Season 360 - Celebrating a Year of Music

Adventures in outdoor recording. I multi-tracked a little electric uke after I got back inside the house.

Desert Pavement said:

Com’n, I know there’s at least one person out there who isn’t ready to pack up the Christmas music yet!

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Oh go on then!
I think Steve did this one on Christmas Day itself.
EDIT: Just checked - it was actually Christmas Eve! Sorry Steve!

Oh my...this is still here? Was hoping it wouldn’t be because I can only sing it like I am in a audience...
But it is, so here ya go.
Warts and all.

Back in the mid-'80s, I was at the New England Folk Festival in Natick, Mass., and went to a session on "bawdy ladies' songs" by a group called Wild Rose. After their set, they asked the audience for any songs on the theme they knew. A woman sang this song, and it was better than any of the ones Wild Rose had played. A year later, this song was part of Wild Rose's set, and I bought it on a cassette they were selling. During the "politically incorrect" Season a couple months ago, I had trouble coming up with a song I really cared to do, and I finally thought of this song, but too late to find time to figure it out. Then Steve played this song that I thought was utterly obscure. I didn't even know who'd written it until Steve played it (Jake Thackray).

Really wanted to do a cover for this season as well, so here is the Hal David and Burt Bacharach hit 'Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head'. Playing my Godin MultiUke this time as I don't seem to use it enough. The vocals were recorded in one take but it took about 10 takes to get the playing right. Had to transpose the song one step down from F to Eb to fit my voice. Hope you like it.

So, Mads posted the same song while I was recording it just this afternoon...

Anyway, this is in a different key. I had to tranpose it all the way from F to C to fit my voice. And I still start out kind of off key.

I had been hoping to play something from the Sokolow Beatles tabs book that I recently purchased, but it turned out to be too difficult to learn in one week. So I turned to this song yesterday in stead, just to learn something before the theme was over.

Beg, steal or borrow: Beg your pardon to steal the song on Steve's borrowed uke

Whew. Finally got enough time. I was surprised that this classic wasn't on the playlist yet.

Coming in under the wire with an original song that I’ve been revising for months.

Steve did a great version of this ELO tune last January. Here's my I-wish-I-had-a-few-more-hours-to-practice version.

Just getting this one in with about 20 or so minutes of the season left. I can’t remember what number out of the 365 this one was, but its always been a favourite of mine. Peel used to play Eddie And The Hot Rods fairly regularly I seem to remember, before they had their success with this great song, which they released as The Rods, in 1977. They later split up but then reformed again as Eddie And The Hot Rods, which is a much better name I think. Sorry I couldn’t do more this season, but had to get 361 sorted

The 360th Season of the Ukulele is no closed. Short wrap in the next couple of days, after I have finished commenting.

Thanks everyone for your takes on some of Steve’s 365 songs. And thanks again to Steve for sharing his chord sheets, being a good sport about being the reason for the season, and for his work bringing lamps to Africa.

I have really enjoyed watching every one of this week's videos - and that's the reason I have only had time to do one myself. Hearing you fine people do these songs in your own way has been a lot of fun. It was especially pleasing to welcome two new Seasonistas to the fold - Jasmine & William - and to find out that it was my 365 song challenge which inspired Cazteclo to join in last year. The more the merrier.

Let's face it - if it hadn't been for the Seasons, my last year would never have happened. It was a couple of years of song hunting for the Seasons, and hearing great discoveries from the rest of you, which led to me having the chords for 300+ songs on my computer. And it was Alan Thornton's Season 285, where the theme changed each day, which had me recording every day for a week. So when an email arrived from SolarAid the following week, asking for fundraising ideas, the light bulb moment happened.

And I have to thank you all once again for the support over the last year, and the kind words that you have sent my way over the last week. All very much appreciated. And with the donations total climbing over the £2200 mark, this has gone far better than I ever hoped (that's about 540 families who will have a solar lamp). Amazing what a plastic uke can do.

Thank you everyone, and see you down the road marked "Seasons".

Hi Steve - interested to know:

a) Did the 365 challenge become a chore by the end or did you enjoy it all the way through?

b) Do you miss it?

DelGriff said:

Hi Steve - interested to know:

a) Did the 365 challenge become a chore by the end or did you enjoy it all the way through?

b) Do you miss it?

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No, a chore is something like hanging the washing out again after the rain has stopped. Doing a song every day just became part of the daily routine, but I always enjoyed it, even when the time was a bit on the short side. The only frustrating part was doing the uploads & blog updates from places where broadband didn't exist and phone reception was poor, but the uke playing bit was always OK.

And do I miss it...not at all! I am going back to songs I like to play, trying to remember how to remember them.

YorkSteve said:

the donations total climbing over the £2200 mark

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wow that is so great! :rock: