Just caught Crosby, Stills & Nash on Glastonbury TV highlights. Initial forgivings and a feeling of wishing I could cling onto an image of how they used to be (before my time you understand … only just) were replaced with relief when I saw that there were still flashes of brilliance, particularly from the age-spotted, plump figures of Crosby & Stills – Nash seemed to be playing by numbers (I’m sure he’ll be devasted – don’t tell him I said so).

Sent me scurrying back to two of my favourite all-time solo projects – the eponymously-named Stephen Stills (1970) and David Crosby’s ‘If Only I Could Remember My Name’ (1971).  The former I bought on vinyl about 20 years ago because the cover was so amusing in a kitsch, ironic way and I adored ‘Love The One You’re With’, but only really properly listened to it a few years later.  Joyous soul-filling tracks, still sounded great at the vinyl night in the local a few months back (gratifying revelry and wonderment on my co-drinkers’ faces as I passed the cover round).  The latter I bought a few years ago after hearing it on Stuart Maconie’s wonderful ‘Freak Zone’ where he lauded the stealthy menace of ‘What Are Their Names’.

And these were made AFTER the brilliance of Buffalo Springfield & CSNY … jeeze, the body of work these two men have produced is ridiculous (over-shadowed by the genius of their former band mate Neil Young of course).  David Crosby & Stephen Stills, we salute you.

Post-Script: Needless to say, Neil Young came on afterwards and righteously rocked.

Listening to a nice bit of soulful June Tabor from a little folky compilation I’ve put together while I’m finishing off my booket.

Wind and Rain is a cheery little gothic piece about sororicide (I had to look that one up) which would sit quite nicely alongside Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads, and yet has this cheery toe-tapping quality. Her voice sounds like the wind itself so it does.

I think the folk revival is ensuring that her unique voice is getting the overdue recognition she deserves … June Tabor, we salute you.

Dates me a bit, this one, but in for a penny … back in the early ’90s when all the world seemed young and gay, Senseless Things were the soundtrack to a part of my life for a while.  I was into Jamie Hewlett, Deadline and Love & Rockets, and Senseless Things seemed to inhabit the cartoon landscape I wanted to be a part of (escapist? me?)  They even looked like they’d been drawn by Hewlett, Keds particularly resembling a Fireball contestant.  Cass the drummer is now working with Gorillaz so it all tied in rather neatly at the end there.

Anyway, they were fun and Got It At The Delmar is still a great piece of pop and I’m humming and toe-tapping along nicely while sewing a heron … more of which later.