What does Scott Seward think of Jack Bruce's "Songs for a Tailor"?

Reviving to see if Scott's around today.

I've never heard it! I'm sure I'd like it. I like Jack.

What other records should I get by him? Things We Like?

Out of the Storm is pretty alright, and "Timeslip" from it is great if you were into Cream, which I was/am.

The first album he made with Robin Trower is classic, but you knew that.

Is this really the only Jack Bruce thread on ILM?
Search didn't seem to find any others.

*listening to Songs for a Tailor*

And has Scott now heard Songs for a Tailor, I wonder.

'Weird Of Hermiston' is on this isn't it? Awesome track.

Yp, this's the one.

I've been on a deep dive checking out the discography of Jack Bruce. I got to say, this guy made some pretty interesting records late in his career and there have been some pretty good live archive recordings come out. It is all pretty unsung really compared to the relative quality of the music. Bruce's music is a bit more harmonically interesting and yet at the same time has a very European look at the blues. Check out some of his later records like 'More Jack than God', 'Silver Rails' or the records with Robin Trower. There is some nice tunes in there, some of which would fit in to the recent moody classic AOR thread.

Like some of the other rock musicians of the 60s/70s Bruce seems to have kept his primary audience on the continent specifically in Germany. Bruce seems to have had some success in that market as there are quite a few live recordings released from there including a few TV appearances over the years tied to the Rockpalast show.

This recording/video with a German big band called 'HR Big Band' from 2006 really kicks ass. Cool arrangements on the whole show, kinda Mancini with brass knuckles. I really dig this version of "Spoonful". Hang on for the kinda skronky guitar solo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJf3Yw4Aa6Y

Haven't heard any of his solo records past Songs for a Tailor, but he definitely had the strongest solo statement coming right out of Cream.

I recently read Chris Stamey's book wherein he describes touring Europe with Jack Bruce as one of the Golden Palaminos. Bruce told the band the story of why his appearance changed - he was cooking heroin but was too impatient to wait for it to cool, and when he injected it, he suffered permanent damage that was reflected on his face. The excess is also obvious listening to the record they both played on in 1985; I don't think I could identify Bruce as the singer on Silver Bullet without the credits.

That reminds me, I saw his son playing as part of an absolutely fucking hideous improv thing last year.

The last couple of Jack Bruce records sound quite good to me. I'm really liking this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss1fIDEKSdM

This one 'So they invented race' has a great groove and message.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNxvRaZ0kmU

Someone needs to do a big ole' tennessee whiskey version of "Theme from an Imaginary Western", especially maybe a female voice.

That tune could be covered in a few different ways and it is such a good song musically.

Yes, that song is incredible.

I seem to remember that one of the hairier SST bands did a cover of it. Might have been DC3? Anyhow I bought a copy of this album today, so good timing on the revive! Will give it a spin later

Just found a cover by Mountain.

And Creative Disorder.

Not that this last name means anything to me.

Some kind of Weekend Warrior Cover Band. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that except it’s hard to do right and not sound like The Shaggs without the tunes.

Some other weird covers out there maybe I shouldn’t deign to mention although the one done on acoustic harp guitar is kind of charming.

Hey this Canadian female vocalist version seems pretty good! One of Leonard Cohen’s backup singers apparently. Maybe will check out the whole album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQbdmbxO9Gw

I got it on my list of covers to work up if I ever find the people to do my stoner rock/surf guitar instrumental group. I was thinking about working it up with a drum machine if I could get a lead sheet with the melody mostly as a music practice project. Basically write a 2 guitar and bass arrangement that I could use in a band.

Lorri Zimmerman version not whiskey-soaked though. More garagey psych with just a hint of Sabbath.

That Lorri Zimmerman version is ace. It's not far from a Crazy Horse vibe.

I'd love to hear Marty Stuart's Fantastic Superlatives do a cosmic country version. That could be good.

Rest of the Lori Zimmerman album seems not quite as good because the material isn’t really there. Maybe the “Gentle on My Mind” knockoff called “Contemplation” is okay.

The album title Songs for a Tailor is related to the Fairport Convention car crash fatalities, isn't it?

Live version of "Theme From an Imaginary Western" on 5 Live is good. Can't figure out who is in the band. Some good R&B psych guitar from somebody named David...Frampton? Oh, David Sancious!

The tailor was Jeannie "Genie the Tailor" Franklyn, who was Richard Thompson's girlfriend at the time of the crash, when she died along with drummer Martin Lamble.

Seemms she had had a relationship with Jack before that as well.

When we reached the classroom that was serving as a dressing room, she introduced herself as Jeannie, producing a card that said “Genie the Tailor.” “Do I call you Jeannie or Genie?” I said. “Either will do,” she replied. She was from Los Angeles and had a shop on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, where she catered to the sartorial needs of bands including Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Buckinghams and hipper clients like Cream. She spoke unabashedly about a previous liaison with Jack Bruce, from which I concluded that she went for pale Celtic men with dodgy teeth, but she had also lived with the American comedian Lenny Bruce for a couple of years. She mentioned, early on in our conversation, that she had been featured in a Rolling Stone issue on groupies—she was in there along with Cynthia Plaster Caster and Pamela Des Barres.

Timberg, Scott; Thompson, Richard. Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975 (p. 85). Algonquin Books.

Probably this band, Jack Bruce & Friends but maybe not the same exact performance. The one on 5 Live sounds a little better, either because a different night or cleaned up and sweetened but this one is not bad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCinPQEHvnw

Here’s yet another live version from the same band at a place I used to go to in another lifetime:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H9Lo6OOddU

In Beeswing Richard Thompson also tells his survivor’s account of the fatal van accident which, as expected, is riveting.

What I'm taking from this is that Richard Thompson had (maybe still has) bad teeth.

Which part of that is surprising?

What I’m talking about is David Sancious going full-on “Maggot Brain” for every single solo on whatever I’ve listened to from that band today.

I hadn't really ever thought about Richard Thompson's teeth before. No part of that particular sentence is surprising.

The Lorri Zimmerman version is interesting; sonically, it reminds me a little of Lou Reed's debut record. But this is a song that's difficult for me to separate from its original recording and arrangement. Like approximately 98% of UK musicians at the time, Cream suddenly decided they wanted to the Band, and Bruce's recording on Songs is a pretty impressive approximation that is more homage than emulation.

Yes, excellent points. Also Jack Bruce at his best is a really good, distinctive singer, so its kind of difficult to outdo him.

Another thing that shouldn’t be surprising is GISing “Genie the Tailor” and seeing images of her and a tape measure with the likes of David Crosby, Micky Dolenz and The Cowsills.

Also one of those sites tried to send me a dodgy calendar invite so keep your eyes wide open.

Forgot to mention Mark Lindsay.

Micky’s sister Coco as well:
https://monkees.coolcherrycream.com/articles/1968/06/tiger-beat/genies-adventures-in-groovyland
https://monkees.coolcherrycream.com/images/magazines/1968/06/tiger-beat/pages/thumbnails/56.jpg

No mention of Beaver & Krause though. #onethread

I really first knew the song by the Mountain cover, which was the one I had heard on the radio as a kid. It was later that I really knew it was a Jack Bruce original. Probably would have been the next 'White Room'/'Sunshine of Your Love' if Cream would have cut it going out the door.

That Bottom Line comp is a good listen. I had a thread about that calendar that was in the liner notes a couple years back.

This thread: The Bottom Line show calendar March 1980

Look like I was the only one to vote for Jack Bruce on that thread, even though he is the one who prompted you to start it, assuming I read correctly.

Also, those Bottom Line calendars always make me a little nostalgic, particularly today for some reason. For one thing I noticed that my high school friend’s band was listed, although I’m not sure we discussed it the next day in bio class.

Even then I am not sure if that is the real reason or just the MacGufnstuf.

The crash happened on May 12. Jack said that Jeannie had written him a letter saying something about her wanting him to "sing the high notes" which he received on his birthday two days after the crash, May 14, which is what inspired him with regard to the album title. Here is an RS except from Beeswing with Richard Thompson's description of the events: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/richard-thompson-memoir-excerpt-1140633/

There is a video version of the song in question associated with The Bottom Line Archive which is solo Jack on piano that is worth watching. Also, is there a canonical Fairport thread here? Couldn’t quite make that out.

Rope Ladder to the Moon seems like the model for a lot of later day Michael Gira

Richard Thompson and Jack Bruce both played on the Golden Palominos song "Silver Bullet" in 1985. I don't suppose any of their shared history came up, if they even met.

Forgot about that, thanks!