Bittersweet

Bit dark and damp out on the Levels this week but it was all shiny and dry inside the Hive as I had Ben Modley Guitar Tuition down for some deft conga additions to 'Midflight', (an oldie but newie) and then Karl Ficarotta in for some superb vocals on 'Terminus' (a very newie). Great fun all round - it's always a pleasure to have my songs enhanced by top performances from quality musicians! I also got to model a tee from Balcony Shirts commandeered from my good lady - check them out and see if they do one for your hometown! If I can get it together, they'll produce the next run of band merch for me.

Right, I'm going to slip the headphones on again... Rambles to follow! x

Fig's playing a fezzy!

That's my name ☺️

Around this time last week, I was heading back up along the A303 to the big smoke, passing the hordes heading the other way to the huge popfest at Pilton. And we all had smiles on our faces! Mine was due to the fact that I’d just returned from the Hive where Karl had come along and laid some vocals down on a couple of new songs, ‘The Burden of Hindsight’ and ‘Midflight’.

When I say ‘new’ though, that’s not strictly true…

Both songs are what you may call ‘ vintage’ – ‘Burden’ germinated from the seed of a tune sown by my compadre, Mick (Cosmas Collins) and was on a cassette full of ideas he sent to me in the very early days of Bittersweet, before we even became Bittersweet! The tape survived the flood and still plays, and some of the other content will result in a confessional post in the very near future! ‘Midflight’ is even older, with original lyrics penned by another very good friend of mine, Patrick Tarpey. We’re talking last century here, folks!

But that’s the wonderful thing about songwriting – a good song is a good song, regardless of if and when it sees the light of day in recorded form. And that’s why I’m happy to give these gems their day in the sun!

As for Karl Ficarotta, he was just limbering up his vocal cords for an appearance at the 2000 Trees Festival in Cheltenham next Friday, 9th July. Get along if you can, and well done that man!

RB

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NEW SINGLE – ‘STEALING YARDS (L S V)’ TO BE RELEASED 1ST APRIL

I’m happy to announce that the first single from the latest Bittersweet album, ‘Ascent and Descent’ is scheduled for digital release on Saturday 1st April. ‘Stealing Yards (L S V)’ is the album track with a twist – those of you who are familiar with the song will notice that the dulcet tones of Ben Modley’s flute and conga combo have been enhanced with the addition of a muted acoustic bass line that urges the track forward. Still as mellow but with added momentum! And those of you who have invested in ‘Postcard from Nowhere – The Connoisseur’s Edition’ LP will recognise the cover art!

But what on earth is L S V? Well, it actually stands for ‘Labi Siffre Vibe’ And you may not know the name but Labi is a heavy guy, and you’ll definitely have heard his music…

The smash hit, ‘It Must Be Love’ by Madness? Well, it’s performed (very tastefully) by Madness but it’s actually a Labi song from 1973. And fair play to the Nutty Boys – they invited him to appear in the video for the song! Oddly enough, it’s now being used to advertise crisps.

Eminem’s self-proclamation ‘My Name Is…’. Yep, relies on Labi’s groove-laden keyboard riff from ‘I Got The…’. That Jay-Z also purloined.

The delicate acoustic guitar that underscores the recent Tesco Mobile ad? That’s the beautiful ‘Bless The Telephone’. By Labi, and from a time when a telephone call really meant something
!
And then there’s one of the most powerful songs of defiance ever written in ‘(Something Inside) So Strong’, a justified winner of an Ivor Novello Award.

Yep, a heavy guy is Labi – so heavy in fact, my distribution company wouldn’t allow me to release the single with his name on it - hence L S V – you get the vibe!

And in a nicely resolving circle, Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering is the man who mastered ‘Stealing Yards (Labi Siffre Vibe). He was the mastering engineer for some of Labi’s finest work, including the aforementioned ‘So Strong’. How I do love a bit of continuity!

Download and stream from 1st April, and then Fool Me a Goodnight!

RB
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Self promo fails – an occasional series

It’s coming up for a year since the release of Tears for Fears seventh studio album, ‘The Tipping Point’ - their first since ‘Everybody Loves a Happy Ending’ eighteen years previous. This monumental occasion was marked with an in-store signing session on release date, and via a tip-off from my good friend Joe Clancy, I was able to pre-order CD’s (remember those all you streamers?!) and head up with my lady to HMV in Westfield Shepherd’s Bush to attend this exclusive event.

Foolishly or otherwise, I thought it would be a good idea to take a CD copy of ‘Postcard From Nowhere’ with me to present to them, as they’ve possibly had a subconscious influence on my writing in Bittersweet throughout the years. Whilst waiting patiently in line for the chaps to appear at a distant table draped in black cloth, I desperately searched for a friendly opening ice breaker. And on reaching the head of the queue, I’d got it! Offering up my copy of PFN to Mr Orzabal, I proudly exclaimed ‘From one Roland to another, here’s something I made!’ I meant to tag on ‘and you can listen to it in the car’ afterwards. Maybe I did and he didn’t hear…

I probably didn’t though, as Roland politely signed the front of it and handed it across to Curt Smith, who promptly did the same before handing it back to me! And despite some small talk about seeing them in a Cheshire forest a couple of years prior, and my lady seeing them at Brunel University a few decades prior, the moment had been lost and we were moved along before I could explain myself further!

So I’m now the proud owner of a copy of PFN signed by TFF, and the pair of them are none the wiser about this odd encounter with a chap getting them to sign a CD that wasn’t theirs! I doubt they dwelled upon it, and it’s probably safe to say I’ve played their album a lot more than they would have played mine. As it really is rather good…

PROMO FAIL

RB
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Wishing a very Merry Christmas to all our listeners and followers! It's the season of goodwill and the time to give and receive gifts, and everyone knows it's always better to give than receive. With 'Ascent and Descent' presently only available to stream and download, it seems a fitting time to give thanks to all the talented musicians who made valuable contributions during the recording process - their touches lifted each song and until I get a physical release out there, you'll never know who did what!

So, heartfelt thanks are due to Olly at Beehive for not just twiddling k***s and sharing his wisdom but also drumming, layering up harmony stacks and playing any other strange instrument that I can think of but can't play. Karl Ficarotta for adding the vocal icing on the cake to every song. Dave Cheeseman for some exquisite touches throughout on a baby grand, hammond organ and mellotron. Bob Corrick for great sax on 'Chances Are' and 'Ghost in the Mirror', Ben Modely for congas and flute on 'Stealing Yards' and the acoustic intro to 'Where the Rainbow Ends'. Josh Clark at Get Real Audio for the bodhran on 'Where the Rainbow Ends', Chris Guest for backing vocals on 'Another Chiswick Blue' and BV's and piano on 'Ghost in the Mirror' and Anna Kennedy for the angels on 'Where the Rainbow Ends'

The album would still have happened without these wonderful gifts but it wouldn't have sounded half as good. Go check it out and hear exactly how good! And if you thought sleigh bells were just for Christmas songs, think again - they do feature somewhere on 'Ascent and Descent'!

Peace, love and best wishes for 2023!

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As usual, first up is an apology - If you’ve come here looking for diet advice or to book a table at a pizzeria in Austin, Texas you’ve come to the wrong place! Unfortunately, there was recently a little bit of a hijack of the Bittersweet FB page – my list of authorised admin staff swelled, as did my advertising budget spend as someone tried to convince the public at large that a miracle slimming pill was available under the Bittersweet banner. I suppose if it did actually exist (and even worked) one could have enjoyed a few slices of cheesy garlic bread as a reward! Alas, it was a scam that froze the page and took a little time to sort out with the powers that be - and probably disappointed quite a few people who clicked on by. They could have consoled themselves by having a quick listen to some quality sounds whilst they were here!!!

BUT for the people who are genuinely interested, there is some fantastic news to follow regarding those same quality sounds – there’ll soon be more of them! Yes, I’m over the moon (!) to be able to announce that the third Bittersweet album, entitled ‘Ascent and Descent’ will be released a month from now, on 30th October 2022. Whilst it may appear that movement within the camp has been as still as the wind during a UK heatwave, there has been lots of stuff going on behind the scenes - the ten tracks on the new opus have been completed for some time, replete with saxes and flute, music boxes and church bells! However, it’s all the incidentals that seem to take the extra time. I’ll bang on about artwork in a dedicated future post but I’m happy to say that I’ve again managed to keep it organic on this album, through another chance encounter and have been treated to some bespoke artwork to accompany the songs that make up ‘AAD’. I’m really pleased with the whole package, which will initially be available to stream or download digitally from all the usual suspects. Following that, there will then be a CD release for us that still do silver discs. And once again, there are plans afoot for a limited edition vinyl run for those who still got the needle!

Ascent and Descent – released 30th October 2022
Sidestepping / Never Return / Age of Innocence / Chances Are / Where the Rainbow Ends / The Grass is Always Greener / Another Chiswick Blue / Stealing Yards / Ghost in the Mirror / Ascent and Descent / Where the Rainbow Ends.

Pizza for two, table five!

RB
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Really pleased that as my 'Mr Hyde' persona, I've been buoyed by the many favourable reviews for the new Vardis release - online, and in both rock based mags and national dailies! 100mph @100 Club is as authentic as it gets, and it's as much of a pleasure to listen to as it was to play. Available to fill stockings at Steamhammer or your local HMV!

I'm even more pleased to report that my 'Dr Jeckyll' hasn't been idle either, and that the third Bittersweet album, 'Ascent and Descent' has now been completed. Darting forays to the Beehive have chipped away at the final tasks, and I was incredibly happy to be able to say 'it's finished' at the end of last month. I'm hoping to have it available digitally in early 2022, with physical releases to follow shortly after.

These timescales may be governed by the availability of the cover art but that is already progressing well. Typically, having arrived at my new favourite nowhere for a couple of nights escape, I was presented with nature providing the perfect album cover before my very eyes. Unfortunately, we weren't in possession of any professional camera equipment or any of the required skill to operate same so I just had to stand awhile and try and absorb this fleeting gift. It was truly magnificent!

Honours will be bestowed on all the gifted musicians who added some amazing parts to AAD in due course but I can safely say it wouldn't sound as good as it does without their input. And I may be calling upon them again to join me on album No.4 which is already underway!

Previous releases are all still available via the on-page links and at Bandcamp, thankfully unaffected by the release of Adele's latest opus! Go have a look if you're stuck for pressies! 🎁

RB x