The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff

Subject: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 09:48 AM

As well as writing some wonderful songs and perfoming both his own and other peoples work for neary 6 decades he is a committed Christian and a man of great wisdom and peace.

Apart from an occasional passion for tennis players he never seems to be linked to any controversy. He is an all round good guy. He goes to church lots and probably helps old ladies across the road.

I have heard his songs in folk clubs so I guess this is a folk music thread.

All hail St Cliff.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Fiona
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 09:58 AM

I'm away for a lie doon in a dark room wi a cauld cloth ower ma heid, before sumbdy starts a threid aboot the wit and wisdom o' Jack Glass,

fx

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Fiona
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 10:02 AM

Mind you he was right about being a bachelor boy wasn't he?

fx

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 10:03 AM

Nah, I don't think Rev. Ian Paisley posts here. Or Dick Gaughan for that matter.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: The Shambles
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 10:10 AM

He goes to church lots and probably helps old ladies across the road.

Can you supply some evidence for any old ladies he has helped across the road?

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 10:14 AM

Aye. Me old Granny once asked him if could see her over the road. He crossed over, looked and them came back.

"Yep," he said "could see you just fine."

:D (tG)

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 10:24 AM

I'd love to hear him record Jack Orion....

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 10:25 AM

I meant Cliff, not Ian Paisley....

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: GUEST,squeezeme
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 10:31 AM

Not sure of any Cliff R connection with folk music except I think his hit "Congratulations" was written by the same person who wrote "The Town I Loved So Well".

MC

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 10:35 AM

Phil Atkinson sings both Bathchelor Boy and Living Doll at our annual Hiking, Drinking and Folking bash in Yorkshire. Mind you, the inflections he makes would not be entirely to Cliffs loking;-) I have heard loads of ther folk musicians do his songs as well. But perhaps our club is a bit odd like that?

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 10:47 AM

He was fairly close to the mark about lemon trees.
Queeeek!
GtD -sucking a lemon.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 03:10 PM

You know, Geoff. Your remark puzzled me - Bit too much for this little brain. So I did a google search. You know the odd thing. Twice in the charts (62 and 65 I think it was) Cliff was in the same chart, with different songs, as the song 'Lemon Tree'. Once done by Peter, Paul and Mary and once by Trini Lopez.

So no wiser as to your comments but thanks for the folk music connection:-)

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: yrlancslad
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 07:10 PM

You could tell me he'd written "Flying Cloud", "Little Mattie Groves", and "Banks of Claudy" and he'll still never be a folk singer in my book. Not even a rock singer!

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 07:47 PM

One of the best pieces of television I have ever seen was when Cliff Richard appeared on a Saturday morning children's show, some years ago. The kids had the opportunity to put questions to the celebrity guest and were expected to ask such things as "what is your favourite food?" or "which football team do you support?".

One little girl asked Cliff why, during a recent tour of South Africa, he had played to segregated audiences. It was an absolute joy to watch him squirm trying to defend the indefensible.

DC

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 07:54 PM

As far as I know, he hasn't written a bloody thing! Just like Elvis.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Jul 06 - 08:20 PM

GUEST quoth: "As far as I know, he hasn't written a bloody thing! Just like Elvis."

A quick trip to AllMusic.com will tell you that his Cliffship has actually written and co-written a surprising number of songs. Pop pap, of course, but written nonetheless. There's apparently a full album of the self-penned stuff from 2003 called "My Songs" should you feel like depressing anyone.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 02 Jul 06 - 02:24 AM

Aren't we just glad him and Sue whatserface never pro-created [ as far as anyone knows ]

eric

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: The Shambles
Date: 02 Jul 06 - 05:28 AM

Andrew Murray? Wayne Rooney?

About the right age.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 02 Jul 06 - 05:55 AM

Whether you like his music, or not (I don't particularly), he does come over as a rather nice guy.

Remember that rainy day at Wimbledon, when, instead of disappearing into the nearest bar, he spent two hours entertaining the crowd. I thought that was a rather "folkie" thing to do.

How many performers of his stature would have bothered?

Don T.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 02 Jul 06 - 06:16 AM

Not many, Don. Definitely one of the good guys:-)

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Terry K
Date: 02 Jul 06 - 06:37 AM

I've never been able to abide the goody-goody religious persona we've been subjected to for more years than I care to count.

But ..... Move It was fantastic, Living Doll was the first record I ever bought, and I recently bought Travellin' Light from the iTunes store.

He must have something.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: GUEST,DB
Date: 02 Jul 06 - 07:01 AM

Weird thread - stop now, please!

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 02 Jul 06 - 07:19 AM

Why, DB?

Was it not you who made the classic post
Cat Stevens = Muslim SCUM
nuff said!

on the Yusuf Islam thread?

Seeing as you hate Moslems so much I though a good Christian one would be right up your street! Or do you disaprrove of all religions? Or all silliness?

In which case, why come here in the first place?

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: fat B****rd
Date: 02 Jul 06 - 08:03 AM

Awww ! Cliff's harmless. Love "Gee Whiz It's You", "Miss You Nights" and "We Don't Talk Anymore".
An old mate of mine was his drummer. Sadly he died young and Cliff attended his funeral, which I thought was decent of him.
If you don't like him, ignore him (you get used to it).

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Pistachio
Date: 02 Jul 06 - 08:16 AM

All round 'good guy'.

I have liked singing along to 'Cliff' songs - I like to sing - and his ballads are not so fast that I get tongue tied and there's an opportunity to make up a harmony.

I met him once in 1977 when I joined the Army he arrived to 'give us his ideas on God'. I took what I wanted from the evening and went on to see him in concert twice. He's got a happy relaxed style with a voice that is easy to listen to. Though I'd never call myself a 'fan' I admire him. The fact he has stayed 'clean and out of bother' is a credit to his personal strength. It would be pleasing if more 'personalities' showed that character.

Trouble these days seems to be that the adverse publicity some people gain brings them to the notice of 'impressionable' others and gains them some ill deserved credit!

I don't have to like a singer before I like a song nor do I have to like the songs that a particular singer performs - Cliff certainly has made a few odd choices - but we all make mistakes !
My sister has sung 'Miss you nights' at her folk club and I'm considering it too!
Keep smiling.
H.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: jacqui.c
Date: 02 Jul 06 - 08:53 AM

Cliff was my first 'crush' as a kid and I still have a soft spot for him, as does my daughter. I've seen him perform a few times and his energy is unbelievable. He keeps going at full tilt for up to three hours and provides a very entertaining evening.

He comes across as enjoying what he is doing, even after performing over the past six decades. There ain't a lot of solo performers that have stayed at the level he's reached for that long.

So far as his private life is concerned I may not agree with his take on religion but he does provide a GOOD example for others, unlike may of his peers. It is possible that, when he dies, there will be all sorts of idiots crawling out of the woodwork to bring him down, as seems to happen with just about every celebrity, but, right now, he's doing pretty well.

So far as playing to segregated audiences, maybe he felt that it was better to do that than not to reach an audience at all.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: The Shambles
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 03:00 AM

I can forgive Cliff most things - but not for inflicting all those terrible Christmas singles upon us.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: AKS
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 03:21 AM

I still like the stuff he made with The Shadows - but maybe Hank Marvin is to blame for that as well...

AKS

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 09:01 AM

Wasn't that Millenium prayer thing bloody awful! And what on earth was he doing on roller skates in 'Wired for Sound'?

Still, I guess we can forgive him his trespasses...

:D (tG)

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 09:37 AM

He's a git.

eric

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Paul Burke
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 09:44 AM

Tut tut eric, how could you say such a thing about a decent sincere fellow? You'll be telling me you aren't fond of David Frost next!

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: The Shambles
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 10:54 AM

You mean Sir David Frost (whose father was a vicar). Begining to see a pattern here?

Any chance of there ever being a Sir Yusef Islam? They say that a Cat can look at a Queen.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: jacqui.c
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 11:16 AM

Maybe if Yusef Islam had made the same sort of contribution to the entertainment industry that Cliff Richard and David Frost have he might be in line for a title.

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: GUEST,DB
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 02:53 PM

Dear Dave the Gnome,

For the record I made no such comment about Muslims - and never would!! For a while there was some psycho impersonating me - serves me right for being too lazy to re-join, I suppose.
I consider that another person's religion is none of my business - unless they try to forcibly convert me, that is.

DB

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 03:22 PM

Good lad, DB. Glad to hear it wasn't you! I would suggest you get hold of Joe or a clone to get any other offending posts changed!

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Brakn
Date: 03 Jul 06 - 07:31 PM

I have nothing to add to this thread only to say that I was always a Joe Brown fan. I think Cliff is a very nice man - then again so is Dave!

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 01:08 AM

David Frost was OK until he married into the aristocracy, now he's a git as well.

eric

Subject: RE: The wisdom of Harry Webb / St Cliff
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 04 Jul 06 - 11:42 AM

The other DB is still at it, DB - See the 1 in 10 Moslems thread. You need to re-join and/or get the mudcat team to sort out the other one!

Cheers

DtG