Chip Taylor @The Bully, Cowley Road, Oxford

Angel of the Morning

This was close to being 'An evening with Chip Taylor' who through his nigh on two hour set supported by John Platania on lead guitar spoke at length between various songs of his life and upbringing. Nothing wrong with the format, and in some ways I wish their were more. I did manage the only question in the set when he described a trick played on him by his two older brothers, Jon Voight, the actor, and Barry Voight, the renowned vulcanologist....some family... and he wrote a song about them titled (I think) 'Bastard Brothers'.
Part of the song writing factory that included Carol King et al in New York during the 60s and 70s his two best known songs being Wild Thing (written in fifteen minutes...not surprising) and the far better Angel of the Morning. (see Youtube video shot from my lap in the front row, link at the bottom of photos above). But songs also for Johnny Cash which when he then sung a Cash song, sounded exactly like him. (but without the awful dump, dump dump of Cash's bass guitarist in the background).
John Platania backed Taylor on lead guitar in what was an easy workout for him. Some 40 years earlier, and only a mile away in Cotuit Hall one Saturday night, watched the Beeb broadcast of Van Morrison's Too Late To Stop Now show live from the great Rainbow in North London, and as Van says so clearly on probably the greatest live album available, 'and on guitar, John Platania'

A rather enjoyable evening.