October 2007 News


I decided to retire from writing about music recently, though I did accept a couple of commissions since doing so (a piece on the Incredible String Band in a Mojo special edition on 1967 and a sleeve note to the splendid Wizz Jones reissue of Lucky The Man, out now on Hux). I was also happy - and rather liberated - to just say no to a couple of other things in the same period. I think this is the way it’ll be from here on: being pragmatic enough to accept offers that look like fun/something I’d be honoured to do, or which are relatively undemanding and pay well - the case with both the above, and not in that order!

Having periodically encouraged Mark Ellen, editor of The Word - by far the most engaging music-related magazine out there, to my mind - to cover the ‘50 year copyright issue’ in recorded sound (on the basis that it’d be something I’d like to read about, basically) I seem to have had the job landed on myself in the middle of August and consequently produced a piece on the subject that at least exorcised my own curiosity, albeit lasting several thousand words too long for publication. It may never be published in any form at all in Word, but I’m happy to have looked into it for my own interest and if its possible to print it in scrollable form on this site, maybe that’s what will happen.

HM Customs have approved the constitution of the Geoff Harden Archive Trust as a charitable organisation - see previous news items for background - and the next step is to apply for lottery funding to continue the digitising work on the collection begun earlier this year by Arts Council NI. In a separate development Arts Council NI and their Republic of Ireland counterpart look like coming up with more cash of their own to continue the process, albeit restricted to the Irish music within it. On the commercial release front, the John Martyn concert from the archive due on Hux is postponed but the same label have agreed another release, of a 1972 concert, with English folk legend Robin Dransfield, which will be part of a forthcoming 2CD package along with his 1980 Topic LP Tidewave.

The 2CD Vincent Crane anthology, Close Your Eyes - again, see previous news for details - will appear on Sanctuary in October. Vincent’s widow Jean has approved my sleeve note and tracklist, which will definitely now feature four previously unissued tracks - a 1965 vocal demo, a 1965 live instrumental, a 1983 ‘jazz and poetry’ live track and the legendary 1976 full-band recording of part of ‘Taro Rota’ with Arthur Brown. Also featured will be the rare 1977 single sides ‘Fire Fighter’ and ‘Crazy Bout My Baby’, appearing for first time on CD. Cormac O’Kane will be mastering the set.

Finally, a couple of the main pages of the site have now - or at least hopefully will be within a few days of this news update appearing, depending on whether my trusty web maestro gets his ‘best man on the job’ or just gets on with it - been slightly updated.

My best man seems to be getting progressively worse - something Colin would hardly have thought possible!
Apologies to all! - Spike (web maestro?!)