Jubilee Offer: Patriotic Classics for £2.50 |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Track Listings
| 1. 'Ouses, 'ouses, 'ouses |
| 2. John Barleycorn |
| 3. Tam Lyn Retold |
| 4. Death And The Maiden Retold |
| 5. Cold, Hailey, Rainy Night |
| 6. Welcome Sailor |
| 7. Acres Of Ground |
| 8. Pilsden Pen |
| 9. Hard Times Of Old England Retold |
| 10. Kit Whites I & II |
| 11. Sloe On The Uptake |
Product Description
Review
The brainchild of Afro Celt Sound System veteran Simon Emmerson, The Imagined Village certainly has a stellar cast list, with folk music luminaries Martin and Eliza Carthy joined by Billy Bragg, Paul Weller and a host of other contributors from across the British musical spectrum to create a formidable line-up of contrasting styles.
Given its world premiere at this year's WOMAD festival, the project aims to reinterpret some of England's most venerable folk songs by fusing old and new sounds to reflect the multicultural society of the country today. That this is a laudable and highly relevant concept is not in question, but delivering it in an authentic, coherent way represents a daunting challenge that The Imagined Village sometimes struggles to overcome.
Opening track ''Ouses, 'ouses, 'ouses' features a nostalgic lament for the lost English countryside from John Copper, a member of the revered family of Sussex singers who have been performing traditional folk songs for six generations. This theme of a disappearing rural idyll seems a little incongruous on a record that is supposed to celebrate the vibrancy of England in the 21st century, yet it remains prominent throughout, the inevitable consequence of trying to transplant the lyrics of a bygone age into a contemporary musical setting.
Sometimes it works; Martin Carthy belts out a storming version of "John Barleycorn" with Weller and daughter Eliza; Bragg gives a typically heartfelt performance on 'Hard Times Of Old England', bellowing bittersweet couplets like 'time was I could sell all I grew at the shop, when Tesco's turned up all of that had to stop'. Unfortunately, attempts at more radical departures from the original subject matter are less successful - charismatic poet Benjamin Zephaniah's dub-heavy 'Tam Lyn' sounds like it revels in its own adventure, but Jah Wobble and Leftfield were producing similar and superior sonic landscapes over a decade ago.
A brave experiment, The Imagined Village is too often constrained rather than propelled by its sheer breadth of vision. Undeniably well-intentioned and always intriguing, it nevertheless fails to scale the lofty heights to which it clearly aspires, frequently falling victim to artificiality rather than demonstrating the organic purity its creators nobly sought to share with a new generation of listeners. --Chris White
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Description
The Imagined Village was a runner-up in the BBC Radio 3 Critics Poll for the World Music 'Album of the Year' award.
Reviews:
Rated as one of Songlines magazine's 'Top of the World' selection for November 2007:
"[a] breathtakingly imaginative record that is sure to become an English folk-rock landmark, just as Fairport Convention’s Liege & Lief did in 1969" - Songlines magazine"Top Ten Folk Albums of the Year: (5) The Imagined Village - Various Artists" - Mojo magazine
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
For me the whole concept really gels with the final four tracks, beginning with Simon Emmerson's original composition "Pilsden Pen," a rolicking instrumental featuring acoustic guitar and bouzouki against accordion and a string ensemble (this song seems particularly suited to a live concert setting, and I hope it turns up in the setlist for next month's Imagined Village Tour.) This is followed by a cool re-working of "Hard Times of Old England," to which Billy Bragg has added new lyrics, and the production team has added an electronic bed of synths and programmed drums. Eliza Carthy provides some finessed fiddling, and the chorus sounds exactly like something you'd hear being sung by the patrons in a rural pub. The album concludes with the one-two punch of the "Worms and Moths" English Ceilidh Medley, comprised of Kit Whites I and II by the Gloworms and Sloe on the Uptake by TigerMoth. You will be AMAZED at the way these two bands combine several tunes into one extended jam, to close the album on a jubilant and triumphant note. There is hand-clapping, foot-stomping, yelping, fiddling, shouting, electric bass, drum programming, and just about everything but the kitchen sink strung across these two tracks. But it doesn't sound like a dodgy "world fusion" experiment. Rather, it contains all of the grit and authenticity of the original songs.
Indeed, the same could be said for the entire Imagined Village album. You need to hear it for yourself, and if possible, listen to it several times all the way through from start to finish. It will grow on you with each listen. The Imagined Village might well be the album that finally bridges the gap between the folk music purists and the advocates of 21st-century innovation. It brings both worlds together with greater harmony and grace than any other album of its kind.
The brainchild of the collaborative efforts of the most creative artists in Britain today, there is everything to love about this disc, from the opening "Ouses, ouses, ouses", a charming and atmpospheric story from John Copper that is about a set of Chalk Downes, but could as easily be anywhere in the world falling prey to globalization, to the final set of reels and country dances reworked through the imagination of Trans-Global, Paul Weller, Eliza Carthy, Simon Emmerson and the irrepressible Mr Bragg, this is a work for the ages.
Weller and Martin Carthy take John Barleycorn for the ride of his life. Sheila Chandra and Ms Carthy sing like their lives depend on it (remember Sandy Denny - it's just that good!), and Bragg delivers a Hard Times for Old England that puts the lie to globalization and speaks truth to power in ways power aint gonna like very much. In many ways, the record reminds me of the seminal Show of Hands efforts, Country Life. And Phil Beer is on hand in this effort to add his deft touch at fiddle, mandolin, etc.
Production effects by Mass and Simon Emerson and Tunng give this record an edge that would have been inconceivable in the early days of Fairport and Steeleye, yet it is cut of the same bold cloth, taking a history of extraordinary musical tradition and breathing new life into it, yet retaining its authenticity and genuine vitality. Riding through Philly with the windows open and the CD blasting, people at cross roads would turn and catch the tunes and have the most wonderful experssions on their faces as the songs and their messages resonated.
You'll be hard pressed to find a better disc than this in any discipline, but then with Weller, Bragg, the Carthys and the others assembled, how could you? This is just sooooooo incredibly great!
What a wonderful idea of Nomasters and yourself to issue 'our' Imagined Village cd. Read more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Music > Pop
- Music > World Music
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
