It was an era of what was referred to as ‘the days of the
singer-songwriter’. James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Carly Simon, and Don
McLean … along with Janis Ian and Joni Mitchell, representative of an
additional flurry of those who had successfully maintained prominence from
the worldview, social consciousness of the 1960s into the more introspective
– some maintain, self-absorbed, 1970s.
It was an age when words were poetic – not depraved. Music was performed,
rather than processed. And songs were crafted, not manufactured. Collectively,
it was a period when one’s imagery and melodic sensibilities were allowed
to be ‘pretty’ – beautiful, even – without apology or
fear of ridicule.
It was also a time when I, to a greater extent, would still be driven around
town – rather than driving myself … at least, legally. And it was
in this chauffeured luxury of one’s youth that my ears would perk up
as a solo, finger-picked acoustic guitar would emanate, afresh, from the
door-mounted loudspeakers …
Following the opening bars of the guitar intro, a new and distinctive voice
– readily identifiable as being English in origin – would sing
the first passage of the lyrics that would unfold and, in some sense, compound
over the next four minutes ...
But it would, indeed, be the very first vocal line and its attendant words
that instantly revealed that this song would be … very different,
relative to the endless stream of ‘oh, baby’ angst that still continued
to historically dominate the playlists of most popular music stations. In
fact, much of Pop music had successfully managed to make ‘love’,
itself – as a theme said to be one all could identify with, universally
– the cheapest and most disposable emotion of all.
But then there would be the relief of, say, Randy Newman and Tom Waits
– having little or no radio airplay – who could musically chronicle
subject matter few others would ever contemplate. Alas, aside from words
thought of as being either sardonic or dark, neither Newman or Waits were
judged to have voices that the industry – or the listening public –
would regard as ‘pop-accessible’. Dylan, it was thought, was an
errant fluke – even as the record labels still remained on aural alert,
in search for ‘the next Dylan’ ….
But with a vocal timbre more palatable to more people, this new song –
filling the cabin of a Volkswagen – was decidedly unique. And the words
– somewhat allegorical relative to the song’s actual ‘back
story’ – conjured a sense of both sadness and, at once …
celebration of one’s life. A life … of a friend.
And despite the music’s modest and minimalist commencement, it would
soon be accompanied with a string score that became increasingly lush, layered,
and detailed as one of the day's most lavish, string-based orchestrations
this side of arranger, Paul Buckmaster (scoring for the earlier works of
Elton John). But in this instance, the orchestral arranger would be Christopher
Gunning who already had a notably impressive – and diverse – resume,
from Mel Torme to Shirley Bassey … to The Hollies … to a long list
of television and motion picture scores.
This song – I shall refer to, for the moment, as simply,
‘Friend’ – would be the work of English singer and songwriter,
John Dawson Read …
And while ‘Friend’ – along with John, himself – didn’t
have an extensive airplay that lingered for months, their relatively brief
radio-life was enough for those of us privileged or lucky enough to have
heard the piece … to remember it, still, years later …
For, at the time – and for those in ‘the know’,
‘Friend’ would walk by our side from high school, into our college
years. It would be played on a turntable and introduced to our friends who
had missed it’s brief radio stint in the days since passed.
I, myself, had already been writing music by this time – much of it
‘overly artistic’ and self-indulgent, as the typical and standard
fare of one’s earlier ‘works’ ... for so many of us had raced
to the art … without first having a better grasp of the craft. But John
Dawson Read’s, ‘Friend’, would be carried in my pocket for
several years, ultimately entertaining the college girls who had requested
it – principally those I had introduced the song to. With that,
I would dutifully pick up the guitar and accommodate the undergraduate lasses
…
And with my own, previous introduction to John’s work some time before,
I had also purchased his second album, ‘Read On’, less than a year
after ‘Friend’s initial release … It was here that John continued
with what could be considered as a readily identifiable sound, inclusive
of some near symphonic-like orchestrations – now further supplemented
with a velvety-smooth choral arrangement highlighting the song, ‘Til
Tomorrow’. Among other favorites, there would additionally be ‘Days
of Sweet Remembrance’ – to be reprised in short-form at the
album’s close. And that which would be reprised, yet again … some
30 years later …
For, with the string section’s final sustain – closing the ‘Read
On’ album, the music … would now be gone. And so, too –
seemingly – was John …
‘Friend’, among the other works of John Dawson Read, were now left
to linger somewhere between a vivid, polychromatic memory and the black LP
vinyl, since etched to a muted grey by multiple, rotational passes of a diamond
stylus.
While artistry was still to be found, Disco music would now dominate radio
playlists as the era of the ‘singer-songwriter’, while not pushed
fully to the back, would be placed to the side – save a few top names,
such as James Taylor and Paul Simon …
But in an Internet age that would come into its own some 20 years later,
a new opportunity would be afforded that would allow us to ask lingering
questions … and – sometimes – get answers. These inquiries
would often include, “What ever happened to …?” And
John – along with his ‘Friend Song’ – would haunt many
of us, still. But over the years, despite several sporadic attempts, John
Dawson Read just wouldn’t be found ...
And, despite the recording industry’s often admirable job of reissuing
‘old catalogs’, Chrysalis Records would seemingly not bring either
of John’s albums to digital, CD life. This state of affairs both surprised
and disappointed me. I mean, come on … if Canadian duo, Ian &
Sylvia’s most obscure LP release of ‘Great Speckled Bird’,
on the short-lived AMPEX label, saw the laser light of binary presentation,
why not John Dawson Read?
Another year, another stab in the dark – where the input of the song’s
title into Google would return the result of ‘Michael Johnson’
– another singer-songwriter and exemplary guitarist who had also
previously graced my own record collection, back to the vinyl LP days. And,
in visiting his website, I saw that Johnson had served up his own, unreleased
home demo of John’s original song in MP3 form …
With this, Michael Johnson’s own message board would light up with those
who had remembered the original as people both celebrated – and
‘cross-commiserated’, while reflecting upon John’s ‘Friend
Song’ …
Certainly, while meaning no dismissal – whatsoever – of
the Michael Johnson demo, it still made me hanker all the more for the original
performance – without the snap, crackle, and pop of my own worn LP,
vinyl edition ...
And, indeed, I would ultimately acquire a pristine, digitally
remastered presentation of the original song by way of … John, himself.
He would simply … give it away, as there was no official
CD re-release as of that day, still.
He was living
in his hometown of Wokingham, just about an hour to the west and a little
south of London – while also hanging his hat in France with a beautifully
appointed music room. For in the passing years, the music had never left
John. More to the point, despite what some of you may have been predicting
in your mind, he didn’t become a back-page obituary notice, passing
of a ‘musician-related’ drug overdose …
Wife. Children. A dog. And a long career in marketing, partnered with friend,
Keith Goodfellow. A somewhat ironic venture, it would seem to me, as John
– himself – perhaps hadn’t really been marketed in
a way he had deserved.
But, as indicated, the music was still within. He would continue to occasionally
play at Music Festivals and, indeed, would be awarded ‘Composer of the
Year’ at the Cavan Song Festival by the British Academy of Songwriters,
Composers and Authors (BASCA). But moreover, he had additionally brought
the original studio tapes of his first two albums to Andrew Rose of Pristine
Audio in the UK. It was here that John’s original works would be digitally
remastered – even while not yet having official sanction from Chrysalis
Records to re-release the material on his own. That would come …
However, there would now be a third John Dawson Read album openly
available, after a nearly 30 year absence, entitled, ‘Now … Where
Were We?” While much of the work would be derived from excellent
studio demos, the new CD would open – appropriately enough – with
a reprise ofthe reprise, ‘Days of Sweet Remembrance’
that closed his 1976 album, ‘Read On’ ... Nice touch.
And surely touched by all of those who had remembered him, he would –
finally – have a personal Internet presence:
www.johndawsonread.com
… With this, all works – the first two albums, now inclusive –
would be available from John, as other outlets would be worked out. For many
of us, we can only welcome him … back home.
When I told John I intended to feature him in an ‘Artist Spotlight’,
he was enthused and, upon one of my inquiries regarding orchestration, he
hastened to cite Chris Gunning as “still one of the UK’s finest
arrangers”. Moreover, John most graciously agreed to me streaming the
full-length digital audio of ‘Friend’ on my own website for your
listenership.
It is with this generosity that I can now fully reveal and present ‘The
Song’, below …
Welcome back, John. Whether or not you ever knew it, you’ve long
been a ‘A Friend’ to many of our own … sweet remembrances.
... simply click the 'Play' icon on your transport to listen ...
He was living
in his hometown of Wokingham, just about an hour to the west and a little
south of London – while also hanging his hat in France with a beautifully
appointed music room. For in the passing years, the music had never left
John. More to the point, despite what some of you may have been predicting
in your mind, he didn’t become a back-page obituary notice, passing
of a ‘musician-related’ drug overdose …
