Vinyl log 15 - 22 June

Day	Month	Year	Artist	Title
22	June	1972	various	Morris On

Judging by the date, this was another purchase from Virgin Records in Bristol. At the time of its purchase, I was in a strong 'folkie' phase: I had recently attended the Lacock Festival (read an earlier blog about it here) and at some time in the near future, I was to buy a concertina. I have just spent some time googling that festival and was unable to find much information, apart from the fact that the festival moved to Chippenham and recently celebrated its 40th anniversary.

The link between Lacock and 'Morris On' is this: one of the many workshops at the festival was a rudimentary introduction to Morris dancing. As someone who felt competent in Israeli folk dancing, it was only natural to try out the Morris. I recall Morris being much easier, being composed of only a few steps. Most of the tunes passed me by, but I recall one tune was called 'Princess Royal'. This is one of the tunes played on 'Morris On'.

At the time, I think that the record was a slight disappointment as I expected more of Richard Thompson. He shone only on "Cuckoo's nest" (a song which I think I sang once or twice in folk clubs), but in retrospect, his job was to accompany the songs and not take the limelight. Now I wonder what Dave Mattacks thought of the project: did he have some genuine interest or was he dragged along as the regular folk rock drummer?

The record's cover was probably the best thing about the project.