Overlooked Masterpiece
N. Chevalier | Regina, Sask. Canada | 04/03/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Remember Chris de Burgh? Well, if Chris de Burgh were less twee, then he'd sound like Dransfield. Actually, brothers Robin and Barry Dransfield explore a number of folk-rock styles on this, their one great musical statement. From the rock opening, "Up to Now," a devilishly clever beggars-are-coming-to-town warning, through Mythic England songs, such as "The Pedlar and the Alchemist" and "The Handsome Meadow Boy," to achingly beautiful numbers, such as "It's Dark in Here" (a song about blindness sung without sentimentality) and "What Will We Tell Them? (a lament for lost innocence). Robin Dransfield's liner notes explain that the group came a bit too late in the folk-rock scene, missing the wave of popularity of Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span (though this album really doesn't sound like either of them) in the early 70s; by 1976, when the album was released, the British music scene was on the verge of a seismic shift to punk. It's clear from listening to this album where the above-mentioned de Burgh got some of his inspiration, but he developed these ideas with far less imagination and inventiveness than the brothers Dransfield. You can also hear Barry Dransfield's violin on Richard Thompson's brilliant, eccentric *Henry the Human Fly!*--another overlooked masterpiece of British folk-rock."
Not to be missed!
Elise Munson | Baltimore, MD | 10/19/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Fans of 70's British folk-rock music (i.e., Richard & Linda Thompson, Albion Band, Steeleye Span, ...) will certainly enjoy this overlooked gem. Also worth searching out is the recent Dransfield 2 CD compilation "Up to Now" on Free Reed."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
