Dear Daniel,
Reading through your interesting notes on Kissing with Confidence below, trying to ignore the song playing the background, an unusual thought struck me. You mentioned Stevie Winwood and how his influence weaved through Island records like the rampant branches of an overgrown tree, and you are right. I am sad to report that he didn't have any influence on our time at Island. In fact, we decided to sign to Island over Sony - who were the other bidders, led by Muff Winwood seen here playing his trademark bassline style: piece of piss to play but defines the whole song. (Had I have seen this bit of film back when we were showcasing for him, I would have signed to Sony and asked him to introduce us in a similar way, every night on stage.)
That got me to thinking. Who was the mysterious accounts man who signed off our costs "Steven Finford"? Who can say for sure that the man with the chiselled features who dropped a hammond organ round to my brother's house one Sunday afternoon was really an ageing Yorkshire delivery man called Brian? Thinking back, did he whisper words of advice as he slipped delicately (alright, crashed noisily) out of the door? "Keep on runnin', boys..."
Dear James,
I can't listen to this song without thinking simultaneously of Queen's 1986 cover of it and the denouement to the film "Notting Hill". This is how songs get ruined.
Doesn't Steve Winwood look funny when he's singing? Almost as if he isn't singing at all.
Dear Daniel,
All I can say is thank goodness I've never seen or heard either of those things.
(It's all I can do to resist clicking on the Queen link, even though I know that only bad will come of it...)
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