Tag: Tudor Guitar

The Sound Of Home Counties, Performed By “Ged Waitrose”, 4 March 2019

About eight weeks ago, when I published a couple of modern songs in a slightly Renaissance manner…

New Wave In A Sort-Of Tudor Stylee, 13 January 2019

…Rohan Candappa implored me to attempt Sound Of The Suburbs by The Members in a similar style.

My problem with Sound Of the Suburbs, though, is that I never found it convincing as a new wave or punk anthem. On that track, The Members always felt like a “me too” act, performing in a style that wasn’t authentically them.

Indeed, my research uncovered a few uncomfortable facts about The Members. Firstly, they were from Camberley, which is not what I’d describe as a suburb; I’d call Camberley “home counties”.

I also discovered that the lead man in The Members took Nicky Tesco as his “nom de punk”. Not very punk in my view, next to names like Sid Vicious and Rat Scabies.

Hence my adaptation being, “The Sound Of Home Counties” – a mash up of Sound Of the Suburbs with Tell me Daphne by William Byrd.

My nom de punk is Ged Waitrose

Rohan Candappa said, “never explain”, but then I don’t listen to everything Rohan says.

Rohan also said, “Ian, you’re a Rock God”. I’m rolling with that idea; Rohan talks a lot of sense sometimes.

Here’s The Sound Of The Suburbs by The Members:

While here, believe it or not, is the version of Tell Me Daphne with the highest number of YouTube hits in the whole of the webosphere:

Perhaps Rohan is right about me being a Rock God.

Try “The Sound Of Home Counties” again…go on!

New Wave In A Sort-Of Tudor Stylee, 13 January 2019

As many friends and acquaintances know, I have been mucking around with a baritone ukulele for a few years now. I have also been taking an interest in the early music element of the instrument which is, to all intents and purposes, a Tudor guitar.

So I have recently been trying to combine some of the material I like for basic chordal strumming of songs I remember and like from my youth, with some of the techniques I’m starting to acquire to play early music.

Here are a couple of early efforts: Germ Free Adolescents and My Perfect Cousin, in the style of broadside ballads.

Here is Germ Free Adolescents in its original form by X-Ray Spex in 1978:

Whereas, here is my humble effort, unplugged:

My Perfect Cousin was released by The Undertones in 1980:

Whereas here is my more plaintive, unplugged version of the song:

Work in progress, admittedly, but I feel there is something there – for me, even if not for anyone else.