Tams probably first came to prominance with Mucram Wakes; their recordings (Bulmered!) were distinctly Trad in feel (and largely Trad in content).

He was a member of the Albion Band at the height of their residency at the National Theatre . . Recordings of both Lark Rise to Candleford and The Mysteries have been released on CD; so far as I know The Mysteries is the only one still available; it's the better of the two recordings, but the less traditional in feel. Note that at this point The Albions included both Tams and Bill Caddick, two of the very finest songwriters from the UK folk movement (to me, they are completely comparable with Richard Thompson in their writing abilities).

When Ashley Hutchings walked out of the National Theatre project, taking the Albion Band name, but few if any of its musicians, with him, the NT band became "Home Service" - still, at that point, with both Cadick and Tams. The Mysteries was released under their name. They recorded two other albums, both available on CD . . Alright Jack is, IMO, a rare masterpiece amongst UK "folk" recordings, while Early Transmissions is merely an essential part of our CD collection. Both include traditional material, but not very traditional treatment. To my mind the highpoint is the treatment of Percy Grainger's A Lincolnshire Posey where they have restored the words to some of Grainger's arrangements of folk tunes; it's (IMO) a completely successful amalgum of Folk Rock, Brass (Military) band and traditional singing . . . [Their starting point was Grainger's Military Band version of A Lincolnshire Posey, which - they believe - only exists in the manuscript copy they worked from.]

I believe there may also be a recording of the HS "reunion" band, but I'm afraid I found that a pale shadow of the original.

So - a very brief and selective John Tams discography!

Enjoy. (I think a couple of the recordings may be on Fledg'ling.)

G.