To conclude this Folky month I've criss-crossed the whole country, been to Australia and back again, reliving memories and stories of past times while discovering connections I didn't know before.

As a consequence I was undecided on this week's track. That is until earlier this week when something weird occurred to make my mind up. 

Receiving a text from my fellow Hayloft Folk Club compadre Steve which contained a link from his friend Malcolm to a video of the Arizona Smoke Revue. Now this band's name had featured in all our publicity material about Paul Downes (who played an excellent first show at The Cove in Fairlight last Sunday, by the way). Not really knowing the band (I thought) I was interested to listen to the link. 

Turned out the video was of a performance in August 1983 at the Goodwood Racecourse Folk Jamboree. On reading this I realised: "I was there" ! 

This festival had featured a lot of artists and clearly lost in the sands of time were the Arizona Smoke Revue. This English folk / American bluegrass group formed in 1980 by Bill Zorn from Connecticut USA, along with Phil Beer and Paul Downes from Devon, England and joining them a year later Bill's brother Pete Zorn. 

I went on to discovered another video that saw Jim Couza on hammered dulcimer join them on stage for a rendition of 'Mohammed's Radio', a song written by Warren Zevon, from his debut LP (an album I have in my collection). Quite a number of unexpected connections. 

Anyway here's the track with each band member taking turns on vocals (Paul, Phil, Pete & Bill in order) with some tasty guitar playing from a very young looking Phil Beer.

Stepping back in time... don't it make you wanna rock 'n' roll 

   

Also a post of two parts: 

Firstly the artists Robin Hall and Jimmie Macgregor, well known in the 60s from their appearances on the BBC 'Tonight' programme and the 'White Heather Club', played at the Hayloft Folk Club in 1974 - which we are celebrating this weekend in Fairlight.  

And secondly as a follow on from yesterday's Football post a song that was frequently requested on the radio during the early 60s and whenever it came on my parents would say to me they're playing 'your song' again !

The Scottish footballer in the video is Jimmy Johnstone.

GLOSSARY:

I thought I might provide one but there seems to be some confusion as various lyrics are presented online ! So I've given up. Especially once I saw a reference to this song as "Fitba Crazy". 

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This is a blog of two halves !
If you saw the football on the BBC last weekend you won't be surprised to learn that today marks 60 years since the very first 'Match of the Day'.
The opening game of the 1964-65 season involving Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday 22 August, was shown as the first highlights show introduced by Kenneth Wolstenholme. All eleven First Division matches kicked-off at 3pm that day.

Coincidentally the same Saturday in 1964 saw the first semi-professional game for Wimbledon Football Club. The Mighty Dons playing out a 0-0 draw with Poole Town, kick-off 3 o'clock at Plough Lane.
Found a really excellent History Site: click here you Dons.
+ Here's the centre spread of the day's programme with the Team Sheet. Note: the advert bottom right for Mr. Hales Sport Shop in Kingston Road. In the other corner something called Watney's Red Barrel.

So "Home for Tea and Match of the Day, which was on TV at 6:30." Or, more accurately it would have been if we had BBC2 - which we didn't ! (To view the new BBC2 channel's 625 lines picture required a new television and aerial - my home had neither.)
A lot of us had to wait two years for 'MOTD' to move to BBC1 in the August of 1966.
Who remembers the original theme - ‘Drum Majorette’ by Major Leslie Stratham a former Welsh Guard. Take it away Major >

The famous 'MOTD' theme, we all know, didn't appear until August 1970. A year after 'Slow-motion' replays were introduced.

Interestingly the next weekend's fixtures on 29th August was my first ever match at Stamford Bridge. 

See tomorrow's Music Spot for more Football Folk >>>

  

Lately we have been watching the BBC series ' Detectorists'. If you haven't seen this excellent series, all 20 episodes are available on the iPlayer. 

It first aired in 2014 with Lance (Toby Jones) and writer Andy (MacKenzie Crook) and a whole host of characters, acquainting us with the Danebury Metal Detecting Club (DMD).
Gentle English humour and countryside photography, it's comedy gold in every sense.
And the music is great too. The score and the main theme are by South African born Johnny Flynn, actor and musician. He actually appeared in Ep3 Series 1 as part of a pub night called 'Folk it up' - this is the theme tune 'I'm Waiting For You' - and a compilation of outtakes 

Johnny Flynn performed his composition ‘Song With No Name’ at the recent D-Day Anniversary.  

  

This month the music is going to have a definite Folk flavour to it. This is because, as previously posted, we have a couple of special shows lined up in Fairlight. (Scroll down the page to see our promotional poster). 

And this weekend is the Fairport's Cropredy Convention. 

A few weeks back while listen to Radio Caroline (yes they're still going) a songwriter was featured and among the tracks they played was his composition 'Home is Where the Heart Is'. Now I'd heard this before because in the mid 90's Fairport Convention recorded this song written by Clive Gregson. I suspect you may not know him but he was in an 80's indie band called Any Trouble - which is an interesting story... (Fyi: click here)

I have today's Star Track from Any Trouble and then links to some excellent earlier videos.

Played by Radio Caroline and from a 2015 Cherry Records release entitled 'Present Tense' is the track 'Rocking Horse' - it's about a car, a pop top Ford Transit, to be precise. Those of you who know me well will not be surprised I was taken with this track, reminding me of my own VW pop-up days. A vehicle, I might add, that made a few appearances at Cropredy in its time >  

Like this? You'll love ‘Not Like Other Girls’ - [a bit Traveling Wilburys] from the same album and check out 'I Love the Way' - great guitar - ALL happy singalong music !

As the writer of ‘Home is Where the Heart Is’ Clive Gregson performs it here on the 'Old Grey Whistle Test' in 1985 [introduced and praised by David Hepworth] > link 

Two songs 'Home' & 'Open Fire' - with Christine Collister and the great Richard Thompson on guitar

Finally from the early 80's here's an Any Trouble single called 'Second Choice' > link 2  [sounding a bit like Elvis Costello]   

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This is the poster we have produced to publise the folk events in our local pub happening later this month. It provides the details that were listed in the two posts last month called 'Folk Returns to Fairlight' and contained music videos of Paul Downes and Martyn Wyndham-Read. 

The QR code bottom right should work on your smart phone, if you are on Facebook.