Pete Sinfield "Seagoat" on The Old Grey Whistle Test 1973

[colincooks]

I was born too late (and too early!) -- Thanks for all you have done, Peter, wherever you are..... Thank you.

[colincooks]

Maynard Keenan, and it is the worst song he has ever sung- anything by Tool is amazing, but he could not pull it off as well as Greg Lake. Music has to touch you a certain way to sing it with the right heart and the full soul. I would kill to hear how Pete Sinfield would sing that song as I bet it would be better since he wrote it!

[colincooks]

A lot comes with age for me..... I think Peter Sinfield is brilliant. Not just the lyrics and the art and the brilliance, but just everything. When I was young I did not like Steely Dan at all, and then I finally understood. Sometimes it is ok not to understand when you are not ready to! I heard a version of 21st century schizoid man as sung by the lead singer of "Tool"-

[turtlliwdnifuoyehthr]

i wonder why he never was king crimson vocalist...

[ksjoyjespeace]

He can sing,no real bum notes ...it's just TOO British , if such a thing is possible ! VIVALDI would...?

[MrDanielphenix]

Emotion, talent, fantastic musicians, lyrics that are unbelievable.Who cares that it's not the voice of the century? the spirit, the soul, the power of everybody who got something to say is enough. Plus the Invention,(base on classical lines) the mixture, the amazing sound ...What an amazing group of talents! They are inspired and they invented a sensible music.That is what art is all about not much artists (?) got that all those power combines! You who denies could you do half of that

[MrChriswilley]

Typical Perblic Schoolboy stuff ..no Peter "Angel" Gabriel, no Brian Fairy..No Kate Bush, no Snoozy & Banshees..No Gelt in da coffers !!! without Pete and the Parkstone Cowboy wivvis Frippertronics and Impish wit and SKILL..Baby..SKILL.. Nice pome Peter..Wewrote much old gel !! Bravo..Come on Skooll... Dem dorms weally kicked in like JG Ballard..And David Lean.. An Puttnam..An Pete Brown..Someone had to pay and feedem !! Wee needed a kickin' so wee did.. .. CW

[JohnGLewis1964]

Thank you, Peter.

[flytomars]

I simply love this album. I even like the broken vocals :) always send chills up my spine. 

[Makksor]

@flytomars bullshit

[puddypuss]

I saw this live at sadlers wells london in 1973 supported by PFM from Italy with the same backing band .Pete banks ex yes was also there. its funny how pete sinfield has changed from this effete esoteric performer to a more mainstream sounding person ,as on progressive Brittania documentary. I like the still lp a lot .

[iade38]

great lycrics writer but poor singer

[12Racer99]

I believe the word I'm searching for is dire.

[walfod]

Questionable mimickry, but haunting and still one of my all-time favourites that I wallow in with majestic melancholy from time to time.... Thanks for posting!!! Sounds like the flute might be a different take to the album too?

[thatmuse76]

@estvan56

Yeah, I remember buying Pete Sinfield's album having such high expectations and then being so bitterly disappointed. Such an awful album that was and one of the few I ended up actually selling.

[DarkeningSkies1]

@thatmuse76 Yeah, the material wasn't bad- some of it was great, in fact, but Pete's voice is on the farthest shores of "acquired taste". The fact that Greg Lake, Boz Burrell (both of whom had handled Pete's lyrics with great facility) and John Wetton were playing on the album but not singing was kinda odd.

[jwild611]

Hmm...I don't think this is inherently horrible. It's interesting in sound and the singing has a stream of conscience sort of feel to it.  The piano at the 2:45 mark is really nice as well. However it's wayyyy overlong and doesn't really go anywhere. Sort of feels like an unfinished demo.

[junipm]

Who else had the guts to do stuff like this?

[tangerine58]

bellissima!

[Lalalasaratatouille]

God is always on both sides...

[schragemusik]

Quite delightful. A quiet charm.

[AK2927]

I have to agree with Misohai - much as I love Prog, and whatever the source material, this really is a poor song, the kind of thing that spawned punk.

[ksjoyjespeace]

WOW,THIS IS RARE INDEED!!! PETE SOUNDS LIKE COLIN SCOT,TOUGH SONG TO SING!!!

[misohai]

Thank you! I'm not sure who Phil Jump is, but he had some big shoes to fill sitting in for Tippett didn't he? In spite of the fact that I'm not all that enamoured of this track, I do think Sinfield had quite a bit of charm as a performer. It's odd now to think back on a time when all these great musicians needed to play in order to eat, thus here's Sinfield striking out on his own. The music industry is so goofed up now that we'll most likely never see their kind again. A true shame!

[misohai]

If I'm not mistaken, that 'piano man' at 2:40 is Karl Jenkins. In fact I think I just saw in addition to Wetton and Collins from Crimson, but all the then current members of Soft Machine. Wow. What talent for such a piss poor song and vocals. Sorry Pete, I gotta call it like I hear it.

[SongSoupOnSea]

@misohai You are mistaken. The piano man at 2.40 is Phil Jump frantically & bravely mimicking the part that Keith Tippett played on the original track which apart from the piss poor vocals is what you are listening to. As for the song that Vivaldi never was much cop especially his guitar concerto in D which is the 'basis' for Seagoat..

[flytomars]

Wow, I love this album, never imagined there was a video with all the original musicians (if I am not mistaken?)

The album has a very special gloomy dreamy feel to it, when KC lost Sinfield they lost more than just a good lyricist IMO

[marynightshade]

I like how Pete was kind of snapping his fingers at the start of the song-"Hey, maybe the kids can dance to it"-or not. I used to have a vinyl copy of the album-had to sell it years ago...

[geraividet]

Got the CD. Had to import it from Japan with Japanese liner notes. Expensive but well worth it. It's still one of my all-time favourite albums. Roll the credits and pass a Guinness ;)

[motherbrain86]

had no clue he sings, this is amazing

[BillyJoeVegas]

Have this original album on vinyl... it was a promotional I picked up from a DJ friend in Chicago when it was first released. Years later, I spent a bit to get a Japanese rerelease on Cd. Now this post. Thank you very much. "Still", title song... the best.... would not be the same without Lake's excellent voice. ELP was right around the corner...So I suppose there may be no live vids of that gem.

[slackdude1]

The people who have given negative opinions of this are completely incorrect. If i had to lay a bet down 30 years ago that one day I would see a clip of this I would have thought the odds against would be beyond infinite. Sure it is not the best music ever made. After watching rubbish MTV for 25 years Youtube has now almost exorcised the horror. By the way how many centuries will we have to endure rap. it has been around for 30 years and nobody has pointed out it's lack of originality yet.

[loekie64]

This is truly NOT a complete live performance! Watch the piano man supposing to play Keith Tippett's piano parts @ 2.40 + @ 3.45; he's playbacking over the original studio piano parts for (100%) sure.

[serafinobolletta]

i used to love this song....

[headloss100]

love it thanks for posting

[AncientFan]

It's well... typical of the eary 70s.

[malawri67]

Great stuff!

And thats John Wetton there on Bass and Mel Collins on reeds....

[HaZ3L777]

It's subtle, for sure. If you enjoy the subtlety, it is a great song.

[MikeDickson]

@KateyKADA...if I didn't watch it then I wouldn't know it was crap. Which it is. 'The nonsense makes me numb...'. Not half.

[MikeDickson]

Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.

[KateyKADA]

@MikeDickson I don't know why people bother, if you don't like it, don't watch it, simple.

[mtopper66]

It's hard to believe this was ever taken seriously, then or now. "An English Leonard Cohen"? I can see it. But that's the problem!

[Bitterblogger]

Somewhat reminiscent of Dave Cousins.

[voidforpurpose]

Had a hard time finding the LP of his album "Still" and even harder his book of poetry / lyrics "Under The Sky"

Many thanks for posting this classic piece!

Always looked on Sinfield as the British version of Leonard Cohen, and not a standard issue pop singer.

A curious gem.

[egotealsolvo]

I have Peter Sinfield vinyl LP album "Still".

[pianomano1]

On the subject of words, "kitsch(y)" is one of those words that people use nowadays in a variety of senses, when they don't know what word they specifically mean. (Ditto "edge".) For those who dislike the choice of Vivaldi, take it up with Peter himself. By the way, *I* am the one who orginally asked Peter and his elf friend to put it up, so it's thanks to me that some people, at least, ARE enjoying it.

[pianomano1]

But if, like me, you had never heard of Vivaldi, you would judge the music for the music rather than any connotation.

[dantean]

Had I never so much as heard of Vivaldi one would have every right to consider my musings on the subject of music to be something of a waste of everyone's time. (Also, you want the word "reference," here, not "connotation.")

[zosothebelly]

Though I find the lyrics amazing (as always with Sinfield), the use of Vivaldi's music as a backbone to this song sounds to me a little kitschy.

[windwhisper7771]

This is the coolest. Thanks, JonWebSlave and Peter so Beautiful. Never knew about this video before. This music has been very special to me.

[obviouslysix]

Astonishing.

I had forgotten how powerful that show was. 'The rusted chains of prison moons were once shattered by the sun'. Then the 'sun was burning out.' Shame.

The sad anger has never been more exquisitely put than here.

Still, the roots came through alright, eh Peter?

Love to you and your 'webslave'.

[Hollenhors]

Wow! With Wetton and Mel Collins, even.

[rickk4art]

I think its truly a unique performence....He can really front a band!

[gc28gc28]

Seeing as Peter himself is not that fond of the performance, it is especially nice that he put it up for us! I'm just wondering though..... OGWT guests in the studio often did TWO songs. I can't recall now whether or not he did another song? Hmmmm.......

[koldobarroso]

I can't believe I had to wait so manyyears to watch this. It woths the wait. I'm moved.

[ozoshah]

a little bit weird...but john wetton on bass!

[gc28gc28]

Awesome performance of an awesome song from an awesome album by an awesome contributor to our musical heritage! Bring back the 70s and fill me with awe!