I wouldn't mind hearing his version of Van Morrison's Have I Told You Lately That I Love You and the Big O's It's Over.
Potential covers Loudon Wainwright III various Forever Autumn - Justin Hayward Fields of Gold Intergalactic - laxative Donovan andi
I wouldn't mind him doing less covers, scrapping Love is Music and playing more of his shorter, lesser heard songs. Three Magpies, Imaginary Friend, Evo...
Yes agreed.. Yes, Nick is totaly adequate to cover himself in an eiderdown of covers of himself in magic feathers. I agree. But perhaps he was asking the audience [i.e. us] if there were any special requests he could do as an aside to entertain the audience of many feathers? Could be fun?!! He's playing his version of your request! Wonderful, what an offer which should not be negated on the moment methinks. Some times he comes up with good humorous digressions, which is an entertaining performance, breaks up the segueing himself, and an intelligent distraction, especially live. That's entertainment. Does not mean you are Nick-fixated, just a fun night of fun from such a versatile performer showing his own interpretations which audiences love and can relate to.. chrs andi? Nick - if you are there?..any John Fahey or Mississippi Blues acoustic live with your own version of the musical tide you are improvising. Rock on sunshineboy! chrs andi ps Why are people who supposedly love music so negative and uncreative themselves?
I think that would make a great paragraph to incorporate into your Basingstoke gig review. Didn't know you were doing one? Oh yes! You surely didn't think I was going to let you off, did you!:wink: It'd be cool if you could try it. I can sub it if you need help, and then put up on one of the sites.
I take your point, but disagree. I enjoy Nick doing his stuff and an occasional cover can be interesting, but there's plenty of songs of his that I would prefer to hear and quite frankly I don't enjoy his Jeff Buckley covers for instance. Just because one can, doesn't necessarily mean one should.
okay...and..speaking from ignorance.. Nick is already known for some of his excellent Covers live and it can attract a certain new genre of audience who have never heard of him and act as a tempting tasty bait on a fishing line [guitar string] towards his original stuff.. I don't know his albums enough to know if he includes Covers there? Anyway, apart from cleverly interpreting and copying of a complete song, [I can hear influences in his guitar playing from Spanish to Blues to Ragtime to Rock'n'roll etc.. and if we are dealing with the same fingers / tunings / instrument and grown up within the same influences / variety of styles in this current age], then there is bound to be an inherent overlap of 'covering' repetitionally , involuntarily - or otherwise. But to do a decent arrangement / transposition [whatever they call it] then even a Cover can sound like a new creditworthy song. Even sounding better sometimes than the original song from which is was inspired in the first place. But going off on another tangent how many Covers has Roy done [apart from North Country] and Led Zep, Pink Floyd?? Perhaps that's one for the Mistlethrush analysts? Perhaps originality should not be diluted thus. I'm going back on the fence on this one but still appreciate Covers well done.. chrs andi ps And with Nick's youthful energetic exuberance I can imagine him doing a good jig of Teenage Kicks all through the night!!
I enjoyed some of Nicks 'covers'. The first time I heard 'T & B' I'd never heard it before, it really blew me away. I can see the fun in it and it's interesting to hear a song you like covered by an artist you appreciate. But I would still prefer to hear Nick sing his own stuff, there's enough of it to fill a performance.
Pick'n'Nick Totally accord with that : but we are already afficianado converts; and... but, for him to reach a wider audience [okay, forget the French interjections as an international marketing ploy] he can spread his wings to attract the people that deserve to appreciate and need to be listening to his music. I'm not saying or implying that he's some form of musical prophet, but having recently re-listened to some of his old/new stuff I know intrinsically he's got something profound to offer... on the brink... and using 'covers', [I prefer the word 'arrangements'] is just another way to communicate that part of himself.... Bit like when I first listened to any artist that just blew me away on first listening from Dire Straits to REM to Pink Floyd to Led Zep and all the early stuff in my musically formative years... and obviously, ad Roy infinitum. Anyway Linn is asking me for a review of a gig I haven't been to yet and the reason I don't like doing them, is that you miss half the gig trying to write down the set list and think of intelligent comments on each rendition of each song that you sorta miss the gig itself! Question mark? So I'm going for the Guinness Book of Records now and going to write a review of a gig before I've been to it! See if I can do it off the top of my head in ten minutes...here we go.. Nick Harper Live Basingstoke 2009 " I came in as an innocent observer of Nick Harper to begin with. Although not totally divorced from the reality of the occasion; having been a loyal follower of the renowned, folk-philosopher Roy Harper , his father, for many a happy hippy aeon. So I did not approach his performance then as some form of remote arbitrary reviewer. I already had an inkling that the night was expected to be some vibrantly unusual experience. Nick did not disappoint. Some gigsters plough through their standard set-lists to delight the audience with what the public expects..sorry, there's already a song about that! But Nick's different... Just his presence on the stage seemed powerfully present. Almost as if he's one of us from the Stalls. Or we are right up there on the stage with him. Hard to explain really....the connectivity is there without a shadow of doubt....almost palpable. One of his favourite songs of mine is when he's watching himself walk alongside himself. All I can say is Nick is extraordinarily uplifting; and has that annoying trait of personality where is he lovable and you can totally relate to him. His songs are the Earth we stand on. His visionary ones depict the same infinity in the Universe we revolve around.He's definitely one of us.... or trying to genuinely reach... His songs communicate a radiant wisdom today, [ not forgetting his wizardry on the guitar and visceral voice] which I find quite astonishing; and, it is impossible to put it down in these so-called things called words. Say no more then! Go and experience it for yourself! You will not be disappointed with your once-in-a-lifetime omni-experience." Copywrite/Copyright WATTERSON 2009 All Rights Reserved Cheers Andi
That's wicked - you're obviously a professional!:wink: Now all you have to do on the night is get an overall vibe of the show itself, how received by audience and what you felt about it, whack in a few song titles and if Bob's not yer uncle, he should be!:biggrin:
Review You can sub it if you want Linn! It's all yours! I'm just going along to enjoy the giggity gig. Do you know how the Pompey tickets are selling? I don't want to miss it with me ol'Roy mates down there. Cheers andi [Uncle Bob's nephew!] Ha! Just found the most gruesome Smilie to wake your hangover up : :18:uke::ack2:
Sorry, but I disagree. I don't believe singing a cover version at a gig would do this at all. I think it's good to have a number of 'tools' in your bag and the occasional cover is one of them, a refreshing curio. But ultimately the audience is broadened by singing your own songs. It's nice to think Nick might consider a suggestion for a cover, and I know there are some here who will head to the bar when certain songs are played!.... but I don't want to be joining them!
^ What Trav said goes double for me :wink: A cover is a good talking point and can be a lot of fun, but that's not why I go to see Nick and I don't think that's the best way to draw new listeners in... his music should stand on its own IMHO.
That's a fine suggestion, and one I think Nick would love to do too - it would allow him to push his vocals to the limit whilst doing a bit of dropped-D acoustic dynamics. He could then segue that into 'That's Not My Name' by the Ting Tings, to keep this kids happy. Oh, and songs Roy has covered: Needle Of Death, Up The 'Pool ... there must be more. +A