Search - Robin Williamson :: Glint at the Kindling: Five Bardic Mysteries

Robin Williamson
Glint at the Kindling: Five Bardic Mysteries
Genres: Folk, International Music, Pop, Rock

Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
1. Road the Gypsies Go
2. Me and the Mad Girl
3. Lough Foyle - Robin Williamson, Traditional
4. The Woodcutter's Song - Robin Williamson, Traditional
5. By Weary Well
6. Boyhood of Henry Morgan/The Pooka - Robin Williamson, Caswell, Chris
7. Five Denials on Merlin's Grave - Robin Williamson, Caswell, Chris
8. The Poacher's Song
9. The Spoils of Annwn
10. The Battle of the Trees
11. The Dialogue of the Two Sages
12. The Voyage of Bran, Son of Febal
13. Three Celtic Nature Poems

CD Details

All Artists: Robin Williamson
Title: Glint at the Kindling: Five Bardic Mysteries
Members Wishing: 7
Total Copies: 0
Label: Gottdiscs
Original Release Date: 1/1/2005
Re-Release Date: 11/14/2005
Album Type: Import, Original recording remastered
Genres: Folk, International Music, Pop, Rock
Styles: British & Celtic Folk, Celtic, Europe, Britain & Ireland, Folk Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 881881003225

Synopsis

Album Description

First released in 1979 by Criminal Records in the UK, A Glint At 2-on-1. The Kindling was the final album by The Merry Band which consisted of Robin Williamson, Sylvia Woods, Chris Caswell and Jerry McMillan. This 3rd album by The Merry Band showed Robin's muse reaching new heights, and (along with 'Songs Of Love & Parting) contains many of Robin's best work post-Incredible String Band. Largely biographical in content, the album revolves around Robin's epic poem 'Five Denials On Merlin's Grave', a piece based on five broad stages of ancient British history. Other highlights are 'Me & The Mad Girl', 'Lough Foyle', 'The Poacher's Song' and 'The Poacher's Song' and 'The Road The Gypsies Go', some of which Robin still performs to this day. As a bonus, Five Bardic Mysteries has been added. Originally released by Robin on his own label in 1985 as a cassette, these spoken-word pieces demonstrates Robin's remarkable storytelling abilities. In fact, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant used 'The Dialogue Of The Two Sages' as part of their No Quarter show in the mid 90's, These 5 tales act as a perfect accompaniment to 'Five Denials On Merlin's Grave'. Includes a 12 page booklet containing photos, lyrics and notes. Gottdiscs. 2005.

CD Reviews

Faultless

J. R. P. Wigman | Netherlands | 12/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first encountered "Glint at the kindling" I was only familiar with Robin's work in the Incredible String Band. This was different stuff - but it soon captured me as much as the best the ISB produced - it even neared the dizzying heights of "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" ! Later I bought more Williamson records, but this one, along with "Songs of love & parting" and his more recent "Mirrorman's Sequences" is the most captivating - amazingly well-crafted and filled with all one could wish for, both textual and musical. Earlier records like "American Stonehenge" sound like he was trying to find a new voice, but in "Glint" he definitely found one - all his later work bears many traces of this record.

On cd, the original "Glint" is teamed up with five bardic mysteries, which are all great (although you should check out the Gems of Celtic Story series for even better & more complete stories). Funnily enough these 5 bardic stories were presented on one cd with "Songs of love & parting" earlier.

On the original lp, Robin plays with the Merry Band - of which he has said he's never worked with better musicians - and it shows ! The songs I love best are "The road the gypsies go", "The woodcutter's song" with its great instrumental coda, "By weary well" and of course the epic "Five denials on Merlin's grave".

All the added stories are great, and if you're a Williamson fan I'm sure you'll love them. It should be noted that "The dialogue of the two sages" presented here is a less complete version than the one appearing on "Gems of Celtic Story 2".

I was very happy with the release of the album on cd - and also very pleased with the additions, although, in some sense, it has somehow destroyed the intimacy and the sense of completeness of the original. But I can still play the lp, can't I ?

"