REVIEWS (Selected and edited)
“I listened to it end to end standing up in our living room, spellbound. These are good songs by any measure.”
“It's Great!! Love the Songs.” "It's simply brilliant!" “It’s a cracking album. Full of verve.” “It’s a great album. You should be very proud!”
"Peter, congratulations. That’s a really fine album you’ve made. Thank you so much for sending it to me, I’ve been taking a great deal of pleasure in it. I can hear the beneficent influence of Chris Difford’s songwriting camp in “Holiday” and also admire the various different tones and moods that you bring to the other tracks. I can’t imagine there are many, or any, compositions inspired by an FT editorial task to rival “Wall St” for vibrancy and urgency. I note the internal near-rhyme between “Ely” and “nearly” in the song named after the former with a 
. And I like the resonant finale provided by the last song, an apt placement for the title track.
Bravo. All the best, Ludo (Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, Financial Times Arts Writer and Pop Critic)
"I’ve been sitting with my feet up listening to Pete’s wonderful album. What lovely songs and unusual subjects...I think it’s a triumph and - though I know nothing about the world of pop music - I would have thought the album would do very well. Huge congrats, Pete! xx" — Angela Devlin
"Between the cheeky first track and poignant last track are a collection of original and insightful songs built on cracking melodies and harmonies played by talented musicians and sung with genuine feeling and conviction. The songs’ stories and messages are told through clear, meaningful lyrics combined with clever word-play and a clarity which, on a couple of the tracks, also serve as a little nudge towards self-reflection. Made me smile, made me cry, made me think. Well done! Great work! Love it!" - Lesley Bacon
This is an edited video of the first half of the launch concert on June 16, 2023. https://youtu.be/XKl5cEOxOlQ
Part two - the album, to follow shortly...
LYRICS
1 • HOLIDAY (3.55)
(Brian Johnson, Derek Chamberlain, Peter Whitehead)
I never had a holiday. Never went away
Sitting in my little room counting down the days
Nose pressed to a cloudy pane. Looking for a patch of blue
Sun's out quick, machine gun sticks, running with the Bachoen Droog
Kissing me quick, wish you were here
Same old postcard, every year
I invented staycation, I never went away
Coz every day's a holiday
Church or chapel, Band of Hope. It was all the same to us
A year of fire and brimstone for a day trip on the bus
Rolling down the mountainside, flattening the ferns
Psycho flicks a cigarette, we watch the banking burn
Kissing me quick, wish you were here
Same old postcard, every year
I invented staycation, I never went away. No, I never went away
Because every day's a holiday
Aberavon 'alf an hour, he's pointing up at the light
“Boys, you see that sixpence way up there. It'll buy my pint tonight”
A shower in the pithead baths, was our paddling in the sea
Coal dust faces, old blue eyes, sung in a miner's key
Kissing me quick, wish you were here
Same old postcards, every year
It's a staycation, I never went away
Coz every day's a holiday
2 • LAKE TAHOE WEDDING (4.16)
(Rob Bryant, Peter Whitehead)
We never took the glasses back
We were floating in the dark
Outfits we didn't pack
We made the moment last
It was minimal, almost clinical, but without the knives
It was minimal, unpredictable, And we didn't try
Coz I never wanted to see you walking down the aisle
I only wanted to see you with me now
We've gone to higher ground
We're the only ones who know
Cruising 7.10
Married by 15
Or we can both pretend
It was minimal, almost clinical, but without the knives
It was minimal, unpredictable, And we didn't try
Coz I never wanted to see you walking down the aisle
I only wanted to see you with me now. We've gone to higher ground
Coz I never wanted to see you walking down the aisle
I only wanted to see you with me now. We've gone to higher ground
3 • A WONDERFUL LIFE (6.36)
(Josh Difford, Rory Wells, Peter Whitehead)
It's A Wonderful Life on the TV again
Projecting on you in that same old chair
Flickering light paints a scene on your skin
And the pictures of you looking proud.
Same time, same place
Same lines, your face
Same roof, same walls, same suit.
A story that no one will tell
A story that no one will tell
Every time I walk in your street
I glance at your window and know what I'll see
An author, without a pen
I'd offer, but I'm scared to know your name
Same time, same place
Same lines, your face
Same roof, same walls, same suit.
A story that no one will tell
A story that no one will tell
Never have I considered that you
Ever might have wanted me to
Ask about you
Keep on walking
I never ask about you
I just keep on walking
4 • WALL STREET (3.04)
(Peter Whitehead)
Show me how to make a buck
Let us share your golden touch with my beginner's luck
Show me how to make a yen
I just need some good advice, won't bother you again
Don't mind if it takes insider dealing
A little corruption, even stealing
Can't stand all this worry making ends meet
I'll never get rich by doing Wall Street
Ain't got time for old Dow Jones
I'm sick of taking mortgages and unsecured loans
I read in the Financial Times
How you've been making fortunes out of your financial crimes
Don't mind if it takes insider dealing
A little corruption, even stealing
Can't stand all this worry making ends meet
We'll never get rich by doing Wall Street
Don't mind if it takes insider dealing
A little corruption, even stealing
Can't stand all this worry making ends meet
We'll only get rich by screwing Wall Street
5 • ELY (3.52)
(Allison Pearson, Peter Whitehead)
Arriving in Ely, she knew she should really
Resist the temptations of a man twice her age
But passion is greater than time's calculator
Da Da De Dum Dum Dum, Da-de-da, Da-de-da
And so she adoring, From King's Lynn to Great Snoring
Fed him berries and kisses, And forgot all about Mrs
It was new autumn then as they drove through the Fens
The sky shrouded pewter with rain
And at night they explored another terrain
At night, another terrain
Returning to Ely, she knew she had nearly
Surrendered her freedom to a man twice her age
But passion grows colder, her inner voice told her
Da Da De Dum Dum Dum, Da-de-da, Da-de-da
It was springtime again and she fled from the Fens
Rear vision, horizons of pain
And at night she dreamt of another terrain
At night, another terrain
6 • PRETTY WHITE WAR (5.08)
(Peter Whitehead)
The captain falls, the whistle blows, the referee stops play
Walter's face down in the mud. Another Saturday.
But from Northampton Town to Glasgow, was there no lesson learned
Messages of peace go unreturned
Before the pretty white war. Before the pretty white war
And so it happened as it's happened times before
And the army soon came marching to his door
Will you lead us into battle, will you keep us in your sight
Will you be there when the general sends us off to start a fight
Though the rules of play state clearly, men of colour cannot lead
Stay rank and file. But still they bleed.
In this pretty white war. In this pretty white war
Till a good man stands to rise above the law
And the generals can't deny him any more
A whistle blows, Lieutenant Tull in no man's land does lie
Walter's face down in the mud. A bullet's been let fly
Was there a shot worth taking, for his team in armbands black
At 29, his last attack
In this pretty white war. In this pretty white war
Now his allies in the stands can all applaud
Because no one can deny the point he scored
7 • THE GIRL ON HORSEFAIR GREEN (6.27)
(Ant King, Peter Whitehead)
Long dark hair and those flowers you wear
Only you in the crowd gathered there
Flying near above. Just out of reach
It's all your picture, so complete
Intoxicated by the sight, I was blind
And now I know, I can't un-drink this wine
But oh those eyes could hide so many lies
And every time another sweet flower cries
Just thinking of you. Not having you
But keeping you in my mind
And wondering too. What I can do
When you come back next time
I'm alive. I'm alive. As those flowers in your hair
I'm alive. I'm alive. In this game of solitaire
White flower days. White flower days. I've learned my lesson now
Wild flower days. Wild flower days. Out of my depth again
I won't mind – if you don't understand
I won't mind – just lend me your hand
I won't mind – if I fall on my face
I won't mind – when I look out of place
And when a memory is all that I have got
I'll remember that I've got a lot
I'm a prisoner of worship, yes I am
A victim of desire, sweet Diane
Just thinking of you. Not having you
But keeping you in my mind
And wondering too. What I can do
When you come back next time
I'm alive. I'm alive. As those flowers in your hair
I'm alive. I'm alive. In this game of solitaire
White flower days. White flower days. I've learned my lesson now
Wild flower days. Wild flower days. Out of my depth again.
8 • THE DAMAGE (5.44)
(Peter Whitehead)
Oh the man with the charts must have lied
We sail in the dark at low tide
The ship is washed by the waves from both sides
It’s a wonder that no one has died
Sail away where the rocks are diamonds, And the isles all dance with gold
Take what you want, never mind the rest, Fill your boots and fill the hold
It’s all for you, the man with the charts says, That’s the story that we’re told
Now we survey the damage, Now we survey the damage
we survey the damage, That’s been done to you.
No compassion, no faith and no law
Not even memory this far from the shore
Our ship is sinking, can carry no more
And we wonder what we’re sailing for
No alarm, the captain’s feasting, His claret nicely warm
The crew is silent, holding on, Under orders to conform
There’s no time left to correct the course, And steer this ship around the storm
So we inspect the damage, So we inspect the damage,
So we inspect the damage, That’s been done to you.
Black water rises where once the sun kissed
So many leaks now we can’t help but list
All the things that we could not resist
All those things we would barely have missed
The creaking stops and our ship is resting, Deep among the wrecks
The captains flee and the man with the charts, Says it is time to clear the decks
The crew complain that an albatross, Has been chained around their necks
And we can see the damage, we can see the damage,
Yes we can see the damage, That’s been done to all of us...
9 • JUST WHO I AM (3.08)
(Brian Johnson, Peter Whitehead)
Why do I keep it all? What do I need?
If I get rid of everything, would I cease to be?
Coz all the stuff that I've found
Is just all that I've lost
Coz I'm only who I am. I'm not what I was
School books and sailing ships, a horse in a frame
A doll in a borrowed dress. I've forgotten her name
Coz all these things that I've found
Are just all that I've lost
Coz I'm only who I am. I'm not what I was
Why does it matter so? Why such a wrench?
The fabric of history is its own evidence
Coz all the things that I've found
Are just all that I've lost
Coz I'm only who I am. I'm not what I was
Look at it like shedding skin. Not wheat from the chaff
It gets easier letting go. I won't cling to the past
Coz all the stuff that I've found
Is just all that I've lost
Coz I'm only who I am. I'm not what I was
Abandoning souvenirs is creating a space
For the past of tomorrow that is taking its place
Coz all the things that I'll find
Will replace what I've lost
Coz I'll be just who I am. And not who I was
10 • ALL THE NOTES THERE IS (7.21)
(Peter Whitehead)
Still the voices fill this room that’s falling silent
Only echoes. Hold the laughter from the floor
Stop the music. Goodbye Cara, Farewell Martin
For a ramblin’, we shall go no more
Just another Daisy Gold or something stronger
Calling time and all the people asking why
With their misty-eyed distress and recollection
Swaying somewhere ‘tween a holler and a sigh
But when those spotlights shone, they took us many places
To the forest, and the sea, and back in time
But now the darkness falls to leave only the traces
Of the journeys we made thanks to tune and rhyme
For that’s all the notes there is. That’s all the notes there is.
We went from A to C, then from D to G. And that’s all the notes there is.
That’s all the notes there is. Yes it's all the notes there is.
There was warm applause, and then we closed the doors.
For that’s all the notes there is.
Ghostly whispers and the stories unforgotten
So many diamonds on that funny little stage
Will it see again the beauty of Ruth Moody?
And hear the treble, all the middle, all the bass
But when those spotlights shone, they took us many places
To the forest, and the sea, and back in time
But now the darkness falls to leave only the traces
Of the journeys we made thanks to tune and rhyme
For that’s all the notes there is. That’s all the notes there is.
We went from A to C, then from D to G. And that’s all the notes there is.
That’s all the notes there is. Yes it's all the notes there is.
There was warm applause, and then we closed the doors.
For that’s all the notes there is.