First track on my new album 'Star Over Bethlehem'.

The Prophecy

Recorded live in the rehearsal room in 2016. Contained as a bonus track on the 'Grow Old With Me' single released to celebrate what would have been John Lennon's 80th birthday in 2020. Free download here: https://thisisblake.bandcamp.com/album/grow-old-with-me-single

Blake - vocals, acoustic guitar
Dominic Brown - keyboards
Joe Brown - bass, vocals
Paul Kench - slide guitar
Chris Scrivens - drums

Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)

For Mohammed (9), Ahed (10), Zakaria (10) and Ismail Bakr (11) murdered on a beach in Gaza on 16th July 2014 as they played football.

We'll Be Champions

Go get the ball we can play by the harbour wall, quickly
Take turns in goal you can be Ronaldo, I’ll be Messi
Pass it to me, pass it over I’m free, put a cross in
Do you know what it means to be part of a team, it’s belonging

And I hope when we grow up we’ll be champions
And I hope when we grow up we’ll be free

Playing games on the sand but we don’t understand what the rules are
Because we never knew they would target us too, we’re just children
Take a penalty shot, do you think we can stop them from scoring
Just look at us run little shapes in the sun now we’re soaring

And I hope when we grow up we’ll be champions
And I hope when we grow up we’ll be free


Words and music by Joe Brown and Julian Pugsley copyright Rockhopper Records 2014

We'll Be Champions

Featuring Joe Brown on bass, Paul Kench on lead guitar and Chris Scrivens on drums.

I Want You (Bob Dylan cover)

Run through of Status Quo's 'Pictures of Matchstick Men' in the rehearsal room.
Blake - vocals, electric guitar
Paul Kench - electric guitar
Joe Brown - bass, backing vocals
Hugh Lyford - drums

Pictures Of Matchstick Men

My version of Ryan Adams' wonderful song. Licenced via Limelight. Personnel: Blake - vocals, acoustic guitars, drums; Amy Evans - vocals, piano; Helen Bousfield - bass.

When The Stars Go Blue

Blake: vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums. Licensed via Limelight. This is one of my favourite songs of all time. Written by Danny Kirwan of Fleetwood Mac, it was released as a single in March 1971 - the month and year I was born. It is based on a poem by W.H. Davies called 'The Dragonfly'. It's a beautiful song and its delicate structure, and shimmering guitar sounds, cleverly reflect its subject matter. Written in a minor key, the song's poignant atmosphere evokes the sweet but short life of the dragonfly. "It was a fleeting visit all too brief, in three short minutes he had been and gone". What makes the song doubly poignant now is that it could have been written about Kirwan himself, given his brief but brilliant music career, in which he wrote some beautiful songs and played some amazing guitar. Danny was fired from Fleetwood Mac in 1972 following a drunken outburst prior to a gig where he smashed up his Les Paul and refused to go on stage. Although he wrote some fine songs in a brief solo career that followed, Kirwan faced increasing mental health problems and retired from the music business in 1979. His current whereabouts is unknown but there have been rumours that he is now an alcoholic living in a hostel for the homeless in London. I recorded this song as a tribute to him and I am hoping that he will receive the licensing fee. Hopefully the royalties from the many excellent songs he recorded with Fleetwood Mac and in his solo career are finding their way to him, also. On my 2007 album, 'Carruthers Gets Bashed', I recorded one of my own compositions, a song called 'Man Of 1000 Years', dedicated to Danny, with lyrics taken from some of his song titles. Hopefully, people who hear and enjoy my cover version of 'Dragonfly' will be encouraged to find the (far superior!) original version and the many other great songs this man wrote. Were we "worthy of so fine a guest?" God bless you, Danny.

Dragonfly

Rehearsal performance of John Lennon's 'Woman'. Available as a bonus track on the Grow Old With Me single: https://thisisblake.bandcamp.com/album/grow-old-with-me-single

Featuring:
Dominic Brown - keyboards
Joe Brown - bass and backing vocals
Paul Kench - electric guitar
Chris Scrivens - drums

Woman

Cover of Julie Miller's 'All My Tears'. Recorded live with The Bearfield Commune:
Amy Jarvis - vocals
Blake - vocals and acoustic guitar
Richard Bousfield - lead guitar
Helen Bousfield - bass
Paul Robertson - drums

'The First Snow' is available as a free download on Bandcamp: https://thisisblake.bandcamp.com/album/the-first-snow

All My Tears (live)

Taken from forthcoming album, Louder Than Sound, released 27th October 2024.

The limited edition CD from Subjangle is available for early pre-order here as part of a 4CD offer: https://subjangle.bandcamp.com/album/4cd-offer-october-24-25-off-pay-1-shipping

Use '4cdoct' at checkout BEFORE 01 Oct 2024 to claim a 25% discount.

https://www.thisisblake.com

Coming In From The Cold (Rough Mix)

This is the demo for 'Blue Star' which appeared on my 2022 album, 'The Book On Love': https://thisisblake.bandcamp.com/track/blue-star
The song was written by my friend Richard Bousfield.

Blue Star (Demo)

A home recording of a song featured on my forthcoming album, 'Louder Than Sound'. This is the demo, essentially, although elements of it were used in the studio version. Sharks is about people who rip you off.

‘Louder Than Sound’ is released on 27th October. Pre-save is available from your favourite music service here: https://ffm.to/8f32c43372d34a29b1e1d157517802fe

A limited edition CD version is available for order from Subjangle now using this offer: https://subjangle.bandcamp.com/album/4cd-offer-october-24-25-off-pay-1-shipping

Sharks (Home Recording)

A demo of a song I wrote for John Lennon and included as bonus track on my latest album, Louder Than Sound, available from Bandcamp: https://thisisblake.bandcamp.com/album/louder-than-sound

A Heart Play

See the boy who sleeps right through the day
He’s the boy who knows he’s lost his way
Takes his pills and goes back out to play

See the girl with the seashell eyes
She’s the girl who’ll take him by surprise
She’s the one who’ll see right through his lies

Going their way
One day at a day
A heart play

She’s the one who gives him a fresh start
She’s a woman with a faithful heart
She’s the one whose world will fall apart

He’s the boy who has to bare his soul
He’s the boy who lives for rock n roll
She’s the girl who has to let him go

Singing their way
Until the last day
A heart play

He’s a man who has it all to do
He’s someone who tried to make it through
They’re the boys whose dad they barely knew

We’re the people living in the past
We’re the ones obsessing with the cast
He’s the one whose voice will always last

Taken away
A life in a day
A heart play

Imagine a way
We live for today
A heart play

Words and music copyright Julian Pugsley 2024 All Rights Reserved

A Heart Play (demo)

For record collectors everywhere.
Free high quality download here: https://thisisblake.bandcamp.com/track/vinyl-junkie-4

Vinyl Junkie 

I don’t buy mp3s I’m in love with vinyl 
It’s not snobbery it’s about survival 
I’ve got a steady hand when I drop the needle 
Collecting lots of bands especially The Beatles 

I got a long way to go but I know that I’ll never reach the end 
And my collection’s not complete and I’m becoming obsolete 
can I amend my ways? 

Got an enquiring mind, I examine labels 
Know what I want to find leaning over the table 
At the record fair, at the vintage clothes store 
You’ll always find me there trying to find a new score 

I got a long way to go but I know that I’ll never reach the end 
And my condition’s down as used my inner sleeve has been abused can I amend my ways? 

I see it as my goal to find the rarest pressings 
Something I can’t control spent too long obsessing 
But it’s my pension plan and it’s appreciating 
So can you dig it man my ears have got mint rating 

I got a long way to go but I know that I’ll never reach the end 
And now my record’s getting stuck and I believe I’m in a rut can I amend my ways? 

La la la la la I’m a vinyl junkie 
I got to get my fix I’m a vinyl junkie 
I got to get my hit I’m a vinyl junkie

Vinyl Junkie

From forthcoming album, 'Jubilee', due for release in December 2016. Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-7H4yYTJsE
www.thisisblake.com

Going Back To Liverpool

Taken from my album 'By the Banks of the A350': https://thisisblake.bandcamp.com/album/by-the-banks-of-the-a350

Falling 

I've been climbing up the walls 
I've been feeling two foot small 
I've been down upon my knees 
I've been drowning in your seas 
I've been walking in the park 
I've been sleeping til it’s dark 
I've been writing you a song 
I've been waiting here too long 

I climbed up tried to see 
I climbed up but now I'm falling 

Like a room without a door 
Like a song without a score 
Like a boat upon the sand 
Like a gig without a band 
Like a tree without a bird 
Like a letter without words 
Like a race without a start 
Like a man without a heart 

I climbed up tried to see 
I climbed up but now I'm falling

Words and music by Julian Pugsley
Copyright Rockhopper Records 2007
http://www.thisisblake.com/

By The Banks of the A350

Falling

From the album, 'Vinyl Junkie': http://bit.ly/2Duv9ou

Mr Dawkins

Taken from '1971' released 8th June 2020: https://thisisblake.bandcamp.com/album/1971

For Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson

Over and Over Again

Don’t know why the things you do
Are so bizarre ain’t got a clue
Don’t know why the things you say
Are bent and twisted come what may

But over and over and over and over
And over and over and over and over again
I hear it
Over and over and over and over
And over and over and over and over again

You smile and you joke along
But underneath there’s something wrong
You just can’t hide what’s true
There’s something dark inside of you

Cos over and over and over and over
And over and over and over and over again
I hear it
Over and over and over and over
And over and over and over and over again

It takes a special type to cause such pain and take delight
It takes a special brain to tell yourself you’re not insane
It takes a parasite to welcome and believe the hype
And do it over and over again

I wonder what it’s like to see the world as black and white
With profit in your veins to you the world is just a game
Can’t ever get it right but never turn to see the light
Just do it over and over again

You look me in the eyes
But everything you say is lies
I’d say I pity you
Buy you know well the things you do

It’s over and over and over and over
And over and over and over and over again
I hear it
Over and over and over and over
And over and over and over and over again

Don’t know why the things you do
Are so bizarre ain’t got a clue
Don’t know why the things you say
Are bent and twisted come what may

But over and over and over and over
And over and over and over and over again
I hear it
Over and over and over and over
And over and over and over and over again

It’s over and over and over and over
And over and over and over
It’s over and over and over and over
And over and over and over
It’s over and over and over and over
And over and over and over and over again

Words and music by Julian Pugsley
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

1971

Over And Over Again

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from the UK. https://thisisblake.bandcamp.com/
Sign up to my mailing list and receive a free download of my song 'Vinyl Junkie': http://eepurl.com/dRKxb

Blake

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