NEWS FROM OCTOBER, 2001

'ALBATROSS' FLIES BY JANUARY
August came and went without the release of James Grant's new poetry-set-to-music disc, I Shot The Albatross. Not to worry--it IS coming out; while the date is still yet to be determined, the Ed Freshwater at Vertical swears it will be out by "the end of January at the latest. A USA date is still tbc, and tragically we still don't have a date for My Thrawn Glory being out in the USA."

GRANT GETS LIVE IN NOVEMBER
While killing time before the album comes out, James will be playing some shows soon in Scotland. The first show is a joint gig between James and Karen Matheson, November 16, in the Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline.
The second one sounds to be a bit more elaborate with James Grant, Karen Matheson, Donald Shaw, Ewen Vernal and James Mackintosh performing at the Fruitmarket--however, I can't get a fix on the correct date; I've heard variously that the show is either November 26 or October 26. I'd suggest calling the venue (which is a transatlantic call for me, so you're on your own) before you trek on up to Glasgow.

MORE GRANT/MATHESON MUSIC
Vertical's effervescent Ed Freshwater had this tidbit to add:

I was at the pub with Karen on Friday night talking about her gig and the new album; the gist of the conversation was that the new songs James has written for her sound a bit more natural because they were written collaboratively, if you get my meaning, rather than being treated almost like cover versions (as on The Dreaming Sea).

No word yet when those tunes will see the light of day on disc; perhaps they'll debut a few at the upcomming gigs?

ONE MAN'S HERASY IS ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE
I got this horrific email a few weeks ago from "Michael from Newcastle:"

I have quite a bit of Love and Money vinyl if anyone is interested in buying it. I have the first album signed and many 12" and 7" singles. If you know anyone who may be interested in them please contact me.

Why anyone would want to part with important historical artifacts like these is beyond me, but so be it. Take him to the cleaners, people!

ODDS AND ENDS

NEWS FROM JULY, 2001

ANOTHER NEW JAMES GRANT ALBUM!
Here's the scoop, straight from the good people of Vertical Records:

James is releasing a new album of poetry set to music in August, although the U.S. date is still TBC. The album is called I Shot The Albatross and features the poetry of WH Auden, ee cummings, William Blake, Edwin Muir, Emily Dickinson, Helen Adam and a few others. The music and arrangements are all original by James, but there's a few cool samples in there too. You can hear a pre-mastered version of "Long John Brown and Little Mary Bell" by William Blake on the Vertical Records website.

Interestingly, this isn't the first time that a member from the Love & Money camp has dealt with "I Shot The Albatross;" Sugartown, which featured two ex-L&M members, Paul McGeechan and Douglas McIntyre, had a song by that name on 1997's Slow Flows The River album.

GRANT GETS WEBBED
James is finally getting a website, just in time to coincide with the release of Albatross. The site is primarily going to be about the new album, but over time will develop into a resource for James in general. The URL is going to be www.james-grant.com, but it won't go live until the end of July or so.

DREAMING SEA SEQUEL
Karen Matheson of Capercaillie has been in the studio working with James on a new, as yet untitled solo album. The disc is due out in October, and James has written about half the material that's expected to end up on it. Unsurprisingly he also handles guitars and backing vocals on it as well. Ed at Vertical Records reports, "I haven't heard more than a few sketches, but what there is fantastic so far!" As you may recall, James wrote most of the material for Karen's last solo album, The Dreaming Sea (Survival, 1996). Vertical will have more dirt on the disc soon at its website.

WITH FRIENDS AGAIN LIKE THESE, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES?
kc60@pchome.com.tw wrote in to drop word that the mega-rare Friends Again album, Trapped and Unwrapped, has been released on CD (Mercury UICY-3097) in Japan with SIX bonus tracks! The track listing is:

1. Lucky Star
2. Sunkissed
3. Lullaby No. 2
4. Vaguely Yours
5. Skip The Gold Rush
6. Tomboy
7. State Of Art
8. Swallows In The Rain
9. South Of Love
10. Old Flame
11. Honey At The Core (Reprise)
12. Moon 3
13. Sunkissed (Extended Version) ..... bonus track
14. Dealing In Silver ..... bonus track
15. Winked At ..... bonus track
16. Honey At The Core (Long Version) ..... bonus track
17. Wand You Wave ..... bonus track
18. Thank You For Being An Angel ..... bonus track

A quick scoot around the web confirmed this, as it appears to be for sale at this site. For those of you who came in late, Friends Again was the band that eventually became Love & Money once Chris Thompson left to form The Bathers. Speaking of The Bathers, they have a new fan site dedicated to them, The Idyll.

ANOTHER MUSICAL SPEIRS--AND HE AIN'T BRITNEY
Paul Kennedy wrote in to mention that Fraser Speirs, the tasteful harmonica player who guested on numerous Love And Money discs, has released his own album, About Time, which includes James Grant guesting on the traditional "Clap Hands" and his own "Looking For Angeline." You can buy it at Speirs' NEW website (which has been updated in the links section, BTW).

THE LOVE AND MONEY VIDEO ARCHIVE IS BACK!!!
Finally, after an eight-month hiatus, you can feast your eyes once again upon the visual glories that are "Candybar Express," "Looking For Angeline," "Jocelyn Square" and "Halleluiah Man" in the Video Archive. I recently built myself a website (www.cliveco.com) to promote my freelancing writing; when I was done, I had a lot of unused file space (yeah, stop laughing; text doesn't take up a lot of space when you have 100MB to play with). Anyway, now the vids have a new home.

THE MYSTERY ALBUM
A few months ago, I got an email from an L&M fan (which I lost, so I can't credit him; sorry) aasking about a heretofore unheard-of James Grant album called Not The Only World, released in 1994 on a label called Oar Fin. He found it here at All Music Guide. He said he'd heard through the grapevine that this was a limited release by "our" James Grant. Given some mistakes that All Music Guide makes in its listing on James--and the fact that Oar Fin is based in Minneapolis--I don't think that this album is by the same James Grant. Nonetheless, we don't know for certain, so if anyone has the inside scoop, email me!

DOWN IN THE (COWBOY) MOUTH
Ever wonder whatever happened to the L&M splinter-group Cowboy Mouth? (not to be confused with the U.S. band from New Orleans with the same name) Julia Lewey posted on the Yahoo L&M mail list that Cowboy Mouth are no longer working together. Douglas MacIntyre who did also two albums with Sugartown on Marina, is now playing with The Secret Goldfish. Grahame Skinner (also of Hipsway) did some demos under the name "Plastic Palace People" and is now writing songs for a female singer. He is also playing bass in her live band.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST>

NEWS FROM APRIL, 2001

RADIO ALERT!
Listen out for James on BBC Radio 2 next week (April 1-7 apparently) - there should be a daily feature every day next week at 11.45 am (BST) on the Ken Bruce show. Those of us not in the U.K. can listen via www.bbc.co.uk/radio2.
[For the time zone-impaired here in the U.S, the U.K. is FIVE hours ahead of New York, so if you're on the East Coast, you'll have to get up at 6:45 am to hear it; West coasters can catch it at 3:45 am. Have fun; I'm staying in bed.]

'HEY RENEE' GOES PUBLIC!
John wrote in to say that the March 15 gig at the Borderline in London was "brilliant." He also asked how mere mortals who are not in the music industry could get a copy of the promo "Hey Renee" CD single with the B-sides " "Plastic Flowers (previously unreleased)" and "You're Not The Only One (Live)." (Apparently "Jacqueline's Shoes" is not on the disc as previously reported.)

Well, there's good news! Vertical Records has decided to make the disc available to the public. "We have decided to do a commercial release in order to keep James on the BBC Radio 2 playlist for a bit longer," said Ed Freshwater. Bruce McKenzie at Townsend Records noted that they also have plenty of copies for sale via mail order.

KEEP ON PUSHIN' MY LOVE (AND MONEY) OVER THE BORDERLINE
(Sorry about the headline. It's so awful, I just had to do it.)

James Grant's mid-March gig at the Borderline in London was a huge success, by all accounts. A lot of fans turned up to the show, and quite a few of you wrote in about how much you dug it [Thanks to stevensho2001@aol.com for the photo!]. For instance, John Richards wrote in to say that "the gig was excellent - despite the E'd-up bloke right at the front! James was in great form, and seemed to enjoy himself, despite having driven from Scotland to London!" John sent in some nice shots, but ironically, not the photo above--I don't know who took it, but whomever did, thanks!

According to Willie Thompson on the Strange Kind of List listserv, the band included Donald Shaw (Keyboards); Ewan Vernal (Bass); Gordon Goudie (Guitar); and James Mcintosh (Drums). The evening's set list was:

My Thrawn Glory
Belle Of My Burlesque
Hey Renee
Sawdust In My Veins
No Chicane
Does It All Add Up To Nothing
Can't Stop Bleeding
I Don't Know You Anymore
Lips Like Ether
Whiskey Dream
Pray The Dawn
Blood Sweeter Than Honey
Jacquelines Shoes
Clap Hands (Tom Waits)
Winter

Encore:
Walk The Last Mile
Do Your Own Thing (Issac Hayes)

Martin Sterio chimed in, noting:

The band were really awesome and James was his ever dry self...he just gets funnier and more confident each gig! After the gig, the club turned into some garage nightmare nightclub which saw a handful of lost teenagers not really knowing what it was all about.......James and Donald beat a hasty retreat at around 12.30 am to sounds unbecoming! If you didn't go, you missed a superb gig....and my highlight of the evening had to be "Lips Like Ether" and "Walk The Last Mile".....and the guitar solo from James on "Jaqueline's Shoes!"

Meanwhile, the Love And Money In Real Life section often gets forgotten, but not this time. There's THREE new real-life stories from your fellow fans, all L&M-related.

Getting Autographs--And On The List by Ian. Skipping graduation or not, all roads lead to L&M.

A "Cultured Evening" by Drew Nimmo. Probably the funniest L&M/JG concert story we've ever run.

My Stolen Record...And More by Glen Ferris. A tale of lust, theft, drop-dead gorgeous secretaries, and, of course, L&M.

Now how can you pass that up?

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
A week or two back, I got this nice email:

My name is Marie [name withheld] and I am James Grant's sister. I live in Ontario, Canada and I have in my possession James's latest CD, called My Thrawn Glory. I think it is his best work to date and hope you will be able to get a copy. I'm glad that there are people out there who enjoy his work enough to build a website dedicated to his music. I know how hard he has worked to reach this level, and as a family member, I appreciate your support.

Yours Sincerely,
Marie

I noticed your section on The Chain Gang, and your passage, "...'Makin' Tracks,' a rather funky number in the tradition of L&M tunes like 'Scapegoat' and 'Razorsedge,' was credited to J. Grant/P. Kane/K. McCluskey/G. Skinner. The B-side, 'Creepy Crawlies,' was the same music with some wacko named Bing Hitler babbling undecipherably over the track."

I just thought I'd let you know that Bing Hitler is in fact Craig Ferguson, who you may have heard of [he's on The Drew Carey Show here in the U.S. these days.]. It would appear he is having some success stateside in the movie business; he was in a film called The Big Tease about hairdressing.

I've changed the Chain Gang section to reflect this new info. Someone else sent this info months ago, and it got lost when my hard drive crashed in January; thanks to both of you.

NEWS FROM MARCH, 2001

SOMETIMES I WANT TO GO OUT
A lot of people (too many to name you all) wrote in to spread the word that James Grant will be playing a full band show at The Borderline, Orange Yard, London, on Thursday, March 15th. Tickets are £6 in advance or £7 at the door (phone 0207 734 2095 for the box office or go to www.theborderline.co.uk).

Take this opportunity to catch James playing tunes from the new album and a batch of your old favorites. Since London is practically the center of the UK music media, a strong, enthusiastic crowd will go a long way towards making a good impression with the print and radio establishments, so bring your friends!

THRAWN'S GLORY
James' new My Thrawn Glory album has sold so well that Vertical Records had to commission a second pressing! The press is also clammoring for the disc, as the album has garnered strong reviews in Mojo, The Guardian, The Observer, What's On In London, Classic Rock and even The Jewish Chronicle. Hopefully we'll be able to track a few of these down and add them to the Article Archive here on the site. Q is also expected to review the disc in the near future.

RADIO RADIO
Helping to fan the flames a bit, Vertical plans to send "Hey Renee" to radio as a promo single right around the same time as the Borderline gig. The single will contain: "Hey Renee," "Jacqueline's Shoes," "Plastic Flowers" [a new song?] and "You're Not The Only One (Live)." They haven't decided whether it will also be a retail single, but it's being pondered.

Also, in early February, James got some solid coverage on BBC Radio2, when his album was named the "Radio 2 Album of the Week." Additionally, he did two last-minute live sessions, for BBC Radio 2 and "London Live" ("last minute" enough that I didn't have enough time to post the info here before the shows aired).

ARCHES APPLAUSE
Quick-typin' Steve Hickman passed on two reviews of James' January gig at The Arches in Glasgow; I managed to accidentally delete the positive one from The Scottsman (DOH!), and the other...well, see for yourself at the Article Archive. In the meantime, since Steve took a camera to the show, he sent in some atmospheric shots of the occasion:

UNIMPORTANT MYSTERY SOLVED!
A while back, I added a listing to the Discography about a give-away single from the late Record Mirror magazine, which included an L&M track. Terry at Yesterphobia.Com wrote in to try and sell me the disc, and while I politely declined, he cleared up a lot of unknown variables about the record for me. Now we can finally get some sleep at night, right? The new info has been added to the discography. If you gotta have this disc in your collection, drop Terry a line.

In other discography news, James' solo career finally has its own section, and My Thrawn Glory has been added. The "Hey Renee" promo single will hopefully be added once it is released.

NEWS FROM FEBRUARY, 2001

LOTS OF JAMES GRANT NEWS
Mr. Grant has been playing a whole batch of gigs recently, so we have a few reports on them below. I still haven't heard the new album myself, but you can get it directly from Vertical Records, and the solid reports from fans here and on the Strange Kind Of List mail list sound encouraging.

GRANT GIGS
Smccon wrote in about the January 23rd gig at the Arches in Glasgow, reporting:

An excellent night. Having seen the man seven times during his career, one can only admire the impressive range of songs that he has produced over the years. A great night seemed to be had by all, someone remarking on the way out how James Grant was really understated. How true, but at least some appreciate real talent. Thanks again , looking forward to number eight.

James was in good form; he was relaxed and seemed to enjoy the gig (at one point, he told the audience that he was nervous about the gig, but the nerves were going). I think he was fairly surprised at the response from the crowd, as he thanked the people for their support over the years. I do not have a specific set list, but I will tell you the songs he sang (or the ones I can remember). They were:

Lodestar Rising
Belle Of My Burlesque
My Thrawn Glory(far superior to the album version)
Hey Renee
Sawdust In My Veins (with a quite stunning guitar solo that reminded me of James in his early guitar-hero days)
Pray The Dawn
Can't Stop Bleeding
No Chicane
I Don't Know You Anymore
Does It All Add Up To Nothing
Claphands
Blood Sweeter Than Honey
Lips Like Ether
Whiskey Dream
Winter (final song of the set)

ENCORE
Walk The Last Mile
Do Your Own Thing (Issac Hayes cover)

SECOND ENCORE (this was unplanned and showed how much James enjoyed the gig)
Sometimes I Want To Give Up (acoustic)
Does It All Add Up To Nothing

All in all an excellent gig...James is back in his prime and there were a few funny comments about fame and his lack of success in view of other Glasgow bands.

Brilliant performance by James, who surely has to be the best singer and songwriter of his generation. Anyone who manages to get the word "factotum" into a song without it sounding silly must be special. My personal highlight was "Jacqueline's Shoes" and "Lips Like Ether." The lowlight was my embarrassment when one of our "party" insisted on talking so much to her friend that James stopped at the beginning of Clap Hands and said "I am waiting for the sound of silence!" James, if you read this... I apologise for her rudeness, I was annoyed as much as you were. I love the new album--its as good as if not better than Sawdust; I would like James to highlight his guitar skills a wee bit more, he is a great player.

RADIO KAOS
Graham Small stumbled across a BBC Radio 2 program on Saturday, Jan. 27, which included James Grant singing two songs live as part of Celtic Connections. Ed at James' record company, Vertical Records, confirmed that the show was broadcast live from Borders Bookshop on Buchanan Street in Glasgow, and that more live radio dates should be coming up soon (no dates yet, but we'll try to get them to you BEFORE they happen next time!). The show also featured Eddie Reader, Ricky Ross, Hue and Cry and a few others.

DISCO TEXT
In other news, we have two additions to the Discography in the form of two soundtracks for the UK TV series, Transatlantic Sessions, which James sat in on a few years ago. Steve Hickman found 'em and believes that a US single-disc edition might come out on Skaggs Family Records.

WHO CARES?
...And last but definitely least, thanks to those of you who wrote in to find out how my computer was doing. It ended up costing me an utterly insane $380 to get it running again with most (not all) of the data recovered. Ouch. Remember kids, heed the words of wisdom put forth by the classic Brooklyn rap group Onxy, for they offered sage advice to all computer users everywhere when they named their only hit album Bakdafukup.

NEWS FROM JANUARY, 2001

WELCOME BACK
Hi all; the site is getting updated again, first one of the new year. It would have been sooner, but my Mac is in the shop because it has a simple small problem--it can't find the hard drive! As I type here at my job, technicians are taking their damn time with my home computer, charging a mere $95 AN HOUR to get it up and running, hopefully with the data still on the drive. Woe is me.

NEW JG GIGS
Nonetheless, there's good news on the James Grant front; the former leader of Love And Money is making the rounds over the next few weeks, promoting his new album with small-scale gigs in shops and venues. As part of the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, James will be playing the Glasgow Fruitmarket on January 23; a week later, he'll be at The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on January 31. Showtime is 8:30 PM in the cafˇ and tickets are £8.00 and £10.00.

NEW YEAR'S DAY GIG
Speaking of gigs in Fruitmarkets, Andy McLellan went to the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh where James Grant played two solo acoustic sets (alternating with Andi Neate) on New Year's Day. He only caught the second set, but wrote in to note James played:

Does It All Add Up To Nothing
Last Ship On The River
Walk The Last Mile
Blood Is Sweeter Than Honey
Going Blind (the "secret" track from My Thrawn Glory)
Clap Hands (Tom Waits)
I Can't Stop Bleeding
Winter (with a few lines of Dylan's 'I Shall Be Released' added at the end)
Will The Circle Be Unbroken (gospel)

Great set, typical dry commentary from James, humble and unassuming as ever. Shame about the noise from the cafe/bookshop below, but a low-key, excellent set well recieved by all.

LOVE AND MONEY'S 1989 U.S. TOUR
Randee sent in a great photo of James from 1989. Randee explains, "I've attached a photo I took of James circa the U.S. tour of Strange Kind of Love. I've been a freelancer since college, and I was just getting my feet wet when I got to interview him, and it was a big thrill. The photo was taken by me in the dressing room of a club in Boston called Axis. None but Scots musicians have wrists that skinny, I've found. Feel free to put it on the page if you like; just keep the credit."

Ah, yes, the 1989 tour. I went to that one when L&M played New York City at the Palladium. It was a night that involved college finals, Lloyd Cole in a feud and more. 'Twas a night that literally changed my life, folks. Since everyone else has written their own L&M stories for the Love And Money In Real Life section, I've added my lengthy account of that nutty night, plus a bonus story: How Not To Get Laid In London. Go to the section and take a look!

NEWS FROM DECEMBER, 2000

A NOTE FROM MR. JAMES GRANT
The ol' Jocelyn Square emailbox had a surprise in it the other day--our first contact ever from James Grant (hate to sound like a geek, but it was quite exciting; everybody likes a little affirmation). While it's theoretically to me, I suspect it was really intended for all fans, especially those of you who keep sending in updates to the site, so here's the missive in its entirety:

I just wanted to say thank you for your support over the years, I genuinely appreciate all your time and effort and that of your contributors. Sounds a bit like a suicide note.
I realise that sometimes I might seem like a bit of a curmudgeon, but honestly, I'm touched by people's response to my music.
Once again, thanks,
James.

JAMES GRANT'S MY THRAWN GLORY RELEASE PARTY
James Grant's new solo album, My Thrawn Glory, came out the week of December 10, with a release party that night at the Bongo Club in Edinburgh. Megafan Martin Sterio traveled seven hours each way to attend the show, and he wasn't disappointed--here's his review:

What a night! James was awesome--and he came over after the gig, sat with us a while and chatted. I met Ruth O'Brien [a fan from Chicago, apparently]. She was in her element, and James sang "Walk The Last Mile" for her. We also had some photos taken with James and she also picked up his set list from stage and he signed it along with the ticket. The new songs are far better than Sawdust-- a little more upbeat and almost bordering on a blues jazz theme. A little disappointed with the title track but it may grow on me. Man, that was the best night of my life--and I spent it with three strangers. It was worth a 14-hour round trip! Hope you like the new album; you will not be disappointed!

Another fan, Craig Bell, sent word that "...the gig at the Bongo Club on Sun., 10th was really very good indeed. Lots of great new songs from My Thrawn Glory." He added that a gig is planned, most likely for January 23rd, at The Arches in Glasgow, so if you're in the hood, go check it out.

The next day, Dec. 11, James played a free show at the Buchanan Galleries Virgin store in Glasgow. No word how it went, but I bet it whetted people's appetites to get the new disc. Gerry wrote in with some dirt on the show the following day at the Buchanan Galleries Virgin Records store in Glasgow and the release party the night before. He writes:

My wife, Sam, and I were the other two strangers that Martin Sterio 'spent the best night of his life with', apart from Ruth. We also went to the free gig at the Virgin store in Glasgow, following one of the best gigs I have ever seen at the Bongo club. The set list for the Bongo for those interested (I got a copy for me as well as Ruth) was: (as written by ....)

Belle of my Burlesque
Sawdust
Religon
I Can't Stop Bleeding
Jacqueline's Shoes
Whisky Dream
Lips Like Ether
Does It All Add Up To Nothing
Thrawn Glory
I See All Of You Now
Hey Renee
Blood is Sweeter
I Don't Know You Anymore
Winter
Walk the Last Mile
Not on the set list, but as an encore was 'Do Your Thing' by Bill Thingy.

The gig at Glasow the following evening was a little mellower. Karen Matheson was in attendance, but didn't sing as she had her kiddy in tow. The store has a little brightly-lit open plan coffee shop with about 12 tables, and it was about 3/4 full. The band line-up was the same. I must say that 'Blood is Sweeter' translates a lot better live, as an the riff is played by Gordon on his electric guitar, rather than the saxophone on the CD.
James played for about 40 minutes. The set list was shorter, but he did sing "No Chicane" and also the Tom Waits song "Clap Hands." It was interesting to see the few Glaswegians going up and down the escalator bemused at the noise on the first floor, and even the lady making the coffee enjoyed it.
James was amicable and humble as ever, making you feel slightly sycophantic when you bestow your enthusiasm on him. He chatted before and after the gig and signed CDs (yes, I got one) for anyone. Absolutely superb couple of nights, even tho' we only drove two hours to get top each one, which doesn't compare with Ruth or Martin.

The photo, unsurprisingly, is Gerry's as well. Nice shot.

MY THRAWN GLORY OUT NOW
My Thrawn Glory was initially delayed a bit before it hit the shops; the discs were late getting from the replicator to the record company thanks to a lax courier service (which meant they had to do the album launch party without the album, of all things!).

You can still get the album at a variety of places, including the Vertical Records website, the Townsend Records Chain website, and many other places. Songs on the new disc include:

1. Minus 10
2. Belle Of My Burlesque
3. Does It All Add Up To Nothing
4. Dark Country
5. Jacqueline's Shoes
6. Lodestar Rising
7. Hey Renee
8. I Can See All Of You Now
9. Religion
10. Blood Is Sweeter Than Honey
11. My Thrawn Glory
12. Going Blank

U.S. SAWDUST IN MY VEINS RELEASE
Unbeknownst to me, James' last album, 1998's Sawdust in My Veins, was released in the U.S. this past September. If you're a U.S. fan who didn't want to shell out $30-plus for an import, this should make the album an easy one to order from your local record store. The catalog number is VE 15128 and it was issued by Valley Entertainment. No bonus tracks or anything fun like that. You can read a bit more about the album at Valley's website: www.valley-entertainment.com.

ODDS AND ENDS
--Appearing only a few months late, here's a few photos from the May 29, 2000 gig at Renfrew Ferry, supplied by our heroine, Annemarie in Glasgow (Not Glyn as previously stated).

--The L&M ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVE is currently offline, for the annoying reason that netdrive.com, which housed the videos for free, has been shut down. If anyone has about 80 Megs of online space yet no qualms about copyright law, please drop me a line at toomuchjoy@aol.com and perhaps we can get the archive online again.

--A bit of scavenging at the Townsend Records site uncovered a pair of autographed promo shots of James from his Sawdust days, as well as a Teletext interview with him from then as well. You can check out the shots now in the Sawdust In My Veins section, and find the interview in the L&M Article Archive.

--Site updates galore! We have two additions to the Discography, a promo CD and a split promo 7" from around SKOL. There's also a new reader anecdote in the Love And Money In Real Life section, and a link to a legal James Grant MP3 file in the Links section.

NEWS FROM NOVEMBER, 2000

NEW JAMES GRANT MUSIC ONLINE!
James Grant's upcoming release on Vertical Records will be called My Thrawn Glory, not The Ballad of Laughing Crow as previously reported here.
Want a preview of the music? Go to the Vertical Records website; a new track, "Jacqueline's Shoes," is available as a streamed music file at the Vertical Online Player (You'll need Flash 4 to listen to it, but you can download that easily at the site). Gotta love the guitar solo--vintage L&M styling, framed in a tune that could have easily come off of Strange Kind of Love, but there's some fun surprises, like the mellow trumpet solo. The whole song has a vibe straight out of a mid-70s Motown vamp; if this is any inidicator, the new album will rule!
Reportedly the album as a whole is more upbeat and will be a decidedly more "positive" collection than the last one. Production has been taking place at Castlesound Studios near Edinburgh, and appropriately, the album launch will be at the Bongo Club in Edinburgh on Sunday, December 10. Someone take some pictures for the site--please!

When you get a chance, stop by the Love And Money In Real Life section for a fun reminiscence from Martin Smith about seeing L&M shows back in the day--shows that went well, shows that didn't go well, and James Grant busting Martin's chops from the stage (ouch!).

Other new additions to the site include the L&M ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVE
and the newly improved L&M NEWS ARCHIVE, which now covers all this site's news from 1997 through 1999.

The release date for James' next album has been set for Monday, December 4th in the U.K. Vertical Records is currently updating its website, but once it does, they'll have a streamed track from the new album and a Free MP3 file that you can download! Currently, there's already a streamed version of "Sawdust In My Veins" available there, as well as a bit of news and reviews on James as well.

L&M VIDEOS ON THE NET--A project I've been slowly working on for years has finally come to fruition--Love & Money music videos are finally available for download on the internet! "Looking For Angeline," "Jocelyn Square," "Candybar Express" and "Halleluiah Man" are online. They're BIG files (10-12 Megs each!), but they look and sound pretty good--and where else are you going to find these videos anyway? Now that you're foaming at the mouth for some serious downloading (hope you got a cable modem or a T1 at work), click HERE and click on the "public files" button. If you like what you find (or if you have other L&M videos to donate to the project), email me at toomuchjoy@aol.com

When you get a chance, stop by the Love And Money In Real Life section for a cool new story from Brian Canham, former singer of 1980's band Pseudo Echo, all about the "River of People" 12" remix. There's also another new story there where fan Richard Pelling recounts seeing L&M play, and shares scans of his ticket stubs from the very last L&M show ever.

Longtime contributor Alex McGhie wrote in to say that James Grant's gigs in May went well. Reportedly Grant tried out a few new songs, including one called "Does It All Add Up To Nothing?" and then later announced that his next album, The Ballad of Laughing Crow, would be released in October! That said, no one seems to know if that still holds true, but according to "Phil," a reader, James is signed to Vertical Records If anyone has any additional info, please pass it my way so that I can post it here.

And last but not least, Glyn Barrett has started an internet mailing list for Love & Money; you can sign up at Strange Kind Of List. It's a great way to find other fans online, so give it a try.

Believe it or not, there’s finally some news!

According to reader Annemarie Hall, James Grant is playing the Renfrew Ferry on May 29; for more details, phone the ticket centre in Glasgow at: 0141 287 4000!

Also, if you were hoping that there were L&M MP3s online, there’s some live files and interview clips at: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Floor/1289/loveand.htm
Don’t look at me; I didn’t make 'em--but I sure like 'em. We have longtime site contributor Glyn Barrett to thank. Take a look!

NEWS FROM JUNE, 1999

....And we're back. Things have been slow, but I suppose that should be expected at a web site about a band that broke up five years ago. The main news this time out is that James did a mini-tour of the UK, and a lot of fans turned out to enjoy the shows. For instance, Peter In Liverpool wrote in:

I attended the James Grant concert at the Hop & Grape, 12th May '99. There were approx 30 people in attendance (this I will never be able to understand, as the man is worthy of better things. Really don't think the concert was advertised enough. Better PR reqd !!) Whilst I cannot remember the order of the songs performed (too awestruck) they were roughly the same songs as the previous gigs. Bearing in mind that the audience was so small, James' singing and playing was 100 percent. The special guests also performed well, especially Frasier Spears. After the gig I had the pleasure of meeting James in person. What an evening!!

A few weeks earlier, Grant did a show on May 6 at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow, which Jim Nisbet attended:

The concert took place in a converted fruitmarket, a place where Glasgow traders would have met to exchange produce. The venue is very atmospheric with a high vaulted roof and is set out with tables in the large central area; the stage is at one end and at either side there are upper tiers arched over the sides - the front of the tiers still have what I think are the original names of the various traders. There was a good turnout with the place pretty full (I'm not very good at estimating crowds but it must have been several hundred - my ticket was numbered 237). Support was provided by Edinburgh band The Felsons, and they went down very well. Their country-style rock (a ghastly phrase which could easily put potential listeners off) was a bit of a contrast to JG's more downbeat set.

I thought James was a little below form vocally, but overall it was a very satisfying experience. He really has got it together with his current collaborators - the line up consisting of (not everyone contributed to all the songs) Karen Matheson (vocals), Donald Shaw (keyboards/accordion), Fraser Spiers (harmonica), Ewan Vernal (bass), Paul McGeechan (keyboards), James MacKintosh (drums) and a couple of cellists. There was not much comment between the songs - only once were the audience told to keep quiet - although he asked for people to stop giving him so much grief after someone shouted for Set the Night On Fire. Before playing Halleluiah Man (how long has it been since that was played in Glasgow?) he did make a comment that he only goes so far to appease people. When he was introducing the band he mentioned that the cellists (who had just gone off stage) were supposed to be playing on the next song, Pray the Dawn, and then said never mind! Luckily they were brought back by Karen Matheson in time to play their part.

The set list was:
Sawdust in my Veins
No Chicane
Lips Like Ether
I Can't Stop Bleeding
Pray the Dawn
I Don't Love You Anymore

Karen Matheson then provided lead vocals for:
Early Morning Grey
Calbharaigh
New song called (I think) Good In You
There's Always Sunday

Evangeline
Whisky Dream
Looking for Angeline
Clap Hands (Tom Waits song)
Walk the Last Mile
Halleluiah Man
Winter

Encore:
You're not the Only One
Horse with no name (cover)
It was a bit disappointing that the encore was so short as it would have been nice to have a rousing finish with something like Last Ship on the River but it's a bit much to expect the same songs being played at every gig.

A review of the show also appeared in The Scotsman, which Jim sent it in; you can give it a read at the Archive.

Finally, James and his band played live at Borders Bookshop on Buchanan Street in central Glasgow as part of the BBC's Music Live 99 Festival on Saturday, May 29. Lynn Parsons presented the Saturday Afternoon Show from the Bookshop, interviewing James and introducing the tracks live on BBC Radio 2 (88-99 FM and the Astra Satellite across Europe). Other guests included Ricky Ross from Deacon Blue, who also chatted and playing.

There appears to be a mini James Grant tour about to happen, with four dates that we know about so far. He's playing the Borderline in London on May 11 and 12; Manchester Hop & Grape in the University building on May 15; and Glasgow (June 5). Tickets are available from various sundry outlets, including our good friends at Townsend Records. If you go to the shows, be sure to write in to Jocelyn Square afterwards--some of us fans who can't get to the U.K. would love to live vicariously through your thrilling accounts of the festivities.

Here's proof that not everybody associated with Love and Money disapeared into obscurity--video director Nigel Dick, who helmed the promo clip for "Candybar Express" (and Friends Again's "Sunkissed" incidentally) dropped a note to alert L&M fans to his excellent web page for Dickfilms. If you take a look at his funny videography, you'll discover that he's done videos for the likes of R.E.M., Guns N' Roses, Britney Spears, Def Leppard, Toto, Go West, Backstreet Boys, Madness, the Belle Stars, and dozens upon dozens of others. Reading his list is like a trip through my fleeting youth. Nigel noted in his email, "'Candybar Express' remains to this day one of the favourite videos I've directed...I'm the guy driving the dune buggy by the way." You can find out more about the L&M video, too, in the listing.

Simon Hui sent in an email all the way from Singapore to mention that Melody Maker ran a poor review of the Cheap Pearls and Whiskey Dreams best-of compilation in March. Accordingly, says Simon, and I quote/cut and paste:"I wrote to the Breznak guy who reviewed the compilation and fucked him for his a bad review. The letter was printed but heavily edited." Heavily edited? Goodness--why? All sarcasm aside, it's nice to see defenders of the faith getting out there and telling the stodgy old UK music press what's what. If anyone out there could send in the review and/or Simon's letter so that I could add them to the archive, I'd appreciate it.

James played a number of gigs right after the last update of the site, all done to coincide with the release of the Cheap Pearls and Whiskey Dreams best-of set. Longtime contributor Alex McGhie wrote in with this to say about the show at Motherwell Concert Hall on Sunday, February 7th:

James arrived promptly on stage around 7.30pm to greet an audience of around only 50 people. This show was acoustic in nature and designed to coincide with the release of the 'Best Of Love and Money' album. James was accompanied by Ewan Vermal on bass, Donald Shaw on keyboards and accordian and Fraser Spiers on harmonica.

James' seat was falling apart much to his (and the crowd's) amusement in a venue which, despite the excellent sound quality, was neither overly comfortable nor really appropriate for this type of show (it lent itself more towards a school play). This, coupled with the poor turnout, may have discouraged several artists but James' enthusiasm never waned and he and his band played exquisitely throughout.

The band opened with 'All Her Saturdays' from James' first solo outing 'Sawdust In My Veins' and followed this with 'Lips Like Ether' and 'No Chicane'. The material was a blend of Love and Money and solo material with a Tom Waits cover thrown in. James dedicated 'Evangeline' to his daughter who was in the audience. The audience were quiet but appreciative and the band concluded with 'Winter' before encoring with only one song, the traditional 'Will The Circle Be Unbroken'.

Verdict: fantastic entertainment deserving of better surroundings.

The full set-list was as follows:

All Her Saturdays
Lips Like Ether
No Chicane
Whisky Dream
Cure For Life
Pray The Dawn
Clap Hands (Tom Waits)
Looking For Angeline
Evangeline
Last Ship On The River
Walk The Last Mile
Halleluiah Man
Winter
Encore: Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Derek MacDonald also wrote in to tell of another show, held in Edinburgh at La Belle Angele on February 11:

An entirely acoustic show, James (acoustic guitar) was accompanied on some of the songs by Frazer Spiers (Harmonica) and Ewan Vernal(ex-Deacon Blue, double bass). There were no surprises in the set list and no new songs were played.

The set list, as far as I can remember, in no particular order, was: All Her Saturdays, Lips like ether, Whisky Dream,Last Ship on The River, Walk The Last Mile, Halleluiah Man (ok so this one was a surprise),Pray the Dawn (with the "just another starcrossed lover" line changed to "hapless F*cker"), Sometimes I Want to Give Up, No Chicane, Evangeline, Looking for Angeline, Winter, Clap Hands (Tom Waits song), Will The Circle Be Unbroken .

Another longtime contributor, Jim Nisbet, threw in another two cents about the Edinburgh show with this comentary:

This was one of a series of Scottish gigs around James' appearance at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow on the bill with Arlo Guthrie. The format was acoustic and the choice of songs really suited the stripped down performance which meant that the audience got a chance to really appreciate the musicianship on display.

Although not very well publicised, the turnout was respectable and obviously inlcuded a large number of Love and Money fans judging by the reaction to those songs. James was in fine form with some typical dry humour: when introducing Lips Like Ether he said "I was the guy in Love and Money. Wait, I was the singer in Love and Money, I was the lead guitarist in Love and Money!" At one point, he described a song as not being cheery and then: "you didn't come here tonight to hear cheery music". The first time Ewen Vernal left the stage someone shouted "Great playing, Ewen" to which James responded: "This ain't no Deacon Blue revival" - a reference to the story that DB might get together again for a one-off gig (presumably Ricky Ross needs the money to pay for his disastrous solo album!).

The audience were left in no doubt as to how to behave as the first thing James said when he appeared was that we had to shut the f*ck up during the quiet bits! We were given special dispensation to sing along to the chorus of Sometimes I Want To Give Up but I suspect this was an unscheduled addition at the end, especially as James interrupted the song to speak and then couldn't remember how the second verse began! There was another STFU, inevitably, when some joker asked for Candybar Express! All in all, a very entertaining evening!

On to something entirely different--say, a cover of "Candybar Express?" Ravenous record hound and L&M fan David McGavin recently found a promotional CD released by EMI some time in the early '90s, which contained two dance mixes of a cover of "Canadaybar Express" (sic). No artist is listed on the CD and there's no other information on the disc. Can anyone help identify this CD and it's maker? The fate of western civilication rests on this (OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but we're still dang curious...).

Finally the site gets updated. Sorry for the wait--there were lots of reasons: the holidays, business trips, personal life, and of course, let's not forget the fact that I'm a lazy good-fer-nothin'. OK, let's get down to business...

Well, January 18 came and went without the arrival of the long-awaited Cheap Pearls & Whisky Dreams--The Best of Love & Money album release in England. Not to worry--it's out on Feb. 8 instead. I've seen it, listened to it, love it. There's an excellent selection of songs from all across the band's career, adding up to a jam-packed 73 minutes of aural excitement. I think all the tracks were remastered for this collection--certainly it would appear so, 'cause the pre-1991 tracks in particular sound better and less brittle than the CDs I've been wearing out for the last 10 years. The B-sides are an interesting pair of selections and, peculiarly, "You're Beautiful" from AYNI is now fully spelt out: "You Are Beautiful."

Also, the booklet and artwork are excellent--it leans heavily on SKOL artwork and <AYNI pictures, but understandably, most people remember the band from that era. One nice touch is a page-sized photo of an L&M promo shirt, ringed by 11 backstage passes from different tours and the cover of the Barrowlands live tape that came with the U.K. "Love And Money" 45.

Other highlights in the booklet include the essay by someone named Adrian Thrills; it's an intelligently written piece of work, even as it contradicts a comment from keyboardist/co-compiler Paul McGeechan elsewhere in the booklet. James Grant weighs in with a cryptic, sour-faced comment in French, and there's also a discography of sorts, showing the covers of the different albums and a general list of singles the band released (intriguingly, the release order of DITT singles is wildly different than what I've been lead to believe it was).

There's a cool collage of photos from throughout the band's career, credits for everything, and, of course, the best part is the fact that this website is listed in the liner notes. I guess that makes this site official or something. I am honored and flattered, not to mention full of myself.

Other news...there are various updates around the site; go to the What's New section to find out what they are.

Reid and Paul Mc Geechan are currently compiling the album, which will be called Cheap Pearls & Whisky Dreams--The Best of Love & Money. Unlike what we reported last month, apparently there is no confirmed release date for now, mainly because there is still a great deal of work required to compile all the artwork. The track listing, in order, will be as follows (the album it came from is listed in parentheses):

Great line-up, eh? Only one complaint from me: Drop "You're Beautiful" and add "Dear John!" The former is rubbish and the latter just about screams to be included on a Best-Of. Shame, shame shame... Well, we all have our favorites, and fortunately, most of mine are from the DITT album, which is very well represented here. In fact, the plethora of DITT tracks should pacify most fans who can't find that darn album. As if to underline the DITT emphasis, the Best-Of's title comes from two songs on DITT, though the first doesn't appear in the collection (following in the footsteps of Crowded House's Recurring Dream collection, which failed to include it's non-LP track namesake, too).

By the way, in a move that will shock exactly no one, there will be no U.S. release, so those of us on this side of the Atlantic will have to order it as an import. We'll have more dirt as it becomes available.

"Would you believe it! Mercury records are releasing a 'Best Of Love And Money' album in September. There will be all the favorites and some previously unreleased stuff, B-sides, good quality demos, etc., that never made it, including a track that I wrote with James called "Wanderlust" (always a big favorite live) I wonder if anyone will buy it ?"

Keeping an eye on his previous cohorts, he noted that James' Sawdust In My Veins "...is really good, his best work for years, great singing--he's found his voice, good writing albeit a bit morose and quite a good sounding record compared to the last one. Good luck to him." Also, he said Gary Katz [producer of SKOL] has started a record company called Jake Records that releases predominately R&B & Hip-Hop.

Meanwhile, Bobby himself is rather busy these days, producing demos and writing songs with a new band called Olympia, "who are managed by the guys who look after Texas. Not bad chance of getting a deal, a bit like Beck, Space but young-sounding with Beatles/Beach Boys harmonies. Great fun, plus I get to play guitar on the tracks, even did a Les Paul guitar solo the other day." If that wasn't enough to keep his time tied up, Bobby's also working on opening "a small hotel bar and restaurant project in town. It's going to be called Saint Judes and will be very rock n' roll DJ friendly. Incidentally, I'm going to the opening of a trendy new bar tommorrow night called.............THE CANDYBAR."

The April 27 gig at Virgin Megastore in Edinburgh was a hit! Here's the report from Andy McLellan, who was there:

"The gig went very well indeed. About 200 people showed up, most of whom bought the new album. James brought two guitars and Steff, his sound man. A short signing session was held after the show." At the show, James played:
Sawdust In My Veins
No Chicane
All Her Saturdays
Lips Like Ether
If You Love Me, Leave Me Alone
Whisky Dream

James Anderson, who works at the store, reported, "I thought that the show, it lasted for about 40 mins, was excellent. The turn out was way beyond what we thought we'd get, 300 was an ambitious figure for us, easily our second biggest personal appearance to date--Just behind Texas who played when their latest album came out last year." James also sent a review of the show from The Edinburgh Evening News

On May 1, James played another gig, this time a paying one at Renfrew Ferry. Alex McGhiea met James at the Edinburgh gig and then caught the show at Renfrew, where he reports James played the following (may not be 100% in correct order):

All Her Saturdays
No Chicane
Can't Stop Bleeding
If You Love Me, Leave Me Alone
Pray The Dawn
Walk The Last Mile
Cure For Life
Evangeline
Whisky Dream
Sawdust In My Veins
Angeline
Lips Like Ether
Winter
Sometimes I Want To Give Up
Rosemary
Last Ship On The River
Sawdust In My Veins (again)

Sounds like a hell of a gig to me. Too bad no one taped it. However, we can all console ourselves with the live radio broadcast of the February Celtic Connections gig that was transmitted over Radio Scotland May 5. A one-hour set with a fair share set aside for Karen Matheson to show off from her solo album, the show is pretty darn cool if rather mellow. Poke around the Fan Network Guestbook on the main page and you'll probably find someone who has it for trade....

Virgin Megastores and Survival Records have got together to do a launch of James' album "Sawdust In My Veins" at the Virgin Megastore in Edinburgh. James will be performing an acoustic set instore at 8pm on Monday 27th April and then he'll be signing copies of the album ( a limited edition digipack is also available). They've printed up 300 tickets which are apparently going pretty quickly

This news came from James Anderson, music buyer (and longtime James Grant fan) for the store, who added "if anyone (wherever they are) would like to obtain a signed copy of the album, they can get in touch with Stuart Ferguson at our store. We've now had the album on a listening post for two weeks and so far we've had quite a few enquires for it. As for the single, well it flies out whenever we get it in which is good news."

Around the time of the releases, there will be a regional UK radio tour featuring acoustic sessions. Also, James recently finished mixing a future radio broadcast of the concert he did in early February for some sort of Celtic Connections radio show that broadcasts on Tuesdays in Scotland (sorry I can't be more specific; I don't really know any details).

Derek MacDonald wrote in to report:

"I was at the James Grant gig; the musicians were basically those appearing on the new album plus Paul McGeechan. The set was split into three parts. New songs, songs with Karen Matheson on lead vocals and then oldies. Some of the "new" songs are quite old. "No Chicane," you already know about, and I recall hearing that live circa 1990. "Is Anybody Dreaming" and "I Can't Stop Bleeding" appeared in Love and Money sets around the time littledeath was released. The oldies played included "Walk The Last Mile," "Winter," "Last Ship On The River," "You're Not The Only One" and "Lips Like Ether." A request to play "Candybar Express" was greeted with the response "You can fuck right off."

James Grant & Friends - Concert Hall : Main Auditorium - 7.30pm

After last year's sensational sell-out show at the fringe of Celtic Connections, James Grant returns to the festival with an all-star line-up of distinction. His unique style of contemporary song writing and performing has been at the forefront of the Scottish music scene for years. A founder member of the acclaimed Friends Again in the early 1980s, James went on to achieve international success with Love And Money.

Over the last year, he has been recording a solo album, Sawdust In My Veins, in Glasgow to be released imminently and it's from this incredible new collection of songs that most of this show will be devised.

James has put together a band with former Love And Money members, and will also feature very special guest Karen Matheson of Capercaillie, who collaborated with James on her hugely successful solo album The Dreaming Sea, and this will be the first time Karen brings her album to a live situation, as well as performing her spellbinding style of Hebridean songs. The band will also include Fraser Speirs (harmonica), Donald Shaw (accordion), James Mackintosh (drums) and some other surprise names.

(Boy, I thought I wrote run-on sentences!) No doubt, Alan will have a full report of the evening's festivities (and rumor has it, he may even get to interview Mr. Grant himself for this website, so keep your fingers crossed).

Speaking of this site, if things go right, there'll be a batch of new old articles added soon, as well as some more Friends Again record scans. Also, the Quicktime video of the "Candybar Express" video has finally found a home where you'll be able to download all 13.7 MB of it for free. Details soon!

>James Grant; Vocals, guitar, bass.
>James Mackintosh: Drums
>Donald Shaw: Keyboards and production
>Frasier Spiers: Harmonica
>Mark Duff: Whistle
>Karen Matheson: Backing vocals
>BT Ensemble: Strings (many of the tracks have an orchstral backing)

GRANT GIG NEWS: Alan Wood wrote in to say that "James Grant's gig has been confirmed as the 1st February 1998, in the Main Auditorium of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. As last year, it's billed as James Grant and Friends."

Mike O'Connor, the webmaster for Marina Records apparently, dropped me a line to fill us all in with the latest on James Grant's long-awaited solo album:

"I've heard through Stefan Kassel of Marina Records that James Grant's new album is finished and that Stefan's been asked to design the sleeve. It will be released by Survival Records, home of Karen Matheson & Capercaillie. He must have impressed them after playing on & writing four songs for Karen's 1996 solo album "The Dreaming Sea".
"Stefan also mentioned that James is playing at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow; he's not sure of the date, but thinks it's the same week that The Pearlfishers & The Bathers play there, Sat 17th January 1998."

Paul McGeechan has produced Ricky Ross' new album, called New Recording.

Sugar Town (McGeechan and Douglas MacIntyre's "new" group) have released a second CD Called Slow Flows the River (Cat No MA 31). See the discography for more info.

"Don't know too much about what James Grant is up to at the moment - I know he has written new songs such as 'Sawdust In My Veins', 'This Is The Last Time' and 'Does Anybody Think Of Me?' but no sign of any more releases as yet."

Reportedly James Grant is still toiling away at his solo album; in July, he recorded a tune called "No Chicane" for the collection. That song was a regular part of Love And Money's live show duing the Strange Kind Of Love" tour.

I recently played with James and Paul at a gig in Glasgow under the banner of "James Grant and Friends" I came on stage to play "Walk The Last Mile" and "Wanderlust 2". What fun, just like old times; I'm sure James really enjoyed it too. I think he is doing a solo album [with the help of] a band called Cappercaillie, a kind of Celtic ambient rock outfit. I've been told to expect a call to play bass on it; we'll see.

I am now a bar/restaurant owner but sold the last place (called Mojo) last September and am currently looking for a new site. I get very involved in designing my places, always looking for a creative vehicle I suppose. I was involved in running clubs for a few years and got heavily involved in the jazz dance scene. I produce an event called Strange Fruit here in Glasgow. For the last two years, I've promoted it in conjunction with the Glasgow International Jazz Festival; I'll list some of the guests we have had to give you a feel for it:

Giles Peterson...(Talking Loud Records) A Guy Called Gerald ... a jungle pioneer David Caron ...Dutch techno/jazz artiste (Mo Wax Records) Craig Armsrong... Scottish string arranger for Massive Attack, Bjork, Romeo & Juliet the movie, etc. Very talented guy.

This year I am doing three events, the first is on May 3rd. I have actually put a band/collective together for that one--I call it DEEP 6, a name for anything I do musically in future. Other members are Paul Moore from the Blue Nile on keyboards, Jerry Burns ( I think she was on Warners) singing, me on bass & guitar and a DJ providing loops & samples. It's great fun and sounding good too,... I think.

Paul has is own studio and writes music for TV etc.

Douglas Macintyre now has a small record label called Creeping Bent, quite big on the indie scene, which is very big in Glasgow.

Best new local band - Belle and Sebastion, look out for them.

I shall keep you informed of any James developments and who knows, maybe even DEEP 6 interest. I'm not giving up my day job though, well not yet anyway.

Kind regards, Bobby P .

"I'm sure you're dying (well, very interested anyway) to hear about the JG show on Sunday night. This was part of the Glasgow 'Celtic Connections' festival. James came on and played two new songs acoustically -- 'Last Time' and 'Is There Someone Somewhere Thinking Of Me?' (right title?).

Then on came Paul McGeechan, a bass player, drummer, violinist and accordionist. Karen Matheson from Capercaillie was on backing vocals. They played through various L+M songs of old--'Looking For Angeline,' 'Sometimes I Want To Give Up,' 'Lips Like Ether,' 'Whisky Dream,' 'Will The Circle Be Unbroken, ' and 'Last Ship On The River.' Bobby Paterson came on and joined them on bass for 'Walk The Last Mile' and 'Wanderlust'--I think that's the closest we'll see to a Love and Money reunion. They closed with 'Winter' and then encored with a version of 'Horse With No Name.'

It was a great concert, the place was really busy with L+M fans and he got a great reception from the crowd. It was odd to see him playing an acoustic guitar all night, but maybe that's all he gets to play round the house now he's got a kid!

There was an article in the Saturday, Oct. 12 issue of The Scotsman about the lead singer of scottish band Capercaille, Karen Matheson, and her new album. Apparently James Grant wrote four of the songs and played on the album. Also James is apparently now married and has a two year old daughter.

[Heather Weir later wrote me to noted, "I can add a little more detail to James Grant's co-operation with Karen Mathieson of Capercaillie. The album is called The Dreaming Sea, and James also sings excellent backing vocals on this track as well as co-writing. It's well worth a listen and does seem to be the direction he is going in."] The last I had heard, James Grant had recorded the soundtrack to a film called The Near Room (I think). A friend of mine worked on the film so I'll try to find out more. He's also made the occasional appearance on LPs by The Bathers (Chris Thomson's band).

"On Thursday 18th July at Glasgow Green, I saw James Grant and Chris Thomson (singer in Friends Again, later the Bathers taking a detour via Bloomsday [the Commotions without Lloyd Cole] for a while) in a vaguely surreal evening. It was billed as The Groovey Tubes plus James Grant, Kevin McDermott, Chris Thomson and Midge Ure. The Groovey Tubes turned out to be Del Amitri, who played several songs on their own before turning into a backing band for the rest of the chaps who did several songs each, mostly covers. James Grant did "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" plus a Bob Dylan song (can't remember the title, but I knew the song). The night ended on a totally surreal note, with Chris Thomson singing "Love Train" with James and Kevin on backing vocals and Del Amitri as the backing band. I looked out for James afterwards to say hello, but he was nowhere to be seen. He looked well, still impossibly skinny, although he has lost the quiff."