THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,030) Ralph McTell — “Bright and Beautiful Things”
Dare I feature a wisp of a song whose lyrics are based on the nursery rhyme “Little Miss Muffett” (at least until they take an unexpected turn)? I do dare, especially since the song is by Ralph “Streets of London” McTell (see #907) and has the most beguiling and gorgeous melody. If you don’t like it, you can sue me in folk court! And I just might play Paul McCartney’s “Mary Had a Little Lamb” to boot!
Mark Deming delves into Ralph McTell:
Best remembered for writing the classic and much-covered song “Streets of London,” Ralph McTell is one of the most enduring figures on the British folk scene. A talented guitarist and songwriter who also possesses a strong and expressive voice, McTell has enjoyed a long and successful career in the U.K . . . [but] he’s only attracted a cult following in the United States . . . . Early efforts such as Spiral Staircase [from which today’s song is drawn] . . . were the foundation of [his] reputation with his often witty and just as frequently poignant songwriting and warm, rich vocals. . . . [I]n the ’80s he scored unexpected success composing music for children’s television . . . .
McTell was born Ralph May in Farnborough, Kent, England . . . . Ralph’s father Frank McTell . . . abandoned the family in 1947, and Winifred McTell raised her sons . . . on her own in the South London town of Croydon. Frank showed an interest in music at an early age, and when he was seven, his uncle gave him a harmonica and he learned to play. When the skiffle boom hit the U.K., Ralph bought a used ukulele and . . . quickly taught himself to play and formed a band. . . . [When he] had grown tired of school he] signed up for the Junior Leaders Battalion of The Queen’s Surrey Regiment. Military life proved even worse than education, and after six months he was discharged and he enrolled in college, studying art. . . . McTell immersed himself in beat literature and American folk, jazz, and blues music. . . . [H]e took his cues from Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Robert Johnson, and Blind Willie McTell, taking his new stage name from the latter. . . . [H]e took off to travel along the south coast of England and the rest of Europe, where he made his way around hitchhiking and busking. . . . [He] tried out a conventional career as a teacher but continued playing folk clubs around London. He began a long tenure at Les Cousins in the Soho section of the city and there he began to make a name for himself. A music publisher was impressed by McTell’s early songs and secured a recording deal for him. His first album, 8 Frames a Second, was released . . . in 1968; Capitol Records issued it in North America, to little response. . . . McTell began attracting a large audience as a live act, mixing vintage blues and original material in his sets. In 1969, McTell issued his second album, Spiral Staircase (which featured his first recording of “Streets of London”), with the third, My Side of Your Window, following several months later. . . . [I]n December [1969 he] was headlining his first major London concert. . . . [and i]n May 1970[ he] sold out the Royal Festival Hall and was booked to play the Isle of Wight Festival . . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ralph-mctell-mn0000863774/biography
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