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Country Leanings
Isn't it strange how some decisions can be
made without any forthought or planning. Such
was the case when I recorded my first album
'country style.' And it all came about because
of failure!
Let me explain...
It all began when I hired a producer (whose
name I do not intend to disgrace this page
with!) to record an album's worth of recently
written songs. Songs, in fact, that I believe
were the strongest that I had ever written!
However, some two years after the project's
templates had been recorded, it was beginning
to dawn on me that I had hitched a lame horse
to my wagon! A very lame horse indeed! Such
was my frame of mind one day, after pondering
on my situation, and so deep was my anger
and rage over the way I had been let down
by this charlatan, that I resolved to show
the man just how easy it was to record an
album of folk songs!
So grabbing a handfull of songs, there's always
spare songs laying around awaiting development,
I marched into the nearest recording studio
in the area and told the engineer that I wished
to record an album of contemporary folk songs.
The studio was The Cottage studio in Stotfold
and the engineer was John Saltwell. 'Let's
hear them then!' he instructed me. Sitting
down, I grabbed my guitar, and went through
about six of them. 'Why don't we make a Country
album?' John suggested. I immediately thought
of Bob Dylan's album 'Nashville Skyline' and
thought to myself, 'why not!' It seemed to
work for him, why not for me! Besides, I had
always believed that Folk and Country songs
were pretty closely related to one another!
And that is how John's band, Alter Ego, and
I came to record the 'Summertime' album. From
start to finish the whole process took just
six weeks. It was a good move for me, for
it got rid of the frustration and rage that
I was feeling over the failure of the previous
project to bear any fruit, and it was interesting
to lean my songs in a slightly different direction
than the usual Folk Rock format that they
normally took.
In fact I was so impressed with the outcome
that we all gathered together, about a year
later, to work on my Alamo song and some other
songs from my back catalogue that I intended
to use, at a later date, on an album of Northern
Ireland related material. (The Ulster Songbook)
The we in question being...John Saltwell (Bass)
Jason Ward (Guitars) Martin Langshaw (Drums)
and the lovely Cheryl Murphy (Vocals)
And at the moment we are still working together
on another project.
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