In recent decades a sense of Graham Bonnet getting liberated from the legend he’s been cultivating for ages became quite tangible, and each new album the veteran and his band record makes it abundantly clear. And the ensemble’s forthcoming opus “Circuit Breaker” may represent the culmination of this process, with the presence of guest musicians emphasizing the singer’s readiness to embrace the reality of his 80th year on Earth.
Back in the early ’70s, when Iain Matthews had but a single “i” in his name and was still searching for his creative identity, with the shadows of FAIRPORT CONVENTION, SOUTHERN COMFORT and PLAINSONG lingering nearby, the singer recorded a few uneven albums, like 1972’s "Tigers Will Survive" and its immediate successor “Journeys From Gospel Oak,” which would see the light of day only in 1974, but that didn’t get in the way of his signing to Elektra. A logical move after the American label issued “In Search Of Amelia Earhart” – only Matthews’s spell there was rather brief and brought forth just a couple of platters, and now both 1973’s “Valley Hi” and “Some Days You Eat the Bear And Some Days the Bear Eats You” from the following year have become the backbone of Iain’s next box set.
The amazing David Surkamp died yesterday, aged 73; the voice of PAVLOV'S DOG, who shattered the universe with “Julia” and other classics, has dissolved in silence. A lot of people couldn’t stand his vocals; a multitude loved them. Almost everyone adored songs Surkamp wrote or co-penned, and it’s hard to believe David could compose the likes of “Theme From Subway Sue” so quickly and easily.
“It’s just the way my art is, the way I think. I don’t do very much stuff that’s premeditated,” he told this scribe ten years ago. “I can pick them like antenna: I guess there are songs out there and I just grab them out of space and time.”
One of the few major artists who can’t get their reissue campaign on proper track, Elton John‘s been lagging behind the actual dates for anniversary editions of his classic platters, and except for the “Madman Across The Water” box set, those expanded editions were largely disappointing. Even last year’s reappearance of “Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy” felt very much disappointing, as it contained less interesting material than the one which celebrated the album’s 30th year. Still, the fresh emergence of 1975’s “Rock Of The Westies” – scheduled for November 20th – should go even farther.
