Morris On

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Morris On
Morris On cover
Cover album by Ashley Hutchings and others
Released 1972
Genre Folk music
Length 36:38
Label Island Records
Producer John Wood
Professional reviews

Morris On is a folk/rock album released in 1972 under the joint names of Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield. Like the subsequent "Descendant Of" Morris On albums, it features English Morris dance tunes and songs, played with a combination of traditional instruments (button accordion, concertina, fiddle, etc.) and modern ones (electric guitar, bass, drums). In common with later records, dancers complete with bells and sticks were also included in the sessions.

The album is described by Allmusic's reviewer as

A beautiful, authentically rustic album, without a trace of elegance, and hardly even an effort at smoothing over the rough spots. The music and the performances have a quiet power and dignity, and a raw, direct nature that is extremely appealing[1]

The cover includes an amusing photograph of the principal participants in morris-associated costume, but with modern accessories - Hutchings' morris man sports a Gibson Flying V guitar, Kirkpatrick's chimney sweep a vacuum cleaner, and so on. This is in keeping with the jollity of the music, including as it does nonsense songs, exuberant dance, general bawdiness and the grand false start to Princess Royal.

The album was produced and engineered by John Wood.

[edit] Track listing

(All tracks trad. arr. Dransfield/Mattacks/Kirkpatrick/Hutchings/Thompson)

  1. "Morris Call"
  2. "Greensleeves"
  3. "The Nutting Girl"
  4. "Old Woman Tossed Up In A Basket / Shepherds' Hey / Trunkles"
  5. "Staines Morris"
  6. "Lads A'Bunchum / Young Collins"
  7. "Vandals Of Hammerwich"
  8. "Willow Tree / Bean Setting / Shooting"
  9. "I'll Go And 'List For A Sailor"
  10. "Princess Royal"
  11. "Cuckoo's Nest"
  12. "Morris Off"

[edit] Personnel

with

  • Shirley Collins - vocals on "The Willow Tree" and "Staines Morris"
  • Bert Cleaver - Pipe and tabor on "Vandals Of Hammerwich"
  • Ray Worman - Dances the Bacca Pipes Jig to "Greensleeves"
  • Chingford Morris Men - Stick dances on "Lads A'Bunchum" and "Young Collins"

[edit] References

  1. ^ Morris On. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.