Alan Hull: Back to Basics (1994)

James Alan Hull must surely be one of the most important singer-songwriters ever to come out of England, and forever will be associated with the mighty Lindisfarne. In the Eighties their Christmas tours were essential, with the mighty Hammy O transformed into a Geordie party. If it was like that in London, I often wondered what it must have been like at Newcastle City Hall (where Alan played with Lindisfarne on more than 120 occasions), although their live recordings do manage to provide some idea. Recorded in London in 1994, Alan provides guitar vocals while his Lindisfarne colleague Kenny Craddock provides more than “just” the accordion I am used to seeing him play, with keyboards and guitar as well. Fifteen songs on the CD, and although there are plenty of hits, he doesn’t just concentrate on the Lindisfarne heyday (some people have forgotten that ‘Fog On The Tyne’ topped the album charts early in 1972 for four weeks, remaining on the chart for 56 weeks in total) we as also get later songs such as “Day of the Jackal” and “Mother Russia” from what was then the most recent Lindisfarne album, ‘Elvis Lives On The Moon’.

The amount of reverb is just right, and when Alan sings “Winter Song” we feel his empathy and compassion deep inside our bones. Always a political writer, Ala had a knack for getting his message across and making the listener think while combining lyrics with incredible hooks and great melodies. Of course, no Alan Hull concert would be complete without the mighty words “Sittin’ in a sleazy snack bar sucking, Sickly sausage rolls. Slippin’ down slowly, slippin’ down sideways, Think I’ll sign off the dole”, which ends the set. There may not be the audience participation I remember from the concerts I attended (including an incredibly intimate gig in Harlesden), but overall this is a quite superb set which will be enjoyed by fans of great music, whether they know the originals or not.

Rating: 8/10

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