You're safe and you're warm
Got a break from the storm
And it's visiting time in the past
And you've just reached the part
Where you're losing your heart
And your spirit is leaving you fast
And then the storm blows a scream
And it crashes your dream
Like a fist through a curtain of glass
And there's a giant of darkness
Surrounds you with fright
And the only way out
Is to stand up and fight
And so you shout, scream
Give me back my dream
I need one to get through the day
If it’s lost and if it’s gone
I won’t keep hanging on
And the storm can just blow me away
Blow me away
It’s a long way to dawn
And you got to get warm
'Cause you're shivering deeply inside
So you turn on the light
Try to burn up the night
But your spirit has run off to hide
There's nowhere to run
So you wait for the sun
Nowhere to run
You wait for the sun
You shout, scream
Give me back my dream
I need one to get through the day
If it’s lost and if it’s gone
I won’t keep hanging on
And the storm can just blow me away
Blow me away
So you shout, scream
Upper: Marble carved mask of an old man, Greek (date tbd), Roman-Germanic Museum, Cologne
Lower: Limestone carved face on corbel, British (15th century), Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Song --- Brainstorm -- Kevin Ayers *
* I’ve heard an excellent early version of this troubling song, quite close to the finished product in arrangement, that was recorded by the artist absolutely solo (voice; all instruments) using a jury-rigged old-fashioned telephone answering machine as a recording device. As Michael Gambon (playing King George V) said in The King’s Speech : “Easy when you know how.”
For Mike Kelley, Ollie Halsall and John Schumaker: RIP
Life is an unfairground. Something about the 3/4 time and the piano and the mood reminded me of a few of the songs from Jacques Brel is Alive and Well in Paris.
ReplyDeleteIt is. Should you ever be interested, The Unfairground album, from which this song is taken is still available for purchase through Amazon.com and gemm.com. It's a pretty remarkable "old age" achievement by a great artist. Kevin co-produced it with Peter Henderson, one of Paul McCartney's producing partners, and the production, arrangements, playing (real musicians playing a varied assortment of interesting instruments!), vocals and songwriting resulted in complete and total success. Kevin is an old friend of ours. We were big, big fans and then Caroline had the opportunity to work with him professionally for a spell. Currently, he lives in a small city in southwestern France and French (and more generally Mediterranean) feeling has always informed his work. He is a lovely person and an excellent cook. Jonny met him once, but found him stand-offish, which I thought was a little unfair. He's just kind of reserved until you get to know him. Curtis
ReplyDeleteIt is quite a troubling song. But I've felt that way many times. And I've seen family members rage as their lives were taken too early.
ReplyDeleteKevin sounds like a neat person. Interesting about his French connection. Certainly might explain my reaction to his music (a good one, I might add). Many people don't reveal themselves until they feel comfortable with "the other". Not unusual at all. Although I usually buy my music on iTunes these days (since it's immediately compatible with my iPod) these days, I'll check him out on Amazon and gemm.com. Thanks. Nell
ReplyDeleteGood morning. I don't know how familiar you are with Kevin's work; he never became more than a very significant "cult hero" here. If you don't know his albums, they comprise a brilliant collection of work, ranging from the first Soft Machine lp to The Unfairground. I'm one of those who believes the record he made with his early 1970s band, Kevin Ayers And The Whole World, called Shooting At The Moon, is unsurpassable. (It was also quite influential, i.e., no KA and The Whole World, no Roxy Music, although Roxy certainly made their own original contribution.) In the best possible way, Kevin is the depressive's friend. I would also recommend another late career highlight, Still Life With Guitar, which contains the finest version of Irene, Goodnight I know. Curtis
ReplyDeleteNell: He's a lovely, very interesting person, with a fascinating (I mean absolutely fascinating) career and personal/family background. It's fairly unusual to become friendly with label artists (and not always a good idea), but Kevin's a different sort of person, as well as being the most purely "artistic" person I've ever known. His talent is on a par with anyone's and he's been compared quite frequently with John Lennon, Ray Davies, etc., but although he became quite well-known and had a number of shots at mainstream success, it didn't quite happen for a number of reasons, including the fact that success on that level for the truly artistic is fairly rare. I mention owning cds, rather than MP3s, mainly for audio fidelity reasons. I could also burn and send you a sampling. Great early records include Shooting At The Moon, whatevershebringswesing, and Bananamour. But most of it's pretty sensational. Incidentally, it was Kevin who "discovered" the great Mike Oldfield at the age of 16 and they made some remarkable music together. Another important collaborator was the late English guitarist Ollie Halsall, who is a subject in and of himself. Curtis
ReplyDeleteHello Anita, It certainly is a troubling song, but I've always appreciated those who can convey their feelings through their original music. (I have no skill whatsover in that area). It's comforting (in a way) to know that one's own feelings are very much a part of the human condition.
ReplyDeleteCurtis: "in the best possible way, Kevin is the depressive's friend". I'm feeling okay today, but Kevin sounds like my kind of musician.
Nell
Curtis, It's amazing how "luck" and life circumstances can make such a difference as to who "makes it", and not only in the music world. Professional success, however, is not the only measure of greatness and/or success (goes without saying). I would greatly appreciate a sampling of his music, if you have time. I'll email my address. Thanks so much, Nell
ReplyDelete