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Review page of FOLK reissues :

UK : Vulcan's Hammer , Lazy Farmer , Clive Palmer, Miriam Backhouse, Fotheringay

Radioactive Rec.      Vulcan's Hammer : True Hearts and Sound Bottoms (UK,1973)***°'

While today I started to hate folk because of the commercialisation and lack of intelligence of some mediocre traditionalists, what I miss most is the “magic” of true folk tradition, which many English groups in the ‘70’s had. Vulcan’s Hammer is such a band which has all the necessary elements to make folk expression complete and original and an emotionally rich experience. This way they fit with many of the classic Kissing Spell releases. Many tracks have a direct live experience feeling.
Vulcan’s Hammer was a Kent band who released their album privately in 1973 limited to 250 copies (Brown). The album was reissued on LP before in 1997 (Porcelain). This is I think the first CD reissue.

The titles were not included in the reissues, so here they are : 1.True Hearts And Sound Bottoms/Harvest Home, 2. John Barleycorn, 3. Jamie, 4. The Keys Of Canterbury, 5. Davy Lowston, 6. Lord Of The Dance, 7.Poverty Knocks, 8.The Greenhopper, 9. Hens' March To The Midden, 10.The Holmfirth Anthem, 11. The White Hare Of Howden, 12, The Grey Havens, 13. Fire And Wine

Audio : "The Holmfirth Anthem", "Jamie" (or here), "The Greenhopper"
Info on album : http://www.ear-rational.com/detail.php?id=22301
Japanese info : http://www.d6.dion.ne.jp/~jirowe/reviewpt105/reviewpt105.htm
Label entry : http://www.radioactiverecords.com/acatalog/radioactiverecords_RRCD150_to_RRCD199__.html
Other release on Kissing Spell (Korean review) : http://thrak.cafe24.com/html/vulcan.htm

PS.  Phil & Kay Burkin of Vulcan's Hammer later joined forces with Tundra, and recorded some tracks as Mingled for the Eron LP "Good Folk Of Kent". "Some members of this band were later in an outfit called Mingled who had seven cuts on the 1975 album, Good Folk Of Kent."
The self titled "Vulcan's Hammer on Kissing Spell (KSCD9502-F) and "The Two Magicians" (KSCD9506-F) both came out on old KS in 1995.
Sunbeam Rec.      Lazy Farmer (UK,1975)***'

Lazy Farm released an LP in Germany, produced by the famous Krautrock producer Conny Planck. The repertoire is mostly traditional music with a few extra tracks, which seem to be recognisable as a potentional Wizz Jones’s choice (like Ralph McTell, Deroll Adams, and a song of his own). The traditionals are known well for use in busking and late night jams. The Deroll Adams song I think is especially chosen to give dedication to this man, from which it is said that he brought the banjo to Europe. All songs are well arranged for the banjo core focus, with a nice and beautiful technical balance. Everything sounds optimal for giving best of pleasure in playing and for a perfect live enjoyment. This one-hand focus means that the Ralph McTell song, like several traditionals, are sung without much consciousness of the songs’ content, and are played way too fast, making them lazy versions. However to please a live public and the playing itself they sound a perfect feast. The arrangements of the two instrumentals, with hurdy-gurdy, flute and banjo I also enjoyed well.
The album was dedicated to American banjo player John Burke, whose book “Fiddle tunes for the banjo” inspired the formation of Lazy Farmer.

Label info on album : http://www.sunbeamrecords.com/page15/page6/page6.html
Wizz Jones info (from his homepage) : http://www.wizzjones.com/disc_lazynew.html
& on http://www.rockinworld.com/scenescof/wizz.htm
Defenition of the slam expression of what is a "lazy farmer" : http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lazy+farmer

PS. Related releases : Wizz Jones made various from good to excellent albums based upon cover interpretations (which include often many Alan Tunbridge songs, and a few songs of his own). Favourites of mine of his works are “Right Now” (1972,***°°), “Lucky the Man”(2001,***°) and “The Village Thing Tapes” (1969-1976**°°), which is another album produced by Conny Plank.
PS. John Bidwell, another member of Lazy Farmer was former member of C.O.B./Clive's Original Band. Remarks on C.O.B. and The Famous Jug Band you can find on next release, another Clive Palmer reissue:
Sunbeam Rec.           Clive Palmer 's Banjoland (UK,1967)***°'

This distinctive album by Clive Palmer was recorded some time after the first album with The Incredible String Band who was at that time a trio of Clive with Heron and Williamson. After this first album, Williamson headed for Morocco and Clive to India, bringing back perhaps the ideas which would lead to the revolutionary changes in folk music soon to be caused by The Incredible String Band. Clive was offered the opportunity to record this solo album. On this recording he showed his deep interest in digging further into tradition, from a very different origin of inspiration compared to Heron and Williamson who were heading to more, seemingly Indian flavoured, freer variations. Banjo in that time, and still mostly was know for its American traditions. Stimulated perhaps by Wizz Jones, who soon was going to form a duo with him, Clive seemed to try and succeeded in forming his own English expression. Listening to how he expresses this, it sounds much more in the vein of how Bert Jansch and John Renbourne in their early works and around the same time, started to define their own guitar styles. The new discipline he hereby explored was expressed the same way as a rough acid blues recording, which, in combination with his singing and deeply felt song inspiration makes it sound skilled and makes him almost like a genius amongst others. I have no idea if these ideas had its predecessors, because I heard little of such original early folk explorations, from before 1967, especially not from the UK. I guess that the Edwardian banjo tunes were a new, but successful formula. A few tracks are played with guitar, like “Stories of Jesus”, arranged with additional strings.

I can imagine how some ideas of this album lead to the Famous Jug Band, the band Clive had after this, and who recorded an album the next year. A part of the additional styles which were developed there and some other cooperations would lead after that to the legendary C.O.B. band. Before these new changes, Clive first tried to explore this “banjoland” to the limit. But it seemed that record companies simply didn’t see how the recorded album could be interesting to release. If there would have been an English Takoma label this could have become some kind of classic, but I guess this ‘new tradition’ simply was too new an idea, and I guess the time perspective was more focused on other new directions that already were unfolding. Clive formed shortly a duo with Wizz Jones trying to pursue this interest in banjo, but soon after a BBC radioshow session they quit after having the feeling they had shown already the best of what they had. The four bonus tracks were from that period.

Most of the traditional tracks, especially those two from the BBC session, are too much contrast against the deliberate simplicity, purity and exploring energy of the album, so I would have preferred them not to be on this album. “Old Maid’s song” perhaps still fits ok, but I think is also already of a different order.

Label info on album : http://www.sunbeamrecords.com/page15/page5/page5.html
Discography of Clive Palmer : http://www.makingtime.co.uk/beglad/discocp.htm
Recently Clive Palmer played with Espers,..

Additional related info : The two C.O.B./Clive Original Band's albums are highly recommended and are classic, not to miss folk/psychfolk items (both ****°) (one of them is reviewed here). Also related to C.O.B. and also with banjo is The Famous Jug Band who released a very good album in 1969, and another, good folk album in 2001. My own, quick description of this new album you can read here.
Clive Palmer also participated in the earliest version of The Incredible String Band. PS. Incredible String Band related groups I listed at http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/ISB.html (not updated)
Mother Earth Music         Miriam Backhouse : Gypsy Without A Road (UK,1977)*****

When Miriam Backhouse album was first reissued on Vinyl Tab in 1994, collectors wondered what happened to her. They only knew she disappeared to South Africa. Just recently, she returned home to the UK after having raised her children and started touring again. Before that, Saffron Summerfield has reissued her album on her label, with two more recent recordings as bonus tracks.

In 1973, Fred Woods of Folk Review followed Miriam’s evolutions from the beginning and gave her the “New Year’s Honours”, a feature of the magazine at that time. Around 1976 he felt she had grown with her performance ever since. In January 1977 she was able to record her first full album, produced by Saffron Summerfield. Unusual for a folk album it also featured mellotron on one track. It was also recorded with double tracking. Participants were Julia and Brian Etheridge on vocals, first and second violin, string arrangements, string and bowed bass, mellotron, 12-string guitar, electric bass and piano arrangements. Miriam sung the lead vocals and played viola (1) and six string nylon guitar. Stephen Deltt played bowed and birowed dulcimer (4) and Jock Cummings played percussion (6).

This was a very unique recording, and one of the best albums based upon traditional music, due to the strong emotional depth in singing, and the beautiful string and vocal arrangements. But even when sparsely arranged, every track remains essential. For instance, I can not think of a better version than “Long Lankin” even when this is only voice and nylon guitar, and a double bass rhythm, and bits of percussive dulcimer. Her voice penetrates deep. A funny, equally brilliant song is “Nasty Spider” (by Jeremy Taylor), like entertaining storyteller, this is sung as if being a little child. “John Riley”, starting powerfully with vibrating double bass is another winner of interpreting a traditional.

If all folk was like this I wouldn’t have to hate it so often for there are too many interpreters who repeat patterns and think this is traditional music. At least you’re able to separate the wood from the forest, Miriam said. I cannot agree more. In her forest of expressions you can get lost easily, without feeling lost.
The bonus tracks were recorded live at the Robin Hood folk club Brinsley in around 1977. They are vocal only and contain beautiful, almost magical and mantra-like (within a folk tradition), vocal harmonies by the local folks.

Audio : "The Farmers have gone East" (Will Williams) 
Homepage : http://www.myspace.com/miriambackhouse
LP info : http://time-has-told-me.blogspot.com/2006/09/miriam-backhouse-gypsy-without-road-uk.html
& http://www.douban.com/subject/2337997/
Label info on artist : http://www.motherearthmusic.co.uk/artists.php and on album : http://www.motherearthmusic.co.uk/gypsy.htm
Info on her comeback : http://www.splashyfen.co.za/sfnews/africanrose.html
& http://www.amandalynnemusic.com/index.php?page=bio&display=104
& http://www.amplify.co.za/DealerNews/newsdetails.asp?newsitem=2676
& http://www.powerzone.co.za/scripts/power.dll?subrt=pzfndnews&news=87098
& http://www.artsmart.co.za/festivals/1059.html
& http://www.samusic.co.za/...
Other review : http://www.theunbrokencircle.co.uk/album_reviews_01.htm
2 more recent Miriam Backhouse albums on http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/folk2.html
original LP     first, Vinyl Tap reissue               most recent reissue
Fledg'Ling Rec.  Fotheringay : 2 (SP,1970,re.2008)***°

The only officially released Fotheringay LP remains one of my favourite folk-rock albums from the UK. It was also the most interesting material which Sandy Denny in any band (like with Fairport Convention and the Strawbs) had released. I knew already that they had started a second recording, but because the band split more quickly than expected this recording never saw the light of day, until now, as a restored version because most tracks were in fact never finished at the time.
Around the time Sandy Denny met Trevor Lucas (from Eclection) she left Fairport Convention and formed a new band with a few more band mates. Fotheringay’s first record was also produced by Joe Boyd. While working on the second album, misunderstandings and confusions arose together with Denny's well documented insicurities about going solo (which is what Joe Boyd wanted). WXith difficulties in the recording studio Joe Boyd became impatient with progressing and went back to America, finishing the album was no longer an option. Some of Sandy Denny’s songs were however taken over to her solo albums (on ‘The Northstar Grassman And The Ravens’, 1971 and ‘Like an Old Fashioned Waltz’, 1973).
Over forty years (!!!) later, Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas have already passed away, but guitarist Donahue took the chance to work with two of the remaining members Donaldson and Conway to restore and produce the original intentions of the album by using the remaining master tapes. Some of these sessions had live vocals to the rhythm section to be replaced later with overdubs, but still seemed to be useful. The result is convincing as a finished production as a basic idea for what the band had in mind, even when some tracks give a somewhat more live impression in the way some tracks are arranged, rather than being stuffed with studio reconsiderations and arrangements, many songs are well penned and worth discovering. Of course, the Sandy Denny tracks are marvellous as ever, and there’s a surprisingly great David Cousins song as well, called “two weeks last summer”. “Eppie Moray” is a nice folk-rock track, but folk is not always the core. The band accompaniment sometimes is a bit more like a mainstream rock live band (with my least favourite : Bob Dylan’s “I don’t believe you”)*(-better check Al Stewart's version on 'Orange'...), and it is also even more clear how Trevor Lucas’s approach is actually very different from Sandy Denny’s even more subtle, deeperreaching approach. Never the less and despite this, the band keeps these contrasts consistently well together, which makes this release really enjoyable and very welcome for any Sandy Denny (and of course Lucas/Cousins) fan.

(Only sad they made such an unattractive cover. The only thing I can say about it is that it clearly shows it is made for “the second album”).

PS. I also noticed that there exists at least two more Fotheringay bootlegs (?). The first is based upon the three BBC sessions from between 4-11 november 1970, called “Wild Mountain” Thyme, and the other one has more live tracks and is called “poems from Alexandra”. I wonder how some of these songs took shape on these sessions.

Audio : http://music.aol.com/album/2/1432040
& http://www.myspace.com/fotheringaythealbum
Label info : http://www.thebeesknees.com/?p=258#more-258
& http://www.thebeesknees.com/?page_id=204&category=10
3 Fotheringay live album covers on http://cdcovers.iespana.es/cdcovers/pag001.htm
Info : http://dmme.net/specials/foth.html
& http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/sandy.denny/records/fotheringay2.html
& http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/sandy.denny/records/fotheringay.html
Other reviews : http://brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7139&Itemid=1
& http://www.thebeesknees.com/?p=252
& http://sandydenny.blogspot.com/2008/09/fotheringay-2.html
& http://www.folkalley.com/music/amazon/asin/B001EN1QP0
& http://www.independent.co.uk/...
& http://www.systemrecords.co.uk/fotheringayfotheringay2cd-p-979611.html
& http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/fotheringay