The Broch of Gurness, by the shores of Eynhallow Sound, near the village of Evie, Orkney, is quite remote, up a narrow winding road leading off the A 966. It is quite well preserved though and is in the care of Historic Scotland.
The day we were there it was driving rain. The attendant said he was on the point of giving up for the day although it was not long after lunchtime. Even so, as we were leaving another car rolled up to the car park. We had the broch to ourselves while we were there though.
Broch from site entrance:-
The first building you meet just inside the boundary, though, is called the Shamrock due to its shape. It’s the remains of a Pictish farm dating from much later than the broch and was moved to allow better exploration of the broch itself.
Broch of Gurness from west, showing outer rampart wall:-
Broch of Gurness from south, Eynhallow Sound in background and Isle of Rousay somewhere in the mists beyond:-
Broch of Gurness, plus part of rampart wall, Eynhallow Sound behind.
I’ve come to this late. Stevie Wright, lead singer of Australian band The Easybeats, whose Friday on my Mind I chose as the first song in my 1960s music category of the same name, died in December. I only saw his obituary in The Guardian earlier this week.
Evie was a solo no 1 hit for him in Australia, possibly the first 11 minute song to reach no 1 anywhere in the world.
The song manages to encompass the three main themes of the love song as a form. Its first two parts are reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well or Derek and the Dominos’ Layla in that it starts in an up tempo rocking style and then segues into quieter mode. Like Evie both those were split over two sides of the corresponding single release. Evie, however, returns to a higher tempo for its third part.
Stevie Wright: Evie
Stephen Carlton “Stevie” Wright: 20/12/1947 – 27/12/2015. So it goes.
