Strangely, if you pick up the lyric sheet (the original inner red sleeve is included here), you would imagine a plethora of strange lyrics may dominate. But actually, whilst the lyrics are indeed of much interest, it’s the music that tends to dominate at times. I guess it may have been an experiment of sorts but somehow the musical content interrupts some really tight compositions. Almost as if they tried a little too hard to step into the popular consensus of the day that extra filler was needed to stretch out the song.
It wasn’t necessary, and I think you will either like it or not. At times, such as on Island, there are some beautiful musical sections, but the strength, for me, is that each song stands up for itself with some lovely harmonies, courtesy of Barbara Gaskin, coming to the fore. Forgive them for their slight extravagancies at time and sit back and appreciate a fusion of folk / rock from an era long forgotten. Apart from the fact it produced some interesting music, the likes of which had not been tried before. Some brilliant, original compositions by Martin Cockerill, whose gravelly vocals are counterpointed by the purity of Barbara Gaskin’s voice. The other star of the album is Julian Cusack whose virtuoso violin lifts this album from the ‘interesting’ to ‘brilliant’ category. A real collector’s item and in fantastic condition.
