Red & Gold
Encyclopedia
Red & Gold is a 1988 album by folk rock
band Fairport Convention
.
The album was released on the Rough Trade
label, leading David Fricke
, Rolling Stone
's reviewer to comment
The title track was written by Ralph McTell
, and tells the story of the Battle of Cropredy Bridge
, which occurred in 1644 during the English Civil War
. The location has strong links with Fairport Convention
, being the venue of their annual music festival; the story is told from the perspective of a farm worker, Will Timms, who describes "red and gold" as "royal colours", while the red itself represents the spilled blood of combatants and the gold the wheat fields in which the battle took place.
The album entered the UK album chart on 28 January 1989, spending one week at No. 74.
Bonus track on 1995 rerelease
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
.
The album was released on the Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
label, leading David Fricke
David Fricke
David Fricke is a senior editor at Rolling Stone magazine, where he writes predominantly on rock music. In the 1990s, he was managing editor before stepping down.-Background:David Fricke is a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
's reviewer to comment
The title track was written by Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
, and tells the story of the Battle of Cropredy Bridge
Battle of Cropredy Bridge
The Battle of Cropredy Bridge was a battle of the English Civil Wars, fought on 29 June 1644 between a Parliamentarian army under Sir William Waller and the Royalist army of King Charles...
, which occurred in 1644 during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. The location has strong links with Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
, being the venue of their annual music festival; the story is told from the perspective of a farm worker, Will Timms, who describes "red and gold" as "royal colours", while the red itself represents the spilled blood of combatants and the gold the wheat fields in which the battle took place.
The album entered the UK album chart on 28 January 1989, spending one week at No. 74.
Track listing
- "Set Me Up" (Dave Whetstone) - 4:23
- "The Noise Club" (Maartin AllcockMaartin AllcockMaartin Allcock , also known as Martin Allcock, is a multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer.-Biography:...
) - 3:12 - "Red and Gold" (Ralph McTellRalph McTellRalph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
) - 6:44 - "The Beggar's Song" (Trad.Traditional musicTraditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
arr. Allcock) - 3:33 - "The Battle" (Ric SandersRic SandersRichard 'Ric' Sanders is a British violinist who has played in jazz-rock, folk rock, electric folk and folk groups, including Soft Machine and Fairport Convention.-Biography:...
) - 1:09 - "Dark Eyed Molly" (Archie FisherArchie FisherArchie Fisher MBE is a Scottish folk singer and song writer.-The early years:Archie Fisher was born in Glasgow on 23 October 1939 into a large singing family. His sister Cilla Fisher is also a professional singer, as was his late sister Ray. In 1960 he moved to Edinburgh and appeared regularly at...
) - 4:34 - "The Rose Hip" (Sanders) - 4:24
- "London River" (Rod Shearman) - 2:59
- "Summer Before the War" (Huw Williams) - 4:33
- "Open the Door RichardOpen the Door, Richard"Open the Door, Richard" is a song first recorded on the Black & White Records label by saxophonistist Jack McVea at the suggestion of A&R man Ralph Bass. In 1947, it was the number-one song on Billboards "Honor Roll of Hits" and became a runaway pop sensation.-Origin:"Open the Door, Richard"...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) - 4:57
Bonus track on 1995 rerelease
- "Close to the Wind" (live) (Marson) - 6:09
Release history
- 1988, December : New Routes RUE 002 UK LPLP albumThe LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
- 1989, January : New Routes RUE CD 002 UK CD
- 1989 : Rough Trade ROUGH US 63 US LP & CD
- 1989 : Accord 104481 France LP & cassette/104482 CD
- 1989 : Possum VPL 1-6812 Australia LP & Cassette
- 1991, December : Woodworm Records WRC 018 UK CassetteCompact CassetteThe Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
& CD - 1995, November : HTD Records HTD CD 47 UK CD
- 1996 : Scana STAR 2002-2 Sweden, CD
- 2000, January : Transatlantic TRACD 333 UK CD (Export Only)
- 2001, June : Talking Elephant TECD 014
- 2002, July : Castle Music America 06076 81177-2 US CD
Personnel
- Maartin AllcockMaartin AllcockMaartin Allcock , also known as Martin Allcock, is a multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer.-Biography:...
: guitars, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, keyboards, vocals - Ric SandersRic SandersRichard 'Ric' Sanders is a British violinist who has played in jazz-rock, folk rock, electric folk and folk groups, including Soft Machine and Fairport Convention.-Biography:...
: violin - Dave PeggDave PeggDave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, arguably most visible as a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the pre-eminent electric folk band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of important folk and rock groups including The Ian Campbell...
: acoustic & bass guitars, vocals - Dave MattacksDave MattacksDave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
: drums, percussion, keyboards, harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard... - Simon NicolSimon NicolSimon John Breckenridge Nicol is a guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founder member of British folk rock, or electric folk group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band...
: guitars, vocals, dobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
- Tim Matyear: engineer
- Rob Braviner & Mark Tucker: engineering
- John Dent: mastering
- Mike Dolan: mixing
- David Gleeson & Spencer Richards: artwork
- Malcolm Holmes: booklet design
- Dawn Robertson & John Woodward: cover photography