First of all – what a great album cover. The frisky play on being peasants well and truly ‘below the salt’ is riotously captured by the band playing up to the camera. I cannot help thinking they are also saying to the traditionalists that actually we do not care what you think but this is our version of traditional folk. This album captures all that is wonderful about these old songs but does so in a way that is more palatable, shall we say, for the non-devotee of traditional folk. This album will never, can never date. The songs are so old anyway at the time of recording that another couple of hundred years will not age them.
Author Archives: Neal Atherton French Travel Book Writer
Spring in Cornwall 2025 – Endless Sun
The sun has shone on England this spring and these photos are from a week of endless sun in Cornwall. The flowers are out in abundance and the coastline is a stunning azure blue. A stunning place to be in this exceptional weather. Please enjoy the photography and my writing.
In Search of Cezanne
If you were to question me forcefully and make me confess, then I would probably say that if you exclude food and wine then my most favourite facet of the culture and art of France would have to be the paintings of the Impressionists. This is our journey – In seach of Cezanne
The Band – Best of The Band
With the passing of Garth Hudson THE BAND is no more. I was listening to The Band well before I started listening seriously to Dylan. I encourage you to seek out or stream a collection and enjoy America’s finest Canadians bottling the spirit of the States in a way no one else has been able to do. Musically they had few if any peers as a collective group of musicians.
The Band – yes, THE band. Enjoy their legacy as with Garth Hudson’s passing we will not see their like again. TAKEN FROM MY BOOK ‘Tracks of our Years’ bit.ly/bookneal
Paul Simon – Paul Simon
Paul Simon released his second solo album in early 1972, having spent two years moving forward from the breakup of his partnership with Art Garfunkel. Looking back some fifty years from the release of this album you can see the template for Simon’s love of using varying styles of music gathered from all over the world. There is a sense of release from the constraints of working as a duo in this work. It is intensely personal, as is most of Simon’s writing. The album represents a crossroads for him but one that he negotiates with a fresh impetus to his writing, but most especially to his musicality. This has a feel of a great starting album from an exciting new artist, one not fully developed, but one of exceptional promise of what is to come. http://www.nealatherton.com
Explore Beaune: The Heart of Burgundy Wine Culture
Beaune is quite the centre of Burgundian culture. Having seen the striking tiles on the roofs in Aloxe Corton on our way we were fascinated by the rooftops of the walled town of Beaune, culminating in the magnificent Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices de Beaune). Beaune is a place that revels in its medieval atmosphere and the history contained in the cobbled streets. In many ways it the centre of this wine-producing region and here in Beaune you can indulge in tasting wine from every village and domain of the surrounding countryside.
Linda Ronstadt’s Emotional Performance with J D Souther on Prisoner in Disguise
J D Souther will be remember for his songwriting contributions to the Eagles. However I will always treasure his harmony and song contributions to‘Prisoner in Disguise’ my favourite Linda Ronstadt album. Every one of the ‘covers’ on here can lay claim to being better than the original. Her voice is so multi layered on this, betraying emotion so deep you feel she owns these songs, you can be persuaded that she did in fact write them. The song selection is perfection. It is of the time. That L.A., Eagles, Southern California vibe is stamped right through this with a tight, multi-talented band of Who’s Who of L.A. musicians. Because she was so admired by these contemporaries, and loved, the whole album is one of harmony and joy, it feels like they got great pleasure from the collaboration. Check out the gorgeous tender backing vocals of J D Souther on the ‘Prisoner in Disguise’ track. She chooses some beautiful songs on here.
CSNY, Joni Mitchell, The Band: Legendary Wembley Concert – Sept 14th 1974
Fifty years ago today (Sept 14th) on a glorious late summer day at London’s famous old Wembley Stadium a legendary concerts took place – CSNY, The Band, Joni Mitchell created never to be forgotton treasured moments under the iconic twin towers. I was there. There were special standout moments – Neil Young was captivating, Joni took your breath away as her voice soared around the stadium backed by the jazz tones of the L.A.Express. Please enjoy my reminiscences of a wonderful unrepeatable day – is it really fifty years ago?
John Thomas Atherton – Surviving the Tragedy of War
I recall as a child a photo of a man in uniform, enclosed in a plastic art deco frame on the sideboard at my grandparents’ house. It never occurred to me that it was my grandfather, despite seeing it on every visit. Later I assumed it was his brother Alan who we will meet shortly. It was only decades later, after my father died, that I found this photo in my father’s possessions. Studying it with more interest than the young child I was back then, I could discover from the uniform the role my grandfather played in WW2. Let us see.
Musical Reflections: Uncovering the Stories Behind My Vinyl Collection
Today, as I listen to the Bruce Springsteen ‘River’ album, I am wondering what it is that shapes our love of music and particularly a genre that we seem to stay with for life. To be fair I did come to Springsteen a little later in life although the seeds were already there for him to step into my collection. My reason for starting this journey through my past, to paraphrase Neil Young, was my father’s vinyl collection. My father died recently, and he left a vast collection of vinyl including 78’s which I suppose are technically shellac. His CD collection was even more extensive, but it was the vinyl that fascinated me.
French Travel Books - France, Paris, Provence & French Food & Wine 