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• Paul Brett spent most of the Sixties and Seventies as one of rock’s quintessential journeymen, a hired gun for the great and the good, one of the session guitarists of choice, as well as following that familiar trajectory from the Beat Boom onwards. He played in a host of Beat, Mod, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive outfits before finally creating his own band Paul Brett’s Sage in 1970, resulting in three albums for Pye/Dawn.
• In 1974, Paul discovered the delights of acoustic 12-string guitar and has spent the rest of his musical career proselytising the delights of the instrument, both via his many albums and via his own range of Vintage guitars. Initially, he released two self-funded albums before signing to RCA for four albums. Paul also recorded a TV-advertised album for K-Tel, Romantic Guitar.
• After taking time out in the 1980s, Paul returned to making music in the 1990s and has worked prolifically ever since, issuing a string of albums and EPs on his own label, the most recent of which was The Raven in 2020. Paul himself has contributed sleeve-notes to this long-overdue compilation.
• STONE SURVIVOR is the very first anthology of Paul’s multi-faceted musical output across the last half century or so. Included are rare tracks from the dawn of his career with budding beat/mod/psych bands The SW4, The Union and Tintern Abbey, as well as the historic debut 45 by The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown from 1967. Key tracks from a subsequent purple patch for Paul Brett’s Sage are also included, plus three rarities unissued at the time, followed by highlights from Paul’s multi-album tenures with the labels Bradley’s and RCA.
• Sandwiched between them are selections from two self-released mid-70s albums, when Paul switched to the 12-string guitar. Later choices are drawn from Paul’s many self-released solo albums from the nineties and noughties, always centred around his guitar prowess.
Tracklist
DISC ONE:
THE SW4
1. BO DIDDLEY *
2. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME
THE UNION
3. IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR *
4. SHAKE *
TINTERN ABBEY
5. HOW DO I FEEL TODAY
6. DO WHAT YOU MUST
THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN
7. DEVIL’S GRIP
8. GIVE HIM A FLOWER
ELMER GANTRY’S VELVET OPERA
9. VOLCANO
THE VELVET OPERA
10. STATESBORO BLUES
11. RAISE THE LIGHT
12. ANNA DANCE SQUARE
PAUL BRETT’S SAGE
13. 3D MONA LISA
14. TROPHIES OF WAR
15. THE TOWER
16. COTTAGE MADE FOR TWO
17. GOOD OLD FASHIONED FUNKY KIND OF MUSIC WINTER
18. WRITTEN IN WINTER
19. JUBILATION FOUNDRY
20. GIVE A LITTLE SOMETHING TO THE RAGMAN *
21. LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD *
22. ULYSSES THE TRAVELLER *
* previously unissuedPAUL BRETT
DISC TWO:
PAUL BRETT’S SAGE
1. TUESDAY EVENING
2. CUSTOM ANGEL MAN
3. CHARLENE
PAUL BRETT
4. THE ANT
5. HANDFUL OF RAIN
6. THE SPANISH MAIN
7. CLOCKS
8. SOHO JACK
9. EMPTY DREAMS AND FLYING MACHINES
10. STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER (Live)
11. MEDLEY (Live)
12. PHOENIX FUTURE
13. MY KIND OF DAY
14. CATCHING CATFISH
15. CHRISTENED BY FIRE
16. ALONE IN SPACE
17. DANCE OF THE DAWN HERALD
18. INTERLIFE
19. INTO LIFE
20. ECLIPSE
DISC THREE:
PAUL BRETT
1. OVERTURE FOR DECADENCE
2. CHAOS
3. ALTERNATIVE 12 STRING
4. THE BISHOP WENT DOWN TO FULHAM
5. IN SEARCH OF AZTECS
6. HAND-BUILT BY ROBOTS
7. NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN
8. I WILL SURVIVE
9. AIN’T NO SUNSHINE
10. THE BOXER
11. ALBATROSS
12. LOVE IS A CRAZY THING
13. DIDN’T GET SO EXCITED
14. LEENA
PAUL BRETT & JOHNNY JOYCE
15. TAKE 5
16. ON THE ROAD
17. DOLLARS AND DAMES
18. SUMMERTIME
PAUL BRETT
19. EARTH
20. THE QUEEN’S SHILLING
21. IT’S ONLY ROCK’N’ROLL
22. WALKIN’ ON MY GRAVE
23. SHAKIN’ ALL OVER
24. JESUS ON THE MAIN LINE
DISC FOUR:
PAUL BRETT
1. THE PASSIONATE SHEPHERD TO HIS LOVE
2. VIRTUE
3. METAMORPHOSIS
4. WAVE DANCERS
PAUL BRETT SAGE
5. THE GREEN MAN’S TEARS
6. AMSTERDAM
7. 666
8. THE TEMPEST
PAUL BRETT
9. ROCK ISLAND LINE
10. STEALIN’
11. GIN HOUSE BLUES
12. STONE SURVIVORS (GRYPHON SUITE FOR HIGH 12 STRING)
PAUL BRETT SAGE
13. BULLET
PAUL BRETT
14. SPACE ODDITY
15. DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT
16. BAT OUT OF HELL
PAUL BRETT SAGE
17. ONE NIGHT STAND
18. YOU DON’T LIKE LOVE SONGS
19. METAL HEARTS – MENTAL MINDS
PAUL BRETT
20. FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE
21. GUNFIGHTERS
22. SUN
23. THE DEVIL’S WHISPER
24. THE RAVEN
25. THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
26. EVENING STAR