Travelling with my brother means music. He never travels without his "sounds"!I got to choose some of what we listened to though, and scrolling down the list of available artists, I lighted on Spirit of the West.
So I hit play.
Spirit of the West has special significance, in that it represents one of the only two other "male bonding" excursions done with my Dad and brother. The first was a climb up Helvellyn.
The second was a trip to London, to buy me a guitar for my birthday, as I recall (still got it, just don't ask me how often I play it...). After (or before?) we stopped of at the South Bank Center, where they did free lunchtime concerts. And there was this crazy Canadian folk-rock band, struggling (probably) with playing a daytime venue to not-wildly-enthusiastic passersby.
They were brilliant, wild, energetic.
I (stupidly) spent too much time wondering whether Dad would 'approve'. Meanwhile he was having a whale of a time.
So over the years we bought/received a few albums. But I hadn't listened to them in over 10 years.
I don't know if it was nostalgia bought on with time, or age turning me into a softie, but quite a few of the songs made me feel a tad weepy.
Their songs always (pretty much) had serious underlying themes, but in the last albums we had, they were asking questions about death, suffering etc...
Here's some of the lines that get me (found them on the net, not sure they're 100% accurate).
(Open Heart Symphony, Bare Branches)
Here's a worthless girl, so she feels in her world(Open Heart Symphony, Resurrection)
Smothered under everything
She needs an angel with an empty wing, to...
...Lift her 'till the cold has left her bones, then hold
Her up so she can feel the sun
Cast a shadow that she will not run from
With words in my pockets, tears up my sleeves(Open Heart Symphony, Daisy's Dead)
I ran back home to give them wings
They flew above what's inside
This world, it looks smaller from the sky
And you're here one day, gone the nextOK, They're all from Open Heart Symphony, so maybe it's just the strings...
I'd like to stay, if life would only have me
And you're here one day, then laid to rest
I'd like to pray, I was hoping you could help me
Amazed you were wondering what I was thinking! I was gob smacked, but by the music not the words (I have never have been able to absorb lyrics until the music has been edited out). So if the words were unsavoury it would not have registered until later! I recall they were hungover from a late night and had never played this early in the day or in such an odd venue. One of the songs (I think it was 'Save this House' - the collection is now in Daniel's hands) had me almost in floods, and I was disappointed when hearing the recorded version which had nothing like the power. Your mother would like you to know that she was also present at this particular 'male bonding session'! And I also still possess a guitar purchased from 'Andy's' - and I do play it - occasionally trying to copy the unusual diddle-e-dah rhythmical strum of the lead guitarist, but the angry strains of the singer I don't think I need to emulate, thank God.
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