British Rock: On the Beat

1. Rock and Roll Love Letter - Bay City Rollers

2. Goodbye My Love - Glitter Band

3. I Can Do It - Rubettes

4. Falling Apart at the Seams - Marmalade

5. Love Is Like Oxygen - Brian Connolly

6. You're No Good - The Swinging Blue Jeans

7. No Arms Can Ever Hold You - The Bachelors

8. Sorrow - The Merseybeats

9. Wild Thing - The Troggs

10. Summerlove Sensation - Bay City Rollers

Tracks:

Tell Mama
Let It Rock
I Can't Get Next to You
Time Does Tell
Street Corner Talking
All I Can Do
Wang Dang Doodle
Doin' Fine
Lost and Lonely Child
I'll Make Everything Alright
Troubled by These Days and Times
If I Could See an End
It'll Make You Happy
Hellbound Train

Album Description

2006 digitally remastered two-fer from the legendary Savoy Brown featuring two of their most popular albums (Street Corner Talking from 1971 and Hellbound Train from '72). The line-up on these albums feature the ever-present Kim Simmonds on guitar with Dave Walker (vocals), Andy Sylvester (bass), Paul Raymond (keyboards) and Dave Bidwell (drums), all of the formerly of Chicken Shack! Standard jewel box in a slipcase with extensive liner notes. BGO.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered, Slip Cased Edition of Two of the Best Albums in the Savoy Brown Catalog on a Single Compact Disc! These Albums Datie from 1971 and 72 Respectively and Feature the Ever-present Kim Simmonds on Guitar with Dave Walker (Vocals), Andy Sylvester (Bass), Paul Raymond (Keyboards) and Dave Bidwell (Drums) - all Ex-chicken Shack. During the 70's and 80's Savoy Brown (With Varied Lineups) Spent all of their Time in the United States Trying to Break that Vast Market. Includes Extensive Liner Notes.

Customer Reviews:

The ultimate blues and boogie band!.......2006-10-27

Kim Simmonds has been Savoy Brown for doggone near 40 years now (Shakedown came out in 1967). Every incarnation of the band has had Simmonds on guitar. Early formation saw part of the band (Dave Peverett, Roger Earl, and Tone Stevens) split to form FOGHAT.

Just like there's no mistaking Simmonds' guitar, the same can be said for Chris Youlden's voice. And this two LP combo on one CD gives you a few of Savoy's best tracks.

First, I think 'Tell Mama' is one of my all-time favorite songs PERIOD! Here it is from the Street Corner Talking release. 'Let It Rock' is another goodie. 'Can't Get Next To You' is a Motown ditty that's been redone a time or two by different folks. I think Rare Earth did a great job on it, but Savoy Brown does a darned fine job, as well.

'Troubled By These Days And Times' and 'If I Could See n End'... Hmmm. Prophetic titles, eh? (Hockey term)

'Wang Dang Doodle' is spectazmagoric! I made that up, but I think you get the idea.

But to round out the whole thing is the epic tale of the 'Hellbound Train.'

"I'm goin down the road on the hellbound train. Take a last look baby 'cause you won't see me again."

What to expect? Very good guitar. Unique vocals. What I classify as psychedelic blues. Extended jams to showcase Simmonds talent.

What not to expect? Mainstream, Clapton/King blues. Foghat-esque boogie. Two or three minute songs. Can't tell a good story in that length of time!

When you get tired of hearing the various 'new' bands who sound the same vocally or sound the same as far as guitar is concerned, etc., just grab any of the early Savoy Brown albums - this pair is a great place to start!

Average customer rating:

Another Best Album
Spooky rumination on love and its aftermath
Pretty good, but Thompson has done much better
Breaks the Borders of Popular Music
Bridges the gap

Across a Crowded Room
Richard Thompson
Manufacturer: Bgo - Beat Goes on
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Daring Adventures
Hand of Kindness
Amnesia
Small Town Romance
you? me? us?

ASIN: B00002475Q
Release Date: 2003-03-03

Tracks:

When the Spell Is Broken
You Don't Say
I Ain't Going to Drag My Feet No More
Love in a Faithless Country
Fire in the Engine Room
Walking Through a Wasted Land
Little Blue Number
She Twists the Knife Again
Ghosts in the Wind

Customer Reviews:

Another Best Album .......2005-08-12

Mr Thompson is almost review - proof in that everything he does is better than most folk's best efforts.
Listen to "Love in a Faithless Country" and try to stop those shivers down your spine. This was written many years before the 2005 London bombings, but could have been written immediately aftwards.
With not a bad track in evidence, this is a great way to start or further your RT collection.

Spooky rumination on love and its aftermath.......2002-11-14

Although not Thompson's finest album, Across a Crowded Room leaves no doubt as to which side of the fence Thompson sits on when it comes to love; he's a cynical observer. Written in the aftermath of Thompson's messy divorce to folk singer Linda Thompson, Room features a handful of powerful Thompson classics dressed to kill.

The stand out cuts include When The Spell Is Broken, the bitter You Don't Say, the shimmering Ghost in the Wind and the spooky Love In A Faithless Country. BGO has done it's usual terrific job with this fine album. The sound is better than the original Polydor release on CD (one of their first and, sadly, it sounded like it). The artwork is faithful to the original LP design. There aren't any notes on the making of the album. The reissued CD doesn't include the lyrics which, as I recall, were issued with the original vinyl version and were definitely issued with the first CD issued.

The running order reflects the LP. Also, "Ghost in the Wind" runs a tad bit too fast (it was sped up a slight amount to allow the original tracks to fit on the vinyl version). A warning to Thompson fans. BGO used the wrong master for this reissued CD--the LP master was mistaken pulled out and used. As a result this reissue is missing the CD/cassette bonus track "Shine on Love" which was a nice little gem. This album needs to be remastered using the proper master and with the bonus track.

Pretty good, but Thompson has done much better.......2000-08-15

Any fan will want this in the collection, if for no other reason than the concert staples it contains ("When the Spell is Broken", "She Twists the Knife Again", "Ghosts in the Wind"). There are plenty of other fine songs here, as well, but I find the overall sound of this album to be a bit flat and tired (perhaps this is why RT switched producers after this one). Most of these songs just don't grab me the way Thompson's best stuff does.

The quality of RT's large catalog has set the bar very high, so while this album is certainly good, in the context of Thompson's other work it rates as only average. I would recommend "Hand of Kindnes", "Mock Tudor", "Shoot Out The Lights" or "Pour Down Like Silver", among others, far ahead of this one.

Breaks the Borders of Popular Music.......2000-06-30

Most artists can do "I fell in love - I fell out of love - I've never gotten over it" in one album. Richard Thompson just takes his time to examine the subject more deeply - say two decades. He's tenderly regretful (When The Spell Is Broken), perhaps still in love (You Don't Say), and optimistic concerning future possibilities (I Ain't Going To Drag My Feet No More).

Across The Crowded Room is a rocker with minor but distinguishable ties to traditional English folk music. Instrumentation similar to that of English Chamber Music gives his compositions an air of grace and royalty (Shine On Love, Walking Through A Wasted Land). And what would be more charming than framing the CD with the cheerful jangle of a 12-string Rickenbacker compliments of Simon Nicol (You Don't Say, Walking Through A Wasted Land). Richard's own scathing electric guitar rips through the CD (When The Spell Is Broken, She Twists The Knife Again). And like the work of B.J. Wilson (Procol Harum), Jim Keltner and Jim Gordon; Dave Mattack's drum rhythms are scintillating with no self-indulgent flash. The plaintive voice of an adorable lady (Christine Collister) contrasts Richard's rough delivery. She's most noticeable (and effective) on `When The Spell Is Broken,' `Shine On Love,' and `She Twists The Knife Again.'

Minor annoyances? Afraid so. Two tracks (`Fire In The Engine Room' and `Little Blues Number') are my least favorite style of rock. I can only describe them as "100-MPH boogie": super-fast rock-a-billy with no purpose except to see just how fast the band can play.

Two compositions clearly shine on Across: one is the angry hard driving `She Twists The Knife Again.' The other, `Love In A Faithless Country,' is one of those Richard Thompson haunted, dark and vindictive love songs that breaks the borders of popular music and goes straight for knife-in-the-heart emotion. With an exotic Kate Bush-like choir arrangement, and Richard's torrid lead guitar, the track is one of his most riveting compositions. Across A Crowded Room is a Richard Thompson "average" CD. By comparison, his average work is outstanding.

Bridges the gap.......1999-08-31

This was a transitional album for Richard Thompson; the one that laid the groundwork for his solo career to follow, more so than its predecessor "Hand of Kindness," which was musically and lyrically an extension of "Shoot Out the Lights," the last Richard and Linda album. Pretty much everything RT has done since has its roots in "Across A Crowded Room"'s take on various rock and folk styles. The main difference is the Joe Boyd production; the controversial Mitchell Froom took over after this one.

However, with a couple of exceptions, this isn't an especially great batch of songs by RT standards, although the music is as excellent as you'd expect from Richard. The standout is the brooding "When The Spell Is Broken," still a staple of his live set. Several of the uptempo rockers (there are more of them than usual on this set) entertain but none quite reach the heights of "Tear-Stained Letter." "She Twists the Knife Again" is mean-spirited but irresistible musically, and "Walking Through A Wasted Land" is surprisingly rollicking for a pessimistic song of societal breakdown. But "Ghosts In the Wind" is rather dull, "Love In A Faithless Country" is unusually pretentious for RT, and "You Don't Say" is terribly slight (though interestingly, he would draw from its musical blueprint many times on the coming albums).

Tracks:

You Give Me Loving
Convention Prevention
Turned Off T.V. Blues
Standing at the Station
You Can't Win Them All
Religion
Choo Choo Moma
Tomorrow I'll Be Out of Town
Rock & Roll Music to the World

Album Description

Remastered 1997 BGO reissue of their deleted 1972 Chrysalis album, engineered by Chris Kimsey. Contains all nine original tracks, including 'You Give Me Loving' and 'Turned Off T.V. Blues'. Also features extensive sleeve notes and faithfully restored artwork. The full title is 'Rock & Roll Music To The World'.

Customer Reviews:

their last essential release.......2007-04-10

«Rock & Roll Music to the World» was the last essential release of the british blues rockers. Thirty five years after it's release, Ten Years After has been reduced to litte more than a bunch of fast, loud guitar runs in many people's minds. And there are memories of their stomping Woodstock performance. «Rock & Roll Music to the World» offers some blues, some ballads and of course the kind of simple rock an roll tunes Ten Years After always will be associated with: Choo Choo Mama, Tomorrow I'll Be Out of Town or the title track. Sure, this is the album of a band soon running out of steam. The strain of endless touring is beginning to tell. And sure, there's not much inspiration in Alvin Lee's guitar routines. But this is a suprisingly strong album. The band sounds tight and relaxed. Chick Churchill plays some interresting combination of synthesizer and organ lines. And there are even highlights like Standing at the Station or You Give Me Loving.

rock & roll music to the world ten years after.......2006-09-06

this a must for any fan of ten years after or anyone who enjoys booige based rock & roll

goin' mainstream.......2005-12-29

'Rock and Roll Music To the World' is Alvin Lee and Ten Year's After's ninth album, released in 1972. There would only be one more studio disc from the band, so by this point in time they were on the cusp of dissolving. Apparently there were strong personalities and a good deal of dissention within the band, which at times resulted in on-stage arguments complete with members refusing to play, or throwing bottles and other missiles at one another. You wouldn't know it to listen to the tight, blues-rock musicianship offered here, with all the tracks penned, sung, and in most cases defined by the lead guitar work of Alvin Lee.

Despite being a British band, Ten Years After only scored one top ten hit in their homeland, in June of 1970 when 'Love Like a Man' took them to number 10. In America, the Top-40 success was even leaner, with only one track, 'I'd Love To Change the World' (from their 1971 disc 'A Space In Time') barely reaching number 40. But the band was better known in America for two other achievements: being one of the most-toured bands circa 1970, and Alvin Lee's thrilling performance of 'I'm Going Home' at the Woodstock Festival.

While 'Rock and Roll Music To the World' is often panned as a shallow effort for Lee and Co., it stands as my favorite Ten Years After recording. I purchased the release on vinyl in 1972 due to the large number of quality tracks that were receiving airplay on the burgeoning FM radio dial. 'You Give Me Loving', 'Convention Prevention', 'You Can't Win Them All', 'Choo Choo Mama', and the title track all made the playlists. While a lot of the music is good, old-fashioned rock and roll, the compositions at times offer lyrical depth. 'Religion', for example, has the strongest philosophical bent, offering reasonings such as "once you're dead there's nothing left for giving, so life means fighting for your every breath". On 'Convention Prevention', one of my favorite tunes from the disc, Lee turns some nice phrases such as, "I'd like to reach out to you and learn just how do you do, so we can still relate; I'd like to open my mind so you can come inside, and see that we communicate". The 'dream' of the psycedelic '60's is given a final nod in 'Rock and Roll Music To the World' as Lee intones, "Give peace a chance, get up and dance". The album was for Lee what 'Court and Spark' was for Joni Mitchell: a cashing in on the total commercialization of the rock industry. No longer did bands view the music as art for art's sake, but were out to produce a salable product.

Fortuantely, Alvin Lee still had his lead guitar sensibilities adeptly in tow, cutting loose with exceptional lead guitar runs on nearly every track. Tracks 3, 4 and 8 are the weaker numbers, but each is worthy in their own right, the first two as blues-rock endeavors, with an emphasis on the rock ('Standing At the Station' gives keyboardist Chick Churchill and bassist Leo Lyons opportunities to solo), while 'Tomorrow I'll Be Out Of Town" queue's up as the lone country-rock track, again with an emphasis on the rock. The opener, 'You Give Me Loving', a six and 1/2 minute loping mass of metal and sound effects, and the roaring 'Choo Choo Mama' became staples at TYA concerts for a number of years to come.

For whatever reason, many of Ten Years After's discs are in relatively short supply. Most likely, people who purchase them tend to hold on to them. Not many are passed on for less than a ten-spot, although I was able to score my remastered, imported copy of this disc for only $6 (shipping included) on ebay, so deals can be had. The liner notes by Neil Slaven are fairly extensive, giving a detailed biography of the band, and the artwork from the original LP has been reproduced. This is one of those discs that you can count on to deliver the goods each time you slip it in the player. Alvin Lee and band always find that rock and roll groove. Six of the nine tracks warrant five stars, and the remaining three are three or four star efforts. No losers here, folks.

An Essential Blues-Rock Album.......2005-07-03

If the only Ten Years After songs you've heard were Goin' Home and the rather forgettable cut from Space in Time that for some reason the suits in NYC dictate their classic rock stations play into the ground, you're in for a very pleasant surprise when you put this album on. That not one of these songs gets airplay is good evidense that we're stuck with Top 40 re-hash pawned off as classic FM rock on commercial OTA radio. Convention Prevention, Religion and Standing at the Station (not to be confused with Joe's song of the same name) each are worth the price of this CD alone.

TYA best ever!!! Standing at the Station is their best song.......2005-06-21

I remember when this lp went out the reviews were not good at all. This surely did a lot of damage to the band, because in the first place, people like me did not take the band seriously because of the song "Going Home"....ok it is fast but?

I bought this record at the bargain table and since the first hearing I fell in love with it, particulary went crazy with the song "Standin at the Station". It is so brilliant and well played and developed...it is the "Stairway to Heaven" of Ten Years After..only that it never received the attention from radio programers...sad, very sad.
This cd sounds very clean and still it shows it was very well produced and recorded.
Since the first song "You Give Me loving", to the fast "Cho Cho Mama"...this is the best TYA record ever.

Get it now!!

Average customer rating:

Adventurous Music!
Should be right at the bottom of RT's impressive discography
Al Bowlly's in heaven listening to this...
Al Bowlly
GREAT STYLISTIC VARIETY

Daring Adventures
Richard Thompson
Manufacturer: Bgo - Beat Goes on
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Across a Crowded Room
Amnesia
Hand of Kindness
Mirror Blue
Henry the Human Fly

ASIN: B00002475S
Release Date: 2002-02-15

Tracks:

Bone Through Her Nose
Valerie
Missie How You Let Me Down
Dead Man's Handle
Long Dead Love
Lover's Lane
Nearly in Love
Jennie
Baby Talk
Cash Down Never Never
How Will I Ever Be Simple Again
Al Bowlly's in Heaven

Album Description

1986 album produced by Mitchell Froom. Froom replaced Thompson's usual rhythm section with top-shelf session players Jerry Scheff on bass and Mickey Curry on drums plus Jim Keltner on three cuts.

Customer Reviews:

Adventurous Music!.......2007-04-09

Don't be swayed by the negative reviews of this excellent album. This is a well produced cohesive collection of finely crafted songs with great arrangements. Thompson's lyrics are as witty as ever and most of the songs have memorable melodies. The guitar work is fantastic as most listeners have come to expect from Richard Thompson. His vocals are very strong as well. Much stronger than his 70s work. This is Richard Thompson in full bloom. Enjoy!

Should be right at the bottom of RT's impressive discography.......2007-01-22

This is a HUGELY disappointing record from one of my absolute favourites. I've heard almost all of RT's work from the Fairport days down to "Front parlour ballads", and I have to say I have never come across an album quite so poor. Even the much maligned "First light" beats this one by quite a bit.

While the dated production is definitely one of the major reasons for this poor rating, the primary reason is that the melodies just aren't good enough. Some of these songs ("Bone through her nose","Cash down never never") are downright raucous, and even among the others there is hardly a melody that can stand up with RT's best work, save perhaps for the sublime "How can I ever be simple again". "Al Bowlly's in Heaven" really doesn't work for someone who's not into jazz, and the only other noteworthy melodies are "Jennie" and "Lover's lane", which collectively earn this record the two-star rating. In my opinion, this album needs to be bought only if you'e got absolutely everything else by RT and just need to complete the set. Otherwise, it's a must to avoid.

Al Bowlly's in heaven listening to this..........2004-11-11

Thompson's 1986 album "Daring Adventures" fits well into his output from the 1980's. Not only that, it has remained in print unlike most of his Capitol albums. It's not hard to see why. The driving Celtic-rockabilly song "Valerie" stands out here. Why wasn't it a hit? Who knows? "A Bone Through Her Nose" sounds a bit trite at first, but its hooks have this tendency to surprinsingly clamp onto neurons. The same rings true of the rollicking "Baby Talk". "Lovers Lane" is a haunting song about one of Thompson's favorite subjects: love gone bad. It wails and mourns about deception, co-dependency and their inevitable results. Lost innocence and youth pervade "How Will I Ever be Simple Again" as an observer tries to understand how a girl in a war torn area can maintain her childlike simplicity. "Al Bowlly's In Heaven" swings with a jazzy style rare for Thompson. Sung from the point of view of a disgruntled post-war soldier, it epitomizes the album's theme of loss and grief. A great album closer.

"Daring Adventures" contains more of Thompson's folky side than subsequent albums. Just listen to the amazing fiddle break on "Valerie", or the introduction to "Missie How You Let Me Down". Fiddles, recorders, accordians, dulcimers, and other instruments not typically associated with rock are everywhere. Capitol "folked him down" throughout the nineties with few exceptions (probably looking for big hits). The roots of that sound blare from this album, but don't yet dominate. Perhaps Mitchell Froom (who produced this album as well as most of Thompson's Capitol output) moved Thompson in that direction.

As great as Thompson's albums are, the hooks do not usually stick at first listen. This may explain why the big time has evaded him for so many years. Usually a Thompson album has to sink in. But once it does, there's no going back. "Daring Adventures" presents a very salient example of this phenomenon. Everyone should give this album at least three listens before abandoning it. At first listen it may sound like typical fare, but by the third its wonderfulness blossoms.

Al Bowlly.......2004-09-23

This album is a fine one overall, but it is worth getting primarily so you can listen to the classic "Al Bowlly's in Heaven." A raging protest, an evocative history lesson, a haunting melody, a late-night foxtrot...this is simply one of the greatest songs ever written and performed by a guitar slinger. Thompson's dolorous singing style fits it perfectly. This song should be taught in poetry classes.

The Thompson fan base looks at this as one of Richard's periodic attempts to "go commercial." Perhaps so. "Valerie" is the kind of fast-rocking song I would like to hear on the radio but never do. Whatever the sales strategy of this album was, "Al Bowlly..." makes this a timeless disk.

(There's another great version of this song, by the way, on the three-disc "Watching the Dark" set. It's live, and also wonderful.)

GREAT STYLISTIC VARIETY.......2003-05-18

This album showcases Thompson's mastery of many styles, from rock and pop to his folk roots. The opener, Bone Through Her Nose, is a bit silly but the next track Valerie is a catchy pop song with a fast tempo and melodic hook with a fabulous fiddle break. Missie How You Let Me Down is a sad song of regret that reminds me of the old country classic Good Year For The Roses, whilst Dead Man's Handle is a flowing mournful ballad with a lovely melody, and Long Dead Love is more of the same. The pace picks up for Nearly In Love, a melodic rocker with a commercial edge, but it's back to lost love and regrets on Jennie, a gentle soulful number with beautiful guitar and organ. Real rock `n roll raises it head on Baby Talk, a humorous number about sweet nothings. His folk roots surface on the real gem of the album, the tender sorrowful How Will I Ever Be Simple Again with its simple but hypnotic melody and poignant guitar work. Like a lullaby, it's sad and comforting at the same time, and stays with you long after the last note has faded.

Average customer rating:

2 for the price of 1 is always good.
Oh yeah!!
guitarist supreme
Good 2 For Value
nothing soft here!

Black Diamond/Crosscut Saw
The Groundhogs
Manufacturer: Bgo - Beat Goes on
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Blues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Who Will Save the World?
Two Sides of Tony (T.S.) McPhee
Thank Christ for the Bomb
Split
Live at Leeds '71

ASIN: B0000011MA
Release Date: 1991-03-30

Tracks:

Crosscut Saw
Promiscuity
Boogie Withus
Fulfilment
Live A Little Lady
Three Way Split
Mean Mistreater
Eleventh Hour
Body Talk
Fantasy Partner
Live Right
Country Blues
Your Love Keeps Me Alive
Friendzy
Pastoral Future
Black Diamond

Customer Reviews:

2 for the price of 1 is always good........2007-05-07

The hogs put out 2 in '76. Here you get both. Crosscut Saw is the gem, one of their best, featuring Eleventh Hour, but every song on it is good. Black Diamond is not near as good, but I like the title track, and really like Body Talk, although it sound like nothing else Tony McPhee has done. Buy this for the very underrated cd Crosscut Saw and then enjoy a couple of good cuts on Black Diamond. Jerry.

Oh yeah!!.......2001-12-04

Crosscut Saw is the album wherein T.S. McPhee launches you INTO the universe. Beautiful, powerful guitar work that grasps the mind and bends the consciousness. In an era of Jean Luc Ponte's Moog violin work and Pink Floyd's lazy psychedelia, Mr. McPhee gives muscle to an otherwise too-sweet genre. Bravo for voicing the masculine male's malaise in that last gasp of white boy angst fueled by too much speed, acid, smoke and wine!!!!! A vocalization that is truly a definitive chapter in American rock and global master craftsman guitar musicianship!!!

Misogynist? Sure. But it is all true. The deep feelings of betrayal, the resentment of abandonment, the love/hate of unrequited or "dis"requited affection is all there. The man must have truly loved his woman with a furious passion in order to disaffect with such vehemence. I respect his words and have for nearly 20 years. His pathos and telling tales of the women he has known, as portrayed in this work, should give pause to all men and make us mindful of the power of woman. T.S. McPhee surely was totally aware of their incredible power and communicates it quite effectively through his instrument.

guitarist supreme.......2001-04-22

crosscut saw / black diamond were mcphee's final run with his synthi-hifli guitar synth - he took it farther than anyone !!! -his over the top guitar work on crosscut saw can acutally scare people - 3 way split, promiscuity and fulfillment are some of the most dynamic in your face guitar you'll ever hear.

black diamond actually contains better material but isn't quite as aggressive as crosscut saw - friendzy, fantasy partner, live right , black diamond are all exceptional tunes - not a bad one on the album - this is probably mcphee's most under-rated lp. highly recommended!!!

Good 2 For Value.......2000-11-01

Crosscut Saw And Black Diamond, both released in '76, were done in a period when McPhee actually wanted to bill himself as a solo act, like Rory Gallagher did after Taste split, but was advised against the move by his mananger. Tony put a new Hogs together which featured a second guitarist for the first time.Crosscut is overall the better of the two, with some over the top effects laden solos from T. S. (check our "Fulfillment", totally an ear splitter)."Mean Mistreated" is a good acoustic bluesey diversion from the mayhem. Black Diamond is a weaker album (think of it as bonus tracks), especially in terms of production (thought it was just the vinyl mastering that didn't sound so hot), the guitar sounds a little too peaked out at points (scratchy). It's not without a few good tunes though like the title cut and the gorgeous instrumental(rare for Mcphee) "Pastoral Future" as well as "Live Right" and "Your Love Keeps Me Alive", both played live by this band on the tour (documented by a Swedish radio broadcast, partially available on the Boogie With Us collection).

nothing soft here!.......2000-06-24

I'm not sure I understand the previous review. I've got all the Groundhogs albums, and Crosscut Saw has got to be the heaviest, most distorted, twisted, sick guitar that TS ever played. I mean that in a good way, of course. There is an air of menace to TS's guitar/keyboard playing and singing that, in its own way, is more ominous that any Black Sabbath recording (and I love classic Sabbath). TS doesn't minch words in his lyric writing (not very PC on the mysogeny front, as he acknowledges on the song which is a pun on the term) or his guitar playing. He has an extremely bitter outlook on life, and he means it in these songs. I wouldn't want to mess with this guy. This factor gives the album the same harsh realism of a brutal football game, and is worth experiencing for the same reason--there can be no question that it is REAL. Not staged, not done for commercial gain, not pandering to any goal other than the animalist expressions of the tortured insides of one Tony TS McFee. Somewhere in his past, TS must've had the mother of all breakups.... Hair-raising stuff. Black Diamond is a good album too (though "Body Talk" is so mysogenistic that it's kind of hard to take in this day and age), but Crosscut Saw is the THING YOU MUST HAVE.

Tracks:

The Intro & The Outro
Rockaliser Baby
Sport (The Odd Boy)
Noises For The Leg
King Of Scurf
Labio Dental Fricative
Hello Mabel
Canyons Of your Mind
Jollity Farm
You Done My Brain In
My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe
Mr. Apollo
Hunting Tigers Out In Indiah
Hunting Tigers Out In Indiah
Laughing Blues
Narcissus

Tracks:

I'm The Urban Spaceman
Bad Blood
I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Tent
Can Blue Men Sing The Whites?
9-5 Pollution Blues
Big Shot
Release Me
We Are Normal
The Sound Of Music
Kamu-Sutra
Rhinocratic Oaths
Shirt
Mickey's Son & Daughter
Blind Date
Trouser Press
Slush

Album Description

1997 BGO release, a two disc reissue of their 1974 anthologyfeaturing 'Intro And Outro', 'Canyons Of Your Mind', 'Mr. Apollo' and 'Urban Spaceman'. 35 tracks total. Double slimline jewel case. Originally released on Liberty/ Capitol Records.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Disc that Incorporates the Original Double Album on a Single Compact Disc. The Bonzo Dog Band were the Foremost Comedy Rock Group of England, Giving the World the Likes the Viv Stanshall (Who also Introduced the Instruments on the Original "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield), Neil Innes (Who was Part of the Rutles) and Roger Ruskin Spear. This Collection Has Long Been Praised as a Definitive Collection of the Best of the Group, Assembled Shortly after their Final Agreement to Part Ways Forever.

Customer Reviews:

music with a sense of humor...life is but a joke..........2006-08-30

60's innovative stalwarts...drawing upon English Musical Hall and Spike Jones...very Brittish...very funny...and great music...only the 1960's could have spawened such a wonderful concoction.

Hello... and how did you find yourself this morning?.......2005-11-22

Bonzo Dog fans may argue over whether this really is "the best" but for the rest of us it's as good an introduction to their erratically and often brilliantly bizarre world as anything else that's on offer - you want the genuinely funny tracks they're here... you want the tuneful tracks they're here as well... you want the darker, out on the edge tracks, well more money's required in the slot.

Careering through the late 60's like an uncontrollable pinball between the inspired, the endearingly quaint, the weirdly avant-garde and the manically deranged the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band were a completely "English" one off. Totally left-field but underpinned by superb comic perception and (thanks to Neil Innes & Viv Stanshall in particular) excellent song-writing skills they were disarmingly "nuts" and seriously "cool" at the same time. But, like all such things, best not to analyse it too much... suffice to say that this excellent compilation contains around 10 tracks that are timelessly funny, another 10 or so that will raise a smile, and around 10 that will leave you totally bemused. Which ones will depend, of course, on your particular predilections, but unless you've had some form of comic bypass operation enough will hit the mark to make the cost worthwhile. You just roll back the sheets and there you are... as they say.

Sublime, Hilarious, Absolutely Brilliant .......2005-11-16

Granted there is something English about the humor. Granted you actually must listen and (gasp) think. Granted the obscure references fly faster than any three episodes of MST3000. But forge ahead, it's worth it. Rock satire has never been funnier, Zappa is a distant second.

Don't let the humor distract you from the musical excellence, either. These guys don't care what style of music they play. Who else would feature the entire Count Basie orchestra playing a triangle? Best of all, for all the absurdist inspired insanity so unapologetically profiled here, there is something gentle and sweet about their way of lampooning society, a quality completely lacking in most satire. Did I forget Eric Clapton on ukulele? Once you go Bonzo you never go back.

interesting 2 disc introduction.......2004-11-02

This 1974 compilation has been eclipsed in more recent years by more in-depth CDs such as 'Cornology', so why would you want this? Because it is (I'm pretty sure) the only CD which has Vivian's singles 'Suspicion' (excellent send-up of the Elvis classic) and 'Blind Date' (in which two odd 'people' meet at Waterloo Station ...), alongside a different mix of 'Labio Dental Fractive' than you get on Cornology *and* the original version of 'Canyons of Your Mind' (with the sequins! hooray!). You also get another Neil single uncollected elsewhere and Roger Spear's version of 'Release Me'. Otherwise it is more of the same although I'll never quibble with a CD which includes 'Hunting Tigers', 'My Pink Half of the Drainpipe', 'Tent', 'Jollity Farm' and (if you must) 'Urban Spaceman'. I do miss 'Death Can for Cutie' but you can't have everything.

The Musical Bridge Between The Goons and Monty Python.......2004-01-10

With a taste for both ancient radio music and classic British music hall pastiche bent to an absurdist contemporary pop sensibility, this troupe of music satirists soundtracked the bridge between Peter Sellers' legendary Goon Squad routines and the freewheeling, hydradimensional Monty Python (in more ways than one; co-founding pianist/guitarist Neil Innes would be a Python adjunct/support player for most of that troupe's prime existence). Unlike most pop and rock satirists, however, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (they shortened it to the Bonzo Dog Band after their first two albums) were sensible enough to know the limits of both topical humour and private in-joking (Frank Zappa, with and without the Mothers of Invention, never did quite get it, which explains why most of the Mothers' music post 1967 seemed dated within a week of its issue). And the fact that they were unashamed to let show their genuine affection for the sources of their zany attack somehow makes the Bonzos accessible in ways their actual and would-be contemporaries (as few as there were) could never have been. (Which may explain why, when Geoff Stephens and John Carter - the brains behind the New Vaudeville Band's surprise 1966 hit, "Winchester Cathederal" - needed a touring band fast to ride the wave of that shocker, having cut the song with studio regulars only, the pair first approached the Bonzos to be that band; the Bonzos as a band turned them down, but original sax/trombonist Bob Kerr threw in with the New Vaudeville Band for its brief touring life.)

This 1974 anthology is still the best way to introduce yourself to this troupe of the cheerfully insane, led as always by the sensitive Vivian Stanshall and his nucleus - saxophonists Rodney Slater and Roger Ruskin Spear (who also became renowned for his sound and visual devices, especially his exploding devices and his cartoon speech balloons); drummer Legs Larry Smith; bassist Vernon Dudley Bohay; Innes (vocals, guitar and keyboards). The odd hits (they had a few, mostly in England, especially "I'm The Urban Spaceman") and cult favourites (the clever "The Intro and the Outro," the charming pop of "King of Scurf," the Cream-parodying "9 to 5 Pollution Blues," the needling of British blues in "Can The Blue Men Sing The Whites," among others) blend neatly into a package that, contrary to others' alarm, actually doesn't drive you out of your mind to hear it through in a single sitting.

Tracks:

Little Sir Hugh
Bach Goes to Limrick
Long Lankin
Dogs and Ferrets
Galtee Farmer
Demon Lover
Elf Call
Weary Cutters
New York Girls

Customer Reviews:

Quintessential "Classic" Steeleye Span..........2007-05-02

Steeleye Span pioneered folk rock along with Fairport convention (whose music I still haven't picked up yet, though I've been meaning to for variety's sake). If you're a Steeleye Span fan, you will like this CD. Period. It's a Steeleye classic, and one of my many favorites.

Skip the newer releases, like: They Called Her Babylon, Bedlam Born, Bloody Men.

Go for the Classics: Tempted and Tried, All Around my Hat, Sails of Silver, Storm Force Ten, Rocket Cottage, Hark! The Village Wait, Please to See the King, Ten Man Mop, Commoners Crown, Now We Are Six, Parcel of Rogues, Below the Salt, Back in Line.

If you must pick up "modern" Steelye albums, pick up: Time (one of their best "modern" releases) and Horkstow Grange (their other good "modern" release). "Winter" is supposed to also be good, on par with the classics (traditional arrangements of holiday songs), though I haven't yet seen it.

The above "classic" albums cover the early and middle years.

"Long Lankin'" is Steeleye's "Thick as a Brick".......2006-05-30

Commoner's Crown, a halfway decent album, houses probably the best song that Steeleye Span ever did. That song is "Long Lankin'". I would compare this song to any of the best of Jethro Tull. This shows what Steeleye can and sometimes does do. "Elf Call" is farely good, kind of like their "Thomas the Rhymer". "Little Sir Hugh" is a journey, and to top it all off, "New York Girls" with Peter Sellers playing 'acoustic ukelele'. It is fun to listen to, but when you think about it, its pretty stupid. Over all, the album is just as good as something they would do back in 1971, which is very, very good.

A very good and enjoyable album.......2005-11-14

First of all, I agree with what one of the other reviewers that the last track seems out of place compared to the other material on the album, but this album is quite good, the musicianship wonderful, and all the other songs are just beautiful. Maddy Prior certainly has a great voice, and besides the track which many other reviewers really like, that being "Long Lankin," which is just simply amazing, their are about 3-4 tracks in a row on this album that are almost equally as good in my opinion. I would give this 5 stars, but I need to hear more of their other albums to make a comparison. Many years ago I had one of their earlier albums, and it was quite good. I would highly recommmend this album/CD to anyone that collects the British folk-rock music, this band was very good, and this has got to be one of their best according to many reviews I've read.

Wow, this is a controversial album...!.......2005-01-12

...and I'm sure my opinion won't clear anything up, alas, but this has always been a favorite of mine, although admittedly, taken track-by-track, it's not among Steeleye's top recordings (which would be "Hark! The Village Wait", "Below The Salt", and "Parcel Of Rogues", IMO).

So, track by track:

1) Little Sir Hugh - absolutely incredible, one of the best vocal and instrumental arrangements the band ever did, with chilling lyrics, and a great "a capella" vocal break near the end.

2) Bach Goes To Limerick - The album practically falls flat on its face here: by far the most boring instrumental the band recorded in any lineup; a waste of time that goes nowhere, and makes one wonder exactly what they were thinking. Fairport Convention they ain't.

3) Long Lankin - this might just be the best thing they ever recorded; see comments for track one, and amplify them tenfold. A masterpiece on every level, and one of their most rocking tracks before the "All Around My Hat" album.

4) Dogs And Ferrets - enjoyable, but a bit of a throw-away: nothing really substantial here musically or lyrically, but a nice respite from the intensity of the previous track.

5) Galtee Farmer - very amusing lyric, but repetitious musically; nothing special here.

6) Demon Lover - this is one of the songs that Steeleye fans are either going to love or hate; I absolutely love it, especially the moment where Rick's bass brings the chorus back in at the end of Maddy's line "He sunk the ship in a flash of fire to the bottom of the sea". One of their best tracks ever, IMO, although some (most?) purists might be put off by its "pop" aspects.

7) Elf Call - Even more pop-oriented than "Demon Lover"; this again is a love-it-or-hate-it proposition for most Steeleye fans, and I love it; the chorus features one of the most beautiful vocal arrangements they ever did, and this ranks as one of my favorite Steeleye tunes.

8) Weary Cutters - lovely vocals, but again, nothing special. One suspects that by the time of this album, the band were really more interested in offering rock/pop songs with a folk influence, rather than their previously inverse approach, and the more overtly folk-oriented material comes off as largely indifferent on this album as a result.

9) New York Girls - again, this seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it track. I think it's a perfect, irreverent ending to the album, with brilliantly funny lyrics, and nice ukulele playing from special guest Peter Sellers (yes, "Inspector Clouseau").

So, overall, a mixed bag, but tracks 1,3,6 and 7 are so incredible as to make it essential listening, IMO; albeit not quite on the same level as the three albums listed at the start of the review.

One of Their Two Best.......2003-11-14

I must take exception to those previous reviewers who find this album either boring or uninspired. I've owned and listened to all Steeleye Span albums through Back In Line; this is the one I've returned to the most over the years.
One thing about Old English folk tunes is that they can all sound the same after awhile. What the group managed to do during this period was arrange these songs into either rollicking or haunting "modern" folk tunes using various timbres of the instruments of their time while performing them in the spirit of a former time. Every song comes off well, especially the sublimely haunting "Long Lankin" and the a cappella "Weary Cutters". The ensemble singing during the chorus of "Demon Lover" punctuated by the electric guitar statement is sweet. "Galtee Farmer" manages to be both haunting and rollicking at once, driven by a superb guitar and bass line. Granted, "New York Girls" seems out of place but it serves to end the album on a humorous note after the more severe and somber tunes that precede it.
If I recall correctly, this album wasn't made widely available in America upon its original LP release; perhaps that's why it doesn't garner as much of a reputation among American listeners. No matter, because this along with Below the Salt are in my opinion the best examples of Steeleye Span's studio recorded output. I'll also grant that this CD seems a bit pricy, but what can one do about that except buy it used.

Average customer rating:

Sitting An' Thinking This is Fabulous

Raw Sienna/Looking In
Savoy Brown
Manufacturer: Beat Goes On
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Blues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Blue Matter/A Step Further
Street Corner Talking/Hellbound Train
Shake Down/Getting to the Point
Lion's Share/Jack the Toad
Street Corner Talking

ASIN: B0007SM922
Release Date: 2005-04-18

Tracks:

Hard Way to Go
That Same Feelin'
Master Hare
Needle and Spoon
Little More Wine
I'm Crying
Stay While the Night Is Young
Is That So
When I Was a Young Boy
Gypsy
Poor Girl
Money Can't Save Your Soul
Sunday Night
Looking In
Take It Easy
Sitting an' Thinking
Leavin' Again
Romanoff

Album Description

First time on CD for these 70's albums from Savoy Brown. UK pressing reissue, remastered & packaged in a slip case. BGO Records. 2005.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Edition of Two Classic LPs on a Single CD of These Two 1970's Albums from the Well Respected British Blues Rockers, Led by Guitarist Kim Simmonds.

Customer Reviews:

Sitting An' Thinking This is Fabulous.......2007-01-24

Arguably Savoy Brown's 2 best albums packaged together in 77 fabulous minutes and 18 songs. I always liked the more rocking sound of "Looking In" over the more intimate blues bar sound of "Raw Sienna", but both albums really kick. The best songs for me are are "Stay While the Night Is Young" and "Needle and Spoon" on Sienna and "Leavin Again", "Money Can't Save Your Soul" and "Sunday Night" on Looking In. But, believe me, ALL the songs are great on Looking In if you like rock with a little blues thrown in and some great guitar solos that aren't overblown like Skynyrd's "Freebird". The music is similar to Wishbone Ash and pre-Stevie Fleetwood Mac. Both Chris Youlden on "Raw Sienna" and Lonesome Dave on "Lookin In" provide excellent soulful vocals and to me sound more similar than different.

Liner notes are OK but author Alan Robinson much favors Raw Sienna over Looking In - I disagree. Also, there is a major mistake on the back page of the booklet - the credits for each album are switched. My only other complaint is they don't list the times of the songs anywhere.

I never cared much for Foghat, except their first hit, "I Just Wanna Make Love To You" but you can definitely hear pre-Foghat in Looking In. Lonesome Dave doesn't scream as much as he did with Foghat. It's a shame everybody except Kim Simmonds left for Foghat after this, but Simmonds landed on his feet and later editions of Savoy Brown produced a few fine albums after this, like Street Corner Talking.

One final note: anybody hear the similarity of Sienna's "Stay While the Night Is Young" to the recent hit by Jack Johnson called, "Sitting, Wishing, Waiting"? "Stay While.." is a little slower pace but the acoustic guitar strumming, laid-back snare drums and vocals sound very, very similar like these could be 2 songs on the same album. Wonder if Johnson ever listened to "Lookin In" or if this is just music evolution circling back on itself.

Fine, fine collection. Buy it!! I hardly ever hear Savoy Brown played on classic rock radios, yet I remember they were BIG in the early 70's! And that was in Nebraska! I think this kind of music is going to come back after people tire of nu metal.

Average customer rating:

For off-the-beaten-track folk
Human drama and strange encounters
Song list on CD is different than what Amazon shows!
rock, not folk
British Folk-Rock At Its Best

Original Masters
Steeleye Span
Manufacturer: Bgo - Beat Goes on
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

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Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Below the Salt
Commoner's Crown
Hark! The Village Wait
Please to See the King
Now We Are Six

ASIN: B0000011P0
Release Date: 2002-02-15

Tracks:

Calling on Song
Thomas the Rhymer
Sir James the Rose
Black Jack Davey
King
All Around My Hat
Fighting for Strangers
Seven Hundred Elves
Little Sir Hugh
Demon Lover
Elf Call

Tracks:

Cam Ye O'Er Frae France
Bonny Moorhen
Alison Gross
Dark Eyed Sailor
Hart Times of Old England
Blackleg Miner
Skewball
Lovely on the Water
One Misty Moisty Morning
Gaudete
Saucy Sailor

Album Details

2 CD Set

Customer Reviews:

For off-the-beaten-track folk.......2007-03-20

The LP version of this CD was my introduction to Steeleye Span -- I was enchanted by what others who have reviewed it found to be disappointing, that is infusing folk ballads with driving rock accompaniment. That is very much to my taste, and my music collection is filled with others that do the same thing -- Steve McDonald, Great Big Sea, Wolfstone, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like my trad, too, but this is a fresh twist on an old friend.

My big quibble is that they left off a couple of songs from the LP version that I really liked, such as A Calling On Song, and substituted a couple of others that are at best all right. However, for the most part, I am as pleased with this as I was with the original album, and highly recommend it to anyone with a taste for something a little different.

Other artists/albums recommended: Steve McDonald (Sons of Somerled, Legacy); Wolfstone (anything); Great Big Sea (esp. the live albums).

Human drama and strange encounters.......2005-07-04

My mother had this album on tape in the 70s. It began a love of British folk music that has lasted to this day.

The tracks on "Original Masters" (yes, Amazon's listing is wrong - see the Spotlight Review for corrections) are at turns entertaining, lighthearted, mysterious, haunting, and chilling. Though purists object to the rock styling, which is dated at times, this compilation is accessible and endlessly satisfying.

Folk is music for everyone, and all human (and supernatural) life is here. My favourite songs which follow have lost none of their power in the twenty-five years that I have known them. As Ray Charles explained when asked why he loved country music, "It's the stories".

* Sir James The Rose - gasp at his betrayal and killing.
* Black Jack Davy - the mystery of marital relationships.
* The Wife of Usher's Well - wonder, as I still do, exactly what happened to her sons.
* Lovely On The Water - timeless sadness (and Maddy Prior's voice at its purest).
* Thomas the Rhymer - a mystical encounter in medieval Scotland from a genuine historical figure (Thomas Learmount).
* Drink Down the Moon - a heady arrangement and allusive lyrics to transport you to another time.
* Saucy Sailor - ask yourself if you are truly free.
* Long Lankin - the horror of remote places (in this case, the Northumberland moors). Worthy of a metal cover version.

Song list on CD is different than what Amazon shows!.......2004-07-15

I think Amazon either copied the song list from the LP version of "Original Masters" or the CD has been changed. Actual track list is (1) Sir James the Rose (2) Black Jack Davy (3) All Around My Hat (4) The Wife of Ushers Well (5) Fighting for Strangers (6) Thomas the Rhymer (7) Seven Hundred Elves (8) Long Lankin (9) Elf Call (Disc Two)(1) Cam Ye O'Er Frae France (2) Bonny Morhen (3) Alison Gross (4) The Mooncoin Jig (5) Drink Down the Moon (6) Skewball (7) Lovely on the Water (8) Jigs: The Bride's Favorites/Tansey's Fancy (9) One Misty Moisty Moorning (10) Saucy Sailor (11) Gaudete. I like a lot of these songs, but I purchased the CD for some of the others that Amazon shows as being on the disc that aren't. Beware!!

rock, not folk.......2004-02-14

I bought this to get a quick tour of later Steeleye Span albums; the ones I own are the earliest, more traditional ones: Hark the Village Wait, Please to See the King, and Below the Salt. I was wanting more.
Original Masters convinced me that I have no interest in anything Steeleye Span did after their first 3 or 4 albums -- the only songs on this album that I like are from the albums I name above. And the songs included aren't even the great ones from those albums! Two songs from Parcel of Rogues on this compilation are listenable, though not wonderful, but the rest are basically rock songs with traditional lyrics.

British Folk-Rock At Its Best.......2003-08-04

Steeleye Span was easily the most rock-oriented of the small handful of British traditionalist bands that first appeared in the late '60s. They were also the most popular, attaining unexpected chart successes at home. Span simultaneously managed to develop a surprisingly huge U.S.-based cult following thanks to a fortuitous and enthusiastically received appearance as the opening band to labelmates Jethro Tull during one of Tull's most extensive early 70's North American concert tours. For a few years, their wonderfully catchy songs were regularly played on more adventurous FM radio stations. Although the band broke up in 1977, they soon reformed and to date still sporadically tour to the delight of progressively smaller audiences throughout the world.

If you are going to buy only one album from Steeleye Span, make it ORIGINAL MASTERS, a great collection of songs from the band's most productive and exciting period (1970 -1976). Nearly all of the band's finest tunes from their first 10 albums are on hand, including their two UK Top Ten hits, "All Around My Hat" and "Gaudete". The regrettable inclusion of a live track and two forgettable jigs does nothing to mar the brilliance of the remaining 19 tracks. A few of the songs are somewhat dated by clunky 70-ish rock arrangements, but overall most of them have a real timeless feel.

Tracks:

Pavan
St. Crispin's Day
Spring Season
Willowood
Evensong
Queen of Scots
Ploughman
Old Moot Hall
Lady Marion's Galliard
Under the Greenwood Tree
Anthem
Fantasia Lindum: Prelude and Themes: Song/Swifts, Swains, Leafy Lanes
To Ye
Safety in God Alone
Two Dances: Almaine/Bransle for My Lady's Delight
Three Seasons Almaine
Siege of Yaddlethorpe

Album Description

UK twofer combines the British folk-rock/prog-rock act's first two albums, both originally issued in 1970. BGO. 2004.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Edition of the First Two Original Albums on a Single CD from the Medieval Folk Group.

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous pastoral music.......2007-03-04

I first heard of Amazing Blondel when Island released their 40th Anniversary compilation CDs in 1999; Blondel were featured on Vol. 3: Acoustic Waves 1968-1975 with the gorgeous "Pavan," which is the leadoff track on Evensong. After listening a few times, the song really grew on me, and I knew I owed it to myself to check out this group. I can tell you now, it's well worth the effort.

Amazing Blondel were formed in late 1969 when John Gladwin and Terry Wincott left the heavy rock band Methuselah, after working an acoustic set into that group's performances and finding it went down well. Pursuing their muse, they recorded an album for Bell Records, Amazing Blondel & A Few Faces, which was more a sort of general acoustic folk-rock and on which they had the assistance of a number of well-travelled British session musicians (among them Big Jim Sullivan and Clem Cattini). A couple of tracks on that album hinted at the Elizabethan direction their music would take next, when Eddie Baird joined them during 1970. At the suggestion of Andy Fraser from Free, they scheduled an audition at Island Records, which apparently had showed some interest in them; they played "Spring Song" for Chris Blackwell, and when they finished, he asked them how much of an advance they wanted. They got enough for a new PA and a new equipment van, and they set about recording Evensong, of which "Pavan" and "Spring Song" are some of the highlights. This is beautiful acoustic music, on which the three men play between them a total of 40 instruments, and this was their modus operandi in performance as well as in the studio. (In fact, it was no secret that getting all those instruments in tune often took as much as 5 hours, and on the occasions they failed in this task, they didn't perform.)

This lovely pastoral mood continues on Fantasia Lindum, which is dominated by the 20-minute title suite. "Fantasia Lindum Suite" was an exception among the side-long epics of many progressive and folk-rock albums of the late '60s and early '70s, as it was not a formless jam or pointlessly noisy but a well-constructed piece of interrelated short songs that evoke 15th Century England to lovely effect. Other highlights of this album include the comforting "Safety in God Alone" and the martial-themed "Siege of Yaddlethorpe" which closes the album. Like Evensong, pure magic from first notes to final fade-out.

Blondel would continue this trend with England (1972), the final chapter in this Elizabethan trilogy; if you can find it, by all means, snap it up. Terry Wincott left after that album, and Gladwin and Baird recorded Blondel, having dropped the "Amazing" from their name ("Blondel" was the name of King Henry VIII's favourite court musician); that was their final release for Island, finding them moving in a more rock-oriented direction and on to other pastures with DJM.

Evensong (1970) and Fantasia Lindum (1971) represent the pinnacle of Amazing Blondel's recorded work. Beat Goes On has done a fine job of putting these two albums together on one CD; they are truly of a piece, the digital remaster is flawless, and the price is right. Don't miss out on this one!

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Rock Music