Ashley Hutchings

This compilation (originally issued in 1994), which bills itself as "a retrospective of the work of Ashley Hutchings containing all rare, archive and previously unreleased material" is a vital document for anyone interested in the development of British folk-rock. After all, Hutchings was a founder of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, and the Albion Band (in all its incarnations) -- he's been the genre's central figure. And the disc lives up to its claim. There's some fascinating stuff on here, not only the 1966 track from the otherwise unrecorded Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra, whose take on "Washington At Valley Forge" is best described as earnest, but also the Fairport and Steeleye cuts. The Fairport tracks all have Martin Lamble on drums, dating them before Liege and Lief's jump into traditional music, while the two Steeleye pieces, including an a capella "Lay Down Your Weary Tune," feature Martin Carthy during his first stint with the band. Also of great interest is "Four Hand Reel/St. Anne's Reel" from the Albion Country Band, the same group that recorded the classic No Roses, and 1974's unplugged idealism, the Etchingham Steam Band. Understandably, the majority of tracks are given over to the long-running Albion Band, and their 1979 take on "A Sailor's Life" is interesting, if not as wildly experimental as Fairport a decade earlier. The sound quality isn't perfect throughout, by any means, but always very listenable, and the music makes up for any defects in the audio. A lot of artists trawl through their archives, but very few have a storied history like this. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide