I spent a pleasant afternoon last week with Sue Fountain, a friend of the family and mum and dad’s neighbours before they moved to Presteigne. TO demonstrate midi input I played a simple theme. Since then I have worked on it to come up with this little piece. Despite Bill Henderson’s best efforts I remain a pretty ragged musician. Never give enough time to practice. Its as if everything has to be done at breakneck speed. Hope you can enjoy it even in its rough condition.
Sue’s Theme
Some Prophetic Songs from America
When The Ship Comes In
One for the current American Cabinet
The Times They Are A-Changin’
And one for the war mongers in Gaza
Blowin’ In The Wind
I don’t claim to be any kind of decent musician. Many are far more versed than I am in modern music.
Some of these songs was released in 1964 on the Album The Times They Are A-Changin’. They seem to me to be so relevant today.
Blowin in the Wind was released as a single in 1962 on the album The Freewheelin Bob Dylan.
I don’t claim these to rival the originals, my purpose was to draw attention to them, not to improve on them in anyway. Just to do my best in the moment.
Recorded by me in a makeshift studio at home in Cubase in a single take and doctored with various effects. Played on a tenor Mandoline – viola tuning and a irish Bazouki. As always I am a little too heavy on the strumming. Following the suggestion from Rob Fountain I have added sea and gulls to When The Ship Comes In.
One I could not possibly emulate. But it seemed sort of relevant.
I have a number of friends whose birthdays fall in the first part of Pisces, as does mine. One good friend I have known many lifetimes is Sverre Koxvold, a financier and a seaman. I sent him Patton’s poem Through A Glass, Darkly. He responded with this song which I then set to a soundscape.
Sverre’s Birthday Song
I Have Sailed Many Seas (Sverre Koxvold)
Watching Reacher the other day it ended with a song by an artist new to me. Mondo Cozmo. I offer this rendition of his song Shine. No doubt he does it better, but if I can draw attention to it all the better.
Shine
As we enter the fourth week of the American Israeli war on Iran I find myself recording this song. An oldie but a good’un. 3rd verse particularly applicable to the present crisis. As for the rest Tagashala is spinning the Great Wheel and will soon sort the wheat from the chaff.
People Get Ready
Not sure why this song came to mind but I looked it up and practiced a little and on getting deeper with it saw what Dylan had done. Clever old Son that he is. There is a beautiful chord sequence Cmaj, C maj7, C7, F maj, Fmin, C, G, F, C G C. this allows for a chromatic descent from the initial C, through B, B flat, to A, A flat and G. A Simple Twist Of Fate. Such a clever song.
A Simple Twist of Fate