SKF NOTE: From a personal letter, I enjoy re-reading Neil’s take on drummer Manu Katche and some of the musicians Katche was recording with at the time. Neil’s aside on Robbie Robertson’s lyric writing made me smile. The italicized words are Neil’s.

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March 22, 1988 – Toronto

I’ve been enjoying the work of Manu Katche a lot lately, especially on the album by Robbie Robertson (formerly of The Band, you recall?) He really has a unique rhythmic style, and being half-French half-Ivorian (Ivory Coast in west Africa) the cultural and ethnic blend has a kind of dark sophistication that is very easy to listen to, but satisfying at the same time. Not mind-blowing, but refreshingly different.

He also plays for Peter Gabriel, Sting, and on the new Joni Mitchell record. (Very in.) Apparently he’ll be touring with Robbie Robertson at some point too. That record is very good by the way, with lots of good players, great songwriting (even the lyrics are excellent, oh supreme rarity!), and his voice has matured beautifully into a kind of soulful, smoky worldliness.

Terry Bozzio plays on a couple of songs, and the members of U2 (on my least favorite tracks, I must admit), but “Fallen Angel” and “Somewhere Down The Crazy River” are really high on my Hit Parade these days.