Description
The self-titled and sole full-length studio album by the British folk-rock group Caedmon was independently released in 1978. Two additional songs appear on a 45 RPM vinyl single that was originally enclosed with the LP. The album was recorded in a tiny home studio in Edinburgh – known to aficionados as “Barclay Towers”.
The Scottish group Caedmon’s only LP rested in relative obscurity for years until one of the 500 copies turned up in the early ’90s. The band was contacted, a few stray copies were unearthed, and collector mania set in, aimed at procuring what some were proclaiming to be the best folk-rock album ever recorded, Christian or otherwise. So does Caedmon live up to all the hype? Absolutely yes! Wow! The professional standards set by this custom are so astonishing all other Christian folk albums sound anemic by comparison. The production, the arrangements, the playing, the song-writing, the enamoring vocals of lead singer Angela Naylor – everything on this album is A+ throughout. «Ten Maidens Fair» opens in the roguish tradition of Steel eye Span as it tells Christ’s parable amid cascades of mandolin that duel with biting fuzz guitar – a frequent combination here that has lent folks to describing Caedmon’s music as “acid” or psychedelic folk. «Maker Man» has a cool jazzy feel with some nice bongo accompaniment that’s prominent throughout the LP. «Death Of A Fox» introduces the proficient cello playing of Ken Patterson. This song is truly “progressive folk-rock” – a fast aggressive piece with a melodic center section that combines classical mood with traditional Scottish jigs and reels One of the males takes over lead vocals for «Sea Song», a touching ballad that evokes an air of sadness as a lone electric lead plays over soft keyboards and acoustic guitar. «Asian» follows with a vengeance and some of the most lethal fuzz on the album. «Living In The Sunshine» jams with a touch of funky syncopation. «Storm» on the other hand is an intricate and mesmerizing folk/psych masterpiece that cites Mark 4:35-41 as its inspiration. Mandolin and cello compete at breakneck speed in «Columbus Song» which tells the story of a conflict between a druid and holy man. «Smile On Your Face» provides some straightforward jamming British folk-rock, while «Caedmon’s Hymn» closes the LP with a solemn meditative prayer backed by recorder and floating harmonies. Two additional songs appear on a 45 that was originally included with the LP – «Beyond The Second Mile» (yet another evocative ballad that provides Angela’s most captivating vocal performance yet) and the Negro spiritual «Give Me Jesus». Got all that? OK, the bad news: in the rare event that a copy does turn up it’s usually in the $1200+ range, Sigh. Ah, but there’s good news, too: the album was re-issued in 1994 on both vinyl and CD (and for considerably less than a house payment, too!). The vinyl pressing is true to the original beautiful cover art, includes a liner sleeve with all lyrics, and adds the essential song from the 45 («Beyond The Second Mile»). The CD re-issue includes both songs from the single. Obviously I’ve gone to great lengths here to describe this wonder Still it’s difficult to put these sounds into words that do it justice – there’s so much emotion and depth in here that can only come through the listening experience. I certainly hope you’ll have that opportunity. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]
Back in 1978, this Edinburgh-based Christian folk rock outfit recorded an album to mark the end of six years of making music together. Only 500 copies were pressed and, over the years, the eponymous release gained cult status resulting in original copies fetching hundreds of pounds by collectors who claimed ‘Caedmon’ to be a folk rock classic. Almost 30 years later, specialist label Kissing Spell (the same label responsible for the CD reissue of another group of Christian folksters, The Water Into Wine Band) re-released this gem. Recorded in a tiny home studio over two sessions on a shoestring budget, this is undeniably rough and ready stuff made all the more charming by its homemade nature and the band’s obvious enthusiasm. Whilst comparisons to other folk rock acts such as Pentangle and Fairport Convention are inevitable, Caedmon go all out to keep things fresh by attempting to give a different feel to each track. For instance, the laid back groove of pianist and cellist Ken Patterson’s «Maker Man» sits in stark contrast to the spellbindingly complex «Death Of A Fox» which features some nifty mandolin work from Simon Jacquet. The band’s Jesus Music leanings are reflected in the likes of the progressive folk of «Ten Maidens Fair» which paraphrases the parable of the 10 virgins whilst «Beyond The Second Mile» tackles Jesus’ “eye for an eye” rebuke complete with a tender performance from lead vocalist Angela Naylor and some memorable electric guitar from Jim Bisset. Other highlights include the evocative «Sea Song» and the joyously funky «Living In The Sunshine» which see the band work together as a unit to pull something rather special out the bag. The album is not without its faults – Naylor’s vocals are often lost in the mix, for example. But there is much here which is not only fascinating Christian music history, it is exceptionally inventive Christian folk that easily stands up amongst today’s music. [Lins Honeyman, Cross Rhythms, October 2010]
> Spotify (https://music.apple.com/gb/album/caedmon/1492306778)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Ten Maidens” – 4:17
A2. “Maker Man” – 3:25
A3. “Death Of A Fox” – 4:18
A4. “Sea Song” – 5:35
A5. “Aslan” – 4:15
A6. “Beyond The Second Mile” – 6:45
Side One
B1. “Living In The Sunshine” – 3:27
B2. “Storm” – 6:06
B3. “Columba’s Song” – 2:21
B4. “Smile On Your Face” – 4:35
B5. “Caedmon’s Hymn” – 4:15
B6. “Give Me Jesus” – 4:15
7-inch single tracklist:
C. “Give Me Jesus”
D. “Beyond The Second Mile”
Note: Released with an insert containing the lyrics and a band photo. Tracks C and D featured on the 7-inch vinyl single are different versions to the ones on the album. The album has been re-issued on CD.
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