TUNE ARMY – Lindisfarne & ‘NICELY OUT OF TUNE’ (1970)

Of the most perplexing mysteries attached to British rock in the early 70s, the most puzzling surrounds the meteoric rise and abrupt end of the original line-up of Lindisfarne, who between 1970 and 1972 released three accomplished, commercially successful albums – but splintered into the separate entities of Lindisfarne II and Jack the Lad barely three months into 1973.

Shaped primarily by the song writing prowess of guitarist Alan Hull, the band during its first incarnation left behind an impressive body of work, a couple of hit singles and reputation as a first class live act. Purveying an infectious brand of folk/pop, they had climbed to some lofty heights before time was called – this brief, but glowing trail set ablaze by debut LP ‘NICELY OUT OF TUNE‘ (1970), the most assured of their first three releases and a defining album of the year.

Coming together as an amalgamation of bands based in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north east of England, as 1969 drew to a close a group named Brethren consisting of Rod Clements (bass/fiddle), Ray Laidlaw (drums), Ray Jackson (mandolin/harmonica) and Simon Cowe (guitar) immersed solo act Hull into their line-up – the quintet going forward under the banner Lindisfarne, the name taken from the small island off the Northumberland coast.

Due to the genial nature of their stage shows and stunning originality of Hull-penned material, they built a strong following on the UK college circuit. On coming to the attention of Charisma records Lindisfarne were quickly signed to a recording contract, but such was the level of accomplishment across the record that marked their arrival, it immediately singled them out as far more than Geordie good-time merchants.

The album revealed Hull as a writer blessed with a magnificent turn of phrase, most of his seven contributions to the eleven song set predating the band and written while working as a nurse in a mental hospital – this gift for conjuring vivid imagery straightaway apparent on opening track ‘Lady Eleanor.’

Inspired by ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ (a 19th Century short story by Edgar Allan Poe), Hull captures the supernatural aspect of the tale, his interpretation of events set on a platform incorporating electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, but added to on this occasion by some ominous, yet atmospheric organ work. The guitar/mandolin framework would go on to serve many Lindisfarne songs, producer John Anthony, as he does throughout the record, steering clear of otherwise unnecessary embellishments in allowing the words and melody to speak for themselves:

She gazed with loving beauty like a mother to a son/Like living, dying, seeing, being all rolled into one/Then all at once I heard some music playing in my bones/The same old song I’d heard for years/Reminding me of home.’

After the foreboding portents of ‘Lady Eleanor’, the affable side of Lindisfarne is introduced by the uplifting Clements composition ‘Road to Kingdom Come‘. Their folk origins are brought to bear with a fiddle solo and some breezy harmonica, the melody rolling along to charming effect as the narrator refuses to be disheartened by his lowly status or envious of those perceived to have more:

Lindisfarne (from left): Rod Clements, Ray Jackson, Ray Laidlaw, Alan Hull, Simon Cowe;

And if you pass me on the side/Why don’t you stop and let me ride/You just had a better deal my son/Walking down the road to kingdom come.’

Once described by Elvis Costello no less as ‘one of the greatest songs ever written,’ Hull brings all his humanist values to bear on the poignant and simply exquisite ‘Winter Song.’

Melodically serene and lyrically sublime, he develops the oration from climatic conditions to the human condition, asking questions of us as individuals and society as a whole in pondering the plight of those who are vulnerable and oppressed.

When winter’s shadowy fingers/First pursue you down the street/And your boots no longer lie/About the cold around your feet/Do you spare a thought for summer whose passage is complete?/Whose memories lie in ruins/And whose ruins lie in heat?/When winter/Comes howling in.’

Throughout a career as member of Lindisfarne and solo artist – that ended with his death at the relatively young age of 50 in November 1995 – Hull was committed to social justice and always a champion of the underprivileged. The final verse of this outstanding folk ballad is not only an extraordinary piece of literation, but manifesto for the next twenty five years.

When the turkey’s in the oven/And the Christmas presents are bought/And Santa’s in his module/He’s an American astronaut/Do you spare one thought for Jesus, who had nothing but his thoughts?/Who got busted just for talking/And befriending the wrong sorts?/When winter/Comes howling in.’

Composed by gifted Scottish songsmith Rab Noakes, ‘Turn A Deaf Ear‘ would become a staple of their concert repertoire, this mid-tempo track heard at its finest on the excellent 1978 live album ‘Magic In The Air‘. Sung by guitarist Cowe, the clever word play of the composer as he seeks simple truth in the complexities of life, best emphasised in the final verse:

I remember what the old man said on his little wooden stand/As he spoke very quietly with a waving of his hand/Every pigeon to its own hole, but what he seemed to say/I know I should go looking for, a better place to stay.’

Introduced by a resounding a cappella rendition of the chorus, ‘Clear White Light‘ (Part 2) is a high calibre ending to an exemplary first side, Hull extolling the virtues of emotional freedom (‘Running along the ground singing a song in the morning light/Follow flowery fields as far as out of sight‘) as Laidlaw keeps things ticking over with a resounding beat from the drums.

By the last verse, however, the writer has moved his focus from the personal to the universal, mankind best served by compassion and communal respect:

Now is the time to be loving and kind to your fellow men/Seeing the sympathy starting out all over again/Now is the time to give love just one more go/’cause you never know what you might know.’

If the end of side one showed Hull at his most passionate in the cause of human kindness, the second side begins with him in the role of witty storyteller – ‘We Can Swing Together‘ an amusing account of a social gathering, party held by a group of hippies perhaps a better description, that is broken up by the local constabulary.

The loose, folk rock overtones of the tune are built on a blend of piano, guitars and harmonica, the song a verse and chorus in when the police arrive to make their presence felt:

Then when things were happening, around about ten to four/There was a screeching of brakes, dogs barking outside, and a hammering on the door/Then the voice of officialdom, saying ‘Open in the name of the law’/But we just kept on holding hands, and singing this song some more.’

In the end there is a court appearance and verdict handed down by the judge who hears the case (‘I have to send you all to jail for doing this terrible thing‘), the bonhomie and sing along nature of the piece ensuring it was a song they rarely failed to perform onstage.

Seemingly inspired by The Beatles ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds‘ (although lyrically less abstract), ‘Alan in the River with Flowers‘ prompts an excellent ensemble performance, delicate reading of the verses by Hull nicely offset with searing harmonies in the chorus.

Lines such as ‘Here I sit the garden surrounds me/Flowers in hand it’s dreams that are upon me,’ find Hull in bucolic mood, the enjoyment he takes from playing around with words carried over into ‘Down‘, the jaunty, roll-along melody framing a light-hearted song boasting a nice line in irony:

You took me on a pleasure trip/But the waves got high and sunk the ship/And the captain was mad and so was his crew/And they all looked just the same as you.’

For his second composition to be included, ‘The Things I Should Have Said‘, Clements offers a track that owes less to the folk sensibilities of say Fairport Convention and more to a mid-paced Faces number.

The introspective lyric (‘But the things I should have said/That were whispering in my head/’Would not be spoken‘), is nicely delivered by the composer who receives strong support in the form of well-arranged background vocals. The restraint shown in this performance is then set aside for a rowdy, folk-based run through of ‘Jackhammer Blues‘, a 1962 Woody Guthrie song Lindisfarne adapt with glee – the rendition bursting with handclaps and solos from harmonica, fiddle and mandolin.

Appropriately, this striking debut collection ends with another impecable lyrical ballad by Hull, ‘Scarecrow Song‘ a heartfelt plea on behalf of those feeling isolated and lonely, the scarecrow a metaphor for one whom fate has cast alone (‘Your Saturday nights they are sober/And your Sundays are too long‘). The understated drums and resonant electric piano give the song such gravitas comparisons with The Band are in no way fanciful, the richness and sense of purpose apparent in this and several other cuts, quite remarkable for a first album.

On release ‘Nicely Out of Tune‘ was acknowledged as a bold statement of intent, but numerous positive reviews, (including one that proclaimed Hull as the best songwriter since Bob Dylan), amounted to little on the album making no chart headway.

Yet when the follow-up ‘Fog on the Tyne‘ appeared the following year, it not only topped the UK album listings for a month but also brought attention to its predecessor, ‘Nicely Out of Tune‘ belatedly reaching the Top Ten early in 1972.

It was overdue recognition for a record that had revealed Lindisfarne as a coming, if short term, early 70s force – and Hull as songwriter of exceptional vitality.

LINDISFARNENICELY OUT OF TUNE (Released October 12 1970):

Lady Eleanor/Road to Kingdom Come/Winter Song/Turn a Dear Ear/Clear White Light (Pt.2)/We Can Swing Together/Alan in the River with Flowers/Down/The Things I Should Have Said/Jackhammer Blues/Scarecrow Song;

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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of MONTY’S DOUBLE – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.