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Lee Harris interviewed re: Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets

A new podcast has started up, called Fingal’s Cave, which is aimed at “all true Pink Floyd fans” with a focus
on more in-depth subjects related to the band. As Ian Priston, co-host with Nils Zehnpfennig, alludes to in the first episode, it’s not really a podcast aimed at the Floyd novice! In the second episode, Nils meets Lee Harris, co-founder and guitarist with Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets. As the podcast description neatly summarises, “Lee recalls being a fan of Pink Floyd from an early age, trips to Kensington and Camden markets in London to buy bootlegs and his memories of Floyd Xmas Mix ’93. Other highlights of the hour include, the story of how the Saucers were formed, Roger Waters’ performance in New York when he joined the band for Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, and Lee’s experience of the famous concert in Luxembourg 2018.” A really great listen and well worth checking out. You can listen to it in full below, or via your favourite podcast platform such as Apple, Spotify or Amazon. Visit fingalscavepodcast.com (https://www.fingalscavepodcast.com) for more details of their offering.

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Saucerful Of Secrets guitarist Lee Harris demos Scarlet Tunic pedal

Lee Harris, guitarist and originator of the idea of Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets, recently did a guest appearance at a guitar show, to explain how he has worked on his guitar sound for the project. In particular, how he has tried to get close to Syd Barrett’s guitar sound. Our friend and contributor Kevan Porter was there to shoot the videos of Lee in action, and explain about the event, and Lee’s appearance there… The ‘Guitar Show 2023’ was held in Birmingham at The Cranmore Conference Centre over the weekend of 25th and 26th February. This annual event hosted 133 companies exhibiting everything from electric and acoustic guitars to amps, effects and accessories. Amongst those was Thorpy FX, a British effects pedal company who build professional effects pedals, including the ‘Scarlet Tunic Analogue Amp Emulator’ as used by none other than Lee Harris of Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets. Lee visited the Thorpy FX booth on Sunday to give a brief explanation and demonstration of the Scarlet Tunic pedal. Playing a lot of Syd Barrett’s tunes with The Saucers, including Interstellar Overdrive, Lee said he’d previously been unhappy with the “stock 60s sound” pedals around at the time and contacted Adrian at Thorpy FX to see if he could come up with a pedal that replicated the sound of a Selmer Treble and Bass amp as originally used by Syd. Fortunately, Adrian and his business partner, Dan, have been very successful and Lee now has a pedal that really adds authenticity to the sound of such Floyd tracks as Interstellar Overdrive as can be heard in the video below. You can also hear Lee’s explanation in the second video. Our thanks to Kevan for the above – much appreciated!

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Saucers’ guitarist Lee Harris talks Syd Barrett with Willie Wilson’s & David Gilmour’s help

SydBarrett.com’s Story Behind The Song (https://www.sydbarrett.com/featured_songs/here-i-go-by-lee-harris-co-founder-of-the-saucerful-of-secrets/) added Lee’s thoughts on the day that would have been Syd’s birthday. Lee talks about why the song is a significant one for him, and why he chose it for the website’s feature, noting that he found it “a funny, charming and, for Syd, conventional song that is probably quite the opposite to what most people think of when they think of him”. Lee goes into some detail on the origins, and the recording of the song, in the article. Adding to the interest and illumination of the song, Lee got in contact with Willie Wilson, who played drums with David Gilmour in Jokers Wild (and later, alongside Nick Mason on The Wall tour). Willie then fills in some information that hasn’t been public knowledge before. Whilst writing the piece, and in light of Willie’s comments, Lee asked David Gilmour about it, who double checked the multi-tracks and added his own comments about the creation of the track. You can check out the whole article here at SydBarrett.com (https://www.sydbarrett.com/featured_songs/here-i-go-by-lee-harris-co-founder-of-the-saucerful-of-secrets/).

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Jeff Beck passes away; David Gilmour posts tribute

Very sad news broke last night – the acclaimed, legendary guitarist Jeff Beck died at the age of 78. His family posted the following on his Twitter page: “On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.” David Gilmour posted the following on his and Pink Floyd’s socials: “I am devastated to hear the news of the death of my friend and hero Jeff Beck, whose music has thrilled and inspired me and countless others for so many years. Polly‘s and my thoughts go out to his lovely wife Sandra. He will be forever in our hearts.” Jeff’s career started when he left Wimbledon Art College to join Screaming Lord Sutch and the Tridents, subsequently joining the Yardbirds in 1965 when Eric Clapton left. A couple of years later he formed his own Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood in the band). In later years, he concentrated on his successful solo career. The quality and style of his guitar playing led to many guest appearances. His work on Roger Waters’ 1992 album Amused To Death was a musical highlight of that work, and during Jeff’s gigs at the Royal Festival Hall in London, September 2002, he was joined onstage by Roger for them to play What God Wants parts 1 and 3. Two years later, Jeff shared the bill with David Gilmour for the 2004 Teenage Cancer Trust concert at the Royal Albert Hall, and in July 2009, again at the Royal Albert Hall, David and Jeff performed an extended version of Jerusalem, William Blake’s poem that became a hymn (seen to the left), followed by Hi Ho Silver Lining (one of Jeff’s biggest hits) with David on vocals and lead guitar. In May 2018, Still On The Run: The Jeff Beck Story (https://www.brain-damage.co.uk/archive/jeff-beck-documentary-including-david-gilmour-contribution-dvd-blu-ray-c.html) was released on DVD and Blu-ray, which includes contributions from David Gilmour as well as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart and many more.

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David Gilmour special in new Total Guitar magazine

new issue – cover date July 2022, issue 359 – of Total Guitar magazine, which majors on David Gilmour and Pink Floyd (https://www.magazinesdirect.com/az-single-issues/6937159/total-guitar-magazine-single-issue.thtml). Over 23 well illustrated pages, with some shots we’ve not seen before, they trace Gilmour’s evolution as a guitarist via 20 classic Pink Floyd tracks – from 1969’s The Nile Song all the way through to Hey Hey Rise Up. Along the way, Gilmour’s genius in landmark songs such as Echoes, Breathe, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Wish You Were Here, Comfortably Numb and Another Brick In The Wall is celebrated by a host of guitarists – Kirk Hammett, Matt Bellamy, Sophie Lloyd, Derek Trucks, Jon Gomm, Steve Rothery of Marillion, Geordie Greep of Black Midi and Stu Mackenzie of King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard. Gilmour’s story of his life in Pink Floyd and beyond is told in his own words, and an insight into the guitarist’s creative process is provided in an exclusive interview with Bob Ezrin, producer of Floyd’s legendary double album The Wall and the last three albums of the band’s career. Finally, in an additional eight-page in-depth lesson, they profile the details of David’s playing technique. From his trademark wide-interval string bends to his melodic bluesy phrasing, they say they cover what you need to know to play like him. You can order this online through this direct link (https://www.magazinesdirect.com/az-single-issues/6937159/total-guitar-magazine-single-issue.thtml) saving you the effort of tracking it down in a store, or if you live outside the UK.

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Animals Reimagined – A Tribute To Pink Floyd out next month

Following on from the successful June release of Still Wish You Were Here, a project that gathered various classic, prog and art rock musicians together to cover that album, the people behind it have brought together a similar mix of musicians to cover Pink Floyd’s 1977 album, Animals. Animals Reimagined – A Tribute To Pink Floyd is set for release on November 19th, 2021, on both CD and digital with a vinyl version coming in 2022. The previous album, Still Wish You Were Here – whilst dividing the Floyd fanbase – got a number of plaudits for its approach to the music, and with its success it is no surprise that another of the Floyd’s albums would undergo the same treatment. As before, a fairly diverse line-up can be heard on the album, with the likes of jazz-rock guitarist Al Di Meola, psych-rock godfather Arthur Brown, world renowned drummer and percussionist Carmine Appice, UFO’s Vinnie Moore, Bauhaus’s David J, Dream Theater’s James LaBrie, the legend that is Rick Wakeman, and Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet all coming together to give their unique flavour to this magnum opus. For a taster, you can hear their version of Dogs, a 17-minute version sung by Rainbow’s Graham Bonnet with Vinnie Moore on guitar, Utopia’s Kasim Sulton on bass, Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess on keyboards, and King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto. Click here for your choice of streaming service to hear Dogs (https://orcd.co/graham_bonnet_vinnie_moore_dogs). Arthur Brown (best known for his band The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, and their UK and US hit single Fire) gives a particularly spirited performance on Sheep, which if you know Arthur, won’t come as much of a surprise! Here’s the track list, with the names of the musicians playing on each of them: Pigs On A Wing 1 – Nick van Eede (Cutting Crew) & Martin Barre (Jethro Tull)
Dogs – Graham Bonnet (Rainbow), Vinnie Moore (UFO), Kasim Sulton (Utopia), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) & Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson)
Pigs (Three Different Ones) – James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Al Di Meola, Joe Bouchard (Blue Öyster Cult), Patrick Moraz (The Moody Blues) & Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
Sheep – Arthur Brown, Rick Wakeman (Yes), Jan Akkerman (Focus), David J. (Bauhaus) & Carmine Appice (Cactus/Vanilla Fudge)
Pigs On A Wing 2 – Jon Davison (lead vocalist for Yes), Albert Lee & Billy Sherwood (Yes) If this has intrigued you, orders are now being taken through the following links, which help us out with the ongoing running costs of Brain Damage without costing you a thing – and we really appreciate the help! The album will be available on CD in a 6-panel deluxe digipak, digitally as MP3 files, and a vinyl LP is coming next year (but not yet available to order). STILL WISH YOU WERE HERE – digipak CD: Amazon UK (https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B09GG6WJGQ/braindamage-21)
Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B09GG6WJGQ/braindamage-20)
Amazon Canada (https://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B09GG6WJGQ/braindamageon-20)
Germany (https://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B09GG6WJGQ/braindamage0f-21) France (https://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/ASIN/B09GG6WJGQ/braindamageon-21) Italy (https://www.amazon.it/exec/obidos/ASIN/B09GG6WJGQ/bradamonl-21) Spain (https://www.amazon.es/exec/obidos/ASIN/B09GG6WJGQ/braidama01-21)

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Another new song from guitarist Chester Kamen

Today we have some more new music from respected guitarist Chester Kamen. We know that a good number of you have been enjoying these songs. Amongst many other artists, Chester has toured with Roger Waters, joining his band in 2002 and playing on subsequent tours, and with David Gilmour on his 2016 Rattle That Lock tour. He first played with David back in 1985 during the Live Aid show – David and Chester were both part of Bryan Ferry’s band for that show (as was Jon Carin). Chester has, like many musicians, kept himself busy whilst lockdowns and restrictions due to Covid-19 have called a halt to many things – in particular, live performance. Last October, he shared his new piece of music called Take This, that runs for over 23 minutes. Chester told us that Take This is the first side of an album he is currently working on – following, or inspired by, the old Floyd blueprint of one long piece and several songs on the flip side. Since then we’ve seen the first songs on the second side of the album: Brand New Day, Swimming, I’d Love To Turn You, Lover’s Lane, Come The Revolution, Child Of The Damned, Stories, and The Wife Of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. The new song from Chester is called Coat Of Many Colours, and takes a departure in style from some of the other recent songs. Chester told us that he’s “been busy rehearsing and gigging with my rock and roll band The Loves. This [new] song relates to the fall from grace, or maybe demise, of a hero or love once held in the highest esteem. It’s a little darker than some of the others… I couldn’t find a nun to sing the nun’s part so had to [use my wife Sarah] who did a great job. I played all the instruments though to be fair, there aren’t that many.” We’ll update you as he progresses with the rest of the album, as we know from feedback we’ve had that the songs are proving very popular.

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Turtle Tempo Weekly Roundup: Punk Angel, Orchards, JK The Sage And More

Here’s a selection of some of the best tracks that we’ve discovered this week: Punk Angel – Karma Starting this weeks roundup off with an etherial beauty, Punk Angel’s new single ‘Karma’ is an excellent example of psychedelic Dream-Pop. Opening with echoy layers of vocal harmonies, Punk Angel instantly sets a moody atmospheric tone before …

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