There’s a clue in the title. Officer! have always been unembarrassed
to use whatever musical style and literary device is suitable in the
service of a song, often surfing genres and decades within a single
track and back again, so of course this ’folk’ collection makes perfect
sense… a recent reviewer claimed ”Hobbs has always been an old
folkie at heart”, so Kiran (oops) will no doubt now feel vindicated with
his dubious judgement. In any case, on a cold November in 2015 the
I.C.A. Officer! band, with additional experts added, assembled to
record a selection of beloved songs of ’traditional’ style and vintage,
some of these would go on to be be included in subsequent Officer!
live sets, it’s a selection of songs that breathes through the
performance, which is live and unadorned, as good Folke should be.
We have selected songs of folk who love in the present,
live by the air and rant and rave.
Of the endurance of trees
(despite dieback the ash has fought back).
Of the river that flows all night long
(Thanks to Kathleen Raine for her poem Amo Ergo Sum)
I love therefore I am. And of the hound that knows its calling.
Mary Currie
Recorded in London, 15th November 2015
Engineered and Produced by Alison Craig
Mastered by Andrew Jacques
Cover photo by Lisa Lavery, layout by Andrew Jacques
℗ Life and Living Records LALR 022
credits
released July 3, 2020
O Mistress Mine
Poem by William Shakespeare
Tune by William Byrd (1540-1623)
Mary Currie - voice
Ed Bernez - drums, percussion
Mick Hobbs - ukulele
Tilly Bean - electric bass
Joey Stack - backing vocals
Will Morland - violin
Lydia Fischer - flute
Aimée Leonard - bodhran, backing vocals
Boys of Bedlam
Words from the writing of Thomas d'Urfey
'Pills to Purge Melancholy' 1719/20
Tune - Dave Moran, Nic Jones, arranged by Officer!
Mary Currie - voice
Ed Bernez - drums, percussion
Mick Hobbs - service bell, acoustic guitar
Tilly Bean - electric bass
Joey Stack - backing vocals
Will Morland - violin
Lydia Fischer - flute
Aimée Leonard - bodhran, backing vocals
Oak and Ash and Thorn
Words Rudyard Kipling, Tune Peter Bellamy,
arranged by Officer!
Mary Currie - voice, shruti
Ed Bernez - drums, percussion
Mick Hobbs - acoustic guitar
Tilly Bean - electric bass
Joey Stack - keyboard, backing vocals
Will Morland - violin
Lydia Fischer - oboe
Aimée Leonard - bodhran, backing vocals
Crazy Man Michael
Words and music Dave Swarbrick
and Richard Thompson,
arranged by Officer!
Mary Currie - voice
Ed Bernez - drums, percussion
Mick Hobbs - guitar
Tilly Bean - electric bass
Joey Stack - keyboard
Will Morland - violin
Lydia Fischer - flute
Aimée Leonard - bodhran
Because I Love
Words adapted from 'Amo Ergo Sum' by Kathleen Raine,
musical arrangement by Officer!
Mary Currie - voice
Ed Bernez - drums, percussion
Mick Hobbs - piano, bell
Tilly Bean - electric bass
Joey Stack - keyboard, backing vocals
Will Morland - violin
Lydia Fischer - flute
Aimèe Leonard - bodhran, backing vocals
While Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping
Traditional 19c.
This arrangement from the singing of June Tabor
Officer! has always been around, from its inception in 1984 to the present day. Invariably Mick Hobbs is at the thick of it,
with an ever-increasing range of collaborators, participants and guests. Due for release in 2021 is Officer’s next big item – a rousing set of thumping tunes that pay hommage to the unforgettable and unforgotten Cornelius Cardew....more
I hope you can find a way to support an organisation which can do something in Syria. They really haven't got much to rely on at the moment, due to the already explosive war situation before the earthquake. The Jabber
a truly brilliant album in every sense of the word, how many times can one band amaze you, love them dearly, again ridiculously hard to just pick one track but today it's = johnthescone