Danny Kirwan Discussion

[slipkid]

Originally Posted by zoork_1

I think "When You Say" is beautiful, ...

/z

When I first heard "When You Say" I cringed, but it later grew on me. It has a Brian Wilson vibe. Kirwan's songwriting around this time involved playing the guitar melody to match the vocal notes of a song. It's a simple technique, yet very effective. By Bare Trees his songwriting had grown leaps and bounds. Yet those early songs (especially his blues/rock contributions) should not be ignored. He was only 18 when he joined the band, and penned these songs, unbelievable. I have to keep reminding myself of that fact.

Jimmy McCulloch was 16 when he joined Thunderclap Newman, and he had great guitar chops just like Danny. I find the two guitarists led similar paths, since Danny had a total mental breakdown. In Jimmy's case he later joined Paul McCartney's Wings, and died of a heroin overdose in 1979.

There was a rumor that Mick Jagger wanted Danny Kirwan to replace Brian Jones. I think if Danny was the Stones replacement guitarist instead of Mick Taylor, he too would've died over thirty years ago.