The Beatcroft Antisocial: Tunes fae Troon, Linlithgow and Glasgow
Memories, strange platonic romances and some truly stupendous guitar playing
Not so much an illustrated essay this week as a few emotional songs and some words about them. The full playlist is at the end. You can listen to this show on Mixcloud here:
https://www.mixcloud.com/tom-morton2/the-beatcroft-antisocial-tunes-fae-troon-volume-one/
There’s a Spotify playlist at the end too.
I’ve known Kevin McDermott for 40 odd, sometimes very odd years. I still owe him 100 dollars, American dollars, lent in 1986 to get me home to Glasgow from Albuquerque, New Mexico. If you add a reasonable rate of interest to that loan, I at the very least owe him a play of his new single, Manos Arriba, which comes with an excellent video you can find easily on YouTube. Love the Pearl and Dean quote. For those of us who remember Pearl and Dean. For those of us who remember cinema. And featuring some tremendous guitar wrangling from the great Mick Slaven.
Kevin McDermott — Manos Arriba
The death of Karl Wallinger of World Party last week took me back to one of the crucial concerts of my life - The Waterboys at Queen Margaret Union in Glasgow, in 1984. This was when the band were truly in their ‘big music’ pomp - This is The Sea was the album and Karl’s keyboards and arrangements were crucial to that era of the band. His work with World Party after he left the Waterboys was glorious and he was a really generous and witty interviewee. Also, his abaility to make an album almost entirely solo, playing everything himself, has proved hugely influential. Thing is, he was really good at that. Played a right handed guitar, strung right handed, left handed. If you see what I mean.
World Party — Put the Message in the Box
Sarah Jarosz — House of Mercy
Warren Zevon — Sentimental Hygiene
The wonderful Sarah Jarosz, from Texas, and the song that won her a Grammy in 2016 for best American Roots Performance. Followed by the late Warren Zevon and what some have called Neil Young’s best ever guitar solo. It is an extraordinary thing. The discipline of someone else’s session obviously suited him. Speaking of guitarists, this is the legendary Bill Kirchen playing with Nick Lowe’s outfit the Convincers. And what a perfect piece of songwriting.
Nick Lowe — 12 Step Program
Bruce Cockburn — Last Night of the World
Bruce Cockburn, and the very moving Last Night of the World. He’s 79 now, and last year’s O Sun O Moon album was a real triumph in the face of the physical adversity affecting his guitar playing, which has always been stunning. Now, from Canada to Australia. Or rather, Scotland, which is where Colin Hay of Men at Work was born.
Colin Hay — Waiting for my Real Life to Begin
Patti Griffin — One Big Love
Gillian Welch, David Rawlings — Hello In There
Colin Hay, followed by the exquisite Patti Griffin and One Big Love. And then a cover version of John Prine by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, really tapping into the pathos of John Prine’s Hello In There.
If you’ve been watching Jodie Foster in the latest manifestation of the True Detective franchise on Netflix - you have my sympathy. I thought it was appalling, and frankly I don’t think I’ll ever get over the distress of that ghastly sex scene between Foster and Christopher Ecclestone. It was daft overloaded horror, full of bad acting and worse writing. The whole thing, not just that particular scene. Also the use of music was terrible. Flatulent and unimaginative.
The first season of True Detective, though, set in Louisiana and starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, remains utterly astonishing, disturbing, frightening and with some really tremendous music. Have some Father John Misty and SI Istwa - but first the unmistakable sound of Leonard Cohen.
Leonard Cohen — Never Mind
Father John Misty, SI Istwa — The Angry River
I’ve always been fascinated by the Civil Wars, as in the duo comprising John Paul White and Joy Williams, because they were so spookily good together on the Barton Hollow album, so amazing in their early live appearances. And then they broke up in the most disturbingly strange and sudden way. They always stressed that theirs was a platonic relationship but it didn’t sound or look like that…until it wasn’t any kind of relationship at all. They split and cancelled a tour at the pinnacle of their success, after an appearance in London, and they haven’t even spoken to each other since as far as I can make out. It’s an odd and sad story. What really happened? Maybe we’ll never know. As for their choice of cover versions…
The Civil Wars — Billie Jean
That’s it for this week. I’ve been on the Scottish mainland for the past fortnight, mostly in Ayrshire, and I’m heading home on the boat now. Before another jaunt south in 10 days or so. Troon has been great as usual but please - if you’re the person not picking up your dog’s doings on the Ballast Bank…the DNA samples are currently being investigated…we will track you down…meanwhile, have some Richie Furay before he formed Poco, here with Buffalo Springfield, and one of the obscure Warren Zevon outtakes you can find on the Preludes album.
Buffalo Springfield — Kind Woman
Warren Zevon — Empty Hearted Town
Listen to the Mixcloud version of the show here:
https://www.mixcloud.com/tom-morton2/the-beatcroft-antisocial-tunes-fae-troon-volume-one/
Full playlist:
Kevin McDermott — Manos Arriba
World Party — Put the Message in the Box
Sarah Jarosz — House of Mercy
Warren Zevon — Sentimental Hygiene
Nick Lowe — 12 Step Program
Bruce Cockburn — Last Night of the World
Colin Hay — Waiting for my Real Life to Begin
Patti Griffin — One Big Love
Gillian Welch, David Rawlings — Hello In There
Leonard Cohen — Never Mind
Father John Misty, SI Istwa — The Angry River
The Civil Wars — Billie Jean
Buffalo Springfield — Kind Woman
Warren Zevon — Empty Hearted Town