Albion Heart

Studio album by Albion Band

Released

1995

Recorded

Courtyard Recording Studio, Stockport, England, December 1994 and January 1995

Genre

Folk

Label

HTD (1995), Transatlantic (1999), Multimedia (2004)

Producer

The Albion Band

Albion Band chronology

Acousticity
(1993)

Albion Heart
(1995)

Demi Paradise
(1996)

Albion Heart, released in 1995, was the second album of the long running Albion Band's acoustic phase and the first to contain both Chris While and Julie Matthews, marking the beginning of their highly successful collaboration. It benefits from their song writing and instrumental talents, but is almost unique in the history of the band for its lack of traditional English instruments or tunes.

History

After the departure of fiddle player Ashley Reed and the return of singer-songwriter Julie Matthews, the band toured extensively and began rehearsing material brought in by Matthews and new songs composed in various combinations and individually by band leader Ashley Hutchings, Matthews and While. This formed the basis of this recording at the Courtyard Recording Studio, Stockport, England. Live performances of this set were released as Albion Heart on Tour (Talking Elephant, 2004).

Reception and Significance

The album had a mixed response in the folk and roots press of the time because of its lack of traditional material. Although Hutchings probably produced some of his best original compositions for this album, it was noted that it was dominated by the writing talents and harmonies of While and Matthews, which they were to build upon for their long musical partnership as a duo.^[1]

Track listing

Albion Heart (4:51)
Appalachian Front-Porch Game (4:16)
Colours of Love (3:33)
Man in the Bottle (3:05)
The Devil in Me (4:08)
Rebecca Johnson (5:07)
Close Your Eyes (3:10) (Composed for the TV series Ridgeriders)
Crocodile Line (3:45)
Love Is an Abandoned Car (4:48)
Gypsy (4:54)
Get Up and Do It Again (3:42)
Long, Long Road (3:31)

Credits

Track 1 Julie Matthews, Chris While (Circuit Music)
Tracks 2, 6, 8 Ashley Hutchings (Really Wicked)
Tracks 3, 5, 9, 11 Julie Matthews (Circuit Music)
Track 4 Ashley Hutchings, Julie Matthews, Chris While (Really Wicked / Circuit Music)
Track 7 Ashley Hutchings, Chris While (Really Wicked / Circuit Music)
Tracks 10, 12 Chris While (Circuit Music)

Production

Recorded at Courtyard Recording Studio, Stockport, England, December 1994 and January 1995.
Engineered by Tim Woodward
Produced by the Albion Band
Photos by Brian Ledgard

Personnel

Ashley Hutchings, acoustic bass guitar, vocals;
Julie Matthews, keyboards, acoustic guitar, vocals;
Simon Nicol, acoustic guitar, mountain dulcimer, vocals;
Chris While, acoustic guitar, vocal

Notes

↑ B. Hinton and G. Wall, Ashley Hutchings: Always Chasing Rainbows (Stick It In Your Ear, 2007).

Albion Band

Steve Ashley Francis Baines Phil Beer Martin Bell Dave Bland Joe Broughton Pete Bullock Bill Caddick Simon Care Martin Carthy Dolly Collins Shirley Collins Lol Coxhill Trevor Crozier Sue Draheim Barry Dransfield Howard Evans Trevor Foster Michael Gregory Tony Hall Sue Harris Keith Hinchcliffe Eric Hine Ashley Hutchings Nic Jones John Kirkpatrick Chris Leslie Cathy Lesurf Alan Lumsden Neil Marshall Dave Mattacks Julie Matthews John Maxwell Steve Migden Doug Morter Ken Nicol Simon Nicol Gillie Nicholls Philip Pickett Roger Powell Maddy Prior Brian Protheroe Jean-Pierre Rasle Ashley Reed Tim Renwick John Rodd Colin Ross Ric Sanders Steve Saunders John Shepherd Martin Simpson John Sothcott Roger Swallow John Tams Graeme Taylor Linda Thompson Richard Thompson Eddie Upton Lal and Mike Waterson Dave Whetstone Chris While Kellie While Ian Whiteman Royston Woods Pete Zorn

Discography

Studio albums	Shirley Collins and The Albion Country Band: No Roses (1971) The Albion Country Band: Battle of the Field (1976) The Albion Dance Band: The Prospect Before Us (1977) The Albion Band: Rise Up Like the Sun (1978) Keith Dewhurst & The Albion Band: Lark Rise to Candleford (1980) The Albion Band: Light Shining (1983) Shuffle Off (1983) Under The Rose (1984) A Christmas Present from the Albion Band (1985) Various: Yuletracks (1986) Stella Maris (1987) The Albion Band with Chris Baines: The Wild Side of Town (1987) I Got New Shoes (1988) Give Me a Saddle, I'll Trade You a Car (1989) 1990 (1990) Songs from the Shows, v. 1 (1990) Songs from the Shows, v. 2 (1991) Acousticity (1993) Captured (1995) Albion Heart (1995) Demi Paradise (1996) Songs From The Shows (1997) Happy Accident (1998) BBC Sessions (1998) Before Us Stands Yesterday (1999) Ridgeriders (1999) Christmas Album (1999) Road Movies (2001)

Singles	"Hopping Down in Kent"/"Merry Sherwood Rangers" (1976) "The Postman's Knock"/"La Sexte Estampie Real" (1977) "Poor Old Horse"/"Ragged Heroes" (1978) "Pain and Paradise"/"Lay Me Low" (1979) "Wings" (1998)

Live albums	The Albion Band Live in Concert (1993) Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival (1998) "Ridgeriders" In Concert (2001) An Evening with The Albion Band (2002) Acousticity on Tour (2004) Albion Heart on Tour (2004) Dancing Days Are Here Again (2007) Vintage Albion Band (2007) Rockin' Barn Dance (2009)

Compilations	The Acoustic Years 1993-97 (1997) Along the Pilgrims Way (1998) The Best of 89/90 (1998) Albion Heart (1999) The HTD Years (2000) No Surrender (2003) Albion Sunrise - HTD Recordings: 1994-1999 (2004)

Related articles	Fairport Convention Steeleye Span Home Service Etchingham Steam Band Show of Hands Electric folk

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