Yes the resurrection of DAN STUART continues apace with his current extensive European tour with the Italian band Sacri Cuori to promote both their new album Rosario and his pamphlet and album The Deliverance of Marlowe Billings. All the info you could need on all of these releases can be found at www.marlowbillings.com.
I arrived at the Borderline a bit too early as unfortunately the Current JACK HARRIS was still playing and talking. Well he talked for longer between songs than he sang for, which was almost a blessing. He really needs to change his name as he is not a patch on the minor 1950s London pop heart-throb turned 60s-80s wedding singer of the same name! I couldn't wait for him to finish, it couldn't happen soon enough. The 3 songs I heard seemed to take an eternity.
Thankfully, soon enough it was time for Italian Americana heroes SACRI CUORI'S set of instrumental imaginary soundtrack music. iT opened with what sounded like the backing to a spaghetti western shoot out scene with Diego Sapignoli playing his drums with a crushed water bottle and mallets. His drum kit also featured a resonator box on-top of his snare drum as well as various cowbells and stuff as throughout the evening he switched between mallets and sticks and brushes and a green maraca as well as the crushed water bottle to play his drums with.
They then went into this very dark noir tune with a bit of a Link Wray rumble going on that made me expect to see Warren Oates wandering on stage for a dust up with Franco Nero while Antonio Gramanteri's guitar kept on twanging and rumbling and Christian Ravagnoli's accordion fills punctuated the stare down going on.
Antonio then introduced the next number as being a tribute to both Fellini and Nina Rota. It was a keyboard led thing that could have accompanied Marcello Mastroiani and Anouk Aimee on a stroll past St Peter's in Rome as they gazed into each other's eyes.
We were then treated to some traditional folk music from the Emillio Romagno region.It sounds a lot like Mexican mariachi music and I could imagine it featuring in a from Dusk Till Dawn type scenario with Francesco Giampaoli's ever stoic face never cracking and his bass lines punctuating the action as the bodies fly around him while he just keeps on playing in time for them to do an Instrumental version of Silver Dollar. This is the only song on the album to have real lyrics sung by Isobel Campbell but in this version I imagine one of those arguments where Warren Oates and Franco Nero are both trying to shoot the Silver Dollar that Anouk Aimee keeps tossing into the air above the bar. Just my imagination, I guess, but vivid nonetheless.
At the denouement of that scene Warren Oates is forced to leave town on a horse and what follows is his accompaniment as he rides off into the forbidding wilderness and tries not to die of thirst and hunger before he finally sees in the distance a very dusty bar in which to seek salvation and no doubt a libation or two. This really was a great and very evocative set.
After the break the man who is the rock and roll equivalent of Warren Oates wandered up onstage and opened up with Death and Angels, sounding every bit as good as ever being strummed on an acoustic geetar instead of his trusty Gretsch.
We were off on a journey through DAN STUART'S ever lengthening oeuvre and with the addition of Christian Ravagnoli's keyboards and Antonio Gramantari's guitar he gave us a very sweet version of You Couldn't Get arrested. Well I'm sure Dan could if he tried hard enough and with the rest of the band joining him we were off into the sketchy world of my notes and the great music coming from the stage as Dan sang about what can't be found. We all knew that he had in fact found his mojo and that as he sang next on one of the new tunes he was Gonna Change even if some things never change.
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The whole place went nuts for their great version of Sixteen Ways that had some keyboards that sounded almost like they were out doing Chris Cacavas' original ones. Damn, this band sound great. Now while my notes have the next song as You Just Wait, I'm not sure if it was actually We're All Waiting or Wait and See that they actually played. Either way it was good and Marlowe was ribbing the ever Hirsute Francesco Giampoaoli for his ever straight face.
Elsewhere, Two Lovers Waiting To Die still sounds like the great song it always was. It was part of a theme that continued with Love So Rare off the new album and on through What are You Laughing about? Of songs about the events that led to Dan's breakdown and eventual re-emergence after having met the woman who he spent 20 years with. I have to say I understand as it took me two weeks after meeting her with Dan after the show at the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden all those years ago to pick my jaw up off the floor at how stunning she was. Ah, the good old days when musical heroes lived in the wilds of Southgate. Yes what was Left Of Me or in this case Dan afterwards; well of course his music is his salvation and we are glad of the chance to help save him.
Well we wouldn't want him Fading Away would we? of course we wouldn't and damn that old Green On Red tune still sounds great with Dan by this point pulling some great faces as he wrung all the emotion out of the tune and his guitar. Was that really Zombie for Love next? That's the best guess at what my notes say, it was certainly another classic. I do know it was followed by Cetina's Lament: a song inspired by a poem by Gutierre De Cetina.
Hell all those years ago when Dan told us Gravity Talks we might not have believed him, but after all these years I'm certain it does when sung like this. We then had a good sing along to new song Gringo Go Home, about Dan's life as a dry back "illegal" in Mexico which led to a song he introduced as being a DINOSAUR Jnr cover that sounded pretty damn cool.
The place went mad at the end of the set and after a couple of bows they gave us an encore of Cheap Wine, one of the all-time classic tunes from the Paisley Underground. It was succeeded by almost everyone singing along to Time Ain't Nothing: a song whose lyrics seem more appropriate the older the singer becomes. They closed a great show with a stunning version of Hair of The Dog that left everyone with a smile on their face. Hell, even Francesco managed to crack a grin.
I look forward to Dan and Sacri Cuori returning again soon. Please, if this tour lands anywhere near you go and see them.
Marlow Billings website
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