We’ve now reached the third in my six post mini-series ‘inspired’ by the 5Ws and H of journalism, and this week it is the turn of When songs to be played. This one was really difficult for me, as I came up with a list of twenty without having to think too hard, and getting those down to just five took longer than compiling the list in the first place. Spoiler alert: you won’t be hearing the Three Degrees, though – it was nowhere near my list! Before we get going I have a little observation to make: recently I have come across a new ‘improvement’ by WordPress, in which they just give us an endless white circle on a loop when we try to watch videos. It is happening quite a lot when I’m reading other people’s blogs, and is very annoying! Clicking on the ‘watch on YouTube’ button works, though – just another of those little first world problems. Apologies in advance if it happens to you for any of today’s songs, but there’s always the YouTube option…

And now for some music. This is one of those weeks when I stray from the mainstream and indulge myself by playing songs which may well be unfamiliar to you. I’ve played three of them before, quite some time ago, but the others are new here. The one thing they have in common is that they are all great and are favourites of mine (or is that two things – Spanish Inquisition time?)

Starting with a favourite band of mine who have just announced their impending retirement from live performances, after 45 years on the road. Their ‘Long Goodbye’ tour will keep them going for a while yet, though. Enjoy them while you can:

I first played Oysterband’s  When I’m Up I Can’t Get Down in July 2021. The band has recorded two versions of this song. It originally appeared on their 1993 album Holy Bandits, and was then one of the songs they re-recorded in acoustic versions on The Oxford Girl And Other Stories, which was released in 2008. This is the promotional video they made for the second version, and I think it is superb. I just love it when the pub landlady is singing along, too! I’ve often said that one of the things I believe makes music special is its ability to bring us joy: this video proves my case, I think. This song was covered by the Newfoundland folk-rock band Great Big Sea, who had a #6 hit with it in Canada in 1997. It’s not bad – it is a great song, after all – but I prefer the Oysters: both versions.

I’ve remarked before that I am a big long time fan of Richard Thompson, right back to his days as a founder member of Fairport Convention and through all his other incarnations since then. The video quality on this isn’t too hot – a bit fuzzy and grainy – but it is such a great song that I had to include it in today’s selection:

When The Spell Is Broken was the opening track on Richard’s fourth solo album, Across A Crowded Room, which was released in April 1985. Like everything he has done it is packed with great songs and superb lyrics, and even made the albums charts: #80 in the UK and #102 in the US. This song was released as a single but didn’t make the charts. For me, he is one of those artists who are just too good to become massive sellers of records, in markets dominated by pocket money purchases. I prefer my music to be more grown up! I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen him in concert: there was one time with the Fairports, several with ex-wife Linda, and solo and full band shows since then. His 1,000 Years Of Popular Music show is a must see, if he ever does it again.

I haven’t played anything by this next band before, which is a real oversight, as they have made some beautiful records. Try this for size:

Nickel Creek released When You Come Back Down in March 2000 on their first official album, also called Nickel Creek. The album got to #125 in the US, and made #13 on their Country Albums chart and #2 on their Indie Albums listings, and has achieved Platinum Disc status there. I loved their music the first time I heard it, and have all of their records in my collection. Beautiful music, impeccably played and sung. The band comprised Chris Thile, who takes lead vocal on this one, and siblings Sean and Sara Watkins. You may recall my mentioning Sara before, as she is one-third of the excellent female band I’m With Her. She is the only one I’ve seen in concert, back in 2010 when she played on the Transatlantic Sessions tour run by Jerry Douglas and Aly Bain, and impressed the two of them with her ability to leap miles into the air without missing a note of her fiddle playing. If you enjoyed this one, do check them out further: you won’t be disappointed.

I’m cheating slightly with this next one, as When isn’t the first word of the title – my blog, my rules! This is another little gem from Americana territory. I played this one back in September 2020, and told then of how I found them by accident on YouTube. I’d clicked a link to another song and this one came up as an advert – unusually for an ad they gave us the whole song. It was so good that, by the time it was over, I’d forgotten what I’d been planning to listen to. I think you’ll hear why I was distracted:

That was Carolina Story with See You When I See You, which was a track on what officially counts as their second album, Dandelion, released in September 2020. Carolina Story comprises a married couple, Ben and Emily Roberts. He’s playing acoustic guitar and harmonica in the video, Emily sings, and there are also their touring band of Sam Wilson on guitar and pedal steel, Randle Scruggs on bass, and Nathan Sexton on drums. The duo have been together since meeting at college in 2007, and have been touring, writing songs and releasing albums since 2009. The band name derives from their being on tour in Carolina at the time they realised theirs was more than a professional relationship – isn’t that sweet? Again, I commend them to you. Dandelion is a lovely album, as is the follow up Colors Of My Mind, which was released in April 2023.

I’m closing today with a song I played back in November 2022, when the theme was Rainbow. Today it is getting an airing as a When song. Ignore the bit at the beginning where it says today is Friday, though:

When the Rainbow Comes was a track on World Party’s second album, Goodbye Jumbo, which was released in April 1990 and peaked at #36 in the UK and #73 in the US – I’ve said before that I think they were underrated! It is a superb album, and one which I think should have sold far more than it did. If you want a more objective view, how about Rolling Stone magazine giving it a four star rating (their max is five) when they reviewed it? And Q magazine named it as their record of the year for 1990. They know their music!

That’s all for today. I’ve enjoyed these enormously and hope that you have too. I am now left to work out what to do with the rest of my list – maybe a second helping? We’ll see. I’ll be back again soon, and again for Song Lyric Sunday. Until then, have fun 😊