Robin Williamson - Myrrh

Robin Williamson (born 24 November 1943, Edinburgh) is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, songwriter and storyteller, who first made his name as a founder member of The Incredible String Band.

Robin Williamson released his first solo album, Myrrh, in 1972, when still a member of the Incredible String Band. The album begins with a composition by a long-time friend of Williamson, Ivan Pawle (of the band Dr. Strangely Strange). 'Strings in the earth and air' is a perfect opener, one of the most beautiful songs Robin has ever recorded. It sets the mood for the album perfectly, invoking images of music, nature, love and beauty.

Band members:
Robin Williamson - Guitar, Chinese Flute, Vocals, Oboe, Jew's-Harp, Gong, Bazouki, Cello, Violin, Piano, Bass, Flute, Guitar, Mandolin
Janet Williamson - Organ, Piano
Stan Lee Buttons - Organ, Pedal Steel, Bass
Suzie W.T. - Flute, Soloist
David Campbell - Viola
Gerry Conway - Drums

Jack Miller - Art Direction
Mitch Walker - Design, Photography
Mike Blore - Art Direction

Tracks:
1. Strings in the Earth and Air
2. Rends-Moi Demain
3. The Dancing of the Lord of Weir
4. Will We Open the Heavens
5. Through the Horned Clouds
6. Sandy Land
7. Cold Harbour
8. Dark Eyed Lady
9. Dark Dance
10. I See Us All Get Home

Download Complete Album - Myrrh - Robin Williamson
Megaupload alternative download link

 

Listen to Robins wonderful version of  "The Parting Glass"

Biography;

He lived in the Portobello area of Edinburgh, and attended George Watson's College before leaving at the age of 15 to become a professional musician. At first he performed in local jazz bands, with Gerard Dott (a later member of the ISB) and others, before turning to traditional music as a singer and guitarist. By 1961 he had met and begun sharing a flat with Bert Jansch, and in 1963 they traveled together to London to play the metropolitan folk circuit.[1]

By 1965 he had returned to Edinburgh and formed a duo with Clive Palmer, specialising in fiddle and banjo arrangements of traditional Scots and Irish songs. Joe Boyd signed them to Elektra Records in 1966, by which time they had recruited third member Mike Heron. As resident band at Clive’s Incredible Folk Club in Glasgow, they called themselves the Incredible String Band.

Between 1966 and 1974 the Incredible String Band, based around the duo of Williamson and Heron, released some 13 albums, becoming in the UK one of the most popular, best-loved and influential groups of the era. The group also included Williamson's sometime girlfriend Licorice McKechnie.

Williamson released his first solo LP, "Myrrh", in 1971 when still a member of the Incredible String Band. After the band split up in 1974, he began living in Los Angeles and, for a while, turned his attention to writing, co-writing an espionage novel, "The Glory Trap".

By 1976 he had returned to music, forming The Merry Band with Sylvia Woods (Celtic harp), Jerry McMillan (fiddle), and Chris Caswell (flutes, and wire-strung harp). They toured extensively for three years throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and released three albums "Journey’s Edge", "American Stonehenge", and "A Glint At The Kindling".

After the breakup of the Merry Band, Williamson returned to the UK and started to tour solo, offering sets dominated by traditional stories set to song. Releases of this period include "Songs of Love and Parting" and "Legacy of the Scottish Harpers". Williamson's concern with the British bardic tradition also manifested itself in several books and tapes containing spoken renditions of traditional tales. He has also written a tutorial book of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes (ISBN 0-8256-0165-7) as well as one for the penny whistle (ISBN 0-8256-0190-8).

Williamson's live album with John Renbourn, 'Wheel Of Fortune' (1995), was nominated for a Grammy, (as was the ISB album 'Hangman's Beautiful Daughter', in 1968).

In the late 1990s he took part, with Palmer and Heron, in a reformed ISB. Williamson left the band some time around the start of 2003 - some rumours had it that he was forced out in acrimonious circumstances. The reformed band disbanded once again in 2006.

Meanwhile Williamson resumed his solo career, notably on record with a series of albums for the ECM label. "Seed-at-zero' (2000), 'Skirting The River Road' (2002) and 'The Iron Stone' (2006) featured him combining his own words with those of the likes of Dylan Thomas, William Blake, and Walt Whitman. Musically these records show him increasingly working in a fusion style (similar in some ways to the avant-garde work of the Incredible String Band in the 60's) which incorporates folk, jazz, Renaissance, Classical and Eastern influences. A group of distinguished jazz musicians accompany Williamson on the two most recent ECM records, notably violist Mat Maneri, bassist Barre Phillips, Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ale Moller, and English sax player Paul Dunmall.

Wikipedia

 

 Discography;

Solo Albums
* - Myrrh (1972)
* - Journey's Edge (1977) (with The Merry Band)
* - American Stonehenge (1978) (with The Merry Band)
* - A Glint At The Kindling (1979) (with The Merry Band)
* - Songs of Love & Parting (1981)
* - The Fisherman's Son And The Gruagach of Tricks (1981)
* - Prince Dougie And The Swan Maiden (1982)
* - Rory Mor And The Gruagach Gaire (1982)
* - Music for the Mabinogi (1983)
* - Selected Writings (1984)
* - Five Humorous Tales of Scotland and Ireland (1984)
* - The Dragon Has Two Tongues (1985)
* - Five Celtic Tales of Enchantment (1985)
* - Five Legendary Histories Of Britain (1985)
* - Five Bardic Mysteries (1985)
* - Five Tales of Prodigies and Marvels (1985)
* - Legacy of the Scottish Harpers (1986)
* - Legacy of the Scottish Harpers Volume Two (1986)
* - Winter's Turning (1986)
* - Songs For Children of All Ages (1987)
* - Ten of Songs (1988)
* - Music For The Newly Born (1990)
* - Wheel Of Fortune (1995, with John Renbourn)
* - The Island Of The Strong Door (1996)
* - Songs For The Calendarium (1996)
* - Farewell Concert At McCabe's (1997, with The Merry Band)
* - Mirrorman's Sequences (1997)
* - Celtic Harp Airs And Dance Tunes (1997)
* - Memories/Erinnerungen (1997)
* - Dream Journals (1997)
* - Bloomsbury 1997 (1998, with Mike Heron)
* - Gems Of Celtic Story 1 (1998)
* - Ring Dance (1998)
* - Gems Of Celtic Story 2 (1998)
* - A Job Of Journey Work (1998)
* - The Old Fangled Tone (1999)
* - Music For Macbeth (1999)
* - At The Pure Fountain (1999, with Clive Palmer)
* - The Seed-at-Zero (2000)
* - Just Like The Ivy (2000, with Clive Palmer)
* - Bloomsbury 2000 (2001, with reformed ISB)
* - Carmina (2001)
* - Skirting The River Road (2002)
* - Gems Of Celtic Story 3 (2002)
* - The Iron Stone (2006)
* - The Celtic Bard (2008)
* - Just Like The River And Other Songs For Guitar (2008)

With Incredible String Band
* The Incredible String Band (Elektra, June 1966)
* The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion (Elektra, July 1967)
* The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (Elektra, March 1968)
* Wee Tam and the Big Huge (Elektra, November 1968)
* Changing Horses (Elektra, November 1969)
* I Looked Up (Elektra, April 1970)
* U (Elektra, October 1970)
* Be Glad for the Song Has No Ending (Island, March 1971)
* Relics (Elektra compilation)
* Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air (Island, October 1971)
* Earthspan (Island, November 1972)
* No Ruinous Feud (Island, March 1973)
* Hard Rope and Silken Twine (Island, March 1974)
* Seasons They Change (Island compilation, 1976)
* BBC Radio 1 Live on air (1990, CD)
* BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert (1992)
* The Chelsea Sessions 1967 (1997, CD)
* First Girl I Loved: Live in Canada 1972 (Trojan Records, 2001, CD)
* nebulous nearnesses (2004, CD)
* Across The Airwaves: BBC Radio Recordings 1969-74 (2007, CD)

For solo releases, see under Robin Williamson and Mike Heron.
[edit] Singles (UK only)

* "Way Back In The 1960s" / "Chinese White" (Elektra, 1967)
* "Painting Box" / "No Sleep Blues" (Elektra, 1967)
* "Big Ted" / "All Writ Down" (Elektra, 1969)
* "This Moment" / "Black Jack Davy" (Elektra, 1970)
* "Black Jack David" / "Moon Hang Low" (Island WIP 6145, 11/1972)
* "At The Lighthouse Dance" / "Jigs" (Island WIP 6158, 2/1973)


Bibliography;
Robin Williamson
* - English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes (1976)

Robin Williamson
* - Penny Whistle Book (1977)

Robin Williamson
* - Five Denials on Merlin's Grave: A Poem With Annotations (1979)

Dan Sherman and Robin Williamson
* - The Glory Trap (1981) (novel)

Robin Williamson
* - Holy Howlers (1987)
* - The Craneskin Bag: Celtic Stories and Poems (1989)
* - Wise and Foolish Tongue: Celtic Stories and Poems (1991)

Robin Williamson and John Matthews
* - From the Isles of Dream: Visionary Stories and Poems of the Celtic Renaissance (1993)

R.J. Stewart and Robin Williamson
* - Celtic Bards, Celtic Druids (1996)

Robin Williamson and John Matthews
* - The Bardic Source Book: Inspirational Legacy and Teachings of the Ancient Celts (1998)

Crosby Stills Nash and Young Rare Demos

Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) are a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young. They are noted for their intricate vocal harmonies, often tumultuous interpersonal relationships, political activism, and lasting influence on music and culture. All four members of CSNY have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, though Young's multiple inductions were for work not involving the group.

Here are some demos made by various combinations of these four amazingly talented artists.

Almost Cut My Hair (1969 - David Crosby)

Long Time Gone (1968 - David Crosby and Stephen Stills)

Music is Love (1970 David Crosby, Neil Young and Graham Nash)

Deja Vu (1969 David Crosby)

Marrakesh Express (1969 - Crosby, Stills and Nash)


Be Yourself (1971 - Graham Nash)

Chicago (1970 - Graham Nash)

Sleep Song (1969 - Graham Nash)


Love the One You are With (1970 - Graham Nash)

You don't have to Cry (1968 - Graham Nash)

Singing Call (1970 - Graham Nash)

My Love is a Gentle Thing (1968 - Graham Nash)

Initially formed by the trio of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, the genesis of the group lies in two 1960s rock bands, The Byrds and The Hollies, and the demise of a third, Buffalo Springfield. Friction existed between David Crosby and his bandmates in the Byrds, and he was dismissed from the Byrds in the autumn of 1967.

By early 1968, Buffalo Springfield had also disintegrated over personal issues, and after aiding in putting together the band’s final album, Stephen Stills found himself unemployed by the summer. He and Crosby began meeting informally and jamming, the results of one encounter in Florida on Crosby’s schooner being the song “Wooden Ships,” composed in collaboration with another guest, Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane.

Graham Nash had been introduced to Crosby when the Byrds had toured the UK in 1966, and when the Hollies ventured to California in 1968, Nash resumed his acquaintance with Crosby.

At a party in July 1968 at Cass Elliot's house, Nash asked Stills and Crosby to repeat their performance of a new song by Stills, “You Don't Have To Cry,” with Nash improvising a second harmony part. The vocals gelled, and the three realized that they had a unique vocal chemistry.

Creatively frustrated with the Hollies, Nash decided to quit and throw his lot in with Crosby and Stills. After failing an audition with the Beatles' Apple Records, they were signed to Atlantic Records by Ahmet Ertegün, who had been a fan of Buffalo Springfield and was disappointed by that band's demise

From the outset, given their respective band histories, the trio decided not to be locked into a group structure, using their surnames as identification to ensure independence and a guarantee against the band simply continuing without one of them, as had both the Byrds and the Hollies after the departures of Crosby and Nash. Their record contract with Atlantic reflected this, positioning CSN with a unique flexibility unheard of for an untested group. The trio also picked up a unique management team in Elliot Roberts and David Geffen, who had engineered their situation with Atlantic and would help to consolidate clout for the group in the industry.

Roberts kept the band focused and dealt with egos, while Geffen handled the business deals, since, in Crosby’s words, they needed a shark and Geffen was it. Roberts and Geffen would play key roles in securing the band’s success during the early years.

When it was announced that the band was forming, they ran into a slight contractual problem. Nash was already signed to Epic Records, the North American distributor of records by the Hollies, while Crosby and Stills were signed to Atlantic. In order to resolve this problem, Geffen engineered a deal whereby Nash was essentially traded to Atlantic for the rights to Richie Furay's band Poco; Furay was signed to Atlantic as a result of his membership in Buffalo Springfield.

Initial success

The trio's first album, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, was released in May 1969 and was an immediate hit, spawning two Top 40 hit singles and receiving key airplay on the new FM radio format. With the exception of drummer Dallas Taylor, Stills had handled the lion's share of the instrumental parts himself, which left the band in need of additional personnel to be able to tour, now a necessity given the debut album’s commercial impact.


Retaining Taylor, the band decided initially to hire a keyboard player. Stills at one point approached Steve Winwood who was already occupied with newly formed group Blind Faith. Atlantic label head Ahmet Ertegün suggested Canadian singer/songwriter Neil Young, also managed by Elliot Roberts, as a fairly obvious choice. Initial reservations were held by Stills and Nash, Stills owing to his history with Young in Buffalo Springfield, and Nash, due to his personal unfamiliarity with Young. But after several meetings, the trio expanded to a quartet with Young a full partner. The terms of the contract allowed Young full freedom to maintain a parallel career with his new back-up band, Crazy Horse.

Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking

Unhalfbricking is the third album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention, released in 1969. It is seen as a transitional album in their history and marked a further musical move away from American influences towards more traditional English folk songs that had begun on their previous album, What We Did On Our Holidays, and arguably reached its peak on the follow-up, Liege & Lief, released later the same year.

Although featuring several at the time unreleased Bob Dylan songs, the album also marked Sandy Denny's maturation as a singer and songwriter, including "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?", a song covered by many other performers and now regarded as a classic.

The only traditional song on the album, "A Sailor's Life", is seen as pivotal in the development of English folk rock music.

Changes in the line-up of the band, due to not only to its musical direction but also to external events, mark this album as a turning point in the band's history. 1969 was a prolific year for Fairport Convention; from What We Did On Our Holidays to Liege & Lief within twelve months represented a major development.

 

The album also gave the band their first UK chart success, reaching number 12 in the UK album chart (the second highest position in the band's entire career), while the single release, "Si Tu Dois Partir", achieved number 21 in the UK singles chart
Fairport Convention "Time will show the wiser (1967)

Personnel:
Sandy Denny - Vocals, Harpsichord
Richard Thompson - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Electric Dulcimer, Piano Accordion, Organ, Backing Vocals
Ashley Hutchings - Bass, Backing Vocals
Simon Nicol - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Electric Dulcimer, Backing Vocals
Martin Lamble - Drums, Stacked Chair Backs on "Si Tu Dois Partir"

with:
Ian Matthews - Backing Vocals on "Percy's Song"
Dave Swarbrick - Fiddle on "Si Tu Dois Partir", "A Sailor’s Life", and "Cajun Woman" and Mandolin on "Million Dollar Bash"
Trevor Lucas - Triangle on "Si Tu Dois Partir"
Marc Ellington - Vocals on "Million Dollar Bash"

Tracks:1. Genesis Hall
2. Si Tu Dois Partir
3. Autopsy
4. A Sailor's Life
5. Cajun Woman
6. Who Knows Where the Time Goes?
7. Percy's Song
8. Million Dollar Bash

Download Complete Album- Unhalfbricking

After their previous album had seen original singer Judy Dyble replaced by Sandy Denny, the group's male vocalist Iain Matthews left during the recordings for Unhalfbricking,and Denny took a more central role. The band had been invited to Bob Dylan's London music publishers to hear then unreleased tracks from The Basement Tapes, and of this the band's bassist, Ashley Hutchings, said "this strange, kind of mish-mash of styles and drawled lyrics came out of the speakers. It sounded kind of subterranean; there was this strange cloak of weirdness covering them. We loved it all. We would have covered all the songs if we could."

n the event, versions of "Percy's Song", "Million Dollar Bash" and "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" (retitled "Si Tu Dois Partir") were used on the album. The French lyrics for the latter were created during the interval of a performance at the Middle Earth Club.According to guitarist Simon Nicol "I think the boredom factor was one of the reasons we came up with this wacky idea. Three or four punters joined us in the dressing room; they were either French visitors or students of French working in London, and happened to be there that night."

Meanwhile Denny's "Autopsy", "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" (which would become her signature song), and the lengthy "A Sailor's Life" were also included. The latter track had been a traditional English folk song collected by A. L. Lloyd and already part of Denny's club repertoire. In particular, the version on Unhalfbricking has been described as "the turning point of Fairport's history from earlier contemporary Americana to English songs" and by Allmusic's Richie Unterberger as a "clear signpost to the future".

Guitarist Richard Thompson contributed two compositions to the album. The opening track, "Genesis Hall", is a slow song in waltz-time, on which he played dulcimer, and Sandy Denny provided the vocals; it was the B-Side of the single release.Genesis Hall was the nickname of the former Bell Hotel in Drury Lane, which had become a squat in early 1969 and later became noted for a mass eviction by the police. "Cajun Woman", which opens the second side of the album, features Dave Swarbrick's fiddle-playing in his first work with Fairport.

Sandy Denny - Who Knows where the Time Goes

Links;

Sandy Denny Albums