Beware of the Beautiful Stranger / Driving Through Mythical America
Ian Cranna, from 'Q', March 1998
Highbrow lyrical entertainment by a young Clive James with music by Atkin
When James was at Cambridge University in the '60s, he became lyricist for
singer-songwriter Pete Atkin. Both had broad interests (revue, Tin Pan
Alley, jazz) and together they wrote subtle, impressively crafted songs
(ranging from caustic to melancholy) about love and society, displaying an
unexpected poetic sensibility amid the verbal dexterity and cynical wit.
The first LP, 1970's 'Beware of the Beautiful Stranger' sometimes smacks
of aren't-I-clever smugness and
is a tad uncomfortable when moving beyond acoustic guitar to strings,
clarinets and double bass, but the brilliant title track is worth the money
alone. The second, from 1971, is more sophisticated, dealing in weightier
ideas (death, the way men treat each other, power, glamour) in more wordy
fashion but with less humour and tunefulness.