Description
16 track CD featuring a detailed description and background of each song in the album booklet. Track Listing: 1. The Crest of Gilmont 2. Julia Creek 3. Letter from Home 4. The Longing 5. Stay Young 6. Once Upon Arrival 7. Song of Bernadette 8. Lights on the Hill 9. The Sweetest Song I Sing 10. Ya-be-dah! Additional Tracks 11. Blank 12. Intro to Bonus Tracks 13. T-Scube Special 14. Hearts in the Wind 15. Outro – Muso details of bonus tracks 16. Radio Back Announcement
The Longing (1997)
The Story . . .
Over the years I have taken to writing a Xmas wRap – stories and the odd detail – covering the year’s mischief, love and wanderings. Before you is a slice across this past decade or more. A rememberance of journeys, places, people met, families extended and the music which gathered it together or set it apart. Beyond my guitar, mandolin, fiddle or vocals you’ll hear “me mates” (Trev Warner, Steve Berry, Paul Robert Burton, Liz Frencham, Beccy Cole, Ian Cooper, Steve Gilbert, Peter Howell, Richard Tonkin, cut loose in their own style. (2 bonus tracks include Gary Steel, Malcom Hammerstien, Jamie Pattagulan Gayle Page). For some it was a case of bringing the mountain to Muhammad. Two large reels of 2″ 24 track tape, did the lap of Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney twice before the contributions from friends drew to a close. Well it had to stop sometime in the two and a half years since Richard Porteous first approached me at Tamworth’s Longyard Hotel. He’d said, “its time to record . . .”
Review by Dan Byrnes of Andrew Clermont’s CD “The Longing”
This release by Tamworth-based musician, Andrew Clermont, “The Longing”, is I declare, a masterpiece of alternative music in Australia. Since multi-instrumentalist Clermont, a champion bluegrasser, formerly singer, fiddler, guitar and mandolin player with the Three Chord Wonders, is well-known in country music circles, some explanation might be necessary about the word, alternative, here. “The Longing”, about five years in preparation, is the third in Clermont’s series after ‘Home-grown’ releases (Volume 1and 11), As reviewer, I was particularly keen on Volume 11, Volumes 1 and 11 however were more lounge room studio-type productions, while “The Longing” features fewer Clermont-penned tracks. Refined in the ABC studios of Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney under guidence of Richard Porteous (Radio National), “The Longing”, more ambitious, is a kind of musical road show, with two emotional tracks, “The Longing” and “Letters from Home”, depicting how harrowing musical touring can be on a musician’s personal and family life, while children miss their traveling parent. In all, some aspects of the CD are not strictly “country”, but it hardly matters. Musically, Clermonts new album is a kaleidoscope of skills and influences, emanating especially, a powerful and too-rare sense of musical integrity. The track which rolls around my memory most strongly is the Leonard Cohen song, “Song of Bernadette”, hard to beat for sheer poetry and long-considered soulfulness. Aboriginal and Celtic influences blaze in Track 1, “The Crest of Gilmont”, and so the CD opens with a powerful didgeridoo drone, sounding definitively Australian. Track 2 is a dramatic rendition of Norma O’Hara Murphy’s song “Julia Creek”, about an out-of-control gig, outback. But can the album live up to its hints that it is somehow definitive? I think so! The CD moves on through love songs, three instrumentals in all, and an unexpectedly morbid interpretation of Slim Dusty’s “Lights on the Hill” (suddenly, this truck-driver really knows he is going to die). There is also a Clermont self-portrait, (I’m pretty tall and I’m pretty thin”), displaying superb musicianship, which is Latin-esque, and may presage Clermont’s next album. It’s one of the CD’s single best tracks, filled with humour as well. “The Longing” seems, most of all, to be about strong emotions, carefully and long-considered, rendered with mature, philosophical wholeness. Its country and bluegrass influences, plus superb production, are blended with high poetry plus carefully selected musical borrowings from various genres, including complex rhythms and impressive percussion. Hence, the alternative character of the album, as well as its country feel. Which is also appropriate, as this CD is highly autobiographical, and Clermont grew to prominence in Adelaide’s vibrant alternative music environment. As the lengthy cover notes demonstrate, Clermont keeps track of his musical influences, which in its own right, is a sign of commitment and a disciplined outlook about music which shows in the arrangements. Meanwhile, in terms of production values, this CD seems to demonstrate that painstaking studio work has become as natural to Clermont as breathing. This impression, however, is merely the deceptive result of an artist finding maturity in today’s highly-technologized musical environment. “The Longing” has sixteen tracks in all, including some short voice tracks, and three lively instrumentals. The list of seriously-talented musicians, engineers and mixers assisting this production is too long to mention here, but the CD’s cover art is a grand credit to Dutton Artworks. (Guy Dutton is yet another Tamworth musician of varied artistic talents). As a music community, once again, Tamworth can be proud it is home to Andrew Clermont- who this time around has produced a proper masterpiece that (I hope) will endure on Australian radio. This reviewer only hopes that Australia’s younger musicians will listen well, and be inspired by Clermont’s ability to absorb influences and recast them in terms of his life, his personality and his multi-instrumental talent!
Dan Byrnes/ Message Board http://www.northnet.com.au/-whatson.
Bio
ANDREW CLERMONT: The borders of music tumble as multi-instrumentalist Clermont challenges the musical moment with his unique ability to be a chameleon on Violin, Viola, Mandolin, Bass, Double bass, Tenor Banjo, Didgeridoo, Dulcimer, or Voice, while also 3 time Australian Bluegrass Guitar Champion!
Jeff Lang literally threw his guitar off at Woodford when their duet performance could go no higher! Seen through the years beside songwriters including – Pat Drummond, Norma OHara Murphy, Brent Parlane, Elizabeth Lord, Greg Champion, The Waifs, Beccy Cole, USA’s Tom T. Hall & Kate Campbell, and creating sound-scapes to their stories. He also recalls a cherished duet with Paul Kelly. Or recently with The (infamous) Pigs – then lately in Europe with powerhouse Rob Longstaff.
Amongst a myriad of recordings for others, and solo CDs ˜The Longing & Homegrown Vol 2 here , there are also releases with his partner players & bands ‘Parris Macleod’,˜Totally Gourdgeous, ˜Fiddlers Festival, ‘Terra Australis’, ‘The Lawnmowers’, ‘BackBeat’, ‘The Supper Club’ and ‘Dya Singh’.
