Paola and Max asked me, late last summer, to write a short poem as the basis for a piece of music to appear on Paola’s next album. After a while I was pleased to be able to write back to Paola. “I have had this in mind for sometime and managed to finish writing it this morning. Its a sort of double haiku with a chorus line & it is based on a picture taken of my garden just when I started to remodel it in 2003. I have been saving it for a special occasion.” I think the music …which they then ‘painted’ around my words is exquisite and I told them so; mentioning that, with my producer’s hat on, I personally would have made the piece a little less of a ‘crescendo’ and a little more of an ‘aqueduct’ with perhaps a hint of breeze to ripple the branches . . . Caught! Before I knew it, despite a case of laryngitis, I was recording a few arches and pillars for them to drop into the track. It seems to have worked quite well (which is good because I am now in the middle of doing a handful of similar vocals.) I will admit I wasn’t sure about Angelo Contini’s trombone at first but I am now thrilled when I hear its deep texture. The bass of Franz Soprani, who shot the footage of me reciting in Genoa, is a smiling, bouncing ball: a delight. Which leaves…um…oh yes the video. Well no wonder Francesco Paolo Paladino won the prize for Short Movie at last years Cannes Festival his work is magic. It is technically and visually a perfect enchantment. I am very proud to have been part of this interesting project with its overtones of ancient and modern. Bravo to all and I hope we can do another before too long. Now here are the credits and finally the words … the seeds. – PjS

(Taken from the forthcoming album “Milioni di Lune”)

Personnel:
Paola Tagliaferro: Voice, kalimba, noises
Max Marchini: guitars, bass, noise, sound project
Peter Sinfield: voice
Angelo Contini: Trombone
Francesco Paolo Paladino: nose sounds & occasional voice
Franz Soprani: Bass guitar

BLOSSOM ON THE TREE
Dust clouds the mason
As he grinds the pedestal
Back against the stairs.
(Blossom on the tree)
Caught by unseen eyes
In the garden of a dream
Blossom on the tree,
Blossom on the tree

© Produced by Max Marchini & Peter Sinfield for Owl Productions Ltd

Premier of A BIG DEMO- Its 1988- Hammond, Hill and Sinfield had gathered at Comforts Place, Andy”s Studio in Surrey, to try and write a half decent song. This was the result. Albert wrote the bridge and everybody wrote the other bits. As far as I can recall I wrote the lyrics for the first two verses when we were together and then spent another couple of days working on the chorus. The demo, produced by Andy, has a joyous feel to it; not the least due to the great vocal delivered by Chris Thompson… Eddie Money’s cover of the song is not to my liking. He threw out my ‘Venice’ line {bit euro-intellectual for him perhaps} and he also changed ‘driftwood shoreline” to ‘rocky shoreline’ which was less fanciful poetic or something and better suited to his image. Doh! As I mentioned, in a post recently, it makes me more sad than angry to hear my children sorta disfigured, but it has happened so often I’m slightly inured: it is GREAT to hear the song as it was meant to be. [If, for scientific interest, you want to hear Eddy doing his thing go here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LZttN4bM7w - as I said its not to my liking.) -PjS

Apologies for not keeping you up to date recently, Peter has had some medical concerns of which we at SSOS have been attending to, though we are happy to say all is well now. Many of you may already be following Peter on Facebook which he updates often with his interesting finds, images & anecdotes. If you would like to keep more frequently informed as we update the old website, do click here to drop by and give him a ‘Like’, if you like…

Here is a new haiku written by Peter on November 9th, which we have added to the haiku section.

Click the pillbox lid
Quiet November High Street
Mince pies for breakfast.

This photo has been uploaded to the Pics of Peter gallery section

He has also written two new haiku, including the following which will lead nicely into our next update which is coming shortly.

In the meantime, we have created Peter’s official Facebook profile which we will be updating with news in conjuction with Song Soup on Sea. So if you are a regular user (which makes it sound like a terrible drug, a debate for another time..), we’d love to see you there. Press “Like” to join the page.