SPRIGUNS Revel Weird And Wild LP/1976/Folk Rock/Mandy Morton/Trees/Steeleye Span

$

46

SPRIGUNS 'Revel Weird And Wild' LP (South Korea, Si-Wan, Catalogue #SRML0079) Brand new/unplayed copy of OUT OF PRINT South Korean Si-Wan label LP edition (edition of 500 copies only) of very rare UK Decca label LP from 1976 of British Folk Rock band Spriguns.

(NOTE: LIMITED EDITION OF 500 COPIES ONLY!)

'First readily available reissues of these Spriguns albums from the mid-70s, officially licensed from Decca UK. Classic British folk rock output, for fans of Steeleye Span/Maddy Prior, Sandy Denny, Annie Briggs, etc.'

'Previously known as Spriguns Of Tolgus, shortened to just Spriguns for this third release. Features Mandy Morton (lead vocals & acoustic guitar), Tom Ling (electric violin & vocals), Dick Powell (electric guitar & vocals), Chris Woodcock (drums), and B.J. Cole (pedal steel on tracks 1 and 9).'

'A Cambridge folk-rock band whose 1974 privately released cassette was sold to students at live performances. Less than 50 copies were produced but the cassett format has ensured that their value has not reached the epic proportions of the vinyl follow-up Jack With A Feather, which boasted better sound quality and duplicated some material from the earlier cassette. The playing on the album was good and almost all of the material was traditional. Abbreviating their name to Srpiguns they went on to record a couple of further albums for Decca which are also very rare now. By now the band was almost totally the vehicle of talented vocalist Mandy Morton who went on to form The Mandy Morton Band and record for Banshee and Polydor. In the eighties she toured with a rock band and was also a presenter on BBC Radio Cambridge for a while.' - The Tapestry Of Delights

'Gaining a major label deal in the wake of the Steeleye's success with All Around My Hat, Spriguns underwent considerable line-up changes that saw Mandy Morton become sole lead vocalist. Otherwise it's business as usual, with a heavier sound than before, including drums for the first time and some minor prog folk elements. Rather strangely, the songs are credited as band originals, whereas in fact they seem to be adaptions of traditional numbers.' - Richard Falk/Galactic Ramble

'With this album, Spriguns forge a distinctive sound their previous work didn't even hint was possible. The music could have sounded relatively normal on 70s mainstream pop radio, with the mix of soft-rock, sprightly folk and even country. Morton's voice is more easily adapted to soft-rock than that of, say, Sandy Denny or Maddy Prior. It's interesting that the Spriguns albums didn't receive US releases, because they sound like they could have been more commercially successful there, where singer-songwriters ruled the airwaves, than in the UK. I could imagine 'Trysting Tree' and even the much folkier 'Laily Worm' doing quite well, assuming the American public could get past those song titles. This album would have some concessions to their past (the jig-like violin on 'Outlandish Knight' and 'Hasberry Howard', the old-fashioned lyrical themes), little bits of their personality that would almost disappear together next time out. It's a transitional album, obviously, and Morton's songwritinng skills haven't been exploited yet, so it's not brilliant, but very enjoyable.' - Aaron Milenski/Galactic Ramble

Tracks on this LP are as follows:

• Trysting Tree
• Outlandish Knight
• Sir Colvin
• Piscie Song
• Nothing Else To Do
• Hashberry Howard
• Lord Lovell
• Laily Worm
• When Spring Comes In

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Record shipped in professional, superior rectangular shaped, corner-protecting corrugated cardboard record mailer with filler pads. Satisfaction guaranteed!