The "band" is composed of Ritchie, his melodeon collection, overdubs and an excuse for a good pun. 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, but also of the other staple of the traditional musician's repertoire, popular songs the the audience want to hear. If Muddy Waters on Stovall's plantation did Red Sails In The Sunset then Ritchie's surely allowed Sweets For My Sweet and a somewhat deadpan Move Over Darling with a reduced sighing and swooning count.
Roving Gypsy is very reminiscent of Roger Digby's assertive singing with Flowers & Frolics and indeed the man himself guests along with Bob Davenport on Edmund in the Lowlands. Duck Foot Sue is also a prime example of the sheer fun of the English country dance revival at its best. From the same era the sets highpoint has to be a hilarious take of Anarchy in the UK from 70's novelty act, The Sex Pistols. It was hard to tell amidst the desperate posturing of the original, but I don't think it namecheched the EFDSS. Linking the pop and trad material is Rivers Of Babylon which has gone from the psalms to the charts. And i'm not sure where Elgar's The Wagon Passes fits in but it works, nonetheless. Then there's the stepdancing, Nobby Hall and Dylan's Tangled Up In Blue which has a great arrangement. With their habit of starting in one key and ending in another, Beatles' song are not ideal melodeon fodder so Ritchie turns to a prototype "eMelodeon" for his bold attempt at I Wanna Hold Your Hand. For this ageing wannabe Mod Tracks Of My Tears was maybe a sacred text too far but this album is tremendous entertainment all the same.
Distributed by Proper
Nic Beal - fROOTS (Jan '05)
SIMON RITCHIE
Squeezebox Schizophrenia
X-Tradition Records TMM1956
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'. Some listeners and reviewers may take a more confrontational line: bringing the "what is folk music?" chestnut back for a reheat. For me, it's the intention and spirit of any performer that adds the folk thing/style/bit to any material and this CD is more like the party sessions I enjoy so much.
If the ice breakers, Move Over Darling and Sweets For My Sweet, prove a challenge for some, their parameters mat need totally resetting after Cohen's Hallelujah, and Sex Pistols' Anarchy In The UK. All these are great fun as are, Rivers of Babylon and, Tracks of My Tears. Simon Ritchie has a strong, confident voice and singing style adaptable enough to take on both the modern and traditional. The more Traditional side includes a great Edmund In The Lowlands Low with Bob Davenport and Roger Digby; the epic Banks Of Sweet Dundee; yet another track that wont make Mike Harding's playlist - the Audience-stunning, Nobby Hall; the joyous Roving Gypsy and the totally non-pc, Duck Foot Sue.
Various melodeons have been used in this CD and for all the songs that are included here this is very much a melodeon driven recording as proved by two of the best tracks - the up tempo Sheer Joy, Simon Ritchie's own composition and Edward Elgar's The Waggon Passes.
Peter Fairburn - Living Tradition
Simon Ritchie: 'Squeezebox Schizophrenia' (X-Tradition Records TMM 1956, Goldens Farm, Boyton End, Thaxted, Essex CM6 2RB or phone 01371 830804)
If you are expecting a traditional melodeon album when you hear this CD, you are in for a surprise. Simon Ritchie plays and sings hits from the 60s 70s and 80s as well as traditional, classical and self composed tunes.
The standard of the playing is amazing. He manages to do things with the instrument that are above and beyond the call of duty. Simon’s voice is very reminiscent of traditional gypsy singers, so it takes some getting used to hearing songs like the Sex Pistols’ Anarchy In the U.K. with melodeon accompaniment. Having said that, Move Over Darling and I Wanna Hold Your Hand fit like a glove.
The high points of the album for us are Duck Foot Sue, a song from the singer Harry Cook, Banks of Sweet Dundee and Simon’s own composition Sheer Joy. It’s true that some of the material is not to our personal liking, but 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. The artwork on the CD sleeve also deserves a mention in any review, some very clever photographs and comprehensive notes.
Andy and Jan Casserley
Simon Ritchie & The Band That Time Forgot – Squeezebox Schizophrenia (X-Tradition)
I suppose that at first glance you could say this new release purports to be to the melodeon what the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain's Secret Of Life (also reviewed on NR) was to the humble uke. On it, the Posh Band's melodeonist is let loose to deliver, in the guise of his second solo album, a "compilation of requests that were recorded at home over a period of time" (Simon plays virtually all the instruments himself), comprising a series of highly individual "treatments" of an almost obscenely wide range of material, most of which traditionally wouldn't be associated with, or seen dead anywhere near, a melodeon! And that's aside from considerations arising from the intricacies of key transposition arising from the distinct limitations of the various members of the melodeon family – which I shouldn't need to go into… !
There's a few comparatively orthodox, and typically boisterous, selections – a brief step set (with the dancing feet of Lenny Whiting), a rousing version of Roving Gypsy (from the repertoire of Fred Whiting), the Eel's Foot classic Duck Foot Sue, and a variant of Edmund In The Lowlands Low (featuring Bob Davenport and Roger Digby). And an arrangement of a movement from Elgar's Nursery Suite. Outside of these tracks, though, Simon ventures into the hitherto uncharted (for the melodeon) territory of adapting pop and rock tunes. (Well I say uncharted, but I know Brian Peters had introduced certain Rolling Stones numbers into his folk club sets some time back.) Anyway, Simon does an amazing job in fitting these tunes round the keys of the melodeon, albeit with varying degrees of artistic success. But most of them come off without too much of a hint of artifice or excessive shoehorning.
The opening track, Move Over Darling, jars at first, and it takes a while to get used to Simon's cheerfully self-admitted vocal shortcomings at times on some tracks, but his forthright and sometimes irreverent approach has a kind of delirious Kirkpatrick-like charm amidst the lusty bluster, and you can't help but smile and/or join in with gusto. The old Searchers hit Sweets For My Sweet booms out as from a cavernous ceilidh-hall at the end of the dance when the band are too drunk to care whether anyone's still on the dance floor, pumping out that time-honoured Louie, Louie riff like nobody's business. And the Pistols' Anarchy In The UK (bet you never thought you'd hear that on a folk record!) is set to a loping, kinda doowop rhythm, but hey, it works! Other successes include Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, but I wasn't quite convinced by Tangled Up In Blue or Tracks Of My Tears, and I felt The Rivers Of Babylon (originally recorded by the Melodians – sic ! – cute coincidence that!) outstayed its welcome. But let's not quibble – this CD really is enormous fun.
www.X-Tradition.com
David Kidman
Live Performance
The Posh Band – Royal Festival Hall 02.10.03
Members: Sue Bainbridge – Vocals, piano, mouth organ; Ed Caines – fiddle; Ken Lees – banjo, guitar, piano; Simon Ritchie – melodeon, percussion, step-dancing.
If music lovers feel there is a dearth of creativity, then perhaps they should look a little further back than the 1970s for inspiration. There are a relatively small number of artists in existence who have dedicated their careers to entertaining and educating people in the ways of traditional folk music. Though it has been suggested that there is something of a Celtic bias in this genre, The Posh Band are among the number trying to redress the balance.
In travelling across the nation and bringing their interpretations of English folk music to an increasingly receptive audience, The Posh Band is keeping the spirit of their forebears alive. The likes of Kate Rusby and Eliza Carthy are generally better-known, but small troupes of mainly instrumental musicians such as The Posh Band perhaps deliver a purer expression of the traditional values.
The core roster of the band includes around four members, though guest musicians are often enlisted for CD recordings and special performances. The band have appeared at numerous locations across the UK and always bring with them a real energy and enthusiasm. The collective appeared earlier this year at the Royal Festival Hall. Delightfully, they performed in the Foyer in one of the many free events the RFH hosts on a regular basis.
Situated near the bar and featured around lunch time, visitors are invited to find a table and order food and drinks before the musicians take their places to provide a couple of hours’ entertainment. Jazz, classical, popular, and in this case folk music can all be heard at various times of the year. It is well worth checking the RFH site for details.
The Posh Band’s performance saw the use mainly of piano, melodeon and fiddle. Several of the band’s dance numbers were played before Simon Ritchie introduced a traditional song. This set the general pattern of instrumental pieces interspersed with voice-based tunes. Band vocalist Sue Bainbridge appeared a little later to vary the formula, having sat among the audience for the first half hour or so.
The casual nature of the show was welcome, allowing listeners to move freely, to stretch their legs or secure beverages at the bar. The intimate setting also made it possible to interact with the band on occasions where the origins of certain songs were discussed; this feature lent the occasion a real feeling of warmth.
The Posh Band’s appearance at the RFH, and indeed the free foyer events in general are a wonderful idea, bringing live music to anyone interested in hearing it. The staging of these events at lunch time is a masterstroke, providing a diet of food, drink and culture to those who want that little bit more than a sandwich on the go. For those who can make it down to London’s Southbank, the trip comes highly recommended.
C. Scott - Urban Street-vibe
the Posh Band
Please see www.mustrad.org.uk/reviews/posh.htm
www.folkmusic.net/htmfiles/webrevs/tmm1927cd.htm
www.webfeet.org/eceilidh/bands/poshband.html