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Oysterband - Trawler (1994)

Posted By: Designol
Oysterband - Trawler (1994)

Oysterband - Trawler (1994)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 391 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 137 Mb | Scans included | 00:57:34
British Folk-Rock, Celtic Rock, British Folk | Label: Cooking Vinyl | # COOK CD 078

Oysterband's Trawler is a compilation of favorites from the group's previous seven albums, only newly recorded by the present lineup. Essentially, it's like a "covers" album of The Oysterband covering itself. Long one of Britain's prime synthesists of Celtic and rock, and a thorn in the side of purists everywhere, Trawler takes the group's material one step further away from tradition. Hal-An-Tow is a possessed whirligig of sounds; Oxford Girl reconfirms itself as the group's most memorable melody. One has to admit to slight unease with the "rewriting history" aspect of this re-recording, and a compilation of the original versions would have been far more comfortable.

June Tabor and the Oyster Band - Freedom and Rain (1990)

Posted By: Designol
June Tabor and the Oyster Band - Freedom and Rain (1990)

June Tabor and the Oyster Band - Freedom and Rain (1990)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 277 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 118 Mb | Scans included
British Folk-Rock, British Folk | Label: Cooking Vinyl | # COOKCD 031 | 00:39:02

Tabor teams up with one of Britain's leading folk-rock outfits, the Oyster Band, with fairly successful results, although it won't be the favorite of June's most traditionally-minded fans. She takes all the lead vocals on these fully electrified arrangements. The material is certainly varied, including both traditional numbers and covers of contemporary folk and rock tunes by Richard Thompson, Si Kahn, the Pogues, Billy Bragg, and the Velvet Underground.

Oysterband - Here I Stand (1999)

Posted By: Designol
Oysterband - Here I Stand (1999)

Oysterband - Here I Stand (1999)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 386 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 136 Mb | Scans ~ 51 Mb
British Folk-Rock, Celtic Rock | Label: Omnium | # OMM2023 | Time: 00:58:57

It's a simple truism of rock & roll that, as bands get older, they tend to insist more on competent production. Sometimes this works in their favor, and sometimes it doesn't. In general, it's worked well for Oysterband, whose feverish fusion of English traditional song, ceilidh-ready instrumentals, and old-time rock & roll sounded great when they were young and relatively sloppy and still sounds great now that they're greying and tight. And some of their best moments on tape have been the most lushly produced ones. Here I Stand finds them taking unabashed advantage of the opportunities afforded them by a modern studio, where artful multitracking can make it sound as if John Jones has a good voice (and make no mistake: he doesn't, though he's a fine singer) and where the careful manipulation of gain levels can allow the cello to cut through a mix that includes accordion, trumpet, guitars, bass, and drums.

Oysterband - Granite Years (Best Of 1986-1997) (2000) 2CDs

Posted By: Designol
Oysterband - Granite Years (Best Of 1986-1997) (2000) 2CDs

Oysterband - Granite Years (Best Of 1986-1997) (2000)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 742 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 280 Mb | Scans ~ 104 Mb
Folk Rock, Celtic Rock | Label: Cooking Vinyl | # COOK CD 196 | Time: 02:02:31

An impressive collection, Granite Years: Best of 1986-1997 contains over two hours of the finest Oysterband has to offer. Frequently, such comprehensive releases are the cause for debate among the most devoted fans. But that is not the scenario surrounding this release. From Step Outside's "Hal-an-Tow" to Wide Blue Yonder's "The Oxford Girl" to Holy Bandits' "Blood Wedding" to Deep Dark Ocean's "Native Son," this release hits all of the key tracks by this legendary British folk-rock band. If there is any drawback, it is that no track from their 1991 release, From Little Rock to Leipzig, was included and a whopping seven tracks from their previous best-of release, Trawler, grace the track list of this two-CD set. It should be clarified that Trawler was a collection of re-recorded favorites that originally appeared on previous albums. That's a minor detail that won't matter to the uninitiated and is easily overlooked by the hardcore fan simply due to the preponderance of superb material found within these 30 tracks.

June Tabor & Oysterband - Ragged Kingdom (2011)

Posted By: Designol
June Tabor & Oysterband - Ragged Kingdom (2011)

June Tabor & Oysterband - Ragged Kingdom (2011)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 305 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 112 Mb | Scans ~ 188 Mb
Genre: British Folk, Folk Rock | Label: Topic Records | # TSCD585 | Time: 00:46:14

Twenty-one years ago, June Tabor and Oysterband got together to record what is now recognised as an English folk-rock classic. It wasn't exclusively a folk album, though there were some traditional tracks, but rather an eclectic, powerful reworking of anything from Lou Reed to Shane McGowan. Now, at long last, comes the followup that so many of us have been asking for, and it's no disappointment. The energy is still there, along with the desire to startle and experiment, but so is a new maturity and emotional depth, and even greater variety. The traditional songs include Bonnie Bunch of Roses, in which the stomping backing is never allowed to overshadow Tabor's no-nonsense storytelling; then there's a glorious melodeon and fiddle-backed treatment of Fountains Flowing, that song of parting and grief, and there's delicate, unaccompanied vocal harmony singing on the Scottish lament (When I Was No But) Sweet Sixteen. The contemporary songs range from a fiddle-backed stomp through Dylan's Seven Curses, through to a thoughtful, gutsy reworking of PJ Harvey's That Was My Veil, and a pained, acoustic version of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart.