Is it because he ploughed his own furrow that Gordon Giltrap didn’t become more famous? For a solo artist to be still performing 50 years after his opening gambit on vinyl, is an amazing feat. To do so, without having had a huge amount of commercial success is extraordinary. Many would have been sitting cosily by the fire or on the veranda in their rocking chair dreaming of what might have been. But that doesn’t appear to have been the way with someone whose contemporaries number amongst them Mike Oldfield and Bert Jansch, to name but two.
The underbelly of this recording is undoubtedly the guitar playing, and it’s noticeable that he continues to offer education in a field in which he clearly mastered many years ago. Although, by his humble word, I suspect he would stop short of saying that anyone ever masters the guitar. But the playing at times is simply stunning. Witness primarily the unaccompanied tunes on here, namely the title track and ‘Confusion’. You don’t have to try hard to enjoy this LP.
And I mentioned surprises earlier. Take a look at his website. One of the best I’ve seen, full of interesting stuff (apart from a curious lack of mention of his earlier music – a little odd), and finally, he still has his own hair. Oh what I would give……
