The Youth Of Today

The press love a good story with the tone 'look at the youth of today, look how terrible they are". Last night I attended a concert that proves just the opposite.
My niece is a fantastic musician and is a member of one of the North Lanarkshire Schools Music Groups. Their spring concert showcases the talents of around four hundred young people in the county. There was a range of different musical styles in the concert including jazz, rock, classical and traditional. There is a pipe band, a woodwind orchestra, a symphony orchestra, as well as a development group for younger children. Every single piece of music was delivered with professional levels of musical ability, timing and polish.
All of this requires incredible dedication from the young people and their teachers. The council, another much maligned group of people, deserve enormous credit for encouraging and developing the musicians in the county. It's time that those in positions of power realise how important these young people are to the future of this country.
All across the UK, there are many young adults just like the musicians I saw last night. They participate with passion and dedication in art, sport, science or music, help charities and are members of youth groups. I am not saying that everyone can be a musician or an artist but there are many who will bring the same level of passion and skill to whatever they do. We cannot leave them to rot away in low paid work or worse still on the dole. We cannot destroy their dreams of building a career and leave them as a wasted generation. We can't continue to give tax breaks to the rich, while freezing the minimum wage for young people and expect them to want to do their best for their employer.
If you read the press, the youth of today are all drug addicts, knife-wielding drunks and wasters. The truth is the hidden majority are decent young people with skills and dreams who deserve better than the contempt they receive from their elders. They deserve a chance to stake their future in a better country, not to be left to waste away or to be turned into a third world work force.
Time to put the fine young people at the heart of what we do in this country, because they deserve it.

Ten Reasons I Love The Beatles

Of all my top ten lists for this blog, this is the most difficult to compile because I am a huge Beatles fan. From a very young age I was fascinated by the Sergeant Pepper's album cover, long before I was interested in music. When I was about twelve I fell in love with The Beatles and it is a love affair that persists to this very day.
My good friend Anis, who some of you will know as Oldlawyer, has a similar passion for music but he hasn't developed a love for those four lads from Liverpool. Today, I'm going to help him.

Twist & Shout - 1963
Unlike the talent show karaoke singers of today, The Beatles learned their craft long before they became famous. The demanding environment of the Hamburg clubs was where the Fab Four honed both their musicianship and their showmanship. On the first album, this cover of an Isley Brothers' hit reflects everything they learned in the seedy dives on the Reeperbahn.

And I Love Her - 1964
Although rock 'n' roll was the catalyst for the band being formed, they were never afraid to dip into other musical styles. This song has a Bossa Nova rhythm and a beautiful simplicity which began to hint at the songwriting treasures that were to follow.

Yesterday -1965
Possibly one of the greatest melancholy love songs ever written, Yesterday is among the most covered songs on the planet. Paul McCartney woke one morning with the melody in his head and it had a working title of 'Scrambled Eggs'. Two years after their initial album release they were beginning to leave simple pop songs behind and produce music that transcends generations.

Tomorrow Never Knows - 1966

In 1966, Revolver was released to critical acclaim and public amazement. The loveable mop tops were gone,  replaced with four by musical artists pushing the boundaries of what popular music could be. If you listen to this track now it is almost impossible to believe it is over 45 years old. The looped instrumental sounds are what you would expect from a modern studio using multi-track recording  and computers. The song is written in a single chord, which was a first, according to Paul McCartney. Despite all the amazing experimentation, John Lennon still delivers a tune that haunts and inspires musicians to this very day.

A Day In The Life - 1967

Almost any track on Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is a classic but 'A Day In The Life' is my personal favourite. It begins with John's reflections on newspaper stories then flows into Paul's domestic daydream before returning to social commentary. Ringo's loose rolling drum sound underpins the song with layers of instrumentation that build to a crescendo and a dramatic final chord. Simply wonderful.

 I Am The Walrus - 1967
The Magical Mystery Tour may be one of the worst movies ever made but the album of the same name has some of the band's finest moments. This song is John at his most lyrically experimental and contains lines of grotesque poetry that showcases his black sense of humour.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps - 1968
To have two songwriters of genuine quality in the same band is unusual, to have three is almost unheard of. George had felt frustrated that his songs were not getting the same exposure as John and Paul but on the White Album his talent begins to shine through. Just listen to this song and you will know why I love it.

Come Together - 1969
As the band began to fall apart without the steadying hand of Brian Epstein to guide them, they sought to make their final recordings together into a classic album. Abbey Road was the result and it is filled with creativity and songs that most bands could only dream of recording. It opens with this track, a song with a bluesy feel and some brilliant guitar from George. This is also a very good modern video.

Here Comes The Sun - 1969
More of George's brilliance in this uplifting and positive song. Considering the background of backbiting and infighting, this is all the more remarkable.

Get Back - 1970
Although Abbey Road was their last sessions, Let It Be was the last album released. It's an album which many critics dismiss but can you real dismiss tracks like 'Let It Be'; 'Across The Universe'; 'The Long And Winding Road' and this classic piece of rock history. Paul thought that going back on the road as a band would stop them falling apart. This song was that hope expressed in music. It wasn't to be, but their legacy of fantastic music is untouchable.

I hope, Anis, and everyone else reading this, that these ten songs help you to understand why I hold The Beatles in such high esteem. In truth, I could easily have filled a list of fifty songs, such is my admiration. The Beatles produced in just eight years, music which still be inspiring people in eighty. They were indeed 'Four lads that shook world.'

March Guest Blog - McDroll

This month I am joined by another fellow Scot,  McDroll. She shares the songs that can be heard in a variety of forms from her very musical family as well as some of the tracks that inspire her. I'll let her explain.

As I live in a very open plan house (it seemed like a cool idea before we had children) I always have to write in the middle of noise. So Sinclair, I hope you don’t mind but instead of the 10 songs that I listen to while I write, I thought I’d give everybody a flavour of what I listen, or try to block out, while I write.

1. At the moment, my two kids (11 and 17, boy and girl) are preparing like mad for our local music festival so there’s a lot of music goes on in our house and many musical instruments to trip over. Gavin plays guitar and thinks he’s Chris Martin (Coldplay) so very often I’m listening to him sing Viva La Vida which he’s really good at but I’ve now heard it at least 1000 times.

2. Lindsay, my daughter loves…and I mean LOVES musical theatre. The piece she is perfecting for the festival this year is Cock-Eyed Optimist from South Pacific, which suits her voice and personality very well. She hopes to make singing her future and currently is part of Scottish Opera’s Connect group. More about that later!

3. You will laugh at this. We have an open plan house with no hiding places, as I’ve already said. What instrument does Gavin play and practice all the time? The tuba. We call it Geoff because it’s so large it’s like having another person in the house. I sit and look at Geoff most nights as I type. One of the pieces that Gavin is trying to perfect is Tijuana Taxi; I remember this from my youth, listening to my mother’s Herb Albert records.

4. My husband and both children are addicted to Top Gear, that ghastly car programme with those three moronic men which is constantly repeated on a variety of channels. There is no escaping it in my house so I hear that theme tune a lot. I think it’s Jessica by the Allman Brothers.

5. Then of course, having a teenage daughter, the theme song from that mind numbing American comedy show ‘Friends’ is never far away. I’m afraid that when I hear this one I do shout, ‘Is there nothing else you can watch?’ and then feel a compulsion to murder one of my characters as I write. If you don’t know it (you are VERY lucky) then it’s a song called I'll Be There For You by the Rembrandts.

6. Sometimes, I actually get to listen to music that I like, mostly to drown out what else is going on and I stick on my headphones and listen to Alfie Bow with my favourite being Bring Him Home from Les Miserables. Makes me cry.

7. I also listen a lot to a guy called Brett Detar. I know nothing about him other than it was a free download and I enjoy it. I suppose you’d call it country or bluegrass or something but then I’m no expert. I particularly enjoy The Devil’s Gotta Earn.

8. I like buying random music just to find something new to listen to and my most recent purchase is Deaf Havana, Fools and Worthless Liars. It’s noisy and fills my head with sound. My kids think I’m far to old to be listening to it but that’s just because they still think that you are some other kind of person once the years start to stack up. Hey! I’m still the girl that went to see Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Apollo in Glasgow in 1977ish.

9. I’m a huge Curtis Stigers fan. Forget the image of the guy with the long hair and the saxophone. That’s not him. Try listening to My Funny Valentine; his voice is very special.

10. Back to my girl, we take her to Dunoon every week for her singing lesson, this is a 4 hour round trip and that’s just the driving not the hanging about, so I just have to include Voi Che Sapeti from The Marriage of Figaro, which she’s sung many times for different auditions, competitions and concerts.

My guilty pleasure? Well, I’ll always be a David Cassidy fan….Could It Be Forever?

McDroll lives in Argyll, Scotland, easily one of the most beautiful places in the world, steeped in history from prehistoric standing stones to Celtic crosses with castles and countless lochs and glens.

She sits at night, laptop on knees, and writes about romance or murders depending on what mood she is in…well, what else would she do?

McDroll has had stories published in Shotgun Honey and The Flash Fiction Offensive and Near to the Knuckle. She is one of the contributors in the anthologies OFF THE RECORD, THE LOST CHILDREN and BRIT GRIT TOO.

Her collection of 10 short crime/noir stories Kick It Together and he serialized novel THE WRONG DELIVERY can be found at

http://goo.gl/wFh5t

http://goo.gl/u1Mzj

McDroll also writes book reviews and interviews a variety of writers on her blog.

http://imeanttoreadthat.blogspot.com/

Thanks McDroll for a diverse and fascinating selection of great music.

2012 new music - January/February

I must apologise for my lack of blogging over the past few weeks but the third book has taken up the majority of my time as I edge it towards publication.
I thought that today I will take you on a quick guide of new music that I have enjoyed in the first two months of the year.

First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
This is an unashamedly nostalgic album that could easily have been recorded in the seventies. The sound is at the country end of folk but it reminds me most of the music that came out of Laurel Canyon in California in the post-sixties haze. Carole King and Neil Young appear to be major influences on these Swedish sisters and their songs are filled with beautiful melodies and gorgeous close harmonies.

Gotye - Making Mirrors
Another album with an older feel but this moves forward a decade and borrows influences from XTC, Talk Talk and The Police to give it an eighties vibe. Those influences are particularly evident in the feature track 'Someone I Used To Know' and 'Save Me'.

February's Guest Blog - Gae-Lynn Woods

Eleven Songs I Write To and One Guilty Pleasure

This month I'm joined by my first guest from across the Atlantic. Gae-Lynn hails from East Texas and she is the author of the crime novel "The Devil Of Light" featuring Detective Cass Elliot. When Gae-Lynn is not writing the second novel in the series, she is looking after her herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle. You can learn more about her and her work at  http://www.gaelynnwoods.com.

Thanks for letting me visit your blog, Sinclair, and especially to talk about music! I always, always have a song in my head (at the moment, it’s Saturday Night at the Duck Pond by The Cougars). Even my dreams have a soundtrack. I’m married to a jazz musician, so our house is full of tunes by Joe Pass, Lennie Tristano, Charlie Christian, Nat Cole, and many other jazz giants.

I’m a moody creature when it comes to music while I write, and quite variable in what I select. But there are a few old stand-bys that help me put words to paper on almost any occasion:

1. Lola by The Kinks: There’s such innocence in Ray Davies’ delivery of this song that I can’t help but smile every time I hear it. It’s the perfect antidote to an overcast day.

2. Deepest Darkest by Patti Plinko and Her Boy: My husband and I saw Patti and her boy perform at a club in Covent Garden. To my ear, she’s the female Tom Waits.

3 Goin’ Southbound by Stan Ridgway: Lyrics are important to me, and Ridgway is a great storyteller. Listening to him is an education in delivering a full story about a heist where even the cops are on the take in just a few verses.

4. Mozart: The String Quartets performed by the Hagen Quartett: They say that Mozart is brain food, and when played by the Hagen Quartett, I agree. Their box set, Mozart The String Quartets, is brilliant.

5. Right Through You by Alanis Morissette: When I think of the number of times a man has symbolically patted me on the head, dismissing me as he assumed that I was a sweet little gal with no potential – I could scream. Morissette’s answer to such condescending behavior is so sweet: phenomenal success. This one reminds me to keep the violence on the page.

6. Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing by Chris Isaak: Isaak’s voice is pure sex in this one – a great backing track for a hot scene.

7. Goody, Goody by Julie London: I listen to the “Julie is her Name” album for peace. London’s voice, Barney Kessel on guitar, and Ray Leatherwood on bass. Gorgeous.

8. Creeque Alley by The Mamas and The Papas: This song describes the lineage of The Mamas and The Papas, and reminds me that you never know where life will take you.

9. Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed: Stan Overheart, one of the characters in The Devil of Light, is a bit of a hippie. He owns The Golden Gate Café in imaginary Forney County and plays music from the ‘60s and ‘70s. This is one of Stan’s favorites. He says that Herbie Flowers’ twin bass lines – upright and bass guitar – is ‘straight from the fridge, dad’, as is the sax solo by Ronnie Ross. In my opinion, both make the song.

10. One Vision by Queen: Freddie Mercury’s voice is one of my all time favorites. As is Brian May’s guitar. And May’s hair. This song and its ‘fried chicken’ ending lifts me!

11. My Funny Valentine by Chet Baker: In honor of the holiday of love this month, here’s Chet’s vocal version. His ‘Deep in a Dream’ album is balm for the troubled soul.

Guilty Pleasure:

Tom Sawyer by Rush. Geddy Lee’s bass line, his unique voice, Neil Peart’s drums. Mmm. Makes me giddy every time I hear it.

Thanks to Gae-Lynn for an eclectic mix of music that I'm sure everyone will enjoy. Your love of music is clear in every track and your comments. Also a big public thank you for all your kind retweets and the conversations we've had on Twitter.

A sporting classic

I am not a huge tennis fan but I do like to watch the Grand Slam finals. I was very glad that I tuned in to the Australian Open Final yesterday and witnessed one of the greatest sporting encounters of all time.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal served up an amazing match that lasted nearly six hours. It was not only the fact the the match ebbed and flowed between the two players, it was the quality of tennis throughout. Over five sets and fifty-five games the pair served only six double faults. The exhausting rallies were filled with amazing recoveries, stunning winners and super human effort.
The psychology of sport was also there for all to see. Two sets to one down, trailing by four games to two and forty love down, Nadal looked doomed to defeat. He produce five stunning points in a row to win the game and Djokovic seemed to deflate. Nadal stormed back and won the set.
Then in the fifth set with Djokovic stranded, Nadal had the half the court free to make a winner but found the wrong side of the sideline and suddenly Djokovic was given a new lease of life. The energy was back in his legs and he came roaring through to take the title.
Britain's Andy Murray had taken Djokovic all the way in a five-hour epic only two days previously, which made the defending champion's achievement all the more remarkable.
What struck me most was how the belief that both players meant they never gave up even when the odds were stacked against them. They are magnificent examples of what skill, courage and self-belief can achieve. It was a privilege to watch two young men at the peak of their powers bring credit to their sport with their ability and sportsmanship.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/16782987.stm

Sweet Soul Music

Back to my top ten playlists and this week I'm concentrating on the classic soul of the sixties. I have decided to follow the example of my guests and include videos where I can. I hope you enjoy these classic tunes.

Ray Charles - Hallelujah, I Love Her So
Soul music artists came from either a gospel background or like Ray Charles, a Jazz/Blues background. Charles is regarded as the originator of the soul sound. This song is a joyous declaration of love and in it you can hear both the roots of what was to follow and the reason it's called soul.

Sam Cooke - Bring It On Home To Me
Sam Cooke's smooth vocal style is one of the greatest in soul music, it is also the inspiration for many of the male artists that followed. He was roundly condemned for deserting gospel and starting a career in secular music. This plaintive plea to a departing love shows his talent at its best.

Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
I could fill at least three of these playlists with songs by Aretha. She has the voice of angel driven with controlled power. Aretha is a singular talent and there may never be a voice like hers again. She is simply a legend and the first lady of soul.

James Brown - It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World
Master showman, wild man, incredible voice are all apt descriptions of the Godfather of Soul. Brown pushed soul into new areas and is one of the genre's greatest innovators. This song is not politically correct but it shows the range and sheer raw power that Brown could control.

The Supremes - Stop! In The Name Of Love
At the other end of the spectrum was the more commercial sound of Motown. The Supremes were Berry Gordy's premium act and they were one of the most popular groups that soul has ever produced. Stop! is the perfect example of both the amazing songwriting that Gordy had his disposal and the very distinctive sound of his studio.

The Four Tops - Standing In The Shadow Of Love
Motown's male equivalent of the Supremes, the Four Tops were themselves spectacularly successful. They are another of my favourite soul artists and this song is the perfect example of the close harmony singing, fantastic arrangements and sheer joy of Motown at its best.

Marvin Gaye - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Marvin Gaye began singing the pop/soul songs that were so characteristic of the Motown recordings but he grew into a substantive artist with both critical and commercial success. This song is from early in his career and showcases his apparently effortless vocal style.

Otis Redding - These Arms Of Mine
Atlantic records was the other major record company that produced fantastic soul music. Otis was another man who made singing the most emotionally charged songs sound like it required no effort at all. This is another plaintive love song charged with pain. Otis bares his soul as he declares his sense of loneliness to his absent lover.

Stevie Wonder - Uptight (Everything's Alright)
Stevie Wonder is probably the soul artist who has endured more than any other. If you saw him at Glastonbury a few years ago you would have seen a master of his art with the audience in the palm of his hand. From the late sixties through the early seventies there were very few people pushing the boundaries of music the way Stevie was. This song is an early classic.

Arthur Conley - Sweet Soul Music
If ever a song expressed the sheer joy of being alive, this is it. From the first blast of horns this song grabs you by the feet and makes you want to dance. If you don't want to move then you might want to make an appointment with your doctor.

There are so many artist and songs that I have had to leave out, it's quite amazing. The sixties saw an explosion of original music and soul was at the very forefront of it. I hope that I have inspired you to investigate some of it for yourself.