It would be difficult to find a better traditional British folk record than this. June Tabor's career was at its artistic peak when she recorded this in 1983, and in my opinion her voice has never come across on record as good as this, either before or since.
She has achieved a fine balance ... Read review
Advantages: Brilliant choice of material, expertly performed Disadvantages: None
It would be difficult to find a better traditional British folk record than this. June Tabor's career was at its artistic peak when she recorded this in 1983, and in my opinion her voice has never come across on record as good as this, either before or since.
She has achieved a fine balance of traditional and contemporary (songs by Bill Caddick, Lal Waterson and Joni Mitchell) material, and even where the songs weren't written especially ... .../>
The opener, trad song "The Month of January" sets the standard: Tabor's vocals over delicate, unobtrusive background instruments - a major plus factor for the entire disc.
The modern songs, "The Scarecrow" and "She Moves Among Men" are haunting both musically and lyrically with their powerful evocations of abuse and neglect. On the latter the piano comes to the fore in a powerful solo which ... more
It would be difficult to find a better traditional British folk record than this. June Tabor's career was at its artistic peak when she recorded this in 1983, and in my opinion her voice has never come across on record as good as this, either before or since.
She has achieved a fine balance of traditional and contemporary (songs by Bill Caddick, Lal Waterson and Joni Mitchell) material, and even where the songs weren't written especially for her, she makes it sound as if they were.
The opener, trad song "The Month of January" sets the standard: Tabor's vocals over delicate, unobtrusive background instruments - a major plus factor for the entire disc.
The modern songs, "The Scarecrow" and "She Moves Among Men" are haunting both musically and lyrically with their powerful evocations of abuse and neglect. On the latter the piano comes to the fore in a powerful solo which demonstrably illustrates the violence lurking beneath the surface of a barmaid's daily life. In the wrong hands this could have come across as a mere feminist rant, but here your sympathies lie entirely with the victim.
"A Smiling Shore", a chronicle of the experiences of a Holocaust survivor, though more restrained, has a similar net result.
The traditional pieces are delivered largely acapella and provide the chance to admire the strength of Tabor's voice. "One Night As I Lay Upon My Bed", though at heart a typical folk song of forbidden love brought to fruition, is the most graceful.
While the songs generally take some of the bleaker experiences of life as their subject matter, this only adds to the force of the performance and makes it more distinctive. It is ironic that such a CD should come packaged with a cover illustration of a girl enjoying the company of her cats, but then this is one for people who want to look beneath the veneer of outer appearances.
Product Information for "Abyssinians - June Tabor" »
Product details
Title
Abyssinians
Performer
June Tabor
Genre
Folk
Sub Genre
British Folk
Release Date
09/06/2008
Recomended Retail Price
13.99 GBP
Original Release Year
1983
Label / Distributor
Topic / Proper
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Stereo
Stereo
Format
Performer
EAN
5016272432024
Additional notes
Album Notes
Arguably June Tabor's most stripped-down and somber album, 1981's ABYSSINIANS is so low-key that even those songs that have minimal instrumental backing sound almost like Tabor is singing them unaccompanied. "The Scarecrow," with its almost subliminal guitar and cello arrangement, is one of Tabor's finest and saddest performances. The rest of the album is nearly as dark, with the overall tone ranging from hopeful melancholy to the absolutely bleak despair of "She Moves Among Men (The Barmaid's Song)." One gets the idea that the album's title has less to do with cats, despite the cartoony cover drawing, and more to do with the concepts of "abyss" and "sin." ABYSSINIANS is as bleak as Joy Division's CLOSER or the darkest hours of hardcore country music, and like those albums, there's a cathartic spirit to this album that makes it ultimately a satisfying listening experience.
Titles on disc 1
1.
Month Of January
2.
Scarecrow
3.
One Night As I Lay On My Bed
4.
She Moves Among Men (The Barmaid's Song)
5.
Lay This Body Down
6.
Smiling Shore
7.
Bonnie Boy
8.
I Never Thought My Love Would Leave Me
9.
Bonnie Hind
10.
Fiddle And The Drum
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since
23/04/2005
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