Entertainment For Lively Minds
Songs About Pigeons That Make You Weep (The Unthanks, R2 Folk Awards)
I saw this on the BBC's red button coverage last night. And it had me in floods of tears. What a wonderful, wonderful performance. The delicacy of The Unthanks' vocals is beautifully complemented by the brass, which soars as high as the pigeon fancier's dreams in the song.
Earlier at the award show, a be-syrupped Don McLean received a Lifetime Achievement award and performed a couple of wince-inducing songs, using "challenging" tuning on his guitar, and heroically off-key vocals. It was a shockingly bad. I found a video on YouTube but I won't link to it, because I'm convinced it's subsequently been tweaked by a kindly sound engineer.
Enjoy The Unthanks and The Brighouse and Rastrick Band instead, performing The King Of Rome:
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I was there
and you are right on all counts. Don McLean was godawful on his first song; cringemaking out of tune on the top guitar string, and very dodgy vocals behind the wall of reverb
Everybody else was splendid especially the astonishing Tim Edey who won musician of the year. It's worth watching just to marvel at his capo management. He moves it up and down the neck like a conjurer doing a card trick; now you see it, now you don't
Respect to radio 2 production crew for being able to do this; 8 acts presented on one stage in a 2.5 hour show. Remarkably little movement from the black T-shirt gang while the awards are going on, then the act starts up and it sounds spot-on
I reviewed the Unthanks vs Bighouse & Gastric Band at the Lowry on My Night With, back in September I think. King of Rome was their opening number. As far as I know they haven't released that tune on CD to date
Brighouse and Rastrick Band
Time to ditch those singers, methinks.
Is it just me ...
... who finds the Unthanks, dreary and uninspiring? I can hear a certain beauty in what they do, but it's not something I want to listen to.
Sorry if I offend anybody, as they are clearly well loved around here.
You are not alone
I know pleanty of people who think that, and I was sitting beside some last night at the Lowry. My view is "The Unthanks - Let misery be unconfined!"
It's OK, dai - you're allowed not to like them!
Especially when you put it so tactfully...
I can absolutely see why they're not to everybody's taste.
I'm generally a cheerful person. But there's something about The Unthanks' gorgeous melancholy that soothes my soul. It would take a cleverer person than me to explain why this is so.
And this one ^^^ for once, has got a happy ending! *SPOILERS* Charlie's pigeon comes back :-)
it's not for nothing
that they are known as the "No thanks" in some quarters
Its taken me a while to get them...
but thanks to The Word putting Gan to the kye on their cover CD last year i now love them, or at least the recent 'Last' album which has some marvellous arrangements on it. I've not explored the earlier albums yet. Have to say though i love a bit of brass and was mesmerised by the performance last night and cannot believe they didn't pick up at least one award.
Songs about pigeons?
This is my favourite one!
Here's my pigeon fave
(includes brass band)
Loooove this one
I once mounted a defence of it on a Red Rose Speedway weakest link thread on another forum. Other fans came out of the woodwork and I was embarrassingly gratified that we managed to delay its demise a few rounds. (Apparently I have too much time on my hands.)
One of the things about McCartney's songs is that his whole life has been so public you often feel like you know exactly what he's talking about. When I hear this one, I always picture him sitting on a bench in a cold rainy Regents Park, which is very close to his London home, talking to a pigeon after a 'marital tiff' with Linda.
Hmmmm. I wonder who he's talking about on Get Yourself Another Fool on his new standards album?
Pigeons in Flight
(Starts about 3m 30s.)
I still remember his Eurovision documentary when he played this in front of a baffled receptionist at a Norwegian TV station.
Quite beautiful
I'm very fond of The Unthanks.
However I would wager a Mr John Shuttleworth and his sole representative Ken Worthington may soon be contacting them regarding a copyright issue re. pigeons in song lyrics.
EDIT: D'OH! The worthy Brookster beat me to the gag.
We forgot Bros
Surely These Must Be Added
Dick Dastardly
What I love most about the Dastardly & Muttley theme tune is that at about 20 second "Dick Dastardly" (Paul Winchell) corpses every so slightly.
If I may be so bold
and put forward the name of the generally accursed Jonathan King, who worried the charts in a different way back in the mid-70s with minor hit Una Paloma Blanca.
I won't bother seeing if its on YouTube.
Pigeons - Genesis
I was going to post a YouTube clip of "Pigeons" by Genesis, from the Spot the Pigeon EP.
But then I decided not to.
Because it isn't very good.
Typical Genesis then...
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Elton
It doesn't make me weep...
...but it's still well worth posting here:-
surely the answer is...
Much as I love the Unthanks
and it seems a bit unfair to bring her up after so many awards went her (and the Oysterband's) way last night, I do prefer this stark, simple version from June Tabor...
Not Forgetting Sally's Pigeons