Sir Khayem of Dubhed has been working his way through the 1990s using his customarily excellent mixtapes as a year by year guide.It is all a bit dangerously modern to me but I tune in to learn about what the young people are listening to.
If you happened to dip into the comments section of his recent review of 1994 you will find some desperate individuals trying to outdo each other by boasting about the squalor of the bedsits they lived in at the start of their working lives. C won thanks to the bloodstained clothes she found left in the wardrobe (and she has now followed that up with another trip down Memory Lane over at her place).
All the bedsit talk got me thinking about Al Stewart's 1967 debut album "Bedsitter Images". It is somewhat patchy - 1969's "Love Chronicles" was a great leap forward - but it has its moments, including these two.
I have been a fan of Al for many years, partly due to the influence of my cool Auntie who first heard him when she used to hang out at the likes of Les Cousins back in the day. She and I saw him live at the Albert Hall some years ago and I am off to see him again when he tours in October. He will be turning 80 just before then and this is billed as his last tour of the UK and Ireland. If you are keen to catch him the full tour dates are here.
"Bedsitter Images" - Al Stewart
"Beleeka Doodle Day" - Al Stewart
Some more Al, then some more bedsits. I encourage you to join in the chorus on Al's song. All together now - "Pork Sausages!"
I saw Al Stewart once.
ReplyDeleteA pal had bought tickets for a date but got stood up.
I became his plus one!
What a lucky man he was
DeleteNever heard of the splendid old hippie. Excellent stuff!
ReplyDeleteI think you won that competition you refer to, Ernie. That ageing stripper tipped the scales!
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of your cool Auntie.
If any artist can be called 'an education to listen to' then it has to be Al. It's always a treat to listen to his lyrics which then send you on enjoyable history/cultural research trips. Some people groan at that but that serves a useful function - they're the people to avoid!!
ReplyDelete