Things beginning to move (at last!)  current plans are to get some recording done - including a selection of acapella songs.  

Here's the hard bit, but here goes.  I've sung from an early age, school choirs, operatic societies - my music teacher told me singing rock would ruin my voice!  After leaving the Royal Navy in 1984 I started my first real band, the Flaming Yellow Cortinas, we used to play 3 or 4 times a year, learn 28 new songs have 3 practices and do it - music by the seat of your pants! Next up was the Dry Stane Dykers, where for all you musos out there I replaced Willie Davidson.  With children arriving I took some time out and then returned in Roxx where I stayed for a couple of years before that came to its natural conclusion.  After a long spell of not being in a band a friend of mine who was also friendly with Alex Wilson suggested I try out for Iron Claw, so did that and replaced Willie Davidson.  The music for the album "A Different Game" had all been recorded and I was given the opportunity to write some lyrics, 10 of the songs on that album have mine.  The way I approached it was to immerse myself in the tunes and see what they brought to mind, hopefully when you listen to the lyrics you'll get where I was coming from.   The album, is in my opinion full of some really great work,  musically I think it does what it says on the tin, heavy rock with a blues flavour, some of the guitar work from Jim Ronnie is amazing, but the pairing of Alex Wilson and Ian McDougall was really quite special, I wish them well with whatever their futures hold.  However, Iron Claw was not for me, the music I err towards is more a mixture of the bands I grew up listening to giving a mixture of British Blues, Southern Boogie and Chicago Blues with a hint of bluegrass chucked in for good measure.

Hope you enjoy the songs I've listed, your comments will be appreciated.  Some of the early recording were done with a mic suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the hall, but I think you'll get the idea even with the poor sound quality.  There are more to come as I track them down, one in particular is really (in my opinion!) very good and I'm looking forward to putting it up, if the cassette tape it's on hold out! 

A new band is now in the final stages of formation, all seasoned musicians, I think it's going to be fun - because at the end of the day, if it ain't fun, don't do it.  

A nice little review in today 10/2/11  -  IRON CLAW ‘A DIFFERENT GAME’ (RIPPLE MUSIC/USA IMPORT)

What if… that is a question you sometimes ask yourself if a certain band had a lucky break sometime in the past and would have become a major act later on. Sadly this never was the case with the short-lived late 60s/early 70s Scottish band IRON CLAW. This band was one of many local bands active over 40 years ago, but never managed to release anything official and after their split in 1974 nobody would have believed that around 2009 they would release their first official CD and now in 2011 release a new album with all-new material. 3 original members joined forces with a local singer called GORDON BROWN and the result is quite impressive. If you have a great singer in your line-up you’re halfway down the road and guess what, this GORDON BROWN is a fantastic typical Classic UK Bluesy Hard rock type of singer, kinda singing in the style of JIMMY BARNES, the NAZARETH singer (Dan McCafferty), PAUL RODGERS and even some ROD STEWART, so with a whiskey ish raw edge to it, which really rocks! Besides, instrumental the band sounds pretty good, with some great heavy guitarwork and all I can say is that the album ‘A different game’ is a very stunning Classic Hardrockalbum that sounds like FREE/CREAM/NAZARETH/LED ZEPPELIN/BAD COMPANY being fronted by JIMMY BARNES and with BLACK SABBATHish guitar riffs! Songs like “What Love Left”, “The Traveler”, the MANOWARish (!!!) “See them fall” and the superb ballad “It’s Easy” are easily a must-hear for any fan of Classic (Hard) Rock! Check out all info on this legendary band at: www.ripple-music.com

(Points: 8.2 out of 10)

Bill Lipka is following