tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6022018216922190253.post8214519160347008072..comments2024-03-08T17:49:47.546+01:00Comments on WoNoBloG: Stay Around. J. J. Cale.Nohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11373175867600902104noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6022018216922190253.post-25792368795876869192019-06-04T15:03:13.956+02:002019-06-04T15:03:13.956+02:00Some comments were received via the email by Mark:...Some comments were received via the email by Mark:<br /><br /><br />"I was very interested to see that you had written about JJ Cale who I had followed with every album since like you I bought - yes - Okie in 1976. And I bought Stay Around in Tokyo last week and it is sheer delight from start to finish, superbly curated by Christine Lakeland (a singer in her own right). Unlike the outtakes collection Rewind released a few years before he passed away which I thought was an awkward mix of less impressive left-overs and some not so successful covers, every track on Stay Around is exquisite: some slow and mesmerising, others fast trucking along to shake you up a bit (bot not too heavy), plus a few medium-paced, infectious shuffles thrown in of which he was a true master. No big lyrical themes or guitar histrionics: just caressing the melodies with the guitar in all the right places. I've mentioned him over the years to many people with an ear for good music but nobody seemed to understand - so you're the first person I can connect with about JJ Cale! <br /><br />Cale was in a select cluster of low-key but huge talents along with Gillian Welch and Kate & Anna McGarrigle who are uniquely gifted, totally without pretention and brash ambition, down to earth and just darned nice people! They command huge respect amongst their loyal followers who have to wait patiently for news of occasional album releases (when are we going to hear again from Gillian Welch?) and the even rarer opportunities to see them perform live. I was fortunate to see Gillian Welch at her only London date a few years ago but alas JJ Cale I never got to see as he hardly ever did any overseas tours. British equivalents would be Michael Chapman who after many years in the wilderness is now being re-discovered and doing gigs: great to see him getting the accolades he has long deserved (but never had the ego to seek). Also Bridget St.John who was championed by John Peel but ultimately couldn't handle the big time and dropped out of view (my original copies of her l.p.s have proved to be a sound investment). And of course Nick Drake who was not only a remarkable songwriter but also a distinctive masterclass guitar stylist - as indeed Michael Chapman is. However, he was too shy to perform on stage, couldn't find his audience, sold very few records and committed suicide after just three albums - which are now considered classics. I was very lucky to see Kate and Anna McGarrigle in concert in1976 after their first marvellous l.p. because I do not think they ever toured again in Europe: doing big gigs and heavy tour schedules was simply not their style (sadly Kate passed away in 2010). <br /><br />As is often the case with Japanese CDs, my copy of Stay Around has a bonus track called Worrying Off My Mind (sic)which is another delightfully typical slice of JJ Cale country blues with Christine Lakeland helping out with some background nudging harmonies: wonderful! So you could say on this occasion I'm one up on you, Wout!"Wo.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04077342908097659671noreply@blogger.com