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Thread: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response (Read 18445 times) |
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David Morgan
MV Feature
Posts: 54
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #20: 21.11.06 at 18:16 » |
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I think Jeremy makes a good point above about the possibilities for cover versions of the Atkin/James work, though I've no idea how difficult it may be to push songs to those who can give them a commercial as well as artistic lift. Pete may have comments on how much or little this has been tried in the past.
Covers are of course a delicate topic, as the desire for them tends to imply criticism of Pete's recorded performances, many of which I think approach perfection (e.g. BOTBS, Faded Mansion, Senior Citizens, Empty Tables/Dancing Master, many others....). But with certain other songs I personally think there's more potential to take them in new directions. The key practical point, though, is that getting the songs the wider reputation they deserve isn't primarily about the quality of performance - it hangs rather on the overall commercial success of the singer who takes them on. After all, it was Val Doonican who made 'Flowers and the Wine' by far the biggest Atkin/James seller to date. Hmmmm....
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=20#20  |
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Richard Bleksley
MV Fixture
My time has come to find a better way
Posts: 164
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #21: 21.11.06 at 23:56 » |
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on 21.11.06 at 11:29, Jim Grozier wrote:
Where can we see you performing them, then, Naomi? And which songs?
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When Naomi performed at PoD in 2004 (at which she made quite an impression) she sang The Magic Wasn't There, The Trophies of my Lovers Gone and A Hill of Little Shoes. Since then she has added to her repertoire An Empty Table (with gender-specific line specially customised by Clive).
As for where (and when), Naomi regularly announces her performances on this forum. So stay tuned!
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=21#21 |
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Jim Grozier
MV Feature
The leading young poetic hope of the whole planet
Posts: 37
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #22: 22.11.06 at 08:41 » |
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on 21.11.06 at 23:56, Richard Bleksley wrote:
When Naomi performed at PoD in 2004 |
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PoD? Methinks you speak in riddles!
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=22#22 |
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Kevin Cryan
MV Fellow
I love Midnight Voices!
Posts: 1144
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #23: 22.11.06 at 09:13 » |
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Richard is referring a concert he organised at The Woodstock in Sutton, Surrey, which, for historic reasons, is affectionately referred to as the Pub of Dreams (or PoD) concert.
Kevin Cryan
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=23#23 |
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Jim Grozier
MV Feature
The leading young poetic hope of the whole planet
Posts: 37
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #24: 22.11.06 at 13:35 » |
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on 22.11.06 at 09:13, Kevin Cryan wrote:Richard is referring a concert he organised at The Woodstock in Sutton, Surrey, which, for historic reasons, is affectionately referred to as the Pub of Dreams (or PoD) concert.
Kevin Cryan
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Historic, or historical? 
Anyway, many thanks for the link and the fascinating history lesson. But it just leads to more questions, I'm afraid:
(1) Will there be another PoD? Or a something-else-oD? If the Barn in Southwick - Attila's former home - were still available (sadly I think not), it could be BoD!
(2) I'd always thought the legendary Eastbourne gig that Steve went to might have been the same one I went to (having abandoned my broken-down car, fallen down some steps and paid a huge taxi fare, girlfriend, 2 daughters and French exchange student in tow - there's dedication for you!) but if that was 1996 I think mine must have been a year or two earlier.
(3) Is Keith Busby really Pete Atkin's brother?
Jim.
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=24#24 |
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Kevin Cryan
MV Fellow
I love Midnight Voices!
Posts: 1144
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #25: 22.11.06 at 21:03 » |
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Yes, Jim, I did mean, and at one point wrote, 'historical', but then I managed to unwittingly delete the all-important 'al' while I was inserting the link to the Pub of Dreams poster. Oh well, I must be more careful next time.
Kevin Cryan
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=25#25 |
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Keith Busby
MV Fixture
Posts: 169
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #26: 23.11.06 at 04:44 » |
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I'll ask me mum, Jim 
Keith
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=26#26 |
Commit THAT to Your Fragrant Memory!
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Richard Bleksley
MV Fixture
My time has come to find a better way
Posts: 164
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #27: 23.11.06 at 10:58 » |
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on 22.11.06 at 13:35, Jim Grozier wrote:
Will there be another PoD? Or a something-else-oD? If the Barn in Southwick - Attila's former home - were still available (sadly I think not), it could be BoD!
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That really depends on when (or even whether) someone raises the enthusiasm, the commitment and (speaking from experience) the sheer masochism to get something organised, Jim. We've already had ThoD (The Theatre of Dreams) this year, at Sheffield in September; but that was a smaller-scale thing, evening only with no supporting acts. Not that I'm knocking it - it was a wonderful evening, and, considering the amount of hard graft it takes to organise a day-long event with multiple acts, I think Steve and Carole were actually rather sensible to limit its scale. But it may have set a precedent....
I assume you mean Attila the Stockbroker rather than Attila the Hun? And I don't think I'd better go into the definition of "Southwick" in Douglas Adams' and John Lloyd's The Deeper Meaning of Liff - we're getting off-topic enough already.
But, to get back to the point, if you're keen to hear Naomi singing Atkin / James stuff, watch for her announcements on the "Off-topic" board, in the "Naomi plays two shows" thread.
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=27#27 |
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Jim Grozier
MV Feature
The leading young poetic hope of the whole planet
Posts: 37
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #28: 23.11.06 at 14:31 » |
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on 23.11.06 at 10:58, Richard Bleksley wrote:
We've already had ThoD (The Theatre of Dreams) this year, at Sheffield in September; |
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Yes, and I'm kicking myself now because I missed it, despite the fact that it's there in black and white in Pete's newsletter which I received last March. Presumably at the time I thought of Sheffield as "a faraway place of which we know nothing", although the same could not be said of East Grinstead, and I missed that one too. B***er!
Quote:| I assume you mean Attila the Stockbroker rather than Attila the Hun? And I don't think I'd better go into the definition of "Southwick" in Douglas Adams' and John Lloyd's The Deeper Meaning of Liff - we're getting off-topic enough already. |
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Yes. The Barn was a good place and hosted several weekend beer-poetry-music-and-more-beer festivals known as "Glastonwick" - Attila's equivalent of "oD" I suppose - but the good people of Southwick, who like to be tucked up in bed by 9pm, and never drink anything stronger than lemonade, didn't like it and they had to stop. Strangely enough I'd never actually looked the place up in The Deeper Meaning of Liff, but yes, I see what you mean, and I think there are probably quite a few of those living there.
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=28#28 |
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Jeremy Pymer
MV Friend
Impractical Man
Posts: 16
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #29: 31.01.07 at 19:42 » |
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Hi gang
Just following up on a previous post under this thread. "Hill of Little Shoes" got a play in full on BBC Radio Cambridge's Steve Riches Show this morning. I had tried to get it played the day before Holocaust Memorial Day which was on Saturday 27 January (the Saturday AM programmes being inappropriate for such a song). However, this did not work out, thankfully, as they had wanted to play only a bit of the song and interview me as well (!) which was hardly the point.
Steve linked it with the new book about Anne Frank and her family and friends, and the song spoke for itself, just as it should. Latterly, I didn't know precisely when they were going to play it, and so missed the intro, but I hope Steve played in the Cambridge-linked
info I gave him re PA and CJ.
The sound quality was fantastic, really rich and lustrous. I don't think they are able to broadcast straight from CDs, as all their music is digitally stored. Think they had to record it onto their system and then play it.
I'm hoping SR will play the rest of the CD privately, take to it, and ask for more.............
Jeremy
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=29#29 |
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naomi
MV Fixture
I love Midnight Voices!
Posts: 153
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #30: 31.01.07 at 20:46 » |
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Well done, Jeremy.
Naomi
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=30#30 |
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Colin Boag
MV Feature
Posts: 40
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #31: 02.02.07 at 11:11 » |
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Richard's excellent post got to the heart of what it was that originally attracted me to PA/CJ's songs, but it also got me thinking. You see, those are almost the same reasons why I love the songs of Michael Marra. Now, maybe this should be in OT rather than here, but I'm intrigued as to why my one-man campaign to enlighten the sassenachs about Michael has so comprehensively failed. I'm not promoting his cause again - if people don't like a particular artist that's fine by me - but I would love to get to the bottom of why I'm obviously wide of the mark in thinking that I spot the similarities that I do (the literary allusions are far fewer but that can't explain it all). 'Clever' lyrics, a voice that is inimitable and not in the least bit contrived, the tunes which are also unusual by rock and pop standards, and the final three paras of Richard's post could (IMO) have been written about MM (and my mother too has commented on what she perceives as my lack of normality - maybe all mothers do this! Maybe it's simply that MM's work is too Scottish and doesn't travel well - although pretty well every English person I've taken to see him has come away converted. Please help! (Steve, feel free to dump this in OT if you want to)
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=31#31 |
Colin
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David Morgan
MV Feature
Posts: 54
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #32: 03.02.07 at 19:02 » |
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OK Colin - I give in! Michael's been quite prolific on record - where would you recommend Atkin-loving beginners to start?
David M
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=32#32 |
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Colin Boag
MV Feature
Posts: 40
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Re: North Face of Soho - A Disproportionate Response
« Reply #33: 04.02.07 at 12:13 » |
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David,if you want to splash out and buy an album the obvious place to start is with his most recent one, 'Posted Sober', but if you just want to get a feel for his music then his website has some good stuff on it.
http://www.marra.me.uk/
Click on 'Tracks' and then go and make a cup of coffee as it takes ages to load. Once in there you can listen to various live performances...I'd try 'Frida Kahlo's visit to the Tay Bridge Bar', 'General Grant's visit to Dundee', 'Angela Gunn', 'The lonesone death of Francis Clarke', 'King Kong's visit to Glasgow', or the one that he says got him a death threat, 'Mincin wi' Chairlhi'. Sadly, you can't listen to Posted Sober online as Marra month has just finished - the site's equivalent of Steve makes a lot of stuff available from Christmas through to Burns' Night.
I hope that you like his music.
Colin
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https://peteatkin.com/forum?board=Words&action=display&num=1163113008&start=33#33 |
Colin
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