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Lindisfarne (band)

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Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne were a British folk/rock group established in 1970 who were originally called from Brethren[1])and were fronted by singer/songwriter Alan Hull[2]. Their music combined a strong sense of yearning with an even stronger sense of fun. The original line-up comprised Alan Hull (vocals/guitar/piano), Simon Cowe Jesmond Dene (guitar, mandolin, banjo),Ray Jackson (vocals/mandolin/harmonica), Rod Clements (bass guitar/violin) and Ray Laidlaw (drums). They are best known for the albums Nicely Out of Tune (1979), Fog on the Tyne (1972) and Back and Fourth (1979), also for the success of songs such as "Meet Me On The Corner", "Lady Eleanor", "Run For Home" and the anthemic "We Can Swing Together".

History

The group began as The Downtown Faction but soon changed their name to The Brethren. In 1968, after hearing of an American group of the same name, they became Lindisfarne after the island of that name off the coast of Northumbria.

In 1970 Tony Stratton-Smith signed them to Charisma Records and their debut album Nicely Out of Tune (1970), so named because the group claimed they were nicely out of tune' with other prevailing musical trends at the time, was released. This album defined their mixture of bright harmony and up tempo folk rock. Both singles released from the album "Clear White Light" and "Lady Eleanor" failed to chart, as did the album itself at first, however the band obtained a strong following from its popular live concerts.

Their second album Fog on the Tyne (1970) produced byBob Johnston began their commercial success. this album began registering in the UK charts in the same year and reached #1 the following year. Their profile was also raised when Jackson played mandolin on Rod Stewart's hit single "Maggie May", even though Stewart only credited him on the sleeve of the parent album Every Picture Tells a Story as "The mandolin player in Lindisfarne. The name slips my mind."

The single "Meet me on the Corner", written by Clements and the re-release of "Lady Eleanor", followed in 1972. The album Nicely Out Of Tune belatedly made the UK album chart Top 10 and the band began to attract a huge media following, with some calling Hull the greatest songwriter since Bob Dylan, they even referred to them as the "1970s Beatles". By the summer of 1972 they were one of the biggest names in British rock music, stealing the show at festivals and selling out live dates.

At the pinnacle of their success they recorded their third album Dingly Dell, which featured strings arranged by Laidlaw's brother Paul. The band were unhappy with the initial production and remixed it themselves and it was released in September 1972. the album cobver was a plain beige cardboard sleeve which was intended to demonstrate to fans that it was the music which mattered. Some overseas markets insisted on redesigning it with a photo of the band which is the design which has since been used for the CD reissue. Though it entered the Top 10 in the first week of release, it received lukewarm reviews. The ecologically themed single "All Fall Down" was a UK singles chart Top 40 hit but the second single "Court in the Act" failed completely.

Internal tensions surfaced during a disappointing tour of Australia in early 1973. Hull initially considered leaving the band, but was persuaded to reconsider. It was agreed that he and Jackson would keep the group name while Cowe, Clements and Laidlaw left to form their own outfit Jack The Lad. They were replaced by Tommy Duffy (bass guitar), Kenny Craddock (keyboards), Charlie Harcourt (guitar) and Paul Nicholl (drums). As an interesting aside Jackson almost persuaded Phil Collins of Genesis to join this line up after Laidlaw reversed his decision to continue. The new lineup lacked the appeal of the original and with Hull also pursuing a solo career, the band's next two albums Roll On Ruby and Happy Daze and the subsequent singles failed to chart. They disbanded in 1975 but the old line-up continued to play annual Christmas shows at the Newcastle City Hall.

In 1977 they reformed and with a new record deal with Mercury returned to the charts in 1978 with the UK chart top 10 hit "Run For Home", an autobiographical song about the rigours of touring and relief at returning home. The song also gave them a a US singles chart hit and the album Back and Fourth moved into the UK album chart top 30. Subsequent singles "Juke Box Gypsy" and "Warm Feeling" failed to sustain their newfound success. The next album The News(1979) failed to impress and the band lost thier record deal.

The next decade witnessed various lineup changes and they continued to release albums, but only their nostalgic live recordings achieving any real attention. They formed their own company Lindisfarne Musical Productions and recorded singles such as "I Must Stop Going To Parties" in the mid 1980s, as well as one album Sleepless Nights. In 1984 they supported Bob Dylan and Santana at St James' Park. Saxophone player and vocalist Marty Craggs joined the group shortly afterwards. Throughout this period they played annual Christmas tours and released C'mon Everybody which was largely old rock'n'roll standards such as "Party Doll" and "Twist and Shout". A hostile press dampened any success although they maintained a loyal following.

In 1990 they introduced themselves to a younger generation with the duet "Fog on the Tyne Revisited" accompanied by footballer Paul Gascoigne, which reached #2 in the UK singles chart. Soon afterwards Jackson left the band. Cowe left in 1993 and Hull passed away on 17 November 1995.

The band continued to play with a fluid line up and performed a final concert on 1 November 2003 at the Newcastle Opera House. The final line up as a band included Dave Hull-Denholm, Billy Mitchell, Rod Clements, Ian Thomson and Ray Laidlaw and was released as Time Gentlemen Please (2004). Clements formed "The Ghosts of Electricity" and continued to pursue a solo career. The trio Lindisfarne Acoustic honoured final commitments and toured until their last show on 17 May 2004 in Chesham.

On 19 November 2005 the friends and colleagues of Alan Hull held a memorial concert at Newcastle City Hall in honour of Allan Hull and included musicians such as Alan Clark, Simon Cowe, Marty Craggs, Steve Cunningham, Steve Daggett, Tommy Duffy, Mike Elliot, Frankie Gibbon, Charlie Harcourt, Brendan Healy, Tim Healy, Ray Jackson, Ray Laidlaw, Finn McArdle, Ian McCallum, Billy Mitchell, Terry Morgan, The Motorettes, Jimmy Nail, Paul Nichols, Tom Pickard, Prelude, Bob Smeaton, Paul Smith and Kathryn Tickell. Proceeds from the concert were donated to The North East Young Musicians Fund.

Discography

Main article: Lindisfarne discography
  • Nicely Out of Tune (November 1970), No. 8
  • Fog on the Tyne (October 1971), No. 1
  • Dingly Dell (September 1972), No. 5
  • Lindisfarne Live (1973), No. 25
  • Roll on Ruby (December 1973)
  • Happy Daze (October 1974)
  • Lindisfarne's Finest Hour (1975), No. 55
  • Lady Eleanor (1976)
  • Back and Fourth (May 1978), No. 22
  • Magic In The Air (1978) Live), No. 71
  • The News (September 1979)
  • Sleepless Nights (October 1982), No. 59
  • Lindisfarntastic! Live (1983)
  • Lindisfarntastic! Two (1984)
  • Dance Your Life Away (October 1986)
  • C'mon Everybody (1987)
  • Amigos (November 1989)
  • Caught In The Act (1992 - Live 1983)
  • Buried Treasures Volumes 1 & 2 (1992)
  • Day Of The Jackal (1993) (EP)
  • Live 1990 (1993 - Live 1990)
  • Elvis Lives on the Moon (June 1993)
  • Lindisfarne On Tap - A Barrel Of Hits (1994)
  • Another Fine Mess (1996 - Live 1995)
  • City Songs (1996 - Compilation of BBC sessions
  • Untapped & Acoustic (1997)
  • The Cropredy Concert (1997 - Live 1994)
  • Blues From The Bothy (1997 (EP)
  • We Can Swing Together (1998 - The BBC Concerts 1971)
  • Dealers Choice (1998 - Mark II Band in Concert 1973 & in Session 1974)
  • Here Comes the Neighborhood (September 1998)
  • Live At The Cambridge Folk Festival (1999 - Live recordings from 1982 & 1986)
  • BT3 - Rare & Unreleased 1969-2000 (2000)
  • Promenade (2002)
  • Acoustic (2002 Live)
  • Time Gentlemen Please (2003 Live)
  • Acoustic 2 (2004 Live)
  • The River Sessions (2004 - Live at Glasgow Apollo 1982)
  • Happy Daze (incl 7 Alan Hull early demos, released 15.09.2008)
  • At The BBC (The Charisma Years 1971-1973, released 06.04.2009)

References

  1. ^ http://www.rodclements.com/breth.html Brethren
  2. ^ http://www.lindisfarne.co.uk/ Official Site
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