I've been in Manchester - which, true to form, had sleety rain while the rest of us had snow. I trudged about the city centre on Monday night, 24 hours too early to see The Airborne Toxic Event, in search of a convivial bar and a haloumi burger, but 'sorry love, we don't do food in the evenings'.
I fetched up in a minimalist restaurant opposite the hotel with an attentive gay waiter dressed in skinny black and a chef whose enthusiasm for raw red onions (served with starter, main course and cheese board) I could not share. Damn fine coffee mind.
----
Hearing 'Losing My Religion' on the radio this morning I thought, 'Hmmm. I like a mandolin' - especially a Blue one. And the one in this band, famously 'played' by John Peel on another song on Top Of The Pops.
Actually, it was really plucked on that and this by Ray Jackson, from Lindisfarne (he tried to sue for co-writer credits on 'Maggie May').
'The coldest winter/In almost fourteen years' eh?
Rod Stewart - 'Mandolin Wind' (1971)
PS: As we have discussed here before, if you only know/hate Rod as 'Sexy' in leopardskin leotard or averagely crooning Cole Porter ballads on Mothers Day-marketed CDs, you really ought to listen to 'Every Picture Tells A Story'.
Ah Davy, Manchester so much to answer for.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I was there on business was the day after all that vandalism by Rangers supporters, it was not the best time to be a Scotsman in Manchester. For the first time in my life I was ashamed of where I came from.
Have been a little bit envious of you Southerners this week with your snow, we only had a smattering of about 2 inches and that disappeared by aboutlunch time Monday.
The media have got themselves all worked up about the weather and school closures. Worst winter in 14 years, bollocks, we were snowed in for 3 days in Feb 2001, it was great.
I don't know if i mentioned it but Airborne Toxic Event were excellent on Friday night, everybody needs to buy the album.
As I've said several times before, and very possibly here - I'll forgive Rod everything for his Mercury period(you can get all of it on 3 CD set you know), and his time with The Faces..
ReplyDeleteHis Jeff Beck-backing era is worth lending a ear to..
I was miffed to miss The ATE up there Drew - it would have been a good way of spending a night in town on my own and I could have pretended to be all Young and Radical for a few hours.
ReplyDeleteMond, I've just realised I posted this track last time I blogged about Mercury Rod - this just days after blethering on about my 'no repeats' policy. Sheesh. My Dad's always saying the same thing over and over again too, but he's 85.
Anyone got any Lindisfarne?
I thought the Airborne Toxic Event line was Davy making a smart Don DeLillo reference. It's just a band? How disappointing.
ReplyDeleteThat's me. Never knowingly over-achieving.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, and I came out the 'forgive everything 'reply, then as well - it's all going Werthers shaped isn't it..
ReplyDeleteNo Lindisfarne, but you can have this - a studio recording and single only release (the album of the Long Player, features a live version)
Rod and The Faces Maybe I'm Amazed
Coo, ta.
ReplyDeletesometimes it's quite easy to forget the depth and soul in his voice due to the overwhelming & transcending image of him crooning for fat, silly middle-aged cows across Europe & the States throughout the 90's.
ReplyDeleteI mean... he was once in a band with Jeff bloody Beck for fuck's sake.
C'mon already!
Hey! Some of those 'fat, silly, middle-aged cows' were our Mums!!
ReplyDeleteBut yes, er, we take your point Jude.
Oh look!
ReplyDeleteLindisfarne - 'Meet Me On The Corner' (1971)
I haven't heard this for years - not since Small Welsh Stevie put it on a tape with lots of US punk and leftfield mallarkey in the dark, dark, lost mid-80s.
What larks!
Here's Mick late to the party again. I also love Faces era Rod, hate almost everything else. I have a Lindisfarne 'Best of..' CD somewhere - what do you want? One of their singles had a great live version of a song called 'Clear White Light' on the b-side. My CD only has the studio version if I remember correctly but still worth a listen.
ReplyDelete*is out of his comfort zone now*...Er....er....'Meet Me On The Corner' ? Aye. That were nice...
ReplyDeletehe's reforming the faces you know. my mum took me to see him all tartaned up and horrid long ago and people threw knickers at him. i didn't have any rocks handy so sat quietly.
ReplyDeletealmost everything up to the killing of georgie is bloody marvelous though.
x