Malaguena
Well-known member
Yep - totally agree with thatAlthough he went on to bigger things his early stuff is still my favourite.
Yep - totally agree with thatAlthough he went on to bigger things his early stuff is still my favourite.
The title track to Benny Santini is my favourite - stunning songFor me Seabird is the best one.
I'm very sorry to hear this. I was at school (Mary's) with George and worked with him at British Steel, doing shutdowns in the summer when we were both students. One of the funniest guys I've ever known. RIP George.Here is a bit from this site about my brother....
Local 60s group from Stockton.
A 60s local group from Stockton, name unknown. Photograph courtesy of John Robson.picturestocktonarchive.com
" Al Todd on March 24, 2017 at 2:34 pm said:
For those that haven’t heard, another colourful roadie fron our area passed away recently. I first met Malcolm ‘George’ Woodhead in around 1964. He was a still at school with Robert ‘Bob’ Evans, who became a member of ‘The Elastic Band’, fronted by Eugene McCoy. George teamed up with Will Grimston to become virtual freelance roadies and it was always a pleasure to have them transport our motley group (Denver Mule, amongst others) I remember when Fairport Convention were playing at the Redar Jazz Club and George was in the audience. There was a group of unruly over-refreshed lads talking loudly over Fairports performance and, in the middle of a gentle and heartfelt number (the name of which escapes me) George, obviously overcome by the beautiful music, stood up from his chair and shouted out with a volume the would have done credit to ‘The Who’,”Hoy! ******* shurrup or I’ll pan yer!!!!!” Amazing isn’t it? that I cannot for the life of me remmeber the music, but I will always remember that emotive outburst!"
I hadn't read that, so it is likely that Elkie Brooks' cover was closer to his own vision for the song than his own!From Wiki ....
"Fool (If You Think It's Over)" was the lead single from Rea's debut album Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? which was recorded at producer Gus Dudgeon's Thames Valley recording studio The Mill. The song's inspiration was the experience Rea's younger sister Paula had had some years previously of being devastated at losing her first boyfriend, "Fool..."'s lyrics being the advice (real or imagined) with which Rea had responded to his sister's experience.[3] Rea would recall that he had written "Fool..." as a song which Al Green might record:[4][5] (quote "I’d always seen it as a Memphis [soul] song [but] I never had the chance to voice my opinion about what I thought about the production" of his own recording of the song [3] of which Rea has elsewhere stated: "[It was in the] wrong key. It ended up being this huge California thing [see California Sound]. It’s the only track I never played guitar on which tells you something about the spirit of it. On top of that, it was just a huge hit. So there was nothing I could do. It was like: 'This is not me!'"[6] Rea did play keyboards on "Fool..." with the track's background vocals provided by Rea and the Mill's assistant engineer Stuart Epps
Ta for that. Sounds like my big brother Malcolm (George to just about everyone else).I'm very sorry to hear this. I was at school (Mary's) with George and worked with him at British Steel, doing shutdowns in the summer when we were both students. One of the funniest guys I've ever known. RIP George.
Was the pic on the cover from redcar? Would be great if it were.The title track to Benny Santini is my favourite - stunning song
Deltics, the follow up album is also superb - got it on blue vinyl somewhere
By 79 I was at uni in a relationship with my soon to be first wife. That album brings back memories of her.The title track to Benny Santini is my favourite - stunning song
Deltics, the follow up album is also superb - got it on blue vinyl somewhere
Probably due to the fact that Elkie could belt out a great tune and had a TV show.The commercial success of the song particularly in the USA revitalised Chris Rea’s career. Nice story about him getting home to Middlesbrough at Christmas in 1978 to find a huge royalty cheque on his doormat. Elkie Brookes’ cover actually did better in the UK than the original.
Certainly saw him at the Kirk. Wasn't a fan of his type of music at the time, but my then girlfriend was . She being from the Boro, it was no surprise to me. She ended up being my wife, and I became a fan.I hadn't read that, so it is likely that Elkie Brooks' cover was closer to his own vision for the song than his own!
Didn't he do a Friday or possibly Saturday night residency at the Kirk just before WHTBS was released? I seem to remember being there but being too drunk to bother going into the other room where he was playing.
I got the 'set' as a kid. What amazing machines. Oh good album too.
No, a vibrant royal blue IIRC !
Simply BR Blue.No, a vibrant royal blue IIRC !
Deltics are diesel electric trains. The lines from Thornaby to Boro were the most concentrated in England.Simply BR Blue.
Was/is Chris Rea an anorak then? What’s the Deltics track all about? I must say I never got into his early stuff, only hopping on the bandwagon with Watersign until Auberge, the golden era in my book
They are shunned, labelled "chav scum" or worse, dumped onto sink estates and live their lives with no hope of employment or betterment, breeding children doomed to repeat the cycle. These are "Thatcher's children", when this work was lost/destroyed no one gave any thought to the fate of those left behind. These are some of the people who voted "Brexit" because they had nothing to lose.What do the many who would have normally relied on labouring jobs do for work? Or perhaps they haven’t anything to fall back on.
Yes, great song,I love it tooThis is one of my favourites these days . Sit back in an empty room , phone off , lights low perhaps a candle and the music LOUD .