COR BABY, THAT'S REALLY FREE...

...well, not quite, actually it was 25p from a local charity shop. A copy of John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett's first s/t album together with the follow up 'Deep & Meaningless' on one CD. Signed by John Otway too!

I remember seeing the pair on Top Of The Pops in 1977 when 'Really Free' hit the charts. Who could forget the exuberance of John Otway jumping up onto an amp while Wild Willy rocked on oblivious to his antics? Otway reminded me of Alex Harvey a little, not just physically, but in performance too. A little unhinged! The latter, promoting 'Boston Tea Party' on OGWT is another TV appearance that's remained etched in my memory from that time in the mid to late 70s when my world collided with that of music and suddenly everything changed.


The single 'Really Free' backed with the equally bizarre 'Beware Of The Flowers ('cause I'm sure they're going to get you, yeh!)' is, if I'm being honest, about all I remember the duo for and it's probably the same for quite a few other people too. A novelty act. Wrong! This CD proved to be worth every penny, a few times over too. I got lucky. Now I feel ashamed at my ignorance, having seen past the visual antics of Otway (admittedly a very 'larger than life' character) and heard more of the musicianship of Barrett. The songwriting prowess of the pair is actually quite impressive, effortlessly turning their talents to folk, bluegrass, pop, or rock, whatever suits the mostly touching lyrics of Otway, a genuine romantic. They also turn out acceptable versions of Bob Lind's 'Cheryl's Going Home' and 'The Alamo' by Jane Bowers along the way as well.


Among the credits on the first album is Pete Townshend. A further surprise! He produced some of the tracks and is 'teasingly' listed as one of the musicians featured, but on which track, or tracks, it isn't made clear. On the back of the CD there's a photo of the duo taken by Townshend in his back garden during a break in recording at his Eel Pie Studios.

The debut is bookended by the rural contentment of 'Misty Mountain' and the touching ballad 'Geneve', the ill chosen follow up single to 'Really Free'. It unfortunately flopped. It proves the point that there was more to this odd couple than the first single revealed and they could be very tender in song if they wished. 'Murder Man' had me wracking my brain as to who I'd heard that also sounded like this and eventually it came to me, Camper Van Beethoven! The musical/songwriting talents of The Campers can also be, at times, eclipsed by the oddball humour of the lyrics. David Lowery does sound uncannily like John Otway. No surprise then that I usually followed the Otway and Barrett disc with the Campers. Another hugely underrated band! Ah, 'Take The Skinheads Bowling'...

The second Otway & Barrett album 'Deep & Meaningless' was apparently released on the same day that the duo decided to split, something of a regular occurrence over the years apparently. Not surprising when considering their individual personalities - Otway the extrovert and Barrett, the more reserved. Despite being made up of leftovers from the debut album, 'Deep & Meaningless', in retrospect, isn't a poor effort. There's still some good music to be heard and further heartfelt lyrics too. Humour is never be too far away though and just as 'Really Free' featured on the debut (in its original version), 'Beware The Flowers' appears on 'Deep & Meaningless', together with a curious medley of 'Riders In The Sky' with the original 'Running From The Law'. Plain bizarre! Finally, the CD also has an informative booklet, making this reissue complete.


I'm going to have to check out more Otway & Barrett, but also be prepared to shell out a little more next time around! Lightning can't strike twice, or can it?