From The Far Side Of A Near Miss

"From The Far Side Of A Near Miss" is proof that John Howard never fails to challenge himself and occasionally his audience too.John's "LOOK - The Unknown Story of Danielle Du Bois" was a challenge John had always wanted to set himself: to write and record a concept album based on an original story he had written about a fictitious transgender star. The result was an acclaimed "masterpiece" which wowed critics, reviewers and John's fans alike. The latest album is again something John has wanted to try for many years, following his discovery of British artists like Roy Harper and The Incredible String Band in the 1970's who specialised in long-form pieces with developing narratives. This is an album containing just one song, which has a running time of 37 minutes that has a building hypnotic groove, which begins simply with just piano and voice, gradually bringing in more instrumentation, the arrangement becoming fuller, percussion is added while strings then start to create a textural wash of sound and atmosphere, carrying the whole thing along it's 37-minute sonic and lyrical journey. The sleeve photo shows John in Cannes, France in January 1974, just as his adventures were beginning. It was taken by Dezo Hoffman who for two years was The Beatles' official tour photographer. is proof that John Howard never fails to challenge himself and occasionally his audience too.John's previous album, LOOK - The Unknown Story of Danielle Du Bois, released by Kool Kat Musik in March '22 - was a challenge John had always wanted to set himself: to write and record a concept album based on an original story he had written about a fictitious transgender star. The result was an acclaimed "masterpiece" which wowed critics, reviewers and John's fans alike. The latest album is again something John has wanted to try for many years, following his discovery of British artists like Roy Harper and The Incredible String Band in the 1970s who specialised in long-form pieces with developing narratives.