Newsgroup: it.arti.musica.rock
Titolo: British Folk

SOME PERSONAL VIEWS ON BRITISH FOLK ROCK
If there is one place in music that I call my home, then it's British folk
rock. No matter how much I love psych, jazz, classical etc, it's UK folk I
always return to with a special joyfulness. It's the haven of my soul. It's
not that far-fetched that a Swede like me may pick something up in an
'imported' tradition. The traditional British music has a lot to with
Scandinavian music of old. Not only harmonically and lyrically, but they
have a similar spirit. It's an elusive quality, but it's the most important
one. I can't point it out, but it's there and it captivates my heart and
ears everytime I hear it.
  The first British folk song that really grabbed me was 'Matty Groves' as
played by Fairport Convention. That's the 'original' one for me, and so many
of my own songs have to pay an eternal debt to that single song. It has the
melody and of course, the lyrics dealing with love, betrayal, and death. The
only thing it lacks is magic and revenge coming from the other side of the
grave, but although the Fairports never mention it, I'm convinced that both
Matty and Lord Arnold's wife, married in death, will return to perform some
evil justice to make up for the murder!
  Not surprisingly, there are so many albums, and even more so songs, that
have made an everlasting impression on me. And many albums have the
qualities I look for although they're not obviously 'folk'. One of the
greatest is 'The Gift Of Tears' by the Revolutionary Army Of The Infant
Jesus. Released in 1987, it takes great use of electronic instruments
typical for the era (OK, synths) and combine them with acoustic guitars and
eerie vocals. The result is like folk music from parallel world, oddly
religious; mystical and ritual. Music that's like a portal between one's
spirit and the world.
  And the song 'Mendle', to pick just one song by Mr. Fox. A great moment in
the history of traditional and traditional sounding music mixed with
elements of rock. Over-heated organs, gruesome fuzz bass and eerie, ethereal
vocals over a drony flow. I guess that's what some people call 'folk psych'.
Or worse, 'acid folk', which is a term I intensely dislike. To me, it's just
majestic, epic, brutal-yet-beautiful, a dark giver of life.
  There are so many examples of folk rock that has shaped me and my music.
Please let me present a few of them.
FAIRPORT CONVENTION: Liege And Lief
I actually like 'What We Did On Our Holidays' better, it's a much more
varied album, but this one has 'Matty Groves', so the choice was obvious.
Dave Mattacks is one of the best drummers ever, with a rustic swing and a
beat so accurate it's melodic. And what can possibly be said of Sandy Denny
that would add anything to the discussion? Or of Richard Thompson's twisted
inside-out guitar playing? It's hard to overrate the Fairports. Even some of
the albums made after they had lost several of their most important members
are well worth a listen.
  STEELEYE SPAN: Below The Salt
The first folk rock album I ever bought. (It should probably have been
'Liege And Lief', but it wasn't.) No wonder then that this has a special
place in my heart. Released before the Steeleyes got lost in the dodgy top
ten haze of 'All Around My Hat' and with their stellar debut LP 'Hark! The
Village Wait' well behind them, 'Below The Salt' is like none of them.
Actually, in the entire Steeleye Span catalogue, there's no album quite like
this. From the a cappella singing of 'Gaudete' (revisionistic in its Latin
pronunciation.), through the strangely understated ferocity of 'Royal
Forester' to the extended and theatrical 'King Henry'--notable for how the
ever-changing arrangement keeps the song going without a dull second--this
is one of my all time folk favourites. (Then compare it to their 80's effort
'Back In Line' which quite probably is the worst folk album I've ever heard,
with sequencers losing the beat. Or make it the most comic one.)
  PENTANGLE: Basket Of Light
If I ever had a guitar hero, Bert Jansch is the one. To be honest, I prefer
Jansch's solo works to Pentangle! His way of treating the strings is simply
extraordinary.
'Basket Of Light' is my first Pentangle choice, being endearing in all its
rough sophistication and it's multi-dimensional blend of jazz, folk, blues,
medieval music and, well, whatever. As eclectic as ever the Incredible
String Band (which of course shouldn't be underrated), although less hippie
and more focused. As with the Fairports, it's hard to say anything about the
stellar Pentangle that hasn't been said before.
MELLOW CANDLE: Swaddling Songs
  One of the reasons why I most often prefer English folk songs to the Irish
counterpart is that the English ones quite is generally less sentimental.
English story-telling and vocalization are more straight-faced, with a
matter-of-fact sense. I like that. It reminds of the old Icelandic tales.
  There are of course exceptions to this. Not sure if Mellow Candle is a
good example of this, since their music is rather 'matter-of-fact.' Which is
not to say that it's dull, because it isn't. Their music is a melodically
colourful blend of folk and prog, which 'Heaven Heath' is the perfect
example of, as is the epic 'Sheep Season.' Flowing melodies, an embracing
beauty, and all original material on an album that has been a close friend
of mine for a long time now.
SPRIGUNS: Time Will Pass
You can accuse Mandy Morton for being a Sandy Denny wannabe, and some of the
lyrics are admittedly quite bad, and some people might have an aversion
against the almost clumsy semi-heavy metal guitar playing--but 'Time Will
Pass' captures most of the great things about folk rock with a dark edge. As
witchey as it got in the year of punk! Spriguns' other albums have brilliant
moments too, and unless 'Time Will Pass' didn't exist, I would probably rave
as much about 'Magic Lady' as I do about this one.
STONE ANGEL: Stone Angel
One of the best examples ever that recording quality has got nothing to do
with what makes an album great. This is where I found 'Black Dog' that
became a Modryn standard, and also cropped up on the Pangolin album. At a
first glance, the Stone Angel album might look surprisingly unoriginal, even
mediocre. But given the right amount of time, it creeps close upon you and
runs its cold, bony fingers down your neck. Ghosts pass through the songs,
evil eyes glow in the darkness, and if you look back into them, you're lost.
I also love Waters Of Sweet Sorrow' by Midwinter, an outfit that songwriter,
guitarist and singer Ken Saul had before Stone Angel. Modryn even rehearsed
'Sanctuary Stone' at one point, without ever getting as far as to play it
live or record it.
LAL & MIKE WATERSON. Bright Phoebus
'Bright Phoebus' is probably one of the most peculiar albums you can find in
the folk field. Words like 'unique' and 'original' are sometimes wasted on
mediocre albums while LP's like 'Bright Phoebus' truly deserve them. Lal and
Mike were both in a cappella band the Watersons who for instance made the
fine 'Frost And Fire.' Admittedly, 'Bright Phoebus' has a few tracks (with
band backing) that I, ahem, prefer not to listen to, but they're easy to
neglect besides songs such as 'Child Among The Weeds' and contemporary
classics like 'The Scarecrow' and 'Fine Horseman.' It's music like a tree,
with the rough texture of bark, and its roots deep in bewitched ground.
Strange music indeed, and an endless source of inspiration.
TICKAWINDA: Rosemary Lane
I wanted to hear this album for years. Meanwhile, it grew to one of the
perfect folk albums in my mind. The circumstances were perfect for a large
scale disappointment. But not only did it live up to the impossible
expectations--it actually surpassed them! A few rather common traditionals
and a fair deal of songs borrowed from the Bert Jansch/Pentangle repertoire
might not sound like a very inspiring set, but truth is the performances are
spot-on. So many folk acts have great female vocals and not even half as
good male vocals. Not so in this case. The vocals are brilliant, the
harmonies blend in perfection, the guitar playing is sometimes jaw-dropping.
An excellent proof that there are still treasures to be found out there.
COMUS: First Utterance
Probably the most sinister album ever made. With only acoustic instruments
and a menacing hell-vibe, it could scare the entire metal mafia back home to
mum. Blood comes seeping from the cracks in the songs--drip drip!--fiddles
like saws gnawing through bone--drip drip!--an unspeakable horror is
crawling out there among the trees while the hollow wind is howling your
name. Drip drip!!
  I hated it at first, except for the first couple of songs. I thought it
was calculated and cold. And I just couldn't stand Roger Wootton's
hyper-vibrato vocals, like Marc Bolan on helium. In fact, it made me feel
very uncomfortable (which of course was a triumph of sorts). But it buried
its claws deep in me and wouldn't let go the grip. There's nothing I can do
but coming back to it with all its fervent insanity. Again. And again. And
again.
TREES: On The Shore
TREES: The Garden Of Jane Delawney
If you ask me, there is, of all folk rock bands and of all folk rock albums,
none that compares with 'On The Shore'. 'On The Shore' is the perfect folk
rock album. Yes. From the song selection (with the exception of the dreadful
'Little Sadie', but hey, let's not be picky!), to the atmosphere, to the
performances. There's nothing cute about 'On The Shore'. It's over-powering.
There's no place where I can hide from this this album. It finds me wherever
I am. There's no way either that I can understand it fully, let alone
'explain' it. If there ever was a 'portal,' this is it. It brings shivers to
my inside. A tingling down my spine. It's shamanistic, frightening,
beautiful. Yes. 'On The Shore' is the perfect folk rock album.
 'The Garden Of Jane Delawney' was the Trees' debut and if I have a 'second
best folk album,' there you have it. Perhaps less refined than 'On The
Shore'--meaning a little rougher--but the dark soul is already imminent in
the songs. On a special day, it takes me almost as far into the unknown and
the unpredictable as 'On The Shore'. The title track is one of the best
songs ever written. When playing it with Modryn, I learnt that the song
itself keeps secrets. I don't know what they are, but they're there for
sure. Chilling and with that scary beauty. Anyone who plays that song should
proceed with caution. I hope we did. Otherwise, we're bound to get ours one
day.
  When we re-arranged 'Cloak Of Shame' for Pangolin, I borrowed the little
melody Celia Humphries sings at the beginning of 'Epitaph' on 'Jane
Delawney' for the intro and bridge of my song. The solo of 'Cloak Of Shame'
is a shameless attempt to pay tribute to Trees guitarist Barry Clarke. It's
of course very presumptuous to try to play like him. but I never meant to
rip them off. I just wanted to try to give something back to them, to say
'thank you' with the vocabulary I knew at the time.
  There was never another band like Trees. There will never be.

http://www.folk-rock.com/highres.html
sembra interessante..
bye
wag