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York | Archive | 2002 | June

Stories for 20 June 2002

York Leisure

David Sylvian, Camphor (Virgin)

ARTISTS occupying ambient/avant-garde territory tread a fine line between the atmospheric and the plain dull. Some of David Sylvian's previous offerings have been hard work indeed, but Camphor offers pleasant surprises. The clunking opener, All Of My Mother's Names, suggests we are in for a rough ride, but things improve. Sylvian has some interesting people working with him on this album of collaborations, including tabla man Talvin Singh, guitarists Bill Nelson and Robert Fripp, and bassist Danny Thompson. The result is a far broader palette than, for example, 1999's Approaching Silence. There's a gentle Indian influence on the reflective Song Which Gives The Key To Perfection, and Wave is beautifully orchestrated by the late Simon Jeffes, the man behind the Penguin Café Orchestra. The highlight, however, is Mother And Child on which Nils Paeter Molvaer's melancholic, late-night trumpet is by any standards "nice". more...

Various, Miguel Migs: Nude Tempo One (Naked Music/Astralwerks)

San Francisco label Naked Music has always stood for chilled-out, soul-driven quality house. In the past few years, the brand has been faithful to this aim, despite shifting the dance mood to meet different compilation series. This latest label conception, Nude Tempo, is brimming with sun-drenched deep house styles, mainly from US acts. Miguel Migs, one of the premier West Coast DJs, brings his upbeat, positive vibe to a mix that is smooth and sensual. Naked Music artists Blue Six, Andy Caldwell and Lisa Shaw rub shoulders with first-rate post-productions by Ron Trent and Jimpster. Although the vibe remains uplifting jazzy and disco house with deep-bottomed drums, Migs includes deeper tribal influences, such as his own reworking of You Bring Me Up and Headstruck's Highly Strung. Perfect for summer parties. more...

David Bowie, Heathen (Columbia)

JUST when you thought it was all over, and the turgid, pompous mess of 1999's "...hours" had finally whacked some hefty nails into the coffin of David Bowie's declining talents, pop's original changeling confuses his public yet again - by making a good record. more...

The Reindeer Section, Son Of Evil Reindeer (Pias Recordings) ; Looper, The Snare (Mute Records)

THE Reindeer Section is the Scottish dream-team side project of Snow Patrol front man Gary Lightbody, and he has far more talent at his disposal than national football coach Berti Vogts. In December 2000, for the ten-day recording of quiet and loud songs on Y'All Get Scared Now Ya Hear, he conscripted 15 members of Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai, Arab Strap, Mull Historical Society and Astrid. In February 2002, most returned and the platoon rose to 27, with Eva vocalist Jenny Reeve, Idlewild's Roddy Woomble and Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake among those newly `Sectioned'. The result is more of the same, only better, sweeter, 11 mournful and melancholic Lightbody compositions, finished off with the trademark nocturnal drawl of Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat on his own Whodunnit (and no one else could have dunnit). more...

Mark Nevin, The Mighty Dove (Raresong Recordings)

MARK NEVIN, founder member of Fairground Attraction, has penned a fistful of introspective songs for his second solo album, the follow-up to Insensitive Songwriter. His singing style is understated, verging on the conversational, but it suits the delicately crafted nature of the songs with their subtle instrumentation. In the title track, The Mighty Dove, Nevin sings about the rose-tinted spectacles of life: "I never knew heaven was a dump like this, but now I'm looking through the eyes of love." The clever, jazz-tinged arrangement of New Bond Street makes up for its threadbare lyrics. Nevin the wordsmith goes into overdrive as he pours out his heart and bares his soul in songs such as The One I Love, Absent Friend and Turn Around. Having survived the madness of being in a chart-topping band, Nevin is on song as a solo artist and, as a result, is maturing as a lyricist. more...

Joe Cocker, Respect Yourself (Parlophone)

It's about 30 years since Cocker delivered that blistering cover of Lennon and McCartney's With A Little Help From My Friends. Since then his distinctive gravel voice, one of the most powerful in the pop business, has proved a winning package. But it ain't what it used to be. Yes, he lets rip in this new disc, but there is a definite lack of depth. Granted, he has been belting out songs about love, loss and life for a long time, so maybe he deserves to ease back on the throttle. It has been a long and illustrious career played out to a world-wide fan club, and it was great to see him at the Buck House Jubilee party with others of the pop hierarchy but, hard luck, Joe, your 20th disc is just a dub short of a knighthood more...

James Yorkston and The Athletes, Moving Up Country (Domino)

SOME critics have traced suggestions of Seventies musicians such as Nick Drake and John Martyn in this beguiling, often beautiful debut from the Scottish singer and song-writer. Drake seems a misplaced comparison, but there are hints of the young John Martyn, always a recommendation, alongside a vocal similarity to the veteran Scottish folk singer, Bert Jansch, especially on the opening track, In Your Hands, a delicate, cheerful song. Those looking for comparison might also hunt up their old Lloyd Cole records. At first listen, all the songs are fragile things, built from simple acoustic instruments and unadorned arrangements. Some are quietly upbeat, many more are quietly miserable. Yet there is great beauty in these songs, notably Moving Up Country, Roaring The Gospel, as well as St Patrick and Sweet Jesus. A touch more variety might have made a very good album into an instant classic, but this remains a timeless and haunting piece of work. more...

Bowes & Morley, Moving Swiftly Along (Eagle)

After Thunder's demise, the lads all went their separate ways and now two of them have teamed up again to record this. Many others have helped them, including Linda and Dee Lewis on backing vocals (that would be the same Linda Lewis who had a UK hit in the Seventies with It's In His Kiss). This is meant to be a logical progression for Bowes & Morley, going on to more funky, soulful and pop-based tracks with only the occasional bit of rock. What a lot of the tracks sound like musically is early Whitesnake, going back to the original album and the Northwinds era, but with very different vocals. Opener Freakshow and Dancing The Night Away are from that genre and, rather than sounding dated, it works. Whether they will get the chart recognition they're aiming for is another matter, but it should win them some new fans. more...

Kenny Chesney, No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem (BNA Records)

IT'S hard to believe Kenny Chesney has been on the country scene for eight years. However, it's not difficult to believe he has just entered the American country charts at number one with this exciting album. It has everything a growing man could need - the angst of a teenager growing up in a small Tennessee town trying to balance his education at university with a strong longing to sing in the bars and venues of Nashville. It paid off big style with every album reaching the top five in the country charts ever since. On The Coast Of Somewhere Beautiful, Never Gonna Feel That Way Again, A Lot Of Things Different and the bonus track, an acoustic version of I Can't Go There, all reflect his career. But title track No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem sums up his attitude on life perfectly. more...

York News

The voyage home

FOUR and a half months ago, with a crew of 54 on board and a gentle sea breeze to fill her sails, the bark Endeavour let go her moorings at the Australian port of Fremantle and set out for the long voyage home. Tomorrow lunchtime, after more than 12,600 miles at sea, she will sail into Whitby harbour, where her arrival is expected to be greeted by wildly cheering crowds. more...

Sausage scandal

l Cont'd from page 1 more...

Pits closure could plunge Selby into `black hole'

EARLY closure of the Selby coalfield would leave a £130-million-a-year "black hole" in the local economy, a devastating report claims today. more...

Selby crash driver refused an appeal

GARY Hart, the driver who caused the Selby rail crash, has been denied a chance to appeal. more...

Work to tame A64 blackspot is delayed

SAFETY improvements at one of North Yorkshire's worst accident blackspots have been stalled for months. more...

Park's off-white knuckle ride plan

A BRIGHTLY coloured ride which dominates the skyline at Flamingo Land is to be partly painted off-white, park bosses have announced. more...

Divine intervention

AS the World Cup frenzy in York reaches fever pitch, football fans young and old are eagerly awaiting England's clash with the colourful Brazilians. more...

Charm offensive

LUCKY rabbit's feet are being stroked, charms rubbed and four-leafed clovers jealously guarded as nervous York football fans gear up for England's do-or-die clash with Brazil. more...

A fuss about nothing

THERE might once have been a sillier, more inconsequential political story than that making an empty-vessel noise over Tony Blair and the Queen Mother's funeral, but I doubt it. more...

Too much dirt dug up

WHAT an eventful weekend it has been again with England's win over Denmark, York Races and a motorcycle rally. more...

This is good for York

ONE day in 1980 a young Labour hopeful knocked on my door in Holgate Road and asked for my vote. more...

NHS on the up

RECENTLY I attended the orthopaedic department of York District Hospital all prepared with something to read and write, while waiting for a more than likely overdue appointment set for 11.40am. more...

Stealing their clothes

It really is true that New Labour are stealing more and more of the old Tories' clothes. Hugh Bayley's response to the fly-posting of his office windows by The Real Countryside Alliance (Pro-hunting group strikes at MP, June 14) is reminiscent of the response one would have expected from a pompous back-bench Tory MP ten years ago. more...

In defence of our country

HAVING read your piece about a former minister giving his backing to the campaign against "Son of Star Wars" and your editorial backing the same campaign (Evening Press, June 14), I must say I am worried if this campaign succeeds. more...

Keeping children safe on the move

Is your child travelling safely in your car? Mike Laycock reports on how child car seats are not always as safe as they seem - and how parents can put their minds at rest more...

Villagers flee from ram-raid robbers

TERRIFIED villagers dived for cover as armed ram-raiders made their escape from an attempted robbery at a post office near York today. more...

GNER to bid for all King's Cross trains

TRAIN operator GNER could bid for a "superfranchise" to run every train service into London King's Cross, an influential group of MPs has been more...

Arriva admits faults

OVERCROWDING on Arriva Trains Northern services is likely to continue well into next year, the company has admitted. more...

Residents grill chief inspector over crime

RESIDENTS in east York grilled police officers over the growing problem of youth crime in their community. more...

It may be agony tomorrow... but will it be this painful?

A CRAZY England fan is so confident Sven's men will be "hard as nails" to beat against Brazil he is lying on a bed of them! more...

Just charming

ENGLAND are assured of victory over Brazil in the World Cup quarter final tomorrow - as long as York fans remember to rub their lucky pennies, wear their lucky socks and kiss their lucky foreheads. Or at least that is what our selection of superstitious supporters believe. more...

Bold rail bid on right track

AMBITIOUS, certainly. Bold, even. GNER's bid to take over every rail service into King's Cross shows a company ready to wrest back its destiny. more...

Trapping wireworm

HELP from growers in widening the testing programme for pheromone traps to reduce wireworm attacks on crops is being sought by ADAS entomologist Dr Bill Parker. Pheromone traps require checking only once a week and rebaiting every 30 days. more...

Educating the public

CAN YOU tell the difference between barley and wheat? The National Farmers Union doesn't think most members of the public can and is campaigning to change this. To emphasise the link between beautiful countryside and its ultimate purpose of food production, the NFU is putting up explanatory posters on crops, with details on crop husbandry and the work farmers do to conserve wildlife and the environment. An arable fact sheet will also be produced and distributed at NFU roadshows and agricultural events during the summer. more...

B&B for horses

THE British Horse Society wants to know if you have a spare field corner or empty paddock that could be included in its ninth edition of Bed and Breakfast for Horses. more...

Cheese show back after forty years

MAKING a comeback to the Great Yorkshire Show is that mainstay of the British dining table - cheese. more...

It all started in 1833

THE Malton Agricultural Society was formed in 1833 and the first recorded summer show or exhibition was held in the early 1870s. more...

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Stories for 20 June 2002

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