Jesse Winchester - a double back : Nothing But A Breeze + A Touch On The Rainy Side (1977-78 Canada 2012 remastered) | Plain & Fancy

 Jesse Winchester - Nothing But A Breeze • A Touch On The Rainy Side (1977-78 Canada, excellent country folk rock, 2012 remaster)

Jesse Winchester, Nothing But a Breeze. Given Jesse Winchester’s long tenure on the fringes of stardom, I hesitate to predict that this warm, one-of-a-kind album will put him over the top. But it ought to. Producer Brian Ahern gives the country/rock set a fuller, more satisfying sound than any of its predecessors could boast. And Jesse’s material, which possesses the same timeless quality that the Band used to evoke, has never seemed more striking. Highlights include “You Remember Me,” a superbly sung, bittersweet ballad; “Twigs and Seeds,” a toker’s lament that’s bound to make you smile; and the punchy “Seems Like Only Yesterday.”

by Jeff Burger, May 25, 1977

To judge by the liner notes accompanying A Touch on the Rainy Side, this sixth and arguably best Jesse Winchester album would seem to mark new directions. For the first time, for example, the singer features production by Nashville studio veteran Norbert Putnam. And though Winchester had never previously made an album in the States, he recorded this one in Putnam’s hometown with the aid of country session musicians like David Briggs and Kenny Buttrey. In addition, the program incorporates such apparent surprises as a version of Dawn’s pop hit “Candida.”

For whatever reason, however, the set only rarely reflects the influence of Putnam, Nashville, or the American sojourn. As for “Candida,” the album’s sole non-original, you needn’t brace yourself for a journey into Dawn-like vapidity. Revitalized by Winchester’s phrasing and arrangement, the lyrics garner new dimensions, and the song winds up sounding like one of his own better compositions.

The rest of the LP—which predominantly features the emotive, melancholic ballads suggested by the title and his previous efforts—is just as good. Among my current favorites is the title cut, a tribute to Winchester’s wife that recalls Steve Goodman’s brand of romanticism. Other highlights include Holly,” where the artist employs lilting Latin touches and a singalong chorus to capture the joyous optimism of a new affair; “Wintry Feeling,” which may be the most touching musical “letter” since Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat”; and “I’m Looking for a Miracle,” a good sample of Winchester’s sharp humor, which he describes as “slightly skeptical gospel.”

by Jeff Burger, October 7, 1978

Tracks

1. Nothing But A Breeze - 4:46

2. My Songbird - 3:45

3. Seems Like Only Yesterday (Stoney Edwards)  - 3:05

4. You Remember Me - 4:48

5. Twigs And Seeds - 2:59

6. Gliding The Lily - 3:58

7. Bowling Green (Phil Everly, Terry Slater) - 4:47

8. Pourquoi Ne M'Aimes-Tu Pas? - 3:20

9. It Takes A Young Girl (Dave Rouner, Ron Rose) - 3:20

10.Rhumba Man - 3:37

 

11.A Touch On The Rainy Side - 3:58

12.A Showman's Life - 3:52

13.Sassy - 3:18

14.Candida (Irwin Levine, Toni Wine) - 3:26

15.High Ball - 3:14

16.Little Glass Of Wine - 4:53

17.Holly - 3:51

18.Wintry Feeling - 5:12

19.Just Now It Feels So Right - 3:09

20.I'm Looking For A Miracle - 4:14

All songs written by Jesse Winchester except where noted 

Songs 1-10 from "Nothing But A Breeze" LP 1977

Songs 11-20 from "A Touch On The Rainy Side" LP 1978

Musicians

Nothing But A Breeze 1977

*Jesse Winchester - Piano, Guitar, Organ, Marimba, Vibes

*Marty Harris - Bass

*Dave Lewis - Drums, Percussion

*Bobby Cohen - Guitar, Mandolin

*Ron Dann - Pedal Steel, Dobro With

*Mickey Raphael - Harmonica 

*Ricky Skaggs - Fiddle, Viola 

*Tom Szczesniak - Accordion

*Jon Clarke - Recorder, Sax

*James Burton – Slide, Guitar Solo (Track 1)

*Glen D. Hardin - Strings 

*Nick Decaro - Strings 

*Emmylou Harris - Supporting Vocals

*Herb Pedersen - Supporting Vocals

*Anne Murray - Supporting Vocals

*Dianne Brooks - Supporting Vocals

*Nicolette Larson - Supporting Vocals

A Touch On The Rainy Side 1978

*David Briggs - Keyboards

*Shane Keister - Keyboards

*Steve Gibson - Guitar

*Bobby Thompson - Guitar

*John Goin - Guitar

*Jack Williams - Bass

*Larrie Londin - Drums

*Kenny Buttrey - Drums

*Farrell Morris - Percussion -

*Jamie Nichol - Congas

*Roger Williams - Soprano,  Tenor Sax

*Dennis Solee - Tenor,  Baritone Sax  

*Lloyd Barry - Trumpet

*Terry Williams - Trombone 

*The Shelly Kurland Strings - Strings

*Edward Fusty, Calvin Fusty, Borchard Teel, Sheri Kramer, Liza Silver, Diane Tidwell - Background Voices

*Peter Byrd, Vertrelle Cameron, Joy Cannon, Janet Harley, Cynthia Johnson, Jerome Mcleudon, Carole Strong, Sherman Tribble, Legoria Vernon, Kevin Williams - Chorus

Jesse Winchester - A Touch on The Rainy Side 1978

Jesse Winchester - Nothing But A Breeze

Jesse Winchester Defying Gravity [ Live 2016 ]

a favourite Jesse number . . . . 

Art reference of the week : ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG

Also from Alice at O My Soul

 thinkingimages

Rauschenberg designing unicorn costume for his sister Janet, for a Mardi Gras celebration, modelled by fellow student Inga Lauterstein, Black Mountain College, North Carolina, 1949.

Photo: Trude Guermonprez

https://www.tate.org.uk/rules-of-rauschenberg/

Rauschenberg was partner and love of Jasper Johns both seminal figures in Pop Art but here Robert’s roots in his studies at the Black Mountain College reveal his experimental work with abstract materials not only that but his humanity and care for his family (sister Janet) and here fellow student Inga Lauterstein models his costume for her. A Unicorn perhaps?

O My Soul

Prefab Sprout -Desire As [Steve McQueen] | O My Soul/ Guess I’m Dumb

  guessimdumb

Desire AsPrefab SproutSteve McQueen

Prefab Sprout - Desire As (1985)

A heartbreaking classic from Paddy McAloon on Prefab Sprout's wonderful 2nd LP.

But there it is, and there we are

O My Soul

Wonder if its any cooler on the 25th Floor . . . Patti Might Know!

Patti Smith - 25th Floor [Easter]

 25th Floor

Patti Smith

Easter

HERBERG DE KELDER

32 degrees here so I gots the Ventilator Blues!

The Rolling Stones Ventilator Blues

The Rolling Stones “Ventilator Blues”

HERBERG DE KELDER

VA - A World of Our Own, The UK & Irish Folk Explosion of 1965 (3 x CDs) | Butterboy

 A World of Our Own, The UK & Irish Folk Explosion of 1965 

Oooh this looks nice!

FOLK

VA - A World of Our Own, The UK & Irish Folk Explosion of 1965 (3 x CDs)

The set, released by Strawberry Records, gathers eighty‑six tracks that show how quickly the scene expanded once younger performers began blending inherited ballads with contemporary ideas. The anthology begins quietly, almost as if it is letting you step into the rooms where this music first took shape. Early tracks sit close to the bone, voices carrying traditional songs with a steadiness that reflects the folk clubs of the period. The sequencing keeps these roots in focus, allowing the listener to settle into the atmosphere before the set begins to widen. Nothing feels rushed. The first disc moves with the patience of musicians who understood that folk was built on memory, not momentum.

As the collection progresses, the tone shifts. Newer artists appear, bringing small but noticeable changes to the sound. A guitar line that leans toward pop, a vocal phrasing that hints at radio, a lyric that feels more contemporary than inherited. These touches arrive gradually, and the pacing lets them register without breaking the flow. The compilers shape the year as a slow expansion, showing how tradition and modern songwriting were beginning to share the same space. The contrast between older ballads and newer compositions becomes part of the pleasure, each track adding a different shade to the picture.

American voices drift in and out, not as interruptions but as reminders of how open the scene had become. Their presence adds a different texture, a sense of exchange rather than influence. You hear how London and Dublin were becoming meeting points for musicians carrying their own folk languages, and how those languages blended into something new.

By the final disc, the anthology feels settled. The year has unfolded in full, from club stages to chart‑minded singles, from inherited songs to fresh writing. The pacing remains gentle, the transitions thoughtful, and the overall shape invites you to hear 1965 as a moment when folk stepped forward with confidence, carrying its past while shaping its future. (Butterboy)

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From Bert Weedon to Benny Hill ( I kid you not! ) Shirley Collins to Nico and Davey Graham to Vernon Haddock (sic?) all the folking music it's fit to listen to

Track lists

CD1

01 Shirley Collins - Reynardine 2:33

02 Jon Mark - Baby I Got A Long Way to Go 2:30

03 Southland Trio - Once I Had A Sweetheart 3:11

04 Bert Weedon - Colour Him Folky 2:21

05 Hedy West - The Wife of Usher's Well 3:51

06 Malcolm Price Trio - The Long Black Veil 3:01

07 Alex Campbell - The Night Visiting Song 3:30

08 David H. Lee - The Road That Carries Me Home 2:14

09 Ian Campbell Folk Group - Geordie Black 2:40

10 Harry Boardman - Hard Times 1:54

11 Freewheelers - Why Do You Treat Me Like A Fool 2:51

12 Maureen Craik - Bonny at Morn 1:50

13 New Faces - So Small 2:27

14 Bert Jansch - Needle of Death 3:20

15 Louis Killen - The Bramble Briar 5:04

16 Wedgwoods - Peace 2:08

17 Seekers - A World of Our Own 2:42

18 Judi Smith - Leaves Come Tumbling Down 1:57

19 Dave Helling - It Ain't Me Babe 2:55

20 Chad & Jeremy - Donna, Donna 3:01

21 Three City Four - Sally Free and Easy 3:15

22 Hamilton Folk Four - Ballad of A Teenage Queen 2:09

23 Dominic Behan - Master McGrath 3:16

24 Davy Graham - Maajun (A Taste of Tangier) 2:41

25 Jesse Fuller - Move on Down The Line 4:25

26 Dubliners - McAlpine's Fusiliers 2:55

27 McKinleys - Give Him My Love 2:18

28 Nightshift - The Lavender Tree 2:13

CD2

01 Marianne Faithfull - The Most of What is Least 3:01

02 Unit Four Plus Two - Wild is The Wind 2:14

03 Fred Wedlock - Franklin 3:29

04 Dorris Henderson - The Leaves Are Green 2:20

05 Patrick Small - Man of Constant Sorrow 4:12

06 Gentle Folk - That's My Song 2:10

07 Lyn & Graham McCarthy - Seven Doves 2:00

08 Glenfolk 4 - My Singing Bird 3:09

09 Bob Pegg - Ballad of The Five Continents 3:41

10 Anne Mavius - She Moves Through The Fair 1:57

11 Dave Sless - Pretty Polly 4:14

12 Barbara Ann - Black is The Colour of My True Love's Hair 2:26

13 Harvey Andrews - Harvest of Hate 2:13

14 Bev Dewar - Fare Thee Well 3:47

15 Greta Ann - Children's Song 2:58

16 Spike Woods - The Quiet Beast 1:26

17 Alan Klein - It Ain't Worth The Lonely Road Back 2:29

18 Slade Brothers - Love and Comfort 2:25

19 Levee Breakers - Wild About My Loving 2:28

20 Peter & Gordon - I Told You So 2:47

21 Craig Carrington - Ain't That A Shame (Dark Blues) 2:04

22 Paul Simon - The Sound of Silence 3:08

23 Trisha - The Darkness of My Night 2:46

24 Donovan - Universal Soldier 2:14

25 Jennifer Lewis - Bring it to Me 2:16

26 Lonnie Donegan - Farewell 3:22

27 Leonore Drewery - The First Time Ever 2:57

28 Green Ginger Three - Oh Miss Mary 2:35

29 Dedicated Men's Jugband - Boodle-Am-Shake 2:40

CD3

01 Nico - I’m Not Sayin’ 2:52

02 Crofters - Pill Ferry 2:29

03 Southern Folk Four - The Travelling People 3:01

04 Vashti Bunyan - I Want to Be Alone 2:50

05 Sandy and Jeanie - Honey Babe Blues 3:10

06 Martin Carthy - Scarborough Fair 3:29

07 Paul Evans - Across The Hills 1:51

08 Julie Felix - Someday Soon 3:04

09 Ludlows - The Last Thing on My Mind 2:40

10 Josh Macrae - Baron James McPhait 2:07

11 Steve Benbow - The Gallows Pole 2:52

12 Overlanders - Room Enough for You and Me 2:10

13 Micha - The Serpent 2:58

14 Dana Gillespie - You're A Heartbreak Man 2:21

15 Mick Softley - I'm So Confused 2:53

16 Settlers - Woman Called Freedom 2:27

17 Watersons - Hal-an-Tow 2:08

18 Ramblers Two - Mountains and The Sea 2:19

19 Thomas Yates - Long Time Gone 2:30

20 Bob Davenport & The Rakes - The Hexamshire Lass 2:06

21 Karlins - Who Would? 2:26

22 Jackson C. Frank - Blues Run The Game 3:34

23 Corrie Folk Trio & Paddie Bell - I Saw Three Ships 1:40

24 Justin Hayward - London is Behind Me 2:07

25 Gordeanna McCulloch - The Dowie Dens O' Yarrow 4:15

26 Chantelles - Weeping Willow 2:52

27 Exiles - Tae The Beggin’ 3:05

28 Vernon Haddock's Jubilee Lovelies - Stealin' 3:21

29 Benny Hill - What A World 2:47

“Ghosts crowd the young child’s fragile eggshell mind . . . . “

 

‘Strange Days’: the cursed photo of Jim Morrison’s ghost

Will Howard

Tue 7 July 2026 21:00, UK

On first glance, it could be any other rock ‘n’ roll tourist snap in the world. I’m sure that it wasn’t the only photo taken of the grave of Jim Morrison by some starry-eyed fan that minute, let alone that day. 

However, when Brett Meisner looked closer at the photo in 2002, a full five years after it was taken in 1997, something truly bizarre happened. The rock critic looked closer at the photo taken of him by the grave of the Doors’ legendary frontman by his friend on their visit to Père Lachaise in Paris, and saw another person in the picture. Again, not outside the realm of possibility. It’s the grave of Jim Morrison; there’s no shortage of people queueing up to pay respects to the lizard king, except this person was, and there really is no other way of putting it, translucent.

They were more of a shape than a figure, with only their torso and the faintest outline of their legs to go on. Which will be easy for skeptics to dismiss. After all, photos have strange smudges and tricks of the light in them all the time. Except for one key distinction here. The torso is very much in focus and is in the exact same position as arguably the most iconic photo of Jim Morrison of all, chest bare, staring at the camera, arms out to the sides in a Jesus Christ pose.

Ok, cute, you might think. Meisner got in touch with someone who was a dab hand at Photoshop and put a shape that looked like the ghost of Morrison in the background for some attention. Well done, good craic, pull the other one, it’s got bells on, right?

Except that Meisner sent the original photo to the Daily Express of the UK, daring them to find any hint of Photoshop or any other kind of trickery in the photo. They found none of the sort, theorising that if it was a fake, it was the highest quality fake they’d ever seen.

What’s more, if you think that this was done for attention (and, putting aside all my “I want to believe” bullshit, it almost certainly was, even if it’s real), Meisner spent the next couple of years talking about the non-stop bad luck he’d faced ever since he’d gone public with the photo.

The writer, who kept an extensive blog on his website, spoke openly about how, since 2002, his marriage had hit the rocks and led to a divorce, his career as a writer in Hollywood had stalled beyond repair, and one of his best friends had died of a drug overdose in circumstances eerily similar to Morrison’s.

Meisner himself died in 2010, though before you get too caught up in this mystery, it’s worth mentioning that, alongside being a writer and a critic, Meisner was, first and foremost, a humorist. He wrote several rock ‘n’ roll-themed comedy blogs, including the quite marvellously titled CSI: CSNY.

If anyone was going to commit to a bit, he was. However, if anyone was going to appreciate the commitment to a bit of ookum-spookums, it’s Jim Morrison himself, who maintained while he was alive that his life was changed by encountering the ghost of a Native American who he’d seen die in a car crash.

It sounds like Morrison would adore something like this, so why take it away from him? He might be watching us from beyond the grave, after all.

The Doors - Strange Days (Official Video)