Description
Ready Salted is the sole album by the British folk-duo Ishmael & Andy (Ian Smale and Andy Piercy), released in the UK on Myrrh Gold in 1973, a division of Word. (It was the sixth album released on Word UK’s Myrrh Gold imprint, featuring catalogue number MYR 1005.) The album was engineered by Nic Kinsey and Lea Nicholson at Livingston Studios in New Barnet, England; with Bobbie Graham producing. Mastered by John Wadley at EMI Studios Abbey Road in London, England.
As teenagers Ian Smale and Andy Piercy teamed up to write and perform acoustic Christian music and became the first full time musical evangelists to travel the length and breadth of the UK singing in schools, youth clubs and churches. In 1972 they released their debut vinyl single, Benedictus/Song Of Praise Number 2. The LP Ready Salted followed in 1973. The album only took a day to record and was done almost live. Some members of the local youth group (Littlehampton Youth For Christ) joined Ish and Andy to sing the backing vocals but were told to pat their knees not clap their hands as the ‘Christian studio’ microphones of the day could not cope with a lot of clapping.
Trivia: The cover photo of Ready Salted was photographed on Littlehampton seafront, in fact the very same bit of beach where 30 years later the band Delirious? were to have a lot of their publicity shots taken.
It’s amazing what can be accomplished with just two voices and two guitars. Ishmael is Ian Smale of Ishmael United and Rev Counta fame, as well as numerous new wave children’s oddities. Andy is none other than After The Fire’s Andy Piercy. Ready Salted is best described as high-energy acoustic rock sung with exuberance, zaniness and thick British accents. Side one appears to be a simple studio session, while side two adds a small audience that claps and cheers between the songs and sings along gruffly on a few of the choruses. Check out «Hallelujah Chorus» with its lyrics of “got a feelin’ you got a Hallelujah sittin’ way down inside of you… Just give it a bit of air space – c’mon and praise the Lord!”. Titles like «Salt & Light Company», «Son Of God», «We Got Jesus We Got Joy», «Charisma» and «I’m So Happy» all burst forth with vigorous strums and enthusiastic vocals. Also note the pre-Ishmael United version of «Christian Schizophrenic», herein simply titled «Schizo». For the more solemn side of the twosome, listen to the aching conviction within the minor-key «Paddy». I know at least one collector that claims this album as his favorite folk recording. Released only in the UK. Nothing else like this! [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th Edition]
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Salt & Light Company” – 3:34
A2. “Psalm 139 vv 6-12” – 4:35
A3. “Paddy” – 5:00
A4. “Son Of God” – 2:56
A5. “Who Is He?” – 4:35
Side Two
B1. “Hallelujah Chorus” – 2:59
B2. “We Got Jesus We Got Joy” – 2:26
B3. “Schizo” – 2:43
B4. “Chaisma” – 2:40
B5. “All God’s Children” – 2:09
B6. “I’m So Happy” – 5:35
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