Now here’s something a little bit special… not strictly Fine Lines but featuring several members of the band, And the Sun Shone is a 16 minute, 20 verse rumination on our current situation. It was written by drummer and lyricist Mark Radcliffe over the last few weeks with music by David Boardman. Featuring Mark on vocals, it was then recorded with all the musicians separately in isolation. You can find the YouTube link to the song below alongside Mark’s introduction. We hope you like it and that it speaks to you in these strangest of times …And the Sun Shone
Hi everyone – hope you’re all doing okay, especially those who are ill, lonely or battling on the front line of essential services. Like everyone else I’ve been filling my time at home, mainly with creative endeavours as my d.i.y. skills are negligible. I was struck by how many difficult changes had been imposed on everyone and how that seemed to contrast with the endless sunny weather. That’s what got me started on this lock-down ballad. Then Bob Dylan released ‘Murder Most Foul’ which I loved, especially the way he’d sort of found a hinterland between song and the spoken word. It was also seventeen minutes long and that got me thinking….why don’t I write an epic of my own. And so, over about two weeks, I wrote twenty verses. Sorry. I then gave it to my regular co-writer in Fine Lines David Boardman who sketched out the chords and recorded the guitar over a simple drum beat. Next my long time collaborator, former member of The Family Mahone and Galleon Blast and current member of Fine Lines, Chris Lee added double bass and pedal steel. He also mixed the track. Our dear Galleon Blast friend Clare ‘Fluff’ Smith contributed fiddle and cello before another Fineliner, Gary O’Brien, finished things off with piano and organ. Hope you like it and that it speaks to you about these strangest of times. See you down the road somewhere. Eventually. All best and stay safe, Mark Radcliffe
