He’s come a long way from KALEIDOSCOPE and FAIRFIELD PARLOUR to see the likes of AYREON welcome him as an elder statesman, yet that doesn’t mean Peter Daltrey‘s oeuvre became patinated, and though last year’s "The Leopard And The Lamb" shone a light in the gloom of our times, its follow-up “The Rhymer In The Long-Tongued Room” that will be released on November 8th on vinyl and CD, and as a download, will surely be brighter if this platter’s title is anything to go by.
Not only the forthcoming record is psychedelic in a colorful way, “The Rhymer” is also a family affair, as the veteran’s guitarist here is his scion Oli whose presence warms Daltrey Sr’s songs even more. How did it come about? That’s what Peter has to say.
“The title for the new album, ‘The Rhymer In The Long-Tongued Room,’ comes from a wonderful poem called Birthday’ – written by the much-loved and misunderstood Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. When I read the poem recently, the line just jumped out me. It literally took my breath away. I am a rhymer… and I am not a party person in any way, but I saw myself standing in a corner holding a drink at a boring cocktail party! I will let you into a secret: songwriting is not that difficult if you have a mind that can picture stories or scenes or relationships… and can find the right rhymes. Try it. String some couplets together with some less obvious rhymes and then start singing them with a sudden tune. You’ve written a song!
“Okay, I admit it is not quite as easy as it sounds and there is an element of mystery and wonder in the process as songs do come to you from out of thin air. A beautiful moment. I never stop writing and already have a new album of my own ready after this one – and a second album collaboration with Mark Mortimer’s THE KNOW ESCAPE in the can. For ‘Rhymer’ I have collected together a group of songs that I feel fit together very well. There is a consistent mood to this album. I love putting together a new album, working on the tracklisting to create a path through the songs for the listener.
“Back in the day most artists paid very close attention to the running order of an album. The first and last tracks are particularly important. On ‘Rhymer’ we start with ‘Geranium Rain’ and finish with ‘Magda Bruer In The Rain’; between those I have put together a group of songs that are of a more acoustic mood this time. I love the loud, brash rock pop songs, of course. I’m still trying to write the perfect pop song… but with this album I have concentrated on the less obvious, more introspective songs with some humor thrown in to lift the mood. I’m hoping people enjoy this approach. It has been a very rewarding album for me to make as I am still amazed that I am able to write and sing at this great age, and that there are people out there – particularly fans of KALEIDOSCOPE and FAIRFIELD PARLOUR – who want to listen to this, my twenty-third solo album. It’s been quite a ride getting to this point in my life!”
The Rhymer In The Long-Tongued Room
1. Geranium Rain
2. Give Me Your Tune
3. Angelina
4. Mr. Nice
5. The Bird-Hearted Man
6. Nothing Ever Seems To Rhyme
7. Bethlehem
8. Green Tea
9. The Moon Fell
10. These Chelsea Butterflies
11. Magda Bruer In The Rain
