For the love of rock
Vol III, Issue 7 – April love (01 Apr 2018)
Name of song– April love
Band- Stillwater
Album- Stillwater
Writers– Mike Causey, T K Bule, Rob Walker
Release year– 1977
Similar artists– Neil Young, 38 Special, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Allman bBrothers and
Goodbye, goodbye
So I must leave a fading April love and say goodbye
April love
Reviewers- Bikash Shrestha/Nirab Kayastha
Stillwater is a band which existed during the seventies. The band got highlighted when they were portrayed in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film “Almost Famous.” Interestingly, “Stillwater” band in the movie was completely fictitious and represented various bands of the era, especially “The Eagles”, “Led Zeppelin” etc and had no resemblance to the original band.
Unlike the fictitious band of the movie, the real Stillwater band was formed in 1973 in Georgia with triple guitar team of Make Causey (Guitar), Bobby Golden (Guitar, vocals) and Rob Walker (Guitar), Jimmy Hall (Vocals), Allison Scarborough (Bass, vocals), Bob Spearman (Keyboards, vocals) and Sebie Lacey (Drums). They produced only two albums during the seventies (Stillwater-1977) and (I Reserve the Right-1979). They were about to hit big, but their record label Capricorn Records was going through bad times. They soon disbanded after they were left without a label. However they did have a reunion in the nineties and produced another album “Running Free”.
“April love” is the song taken from their debut album “Stillwater” in 1977. The album did not leave any marks; however for a true rock fan, the album is definitely worth a collection.
The song is a fantastic acoustic ballad with lovely guitar work. The song has no drums and is a mellow love song with simple lyrics and perfect harmony. The song starts with a dual acoustic guitar plucking combination which is so soothingly melodious. After the harmonious plucking, vocals joins in. It is a simple song of love recounting the heartache of leaving a loved one behind. The song describes how love can turn into tragedy with time. The melodious lead in the acoustic version in the middle is equally captivating. Slowly, the song fades away with the same mellow guitar plucking towards the end.
Yes, no doubt, had it not been for Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous”, nobody would have been bothered about the band “Stillwater.” Thanks to him, the rock fans have a legacy of such an amazing ballad. “April love” may be Stillwater’s one of the best takes, and definitely, the song deserves the fans’ love — not only in April but all the year round.
Happy listening!!
Resources– Wikipedia.org, Allmusic.com
April love
Girl, I hate the thought of leaving
But April’s fading into May
Like the seasons people change
Who’s to blame, I can’t say
Be refrained, can’t explain
The way I feel inside
So I must leave a fading April love and say goodbye
Sunlight shining through my window
Springtime is knocking at my door
Come tomorrow I’ll be leaving
And I hope that I can find
What I’m looking for
Be refrained, can’t explain
The way I feel inside
So I must leave a fading April love and say goodbye
Be refrained, can’t explain
The way I feel inside
So I must leave a fading April love and say goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye
So I must leave a fading April love and say goodbye
Video link- https://youtu.be/Tjw2ALY_2Sw