As befits a radio station, this performance at the Royal Albert Hall was never broadcast for TV so we only have sound…but what sound!
Addio Sogni Di Gloria was chosen as your favourite Alfie Boe song in 2015 (not even making the top ten this time around) and the second song, Chitarra Romana was also from the album Alfie was promoting at that time, Serenata.
Serenata is available here, if you don’t yet have it:
Thanks as ever to Linda W for sharing (listen at the beginning and you can hear a few shouts of “Go on Alfie” from Linda).
Sunflower Jam was a concert at the Royal Albert Hall to raise money for a charity of the same name, raising funds for and awareness of an integrated approach to cancer treatments. Featuring an enviable line up including Brian May, Alice Cooper, Kerry Ellis, Ian Paice, Steve Balsamo and Rick Wakeman, the concert also featured a few musicians who went on to tour with Alfie on the Storyteller tour.
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…The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore at Joe’s Pub, NYC:
Now there are many songs I could have chosen from this concert (the whole thing is available on YouTube) but I chose this one as it is the one and only song that my son has on his playlist…and you know he’s had a LOT of exposure to Alfie’s songs!
This is from Storyteller and here is Alfie to tell us about the story behind the song:
…Jimi Hendrix’s Angel at Carfest North (thanks to Jayne for sharing):
This was one of my favourite songs from the Storyteller tour earlier that year, even though I had never come across it before. Yet another example of Alfie introducing me to new genres of music. Angel was written and recorded by Hendrix in the mid sixties but not recorded with a view to release until The Cry of Love was released posthumously in 1971.
For those of us who attended those Carfest gigs, it was fabulous and so refreshing to see Alfie in his rocking out element, holding the festival audience in the palm of his hand. Hoping we get to see that side of Alfie again in the future.
Angel is available as a bonus track on the US version of Storyteller:
Just as awesome as the original, available here on The Cry of Love:
… his new, original song, Against the Tide, at the final date of his mini summer tour, Leeds Millennium Square:
Prior to writing this, I hadn’t listened to the song for a while and yet again, I’m reminded how much I love it. Judging by the way he has the audience singing away by the end, I’m not alone in this opinion. Wouldn’t it be great if he recorded it one day, although with the next album being the Michael Ball collaboration, I fear we won’t hear a recorded version just yet. By the way, even if you’re not a fan of this particular song, I’m confident there’s plenty in the video to keep everyone happy.
I fell in love with Alfie’s interpretation of the Rolling Stones’ song the first time I heard it and was thrilled to find it on his Storyteller album. I was less thrilled to find it was no longer part of the Storyteller repertoire by the time the tour came to its last week – but I can’t grumble, that tour was amazing from start to finish.
I’ve written before about how Alfie has introduced me to other music and Angie is another example of this. Although I’d been listening to the Stones for years, courtesy of my elder sister, Angie had somehow passed me by and I looked it up after hearing Alfie’s version. So glad I did, (Wild Horses knocks spots off it though:
…in the pouring rain in Trafalgar Square for the St. George’s Day celebrations:
This is Nikki Lewis’ video and it’s her birthday today so – thank you and Happy Birthday Nikki!
Of course, back in 2011, Alfie had not performed this song in public that much – he was at the beginning of his Bring Him Home journey. He would go on to perform this song many, many times – must be in the hundreds by now – and over the time, it’s interesting to see how his interpretation has changed. Here is his last concert performance at Leeds in 2015 (thanks to Linda W):
Beautiful – I confess a liking for the simple, pared down version of 2015 and I’m also quite partial to Alfie’s look these days!
A few weeks ago I asked you to tell me what Bring Him Home means to you and you duly obliged – thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. These are just a few of the comments:
Carole N: To me Bring Him Home will always be Alfie. I have listened to many versions and no one brings so much emotion to the song,i still cry when I listen to it!
Jo Cassidy: Bring Him Home is the quiet strength in the midst of noisy, busy battle scenes. It is the realisation that when things are outside our control we can hand them over to God and leave them in his strength, and the humility to know that others’ lives may be more important than our own. It is quite simply the most beautiful song that I know.
Linda Gleason: First of all it’s a prayer of supplication and it’s usually the song I run to put on my CD player when I’m really down. That it’s Alfie’s song” lightens my heart and I say the words as he sings them. My soul is healed, and I can go on.
Kathryn Frankenberger: Bring Him Home was simply the magical door that opened my ears and heart to Alfie. I’ll never be able to thank my husband enough for showing me the O2 concert on the DVD he promptly bought after hearing Alfie. I was on a trip at the time and would never have known about Alfie’s genius if not for my sweet hubby.
Thank you ladies for sharing your thoughts with us.
…God Give Me Strength on the Alan Titchmarsh show:
This was part of the promotion for Alfie Boe the actor (Mr Selfridge was airing at the time) and Trust as well, which had been released the previous November and was still doing well at that point.
God Give Me Strength was the result of the collaboration between Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello and until Trust was released, I’d never heard it before. Written for the 1996 film, Grace of My Heart, here they are:
Notable for the performance of Burt Bacharach, I’m sure you’ll agree!
…Drift Away at Clumber Park. Another staple of the 2012 tour that also made it to the American tours of 2012/2013, we haven’t heard it for a while, hence the nostalgia trip (thanks Linda for sharing):
Is this a song you’d like to hear again? Don’t forget to tell me below:
…Hotel California at Lytham Proms. Accompanied by the sublime Al Vosper, of the Illegal Eagles, this is a lovely rendition of the Eagles classic:
Thanks to Linda W for sharing the video, I particularly like the title of ‘Hotel California’ plus talk – there is a lot of chat here it’s true…and a lot of ‘I Love You Alfie’ from the fans. Nothing much changes with that!
Hotel California was a staple of the Alfie Boe summer 2012 tour, along with Desperado. It seemed to have been of it’s time though and we haven’t heard it in the UK since. Maybe Alfie will revisit one day – the man has a huge back catalogue of music to choose from it must be said! If there’s anything you would like Alfie to sing next time he tours, let me know in the box below:
