Beyond The BCB 130 - Jackie Leven

[Jimbly]

I only wish I had the time to do full justice to Jackie Leven and his myriad works.

I first saw Jackie when he was the main man in Doll by Doll. They were supporting of all people John Otway. I loved Otway who had just split again Wild Willy Barrett and was touring their second album Deep and Meaningless. I was still at school, innocent and not worldy wise.

I hated Doll by Doll, they just seemed to rub me up the wrong way, even just the way they stood on stage. Hated it. They finished their set with the last track of their first album Remember called The Palace of Love.



As the song went into its climax strobe lights were flashing and it was quite a sight watching this bunch of very scary men making this racket. Still hated them though. Otway was a great laugh, but I cant really remember much about him.

Next I saw Hawkwind on their 1979 tour and Doll by Doll were the support, again I hated them and so did most of the audience, they didnt care and again they finished with The Palace Of Love and the strobe light effect was very powerful.

and then nothing, they moved record label and failed to make any real impact. John Peel hated them which didnt help and they gradually split with the last Doll by Doll album being a Jackie solo album in all but name.

Before I move onto Jackie solo i'll post a few other DBD songs.



when they released Main Travelled Roads as a single they were contacted by the publisher of The Twelfth of Never about the fact that they had ripped off their tune. When that the melody was from an old Scottish folk song they quietly withdrew and Jackie threatened to sue them.



The last song on the last Doll by Doll album not sung by Jackie, everybody i've played this to has hated it which makes me love it all the more. I have had it as a quote on my signature since Jackie passed away.

Now Jackie went solo after a few attempts at getting bands together with various people, Glen Matlock for one. He signed a solo deal and started recording when walking home he was attacked and given a severe beating, leaving him with no speaking voice let alone a singing voice. Depression lead to drug abuse and addiction and then rehab and setting up of a charity to help addicts with all manner of addiction, The Core Trust. http://www.wdp.org.uk/find-us/core-trust

Jackie eventually got his voice back but without the range he previously had. He started recording again and released records which I saw in the racks but didn't really click who it was and even if I did, I hated his last band so why bother.

I bought an issue of Uncut and played the cd, something I didnt normally do. This was on it.



Instant Love, obsession started and I started getting as much of Jackie's stuff as I could.


Im sure we've all had artists that just seem to be just for you. Jackie was mine. Not long after my Mum died he released an album Elegy For Johnny Cash which had a poem put to music, which Jackie did to great effect many times. In Memory Of My Mother, it brought back so much about my Mum, she was very devout like the Mother in the poem, and it was set in Monaghan in Ireland which my Mum loved as well. so that was a wee moment.



Another was when I was little I watched the movie Exodus with my Grandpa, the films crap but the theme tune was wonderful and was stuck in my head for years. I got a copy of Forbidden Songs of The Dying West, the song Leven's Lament used the theme in the chorus. Another connection.




He was always the nearly man, worked with many heavyweight musicians, Dave Gilmour played on a few of his albums, as did Mike Scott, Edie Reader, David Thomas, Ron Sexsmith and many others, big producers as well but that break through never happened and he seemed happy enough with his lot, put out a record every six months or so either under his own name or Sir Vincent Lone or through mail order.

He came up with this scheme that you signed up for an album, paid in advance and he would send you your own personal copy plus a hand written lyric or poem. Of course time passes and no album. So I send him a letter, moaning about no cd and that while on holiday in Canada visting my brother, who was playing in a club that night. The guy on the door had a Jackie Leven tshirt opn, turned out he had played on a few of Jackie's album before moving to Canada. So told this all to Jackie who wrote me a letter back about playing in Glasgow with Doll By Doll and about his Canadian bound ex band member, which I have framed on my wall.

He also toured constantly, and would be in this general area every six months at differing venues. So although he was never a friend he would say hello and have a quick chat. I did catch him out when I asked him to sign a cd for a friend, sure whats his name. "Teabag" said I, only time I saw him speechless.

When I was approaching my 50th, my wife and son got in touch with his agent about a gig, however the conditions, fee etc were too much and it wasn't followed up. Sadly Jackie died two weeks before my birthday, so it wouldnt have gone ahead.

In the end he was said to be frustrated that he had written all these wonderful songs ( his own words) and that they would be lost in time, so I hope that at least one of you will discover Jackie and become a fan.

As well as a great songwriter Jackie was a major storyteller and bullshitter, in fact his name wasn't even Jackie Leven, his name was Allan Moffat. I have probably missed out lots of stuff and if I wrote this tomorrow would be completely different but this is where it ends, as Jackie used to end his gigs with although he said he wasnt a christian "God Bless that Man, God Bless Us All"

I'll stop with one of Jackie's stories called Sting's Dead

[Carlisle Wheeling]

Nice write-up Jeemo.

I knew nothing of Doll By Doll but picked up Forbidden Songs Of The Dying west after hearing The Sexual Loneliness of Jesus Christ on an Uncut CD. Very distinctive and clearly a quality artist. I've since picked up The Wanderer, Night Lilies, Fairy Tales For Hard Men and Creatures of Light and Darkness; all highly recommended. My favourite track has to be... Working Alone-A Blessing
Still gives me shivers down the spine.



I need to check out Doll By Doll.

[...]

One of only a handful or artists I've gotten into on the back of one of those free magazine mounted CDs (Daniel Johnston being the only other one I can think of right now). Sadly only did so a matter of weeks before he died so never got to see him live

Whilst he's a fine singer and songwriter, I think the problem with JL is that presumably his economic straits were less than stellar and he had to keep producing stuff to make a living. As a result, there seems to be just too much of his work to know where start. (For me it was Oh What A Blow That Phantom Dealt Me which is I suppose as good a place as any)

Seem to recall The Word did a pretty good JL primer just after he died plus an interview in which his wife joked if you asked Jackie to paint a fence post you'd arrive home to find he'd written a song about painting a fence post.

Still a great artist and well worth investigating

[never/ever]

Nice write-up Jeemo.

I knew nothing of Doll By Doll but picked up Forbidden Songs Of The Dying west after hearing The Sexual Loneliness of Jesus Christ on an Uncut CD. Very distinctive and clearly a quality artist. I've since picked up The Wanderer, Night Lilies, Fairy Tales For Hard Men and Creatures of Light and Darkness; all highly recommended. My favourite track has to be... Working Alone-A Blessing
Still gives me shivers down the spine.



I need to check out Doll By Doll.

This track is currently up in one of this round's draws of the Prog Cup- and a welcome re-introduction to his work.

[Rayge]

Bumped because I missed it last time round and will get back once I've finished harvesting more Beyond threads