Old Timers

Up, Up And Away

If you’re a music lover, and you probably are if you’re reading this, you’ll be familiar with the songs of Jimmy Webb. It was thirty years ago I first bought a Jimmy Webb album and even then I thought of myself as ‘late to the party.’ That album was Ten Easy Pieces which contained re workings of some of Jimmy’s most famous songs. That’s the thing; it’s almost impossible to say how early any of us dicovered Jimmy Webb because his songs had already embedded themselves into our collective conscience.

I remember playing an album of classic Jimmy songs in the house one night when friends were round. When it came to Up, Up and Away In My Beautiful Balloon my pal, a good 15 years my junior I have to add, almost guffawed. ‘What is this you’re playing?’

That’s the thing about Jimmy, only listen superficially and you’ll dismiss him as MOR, but that is to miss the point and the extraordinary talent. Last week Jimmy Webb celebrated his 80th Birthday and on this week’s Another Country we shall remind you of why his music has been such a central force in Country Music and the wider genre of Americana. We’ll play out some of the conversation I recorded with him on a visit a good few years back when he was touring with his own sons as well as with the son of his greatest interpreter, Glen Campbell. If you’re not familiar with Jimmy’s work then it’s Glen’s covers, Wichita Lineman, By The Time I Get To Phoenix and Galveston that may be the best place to start. Leave The Fifth Dimension’s Up, Up and Away for a another day!

Sir Nick

On Friday a wonderful thing happened. We finished watching a deeply flawed but highly praised movie, (isn’t that often the case these days?) and switched the TV back over to whatever was on. To our delight we found BBC Four celebrating Nick Lowe with a film of a live performance from St Luke’s Church in London. It’s a venue the BBC have used to film some significant artists and this was beautifully recorded and shot. It was, as ever with Nick, understated and economically arranged. There was no long exposition as Nick always lets the songs do the talking. It’s all on iplayer so I guess you may well find it if you’ve missed it and I recommend it as a great hour you’ll not regret. At the end of the concert Nick was left alone on the stage to perform The Beast in Me, the song he wrote for his father in law, Johnny Cash. The song and Nick’s own performance is such a potent thing. That Johnny Cash recognised how appropriate it was for his own repertoire speaks volumes. We’ll have a little Nick and Johnny moment in this week’s show too.

That Country Music Surge

Last time round I did ask if any of you had any theories about the recent surge in the popularity of Country Music. Thanks for your replies on this. We’re still seeing that surge in popularity and the success of Ella Langley on both sides of the Atlantic is proof that something significant is going on. We’ll celebrate some of that popularity on this week’s show as well as bringing you some great new things from Phoebe Bridgers, Bella White and Little Big Town. It’s all on BBC Sounds or BBC Radio Scotland FM from five past eight this coming Tuesday evening. Do join me if you can.