I’m going seasonal for this week’s Tuesday Tunes as today, 22 September, is the Autumn Equinox in the US, which falls(!) at 1am tomorrow here in the UK. This is officially the first day of autumn. Ignore the meteorologists who tell you that it begins on 1 September: what do they know, anyway! I have actually run with this theme before, but as that was five years ago I’m relying on you not remembering that, as I’m playing several of the same tunes again. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…

In a small departure for me, two of today’s tunes don’t have autumn in their title, but still fit the bill as being of the season, so I’m playing them anyway. And there’s a bonus one at the end to show off my breadth of musical taste and knowledge. Ahem…. 🤫

This just has to be where I begin, doesn’t it:

That brings back so many memories for me! I was 14 when Autumn Almanac was released, in October 1967, probably at the peak time for my interest in the pop charts. Apart from compilations, this song has never been on an album: though The Kinks released quite a few they were usually recognised as more of a singles band at the time. This one peaked at #3 in the UK charts, and also got to #5 in Germany as well as several other countries’ top twenties. It wasn’t a hit in the US, probably due to the unofficial ban placed on the band by radio stations over there after an onstage fight between two of them – they were deemed a bad influence on susceptible American youth. What a bunch of wusses. Somehow, though, I don’t think it would have done all that well there anyway, as so much of it is relatable to the lifestyle we had here at that time and might not have travelled well. As a little snapshot of popular British culture and history it is perfect, though.

Next up is one of the two that doesn’t have autumn in its title. But if you’re wondering why I’m playing it, just listen to the lyrics:

Led Zeppelin, with Ramble On, which was released in October 1969 on their Led Zeppelin II album. The record went to #1 in the UK, the US, Canada and many other countries, and has sold more than 12m in the US (12x Platinum), 1.2m in the UK (4x Platinum), 900,000 in Canada (9x Platinum), and millions more around the world. This track is listed as written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, though the lyrics are mostly Robert’s work: he was very interested in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings, and the song has a number of references to the books.

My next choice is another long time favourite of mine:

Forever Autumn is often mistakenly credited to the Moody Blues. It is an easy mistake to make: when Jeff Wayne wrote his Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds he specified that he wanted the singer of Nights in White Satin to perform this song. That was, of course, Justin Hayward, lead singer of the Moodies. I’ve always thought this a beautiful song, and Justin’s voice is instantly recognisable to those, like me, who are longstanding Moody Blues fans. It was released as a single and made #5 in the UK in August 1978, also getting to #47 in the US. Jeff Wayne’s album also reached #5 in the UK, although it got to #1 in Australia and The Netherlands. It squeaked into the US top hundred albums at #98. As concept albums go it wasn’t bad – my ex-wife loved it and played it a lot – but it did feel to me to be a bit stretched over its two discs, and the seven CD boxed version is definitely a case of overload for me. Nice spoken parts by Richard Burton, though. The album went 9x Platinum here in the UK, for sales of 2.7m, and it has sold over 15m worldwide.

This next tune is the other one without autumn in its title:

“I was 13 years when I heard this song, I’m 73 now but I won’t be for long.” Sorry, it’s an old line but I couldn’t resist it. In those early days, Simon and Garfunkel brought us so many magical little pieces like this one. This was on their Sounds of Silence album, released in January 1966, which reached #21 in the US and #13 here in the UK. The song was the B-side to the single of Homeward Bound, also released in January 1966, which got to #5 in the US and #9 in the UK. The harmony of their voices is beautiful, and they never made a bad record. They also possessed the ability to appeal to a wide audience: I loved them (still do) and my parents both enjoyed their music, which was an unusual occurrence with most of my musical tastes! A version of this song was also on Paul Simon’s debut solo album, The Paul Simon Songbook, which was released in August 1965, but only in the UK. It wasn’t a hit, sadly, and I think it went under the radar for most as Simon and Garfunkel were already established here as a duo.

To complete my regular quota of five tunes I’m going with this one, a real gem that I have played before:

The Autumn Stone was a compilation double album of the Small Faces’ hits, plus some additional unreleased and live tracks, which came out in November 1969 – six months after the band had broken up. I asked for it as a Christmas present that year and Santa duly delivered. It was one of my most played records, as I was big fan of the band. This was one of the previously unreleased tracks: it had been recorded in September 1968 as a potential single, but was never released. I have always found it stunning: the lyrics are superb, Steve Marriott’s voice had never been better, and the musicianship is excellent, especially that lovely flute solo (uncredited on the album, but played by Lyn Dobson: he is a British jazz musician, known also for playing the flute solo on Manfred Mann’s Pretty Flamingo). This was a definite move forward for a band who had previously been seen as a bunch of lads having a good time, not taking things too seriously. The album didn’t chart, which I always found a surprise: the band had been very popular here and the inclusion of a wealth of other music as well as their singles should, I thought, have been much more successful. But as I’ve opined before, record buyers can be a fickle bunch.

I promised to show off with a bonus track today. I’ve noted before that I like a lot of classical music and one of my favourite composers is Vivaldi. Cue the appropriate part of The Four Seasons:

I love Antonio Vivaldi’s music, and The Four Seasons is one of his best known pieces. This version of Autumn was performed on original instruments by the award-winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music, with Carla Moore on solo baroque violin. An absolutely superb way to end today’s set.

As ever, I leave you with a reminder of the places at which I’m sharing this post: Esme’s Senior Salon Pit Stop and Cathy’s Monday’s Music Moves Me. Both are well worth some of your time.

I’ll see you again in a couple of days. Until then stay well and happy. Take care 😊