Rab Noakes (born Robert Noakes, 13 May 1947 - 11 November 2022) was a Scottish singer-songwriter. He had performed with Lindisfarne, who recorded his songs ‘Turn a Deaf Ear’ on their first album, ‘Nicely Out of Tune’, and ‘Together Forever’ on their second, ‘Fog on the Tyne’. Noakes also sang backing vocals and played guitar on the first solo album by Gerry Rafferty, ‘Can I Have My Money Back’, most notably on 'Mary Skeffington', a song about Rafferty’s mother. After these sessions he became an early member of Stealers Wheel, although he left them before they recorded their first album. Noakes made his own debut solo recording 'Do You See The Lights' in 1970.
(Read more at Wikipedia).
Links to Peel[]
Rab Noakes - Drunk Again
Rab Noakes came to Peel's attention at the start of the 1970s, performing on an In Concert show with Lindisfarne and Stealers Wheel. Both bands appealed to him because of their down-to-earth music and direct communication with audiences, in contrast to the rock superstars whose remoteness from the record-buying public caused him to become increasingly critical. Rab Noakes too had no superstar airs, being a singer-songwriter with a background in folk clubs but a range of influences which included genres the DJ was fond of - like country music and early rock'n'roll.
Noakes did six sessions for Peel's shows, the final one in 1978, by which time JP had abandoned most of the artists who had recorded sessions for him in the early 1970s. On a few occasions in later decades Peel revisited the singer's records, with three plays for the song "Drunk Again". Rab Noakes continued to perform and record into the 21st century, but also became involved in radio; he joined the BBC in 1987 and eventually was appointed senior producer of music programmes for BBC Radio Scotland.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- None
Sessions[]
Six sessions. No known commercial release.
1. Recorded 1972-05-15. First broadcast 06 June 1972. Repeated 01 August 1972.
- Half A Mile From Nowhere / Drunk Again / Good Night Loving Trail / Winter Song
2. Recorded 1972-10-30. First broadcast 23 November 1972.
- The Way You Know / A Long Time Ago / One Bed One Purse / Wait A Minute
3. Recorded 1974-01-21. First broadcast 05 February 1974. Repeated 26 March 1974.
- Wrong Joke Again / As Big As His Size / Branch / Clear Day
4. Recorded 1974-10-07. First broadcast 22 October 1974.
- Memories / Slob / Stepping Stone / Never Too Late
5. Recorded 1975-06-05. First broadcast 12 June 1975.
- Steppin’ Stone / Early Morning Friends / Somebody Counts On Me / Do-Re-Mi
6. Recorded 1978-07-05. First broadcast 05 July 1978. Repeated 28 July 1978.
- She’s All I See / I Won’t Let You Down / It’ll Be Me / See Me Again
Live[]
- 07 December 1971: live with Lindisfarne and Stealers Wheel, presumably recorded 1971-12-02, unknown venue
- Long Time No See
- Miles And Miles Away
- (with Lindisfarne & Stealers Wheel): Turn A Deaf Ear
- (with Lindisfarne & Stealers Wheel): Can't Believe You Wanna Leave
Other Shows Played[]
- 1970s
- 22 September 1972: Drunk Again (single) A&M
- 03 October 1972: unknown (sourced from David Cavanagh's Good Night And Good Riddance book)
- 30 April 1974: unknown (sourced from David Cavanagh's Good Night And Good Riddance book)
- 27 August 1974: Branch (7") Warner Bros.
- 03 May 1978: Waiting Here For You (7") Ring O'
- 24 May 1978: 3 tracks from (album - Restless)
- later
- 10 November 1991: Drunk Again (album - Rab Noakes) A&M
- 08 July 1994: Drunk Again (LP - Rab Noakes )’ A&M
- 23 July 1994 (BFBS): Drunk Again (album - Rab Noakes) A&M
- 02 October 2001: Spanish Harlem (LP - Lights Back On) Neon
- Other
- John Peel's Scottish Sessions: Steppin' Stone (session #4, first TX 12 June 1975) (Rab Noakes explains how the session worked for him.)
See Also[]
- Disc & Music Echo: Peel Columns
- Cover Versions
- Let It Rock
- Scotland: Sessions
- Gigography 1973
- Sounds