Simon Ritchie & The Band That Time Forgot –
Squeezebox Schizophrenia

Requests, favourites and exploitations on the standard 'English' melodeon.

"Unique..." - Rob daBank, Radio 1

" A delight... ...simply tremendous"
- Mike Harding, Radio 2

"...the perfect English World Music Record. Bonkers!"
- John Kirkpatrick

LISTEN: MOVE OVER DARLING (excerpt)
- takes a minute or two without Broadband, sorry!

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Well, there are several sides to the playing on this recording. With names like Bob Dylan, Edward Elgar, Leonard Cohen, Smokey Robinson and Johnny Rotten featured amongst the credits, balanced against the more traditional material (including an appearance from Bob Davenport), There's either going to be a 'knees-up' or a 'punch-up'.
...this CD is more like the party sessions I enjoy so much. Simon Ritchie has a strong, confident voice and singing style adaptable enough to take on both the modern and traditional.
Peter Fairburn - LIVING TRADITION. - LISTEN: EDMUND IN THE LOWLANDS with Bob Davenport (excerpt)

...an almost obscenely wide range of material, most of which traditionally wouldn't be associated with, or seen dead anywhere near, a melodeon! ...ventures into the hitherto uncharted (for the melodeon) territory of adapting pop and rock tunes. ...Simon does an amazing job in fitting these tunes round the keys of the melodeon ...without too much of a hint of artifice or excessive shoehorning.
...you can't help but smile and/or join in with gusto.
...this CD really is enormous fun.
David Kidman - NetRythms

'...a tribute to the roots of all tunes that became traditional...
...the only 'True Folk' album I have heard in a long while.
- John New - efn - LISTEN: ANARCHY IN THE UK (excerpt)

The standard of the playing is amazing. He manages to do things with the instrument that are above and beyond the call of duty. ...this CD is a must for any player or potential player of the melodeon if only to widen the knowledge of the instrument and its capabilities.
Andy and Jan Casserley - LISTEN: TANGLED UP IN BLUE (excerpt)

This will be loathed and detested by a lot of people. A brilliant melodeon player and a bizarre mix of Karaoke favourites, Move over Darling and Anarchy in the UK among them. Personally I love it. ...Ritchie's knockabout vocal style fits blissfully on an album that'll have you beaming.
His Elgar isn't bad either. 8/10 - LISTEN: THE WAGGON PASSES (Elgar) (excerpt)
Colin Irwin - New Roots

Previous releases have shown him to be a master of English traditional Music in all its lopsided glory and there's more of that here...
...this album is tremendous entertainment.
Nic Beal - fROOTS

'Anarchy In The UK' - featured on fROOTS Jan/Feb 2006 double issue cover CD

LIMITED OFFER
If you are interested in hearing or buying this album,
email simon@melodeonmania.demon.co.uk
leave us your home address and we'll send you a copy and invoice for £12.
If you do not wish to keep it, please return within 14 days. Sorry we can't pay your postage, but it's only about 60p or so!