Caedmon - Caedmon (1978) [2006, Kissing Spell KSCD9450-1]

In 1978, a small christian folk rock band in Edinburgh released a farewell album to celebrate six years of making music together. The album was made on a shoestring budget and only 500 copies were pressed. The musicians went their separate ways.
Thirty years later, the record has become a collectors item. A CD version is available on Amazon and it has been described as one of the best folk rock albums of the seventies…

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The 1978 Album

The Studio

The album was recorded in a tiny home studio in Edinburgh – known to aficionados as ‘Barclay Towers’. No idea what kind of technology was involved, save the incessant fiddling with EQ to try and filter out the buzz of a fluorescent light strip over the cooker that was inadvertently left on during one take.

We recorded over two successive Sundays and mixed at a third session. It was four track reel to reel recording ……. live with occasional overdubs.

Instrumentation

For us as musicians, highlights included using a cup and teaspoon to create the latin style percussion on ‘Maker Man’.

For the recording we borrowed Ever After’s Fender Rhodes but still depended upon my own Crumar Compac Piano which had three sounds: piano, clavichord and harpsichord. I bought it for £100 second hand. There was no touch sensitivity, but it seemed very modern at the time. All organ type sounds were played using the piano setting whilst sliding the volume control from 0 (when hitting the key) to the appropriate volume, to avoid the attack at the start of the note.

I played an Ibanez classical guitar on Maker Man that was bought in 1969. I sold my ‘Smiley Joe’ banjolele to raise money for the transaction. I’ve recently been buying ukuleles again to use in primary school work in my region!

The cello was a German instrument from around 1890.

The Album Sleeve

I designed the sleeve with a black Rotring pen on 3 sheets of paper, one for red print, one for brown and one for gold. The Kissing Spell CD replaced gold with green. The buff base colour was intended to be lighter, but inexperience or miscommunication with Blackwoods the printers (famous for The Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, 1817 – 1980) resulted in the colour that collectors now own. I had a few books of celtic designs as well as having an interest in Roger Dean (Yes album covers) and storybook illustration (Arthur Rackham, Mabel Lucie Attwell, Charles Heath Robinson & Bilibin), these influences are more evident on Charisma Folk Club posters from the time.

Sam handwrote the sleeve notes and Angela the lyric sheet insert.

The single was included because the intended six tracks per side on a vinyl LP proved impossible to produce and we didn’t want to leave tracks 6 and 12 unreleased.

~ ken, caedmonsreturn

Caedmon:

Photos above from left to right:

Jim Bisset – acoustic guitar, electric guitar and vocals

Simon Jaquet – acoustic guitar, mandolin, clarinet, bongos and vocals

Angela Naylor – vocals and recorder

Sam Wilson – acoustic guitar, electric bass and vocals

Ken Patterson – acoustic guitar, keyboards, cello and vocals

In 1978 on Stage

Biographies:

Ken Patterson.

Ken played ‘cello and piano from the age of eight. Both were taught in a very formal led by reading exercises and exams. It was teaching himself with his first guitar at the age of fourteen that opened open the world of chords and harmony to him. He played in various ‘Gospel bands’ at school and developed the ability to accompany by ear. He was initially a vet student at Edinburgh but changed to Biological Sciences after two years of resitting exams. He specialised in Psychology in his honours year.
During Caedmon’s Edinburgh Fringe appearances, he worked in The Netherbow’s restaurant and hatched a plan to work with food. After a 18 months as an underbuyer in Fenwicks of Newcastle he set up shop in Rothbury, Northumberland with ‘The Old Sun Country Kitchen’ a tearoom. After three successful years, and becoming Egon Ronay recommended, he trained as a primary school teacher.
In 1984 he had is first job as a teacher in Newcastle. Music started to lead his career path again in 1991 when he became advisory teacher for primary music in the Newcastle LEA. He introduced steel bands in a large number of schools, and contributed to National Curriculum working parties. Community music became a major strand with Pineapple Agogo, The Heaton Peoples Band / Tenth Avenue Band and various teenage bands.
In 2000 he became a freelance musician working closely with Folkworks, The Sage Gateshead and co-directing ‘4 Corners World Music Network’ with Richard Scott (Grand Union Orchestra).
In 2004 he started acting with Theatre Sans Frontieres, touring nationally, and has written the music for a number of their shows.

~ Jim, caedmonsreturn