Little Johnny England, "Tournament of Shadows"

[fleetfootmike]

Having caught clips from this album on the Mike Harding show on Radio 2 (third song in on this week's show, which will expire off iPlayer by Wednesday), and knowing (and performing) Lily of Barbary off it, I finally yielded to temptation and bought it.

Wow.

This is probably one of the best folk-rock albums I own - I so want to BE this band! The line up is electric guitar, bass, drums, fiddle and melodeon: the production is crisp and tight, the arrangements and harmonies are great, and by contrast with several Fairport albums, the words are audible.

Highspots? Pretty much all of it, but the title track, Lily of Barbary and Ginger Billy stand out as brilliant, as does the obligatory tunes set, a cracking rocked-up cover of Show of Hands' Cutthroats, Crooks and Conmen, and the very Imagined Village-esque Garland Gay. It's a very English album - almost all the tracks tell stories of England, one way or another.

Little Johnny England. I commend them to you - I shall definitely be catching them when they pass by hereabouts.

Comments

LJE

[sexybass.livejournal.com]

I have been a big fan of LJE for years and use to play them on my radio show in Winnipeg many years ago. I also have a DVD somwhere with them on it. I will have to look at getting there new CD. Looks like their live show is fantastic.

Re: LJE

[fleetfootmike.livejournal.com]

I also just bought their retrospective, "10 Years On..." - likewise brilliant and indeed, they are amazing live if that album is anything to go by.