Amazing Blondel – Fantasia Lindum (1971)

Fantasia Lindum was an album released by the band Amazing Blondel in 1971. It featured the style of music which they described as “pseudo-Elizabethan/Classical acoustic music sung with British accents”. The album title is taken from the musical sequence which makes up the first side of the album: a fantasia is a free musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation; Lindum is the Latin name for the city of Lincoln.

The dog which appears on the album cover was Terry Wincott’s great dane, called Jacob.

The music throughout the album features Amazing Blondel’s unique blend of their own compositions with folk themes and renaissance music. The album’s cover art (credited to Visualeyes) suggests a historical setting around the Civil War period, but the music has more of the vitality of the Elizabethan period. A variety of instruments were used, but the central sound is of the two lutes, played by Gladwin and Baird, with wind instruments played by Wincott.

The “Fantasia Lindum” sequence, which makes up the first side of the album, is the band’s musical tribute to the city of Lincoln, the Lincolnshire countryside and the mediaeval Lincoln Cathedral. It is an ambitious suite of songs and instrumental pieces featuring recurring musical themes.

The second side includes two madrigal-like songs (“To Ye” and “Three Seasons Almaine”) and two instrumental dance tunes. There is a hymn-like song (“Safety In God Alone”), which sounds much more based in the twentieth-century than the remainder of the album, having a harmonic structure more like that developed by bands such as the Eagles. The album concludes with the brash “Siege of Yaddlethorpe”, a “pipe and drum” instrumental piece featuring Wincott’s (presumably multi-tracked) crumhorns and a guest appearance of Jim Capaldi playing (again presumably multi-tracked) military-style snare drums. (by wikipedia)

The concept album rears its head — and rears back about 500 years. While other progressive rock groups were doing album-length suites dealing with apocalyptic themes, Amazing Blondel were doing 20-minute multi-part pieces (“fantasia” is the best classical music term) depicting idealized love between man and woman, man and nature, and man and God. It all plays a little like the Strawbs’ work of this same era without the sardonic edge, and is all achingly beautiful. (by Bruce Eder)

Personnel:
Edward Baird (lute, vocals, glockenspiel, dulcimer, guitar)
John David Gladwin (vocals. lute, bass, theorboe)
Terence Alan Wincott (recorders, vocals, piano, crumhorn, jarpsichord, harmonium, woodwind)
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Jim Capaldi (drums on 06.)

Tracklist:
01. Fantasia Lindum 20.11
01.01 Prelude And Theme (Gladwin)
01.02. Song: Swifts, Swains, Leafy Lanes (Gladwin)
01.03. Dance: Jig Upon Jig; Theme (Lutes And Recorder) (Gladwin)
01.04. Dance (Galliard): God Must Doubt (Gladwin)
01.05. Song: Lincolnshire Lullaby (Gladwin)
01.06. Basse Dance Theme (Lute Duet) (Gladwin)
01.07. Dance: Quatre Dance Pavan (Gladwin)
01.08. Song: Celestial Light (For Lincoln Cathedral) (Gladwin)
01.09. Dance: Coranto; Theme (Lutes And Recorder) (Gladwin)
01.10. End (Gladwin)
02. To Ye (Gladwin) 3.27
03. Safety In God Alone (Gladwin) 4.23
04. Two Dances  2.01
04.01. Almaine (Edward Baird)
04.02. Bransle For My Ladys’ Delight (Gladwin)
05. Three Seasons Almaine (Gladwin) 3.35
06. Seige of Yaddlethorpe (Wincott) 2.33

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Amazing Blondel – Same (“Amazing Blondel and a Few Faces”) (1970)

Amazing Blondel are an English acoustic progressive folk band, containing Eddie Baird, John Gladwin, and Terry Wincott. They released a number of LPs for Island Records in the early 1970s. They are sometimes categorised as psychedelic folk or as medieval folk rock, but their music was much more a reinvention of Renaissance music, based around the use of period instruments such as lutes and recorders.

 

John Gladwin (guitar and vocals) and Terrance (Terry) Wincott (guitar and vocals) formed a band called The Dimples along with Stuart Smith (drums) and Johnny Jackson (bass guitar). Signed to the Decca label they recorded a single, the “A” side “Love of a Lifetime” and the “B” side written by John Gladwin titled “My Heart is Tied to You”, disappointingly the record didn’t chart, although more recently the “B” side has become popular on the Northern Soul scene.

Following the break up of The Dimples John and Terry formed a loud “electric” band called Methuselah. However, at some point in Methuselah concerts, the duo would play an acoustic number together: they found that this went down well with the audiences and allowed them to bring out more of the subtlety of their singing and instrumental work. They left Methuselah in 1969 and began working on their own acoustic material.

Initially their material was derived from folk music, in line with many of the other performers of the time. However, they began to develop their own musical idiom, influenced, at one extreme, by the early music revivalists such as David Munrow, and the other extreme, by their childhood memories of the Robin Hood TV series, with its pseudo-mediaeval soundtrack by Elton Hayes.

The band was named after Blondel de Nesle, the musician in the court of Richard I. According to legend, when Richard was held prisoner, Blondel travelled through central Europe, singing at every castle to locate the King and assist his escape. This name for the band was suggested by a chef, Eugene McCoy, who listened to some of their songs and commented: “Oh, very Blondel!” and they began to use that name. They were then advised to add an adjective (in line, for example, with The Incredible String Band) and so they became “Amazing Blondel”.

Their first album The Amazing Blondel (also called “Amazing Blondel and a Few Faces,”) was recorded in 1969 and released by Bell Records. It was directed by session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan. At about this time, Eddie Baird (who had known the other members at school) joined the band. On 19 September 1970 they were one of the bands to play at the first Glastonbury Festival. Following what Baird described as “a disastrous ‘showbiz’ record signing”, Amazing Blondel were introduced, by members of the band Free, to Chris Blackwell of Island Records and Artists. Blackwell signed them up to Island …  (by wikipedia)

This was actually the first Amazing Blondel album, but spent most of the last 25 years of the century as one of the most sought after collector items. While it’s fair to say that the value of the LP was based more on rarity than quality, this is in fact a very good album.

To recap the history up to this point, most members of the band had been in a group called Methuselah, which issued one fairly heavy psychedelic album featuring several strong themes, some of which can be seen infiltrating this somewhat uneven AB debut. About half the tracks owe more to Methuselah while the other half have that Elizabethan flavour for which the group would become better known, if not exactly household names, through the first part of the 1970s.

This juxtaposition of styles in almost alternate order actually works quite well, with Wincott’s more rugged voice on the delightful “Bethel Town Mission” and the somewhat Blood Sweat and Tears influenced “Canaan” contrasting well with Gladwin’s more elfin voice on “Saxon Lady” and “Season of the Year”. It doesn’t hurt that the songwriting and arrangements are already pretty mature, if simultaneously a bit naive. The rousing and raucous closer, “Bastard Love”, produces an unlikely combination of the two styles, resulting in a humour that later would only be perceptible from their live shows.

The weaker tracks hint at Blondel’s occasional tendency to overestimate the elasticity of some of their material, as in “Shepherd’s Song” which is frankly a bore. But on the whole this is a document that is likely to make more than a few faces happy. (by kenethlevine)

Personnel:
John Gladwin (guitar, vocals, bass)
Terrance (Terry) Wincott (guitar, vocals, flute, recorder, harmonium, percussion)
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Clem Cattini (drums)
Chris Karan (percusion)
Gary Taylor (bass)

Tracklist:
01. Saxon Lady 3.10
02. Bethel Town Mission 3.15
03. Season Of The Year 2.46
04. Canaan 3.50
05. Shepherd’s Song 6.14
06. You Don’t Want My Love 3.59
07. Love Sonnet 4.08
08. Spanish Lace 2.46
09. Minstrel’s Song 5.34
10. Bastard Love 4.10

All sings written by John Gladwin

 

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What a great cover !

Amazing Blondel – Dancing Supertivoli (1972)

Amazing Blondel are an English acoustic progressive folk band, containing Eddie Baird, John Gladwin, and Terry Wincott. They released a number of LPs for Island Records in the early 1970s. They are sometimes categorised as psychedelic folk or as medieval folk rock, but their music was much more a reinvention of Renaissance music, based around the use of period instruments such as lutes and recorders.

John Gladwin and Terry Wincott had both played in a loud “electric” band called Methuselah. However, at some point in Methuselah concerts, the duo would play an acoustic number together: they found that this went down well with the audiences and allowed them to bring out more of the subtlety of their singing and instrumental work. They left Methuselah in 1969 and began working on their own acoustic material.

Initially their material was derived from folk music, in line with many of the other performers of the time. However, they began to develop their own musical idiom, influenced, at one extreme, by the early music revivalists such as David Munrow, and the other extreme, by their childhood memories of the Robin Hood TV series, with its pseudo-mediaeval soundtrack by Elton Hayes.

The band was named after Blondel de Nesle, the musician in the court of Richard I. According to legend, when Richard was held prisoner, Blondel travelled through central Europe, singing at every castle to locate the King and assist his escape. This name for the band was suggested by a chef, Eugene McCoy, who listened to some of their songs and commented: “Oh, very Blondel!” and they began to use that name. They were then advised to add an adjective (in line, for example, with The Incredible String Band) and so they became “Amazing Blondel”.

Their first album The Amazing Blondel (also called “Amazing Blondel and a Few Faces,”) was recorded in 1969 and released by Bell Records. It was directed by session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan. At about this time, Eddie Baird (who had known the other members at school) joined the band. On 19 September 1970 they were one of the bands to play at the first Glastonbury Festival. Following what Baird described as “a disastrous ‘showbiz’ record signing”, Amazing Blondel were introduced, by members of the band Free, to Chris Blackwell of Island Records and Artists. Blackwell signed them up to Island, for whom they recorded their albums Evensong, Fantasia Lindum and England. (by Wikipedia)

And this is a very fine bootleg from a Show, recorded in Italy. It´s a very good audience recording … and you can you hear … you can hear the Magic of Amazing Blondel … really amazing !

Personnel:
Edwards Baird (guitar, vocals)
John David Gladwin (vocals, guitar)
Terence Alan Wincott (Recorder, woodwinds, vocals)

Tracklist:

01. Toye 3.02
02. Pavan 3.02
03. Seascape 6.09
04. A Spring Air *  3.03
05. Willowood 3.02
06. Afterglow 3.34
07. The Shepherd’s Song 7.41
08. Saxon Lady
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09. Travagliato BresciaItaly (1972) (uncut version) 32.06All songs written by John David Gladwin

*Problems with the microphones on stage.

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Amazing Blondel – Mulgrave Street (1974)

On the previous album, they had dropped the “Amazing” in the album title. This seems to have been done at some level as a tribute to John David Gladwin who had left before it. Gladwin was the major writer during the “Amazing” period and it was he who imparted the Elizabethan folk feel to the first 4 Amazing Blondel albums. Yet the Blondel album seemed to be operating on reserves from the previous era. For “Mulgrave Street”, we see a major transformation.

Amazing Blondel is now a much less distinctive soft rock band with folk underpinnings, with Eddie Baird taking over almost all the writing and singing. Think the gentler works of the latter day Beatles for an idea, with some early 70s influences. While they are backed by former members of Free about to become members of Bad Company, the first evidence of the amplification occurs in the last song of side one after a few fairly mundane tracks. “Hole in Your Head”, is a hard bluesy rocker with impressive leads by Paul Kossoff. That turns out to be atypical of the album, which returns to side 2 mellow again but with much stronger material.

“Help Us Get Along” definitely has a soft Bad Company feel to it, not surprisingly given the presence of Mick Ralph, Simon Kirke and Boz. “See em Shining” is a lilting gentle piece, while “Love must be the best Time” is a ballad with a lovely melody, but the real winner is Wincott’s “Goodbye our Friends”, which is a superb folk rock parting song featuring wonderful vocals, bass and piano playing.

While this isn’t progressive by any yardstick, it does grow on the listener, and that is always a high commendation. Blondel wasn’t so amazing anymore, but good songwriting is good songwriting, and they had it in spades even without Gladwin. (kenethlevine)

Oh ! What a line-up !

Eddie Baird today

Personnel:
Edward Baird (guitar, vocals)
Terence Wincott (guitar, keyboards, vocals)
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John Bundrick (keyboards)
Boz Burrell (bass)
Pat Donaldson (bass)
Mickey Feat (guitar)
Sue Glover (background vocals)
Eddie Jobson (violin, keyboards)
Simon Kirke (drums)
Paul Kossoff (guitar)
Sunny Leslie (background vocals)
William Murray (drums)
Mick Ralphs (guitar)

Tracklist:
01. Mulgrave Street (Baird) 2.28
02. Iron And Steel (Baird) 4.55
03. Leader Of The Band (Wincott) 4.19
04. Light Your Light (Baird) 3.00
05. Hole In The Head (Baird) 2.16
06. Help Us Get Along  (Baird) 3.45
07. See Em Shining (Baird) 2.35
08. Love Must Be The Best Time Of Your Life (Baird) 2.34
09. All I Can Do (Baird) 2.41
10.Goodbye Our Friends (Wincott) 3.16
11.Sad To See You Go (Baird) 3.29
12.Runaway (Baird) 3.24
13.Little Darling (Baird) 3.13

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