The scene is the HIGHEND Exposition in Munich. Allan Taylor and Günter Pauler are walking through the hall, past the various HiFi company’s booths, when they hear Allan’s song “The Beat Hotel” (from the Hotels and Dreamers CD) coming from the Burmester room. They enter the room and Thorsten Poenig of Burmester is demonstrating their latest product with Allan’s song. When Thorsten noticed that Allan and Günter were in the room he announced it to the HiEnd enthusiasts in the room, and welcomed them both. Allan said, “Thanks for using my song to demonstrate your equipment – I never knew I sounded so good!”

And so began the relationship between Burmester and Stockfisch Records. Over the weekend (between the short concerts Allan was playing in the Stockfisch room) Allan visited the Burmester team and got to know Dieter Burmester. During the many conversations they had, Dieter told Allan that he had just designed the sound system for the new Porsche Panamera, which was about to be presented to the public. It was then that Allan told Dieter his story of why he had bought a Porsche:

Allan came from a typical British working class family, brought up in Brighton just after the Second World War. As it was with most men who returned from the war, his father worked hard to build his family, denying himself the many pleasures he would have liked to experience.

The 60’s brought in the social revolution, and working class boys such as Allan could become poets, musicians, artists of all kinds, and they experienced the wild times of those days. It was not until Allan’s father died that he realised how much his father had given him, and Allan resolved to do something to commemorate his father’s sacrifice.

One day, whilst visiting the Porsche rally at Harewood House in Harrogate, Allan saw a red Porsche for sale, and within thirty seconds he decided to buy it. A few days later he took a journey; he placed the urn with his father’s ashes in the passenger seat of the Porsche and drove from his home in Leeds to Brighton where he had spent his childhood. He gave his father his first ride in fast sports car, and then threw his ashes into the wind on the hills above Brighton.

From this experience Allan wrote a song (recorded on “Leaving at Dawn”) called “The Almost Man”. However the song did not mention Porsche, it merely mentioned a sports car. So when Dieter Burmester told this story to Reiner Schloz of the official Porsche magazine, Christophorus, and Reiner decided to write Allan’s story for the magazine, Allan decided to re-write the song giving the Porsche details.

To coincide with the publication of the Christophorus article, Stockfisch decided to make a Maxi CD of five of Allan’s songs, including the new version of the Porsche song, now called “A Promise and a Porsche” to be available for those who would read the article and might want a copy of the song. As a very special extra, Allan asked Dieter Burmester to play bass on the recording. The SACD-Maxi is called "Songs for the Road".

What started as a simple recognition of a father’s dedication to his son, a series of events have evolved that have now touched many people, some of whom have expressed the desire to do something for their fathers whilst they are still alive.

5 songs, recorded in Sept 2010 - 1 Dedicated To …  2 A Promise And A Porsche  3 Let The Music Flow  4 Dancing On A Saturday Night  5 Midnight Call

Dieter Burmester, Hans-Jörg Maucksch, Günter Pauler, Allan Taylor

A collection of critiques that have reached us:

"The grey-haired Brit has no intention of wrestling the pop-world's Alexanders and Daniels for chart positions. His 3rd album for the venerated audiophile cult-label is, from the very first note, a tour-de-force of tonal beauty and consistent ambition. The warm tones of the voice, acoustic guitars, bass and strings combine in an incredibly tasteful embrace. Those who enjoy Mark Knopfler's solo works will be more than happy with Allan's songs, which seem to exist outside of the space-time-continuum. A masterful album, far above the trend."
- CD-Tipp, VIVA-TEXT, Nov.13 2003

"In this age of made-for-the-charts assembly-line productions, this album is almost extraterrestrial. Every song breathes artistic ambition, every guitar passage devotion, each arrangement the will to perfection. With an amazingly crystalline yet warm sound, the troubadour's sonorous voice imbeds each song in the listener's long-term memory. One could actually turn off the central heating." - CD-Tipp, RTL II-TEXT, Nov.11 2003

Folk Album of the month

"... Those who are concerned by the demise of the once-fertile well of good British singer-songwriters will cheer the return of one of the genre's benchmark figures in stirring fettle. On an album of fine recording quality, Taylor's once thin voice has a welcome roughness, part James Taylor, part Mark Knopler. Songs vary from charged nostalgia (Brighton Beach, Notes From Paris) to knife-edge poignancy (A Road Too Long, Back Again). Creole Girl seems to offer an epilogue to the traditional song Lakes Of Pontchartrain, while the climax of Crazy Amsterdam - Scotty tells the bittersweet tale of the late singer/hellraiser Colin Scott."

MOJO - March 2001
Colin Irwin

"... Allan has an instantly recognisable voice, attractively dark and mellow, and his intricately detailed yet full-sounding guitar style is distinctive - indeed, his impeccable playing is sometimes overlooked, so compelling are his lyrics and vocal delivery. Allan's inventive use of various different tunings is again complemented on this release by the guitar work of Chris Jones, which demonstrates a level of imagination and empathy far above the calibre of your average supporting musician. Other select backing musicians include Allan's son Barnaby on piano.

... on this new offering he's come up trumps with a set of strong, solidly crafted new songs that present characteristically vivid, evocative tales and reminiscences. Many of these deal directly with Allan's formative years and the inspiration gained through the impact of the beat culture on this 14-year-old and on the nascent folk scene - hooked by, and trying to live, "Kerouac's Dream". Outside this central theme, Creole Girl is a wistful modern-day fable with inescapable resonances of Lakes Of Ponchartrain, while Whatever the Way is an alluring, deceptively simple lovesong, and Allan also revisits Back Again from his Cajun Moon days. Finally, the last two tracks are a poignant tribute to Allan's erstwhile touring companion Scotty (Colin Scott), comprising a reworking of Crazy Amsterdam (originally recorded in 1982 for Win Or Lose) followed by Allan's spoken recitation of the poem he wrote in tribute to Scotty on his death in July 1999; this, although deeply moving, is impossible to follow and not ideal for a repeat-listen - unlike the rest of this beautifully-presented album."

The Traditional Music Magazine
David Kidman

"... Allan bleibt der exellente Geschichtenerzähler, Lyriker, Beobachter und Songschreiber, dennoch könnte man seine neuen Songs auch als Sehnsüchte, Streifzüge und Rückblenden anlässlich Begegnungen mit Menschen der jüngsten Vergangenheit bezeichnen. ... Seine magische Stimme und die Erzählweise sind überzeugend, sehr emotional durchlebt und manche Hörer werden sicher dabei eine Gänsehaut bekommen.

... Mag jeder individuell die Lieder für sich lieb gewinnen, für mich ist es besonders der Cover-Titel Colour To The Moon. Da ist ganz typisch für Allans Lebenswerk, und in vielen Songs ähnlich thematisiert, die Rede vom 'Walking the high wire and trying not to fall', oder 'I´ve seen the dark side when I´m trying to find the light'. Tragik, Poesie und Enthusiasmus sind die Federn, mit denen Allan seine Lieder schreibt, für ihn eine Form der inneren Befreiung" - Burkhardt van Hees, Folker! - 2/2001

"... Allan Taylor is one of the more substantial figures to thrive briefly during the UK folk revival in the ''0s only to seek out more welcoming and less fickle audiences abroad. His songs ... have consistently had a literate, bohemian edge that's occasionally made him seem out of step with most acoustic music. 'Colour To The Moon' looks mostly back, particularly the circle-closing ballad Brighton Beach, Crazy Amsterdam, Notes from Paris and Scotty. Elsewhere the Knopfleresque of the title track is gloriously counter-pointed by Beo Brockhausen's sax, while Creole Girl is a fluttering accordion romance.

High marks too for the guitar playing and the cut-glass sound quality. * * *"

Q music magazine - April 2001
Rob Beattie

"In the world of the singer songwriter, few command respect more than Allan Taylor. Through a recording career that began in the early seventies to the present day, he has constantly remained an innovative and evocative performer both on stage and on disc. "Colour to the Moon" is possibly Taylor's most personal statement to date; cut across twelve songs - like short movies - the listener is invited to step into his memories and experiences as if they were your own.

... 'Colour to the Moon' represents the work of an artist at the height of his powers, looking back as well as forward, few people can convey with such eloquence their life experiences. I'd like to think that he'll be ensconced in a bar with some exotic location, making observations for some years to come."

THE LIVING TRADITION - MARCH/APRIL 2001
Keith Whitham