August 2020
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 25, No. 8
Live meetings are Cancelled due to Corona Virus.
However, we will be attempting on-line Zoom meetings.
We will send details under a separate e-mail, and in the Facebook group page.
Any Details not in this newsletter are at:
If you wish to join our Facebook group, please check us out at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/831814850193553/
WebChatter
By CyberToad
Here is a short video with Andrea Stolpe about feedback.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plC1z2SWvLw
On The Record Part 4
By Jackie Mason
This article continues my evaluation of a 2009 interview with, head Kink, Ray Davies by Will Hodgkinson.
This is the YouTube link to that interview. Split up into eleven parts but finally running chronologically with all eleven parts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8B_LYW1lB0
In 1967 The Kinks released “Autumn Almanac.” “The song was a big success in the UK, reaching #3 on the singles
chart, but not in the US, where it failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn_Almanac
If you remember from my previous articles, The Kinks were enduring a career damaging ban from the USA. I am very glad
I was able to hear it in the UK. Even then I was amazed by the words. These lyrics have been compared to the poetry of
William Wordsworth. The opening lines are:
“From the dew soaked hedge creeps a crawly caterpillar
When the dawn begins to crack, it’s all part of my autumn almanac,
Breeze blows leaves of a musty colored yellow,
So I sweep them in my sack, yes, yes, yes, it’s my autumn almanac”
Words that inspire other artists. Artists like painter Eva Mantell who had an exhibit at the Nassau Club in Princeton.
“One piece, titled “ The Dew Soaked Hedge,” a meditation in blues and greens, suggests an underwater world in which
something like a red crustacean surfaces.The title of the work relates to the exhibit title, Autumn Almanac.”
https://whyy.org/articles/artist-sees-through-the-openings-to-create-an-autumn-almanac/
Hodgkinson asks Ray where the inspiration for the song came from. Ray says, “That when he was little he was diagnosed
with a spine problem. His dad’s friend was a hunchback and I think that condition terrified Ray. The man used to do his dad’s
garden. Later he became Ray’s gardener. As Ray got to know about the man, about his love of gardens and flowers and plants,
he began to respect and admire the man. One day he saw the man with his stoop brushing up the leaves. It’s a song about
seasons and people being in touch with the world around them.” The song is given a music hall setting. It’s a fascinating recording.
From the tongue twister opening line to the timing shifts. There are peculiar structural breaks and it’s nostalgic yearnings for a
better time and place. It is quaintly English. It fell under the genre of “Baroque Pop.” The complicated lyrics are allowed to spill
over for a beat or two. Ray used a mellotron to give it a reverse tape feel. Nicky Hopkins, famed session player of that era, plays
on the recording. It sounds like a Salvation Army band! There are interesting harmonies provided by brother Dave and Ray’s wife
Rasa. This song surely deserved a better fate. I love the mini bridge:
“Friday evening people get together, hiding from the weather,
Tea and toasted buttered currant buns,
Can't compensate for lack of sun because the summer's all gone”
In this interview we are given a new acoustic treatment of the song. Its Part 7 on You Tube and features guitarist Bill Shanley and
the Crouch End Festival Choir.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTKmpjURuuA
I am, also, including a link to the original recording so you may compare the two.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_u0gn1I8xQ
The conversation leads to another under rated piece of music. The 1968 album “The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation
Society.” Ray admits to writing the album to be a miss. The American ban forced an intriguing creativity. It’s an album about England.
It’s about myths and legends. A middle England that may or may not have existed. It’s about nostalgia and we can catch Ray’s delight
that the band went along for the ride. One of the songs that emerged from these sessions is “Picture Book.” Ray compares the value
of a photograph to today’s digital world. This is a link to the original recording. It appears to be lip synched.
The video opens with “The Last Of The Steam Powered Trains.” This song is from the same album and gives us a taste of their unique
take on the blues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5DibWsJW9Y
Part 7 of the interview ends with an acoustic version of “Picture Book.” It again features Bill Shanley and the Crouch End Festival Choir.
Ray seems delighted that the choir gets to sing “scooby dooby doo!”
That’s all I have for today. I hope every one is well. Stay safe.
ISG Bulletin Board
Meeting space graciously provided by Central Florida Musicians Association,
Local 389. You are invited to join the largest union in the world, representing the
interests of the professional musician. Visit their website at afm389.org for more
information. You may reach them by phone at: 407-894-8666.
Why isn't your gig or live stream announced here? Members in good standing call SusieCool
with your appearance schedule! 407-760-2153 or e-mail her the details at isgorlando@gmail.com
If you are interested in open mics in the Central Florida area, SusieCool has compiled a list.
https://sites.google.com/site/susiecoolsongs/Home/open-mic-directory-central-florida
SusieCool is the admin for a Facebook group called "Orlando Creative Music Network"
where we give out info on songwriter meetings, playing circles, open mics, workshops and concerts.
We have a Facebook page for this group if you want to join.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/274152179716552/
No Critique scores for July, since no live meeting.
New members and guests always welcome!
© 2020 ISG