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EARTH RECORDINGS

Dave Evans

Elephantasia - 2023 Reissue

    ‘Elephantasia’ is a glorious folk opus from 1972, long lost and attaining a legendary reputation for its candour and creativity, from the late Bangor-born singer/songwriter Dave Evans. Finally, the LP sees the light of day again via Earth Recordings, it is a true gem from the vaults of British folk history. For fans of Nick Drake, Bill Fay and Davy Graham – with a touch of Michael Chapman, Bert Jansch and Fahey for good measure.

    Dave Evans’ story is like a Pinter play; he sailed the seas in the merchant navy, was taught guitar in a brief interlude by the “mythical” Morocco John, wound up sharing a room with Steve Tilston in 1963 when they attended Loughborough Art College and ran the local folk club, while learning to make stringed instruments, the art of wine making and ceramics. Over the next year, Dave got a domestic 2-track reel-to-reel tape recorder and experimented with its two speeds to produce the tracks ‘Elephantasia’ and ‘Lady Portia’. He pulled in members of local prog band Squidd, including latter day Hawkwind member Steve Swindells on keyboards, John Merritt on bass and Rodney Matthews on drums, who also designed the ‘Elephantasia’ album cover, and went on to become a renowned fantasy artist.

    ‘Elephantasia’ the album was originally released in 1972, fully exposing Dave’s finger picking style, lilting vocal and his dalliance with the tape manipulation. It sold around 2000 copies and over the years became a talked about rarity, deemed too progressive for folk, too folk for the new prog heads. In best plot-thickening style, Dave tried two more releases and then disappeared. The scant sleeve notes recounted the songs’ creation, featuring tales of experimentation in sound inspired by elephants, old memories recounted with all of the unpleasant bits edited out, storylines for escapists, the residents of St Agnes Park, broken beauty queens and a fat feline. It’s an eclectic but beautifully fluent narrative from a finger picking maestro with a warm and engaging vocal style that wowed Peel and Whispering Bob back in the day.

    Dave Evans sadly died in April 2021. Earth Recordings is proud to reissue ‘Elephantasia’ for the first time in over 50 years, in collaboration with his estate and original Village Thing producer Ian A. Anderson.

    TRACK LISTING

    Side A
    A1 Only Blue
    A2 Elephantasia
    A3 Lady Portia
    A4 That's My Way
    A5 On The Run
    Side B
    B1 St. Agnes Park
    B2 Beauty Queen
    B3 Ten Ton Tasha
    B4 Earth, Wind, Sun & Rain
    B5 Take Me Easy

    Bert Jansch

    Avocet (Limited Art Print Edition)

      Bert Jansch was often quoted as saying “I’m not playing for anyone, just myself” and this feels no more apparent than on 1979’s ‘Avocet’, his beautifully meditative paean to British birds. This isn’t to say that Jansch was throwing commercial success to the wind, or was unaware of his audience, more that this album feels like a uniquely personal reflection of him. (The subject of British birds is one that Jansch held close to his heart. Indeed, just preceding this album was his 1978 split 7” single with Shirley Collins - with proceeds in aid of the RSPB.)

      For fans of Jansch this is often the album that is singled out as his best work. The freedoms of a post-Pentangle career are much in evidence; folk rock and even trad folk give way to an album that is not only without lyrical accompaniment but really quite orchestral, classical even, in its composition. There are surprises in particular in ‘Lapwing’ (a dirge-like waltz that wouldn’t be out of place on a Nils Frahm album) and ‘Bittern’ (which speaks of Arthur Russell’s more experimental pieces).

      Featuring ex-bandmate Danny Thompson, alongside Martin Jenkins (Dando Shaft, amongst others) with sleeve notes by Jansch aficionado Colin Harper (author of ‘Dazzling Stranger: Bert Jansch and the British Folk and Blues revival’).

      Limited Art print edition, reissued as part of ‘Bert Jansch 80’, celebrating the enduring legacy of Bert Jansch’s peerless guitar playing and songwriting, comes with 6 high-quality, lithograph art prints (by UK illustrator Hannah Alice) representing each of the birds on the album, held in a heavy board die-cut gatefold sleeve. This unique packaging is fully interactive - the cover image is interchangeable with any of the prints, though each one is perfectly frameable too. This edition also features three bonus tracks as a download, recorded live in Italy in in 1977 (‘Bittern’; ‘Kingfisher’; ‘Avocet’), as well as Danny Thompson’s recollections of the making of ‘Avocet’, recorded by Dave Thompson (Mojo Magazine) in typical style.

      TRACK LISTING

      01: Avocet
      02: Lapwing
      03: Bittern
      04: Kingfisher
      05: Osprey
      06: Goldfinch Bonus Tracks ( DL Only ) Recorded Live In Italy, 1977
      07: Bittern
      08: Kingfisher
      09: Avocet

      Bert Jansch

      Toy Balloon (RSD23 EDITION)

        THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

        Toy Balloon receives itís long overdue debut vinyl pressing, featuring new artwork. Caught somewhere between traditional folk and Janschís penchant for the blues, ëToy Ballooní, from 1998, was the elder statesman of British folkís 20th studio album. Featuring a host of fantastic solo performances along with a brace of bigger sounding moments with a band including former Dire Straitsí Pick Withers on drums and the legendary Pee Wee Ellis on sax, the mainly self-penned opus also boasts a hypnotic cover of the standard ëShe Moves Through The Fairí and an evocative reading of Jackson C Frankís ëCarnivalí.

        Bert Jansch

        When The Circus Comes To Town (RSD23 EDITION)

          THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

          When The Circus Comes To Town receives it's long overdue first vinyl pressing, featuring new artwork. From 1995, the 19th studio album from the revered legend of the British folk community, saw Bert Jansch in a purple patch surrounded by the umpteenth folk revival and new generations "discovering" his virtuoso playing. Featuring 15 self-penned originals and bringing both sax and slide guitar into the mix on occasion, 'When The Circus Comes To Town' finds Jansch in fine voice as well as with swift fingers which feature on a brace of standout solo acoustic numbers.

          Pearls Before Swine

          One Nation Underground (RSD23 EDITION)

            THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

            Double LP expanded re-issue of Pearls Before Swine's classic debut, plus unreleased extras, including demos, rehearsals and alternative versions. With faithfully recreated original sleeve and extensive notes, all created in collaboration with the Tom Rapp Estate. The psychedelic-folk debut from "one of the most erudite, literate minds in rock" a stunning piece of work, from the nightmarish sleeve art - the "Hell Panel" from Hieronymus Bosch's 15th century painting "Garden Of Delights" - to the strange yet powerful songs." AllMusic. "From moody, poetic gems to the anger and intensity of the bitter anti-war anthem, "Uncle John". Fiercely unique and individual sounding." Goldmine. "A high of psychedelic delicacy and deceptive urgency, one of his masterpieces." Rolling Stone.

            Pearls Before Swine

            Balaklava (RSD23 EDITION)

              THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

              Double LP expanded re-issue of Pearls Before Swine's follow up to "One Nation Underground", plus a second disc of unreleased extras including demos, rehearsals and alternative versions. With a faithfully recreated original sleeve and extensive notes, produced in collaboration with the Tom Rapp Estate. "The near-brilliant follow-up intended as a defiant condemnation of the Vietnam War, it doesn't offer anthemic, fist-pounding protest songs. Instead, Tom Rapp vented his anger through surrealist poetry, irony, and historical reference." AllMusic. "A high point in his recorded output." Goldmine. "A high of psychedelic delicacy and deceptive urgency, one of his masterpieces." Rolling Stone.

              Pearls Before Swine

              The Wizard Of Is

                Remastered and re-appraised 31-track collection of Pearls Before Swine rarities from the private tape collection of the late, great Tom Rapp. Also available as an expanded 45 track double CD collection.

                For the first time on vinyl, this beautiful collection brings together alternate versions of Rapp originals ‘The Jeweler’, ‘Translucent Carriages’ and ‘Rocket Man’. It also includes jaw-dropping covers of Rapp’s contemporaries Cohen, Dylan and Joni Mitchell, with bonus download material featuring seven amazing live versions plus a never before released intimate show at The Other End circa 1976.

                A goldmine of possibilities from a prospector with a silver tongue and stories to tell. ‘The Wizard Of Is’ is a weird and wonderful trip inside its creator’s mind, from sonnets and space hymns to stories of revolution and the war. It’s an American Gothic fantasy that straddles old tyme America and the outer edges of an imagined stratosphere.

                “Extremely influential.” Rolling Stone.
                “A more intoxicating version of folk psychedelia.” Wire magazine.
                “Shimmering folk hymns.” Spin magazine.
                “Unabashedly poetic.” Crawdaddy.

                TRACK LISTING

                VINYL
                Side A
                A1 Where Is Love?
                A2 Butterflies (Alternate Version)
                A3 Love, You Are Not Alone
                A4 Grace Street
                A5 Translucent Carriages (Alternate Version)
                A6 Space
                Side B
                B1 Rocket Man (Alternate Version)
                B2 City Of Gold (Alternate Version)
                B3 For Free
                B4 Wizard Of Is (Alternate Version)
                B5 Riegal (Alternate Version)
                B6 Sail Away (Alternate Version)
                B7 Footnote/When The War Began
                Side C
                C1 Everybody's Got Pain (Alternate Version)
                C2 Crawling Towards Bethlehem
                C3 I'm Going To The City (Alternate Version)
                C4 Can't Go Back
                C5 Prisoner Of War
                C6 Another Time (Alternate Version)
                C7 If You Don't Want To (I Don't Mind) (Alternate Version)
                C8 (Oh Dear) Miss Morse (Alternate Version)
                Side D
                D1 The Jeweler (Alternate Version)
                D2 The Lincoln Dream
                D3 There's No Other (Like My Baby)
                D4 Roadside Hotel
                D5 Song About A Rose (Alternate Version)
                D6 Mary Mary
                D7 Crew Man
                D8 Suzanne
                D9 Oh Sister
                D10 Full Fathom Five/I Shall Not Care
                Bonus Download Tracks
                1 Translucent Carriages (Live)
                2 Island Lady (Live)
                3 Morning Song (Live)
                4 Marshall (Live)
                5 Ballad To An Amber Lady / I Saw The World (Live)
                6 Prayers Of Action / Candle (Live)
                7 Rocket Man (Live)

                CD
                Disc One
                1 Where Is The Love?
                2 Butterflies (Alternate Version)
                3 Love, You Are Not Alone
                4 Grace Street
                5 Translucent Carriages (Alternate Version)
                6 Space
                7 Rocket Man (Alternate Version)
                8 City Of Gold (Alternate Version)
                9 For Free
                10 Wizard Of Is (Alternate Version)
                11 Riegal (Alternate Version)
                12 Sail Away (Alternate Version)
                13 Footnote / When The War Began
                14 Translucent Carriages (Live)
                15 Island Lady (Live)
                16 Morning Song (Live)
                17 Marshall (Live)
                18 Ballad To An Amber Lady / I Saw The World (Live)
                19 Prayers Of Action / Candle (Live)
                20 Rocket Man (Live)
                Disc Two
                1 Everybody's Got Pain (Alternate Version)
                2 Crawling Towards Bethlehem
                3 I'm Going To The City (Alternate Version)
                4 Can't Go Back
                5 Prisoner Of War
                6 Another Time (Alternate Version)
                7 If You Don't Want To (I Don't Mind) (Alternate Version)
                8 (Oh Dear) Miss Morse (Alternate Version)
                9 The Jeweler (Alternate Version)
                10 The Lincoln Dream
                11 There's No Other (Like My Baby)
                12 Roadside Hotel
                13 Song About A Rose (Alternate Version)
                14 Mary Mary
                15 Crew Man
                16 Suzanne (Alternate Version)
                17 Oh Sister
                18 Full Fathom Five / I Shall Not Care
                19 Frog In The Window (Live At The Other End, 1972)
                20 There Was A Man (Live At The Other End, 1972)
                21 The Jeweler (Live At The Other End, 1972)
                22 Another Time (Live At The Other End, 1972)
                23 Every Change Is A Release (Live At The Other End, 1972)
                24 Rocket Man (Live At The Other End, 1972)
                25 Love/Sex (Live At The Other End, 1972)

                Trees

                Trees (50th Anniversary Edition)

                  Trees classic albums, beautifully packaged as a four-disc anniversary edition includes 12” book with liner notes from founder member David Costa and comedian Stewart Lee - Features two new discs of alternate mixes, early demos, BBC session tracks and 2018 live recordings in London - Includes lost demos of ‘Polly On The Shore’ and ‘Streets Of Derry’ It’s now over fifty years since Trees’ formation and, although ‘Acid Folk’ has now become a sub-category in the lexicon of record dealers and music critics, and although founder member David Costa feels the original noughties reissue helped consolidate a gathering wave of curiosity, they themselves remain in the shadows. Earth’s new Trees collection brings together both albums adding shiny alternate mixes of key tracks along with a selection of radio sessions and demos, all sounding brighter and cleaner than ever before.

                  Trees first album, ‘The Garden of Jane Delawney’ (1970) snuggles nicely into contemporary nu-folkies’ idea of the genre, and shares some of the pastoral-whimsy that characterised The Incredible String Band or Donovan, offset by some stunning interpretations of traditional material and Bias’ own songs, which were somehow part of the tradition Trees had adopted. Readings of ‘Lady Margaret’, ‘Glasgerion’ and the old standard ‘She Moved Thro’ The Fair’, and the extended fade of the group’s own ‘Road’, presage the explosive instrumental duelling that would come to characterise the follow up album, ‘On The Shore’.

                  There’s a definite shift between the records, the second being darker and more ambivalent. Here Trees don’t tell you what to think. You’re left to formulate your own response to this odd, opaque music. The ‘Streets of Derry’ session version leans into the brain vibrating drone-groove they somehow found at the traditional tune’s centre. ‘Polly On The Shore’, another traditional tune, is one of the definitive moments of English folk rock.

                  This special expansive collector’s edition celebrates the bands 50th anniversary.

                  “A beautiful hybrid, Trees found a unique space between intimate folk and freewheeling psychedelia. Musically ambitious yet brilliantly balanced, they have left an enduring legacy for those lucky enough to be in on the secret” Edd Gibson, Friendly Fires.

                  TRACK LISTING

                  Disc One - The Garden Of Jane Delawney (EARTHLP036)
                  Side A
                  Nothing Special
                  The Great Silkie
                  The Garden Of Jane Delawney
                  Lady Margaret

                  Side B
                  Glasgerion
                  She Moved Thro' The Fair
                  Road
                  Epitaph
                  Snail's Lament

                  Disc Two - On The Shore (EARTHLP035)
                  Side A
                  Soldiers Three
                  Murdoch
                  Streets Of Derry
                  Sally Free And Easy

                  Side B
                  Fool
                  Adam's Toon
                  Geordie
                  While The Iron Is Hot
                  Little Sadie
                  Polly On The Shore

                  Disc Three - Fore & After (Part 1)
                  Side A
                  Soldiers Three (Remix 2007)
                  Murdoch (Remix 2007)
                  Streets Of Derry (Remix 2007)
                  Geordie (Remix 2007)

                  Side B
                  Polly On The Shore (Remix 2007)
                  Fool (Remix 2007)
                  Polly On The Shore(demo 1970) Previously Unreleased
                  Streets Of Derry (demo 1970) Previously Unreleased

                  Disc Four - Fore & After (Part 2)
                  Side A
                  She Moved Thro' The Fair (Demo 1969)
                  Pretty Polly (Demo 1969)
                  The Great Silkie (BBC 1970) Previously Unreleased
                  Soldier's Three (BBC 1970) Previously Unreleased
                  Little Black Cloud (demo 1969 )
                  Forest Fire ( BBC 1970)

                  Side B
                  She Moved Thro' The Fair (Live At Cafe Oto 2018)*
                  Murdoch (Live At Cafe Oto 2018) *
                  Black Widow (2007)
                  Little Black Cloud Suite (2007)


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