“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” taken from the LP | The Thanes – ’Downbeat And Folked Up’ (Screaming Apple Records SCACD 147) 2003
The Thanes | Downbeat And Folked Up | (Screaming Apple) 2003 | By now the popularity of The Thanes is such a definitely assured factor that there must be countless people who will need no further information than that this is the new Thanes LP. Before you go any further – dig! This is The Thanes greatest record ever!
Suppose you were giving a word association test to a folk fan, and one of the words was ‘Thanes’. You might logically get for an answer ‘organ’, ‘fuzz’ or ‘thudding drums’, but by far the most likely answering word to spring to mind would be ‘beat’, for this is the essence of all The Thanes work.
Nevertheless, more and more the field of folk is becoming the incubator for beat musicians. Despite the slapdash nature of some of the music, folk is feeding the beat world an increasing number of its outstanding alumni. And beat is welcoming these graduates! For one thing they are bringing with them a more earthy and melodic approach to music that has been missing in beat for far too long.
The Thanes | Downbeat And Folked Up | (Screaming Apple) 2003
The title of this album sums it all up admirably. These are The Thanes and this is a very downbeat yet folked-up sound. But besides the ringing 12-strings and intense tambourine shaking there’s also a selection of quality songs penned by top writers including Ben Kramer, Bob Durand and Ron Elliot, Jan Vermuelen and of course The Thanes themselves.
There are few other groups with a collective age of 145 that have the talent to arrange an album of this scope. Their previous long player ‘Undignified Noblemen’ was a difficult act to follow – after all, it made The Thanes the most popular group in Scotland – but very much to their credit is the fact that they strive always to arouse interest in music and song.
Whether you play this album to tap into its folk roots or for the quality of the acclaimed songs, I assure you this album will be spinning on your turntable again and again. (CD review)
line-up:
Lenny Helsing (guitar and lead vocals)
Mal Kergan (bass guitar, backing vocals)
Angus McPake (organ and guitar)
Mike Goodwin (drums)
The Thanes used Vox and Selmer amplification exclusively on this recording.
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