"When Rock Goes Acoustic" Documentary

From the title it's pretty obvious what it's about. Take a stroll down 'rock's' many highways and discover the role of the acoustic guitar in the making of modern music. Everyone from Donovan to Albert Lee to Ray Davies have their say. Excellent documentary, and as Johnny Marr says, "If you can't play acoustic, you're not a guitarist!

part one...

"The First Time That Ever I Saw Your Face"

Instrumental version of the famous Ewan Maccoll tune, father of the English folk revival, during the 1960's. The song was adapted by Bert Jansch. My guitar is tuned to DADGAD. Played on a nylon string acoustic for a softer feel and sound. While Bert's reinterpretation strays from the original tune, it's a fitting tribute. My version is more or less a copy of Bert's.

"Midnight Dance of the Silverfish"

Short, original, fingerpicking guitar instrumental inspired by John Fahey, Bert jansch, Nick Drake etc..

"Danny" by Anthony Monaghan

Tune I wrote for my son. Influenced by John Fahey, Bert Jansch, Nick Drake etc...

"Springtime Birdsong"

A tune I wrote to celebrate the springtime birdsong, though it was recorded in autumn...

a conference of birds

A tune i wrote influenced by John Fahey and other country blues musicians. Open tuning G. Bit scratchy but close enough...

Sandy Denny solo live performance from 1971

Sandy Denny was not only a great great singer, but an inspired songwriter and performer. This footage was filmed around the time she released her first solo album, "The North Star Grassman and the Raven". Say no more really. Here she is at the height of her powers...

More Music...

The great fashion crimes of the Irish Republic...

Back in 1975, when Northern Ireland was up to it's eyeballs in blood and thunder, it seems the fellas in the Irish Republic were fighting their own heroic struggle, only their fight was with the twin evils of prog rock and glam fashion!!! Looks like the bass player has lost his particular battle...it's The Horslips of ...course. The snakes were obviously frightened out off Ireland by the flute players trousers and platform shoe combination! A nice piece off music and all that...

Angi by Davy Graham

This tune by Davy Graham is considered the well spring for all other 'folk blues' tunes that came after it. Every guitar player who ever wandered down the road of finger picking, folk guitar has mastered his own version.
Bert Jansch famously recorded it after Davy Graham's version, twisting it and turning it into his own tune. Paul Simon was so taken by the tune that he not only recorded it himself, but borrowed the majority of the tune's structure and turned it into "We've got a groovy thing going Baby" for Simon and Garfunkel. And now my attempt. I'm more or less influenced by both Davy and Bert's versions, taking elements of both to turn out my own version of this classic, ageless tune.
The film I made to accompany it is largely culled from the Peter Whitehead film, "Tonight let's all make love in London". I've chopped it up a bit and added some of my own footage. I want to convey the feeling of urban movement that the song conjures up. Buildings, bridges, traffic and human traffic. A city at night, a city on the move, people going places, anonymity in the crowd. The heartbeat of a city.

Davy Graham

Judy. By John Renbourn

Poor Boy a Long Ways From Home...

I've no idea who wrote this originally, maybe someone can enlighten me. I got it from listening to John Fahey. When I was playing it originally it was simpler, then I noticed the similarity with the Stones song 'Poor Boy' off the 'Beggars Banquet' L.P. I sort of mashed up the two adding one of Keith's licks in the second and third verse. Open D Tuning.

Vigilante Man..

My take on the Woody Guthrie Classic via Ry Cooder. Sound quality a bit poor, but we don't worry about that sort of thing round these parts.