29th March 2020
29th March 2020
At the moment I am trying not to worry about the corona virus and trying to stay focused on music. With this in mind I have enjoyed watching Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets on youtube. I had listened to several recordings of some of the recent gigs over the last few weeks and it wasn't until yesterday that I suddenly realised that Gary Kemp was part of the band. I must admit I never thought that an ex member of Spandau Ballet would be performing some of Syd Barrett's songs in a band with Nick Mason.
This has reminded me of when I purchased the album Relics in the record department of what must have been John Menzies back in about 1980. I can't remember how I first heard about Syd Barrett, it may have been from a book, but I was intrigued by his story and I decided to listen to some of his recordings with Pink Floyd. I can still remember bumping into Stuart Gordon who I knew from school and when he saw what I had in my hand he called me a toad. I guess Pink Floyd wasn't considered to be very cool in the era of punk rock and new wave. I can clearly remember playing the record in my bedroom when I got home and the first song was Arnold Layne which I immediately loved. There were loads of great tracks, especially See Emily Play, Interstellar Overdrive and Bike. Then I purchased Piper at the Gates of Dawn and I thought that album was even better. Syd Barrett had a very short and tremendously creative period and then almost straight away seemed to disappear into thin air. It's a shame that it didn't last longer and it makes those albums seem especially wonderful and precious.
And having mentioned Stuart Gordon here is a link to his punk band Das Schnitz who played gigs in Torbay in 1978 and 1979
22nd March 2020
22nd March 2020
I have just finished reading a book called the Billy Ruffian by David Cordingly about the Bellerophon that held Napoleon as a prisoner in Torbay just after the battle of Waterloo. Most of the sailors on the Bellerophon couldn't pronounce the name of their ship so they called her the Billy Ruffian.
Aboard the Billy Ruffian
From France to Torbay
With the prisoner Napoleon
Such fame had come their way
Aboard the Billy Ruffian
From France to Torbay
Her hull was made of English oak
More than three thousand felled
Named the Bellerophon
And her keel was made of of elm
Aboard the Billy Ruffian
Arriving in Torbay
With Napoleon Bonaparte
And in England he hoped to stay
Aboard the Billy Ruffian
Arriving in Torbay
Of battles she had many
The bravest of the brave
Part of the Royal Navy
And England they would save
Sightseers came from Exeter
To gather in the bay
To see Napoleon
Get a glimpse of him that day
Aboard the Northumberland
Departing from Torbay
With the prisoner Napoleon
To exile he was on his way
Aboard the Northumberland
Departing from Torbay
Goodbye to the Bellerophon
And her claim to fame
The crew stripped her of everything
And a prison she became
Goodbye to the Bellerophon
And her claim to fame
15th March 2020
15th March 2020
I've made a promotional video for the new History Book Part Two album which can be viewed on youtube:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZvz9gEHvjA
This then gave me the idea to edit some photos using a combination of imovie and photoshop. I discovered that if you use the transition feature in imovie you can create a photo that looks like a page is in the process of being turned over.
The CDs for the album have now been duplicated and I am selling them for £10 each including p & p. If anyone would like to purchase the new CD then please send an email to legendarytenseconds@gmail.com.
8th March 2020
8th March 2020
The recording for the History Book Part Two album has been completed and I've submitted everything that is required for the digital distribution to CD Baby. Graham Moores will shortly be completing the album artwork so that the CDs can be duplicated. I would like to thank the following for their valuable contributions to the songs on the album, especially myself!!!
Ian Churchward vocals, guitars, keyboards, mandola and mandolin
Lord Z. keyboards, bass guitar, drums and percussion
Phil Swann guitars, bouzouki and mandolin
Bridgit England vocals
Guy Bolt vocals
Jules Jones vocals
Elaine Churchward vocals and also wrote the lyrics for Gallants Bower
Tom Churchward harmonica
Fleur Elliott vocals
Ashley Mantle wrote most of the lyrics for Cade's Rebellion
The album was recorded from 2016 to February 2020 in Kingsteignton, Marldon, and Torquay in South Devon.
It was mixed and produced by Lord Z.
1st March 2020
1st March 2020
There is a review of a Richard III novel called Distant Echoes on this blog
https://murreyandblue.wordpress.com/2020/01/30/book-review-distant-echoes-richard-iii-speaks/
I am putting this into my weekly blog because one of my songs appears to be the inspiration for the novel and for me this is quite exciting really.
23rd February 2020
23rd February 2020
I've been thinking quite a bit about the way I go about recording my songs and the fact that I'm not in a band playing live music.
In an ideal world I would be working with a dedicated drummer and bass player.
As the Legendary Ten Seconds, I did try it for several years during which period there was an excellent performance at the Summer Moon festival in Kingsteignton.
Unfortunately it was extremely difficult to find a drummer who was interested in my style of music and who wasn't already in another band. It was also very difficult to get gigs. When we did get the odd gig it was very time consuming and expensive .
It was also very time consuming rehearsing and I ended up having two rehearsals a week because I couldn't get all of the same band members to attend the same rehearsal days. This meant that on one day I might rehearse with the bass player and then later on in the week I'd have a rehearsal with the lead guitar player. After being let down rather badly at a festival in August 2018 I decided to stop doing gigs and cancel rehearsing, and just concentrate on recording.
Last year we recorded History Book Part One, Thrilling Blunder Stories, Devon Roses, released Instrumental Legends and recorded a comedy song with John Challis. Before that I was releasing a maximum of one album a year so on balance I think it was a good idea to scrap the gigs.
16th February 2020
16th February 2020
I've was asked by a friend for some more information about who contributed to the Podtastic album.
Podtastic was mainly written and recorded by myself with Guy playing all of the drums. I played a little bit of percussion.
One of my neighbours, Rob Blaikie, played some guitar on one track, the mandolin on Dorchester Fair, possibly bass on Nothing is Going Your Way, and he also played keyboards on one track.
Dave Clifford of the Morrisons played bass on one track, Shoot the Moon, and Guy played bass on the remaining tracks.
The harmonica on Can't Live Without you was played by someone called Simon Lane who was at school with Guy.
There is even a very rare piece played and recorded by Roger Crompton at his house in Ellacombe, Torquay, of a tiny amount of electric guitar at the end of a song called Lose Control.
I think the best track on the album is the Travelling Medicine Show which has Guy's sister singing on it. Elaine wrote the lyrics. I had found a really interesting article about someone who lived in the USA in the late 19th century who had joined a travelling medicine show and I asked Elaine if she could write some lyrics for a song based upon the article. The only problem with the song is that it really ought to be sung by someone with a strong American accent. The lyrics for the song are superb and Elaine was really impressed with the tune that I made up to go with the lyrics. I wish I could remember the name of the person in the article that inspired the song and unfortunately I appear to have lost the magazine which contained the article.
Elaine also wrote really excellent lyrics for the song called Dorchester Fair and also sings with me on the recording. The lyrics were written first and I felt that I came up with another very strong tune to go with her excellent lyrics. Later on anther version of the song would appear on the Loyaulte me Lie album as York City Fair.
9th February 2020
9th February 2020
About ten years ago before my Production partnership with Lord Z I recorded an album called Podtastic. My wife Elaine painted the album cover.
At this time my music was featured quite a lot on independent podshows. There used to be a website where I could upload my songs and podcasters could then select songs from this website for their shows. Unfortunately this website no longer exits and it has become much more difficult to get my music featured on podshows. If a podshow played my songs then I would write and record a jingle for that show and quite often the jingle would get use. I then came up with the idea for the Podtastic album with every song having a podcast jingle at the end of it.
I recently decided to make this old album available in digital format and it can now be heard via this link
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kesu071YMZMP2qHLTmbm1STYNvy6oVO-s
This was the last album I recorded as the Legendary Ten Seconds before I started to record songs about Richard III. I did record some further songs after this album was finished but I never got around to doing anything with them until about 5 years ago. I decided to put them on another album which I called Good Fortune which is also available to be heard on the internet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8CPEpA4ayU&list=OLAK5uy_mLlOZt038S3XTNGSbDy5NpN4I7m31Svp0
The sound quality of these albums isn't as good as the Ricardian albums, mainly because Lord Z only started helping me with my songs just before we started doing the Ricardian stuff. Lord Z is a wizard with song Mixing and Production and my albums have greatly improved since we formed our musical partnership.
2nd February 2020
2nd February 2020
Here are the lyrics for two songs about the Torquay Pageant of 1924. Elaine wrote the lyrics for the opening verses and I wrote the rest.
The Torquay Pageant Part One
A passion for the past took the counties over
With historical pageants from Sherborne to Dover
In a seaside town in nineteen twenty four
There was a pageant, Torquay had not had one before
Off to Rock End gardens
In the June sunshine
To enjoy the pageant
To have a real good time
Now Mister Arthur Aplin a hero from the war
He was the pageant master his novels I adore
A playwright and an actor, he knew a thing or two
He said to the town, now it's up to you
Off to Rock End gardens
In the June sunshine
To enjoy the pageant
To have a real good time
Vice Admiral McCully happened to be in Torbay
He opened the pageant during his short stay
Off to Rock End gardens
In the June sunshine
To enjoy the pageant
To have a real good time
Now the pageant is forgotten and few will ever know
Of the many thousands who enjoyed the show
Yes the pageant is forgotten and few will ever know
Of the many thousands who enjoyed the show
The Torquay Pageant Part Two
Over looking Torbay on a perfect June day