Friday, August 12, 2011



1971: Lea Nicholson

I've never considered myself to be a huge fan of the concertina (you know, those wannabe accordian squeezeboxes), but how do you say no to a cover like that? Remember that line from Python; "Oh pantomime horse, I'm so bloody happy!" Well, I probably must have 'a thing' for pantomime hoses! The real clincher here however is checking out the contributing artists; Bob Pegg, Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, Terry & Gay Woods, Robin Dransfield, Mick Jones, plus a cover of the Bonzos' I'm The Urban Spaceman... I hadda grab it. This came out on Trailer in England and is predominantly Mr. Nicholson and various concertinas (sometimes overdubbed so he can, er, play with himself), his folksy singing (could've fit in with either Rab Noakes or The Yetties), and harmonium on most tracks by Barry Ruffell. Most tracks are by that Trad fellow, but there is a modern protest song by Mick Jones I quite like. What with the guests and the selection of material it's a great brit-folk album with enough variety to keep your ears happy as bearded oysters! I'm not sure but I don't think this has made it to CD so far so you'll have to check with specialist sellers or get lucky in the bins.

LP found at The Turntable, Fan Tan Alley, Victoria