Skiffledog (aka Hilton Valentine)
It's Folk 'n' Skiffle, Mate!
© 2004 Hilton Valentine Music (829757690223)
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Original Animals guitarist, Hilton Valentine has picked up his acoustic once again- Reminiscent of early Donovan,(he covers 1 of his songs)you finally get to hear the voice behind those famous opening arpeggios to his Number 1 hit, House of the Rising Sun
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SKIFFLEDOG IS HILTON VALENTINE.
Hilton Valentine is best known for his work as the guitarist with the sixties British Invasion group, The Animals: most notably, his opening arpeggios in 'House of the Rising Sun.' To quote the book Fuzz and Feedback - Classic Guitar Music of the '60s, ''Undoubtedly what sold 'The House Of The Rising Sun' was an arresting arpeggiated solo guitar introduction that traced a brooding Am/C/D/F/Am/E/Am chord sequence. The intricacies of the performance were dissected by guitar students the world over. Even today the riff still occupies a place, somewhere around stage three, in the great 12-Step Mastering The Guitar programme.''
Hilton made his name in rock and roll, earning himself a world wide number one hit, nine additional top 40 hits, gold records, a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and his handprint in Hollywood's Rock Walk of Fame, but his beginnings were based on folk.
He fronted his very first skiffle band at the age of 13. This is the music he would always return to. Even when he was touring the world playing rock and roll, at home he'd take out his acoustic and revisit the old skiffle music and write folk songs.
He's back to his roots again with a new studio recording of original acoustic music with some old skiffle thrown in. Having received airplay from several BBC Radio stations in the UK and in his home state of CT it has been well received by their listeners and fans all over the world. BBC Radio Scotland's senior producer, Stewart Cruickshank has this to say: ''Genius Animals guitarist returns to roots in fine style. A fine selection of material, which we'll be playing frequently in weeks and months to come. His own songs more than stand up to Mr. Lennon's and Mr. Leitch's.''
reviews
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- author: Randye
I've been a fan of Hilton's since "House of the Rising Sun". This CD is awesome - blending Hilton's unique folk vocals and instrumentals. Best songs since his first solo album, "All in Your Head". Give us more!
What a great little album..Hilton's folky and soulful voice, good songs
author: barry swankI wish Hilton could have come up with a couple more originals ...he has some good ones here along with a couple cover songs and a traditional or two. A folky but soulful voice tells the stories well! Then he does his thing with the guitar, this time more acoustic picking with just a hint of electric in the songs is very pleasing to the ear. A great job on Skiffledog which I'll rate at at least 4 out of 5 stars...bring on the next album, Mr. Valentine, I'll be waiting!!!
He still can pluck with the same fervor
author: Adam Crepeau, Northeast Performer Oct 2004Before the British Invasion, before rock ‘n’ roll became rock ‘n’ roll, there was a small movement in Britain that was a kick-start to the careers of many of rock’s most important contributors. That was the skiffle craze that hit Britain in the 50’s. The DIY extravaganza that had children buying guitars, making instruments and playing folk music anywhere they could for a few shillings. Hilton Valentine a product of this craze and his latest effort It’s Folk ‘n’ Skiffle, Mate is a homage to the fad that made him a guitarist and a homage to the performers that became musicians along with him. Valentine is of course the guitarist that made the Animals’ recording of “House of the Rising Sun” famous. Songs that have made such an impact in music are few and far between. His arpeggios have been oft imitated but never outdone. This new album sheds some light into the style that made Valentine’s playing famous and shows that he still can pluck with the same fervor he had when he was an excitable young teen playing skiffle tunes. The Skiffle craze was an answer to folk music of the time, and Valentine has put together a kind of compendium of original tracks and covers that show the wide array of folk music that Valentine has written and was actually a apart of in the '60s. His covers of John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” and Donovan’s “Ballad of a Crystal Man” are spot on with Valentine’s low register sparking the same emotion that Lennon did and bright finger-plucked guitar notes rekindling the good vibes that Donovan made famous. Valentine’s own creations follow in the same fashion. Some are quick-tempo, some are slow, but they all carry a rural ideal, the ideal that inspires some to move to the country and enjoy nature as it is. The music celebrates a love of life, soul-searching, and finding out what’s really important to one’s self and getting to know those inner ideals. Even his flowing instrumentals “For John,” and “Probably 3rd Street” inspire some sort of appreciation for times long past. Valentine didn’t take the route of covering songs that show the roots of folk music. But he does show us that folk music can be as relevant as it has ever been. With covers of 60’s tunes being incorporated into a folk album, one can see that musicians owe a great deal to folk music and the craze that made folk appealing even to children.
Good job
author: AlexeyWhat do you expect from the Animals' guitar guy? Yes, what you expect - get it. Good guitar work and excellent melodies. Enjoy !
Great folk album!!
author: GlennA great acoustic album with hushed vocals by the guitarist from the Animals. The guitar playing is a lesson for all those who aspire to play folk music. While most of the songs are originals, the traditional selections and covers are good choices. The music and vocals are reminiscent of Donovan in his early folk stage (one of my favorite periods). If you are a fan of good folk/acoustic music, you would do well to buy this album. Highly recommended!
Amazingly beautiful
author: neilblueThis CD is wonderful, you'll enjoy it all the way through over and over again.
dreamyand awesome voice
author: reviewerbest folk music i have ever heard
just great
author: reviewervery up beat great voice and awesome guitar playing
great voice great songs
author: reviewergoing to go far this skiffle dog
great voice great songs
author: reviewergoing to go far this skiffle dog
great voice great songs
author: reviewergoing to go far this skiffle dog
great voice, great guitar player
emotional, compelling and beautiful
River Tyne and Working Class Hero are hauntingly compelling
author: HARP MagazineHilton Valentine, guitarist in the Animals' classic 1963-66 lineup, and auteur of those arpeggios that gave the band their massive 'House of the Rising Sun' breakthrough, recorded a solo album, All in Your Head, for Capitol in 1970. There's no sophmore slump evident on Valentine's new solo set, where he's billed as 'Skiffledog,' both to ward off inferences that this is some nod to Animals nostalgia, and to salute the event that made him take up guitar in 1956, when the Lonnie Donegan-centered skiffle craze laid the foundation for the British Invasion. Valentine's never been entirely copacetic with the horns and strings cat clothes Capitol layered over his minimalist folk songs of 1970, to tart them up for the style-conscious airwaves, so he's (re-)undressed two of those tunes, 'Run Run Run' and 'Peace,' for the new set, and they just gleam in the nakedness of Hilton's acoustic guitar and his somewhat-Donovan-like vocals. Two songs which directly address the fog of class war that produced these intense ravers from the North- Valentine's own 'River Tyne,' and his cover of John Lennon's 'Working Class Hero' - are hauntingly compelling in their understated anger, in their invocation of that same coal-dusted heart that drove the Animals' best songs. But Valentine's his own man now, per the 'Looking to the Sun' existential credo that opens the album and frees the Skiffledog from the "House" that once contained him. Vintage liner photos of Valentine's earliest gigs polish off this prime package.
Animals guitarist returns to roots in fine style.
author: Stuart Cruickshank - BBC Radio ScotlandAnimals guitarist returns to roots in fine style. A fine selection of material, which we'll be playing frequently in weeks and months to come. His own songs more than stand up to Mr. Lennon's and Mr. Leitch's.