Songwriters on BBC4

Subject: Songwriters on BBC4
From: Cusco
Date: 10 Oct 10 - 03:11 AM

Have I missed any comment on the excellent songwriters pograms on Fridays, BBC4. Last week had archive footage on one program followed by Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega & Louden Wainwright III. This week it was more Archive and then Chris Difford, Justin Barrie & Boo Hewerdine. Further archive recordings of James Taylor has been on as well.

Good stuff all round. Obvious bias towards the commercial but good to see some material that exercises the brain cells. It would be even better if we saw the likes of Pete Morton, Anthony John Clarke or Colum Sands (or any of the Sands)

'New Years Eve' & 'Muddy Waters' by Boo Hewerdine were tremendous songs.

More to come next Friday.

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: evansakes
Date: 10 Oct 10 - 07:26 AM

It was actually Justin Currie (of Del Amitri)...I watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it too.

Here's the iPlayer link

In the middle there was a touching moment. It was refreshing to observe Chris Difford openly weeping when Justin Currie sang 'If I Ever Loved You'. Moreover as he wiped the tears away to then go on explain (candidly and without embarassment) exactly why the song had had that effect on him. As he said....that's the power a great song can have sometimes. A lovely moment.

That bit's about the 23 minute mark in the hourlong programme.

Big boys don't cry?? Rubbish!

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 10 Oct 10 - 08:13 AM

Tantalising glimpses of Steve Goodman, Tim Hardin and Jim Croce.

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: theleveller
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 04:03 AM

It was very emotoional to see Kevin Coyne - brought back the many Saturday nights we spent drinkling at The Bricklayer's Arms in Putney around the time he recorded Marjory Razorblade.

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: GUEST,Freddie
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 08:08 AM

Boo played a song called "Muddy Water" on the songwriters circle, can anyone work out the tunining of that song. I would appreciate it, Thanks

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: maeve
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 08:18 AM

Unfortunately, this is not available in the USA. Too bad; I'd find it interesting.

Maeve

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: Banjiman
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 08:23 AM

I'd always thought "Up The Junction" would be an excellent "folky" song. Really interesting to hear it done just with acoustic guitar. Fab.

.... and Chris introduced it as "a Sarf Landon" folk song. Which I think it might well be.


That Justin can sing a bit can't he!

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 08:28 AM

...chatting with English and Scottish accents, then performing, mostly, with American accents? As I've suggested here, why not let Americans be Americans, perform our own culture and, thereby, help keep our world nice and multicultural?

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: Stu
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 08:36 AM

Sigh . . . just enjoy it for what it is WAV.

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: s&r
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 12:02 PM

WAV I thought you had stopped your little Englander posts. Many of us find them a little bigoted

Stu

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: s&r
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 12:04 PM

By the way - the programmes are great.

Stu

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: Arnie
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 12:12 PM

Sandy Denny was excellent - filmed just a few years before her tragically early death and said to be the only recording of her performing solo.

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 12:17 PM

where be that american accent to, oi know where it be...

it be quite very possibly derived from old Somerset and other traditional
sea faring west country accents....

.. and funnily enough, there is serious academic consideration
that some forms of yank accent are closer to old english pronunciation
and more suited to authentic traditional English folk song
than any current UK urban accent....?????


so for the benefit of historic accuracy..


http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-do-an-american-accent

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: Cusco
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 02:20 PM

Thanks WAV. I didn't have the nerve to say it myself. I just wanted to flag up the fact that singer songwriting was on the gogglebox.

You're spot on though. I guess it comes down to the difference between commercial singer/songwriter and a folkie singer songwriter.

All the ones I mentioned, PM, CS & AJC of course have integrity of the highest calibre and wouldn't be the artist we know in anything but their own voice.

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 12 Oct 10 - 05:36 AM

...and, as I suggested on a brief Sage Gateshead/Radio 3 talk last year (here), by now, American youth may have stopped overusing the word "like" - but English youth are still SO copying what they hear on LIKE every American soap.

Subject: RE: Songwriters on BBC4
From: TopcatBanjo
Date: 16 Oct 10 - 04:24 PM

I've really been enjoying these (Songwriters Circle - haven't seen the archive stuff). I thought episode 1 was great - Richard Thompson excellent and I was unexpectedly really impressed with Loudon Wainwright III's songs. Episode 2 was not as great as I hoped - I enjoyed Justin Currie's songs the most (had a couple of Del Amitri albums back in the day) and I too thought it was very moving when Chris Difford shed a tear...that happens to me all the time!

I actually thought that episode 3 was WONDERFUL - not surprising I guess as my tastes tend most of all to the American country blues type of thing. Joe Ely, John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett performed some superb songs - Lyle Lovett in particular impressed me, I've never really heard his stuff and thought that I must check it out after this programme. This also seemed to be the episode where the three gelled together the most in performance (IMO). Great stuff.

Songwriters Circle - Ely, Hiatt, Lovett