Just when one would think THE KORGIS’ "UN-United Nations" might be this year’s best double-barrel offering – the album came in “Blue” and “Red” halves to turn the world affairs on their head with a generous smattering of infectious songs – it has unexpectedly became a trilogy of sorts. Since that record – or those records, if you like – featured a few writers, each of them was bound to end up with some extra material, but looks like Al Steele beat his colleagues to it and finished a whopping eighteen pieces to create, in the company of friends, including another Korgi, James Warren, a separate chapter of the concept – out now.
Titled “ALienated Nations” and comprised of cuts which didn’t make it to the band’s platters – although some of what had been planned for Steele’s solo release landed there, – Al’s album can be divided in two parts, one consisting of deceptively unrelated tracks and the other forming the “Putin and Trump” musical. As for the friends, who aided and abetted him in realizing this endeavor, their list contains another prominent player, Andy Fairweather Low. How did the legendary artist join the cast?
“I play keys for a local rock band in Cardiff called ROOSEVELT, and this is where my connection started with Andy Fairweather Low,” explains Mr. Steele, “as the drummer’s daughter started dating Andy’s son, so Andy suggested we put a little acoustic band together to play the wedding. The gig was a great success, and Andy and I hit it off musically. He then came to my studio, Shabbey Road in Caerphilly, to record a few bits for ROOSEVELT: his guitar playing was off the scale, and he also put some harmony vocals down. I said that I would love him to play on something of mine, but he said, ‘I would love to work with Wolfman!’ Now, Wolfman is an alter ego of mine who does very noisy music! But as time went on and my album got closer, my track ‘Neverland’ seemed like it would suit Wolfman and Andy Fairweather Low. I expected him to say, ‘Sorry I don’t have the time,’ but instead he said ‘Yeah! Tell me when!’. He is a very modest man, and when he arrived he said, ‘You should keep your lead playing as it sounds great, and I’ll just do some rhythm.’ We did that, but then I persuaded him to do some lead parts, and I am so glad I did. It sounded like his guitar had just been rescued from a swamp and was down and dirty in that real authentic blues way. A friend of mine asked me ‘Did he wear his suit?’ – but the thing that is not so known about Andy is that he loves nothing more than to get into his shorts and flip-flops, so that is what he wore to the session, and in fact as soon as he could, that is what he wore at his son’s wedding! It was great fun and I hope we do it again sometime.”
ALienated Nations
1. Thinking Of You
2. Neverland
3. In These Troubled Times
4. Good Texas Leather
5. The Storm Before The Calm
6. I Change
7. Long Way Down
8. Summer Thing
9. The Perfect Song
10. Moonshine
11. The Last Song
12. Cold War Overture
13. Way Past Midnight In Moscow
14. Good Old Days Of The Cold War
15. Get To The Frontier
16. Alienated Nations
17. Keep The Blues Skies Above You
18. Cold War Finale
