Thursday 27th June

Such an ordinary fellow, not at all rock and roll, not schmaltzy country either, he is actually a very downbeat character.  But undoubtedly a deep thinker, a serious man with a dark often depressed side; in interviews he is often dismissive of almost everything since Buddy Holly, and yet when he sings it is as if the Heavens have opened and light is shining through.

For a few albums back in that golden period the early seventies he could do no wrong.  Beautiful melodies, clever words, immaculately sung.  And then he went all soft, churning out retreads of old standards with the occasional gem thrown in.  It was as if he had run out of ideas but  was still contracted to make an album a year.  But for a handful of songs he is worth a place at the top table of popular music – ‘Castles in the air’, ‘And I love you so’, ‘Till tomorrow’, ‘Winterwood’ and of course ‘Vincent’ and ‘American Pie.’

Even Madonna couldn’t mess the last one up – a true classic