Dizzy Storm Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 The meeting and formation of Lucky Jim is an inspiring lesson in Things Going Right. Until their chance meeting, both Gordon Graham and Ben Townsend had been right through the music industry wringer. Their bands - The Lost Soul Band and Don, respectively ran the gamut of delayed albums, endless tours, and general maximum slog with minimal satisfaction.After their bands split, the two were ready to turn their backs on the mainstream industry for good. Edinburgh-born Gordon took some time off to go traveling with his acoustic guitar, eventually ending up honing new songs in the open mic scene of the East Village, NYC. Brighton boy Ben considered giving up music entirely and returning to snowboarding, which had been his life before becoming a pro musician; instead, he took up the offer of a free place on a music production technique course. And it was in the tatty seaside town that the two met, and Lucky Jim came about.Within a few days of choosing Brighton as his first stop-off on his return to the UK, Gordon booked a slot at the legendary (now defunct) Lift Club. After one drummer dropped out, on a recommendation he approached Ben. Unphased by this, and despite the fact that he hadn't played drums for 2 years, Ben agreed to do the gig. On the night, the vibe was good enough that they decided straight away to record together; within just a few months the album "Our Troubles End Tonight" was complete.There soon followed another lesson in Things Going Right when Skint Records, home of Fatboy Slim, X-Press 2, Freq Nasty and Dave Clarke, contacted Gordon and Ben and made an offer to release the album. Our Troubles End Tonight has an effortless feel - all the past struggles and time spent learning their craft have payed off for Gordon and Ben, and they have quite simply produced an album of glorious songs, beautifully arranged and produced.It's all about the songs. These are straightforward songs about the basic things like love, loss, longing and living, with all the emotional complexity those things imply...The music is full of hints of classic precedents - you may hear echoes of Neil Young, Lee Hazlewood, Nick Cave, Van Morrison, Serge Gainsbourg, Arthur Lee, Leonard Cohen, Brian Wilson, Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Ewan MacColl, Phil Spector and many others - but it is all done in such individual and modern style that the songs are far more than the sum of their influences.Lucky Jims debut single You Stole My Heart Away is released on XXX through Skint Records. Their debut album Our Troubles End Tonight was released on 29th March 2004, also through Skint Records. www.luckyjim.org MON 2ND AUGDOORS 8PM4with support from STEVE CRAWFORD (and band) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Storm Posted July 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 WonderfulListened to the album! Rather special and should prove to be a great night! If you like 'alt country/Americana,you should attend this gig!!!!!! I can't recomend it enough!!!!Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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