ANOTHER ‘HORRIBLE’ HANDSHAKE

 

ABOUT A CD

Nothing May Come of It

The idea of producing a CD of some of the most familiar of Joan Ure’s songs has been around for a long time. I did work on more than twelve songs but these were the most often performed and the ones which, under different titles, have appeared on my web sites. 

Those other versions and the accompanying information about Joan Ure have been taken down from the sites until after this latest revised and remastered one has been released.

The main difference this time is that the songs are being made available on a CD. For me this is a major and important difference. It may only be in my head and I obviously cannot be certain but it feels like something that Joan Ure would like to have happened. It was an idea that needed to be realized, a promise that had been waiting to be kept.

As the idea was taking shape the thoughts about what would be on the CD cover were never far away.  Of the photographs I had of Joan and those I had seen none had much appeal. This was in part because of their quality. But in searching my own documents and those online I was immediately taken over by the one I subsequently chose to use. And again I may be wrong about this but in all I did in preparing for the CD I ran it past Joan - trying to think through what her response would be. I doubt I got it right, particularly in relation to the text but I am more confident about the image.

About the text. I rarely got the emphases right when working on, recording or performing the songs. But I was usually very kindly guided in what changes were needed. 

I have a fond memory of performing to a small audience in Kilquhanity School. One of the songs I sang was Nothing to Sing About. Joan was in the the front row listening intently and after the first few lines she left her seat and rushed towards me to explain which words had needed a special emphasis. I began the song again with the changes she had described and she smiled and returned to her seat as the audience looked on with a mixture of surprise and enjoyment.

But back to the image, to the photograph. I soon found out it was not readily available to be used. It took a while but I eventually discovered that it was copyrighted by Mirrorpix and there would be a fee if I wanted to use it. And I did. By this stage it was the one and only photograph I wanted to use. I was unwilling to consider any other. I was convinced Joan would like it. The photograph was what the CD needed. Even if no one liked the songs they would be out there tucked up neatly in a CD cover with Joan Ure looking like I remembered her- and hopefully looking close to how she would like to be remembered. 

With some helpful assistance from two members of the Mirrorpix staff I was able to get the permission I needed to use the photograph and with this in place I was able to begin focusing on the tracks. There were difficulties in deciding the order and after several false starts and the recoding of two of the lyrics as spoken word tracks the selection began to take shape. With some regret the quality of the song versions was not good enough to have included them.This may have been a mistake. 

A further important consideration was whether to include the acoustic or the arranged version of Stay With it Baby. Again I tried to consider what Joan’s preference might be. My thinking was that she had always enjoyed the process of moving from the written word to having it recorded and then performed. And the arranged version was one more stage, a progression on the words being professionally worked on,  and perhaps in better shape for being presented to a possibly wider audience. From my experience I think it’s fair to say that most listeners have a preference for the arranged songs rather than the simple acoustic versions. Not everyone of course - but mostly. 

The song was also important because I felt it came from the depth of her understanding about hanging on in there when times are hard. It was chosen to be the concluding track of the twelve.

I may want to say more about all that was required to get to the final product but as I write this the CDs are in Cambuslang en route to Tiree. For personal and sentimental reasons it is an additional blessing that they stopped off there for a while. But the big hope now is that they will at least look like something Joan would have approved of. And that some who are not yet familiar with her words and her very special and particular way of responding to the world soon will be. 

PUT THE BIG ‘I ‘ INTO RUNS and you get RUINS

The delusional President who believes - to quote- that he RUNS HIS COUNTRY - AND THE WORLD is bent on the RUINATION of BOTH. 

THE SPECIAL IAIN ANDERSON

 A fond reminder of one of my first ever posts.Posted on Wednesday December 31st 2014 

 On receiving the mastered track of FIRST TIME EVER from Cava and before heading out West in August 2014 I decided to send it in to IAIN ANDERSON of RADIO SCOTLAND. The link to his site is http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074hkv

The photograph below is of Iain Anderson at work

In my letter to him, along with the comments from Bandcamp quoted elsewhere, I also said

'To have recorded this beautiful song might be considered by some an audacious act. But it did not happen like that'.

Iain played the track on his program on two occasions and I continue to be delighted that he did.

Apart from the track having been considered good enough to be used this was the first time for a long time that I had played guitar, recorded a song and used Audacity. It was also a simple acoustic recording which encouraged the notion that I might make more of a similar kind.

Iain Anderson has used some of my material on his program over a period of ten years and there is no doubt he has had a major and very positive influence on my work.

SOLACE and WRITING SONGS

Every small thing I do now that is a refutation of what DJT and all who silently stand by and condone what he is, what he does and what he represents provides some personal solace.

Re solace and song writing 

I think I wanted to write a song that might be recognized and enjoyed by a customer who was walking through the plant section on their way out of Ikea. Instead I think I ended up doing something other than that. Or I am beginning to accept that I did. It is to give voice to some of the emotions associated with loss. The loss of love and the loss of loved ones. And in doing so perhaps provide some solace. 

I didn’t realize this until recently and I hope I’m not kidding myself in saying that because I’d really like it to be true - which makes it hard  hard to be objective. And if it’s not that what else could it possibly be? And at this stage of doing so much of it for so long there would not be much solace in having to seek - and find - a different explanation.

A SOCIOPATH’S INNER TURMOIL

One very damaged man’s inner turmoil is getting played out on the world stage. Americans and their politicians created this monster and are now about to experience the consequences.
Unfortunately a lot of others and particularly many of the poorest in the world are about to get hurt. 

WISCONSIN and SENATOR BOOKER HALLELUJAH!

HOPE springs eternal. It may yet be that the LIARS will be called out and telling the truth will again be at the top of America’s TO DO LIST.

INCREASING THE DISTANCE

The present American President (I’m avoiding using his name) is a very damaged person and what he does has nothing to do with politics. How he behaves is all about his own inner turmoil. And he’s got a lot of that. Unfortunately he needs it to go somewhere each and every day of his life.

Which is why I try very hard not to let any of it end up in me. Although, as one of his main aims is to produce an unsettling headline every day, it is quite hard - even if you don’t follow the news - to maintain a safe distance.

Today I thought I can’t get rid of him but I can go against what he stands for. Not in any big way but in small ways that help to increase that distance. He lies and cheats and is unkind and uncaring so every small act on my part that is the opposite of what he is and does will help to increase that distance - little by little - until I can only see a beautiful clear space between him and me.

And that’s what I’ll be doing from now on. In small ways I’ll try to be kinder and more caring and I’ll try to tell myself and others fewer lies.  

I don’t yet know what there will be in the increased space but I’m about to give it some small thoughts, of an honest and caring kind. 

HOTCH POTCH

 Is the latest album ON SANITY’S SHORE a bit of a hotch potch? Time will tell! 

A WOMAN CALLS HIM OUT

A few days ago I removed a photograph of a man who cheats and lies being called out by a woman. In the photograph he is alongside members of his complicit family. 

He needs to be seen for what he is: a very damaged vengeful person interested only in himself and who creates chaos in a vain attempt to deal with his own chaotic internal world. He cannot be trusted or negotiated with. I have decided to repost the photograph. I had been unsure if such an image and such comments belonged here but now I feel that they do. 

                            Here is how they looked while being spoken to by Dr Mariann Budde earlier this year