Paul Weller's version of dad's song 'the ultimate tribute'
The family of Londonderry singer-songwriter Eamon Friel have described a Paul Weller cover as the "ultimate tribute". The song, El Dorado, features on Find El Dorado, an album of other artists' songs that Weller says he has carried with him for years.The former frontman of The Jam has been in Derry this week to meet the Friel family.Eamon Friel's son Colum said he had been looking forward to meeting Weller for months, adding "it's like a dream come true".
"It is the ultimate tribute. He has done a lot for our family. I always said he (Colum's dad) didn't get the credit he deserved, now he finally is. "I couldn't be any happier about it."Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show, Paul Weller said of El Dorado, "it is just a great song".Eamon's wife Caitlín said it was a "song I always liked", adding she told Paul Weller his version is "wonderful, really lovely. You did a great job".
Paul Weller said he first heard El Dorado when "a mate of mine sent it to me".The song was written for a film made in Derry in the mid 1980s called The Best Man.The mate who sent it to Weller was Mark Holden, a music manager from Derry who had managed The Touts, a local band who have supported Weller."He sent me the tune, and the clip from The Best Man, and I just thought what a great song," Weller said."I loved the song, and we did it… we got in touch with Colum first to make sure it was alright to use it," he said, adding "it is just a great song."During his visit to the north west Weller also took in a Christy Moore concert in Derry's Millennium Forum on Wednesday night.Other artists whose songs feature on the upcoming Paul Weller album include The Kinks , the Bee Gees and Bobby Charles.
Eamon Friel, who was a BBC broadcaster, died in June 2019 after a short illness.The singer-songwriter recorded a number of albums, including The Streets Forget, Here is the River and The Waltz of the Years.He first took to the BBC airwaves back in the 1980s presenting Friel's Fancy on Radio Foyle, in a broadcast career that spanned over 30 years.The former teacher quickly gained a reputation for his in-depth knowledge of music and was recognised by his industry peers with a Sony award.
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