“He brings his song-writing skill to this memoir, making it one of the most eloquent and entertaining biographies I’ve read. There are great stories, and they are brilliantly told.”
“For many of his generation, Harvey played an important role in crystallising our thoughts and concerns and effectively writing the soundtrack to our lives. This book is a valuable resource in understanding how he did it.”
In the second volume of his musical memoirs, Harvey recounts the highs and lows of the 60s and 70s when he was recording with major record labels.
Recalling the recording of Writer of Songs and Friends of Mine, he explains how and why he wrote the songs, the mostly untrue legends that surround his song Soldier, and how it caused a furore that led to it being mentioned in the House of Commons. He also explains why Hey Sandy was very nearly consigned to the bin, yet went on to be #2 in New Zealand and his first big success at The Cambridge Folk Festival.
It was a time of TV appearances, radio shows and tours. Paul Simon, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Steve Goodman, Ozzy Osborne, Focus, The Kinks, ELO, Abba and many others crossed his path.
Find out why a gun was drawn on him in a dressing room, how a Dutch TV show went horribly wrong, and how he turned down the opportunity to be a Euro pop idol.
Like his songs, his story is often funny, occasionally sad, but like his final album title – that’s life!
“Beautifully written and full of warmth and humour.”
“A cracking simply honest read from start to finish.”
In the early 1960′s a wave of singer/songwriters flooded the airwaves of radio and television in Britain and America – Harvey Andrews was one of them.
With humour and insight, Harvey traces his journey from a young boy in 50′s England to a writer of songs acclaimed worldwide, recalling the faces and places of his childhood, while the soundtrack of his youth plays in the background.
From the singing cowboy Roy Rogers through Gilbert and Sullivan, Glenn Miller, George Formby, film musicals and Family Favourites, to Buddy Holly, Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, it’s a journey taken by so many from the greats of Rock to the doyens of Folk – a musical golden age that will never be forgotten.