Showing posts with label song writer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label song writer. Show all posts

Wednesday, 30 November 2022

My Chats and Tributes to Scots Legend Rab Noakes

Rab Noakes Oran Mor

A Present with no Past has No Idea, Quote Rab Noakes Branch song. Good Roots

So sad to hear the news of our loss of singer songwriter Rab Noakes - what a true gent and legend of Scottish music. Rest in peace. I've had the privilege of taking Rab's photos at several concerts over many years since 2010. 

I’ve had several chats with him over the past decade, both in person and online. I have such fond memories in my twenties we used to sing his early songs. More recently my son played an excellent version of his classic Gently Does It and Moonlight and Gold.

Rab was always a smartly dressed folk singer songwriter, and one of the top guitarist. He drew influences from the 60s radio growing up in Fife, much as his musical hero Bob Dylan did too. While he drew on many influences. The story of the song mattered to Rab, so his chat between songs laid the musical scene and atmosphere.

In the 60s and 70s, Rab played with greats such as Gerry Rafferty and Lindisfarne. When I hung out in the folk scene then, i remember well the harmony singing of Noakes songs, such as Branch, Clear Day, Together Forever. Back in 2007 I saw Noakes still going strong at an Oran Mor gig. He often includes a fifties classic, this time a song my husband remembered his mother singing. He is also a dedicated Dylan follower – check out his excellent version of Dylan’s Mississippi. 


Martha Rafferty & Rab Noakes

Noakes says music is all about the dialogue and more about performing than simply the song. Those residency night gigs were artists can learn their craft in front of the live audience and the live performance when 'flying' in the heart of the music toughens you up and you have to learn loads of songs. He played in Denmark six nights a week.
 Noakes ran his own production company Neon. 

Rab led several tribute concerts at Glasgow’s major music festival. Celtic Connections, for Gerry Rafferty and Michael Marra. I expect we will have a concert for Rab – it’s the passing of a whole generation of the folk scene – and we look forward to the passing of the baton to the younger generations. 

He will be sadly missed, his music lives on and in my memories of my son playing his classic "Gently Does it" and Rafferty's "Moonlight and Gold".


Rab at Milngavie folk club

He has been at the forefront of Scottish folk music for over 50 years, and has recorded over 19 studio albums. He often performed at the Glasgow music festival Celtic Connections. In 1970 Noakes released his first solo recording Do You See The Lights, a blend of easy going country rock, with a line-up that included Robin McKidd, electric guitar and jazz bassist Ronnie Rae, and included songs Too Old To Die, Together Forever and Somebody Counts On Me. In 1971 Noakes was a founding member of the folk rock band Stealers Wheel, along with Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan, He played on the first album by Gerry Rafferty’s Can I Have My Money Back, notably Mary SkeffingtonHe also played with the band Stealers Wheel. 

Noakes songs have been covered by Lindisfarne (Together Forever) and Barbara Dickson.

I will post some extracts on his songwriting from my nine RAB NOAKES reviews. 

Rab at a house party

**RAB gig reviews on my blog

2010 -  Oran Mor

2012 -  Concert for Gerry Rafferty

2012 – Milngavie folk club

2013 -  Concert for Michael Marra

2014 -  tour Barbara Dickson

2016 - MFC

2017 – Celtic, Old Fruitmarket

2022 - MFC

Rab with Alice Marra Celtic Connections

Eddi Reader, Rab Noakes, Dougie MacLean

Rab & Kathleen McInnes

Rab & Barbara Dickson
Rab & Jill Jackson

CHATS with RAB 

A gentle, questioning soul – with a generosity of spirit. 

I sat beside him at a couple of times at Celtic press release mornings. I told him of my sons guitar playing but that he lacked confidence, Rab said in his young days, performers laid the ground work playing the folk clubs for years – but today people seem to often expect quick, instant results. I told him my son enjoyed playing some of the folk tunes, particularly Gently Does It – I had taken my son to our local folk club to see Gaughan, Noakes, Dylan at Braehead Arena. My son also enjoyed rock and pop and learned electric guitar and bass from the rock band the Red Hot Chillis!

 CHATS with Rab at Celtic

I sat beside Rab at the Celtic Press launch on Tuesday. He seemed to know me - maybe from his Oran Mor gig, my review and photos for him and his chatting to me on facebook. Cool and what an interesting guy. 

He’s a massive Dylan fan too!  I asked him if he mentored younger artists – he said no he wasn’t going to simply give his secrets away! He said that too many young people expected things on a plate, and that they were spoon-fed everything. He had to put in years of graft to learn his craft and he thought that was the way things should be done.  He mentioned all these music schools now where they are simply ‘given’ everything rather than finding out for themselves. 

 

I agree. I worry so many young artists in the folk scene for instance have less depth of character in their voice. He said he enjoyed the thread on FB chat with me - interesting thread he said! I told him how interesting the book festival is, and that many authors are also painters and musicians too. I spoke of the Dylan ‘Forever Young’ photos, probably my favourite of an artist.  He remarked that Dylan had so much character he must be good for photos. And I told him of the Chinese writer who when he paints only listens to music for weeks and tries not to think in words at all.   

 

*On Facebook I posted – “The best music is timeless’

Rab replied, ‘No, the best music is very much of its time, and that a present with no past has no future.’ 





Noakes was born in St Andrews Fife in 1947 and grew up in CuparHe drew influences from the 60s Radio growing up in Fife, much as his musical hero Bob Dylan did too. While he drew on many musical influences. In 1963 Noakes moved to London and worked for the Civil Service, and he played folk clubs at night. He returned to Scotland in 1967 and began a duo with Robin McKidd and they played their first gig at the Glasgow Folk centre. In 1769 he played a months residency in Denmark. Noakes was a founding member of the folk rock band Stealers Wheel, along with Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan. 

In 1970 Noakes released his first solo recording Do You See The Lights, a blend of easy going country rock, with a line-up that included Robin McKidd, electric guitar and jazz bassist Ronnie Rae, and included songs Too Old To Die, Together Forever and Somebody Counts On Me.

He played on the first album by Gerry Rafferty’s Can I Have My Money Back in 1971, notably Mary SkeffingtonHe also played with the band Stealers Wheel. He performed with Lindisfarne in 1972, on songs Turn a Deaf Ear, Nicely out of Tune, Together Forever, and Fog on the Tyne. He recorded with Lindisfarne for a John Peel concert and in 1995 produced a Radio 2 programme The Story of Lindisfarne. 

One of Noakes's best-known recordings, "Branch", from the Red Pump Special album, was released as a single in 1974 (recorded in Nashville Tennessee and produced by Elliot Mazer) and received Radio One airplay.  He played on a Woody Guthrie tribute album 1987, and toured with the Veraflames – along with Pick Withers, Rod Clements and Fraser Speirs.


Rab & Gerry Rafferty

Rab & Stealers Wheel



 

Thursday, 23 March 2017

Emeli Sande Usher Hall Edinburgh


What a buzz from Emeli Sande’s Usher hall gig and it was wonderful to see and hear her on the Big Stage!
This was my 9th
Emeli Sande gig! (2007 – 2017)
I saw her perform in Glasgow Oran Mor (2007, 2011, 2016), King Tuts (2011), Old Fruitmarket (2012), Clyde Auditorium (2012), Olympic Torch Relay Glasgow July (2012), Royal Albert hall (Nov 2012)

My daughter was at Medical school in Glasgow with Emeli and she suggested that I should come hear her sing at the Oran Mor in December 2007. A year previously I had started seriously shooting music and events – Mugdock music festival, sports events, theatre, Edinburgh festival. 

I took photos at the concert that were used for Emeli’s promotional flyers and in print press after contacts from her manager over the next 4 years (2007 – 2011). Then in 2011 she debuted the songs for her upcoming number one selling album 'Our Version of Events'. In 2012 Emeli performed at the Opening ceremony Olympic Games London.  

My highlight was definitely shooting at her Royal Albert hall gig November 2012! What a thrill. You enter the hall via spiralling steps that take you right in front of the stage with the audience behind. There was a black and white photo of Frank Sinatra with the audience behind him on the wall. Inspired.

The Concert
Emeli performed songs from her new album, Long Live the Angels, along with her hit songs of 2012. She sang a breath taking, expressive Breathing Underwater, a soul-filled Give me Something to Believe In. After which she took the energy up with her rocking soul songs Babe (one of her favourites), hit single Hurts and the popular Wonder.

Her well-rehearsed band and backing singers did quality justice to the songs, while behind her she had an ever-changing back drop of clouds, candles, raindrops, cosmos and more.

Emeli covered all the bases from her Highs and Lows of bright yellow energies to poignant blues - with the intimate emotions of Clown at piano and Your Beautiful with only guitar backing.

The concert climaxed with her hit favourite songs Next To Me and Read all About It. She built us up with her songs of the wonder in us and helped us too to climb mountains. She exclaimed too, how much she appreciated fans being there.


Sande has a powerhouse soul voice with an engaging presence and hope-filled songs. She is also a sincere, open hearted and generous lady! In turbulent days she sings of the good in us. ‘Long Live the Angels certainly!

(PS There was problems with ticket touts at the concert hall door, with reportedly as many as 200 fans turning up with fake tickets and being badly disappointed. This problem needs to be seriously looked into! Tip – buy tickets early from the venue.)



SONGS: Selah, Breathing Underwater, Tenderly, Free, Give me Something,  Garden, Kung Fu,
Every Single Little Piece, Heaven, Hurts, Sweet Architect, Hurts, Happen, Beneath Your Beautiful, Clown, Shakes, Babe, Highs & Lows, little Bit Longer, Next To Me, Read All About It.



Tuesday, 14 February 2017

Rab Noakes at the Old Fruitmarket Celtic Connections




Rab looked smart in a black and grey stripped suit and with his good looking band, began his show with ‘Let The Show Begin’! This was an evening of song and stories.

Rab introduced his band - Innes Watson (fiddle), Una MacGlone  (double bass), Stuart Brown (drums), Una McImrpov, Christine Hanson (cello), Lisbee Roo IBanjo), and Jill Jackson (vocals), I was impressed as he had four woman musicians in his band along with two men! And they did an accomplished job too.

He sang his landmark songs – ‘Together Forever’ (which was covered by the band Lindisfarme back in 1969), ‘Edens Flow’, and ‘Clear Day’ (a call and response song). These song may not have made pop charts but they were hits with young folk singers. Rab performed on the BBCs Old Grey Whistle Test and record in Nashville.

He performed his quality song ‘Gently Does It’, when he expertly played the melody on guitar and spoke of being inspired by the acclaimed folk singer Alex Campbell and of what a great performer he was the way he built up his set.

He sang the ‘Twa Corbies’, along with the perfect-toned voice of Gaelic singer Kathleen Innes. And a new stand out song, which was 'a Scots song nod to Dylan and a Bob Dylan nod to Scots song' ‘Tramp and Immigrants’ – a mash up of Dylan’s ‘Pity the Poor Immigrant’ and Scots song ‘Tramps and Hawkers’.


***II  For a defiant start of his second set, Rab sang ‘That won’t stop me’ from his Treatment Tapes Cd. This 70/50 concert was a double celebration - Rab will be 70 this year and it was now 50 years of performing his songs.

He sang songs of travelling long gone folk and of things you taught me, with ‘Jackson Greyhound.’ He sang he maturity of experience, lessons learnt and hard fought for acceptance of being that bit older. He spoke of his travels in the deep American south – starting at New Orleans, and on up to Nashville, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana - with the civil rights on one hand/ music on the other. He said it was important to let the song tell the tale when he sang ‘A Voice Over my Shoulder’.

Rab took part in the project ‘Scotland Sings - Hands up for Trad’ when he had re-engaged with the Scots song tradition through working with Kathleen. He wrote his song about the treatment of asylum seekers being lined up for farm work with ‘The Handwash Feein Mairket.’

He thanked his wife Steph for her help during his cancer treatment and sang of love, with ‘Just One Look’ and ‘I Always Will’. He also spoke of writing songs with her – and sang ‘O Me O My (O Fly Away)’

Rab always enjoys looking back and treated us to special songs of the past and along with Kathleen he sang an emotional full stop song for his encore with the 1947 song ‘Tennessee Waltz’, which had the Fruitmarket audience on its feet and it was clear his emotion.

Noakes sings with an American twang he picked up listening to radio back in the days. At the time there were American ships in Glasgow and America was the dream place with music fans here in the thrall of the American blues and rock. Times they are a changing recently…

Noakes is unassuming, genuine, and a keen observer of life. It was clear he had put a great deal of consideration into the song choices for his concert. A memorable night.
**SONGS

Let the Show Begin, By the Day (One More Shave n’ Haircut), Together Forever, Gently Does it, The Twa Corbies, Tramps and Immigrants, Water is my friend, I’m Walkin Here, Clear day,
II  That won’t Stop me, Where Dead Voices Gather, A Voice over my Shoulder, Jackson Greyhound, Eden’s Flow, Handwash feein’ mairket, Just One Look, I Always Will, On me oh my (Fly way oh fly away), Out of Your Sight, Tennessee Waltz.