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Sun, Sorrow, Flowers, Moon

Songs of Love and Chains volume three.

This is a collection of songs that I’ve loved, mostly growing up, but also from more recently! There are great classics here that I’ve re­interpreted, like Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Scarborough fair’, which I’ve sprinkled minstrel magic on, Elvis’s ‘Can’t help falling in love’, where I croon, and Percy Sledge’s ‘When a man loves a woman’ with its’ emotional chord structure borrowed from Pachelbel’s Canon, but also more obscure songs like Dylan’s sleepy ‘All the tired horses’ and ‘Kilkelly, Ireland’, by Peter Jones (not the department store or Dragon’s Den entrepreneur!)... which I find impossible to sing without crying. We’ve discreetly edited the tears out!

I sing in three different languages other than English, too... French, Spanish and Hungarian! ‘Le facteur’ is by French/Greek singer­songwriter Georges Moustaki, who died this year. He wrote for Edith Piaf amongst others. I’ve remained very faithful to the original arrangements, but nevertheless, it turns out to be a subtly different ice­sculpture of a rendition. ‘Llorando se fue’ is a Bolivian folk­song that got morphed into the Lambada by Kaoma in the 1990’s, but I knew it in its original form as a kid, and was enchanted. It was used at the 1978 world cup in Argentina as the opening ceremony song! I’ve managed to combine the Andean, ethnic folk feel with the bootylicious vigour of the Lambada somehow, in the alchemical cauldron of my musical kitchen! ‘Tavaszi szel’ is hewn from the Hungarian soul and nature... it’s their ‘Greensleeves’ equivalent; a children’s folk­song that everybody knows, with a profound message of love! I sing it first in Hungarian and then in English, using the cimbalom, a traditional Hungarian instrument, in the arrangement.

Leonard Cohen, Bob Marley and Van Morrison are also represented on this album, with a lullaby­like ‘Bird on the wire,’ a sexy ‘Stir it up’ and a gospely ‘Tupelo honey’. They are three of my famous five, iconic troubadour influences... the others being the aforementioned Bob Dylan, and also Bruce Springsteen, two of who’s songs I covered on my original Songs of Love and Chains double album. These are artists that I regard as messengers... as Hermes or Mercury figures... as spiritual postmen! They bring messages from the Gods and make them sexy. As a singer myself, I feel a great honour in re­telling these tales, these stories in song.

I’ve included two Donovan tracks, ‘Colours’ and ‘Ballad of the crystal man’, and made them jangly and crystalline. Also pure and crystalline is my rendition of Sting’s pastoral ‘Fields of gold’ and Dylan’s ‘Don’t think twice’, which I’ve transformed from the gritty and folky original into an upbeat, skiffly road song. From 2014, I’ve covered ‘Calm after the storm’, this year’s Eurovision runner­up from the Netherlands! It’s a cracking song by the lovely Ilse de Lange, a classic ‘road’ song.

If ‘Calm after the storm’ is the newest song I’ve included, ‘Poor little fool’ is the oldest, from 1958 (except for the traditional ballads ‘Scarborough fair’ and ‘Tavaszi szel’). It was sung by Rick Nelson, who looked like my Dad! I love singing ‘Poor little fool’ because mostly I’m inspired to sing sacred themed or spiritually interpreted ballads, but Rick Nelson’s sweet, do­wop lament is pure boy­meets­girl, boy­loses­girl philosophy.

The other track is instrumental, a melancholy French, sepia vignette... ‘Natalia’ by Georges Moustaki. His version was for his sweet guitar, but as piano is my ‘home’ instrument, I’ve arranged it around that.

I have more than enough ideas for a Songs of Love and Chains volume four, actually... more Dylan, Cohen, Springsteen and Van Morrison songs; Buddy Holly tracks; Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a wonderful world,’ and ‘Lord of the dance’... lots of songs that helped me to become the man I am today; the rock and roll legend, sex icon and Rasputin of rock that both my fans know and love.

By counterpoint, I’m now recording a version of Bob Marley’s ‘Stir it up’ that is as sexy as a Creole mango curry and will make you take all of your clothes off and run down to the nearest beach to dance! I love it here, recording this music. The village is quiet and peaceful. We’re next to the old church, and I have to wait for the cheerful bells to stop pealing when I’m singing into the microphone. At this point Ollie, the Chihuahua, starts yowling his opera. I can walk to the end of the village and see the river Meuse, and cross over into Belgium. The Rhine and Germany are quite near, too. It’s very ancient here... settlers arrived 8000 years ago, to build a village on a hill above the river. We work long days, and watch Germany win World Cups in the evening. July 27th This is a very sunny album I’m recording, but there is also much moon magic, heart­healing and flower fragrance in it... somehow it is more than the sum of the parts! Higher forces seem to be present... the Archangel Michael has sent his song angels to be with us. These are more than just songs that I know... they are stories of the soul

Track Listing

1.   Scarborough fair/Canticle (Traditional/Paul Simon)
2.   Stir it up (Bob Marley)
3.   When a man loves a woman (Percy Sledge)
4.   Calm after the storm (The Common Linnets)
5.   Ballad of the crystal man (Donovan)
6.   Bird on the wire (Leonard Cohen)
7.   Poor little fool (Rick Nelson)
8.   Don't think twice (Bob Dylan)
9.   Llorando se fue (Las Kjarkas)
10. Le facteur (Georges Moustaki)
11. Tupelo honey (Van Morrison)
12. Fields of gold (Sting)
13. Natalia (Georges Moustaki)
14. Kilkelly, Ireland (Peter Jones)
15. Colours (Donovan)
16. Can't help falling in love (Elvis Presley)
17. All the tired horses (Bob Dylan)
18. Tavaszi szel (Traditional Hungarian)

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 Enjoy the feeling