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Reviews of Old Friends - New Roads
From Folker! Magazine, June 2007
ALLAN TAYLOR
Old Friends - New Roads
(Stockfisch SFR 357.6047.2/in-akustik, www.in-akustik.com)
12 Tracks, 43:28, with English booklet and lyrics
He honestly admits, "I am not yet ready to record a CD with new songs.“ Still,
Allan Taylor has no reason to refrain from reinterpreting some of his older
songs. His fans will surely see eye to eye with him, especially as some of
the songs, all of them written between 1970 and 1994, have never been recorded
on CD. What you hear is a concert-like situation with his voice and guitar
only (and Lutz Möller on the piano on three tracks) but just to call the
CD a quasi-live recording does not do justice to the sound. Due to the incredible
brilliance of the recordings and the delightful concentration on the essential
the songs reach an intimacy that cannot be experienced on stage or in the audience.
The nuances, shades and variations in Taylor’s voice are palpable, almost
cinematic and worth listening to closely. However, fans who expect a focus
on the “lost” vinyl albums The Traveller and Roll
On the Day will
be disappointed. From "Chimes Of Midnight" and "Homestate" or
"Morning Lies Heavy" to "Flowers In The Snow" and "Lady
Take Your Time" there is plenty of material for a welcome trip down memory
lane into past decades, a journey that surprisingly ends in the present time
due to the sound quality and the artist’s proficiency. Simply proof for
the timelessness of Allan Taylor’s songs.
Mike Camp
Reviews of Hotels and Dreamers and Recent Performances
From “The Living Tradition” – Issue
64, September/October 2005
Review of Hotels and Dreamers
As you traverse the rolling landscapes of “Hotels and Dreamers” Allan
Taylor draws you in with a richly grained collection of songs to stimulate
both heart and head. The terrain is occupied by wise-but-weary vocals, and
muted acoustic arrangements which conspire to pay gentle and affectionate homage
to “the Beats who started me on this road” and contemporaries who
also took this route less travelled.
Opening track, the breathy “The Beat Hotel” stars not only the
Rue Git-le-Couer, Paris establishment itself, but also its cast of transient
residents – Ginsberg, Kerouac, Corso, - those desolation angels intent
on anarchy in the Art Establishment, that Allan manifestly wishes he’d
had the chance to hang out with. He ran with their late ‘60s followers-on,
most of them now having paid the ultimate price. Alex Campbell, Derroll Adams,
Colin Scot, Tony Capstick and sadly, many others haunt the particularly affecting “For
Those We Knew”, driving themselves penniless and crazy “through
neon lights of midnight hues” and Taylor is no iconoclast, valuing the
days and the ways that shaped his experiences, and making him a sadder but
a more sapient man.
A sophisticated musician and a writer of intensity and brevity, most of the
material here has an emotional reach that leaves you reeling. Always conveying
sincerity, the listener’s ear is prepared for Allan’s straightforward
sentiment but his character writing is so subtle, the darkness of the subject
matter on this album quietly reveals itself and perception adjusts like vision
would do to a dim room. The nostalgic sensuality of “Los Companeros” sketches
the dilution of the Cuban revolutionary ethic and the betrayal of that particular
romance, whilst the apparently light “Mission Hotel” has a fateful
melancholy that spells “Heartbreak Hotel” ahead for Anna, it’s
protagonist.
Peopled by the footloose and the feckless but always the human – ordinary
persons coping as best they can, is surely the very stuff of folk-song? Streaked
too, with moments that recall Tom Waits’ best work, Allan Taylor is a
singularly seductive songwriter. These are direct songs but they trigger complex
responses. Elegiac, resigned even. When you’re emotionally broke and
busted, you can still follow those dreams. Sometimes they’re your only
way out.
Clive Pownceby
“Akustik Gitarre” – March
2004. Translation by Kirsten Eble. (German Akustic
Guitar)
Hotels and Dreamers
Minimalist – by Udo Hinz
His voice makes your hair stand on end. The way he plays guitar is economical
but extremely atmospheric. Allan Taylor’s songs are mystical, melancholic
and possess a lot of atmosphere. He is one of the great English songwriters
whose songs have been sung by artists such as Alex Campbell, Hannes Wader,
Fairport Convention and Nana Mouskouri. Allan Taylor presents eleven new songs
on his latest recording ‘’Hotels and Dreamers’’ -
an album about people who go their own way in life and dream their own dreams.
UH : Your new songs are once again very atmospheric. Is atmosphere just as
important to you as the lyrics and the music?
AT : There has to be a balance. The lyrics are influenced by the music and
the music is influenced by the lyrics. It’s like one plus one equals
three. You are creating something that is bigger than the individual pieces.
UH : I regard the atmosphere of your songs quite often as mystic and associate
them with England. You can’t expect this kind of mystic from a German
songwriter.
AT : It is much more difficult to create a mystic atmosphere in the German
language. It’s easier in English. We have a lot more words to create
such mystic.
UH : Was does silence mean to you?
AT : Silence is the most important part in music. Some musicians fill every
bit, but in my opinion you need to leave some room, some space in music. I
am a kind of minimalist. If I don’t see a particular reason for a word
or a note, then I take it out. I only leave room for what is absolutely necessary.
Space between words and music is very important. It gives the listener the
opportunity to take it all in and to digest it. I like space, and not too many
instruments at the same time.
UH : And space creates atmosphere.
AT : Exactly. Space does add importance to the words. If you have too many
words, each one loses its importance - reduce the words and each one will become
more important.
It is however difficult to find the exact right word. Sometimes it is easier
to write a song with six verses instead of three. It is very difficult to write
a song with just three verses and create the whole atmosphere. It’s just
like a Japanese Haiku – to create atmosphere with just 17 syllables demands
great talent.
UH : How important is the voice to you? It doesn’t exist just to form
words?
AT : The timbre in a voice is very important. You can hear a person’s
experience in his voice. If you listen to my voice 30 years ago, it would be
a young man’s voice. I wouldn’t have been able to write the same
songs I write today with this young man’s voice. The audience can feel
the number of years I have been travelling in my voice.
UH :I notice that most your songs deal with other people, not yourself.
AT : I hope so. All my songs deal with personal experiences, about people I
have met or my own personal experiences. Sometimes I write a song about something
I have personally experienced but I write it in the third person. I like to
create a bit of distance by doing that. The listener should not think of me
as being self-obsessed, as that would be too boring. I think what happened
to me in life is very similar to what happened in other people’s lives.
The listener can identify oneself a lot better with the story when it’s
written in the third person.
UH : Even when you were already internationally known, you were also studying
philosophy at the same time. Have your songs changed through your studies?
AT : Studying has made my demands increase. – And it also made it more
difficult to write lyrics. It made the effect words can have a lot more apparent.
Each word has to be the right one, it has to fit. Studying has helped me to be
more exact. If a word has to be mystical, then it has to be the correct mystical
word.
UH : Are you still interested in philosophy? Do you still read philosophic scriptures/textures?
AT : No. Aside from music, my aim is to try new things, fulfil them and then
bring them to an end. I believe in having a balance between academic philosophy
and ‘’Street-learned-philosophy’’. I knew a lot about
life before I began to study philosophy. At that time I had been on the road
for 20 years. You learn a lot by being on the road. I am interested in how people
treat each other and how society works. But I am no longer interested in it from
an academic point of view. I don’t want to sit in a glasshouse, ponder
about life and then die - I want to live first and then die.
UH : You are known as the ‘’Traveller’’ and you
give concerts around the whole world. How has travelling changed your way of
thinking?
AT : I like travelling because I like to perform in different societies
and countries with different people. You always learn something new. For instance
two months ago I was touring with the great Scottish singer Dick Gaughan and
I learned from him by working with him and we had a really good time. And I hope
he learned something from me, too.
I also sometimes work with Helmut Debus and I learn a lot from him. But of course
I mainly perform solo.
There is a huge difference in performing in front of a German, an Italian or
English audience. The audience always adds its own identity to the songs and
that makes life interesting.
UH : While travelling over the years, did you find more questions or more answers?
AT : When you are a young man, there is only ‘black and white’, ‘yes
or no’. However, the more you travel, the more you learn, and the more
you try to understand people and life itself, the bigger the distance grows between ‘yes
and no’. There is no clear yes or no in life. Often there are good reasons
for going into a certain direction in life but also good reasons to go the opposite
way. You can understand one side but also the other. The interesting part is
the grey range between black and white, between yes or no. It also means however
that it gets more difficult to find a quick and easy decision. As a songwriter
or writer you are trying to enlarge the inner medium, to show both sides and
the middle – and to let the listener decide what they make of your song.
UH : Which guitar sounds do you like?
AT : I like guitars that sound like a piano. I like a big, warm and soft sound – also
with a warm bass. My Bown Custom guitar is the better guitar because its sound
is more balanced and the intonation more direct. The Martin however is warmer,
more charming in sound. The two guitars are like a Mercedes and a BMW.
UH : In concerts you are standing while singing and playing. Why?
AT : The deliverance is better. I have more energy and it’s better to breathe
that way. Also, the audience can see my body language better. This would be a
problem if you were sitting down at a gig. The audience would see someone trying
to hide behind the guitar If you’re standing however you are opening up
to the audience – a case of “this is me and these are my songs,
accompany me for the next hour that we are going to share with each other. For
a guitar player it’s okay to sit down but if you are presenting songs and
sharing stories and emotions, you have to look the audience in the eye and you
can’t hide behind anything. The guitar allows me to stand in front of the
audience – you can’t travel like that as a pianist and as a flutist
you can’t sing at the same time. I got interested in the guitar at the
age of 12 and I wanted to learn how to play it. At the age of 18 I wanted to
write songs but the guitar came first. The guitar is my constant companion, I
never go anywhere without my guitar. Even when visiting friends for just one
night, I take my guitar along. On stage the guitar is my friend and it helps
me to do what I want to do.
Folk On Tap (Summer
edition)
The folk music magazine of the Southern Counties of England.
Hotels and Dreamers
By the time Allan Taylor was 24, back in 1969, he had produced his first album
with the young Fairport Convention as his backing band. Obsessed with the Beat
Generation and inspired by Jack Kerouac, he took himself off to New York and
Greenwich Village where he immersed himself belatedly in the American folk revival.
This album recalls the effect it had upon him and, to prevent us benighted reviewers
struggling through the dark to the wrong conclusion, this review copy came with
six pages of enlightenment, which always helps in the struggle to do justice.
The sleeve notes tell similar tales of just missing the Paris Beat scene and
touring the world in search of Steinbeckian humanity. This was recorded in Germany
with some fine musicians, notably Hans-Jorg Maucksch on superb fretless bass.
Mr. Taylor himself sings with a talking blues gruffness as befits the material,
sounding somewhat like Mark Knopfler’s laid back older brother. It’s
going to be a matter of taste but the content and presentation is undeniably
fascinating while the music is quite beautiful. “For Those We Knew” touches
on the ethereal. This is so much more than just a bunch of songs; this expresses
humanity
as folk music should.
Jon Sims
Hotels and Dreamers reviewed
in fRoots
Review by David Kidman
 |
From “Folker” -
Germany’s
foremost Acoustic Music magazine:
ALLAN TAYLOR
HOTELS AND DREAMERS
Allan Taylor will
never write one of those happy, up-tempo numbers which get your feet moving.
Allan Taylor will always write songs which come across like the cover of his
new CD:
serious, thoughtful, sad and rain-swept.
After one of Allan Taylor's CDs, the world seems unnaturally
harsh and loud. I have been accusing Allan of this for years in a friendly
way. No one writes these songs with more feeling, authenticity and depth, and
on his new CD they are lined up like pearls on a necklace (his image), from
'Beat Hotel', a homage to the poets of the American beat generation, to the
philosophical
'When Time Is Short.' They are traveller's songs about his journey, real, fictitious
or metaphorical; again and again the expression 'on the road' crops up. The
songs and the voice are like the red wine which keeps getting mentioned; they
are of
astonishing maturity. The one which I think is the best is 'Running on
Dreams'. You
shouldn't listen to it if you're feeling depressed, but if you are in a reasonably
well balanced psychological state, it opens up incredibly intense images. It
is not insignificant that Taylor has found in Gunter Pauler his ideal production
partner, whom he trusts implicitly, and Chris Jones is the best and most sympathetic
guitar accompanist Taylor has had. Also, Taylor has chosen what is for him
a large line-up (bass, sax, accordion, piano, violin etc), although as far
as Taylor
is concerned, less sounds like more. But the arrangements make 'Hotels and
Dreamers' one of the most varied CDs he has done, without losing any of the
natural but
hard-won simplicity. I am sure that Allan Taylor has delivered a masterpiece.
The
most convincing Taylor yet!
Mike Kamp
Folker Magazine
January 2004
Reviews of Out of Time and Colour to the Moon:
BBC
Radio 2 - Folk Artist Database: Allan Taylor
"He remains one of the very finest singer songwriters produced in this
country."
TAPLAS
Folk Magazine: "Out of Time"
"very, very classy...Seize it."
The
Living Tradition - Issue 48 - May 2002: "Out of Time"
"the gentle,
thoughtful and mature songs of a major contributor to the folk scene for over
30 years."
FOLK
ROOTS - Review & Interview with Allan Taylor- June 2001
"I've been very lucky in my career, I've seen the world. If you go and grab
life, put yourself on the edge a few times you'll develop a certain depth and
gravitas to your work."
THE
LIVING TRADITION - MARCH/APRIL 2001: "Colour to the Moon"
" 'Colour to the Moon' represents the work of an artist at the height of
his powers."
FOLK
ROOTS - APRIL 2001
"(Taylor's) records became utterly blemish free from the packaging
and calligraphy to the recording process. What he learnt well was how to spin
the perfectly crafted song...The title track (is) by a country mile, technically
the best song on the album."
TMM (Traditional
Music Magazine) - March 2001
"on this new offering he's come up trumps with a set of strong, solidly
crafted new songs that present characteristically vivid, evocative tales and
reminiscences."
Q Music
Magazine - April 2001
"the Knopfleresque sound of the title track is gloriously
counter-pointed by Beo Brockhausen's sax, while Creole Girl is a fluttering
accordion romance. High marks too for the guitar playing and the cut-glass sound
quality."
CD REVIEW
- MOJO - MARCH - 2001: Folk Album of the Month
"cheer the return of one of the genre's benchmark figures in stirring
fettle."
Reviews of Recent Performances:
Tonder
Festival - 2002
"moving
and beautiful-and strong."
Edinburgh
Evening News
"Taylor is much more than just a performer who skillfully stitches
tunes and words together. He manages to draw you into his own world, sometimes
amusing you, at other times disturbing you. His gentle sense of humour wins
you over as he regales you with anecdotes. Then, when your guard is down, he
gives you a song that leaves you with a lump in your throat."
The
Glasgow Herald
" a consummate performer and a writer of literary gracefulness...
The songs are faultlessly constructed and flawlessly performed."
Unna-Massen
"A spiritual contact this night's audience treasured."
Allan
Taylor at Taraxacum
"audience sang along delightedly."
Denmark
Jyllandsposten
"The gentle, beautiful songs, intensely sung by Taylor, mirror both
a wistful woe for the paradise lost and the calm and insight of leading a full
life."
Jyllandsposten, 26 August 2002: Tonder Festival "A Warm Night"
All in all, it turned out to be a warm night at Tonderhal 1. The evening began with the thoroughly amiable English singer songwriter Allan Taylor, whose kind charisma and pleasant voice really made people relax and listen. His warm voice has an almost hypnotic and bewitching power. But don't misinterpret the situation-his quiet and melancholic songs on a long life on the road have bite, and his perceptive reflections on the joys and sorrows of life. We all listened. Some of us so intensely that we almost forgot to breathe. It was so moving and beautiful-and strong.
Soren Kirkegaard
TAPLAS Folk Magazine: "Out of Time"
The success of Taylor's most recent album, Colour to the Moon, makes it a good time to re- evaluate some of his earlier material and what better way to do so than re-release an album featuring so many of his classic songs.
lt's a pity that Taylor's reputation is not as big in his homeland, these days, as it is on the Continent. But, of course, they know a thing or two about classy songs in mainland Europe and Allan's songs are, without a shadow of doubt, very, very classy. It's not just his writing that impresses so much; his delivery, his rich, somewhat world-weary, voice and his guitar accompaniments all put him in a league of his own.
If you haven't heard the likes of Roll On the Day, It's Good to See You, Angelina's Cantina, "Boy" is a Nation and Piaf; which he convincingly sings in French, now's your chance. Seize it.
Keith Hudson
The Living Tradition - Issue 48 - May 2002: "Out of Time"
"Out of Time" is essentially older songs, all of which were originally available on earlier albums. Whilst really it is repackaging, as acknowledged in the sleeve notes, this doesn't detract from a fine song collection by this long respected and well-travelled singer-songwriter. The stories of the songs are those of love and leaving, aging, travelling and the people and experiences encountered en route. Pulled together, they are the gentle, thoughtful and mature songs of a major contributor to the folk scene for over 30 years.
Some songs are live, others studio recordings but whichever, his trademark fine mellow voice and crystal clear guitar work, pervade throughout. Not being particularly familiar with all of his work allowed me a certain objectivity in reviewing this CD. The song writing, as he is known for, is polished and beautifully crafted and the guitar work is perfect. Maybe too perfect because somehow for me, with a few exceptions it never truly inspires, but that of course is only one person's take. Having said that, it's one of those albums where the standout songs are exceptional.
The beautiful "Standing at the Door" is such an example. A song of travel and love which is truly exquisite, one of the finest on this theme that I've heard. A few songs, "It's good to see you" and "Roll on the Day" are clearly his anthem type songs, most perfectly presented. Sometimes the album feels to have a "sameness" of style but it moves up a gear with the very fine "Boy is a Nation", an acutely observed song about the evils of apartheid and then Angelina's Cantina, again totally different.
In summary, a well produced body of work of the tales of life - a good compilation for those dedicated to Allan Taylor and an addition well worth a listen for the rest of us.
Neil Brown
FOLK ROOTS - Review & Interview - June 2001
Keith Whitham catches up with a matured Allan Taylor.
Allan Taylor has been quiet on the British folk circuit during the last five years or so. All is set to change as he releases what can be regarded as his most personal album to date. Colour To The Moon mixes intensely autobiographical references to his past, with sharp observations upon the world that he now sees around him. Armed with an unbounded passion for his music, he set about telling me how this collection of songs came about.
"To get down to basics,
I don't believe in writing a song unless it has got some personal input. My
interest is to try to create an atmosphere with the words and music - it really
doesn't matter what artistic endeavour you work with , be it a songwriter or
a painter etc. They all have to have some kind of personal commitment. The important
thing is never to cross the dividing line and make them [the songs] too personal.
This has a detrimental effect, making the sons self-indulgent, so ultimately
people can't relate tow what you're trying to say."
There's a continuity in the subject matter in the twelve songs that
make up the new album, which gives the listener a feeling that the album was
created as one piece. "One song will create an image, which then triggers off
another idea. Although each song was composed individually, when I look at the
album what I now see is a series of images on a journey."
In an almost self-deprecating manner Allan describes his early years
as a performer: "At 21 I was a young man with lots to play and little to
say." Over the intervening years Taylor has taken it upon himself to visit
many places, some of them inspirational, some tragic. One of the most noteworthy
was a war torn Dubrovnik. "I've been very lucky in my career, I've seen the
world. If you go and grab life, put yourself on the edge a few times you'll
develop a certain depth and gravitas to your work. When I first started out
I was essentially a voyeur who wanted to be the real thing. Through my experiences
now I've become the real thing."
"Brighton Beach" is a pivotal moment on the new album, finding Allan at his most autobiographical. "Yes, it is autobiographical, but for me what makes the song interesting is that if you change the place names it could relate to anyone of my generation. When I started out in the austere '50s, Britain was quite grey and dull. Then in the '60s a social revolution happened. Suddenly people like myself from a working class background realised that they could become poets, photographers or sculptors. Basically the whole world opened up for us. By dividing the song into decades it was obvious that each one had its own cliches. I thought it would be interesting to relate them to my situation. I can almost guarantee that 50 to 60% of people who listen to performers such as myself have lived a similar life. the only thing that changes is the environment, and the names of the towns.
Without wishing to tempt fate it'd be interesting to know the type of person he thinks he might be in ten years time. "It'd be nice to be regarded as someone who cut his own path, and recorded a few good songs along the way. Hopefully I'll still be able to get up there and do the occasional gig as well [laughs]."
Although Colour To The Moon is packed with new songs, Allan has still found a place for a couple of re-workings of his earlier material. "I didn't intend to do those songs for this album. "Back Again" purely came about by chance. I just started playing around with some chords in a different tuning at home, and it sounded much more plaintive than the Cajun Moon version, which is really driving, with a totally different feel. As I listened closely to the words I suddenly realised that given this type of arrangement would actually enhance the mood of the lyrics. So I played the new take to a couple of people who were very positive and I just thought, why not record it alongside the newer material?"
In the Oxford Book Of
Verse Taylor is described as "potentially the most important songwriter of his
generation" and on listening to the album it's clear that he is realising this
potential. In Colour To The Moon he's given us an intimate snapshot of
his life in a way that few performers allow themselves to document. This album
may be one man's journey, but the stories along the way could relate to anyone.
Back to Top
THE
LIVING TRADITION - MARCH/APRIL 2001
ALLAN TAYLOR "Colour to the Moon" Stockfisch RTD357.6021.2
In
the world of the singer songwriter, few command respect more than Allan Taylor.
Through a recording career that began in the early seventies to the present
day, he has constantly remained an innovative and evocative performer both on
stage and on disc. "Colour to the Moon" is possibly Taylor's most personal statement
to date; cut across twelve songs - like short movies - the listener is invited
to step into his memories and experiences as if they were your own.
"Kerouac's Dream" opens the CD, finding Taylor as a young man with
all the hopes and idealism born of youth. Whilst "Creole Girl" finds him in
a Paris bar looking back to a life gone by, tinged with sadness as he tries
to recapture a memory of the song's namesake. These two tracks form a boundary
in his life within which the stories of a generation of encounters and adventures
are told. One reason this collection works so well is that it's never maudlin
or overtly saccharine; his real craft is the sense of mystery he leaves for
the listener. Like a good artist he never overworks the canvas. Two songs "Back
Again" and "Crazy Amsterdam" will be familiar to aficionados of his work and
they both appear on this CD in a radically different form, in keeping with the
album's reflective nature.
"Colour to the Moon" represents the work of an artist at the height
of his powers, looking back as well as forward, few people can convey with such
eloquence their life experiences. I'd like to think that he'll be ensconced
in a bar with some exotic location, making observations for some years to come.
Keith Whitham.
FOLK
ROOTS - APRIL 2001
ALLAN TAYLOR "Colour to the Moon" Stockfisch RTD357.6021.2
Colin Scot
did everything to excess and curiously faced his one shot at stardom as a Liberty/United
Artists label mate of Allan Taylor's around 1972. Displaying his customary largesse
largely from a now empty purse, Scotty had faded into obscurity by the time
he died in 1999 in Amsterdam of "alcohol-related diseases" and a lot of fabulously
louche behaviour. But Taylor chose a much more calculated, at times almost ascetic
journey through life, reinventing himself as an academic, gaining a Ph.D and
becoming a music lecturer at Bretton Hall. He studied the art of European song
and his records became utterly blemish free from the packaging and calligraphy
to the recording process. What he learnt well was how to spin the perfectly
crafted song.
So how does Scotty fit in 27 years on? Well unless I'm not mistaken
this album is almost cathartic - a display of emotion as much as a feeling of
it, as Allan gets Colin Scot out of his system in Crazy Amsterdam followed by
the song simply called Scotty. Both songs were written at the beginning of the
1980s - probably the end of Taylor's own wild odyssey - and have been featured
on earlier albums. But like good wine they have matured, with Allan's son Barnaby
adding a tune to the latter.
In fact the entire album is a liquid pure semi-autobiographical
account of Allan Taylor's own past, such as Brighton Beach - when his career
was mapped out for folk stardom - and also the life denied him, such as the
spiritual beat generation of Kerouac's Dream and existentialist Notes From Paris.
Now he can make these records without the pressure of wondering about the next
gig, content to pull old chestnuts from long-forgotten albums. The set is sufficiently
honest to forgive Allan occasionally descending into cliché or slipping
into easily recognisable genres, although one of these yields the title track,
which is, by a country mile, technically the best song on the album.
Most of the material was written 'on the road', in people's houses
on far continents or the lowlands of Northern Europe, a constant inspiration,
where the simple beauty of these tracks was laid.
I personally had one of the best side-splitting nights of my life
driving Colin Scot and Steve Goodman back from the 1972 Cambridge Folk Festival,
where I had introduced them. They became instant best friends and had us rocking
with laughter throughout our journey back down the A10 (fortunately the M11
hadn't been built in those days). Now neither is with us, which makes Taylor's
tribute all the more poignant.
Buy Colour To The Moon and look for Scotty's eponymous 1971 United
Artists album in the bargain bins. Both will pay handsome dividends.
Jerry Gilbert
TMM
(Traditional Music Magazine) - March 2001
ALLAN TAYLOR - COLOUR TO THE MOON (Stockfisch RTD. 357.6021.2)
The first new album in over 4 years from this master singer-songwriter. Ever since his first LP (Sometimes) almost 30 years ago, Allan's produced a lot of really classy songs that have well stood the test of time; these haven't been appreciated exclusively within the folk-club arena either (other artists, including Don Williams, Frankie Miller, Alex Campbell and the Dransfields, have recorded his songs). Allan has an instantly recognisable voice, attractively dark and mellow, and his intricately detailed yet full-sounding guitar style is distinctive - indeed, his impeccable playing is sometimes overlooked, so compelling are his lyrics and vocal delivery. Allan's inventive use of various different tunings is again complemented on this release by the guitar work of Chris Jones, which demonstrates a level of imagination and empathy far above the calibre of your average supporting musician. Other select backing musicians include Allan's son Barnaby on piano. To be honest, I thought that Allan's last album Looking For You was treading water a bit, but on this new offering he's come up trumps with a set of strong, solidly crafted new songs that present characteristically vivid, evocative tales and reminiscences. Many of these deal directly with Allan's formative years and the inspiration gained through the impact of the beat culture on this 14-year-old and on the nascent folk scene - hooked by, and trying to live, "Kerouac's Dream". Outside this central theme, Creole Girl is a wistful modern-day fable with inescapable resonances of Lakes Of Ponchartrain, while Whatever the Way is an alluring, deceptively simple love song, and Allan also revisits Back Again from his Cajun Moon days. Finally, the last two tracks are a poignant tribute to Allan's erstwhile touring companion Scotty (Colin Scott), comprising a reworking of Crazy Amsterdam (originally recorded in 1982 for Win Or Lose) followed by Allan's spoken recitation of the poem he wrote in tribute to Scotty on his death in July 1999; this, although deeply moving, is impossible to follow and not ideal for a repeat-listen - unlike the rest of this beautifully-presented album. (Distribution: Proper.)
David Kidman
Q Music
Magazine - April 2001
Allan Taylor Colour To The Moon Stockfisch RTD 357.6021.2
Academically inclined, grizzled troubadour - big on the continent
- strikes back. Allan Taylor is one of the more substantial figures to thrive
briefly during the UK folk revival in the '70s only to seek out more welcoming
and less fickle audiences abroad. His songs (covered by Fairport Convention,
among others) have consistently had a literate, bohemian edge that's occasionally
made him seem out of step with most acoustic music. Colour To The Moon looks
mostly back, particularly the circle-closing ballad Brighton Beach, Crazy Amsterdam,
Notes from Paris and Scotty. Elsewhere the Knopfleresque sound of the title
track is gloriously counter-pointed by Beo Brockhausen's sax, while Creole Girl
is a fluttering accordion romance. High marks too for the guitar playing and
the cut-glass sound quality.
...Rob Beattie
CD REVIEW - MOJO - MARCH - 2001: Folk Album of the Month
First studio album for eight years by the veteran English singer-songwriter currently on a major U.K. tour.
Those who are concerned by the demise of the once-fertile well of good British singer-songwriters will cheer the return of one of the genre's benchmark figures in stirring fettle. On an album of fine recording quality, Taylor's once thin voice has a welcome roughness, part James Taylor, part Mark Knopler. Songs vary from charged nostalgia (Brighton Beach, Notes From Paris) to knife-edge poignancy (A Road Too Long, Back Again). Creole Girl seems to offer an epilogue to the traditional song Lakes Of Pontchartrain, while the climax of Crazy Amsterdam - Scotty tells the bittersweet tale of the late singer/hellraiser Colin Scott.
Colin Irwin
Edinburgh Evening News. Review of gig at The Pleasance, February 7th 2001
Edinburgh Folk Club organisers must have been expecting a low turn out for this gig which clashed with the Old Firm game [football]. But they had no cause for concern. Allan Taylor drew a crowd that included several luminaries from the world of folk music, including The McCallmans and Paddy Bell. Cathal McConnell of Boys of the Lough was even persuaded to give us a couple of tunes between sets. Amusing.
So what was so special about Taylor? Well, everything, actually. Described by no less an authority than the Oxford Book of Traditional Verse as "potentially the most important songwriter of his generation" even that falls far short of the mark. Taylor is much more than just a performer who skillfully stitches tunes and words together. He manages to draw you into his own world, sometimes amusing you, at other times disturbing you. His gentle sense of humour wins you over as he regales you with anecdotes. Then, when your guard is down, he gives you a song that leaves you with a lump in your throat. From the opening number, Win or Lose, he set the standard for what was to come, and not for one minute did he loosen his grip. His guitar playing, his voice and his demeanour shift subtly from moment to moment, depending on the emotion he wishes to convey. One moment playing straight blues, the next picking out a haunting, mournful Yiddish refrain, it's all designed to sweep the audience up in the mood. And he makes it all look so simple. His half-singing, half-talking - a sort of Mark Knopfler meets Ralph McTell with the occasional contribution from Leonard Cohen - means you have to work hard to keep up. Concentrate on the song and you miss the superb finger-picking skills and kaleidoscope melodies. Focus on the guitar playing and you miss the subtleties and nuances of his poetic lyrics.
Part of the reason that you are magnetically drawn into Taylor's world is because his songs are based on deeply personal experiences which still affect him. His material incorporates incidents from his travels, home towns, friends and past lovers. Every song comes to you straight from the heart and is openly shared, communicating honest sentiments rather than merely recounting some dry and dusty experience. The result? There wasn't a duff number in the whole set. House By The River, from his new album Colour To The Moon, is a case in point. Poignant and symphonic, it sends a shiver up the collective spine of the audience. In five short verses, Brighton Beach, also from the new album, delves into four decades of Taylor's life and loves, perfectly capturing the changes that take place in thinking and attitude between youth and middle age. Triumph.
Such is the effect of the man and music that the catchy hooks and melodies were picked up by the audience, who quietly sung along without being encouraged to do so. The evening was a triumph for the Edinburgh Folk Club which booked Taylor. Word is going to get out if they continue to recruit acts of this calibre - which will leave them looking for a more spacious venue. As for those who chose to sit in an armchair and follow the footie [football] - missed something didn't they?
Drew McAdam
The Glasgow Herald Review of gig at The Pleasance, February 7th 2001
For 30 years he has been held up as a consummate performer and a writer of literary gracefulness whose troubardorly chronicles encapsulate the realism of otherwise unsung heroes, otherwise uncharted lives... The songs are faultlessly constructed and flawlessly performed
Rob Adams
Foreign reviews:
British Allan Taylor among the best of the guild of singer/ songwriters
Songs are the sketches of many journeys.
British Allan Taylor has been among the best of the guild of singer/ songwriters for years. Recently, his loyal fans gathered at Unna-Massen to enjoy his magnificent songs of everyday life. For more than 30 years Taylor has been travelling around the world, always "on the road", almost like the beatnik writer Jack Kerouac, whom Allan Taylor has dedicated a song to on his latest CD "Colour to the Moon". Apart from his restless tours, Taylor has long since found his peace of mind. Graced with an impressing voice and masterly guitar play Allan Taylor casts a spell on the 150 strong audience in the rather impersonal venue. Musically speaking, 55-year-old Taylor is a versatile member of the folk music scene and thus Country and Bluegrass elements can be found in his guitar play alongside Yiddish klezmer and Mexican-Texan rhythms. His songs are the sketches of many journeys, seemingly fugacious snapshots, photographically and aptÑeach picture tells its own story. The lean Briton, who has produced more than a dozen albums throughout his career, turns out to be a humorous and entertaining artist. The introductions to his songs alone are extremely interesting and very personalÑone instantly wants to get to know him better. Stories such as the one about his last meeting with his old friend and musician Derroll Adams create a special intimacy. A spiritual contact this night's audience treasured. Taylor played two one-hour-sets. Still he was only excused from the stage after several encores.
Germany - WAZ & Westfþlische Rundschau 25.11.2000
Allan Taylor at Taraxacum again. Saturday's concert completely sold-out. Leer:
The magnetism of his name was stronger than ever; Saturday's concert was completely sold-out. Allan Taylor was approaching the magical number of his tenth performance at "Taraxacum". Was it his seventh or eight time here? The audience did not spill their time discussing this question during the interval. They preferred reminiscing about his past performances. Were you there, too? Who wants to keep accounts? Simple numbers are utterly unimportant when the song poet takes his guitar and melodiously sings about the tragedies of everyday life. One of the more recent tragedies is the fact that his new CD "Colour to the Moon" will first be released on Wednesday. "Write down your name and address, and I will post the CD to you. Or try the internet (www.stockfisch-records.de)", the artist recommended contritely. For the time being, he enjoyed the live concert and let his magic voice sound just a bit more flattering, modulated it slightly softer and reached the desired effect. Each one of the 80 listeners felt that Allan Taylor was singing for them alone. The born seducer talks through him when he tells the audience that his house used to be decorated like a hotel for five yearsÑdue to his affection for these temporary lodgings. He is just as unsentimental with his memories of more than 20 years of successful stage experience. Without the rebellious uprising of the sixties, without the zeitgeist and spirit of people like Jack Kerouac, it would not have been possible for him, he calmly remarks. Time and again his tributes to musical friends, to artists, who shared his zest for singing songs of love and transitoriness, impress the audience. Derroll Adams and Colin Scott are among these artists. Casually the English song poet draws caring portraits of friends as in "Crazy Amsterdam". Only during the first 15 minutes Allan Taylor had to use coquetry and ask the audience for "more enthusiasm", as they didn't react audibly to his introduction of new songs. Later, the audience sang along delightedly. Performing at the "Taraxacum" was almost like coming home, he said. This compliment at the end of the concert surely was much more than just a polite, rhetorical bow to his fans.
Germany 13.11.2000
Denmark
Jyllandsposten January 30, 2001
Taylor Draws the Balance
Folk (Soren Chr. Kirkegaard)
Allan Taylor: Colour to the Moon, Stockfisch (Millstream Recors Tønder)
Evaluation: four stars (out of six)
English singer and songwriter Allan Taylor has turned 55, and his latest CD can be regarded as a kind of balance sheet, summing up his long life "on the road". The CD partly consists of old songs, such as "Back Again" (1976) and "Crazy Amsterdam" (1981). Still, the new songs circle about the past, too. In his charming song "Creole Girl", Taylor returns to Paris hoping to find the fascination of his young days, the dark-eyed beauty from New Orleans, meeting her daughter instead! The gentle, beautiful songs, intensely sung by Taylor, mirror both a wistful woe for the paradise lost and the calm and insight of leading a full life. Indeed, Taylor has lived his life to the full since he went on the road in the sixties, inspired by the beatnik poet Jack Kerouac, whom he dedicated "Kerouac's Dream" to, and others. Allan Taylor with his rich voice is accompanied by guitarist Chris Jones, his own son Barnaby on the piano and various German musicians, as the CD was recorded in Germany. According to the sleeve notes, the songs were written in hotel rooms, bars, café's, and motorway cafeterias all over the world from New Zealand and Barbados to Switzerland, Austria, Paris and Amsterdam. Allan Taylor, whose most well-known song "It's Good to See You" was immortalised by Alex Campbell, has been a frequent visitor to Denmark. This summer he will perform at Skagen and Tonder folk festivals.
German Review: Buecher
bestellan auf
www.booxtra.de
...with subtle ingredients, magic highlights are created. Songs like "Wheel of Fortune" or the title song, "Kerouac's Dream" with their relaxed tune are likely to be enjoyed by fans of Mark Knopfler, but Taylor's songs achieve much deeper emotions. Whoever likes Mark Knopfler's "Sailing to Philadelphia" will praise the work of this songwriter from Brighton/Sussex. Everything that describes the unplugged Dire Straits boss, the relaxed but full sound of the guitar, the sonorous voice, the relaxed seriousness of the composing Taylor also has - but he has much more. His singing has got even more intensity than Mark Knopler's mumbling. And songs like "Wheel of Fortune" are not just beautiful tunes but pure poetry. Magnificent!
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