|
|
Lindisfarne burst onto the music scene in 1970, and almost immediately established cult status. The original and classic line-up was Alan Hull on lead vocals, guitar, and keyboards; Ray Jackson on lead vocals, harmonica, and mandolin; Simon Cowe on guitar; Ray Laidlaw on drums; and Rod Clements on bass and fiddle. |
A series of line-up changes from 1990 onwards left Rod Clements and Ray Laidlaw as the only remaining original members. Rod's initial role within the band has also been sharply redefined. In 1990, he relinquished bass duties in favour of first Steve Cunningham and later Ian Thomson, to concentrate on lead guitar, dobro, mandolin, and also some lead vocals. Rod latterly became Lindisfarne principal songwriter.
When Jacka met Jackie - Pop Stars, 1972 vintage.
|
1970 Nicely Out Of Tune |
Road To Kingdom Come; The Things I Should Have Said
Knacker's Yard Blues, originally the B-side of Clear White Light - Part 2, is now a bonus track on the CD version of the album.
Another composition of Rod's at the time of the Nicely Out Of Tune sessions, and one which didn't make it onto the final track selection, was From My Window. For a fuller history of this song, check out the Downtown Faction section.
|
1971 Fog On The Tyne |
Meet Me On The Corner (No. 5 hit single, 1972); Train In G Major
The short but excellent instrumental Scotch Mist, which first appeared on the double B-side of Meet Me On The Corner, and later became one of the two bonus tracks on the CD version of Fog On The Tyne, was jointly credited to all five band members. One interesting detail is that Rod played fiddle on this track, while a certain Mr Hull took relieved him of his duties on bass. It seems that Alan played bass on occasion, when Rod was playing something else, especially when Alan's guitar wasn't required.
|
1972 Dingly Dell |
Don't Ask Me
Mention should also go to Dingle Regatta, a traditional ditty whose arrangement on Dingly Dell was credited to the band as a whole.
|
1978 Back and Fourth |
One interesting piece of trivia is that Rod did not write any of the tracks on this album.
|
1979 The News |
People Say; When Friday Comes Along
|
1982 Sleepless Nights |
Sunderland Boys
|
1986 Dance Your Life Away |
Love on the Run
A further song which Rod wrote for this album, We've Got All Night, recorded by Steve Daggett during the summer of 1984, and featuring Jacka on lead vocals, eventually saw the light of day for the first time on BT 3.
|
1989 Amigos |
Any Way The Wind Blows; When The Night Comes Down
Rod additionally co-wrote a couple of tracks on this album. Working For The Man, co-written with Alan Hull; Roll On That Day, co-written with Marty Craggs.
|
1992 Buried Treasures Volume 1 |
Old Peculiar Feeling (live version); From My Window
The same album featured Rock 'n Roll Town, co-written with Marty.
|
1992 Buried Treasures Volume 2 |
Living On The Baseline
Also featured on Volume 2 was a live version of the afore-mentioned Roll On That Day, as well as a shared credit on the united-front group effort Reunion, which had hit the cutting room floor at the time of the Back And Fourth sessions.
|
1993 Elvis Lives on the Moon |
Old Peculiar Feeling
Rod also co-wrote Heaven Waits with Marty. A 1993 live version of this song, here attributed to the authorship of Rod alone, and featuring Kenny Craddock on Hammond organ, appears on BT3. With characteristic magnanimity, Rod assures me that Marty was indeed his co-writer on Heaven Waits, and should certainly have been credited as such on BT3.
|
1997 Blues From The Bothy e.p. |
Coming Home To You; Refugees; Knackers Yard Blues (Revisited)
|
1998 Here Comes the Neighbourhood |
Jubilee Corner
An interesting statistic is that only the one song was credited to Rod alone. However he was co-writer on a further seven - Ghost In Blue Suede Shoes; Can't Do Right For Doing Wrong (both with Nigel Stonier); Working My Way Back Home (with Jimmy Barrett and Nigel); Wejibileng and Unmarked Car (both with Dave Denholm and Nigel; Devil of the North (with Nigel); One Day (with Dave and Nigel).
|
2000 BT3 |
We've Got All Night; Meet Me On The Corner
As previously referred to, this compilation also includes a live version of Heaven Waits, co-written with Marty Craggs. Another notable inclusion is an interesting and impromptu version of Meet Me On The Corner, recorded by accident shortly before Christmas 1980, and performed on this occasion by Jacka, Si, and Ray.
|
2002 Promenade |
Freedom Square
Quite apart from being yet another triumph for the legend that is Lindisfarne, the excellent Promenade is a fresh milestone in Rod's own personal development as a singer-songwriter. Just one song, Freedom Square, written after watching the first episode of Ken Burns's TV series Jazz, was penned by Rod alone, but his status as Lindisfarne's principal songwriter at this time was simply not up for negotiation, as he was involved as co-writer on a further nine out of thirteen songs. Of these, five are credited to Rod Clements and Nigel Stonier: This Guitar Never Lies; When Jones Gets Back To Town; This Too Will Pass; Unfinished Business and Significant Other. Three are down to Rod, Dave Hull-Denholm and Nigel: Coming Good; Candlelight and Remember Tomorrow. That leaves Rock'n'Roll Phone, for which we have to thank a brand new songwriting partnership: (Billy) Mitchell, Clements and Stonier.
One particularly important facet of Promenade is that Rod takes lead vocals on both Freedom Square and Significant Other. The only previous occasion on which Rod has contributed lead vocals to a Lindisfarne track was when he sang the third verse of Knacker's Yard Blues back in 1970.
|