Release Date: 08 March 2010
Label: Park Records
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 769934010928
Genres: Folk
Description
The careers of British folk rock legends, Steeleye Span, have often been compared to a bus ride with members getting on and off along the way. If that is the case, then Ashley Hutchings and Ken Nicol have ridden at both ends of the journey.
It was Ashley that helped form the band forty years ago, bringing together the duos of Maddy Prior & Tim Hart and Gay & Terry Woods to record the seminal Hark! The Village Wait album, a release that would come to define a musical genre. Comparatively, Ken is very much part of the band's future. Ken joined the band in 2002 and is now playing in the band's longest ever line-up.
The pairs' association goes beyond this one band however, with an affiliation lasting nearly twenty years; first in the Ashley Hutchings Dance Band and then when Ken joined the Albion Band. Despite this long partnership, there has never been a duo album until now.
Copper, Russet and Gold will see the light of day in early 2010, compromising all original compositions that delve into the pairings' rich musical history. The expected folk feel is certainly there, but also mixed with splashes of jazz, blues and rock. Lyrically too the record is a varied experience with tales of Old England, the misery of supporting a doomed football team, Sir Francis Drake, GIs in World War II Britain and the beauty of Paris.
It may have taken them a while to produce, but Nicol and Hutchings have made a record that glows with warmth, genuine character and charm. The duo head out on an extensive UK tour in support of the album, kicking off at the end of January and running through to March. And then? Well we can only hope it doesn't take them so long to do it all again.
Tracklisting
Maddy Prior With Hannah James & Giles Lewin
Maddy Prior With Hannah James & Giles Lewin
Brass Monkey
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span
Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band
Various Artists
Tim Hart
Gerard van Maasakkers
Stick In The Wheel
The Ipanemas
Jake Xerxes Fussell
Jeffrey Foucault
Naomi Bedford and Paul Simmonds
Iiris Viljanen
Matthew & The Atlas
