New official Mick Abrahams/Blodwyn Pig website

[Dave Wakely]

Good to find a few mentions in TGP for this under-sung British guitarist, and to know that he's on some of your musical radars.

For those - and for all those who have yet to acquaint themselves with Mick's playing and his back catalogue - you might want to take a minute or two to point your browsers at www.squirrelmusic.com, where you'll find a newly overhauled website with a complete discography, picture and video galleries, and - under Media - a selected discography with MP3 previews. (There's also an online shop with worldwide shipping where you find several CDs of both solo and Blodwyn Pig work that's otherwise fairly hard to track down, as well as Mick's autobiography.)

I'm very proud to say that Mick is a local friend, after he very kindly guested with a charity fund-raising band that I was part of a few years ago: not just a fine musician, but a wonderfully kind hearted and very funny man.

If you read the first post in the News section of the site, you'll also understand why you may not have heard much of him in the last couple of years, as he's been recovering from some very serious health issues. Hats off to his friend Elliott Randall for encouraging Mick to be playing again, and if helping him to get his website overhauled (and ready for him to add his own updates in the future) is a good deed, I'm just proud to have been able to do so.

 

[John H]

"Dear Jill", from Blodwyn Pig's first, is still one of my favorite slide guitar recordings.

 

[DøøG]

Very cool, thanx for the hed's up!

 

[Dave Wakely]

"Dear Jill", from Blodwyn Pig's first, is still one of my favorite slide guitar recordings.

There's a later, rather different version on the See My Way and Pigthology albums. Bear with me, and I'll add the MP3 to the website

 

[Dave Wakely]

Now uploaded, John: see what you think!

 

[fredgarvin]

I still have the first two albums, Ahead Rings Out was one of my favorite 'heavy' albums back in day. Abrahams with Jethro Tull still gets played here.

 

[John H]

Aged, nicely, like a fine wine. Love it! Thanks, listening to it was like having a reunion with an old friend.

 

[revtintin]

+1

I like this. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Dana Olsen]

I spent huge time listening to "Ahead Rings Out" which includes "See My Way", "Dear Jill", "Walk on the Water" and a bunch of other great tunes.

Mick's playing was a huge influence on me - I lifted the needle eleventy-billion times stealing everything off that (vinyl) album note for note, as well as Tull's first one with Mick - he's 'mos 'def one of my guitar heroes.

Listening to Bloodwyn Pig opened my then young ears up to the use of different tunings for songs like "Walk on the Water" ( tuned D,A,D,G,B,D - top and bottom strings tuned down to D) - Mick was a real innovator, plus, he ROCKS - super guitar player.

Thanks for the links Dave W. - next time you see Mick, please remind him he's revered and respected by most of us guitar players over here, and thank him for the excellent tunes and playing through the years, and for the innovative and different style of Bloodwyn Pig's music - great band.

Thanks Dave for posting this link, Dana O.

 

[Dave Wakely]

Hi Dana - I certainly will do, and thanks to all of you for such great responses. (No promises, but I'll see if I can get Mick to join TGP himself: bear with me!)

 

[OOG]

I'll 2nd Dana's post
Dear Jill is one of my favorite recordings of all time

 

[Cottage]

"To all me mates what's doin' a bit o' porrigin'...and the screws an all! And me sister what's anuvver way o' life altogether, wiv' 'andbags an all that!" Big fan here!!!! I saw Abrahms with Jethro Tull in about 1968 at the Albert Hall along with many other bands at a free concert for the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia. Great player...played an SG Jr. They did a version of Cat's Squirrel.

 

[GerryJ]

Great player, the first Jethro Tull album "this was" was when the band's musical direction was as much Abraham's as Anderson's. Anderson wanted to take the band in a more heavier rock direction than Abraham who preferred the jazzy blues direction, and you can hear it. Love both bands by the way, but to me the first Jethro Tull album sounds more in the vein of the Pig.

The offical Jethro Tull website is obviously controlled by Ian Anderson, who wrote a pretty funny bio for MA 4 yrs ago-
http://www.j-tull.com/musicians/pastmembers/mickabrahams.html

 

[Seafoam Green]

I've met him once when I bought a car off him, of all things. Very gracious, funny, a complete gentleman.

New site looks great, and the music sounds exceptional. Good to hear Mick's in good form and has recovered from his recent illness.

 

[Jack G]

Not familiar with his work but I do dig his signature Vintage!

 

[tonyhay]

The website's great to see, but I think it has some errors...for example, there's no mention of the line-up with Walt Monahan on Bass.

http://www.alexgitlin.com/mab.html

http://www.musicknockout.net/Artists/abrahamsbandmick.html

But it's great to see him still performing and recording.

 

[Pete Faragher]

Thanks for posting this. Blodwyn Pig was/is one of my all time faves.

cheers
pete

 

[LouisVA]

and the following is the same post I used as an intro!

Hello everyone - my name is Louis and I am an old rocker and burned-out, leftover hippie. As a child, I witnessed the birth of R&R (saw Elvis on Ed Sullivan) then as a teen I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and, as corny as it may sound, it changed my life - somehow I made it thru the 60s with head still intact. I accidentally ran into the thread concerning Mick Abrahams/Blodwyn Pig and became interested. Let's face it, neither Mick nor the Pig are household names but I have always thought that Mick was one of the most under-rated guitarists to come out of the British Blues/Rock scene. I will not be able to spend my life on line but will do an occasional post. Have a good day everyone.

 

[JSeth]

Mick has long been one of my favorite "unsung" heroes of the guitar... I didn't understand why he left Jethro Tull back in '68'/69, but I do now... "This Was" is still one of my favorite Tull recordings.

I bought the re-issue/re-master of "This Was", and it was great to read Ian's liner notes; he gave ALL PROPS to Mick, which was very cool... amazing that they cut that record for $1,000!!! After many years, I was astounded to hear how bluesy that record was... at the time, it was beyond my scope of musical understanding, but I loved it!

Blodwyn Pig was not my favortie band of the day, but I liked them a bunch... of course, "Dear Jill" was/is an absolute classic tune... I actually got to see Blodwyn Pig, back in 1971 or so, at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, Ca. They were the opening act in a show that featured Leon Russell (and about 40 other players, including Dave Mason, George Harrison and Delaney Bramlett on guitars, Rita Coolidge, Claudia Linnear and Bonnie Bramlett on vocals!!! ), and headlined by Procol Harum, replete with a "reborn" Robin Trower, finally playing the guitar like he knew how... and all three bands put on a great show!!!

All best wishes and thoughts for Mick's health and continued playing...

 

[Dave Wakely]

All best wishes and thoughts duly conveyed to the man himself, who is delighted to see the thread. Stand by for more updates on the News section of his site soon, and thanks to you all for your interest!