B2C – Cold Chicken Skin and Charlemagne

Continuing our look back at Between Two Churches – here we look at Cold Chicken Skin and Charlemagne.

Our next look at the Between Two Churches album takes us onto two tracks that have become firm favourites in the live set list.
But first – Colin gave his recollections on the album itself:
two churches?
well…….i was very aware of having landed in/going through a mid life process
for a reason that escapes me i considered that this batch of songs needed to be treated like broncos; to be broken and ridden (or whispered to)…….that it should be done kinda like Crazy Horse might have.
So off i went to Johannesburg with a Calum MacColl,a battery of guitars and a clutch of songs………..hooked up with Barry VanZyl and Concorde Nkabinde (sometimes described as the Sly and Robbi of South african music)…….great musicians and beautiful people; generous of themselves and their talents
I don’t think i have ever drunk so much Jameson’s whisky in my life and the boys, new to it, joined in enthusiastically!  For some reason, the climate most likely, this drink fitted perfectly…….and being Irish not Scotch, it was something of a novelty for the SA boys.
We settled into a pattern of 8 to 10 hrs unbroken in the studio playing mostly live and NOT returning to the studio after dinner (to muck about and regret it later as so often we have)!
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Cold Chicken Skin

CV:
‘Cold Chicken Skin’, written with William Topley, has since become a live favourite. Conceived as a kind of voodoo song, I was encouraging Concorde and Barry to use whatever of their African music roots seemed approriate and this came close to getting what I was after.
The slide guitar had some people thinking i was going after blues but no sirree that was certainly not the intention.
I think we got a bit overexcited and played too fast….a slower more intense and rolling rhythm often works better with this………hey, I could show you on the guitar better than i can say it!
Here’s a live version from the Liverpool Kazimier gig in 2012 (the same night the PA system went bang – check out this video for more info!) This version was part of the Christmas download giveaway in 2012.

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Charlemagne

‘Charlemagne’ written about a particularly feisty blind friend of mine was recorded in an hour and a half in its entirety (once i declined to go down the blind alley offered to me……..no pun intended!). The flat dulcimar was recorded in Calum’s home studio in UK. My brothers call this the ‘Wicker Man’ because it reminds them so much of the Edward Woodward film of way back (late 60’s?early 70’s?I’m not sure) about witchcraft on a remote Hebridean island. Again this has become rather popular live…….maybe I should embrace the fireside more, it need not be a place of somnolent comfort?
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