James Yorkston – It’s Lovely to Be Heard

The book is an account of a series of tours over the last decade over which the author has if not exactly achieved fame and fortune, at least established himself as one of the finest songwriters plying his trade in the UK today.

The book is an account of a series of tours over the last decade over which the author has if not exactly achieved fame and fortune, at least established himself as one of the finest songwriters plying his trade in the UK today.
 
 
Before wittering on about this Record Store Day release, it’s probably worth a few words about James Yorkston’s book (which goes by the similar title – natch – It’s Lovely To Be Here – The Touring Diaries of a Scottish Gent). Not least since it’s no doubt easier to get hold of and just as rewarding. 
 
The book is an account of a series of tours over the last decade over which the author has if not exactly achieved fame and fortune, at least established himself as one of the finest songwriters plying his trade in the UK today. It’s an account of life on the road as a job, sometimes rewarding, often frustrating with gently amusing anecdote and intriguing detail mixed into the sense of the grind. Yorkston tells it with a weary honesty and curmudgeonly self-absorption which avoids drifting into self-importance. It seems a lot of the time that he feels that he ought to be appreciating it all a rather more but, you know, sod it, he’s knackered and there’s only so much time he can be ‘on‘… In short how most of us would be in a similar situation.
 
The 10” has Yorkston reading 5 short extracts over ambient acoustic and electronic backdrops from some of his familiar collaborators – Jon Hopkins, King Creosote (whose recent album together is a real treat), Adrian Crowley, the Big Eyes Family Players and David Jaycock. Though what precisely makes them the “saline friends” billed on the cover isn’t entirely clear. Sadly it’s probably a typo… Anyone familiar with the likes of “Woozy with Cider” will know that his spoken voice is one of those that you could listen to for hours on whatever subject – recalling the narration of your favourite 70s children‘s programmes. It also emphasises the self-deprecation that doesn’t always come through the text – softening the grumpiness and making it all the more engaging.
 
So the book’s a good read and essential for anyone that envies those they see on stage or feels they’re owed anything by them. The record could’ve been a curio, an artefact to listen to once and stash away. But the spare skill of the backing and the warmth make it one play over and again to ward off the darkness and doubt gathering at the door. Much like James Yorkston’s other records…
 
This article shared the driving in a battered rental car over from its home at www.soundsxp.com