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Live In Concept
''Live in Concept'' is the first live album by Downes and Beer, released in 1980. The album sees the band live collaborate with various musicians, including Mike Oldfield (due to Phil Beer's touring with him for ''Exposed''), and also established both The Phil Beer Band who would record in the 2000s, and the first ever Show of Hands released recording, "Half Asleep", although this is a Downes and Beer recording with Steve Knightley guest appearing. This was the last album by the duo until another live album, recorded on one of their rare reunion performances in 2007, was released as '' Live at Nettlebed'' the year after. Paul Downes did work with Beer, however, for some Show of Hands performances in the early 1990s, one such performance being released as an album in 1994. Track listing The album is a double album.''Live in Concept'' liner notes Sides one and two #"Intro" by Bob Plews - 1:00 #"Passed You By" (Phil Beer) - 3:24 #"List for a Sailor"/"Teetoaler Reel" (Traditional) - ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Downes
Paul Downes is an English folk guitarist, singer and composer. He has appeared on eight albums with bands, three highly acclaimed solo albums and has over 150 session credits. He has toured every concert venue, theatre and festival in Britain, plus many tours in the USA and Europe, as well as appearing in cabaret in the West Indies and newsreading on US radio. Born in Exeter, Devon, Downes played classical guitar in his youth. He played a solo recital in Westminster Abbey at the age of 16 and subsequently took up folk music. From the age of 12, his best friend was Steve Knightley; then at 16, they met Phil Beer. After giving up a promising academic career, he went on the road as half of the folk duo Downes and Beer. The pair met Bill Zorn, who had just left the Kingston Trio, and formed the Arizona Smoke Revue. When Zorn returned to the states, Downes toured with Pete Seeger before being asked to sit in on the first Joyce Gang gig. The Joyce Gang are an Anglo/Irish roots band wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Things We Said Today
"Things We Said Today" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in July 1964 as the B-side to the single " A Hard Day's Night" and on their album of the same name, except in North America, where it appeared on the album '' Something New''. The band recorded the song twice for BBC Radio and regularly performed an abbreviated version during their 1964 North American tour. McCartney wrote the song while holidaying in the Virgin Islands with his girlfriend, actress Jane Asher. The lyrics address the singer's love for a girl despite the distance between them. McCartney later described the song as exhibiting "future nostalgia", being "nostalgic about the moment we're living in now." The music is melodically complex, using chords more typical of classical music and jazz than pop music. Between verses, it changes between major and minor keys, while the lyrics shift between the first and third pers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bobbie Gentry
Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is a retired American singer-songwriter, who was one of the first female artists in America to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 with her Southern Gothic narrative " Ode to Billie Joe". The track spent four weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and was third in the Billboard year-end chart of 1967, earning Gentry Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1968. Gentry charted 11 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and four singles on the United Kingdom Top 40. Her album ''Fancy'' brought her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. After her first albums, she had a successful run of variety shows on the Las Vegas Strip. In the late 1970s Gentry lost interest in performing, and subsequently retired from the music industry. News reports conflict on the subject of where she lives. Early life Gentry was born Roberta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ode To Billy Joe
"Ode to Billie Joe" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry released by Capitol Records in July 1967, and later used as the title-track of her debut album. Five weeks after its release, the song topped ''Billboard's'' Pop singles chart. It also appeared in the top 10 of the Adult Contemporary and Hot R&B singles charts, and in the top 20 of the Hot Country Songs list. The song takes the form of a first-person narrative performed over sparse acoustic guitar accompaniment with strings in the background. It tells of a rural Mississippi family's reaction to the news of the suicide of Billie Joe McAllister, a local boy to whom the daughter (and narrator) is connected. The song received widespread attention, leaving its audience intrigued as to what the narrator and Billie Joe threw off the Tallahatchie Bridge. Gentry later clarified that she intended the song to portray the family's indifference to the suicide in what she deemed "a study in unconscious cruelty", w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mason Williams
Mason Douglas Williams (born August 24, 1938) is an American classical guitarist, composer, singer, writer, comedian, and poet, best known for his 1968 instrumental "Classical Gas" and for his work as a comedy writer on ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'', ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'', and ''Saturday Night Live''. Early life Williams was born in Abilene, Texas, the son of Jackson Eugene (a tile setter) and Kathlyn (née Nations) Williams. Williams grew up dividing his time between living with his father in Oklahoma and his mother in Oakridge, Oregon. He graduated from Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1956. It was in Oklahoma that he began his lifelong friendship with artist Edward Ruscha. He attended Oklahoma City University (1957–60) and North Texas State University for one semester, and served in the United States Navy from 1961 to 1963. Career Music In 1968, Williams won three Grammy Awards for his guitar instrumental "Classi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Ashley
Steve Frank Ashley (born 9 March 1946) is an English singer-songwriter, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, writer and graphic designer. Ashley is best known as a songwriter and first gained public recognition for his work with his debut solo album, '' Stroll On'' (Gull, 1974). Taking his inspiration from English traditional songs, Ashley has developed a songwriting style which is contemporary in content while reflecting traditional influences in his melodies, poetry and vocal delivery. Biography and career Early life and career (1946–1971) Ashley was born in Perivale, London, England and grew up in Northolt, Middlesex (now in the London Borough of Ealing). In his early teens, he immersed himself in rock 'n' roll, blues and American folk music. He saw Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent and Lonnie Donegan perform live during his first years at secondary school. In 1960, he learned to play the mouth organ and developed a blues style influenced by Sonny Terry and Sonny Boy Williams ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One of the most successful composers and performers of all time, McCartney is known for his melodic approach to bass-playing, versatile and wide tenor vocal range, and musical eclecticism, exploring styles ranging from pre–rock and roll pop to classical and electronica. His songwriting partnership with Lennon remains the most successful in history. Born in Liverpool, McCartney taught himself piano, guitar and songwriting as a teenager, having been influenced by his father, a jazz player, and rock and roll performers such as Little Richard and Buddy Holly. He began his career when he joined Lennon's skiffle group, the Quarrymen, in 1957, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the cute Beatle", McCartney later invo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's work was characterised by the rebellious nature and acerbic wit of his music, writing and drawings, on film, and in interviews. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history. Born in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the Skiffle#Revival in the United Kingdom, skiffle craze as a teenager. In 1956, he formed The Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the smart Beatle", he was initially the group's de facto leader, a role gradually ceded to McCartney. Lennon soon expanded his work into other media by participating in numerous films, including ''How I Won the War'', and authoring ''In His Own Write'' and ''A Spaniard in the Works'', both collection ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Show Of Hands Live
''Live'' (also known as ''Live '92'' and ''Show of Hands Live'') is the first live album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. After the duo had recorded three studio albums on cassette from 1987–1991, the last of these being '' Out for the Count'', the duo set on recording a live album for their first Compact Disc release. They enlisted Mark Trim to engineer and produce a live album of the duo's performance at The Bull Hotel, Bridport, in the duo's native Devon. The album features all sixteen songs from the performance which featured numerous guest musicians, including the band's long-time collaborator Matt Clifford and Beer's sporadic collaborator Paul Downes. The album was released in 1992 by independent record label The Road Goes on Forever, before falling out of print and being re-released in 1999 by the duo's own record label Hands on Music. It received very favourable reviews from critics, and broke the band into the festival circuit in 1993. The duo also hired T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phil Beer
Phil Beer (born 12 May 1953 in Exminster, Devon, England) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and one half of English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. Biography Beer first began to play fiddle, guitar, and mandolin whilst still at school in Teignmouth, Devon. This passion for acoustic music was especially stirred by the Davey Graham album ''Folk, Blues and Beyond''. He played his first gig when he was fourteen in a band called Retrospect with Richard Entwistle, John Allman and Martin Pike and other musicians, and by the time he was sixteen he was performing regularly. Beer worked with Paul Downes as a duo from 1974 and also in the Arizona Smoke Revue 1980. He was a key member of Johnny Coppin's band (ex-Decameron), and together they collaborated with Nigel Mazlyn Jones on his 1979 ''Sentinel'' album. He toured with Mike Oldfield in 1979 and also recorded some tracks at Oldfield's Througham studio. Beer joined The Albion Band in 1984 and stayed with them un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Knightley
Steve Knightley (born 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and acoustic musician. Since 1992 he has been one half of folk/roots duo Show of Hands along with Phil Beer. Knightley was named "Songwriter of the Nineties" by BBC Radio 6 Music in 2012. Personal life Knightley was born in Southampton in 1954 of English, Irish and Scottish descent. His grandfathers were both soldiers. When he was five his family moved to Exeter. At thirteen the family moved again to nearby Exmouth. Apart from spells away in Coventry, Brighton, London and rural Dorset, he remains a resident of East Devon where he lives with his wife Clare, a local medical doctor, and their three children. Career At fourteen Knightley began playing acoustic guitar at Exmouth Grammar School. It was there he met long-time friend and musical collaborator Paul Downes. Knightley was attracted to folk music after hearing his older step-brother's Joan Baez records. Together with Downes they began playing songs from the ''Pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Show Of Hands
Show of Hands is an English acoustic roots/folk duo formed in 1986 by singer-songwriter Steve Knightley (guitars, mandolin, mandocello, cuatro) and composer and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer (vocals, guitars, violin, viola, mandolin, mandocello). Joined by singer and double-bassist Miranda Sykes for a tour in 2004, Show of Hands continued to regularly perform as a trio with Sykes, as well as in their original format. In 2019 the line-up was further expanded by the addition of Irish percussionist Cormac Byrne. Known for their songs with rousing choruses that address contemporary social issues, (notably their "singalong attack on the bankers", Arrogance Ignorance and Greed) these often illustrate current concerns through historical narratives and have earned Knightley the label the 'Gravel voiced spokesman of the rural poor'. Rooted in English traditional music the songs are shot through with diverse influences from music across the world, including the blues, Americana and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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