Gordon Giltrap Newcastle City Hall November 1978
Gordon Giltrap was back at the City Hall in November 1978, 8 months after his previous appearance. I enjoyed the March gig so much that I went along to see him again. By now he had released Fear of the Dark, which completed the trilogy of albums he had started with the “Visionary” album. From Gordon’s website: “Following on from the success of the chart single and album Perilous Journey, Gordon set out on a major tour with a full band to promote Fear Of The Dark. Fear of the Dark was the first of Giltrap’s hit albums, and it is easy to see why: layered guitars, keyboards and a string section to give it a lush sound. 
For an ex-folkie it is surprising that these albums didn’t draw on traditional music, like Oldfield did, but went for something a lot grander. The extra tracks on this album include a pretty fine version of Peter Green’s Oh Well, and the single version of Fear of the Dark.” I haven’t seen Gordon in concert since these gigs in 1978. He is still playing and touring, and is another artist to add to my list of people I need to see again. My memories of the gigs are of joyous symphonic prog rock, with amazing guitar from Gordon and a lot of keyboards. Most of the songs were instrumentals, which I would usually find boring, but the quality of the music was such that I stayed interested and entertained throughout.
Archive for the ‘Gordon Giltrap’ Category
25 Jan
Gordon Giltrap Newcastle City Hall November 1978
24 Jan
Gordon Giltrap Newcastle City Hall March 1978
Gordon Giltrap Newcastle City Hall March 1978
Gordon Giltrap came out of the folk scene of the 1960s. In 1976 he released the album Visionary, based on the art and poetry of William Blake. He then formed the Gordon Giltrap Band which featured Gordon on guitars, Rod Edwards on keyboards, John Perry on bass, and Simon Phillips on drums. His March 1978 tour came between the Perilous Journey and Fear of the Dark albums, which completed his trilogy of largely instrumental albums. The concert was a showcase for Gordon’s considerable guitar skills. 
Gordon’s music mixed folk, classical and rock styles to create a form of symphonic progressive rock, in some ways similar to the work of Mike Oldfield on Tubular Bells. Giltrap also enjoyed chart success in the form of ‘Heartsong’ (from the album ‘Perilous Journey’ in 1977), the theme for the BBC TV’s long running ‘Holiday’ programme. Ritchie Blackmore is quoted as saying: “Anyone who asks me knows, that I think that Gordon Giltrap is one of the best acoustic guitar players in the world.He gave me lots of hints on how to approach the acoustic guitar as opposed to the electric guitar. He was always way ahead of his time. His concerts and playing are breathtaking. He’s also very witty, and I love the fact that he has not cut his hair!”
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