Bøger af Lowell Tarling

I started writing poems when I was 16 and continued to do so all my life. Some even got published. They were okay. Then, along came Robert Wolfgramm. Robert found expression for my 'poetry' by turning them into song-poems, which is where this little book begins. Robert himself wrote both words and music, but he wrote more music than words. From the 1980s on, I wrote for other musicians too. Nothing formal. They'd pick up the book of words that lay around my study. 'Can I borrow these?' they'd ask. And they'd pick through the lyrics and come back with a song or two. Maybe you will too? After all, it's a songbook of sorts. In those days, people - generous people, people like my friend Clayton after slightly too much wine - occasionally described me as a 'poet'. I found that really awkward. I thought 'song-poet' was better. 'Poet' brings to mind 'real' poets. A flick through this book tells you I'm not one of those. There's nothing highfalutin about being a song-poet, it's not an elevated title. A tunesmith may treat my rhymes like works-in-progress. My words are seldom delicate. Ran widdershins in his brain, there's no widdershins here. Wrapped up in earth's diurnal course, there's no diurnals here. Sometimes the musicians finish off my lyrics. Other times, they tweak them. And, on a few occasions, my words are completely turned on their ear so the message of the song is nothing as intended when scrawled in my notebook, late that night. One consistent problem throughout the years is that I can't convincingly perform my co-written songs. Partly because, (1) I'm a crook singer, and, (2) there are too many tricky chords. Look at this from Robert - G13-9 leading to an A Flat. I don't even enjoy playing A Flat! So how am I supposed to cope with G13-9? Then one day, when asked to perform at the Blue Mountains Music Festival, I thought - never mind the G13-9s, never mind the music. And especially drop the G-C-D7 bounce, that I do enjoy strumming. Never mind all that, I'll just read the words." Lowell Tarling

Lowell Tarling recorded Martin Sharp's life, and his effect on his friends, over twenty years. Now two volumes in one, in advance of the film of these books - GHOST TRAIN...Sharp: The Road to Abraxas - Part One, 1942-1979Sharper: Bringing It All Back Home - Part Two, 1980-2013'Like the Ancient Mariner, it's also a ghastly tale. I could understand the events at Luna Park a bit. I was trying to understand them and then suddenly there was this poetic language working to say: this is a crucifixion, Golgotha, death by fire. And then it starts to fit into Apocalyptic vision. It was Abraxas if you like - the dark face and the light face. To look upon Abraxas is blindness. To know it is sickness. To worship it is death. To fear it is wisdom. To assist it not is redemption. I don't know what it means. I've never been able to work it out. You get a Pop Art Parallel. It was the Year of the Child, the place of Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, and the Ghost Train. You then get these events that are caused by plotting, not caring for kids, carelessness, living a human life - the way of the world.' - Martin Sharp, 4 March 1984

The first and best biography of the great Troubadour with artwork by Martin Sharp.Throughout his lifetime, Tiny Tim was a repository of recorded music stemming from the early days of vaudeville to the latest chart favourites. But despite all these influences he remained a true original perfecting his performances as an outreach of his personality. True, he had some strange traits, but they did not impede on his enthusiastic kindness to people he loved, to the musicians he accompanied, and to the many listeners he met. In the age of celebrity, he functioned as the complete entertainer. Lowell Tarling has provided Tiny with a living biography and given us a definitive incentive to re-listen to his recording and re-visit his numerous You Tube postings. You get the feeling that somewhere Tiny is standing on his tiptoes, strumming his ukulele, blowing kisses and saying, 'God bless you all!' - Hal Stein, (Tiny's cousin and close friend) April 2013

Throughout his lifetime, Tiny Tim was a repository of recorded music stemming from the early days of vaudeville to the latest chart favorites. But despite all these influences he remained a true original perfecting his performances as an outreach of his personality. True, he had some strange traits, but they did not impede on his enthusiastic kindness to people he loved, to the musicians he accompanied, and to the many listeners he met. In the age of celebrity, he functioned as the complete entertainer. Lowell Tarling has provided Tiny with a living biography and given us a definitive incentive to re-listen to his recording and re-visit his numerous You Tube postings. You get the feeling that somewhere Tiny is standing on his tiptoes, strumming his ukulele, blowing kisses and saying, 'God bless you all'! Hal Stein, (Tiny's cousin and close friend) April 2013

Galilee is a Gospel music label started in 1978 and active until 1982, when all the key players were Christians (more or less). Now, three of the four believe in something else, leaving record producer, songwriter, lecturer in Rock, and Bible translator, Robert Wolfgramm as the only true believer. Such is their respect for Robert and the Gospel years that Sally Hilder, Genna Levitch and Lowell Tarling have re-joined Robert and re-formed Galilee. They have re-released all three Galilee records and written this book. Galilee songs go into unusual territory. All My Friends Are Sinners and Refugee are 'moody' albums. Not happy-clapping. More like the blue note resonating from the Psalms of David. After which comes Persecution Games - unusual territory indeed. Welcome to the crucifixion.

Galilee is a Gospel music label started in 1978 and active until 1982, when all the key players were Christians (more or less). Now, three of the four believe in something else, leaving record producer, songwriter, lecturer in Rock, and Bible translator, Robert Wolfgramm as the only true believer. Such is their respect for Robert and the Gospel years that Sally Hilder, Genna Levitch and Lowell Tarling have re-joined Robert and re-formed Galilee. They have re-released all three Galilee records and written this book.Galilee songs go into unusual territory. All My Friends Are Sinners and Refugee are 'moody' albums. Not happy-clapping. More like the blue note resonating from the Psalms of David. After which comes Persecution Games - unusual territory indeed. Welcome to the crucifixion.