Losing
Battles Dave Taylor Acorn Records
I
have no idea when this was released, as it is undated. Presentation
and packaging-wise,and right at the other end of the spectrum of the
lavishly packaged and presented albums received for review by Winter
Wilson and Show of Hands in September,out of a plain brown envelope
also dropped this contribution from Dave Taylor.
Dave is a prolific Singer-Songwriter
from Leicestershire. With his wife Julia they appear occasionally
together as a duo, singing tastefully arranged traditional songs with
great passion. Dave also chucks a few of his own self-penned numbers
into their public performances. (This is often by audience request,as
some of them are quite popular!). By contrast to the kind of material
he and Julia usually cover ,the majority of his own songs are
waspish,angry,hard-hitting and occasionally,quite rude.
' Losing Battles' arrived
on my desk in a plain PVC sleeve. The cover was hand drawn and a
single piece of white paper inside detailed album credits. There was
also a brief synopsis of why Dave chose this working title. Best
summarised in the final sentence 'Some
are personal battles connected with advancing years,some battles
against the powers that be who always seem to want to take everything
good and replace it with crap.'
I've known Dave for a few years on the
circuit. He burns with a quietly controlled rage and you could argue
that all or any of his songs are about fighting battles. I'll lay my
cards on the table:I like his material. I admire his honesty,his
candour and his conviction. His albums are not all that sophisticated
in terms of production and his lyrics are not the kind you have to
pore over all night puzzling over the hidden meanings. They come
right out and smack you in the face and as such the majority are
mostly a kind of 21st
Century protest song. Though Dave also writes songs of great
tenderness,you tend to remember more vividly the ones on previous
albums like “White Boots”
a visceral flaying of t.v
talent shows,or the immensely enjoyable parody:“Leonard
Cohen's Shantymen”
Once Dave got his pen in hand over
this one there was little that escaped the treatment. One of his
strengths is in parody. “Kick
In The Proverbials”
deservedly mocks the cumbersome Pink Floyd epic
'Brick in The Wall.'
“The Devils Man” is
loosely based on a Charlie Daniels hit. He takes a poke at Oasis and
the cult of recording a Magnum Opus with “Three
Minute Limit.” His
version of the Gallagher vocal whine is something only a personal
hearing can fully describe.
“Grown Up Now”
and “Journey Song” are
more reflective than Dave's stronger satirical muse and he laments
his own advancing restrictions wistfully with “Wishful
Thinking.” It's a much
gentler song than we usually expect from Dave and contains some fine
Kazoo work. He tilts a lance at Graffitti artists with “Kilroy,”
and leaves us in no doubt where his feelings are over the Keep Fit
Industry with “On Me
Exercise Bike,” and “Roly
Poly Army.” More
historical (albeit recent memory) observation comes with “Writing
on The Wall,” and “Old
Clothes.”
“Goosepastures” and
“The Recruited Eric”
also consider historical issues, whereas the target of “Menopausal
Men with Expensive Guitars”
needs no further definition.
Guest musicians are Julia
Taylor,Sarah Brookman,Steve Cartwright Steve White and Martin
Tabraham and the album was mixed and mastered by Greg Tempest at
Gregs Music Room. . The production belies the simple layout and
artwork-it is competent and clever without being over complicated.
Keep Fighting those battles,Dave!
