Soirée (HIRCD7002)

CD Cover
  • The Mechanic
  • Angelette
  • Deliverance
  • Esmeralda Changing Partners
  • My Death
  • Run Kalwinder
  • Rotterdam '97
  • The Ham
  • Serenade To Alice
 

Alan Clayson & The Argonauts

What A Difference A Decade Made (LP) (DISLP0001)

LP cover
  • Eleanor In Bondage
  • Only For A moment
  • Sol Nova
  • Edwy The Fair
  • Landwaster
  • Crusader
  • Pagan Mercia (Version)

 
  • Do The Zoot Bop!
  • On The Waterfront
  • Lost In The Wilderness
  • Days In Old Rotterdam
  • Searchlight
  • Rue Morgue
  • Steer Straight


Biography

Born May 3 1951, Dover, England. By the early 1970s, Alan Clayson was lead vocalist of Turnpike, a folk-rock ensemble that reached No. 28 in the Zigzag Top 30 with a Clayson opus, "The Rake's Progress". Next came his formation of the surreal Billy and the Conquerors and its Average Joe and the Men In The Street off-shoot. He also scraped viola in the Portsmouth Sinfonia. In 1975, elements of all these projects coalesced in Clayson and the Argonauts. While Melody Maker decided that "Clayson occupies a premier position on rock's Lunatic Fringe", his compositions remain melodically sturdy, and he is a gifted, if quirky, lyricist. His concert schedule has included a BBC radio showcase and headlining at the Roundhouse and the Marquee Club in England, and also at the Melkveg in Amsterdam Holland - and, on Virgin Records, an unsettling arrangement of Wild Man Fisher's "The Taster" was a "turntable hit" (e.g. No. 3 in Time Out).

Clayson's cult following did not fade away, even when he all but retired to the sidelines in the late 1980s - a period that also spawned covers of his songs by such diverse acts as Stairway, Jane Relf (ex-Renaissance) and Crispian St. Peters. Though he became better known as an author, he stayed an active musician, working with Wreckless Eric, Twinkle and Screaming Lord Sutch among others - but most conspicuously on keyboards as one of Dave Berry's Cruisers; several Clayson numbers (and productions) appearing on Berry's Hostage To The Beat in 1986 - and on later Berry A-sides such as 1991's The Moonlight Skater (written with former Yardbird Jim McCarty). That same year, Alan Clayson returned to stage center as a solo attraction delivering "more than a performance, an experience" (Village Voice). "Mr. Clayson's last appearance in the north-east is still talked about", says The Beat Goes On, and, in the words of the promoter concerned, "caused extreme audience reaction". "It is difficult to explain to the uninitiated quite what to expect", adds The Independent. There is also an Alan Clayson Fan Club, which dates from a 1992 soiree in Chicago.

A description of Alan Clayson by the Western Morning News as the "A.J.P. Taylor of the pop world" is supported by Q Magazine's "his knowledge of the period is probably unparalleled and he's always unerringly accurate".

Alan Clayson has written for journals as diverse as Record Collector, Mojo, The Times, Mediaeval World, Folk Roots, The Independent, The Beat Goes On, Goldmine, Country Music People, Gold and, as a teenager, the notorious Schoolkids Oz. He has been engaged to perform and lecture on both sides of the Atlantic as well as broadcast on national TV and radio ("Clayson's show is as wacky as anything else you will hear on BBC Radio Two" - The Guardian).

BOOKS PUBLISHED

DISCOGRAPHY


Reviews

In the grand tradition of Jacques Brel, Alan Clayson's new album is a sparse but emotionally charged collection of chansons. Supported by the keyboards of Chris Gore, he delivers lyrics that range from psychic distress to satirical humor in a voice that reflects both the Gallic tradition of Brel and Gainsbourg , and his own eclectic career as a rock maverick. Not that the stylistic influences end there: "Night Cafe" revives the milieu of the Shangri-La's, while the beautiful melody of "The Moonlight Skater" is a haunting piece of art-rock. It's a "Soiree" that, like its creator you won't forget.

Record Collector (PD)

 

ALAN CLAYSON is a genuine cult figure in music circles, best known perhaps for his quirky style and work with ex-members of Renaissance, and with The Yardbirds, Wreckless Eric, Twinkle, and Screamin' Lord Sutch. His trainspotter's ability to mentally digest rock 'n' pop facts has made him one of the most respected rock writers around. It shouldn't come as any surprise to discover that his latest album, "Soiree", consists of semi-crooned "chansons" with Clayson's voice and oddly revealing lyrics at the core while, further back in the mix, piano, guitar and orchestration allow the voice to do all the talking. Like a cross between a Working Men's Club cabaret act and a sleazy nightclub entertainer, there's a dark beauty to what he does which allows the listener to take perverse pleasure in the very personal poetry and music. Delightfully strange.

Rock 'N' Reel

Issue #30, spring '98

 

When time allowed, I managed to listen to albums from writer/performer ALAN CLAYSON. The unique Mr Clayson's product is of the Trobadour school that found its most famous modern exponent in the person of Jacques Brel. Alan's Soiree contains 18 poignant songs with highly effective minimalist backing, my favourite track being "Doreen It Started Out Like A Normal Day". If you like the unusual, buy it.

Don Crane (of The Downliners Sect)

Ugly Things magazine #16 1998