was it for this…?

                                    ‘—Was it for this

                                    That one, the fairest of all Rivers, lov’d

                                    To blend his murmurs with my Nurse’s song,

                                    And from his alder shades and rocky falls,

                                    And from his fords and shallows, sent a voice

                                    That flow’d along my dreams?’

                                                William Wordsworth, The Prelude 1799

‘There can’t be many of us who haven’t at some point wondered what the sum total of our lives is going to be; all the good and poor choices, the happy and not-so-happy accidents, the healthy and toxic relationships, the influences that enrich or deplete.

I was very fortunate to have met Danny Chang (of The Kentish Spires) around 2004.  He took me under his wing, opened his studio to my mad ideas, and suggested I do an album.  It was recorded in Autumn/Winter 2006/07.  Dan produced, John Fraser engineered and played some beautiful (at times brutal) piano.  Then there was Ryan on drums, Colin on keys, Peter and Susie on harmonies.  To be honest I was out of my depth, slightly unhinged and somewhat over-adrenalised, but I was managed with grace, kindness and pragmatism and I’ll be eternally grateful for that.

For Will Wordsworth it started with the rushing of the river Derwent and the sweet simplicity of lullabies, surging towards the heady prospect of a new enlightenment in revolutionary France.  My staging posts were mostly musical.  From Salvation Army brass bands and choirs, to the tribal punk of Adam & The Ants, the jazz hands and Broadway babies of musical theatre and the sweeping possibilities of progressive music where sentiment can bleed beyond those three magic minutes.  Here were songs about dying movie stars, parallel universes, off-kilter romance, Dad dancing, David Lynch and the von Trapp family.  As Danny reassured me, I was never going to have to worry about my chart position…

So was it?  For this, I mean.  The answer can only ever be yes.  For all of us.  Only you can bring what you bring to the table.  What you are and what has shaped you are unique to you, and the contribution you make is singular.  What a wonderful gift.  What a responsibility. What an opportunity.’

Jeremy, December 2020

Track Listing

1) Queen of the May

2) Sweet Liesl

3) Heaven Help Me Now I’m On My Own

4) Botox Baby

5) yellowleaf

6) A Polo Shirt In Yonkers

7) Cary Grant Is Dying

8) Necessary

9) Curtain Call

10) Hello, Disco

11) Live From The Cliff Face

12) It’s Not About Love

13) Sometime My Arms Bend Back

14) If I Bump Into Jesus