David McWilliams
Belfast gave us the visionary songsmith David McWilliams. In 1965 David formed the Coral Showband, named after Buddy Holly’s record label. A year later Phil Solomon set up his ‘Major Minor’ label and David joined after a one off single for CBS entitled “God and My Country”. Phil Solomon started out leasing recordings of artists he managed to ‘Decca’ which included The Bachelors, Twinkle, and Them. David’s unique folk expression would often make use of reverb electric guitar, jazz drumming and a taste of traditional Irish.
David’s 1967 debut single release “Days of Pearly Spencer” / “Harlem Lady” with it’s distorted vocals through the use of a megaphone remains one of the most infectious singles to challenge the British. The equally impressive follow-up “Three o’clock Flamingo Street” found little strength, probably due to him never performing live. David is truly a masterful songsmith with a tone likened to the misty breath of God that sweeps those bog hills of Eire daily. Even his reverberating “Hiroshima” carries a penetrating truth and shiver that holds itself hours later.
The media quoted ‘This boy is going to be around for a long time’, while pop expert Penny Valentine claimed in ‘Disc & Music’ Echo – ‘Put this record on your player and you will understand the raving’. Although it didn’t chart in England the fading transmission of ‘Radio Caroline’ allowed “Days Of Pearly Spencer” to gaze far deeper than through misted windows, reaching # 1 France ,#10 Holland, Finland and Belgium. In 1992 Marc Almond took “Days of Pearly Spencer” back into the charts. David would dwell on the aspect of love as portrayed in the compositions “For Josephine”, “Marlena”, and “Lady Helen of the laughing Eyes”. After David’s comeback performance alongside Peter Sarstedt’s guitarist Tim Hollier he attained blissful actualization on the 1972 Dawn compilation spearheading “Lord Offaly”, the anti – King Henry title track.
Added: February 23rd 2008
Reviewer: Shiloh Noone | See all reviews by Shiloh Noone
Category: Music
Location: South Africa
Related Link: Seekers Guide To The Rhythm Of Yesteryear