1. Meet Me On The Corner (live)
2. Any Way The Wind Blows
3. Warm Feeling
4. Sunderland Boys
5. Lady Eleanor (live)
6. Train In G Major (live)
7. Love On The Run
8. When Friday Comes Around
9. We Can Swing Together (live)
10. All Fall Down (live)
11. Juke Box Gypsy
12. Run For Home
13. Stormy Weather
14. I Must Stop Going To Parties
15. All In The Same Boat
16. January Song (live)
17. Clear White Light (live)
18. Fog On The Tyne (live)
Sleevenotes
They may not have been the first Geordies to put Newcastle on the pop
cultural map. That honour belongs to Eric Burdon & The Animals, who
consistently visited the hit parade throughout the 1960s with a mid-Atlantic
fusion of British Beat and Rhythm ‘N’ Blues. Lindisfarne was, however, the first
to bring both the sound of Geordie dialect and folk-rock to the pop charts and
to do it, significantly enough, as the Sixties gave way to the Seventies.
Like many performers who began their careers during the ‘60s folk
revival and later migrated to the progressive rock scene, Lindisfarne was
enormously influenced by the music of Bob Dylan. (One of the group’s main
singer-songwriters Alan Hull had the unfortunate experience of being touted as
‘the new Dylan’, a fate that also befell others like Bruce Springsteen. This was
at a time when critics and fans alike were searching for a messianic replacement
to Dylan during what was perceived as his arid ‘Self Portrait’ years.)
Guitarist Simon Cowe, mandolin and harmonica player Ray Jackson,
bassist/violinist Rod Clements, and drummer Ray Laidlaw had begun playing in
their native Newcastle-on-Tyne as Downtown Faction, later metamorphosing into
Brethren. They were joined by singer/guitarist Alan Hull in 1969 and, finding
the Brethren name already in use by an American group, rechristened themselves
Lindisfarne, after the ‘holy island’ (off the coast of Northumberland) renowned
for its medieval gospels and monastery.
The group was by now purveying
an upbeat mix of plaintive folksy harmonies, wistful melodies, Dylanesque
wordsmithery and good-time choruses. Within the year, they had signed to Tony
Stratten-Smith’s new progressive rock label Charisma and in 1970 released
‘Nicely Out Of Tune’ (No 8, pop album chart) followed the next year by ‘Fog On
The Tyne’ (the biggest selling album of 1971). The two albums spawned three hits
that would become Lindisfarne classics – ‘Lady Eleanor’ (No 3, pop chart), ‘Fog
On The Tyne’ (No 1, pop chart) and ‘Meet Me On The Corner’ (No 5, pop chart). By
1972, when the group recorded ‘Dingly Dell’, their critical star was already
fading but the album still reached No 5 on the album charts and produced one
decent hit ‘All Fall Down’.
As with many bands that are over-hyped by
the press, Lindisfarne was first canonised by the critics and then quickly
relegated to the critical scrapheap of pop history. Seen by many as a more
commercial version of such English folk ‘hippies’ as Fairport Convention,
Lindisfarne was actually more a precursor of the good-time, pub rock sound that
would emerge in the mid-‘70s with such groups as Brinsley Schwartz. Cowe,
Laidlaw, and Clements left Lindisfarne in early 1973 to form Jack The Lad,
releasing three albums on Charisma. In 1973, the surviving members Alan Hull and
Ray Jackson were joined in a new Lindisfarne by guitarist/keyboard
player/vocalist Kenny Craddock, guitarist Charlie Harcourt, bassist/vocalist
Tommy Duffy and drummer Paul Nichols. At the same time, Alan Hull embarked on a
parallel solo recording career, scoring heavily with ‘Pipedream’ (Charisma). In
1977, Jack The Lad folded, its members rejoining Lindisfarne.
The latter
continued to record with differing additional personnel (including the likes of
Marty Craggs and Steve Daggett) and for a variety of labels—Warner Bros, Rocket,
Mercury, their own LMP (Lindisfarne Musical Productions), Castle and Demon.
1978’s ‘Back And Fourth’ (Mercury) produced two hits ‘Run For Home’ (No 10 in
the pop charts and rightly described as ‘more like Springsteen than
Springsteen’) and ‘Warm Feeling’. Generally ignored by the music press,
Lindisfarne continues to sell records (1987s ‘C’mon Everybody’ sold over 60,000
copies) and remains extremely popular with “live” audiences, touring regularly
to capacity crowds.
John Crosby
John Crosby has contributed to such publications as Q, MOJO, Time Out (London)
and fRoots (aka Folk Roots) and is currently an independent pr/publicist working
with the likes of Portugese Fado singer Mariza.
Alan Hull sadly passed away on November 17th 1995 and Kenny Craddock was also
taken tragically early in a car crash on May 30th 2002.
This album is dedicated to their memory.
1. Meet Me On The Corner
Cracking 1978 “live” version of the Rod Clements song, doing full justice to
Lindisfarne’s strong vocal harmonies, shuffle rhythms and plaintive harmonica
playing (by Ray Jackson).
2. Any Way The Wind Blows (with Kathryn Tickell)
Rod Clements song taken from the 1989 album ‘Amigos’, which also features a
collaboration with Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell.
3. Warm Feeling
Country-flavoured pub rock hit (a Ray Jackson and Charlie
Harcourt composition) drawn from the 1978 album ‘Back And Fourth’.
4. Sunderland Boys
Punchy atmospheric anthem taken from 1982’s ‘Sleepless Nights’.
The album was four years in the making (after ‘78s ‘Back And Fourth’).
5. Lady Eleanor (live)
‘Caught In The Act’, this “live” in Newcastle version of the classic Alan Hull song
also captures the fan excitement generated by the band’s 1978 reunion.
6. Train In G Major (live)
Another Rod Clements song, offering a glimpse into the band’s other
influence—the blues. From ‘Caught In The Act’.
7. Love On The Run
Giant ‘80s-style performance—Ray Jackson vocal, ethereal keyboards, crisp drumming,
lots of synths--in this stirring Rod Clements song from 1986’s ‘Dance Your Life Away’.
8. When Friday Comes Along
Country shuffle penned by Rod Clements and one of the highlights of 1979’s
‘The News’, as well as the B-side to its second single ‘Easy And Free’.
9. We Can Swing Together (live)
Alan Hull classic—he’d first recorded this for Transatlantic pre-Lindisfarne.
Recorded “live” during Christmas 1978 at Newcastle City Hall and captured by Gus
Dudgeon for the album ‘Caught In The Act’.
10. All Fall Down (live)
Another classic recorded “live” from the above Newcastle gig.
11. Juke Box Gypsy
Crisply played, harmonica-driven Alan Hull song from 1978’s ‘Back And Fourth’
that perfectly blends Lindisfarne’s earlier folk stylings with pub rock.
12. Run For Home
The ‘more Springsteen than Springsteen’ Top 10 hit single drawn from
1978’s ‘Back And Fourth’.
13. Stormy Weather
Bouncy, mid-tempo romp that ventures from its hayseed opening bars
into 10cc territory. From ‘Sleepless Nights’.
14. I Must Stop Going To Parties
The band’s 1982 Christmas single.
15. All In The Same Boat
Haunting harmonica and strong vocal harmonies anchor this 1986 recording to
Lindisfarne’s earlier folk rock style whilst the drumming updates it to the ‘80s.
Taken from ‘Dance Your Life Away’.
16. January Song (live)
Terrific vocal interplay between the band and audience on this “live”
in Newcastle performance taken from ‘Caught In The Act’.
17. Clear White Light (live)
First recorded for the band’s début album, this 1983 “live” performance was
released originally on ‘Magic In The Air’.
18. Fog on the Tyne (live)
Recorded “live” at Newcastle City Hall in 1978. The band would later team up
with footballer Paul Gascoigne for a 1990 dance version of the song!
