A Special Xmas Song

Here is your special Xmas Song for this year!

DUSTY TWO

"One day at a time, we can learn to live"

"The Universe is a very big place, and it's easy to get lost. I was no different"

Well, if Cat Stevens was lost for his countless fans all these years, now he's back again! With another name or another cup of tea, it doesn't matter. The voice is the same, and it's singing beautiful songs once more.

«The whole range of his remarkable career is represented: a new recording of "I Think I See The Light," originally from 1970's Mona Bone Jakon; a horn-powered "Midday" which, although it is a new song, wouldn't have sounded out of place on his very first album, 1966's Matthew And Son; "Heaven/Where True Love Goes," which expands on the final section of 1973's "Foreigner Suite." The album even closes with "Greenfields And Golden Sands," a previously-unrecorded early song dating from 1968! From start to finish, all are superb; there is a maturity in these tracks which in some ways surpasses his classic 1970s work.

This album is not for everyone. In the age of hard-edged, angry rap, some people will undoubtedly Yusuf's folky spiritualism out-moded and passe. For those of us who loved Cat Stevens thirty years ago, however, this CD represents a long-awaited return to a magical world we feared we had lost forever.»

«From the beauty of the "Harold and Maude", "Tea For The Tillerman" era Cat Stevens to this gorgeous, gentle and heart-felt CD seems only a moment, but it's been almost 40 years! If you are looking for clarity, generosity of spirit, trancendent truths, and lovely simple tunes, you'll find all of that here... »

«The voice, melodies, and ability to word a phrase are all there. Cat / Yusuf hasn't lost any of his wonderful ability to make beautiful music during his prolonged absence from the musical mainstream. There is something for every musical taste. Slow ballads, upbeat rock songs, easy going pop, soft-spoken spiritual numbers (no one has a voice as mesmerising as Yusuf's). I recommend this to all Cat Stevens fans who have missed his presence on the musical scene. This is the mature, evolved, fulfilled, seeker we all knew from the 70's all grown up. »

«The thirty years wait has been worth it, at least for me. The record is bang-on in every respect ... even though, I have been a fan all these years. Its lovely to hear the man once again, and have him back in my life after so long. »

(some comments in Amazon)

SEE VIDEOCLIP 1
SEE VIDEOCLIP 2
SEE VIDEOCLIP 3
SEE INTERVIEW
(FROM "JOOLS HOLLAND'S LATE SHOW")
READ AN INTERESTING REVIEW HERE

A POSTCARD FROM PAUL TO MARY

ORIGINAL RELEASED AS LP APPLE SAPCOR5 (UK 1969)

Mary Hopkin was born in Pontardawe, Glamorgan, Wales on May 3, 1950. At the age of 15, she mastered the guitar and began playing small clubs in South Wales and appeared on Welsh televison. With a few years experience under her belt, she tried out for stardom on the ITV's popular amateur programme "Opportunity Knocks". She eventually became a multi-time winner, taking top honours over 200 other contestans.

British model Twiggy spotted her on the show and mentioned her to Paul McCartney over the telephone one day. Paul and his fellow Beatles had just formed their own record company, Apple Records, and were now looking for new talent. Mary Hopkin was the right singer in the right place at the right time. Paul got in touch with Mary and fell in love with her voice immediately.

While at the Blue Angel Club in London a few years earlier, Paul had heard the American duo Gene and Francesca perform a tune called "Those Were The Days". Paul remembered the song fondly and felt it would be perfect for his new protégé. Originally an East European traditional folk song, Gene (Raskin), of the duo, had adapted the song for The Limeliters, a top American folk act that featured Glenn Yarbrough. They recorded it during the folk boom of the early sixties. Mary Hopkin's treatment would be quite different.

Paul recorded the song with Mary, as a creative marketing ploy, had her do additional versions sung in Italian, Spanish, French and German. Paul was determined to make the record an international hit. He succeeded.

Paul McCartney's perceptions of what Mary Hopkin should record didn't always sit well with Mary, but she was young and new to the business and went along with it. Her favourite tracks were written by Donovan, who had released his version of "Pebble And The Man (Happiness Runs)" on his "In Concert" LP, but wrote "Lord Of The Reedy River" and "Voyage Of The Moon" especially for her.

Paul and Donovan provided the back-up guitars on these recordings. Paul McCartney also contacted Harry Nilsson, a red hot singer/writer and he quickly delivered, brand new, "The Puppy Song". It was received so warmly that the label almost issued it as a single.

It was the show tunes and pop standards that Mary wasn't enamoured with. "Love Is The Sweetest Thing" was originally a hit for its writer, Ray Noble, in 1933. "Lullaby Of The Leaves" was a hit a year earlier when recorded by George Olsen. "Someone To Watch Over Me" dates back even further to 1927. There were several hit versions of the tune, including one by George Gershwin himself, who wrote it for the Broadway production "Oh, Kay". "There's No Business Like Show Business", from "Annie Get Your Gun", has been recorded many times, but is mostly associated with Ethel Merman. The last of the genre of songs is "Inch Worm", originally sung by Danny Kaye in the 1956 motion picture, "Hans Christian Andersen".

The rest of the LP is a mixed bag. "Young Love" is a remake of the 1956 Sonny James chart-topper that was also Nº1 by Tab Hunter that same year. Beatles producer George Martin is represented on the album by a song he gave Mary called "The Game". "The Honeymoon Song" has always been a favourite of Paul's. He recorded it with The Beatles for the BBC in a similar arrangement. It was originally a hit in England for Manuel And His Music Of The Mountains back in 1959. The remaining two songs were sung in foreign languages, "Prince En Avignon" in French (and a single release in France) and "Y Blodyn Gwyn" ("The White Flower") sunh in her native Welsh.

The American release of the LP (ST-3351, 1969, March 3) deleted "Someone To Watch Over Me", and put in its stead the hit single, "Those Were The Days".

DUSTY ONE

On December 20th, 1963 the "New Musical Express" printed the lifelines of Dusty Springfield which contained much interesting information. We would like to turn the spotlight on three of the points raised.

Of her tastes in music she quoted «All types» and it is significant to note that on her great LP "A Girl Called Dusty" (BL 7594) she ran the whole gamut of pop music from the wildly exciting "Don't You Know" to her beautifully expressive "Colouring Book".

Her personal ambition was stated «to be happy». Fortunately she has a very happy disposition but regarding her work she will never be completely happy for no matter how great her perfomance is, she is always striving for something greater.

The third point is regarding her professional ambition and to this question her reply was: «To be an international star». This she is well on the way to achieving for as these notes are written her record of "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" lies at nº 3 in the English Hit Parade, "Wishin' And Hopin'" is nº 8 on the U.S.A. charts and she has just finished a very exciting week of recording sessions in French and German, to be followed shortly by Italian and Spanish versions of her hits. When one realizes that the solo career of Dusty Springfield commenced only nine months ago it seems that this ambition will be fully realized in a very short space of time.

(John Franz, 1964, July 22)

Pay a visit to MISTER FIVE!

Todas estas capas foram retiradas de um novo Blog brasileiro chamado "Mr. Five", que aqui o vosso amigo Rato vos aconselha vivamente: grandes coletâneas, nacionais e estrangeiras, com muitas raridades à mistura e todas elas feitas com um toque muito profissional e denotando um grande carinho pela música. Vale mesmo a pena tornar-se cliente habitual, pois os posts são renovados regularmente.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

During the early Sixties, Arthur Alexander (1940, May 10 - 1993, June 9) wrote a famous clutch of compact, well-crafted country-soul songs. Stories of inconstant love and private gloom, they were covered by The Beatles - 'Anna', The Rolling Stones - 'You Better Move On' and more recently, Ry Cooder - 'Go Home Girl'. Alexander, wrote Michael Gray, introduced the word "girl" as in 'I wanna tell you girl..." to common lyric Parlance, greatly to the convenience of John Lennon and others thereafter. Other artists who have covered Arthur's songs include The Bee Gees, Dusty Springfield, Tina Turner and a host of black vocal groups including The Tams, The Fiestas and The Drifters. In addition, a generation of British R & B bands were raised on Alexander's original versions of' ‘Where Have You Been' and 'A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues' The Beatles also recorded 'Where Have You Been' and 'Soldier Of Love'. Arthur sang his precise. geometric songs with a dark and wholly individual intensity; his languorous understatement, that sense of emotion only barely concealed, has always defied accurate attempts at imitation In short, his sadly underrated singing is as memorable as his uncommonly interesting songs.