Country Life (Show of Hands album)

Last updated

Country Life
SOHCountryLife.jpg
Studio album by
Show of Hands
Released20 October 2003
RecordedEarly 2003
Studio Riverside Studios, Exeter, Devon
Genre
Length55:31
Label Hands on Music
Producer Mick Dolan and Show of Hands
Show of Hands chronology
The Path
(2003)		Country Life
(2003)		 As You Were
(2005)

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.

Contents

The album received a positive reception, with praise greeting the album from the likes of Tom Jewsbury of the BBC, [1] Iain Hazlewood of Spiral Earth , [2] and Jane Brace of The Living Tradition. [3] The album ranked at number 22 in the "Devon's Top 50 Albums" poll organised by BBC Radio Devon in April 2004 to find the all-time favourite albums of Devonians. [4] The duo toured in support of the album from 2003–2005.

Background and recording

After completing and releasing their eighth studio album Cold Frontier (2001), Show of Hands embarked on a nationwide tour in which they played a great deal of unreleased or "rare" material. The band's live album Cold Cuts (2002) was drawn from material from the tour. [5] The tour coincided with the start of writing material for the album. Both the recording of Cold Frontier and the subsequent tour were in an era of several social and political concerns for Knightley, culminating in the more "heavy" lyrics that landed on the album. With a focus on rural issues, Steve Knightley of the duo named the album Country Life. The duo had been commissioned by the National Trust and English Heritage to record an instrumental album to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the South West Coast Path. [6] The resulting album, The Path (2003), was quickly recorded as the duo were preparing for their next canonical album. As such, the duo entered a busy in period in which they were working on two albums. The Path was released on 14 April 2003, [7] by which point Country Life had been recorded at Riverside Studios in Exeter in the early part of 2003. The album was co-produced between Mick Dolan and the duo.

Music and composition

The album's title song is about the desecration of British country life. Taddiport from Castle Hill, Torrington, Devon, England, ca. 1895.jpg
The album's title song is about the desecration of British country life.

At the time of release, Jane Brace of Living Tradition described Country Life as the duo's "most ambitious, exciting and keenly awaited project to date". [3] Iain Hazlewood of Spiral Earth noted "the diversity of musical style, mood and pace on the album is always held in control; as an album it is totally cohesive - nothing unbalances it," and noted the album incorporates elements of Celtic, Spanish, South American, rock and blues, but also that despite this, "they don't fall into the trap of creating 'world' music that isn't rooted to any real place or time. Their place is the West Country and South West of England, their time is anytime they damn well like." [2] Tom Jewsbury of the BBC said the duo "steer ever closer to the mainstream market with this latest studio album. All the usual SOH ingredients are present: soulful vocals, accomplished instrumentation, excellent production, original compositions featuring politically-charged lyrics, the occasional nod to the tradition." [1]

The album contains ten songs written by Steve Knightley, as well as the duo's arrangements of two traditional folk songs and Kelly Joe Phelps's "Tommy", the latter being a "raw tale of schizophrenia" about "a misfit" and featuring Phil Beer's "unusual voice". [1] [3] The title track and album opener, "Country Life", is a "stirring" and "finely honed rant about the desecration of British country life" [3] and "an acerbic indictment of modern values". [1] Inspired by the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak, it became something of a break-through recording for the band that has brought their work to a wider audience. [8] The song examines rural poverty and social exclusion from the experiences of an extended family, [8] and was partly born from Knightley's frustration that English rural areas lacked a meaningful musical voice. [8] Steve Knightley had commented that “cities in England have got their voices … The only countryside music bordered on a joke, like the Wurzels." [8] Nonetheless, Knightley does not claim to speak for rural people or to be presenting an "authentic‟ rural voice, with the story told by the particular character of an angry young man. [8]

"Reynardine" features Knightley's finger percussion on a cuatro. Traditional style cuatro of Puerto Rico.jpg
"Reynardine" features Knightley's finger percussion on a cuatro.

The album's mood changes quickly on the second track, "Hard Shoulder", a song about a long-standing friendship. [3] The song was described as "soaked through with the poignancy of hindsight and memory." [9] "Hard Shoulder" is followed by "Suntrap", featuring Spanish guitar playing from Beer, and the poignant and gentle "Smile She Said", which tells of the journey of a relationship in five "exposures". [3] Following this is the traditional song "Reynardine" which music written by Knightley. The song also features Knightley's hallmark finger drumming, this time on the cuatro, which he was taught by exiled Chilean musician Vladamir Vega during their time in Alianza in 1991. [3] The track an unusual pulsating treatment. [9] Knightley's singing on the ballad "Seven Days" is accompanied by young West Country singer Jenna Witts, [3] with whom Knightley and Seth Lakeman recorded the album Western Approaches with the following year. Following the aforementioned cover of "Tommy" are the "jaunty" song "Be Lucky", the traditional folk song "Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy" which again features Beer on vocals, and had originally been recorded by the duo with Alianza in 1991, and the "gentle" song "I Promise You". [3] Before the album closer "Don't Be a Stranger", which was a former concert closer for the duo, is the upbeat "Red Diesel", [3] about Terry, "the kind of guy that modern society doesn't really have much time for". [2] The track features Knightley's mandocello and Beer's mandolin forming a "foot tapping" rhythm. [2] Terry is a minor criminal who complains that "there ought to be a law for keeping out the yuppies and the grockles". [8]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
BBC (favourable) [3]
The Living Tradition(favourable) [3]
NetRhythms(favourable) [9]
Spiral Earth (favourable) [2]

Country Life was commercially released 20 October 2003 on the band's own label Hands on Music with the catalogue number HMCD19, but had already been sold at the duo's concerts since the middle of the year. The album was released as a double disc set, with the album on the first disc (subtitled The Album), and a bonus disc entitled The Demos, which contained demo versions of the album's songs "Country Life", "Hard Shoulder" and "I Promise You". [10] The bonus disc also contained other CD-ROM bonus material, namely the music videos for "Country Life" and their older song "The Train", a photo slideshow set to "I Promise You", a lyrics section set to "The Exe Estuary" from their previous album The Path, live footage from their 2001 performance at the Royal Albert Hall and a downloadable screensaver. [10] [1] The bonus disc prompted the BBC to say the album was "lavishly packaged". [1] Although no singles were released from the album, the title track had a music video produced for it. [1]

Helped to be promoted by a tour in 2003, including a performance at the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival where copies of the album were signed, the album was released to a positive critical reception. Tom Jewsbury of the BBC said the album would "have SOH's mighty fan base in seventh heaven." [1] Iain Hazlewood of Spiral Earth said that "Country Life is one of their defining moments" and "a deceptively complex album, repeated listening reveals a musical and emotional depth that just picks you up and runs off with your imagination. [2] Jane Brace of The Living Tradition said she had "racked [her] brains for a way to describe this band and failed. And therein lies the 'riddle' of Show of Hands. Just when you think you've got a handle on them and decided it's 'acoustic with attitude' or out and out English folk they'll throw in some rock, shades of country, a reel of Celtic, a bit of bluegrass and then recreate the sitar sounds of India in the blink of an eye. They are without a doubt the coolest chameleons I've seen. and the release of Country Life proves they just get better and better. [3] David Kidman of NetRhythms said the album is "another excellent product all round. Probably Show Of Hands' best". [9] He commented that the album "gives us the best of all of SOH's various worlds." [9] Bradley Torreano of Allmusic later noted that the album "was well-received by plaudits and fans alike." [11]

In April 2004, less than a year after the album's release, it was ranked at number 22 in the "Devon's Top 50 Albums" online poll organised by BBC Radio Devon which listed the all-time favourite albums of participating Devonians. [4] The album was the only album on the list by a Devonian artist, and its inclusion surprised Nick Southall of Stylus Magazine, who had not heard of the duo. [4] Touring the album throughout 2003−2005, they won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Live Act in 2004. [11] The award was decided by a public vote. [12] Singer and double bass player Miranda Sykes joined them on their Autumn Tour 2004, which spawned the live album As You Were (2005). The title track of Country Life has continued to be played live by the band, it was nominated for "Best Original Song" at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2005, [13] and featured on the corresponding compilation album. [14] The song became something of a breakthrough recording for the band, bringing them a wider audience. [8] Three songs from the album appear on the band's best-of retrospective compilation album Roots: The Best of Show of Hands (2007), namely "Country Life", "Hard Shoulder and "Cold Frontier". [15]

Track listing

All songs written by Steve Knightley, except where noted.

  1. "Country Life" – 3:58
  2. "Hard Shoulder" – 5:17
  3. "Suntrap" – 3:31
  4. "Smile She Said" – 3:52
  5. "Reynardine" (lyrics Trad.) – 3:55
  6. "Seven Days" (Knightley/Jenna Witts) – 4:05
  7. "Tommy" (Kelly Joe Phelps) – 5:39
  8. "Be Lucky" – 5:08
  9. "Drake" – 3:13
  10. "I Promise You" – 3:54
  11. "Adieu, Sweet Lovely Nancy" (Trad arr. Knightley/Phil Beer) – 4:08
  12. "Red Diesel" – 3:35
  13. "Don't Be A Stranger" – 5:10

Many copies come with a bonus 'promo disc' which features demo versions to three of the songs on the album.

  1. "Country Life"
  2. "Hard Shoulder"
  3. "I Promise You"

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Beer</span> English musician

Phil Beer is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and one half of English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Show of Hands</span>

Show of Hands is 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Knightley</span> English singer, songwriter and acoustic musician (born 1954)

Steve Knightley is an English singer, songwriter and acoustic musician. Since 1992 he has been one half of folk/roots duo Show of Hands along with Phil Beer. Knightley was named "Songwriter of the Nineties" by BBC Radio 6 Music in 2012.

<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>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>Folk Music</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Show of Hands

Folk Music is the seventh studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. After the successes of their 1996 Royal Albert Hall performance and their subsequent album Dark Fields (1997), the duo decided to record a limited edition album featuring the duo's renditions of traditional folk music. It was recorded in September 1998 as a project to connect the band to their roots.

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

Cold Frontier is the ninth studio album by the 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> (Show of Hands 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>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>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.

<i>Centenary: Words & Music of the Great War</i> 2014 studio album by Show of Hands

Centenary: Words & Music of the Great War is a studio album released in 2014 to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. The unique project is a double album by English folk duo Show of Hands; the first disc features war poems recited by Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton set to the duo's music, whilst the second disc features songs inspired by the War, sung instead by Show of Hands' lead singer Steve Knightley.

<i>Cruel River</i> 2007 studio album by Steve Knightley

Cruel River is the second solo studio album by English folk singer-songwriter Steve Knightley. Knightley had spent 2006 with Show of Hands, his duo with Phil Beer, recording, releasing and promoting their twelfth album together, Witness, which saw the duo explore a worldbeat sound that departed from their usual English folk sound. The album was a success with critics and most fans, although some were perplexed by its direction. During a break in promoting that album with touring in early 2007, Knightley decided to record his first solo album since 1999. Hiring regular Show of Hands collaborator Mark Tucker to co-produce the album with himself, Knightley recorded the album in Presshouse Studios, Colyton in February 2007. The album explores a stripped-back, minimal English folk sound, similar to that of early Show of Hands. Lyrically, the album tackles dark subject matter.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BBC – Radio 2 – Folk and Acoustic
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Country Life - Show of Hands album review at SpiralEarth.co.uk". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Brace, Jane. "Show Of Hands - Country Life" (review). The Living Tradition. No. 54.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Turntable » Oh My". Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Cold Cuts | Show of Hands". Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "The Path: An Instrumental Journey Around the West Country: Show Of Hands - propermusic.com". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  7. ↑ History | Show of Hands Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 NetRhythms: A to Z Album and Gig reviews
  10. 1 2 "Country Life | Show of Hands". Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  11. 1 2 Show of Hands | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links | AllMusic
  12. ↑ BBC – Radio 2 – Folk and Acoustic – Folk Awards
  13. ↑ Steve Knightley "folk legend" to head Frome Festival - World Music
  14. ↑ BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
  15. ↑ Roots: The Best of Show of Hands track listing.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.