One of the first open tuning songs I learned Moz ......The sink reference was to Bob

Tom! What a superb post man! back to business... Song For Sinking Lovers - Family One of the first Albums I bought. I was a bit nervous about it at the time (I was into Pink Floyd & King Crimson then). I bought it on the strength of the single 'No Mules Fool'. It turned out that I loved the B-side even more than the A-side 'Good Friend of Mine' was that B side. As it transpired, this is still a great favourite album of mine. Nothing else Family did comes close AFAIC.

Throwing Stones - Grateful Dead I've just spent a couple of hours listening to Jerry Garcia interviews as I worked. This was an inevitable choice.

Gods Away On Business - Tom Waits

Well, I haven't played in a Folk Club for more than 40 years. At that time they were full of students who usually joined in and sang. They would all have a go at some ancient tune with a finger firmly fixed in one ear at add "-yah" at the end of every syllable because it sounded authentic. What are the 70 year olds like? Any good?

I've never been in that position. I'm going to hedge & say 'it depends'. I think I can imagine doing this. How far though? I dunno! To be frank, I've done worse things in my life.

I have a lot more in common with you Rob than you might suppose. I never learned to read/write music. I made a half hearted effort to learn (with a book) at 16, and soon got tired of that. I even loved hard rock for the longest time, & anything you love that much never wholly leaves you. Had I been lucky enough to be able to sing, my musical development might have been even closer to yours. But I couldn’t sing. And at 16 I finally had enough money to buy a guitar. I was determined to learn everything I could. To master every style I could. As you might imagine I became (and still am) a jack of all trades. I took on so much that one lifetime isn’t enough to get good at much of it. Never having a lesson was also a drawback, but I couldn’t see that at the time. With the stupid over-confidence of youth, I believed I could figure everything out by myself. Playing jazz with a bunch of ‘proper musicians’ who could read was an important test for me. I was able to play with them, and do it on my terms, with my understanding (such as it is). Sometimes though, I blagged it, and when it came out right, instead of feeling lucky, I admit I felt pretty pleased with myself. I had no right to feel that way, and it made me go away and figure out what I should have learned in the first place. But playing by the seat of my pants (to borrow an aviation expression) does make me feel elated. If and when it sounds good as well, it is thrilling! But that doesn’t happen too often. Certainly not often enough to rely on. I holidayed on cruises in recent years and a guitarist I got to know on there put on a few ‘talks’ where he would speak about guitars & players. Most of the people in attendance, would ask him about guitarists who were not necessarily the greatest players, but were obviously iconic to them. They would ask about Pete Townsend or Paul Weller, who obviously wrote great songs, made great music in great bands. These guys are not highly talented guitarists, but in the minds of the people who love them, they are! Not many accomplished players are that popular anyway, and never make the huge mark on music scene in the same way that Townsend, Tom Petty or Jeff Lynne do. What I’m trying to say is that you are in great company Rob. Us players that obsess about technique or chasing around little notes, are seldom the make the sort of music that people really love. Besides which, I haven’t yet written a song as cool as ‘If Your House Just Falls Down’.

Glad its working for you. I always think the heart, or most important part of a band, is the percussion.

Texas Rose Cafe - Little Feat

That's why you are still wedded to music I think. I'll bet it felt like that many times in your musical past as you reached for something and were rewarded. I also wanted (recently) to break out and just play some blues. Now, I am not really a blues player, but the form is so basic that to me it seemed easy to get a small band out and gigging pretty quickly. The band I quit was rehearsing for TWO YEARS before I even stepped in. It was only late last year we had our debut gig. I cant face that sort of preparation. The other thing about blues is that despite its limitations it can be expressive almost like no other music form. There are some more of course, flamenco and some latin music come to mind, and I think it comes down to the elastic phrasing that allows this to happen. You can play on, in front or behind the beat in one solo, or even in one phrase. As long as it is expressed naturally, it can grab you. I'm also chasing the magic in music. I have become very cynical of many things. I dont believe in homeopathy, naturopathy, any religion, any superstitions, alien abductions, reincarnation or karma. Music is the closest thing to magic I know of. I can express it & feel it, but I really don't know what it is or how it works.

The Arms Of Mary - Sutherland Bros & Quiver

The House of The Rising Sun - Libby Holman (1940s)

Great news. I'll check out the songs when I get home.

Ive not quit the old band. Blown Out is still going (just). Have a gig on the 16th April. Trying to decide which guitar to take along. Egos. That is the reason Blown Out has lasted for so long (18 years?). Its the only band Ive ever known that has zero ego issues. 'Zero Ego' - good name for a band!?