TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Hi,

I have a very complete FC colection. But my albion is limited to no roses and acoustic city. I think I have one or two others. What are some good Albion cds? I am a big fan of The bones of all men with Philip Pickett. And I love Gryphon and Graeme Taylor, so Rise up like the sun will probably be one.  What others would you recomend?

rise up, the prospect before us, any/ all of the bbc /windsong cd's ,if they are available
battle of the field
on a related note look out for the Home service as this was the albion band minus ashley and was brilliant
 the later albions have their fans but i find them a bit patchy, no doubt someone will be along in a while who will put you straight
about the while/mattews years and later

1990 was a fairly good album - but Rise Up is a MUST have. Some of the more recent (but not current) Albion albums are as rare as Rocking Horse Poo.

Definitely the early Albions - with drummer of course - listen to the absolutely amazing version of Broomfield Hill on "Stella maris". That is a real statement of intent to open any album !!

Also "No Roses"

And " The Prospect Before us"

The live " Cambridge" and "BBC" sets are OK.

I wasn't enamoured of the recent incarnations of the Albions at all. but that ( like Gottle on another thread) is a matter of personal taste.

All of my favorites have already been mentioned, so I'll back them up:

-Stella Maris: To me, their last trully rockin' album!
-Battle in the Field:  Earthy, pungent and understated.
-Rise Up Like the Sun:  ABSOLUTELY, MUST HAVE!  Probably my favorite folk-rock album of all time!  PLEASE!  Get this album!

Rise Up Like the Sun is a truly great album

The Lark Rise to Candleford soundtrack from the National Theatre productions is also vg.

Of the 90s on ones my favourite is probably Light Shining. Rise Up - I'l nineteenth that or whatever we're up to.

Did the Stella Maris line-up also release Under the Rose? I quite liked that album but haven't listened to it for years. As far as I can recall it was in a similar vein as Stella Maris, but maybe a bit more laid back/not as ambitious.

Other Ashely Hutchings projects that are worth checking out are Morris On and The Compleat Dancing Master which are both collaborations with John Kirkpatrick and others. Can anyone recommend Rattlebone and Ploughjack? Sounds like an interesting experiment, but how listenable is it??

I concur with other posters that Rise Up Like The Sun is a bona-fide 5 star classic.

Just on t'subject of "Under the Rose" - it's the glaring gap in my Albions collection.

Is it deleted on CD - never seem to be able to find it??

I won't add to the 70s debate, needless to say 'Rise Up' and 'Battle of the Field' are must-haves, along with 'Lark Rise' - shortly to be re-released on Talking Elephant.

The 1980s line-ups were very different but equally worth hearing. Basically after the break-up in 1981 of the 'Lark Rise' line-up (most of the members had formed the Home Service), Ashley set out his stall for what turned out to be the rest of the life of the band and steered it in a contemporary direction, showcasing original writing by the band's members.

The first "contemporary" album, 'Light Shining', is a true classic and probably hasn't ever been bettered. 'Wolfe' is one of the finest songs the band's ever recorded. Along with it's instrumental sister album, 'Shuffle Off!', it's been criminally unavailable for 20 years but I CD'd both a while back so if anyone needs a copy...

Darren, interesting comments on 'Under The Rose'. Bizarrely I was listening to it yesterday so it's even fresher in my memory than usual. I know what you mean in terms of laidback, but unambitious would probably more relate to the arrangements than to the songwriting. Most of Ashley's best songwriting came in the 1982-1983ish period, things like 'The Rose & The Rock' and 'The Shipwreck' (incidentally not actually about a ship). As an album, 'Under The Rose' is an incredible collection of songs but it is perhaps a bit too focussed. 'The Rose & The Rock' was originally recorded for that album, and along with an instrumental or two would perhaps have broadened it a bit. Also, almost the whole album was originally arranged for the 'Light Shining' line-up, and then played live by that line-up, and the next line-up (retaining most of the 'Light Shining' band, including Jean-Pierre Rasle's superb pipes, but with Doug Morter replacing Simon). Listening to those recordings provides a rather interesting contrast to the released versions, a lot more musically interesting and less smooth.

'Stella Maris' is another favourite of mine, although I think mainly for the two songs carried over from 'Under The Rose', 'Orion's Belt' and 'The Rose & The Rock'. The rest of the album's very good too, although I sometimes struggle with 'The Task'. That was another excellent line-up, especially Martin Bell's violin, and it's a shame it didn't last longer. The mini-set on the Cambridge CD is a pretty good representation of their live set but there was so much more.

Anyone interested in Lark Rise should know that there will be a one off performance of the show at this year's Towersey festival.

Two Oxfordshire theatre groups are combining for the event with some great local musicians. The production is being organised by Mick Jones who has written a number of plays similar in style to Lark Rise and whose play Morris on the Somme was a Radio 4 production some years ago.

Jackdaw

All been said really, but my favourites.....

(http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00009U5KT.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)
(http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00000AGIC.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)
(http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000007P0I.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)

Note that The Mysteries also stars Linda Thompson, Shirly Collins, Richard Thompson.....

well, Linda T sings on there a little, but RT and Shirley Collins are not on it.

Shirley is on "Lark Rise", though ...

Not quite - it's also being performed for week each at two local (to Towersey) primary schools - Wheatley being one, but I've lost the flyer & can't remember t'other....

I am stunned that no one has mentioned "Happy Accident" and "Along the Pilgrim's Way." Well, I guess I just did. Two of my very favorite records in any genre.

I can't find home service on amazon. Any other suggestions?  Thanks for all the nice advice.  Especially the jpegs.

????

amazon.co.uk worked for me!

Bah - you are right - serves me right for doing things form memory, although Shirley was involved in the production somehow?

It does feature Phil Picket though....

Neither Shirley Collins or Richard Thompson were in The Mysteries.

But there is a remote Shirley Collins connection. The dancing for the show was devised by Dave Busby, who was married to Dolly Collins.

I meant one off at Towersey.

the other perfromances are at Wheatley Primary School and in the grounds of the fabulous Garsingtom Manor. I am pretty sure it will only be three nights at each venue.

Jackdaw

Aren't there 2 versions of the Mysteries? I have a blue one!(Fledgling?) but no RT on either. I also treasure 3 versions of 'Lark Rise': vinyl, tape and CD, aquired at 15 year intervals, and it is still one of my all time favourites.
'Rattlebone' is not one of the greatest, although I play it regularly, - not in the same league as Rise Up which is my yardstick for really great 'folk' music.

- Also, I have a soft spot for 'The Wild side', not great, and a bit shmultzy in places, but it makes me cry every time! I was really happy that it has finally been issued on CD after many years of hunting for it.

Mindwarper,

You can find a couple of reasonably priced Home Service CDs and LPs here in the States at www.rockinworld.com/default.htm.  Otherwise, they're harder to find than hen's teeth.  I'd say you might have a running chance of finding some of their stuff down there at some of those fancy record stores in San Fran., maybe? 

Hope I could help! 

You did help. Still can't find all of home service, but I found 100$ of stuff at that site.

UCD   Home Service   Early Transmissions (1st LP +2)   11   
CD   Trevor Lucas, A.L. Lloyd & M. Wyndham-Rea   Great Australian Legend   30   
CD   Ewan MacColl And Peggy Seeger   Child Ballads Volume 1 SALE!   10   
CD   Ewan MacColl And Peggy Seeger   Child Ballads Volume 2 SALE!   10   
CD   Ewan MacColl And Peggy Seeger   Child Ballads Volume 3 SALE!   10   
CD   Ewan MacColl And Peggy Seeger   WhalersOutOfNew Bedford (OST)SALE   10   
VT   John Renbourn   In Concert 1990 (VIDEO) SALE!   6   

I am tempted to buy more A.L.Loyd. He is very hard to find. Thanks for the tip.

I like Early Transmission, but its a little "slicker" than their later stuff - bitten by the 80's bug, I guess.  All Right, Jack is much earthier and worthy of a quest.  Glad you were able to find some cool stuff!

The early transmission was out of stock and left off the order   So sad. Eventually I will get em all. The Trevor Lucas, A.L. Lloyd & M. Wyndham-Rea   Great Australian Legend cd has Dave Pegg and Swarb on it as well. So it has 3 members of FC. I would love to know of all the recording that they are involved with. It must be quite a list with all the morris on and albion line ups. But I want it. Did FC members  ever record anything else with Bert Lloyd? He is a favorite of mine.

"bitten by the 80's bug", I like that phrase. It pretty well describes the Albions' output of that decade, and perhaps Fairport and Steeleye's too. During the 70s these bands were truly wonderful, giving us natural-sounding albums with a nice mix of traditional and contemporary songs; then in the 80s it's like some post-punk paranoia set in, they all seemed hell-bent on sounding modern and relevant. Some of those Albion albums from the 80s sound so thin, and the synths & sax are really grating. I can see why Ashley felt the need to push the songwriting side and not rely on the trad stuff, but after the John Tams/Richard Thompson songs the new stuff seemed pretty anaemic.

I wish I could be more positive. The thing is, the 70s Albions albums, along with the Morris On releases, Kicking up the sawdust, Compleat dancing master, they were stunning. That's what makes the ensuing albums such a disappointment.

To answer the earlier question, I think Under the rose might have been issued on CD on its initial release. Stella maris certainly was. I assume these albums are tied up in some sort of legal limbo, otherwise they'd surely have been picked up by Talking Elephant. I asked Ashley last year about Light shining, and he said that it was highly unlikely to get a CD release, as the owner of the recordings has vanished!

Nominee #1: CAPTURED - Albion Band

This is a particularly wonderful album to avoid.  The music seems to ooze of mullets and bolo ties.........mall music for  folk rockers!  The album should have been called LET IT GO!

You're right - I found Under The Rose in HMV in Manchester a few years ago ( but to my eternal regret, there was a huge queue and I couldn't wait, so reckoned I'd find it again - no such luck ).

Stella Maris I do have on CD - courtesy of that very fine second hand place in Croydon.

According to the Musikfolk update - Larkrise is set for re-release again very soon.