Do me a flavour #3

I think it was 2003 when I saw the Polyphonic Spree live; the NME Awards Tour had rolled into Rock City and Paul, my friend and neighbour, and I had blagged a pair of tickets and we ended up down the front. Which, to be fair, is where I always head for anyway. Even now. Memories of the night are pretty vague - I remember the Datsuns were on and they were fucking brilliant. I'd missed them a few months earlier when they'd played the Boat Club.

Anyway, the Spree. When they all trooped on they occupied every square inch of the stage; there seemed to be dozens of them. All clad in white choir robes it felt like a quasi religious experience - like we'd all gone down to the river to pray -  à la O Brother Where Art Thou. And they were nothing short of amazing. I've always been a sucker for big old choral ensembles and the sheer vocal power alone was enough to knock you over. I must already have snaffled a copy of their first album as a lot of their set sounded familiar. You may or may not be surprised to know that they're still going. I know I was.

And then when I learned they'd covered Let 'Em In I thought 'of course they have.' Why would they not? See if you recognise them sans robes. And for those, like myself, who need a quick robe fix, look no further.

The Polyphonic Spree - Let 'Em In (2021)

Do me a flavour #2

Chet Atkins was a guitarist's guitarist. Every bit as influential as Bert Weldon or Les Paul, Atkins' (musical) diet was more varied than he was given credit for - he singlehandedly saved county music from oblivion and was an accomplished jazz and classical guitarist to boot, and (when it came along) embraced pop music; Paul McCartney & George Harrison were huge devotees (George even played a 1962 Gretsch Country Gentleman - Atkins' signature guitar). Here's his jazzy instrumental take on Macca's 1976 opus...

Chet Atkins - Let 'Em In (1981)

 

Whilst in his executive position at RCA in Nashville Atkins was also a prolific record producer. He produced, and played on, Perry Como's monster hit single  from 1973 And I Love You So (a Don McLean composition that first appeared on his 1970 debut solo album; Como's version shifted 300,000 copies in the UK alone). Here's Como & Atkins performing it on a glitzy TV special from 1977. God knows why Chet is lit in almost perma shadow.

★ 

 Perry Como (1912-2001)

Chet Atkins (1924-2001)

Do me a flavour #1

Peterborough is synonymous with two things. One, its Passport Office: time was when it was the only place in the UK that issued passports and would even process them in person if you fetched up at their offices (thus saving countless trips and holidays from being cancelled due to lapsed documents). Secondly, its cathedral. John Betjeman one said it was the finest cathedral outside of London; I think he was right.

I took a punt yesterday and bought a train ticket to Peterborough. Armed with nothing more than my camera, a good book and a tube of factor 50 I jumped on the 8:41. An hour later I disgorged at Peterborough and immediately went in search of breakfast. I needed coffee and nosebag. From my booth in the Westgate Grill I mapped out what you could loosely call an itinerary. It included a lido, a couple of bridges, a museum and gallery, some street art, a cathedral (obviously), a sculpture, art deco architecture, and a hostelry or two along the way.(Maybe it was because of the pubs that I only spotted one of the three Antony Gormleys!)

So I'll start with the cathedral - the early Gothic architecture speaks for itself; construction began in 1118 and took over a century to build. It's where Mary Queen of Scots was originally interred before the body snatchers moved her to Westminster Abbey. I was also fascinated by the names of the city's previous Bishops. Tell me that Mandrel Creighton, Edward Carr Glynn, Frank Theodore Woods, Douglas Russell Feaver and William John Westwood weren't also members of Caravan between 1971 & 1976.

Gormley #1. There are three apparently, the other two are (hiding) in Cathrdral Square. I'll get 'em next time.

Today's blog post title comes from Paul McCartney. One of the exhibitions showing at Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery was the work of Jeff Cummins whose artwork and designs adorned countless album sleeves and book dust jackets. It's his painting of Wings that Macca used as the gatefold for his triple live extravaganza Wings Over America. I remember reading the review in Sounds when it came out and the writer made a big thing out of the fact that in the song Let 'Em In Paul sings 'do me a flavour' instead of 'do me a favour' - they were simpler times. 

The Lido is a thing of beauty. Built in the Hacienda style there's not may of these left in the country.

Bridges; bridges that go over rivers, bridges that go over railway lines, bridges that go over roads.

And I kept seeing Daleks everywhere; most unnerving, I can tell you.

Travelogue over. Here's Macca with that rehearsed blooper (1:03).

Wings - Let 'Em In (1976)