Rick Wakeman - Sheffield City Hall 8/5/14

If you're anything like me, there will be certain recordings that resonate with different periods and events in your life. One of my 'resonating' pieces is Rick Wakeman's 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth', which evokes for me lazy summers in my mid teens lounging about at my mate's house, beginning to discover the many and varied delights of music. This was one of the first albums that I listened to as a whole, and one of its great attractions was, and is, that it tells a story.

When news broke that Rick was going to perform the piece again, in its original intended form (rather than the truncated one that his record company, A&M, had insisted on back in 1974), I was delighted. When it transpired that one of the venues for the tour would be Sheffield, I rejoiced greatly with great joy!

And so, on Thursday 8th May 2014, 10 days short of Rick's 65th birthday, we gathered. The first part of the show was Rick on his own, in grey suit and t-shirt, telling (with his characteristic sardonic wit) stories from his early life in music and the circumstances that led to his conception of the project. We were treated too to renditions of songs from his early session playing, including Cat Stevens' 'Morning has Broken', sung by the English Chamber Choir, and Bowie's 'Life on Mars', performed by Haley Sanderson.

After a 20 minute break, the main event unfolded, as the stage filled up with not only the English Chamber Choir but also the Orion Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Guy Protheroe, and Rick's 'house band' - the English Rock Ensemble. And centre-stage, Rick's keyboard rig, and the man himself, this time resplendent in silver-sequined navy velvet cape. The music was tight throughout, and everyone involved seemed to exude an air of absolute pleasure in the performance. Orchestra and band slotted together seamlessly, with all three - Dave Colquhoun on guitar, Matt Pegg on bass, and Tony Fernandez on drums - giving masterful displays. Rick, of course, was annoyingly brilliant, with a fluency and dexterity that still puts many a younger player to shame.

Guy, Rick, Philip (behind), Hayley & Ashley

As I said earlier, this is a piece of music that tells a story, and the narration of that tale was in the hands of (in words) the actor Philip Franks, who gave the evening a certain gravitas with his mellow tones, and (in song) Rick's long-time collaborator and contributor to the original recording, Ashley Holt, and the afore-mentioned Hayley Sanderson, one of the regular singers on 'Strictly Come Dancing'. I must confess that I have always had one or two issues with Ashley Holt's voice: he has a great range and equally great power, but always seems to be straining to me, and this just grates a little. Haley's singing style is a little easier on the ear, but both of them brought their own contirbution to a great show.

For the encore we were treated to a kind of reprise of the work, with sections from the later follow-up piece, 'Return to the Centre of the Earth', which allowed some space for the musicians in both the orchestra and band to express themselves a little more freely. After just over 2 hours of music, the crowd left having enjoyed a musical treat. I hope that there will be more to come from this highly-talented and urbane musician.

Yes - Sheffield City Hall 7/5/14

For the second time in three years the stage of Sheffield City Hall was graced by one of the great bands of the Progressive era and the progressive genre - Yes. Last time they toured here they were showcasing their latest album, 'Fly From Here', and were fronted by Beniot David, but time and the line-up of the band has moved on.

Although they have just finished recording new material (due to be released next month), Yes are currently embarking on a series of concerts focusing on material from their heyday in the 1970s: their third album, 1970's 'The Yes Album'; their fifth, 1973's 'Close to the Edge'; and their 8th, 1977's 'Going For the One'. As examples of the progressive genre, these three recordings are somewhat seminal - Close to the Edge is considered by many to be the best record of the classic progressive era. But have they stood the test of time? And how will the current personnel in the band handle these songs? These and other questions were answered this evening.

For the first time in my gig-going life I knew beforehand what the band would be playing: what I didn't know was what the order would be. I had speculated with my son, James (who accompanied me to the gig) before we set off as to how they might structure the evening. We were both sure that the best way to present this material would be in strict chronological order, which would give a rousing opener in 'Yours Is No Disgrace' and a great climax with 'Awaken'. However, that was not to be.

The show opened in good, traditional Yes fashion, with the closing movement of Stravinsky's 'Firebird', with the house lights dimmed and the stage in almost darkness. The band entered as the crescendo built, to rapturous applause from the good, lively and knowledgeable crowd, and then we were presented with the sound of bird-song and running water as we eased gently into 'Close to the Edge' - the least rousing of the opening tracks available. I must confess that I was a little underwhelmed to begin with: there seemed to be just something missing, that I couldn't quite put my finger on at the time, but things soon picked up, and the level of skill, virtuosity and sheer enjoyment hardly wavered throughout the evening after that. Close to the Edge was followed by Going for the One, and after the interval, The Yes Album and the obligatory encore rendition of 'Roundabout'

Much has been said about Jon Davison since he stepped into Jon Anderson's shoes following the departure of Benoit David from the band, but I have to say (and this was echoed around the bar during the interval) that he handled the material and the vocal range almost perfectly. At times he was indistinguishable from Anderson - which was not something that could be said of David. The other member of the band not in the 'classic' line-up - Geoff Downes - was OK for me, nothing more. There were times when I struggled to pick out his keyboard lines in the mix, and also times - particularly in the opening bars of 'Awaken' - where he played just a little too fast for me. Having said that, Awaken was one of the stand-out tracks of the evening for me, along with a stunning version of Turn of the Century, which brought goose-bumps to me.

Chris Squire's triple-neck

For a band that have been playing together in some form or another for over 45 years, Yes continue to be a tight musical unit, and can still play these classic songs with power, panache and absolute joy. Alan White, as ever, provides the solid base for the music over which is laid the showmanship of Chris Squire and the virtuosity of Steve Howe, who at 67 shows no signs of flagging and who, through 2½ hours on stage, barely if ever played a note out of place.

This was a great night, and I hope to see many more.

Where else can we go?

One of the things I love about the BBC sitcom 'Rev' is the way it makes me think about my own ministry. Adam Smallbone and I have some very similar 'crises of faith' - I empathise quite strongly with him at times. I am reminded of the finale from Series 1, where he seriously questions his calling, only to rediscover it as he is called upon to minister to someone in need: Oh, how true that is!

The recent third season has just come to an end, and has been perhaps the most emotionally- and theologically-charged television I've watched in a long time. Adam's struggle with temptation and the imminent and inevitable closure of his church building are constant thorns in my side and probably in those of many of my fellow clergy. After 24 years of circuit ('parish') ministry there are times when, like Adam, I have considered packing it all in.

But where else can I go?

There are two aspects to this question (at least). The church and its ministry is my life. I have given myself to it in what we in the Methodist Church refer to as a 'covenant relationship' where, in return for my service and services, the Conference with which I am in Full Connexion undertakes to provide me and my dependants with a house and an allowance to free me from undue financial concern. As someone who came into ministry in my 20s, I have very little materially to 'fall back on' and to some extent can at times feel almost trapped in my calling. Like Adam: no church, no house; and (despite what I and others might believe at times) no marketable skills. Where else can I go?

But, like Adam, there is also that nagging, persistent ache inside me, that tells me (when tongues are bitten; when egos are bruised; when tempers are frayed to breaking point; when hearts are broken; when tears are shed) that this is who I am, that this is where I should be and what I should be doing. Again, with Adam Smallbone, I find myself echoing: "You won't let me go, apparently."

These things have been on my mind in recent weeks as I have been considering the future course of my ministry. My current appointment will come to an end in September 2015, and the Methodist system provides an ample lead time for making decisions about new appointments. I have toyed with other avenues in which to exercise ministry, but keep finding myself tugged back to this humblest and most challenging of callings: to be someone who simply loves and serves (with) God's people.

Where else can I go?

Mama - O2 Academy Sheffield 26 April 2014

A number of things happen when you reach a 'certain age'. One is that you become increasingly difficult to shop for for birthdays (there is a limit to how many socks you can own), and another is that the bands you like from your youth are ageing as rapidly as you are and are therefore not likely to be as active as they used to (unless they're the Rolling Stones). Yesterday was my 53rd birthday, and I faced both of these problems head-on as I had suggested to my wife that it might be nice to go and see Mama, an 'all era Genesis tribute band' - which may be the nearest I now get to seeing my favourite band from my teens.

The venue was intimate, shall we say: we were seated at a table near the back and were no more than 10 or 12 feet from the stage. A reasonable crowd for the venue - around 40-50 people - gathered. Most seemed knowledgeable of the original material and could be heard singing along, even when not energetically encouraged to do so by front man and vocalist John Wilkinson. The light show was good for a small venue, though I was a little disappointed by the sound quality in places.

The set lasted 2½ hours without a break other than the obligatory one before the encore, and was as follows:

Duke Medley (Behind the Lines, Duchess, Guide Vocal)
Turn it on Again
The Carpet Crawl (with introduction from Dancing with the Moonlit Knight)
No Son of Mine
Ripples
Solsbury Hill
Land of Confusion
Follow You, Follow Me
Domino
Mama
Dodo/ Lurker
Abacab
Fading Lights
Misunderstanding
Spectral Mornings
In the Air Tonight
In The Cage Medley (In the Cage, Cinema Show, Slippermen)
Afterglow
Encore - I Know What I Like (including That's All, Illegal Alien, Your Own Special Way, Follow You, Follow Me, Stagnation)

Musically the songs were very tight and true to the originals, as one would expect from a tribute band. Brothers Mark & John Comish did admirable work on guitar and keyboards respectively, reproducing Hackett & Banks's riffs and solos spotlessly, and Dave Perry (bass) & James Cooper (drums) provided a solid rhythm section throughout. Vocally John Wilkinson sings Phil Collins's songs very well, with a good range and a powerful voice - he clearly models his own singing style on Collins. This fits well with the choice of material, and this is where my only gripe with the show surfaces.

A cursory glance through the set-list will witness that there was very little material from the Peter Gabriel era of the band: essentially three songs, with the introduction from a fourth, and instrumental sections from a further three. The rest of the material is heavily skewed towards the 80s material of the 3-piece band of Collins, Banks & Rutherford, and what they did sing from the 'classic' period of the band were all songs that Collins had performed on their live albums (and almost exactly as he had performed them, in terms of medleys and vocal improvisations). Now I am willing to concede that what they played was from the more commercially-successful, and therefore better-known albums, and that the Gabriel-era of the band only lasted for 6 of their roughly 40 years of active life, but as a purist I would perhaps have liked to have seen more from those formative years from a 'all-era' tribute band.

Having said that, it was good to see material from Gabriel, Hackett and Collins's solo careers included, and it was to be fair a great night: I was singing along at full throttle with the rest of them for most of the night! If you enjoy the music that Genesis made particularly from the 80s onwards, then check this band out: it may be the only opportunity you get to see it performed live these days.

These Curious Thoughts - What is it, and how did it get in there?

So, I get a friend request on Facebook from someone I'm not familiar with, which I respond to positively, because there are times when I can be an adventurous king of guy (not all the time: I like to keep folks guessing). Shortly after that I received a message from my new 'friend' on my Timeline, asking if I would be interested in reviewing an album, and as I'm not only an adventurous kind of guy (at times), I'm always open to new music. So, here is the review.

My new friend is a chap by the name of Jim Radford, who is one half of a transatlantic musical partnership that goes by the name of These Curious Thoughts. Jim lives in Kent in the UK and writes lyrics. He then sends these to his partner in song, Sean Dunlop in Detroit, Michigan, who sets them to music. As a working relationship this must be working well, as they've been doing this for the last ten years, producing 5 albums together (and currently working on a sixth).

The collection under consideration was released last year (2013), and is my first and only experience of the band. It runs for just over 65 minutes, and contains 16 songs ranging from 2:48 to 6:49. The tunes are not easy to pigeonhole: they have elements of pop, of indie music and of prog about them at times; there is an attractive variety of style, rhythm, pace and time signature which is increasingly attractive; and there are echoes of and allusions to a number of other bands in their music and lyrics. For instance I heard reminders of Tom Petty's work with the Travelling Wilburys in 'Brain in a Jar', and Slade's 'Far Far Away' in 'Over a Desk' (as well as hints of Morrisey). The most common link for others, and I can see what they mean in many places, is one with REM.

The songs range from the quirky ('John Wayne', about Batman's brother rather than the cowboy actor), to the moody & melancholic ('Because She is Love' and 'Bad Milk'), to the rocking and up-beat ('Heavy Like a Rock' and 'Messed Up'). The music is well played, and it is good to hear the bass given quite a prominent place in the mix in songs like 'Messed Up' and 'Daughter of Morpheus', and a quite stunning guitar solo from about 4:00 in 'DNA Bounce' (which builds to a cacophonous crescendo a la 'A Day in the Life').

The lyrics have at times a quirky British-ness to them, somewhat akin to 10CC in their heyday, full at times of clever 'schoolboy' puns (well, the kind of puns I used as a schoolboy) and the occasional existential angst - "there's a spoon in my mouth and my tongue is a fork"; "am I dead or alive, or in between?" They can make you smile and make you think, which can never be a bad thing.

Having enjoyed this set of tunes, I may well find myself checking out some of their other material. Thanks, Jim for your imagination, and for Sean's music, which mesh together beautifully. If you appreciate music that engages head and heart, but still appeals to popular sensibilities then I would recommend you give these guys a listen.