TIME AND TIDE

Faraway Folk were a consummate British folk group who are little known outside the Brixham region of Devon England, and probably not even so much there. The husband- wife duo of John and Shirley Turk had been dabbling in traditional and sometimes contemporary folk since the fifties, but this was their first proper studio release with a full complement of musicians (they’d had a promo and a live release a couple years’ prior).

The songs here are a combination of traditional tunes and originals, all delivered with enthusiasm and full of charming multipart vocals. John Hartshorn and Judy Whittington filled out the group, but there are a number of guest artists who appear throughout as well.

The band’s opus would be the lightly acid-tinged ‘Seasonal Man’ released a few years after this one, delivered at the peak of the group’s creative output and just before they would lapse into a lengthy period of ever more mellow and mainstream output before fading into obscurity altogether. Despite the rather unremarkable album cover, the songs here are quite decent, but it would be a stretch to call them progressive. The instrumentation is certainly eclectic and folksy, ranging from acoustic guitar to mandolin, kazoo, string bass and bongos while the lyrics are heavily steeped in British traditional and regional themes.

A few songs stand out, particularly the toe-tapping (despite the title) “Sinner Man” with it’s three-part harmonies; “Got no Time” with a brief but engaging mild bluesy guitar riff; and a rendition of the traditional “Lowlands” that includes female vocals second only to Anne Brigg’s own heartbreaking version of that song.

This album will not likely appeal to hard-core progressive music fans, and may be seen as little more than a novelty for those who prefer a more modern sound (or for that matter those who prefer a traditional sound). These songs are somewhere in between, fitting for anyone who has a few Heron, Dulcimer or even Albion Band records in their collection. If that’s you then enjoy; for me I’m going to tag this with a rating just this side of three stars and a nod of appreciation to the Turks and company for their effort.

peace