The Dave Clemo Band - Stayin Alive

Описание: I spent much of 2010 undergoing treatment for leukaemia. I was able to negotiate with my specialist to stagger my last few rounds of chemotherapy in order to play bass on Nicki Gillis’ 2010 UK tour. My son took time off from his own job to drive my van and hump the gear. All I had to was to sit in the van or dressing room between shows and put my energy into performing on stage. I finished the tour, had my final bout of chemo and was given the all-clear in October.
That winter I started going to local open-mike events and gradually built up my stamina. I knew most of the other musicians and one night I invited two of them to form a band to play our versions of classic pop songs but with a twist. We played them on acoustic instruments. Instead of a lead guitar, I played the solos on a mandolin, and we chose songs by one artist and played them in the style of another. I sang lead vocal and played acoustic guitar and mandolin; Dave Walker played his double bass and added harmonies. Vince Gorman played acoustic guitar, cittern and bodhran. The line-up was completed when I asked my son Chris to play cajon. He later played a drum kit that he’d made, where all the drums and cymbals fitted inside a suitcase that doubled as the bass drum.
At first we performed at Open Mike events where we sang two or three songs and soon built up our repertoire so that were playing two 45-minute shows in local pubs, with the occasional all-day mini festival thrown in. The group broke up about 18 months later due to so many local pubs and music venues closing. We recorded this track for our debut album. Many groups released a ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation, so I suggested we did the same. The only problem was that we hadn’t had a single ‘hit’, so we called the album ‘Other People’s Greatest Hits’ instead. So, what do you think? Does the arrangement work? Let me know below.