Buried Treasure: Ralph McTell - Streets Of London (1971)

Here is a rerun of a post I wrote over ten years ago that was inspired by the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton that took place the next day.

Folk singer Ralph McTell came from the same English coffeehouse circuit that helped give birth to the careers of Al Stewart and the late John Martyn. McTell has always been better known in his homeland and Australia than in the United States where he has received almost no attention whatsoever.

McTell frequently performs live with just his voice and a guitar but, unlike similar artists who do the same, his concerts are still satisfying because the man has quite an appealing voice. The veteran singer-songwriter owns a rich baritone and sings with an obvious English accent that enhances his live shows and recordings. He doesn't need the adornments of a band to cover up any vocal deficiencies. Proof of this lies with his solo acoustic performances on Ralph, Albert, and Sydney, a cleverly named live album full of songs he recorded at the Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House.

The closest McTell ever came to obtaining any acceptance in America was for his 1971 album You Well Meaning Brought Me Here, a platter full of nice songs and one huge standout, "Streets of London," a composition that is considered to be his signature piece among people who are familiar with his work. McTell is well worth listening to beyond "Streets" but this beautiful, melodic, and sad work about the plight of homeless people he encountered in London should be a timeless classic. The song packs a wallop because McTell was genuinely moved by what he saw. He wanted to create the same emotions in his listeners and shouldn't that be the goal all socially conscience music aspires to achieve?

If you've never heard this great song before listening to it now is a must. While much of the world is getting caught up in the pomp this wonderful and ancient city has to offer because of tomorrow's Royal wedding the song offers a vivid portrait of London's dark side. The contrast between William and Kate's nuptials and "Streets" couldn't be more obvious.

This live video spans several different performances and several decades interspersed with scenes from the streets of the English capital.

Comments

  1. music obsessive7:28 AM, April 28, 2011

    Streets of London was one of the first pieces I learned to play on the guitar when I was about 16. It's not difficult yet has a wonderful sense of movement about it that makes it fun to play. Seems just about every street musician knows it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Perplexio7:34 AM, April 28, 2011

    Thanks for the review Charlie-- I'll check him out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. whiteray4:32 PM, April 28, 2011

    You're right in saying that all his music is worthwhile, but "Streets of London" is one of those gems that comes to and from a songwriter once in a lifetime (if we and the songwriter are lucky). I think I likely heard Roger Whittaker's cover first and then found McTell's, but I was blown away by both. Tony Rice gave it a shot on his "Church Street Blues," but his American accent sounds out-of-place.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sean Coleman5:33 PM, May 01, 2011

    I first heard John Allan Cameron's 1973 cover of "Streets of London" (albeit a few years after initial release) and it remains a very powerful song. You are correct in stating that McTell is well worth checking out.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen...
Read more

The Band - Christmas Must Be Tonight (1977)

Image
In 2006 Hall and Oates released Home For Christmas , their one and only holiday album, an extremely good set of music that immediately became one of my favorite seasonal listens. I wrote then that I was stunned at how many overtly religious songs the famous duo put on the the disc considering the very politically correct climate of the new millennium. One of them was a cover version of a song that alluded me for almost thirty years, "Christmas Must Be Tonight." I liked the new, upbeat track sung by Daryl Hall and it made me go out and search for Robbie Robertson's never-to-be classic. Sung by Rick Danko, it appears on the great American band's last album, Islands (1977). It's a surprise that a group whose members were not known to have any specific or powerfully strong religious beliefs would release a song that tackled the subject of Jesus's birth as blatantly as our most loved Christmas carols. It's not about a reckless reinde...
Read more

Chicago: An Album By Album Analysis Of The Terry Kath Era (1969 - 1977)

Image
The original lineup of Chicago has always been one of my all time favorite bands. My affection for this great horn band is such that I want to discuss all of the albums they recorded before Terry Kath's unfortunate and accidental passing. Their debut album is now forty years old, and it's followup is not far behind, yet their music endures to this day. * * * * * Everyone Must Own * * * * Excellent * * * Good * * Fair * Poor * * * * * Chicago Transit Authority (1969) - Whether they were playing screaming psychedelic hard rock, jazz, blues, or love songs, everyone in the band proved they were worthy of the huge mass success that followed CTA 's release. The band's ability to play anything and play it well is the hallmark of their debut album. The stars are Robert Lamm, Terry Kath, and the horns, and even Peter Cetera demonstrates he can be a rock and roll animal when he wants to be. The standout tracks are Lamm's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It...
Read more

The Beatles - Christmas Messages (1963 - 1969)

Image
For seven straight years beginning in 1963 - even before they were famous in America - The Beatles recorded annual Christmas messages exclusively for their fan club members as a holiday thank you. They were issued on seven-inch, vinyl records that were very thin, very bendable, and easily damaged. These flexi-discs, as they were called, could not be stacked on record changers. Over the years the tracks have been bootlegged in countless ways, and until a few years ago the only legal release was sent to fan club members in 1970 on 33 RPM vinyl records after the boys from Liverpool went their separate ways. The LP cover shown here is from that album. Finally, in 2017, a limited edition box set  on colored vinyl was released and is now an expensive collector's item. Many Beatles fans managed to hear these records over the years, and with the Internet being what it is, there are several websites where anyone can easily listen to all of them.  Archive.org ...
Read more

The Chieftains With Jackson Browne - The Rebel Jesus (1991)

Image
"The Rebel Jesus" is a Christmas song composed by Jackson Browne and performed with The Chieftains, the eclectic, veteran Irish folk band on  The Bells of Dublin,  their 1991 holiday album. Browne wrote the song specifically for his guest appearance on this record. The singer-songwriter, who is deservedly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, can be a bit preachy when he wants to be, and he is again here, but no one can dispute what the man is saying.  The last two verses are the key to the song. Browne points out that people often feel more generous at Christmas so they'll give to those who were less fortunate than themselves during the holidays. But, if anyone tries to dig deeper and root out the poverty that envelops the downtrodden they are often scorned like Jesus was. This message is coming from a man who is admittedly a "heathen and a pagan," but on this occasion he is "on the side of the rebel Jesus." At the same time Browne doesn't want to sp...
Read more