| I Did it Otway |
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John Otway
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Ollie Halsall | ||
Way and Hal Halsey & Halsall
Otway on The Cobbles "Hearing Ollie's playing was one of the most memorable moments of myformative years as a guitarist. Astonishingly imaginative and accurate playing, with a naked, (mostly) talent booster free sound through a
Richard Holgarth Photo © Barry Monks "I remember meeting Ollie at John Otway's gig at the Whiskey here in L.A. Ollie was playing that ridiculous silver star-shaped guitar. He kept walking over to Otway in mid song to tune his guitar. I guess for Ollie, Otway was an enjoyable lunatic to be around. Ollie was very pleasant. I told him I'd seen him in Hyde Park [June '74] with Kevin and he remembered it as an enjoyable gig. I was struck once more by the fact that Ollie seemed homeless and that he'd been wearing and sleeping in his stage clothes." Marty Zucker 2011
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Where Did I Go Right 1979
Makes Good Music
John's finest album until the 1995 Morgan Fisher: Keyboards
When Love's in Bloom was recorded at Olllie's house, probably in the same makeshift 'studio' where he did the original version of Travelling Show [from the Caves album]. Superbly packaged TRIPLE album of previously unreleased tracks, demos & rarities. The 1979 Ollie & Otway section has become known as WAY & HAL since rather inferior versions of these Otway/Halsall compositions surfaced 3 years later on OtWAY & BARrett's WAY & BAR album. Ollie contributes guitar, bass, drums & violin to his own production which is little short of a masterpiece. £19.99 plus postage and packing
Live in a Pub, Somewhere 1979 There remains just this one live tape of the remarkable duo performing 'In a pub, Somewhere' Otway reads an extract from his
Video by Peor |
AVAILABLE NOW! Abbots Langley
Bum Love Bonus tracks: This new album of previously unreleased recordings by Ollie Halsall is now available from Market Square Records [MSMCD 145]. The material, which includes nine Halsall originals, dates from a 1980 colaboration with drummer John Halsey and is completed by some very unusual extra recordings.
£7.99 plus postage and packing
Caves 1999
Hey Hey Little Girl Multitrack demos from 1979 Included at this point since it owes its very survival to Otway who later recorded Door to Door Daughter & Travelling Show. This collection of 1979 demos remains, effectively, Ollie's only solo effort and an intensely satisfying album Authorised limited re-release 2007
£7.99 plus postage and packing
Rusty Strings
Single 1974: Platters' Medley Perhaps the most bizarre artefact of Ollie's entire career, these multi-track instrumental recordings were made in early 1973, around the time of Patto's final, unreleased album Monkey's Bum. Ollie had experimented with the layered speeded- up guitar tracks on the song I Need You [from the aforementioned album] and had also used the technique with devastating effect on Singing The Blues on Reds from Roll 'em, Smoke 'em . . . However, the 'Rusty Strings' tracks are a world away from such masterpieces. Quite why he chose to do them is a mystery. Apparently, he planned a whole album under the pseudonym and there are reports of other tracks, such as covers of Elvis Presley classics either completed or in the pipeline. Equally unaccountable is why anyone would want to release them, but RCA did just that in early 1974 with a single coupling the Jerome Kern tune with a Halsall original [which does have some redeeming features]. 'Admiral' John Halsey describes these efforts as "Horrible". We are still waiting for a chart entry ;o) Many thanks to 'Rutling' Ken Thornton of the Patto Fan Site for finding and reseraching these recordings. |
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Morgan Fisher
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Tiswas | |||
Photo: Morgan Fisher |
Miniatures 1980
Bum Love Ollie & John Halsey's brief contribution to one of the strangest albums of all time, compiled by Morgan Fisher, former Love Affair and Mott The Hoople keyboardist. Morgan played on Otway's Where Did I Go Right album and tour [with Ollie & John Halsey] and now lives in Japan, producing some fascinating work. Check here
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. . . presents
Kids's TV show music with John Gorman. Musicians include not only Morgan Fisher [keyboards] and John Halsey [drums] - essentially Otway's touring band - but also bassist Clive Griffiths, making it, perversely, the nearest thing to a Patto reunion! This album is also listed on the Play the Perfect Fool page partly because of the above connections, but more as an excuse to show another photo of the lovely Sally James!
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