Newsgroup: it.arti.musica.rock
Titolo: [per Morris -scoperta] i Sigur Ros sono Wyrd Folk...

Ecco una interessante lista di wyrd folk che ho catturato per
porla alla cortese attenzione di Morris. 
Tape 1 : "A Walk In Dark Woods"
Side A
1.  The Wicker Man - Main Theme / Corn Rigs  (1972)
The opening sequence from the film, the musical soundtrack of
which was released and quickly deleted last year on CD.  The CD
is still available fairly easily and of course is a definitive
reference point and wonderful, evocative music as well.
2. Anne Briggs - Standing On Your Shore (1971)
Anne was a travelling musician from Nottingham during the late
60s and early 70s recording two albums, the first of which "The
Time Has Come" contained this beautiful
and haunting version of the track written by Irish band,
Sweeney's Men who she toured with and by whom she was encouraged
to record the song.  Annes music really does
reach back to a pagan, nature based tradition.  Her music is now
recognised to be the equal of artists like Nick Drake and
similarly she stopped recording, although
by choice.  Anne went to live on a remote Scottish Isle where she
lives happily to
this day.
3.  Forest - Blue Bell Dance (1970)
Forest were folk musicians who took the traditional sound and
infused it with heady
psychdelic influences and covered nature and dark subjects in
their songs
although
vibrant with life.  They recorded two albums championed by John
Peel in 1969
and 1970
before giving up.  Both albums are now compiled on one brilliant
double CD. 
Magical
music.
4. Shirley Collins - The Cruel Mother (1969)
Shirley Collins is recognised as one of the most important
traditional folk
artists
ever and used traditional instruments like plain song, pipe organ
and
traditional
English brass instruments to give her music an authentic and
otherworldly air. 
Her
music is often dark but goes back to some deep, primal feelings.
This song of
trechary, the devil and cruelty in love sounds like it was beamed
direct from
two
hundred years ago.  Shriley with her sister Dolly records to this
day.  An
excellent
collection of her darker work was released last year on a CD
called "Fountain of
Snow" from which this track is taken.
5. Incredible String Band (ISB) - Chinese White (1967)
Perhaps the most important folk band of the 60s and early 70s
straddling
traditional
folk and psychdelia.  The members were Mike Heron and Robin
Williamson with
Clive
Palmer on the first album.  Whimsical, strange,. otherworldly and
enchanting
their
music works like invocations and was the primary influence along
with the first
Pink
Floyd album for much acid-folk.  This is taken from their
successful and
important
album "5000 spirits or the layers of the onion" from 1967 which
had the most
psychedelic cover of the era.
6.  Wizz Jones - Magical Flight (1978)
This artist is not hugely known but has keen key to the British
folk scene from
the
60s onwarrds, acknowledged as one of the best guitarists ever in
folk music. 
This is
taken from his album of the same name and is a beguiling, magical
track that
reaches
out to the cosmos.
7. Tea and Symphony - Winter (1969)
An obscure band that recorded a single album now reissued on CD
"An Asylum for
the
musically insane" with a fantastic psychedelic cover.  Their
music was like
Lewis
Carroll made into sound, child like, fantastical, strange and
often unsettling.
 This
song reaches deep into the season as does much wyrd-folk and is
quite lovely
bringing
some lonely, cold quality to the sound.  The band broke up after
the one album.
8. Mellow Candle - The Poet & The Witch (1972)
A legendary folk-rock band, like a darker Fairport Convention
with unsettling
lyrics
this song shows both their folkier sound and a propulsive rock
edge that brings
this
tale of witchcraft to life.  Taken from their album "Swaddling
Songs" reissued
on CD.
9. Comus - The Herald (1969)
Perhaps the most dark and almost malevolent of all folk bands,
this band quite
obviously were dark pagans as their covers and lyrics
demonstrate.  Their music
mixed
frail, bewitching touches with evil sounding black folk.  Their
first legendary
album
"First Utterence" is now reissued on CD but their second album
remains elusive.
 The
band had no success although championed by both David Bowier and
John Peel and
broke
up in 1972.  This is one of their lighter tracks and I've
compiled a darker one
later
on in contrast.
10. The Sun Also Rises - Tales Of Jamine and Suicide (1970)
Heavily influenced by ISB, this band recorded one album "The Sun
Also Rises" in
1969
before breaking.  Their sound was interesting, changing tempos,
keys and
instruments
often creating a curious sound.  Their lyrics were decidedly
psychdelic with a
dark
edge and their sound was influenced by the middle eastern arabic.
11. The Trees - Little Black Cloud (1969)
Like Midwinter, this band created fragile, etheral folk music
that seemed to
float
down from the ether.  Recording just one labum before
disappearing.  This album
was
reissued on CD a few years ago then deleted straight away and is
very hard to
find.
However the quality and rarity dictates it will be reissued
within a year or
two.
Original copies of the LP go for many hundreds of pounds.
Tape 1 : "A Walk In Dark Woods"
Side B
Midwinter - Time Is All We Have (1972)
This band recorded only one beautiful and very haunting album
before
disappearing.
The original album is very rare and like The Trees was briefly
reissued on CD. 
This
is from a CD-R and I don't have the track listing so can't be
sure of the track
title.  However, the band is legendary in wyrd-folk circles.
Stone Angel - Stone Angel (1972)
One of the most regarded bands ever to wyrd-folk fans, with a
similar story to
Midwinter and The Trees however recording two gentle, grave
oriented albums of
simple, dark folk music.  Their first album is now available on
CD, the second
was
briefly issued before being deleted.  It is thought that The
Wicker Man
soundtrack
copies the band's sound in part.  Again, I don't know the actual
track name as I
don't
have a track list, just a copy of the CD.
Dr Strangely Strange - Frosty Morning (1969)
A most surreal band with two albums, however it is the first
"Strangely Strange
but
oddly normal" that this track and their regard is taken from. now
available on
CD.
Influenced heavily by ISB but with more of a surreal, curious
fool-like quality.
Fairly successful (in folk terms) at the time, the band almost
crossed over to
the
mainstream.  This is a more serious, season-oriented track that
shows there was
beauty in their madness.
C.O.B. - Music Of Ages (1970)
The acronym stands for "Clive's Original Band", the Clive being
Clive Palmer
originally of the ISB.  He left the band after their first album,
before their
success and went to India.  Upon returning he joined the Famous
Jug Band for one
album before forming C.O.B..  Their first album "Spirit Of Love"
was a wonderful
mixture of hippy sentiment, traditional folk and darker tunes
(and is
available).
This dark tune seems to strike back through time and has a deeply
affecting air
to
it.
Famous Jug Band - A Leaf Must Fall (1969)
Clive Palmer's pre-C.O.B. band and a haunting track from their
only album with
him
"Sunshine Possibilities" which is available.
Owen Hand - The Gardener (1969)
An artist who had his two albums reissued on CD a couple of years
ago as "I
Loved A
Lass" and was a traditional Scottish folk musician, untouched by
time and upon
his
rediscovery many claimed he was the genune music that would be
found in places
like
Summerisle.  He mixes traditional folk, political songs of the
60s and haunting
songs
of which this is one.  His voice, phraseology and playing all
sound very
traditional
and after giving up music professionally he was suprised to find
the acclaim and
interest he has received recently.
Sweeney's Men - Dreams For Me (1970)
Starting out as a traditional irish band they toured extensively
in the UK
during the
late 60s and their second album shows the influence of
psychedelic folk on their
sound which became more contemplative, dream like and slightly
dark.  This
album also
included the original "Standing On Your Shore".  Both albums are
now available
on a
single CD "The Tracks Of Sweeney's Men".
Robin Williamson - Strings In The Earth and Air (1972)
By the 70s ISB was still going but very factional split between
their surreal,
gentle
sound and a harder rock edge (it didn't help that the female
partners of Robin
and
Mike had joined the band ala Spinal Tap).  As the band
disintergrated, Robin
found
strange religion and released an album that harkened back to a
dark, pagan
sound,
something he hasn't done since.  The album was "Myrrh" and is
available, he
experimented with sound and song form, this being an almost
magical invocation
to the
elements.  Delightfully ISB are now playing together again
(including Clive
Palmer).
Pearls Before Swine - Images Of April (1968)
The band was a vehicle for US song writing auteur, Tom Rapp and
this song was
taken
from their influential "Balakava" album.  This is a season based,
haunting song
with
bird song adding an added emotional quality.  A beautiful song.
Incredible String Band - Witches Hat (1968)
Taken from the "Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" album, the band had
by now become
a
commune and was at their peak recording bewitching music that
fused tradition
and
psychedelia in a way that other 60s bands could not hope to
achieve.  By this
time,
the band were like the impish cousins of Syd Barrett and there
was much exchange
between the two.
Water Into Wine Band - Waiting For Another day (1972)
I know nothing of this band, they are compiled on "Underground
Folk" a two CD
series
looking at wyrd-folk music of the 60s and 70s.  I had never
noticed this until
compiling the tape but what a beautiful song.  The band released
one album
which is
available (and I've just ordered it!)  Doesn't this sound like it
was on The
Wicker
Man soundtrack, the voice is so similar and the sound is exactly
the same. 
Worth
much further investigation.  I can't believe how similar it
sounds.
Tape 2 : "Time Of Decaying Cities"
Side A
ISB - Air (1969)
Taken from their "Wee Tam" album, the follow up to "Hangman's
Beautiful
Daughter"
this musical evocation seems to come from some other place and is
quite
delightful.
Stone Breath - The Rainbow-Gilded Leaves Of Autumn (1995)
This band is very dark indeed and quite modern using technology
to create a new
form
of folk music as magick.  Their gothic imagery, song titles and
sound could
almost be
black magic and listening to the band is very unsettling
experience.  They have
released two albums "Songs Of Moonlight and Rain" and "A Silver
Thread To Weave
The
Seasons" from which this song is taken.
Mourning Cloak - Mistbreather (1996)
A spin off band from Stone Breath, this again, very dark folk in
taken from
their
sole album "In Sleep You Know, In Dreams You See...but as you
wake the answers
slip
away".  The album mixes folk musics from around the world into a
new, dark
melting
pot.
Fit and Limo - Life and Times Of Pan (1995)
A fantastic modern dark-folk band who are perhaps the peak of the
modern era
releasing two albums, "The Serpent Unroiled" and "Folly Is An
Endless Maze" from
which this pagan song comes sounding like it could have been
recorded back in
1968
with a beautiful story of the earth god himself.
Ghost - Snuffbox Immanence (1998)
The band hails from Japan but records acid-folk of the psychdelic
era
faithfully and
innovatively mixing in dark rock and japanese instruments,
creating a haunting
sound
of their own.  This epic is almost early Pink Floyd like in it's
musical trips
into
space and then back to a simple folk song.
It's Jo and Danny - Hippy Thinking / Benbecula (2000)
A bedroom band that mix folk and etheral Cocteau Twins like rock
into an
innovative
whole.
Sigur Ros - Ny Batteri (2000)
For me, the new hope in innovative folk music coming from Iceland
and singing in
their own invented language, "Hopelandish".  Mixing dark
pixie/angel like
singing
over an amazing musical sound palette.  The songs are quite
astonishing
melodically
and could come from the 8th or 21st century.  The band are very
strange when
interviewed and believe all kinds of ancient Icelandic beliefs we
might find
curious
or interesting.  Taken from their new album out this week.
Suckle - To Be King (2000)
Music for listening to in cabins set within a lonely forest, an
unofficial Blair
Witch Project sountrack.  Very traditional folk with recorders
and double voices
mixing into the sound.  A very recent release that shows the
sound is still
strong.
C.O.B. - Spirit Of Love (1970)
A truly fantastic track that seems to radiate love and peace
without being all
overly
hippy.   Clive Palmer's band were a commune and you feel it music
have achieved
something wonderful to produce such beautiful music.  A simple
song that has a
brilliant song along quality.  Certainly this isn't dark, but
certainly is on
the
edge of folk music with it's own white form of magic.
Tape 2 : "Time Of Decaying Cities"
Side B
Anne Briggs - The Time Has Come (1971)
The title track of the album from which the previous track came.
This shows how
strongly connected to the earth, seasons, time and the like Anne
was and the
album is
truly essential.
Shirley Collins - Moments In Eden (A Song Story) (1969)
This is the zenith of alternative folk music, a concept piece
done on
traditional
British Instruments about the leaving and slaughter of men for
the First World
War.
How the free sprit of paganism still an undercurrent in many
villages was
crushed by
the loss of a generation and through the replacement of May Poles
with the war
memorials to the dead.  This piece documents all this over twenty
five minutes
weaving in various traditional and original songs.  To prepare
the piece and
get it
performed on the real instruments took two years as no musicans
could be found
who
could play the instruments and they had to learn then anew.
Taken from the
album
of the same name
Comus - Song To Comus (1971)
A darker epic song from this pagan band that strike fear into
many who listen to
them.
The Sun Also Rises - Death (1970)
Well you don't get much darker than this, taken from the album
already
mentioned.
Fit and Limo - Images Of April (1996)
Taken from the "Serpent Unroiled" album, this gorgeous version of
the Tom Rapp -
Peals Before Swine track seems a fitting way to end.

 (cut)
Vedo che in ambito "modernista", oltre ai SR ci sono Suckle e It's Jo
and Danny (a proposito di questi č in uscita il nuovo album, su major...
:-( ). Un po' pochino, IMHO... ;-)
Per un'eventuale panoramica sul "weird folk" moderno bisognerebbe
aggiungere perlomeno i primi GORKY'S ZYGOTIC MYNCI, sospesi tra Gong,
folk gallese e Canterbury; alcune cose dei "martinvenatorici" ;-)
DELGADOS; i fondamentali neopsichedelici inglesi QUICKSPACE e il loro
cantante che a nome DOUGAL REED ha appena realizzato il remake
dell'intero "Rumours" dei Fleetwood Mac; il bizzarro menestrello
norvegese ST. THOMAS, davvero *molto* ISB (č appena uscito su Racing
Junior il nuovo "I'm coming home" di cui dirň); il menestrello americano
BEVEL (al secolo Via Nuon); la super-delirante DANIELSON FAMILE,
incredibile famiglia di protestanti che canta la gloria di Dio in chiave
indie-folk ;-)) (prodotti da Steve Albini...) e i non meno deliranti
MAGIC CARPATHIANS PROJECT, continuatori dei polacchi Atman; il
fondamentalista arabo-giapponese (!) MAHER SHALAL HASH BAZ;
"Folktronic", folle parodia del folk orchestrata dal pazzo rimescolatore
MOMUS; qualcosa dello stesso WILL OLDHAM (soprattutto l'ep "All most
Heaven") e qualcos'altro degli ORSO di Phil Spirito; gli stessi
ROLLERBALL che nell'ultimo "Trail of the butter yeti" giocano spesso e
volentieri con materiali folk (come i GUAPO, d'altronde...); alcuni
dischi della scena "Elephant 6 & dintorni" (ELF POWER, OF MONTREAL,
l'ultimo BEULAH); i tedeschi KANTE di cui parlai lungamente un annetto
fa; i GOBLIN MARKET che ancora non conosco ma dei quali ho letto
paragoni con Mellow Candle e Trees (!! ;-)). E molti, molti altri...
--
Black Emperor
"Let's build fallen cathedrals,
let's make impractical plans"

 Fit and Limo - Life and Times Of Pan (1995)
Stanz, dei Fit and Limo - se non ricordo male - hai parlato di
recente...
Sapresti dirmi qualcosa, invece, sugli altri due, Stone Breath e
Mourning Cloak?


Mourning Cloak?
No, ambedue mi mancano, ma ci sono vari thread su di loro al
"gruppo yahoo sul wyrd folk" a cui invito tutti di subscriversi
(bruton_town)
ciao s.

E molti, molti altri...
Vabbè, dai, abbiamo capito che sei nel "giro" :-)))
ciao stanz

 Vabbè, dai, abbiamo capito che sei nel "giro" :-)))
Si fa quel che si può ;-)
