Left Field: The music. I was in love with the girl in the record shop. She persuaded me to buy Johnny Tillotson's 'Poetry in Motion'. Being in CND in South London, meant live Blues artists at the Bromley Court Hotel. These three got my mojo working. Howlin Wolf's 'Smoketsack Ligtnin' ', John Lee Hooker's 'Jack of Diamonds' & Muddy Waters, 'Got my Mojo Working'. Jimmy Kennedy was getting ready to go to Bosnia to run the War Child Mostar bakery. I remember his endless cups of tea, his smokes and his obsession with Van Morrison's 'Queen of the Slipstream'. Brian Eno invited me to his studio to listen to an early recording of 'Miss Sarajevo'. Bono composed it and Brian was producing it. He needed to double check how to pronounce Miljacka. In 1995 the Help album was released with contributions from more than 20 artists, It was recorded on Monday, September 4th, 1995, in studios across Europe and released, on target, five days later. It raised more than £1.5 million for aid to Bosnia Herzegovina. I was in charge of deciding where the money went. Here are two tracks from the album: Sinéad O'Connor's 'Ode to Billy Joe' had arrived too late for inclusion in the album, but Brian Eno and his team were so impressed with her haunting rendition that they felt they had to include the song. 'Fade Away' was recorded by Oasis with contributions from Kate Moss and Johnny Depp. 'Pavarotto and Friends' for War Child in Modena raised millions for the charity. The music Centre in Mostar was the result. Of course Pavarotti, Bono and Eno sang 'Miss Sarajevo' and Liza Minnelli joined Pavarotti for 'New York, New York'. Bruce Cockburn's 'Somebody Touched Me' is for Anne Aylor whose touch saved my life. watch & listen to Left Field: The Musical
Then check out Left Field, published by Unbound & distributed by Penguin Books
I have blogged before about my love for the Blues singers I
watched perform over 50 years ago. I saw John Lee Hooker sing 'Boom Boom' in London in 1960, the year this was recorded. He was at the
forefront of the electric guitar adaption of the Delta Blues. But I
have an admission to make. I bought Johnny Tillotson's 'Poetry in Motion' in the same year. My excuse was that I had fallen in love
with Jenny, the salesgirl in the local record shop. She had brush
curls, a pink hairband and wore pleated, fluffed-out dresses you may
remember from early Elvis Presley movies. All tight belts and lots of
buttons. She loved Pat Boone. She tried to get me to buy 'April
Love', but 'Poetry in Motion' was as far as I would go with this music.
Boone was, like Tillotson, from Jacksonville, Florida. But it's
Clarksdale Mississippi for me. Hooker for ever. Here are two more 1960's recording for you. Enjoy. There's a lot more about music in Left Field
