Even after all these years, listening to thousands of hours of music, I’m still not sure what comes first? The lyrics or the track? Or are both blended together? I mean, how do you sit down to write Stairway to Heaven or Bohemian Rhapsody? One day it didn’t exist. And the next? It’s something which will stay with us forever.
But I’m pretty sure with JC-C it must be the lyrics first and foremost. Because you can absolutely listen to them without the tracks. But that wouldn’t sell on 12 inch vinyl would it? I’m not sure. And it works. Beautifully. I never understood poetry at school. It was only many years later whilst on a course from work, that we broke off one afternoon to read poetry. Slowly. With tone and feeling and emotion. And it is so good, sadly ignored by many.
But with JC-C you get the best of many worlds. It’s clever, it works with or without music (Side 2 starts off live and unadulterated). It’s interesting with few wasted words. It’s story telling and if the powers that be in this country had anything about them (of course they don’t as the Daily Mail would be up in arms), he would feature in the curriculum of this generations education challenge, if only so they could appreciate the dynamic of someone so clever, delivering something so appealing. Not least to bring poetry into the lap of today’s kids. Buy it.
P.S. Stick to the end. Beasley Street is a blast !!
