Colin Randall writes: Salut! Live wishes its growing body of readers a very happy new year.
I have chosen an appropriate song with which to mark the start of 2024. Dave Goulder's most memorable song among the many he has written is January Man, tracing man's journey from birth with each month representing a phase of life.
It is even more apt a choice given that Dave himself – a man with many strings to his bow; Wikipedia describes him a "singer, guitarist, dry stone wall builder, mountain climber, railway fireman, humorist, and composer" – was born on New Year's day. Happy 85th, Dave.
I hope he'll forgive me for choosing another singer's interpretation. Archie Fisher, born in the same year as Dave (1939) and an undisputed giant of Scottish folk, put his own mark on the song in the late 1960s.
The version I have selected is a live performance from 1969 but up in the loft, I found my old copy of the LP, Through the Recent Years (with Barbara), on which the song is the opening track.
Archie Fisher: image by Cindy Funk
Listening to it again now, I find it has largely survived thevpassage of so many years. That is not something that can said of every album first released in 1970.
I have treasured memories of Archie's work, solo or with Barbara Dickson or his sister Ray. This is a winning combination of great song and great artist.
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