We've been asked to do a fiftieth wedding anniversary.
So we're dusting off the Beatles items we do:
you've got to hide your love away
Yesterday
Things we said today (beautiful middle 8)
Hey Jude
Let it be
One more controversial request has been for some Abba. Catherine doesn't really want to do that so I'm going to do Dancing Queen and Knowing me, Knowing You
All these on top of numbers like:
wild World
Clouds
Big Yellow Taxi
Who Knows where the time goes
Dylan songs
Not many lively, uplifting numbers in that lot, I hear you say.
This is true, but that's another story.
Monday, 31 May 2010
Saturday, 29 May 2010
other Meic Stevens songs?
Yes - and this one is quite easy to learn.
Tryweryn is about the flooding of the valley in 1965 to provide a reservoir for Liverpool.
Today, there's a lot of canoeing and white water rafting on the river but back then, the story of the rehousing of 67 residents was front page news and a cause celebre.
Meic Stevens's song - quite an early one - is a simple folky item about how there are no flowers left in the gardens of Tryweryn while the fish swim peacefully above the houses.
Quite a surreal word picture of a real reality as "Cold water is sleeping in Tryweryn."
Tryweryn is about the flooding of the valley in 1965 to provide a reservoir for Liverpool.
Today, there's a lot of canoeing and white water rafting on the river but back then, the story of the rehousing of 67 residents was front page news and a cause celebre.
Meic Stevens's song - quite an early one - is a simple folky item about how there are no flowers left in the gardens of Tryweryn while the fish swim peacefully above the houses.
Quite a surreal word picture of a real reality as "Cold water is sleeping in Tryweryn."
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Why are there no apostrophes in this post?
Its simple, really.
Usually I update this blog using Catherines computer. So far, so good.
This morning, Im on our church laptop and one of the keys is missing. Its the one with "at" as in email addresses and the apostrophe.
Sometimes I go to the trouble of copying and pasting all the apostrophes but this time I dont think I will.
Great feedback on yesterdays appearance on the Roy Noble show. It seems to me to be quite a precisely defined audience in terms of age but, boy, does it reach that group!
Ive done quite a lot of "Thought for the Day" type material for BBC Radio 2 as well as Radio Wales and theres no comparison between the reaction you get from the two.
In fact, there is a comparison and here it is:
The Radio Two talks go out late at night and early in the morning. It is extremely rare for anyone to mention hearing them. I can remember perhaps three or four reactions to something like fifteen talks. All these numbers are guesses, by the way.
On the other hand, the Radio Wales ones are heard by a large number of people in the community here. And then, if you go somewhere else in Wales, its not unusual at all to get people coming up and referring to things theyve heard.
Better get busking soon.
Usually I update this blog using Catherines computer. So far, so good.
This morning, Im on our church laptop and one of the keys is missing. Its the one with "at" as in email addresses and the apostrophe.
Sometimes I go to the trouble of copying and pasting all the apostrophes but this time I dont think I will.
Great feedback on yesterdays appearance on the Roy Noble show. It seems to me to be quite a precisely defined audience in terms of age but, boy, does it reach that group!
Ive done quite a lot of "Thought for the Day" type material for BBC Radio 2 as well as Radio Wales and theres no comparison between the reaction you get from the two.
In fact, there is a comparison and here it is:
The Radio Two talks go out late at night and early in the morning. It is extremely rare for anyone to mention hearing them. I can remember perhaps three or four reactions to something like fifteen talks. All these numbers are guesses, by the way.
On the other hand, the Radio Wales ones are heard by a large number of people in the community here. And then, if you go somewhere else in Wales, its not unusual at all to get people coming up and referring to things theyve heard.
Better get busking soon.
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Not more media appearances?
'Fraid so.
Went on the Roy Noble programmes on BBC Radio Wales this afternoon. Just over an hour in here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sj46l
Cath Martin was producing. It was nice to see her again. She's been off having a baby.
They were talking about songs to do with the sea and had wrongly said that Sailing By was the theme of the TV series Owen MD. I pointed out that it was Sleepy Shores by the Johnny Pearson Orchestra.
We chatted about the parable of the talents project and then about busking in general and I sand snatches of some famous busking songs: Blowin' in the Wind and Streets of London.
Near the end, I accidentally upset the whole of Merthyr by saying I was too frightened to busk there. And that from a Valleys Boy, too !
Roy Noble gave me £20 live on air, so the project is coming along nicely from a financial point of view.
I was quite nervous - nowhere near as nervous as for my piano exam but enough, all the same. As I told Roy, Catherine can sing whereas I can remember the words to all the songs but can hardly sing at all.
Went on the Roy Noble programmes on BBC Radio Wales this afternoon. Just over an hour in here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sj46l
Cath Martin was producing. It was nice to see her again. She's been off having a baby.
They were talking about songs to do with the sea and had wrongly said that Sailing By was the theme of the TV series Owen MD. I pointed out that it was Sleepy Shores by the Johnny Pearson Orchestra.
We chatted about the parable of the talents project and then about busking in general and I sand snatches of some famous busking songs: Blowin' in the Wind and Streets of London.
Near the end, I accidentally upset the whole of Merthyr by saying I was too frightened to busk there. And that from a Valleys Boy, too !
Roy Noble gave me £20 live on air, so the project is coming along nicely from a financial point of view.
I was quite nervous - nowhere near as nervous as for my piano exam but enough, all the same. As I told Roy, Catherine can sing whereas I can remember the words to all the songs but can hardly sing at all.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
It's about time, isn't it?
Yes, so Meic Stevens, finally.
Meic's autobiography says that in the sixties he wrote a song in English about his uncle Walter who went off to war on the submarine Tarpon (appears as Tarpan in the song). It was sunk in the Baltic campaign in 1940 and Walter never came back to Solva.
When Meic began to wonder about singing in Welsh, he just knew a few folk songs but they went down very well on the radio and TV so he thought about writing his own material. He took Walter's song to a teacher he knew and they put together "Can (circumflex over the a) Walter."
There's a nice version with a female harmony vocal by Heather Jones and organ and guitar accompaniment but Meic's own solo version with guitar is probably better. Less is more, as they say.
Meic is bringing out another English record later this year and this is going to be on it. The title is, "Bound for the Baltic Sea".
Of course, my fear is that if I learn this Welsh song, Welsh people will say, "Oh, for goodness sake, not "Can Walter" again !" A bit like English people think about "Streets of London"
Having said that, though, try looking for the lyrics in Welsh on the internet. You'll look for a long time and still not turn up very much so perhaps it isn't done to death just yet.
Meic's autobiography says that in the sixties he wrote a song in English about his uncle Walter who went off to war on the submarine Tarpon (appears as Tarpan in the song). It was sunk in the Baltic campaign in 1940 and Walter never came back to Solva.
When Meic began to wonder about singing in Welsh, he just knew a few folk songs but they went down very well on the radio and TV so he thought about writing his own material. He took Walter's song to a teacher he knew and they put together "Can (circumflex over the a) Walter."
There's a nice version with a female harmony vocal by Heather Jones and organ and guitar accompaniment but Meic's own solo version with guitar is probably better. Less is more, as they say.
Meic is bringing out another English record later this year and this is going to be on it. The title is, "Bound for the Baltic Sea".
Of course, my fear is that if I learn this Welsh song, Welsh people will say, "Oh, for goodness sake, not "Can Walter" again !" A bit like English people think about "Streets of London"
Having said that, though, try looking for the lyrics in Welsh on the internet. You'll look for a long time and still not turn up very much so perhaps it isn't done to death just yet.
Monday, 24 May 2010
Today?
Not just yet.
Every Monday morning I go in to Raglan Primary School and do an assembly.
We normally do lively songs. There's one I like at the moment with the action of a submarine submerging. Don't ask.
This morning, I decided to have a dry run for Wednesday afternoon when I have to sing live on the Roy Noble show on BBC Radio Wales.
So, I asked if they knew what busking was - they did. I asked who the greatest living songwriter is but they didn't know. Fortunately, one of the staff did, so I sang Blowin in the Wind and Streets of London. The, I made some point about war, homelessness and people's indifference to the problems of others.
I got the staff to pretend to be passers-by and they did a good job, making encouraging remarks, not paying any attention and sometimes pretending to throw money.
Anyway, I glanced into my guitar case - great: full of money! Twenty pence pieces and fifty pences mainly.
Then, when I came to put my guitar away, what a let down . . . PLASTIC MONEY.
Well, that's primary schools for you.
Every Monday morning I go in to Raglan Primary School and do an assembly.
We normally do lively songs. There's one I like at the moment with the action of a submarine submerging. Don't ask.
This morning, I decided to have a dry run for Wednesday afternoon when I have to sing live on the Roy Noble show on BBC Radio Wales.
So, I asked if they knew what busking was - they did. I asked who the greatest living songwriter is but they didn't know. Fortunately, one of the staff did, so I sang Blowin in the Wind and Streets of London. The, I made some point about war, homelessness and people's indifference to the problems of others.
I got the staff to pretend to be passers-by and they did a good job, making encouraging remarks, not paying any attention and sometimes pretending to throw money.
Anyway, I glanced into my guitar case - great: full of money! Twenty pence pieces and fifty pences mainly.
Then, when I came to put my guitar away, what a let down . . . PLASTIC MONEY.
Well, that's primary schools for you.
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Are you never going to get to the point?
Not just yet.
Last night I was in Abergavenny autograph hunting.
In the summer of 1970 we had to trail all round Cardiff with my brother looking for an album called "Full House" by Fairport Convention. We finally found it in Spillers on the Hayes (where else?)
Reader, it changed everything for me. Particularly the personality of Dave Swarbrick in singing and fiddle playing. I'd thought the violin was for classical music alone. How wrong I was.
A long time ago I gave away my brother's copy of Full House in a vain attempt to convert someone. But I've got another one - pink label, 1970.
Last year, Dave Swarbrick came to our Raglan Festival. What an example of a life and character at the service of the Music.
He signed the textured sleeve of my "Full House". So when I saw that Fairport Convention were in Abergavenny, I just had to go. Not for the music - I didn't even go to the show - but for the symbolism.
I hung around outside. Simon Nicol was the first into the sultry street. "Guilty as charged," he said as he signed. He opened up the sleeve to the russet photo and pointed to the child. "She's 44!"
Dave Pegg came down later and was as cheerful as ever, and as personal: "What's your name?" "To Rob, Cheers, Dave Pegg," reads the dedication.
Only Richard Thompson and Dave Mattacks to go.
Thank you, guys. Music for me begins in the summer of 1970. You changed my life.
Last night I was in Abergavenny autograph hunting.
In the summer of 1970 we had to trail all round Cardiff with my brother looking for an album called "Full House" by Fairport Convention. We finally found it in Spillers on the Hayes (where else?)
Reader, it changed everything for me. Particularly the personality of Dave Swarbrick in singing and fiddle playing. I'd thought the violin was for classical music alone. How wrong I was.
A long time ago I gave away my brother's copy of Full House in a vain attempt to convert someone. But I've got another one - pink label, 1970.
Last year, Dave Swarbrick came to our Raglan Festival. What an example of a life and character at the service of the Music.
He signed the textured sleeve of my "Full House". So when I saw that Fairport Convention were in Abergavenny, I just had to go. Not for the music - I didn't even go to the show - but for the symbolism.
I hung around outside. Simon Nicol was the first into the sultry street. "Guilty as charged," he said as he signed. He opened up the sleeve to the russet photo and pointed to the child. "She's 44!"
Dave Pegg came down later and was as cheerful as ever, and as personal: "What's your name?" "To Rob, Cheers, Dave Pegg," reads the dedication.
Only Richard Thompson and Dave Mattacks to go.
Thank you, guys. Music for me begins in the summer of 1970. You changed my life.
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