REVIEWS OF THE BEST OF CLIVE GREGSON
Eclectic singer-songwriter gets a ‘Best of...’ at long last. English folk-rocker Clive Gregson, 54, now based
in Nashville, has been writing some fine tunes for a long time now, so we finally get an 18 tracker that
showcases his craftsmanship. In the past Gregson has worked with cult band Any Trouble, releasing five
albums to critical acclaim, in a trio with Boo Hewerdine and ex-Fairground Attraction vocalist Eddi Reader.
He was also a regular in Richard Thompson’s band, along with being an in demand session musician, a
back-up player, singer and producer. His songs have been covered by Kim Carnes, Norma Waterson and
Nanci Griffith; such is his credibility in the music fraternity.
Listening to this CD it’s more than obvious that Gregson has a leaning more towards the commercial edge
of folk, with a hint of pop, enough to appeal to all ages. Key to his credibility is the fact that there’s nothing
pretentious about his lyrical or musical content – it’s all about ordinary people and their ordinary lives, with
a touch of escapism. The feel is that of a musician who’s just popped into your local or even your home,
with a voice that’s adaptable to the varying styles. There’s a warm, and comforting intimacy about the
songs too. Truth is, whatever your musical leanings, there’s nothing to dislike about this album, though it’s
likely to appeal to the mature adult audience.
Despite his US residency, Gregson’s musical tilt heads for his north west love affair with Manchester,
we’re left to assume, on "I Love This Town", which is a tongue in check tale, “twitching curtains” he
mentions, there again, humour is found in many aspects of his work like "Antidote" and unbridled love – “a
queen without a crown” on "Camden Town", and the ups-and-down of romance on "Trouble With Love",
told in a common man’s approach that all fellas can relate to.
He creates a wonderful character trapped by his ordinary life, who ponders his dance skills in the hope
acquiring the attentions of a one Rosalin Maguire at a local dance somewhere in Yorkshire, dressed up to
the nines. His most stunning work here is the sumptuous and soaring ballad "Home Is Where The Heart Is",
a story of broken promises as the lover returns to his loved one.
"Cornerstone", "Comfort And Joy" and "Cool Cool Rain" are much like the acoustic balladeering
synonymous with Ralph McTell or James Taylor: simple and direct, whereas "Touch And Go" is a soulful
pop take, like something out of a Paul Carrack – Mike And The Mechanics songbook. Expanding his
repertoire even further, he unleashes a country-rockabilly gem "Black Train Coming", proving he’s not too
easy to pigeonhole.
The verdict – Essential listening.
Elly Roberts
DVD Fever.co.uk
June 2009
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Grossly overlooked singer songwriter Clive Gregson is one of those musicians that just keeps on keeping
on regardless of whether anyone else is coming along for the ride. Initially a founding member of Stiff
signings Any Trouble, then half of a successful duo with Christine Collister, he has also worked with
Richard Thompson, Boo Hewerdine and Eddi Reader and had his songs covered by Nanci Griffith and
Fairport Convention. In short you may well have heard him without being conscious of having done so, and
this "Best of..." is a superb jumping off point for anyone keen to find out more.
Ray Harper
Total Music
June 2009
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One of our finest songwriters sets off around the UK in May in support of this cultured collection. He is well
known for his time as frontman of Any Trouble, his partnership with Christine Collister and a successful
collaboration with Boo Hewerdine. Several of his top class songs - which have been covered by Kim
Carnes, Claire Martin, Norma Waterson and Nanci Griffith - are included here, often in their original demo
format. From "I Love This Town" to "There Comes A Time", we experience catchy choruses, moving
observations and a stripped down production,packed with promise and warm British country harmonies.
When you have had enough of a genre's limitations, tasted all the basics behind the bar, travelled a
thousand roads and ridden all the punches, Clive presents a reminder of how great straightforward, mature
songwriting and performance can be.
Keith Ames
The Musician
June 2009
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Most readers will be familiar with Clive Gregson through a career ranging from early days with new wavers
Any Trouble, a long duo relationship with Christine Collister and spells as a side man with the likes of
Richard Thompson. Clive's songs have been covered by such as Nanci Griffith and Jimmy Buffet and this
comes as no surprise considering the country/roots feel of many of his songs.
This CD contains 18 songs, some of which will be familiar. That is good value by any standards but, for
me, the real interest of this CD is that it is peppered with CIive's home-recorded demos rather than more
familiar studio versions. We get to know about the where, when and how of the songs in a very interesting
way. We get to know, for example, that "Tattoo" required him to learn a fourth chord on the mandolin (I've
never been sure there was one).
The whole package is interesting in an anorak way and is definitely a good showcase of one of Britain's
most under rated songwriters. The version of "I Love This Town" is better than several of the cover versions
I've heard (though it may not earn so much in royalties), and I was also interested to hear Clive's organ
playing on "Comfort and Joy". A terrific CD. Worth a listen.
Phil Thomas
Living Tradition
June 2009
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Remembered best by this writer for his work with Christine Collister and also the Richard Thompson Band:
this is a delightful collection of Gregson's songs that perfectly shows off his versatilty as both a songwriter
and musician. Highlights include "Home Is Where The Heart Is", "I Love This Town" and "Trouble With
Love". A perfect starter for newcomers.
Electric Ghost
Journal #16
May, 2009
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If you were making a list of Britain’s most criminally under-appreciated singer-songwriters, the name of
Clive Gregson would surely be very near the top. From his early days with new-wave heroes Any Trouble
through a productive partnership with Christine Collister and eight solo albums, he’s consistently turned out
cultured, melodic and emotionally literate songs that stand favourable comparison with the most revered
names in the business.
A generous 18 of them are collected here, and each and every one is a gem. I Love This Town (covered in
the past by both Nanci Griffith and Jimmy Buffett) boasts the kind of effortless shuffle Ry Cooder once did
so well, while Antidote would have shone out on any James Taylor album and Trouble With Love could
have come from the pen of one Elvis Costello. Similarly, Gregson’s contemporary Richard Thompson
would have been proud to have written Fred Astaire. In short, the peerless sound of a master craftsman at
work.
Nigel Willlamson
HMV Choice
Issue 48, Spring 2009
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It's been a few years since Clive Gregson swapped the streets of Manchester for the sun-drenched
boulevards of Nashville but it's a move that clearly agrees with him. From his days with the Stiff label's 80s
popsters, Any Trouble, Gregson has grown in stature as a classy songwriter, swapping the Elvis Costello-
centric sounds of his youth for something akin to a smooth Ry Cooder.
Not your straightforward greatest hits package, Gregson often inserts a demo of a song rather than the
original version and in doing so, illustrates how he hones his material. There's a smile-inducing nerdiness
to Gregson's annotations for each song. He's likely to tell you more about the tape recorder he used to
demo I Love This Town - a Tascam 488 multi-track cassette machine since you ask - as he does about the
fact that Nanci Griffith covered it to great acclaim.
The exquisite Cornerstone may be built around an uncomplicated arpeggiated figure yet its impact is
complex and nuanced thanks to Gregson's sure-handed grasp in keeping things simple and true. Perhaps
this is why singers from the great and good - Norma Waterson, Kim Carnes and venerable UK folk
institution, Fairport Convention to name but a few - to even the lowliest of street buskers and folk club
hopefuls are able to inhabit his songs and call them their own.
Long-term fans will enjoy the alternate takes whilst newcomers will find this a fine starting point to explore a
songbook brimming with warmth.
Sid Smith
BBC Music
April 21st, 2009
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Clive Gregson - an artist whose music has provided a quiet, unconscious soundtrack to my life from his
early days as a bouncing rocker with north-west, power-pop crew Any Trouble, through what many of us
believe to have been his zenith with Christine Collister and latterly as a soloist and regular visitor to one of
my favourite live musical haunts - his is always a welcome presence.
So, here's a 'best of' and about time too, say any of us with an ounce of sense. As a writer he's never lost
his northern roots and even when he's doing his damnedest to sing about America, he still sounds like a
lad from Manchester. Witness I LoveThis Town, made more famous by Nanci Griffith; here yer man's
version is heavy on the vowels and with lines about neighbours and twitching curtains, is the perfect picture
of Coronation Street paranoia and gossip. Further, while he may physically move deeper into the
American West, most of this album's recorded back over here with Pennine Studios regularly mentioned in
his accompanying notes.
What has never deserted Mr Gregson at any point is that happy knack of penning a melodic tune, even if
the lyrics deal in uncomfortable matters such as homelessness on Fingerless Gloves, child custody on
Summer Rain, obsessions on Fred Astaire or just good things gone bad, Trouble With Love; absolute
crackers all. Long may it continue to be so as well, for in Clive Gregson we have an artist who mixes
genres, intimacy, experience and spontaneity into a tactile whole. More power to his strings.
Simon Jones
Froots
May 2009
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What Clive Gregson means to you depends on who you were at the time; you may yearn for the days of
Any Trouble with their hints of Elvis Costello, or it may be the duo with Christine Collister, which could
headline any festival in the country, that captured your affection. Or indeed his contribution to Plainsong
and later solo career.
Clive has stripped away most of the trappings of history by presenting mostly demo versions of his best
songs. There are one or two ‘full’ versions but in the main this is the essential Gregson. He’s made a virtue
of necessity, of course: the rights to some of those records are long gone but the result is an album that
serves to remind us what a fine songwriter, musician and producer he is.
Dai Jeffries
Rock 'n' Reel
May, 2009
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Clive Gregson has never really attracted the attention that has been lavished on many of his peers, though
with a career that spans three decades he has contributed a remarkable body of work to the world of
music. This eighteen-track retrospective album provides a welcome opportunity to take another look at
some of Gregson's music, with some previously unheard demo versions giving an alternate view to the
album recordings.
As a song writer, Gregson seems to really hit his stride when his songs are built around characters and
places that hold a generic appeal, whilst imparting a personal and intimate narrative. Characters and
heroes of every day suburbia are vividly bought to life by Gregson's lyrics, with telling details that will
provide universal appeal, allowing the listener to really engage with the story. "I Love This Town" is a pithy
vignette that could apply to the banalities any town, with its twitching curtains, rent arrears, heart attacks
and rush hour traffic -- the very essence of bustling suburbia distilled into wryly observed verses, ultimately
suggesting that the line "I love this town" is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. "Camden Town" is a song of
unbridled love to some girl-next-door, "a queen without a crown," where Gregson turns the ordinariness of
the situation into a poignant love story, that will probably cause each listener to recall their very own special
sweetheart. With "Fred Astaire," Gregson taps in to the escapist fantasies of every soul trapped in a
humdrum working life, where the "pen-pushing clown" dreams of Friday nights spent dancing, "in search of
excitement, intrigue and romance." The tragedy of the character is summed up with the lamentable line:
"the rest of the week I'm just taking up space."
Soaring and poignant, passion-filled ballads also feature prominently. "Home Is Where The Heart Is" tells
of broken promises, and the ultimate relief of a return home to a loved one, delivered with a sumptuous and
commanding vocal. Gregson even manages to tame the 1980's synth-driven sound on a wonderful reading
of "Touch And Go," that offers a foreboding take on the uncertainty and trepidation between two would-be
lovers.
It may seem churlish to ponder the reasons why Gregson hasn't achieved the same level of recognition
afforded to some of his peers, but on listening to this collection, one wonders whether it might be
Gregson's pursuit of perfection. The smooth vocals and precisely executed instrumentation might lack the
bite or adrenalin that can be found in the delivery of Richard Thompson or John Martyn, for example. For
further evidence, take a listen to the way that Nanci Griffith turns "I Love This Town" into a fun-filled, hillbilly-
rock performance that illuminates the characters and sentiments with an attention-grabbing intensity, that
Gregson doesn't quite manage here.
Setting aside these minor doubts, this collection is a really enjoyable set of songs and performances, and
highlights a body of work that genuinely deserves wider appreciation. Flitting between gentle folk-pop and
full-blown power-ballad arrangements, Gregson's songs hold the same allure, and are similar in vein, to
those that have featured highly in the charts by The Beautiful South. They share a sensitivity and insight into
contemporary, day-to-day life, that distances them from starry-eyed celebrity musings and gives them a
treasured place in the heart of listeners. Britain really should wake up and appreciate one of its finest
exponents of song writing... it's long overdue.
Mike Wilson
Folking.com
April 11, 2009
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Clive Gregson's career doesn't lend itself to easy documentation. With the sort of depth and breath any
football manager would be proud of in a squad, the Manchester born singer/songwriter's tenure in the
music business has had many proud moments. This eighteen track compilation not only offers an overview
but, with a sprinkling of never heard demos and generous sleevenotes, an insight into the process behind
his finest numbers.
Originally a founder member of Mancunian rock quartet Any Trouble, Clive went on to make five albums
with singer Christine Collister and feature in Richard Thompson's band. Whereas, his fertile solo years,
have produced an abundance of consistently acclaimed albums, containing songs that have been covered
by the great and the good.
The town in 'I Love This Town' became a lot of towns to a lot of people after it received a makeover from
Nanci Griffith. It was a feature of BBC Radio 2's A-list and achieved huge airplay in the States. Here we
have the non-album version and template for Nanci's cover. It's a good jumping on point before the album
criss-crosses Clive’s career.
'Antidote' was originally cut with, occasional cohorts, Boo Hewerdine and Eddi Reader in Nashville and
was returned to for his '01 release, 'Comfort & Joy'. Coupled with the single 'Home Is Where The Heart Is'
things start to float towards James Taylor territory. However, before we get too comfy in our assessments,
we're flung back to Any Trouble's feisty new wave single for the Stiff Label, 'Trouble With Love'. It's a
reminder of his wide-ranging abilities. You want stirring ballads, you got 'em ('Summer Rain' and
'Cornerstone') and stomping pop ('Black Train Coming' and 'Jericho Junction').
A speciality, that must also be savoured, is the lyrical edginess of the anti-love song, 'Camden Town'- 'Well
sometimes I still see her with the children in the park, two by different fathers, how the years have left their
mark'. Or his stark reminder about the passing of the years, 'There Comes A Time' - 'We only get one life
to waste, enjoy it while you can'. Like his peers - Thompson, Difford and Hewerdine - Clive Gregson can
produce the melodic goods, as well as put life into perspective; not a simple artform to sustain over almost
three decades.
David Kushar
Spiral Earth
April 7th, 2009
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We should be grateful for artists like Gregson, who follow their own muse, irrespective. This comp pulls
together tracks from a mere eight of his countless albums, and makes you realise what an intriguing and
circuitous path he's trodden.
The material here dates back to his days with the Stiff-signed Any Trouble (with demos of "Trouble With
Love" and "Touch & Go"), recalls his fine folk-rock liaisons with Christine Collister ("Jewel In Your Crown"),
and touches on career highlights like "Comfort & Joy" and "Fred Astaire". Gregson's wry sleeve notes add
extra value.
Adam Sweeting
Uncut
May 2009
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Manchester-born, Nashville-based Clive’s one of the most highly respected guys in the biz: not content with
being one of the country’s finest singer-songwriters, he’s also no mean musician (guitarist and
keyboardist) and a hell of a skilled producer. His career to date spans close on three decades, from
founding the cult band Any Trouble at the back end of the 1970s, through five classic (and supremely
classy) albums in partnership with Christine Collister, a stint with the Richard Thompson Band and work
with Eddi Reader and Boo Hewerdine, then on to a series of fine solo albums of his own.
Clive’s songwriting is very special indeed, characterised by its brilliantly crafted quality, that winning
combination of keen lyrical dexterity, witty wordsmithery, sensitivity to the human condition and an
exceptional gift for melody. He has an inbuilt feel for exactly what makes the perfect song, for every one of
his creations expresses exactly what it needs to simply, directly and with the minimum of fuss, making its
point with both an enviable economy and a complete accessibility of musical and verbal idiom. Each song
is a polished jewel of observation, with emotionally expressive statement that ranges from the bittersweet
to the wistful, the caustic to the melancholy. And although Clive’s a proven master of recording technology,
such is his natural musicality that his albums never sound artificially “produced”.
This latest collection, Clive’s first solo compilation, is great as a sampler-cum-primer for those unlucky
enough to have missed out thus far on his talent: its 73 minutes present a lovingly sequenced parade of
true hit material, each one of whose 18 abundantly catchy songs most writers would’ve given their eye-
teeth to have written. The disc’s title is no misnomer, and although each Gregsong fan might feel aggrieved
at the omission of a personal favourite or two, there’s not a song here that doesn’t qualify as among his
best – the problem is that he’s written so many that could equally rate!…
The actual selection was made by Clive himself, however, and the constraint of non-availability of several
key albums (those to which Clive doesn’t own the rights) actually proves a bonus rather than a drawback,
since this has enabled Clive to include never-before-heard demo versions of songs from those albums
(this gambit will make the disc an essential acquisition for those who already own all of Clive’s back-
catalogue, of course!). The original I Love This Town album provides the source for the song of that name,
in addition to Tattoo and Jericho Junction, while others originate from Strange Persuasions (Jewel In Your
Crown, Home Is Where The Heart Is) and People And Places (Feathers). And at the end of it all, There
Comes A Time is the natural choice for the collection’s final track, being a song Clive often closes his live
shows with.
Perhaps I’d have substituted the slightly shambolic drum-machine-and-keyboard-based demo of Touch
And Go (purely on the grounds of personal preference), but I can’t honestly quibble with any other tough
choices Clive has had to make in producing this expert compilation. As a bonus, the collection sports
informative, detailed and genuinely thoughtful notes by Clive himself – for this is no cash-in-repackage
exercise. So don’t hesitate; treat yourself to a copy of this ideally rounded demonstration of Clive’s
versatility and musicianship.
David Kidman
Folk and Roots
March 23rd, 2009
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"A true “best of” from Clive Gregson would come close to rating a 10/10, as the quality of his body of work
is equalled by few and exceeded by fewer. That album though would include songs like “Open Fire” and
“Girls Are Always Right” from his band Any Trouble and the bitter resignation of “We’re Not Over Yet” from
his days in a duo with Christine Collister. This one is actually “the best of the songs played during the
subsequent solo years” and is not quite as solid gold as that would be, though given that Gregson is still
one of the most underrated British singer-songwriters it contains more than its share of gems.
To ring the changes a bit a lot of the songs here are presented in different versions from those previously
released, some of which work better, some of which don’t. “I Love This Town” for instance has a slightly
jauntier feel to underline the irony of the words but “Tattoo” is rather overwhelmed by the fussy music. We of
course get the classic “Home Is Where The Heart Is”, the elegiac and wistful “Fred Astaire” and the
poignant “Fingerless Gloves.” Gregson is the master of the wry observation, whether about himself or
others, and he doesn’t stick the knife in as much as Richard Thompson, which makes him closer to his
characters rather than the dispassionate observer. He also has a real ear for a melody and “Jericho
Junction” and the delicate “Jewel In Your Crown” are particularly fine examples. Even the inclusion of
(relatively) lesser songs like “Trouble With Love and “Black Train Coming” don’t diminish the overall impact
of what is a truly superb collection."
Jeremy Searle
Americana UK
March 13, 2009
Rating: 8/10
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