An artist who came up with a piece titled “The Sexual Loneliness Of Jesus Christ” must be affectionately remembered by rock connoisseurs – only many of those haven’t heard of a Scottish troubadour Jackie Leven, occasionally also known as Sir Vincent Lone. He found fame as a folk-steeped singer-songwriter in the late ’60s only to reinvent himself as a peddler of psychedelia-tinctured new wave as a frontman of DOLL BY DOLL in the early ’80s. Some time down the line, the remnants of that ensemble teamed up with Glen Matlock to form CONCRETE BULLETPROOF INVISIBLE but didn’t take it further than the “Big Tears” single before the vocalist resumed his solo career which included the “Jackie Leven Said” album with a famous writer Ian Rankin and records with THE STORNOWAY GIRLS, SMALL WORLD ORCHESTRA, SAINT JUDAS and THE CELTIC SOULMEN, a couple of these collectives with multi-instrumentalist Michael Cosgrave.
It was with the latter that the veteran visited Bremen in 2004 to play a concert for local radio – just as he had done on his own five years earlier, and now both Jackie Leven shows are out on four CDs called “Live Or Die” and turning out to be his rare on-stage recordings. And hearing them should be a great chance to remember the great Scot who passed in 2011. Read the review.
Live Or Die:
Live In Bremen, 1999 & 2004
CD 1 – Live at Club Moments, Bremen, May 27th, 1999 – part 1:
1. Intro
2. Stranger On The Square
3. ad lib: Jackie talking about football (soccer)
4. Call Mother A Lonely Field
5. ad lib: Jackie talking about Andy White (Irish singer)
6. Looking For Love
7. The Crazy Song
8. Jim O’Windygates
9. I Saw My Love Walk Into Clouds
CD 2 – Live at Club Moments, Bremen, May 27th, 1999 – part 2:
1. Marble City Bar
2. Universal Blue – Poortoun
3. ad lib: Jackie talking about city life
4. Single Father
5. ad lib: Jackie talking about his son Simon
6. Men In Prison
7. ad lib: Jackie talking about St. Kitts & Nevis
8. Gylen-Gylen
CD 3 – Live at Sendesaal, Bremen, March 29th, 2004 – part 1:
1. Single Father
2. ad lib: Butterfly
3. My Philosophy
4. Fly
5. ad lib: Alvis Green
6. Alvis Green
7. ad lib: Glen Matlock is drinking…
8. Empty In Soho Square
9. A Little Voice In Space
10. Classic Northern Diversions
CD 4 – Live at Sendesaal, Bremen, March 29th, 2004 – part 2:
1. ad lib: Little Brown Box
2. Little Brown Box
3. Poortoun
4. ad lib: Certain German places
5. Exit Wound
6. Call Mother A Lonely Field
7. Tied-Up House
8. Live Or Die
