An Albion Band Beginner

[Jules Gray]

Hi Jules,

Give "Key Mail Order" a call ... Tel: 020 8689 5100 or http://www.keymailorder.com

Just tried the website and no match, but I will give them a ring sometime when there's some money burning a whole in me trousers.

Thanks muchly for the tip.

 

Jules

[DavidG]

Hi Jules,

Give "Key Mail Order" a call ... Tel: 020 8689 5100 or http://www.keymailorder.com

Just tried the website and no match, but I will give them a ring sometime when there's some money burning a whole in me trousers.

Thanks muchly for the tip.

 

Jules

Hi Jules,

You're welcome ...

Just try a simple search on "Albion Band" and then scroll down to this:

CD ALBION BAND BBC Sessions £9.99  SFRSCD050 Sessions spanning 5 years from 1973 to 1978

I tried a more complex search at first and forgot that it didn't match!!!

Still, I can't guarantee that they can get it but if they can't then it's eBay or somewhere else, I suspect!

Anyway, give KMO a call ... they are very helpful (no - I'm not on commission - just a very satisfied customer!).

All the best,

David.

[Pat Helms]

If you really liked "The Primrose" cut on RISE UP LIKE THE SUN, you should enjoy PROPECT BEFORE US a lot.  

The BBC stuff is indepensible, I agree!  Of the three, my favorite is the Cambridge - but they're all great.

ROSES, like PROSPECT, requires a tolerance for Shirley Collins vocals.  For some, its an acquired taste.  If you are unfamilar with her and are a bit put off, give it some time.  It'll grow on you.  ROSES is a masterpiece - more similar, in feel, to HARK, THE VILLAGE WAIT (w/ RT ), than say L&L.

Thanks everyone.

Acousticity. No drums. Hmmmm....

I have Morris On and like most of it.

I have just found an excellent Ashley Hutchings discography:

http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/guvnor/records/index.html

The ones that catch my eye are No Roses, Dancing Days Are Here Again, The Prospect Before Us and the BBC albums.

There is also an album called As You Like It by the Ashley Hutchings All Stars that sounds really good. Clive Gregson and Kimberley Rew!   Anybody know anything about it?

BBC CDs
There are three CDs issued by the BBC:

The Albion Band - The BBC Sessions
The Albion Band - Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival
The Albion Band - Live in Concert ... the latter half of this is a bit "folky"!

Been after the BBC Sessions CD for some time now.  I'm presuming it's out of print.

Jules

I saw it and almost bought it in Rochester over the weekend. I wish I had now.

[Jules Gray]

Just try a simple search on "Albion Band" and then scroll down to this:

CD ALBION BAND BBC Sessions £9.99  SFRSCD050 Sessions spanning 5 years from 1973 to 1978

I tried a more complex search at first and forgot that it didn't match!!!

Great!  I tried "Albion BBC" and got nada.  £9.99 eh?  That's a cool price.  Now will the rest of you promise not to beat me to it?  

Jules

[DavidG]

Just try a simple search on "Albion Band" and then scroll down to this:

CD ALBION BAND BBC Sessions £9.99  SFRSCD050 Sessions spanning 5 years from 1973 to 1978

I tried a more complex search at first and forgot that it didn't match!!!

Great!  I tried "Albion BBC" and got nada.  £9.99 eh?  That's a cool price.  Now will the rest of you promise not to beat me to it?  

Jules

Just call them or order it now!!! (Still no commission!)

Good luck - I hope it's really still available. Fingers crossed for you!

David.

[Jules Gray]

Just call them or order it now!!! (Still no commission!)

Slight lack of credit card about my person!  Where's the other half when I need her?

 

Jules

[Malcolm]

Rocky stuff  - Give me a saddle I'll trade you a car and 1990 are great records.

Caution  - Give me a Saddle includes a song about Welsh Girls

[David W]

I always liked Under the Rose - a bit soft rock maybe but Cathy le Surf sounds great

[Ollie]

Also, there is the Compleat Dancing Master, an 'album complied by John Kirkpatrick and Ashley Hutchings, featuring...' lots of people including Phil Pickett, Simon Nicol, Sue Harris, DM, Peter Knight, Bert Cleaver, Roger Swallow and many many more. I suppose it's like Morris On, just done with early music and country dance tunes. There is also some spoken word, which I tend to skip, but on the whole, it's a good album.

[GubGub (Al)]

So... I have now been recommended 10 different albums by the Albions (3 of which seem to be quite hard to get) in addition to the 8 I already have, at least 6 AH compilations/box sets, 3 completely different AH projects and 3 albums by an entirely different band! That is 22 albums comprising something like 36 CDs!!!!!

Is there nothing you lot don't like?  

[Thor-Rune]

So... I have now been recommended 10 different albums by the Albions (3 of which seem to be quite hard to get) in addition to the 8 I already have, at least 6 AH compilations/box sets, 3 completely different AH projects and 3 albums by an entirely different band! That is 22 albums comprising something like 36 CDs!!!!!

Is there nothing you lot don't like?  

If you like "Morris on", I promise you'd be well advised to go for what is generally considered their classics. "Rise up like the sun" (1978) is by far and wide the one to go for in that respect. The line-up that made this folk rock epic is apparently about to reform for some gigs. Sounds great! This is classic electric 70's folk rock.

"The prospect before us" (released as Albion Dance Band) is an extremely exciting up tempo album in the 70's folk rock vein. It carries on right where Morris On ended. It's so rocking and exciting it'll have you in hysterics.

We could recommend albums till the cows come home - they've done about 30 of 'em as well as an equally big bunch of related stuff (solo a.o.). But I strongly recommend that you start with the ones I just mentioned if you're coming to this with a Morris On hat on.

Try those first. You see, they've gone through so many line-ups and musical directions you would hardly think it was the band if you heard their later stuff (the name is the same but not the music). Not that there's anything wrong with those. Just different, is all. But I am positive the above mentioned albums would be the ideal place for you to start from if you like Morris On.

T-R

[GubGub (Al)]

Thanks T-R.

As I say, I have just bought Rise Up & Battle Of The Field so I was looking for further recommendations. To be honest I expected there to be two or three albums that would achieve a consensus from TAWers so it is a surprise to find so many different records being recommended.

[Thor-Rune]

I spoke to soon. I see now you already have "Rise up...". However, the BBC Sessions CD recommended by others, have some phenomenal recordings by their 70's line-ups. Really erxciting - including some material not on their albums from that time. So put that in instead as my recommendation.

But I'm still quite pissed off there's no Light Shining on CD. This 1982 album is one of my AB favourites.

T-R

[Ollie]

Can't remember if anyone had mentioned Lark Rise yet... that's worth getting.

[Simon Withers]

Certainly if you can find it 'Light Shining' is a must have Albion Band record and may be not too far behind would be the 'Under the Rose' another definite would be 'Shuffle Off!'

[Polly Oxford (Andie)]

Not one of the greatest musically, a bit kitschy round the edges, but one I still play a lot (after Morris On, Prospect, Rise Up and Lark Rise):- 'The wild side of Town' - particularly if you like Cathy Leserf.
I think that's the first version of Laura's Song, but I bet someone can tell me different!
'A wing and a prayer' never fails to make me cry - what a sentimental old twerp that makes me!

[GubGub (Al)]

So, I got to listen to Battle Of The Field & Rise Up today for the first time while I was on the train to London. Quite enjoyed the former. Some good stuff on there but patchy. I need to listen to it again.

As for Rise Up... Wow! It's a masterpiece isn't it! The next step on from Liege & Lief and possibly (whisper it softly at the risk of speaking heresy) the better album. More like this is what I am after and if there are going to be live performances I definitely want to be there!  

[Ollie]

Here's a clip of the Albions at Cropredy 83 - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HGOCQDcscvU&feature=related (note SN's cornflake box guitar!)

[davidmjs]

As for Rise Up... Wow! It's a masterpiece isn't it! The next step on from Liege & Lief and possibly (whisper it softly at the risk of speaking heresy) the better album.

This made me laugh out loud...not because I think it's nonsense...but because I had exactly the same conversation (in a devil's advocate kind of stylie) with a mate of mine about a decade ago.  I reckon it's the last great hurrah of English folk-rock.. It's folk, and it rocks, and to be frank 99% of what people talk of as 'folk-rock' made since, well, doesn't.  IMHO, of course.

[SJN]

So, I got to listen to Battle Of The Field & Rise Up today for the first time while I was on the train to London. Quite enjoyed the former. Some good stuff on there but patchy. I need to listen to it again.

As for Rise Up... Wow! It's a masterpiece isn't it! The next step on from Liege & Lief and possibly (whisper it softly at the risk of speaking heresy) the better album. More like this is what I am after and if there are going to be live performances I definitely want to be there!  

Gresford Disaster on 'Rise Up...' is masterful - and 'live' it was stunningly good!  (...and if you like that album, then I'm absolutely sure you'll like the 2 Home Service albums I mentioned too!)