![]() ![]() Of course, he was plain Jim McGuinn before he was Roger, his adopted name coming out of a flirtation with Subud spiritualism. Now you know where I’m coming from I’ll carry on, and while – admittedly – I haven’t studied Roger’s solo output greatly, he remains something of a musical hero.Īnd I’m pleased to say he’s still hard at it all these years on, not least through his work with the Folk Den project these past 20 years, recording a different folk song each month. I soon shelled out for the 1985 CBS vinyl reissue of their 1967 11-track Greatest Hits, comprising some of the bigger numbers from those first four albums, and was hooked.Ī 20-track Columbia CD compilation followed that into my collection in the early ’90s, culled from a new boxed set.Īnd in more recent times came the shabbily-packaged original album classics five-CD box featured material up to the country-tinged The Notorious Byrd Brothers.įrom that you’ll gather I’m no completist, but this is still a band that mean a lot to me, from those glorious harmonies to the Rickenbacker sound that triumphantly announced the arrival of folk-rock.Īnd although I value Bob Dylan as a songwriter and have a great love for the albums he made when he went electric – notably 1965/66 offerings Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde – The Byrds’ covers spoke more to me. So frightfully camp, it made you laugh, t omorrow I’ll buy myself a dress (how ludicrous)” “I wore my fringe like Roger McGuinn’s, I was hoping to impress. ![]() The inspiration behind the band was even-name-checked in Orange Juice’s Consolation Prize, Edwyn Collins’ glorious take on unrequited love informing us: I already liked radio staple Mr Tambourine Man, but there were many more great songs I was soon switched on to. The Long Ryders were part of the stateside variation on the theme – on the so-called Paisley Underground scene – that caught my imagination, and pretty soon Sid Griffin’s band led me to investigate further the work of McGuinn’s outfit. There were a host of influences offered up, and alongside those frequent Velvet Underground mentions there was also a nod to The Byrds. ![]() Some stood the test of time, others soon foundered, but it was a healthy scene all the same. My arrival on the London gig circuit properly came in the mid-’80s, amid a plethora (or a plectra, maybe?) of ‘jingle-jangle’ indie bands. I feel those of us who spent our teenage years watching guitar bands owe something of a debt to Roger McGuinn. Guitar Hero: Roger McGuinn is all set for his latest UK tour ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |