Backlog 2

Last updated
Backlog 2
Backlog 2.jpg
Studio album by
Show of Hands
Released4 October 2011
RecordedSummer 2011, Suffolk
Genre
Length79:07
Label Hands on Music
Producer Mark Tucker
Show of Hands chronology
Covers 2
(2010)		Backlog 2
(2011)		 Wake the Union
(2012)

Backlog 2 is the fifteenth studio album by Devonian folk duo Show of Hands. Following the release of their limited edition "back to basics" cover album Covers 2 (2010), which was intended for "fans and friends" and released in a limited edition manner in a way that would only appeal to fans and friends, the duo wanted to release an album with fan participation. As the duo had retired many of their older songs from live performances, they asked fans on their internet forum Longdogs to select twenty Show of Hands tracks from 1992–2003 that they would like to hear the duo perform and re-record.

Contents

The duo set up in a house studio belonging to friends in Surrey in summer 2011 and recorded eighteen of the twenty selections, three of whom were presented in a "live session". The resulting album, Backlog 2, was released in October 2011 by the duo's own label Hands on Music and was sold only at the duo's concerts and via their website shop. The album is intended as the sequel to their compilation album Backlog 1987–1991 (1995), similarly consisting of material that could have been forgotten. Backlog 2 was not reviewed by publications due to its low-key release but was later ranked at number 13 on WorldMusic.co.uk's list of the "TOP 20 Best World Music Albums of 2011". [1]

Background and conception

Show of Hands (pictured in 2009). Show of Hands.jpg
Show of Hands (pictured in 2009).

In 2009, Show of Hands released their fourteenth studio album Arrogance Ignorance and Greed . Produced by Stu Hanna of the English folk duo Megson, with additional production by Mark Tucker, the album followed a painfully emotion period for Steve Knightley where members of his family battled serious illnesses. This led to the album becoming particularly personal and darker than previous Show of Hands albums, aided by Hanna's direct and sharp production. The album was also more politically concerned than prior albums. The album was released to a positive critical reception, many praising the darker tone to the album, although Phil Beer of the duo stated that the album did not sit well with several fans. The album entered the UK Album Chart at number 170, becoming their first album to chart. The duo were not quick to follow the album's success with another album of new material. In late 2010, the duo recorded their second album of cover versions, Covers 2 as a collaboration with Miranda Sykes, ten years after the inaugural Covers album by the duo. [2]

Like the first Covers album, Covers 2 was recorded quickly over the course of seven days in three sessions at Riverside Studios, Exeter, in October 2010. [3] Produced and engineered by the duo's regular producer and engineer Mark Tucker, [4] the album intentionally stays "very close" to the duo's live sound of the duo and Sykes (their "live-trio" sound), and to achieve this, minimal overdubs and few production changes were made to the album. [3] This follows in the footsteps of Covers, which featured no overdubs or production changes at all, [5] and also was a "back to basics" style record when compared to the band's "production" albums of the 2000s, namely Witness and Arrogance Ignorance and Greed, both of which used rhythm sections from guest musicians and experimentation. Cover versions on the album had previously appeared in the duo's live gigs over the previous couple of years, and one critic noted that "collecting them together on an album is a great chance to hear those moments that otherwise would be lost." [6] The album was only released as a limited edition at the duo's concerts and on their website, to show it was for "fans and friends only". [7]

The duo traveled to Suffolk to record the album. Suffolk UK relief location map.jpg
The duo traveled to Suffolk to record the album.

Under the "fans and friends" influence of Covers 2, the duo decided to record an album where their fans would have participation. The duo's live sets over the years had seen numerous songs appear and disappear, and by 2011, many of their older songs had not been played live for many years, and the duo wanted fans to see them reapproach their "forgotten" songs with a new album. Thus, in Summer 2011, the "Longdogs" (members of the duo's former internet forum Longdogs) were asked to select twenty older Show of Hands songs that they would most like to hear performed and re-recorded. Thousands of fans voted. [8] The duo explained that fans created their personal "Top 20" list of songs from the duo's first ten official years of partnership, with instructions to exclude those songs which have already seen numerous outings on different recordings. [9] The duo set up a temporary recording studio in "deepest" Suffolk in the house of the duo's friends Richard and Lin Patterson. [1] Their house was a converted barn. [8] The duo recorded eighteen of the twenty songs for the album in just two days with the help of engineer and producer Mark Tucker. On the second night, the duo hosted a small concert the duo held in the house, referred to as a "house concert". Three of the songs from the concert appear on the second disc instead of studio versions of the same songs. [10] In an even more barebones style than Covers 2, the songs are recorded simply, and feature no extras, effects or overdubs. [10] The duo's earlier album Covers (2000) was recorded the same way.

Content and release

"Backlog 2 is effectively 18 songs captured simply by the two of us with no extras, effects or overdubs."

—Steve Knightley. [8]

The album is a double album, with each disc containing nine songs. The songs re-recorded were originally composed and recorded between 1992–2003, [8] with Worldmusic.co.uk saying the album "features fresh versions of songs that rarely reach the current concert set lists." [8] The first track, "Cold Frontier", was originally the title track for their 2001 album of the same name. [4] "The Bristol Slaver" had featured on Dark Fields (1997) alongside the third track, "High Germany". Re-recorded material from the band's first CD album, Beat about the Bush (1994), was placed on the first disc consecutively with "Captains", "The Oak" and "Armadas" appearing as the fourth to sixth tracks. [4] The second disc features a re-recording of the duo's first single, "Crazy Boy", released from Dark Fields (1997). The disc also features three live songs from the "house concert", namely "Cut-throats, Crooks and Con-men", "Man of War" and "Unlock Me". [4] The former song had never appeared on a studio release by the duo.

The duo chose the album name Backlog 2, identifying the album is a sequel to their compilation album Backlog 1987–1991 (1995). The latter compilation collected highlights from the band's early cassettes which had long been out of print by that point. Backlog 2 was chosen as the name for the new album because, like the compilation, it "archived" songs that could otherwise have been forgotten by the duo. The album was released on 4 October 2011 by the duo's own record label Hands on Music. [10] Like Covers 2, it was only released at the band's concerts and through their website, reflecting the "fans" aspect of the album. [11]

As the album was a low-key release, it was not reviewed by any publications, but was later ranked at number 13 on WorldMusic.co.uk's list of the "TOP 20 Best World Music Albums of 2011". [1] [12] The same website also placed the album's version of "The Bristol Slaver" as the 22nd track in their "WBUK36" playlist, the thirty-sixth playlist used in the website's online radio show WorldBeatUK, presented by the website's editor Glyn Philips. [13] The duo promoted the album with The Backlog Tour in October 2011. [8] Featuring songs featured on the album, [9] it was the duo's first tour for four years that featured only the duo without their regular collaborator Miranda Sykes, although Sykes joined them on the Autumn Tour 2011 that followed it. [8] The Backlog Tour ran for twelve concerts across England from 12–30 October 2011, [9] and was a success as it sold out. [8] A month after release, whilst the duo were undergoing their Autumn tour, they were voted "Best Folk Act" at the inaugural South West Music Awards, whose winners were chosen by venus around the South West of England. [11] In March 2012, the duo played their fourth performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London, during which they also showcased Backlog 2 material. [11]

Track listing

All songs written by Steve Knightley, except where noted.

Disc one

  1. "Cold Frontier" – 4:50
  2. "The Bristol Slaver" (Sydney Carter) – 4:37
  3. "High Germany" (Leonard Cohen) – 5:43
  4. "Captains" – 4:31
  5. "The Oak" – 4:12
  6. "Armadas" – 4:30
  7. "Cold Heart of England" – 3:08
  8. "The Preacher" – 4:28
  9. "The Warlike Lads of Russia" – 3:57

Disc two

  1. "Crazy Boy" (Cyril Tawney) – 5:40
  2. "Cut-throats, Crooks and Con-men" (live) – 5:00
  3. "Don't It Feel Good" – 3:43
  4. "Man of War" (live) – 4:09
  5. "Roaring Water Bay" – 4:04
  6. "Sit You Down" – 5:16
  7. "Unlock Me" (live) – 3:42
  8. "The Man in Green" – 3:07
  9. "You're Mine" – 4:27

Related Research Articles

<i>Beat about the Bush</i> 1994 studio album by Show of Hands

Beat About the Bush is the fourth studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. Originally released by Twah! Records in 1994, it was their debut studio album to be released on CD, following the discontinued cassette albums that are Show of Hands from 1987, Tall Ships from 1990 and Out of the Count from 1991. It was their only studio album on Twah! Records, and was subsequently re-released in 1999 on the duo's own label, Hands on Music.

Show of Hands

Show of Hands are an English acoustic roots/folk duo formed in 1986 by singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and composer and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer. Joined by singer and double-bassist Miranda Sykes for a tour in 2004, Show of Hands continued to regularly perform as a trio with Sykes, as well as in their original format. In 2019 the line-up was further expanded by the addition of Irish percussionist Cormac Byrne.

<i>Show of Hands Live</i> 1992 live album by Show of Hands

Live is the first live album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. After the duo had recorded three studio albums on cassette from 1987–1991, the last of these being Out for the Count, the duo set on recording a live album for their first Compact Disc release. They enlisted Mark Trim to engineer and produce a live album of the duo's performance at The Bull Hotel, Bridport, in the duo's native Devon. The album features all sixteen songs from the performance which featured numerous guest musicians, including the band's long-time collaborator Matt Clifford and Beer's sporadic collaborator Paul Downes.

<i>Lie of the Land</i> 1995 studio album by Show of Hands

Lie Of The Land is the fifth studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. Following the live band setting of the band's previous album, 1994's Beat about the Bush, the duo sought a simpler sound that featured just themselves, with the duo trying to capture their live sound, which included experimenting with DI units and making the maximum use of pick-ups and pre-amplifiers. The album was produced by Gerard O'Farrell, who by this point had become the band's manager, and recorded in July 1995 in Bredon, Gloucestershire.

<i>Live at the Royal Albert Hall</i> (Show of Hands album) 1996 live album by Show of Hands

Live at the Royal Albert Hall is the second live album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. Following the success of their stripped-down fifth studio album Lie of the Land, the duo experienced attention from major publications, who praised the album, and the duo's fan base had built. Nonetheless, the duo were unable to commerce any performances in London. Their duo and their manager and producer Gerard O'Farrell took the gamble of hosting the city's historic Royal Albert Hall for a concert on 24 March 1996. The concert would be an attempt to gather all of the duo's fans and to raise the duo's profile. The duo were ridiculed for booking the hall, with many saying the performance would not sell out. Nonetheless, not only did the performance sell out, but it did so with advance orders, and it raised the duo's profile.

<i>Dark Fields</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Show of Hands

Dark Fields is the sixth studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands, released in 1997 on their own label Hands on Music. The album follows the duo's 1996 performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, a performance which raised their profile. A live album of the performance was released as Live at the Royal Albert Hall in August, becoming the band's best selling album. The duo followed the success with Dark Fields.

<i>Country Life</i> (Show of Hands album) 2003 studio album by Show of Hands

Country Life is the eleventh studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. Released in 2003, it marks a departure for the band, with stronger socially and politically lyrics than the duo's previous albums, as well as showcasing the duo exploring a larger musical palette. Some of the album's lyrics concern rural issues which Knightley had taken to heart in previous years, including in the aftermath of their previous lyrical album Cold Frontier (2001). Prior to the release of Country Life, the duo had released an instrumental album named The Path. Both The Path and Country Life were released close together. The album was packaged in a lavish set which included a bonus disc of demo versions and other bonus material. The album's title track was also promoted by the band's first music video.

<i>Cold Frontier</i> 2001 studio album by Show of Hands

Cold Frontier is the ninth studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. It was recorded in early 2001 on location by the Countess Wear at the River Exe, Exeter, Devon, with Mick Dolan, engineer for Steve Winwood, co-producing the album with the duo. The album features a stripped down, acoustic sound. The duo's website says the album is "possibly Show of Hands’ finest work so far." The album comes with a full colour twenty page booklet, all the lyrics, and comments on the background of each track.

<i>The Path</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Show of Hands

The Path is the tenth studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands, released in April 2003. The album was conceived as an "instrumental journey" around the South West Coast Path, a 630-mile coastline path opened in 1978 in the duo's native West Country, and a celebration of the coastline's "sights and sounds". It is the band's only completely instrumental album, with each of its songs named after and inspired by different locations on the path. It was a project between Show Of Hands and The South West Coast Path Team, as part of the latter's celebrations for the silver jubilee of the path. As such the album is endorsed by various organisations who own different parts of the path, namely The Countryside Agency, The National Trust and English Heritage Commission,.and the music is ambient instrumentals inspired by different locations around the coastline.

<i>Covers</i> (Show of Hands album) 2000 studio album by Show of Hands

Covers is the eighth studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. The album was released in 2000 by the duo's own label Hands on Music. The album exclusively features cover versions of thirteen songs by the duo, chosen and recorded to reflect the band's contemporary musical influences. As such, the album contains no Steve Knightley compositions. The album was recorded over two days in Chudleigh Town Hall, Devon, with producer Gerald O'Farrell, and features only "straight performances", with its songs being untouched by post-production or techniques such as overdubbing or double tracking, presenting a "live" sound. The album followed their limited edition release Folk Music (1998), which featured the band's versions of traditional folk songs, and was the duo's first array into creating an album of music without Knightley compositions.

<i>Cold Cuts</i> (Show of Hands album) 2002 live album by Show of Hands

Cold Cuts is the third live album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. Following the duo's successful Royal Albert Hall performance in 2001 which was televised as The Big Gig, the duo released the studio album Cold Frontier in September of that year, which saw the duo use a more basic instrumental set up that what they had grown accustomed to. A critical success, they followed it with The Cold Frontier Tour in November 2001. The tour was unusual in that the duo opted to perform both obscure older material and cover versions in re-arranged formats, in addition to material from Cold Frontier. Many of the tracks had never featured on a Sho of Hands album before. A critical success, the duo and Mick Dolan had recorded performances from the tour for usage as the live album Cold Cuts.

<i>Witness</i> (Show of Hands album) 2006 studio album by Show of Hands

Witness is the twelfth studio album by British folk duo Show of Hands. The album was recorded in January 2006 at Presshouse Studio, Colyton, Devon, and was produced by Simon Emmerson and Simon ‘Mass’ Massey from the Afro Celts, who helped to incorporate elements of traditional African, ambient and electronic dance music with the duo's characteristic folk style. It was the band's first album in twelve years to use a rhythm section. Lyrically, the album addresses communal and heritage values, and was described by the duo's lead singer Steve Knightley as a "cinematic style journey of the West Country." The album features unofficial third member Miranda Sykes on ten of its twelve tracks.

<i>As You Were</i> (Show of Hands album) 2005 live album by Show of Hands

As You Were is the fourth live album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. Following the release of their acclaimed tenth studio album Country Life in 2003, which itself was promoted by a tour, the duo were named the "Best Live Act" at the 2004 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. The live interest in the duo ultimately lead to a greater interest when the band announced their Autumn Tour 2004. The tour itself ran from November–December and included Miranda Sykes as a collaborator, her first collaboration with the duo. With the band's producer and engineer of the era Mick Dolan, the entire tour was recorded onto MiniDisc, with the duo subsequently ploughing through each concert recording the following day to identify the best performances and then collating and working through the "A list again" to find the best tracks to create the live album.

<i>Arrogance Ignorance and Greed</i> 2009 studio album by Show of Hands

Arrogance Ignorance and Greed is the fourteenth studio album by English folk duo Show of Hands. Released in 2009 on the band's label Hands on Music, the album was produced by Stu Hanna of the English folk duo Megson, with additional production by Mark Tucker. The album followed an emotionally painful period for Steve Knightley where members of his family battled serious illnesses. This led to the album becoming particularly personal and darker than previous Show of Hands albums, aided by Hanna's direct and sharp production. The album also discusses several social and political concerns, and contains several collaborations with other musicians and vocalists.

<i>Covers 2</i> (Show of Hands album) 2010 studio album by Show of Hands with Miranda Sykes

Covers 2 is the fourteenth studio album by British folk duo Show of Hands. An official collaboration with double bassist and vocalist Miranda Sykes, who had been the duo's unofficial third member for six years, it is the duo's second album of cover versions, following Covers (2000). The album was intended for "friends and fans" of the duo, and an attempt to record songs that the duo had played live for some time. The album was produced by Mark Tucker and recorded as a mostly "straightforward" recording with little overdubs or extra production work.

<i>Show of Hands</i> (1987 album) 1987 studio album by Show of Hands

Show of Hands is the debut album by English folk duo Show of Hands. The duo formed when Phil Beer took a break from folk rock band The Albion Band, requesting to Steve Knightley that they record a cassette together in Knightley's garage. Knightley, who had recently returned to the duo's native Devon after departing London, agreed, and the duo recorded the album together in January 1987 in Catsley Home, described by Knightley as an outbuilding in the remotest part of Dorset. The album contains twelve compositions, mostly songs by Knightley.

<i>Tall Ships</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Show of Hands

Tall Ships is the second album by Show of Hands, released in 1990 on cassette only. It contains the band's 22 minute medley "Tall Ships". Songs from the album appear on Backlog 1987-1991, a 1995 album containing songs from the band's earlier material for the first time on CD. This was due to Tall Ships going out of print later in 1990.

<i>Out for the Count</i> 1991 studio album by Show of Hands

Out for the Count is the third album by Show of Hands. The album follows Phil Beer's departure from The Albion Band in 1990, allowing Show of Hands to become a full-time partnership. Recorded straight to Digital Audio Tape in The Old Court, Devon, in 1991, the duo released the album later on in the year on cassette, becoming the final of their cassette-only releases.

<i>Wake the Union</i> 2012 studio album by Show of Hands

Wake the Union is the sixteenth studio album by British folk duo Show of Hands. Although their fifteenth studio album, it is their eighth in their "canon" of studio albums. The release follows the successful Arrogance Ignorance and Greed (2009) and the limited edition albums Covers 2 (2010) and Backlog 2 (2011). Recorded and produced by Mark Tucker, the album takes a strong influence from both English and American folk music and was created as a "journey through of [the two countries'] landscapes united by a common tongue and musical heritage". The album again features their unofficial third member Miranda Sykes. The album was also described by Knightley as a direct continuation of Arrogance Ignorance and Greed, although critics saw it as very distinct in its own right. The album was also a 20th anniversary celebration for the duo.

Miranda Sykes English folk singer

Miranda Sykes is an English folk singer, double-bassist and guitarist who performs with Steve Knightley and Phil Beer in the acoustic roots/folk group Show of Hands. As of 2019 she is undertaking solo performances while on maternity leave from the group. She has recorded with Show of Hands and has also performed and recorded as a duo with mandolin player Rex Preston.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Show of Hands/Richard Shindell (Birmingham 24/11/11) Review". World Music. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  2. ↑ Covers 2 liner notes.
  3. 1 2 "Covers 2 - £10.00 : Show of Hands, Online Shop". Showofhands.co.uk. 2010-11-01. Archived from the original on 2015-12-16. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Liner notes.
  5. ↑ Covers liner notes.
  6. ↑ "Covers 2 | Show of Hands". Spiralearth.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  7. ↑ "Covers 2". Show of Hands. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Show of Hands Head to Birmingham on Autumn Tour". World Music. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  9. 1 2 3 "SHOW OF HANDS Autumn Mailout". Showofhands.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  10. 1 2 3 "Backlog 2 - £10.00 : Show of Hands, Online Shop". Showofhands.co.uk. 2011-10-04. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  11. 1 2 3 "Show Of Hands Scoop Best Folk Act Title". World Music. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  12. ↑ "Best Albums of 2011 (WorldMusic.co.uk)". World Music. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  13. ↑ "WorldBeatUK 36 (WBUK36) - Playlist". World Music. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
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