Customer Reviews

Bones of All Men

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, let's get one thing straight-there's nothing "celtic" about this, as anyone who actually owned the CD would know. ... This is Renaissance rock, a combination which looks a bit dreadful in print but works remarkably well in performance. It's a hoot. It helps if you have some fondness for early music, but the reason this CD works so well is the musicians don't treat these pieces as musty canonical classics, but rather as cool tunes to stretch out on. In a way, this CD probably gives a better feel for what these tunes sounded like back in the day, in spirit anyway, since originally they weren't played reverently in hushed concert halls-they were played at parties, on street corners, in taverns, in people's houses. Most of these pieces are dances, after all. And the somewhat harsh, reedy sounds of many of the early wind instruments fits right in with the electric instruments and modern drum kit. Thompson shines as usual, he sounds like he's having a lot of fun, and Mattacks pushes things right along. Some of these songs really rock-- Le Forze d'Hercole/Lo Ballo Dell'Intorcia is, like, a total monster jam, with a huge drum foundation and Thompson and Pickett furiously trading licks.

Philip Pickett plays medieval wind instruments (shawms, crumhorns, recorders, etc.) and his wife Sharona plays medieval keyboards. Together, they set out to incorporate a modern rock beat into dance music from the 1500s. Who better to work with than Fairport Convention, the first band (many, many followed) to combine rock with traditional British jigs and reels? Four-fifths of Fairport's classic "Full House" lineup is here -- guitar legend Richard Thompson, rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol, bassist Dave Pegg, and drummer Dave Mattacks -- along with longtime Fairport producer Joe Boyd.

It should be illegal that these folks bring off such an unlikely marriage of sounds with such ridiculous ease. Every piece is note-perfect, from gentle ballads like "My Lady Careys Dompe" to the firm rock beat of "Tedesca Dita la Proficia". No matter how accomplished a music lover you are, you have not heard it all until you've heard Pickett's recorder and Thompson's guitar trade fevered four-bar solos at the end of "Lo Ballo Dell'Intorcia". Four of the eight pieces consist of multiple tunes medleyed together, in the spirit of Fairport arrangements like "Dirty Linen". This was probably my favorite album of 1998, and definitely my favorite album of 1598.

This is a marvelous CD. I've thought on and off for years about putting together a band to do electrified Renaissance music, but could never quite find the time nor the people to do it with. Alas, Richard Thompson, Philip Pickett and company have beaten me to it:-) Talk about a hard example to live up to!

In any event, the album is absolutely brilliant. The sound is pure Renaissance, pure folk-rock, and purely fabulous. It will probably make a few stuffy academics cringe, but anyone else who loves early music (or Fairport Convention) should definitely put _Bones of All Men_ high on their list of must-haves.

A great album of tunes from the middle ages and the Rennaisance performed on various ancient wind instruments and keyboards, with electric accompaniment from Richard Thompson and the Fairport Convention rhythm section. The krumhorns, shawms, virginals ( a lap-held harpsichord), etc. trade melody lines with Thompson's stinging electric guitar while the Fairport crew rock precisely underneath it all. Several beautiful slower pieces appear amidst the foot-stompers, and there are several extended, multi-part suites. Wonderful stuff, recommended to all Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull fans, as well as those interested in early music.

Hello....once again our good wandering minstrel, Richard Thompson, in company with Phillip Pickett has come up with a crackerjack album. But you'll have to be into period music to appreciate. This is not yer typical folk-rock type sound...it has a very definite Medieval source. All the compositions date back, some as far back as the 14th Century I see to remember. A lot of the instruments come from another age also. I'm penning this from the top of my head, don't have the liner notes in front of me or anything. If you want to hear what your Medieval ancestors grooved to, this is your opportunity, evenif it has been modernized a little. A jewel of an album...

A delightful album! Especially wonderful if you know and love 16th Century Italian dance music, as well as folk rock - as I do. Pickett is one of the world's leading Early Music performers and scholars, yet he hasn't at all forgotten his rock roots. If you like this, try "La Rocque 'n' Roll - Popular Music of Renaissance France / The Baltimore Consort" (Renaissance music & instruments, but played with little rock and roll tricks), and "Il Ballarino: Italian Dances, c.1600 / Broadside Band" (just Renaissance, no rock).

This is no doubt the best mixing of music written 400 years ago, with the various European styles, mixed with musical intruments of that period and todays rock music intruments, I have ever heard. I can't wait until Bones of All Men #2 comes out. Richard Thompson's guitar riffs and Phil Pickett's crumhorn/shawms just go "hand in hand" - Roll over David Munrow !

This release has been described by some as being "electric renaissance music". It is highly reminiscent of the early Renaissance period but only slightly turned up a knotch. I cannot call this offering "electric" because typically this would bring to mind the use of more modern-era instrumentation such as keyboards, synthesizers, rockier guitar elements, etc. Neither mellotron or moog can be be found here. For the most part traditional, (albeit amplified/mixed) wind instrumentation is used with the exception of periodic electric guitar/bass and drums and the electric guitar is far from adventurous. Much like Thompson-era Fairport Convention, nice listening but not overly exciting. For a harder, more muscular/electrified Renaissance sound, try Gryphon's "Red Queen To Gryphon Three" and "Midnight Mushrumps"; middle-period Steeleye Span ("Below The Salt" through "Rocket Cottage"); or Annie Haslam era Renaissance ("Ashes Are Burning" through " Scheherazade & Other Stories").

This album is a classic folk-rock intrumental album. In many ways it is the sequel to three other classics: The Albion Dance Band's 1976 record "The Prospect Before Us" (which featured Pickett, Mattacks and Nicol), and Dave Swarbrick's 1981 solo albums "Smiddyburn" and "Flittin'" (which featured Thompson, Pegg, Mattacks and Nicol and are now available in tandem). I was inspired to comment because of another customer reviewer who said the drummer didn't have a clue how to handle this music. Any body with an ear for this genre of music, and even a smattering of knowledge of British folk-rock knows that Dave Mattacks is THE greatest. Cheers.

Generally a good amalgamation of early and modern instruments. Although there is nothing particularly virtuosic here, the instrumentalists -- both early and modern instrument players -- do a good job of making the presentation work. I would have given the recording four stars if it weren't for a drummer who was obviously clueless as to how to handle this kind of music on a modern drum set.