Customer Reviews

Will Ye Gang Love

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Glasgow's Archie Fisher was an early fixture on UK folk revival scene, cutting several highly-regarded LPs in the late '60s, and establishing himself as one of the best new songwriters in the style. This mid-'70s album opens on a slightly strident tone, typical of this Scottish balladeer's semi-gruff style, but soon softens and settles into simple loveliness. Several of these songs are long-time favorites of mine, including "Lindsay" and "The Broom o' The Cowdenknowes", but the whole album is really rather lovely. An enchanting record with stripped-down arrangements, this features mostly traditional material, but several top-notch originals as well.

Archie Fisher is one of the great names of the British folk revival. His long performing career has left few recordings still in print, but this (from 1976) is the finest of them, and to have it available on CD is something to be thankful for. The instrumentation is sparse (Archie plays guitar, Allan Barty fiddle and mandola, and John Tams melodeon), but this serves only to bring into sharp focus the strength of the songs and the warmth and insight of his singing. Jeff Buckley fans will recognise "Looly, Looly" as the "Corpus Christi Carol". Other highlights are "Men O' Worth", written by Archie to mourn the passing of the farming and fishing life in Scotland's Northeast after the building of the offshore oil platforms, and the very moving title song. But there is not a flat moment on this cornerstone recording by one of the finest folk singers who ever picked up a guitar. All we need now is the reissue of his early work and his sister Ray's wonderful "Bonny Birdie" album!