It’s not a misspelling. I wasn’t thinking of that mountain range. It’s just there’s a few of them in my thoughts today. My good pal Andy is taking us all running tonight if we can get it together and the rain doesn’t wash us away. As I write I expect the imminent arrival of my old pal (another) Andy from London. We shared a flat in an interesting time in the city of Dundee many years ago and I expect we’ll recall some of these days over lunch.
It will be great to see both these old chums though I am holding out for another Andy who I’m meeting on Friday night. I’m only aware of being in the same room as him twice before but I have admired at a distance and said ‘hello’ very briefly once. Andy Fairweather-Low joins us in Studio 1 on the AC this Friday with his Low Riders to share songs from his fab new album which, it seems, is only his third album in a very long career. However Andy has done many marvellous things in that long career and you’ll probably have a few of his recordings somewhere in your collection. He’s performed on records by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Rogers Daltrey and Waters…and frankly I’m only taking the most famous names here, there’s loads more. He first appeared in my life as the lead singer on the sublime Bend Me Shape Me through to songs like I’m A Natural Sinner by the Amen Corner, reinvented himself as a solo artist in the seventies with a massive hit single ‘Wide Eyed and Legless’ then again in the 90’s became the side-man of side-men to the great Eric Clapton. All the time however he is a singer and songwriter in his own right and that is why we will be welcoming him on Friday. An English National treasure on loan to the people of Scotland – how great is that?
As promised too last week we will bring you The Everley Brothers as covered by these two…. I know.
The one on the left is Billy Joe Armstrong and his partner is Norah Jones.We were surprised as any of you. But it’s pretty great and we’ll play it on Friday.
As well as all of that I have some great new recordings to play you by Mazzy Star, Brian Wright, Deer Tick and Yvonne Lyon.
I’m also visibly (believe me) excited about the prospect of sharing the new Alan Jackson Bluegrass album with you as I haven’t managed to get my own copy yet. So we’ll all love it together, I hope.
I’ll share some of the reasons we love country music and we will again remind you just exactly what it is we get up to on Another Country.
On Sunday……….
I’ll be talking to this man. You may already be familiar with him as he featured in the interesting documentary on BBC 1 on Monday evening called When Tommy Met Mo.
Maajid Nawaz has one of the most fascinating back stories of anyone I’ve ever met. if you think that people don’t change then think again. He is someone who has thought long and hard about his life’s direction and is living out his beliefs in a very challenging time. His journey has taken him from being an ‘Islamist Extremism’ to discovering a democratic awakening. He will share his story in the first hour of the show.
We’ll hear James MacMillan on how he’s going to get Roman Catholic congregations singing a little differently. And we’ll also call in the help of some seasoned theatre goers to tell us what they make of the Dominic Hill’s stage version of ‘Crime and Punishment’ currently running at the Lyceum in Edinburgh. If you know the book you will know that there are some fairly extensive themes of justice, remorse and salvation in the story. How does that play to the 21st century Scottish audience?
Oh, and a very silly History of Christianity. Honestly.
Music from Prefab Sprout, Doris Day, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Laura Mvula and Ella Fitzgerald. How can you resist? It starts at five past seven on Sunday Morning. Join me if you can.
I should apologise to the people of Wales. I mistakenly ascribed Englishness to Andy Fairweather Low. He is, of course, from The Valleys of Wales and has lived in Cardiff nearly all his life.
I seem to be perpetually on catch-up with The AC of late, but this was another show of veritable riches, including the joy of hearing Alan Jackson’s adventures in bluegrass, and the exquisite musicianship of Andy Fairweather Low and his Low Riders.
I’m very much enjoying the new Mazzy Star album—it was the soundtrack to a memorable night-time drive on the weekend, with the fireworks that flared silently around us as it played seemingly there merely to further enhance our listening experience—and it’s fair to say it was extremely well-received by a fervent fan of their previous work, too. “Album of the Year” was the vibe.