Looking back, an incredible 25 years now, at these solo dates from Burnel in the middle of a crisis period for the band, it strikes me that this was the beginning of the recovery that culminated in the release of 'Norfolk Coast' four years later. It was a fight for the hearts and minds of a tired and disallusioned fan base. The biggest part of the battle was to win back the heart and mind of old Burnel himself!
Hats off to whoever seeded the idea into the bass players mind, I have no idea whether it was JJ's idea or whether it came from others within The Stranglers' camp. 'Now listen JJ, things have got a bit stale with the band, we need a boost, arm your self with a six-string, a bottle of red and get you arse out into the provincial towns and remind people just what it was that you did in the punk wars and beyond!' And he did, even to the extent of playing Burgess Hill library (my old home town) on a tempestuous Tuesday night, the night before this gig in fact... I think the rest of the band owed him big time for that gig!
Is it just me that thinks that its a shame that some of the solo material, including the stuff that wound up on 'Norfolk Coast' was not pursued and turned into his next solo album? OK, so these songs are perhaps not as finessed in the same way as the 'Fire & Water' or 'Un Jour Partfait' songs are (but who knows how they could have turned out with a bit of studio attention lavished upon them). I think that it is a little regrettable that the record of these songs is limited to a VHS video (a defunct entertainment medium that few can still play these days) and a handful of bootlegs.
Anyway, here he is on the second leg of the 'Alone & Acoustic, Songs & Stories' tour in the prestigious Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank.
Many thanks to yesican for replacing by knackered copy!
WAV: https://we.tl/t-YRZipbgT75
Alternative artwork: https://we.tl/t-mUOy2JwZlp
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