Monday, December 11, 2006

Robin Williamson "Songs of Love and Parting" 1981

Robin Williamson first came to prominence as a member of the Incredible String Band, continuing on his merry way with two more groups, before finally turning solo in the late '70s. One wonders what took him so long to do so, seeped as he was in the great bardic tradition, an occupation of one, not many. But perhaps like the journeyman of old, these bands served as the apprenticeship necessary before Williamson could embark on his own. In any event, Williamson exquisitely resurrected this ancient art first on-stage and then on record. Songs of Love & Parting dates from these early days and was originally released in 1981, a 13-track acoustic set of songs and poems subtly set to music. Now album is lovingly reissued on CD, accompanied by a lavish booklet that annotates each of the tracks, reproduces the lyrics, and includes atmospheric photographs that capture the setting and feel of a number of songs. And atmosphere is all important to this album, the evocative music capturing and enhancing the mood of the songs. Williamson supplies most of the instrumentation -- harp, bagpipe, guitar, whistles, and so on, with guests assisting with strings and horn as necessary. Dipping across Britain's rich folkloric tradition, feted native sons (both Keats and Dylan Thomas serve as inspiration), Irish poems, and Welsh legends, Williamson's songs peruse history, culture, and the rhythms of life and death, the ancient rubbing easily against Williamson's modern writings. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The library at my university has a copy of this on vinyl and I check it out all the time...it's the only album they have classified under "Folk Music- Ireland". Thank you so much for this

12 December, 2006 00:16  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

One of Robins best after the String band split

13 December, 2006 03:47  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

one of the finest albums ever recorded

13 December, 2006 08:31  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I saw Robin Williamson around 1982 in Swansea and he was superb. As this was his latest album I bought it at the concert. The music on the LP was very good but the pressing quality was very poor, with lots of surface noise. If I remember correctly it was on Flying Fish records and I made a mental note not to buy anything more from that company. Hopefully the CD reissue doesn't suffer from the same problem.

Anthony Harland

10 April, 2007 20:09  
Blogger The Countess said...

Glad to finally get to hear this one. Thanks for all the hard work and good recommendations.

01 November, 2008 10:58  

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