 | | Reviews | | |  LINDISFARNE
The River Sessions (Double CD)
River CD005
Here are our heroes, captured with the classic Alan Hull/Ray Jackson line-up at Glasgow Apollo in late 1982, with a second short set of solo Alan Hull sessions for Radio Clyde six years earlier. (Established in 2003, 'River' is the commendable label set up to manage and make available Scottish Radio's music archive and there are over 600 concert/studio recordings in its library.)
Go-ooo-oo-oood evening Glasgow! Slap Disc 1's 16 tracks on the stereo and there they are in your living room, road-scuffed Marshall stacks and beery breath, a total absence of synth-drenches with Jacka bawling, "I hope we're gonna warm you up tonight, 'cos it's bloody freezing!" A live act and a fairly folky acoustic one at that, before cutting the first album Nicely Out Of Tune in 1970, this in-concert gem shows that the years since had not mellowed them, nor had they lost their passion. It's long- term kudos we are talking here, with their uplifting majestic songs taking centre stage. Not only the hits from the early albums - Lady Eleanor, Meet Me On The Corner and the gorgeous Fog On The Tyne - but also Same Way Down and Nights from then-current LP, Sleepless Nights hit hard in all the right places.
Adventurous reworking falls low on the agenda but what Lindisfarne does, it does remarkably well. All meat, no fat, no wasted notes or harmonies and these wise, wistful and exquisitely crafted songs were joyfully received that December evening. This album warms the soul. Never ones to do things the easy way - tour-weary probably - the band still wanted to have a good time and share it with everybody else in the building. Demonstrably as solid as a rock, vital, energetic, and Jackson - a beacon of showmanship - tells the Glaswegians, "You're not the biggest audience we've had but you're certainly the BEST!" Was a good time had by all? What do you think? Smells like Tyne spirit!
By contrast Disc 2 captures main songwriter Alan Hull in-radio-studio-with-sparse-acoustic-guitar/vox mode and featuring four songs from his solo LP Squire plus a couple more from the sublime Pipedream with a unique 1978 piano version of Angels At Eleven that only surfaced in band format the following year. A rich picking for Hull trainspotters and a fascinating, compelling archive of an evocative, sensitive writer who even in these informal settings still gives it 110%. His death in 1995 robbed the world of a sincere deep-thinker not afraid to lay his emotions bare and speak his mind. A poignant yet powerful selection and a worthwhile bonus.
I DO believe the clear white light will guide us on.
Clive Pownceby - August 2004
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 Just Proves what brilliance Lindifarne were, Keepin the beacon burning. A sad lod to the music industry now the band have retired. Saw many of there last shows.
Tommy D, Edinburgh
Lindisfarne "the river sessions" An excellent album with a wonderful bonus of Alan Hull solo.
Colin Reay, washington T & W
Another fantastic album from Alan and the band. Lifetime achievment award long overdue
John Allett, Rugby | | | | | | |  |
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Folk & Acoustic
