How Green Is the Valley

Last updated
How Green Is the Valley
TMTCH-How Green Is The Valley.jpg
Studio album by The Men They Couldn't Hang
Released 1986
Recorded Elephant Studios, Wapping.
Genre Roots rock, Folk-rock, Folk-punk
Length37:25
Label MCA
Producer Mick Glossop
The Men They Couldn't Hang chronology
Night of a Thousand Candles
(1985)
How Green Is the Valley
(1986)
Waiting for Bonaparte
(1988)
Singles from How Green Is the Valley
  1. "Ghosts of Cable Street"
    Released: 1986
  2. "Gold Strike"
    Released: 1986
  3. "Shirt of Blue"
    Released: 1986

How Green Is the Valley is the second studio album of The Men They Couldn't Hang. It was released in 1986 after the band were signed to MCA Records following the success of their previous album Night of a Thousand Candles . It is the last album to feature co-founder Shanne Bradley on bass guitar.

The Men They Couldn't Hang (TMTCH) are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush, Paul Simmonds, Philip "Swill" Odgers, Jon Odgers and Shanne Bradley.

MCA Inc. was an American media company founded in 1924. Originally involved only in the music business, the company next became a major force in the film industry, and later expanded into television production. MCA published music, booked acts, ran a record company, represented film, television, and radio stars, and eventually produced and sold television programs to the three major television networks, but had an especially good relationship with NBC.

<i>Night of a Thousand Candles</i> album by The Men They Couldnt Hang

Night of a Thousand Candles is the first studio album by the band The Men They Couldn't Hang. It was released in 1985 on vinyl and cassette format and then on CD format in 1987. The cassette version has two additional tracks and the CD version has six bonus tracks added. Tracks from the album were performed before its release during the John Peel sessions on July 14, 1984 and January 22, 1985. Their cover version of Eric Bogle's, "The Green Fields of France" reached number 3 on John Peel's festive 50 in 1984 and Ironmasters, the second single from the album reached number 11 in 1985. The album also came 10th on Melody Maker's End Of Year Critic Lists 1985.

Contents

Singles

Three singles were released from the album: "Gold Rush", which included "Gold Strike" on the 12" version, "Ghosts of Cable Street" and "Shirt of Blue". "Ghosts of Cable Street", a song detailing the battle of Cable Street in 1936, used actual recordings of mounted police which could be heard outside the Wapping studios as it was during the time of the Wapping Printers Strike. [1] "Shirt of Blue" was another song, typical of The Men They Couldn't Hang writing material on British history, was the subject of the UK miners' strike (1984–1985). The video features press footage of the conflict between striking miners and the police. [2] The cassette version is the only one to feature additional tracks which were recorded during a live performance at the Electric Ballroom in London's Camden Town.

Battle of Cable Street

The Battle of Cable Street was an event that took place in Cable Street and Whitechapel in the East End of London, on Sunday 4 October 1936. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police, sent to protect a march by members of the British Union of Fascists led by Oswald Mosley, and various anti-fascist demonstrators, including local anarchist, communist, Jewish and socialist groups. The majority of both marchers and counter-protesters travelled into the area for this purpose.

Wapping district in East London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Wapping is a district in London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway. Wapping's proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through its riverside public houses and steps, such as the Prospect of Whitby and Wapping Stairs. It also has a Royal Navy shore establishment base on the riverfront called HMS President.

Wapping dispute

The Wapping dispute was a lengthy failed strike by print workers in London in 1986.

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic. [3]

The Men They Couldn't Hang

Shanne Bradley is a punk musician, songwriter, and artist. She founded a punk band The Nipple Erectors in 1976 playing bass guitar with Shane MacGowan on vocals, and co-founded The Men They Couldn't Hang in 1984. Bradley was also known as Shanne Skratch and briefly as Shanne Hasler.

Bass guitar Electric bass instrument

The bass guitar is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, except with a longer neck and scale length, and four to six strings or courses.

Guitar fretted string instrument

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that usually has six strings. It is typically played with both hands by strumming or plucking the strings with either a guitar pick or the finger(s)/fingernails of one hand, while simultaneously fretting with the fingers of the other hand. The sound of the vibrating strings is projected either acoustically, by means of the hollow chamber of the guitar, or through an electrical amplifier and a speaker.

Additional musicians
Additional personnel

Mick Glossop is an English record producer and recording engineer. In 2009, he was awarded a Visiting Professorship at Leeds College of Music.

Track listing

Original Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Gold Strike"Paul SimmondsInstrumental1:20
2."Gold Rush"Paul SimmondsSwill, Cush2:03
3."Ghosts of Cable Street"Paul SimmondsSwill, Cush3:59
4."Dancing on the Pier"Paul SimmondsCush2:20
5."The Bells"Paul SimmondsCush3:15
6."Wishing Well" Nick Lowe Cush2:54
Original Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
7."Going Back to Coventry"Paul SimmondsCush3:15
8."Shirt of Blue"Paul SimmondsCush4:27
9."Rabid Underdog"Stefan CushCush2:12
10."Tiny Soldiers"Philip OdgersSwill3:41
11."The Parade"Paul SimmondsInstrumental2:12
12."Parted From You"Philip OdgersSwill4:12
Additional Tracks on cassette version
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
13."Whiskey with me Giro (live)"UnknownCush 
14."Scarlet Ribbons (live)"Paul SimmondsCush 

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References

  1. A Bag of Songs, Paul Simmonds, ISBN   9781447537274
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z3CciyMTqA
  3. http://www.allmusic.com/album/how-green-is-the-valley-mw0000885857/credits