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ENGLISH FOLK MUSIC
John Renbourn -> Mick Ryan & Pete
Harris
| JOHN RENBOURN |
Flying Fish 103 |
Live In America |
● CD $15.98 |
Fine set recorded in April, 1981 at The Great American Music
Hall and McCabes Concert Hall - selection of traditional and contemporary
songs and tunes - Renbourn/ vocal & guitar with Jacqui McShee/ vocal,
Tony Roberts/ flute, crumhorn, etc. John Molineux/ dulcimer, mandolin,
etc. and Keshav Sathe/ tabla.
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| JOHN RENBOURN |
Flying Fish 466 |
John Renbourn's Ship Of Fools |
● CD $15.98 |
This is Renbourn's first album with a group in six years.
His band, Ship Of Fools, includes wind virtuoso Tony Roberts, Steve
Tilston, a fine guitarist and mandolin strummer who also sings, and singer
Maggie Boyle, who's crystal clear sound makes Jacqui McShee's departure to
the reformed Pentangle less devestating. The material as usual contains a
large portion drawn from traditional sources and given fresh arrangements
by the group. The 4 original tunes, Traveller's Prayer/ The Martinmas
Wind/ Sandwood Down To Kyle and especially the epic Ship Of Fools
, have a timeless traditional feeling. Renbourn has chosen to really share
the spotlight, giving lots of solo space to each band member. Steve &
Maggie duet on the trad. Bogey's Bonnie belle & The Verdant
Braes Of Screen , while Roberts serenely colors every composition with
delicate washes of flute, clarinet, Northumbrian pipes, sax and recorders.
(SG)
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| JOHN RENBOURN |
Shanachie 97009 |
The Black Balloon |
● CD $15.98 |
Reissue of this fine album with new cover and notes. First
half is a selection of traditional and Elizabethan tunes while the second
half features two original tunes where John mixes baroque, folk and jazz
influences.
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| JOHN RENBOURN |
Shanachie 97014 |
The Hermit |
● CD $15.98 |
Renbourn fans and guitar lovers have here a generous helping
of Pentangle founder Renbourn, encompassing the full range of styles for
which he's become famous--from guitar transcriptions of early lute pieces
to the blues. This album is perhaps more aggressively classical in
approach and feel than some others in the Guitar Artistry series, but
shouldn't scare off the avid student. Three lovely Irish airs and the
unattributed Goat Island are given full TAB notation in the fat CD
booklet. Goat Island is one of the more intriguing tunes on the
album; a loping piece, and lots of fun to try to follow along with.
Overall, the blend of moods is very nice indeed, though more than once I
wished that the top mike hadn't been placed to pick up Renbourn's nose
breathing quite so accurately. Still, there's a deal to be said for
intimacy in recording. (DC)
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| JOHN RENBOURN |
Shanachie 97021 |
Sir John A Lot |
● CD $15.98 |
The early '70s "Sir John" is a sampling of two
distinct sides to Renbourn's style and repertoire. The first half presents
the lyric Renaissance guitar, developed from lute literature and
pattern-picked English ballads. The second half is Renbourn at his
blues-tinged, hard-attack folk jazz best. The tab booklet packed with the
CD covers all bases and is clear and accurate. Compared with the old LP,
the CD sounds pretty raw and brittle in places, and left and right
channels have been mysteriously switched. Still, it's hot playing, worth a
listen. Side note: it would be nice if Shanachie would indicate the
original recording date of these Guitar Artistry rereleases, to give the
avid student an idea what point in an artist's development the CD
represents. Renbourn, for one, has gone through many musical phases and
some are more interesting than others. (DC)
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| JOHN RENBOURN |
Shanachie 97022 |
The Lady And The Unicorn |
● CD $15.98 |
Backed by fellow ex-Pentangler Terry Cox, Dave Swarbrick,
and 4 others, Renbourn has created a superbly focused work, letting his
love for medieval music, lute literature, and early English balladry
shine. Included are airs Renbourn first made famous with Pentangle, La
Rotta, Lamento di Tristan, and Bransle Gay being must-learn
pieces for any folk guitarist. They simply never lose their charm, lilt,
or inspiration, even after 20 years. CD technology is a little unkind
here, revealing a number of off-mike bumps and squeaks that were once
politely lost in surface noise. There is one silly moment, with Bach's Sarabande
drenched in tremolo. Still, the final medley is as lovely as anything
Renbourn has ever done. Fine tablature booklet is included. (DC)
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| JOHN RENBOURN GROUP |
Shanachie 79004 |
A Maid In Bedlam |
● CD $15.98 |
This excellent first album by the John Renbourn Group evokes
the music of Pentangle, mainly because of the presence of Jacquie McShee
and Renbourn - with Tony Roberts & Sue Draheim - mostly traditional
songs - includes songs and tunes from England, Ireland, Germany &
America - Black Waterside/ A Maid in Bedlam/ John Barleycorn/ My Johnny
Was a Shoemaker/ The Battle of Aughram , etc
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| JOHN RENBOURN GROUP |
Shanachie 79074 |
The Enchanted Garden |
● CD $15.98 |
This is a flat-out winner! Renbourn has fused all the
elements representing the best of Pentangle and his early
Renaissance/blues fusion and produced a gem that's as good as anything
he's ever done. With this band Renbourn can tie together 14th century
Machaut, a Napoleonic broken token ballad and an extended
Indian-influenced folk-jazz improv and it all makes perfect sense. Jacqui
McShee's vocals are stunning, John Molineux is rock solid on vocals and
half a dozen instruments, and Renbourn's guitar technique seems to be even
more intense and controlled than on other recent albums. Multiple
woodwinds, tabla, and snare drum round out the band. Renbourn succeeds
here in what he does best - taking music from the past, pushing it gently
into the future, and enriching us all in the process. (DC)
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| TONY ROSE |
Boneshaker 2001 |
Bare Bones |
● CD $19.98 |
17 tracks, 61 mins, essential. The first album in 17 years
from this fine performer and he sounds as good as ever. Tony was one of my
favorite performers of the 70s with his lovely warm and expressive voice,
effortless approach and his deceptively simple but always appropriate
accompaniments on concertina and guitar. Tony is the perfect communicator
for some of the finest traditional songs in the English language - 'Twas
On One April Morning/ George Collins/ The Lakes Of Shilin/ Banks Of The
Sweet Primeroses/ Lenady/ The Bonny Light Horseman/ The Dark Eyed Sailor
and others along including the spine chilling Sheath And Knife and
the gorgeous Tom The Barber - a variation of Willie Of Winsbury.
There are also a few contemporary songs like Dave Goulder's The January
Man and Bob Dylan's Boots Of Spanish Leather. Tony recorded a
number of these songs years ago but none of his early work is in print and
the performances here are as good as the originals. Lovely stuff. (FS)
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| LEON ROSSELSON |
Fuse CFCD 001 |
RosselSonGs |
● CD $19.98 |
18 tracks, 72 mins, Essential. One can argue that Rosselson
is not exactly a great singer. But his songs are among the greatest
achievements in contemporary English folk-topical circles. This is a
compilation of songs from throughout his recording career, his best-known
tunes accompanied by his gang of folkie conspirators: Roy Bailey, Martin
Carthy, Rory McLeod, Frankie Armstrong among them. Stand Up for Judas,
Bringing the News from Nowhere, a remake of The World Turned
Upside Down are the diamonds in a field of musical gems. Rosselson was
leary of the compact disc when he agreed to submit to it. But the sound
quality, while not ear-boggling because he took the low budget folkie
approach to recording, is a big improvement over the often iffy vinyl
pressings that were, until this, the only alternative. (LK)
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| LEON ROSSELSON |
Fuse CFCD 002 |
Wo Sind Die Elefanten? (Where Are The
Elephants?) |
● CD $19.98 |
10 tracks, 42 min. Recommended. Unlike his other two compact
discs, this one is not a compilation, but a 1991 recording by England's
premier topical and witty songwriter. Some of the political sentiments
expressed haven't aged well even in this short time, what with global
changes, but then Song of the Old Communist takes on new
significance. Other rather bizarre story-songs -- The Neighbours' Cat,
The Poet, the Wife and the Monkey -- show that not everything
Rosselson wrote about has to have historical significance or offer
subversive commentary on current events. (LK)
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| LEON ROSSELSON |
Fuse CFCD 003 |
Guess What They're Selling At The Happiness
Counter |
● CD $19.98 |
19 songs, 73 minutes, recommended. A second compilation of
songs from throughout English wit and literarily subversive folkie
Rosselson is a good companion to the previous
RosselSonGs. Some of these tunes are essential, including Voices, The
World's Police, The Voice That Lives Inside You. Accompanying
musicians, as with RosselSonGs, include Frankie Armstrong, Martin
Carthy, Roy Bailey. (LK)
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| LEON ROSSELSON |
Fuse CFCD 005 |
Intruders |
● CD $19.98 |
11 tracks, 48 mins., recommended Rosselson is an artist of
such uncompromising intensity that some find him hard to take and even
admirers may need to absorb him in small doses. This CD finds the
songwriter in full froth, backed by Martin Carthy, Fiz Shapur, Liz
Mansfield, Chris Foster, and Sianed Jones, and going for the throats of
politicians and warmongers and bigots. But the best songs here are the
most personal. Monologue is one of the most telling distillations
of how a relationship can derail through lack of communication that I've
ever heard. And it manages to be darkly funny on top of that. And in A
Very Busy Man Rosselson takes a swipe at the overamped self-importance
of the modern white-collar drone. All songs are new except for a new
rendition of his 1971 The Word Market which really required one's
undivided attention to absorb. This is thoughtful, difficult poetry. But
surprise: he's provided a happy ending! (DC)
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| LEON ROSSELSON |
Fuse CFCD 006 |
Perspectives |
● CD $19.98 |
18 songs - mostly new recordings of songs Leon recorded in
the 70s and early 80s - The Ant & The Grasshopper/ Plan/ History
Lesson/ Consider The Najority/ Experts/ The Rules Of The Game, etc.
With Roy Bailey, Billy Bragg, Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick and others.
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| LEON ROSSELSON |
Gadfly 241 |
Perspectives |
● CD $15.98 |
First release on a U.S. label by one of England's most
important topical songwriters. 18 songs - mostly new recordings of songs
Leon recorded in the 70s and early 80s - The Ant & The Grasshopper/
Plan/ History Lesson/ Consider The Najority/ Experts/ The Rules Of The
Game, etc. With guest appearances from Roy Bailey, Billy Bragg, Martin
Carthy, John Kirkpatrick and others.
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| KATE RUSBY |
Compass 4310 |
Little Lights |
● CD $15.98 |
New album from this talented English performer is a
collection of traditional songs, original songs (mostly in traditional
style) and a fine version of Richard Thompson's Withered And Died.
Includes Playing Of Ball/ Merry Green Broom/ Canaan's Land/ William
& Davy/ Matt Hyland and others. Produced by John McCusker who also
plays on the album along with Ian Carr, Darrell Scott, Andy Seward, Danny
Thompson, Mairtin O'Connor and many other luminaries.
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| KATE RUSBY |
Pure Records PRCD 02 |
Hourglass |
● CD $19.98 |
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| KATE RUSBY |
Pure Records PRCD 06 |
Sleepless |
● CD $18.98 |
Half traditional and
half originals with instrumental accompaniments from Ian Carr, Roger
Wilson, Tim O'Brien, Andy Cutting and others - The Cobblers Daughter/
The Fairest Of All Yarrow/ Sho Heen/ All God's Angels/ The Duke & The
Tinker/ The Sleepless Sailor, etc.
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| MICK RYAN &
PETE HARRIS |
Terra Nova 011 |
The Widow's Promise |
● CD $12.98 |
Fine British duo performing traditional songs and more
recent songs in traditional style. Most of the leads are Ryan with Harris
providing the harmonies and instrumental accompaniment on guitar,
bouzouki, mandolin, mandola, etc. and occasional lead vocal. Nothing
particularly striking but some good singing, playinga dn songs - The
Widow's Promise/ The Old Couple/ The Man I Killed/ Hash House Blues/
Salisbury Plain/ Adieu, Adieu, etc.
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