SAGA 1972 LP EX/EX COND. ON WESTWOOD LABEL.

	£		63
	$		84

SAGA were a folk band local to Derby in the early 1970's when I lived there and this is my own LP, owned from new. I heard them play quite a lot and liked their style, sound and arrangements, so bought this limited edition LP at one of their pub gigs. They were not electric but they used to be well-miked up and had an old chapel harmonium that they dragged on stage that added to the pretty beefy sound. This LP was very well recorded in 1972 by the independent and excellent Westwood Recordings in Mid-Wales with plenty of volume on the mikes and with very good use of tambourine and rolling side-drum and that harmonium. A bass guitar even cuts in on "Traditional Medley" similar to the way that Tich Richardson used the bass in Boys of the Lough. They were thus an inventive band who wrote some of their own songs and had their own arrangements of all the standard favourites of the time that you would hear on this LP - EG "The Lark in the Morning"; Arthur McBride; Adieu Sweet Nancy. There are also instrumentals with fiddle, mandolin, guitars, percussion and occasionally bass guitar. - They do standard sets - "My love She's but a Lassie Yet/ Mairie's Wedding etc" and some of their own - Peartree Jig and the Scarecrow - Peartree at the time being a down-at-heel inner-city part of Derby that became shabby/chic. There are also 3 of their own songs - I'm not too keen on these but these are redeemed by two excellent arrangements of contemporary folk-idiom songs - "The Wizard of Alderley Edge" (Pete Coe) and "The Yarmouth Castle" (Gordon Lightfoot). The LP write-up only mentions the band members by first names in passing over the recording details - there is no performers' check list except where there is a surname credit to a song or tune. I like this - true anti-celeb folkies! but sadly this means that I can't easily find out happened to them or whether they became professional and are still around today. I hope so because they were excellent players. The fiddle/mandolin man (John Squire?) was very accomplished for the local English folk scene the early 1970s as were the rest of the musicians and though they would have had a way to go to match the likes of Carthy & Swarbrick (by whose style they were obviously influenced but not enslaved), this LP stands the quality test of time for most of the material, arrangements, instrumental skills and the recording. Obviously the name is a bit of a problem, having been appropriated since that tome by the Charity set up for the over 50s! However, it was quite a good name for such a band at the time and I guess the band members now would be well old enough for SAGA membership!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------WHAT YOU WOULD BE BUYING - The COVER is unlaminated in white/burgundy with impressionistic artist's study of the band members and recording details on the back. This COVER is in EXCELLENT CONDITION - no rips tears or creases and just a little corner tapping/feathering and a slight ring impression - the white background is still pretty clean with just mild sepia-ing and dirtying on the flip-overs. It comes in the original white-paper/polythene inner which is very sound, though a little sepia tinged. The VINYL disc is clean and plays through really well with absolutely no jumps or sticks and with very little static sound at all except on run-ins and this does not really affect the opening tracks. The LP has not had many plays. There is some scuffing of paper and also on Side 1 some more noticeable scuffs which look like finger-nail scuffs. I have to confess to being a finger-style folky at the time and probably did these 2 or 3 scuffs myself. Though they can easily be seen, they do not appear to affect the high quality play at all and I can't hear any extraneous noise at these points. The LP therefore warrants an EXCELLENT rating. The labels are beautifully clean and the number is WRSO17 - STEREO. ----------- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WAS A VERY SMALL RUN AND A LONG TIME AGO SO, THIS LP IS VERY, VERY SCARCE. I HAVE SEEN ONE SOLD ON E-BAY A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AND IT FETCHED A VERY GOOD PRICE. COMPARING THE TWO DESCRIPTIONS, THIS LP OF MINE APPEARS TO BE A BIT BETTER IN ALL RESPECTS THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE.----------------------------------------------- ---------------------- LPs are posted in stout mailers by Royal Mail "Recorded/Signed for".