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The sound of life
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The sound of life
This album is full of original songs, mostly written in 2007. As with previous albums, it is entirely acoustic. Some tracks have just guitar and vocals but I am joined on others by some fine musicians.
Keith Kendrick, ace concertina player from Derbyshire, plays both Anglo and English concertina and is featured on "A song of peace" and "Old Ben" to bring a real sense of the folk tradition to these songs.
Terry Ede, better known to many for his virtuoso tenor sax playing, plays some exciting flute backing on "She got on the train at Cricklewood", and a simple and effective flute part in "The flowers of England".
Rod Brown adds percussion wherever needed on the album. You may remember Rod's great playing from my jazz album, "Moving on".
The Troubadour Café is about the Troubadour Folk Club which was a favourite of mine when I lived in London in the 70's. Redd Sullivan and Martin Winsor ran the club in the tiny basement of the coffee bar. This was a late night club which not only had excellent guest singers but attracted all sorts of performers who would turn up after their own gigs had finished. The song mentions Martin's trumpet sound which was an amazing trick he had of using his voice to sound like a trumpet, as in their version of "I wish that I could shimmy like my sister Kate".
I'm not crazy yet is about the things we do to remember, like buying a rose for someone who will never get to see it. It makes us feel better, but in some ways it's a strange thing to do. This song came to me after I bought a rose on the birthday of my late wife, Shirley.
There's a sound is an atmospheric song based loosely on the idea that we all hear and remember sounds that characterise critical moments in our lives. This is a strangely emotional song to sing and it seems to communicate some feelings we all share about life in general. The album takes it's name from a line in this song, "It's the sound of life".
She got on the train at Cricklewood is a simple story about me meeting a girl on a train, changing a drab, routine journey into something special and exciting; it is about time someone wrote about Cricklewood. As the song says, "hooray for Cricklewood".
Old Ben has to be my favourite song on this album, about an old dog I met in Wales, a retired sheep dog who lay around the place sleeping and only really getting excited when a herd of sheep was driven down the lane to the next field. Getting old is something we all think about from time to time; will you miss your working days?
I'm singing my life away sort of sums up my life since I gave up doing things I don't have to do to concentrate on music. "There's a song for each hour of the day, so I'm singing my life away".
Prelude to autumn is an instrumental piece for soprano sax and guitar. Unusually, the sax plays the tune unaccompanied, followed by a guitar solo, and then the two combine to finish with a variation.
A song of peace is for mothers everywhere who have sons who would be soldiers. There will always be room for one more song of peace, but to me the words to this song say it all, there is nothing I can add.
The flowers of England was written with the folk club audience in mind, with a not too tricky chorus and a theme which goes to heart of what people love about the English countryside. My selection of favourite flowers reminds me of my grandmother's garden and the banks of primroses along the nearby railway.
A boy and his kite is about the things that tie us down, hold us back, and at the same time keep us going; a kite longs to be free of the line that holds it to the boy on a hill, but when the line breaks it can no longer fly without crashing, despite being free at last.
If I were happy is a whimsical song about being happy; you cannot expect to be continuously happy and sane at the same time; the trick is to understand what happiness is, to value those happy moments and know how to laugh at adversity.
Autumn lament is based on the same tune as "Prelude to autumn" with words that try to capture the spirit of autumn from a new perspective. Watch out for the sound of the cuckoo in guitar harmonics!
I knew a girl she was so thin is a deliberately superficial look at the perils of wanting to be like a size zero model, inspired by a recent attempt in the tabloid press to blame eating disorders on the fashion industry, and has a story line best described as being very silly.
Review-Unicorn Magazine April 2008
Chris Flegg - The Sound Of Life
Review NetRhythms May 2008
Chris Flegg - The Sound Of Life (Own Label)
St. Albans-based Chris may not be a household name to folkies, but he's been involved in the folk scene on and off since his student days in London in the early 70s, shortly after which time he worked with many jazz lineups in the early days (including gigs with Steve Benbow and Diz Disley). Not counting an earlier retrospective collection, The Sound Of Life is Chris's third album of his own songs; it's the most focused and possibly the most consistently accessible thus far, containing arguably some of his most memorable songs to date. (Anthony John Clarke has already covered one of Chris's earlier songs, so fear not - word is getting round!...) Chris's style is deceptively easy on the ear, embracing a facility for melodic invention that at times recalls Ralph McTell, so it's no surprise that his songs concern the simpler truths arising from reflecting on real aspects of his life like the ostensibly strange things he does to remember his late wife, his memories of great evenings at London's Troubadour Club, and the dubious pleasures of daily commuting on Thameslink into London. Chris's songs are charming in nature and, though generally life-affirming, aren't complacent or smug; his observations are gentle rather than deep or cutting commentaries, but none the worse for that. There are occasions (eg There's A Sound) when the philosophical content is a tad underdeveloped, but this isn't a serious distraction and for the most part Chris's lyrics satisfy with their straightforward premises. Sure, Chris pokes genial and superficial fun at times too, but he also displays genuine affection for his subjects amidst all the whimsicality. There's also a very pleasing folk-friendliness about Chris's songs, and I can foresee The Flowers Of England, A Song For Peace and Old Ben being eagerly taken up by performers in that sphere. Chris's prowess on guitar is unquestionable, and he augments his delightful picking with some mellifluous soprano sax, while he also enlists Keith Kendrick (concertinas), Terry Ede (flute) and Rod Brown (percussion) to flesh out a couple of tracks apiece. This is an attractive and admirably modest collection, faithfully recorded. www.chris-flegg.demon.co.uk
David Kidman May 2008
Through the window
you can hear samples from the 'Through The Window' CD and buy online at nightcafe
The Album "Through the window" is still available. Here is the blurb from the CD booklet explaining the songs;
Well here it is, my 2006 album following on from the 2005 album My Sweet Lady and there are 15 original songs and one new instrumental tune crammed into one CD to give over one hour of music. As before, the setting of the songs is deliberately simple to give the feel of live performances, but as this is such a long album, I have allowed myself a little more leeway in overdubbing. My soprano sax playing adds colour to tracks 4, 10 and 14 and my tenor sax appears for the first time on track 6.
Commuter Breakdown Blues is about the typical commuter's fantasy of escaping the tedium of taking the train to work. Imagine one morning giving up waiting for the train, just walking off the platform and sitting in the park all day? We can all dream.
Saturday Morning In The Charity Shop paints an image of a typical charity shop, where else can you buy a Charles and Diana memorial plate, and interweaves a story behind a man bringing in a pile of clothes. In the midst of bustle there is a hidden sadness.
Creatures Apart is a quirky sort of love song for a couple who seem not to be alike, but on reflection must have something in common.
Another Child In Africa is a serious song about how we come to terms with the plight of children dying in Africa, whether from disease or hunger, and how our own daily problems can be suddenly put into perspective when confronted with the image of a dying child. At best, most of us make some donation and just get back to our own busy lives, but the problem does not go away, nor does our feeling of guilt.
Where do Buskers Go When It's Raining was written to commemorate a holiday spent busking with John Breeze at Padstow, hence the two guitar arrangement and harmony vocal on the last chorus. There is also a reference to Breezie in the first verse, how did that get there?
The Cool Frog is a song about that proverbial kiss between princess and frog, with the frog in this case being a super cool sax player. In live performance, the audience provides a chorus of "rivet"; OK so you have to be there, but it's fun, honest.
My Song Is Just A Window To My Heart has a gentle Country feel, in both style and sentiment. It reflects the contradiction that for commercial success as a Country singer you have to sound sincere about not being commercial, or in other words my songs are from the heart but I still want you to buy my CDs.
The Mermaid Of Zennor is a ballad telling of a typical encounter between a mermaid and young sailor, although perhaps a little more contemporary and practical than most traditional accounts. The mermaid carving on a wooden pew in the village church at Zennor on the North coast of Cornwall inspired this version.
Through The Window is an atmospheric piece with three alternating guitar patterns, played plectrum style then finger style, with lyrics about how it feels to play guitar. I often describe it as an instrumental, but with words! There is a simple pleasure in routine music practice which is hard to describe, this song tries to do just that. The line "through the window life goes on" moved me to names the album after this track.
Don't Fuss About Me When I'm Gone is from the viewpoint of planning your own funeral to cause minimal fuss, or maybe the opposite. The final verse switches to the reality of caring for who you leave behind, before lapsing into a less than serious ending.
It's A Cat's life tells it like it is; all cat owners will relate to this catalogue of how cat's can run your life. The cat on the CD cover is Max who is the most vociferous, persistent attention seeking, fridge emptying and affectionate cat ever.
The Ballad Of Joseph And Mary was written for a Christmas gig at Herga Folk Club. How could sweet innocent Mary awake to find in her arms a newborn baby, heaven sent. This ballad tells of one way it could happen, but how unlikely is it, and how even more unlikely is the biblical version? This is all food for thought without intending to challenge anyone's beliefs in whatever they chose to believe.
The Fairest Flower is a social comment on man's exploitation of the planet at the expense of all other life, and the irony of destruction being done in the name of progress. It is not just the destruction of rainforest or the poaching of tigers that should concern us; on our own doorstep we take another step towards destroying nature every time we extend a runway, build on green belt land or lay new roads. Just a thought.
The Long Winding Highway is an instrumental for soprano sax, rhythm guitar and lead guitar which I recorded by multi-tracking.
Guy Fawkes has a strong message about the way the "war on terror" is apparently using secret prisons and renditions to avoid the issue of human rights for terror suspects and draws a parallel with the barbaric treatment given to that most famous of would be bombers, Guy Fawkes.
Eurobabble is about the downside of being in Europe and was inspired by a chance meeting with a Cornish fisherman who lost his livelihood along with so many other with the demise of English fishing now that we are in Europe; the chorus has a true Euro flavour, composed in four languages to meet the requirements of a supposed new European song writing Regulation. Everything touched by Euro Regulation seems to go strangely wrong; it is therefore inevitable that this song should have a weird chorus.
I hope that in these songs leave you feeling good and that you find reason to think about some issues from a new perspective, with some smiles along the way.
Chris Flegg
Through the Window - Review by Unicorn Magazine
This is Chris's 4th CD. All the songs are self-penned, with superb guitar playing throughout, in a mixture of styles blues, finger-picking, and plectrum. Double tracking with his own excellent playing of soprano and tenor saxophones could be viewed at self-indulgent, but it works well. The songs, in the main, are light-hearted, leavened with the occasional thought-provoking track, and Chris's voice is practiced and mellow. There are 16 tracks totaling over an hour, with only one instrumental 'The Long Winding Highway' - again multi-tracked with lead and rhythm guitar and soprano sax mixed to good effect. This track was one of my favourites; others were 'It's a cat's life' and 'Through the Window' - which Chris calls ' an instrumental but with words!' Personally I could have listened to more of the guitar and sax playing and fewer songs, but that's because I'm very envious of his playing! ' Some of the songs are probably better in a live situation (...The Cool Frog...the audience provides a chorus of 'rivet'...), but others may well stand the test of time. As a resident of Windward Folk Club, St. Albans, he is worth a visit to find out.
Alan
Unicorn magazine, Issue 96, October 2006
1. My Sweet Lady
2. A Field Of Daffodils
3. A Hill So High
4.The Princess And The Huntsman
5. I Thought I Heard Your Call
6. The Swing
7. I Shall Think Of You
8.Poor Old Soldier
9. Colours Of The Rainbow
10. Things Just Might Not Get Better
There are MP3 samples on the Samples Page To buy copies, see Contact Page My sweet lady is just a simple love song, with the thought that somehow you can feel the presence of a loved one when apart. The Swing tells the true story of how a little girl is taken by her mother, supposedly for a day trip to the sea, only to suddenly find herself left in a children's home where she is left for two years. This happened to my late wife, Shirley, who always remained troubled by this childhood experience. A field of daffodils is a gentle song about a hillside near Chysauster, overlooking St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, where I scattered Shirley's ashes. The Princess And the Huntsman is a fun song about a princess who, of course, loses her clothes in the first verse. If it has a meaning, it is about the chaotic way our lives progress and how life's choices are largely dictated by circumstance; we never really get to choose. This is the only song in which there is any multi-tracking trickery, since I play soprano sax as an accompaniment. A Hill So High was written for the 2005 Maidenhead Folk Song Competition, winning second place, and is about the Long Man at Wilmington. This Iron Age hill figure of a man is still something of a mystery; why was it drawn and how has it survived 2000 years? I Thought I Heard Your Call is based on a dream which haunted me for many years and which seemed to be a premonition. I Shall Think of You is a song about a garden and how it will always remind you of the person who created it. Poor Old Soldier is about my father who, following a series of strokes, can no longer speak; some old photos came to light that raise questions he can no longer answer, especially a photo of him holding a guitar; we never knew he played. Colours of the rainbow is about how your perception of life is largely a matter of choice; if your glass is half empty does that mean someone has been drinking your beer? Thing Just Might Not Get Better is a light hearted look at how you should deal with a run of bad luck. This song has been taken up by Liverpool based Anthony John Clarke and is expected to feature on his latest CD planned for late 2005. All of these songs are newly written, following my renewed interest in folk clubs. Special thanks go to John Breeze and all at the Windward Folk Club, St Albans, without whom none of these songs would have been written. Chris Flegg 2005
recorded 2000 with all original material in a jazz quartet format.
Reviewed in Jazz Journal and reprinted below with permission;
CHRIS FLEGG MOVING ON
Slow Train; Song For Ray; All You Need Is Time; Almost Spring; Not One Of Buddy's Habits; What A Time To Go; Moving On; Every Shade Of Blue (35.12) Chris Flegg (g); Martin Simons (ts, ss, t, h); John Rees-Jones (b); Rod Brown (d, pc). London, March 6, 2000 (Mellow Tone Records MTC FF 001)
This is a pleasant recording of original compositions lead by a gifted songwriter and guitarist, Chris Flegg. He is ably assisted by three equally talented musicians, of whom Martin Simons's unique ability on all four of his instruments gives the CD plenty of scope and variety. Bassist Rees-Jones and drummer Brown are both tasteful and tasty and give ideal support. Even though Flegg's Django inspired guitar may seem at the light end of the jazz spectrum, he has nevertheless produced a worthwhile recording which I find very easy on the ear.
Available by mail order from Mellow Tone Records, PO Box 397, St Albans, AL4 0WY.
Al Merritt
recorded 2004, contains folk club repertoire including original songs and instrumentals
Solo CD is available at gigs or by post (email for address details)
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