When I was a kid I was very into reading anything I could get hold of about America in the mid to late 19th century. I had this great map on my wall which was a kind of cartoon-ish map of 'The West' and things that happened in it from from the early 19th to early 20th century. It really used to get my imagination going. I grew tired of the garish 'Hollywood' westerns after I saw films like Little Big Man and The Long Riders. The dirty realism of these films appealed to me; there must have been a lot of horse shit and strange looking people around and you didn't see them in the 'clean' 50s and 60s movies (they have different qualities). I read a novel about the the Dalton gang, Desperadoes, who tried to rob two banks at the same time in the 1890s and got shot up doing it; it was written by someone called Ron Hansen and I was a very impressed 12 year old- here was something very authentic. Couple of years later I saw Hansen's next book The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford which I thought was absolutely brilliant; I still recommend to people to read. I haven't read his other stuff, I spoze through not seeing it around, but I thoroughly enjoyed his first two books. There's not a lot of action in it, more a evocation of atmosphere and people and that whole strange fame/death thing.
I came across the words to the famous song about Jesse James and decided to do it. I am PARTICULARLY proud of me playing Hawaiian Slide guitar on it as I'd only learned the tuning the day before! Click on pic to hear song:
for more on Mr James: http://www.crimelibrary.com/americana/jesse/
Jesse James in death, St Joseph, In life with bro' Frank. Carolinda, Illinois, 1872
Missouri, 3rd April 1882.
Drunk and Stoned Again....
I really like this selection, because it features some good playing by two fine musicians: Steve Dow, a whiz at lap steel and every sort of guitar style (now sadly decamped to a bucolic artist's life in Devon), and Stuart Headey who plays the loud and soft, and all its electrical permutations quite brilliantly. I wrote it in '98 and got to record it four years later; the whole thing took about 40 minutes. Dope-heads like it, by which I mean they smile nervously and knowingly...
Ladies and Gentlemen...click on pic to hear Hitler sing!
Since everyone likes a concept artist these days, I thought I'd get in on the act:
Hitler sings Honey Pie, from The White Album. The record, Hitler Sings the Beatles will be available soon. It will feature Helter Skelter, Give Peace a Chance, Back in the USSR, Piggies, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Drive My Car, Old Brown Shirt- sorry- Old Brown Shoe, Hey Jude, You Keep A-Knockin' But You Can't Come In, When I'm 64, Jailhouse Rock, Let It Be, Imagine, Bo Diddley, Sweet Little Rock and Roller, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Fat Bottomed Girls, Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, Come Fly With Me, I Love Paris in the Springtime, I am the Walrus and many many more...
click on pic to hear song
I'm quite fond of country music and so ah just got the geetar out and wrote this. I may put a Hawaiian Slide guitar on it as well. I quite like the lyrics too, as lyrics go... I would like Bloodshot Records in Chicago to put this on one of their compilations thus making me the second Englander on that label... voice/gitar: Nick
"If it Wasn't for the 'Ouses in Between" was written by George Bateman and Edgar LeBrun in the 1890s. I used to have a very distressed recording of the music hall star Gus Elen singing it in about 1903 but I've lost the tape and so we got hold of the sheet music and did ourselves a cover. It is the quintessential music hall song for me. I hope this is the first version of it recorded since Edwardian times...
Since 2002 we have being working on a Musical entitled Smoothy Peter Eccles. It is set many years ago in an obscure and antic public school known as 'Poppies' where the headmaster is a transvestite German agent and when a spitfire pilot is accidentally shot down he is offered a bottle of champagne for his trouble. Smoothy Peter Eccles is the Eminence Grise of the pupils and his outrageous behaviour and family is celebrated in the song. I suppose he's a cross between Guy Burgess and Ronald Firbank really...Smoothy himself sings the ditty- watch out for the moment when In A Persian Market is played simultumultuously with The Sailor's Hornpipe!!!. And I couldn't leave the 1812 overture out could I? We hope to produce Smoothy Peter Eccles in '04 are therefore proud to offer the title song, a rare old knees up. Click on Pic to listen. Lyrics below. I might add that if you do like this song tell yer mates because John Peel and others at the Beeb DON'T like it. They like formless, artless 19 minute Dutch techno tracks.
Voice: Nick
Keyboards and synths: Stuart
Drums: Vinegar Smears
picture taken from 'Gubbins Minor' by Fred Whishaw. Illustrator sadly unknown.
Smoothy Peter Eccles, he's always bright and gay
Three Button Waisters and pink cravat
He's mincing on his way
Gee and Tee for breakfast, caviar for lunch
Champagne in the Common Room
And two first form fags for lunch
-A future in the Foreign Office seems assured
But who knows what he'll do?
He may go to Morocco and disappear
And the F.O may say 'phew!'
Top hats, spats and a whiz bow-tie
He'll show you round the town
Ping your shag-joy, slap your ass
And lend you half a crown.
He'll give you tips for Ascot, what'll win the 2.15
But nobody knows what his father does
Nor where his shag-joy's been.
-Mummy crashed the roller in Berkeley Square
While she was completely squiffy,
And Daddy's dominatrix lives in St John's Wood
And he's in and out in a jiffy!
(chorus)
Smoothy Peter! Smoothy Peter!
Smoothy Peter, he's a brylcreem boy!!!
There's a soiret going on in the west wing
With 37 boys and a case of pink gin. ("I saw you!")
Just a game of willie ha-ha but it's only in jest
As we frolic around in Y Fronts and Vest
In walks Smoothy with a boy on his arm
He's very charismatic and exuding charm
His pleasure is taken in the tremble of a knee
It's weally just a case of thuck it and thee
He keeps the decanter circulating
It's only half past nine,
He'll meet you in the summer house
For a rooty tooty time.
Smoothy Peter Ecclesm with his brilliantined bum-hole
He's working his way through the Boy's Brigade
And he doesn't care who knows
-Older brother Bertie joined the Camel Corp
And caught a nasty rash
And fruity Uncle Hubert likes a sailor's bum
And he always pays in cash!
Chorus
all written and recorded material (c) Eccles Music 2002