NOW AVAILABLE!
I played the CD when it arrived and then kicked myself sharply on the shin when I found that I had managed to get the track listing wrong on the sleeve.... My own fault - I gave the one and only Master of the CD that I had to the manufacturers and so had no copy to refer to when the proofs of the sleeve arrived. I took the track listing from this website - forgetting that I only added the Dave Cartwright song to the list on the site once I had contacted him about copyright etc. There was also another very small typo on the sleeve that at least three people who had proof-read it had missed! To err is human and all that...... I'm sure that it's not going to spoil anyone's enjoyment of the CD though - which sounds as fresh as the day we recorded it.
However - I have done a nice insert for each jewel case with the correct listing on - so everybody will also have something signed to add to the CD - I couldn't do this with the CDs themselves without undoing the shrink-wrapping (though I'm quite happy to do this if you want the 'official' inserts signing of course!).
Copies of the CD will be sold strictly on a first-come, first-served basis - with those copies of the CD that were reserved in advance being sent out first. Please EMAIL me if you want further details about purchase. Remember this is going to be a limited edition CD - and, because of it's history, it is likely that demand will be quite high. All that remains to say is.....
COME AND GET IT!
THE HISTORY OF THE ALBUM
In 1972/73 I joined forces, very briefly, with a guitarist from Bristol - Ian Hunt. We were just about to start gigging seriously when Ian was made an offer he couldn't turn down - to work with some very famous musicians. I was determined that the time we had put into rehearsing and playing my music should somehow be recorded for posterity and, as a result, paid for recording sessions in London with the legendary Bill Leader of Leader/Trailer Records, with whom I had made two previous albums. Although a private album, Bill put the same love and care into the recording that he did with all his work - and I have always regarded the album as my 'third Leader album' - although it technically did not belong to them.
Joining Ian and I in the studio were Stuart Marson - my favourite songwriter of all time on the folk scene - and Graham Cooper on piano (See photos below).
Of the songs on the album, several were to be recorded, at various times, on other albums. Latin Lady (about Vin Garbutt) was also released in a different form on the 'First Folk Review' compilation album and Marazion Sands, Somerset Monday and City Ways were released on my 1975 live cassette 'For My Part'; the rest have never been released on any album of mine. Marazion Sands was, at the time of the recording, my most popular song and is made even more poignant on this recording by the fact that Ian (the subject of the song) is playing backing guitar on the track. It also contains my favourite recording of Stuart Marson's beautiful 'City Ways' - with Stuart singing backing vocals and playing guitar - and Ian playing a positively sparkling lead guitar.
After the recording I brought the tapes of the sessions home and since that time they have sat unheard, except by one or two close friends, on the shelves. I have decided that this unreleased album should now be released as a CD, so that people can complete their collection of my songs. Although the original tapes are still in top-notch condition, the tracks have now been digitally remastered by
