https://youtu.be/S3XjgVproc0

This is a reworking of a song I wrote in the 70s called ‘Bitter Love’. I’ve kept the ‘love’ part but the bitterness has gone, and the song is as much about where I live, as it is about lost relationships. Phil is helping me out with saxophone and mixing once again, and lifting the song onto a whole other level.

At the end of the day I’m walking across the hillside with my dog, and we both stop and catch our breath as the butterflies rise from the long grass – how did we end up in such a wonderful place?

Gooseberry pie anyone?

And you can get Bluestones coffee here: Bluestone Coffee website.

It was my friend Susan’s birthday recently, and Phil and I decided to write her a bit of music.

As Susan can only hear hear notes below a certain pitch we kept the whole thing in the bass register, and also invited Riley, her hearing dog, along to provide some canine vocals!

Here it is – ‘Riley, Where’s Susan?’

https://youtu.be/xBH9H_ltSiY

Another one from back in the day. My friends were dropping dead – I figured I too was probably living on borrowed time, so … Carnaval in las Palmas – what else? Dancing with Manolo, Carmelo, and falling in love with Rachel. There’s an eight-armed goddess with semaphore flags and she spells out: “Dance with me”.

Revisiting the song after the best part of 4 decades has been interesting in terms of the recording process (the original was recorded on 8 track), and tremendous fun with Phil Stanton alongside. His anarchic, and at times alarming, saxophone has brought joy into the song, which should have been there in the first place, but was lacking.

Close your eyes and make confession
Throw the salt across your shoulder
Who can stop her loving touch in semaphore?

Caught a movement of a muscle, corner of my eye
Saw a figure standing there, silent as the night
Went to make my introduction, she stopped me with her hand
Not a word came from these lips, silence in this land

In semaphore we plan manoeuvres, one step at a time
I lay my cards down on the table, and move on down the line
Like the spirit of redemption that’s deep inside my heart
She chews me up and spits me out, takes my world apart

But you know it’s the best that I can get
I’d lay my life on the ground
Now I know that Semaphore is the best lover in town
And of all of the numbers in her hand
Of all of her different roles
She’ll tease you with her lover’s words but Semaphore controls

Now I know the language, all I need to make the sign
That keeps me warm, I know the loving arms of Semaphore are mine
Cuts me with her silence, rules me like a queen
Orders me from where she stands, more like a machine
But I can see semaphore is a simple word for you
But her body tells me Semaphore isn’t always true

The only word that she cannot say is blind
A bird in the hand is worth a dozen in your mind

But you know it’s the best that I can get
I’d lay my life on the ground
Now I know that Semaphore is the best lover in town
And of all of the numbers in her hand
Of all of her different roles
She’ll tease you with her lover’s words but Semaphore controls

Close your eyes and make confession
Throw the salt across your shoulder
Who can stop her loving touch in semaphore?