BREAD, LOVE AND DREAMS – Amaryllis. Si-Won SRMC 0035. South Korean release. NEW UNPLAYED VINYL RECORD ALBUM. This item does not come factory sealed. Disc ships outside the jacket. Originally issued in 1971. This edition issued in 1994. MEMBERS:  David McNiven (vocal, guitars) and Angie Rew (vocal, guitars, percussion) with Danny Thompson (bass), Terry Cox (drums), Alan Trajan (organ, piano), Phil Grieve, and Dave Richmond (bass).

 

TRACKS: 

 

SIDE A:

 

     01)  Amaryllis (21:46)

(Part 1)  Out Of The Darkness And Into The Night

(Part 2)  Zoroaster’s Prophecy

(Part 3)  Light

 

SIDE B:

 

02)    Time’s The Thief (4:46)

03)    My Stair-Cupboard At 3 A.M. (3:34)

04)    Brother John (4:04)

05)    Circle Of Night (3:18)

 

DESCRIPTION:  The centerpiece of this third album from Scottish duo, David McNiven and Angie Rew, is the side-long title suite, originally titled Mother Earth and arranged and dramatized for Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre Group, who first performed it during the 1970 Edinburgh Festival. (McNiven has pointed out that they changed the title to avoid confusion with the American band of the same name; they settled on Amaryllis after one of the Group’s actresses, Amaryllis Garnett, daughter of the prolific writer, David Garnett and great-niece of Virginia Woolf, who had just finished filming a small role in the Joseph Losey-Harold Pinter collaboration, The Go-Between. Garnett tragically drowned in London three years later at the age of 30.) The material on the album was recorded in the summer of 1970 and was originally planned as a double album. However, their label (UK Decca) refused to release it in that format, electing, instead, to issue Captain Shannon and the Strange Tale of the Hunchback from Gigha in November 1970, followed by Amaryllis in July, 1971. McNiven says, “When it came to dividing up the songs, we decided to put the more mystical ones on Amaryllis.” The title track opens with a quietly contemplative segment, featuring McNiven’s quick-fingered, flamenco-styled acoustic guitar solo. Soon, the rumbling bass and foreboding cymbal crashes from Pentangle’s rhythm section of Danny Thompson and Terry Cox, respectively, enter the fray until the couple’s delicate, intertwined vocals open the tale, recalling Marty Balin and Grace Slick’s ventures on vintage Jefferson Airplane. The eliptical song structure of the 20-minute track is also reminiscent of the lengthy song-cycles on early Incredible String Band albums (such as A Very Cellular Song). McNiven was quite familiar with the band, having played with them frequently at several Glasgow clubs. Part 2 (Zoroaster’s Prophecy) features Rew’s angelic soprano, bringing lovely thoughts of Annie Haslam and Renaissance to mind. The swaying melody and Phil Grieve’s playful Jew’s harp contrasts with the serious lyrical statement about the rape of mother earth; McNiven has stated that he enjoyed setting his somber lyrics to jolly, upbeat tunes that contrast, which he also employs on side 2’s more psychedelically-tinged tale of paranoia, My Stair-Cupboard at 3 a.m.; unsettling indeed. Alan Trajan’s flickering organ opens the final part (Light), a soft, floating reflective commentary, like one of Tim Buckley’s more elaborate, late-period compositions. Side 2 consists of four, straightforward folk/pop tunes, again featuring McNiven’s lovely melodies and exquisite harmonies with Rew. Time’s The Thief enjoys Trajan’s rolling piano fills and Rew’s lone composition, the haunting Brother John suggests that the couple might have been better served by invoking her vocal participation a bit more. Rew recalls the incident during her childhood in Mexico (where her father was a diplomat), when she stumbled upon “the beautiful but desolate remains of a hermit’s shelter…and neglected gravestone. It moved me to think of the work this forgotten man must have done for the community.” Rew’s fitting tribute ensures his memory will live on forever. McNiven would go on to compose music for Granada and the BBC, working with Tracey Ullman and Emma Thompson, while Rew wrote music, acted, and directed theatre productions, eventually forming her own company. The couple remains married to this day, composing music with special needs children and putting on stage productions. Amaryllis is a lovely highlight of their folky, formative years.

THIS ITEM IS NEW AND UNPLAYED. Used items will include condition details for the cover, disc, inserts, etc.

 

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