Amazing blondel

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Amazing Blondel is a British folk rock group best known for pseudo- Renaissance compositions in the style of Elizabethan age lute music in the early 1970s.

occupation

history

The group Amazing Blondel emerged from a rock band called Methuselah , which had been formed in the English city of Lincoln . When the two musicians Terry Wincott and John David Gladwin played acoustic songs based on traditional melodies at a concert, the audience was so enthusiastic that they decided to only maintain this style. They chose the name Amazing Blondel and recorded a record of the same name together with studio musicians. Although the group did not get beyond regional fame, the Shepherd's Song remained a highlight of the concerts for years thanks to a humorous live version. Through the mediation of the bassist of the group Free , Andy Fraser , a record deal was concluded with the Iceland company. Now Edward Baird joined the group. The arrangements became more sophisticated and the record Evensong contained the typical pseudo-Elizabethan sound for the first time.

Amazing Blondel only played their own songs, but they skillfully made use of traditional English music. In addition to love songs, they sang about their home in Lincolnshire . All three musicians were multi-instrumentalists and played such unusual instruments as the lute ( theorbo ), crooked horn , zither and harmonium , supported by the interplay of two acoustic guitars and sophisticated harmony singing . Since there were no percussion instruments, the group could also be assigned to the folk , but unlike Steeleye Span , for example , Amazing Blondel did not play newly arranged traditionals, but exclusively their own compositions. The twenty-minute suite Fantasia Lindum from the album of the same name is spectacular , in which individual songs were linked by dances and the recurring basic theme. Although the group undertook successful European tours, they never had a big breakthrough because they lacked a big hit.

After the recording of the album England , John David Gladwin left the group in 1973, which then made a gradual change in style and tried to succeed with more rocky songs. The follow-up album ' Blondel' offered the well-known style of the group in a slightly modernized form, supplemented by drums. After the departure of John Gladwin, Eddy Baird had established himself as the main songwriter. Although the remaining band members Edward Baird and Terry Wincott recorded several albums together, the success ultimately failed and the band broke up in 1977.

Twenty years later a new interest aroused among fans when the group's albums were released on CD by the Edsel company . Now the musicians decided to make a new recording with the original line-up. The CD Restoration tied Amazing Blondel on to the plates of the early 1970s to reach again without their finesse. The group also recorded live performances sporadically, especially in England, Scandinavia and Italy.

Amazing Blondel made music with an unmistakable style and set its own accents in English folk rock of the early 1970s, although they were always overshadowed by more famous folk rock bands such as Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span .

Discography

  • The Amazing Blondel (re-released on CD under the title The Amazing Blondel & a few faces ) (1970)
  • Evensong (1970)
  • Fantasia Lindum (1971)
  • England (1972)
  • Blondel (1973)
  • Mulgrave Street (1974)
  • Inspiration (1975)
  • Bad dreams (1976)
  • Mulgrave Street / Inspiration (US double LP) (1976)
  • Live in Tokyo (1977) (The album title is misleading; the recordings are from a European tour)
  • Englishe Musicke (CD sampler with songs from the albums Evensong , Fantasia Lindum and England ) (1993)
  • Restoration (1997)
  • A Foreign Field That Is Forever England (Live album with recordings from the European tour 1972/73) (1996)
  • Harvest of gold - The English Folk Almanach (sampler with live recordings by Steeleye Span ; Lindisfarne (band) and Magna Carta (band) ; contains five live recordings by Amazing Blondel from the early 1970s that are not on any other LP / CD have been published!)
  • Going Where The Music Takes Me (Live & Studio Archive recordings From The 60's To the 80's) (2-CD & DVD) (2004) (Compilation with 38 unreleased recordings, which, however, come from the individual musicians and not from the group)
  • On With The Show (Compilation with unreleased recordings, which are made by the individual musicians and not by the group)
  • The Amazing Elsie Emerald (2010)
  • Dead / Live in Transylvania (Live album) (2011)

Web links