Joe and Mick on the Great Stuart Adamson
Thomas Kercheval
that) The Skids. Stuart loved the Clash, and back when he played guitar for
The Skids in the late 70's and early 80's, he was a MASSIVE force in
influencing many guitar players, including The Edge (who stole many of
Stuart's licks early on).
If you've never heard The Skids before, I highly recommend them.
Highly-charged, Scottish-tinged punk, with huge uplifting guitars. I love
Mick Jones dearly, but listen to any Skids album (as well as Big Country)
and you'll see that Stuart could've taken him to school. And probably did.
At Stuart's memorial service, Joe and Mick were kind enough to add the
following statement to a load of well-wishes that were read. It made me feel
so much better to hear that they remembered Stuart well and were aware of
his talents.
From Joe and Mick.
"We both remember the moment The Skids played The Kinema Ballroom in
Dunfermline with us. We watched them and they were truly fantastic & we were
really worried because the audience were so partisan. Our thoughts are with
their family"
graham@free-online
which went something like:
'Great guy, great tunes, well known shit guitar player and couldn't hold a
candle to some of his contemporaries.'
I think he referred to the gig in Dunfermaline actually as one of the
greatest they played (in Scotland at least anyway)
graham
T. Kercheval
"graham@free-online" <gra...@gpjones.free-online.co.uk> wrote in message
news:B8933CAE.8FF6%gra...@gpjones.free-online.co.uk...
> not what the letter writer in this months Uncut wrote????
>
> which went something like:
>
> 'Great guy, great tunes, well known shit guitar player and couldn't hold a
> candle to some of his contemporaries.'
>
> I think he referred to the gig in Dunfermaline actually as one of the
> greatest they played (in Scotland at least anyway)
>
> graham
Well, I'm biased, because I loved the guy and his music, but I think even
one casual listen to basically anything the guy ever played would show that
that letter is a load of crap to even someone who hated Big Country or The
Skids. Just completely ridiculous. Screw the candle. He held a blowtorch to
his contemporaries in the guitar department.
Hans Petter Schjoelberg
To me, Skids were introducing a great guitar universe. Event hough Big
Country never became as good as the Skids (xcept from their first 2 -3
records), Stuart really made an impression on me as one good tunesmith, and
a hell of a guitarplayer. Maybe because norse and celtic history are so
close bound, but I've always had a ting for hardingfiddle and celtic music
:-)
Listen to the Skids!! They were truly great!!
Kercheval: any idea of what made him die?
Badders
"T. Kercheval" <kercheblitz.com> skrev i melding
news:a4k3ps$plf$1...@slb1.atl.mindspring.net...
Songs of Mute and Heartbreak
>Listen to the Skids!! They were truly great!!
>Kercheval: any idea of what made him die?
The belt around his neck can't have helped.
He'd gone missing due to depression caused by alcoholism, was facing
drink-driving charges, and hung himself in a hotel room.
-Chris
__________________________
Hans Petter Schjoelberg
"Songs of Mute and Heartbreak" <SPA...@tpg.com.au> skrev i melding
news:3c6e...@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
what a sad way to leave......
I'll - maybe ironically, but honest - have a drink (Famous Grouse) to his
memory tonite, and I'm gonna dig up all my Skids LPs, brush some dust of my
turntable and play songs like Woman In Winter, Into the valley, Circus
Games, Goodbye Civilians, and many many more...untill I end my bottle and
the session with their last great song: Iona.
Badders
>
> -Chris
> __________________________
>
>
T. Kercheval
> He'd gone missing due to depression caused by alcoholism, was facing
> drink-driving charges, and hung himself in a hotel room.
>
> -Chris
> __________________________
> He'd gone missing due to depression caused by alcoholism, was facing
> drink-driving charges, and hung himself in a hotel room.
>
> -Chris
This is basically correct, but of course there was a lot more to it. Stuart
was an alcoholic from his days with The Skids, but when Big Country appeared
at Live Aid, he told everyone he was going sober, and he did, for about 12
years.
He was a guy who loved and valued family very much, and unfortunately, his
first marriage ended a few years ago, which he never recovered from. Not
sure exactly why it ended, but I do think he started drinking again. In
fact, his family bought a pub in Dunfermline called "Tappie Torries." There
was a lot of debate on the BC list at the time about whether or not it was a
good idea for an alcoholic to own a pub. Guess it wasn't such a great idea
after all.
Anyway, he moved to Nashville about three or four years ago and started a
new life. He got remarried and started a new band, The Raphaels, an
alt-country type of project. Big Country finally split in 1999, and it was
obvious Stuart's return to drinking played a part in that.
The Raphaels did a tour of England and Stuart was in horrible shape. He was
so out of it one night that he was heckled from the audience by his own
fans. It made the news quite a bit in the U.K.
He went into rehab again and was determined to get himself back on the right
track. Unfortunately, his second wife then decided to divorce him, as well,
and he was just too fragile to deal with it. The drunk driving thing
probably played a small role, but it wasn't something he was facing any jail
time for. That was blown out of proportion by the media. He went on a
one-month drinking spree, going from hotel room to hotel room, mostly in
Nashville. People were looking for him, his children were looking for him,
but he could not be found. He was found in the hotel room in Hawaii by a
maid just before Christmas. He was known to have drank himself into blackout
states (he was really bad), and it's widely believed that he took his life
while in this condition. Toxicology reports showed that he had three times
the legal limit of alcohol in his blood. He left no note, no anything, which
is another reason all involved don't believe this was really a pre-meditated
type of thing.
It's very sad, because the music of the Skids and Big Country was always so
positive and full of hope, about getting through life's toughest times. At
least the early stuff was. It wa a true shock to those of us who were Big
Country fans. We never thought Stuart would end up like that.
I had the privilege of meeting him a number of times while he lived in
Nashville. He was the greatest, kindest, most compassionate guy. It's just a
really tough loss, especially for the kids he left behind, who are now
involved in a battle over his estate with the second wife. Just very sad.
It just shows you how insidious alcohol abuse can be. He was not the same
person at all under the influence of that crap.
Anyway, he used to always talk about an early Clash show that was the best
gig he ever saw and the one that got him wanting to start his own band, so
it was cool of Joe and Mick to remember him.
I have a little tribute page of him on my own band's site, if anyone wants
to take a look.
http://www.mindspring.com/~dissident/stuart.html
Without a doubt one of the most underrated, underappreciated
songwriters/guitarists of the last twenty years.
gazw
"Thomas Kercheval" <to...@skillsusa.org> wrote in message
news:B892E497.570A%to...@skillsusa.org...
Nice one . I loved the Skids way back then , though Big Country I never
really got into , my better half loved `em . We both had a quiet moment
when I told her of his death .
As for guitar playing , the man was awesome , and a definite influence
on many players later .
gaz
tim
give me tingles no matter how many times I hear it. It's touching to see
Mick and Joe add their condolences. I only hope it's a long, long time
before another member from that era leaves us.
Tim
"Thomas Kercheval" <to...@skillsusa.org> wrote in message
news:B892E497.570A%to...@skillsusa.org...
Sam Kelly
tim <knowna...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:q9Eb8.26097$td.72...@news2.nash1.tn.home.com...
Hans Petter Schjoelberg
at least!!
Shame on you!!!
Badders
"Sam Kelly" <sam....@ntlworld.com> skrev i melding
news:teze8.48550$Ah1.5...@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com...
T. Kercheval
"Sam Kelly" <sam....@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:teze8.48550$Ah1.5...@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com...
> Sad he's dead but Christ, Big Country were awful.....
>
Actually, they were one of the most underrated, electrifying live acts that
existed, and they existed for almost 20 years.
They wrote music that changed a lot of people's lives, including mine. Just
like The Clash.
They were, in fact, one of the best, most talented bands ever, and Stuart
was a fantastic songwriter and guitarist.
If you didn't like the whole "Scottish" thing, you weren't going to like
'em. If you did, you were going to love 'em.
But, unfortunately, they were often characterized as a gimmick, "bagpipe
guitar" band. Stuart used to call these claims racist, as his playing was
heavily influenced by his cultural roots, no less valid, he used to say,
than a kid from Detroit making music based on their cultural background.
In short, Big Country kicked major amounts of arse and recorded the best
rock album of all time, "Steeltown."
See how opinions work?
remove x from address to reply
>rock album of all time, "Steeltown."
>
>See how opinions work?
>
Well the latter half of that statement only goes to prove that your opinion is
wrong.
T. Kercheval
"remove x from address to reply" <hiwa...@aol.comx> wrote in message
news:20020227172748...@mb-mc.aol.com...
That's funny, because I was going to say that your ENTIRE statement only
goes to prove that you are a dumbass of epic proportions. But that's just
me.
mm
of the best live acts ever.Stuart Adamson was a genius.Steeltown was a
classic,personally I'd go for "Buffalo Skinners" and "The Crossing".An
Adamson guitar solo would consist of 12 notes whereas a Jones solo would
average 3 notes, Clash songs are great for beginners to learn guitar.
graham@free-online
he might as well have plucked chickens as a guitar string!
mm
> AND HUGH CORNWALL - How many notes can he play!!
>
> he might as well have plucked chickens as a guitar string!
Cornwall is in England,Cornwell was in a band called The Stranglers.
Now that the education lesson has finished you can now take of your dunce
cap and I'll answer your question.
Hugh plays the same amount of notes as Stuart, o.k?.Hugh has been known in
the past to have fucked chicks, he left the chickens to Jones.
Now lets get this into your thick little skull, this post is about Stuart
Adamson and how some people on this group can't accept that he was far
superior to Jonesy boy.Are you with it now?
thekman
news:a5m7qb$8tv$1...@helle.btinternet.com...
When did anyone say Mick was a superior guitar player to Adamson? I
must have missed that post....or perhaps your overly defensive mindset
manufactured it out of thin air. I think that must be it.
Kirk
asw...@hotmail.com
> average 3 notes, Clash songs are great for beginners to learn guitar.
Yeah, that's important. Why not listen to Joe Satriani or someone who
has 36 note guitars solos - he's THREE TIMES better than Stuart
Adamson! Most great music - soul / reggae / punk / postpunk / early
rock and roll / lots of jazz / whatever is to be built around the idea
of economy - in other words, why say it with 12 notes if 3 will do?
No wonder Stuart spent a lot of time alone in hotel rooms - he obviously
had a wanky sensibility.
Aswyth
Steven Alejandro
that read as follows:
"Here is one chord
(accompanying drawing of a geetar chord)
Here is another
(accompanying drawing of another geetar chord)
and here is a third
(accompanying drawing of one more geetar chord)
Now go start a band."
steve
Songs of Mute and Heartbreak
>This reminds me of the famous poster that hung in a NYC punk bar
>that read as follows:
>"Here is one chord
> (accompanying drawing of a geetar chord)
>Here is another
> (accompanying drawing of another geetar chord)
>and here is a third
> (accompanying drawing of one more geetar chord)
>Now go start a band."
Hey, they ripped that off Sabres of Paradise!
-Chris
__________________________
When that was over, I went for the Zep. I kept that
going for a few hours, 'cause once that levee breaks,
how do you stop the waters? You don't, hombre.
You just have to ride the wave. -Jim Anchower
asw...@hotmail.com
> >"Here is one chord
> > (accompanying drawing of a geetar chord)
> >Here is another
> > (accompanying drawing of another geetar chord)
> >and here is a third
> > (accompanying drawing of one more geetar chord)
> >Now go start a band."
>
> Hey, they ripped that off Sabres of Paradise!
Doubtful - the original appeared in a Stranglers' fanzine
ca 1977.
Aswyth
mm
mm
maximum of 12 notes ie.E,F,Gb,G,Ab,A,Bb,B,C,Db,D,Eb.
Regarding Adamson the man had a drink problem just like Topper "the dragon"
Headon had his problem with heroin.The wanky sensibility bit doesn't relate.
<asw...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3c7ec116$0$18505$2486...@news.freeway.net...
Steven Alejandro
uncertain. I wish I could remember where it was I
read that it's begining were on a NYC handbill.
steve
Steve Moore
<asw...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3c7fc6e9$0$1599$2486...@news.freeway.net...
I certainly remember seeing it in the UK in 77/78 - I had it pinned to my wall
for months. Oddly enough I bought a t-shirt with the same image on only last
year!
__Steve__
asw...@hotmail.com
> > Doubtful - the original appeared in a Stranglers' fanzine
> > ca 1977.
>
> I certainly remember seeing it in the UK in 77/78 - I had it pinned to my wall
> for months. Oddly enough I bought a t-shirt with the same image on only last
> year!
It appeared in Strangled, but a lot of the reasons that there's
a question about it is that many writers claim it was actually
in Mark Perry's "Sniffin' Glue" fanzine. Perry himself has
said it was actually in Strangled, not Sniffin' Glue.
Aswyth
Steve Moore
<asw...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3c805a5b$0$35578$2486...@news.freeway.net...
I must admit, if anyone had asked me I'd have said it was in Sniffin' Glue but
I guess Mark P would know!
__Steve__
Songs of Mute and Heartbreak
Yes, that's my hilarious joke: Sabres did a T-shirt playing off the
original (which I was also under the apprehension came from Sniffin'
Glue), reading 101+303+808 - NOW FORM A BAND.
Steve Moore
"Songs of Mute and Heartbreak" <SPA...@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
news:3c81...@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
>
> >Doubtful - the original appeared in a Stranglers' fanzine
> >ca 1977.
>
> Yes, that's my hilarious joke: Sabres did a T-shirt playing off the
> original (which I was also under the apprehension came from Sniffin'
> Glue), reading 101+303+808 - NOW FORM A BAND.
ROFL... Excellent!!
dmc
Doors V Stranglers ? Could any one tell me what
is the connection with the 2 bands?
kevin bacon
mm
message(3 Chords) was tongue in cheek from the Stranglers..Good to see you
bought a Stranglers t-shirt! Doors V Stranglers ? Could any one tell me what
is the connection witth the 2 bands?
Mp3's? I would start off with" Go Buddy Go", then "Down in the
Sewer".No,"Down in the Sewer" first then take it from there.
Have a nice day y'all!
graham@free-online
> From: "dmc" <donald...@btinternetnospam.com>
> Organization: BT Openworld
> Newsgroups: alt.music.clash
> Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 02:53:48 +0000 (UTC)
> Subject: Re: Joe and Mick on the Great Stuart Adamson
>
>
E.B.Clucher
"dmc" <donald...@btinternetnospam.com> wrote:
they're both over rated and shite
E.B.Clucher
"Steve Moore" <st...@skmoore.freeserve.no.spam> wrote:
> >
> > Yes, that's my hilarious joke: Sabres did a T-shirt playing off the
> > original (which I was also under the apprehension came from Sniffin'
> > Glue), reading 101+303+808 - NOW FORM A BAND.
>
> ROFL... Excellent!!
>
>
my first band used a 505 - now that is a shit drum machine!!
Jerome De Greef
>
> Doors V Stranglers ? Could any one tell me what
> is the connection with the 2 bands?
--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 'the panorama of the city is wrong |
| in fact the city seems to be gone!' |
| the clash, stop the world, 1980 |
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