Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Lewis Taylor

(UBM: Today I pass the mic to Larry Alexander, co-author of “George Clinton and P-Funk: An Oral History.” For Funky Whiteboy Appreciation Week, he shines a light on pop music’s best-kept secret.)

Lewis Taylor is funky. Lewis Taylor is white. Guess that about covers the major criteria.

Click here to hear “Lucky,” which should suffice for the purposes of our topic. But it bears mentioning that funky is only one of many things Lewis Taylor is.

This gifted Brit multi-instrumentalist has been referred to as his generation’s great undiscovered soul man. While the frequent Marvin Gaye comparisons are apt – Lewis often crafts intimate, urgent soundscapes evocative of Marvin’s more personal works (think “Trouble Man” or “Here, My Dear”) – equally legitimate are comparisons to Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren, Syd Barrett and Radiohead.

He has covered the compositions of Stevie Wonder, David Sylvian, Deep Purple, Thom Bell & Linda Creed, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Buckley with equal facility. He even offered his own reinterpretation of (about half of) Captain Beefheart’s “Trout Mask Replica.”

Born Andrew Taylor (no relation to either Duran Duran or Mayberry R.F.D.), the artist who would be known as Lewis is a cult figure who should be king. From his mid-’80s beginnings as a guitarist with the Edgar Broughton Band to his late-’80s incarnation as a solo artist under the sobriquet “Captain Jack” (perhaps an early indication of his aversion to the spotlight) through his late-’90s, two-album tenure at Island Records, he crafted a musical identity of relentlessly ambitious scope.

Small wonder that the folks at Island, who didn’t know how to market him in the first place, gave up by 2000, at which point Lewis began releasing his work independently under his own Slow Reality imprint.

Along the way, his music reached the ears of his fellow artists, leaving a number of them awestruck. Among his admirers were David Bowie, Elton John (who once interrupted a television appearance to hold up Lewis’s CD and implore viewers to buy it), Aaliyah, Paul Weller, Chaka Khan and Daryl Hall.

Lewis’s work was said to have reduced Leon Ware to tears. And D’Angelo even “summoned” him to New York to discuss a possible collaboration.

I was first introduced to Lewis’s brilliance in 2005 by my good friend Kenny Farrall. (A Google search of “Lewis Taylor” will turn up some of Kenny’s music forum posts under the name Paligap). The timing was serendipitous, as HackTone Records had just released one of his albums in the U.S. and was preparing to release another – and with the accompanying promotional push came the announcement of Lewis’s first-ever U.S. concerts.

The first one was at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on January 26, 2006, and Kenny and I drove up from D.C. to catch it. It was an evening of high energy witnessed by an overflow crowd of word-of-mouth insiders, some of whom had driven from as far away as Atlanta.

Sandwiched between his own material were covers by Yes, Rundgren, Buckley and Funkadelic (“Hit It and Quit It”). If Lewis appeared surprised when the crowd sang along to his entire setlist, he looked positively moved at the end of his encore when folks began shouting requests for other tunes from his catalog which he hadn’t even rehearsed.

And he proceeded to jam his way through several of them, calling out chord changes to his three sidemen. (Nobody got around to shouting out my personal favorite, the hauntingly beautiful “Cherry Blossom.” Click here to hear it. As with “Lucky,” all instruments and voices are his.)

All in all, it looked like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The next night, he appeared on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” And then the wheels began to fall off.

An Atlanta gig was soon postponed (as was another one at the Troubadour in L.A.) then canceled. Then Lewis began his slow retreat to the background. He has since “retired” the Lewis Taylor persona, all the way down to shutting down a once-comprehensive fan site (which now reads: “closed up shop, due to mindless fuckwittery”).

I’ve tried to set any frustrations aside and bear in mind what our host, David Mills, told me back in the ‘90s regarding musical heroes who no longer deliver on demand: that in some cases, they’ve given what they came to give.

It’s probably more practical to appreciate what Lewis has given than to resort to Sly Stone comparisons. Lewis was last seen campaigning again as Andrew Taylor and (after a brief stint touring as bassist with Gnarls Barkley) playing second guitar with the Edgar Broughton Band.

And thus, the circle is closed – at least for now. The bottom line, however, remains the same: this is one badd ma-focka. And he funky, too.
– Larry Alexander

70 comments:

Kellybelle said...

High-pitched squeal! I LOVE Lewis Taylor. He came up on Pandora and I was like, "Who the heck is this?!" Whew. Mm. Love him.

Matty said...

Excellent choice, David. Stoned (Part 1) will always be one of my favorite tracks.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an interesting cat.
That "cherry blossom" track is very cool.

Undercover Black Man said...

Matty, thanks. That "Stoned, Pt. 1" is so tasty, I have to stream that one too. BAM!

Kellybelle: Pandora does it again, huh? I signed up after DeAngelo Starnes (I believe) recommended it... but I never got into the habit of really digging deep into it. Now I see what I've been missing.

Undercover Black Man said...

Andy: When Larry laid "Cherry Blossom" on me (without i.d.-ing the artist), I thought it might've been recorded in the '70s.

DeAngelo Starnes said...

Pandora is the shit and the means for discovering artists who get no play on the radio (I stopped listening to commercial radio a long time ago).

This cat was baad. I was pleasantly surprised. This was a helluva idea, Dave.

Undercover Black Man said...

^ Thanks, DeAng. You're in the on-deck circle.

Anonymous said...

Thanks to Brother Paligap, I was converted into a Lewis Taylor disciple.
The cancelled gig at The Troubadour here in L.A. should've been my first taste of "Live Lewis".

IMO, he took the best elements of R&B/Pop/Rock and created a Taylor-made sound.

Some fav tunes...

Cherry Blossom
I'm On The Floor
Lewis III
Waves
Shame
Reconsider
Blue Eyes
Send Me An Angel
Bittersweet
Better Love


...Hell, basically all of 'em.


Now that you've gotten your feet wet Mr. lA ;^)

peace,
tA

Anonymous said...

I adore Lewis Taylor. ADORE.

I was at that Jan. 26, 2006 concert at the Bowery (where Kevin Bacon stood next to my husband and me). It was one of the most amazing concert experiences of my life, not least because I knew I was unlikely ever to see him perform again.

Dude really hasn't put a foot wrong musically. "Damn" is one of my favorite tracks of all time.

Undercover Black Man said...

^ Welcome here, WriteBlack. And thanks for commenting.

Anonymous said...

I think that this will going on my Santa list.

Anonymous said...

Wow, sad story. My artist/animator friend Denys Cowan turned me on to Lewis Taylor years ago and I've been a fan ever since. Never understood why it didn't happen for him.

analog6 said...

It really seems like Lewis would rather not be bothered with the performance or promotional ends of the business. If only he'd at least continue to release recordings.

His work, like most of the best stuff I've heard in recent years -- like Bilal's "Love For Sale", Q-Tip's "Kamaal the Abstract" and Van Hunt's "Popular Machine" to name a few -- has not managed to achieve wide exposure; and yet anybody hearing it for the first time seems turned out. It's a crazy commentary of commerce and culture today.

Larry A.

Undercover Black Man said...

^ You're right, Larry. What's not to like about the studio?

And in the Internet age, whole new marketing and promo avenues are open to him.

bklyn6 said...

It’s probably more practical to appreciate what Lewis has given than to resort to Sly Stone comparisons.

What kind of "Sly Stone comparisons"?

I haven't heard of Taylor. Why was he so hard to market? :-/

DC said...

Lewis Taylor supplanted Prince as my favorite living musical artist back in 2001. And I ain't a "Oh I love Purple Rain." Prince fan. I'm a 'Ballad of Dorothy Parker', 'Wonderful Ass', 'No light in a Large Room', "She's Always in My Hair' Prince fan.

Since my LT addiction, I've flown to the UK twice to see him perform 4 different shows and I was proud to be front row at his 1st show in NYC.

I worked at a major record label for 7 years and tried my damnedest to get him signed...to no avail of course.

I had to work with Elton John once and he didn't have much to say until I mentioned LT. After that he wouldn't shut up.

Oh well. At least I have plenty of songs and memories to cherish.

If you have the opportunity check out these songs by LT:

Lucky
Song
Waves
Lewis II
Damn
Pie In Electric Sky/If I...(tell me Marvin Gaye isn't up in heaven smilin')
Keep On Keepin' On
Positively Beautiful

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Al Dunbar

Anonymous said...

Hey isn't he the guy who was sexually abused by his mom? I know a few peopl who worked with him and he was always narking on about her, he hated her. Who can blame him really. Poor guy.

Anonymous said...

The fact that Lewis Taylor is not a household name has nothing to do with Island (his first label) or HackTone's (his last) inability to promote him. It has nothing to do with unadventurous radio station programmers, the sorry state of record retail or how screwy the music business is in the new millennium. His lack of commercial success boils down to one, simple problem: Lewis Taylor himself.
Every time he was on the brink of success he sabotaged it, with an almost sadistic zeal for breaking the hearts of the people around him in the process. He has left behind some of the most accessibly brilliant music ever recorded, but he has also left behind a trail of sincere, honest people who gave unfathomable amounts to him only to get crushed by his narcissism and self loathing (what he did to the woman who tirelessly maintained lewistaylormusic.com with Lewis' cooperation but for no compensation for over 10 years, only to have him hire a third-party company to shut her down is a perfect example).

mark ede said...

Blimey, heavy Stuff! But his music was heavy ..so....Lewis Taylor is/was a stone wall genius. I met his mom a few times. Whatever Lewis's problem is/was he is/was some deeply disturbed cat - with an equally disturbed 'life partner' - which clearly fuelled his amazing music even if it cost him a lot personally. Sad stuff but amazing, amazing music.

mark ede said...

By the way, Hacktone did a fantastic job trying to promote LT in the States (including getting him on Conan O'Brien) until the artist himself cut the legs from under them.

'Stoned' and 'Lost' are still readily available to buy even if many of his other recordings are impossible to source (certainly under $100 dollars).

There is also one remaining - semi active - website for him overseen by Hacktone at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=27472666 which is the one site, thanks to Hacktones legal team, Taylor can't really sabotage.

Anonymous said...

This is interesting, if I'm to read these last 3 posts correctly plus the name above, they are posted by a bloke called Mark Ede who is well known for bothering session musicians and 'on-the-fringe' artists - sort of latches on to them and writes about them obsessively on the net, poking his nose in where it's not wanted. Most people know about this, other musicians who have had the same problem with him (and there are quite a few) put up with it cos he has such a big mouth and it might come back negatively on them. Note the way in response to something which i read to be quite personal and upsetting (if it's true) he posts what in the interests of this blog amounts to just a load of gossipy bile, whether it's true or not, and has no hesitation in bringing others into it too (one early co-producer even threatened to sue him, and the words 'life-partner' are lifted directly from a well-known piece of press). It also seems like it's personal with him, no-one else on here or anywhere else is bothered enough to go as far as to talk about these aspects of LT's (ex) career, only him. He did this on the now defunct fansite, often under other names too, and always on about the same stuff. He is laughingly known as LT's troll. Many people gave up on that fansite simply because they thought what Ede was doing was disgusting. ( i.e making jokes about Mark Chapman when an american trip is planned or creepily saying 'i know where he lives and i could make things difficult'). I think LT may have associated with him initially but was warned about him by someone else and subsequently dropped him from a great height, since then this is how he has behaved - jumping on anything controversial in order to vent his frustration at being left out in the cold. Pretty transparent and a bit sad. An artist's negative attitude to their career is less of an indication of how 'disturbed' they are than the frequency with which someone else writes about it.

Chris@wtw said...
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Anonymous said...

As if on cue.........this is the other guy (chris) from the forum that would always feebly try to defend Mark Ede.

Chris@wtw said...
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Undercover Black Man said...

^^ The fuck are you lot pratting on about?

Anonymous said...

My point exactly! This is a perfect example of what people from that (now defunct) forum are like. Their behaviour online always degenerates into this.

Chris@wtw said...
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Anonymous said...

Mr Ede has also stated that Lewis is gay and seems obsessed by this. Perhaps it says more about his own sexuality?

Either way, it's a very low thing to comment on.

bobby bell said...

WELL LET ME START OF BY SAYING HAPPY HOLIDAY TO YALL
AND FOR A LONG TIME I BEEN A BIG FAN OF LT AND SOME TIME IN 2002 WHEN I OWNED ABAR IN BROOKLYN I WAS GIVEN A COPY OF LT'S FIRST CD AND WAS BLOWN AWAY FROM THE FIRST NOTE I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS UP SO I KEPT ON CHECKING HIM OUT AND FOUND THAT HE WAS ABEL TO DO SOMETHING THAT I AIN'T HERD BEFORE AND TO THIS DAY IT'S STILL THE SAME WAY I LOVE THE MUSIC AND UNTILL I OR SOME ONE ELSE RECORDS A CD LIKE HIS THAT'S WHAT IM LISTENING TO
I GOT A CHANCE TO SEE HIMAT THE BOWERY BALLROOM IN NYC FOT THE START OF HIS TOUR AND THE SHOW WOWED ME AT FIRST I DIDN'T THINK ALOT OF PEOPLE WOULD SHOW UP BECAUSE WHEN MY LADY AND I GOT THERE WE WERE THE ONLY 2 OR 3 IN LINE BUT THEN THE PEOPLE STARTED TO SHOW IN A FUNNY WAY MY LADY AND DIDN;T CARE BECAUSE WE WERE LIKE WE GOT HIM ALL TO OURSELF
BUT ANYWAY
I JUST WANNA CLOSE BY SAYING IM SO GLAD THAT WE FANS HAVE A PLACE TO TALK ABOUT LT NOT SO MUCH LIKE THE OTHER GUYS OUT HERE FIGHTING ABOUT WHO SAY WHAT TO WHOM THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT SOMETHING IS GOING ON IN LEWIS TAYLOR'S LIFE AND WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE HIS MUSIC AND I KNOW THAT ALL HE WANT'S
IS US TO ENJOY HIS MUSIC
I KNOW I DO

Anonymous said...

Nice to have this thread back on track. Please Mark, give it a rest - the amount of libellous emails you've sent to the many people on your mailing list about Lewis and Sabina are despicable and it's a wonder that they haven't sued you.

Chris@wtw said...
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Anonymous said...

Thats it mate, you do that.

It obviously hasn't even occured to this chriswtw whoever he is, that 'anonymous' is more than one person, thats hilarious! The general opinion of this Ede bloke seems to be that he's a cock, the only person who doesn't agree is this chris guy, who seems to have some difficulty stringing a decent sentence together or presenting a well thought out argument. I also remember him being quite naive and sychophantic like this on the fansite too. It's no wonder it was taken down. In fact LT must have been well within his rights legally otherwise he wouldn't have been able to do it.

Chris@wtw said...
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Anonymous said...

I am not entertained by arguing, only by LT tracks. I only have 103 and I need more, MORE.

So glad I grabbed some vids before 3-7-2008 (D-day).

Much thanks to Pandora and Lefsetz for the turn-on buzz.

Anonymous said...

I'm not that entertained by it either Fuzz, but it seems like he's arguing or, as he put it, debating, on his own as no-one has actually addressed him directly, but then again I'm not overly entertained by Lewis's stuff either, a lot of the music is pretty good but the whole falsetto/baby stuff is a bit annoying. Plus, 'the most accessibly brilliant music ever recorded'? What a silly over-the-top thing to say.

But this chriswtw guy is really funny. I love the way he comes on here after several spluttering posts and then says, thats it, i'm not getting involved in this anymore, thank you and goodnight.

Next thing, he deletes nearly all his posts including that one and starts all over again, even reiterating his wonderful put up/shut up line from one of the posts he deleted!! Doesn't do much for his credibility.

Apologies Undercover Black Man, i enjoy your blogs and have discovered some great music, but the way that this thread has gone confirms everything I've heard about his so-called hard-core internet fans. It's rather a lot of hot air for an artist who hardly sold any records isn't it. Do other artists you write about invite comments like this?

Undercover Black Man said...

^ No, Anon, this has been a new one on me. I'm indulging it for the sake of future generations, who might be able to make sense of it.

bobby bell said...

boy i would love to see lewis taylor one more time live, well as i always say ' if wish's were horse's than beggar's would ride

Anonymous said...

Seriously though this is well mean't advice from another anon source ( for professional reasons along the lines of previous anon ! ) . I'm a huge LT fan and have met the guy on more than one occaison , what people say on here about Mark Ede is all true .
Steer clear , being a fan is one thing ,going from unhealthily obsessive to constant jibeds about his personality, personal life and relationships is something that speaks more of his character than Lewis's undoubted creative powers .

Anonymous said...

I am a London-based musician who also works frequently on the south cost. I have been involved in several of Mark's gigs. He puts in an enormous amount or time, energy and love on these projects, and spends many hours supporting the musicians, providing publicity materials, and generally spreading the word. He also now has a radio show where he plays their music. He is always supportive and keen to offer advice, albeit occasionally some of it is a bit blunt and to the point. But I have no doubt that his heart in the right place.

I don't know much about this Lewis Taylor business, but I have no doubt that Mark is doing a heck of a lot for upcoming musicians in and around Brighton and Hove, so I am very sad to read some of the remarks people have made here about him.

Perhaps there are two sides to this story?

DownDeep said...

Thanks UBM! Good to see some news about LT. I've scrounged up as much of his music I can find but hadn't heard cherry blossom. Also ,I didn't know he was doing some bass gigs. He is a dangerous bassman, i.e. I'm on the floor, with an absolutely unique vision.

Anonymous said...

Yes, there will always be two sides to the story. Mark unfortunately has not learnt from his background in PR to be diplomatic; he has pretty much assasinated Lewis' character many times, all carried out on his mailing list which is wide ranging. I think it's great that he wants to promote new talent, but his reputation within the soul industry as a mouthy negative jealous wannabe (not my words!) does not help.

Anonymous said...

Not sure I understand what is going on, what with all the deleted posts, and the very rude and vitriolic personal comments, but I was interested to read the opening article on this thread (before all the arguing started).

Not wishing to take any side in this (because I don't understand the history), but it does seem something went badly wrong at the end of Lewis's "career", and that some people feel aggrieved about it. I would love to know what went on, but I suspect all we will ever get is biased opinions like the ones I have seen here.

Maybe it's best to not speculate too much. Everyone seems to have their own (very personal) take on this.

I am a huge lover of the music, which remains some of the most perfect art I have ever witnessed. I am glad I don't have the personal "invovement" that some people here seem to have. It seems to be spoiling it for you guys. Shame.

Anonymous said...

I was at the New York concert, as well. Not only was Lewis great, but the comradery between the fans was intoxicating.

That being said, I'm kind of angry that Lewis just vanished the way he did. He has a gift. It's a sin not to share it.

UBM...where can I get this B side stuff?

Undercover Black Man said...

David S: I copped from this guy.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it's very frustrating, and I understand why people felt left down. Seems the guy couldn't hack it at the end of the day.

But isn't that vulnerability and fucked-up emotional vibe what made his music so perfect? Isn't that why we all relate to what he does? Isn't that why it touches us in a way that nobody else's music can?

If he wasn't a mess-up, could he have made such perfect music?

I'm not taking anyone's side here - just throwing out some ideas that might explain why this guy evokes so much extreme opinion.

bobby bell said...

you r so right its just that when music like this come around you want
have more and maybe that's what the problem was as for me a musician also
it can be hard but i was not at his level he had or has a company like hacktone rec, and had distrapution
deal so i don't know why he's not recording anymore but we still have his music and that will have to be the way it is for now.......
wasted talent

check out my tunes
www.myspace.com/the bell system

and let me know yall think
peace

Anonymous said...

Fair point. I also feel sorry for Lewis and the way in which Mark Ede publically slagged him off on the Lewis Taylor forum. As an occasional lurker there, I was often appalled by his arrogant attitude, and often wondered why he criticised Lewis so much. Did Lewis spurn his advances or something?

Anonymous said...

Maybe Mark was one of the guys that Lewis screwed around (like the Hacktone guys from what I understand).

I don't know Mark personally, and bear him no ill-will but I have seen a few of his posts, and I do think, right or wrong, he should maybe drop it now. It's gone on for what, two or three years now?

Enough is enough. Same goes for the Mark-haters as well. Lets move on. Please.

Anonymous said...

I would like to agree with the last post and say surely thats enough Mark Ede bashing . I know he has a really awful reputation with regard to Lewis Taylor and within the soul scene too but I do think we should respect the point of this blog and leave Mr Ede's somewhat embarrassing past where it belongs . He has a hard enough time getting anyone to take him seriously as it is . Imagine how hard it is for the guy trying to regain credibility especially as he is now trying to work within the music business .

Anonymous said...

A mutual friend has told me that he's going to self-release a new album very soon. It will not be under the Lewis or Andrew Taylor name, or even Sheriff Jack.

Anonymous said...

Woah, that's funny, i heard that too!
The name he's now using is 'Price Up Campaign-Wayne', but it's still gonna be r'n'b based and he's now rappin' too which should be interesting.

Anonymous said...

Here's a previous post by another anon

" Seems the guy couldn't hack it at the end of the day....
fucked-up and emotional
If he wasn't a mess-up, could he have made such music? "

and then continues ...
I'm not taking anyone's side here - just throwing out some ideas that might explain this guy "

I love the way you slag LT off as a "mess up who can't hack it fucked up and emotional etc "and then say your not taking anyones side .

Sounds like you've got a fairly big side all of your own to me there .

Why can't we just appreciate the music that he has given us and leave it at that ?
Why do you feel the need to attack the character of LT ?

Maybe you are some kind of expert on creativity or maybe you have some axe to grind of your own . It seems to me
that if I were to lets just say for example
I " throw out some ideas " imagine that the reason for your own bitterness is a failed marriage
how you left a struggling young mother and babies your bogus relationships with young vulnerable musicians who think your a joke behind your back your addiction to the internet forums ...
you might begin to see how it feels from the other side ...?

Before you say LT can't " hack it " what have you contributed to the world ?

Jon Dawson

bobby bell said...

amen thank you

i thank god that we have his music
and maybe one day will have more
i say take all the time you need

oh that's my side

Anonymous said...

Jon Dawson, you'll probably find that the post you're referring to is from Mark Ede in slightly conciliatory mood; this is a man who publically slates Lewis at every chance he gets and paints Sabina as Lewis' Yoko. I'm surprised he's not being sued by Lewis what with the amount of accusatory defamation injected emails (and personal emails from Lewis) that he circulates to his "mailing list".

A Non Eee! Miss said...

Thought you all might like to know that I saw him playing guitar with the Edgar Broughton Band last Sunday at a free festival in Barnet. The man looked happy as a pig in shit. Guess he's more comfortable doing someone else's stuff as opposed to his own. Seemed like a nice bloke too.

Anonymous said...

UBM-
I actually found this site after having a dream about Lewis and woke up wondering what the heck has happened to him. I had the luxury of knowing Lewis first for his music and performances and then personally. All this back and forth written about him after your blog, I won't even bother to comment on.
All I do know is that when I saw him perform, it was like magic. Personally, I think I can say that I know his soul and whats going on in his heart it's just a shame he has chosen to go into such withdraw. I totally respect his right to remain private in his personal life but do feel saddened if that has left us as music fans without the ability to be part of his amazing talent.
I am hopeful that he will come back out of his music shell one day and share again. Until then as a music fan, I remain 'Stoned Part 1'.
Thanks for sharing this blog.

Anonymous said...

Thanx Lewis! Without your music I'd already shot myself.

Anonymous said...

is it true LT was once married to Brian Eno's daughter?

GS said...

I'm afraid Mark Ede's at it again. He is spreading very unsavoury rumors of Lewis and his mental state. This can be found on the internet apparently if you know where to look.

Anonymous said...

So he's still goin round spreading rumors about LT then? What a total cock. Come on then mate, let's see the link, let's see how bad he's making himself look.

bobby bell said...

happy new year lewis taylor
where ever you are
maybe this is the come back year
i can dream can't i

Anonymous said...

Has anyone got this unofficial compilation? I found a track listing online...some songs I've never heard of...

LEWIS TAYLOR The Unreleased Chronicles

Once
Too Far Down
Drowning
Heart
Lovin U More (Early Version)
Lucky (Early Version)
Whoever (Early Version)
Betterlove (Backing Track Mix)
Listen Here (Demo)
Say I Love You (Demo)
Get It Hot
That’s Life
Reflections
I Saw The Light
Sheneverdid (Working Version)
Stoned (The 420 Mix)
Lovelight (Alternate Mix)

Jake said...

Re Mark Ede, I've been told about that recent comment he made from somebody, it's on some private internet group. He's mentioned that he's still receiving abusive mail from Lewis or something. I guess if you live by the sword...

Jake said...

Wow. This comment space has grown to resemble tabloid-like drama! Thanks UMB for "indulging it for the sake of future generations". I was quite amused but saddened at the same time, reading and recognizing bits and pieces, and names. I've been lurking around this post on occasion ever since it was written back in 2008, but thought to wisely keep my mouth shut. With my personal experience -however insignificant- meeting Lewis, as well as Mark, as well some other people who have been working with LT (incl. his partner and manager), now that there has been another 'Jake' (who is not me) posting on January 19th, perhaps I should open it. If only to prevent these others thinking it was 'LTM-Jake' making the Re: Mark Ede message on January 19th.

I think all this ranting on a personal level is unhealthy and almost scary, and for anyone reading all these suggestive messages and gossip, the anonymous keyboard heroes are ruining the original energy of the blog message by UBM. Obviously besides the individual 'Anonymous' commenter, it looks like there is also troll that has conversations with him or herself inhere, trying to trigger new speculations or disputes. And even though I realize there's millions of Jake's, my name being used on this topic with the info being spread, kinda felt like it's discrediting me with some of the insiders (although they have known me to be quite mad also, lol). Jokingly referring to myself as a 'LT obsessive compulsive' in the past, Like with Larry Alexander and so many others, Lewis Taylor's sounds touched my nerves as well, and I wanted to hear every note he recorded. However, in no way shape or form I want any part in the personal and suggestive rants and gossip that have been put uphere by other commenters, and if it hadn't been for the previous comment dated January 19, I would still only be lurking and shaking my head.

I could say a lot on LT's choice to retire and the soap drama it turned into up here and elsewhere, but let's not. All I can say is, that I hope Taylor will find a way to share his amazing talent with us sometime in the (near) future again, detached from feeling compelled or directed in any way by anyone other than himself. Meanwhile, aim for peace folks ㋡

Anonymous said...

I take your point Jake .But that's just not realistic here in the online world where we do get to express ourselves and if that includes a chance to vent our annoyance at someone , so be it , don't try and censor me thanks .

It does appear that several people on here have used this as a means to express irritation about Mark Ede's activities . I also know that several comments are from him too .

He is despised by many people and from what I've seen myself , first hand , its more than justified .

Do we want freedom of expression or repression for the sake of peace ?

Mike

Jake said...

Hey Mike. I wasn't trying to censor anyone, and I'm sorry if my comment made you feel 'repressed'. I wrote what I felt like writing, just as you want(ed)/did. I also like peace. That's about it.