One of the best bands in that festival was The Albion Dance band. I bought a couple of their albums then, and there is one I consider to be among the best electronic folk albums of the 1970's.
I conclude the short series of folk albums with this one. Almost forgotten, and the CD is again out of print. It took me several weeks to get a second hand copy. But here it is.
Ashley Hutchings could be called the father of British electric folk, having founded both Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. His next project, the Albion Band, explored new directions with a theater show of folk and dance, and was called the Albion Country Band, The Albion Dance Band, and finally simply the Albion Band.
This album was recorded while the band were still playing shows in the National Theatre in London. A nine persons band, with Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks and Simon Nicol, the rhythm section of Fairport's 1969 Liege & Lief album laying a solid foundation. Add a second drummer, Michael Gregory, a second gitarist Graeme Taylor (formerly of Gryphon), early music expert (and classical conductor) Phil Pickett on bagpipes and wind instruments, (Soft Machine) violist Ric Sanders, synthesizer and sax by Pete Bullocks and finally actor-singer-composer John Tams with his melodeon, and that's a band with an impressive musical ability. Of course that is no guarantee, but it worked out very well. Among the many guests on the album are Martin Carthy, Kate McGarrigle and Richard and Linda Thompson.
- Ragged Heroes - Poor Old Horse - Afro Blue / Danse Royale - Ampleforth / Lay Me Low - Time To Ring Some Changes - House In The Country - The Primrose - Gresford Disaster
- Bonus tracks:
- The Postman's Knock - Pain And Paradise - Lay Me Low - Rainbow Over The Hill
- With all scans, no cue-sheet, separate tracks as flac. My rips and scans.
PS I had some direct links to an mp3-music player here, but they caused IE to hang. So I had to remove them. Still looking for a better alternative. Until then: sorry.
