MAGNA CARTA

Much as with the first Fairport Convention album, Magna Carta's debut is more influenced by American West Coast folk rock of the Byrds/Simon and Garfunkel school than it is by traditional British folk. It's a fairly smooth, poppy example of the form, without much evidence of the flirting with a more progressive direction which would subsequently creep into their music (though keep your ears open and you may catch a whiff of it here and there). Think Byrds, or even better think America, though perhaps just a touch more baroque.

With crisp production and gorgeous vocal harmonies, it's certainly pleasant, and it's surprising to think they'd played their first gig mere months before releasing this, because their harmonies are so tight it's like they've been playing together forever.

Well, it's confirmed alright. I'm writing while listening to this on a perfect early spring Sunday afternoon, and the music sounds like the ideal soundtrack for the circumstance. It's so english in its idyllic setting, made of dreamy folk melodies, choral & strings arrangements, that there are no more options than love or hate. This could be easily being played on a country chapel for a small audience in formal clothes.

OK, I like it very much, but each person has to make a decision concerning this album, because it doesn't feature any of the distinctive traits that are usually required from a progressive recording: no excentric vocalist, no theatrical gestures, no agressive soloing from anyone, no metric or tonal oddities. The treats here, to my taste at least, are mainly the nice cello & viola parts scattered along the track sequence.

MAGNA CARTA's long and illustrious career spans six decades, from the release of their first self-titled album in 1969 through to their most recent album "The Fields of Eden" in 2015. Chris Simpson is the principal songwriter and the main driving force behind the band. There have been many line-up changes over the years with Chris Simpson always there at the helm as the mainstay of the group. Guitarist Davey Johnson featured in an early line-up of the band, who later went on to achieve great success with Elton John. Linda Taylor joined the line-up in the mid-1980's and she later went on to marry Chris Simpson in 1990. MAGNA CARTA's best-known song is "Highway To Spain", released as a single from their "Midnight Blue" album in 1982. Three albums preceded the release of "Lord of the Ages" (1973). These were:- Magna Carta (Aka Times of Change) (1969); Seasons (1970): & Songs from Wasties Orchard (1971). "Lord of the Ages" is the "proggiest" of all of MAGNA CARTA's albums and represented a pinnacle of their career. The stunning 10-minute-long title track with the spoken voice introduction is the real highlight of the album. The principal three-piece line-up for the "Lord of the Ages" album consisted of:- Chris Simpson (guitar, vocals); Glenn Stuart (vocals, spoken word); & Stan Gordon (guitar, vocals), with a number of session musicians providing back-up. The only thing missing from the album is a sweet-voiced female vocalist, which would have given the album five-star masterpiece status. The fantasy artwork on the album cover was designed by Roger Dean, who famously produced album covers for YES, ASIA & URIAH HEEP, amongst others.

This charming album is as English as a game of croquet with strawberries and cream on an English summer's day. The opening song "Wish It Was" sets the scene where the wistful singer paints a picture of an old man longing plaintively for lost love in these heartfelt lyrics:- "I'll find an old man lonely, In the autumn of his years, I'll find a young girl hoping, To lose herself in love, And to both I'd give a rainbow, For neither side can make it on their own, Young and old come together." Beautiful! The second song "Two Old Friends" is a sad refrain that wears its English heart on its sleeve and opens with these words:- "Two old friends of mine, I saw them only yesterday, They where there, But I got the feeling, They had gone away, And I was alone, Killing time, A stranger in the silence of their company." It's a gentle yet emotional song that really tugs at the heartstrings. Now comes the piece-de-resistance of the album, the title track "Lord of the Ages". This epic 10-minute-song opens beautifully in a long spoken word introduction in a charming cut-glass English accent. This magnificent song conjures up crystal-clear images of fantasy castles filled with goblins, elves, unicorns, and other such mythical beings. The songs opens in magical style with these words:- Lord of the ages rode one night, Out through the gateways of time, Astride a great charger, In a cloak of white samite, He flew on the air, Like a storm, Dark was the night, For he gathered the stars in his hand, To light a path through the sky, While the hooves of his charger, Made comets of fire, Bewitching all eyes, Beheld them, Lord of the ages, Nobody knows, Whether he goes." It's a bewitching song of phantasmagorical splendour, designed to transport you to a magical place during 10 minutes of sublime delight, including a wild acid guitar break. The album continues with the quaintly titled "Isn't It Funny (And a Little Bit Strange)", which ambles along nicely and features these silly and whimsical lyrics:- "I asked a coalman just for a laugh, How many times did he take a bath, As many times said he, as the bath takes me, Isn't it funny, and not a little bit strange, Like a biscuit on a plane, going south to the sun." It's a silly little song that delights in its English frivolity. We now come to Song No. 5 on the album, "Song of Evening" a very pleasant ballad with a countrified slide guitar sound, which opens with these lovely lyrics in the chorus:- "Then the song of the evening comes in, gentle harmony and lingers 'til the closing of the day, Just a song of evening flows on, Like some tumbling river, and like a river, flows away." It's another lyrical song guaranteed to charm and delight the listener in equal measure. The next song "Father John" is a heartfelt plea to a parish priest, which opens with a beautiful rare female vocal lead. The only pity is that the unknown female vocalist wasn't featured more on this superb album, which could have elevated the album to a five-star classic. The penultimate song "That Was Yesterday" features the nostalgic vocalist imploringly wishing for times gone by with these appealing words:- "Hopes and schemes, Like old men's dreams, Some have gone astray, The world could never change you said, But that was yesterday." A song with a powerful message that times don't always change for the better, which will resonate with many listeners. The final song "Falkland Grene" is a traditional acoustic Folk ballad, which was recorded way back when people still thought the Falkland Islands were somewhere just off the coast of Scotland, long before they were put on the world map in 1982.

This is timeless English Folk music with charming lyrics that wouldn't have sounded out of place at the signing of the original Magna Carta treaty in 1215. This marvellous album is truly the "Lord of the Ages" that will linger in the memory for a long time to come and is sure to garner new fans of classic Prog-Folk in the decades ahead.

This is just perfect.

Nicely crafted progfolk with lots of beautiful melodies and harmonies. The lower of voice Chris Simpson and the higher voice of Glen Stuart fit so perfectly. Sometimes it's so beautiful it makes me cry.

The comparison to The Moody Blues is also a valid one. Especially when the band rocks a bit. In the end it's all really safe and sugarsweet. But not all music should be doomy gloomy, in my opinion. The suite Seasons is really great. It features songs and poems, wich is also a bit Moody Blue-ish. But there's also more folky even americana stuff, wich adds to the overall colour of the album.

This album feels like a hippie-record. In that context it's excellent. For people who love the Mamas and the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel and Moody Blues, this is a must-have.

One of those portentous folk groups who could only have existed during the heady atmosphere of the late- sixties and/or early-seventies, British outfit Magna Carta have released a string of albums since their inception, though perhaps none have quite come close to matching the epic sound achieved on this bracing, Roger Dean-illustrated 1973 effort. Pretty much a straight folk record with occasional progressive-and-psychedelic flavours added for good measure, 'Lord Of The Ages' is notable chiefly for it's incredible title-track, a nine- minute mystical epic that starts out like a relic belonging to the 'Wicker Man' soundtrack before morphing into a truly staggering prog-rock opus complete with shrill guitar solo's and pseudo-hippie chanting. An incredible offering completely at odds with the rest of the album, it's a song that deserves multiple listens, both for it's slow, fantasy-themed intro and the blazing instrumental section which fills out the tracks surprisingly heavy middle-section. Therefore, if you do buy one Magna Carta album, make sure it's 'Lord Of The Ages'. The rest of the album alternates between twee acoustic ditties, groan-inducing celtic medleys and rather lame mystical lyricism, yet it's all worth it for what is a truly remarkable title-track and centre-piece to the album. They really don't make 'em like this any more. STEFAN TURNER, ISLINGTON, 2012

I had heard two Magna Carta albums before this one, and I expected this to be more progressive than them. Actually it is quite similar to Seasons. (In fact, Seasons includes a side-long title suite whereas this album's longest track 'Lord Of The Ages' is 10 minutes. However, it is more progressive that the suite.) Could it be the great Roger Dean cover art that makes this album more celebrated among progheads? Probably, and that's just fine with me: it IS a lovely painting. This is a very nice folk album with slight prog tendencies, just as also Seasons and Songs From The Wasties Orchard are. Maybe this album is closer to perfection, but the difference is not big. (Their debut 1969 is clearly undeveloped especially in terms of production, and their later albums, post-Lord, are generally rated much lower than these three.)

Looking at the list of players, one notices that the band itself is a trio, all handling vocals and (acoustic) guitars while all other istruments are played by guests. Well, the music is mostly acoustic with warm vocal harmonies, not far from SIMON & GARFUNKEL at their folkiest. Definitely it sits better under folk category than prog. But that's not a fault at all. This is among the finest folk-pop albums I've heard. I agree with a previous reviewer that there is a bit of an American feel, perhaps it comes from the softness and the absence of the rougher (more down-to-earth) side of British folk tradition. The songs are all ejoyable, mostly very peaceful and mellow, and the production is excellent. If you like that kind of music, this won't disappoint you. A shame that the album is only 36 minutes long.

A star studded guest list (including Rick Wakeman) should secure a good Magna Carta album.

Unfortunate, the result is a pedestrian folk rock album pretty far removed from anything Rick Wakeman has been involved in up to then. The songs here are simple, vocals based and the type of songs you do sitting around a camp fire somewhere in the forest/on the prairie/ anywhere but indoors. It is also pub folk rock which is very effective in that setting, but not particular exciting on a record. It is not effective either when the reviewer, that's me in third person, is stone cold sober either. Put me in a pub and give me ten (...5....) pints of beer and I may add a star. I think you get my drift.

The songs are not that good either. But the vocals and the instrumentations, which unfortunate is tilting towards a typical country & western set up, is not too bad. But I am not that amused by this album. Hence my lack of enthusiasm.

2 stars

Won't set the world on fire!

I own this largely forgettable album as part of a 2 CD collection called Ages And Seasons that also includes the albums Seasons, Songs From Wasties Orchard and Lord Of The Ages in their entirety. While these other three albums range from decent (Songs From Wasties Orchard) to good (Seasons, Lord Of The Ages), Martin's Café is a disappointment. We have here a collection of nondescript, short songs; acoustic Folk ballads, Folk Pop and a few Country and Rock 'N' Roll numbers. Whatever progressive touches that could be found on the group's previous albums, those influences had wholly evaporated by this point.

Martin's Café contains 11 tracks, all of which are between two and four minutes in length and wholly based on conventional song structures and predictable instrumentation (mostly acoustic guitar, drums and vocals with minimal use of electric guitar, piano and harmonica). It is listenable, but pretty dull. The melodies are not very memorable and I doubt I will even listen to this album again. Life is too short for that and there is so much good music! Still, this lacklustre album does not take away much from the value of the Ages And Seasons double disc set which contains at least two good albums. If you buy that collection, then Martin's Café is probably worth a listen. But do not, I repeat, do not, search out this album strictly on its own merits unless you are an utter Magna Carta fanatic (and I doubt such people exist!).

In its own right, this album is for completionists only.

Too much sugar for my liking.......

But it still works.

This album consists of one long suite (twenty two minutes long) and some shorter songs. The music is a blend of pop backed up with sugar sweet orchestral production and some good vocals in the vein of Art Garfunkel. Yes, the Simon & Garfunkel references are strong here. So is the references to the stuff Elvis Presley did after he left Las Vegas. I have an album full of his post-Las Vegas stuff (my first ever bought album......... when I was six years old) and Seasons gives me the same vibes. Even some The Beatles stuff anno their Indian music period has crept in here. The Beatles is therefore a good reference point too.

The problem with Magna Carta is that they have a very charming, disarming sound which pretty much remove the venom I normally have for bands like this. Their vocal harmonies is absolute excellent and in the same class as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Their music is not in the same class as CSN&Y, but it is still good. The twenty two minutes long suite Seasons has a good dynamic and is more than leaning on Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Which is good in my books. The shorter songs is not that good. But this is still a good, charming album from one of the best acoustic bands out there. I am not fond of this type of music. But Seasons is one of the better albums in this genre. A major plus for the cover artwork too.

3 stars

This is a pretty dreadful way of ending a day, listening to and reviewing one of Magna Carta's weakest albums. If not their weakest album.

The music here is pretty aimless country pop. Most of the songs seems to be made for the commercial pub-gigs market. Magna Carta's normally strongest card is their vocals and guitar harmonies which normally rivals the likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash. But even they are not present on this album. What remains is soulless pub-songs. Some of them are beefed up by some honky-tonk piano and harmonica in a probably attempts to get some airplay on the morning radio programmes. This only makes this album worse. The lyrics too is pretty dire. This album is a fully fledged turkey with all it's trimmings. Pass me the gravy, please.

1 star