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Jan 07 2022

TO WHERE I AM NOW

A busy, busy day today so I wouldn’t have been able to go out even if I wanted to. Starting with calling my ex-All About Eve and Seeing Stars bandmate Andy C in Folkestone. Short chat, he had mate Paul coming into play bass on one of his tracks. Next was the lawyer and partners to help get my collection into Portugal. One of the points he will make with the customs is that Covid has stopped us getting this together in the first year of residency here, I don’t think anybody in officialdom could ignore that issue. After that three seshes in a row with Fred in Minneapolis, Mike in Chicago and Noel in Surrey. Whilst all this day action was going on I was starting with a Logic Pro tutorial online. I have a tutorial somewhere c/- sessioneer Brian in New Jersey but this is the problem with me, I can’t find it. Playing the guitar, singing, writing songs and words, it’s all so much easier than the technical stuff including finding the instructions to record the ideas!

Another eye thang today in between it all and Olivia is telling me that my right eye is bloodshot. Hmm, are there any neurologists out there who are freaking out when they read this? I’ve had this my whole life and it is actually better now, at least it doesn’t turn into the headache from hell and a week of body trauma. Also, I have been rubbing my eye today so that might be why it’s bloodshot, so don’t tell me I’m going to die. By the way, the doctor didn’t call today so I’m left in limbo about whether I can go out. As far as healthy indoor pursuit, looking at a computer screen all day can’t be a good thing, not going out can’t be a good thing either. And as one fixates on the microcosm of their world, mine is dominated by the incredible news that the dishwasher is leaking! Wow! Incredibly, so is the sink, double wow! We know danger – but we fight on.

Sidney Poitier died today, a groundbreaking Oscar-winning actor and one could wax poetic about him all night but for me, it was the film To Sir, with Love (1967) where I found out about him, but I also loved the title song sung by Lulu. Written by Don Black and Mark London, it reached No. 1 in the USA but oddly wasn’t a single in the UK, a B-side of Let’s Pretend which reached No. 11. Seems like an opportunity missed especially as the film was so well received and Lulu had already been in the charts, her debut single Shout (written and originally recorded by The Isley Brothers) reached No. 7. Her albums though failed to chart for three decades with a resurgence in popularity in the nineties. Known as the Scot with the raspy voice her albums are certainly patchy but there are moments of sixties girl singer splendour in there. On her second album Love Loves to Love Lulu she bangs through some songwriters and popular songs of the day such as Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson) and the obligatory Beatles song doing a rousing orchestrated version of Day Tripper and the Bee Gees’ To Love Somebody. Also on the album, The Boat That I Row written by Neil Diamond, No. 6 in the UK and a Canadian No. 1 in 1967 and Gladys Knight & the Pips’ Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me written by Motown writers Barrett Strong, Cornelius Grant and Rodger Penzabene and originally produced by Norman Whitfield.

Lulu won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 with Boom Bang-a-Bang (a UK No. 2) and sang the badly-received theme tune to the Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun (1974). In the same year, she recorded Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World (a UK No. 3) with Bowie and the Spiders’ help, Watch That Man was on the B-side. The Man Who Sold The World is a great version of a great song with Bowie playing the sax, I bought this single when it came out.

Lulu’s film career is ‘light’ to say the least, intriguing, starting with Gonks Go Beat (1965) and you simply must watch the trailer.

“Gonks Go Beat, by Robert Hartford-Davis – set in the distant future. An alien from the planet Gonk comes to Earth to establish peace between the two remaining nations, one of which prefers rock and roll and the other ballads and his task involves listening to the Teens, Lulu and The Graham Bond Organisation.”

See if you can spot Ginger Baker and Graham Bond and somewhere in there Jack Bruce. Lulu and The Luvvers, The Nashville Teens and a whole lot of unknown sixties groovers. Her second film was the aforementioned To Sir, with Love but her third was Cucumber Castle (after the album of the same name, 1970), starring Barry and Maurice sans Robin from the Bee Gees. Spike Milligan stars as does Frankie Howerd, and Vincent Price. Roger Daltrey, Donovan, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull have cameos. Blind Faith also appear, that’s Ginger, Eric, Ric Grech and Steve Winwood. The Cherry Picker followed in 1974, also with Spike Milligan – the original print is missing! Her film career continued sporadically into the eighties.

Music Of The Daze

Written by Marty Willson-Piper · Categorized: Blog

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there's any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

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Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵 📷 @oliviaelek Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵

📷 @oliviaelektra 

#danelectro #danelectrobass #redeyerecords #pleasantrylane #pleasantrylanestudio
You usually don’t spend the day in the studio an You usually don’t spend the day in the studio and the night at a gig but if you put the studio next to the gig then there’s a greater chance. So @salimnourallah did just that, he put the gig and the studio next to each other and made it possible for me to spend the day recording and the evening playing live 🎵

📷 @drewliophoto 

#galacticheadquarters #happinessarecordlabel #pleasantrylanestudio #salimnourallah #oliviawillsonpiper
TO WHERE I AM NOW A visit in the studio today fro TO WHERE I AM NOW

A visit in the studio today from old mate Mark Burgess from The Chameleons who has been hanging in Texas recently. I was thinking about the two of us growing up in the northwest of England and all these years later finding ourselves in such an unlikely spot together. We fixed a few issues in the universe and I carried on recording some guitars until Mark had to leave. Mark had played at the Galactic Headquarters next to the studio this year as Olivia and I had four years ago and this reminded me to remind myself to remind everyone to remind their friends that we will be playing there with Salim on Saturday, New Year’s Eve, for the ultimate in intimate performance. You can get tickets here (follow link below).

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1045

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📷 @salimnourallah 

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📷 @argirgirl 📷 @argirgirl
TO WHERE I AM NOW Sadness manifested in a buildin TO WHERE I AM NOW

Sadness manifested in a building, today we went to visit Paisley Park. Prince built Paisley Park in Chanhassen, about twenty minutes southwest of Minneapolis. It opened in 1987 and he recorded his later albums there. Apart from Prince, REM also recorded and mixed Out Of Time there, recording Kate Pearson’s vocal on Shiny Happy People vocal. Madonna had Prince play guitar on three songs from Like A Prayer and the two co-wrote Love Song, finishing it remotely due to Madonna not being able to stand the cold weather and the rather desolate location of the studio. Of course, there are things around but it’s not in the city and it’s not in the countryside, it’s in a suburb, no distractions, just what Prince wanted.

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1032

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📷 @argirgirl 

#paisleypark #prince
Marty & Pablo! 📷 Rod MacQuarrie Marty & Pablo!

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At last, a proper door stop. 📷 @judgeschamber At last, a proper door stop.

📷 @judgeschamber 

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🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵 31 December - DALL 🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵

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15 January - SAN ANTONIO

With @salimnourallah and @joereyesmusic

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Doors & Delays 🎸 @workshop21_guitarclinic #the Doors & Delays 🎸

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Songwriting & Guitar Guidance with Marty Willson-Piper
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"These are awesome sessions that I highly recommend for guitar players of all levels. Very informative, frank discussions on everything related to guitar and music in general. Definitely a must for anyone pursuing songwriting."
(Stephen G., VA, USA)

"Marty knows how to bypass scales and get to the heart of feel and timing. His musical knowledge spans multiple cultures and genres. Perhaps most importantly, Marty is a cool dude. I highly recommend his guitar guidance." (Jed B., MN, USA)

"Ok, so you’re sitting in your home and Marty is across the world but is actually right here teaching you how to play guitar and write songs. He is a delight to talk to and he is your teacher, meaning he wants to see you get something out of his lessons. You know he’s paying attention and wants to steer you in the right direction. I am so grateful and humbled that he offers his time in this manner. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who admires anything from his enormous body of work. How often do you get to learn from somebody that inspired you in the first place? Amazing." (Ann S., CA, USA)

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there’s any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

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