Tracklist
The Bells Of Dunwich | |||
The Skater | |||
Pastime With Good Company | |||
Traveller's Tail | |||
Black Sailed Traders | |||
Stone Angel | |||
Galliard / Merrie Musicke Box | |||
The Gay Goshawk | |||
The Black Dog |
Versions
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10 versions
Image | , | – | In Your Collection, Wantlist, or Inventory | Version Details | Data Quality | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Stone Angel LP, Album | Seashell (2) – SSLP 04 | UK | 1975 | UK — 1975 | New Submission | |||
![]() | Stone Angel CD, Album, Reissue | Kissing Spell – KSCD9430 | UK | 1994 | UK — 1994 | New Submission | |||
![]() | Stone Angel CD, Album, Reissue | Erewhon (2) – KSCD9430, Kissing Spell – KSCD9430 | UK | 1994 | UK — 1994 | ||||
![]() | Stone Angel LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue | Acme – AC8008LP | UK | 1994 | UK — 1994 | Recently Edited | |||
![]() | Stone Angel CD, Album, Reissue | Nices – SCP-065PSI, Si-Wan Records – SRMC-4036 | South Korea | 1994 | South Korea — 1994 | New Submission | |||
![]() | Stone Angel CD, Album, Reissue | Si-Wan Records – SRMC 4036 | South Korea | 1995 | South Korea — 1995 | New Submission | |||
![]() | Stone Angel CD, Album, Reissue | Si-Wan Records – SRMC 4036, Kissing Spell – SRMC 4036 | South Korea | 1999 | South Korea — 1999 | New Submission | |||
![]() | Stone Angel LP, Album, Repress | Acme – AC8008LP | UK | 2013 | UK — 2013 | Recently Edited | |||
![]() | Stone Angel CD, Album, Reissue | Prog Temple – PTCD8026 | Europe | 2014 | Europe — 2014 | New Submission | |||
![]() | Stone Angel CD, Album, Reissue | Kissing Spell – KSCD9430 | UK | UK | New Submission |
Recommendations
Reviews
- Edited 4 months agoI can't think of a gothic folk genre existing in the 1970s, but this LP would fit that description with its haunting songs of a countryside long disappeared. It's an easier, more relaxed listen than Comus, and has a bit of a Mr Fox vibe about it with the nicely rough playing. The Gay Goshawk here is different from the Mr Fox song - although that would be totally at home on this record.
The two medieval instrumental pieces might seem slightly out of place on first listen, but they add to the overall historical and haunted feel of this record. The dance tune for the Gay Goshawk song here dates from the 13th century - so even earlier. The medieval pieces are rougher than, say, the Giles Farnaby Dream Band.
I cannot think of anything else quite like this in mid-1970s England, other than the earlier Midwinter (3) record - Waters Of Sweet Sorrow, recorded 1973. Spriguns wouldn't get dark until the Time Will Pass LP, in 1977. Plenty of 1970s folk records had a dark song or two, usually with a murder involved. Stone Angel is nicely lost and haunted throughout, and no brutal and gory murder ballads. It's more subtle than that - which is good. Spriguns went the same way - greater subtlety in the songwriting.
In the 1990s, Current 93 made some interesting neo-folk records around 1994 that somewhat continue this gothic folk musical genre, for want of a better term, although I've always found them a difficult band to listen to. To be honest, they mostly make my skin crawl outside of this brief, gothic folk music thing they did - Michael Cashmore's guitar playing helped.
I prefer creepy that's not in-your-face and over-the-top - like it's trying too hard to be offensive - and Stone Angel got that part right. I think people find Comus interesting today because they were so in-your-face and over-the-top. That was unusual for 1971, but totally at home with the neofolk records of the 1980s onwards. The ugliness of first punk, and then the Thatcher years, left their mark on the more underground music of Britain. No subtlety, little beauty.
When this welcome reissue came out, 30 years ago, original copies were being offered at 250 pounds. They weren't that hard to get, then, and overpriced at the time, but I thought why pay 250 when I can get a nice reissue for 15. I look at the prices for originals now and shake my head, when these nice vinyl reissues are still available. The Greed Is Good mentality is still alive and well.
Note that the Kissing Spell CD reissue, also from 1994, contains the bonus track of The Holy Rood Of Bromholm, and the lyrics for that song are included on the insert that comes with this Acme LP reissue, but the actual LP does not contain this track.
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