Albion Country Band 1973

Subject: Albion Country Band 1973 - audience tapes?
From: Tony Rees
Date: 03 May 19 - 03:44 AM

Hi all,

As noted in another thread, I am reading Brian Hinton & Geoff Wall's authorised biography of Ashley Hutchings (vol 1) "The Guv'nor and the Rise of Folk Rock" (2002) and am re-acquainting myself with their chapter on the various incarnations of the Albion Country Band, and have got to Albions Mk 3 - the lineup with Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick and Sue Harris as well as Hutchings/Nicol/Swallow, which went on to make one album "Battle of The Field" before splitting up and never promoting it (Island finally put the album out on its cheap label in 1976).

The authors describe several gigs of this lineup in detail so I am presuming that some live recordings exist, although I have only heard one (Enchede in Holland, June 1973, which is/was available on Dime) plus another tape that I have myself of the band at the Norwich Folk Festival around ten days later.

So my question is, do tapes of any of the following exist, and if so, how can one hear them? The gigs in question seem to be:

- Harrow Polytechnic, ?March 1973

- "Northern Polytechnic" (is this North London Poly?), April 1973

- [BBC session, 9 May 1973 - this one has been issued]

- Royal Festival Hall, May 1973

-[Enchede in Holland, June 1973 - tracks available via Dime]

- Norwich Folk Festival, June 1973 - I have a tape; a mysterious other is documented at http://wudzi.oldfrog.com/music.html, could be a copy of mine but appears to be different

- [later 1973: sessions for "Battle of the Field" album - released 1976; one additional track later released on "The Guv'nor Volume 3"]

Around August 1973: band splits up...

So any more info gratefully received!

Regards - Tony Rees, Australia (just trying to get my fix of Albions in this incarnation).

Subject: RE: Albion Country Band 1973
From: RolyH
Date: 03 May 19 - 07:05 AM

I've got some lo-fi recordings of the 1972 line up,but haven't come across any of these.

Subject: RE: Albion Country Band 1973
From: Tony Rees
Date: 14 May 19 - 03:25 PM

If interested, my tape of the 1973 Norwich show can now be found uploaded to Youtube, courtesy of Colin Harper, here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW7tF_hvUz8

If anyone wants the Enchede show (not recorded by me I should add), you can send me a mudcat message, or try getting it for yourself from Dime.

Regards - Tony

Subject: RE: Albion Country Band 1973
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 14 May 19 - 05:19 PM

Thank you very much, I haven't hear that one before!

Subject: RE: Albion Country Band 1973
From: Tony Rees
Date: 14 May 19 - 05:51 PM

There is a reason for that - it has sat in my drawer for 40 years...

Another friend had a copy on reel to reel (which in fact I have used for this version as for some reason I had thrown the original cassette away) so may possibly have disseminated it separately, but I suspect not.

Glad to be of service to the future history of the folk revival, perhaps,

Cheers - Tony

Subject: RE: Albion Country Band 1973
From: Tony Rees
Date: 14 May 19 - 06:52 PM

It does one wonder what else may be around, unknown and undocumented, in some long-ago taper's drawer/s ...

Subject: RE: Albion Country Band 1973
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 15 May 19 - 05:36 AM

Albion River Hymn perhaps?????

Subject: RE: Albion Country Band 1973
From: Tony Rees
Date: 15 May 19 - 05:45 AM

Various shows from other lineups are available via Sugarmegs, check http://tela.sugarmegs.org/alpha/a.html
if interested...

Subject: RE: Albion Country Band 1973
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 15 May 19 - 06:52 AM

Many thanks