Organ thing of the day, a new relaase, a single or whatever people release these days, a track from her most recent album, a rather beautiful cover of a Van Der Graaf Generator song, and she has done it rather well, wonderful version. We’ve not heard from or indeed covered Katy for quite a long time, there was a time when we regularly covered her in print and played her on the radio, saw this pass by this morning on a social media feed, good to see she’s still out there and especially good to here this rather beauitfully stripped back version of Afterwards, an almost perfect Thing of The Day today.
“Katy Carr releases the single song ‘Afterwards’ from her 6th studio album Providence (2020) which ends a trilogy about the Polish experience in WWII – PASSPORT – POLONIA – PROVIDENCE. Written by Peter Hammill of Van Der Graaf Generator for their debut album ‘The Aerosol Grey Machine’, Carr was inspired to record the song with cellist and arranger Rupert Gillett, ‘I was moved to record Afterwards as a tribute to my Polish mother RIP (1947-2018). The third anniversary of her death is on 12th March 2021. The lyrics and music are so poignant and every time I sing the song it brings a tear to my eyes. I see my mum lying on her death bed with stage four cancer and Peter’s lyrics just shine through. They are the light in my darkness of grief for the death of my mother…. ‘The world’s too lonely for a message to slip but between the dying rails of peace, you trip….’
★PETER HAMMILL QUOTE★ Katy has formed a penpal friendship over lockdown with her songwriting hero Hammill who has quoted “I particularly like the way Katy has somehow returned the song to its original Folk roots.”
We’ll be along with a review of Peter Hammill’s new album of covers in a moment, maybe on Monday? Still digesting it, it might be an album of covers but it is classic Hammill, more details here –
ORGAN THING: Peter Hammill is set to release his first ever covers album…
ORGAN THING: Peter Hammill’s In Translation, the sleeve notes and release date for the new album…
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