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MADDEN AND HARRIS

Prog Folk • Australia


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Madden And Harris biography
A folk duo from Sydney Australia, Madden And Harris had the particularity of being a teacher/pupil team, Peter Harris being a classically trained music teacher who was a multi-instrumentalist (from keyboards to winds, harp and guitars), while Dave Madden was a guitar student of the former. The duo started playing together as early as 72, releasing a single in 74 (Remember Me and its flipside, A Simple Song, both track a pure UK/Celtic-like folk drenched in mellotron), before releasing their only album in 75, Fools Paradise. This album was released on their own private label, Jasmine Records, and only 500 copies were pressed. It was a suopebly illustrated gatefold album with an extremely fascinating innerfold, drawn by Jane Lerossognol and named Fool's Paradise. The album's sidelong suite is dedicated to this painting, and the arrangements are fully progressive some movements are drowned in mellotron drones. Harris once said of Fool's Paradise: "our music lies halfway between a 16th century chamber sound with light jazzy influenced breaks", but there is a pure 60/70's folk-rock vein to be found in their music as well.

The album sank without a trace and nothing is known of the two author's post M&H days in music. Apparently the album saw a reissue in the very early 90's, but we had to wait for the Korean label M2U to release this album in its full-blown splendour, a mini-Lp with the non-album single tracks added as sweet bonuses.



:::: bio written by Hugues Chantraine, Belgium ::::




Why this artist must be listed in www.progarchives.com :
essential prog folk



Discography:
Fools Paradise (75)

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MADDEN AND HARRIS discography


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3.63 | 27 ratings
Fools Paradise
1975

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MADDEN AND HARRIS Reviews


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 Fools Paradise by MADDEN AND HARRIS  album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.63 | 27 ratings

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Fools Paradise
Madden And Harris Prog Folk

Review by kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

3 stars This Aussie teacher-pupil pairing started playing in the early 1970s and released a single some time before their sole album "Fools Paradise" in 1975. Unfortunately, the re-release to which I am privy does not include the original single as bonus tracks, but, apart from nods to the Canterbury scene and parallels to the Basque movement, this sounds like it emanates from the earlier phase. It's mostly an appealing if undistinguished mixture of British Isles folk with the prog of its day, with an array of primarily acoustic instruments, requisite vocal harmonies, and Gothic atmospheres. Bands like MAGNA CARTA, TIR NA NOG, and FAIRPORT CONVENTION come to mind, but, in the more progressive moments I recall CARAVAN or PINK FLOYD. The album peters out after several solid psych pieces in the early going though, and even the partially achieved ambitions of the title suite don't fully resurrect it, heartening lead guitar and bass lines notwithstanding. For all its legendary status,"Fools Paradise" is little more than another decent garden variety prog folk album of its era

 Fools Paradise by MADDEN AND HARRIS  album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.63 | 27 ratings

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Fools Paradise
Madden And Harris Prog Folk

Review by sl75

4 stars I'd never heard of these guys before I saw them listed here - and days later, stumbled across their album at Vicious Sloth Collectables (for $1000! - I went away to think about it, then found a secondhand CD copy on the web for $40, funnily enough on Vicious Sloth's imprint). It's almost impossible to find any information on these guys other than what appears here, even on the more comprehensive resources on Australian music. And they are so unique within the Australian scene. Their songwriting skills are strong, whether on the shorter poppier tracks that fill the first side or the title epic that fills the second side. The arrangements are wonderful, the interplay between the two guitars, and the variety of additional instruments Peter Madden plays, always the right sound at the right time, with a great contribution from their guest rhythm section. The childrens choir that opens the title track is not the best choir I've ever heard - very breathy tone - but at least they're in tune, even when singing tritones. The standout tracks for me are "Wind At Eve", "O'Weary Brain", and the sidelong title track.
 Fools Paradise by MADDEN AND HARRIS  album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.63 | 27 ratings

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Fools Paradise
Madden And Harris Prog Folk

Review by debrewguy
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

2 stars I'll keep this one brief ... for me anyways.

First the great and good. The bookends - Wishes, and A Simple Song, are among the best prog folk I've heard. David Cousins would have killed to have songs this good on Grave new World or Bursting at the Seams. As George Burns used to tell up & coming comedians - Open with a bang, close with a bang, and most people won't mind whatever is in the middle.

Now the so-so ... Fool's Paradise, Margaret O'Grady, And Fools Paradise (suite) sound like outtakes from the Zombies Odyssey & Oracle. Good enough, but no better than an out-take.

The remainder sound like what I imagine would be leftovers from 1967-69 Donovan sessions. A tad psychedelic, a bit pop, a bit playful. Nothing I would reach for my wallet to buy.

So .... some understandably may see a porg folk masterpiece. Others, including a relative neophyte like myself, this is but passable, and would leave only a few things for a compilation ...

 Fools Paradise by MADDEN AND HARRIS  album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.63 | 27 ratings

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Fools Paradise
Madden And Harris Prog Folk

Review by AmericanProgster

5 stars There is not much more that I can say about this album that the previous two didn't. This is simply the best prog folk album out there. It's full of every emotion a human can produce, from happy and humorous to dark and sorrowful.

There is a lot of mystery as to what happened to Dave Madden and Peter Harris. The only thing I can clarify is that in 1975 or 1976 Peter Harris released one solo album called Ruby on the RITZ label, said to be in the same style as Fool's Paradise. Currently any copy you'll find will cost you about 250-1000 USD! As to what happened to Dave Madden? I don't know, maybe he became a teacher himself and made a living that way, your guess is as good as mine.

Madden & Harris' Fool's Paradise is a beautiful masterpiece of Prog Folk. 5 Stars

-AP

 Fools Paradise by MADDEN AND HARRIS  album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.63 | 27 ratings

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Fools Paradise
Madden And Harris Prog Folk

Review by AlexUC

4 stars Progarchives has showed me some of my favorites albums. In this case, this album is up my personal top 20.

Madden & Harris was a teacher-student Australian duo that released one only album. Featuring a pure folk rock style, and it seems that these guys left all their creativity for one big shot, called Fools Paradise.

The music is pleasant, very calm and mellow, too much folk rock with some progressive touches. Most of their music is strings based, with extensive use of acoustic guitar, cello, violin, piano and some isolated percussion that works very very good. There are some touches of keyboard and synthesizer.

Most of the rhythms are simple, but very tricky, since with only three spins you'll be singing oh, you've got to live in a crazy world... without noticing. Just listen the opening track, and taste the beautiful sounds of excellent simple music. Some tracks are a little bit more dynamic, like O'weary brain and Fools Paradise Pt2, but also with extremely contagious rhythms.

The epic 20 min track isn't really an epic. It's a sort of copy-paste unrelated songs, that would be better as separate tracks. However, this track features some beautiful darker sections, like E.I.E.I.O. Just lovely. One thing I'd remove too is the taratata, tata, taratata, tatarataratata from Fools Paradise Pt2, very cliche for my taste.

There are some counterpointed voices, a la Gentle Giant, but with only two voices :D, that sounds very good too. In general the vocals are excellent, undoubtedly Peter Harris has an excellent normal voice that fits perfectly for the style. However, don't expect a superb singer like Hammill or Gabriel, that's not the case.

In general, the music is really good, nothing new (since this is 75). Some very good moments, others not so, but as a whole, an excellent addition to your collection. Don't miss it, mmm well, if you can find it :D

4.3 PA scale.

 Fools Paradise by MADDEN AND HARRIS  album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.63 | 27 ratings

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Fools Paradise
Madden And Harris Prog Folk

Review by Sean Trane
Special Collaborator Prog Folk

5 stars Hard to believe that such progressive folk beauties keep appearing in the new millennium, as if crawling out of the woodwork after a long hibernation. This Sydney duo of folkies (a rather unusual combination of teacher and pupil) only released one superb album on their own private label, Jasmine Records, before sinking from the radars' spectrum and into oblivion. This album is a pure gem in its presentation as in its musical content: an often medieval-sounding progressive folk with delicate arrangements, graced by an opulent gatefold with a rich outer artwork an a stunning inner painting of the album's name, courtesy of artist Jane Lerossignol, and dedicated to the sidelong suite gracing the vinyl's flipside. Teacher Peter Harris sings and plays most of the instruments (from keyboards to winds, harp and guitars) except for the guitars, bass and drums, while student Dave Madden handles the guitars and sings and the duo is often joined by a very apt bass and drums section, giving it a true rock spirit.

The opening Wishes is a haunting piece of dramatic-sounding folk in the Bert Jansch mode with cello, harp and guitar accompaniment, with the cello drones sending chills through your back as the track unfolds and a mellotron soloes away, with the two partners trading vocal lines, the track almost dying in a Harmonium fashion before picking up again in a stunning, jaw-dropping beauty and finally ending. Following is a short condensed recall of the sidelong title track, but it might be a bit short to call this a preview or an epilogue, as musically or sonically, it doesn't offer the same thrills, but nevertheless. FP pt2 has much to offer, but ends in a frustrating fade-out. The Wind At Eve is a superb ambient folk piece, again flooded in mellotron washes, with both singers trading melancholic lines. You'd believe yourself on the Winter track of Harmonium's fifth season album. At times, the prog folk duo of Subway (releasing their only album in 72 in Paris) is also somewhat similar to this duo of troubadours.

However, the rather out-of-place Margaret O'Grady is sticking out like a sore thumb with its barroom piano roll-out-the-barrel folk tune. Not atrocious a song in itself, but almost atrociously out of place, but apparently this is the track that was thought of as a promotion for the album. In the same upper mood spirit is the O'Weary Brain track, which takes a small but refreshing musical delire (almost Stackridge- like), and while it ends in a slow church-organ growl, it gives an intro for the closing Cool September, which keeps the organ flowing openly throughout the track. The more conventional I Heard A Man Say is more in the Fairport Convention mould with a soft flute wraps up the opening side of this album.

The stunning four-movement centre/masterpiece title track filling the flipside of the vinyl is obviously the "pièce de résistance" of Fools Paradise. The first movement (A Children Of Ice) starts on a children choir over guitar arpeggios, providing some charming but naïve ambiance, before some brutal drums shake you from your torpor (providing an ideal change of movement as Will You Be There is launched without much warning), while the choir keeps along, now accompanied by one of our troubadours. A piano, a bass, than an electric guitar successively join up, the later for a soaring fuzzed-up solo, the choir having by now disappeared, replaced by Harris' organ than a second passage of the song sequence. Some dissonant guitar arpeggios open-up "E.I.E.I.O" (don't ask ;-), which is a short and quirky but troubled song. The sinister lengthy ending of this track is the aptly titled End Game, first with huge bass line (thinking of Caravan's C'Thlu Thlu bass line) accompanied by string mellotron twirls, abruptly ended by a baritone sax and acoustic guitar strumming and gentle vocals from both M&H, but soon the ambiance becomes more menacing

Clocking at 20:16, the title track is simply Australia's best song, ranking up there with Rainbow Theatre, millions of miles ahead of the botched up Seb Hardie or Windchase. The non-album single bonus tracks are of the same calibre of FP's first side and therefore add even more value to the CD re-issue. The A- side remember me is a gentle but superb mellotron-drenched prog folk song, while its flipside is slightly rockier, but merllotron-laden as well.

One of the more spectacular aural albums discovered by yours truly, M&H's sole album Fools Paradise is one of those 24-carat unearthed gems, that needs no refining. If I have spoken of Bert Jansch, Harmonium, Caravan, Subway, Fairport, Stackridge, I could also cite Comus or Spirogyra (without the wickedness and the acid vocals), and you might just get an idea how superb this album really is. RUN FOR IT, before it's OOP!!!!

Thanks to Sean Trane for the artist addition.

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