The full title of this album is ‘Paradise and Thorns: Gloucster Docks Revisited and Other Tales of Love’, as this is both a sequel and a reworking of his 1987 album ‘By Gloucester Docks I Sat Down and Wept’, an album which has been hailed by many as one of the most important releases from throughout his long and incredible musical journey. That album told a very personal love story, told from an unusual perspective in that Ashley had actually written the songs, the poems and letters as the story itself was unfolding. Only later did he realise that all those fragments could come together to tell some of the story. The resulting album saw Ashley bring in many of his musical friends to assist with the telling of the tale, using spoken word and cinematic clips where relevant, with the result being a story that was far more than “just” an album.
But in many ways the story itself was unfinished, and when Ashley finally re-established contact with the true-life heroine of this story, he knew it was time to revisit the album of thirty years previously. This is a double disc set, with the first being both a continuation and recap of the story from the first album (there is a recommendation on the booklet that if one doesn’t already have a copy of ‘Gloucester Docks’ then it should be purchased), while the second continues the theme of being in love. The woman in question has never been formally identified, although it has always been thought that her name is Pat, and that is emphasised again with the first letters of this album title.
If ever an album was designed to be sat and listened to intently, from beginning to end, then this is it. Every time I listen to this I find myself being transported away, intently becoming involved in both the music and the story. With just a digital copy to review I haven’t seen the booklet, but apparently it is a major piece of work in itself, with plenty of information. As to the album, it is hard to review just because there are so many different styles and facets on show. For example, “The Meadow” is a mere thirty seconds long with some background sounds as Ashley recites a line from Louis MacNeice (a poet I haven’t even thought about since studying his work for A-Level English 35 years ago). Compare that with layers of violins and acoustic guitar, or the use of harpsichord, or the different singers he has brought in as he mixes old recordings with new ones, to create something which is very special indeed. It reels, it moves, it takes the listener on a journey and is totally and utterly compelling.
The Guv’nor received the following accolade from none other than Bob Dylan in 2015, when he said “Ashley Hutchings is the single most important figure in English folk rock.” Here he demonstrates why that is the case, as jazz, folk, rock, poetry, spoken word, songs, dance music and so much more all combine to assist in the telling of the tale. While listening to the album I have been perusing his website, which is a little quirky and a lot of fun, just like his music, and came across a quite I had never seen before, from the wonderful Sandy Denny, “Stern but always kind, strict but generous, wise …a bit like God”. With Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, and the many different iterations and forms of the Albion Band, Ashley has been pivotal in promoting English music, and here he has again produced a masterpiece with wonderful songs, performances and production. Essential, absolutely essential.
Rating: 10/10
—-
Track Listing:
– Disc: 1
1. Elegie XII
2. Kitty Come Down The Lane
3. The Meadow
4. Art Nouveau
5. St Valentine’s Day Sonnet
6. Trip To Bath
7. Sultana Cake
8. Cul-de-sac
9. Our Stolen Season
10. Has This Hotel So Many Secrets ?
11. Evil-may-care In Our Dancing Shoes
12. Eugene Onegin
13. It Was My Heart
14. I Dreamed A Dream
15. Thirty-two Years And A Lifetime
16. Epilogue / French Catholic Wedding Tune
– Disc: 2
1. Avona And The Giant
2. Above The Angels
3. Aire And Angells
4. If There’s No Other Way
5. If Love Has Wings
6. The Swift
7. Such A Crazy Marriage
8. Polly On The Shore
9. I Remember Every Detail
10. I Was Thinking Of Clarissa
11. Welcome To The World
12. Notes From The Journal Os A Quick-tempered Man – Part One
13. Sykaleshe
14. Notes From The Journal Os A Quick-tempered Man – Part Two
15. Lost In The Haze
16. Romeo And Juliet Excerpt / Song From Cymbeline
—-
Links:
https://ashleyhutchings.co.uk/
https://www.talkingelephant.co.uk/
