"Urge for Going" and "Marcie" changed my life. Back in 1968 I went to the Troubadour in London's Earls Court, and heard both sung by a Canadian singer called Shelley Posen. In the back room at the Troubadour, Shelley taught me the basics of Open G tuning and wrote out tab for "Marcie". I then rushed out and bought the Joni Mitchell first album and subsequently Tom Rush's "Urge for Going".

I decided I was missing out on too much great music out on the East Coast of England where I was living, and moved up to London in search of fortune and fame.

I only found poverty and notoriety, but I did end up as resident at the Troubadour for a couple of years, first with Paul McNeill and latterly with Alex Norton (who took to acting, and subsequently turns up in virtually every Scottish TV series or film from "Taggart" to "Braveheart" by way of Blackadder).

And yes, I still love and sing both songs after thirty-odd years.