Saturday, November 24, 2012

Dransfield - The Fiddler's Dream (uk 1976)

Dransfield - The Fiddler's Dream (uk 1976)

Formed: 1974,    United Kingdom
Disbanded: 1976 // 

* Barry Dransfield (vocals, electric fiddle, fiddle, [electric] dulcimer, cello, guitar, zither),
* Robin Dransfield (vocals, guitar),
* Brian Harrison (vocals, bass, organ, piano),
* Charlie Smith (drums, 1976),
* Bob Critchley (drums, 1976).

Related Artists:
The Crimple Mountain Boys, Decameron, Robin and Barry Dransfield, Longdancer, The Marmalade, Morris On.

Also Known As: The Dransfields

A1 Up to Now   
 i. Up to Now   4:15
 ii. The Blacksmith 1   2:45
A2 Losers and Winners   
 i. The Alchemist and the Pedlar   7:30
 ii. It's Dark in Here   4:07
 iii. The Handsome Meadow Boy   6:07
B1 The Fool   
 i. The Fool's Song   3:46
 ii. The Ballad of Dickie Lubber   4:37
B2 The Beginning of the Never Ending   
 i. The Blacksmith 2   2:27
 ii. What Will We Tell Them?   2:30
 iii. Violin   6:38

or else:
01. Up to Now   
02. The Blacksmith (Part 1)   
03. The Alchemist and the Pedlar   
04. It's Dark in Here   
05. The Handsome Meadow Boy   
06. The Fool's Song   
07. The Ballad of Dickie Lubber   
08. The Blacksmith (Part 2)   
09. What Will We Tell Them?   
10. Violin 

In 1976, renowned English folk artists Robin Dransfield and his younger brother, Barry Dransfield, recorded the album ‘The Fiddler's Dream’ under the name Dransfield. As well as Robin & Barry
Dransfield, the band included vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Brian Harrison and drummer Charlie Smith. The album is a classic folk-rock album. In 1977 the band split up.

Hearing this album for the first time, it's easy to see why Steeleye Span declined to tour with the Dransfields -- with all due respect to Maddy Prior and company, they'd have been shown-up and then some, based on the evidence here. From the crisp playing on acoustic and low-wattage electric guitars, and charismatic yet honest and unaffected lead and harmony singing to the diverse song selection -- all part of a defined song cycle -- the album was as perfect an example of electric British folk music as it was released in the '70s, and easily a rival for anything this side of Fairport Convention's best work. The voices and the playing strike a perfect balance between the old traditionalist school out of which the Dransfields came and the newer folk-rock school that they'd only begun to embrace a couple of years earlier, and the album itself also gives a nod to the burgeoning progressive folk-rock genre of the era (best embodied by acts such as Gryphon). The Fiddler's Dream is a folk concept album (though the Dransfields themselves would likely have called it a "song cycle" rather than anything that pretentious).
The material all deals with a fiddler's relationship to and effect on an English village -- and not coincidentally; Barry Dransfield was one of the great fiddle players in England during this period, and he has ample room on this album to show a little of what he's made of, though there's also lots of space for great singing by the two brothers and superb dual guitar work by Barry and older brother Robin. The songs all have a relationship to each other that enhances their impact, and they fit together perfectly in their juxtapositioning, with regard to tempo and mood changes as well as subjects. But the playing and singing, and the music, are all so beautiful, on "The Handsome Meadow Boy," "The Fool's Song," or "The Ballad of Dickie Lubber" -- or pretty much everything here -- that one needn't ever have been within 10,000 miles of an English village to appreciate them. Forget Steeleye Span -- based on this album, these guys could easily have rated a spot touring with Jethro Tull when the latter were playing to 30,000 people at a time. The album has aged exceptionally well, and any of the various reissues out there is worth picking up.
 ~ Bruce Eder.

Download Links:
Dransfield - The Fiddler_s Dream (uk 1976).rar (64.40 MB)

...and also...

Dransfield - The Fiddler's Dream (uk 1976).rar

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Clap - Have You Reached Yet? (us 1972)

Clap - Have You Reached Yet ?  (us 1972, rare garage psychedelia)

Formed: 1972,    Torrance, CA, United States

* Steve Morrison (lead vocals, harp),
* Jim Morrison (bass, guitar, vocals),
* Dave Aurit (lead guitar, saxophone, vocals),
* Keith Till (guitar, vocals),
* Scott Mercier (drums, percussion),
* Les Hurst (drums).

Genres: Psychedelic Rock

Tracks Listing:
01. Out Of The Shadows (3:39)
02. My Imagination (4:02)
03. Middle Of The Road (3:27)
04. Get It While You Can (3:26)
05. Have You Reached Yet? (3:55)
06. Sweet Smell Of Success (4:01)
07. Stop Torturing Me (2:53)
08. Bluff'em All (2:55)
09. Only Just An Act (3:09)
10. Mornin' Thought (3:08)

     So for you youngsters here's an example of what "do it yourself" rock used to mean when you pretty much had to create your own fun, energies, and lives even from scratch and for your oldsters, now's the time to drag out the boas, the mascara and the nylons and re-live the post-Vietnam era the right way. Of course if you get arrested don't come complain' to me, but then again wouldn't that only add to the overall glam/slam effect so common during those rather peculiar times?"
 ~ (Chris Stigliano).
A definite lost gem amongst the pebbles of the 70's garage rock scene, Clap blends a gritty Exile-era stones flair with the sneer that so many of their garage-punk contemporaries brought to the table. Originally released in '73, Sing Sing Records has dug up this classic proto-punk record and pressed it back to its native format. There are hints of NYC pre-punk moves here but since the band was based in Southern California, the sea and sunshine mellow things out with a heavy dose of smoke and an easy strum. It makes for a unique balance of calm rebellion that should have gotten the band much more attention than they received at the time. Plus, with that mix of pop and sneer the album should appeal to fans of current RSTB faves like King Tuff and The People's Temple. Highly recommended that you pick one up!
 ~ errny-progrockplazerna.

Download Link: - Have You Reached Yet (us 1972_ rare garage psychedelia).rar;