At some point in the far distant past, through television programmes such as ‘Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads,’ and ‘Auf Wiedersehen Pet,’ I developed a fascination, long before ever visiting the place, with Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The compelling drama series ‘Our Friends In The North,’ furthered the curiosity – but nothing nurtured my affection for Geordieland more than a long-held admiration for the folk-rock band Lindisfarne.
For four-fifths of a near fifty year existence their albums have been in my possession, half a dozen of which – like those of a similar number by Van Morrison – have that happy knack of brightening the day no matter how downcast the mood.
Not everything they put out was great, some releases far less inspired than others. But for a significant part of their recording career they were propelled to a fine level of accomplishment by the songwriting panache of Alan Hull, whose untimely death in 1995 robbed rock music of a sublime wordsmith – his legacy a batch of great songs written for Lindisfarne and two superb mid-70s solo albums.
An amalgamation of Tyneside bands Brethren and The Downtown Faction, founding members, Hull (guitar), Ray Jackson (mandolin), Ray Laidlaw (drums), Rod Clements (bass, violin), Simon Cowe (guitar), came together as Lindisfarne in 1968. Quickly signed to the Charisma label, the genial nature of their stage shows built them a strong following on the UK college circuit, Lindisfarne remaining a first-class live act throughout their career.
But it soon became apparent they were more than a bunch of Geordie good-time merchants. The 1970 debut album ‘NICELY OUT OF TUNE’ was feted by fans and critics alike, remaining to this day their most fondly remembered set.
Straightaway it reveals Hull to be a writer of stunning originality (many of his early songs predated the band and written while working as a nurse in a mental hospital). ‘Lady Eleanor,’ ‘Clear White Light,’ and the breath-taking ‘Winter Song‘ – once described by Elvis Costello no less as one of the greatest songs ever written – all included on a first side laden with riches.
With Hull writing imaginative lyrics on top of loose folk-rock melodies, from the off Lindisfarne sounded a force to be reckoned with and while the John Anthony produced ten-song collection initially failed to create a stir, the record began generating attention in the wake of its successor ‘FOG ON THE TYNE)‘ (1971) topping the UK album charts the following year.
Once again Hull contributed some fine material (‘January Song‘ another opus), but it was the excellent Clements-penned ‘Meet Me On The Corner‘ that gave Lindisfarne their first hit single – which in turn encouraged Charisma to re-issue the previously unsuccessful ‘Lady Eleanor‘ as a 45, a move that brought the group another major hit.
So far very good. With two shots Lindisfarne had scored a couple of fine goals – only to miss out on a hat-trick with the disjointed ‘DINGLEY DELL’ (1972).
On their first two albums the songs had oozed charm and intent, but on the third several tracks lack both.
Worthy of more praise than it received at the time, ‘All Fall Down‘ and ‘Poor Old Ireland‘ show Hull to be sharp-eyed when addressing social and political issues (his lengthy title track is an odd mixture of lucid and laboured, which could apply to the album as a whole) – and while Clements offers the excellent ‘Don’t Ask Me‘ the message is one of weary resignation.
Things are not helped by the lack of imagination shown by former Bob Dylan producer Bob Johnston, the group so dissatisfied with his efforts they remixed it themselves.
The malaise suddenly gripping the band intensified with the disappointing ‘LINDISFARNE LIVE’ (1973), the exuberance of their concerts barely in evidence due to another poor production job (it is much improved, however, on the extended CD release of many years later).
From what sounded so formidable twelve months before, the group unravelled to such an extent they split in the early months of 1973 – Hull and Jackson retaining the group name with Clements, Cowe and Laidlaw leaving to form ‘Jack The Lad‘ (who made one endearing album ‘It’s Jack The Lad‘ before Clements went solo).
But before Lindisfarne II could take flight, having recruited new members Kenny Craddock (guitar/keyboards), Charlie Harcourt (guitar), Tommy Duffy (bass) and Paul Nichols (drums), Hull released the magnificent solo album ‘Pipedream‘ (1973), that stands as arguably the finest set of recordings in the entire story – this essential 70s album deserving far more acclaim than it has been afforded.
Hull then reported back for group duty, the second line-up staying together for two albums, ‘ROLL ON RUBY’ (1973) and ‘HAPPY DAZE’ (1974), neither of which are terrible but only serve to reveal Craddock and Duffy are decent writers who cannot conjure Lindisfarne songs. Meanwhile, the contributions of Hull sound increasingly like solo tracks performed by session players rather than members of the same band.
Had the previous incarnation not cast such a long shadow, Lindisfarne II might have lasted longer and in time possibly succeeded, but as 1974 drew to a close proceedings were called to a halt – Hull emerging the following year with a second solo album, ‘Squire‘ that prompted another round of well-deserved accolades.
With Jack The Lad enjoying a degree of critical acclaim but making little commercial headway, restoring Lindisfarne to its original members seemed a logical step, the group returning for a series of shows at Newcastle City Hall at Christmas 1976. Kept apart by other commitments during the following year, they assembled again 12 months later for another run of Tyneside shows – captured for the enjoyable live album ‘MAGIC IN THE AIR’ (1978), recorded in front of a wildly partisan audience.
The reunion became fully-fledged with the June 1978 release ‘BACK AND FORTH’. The folk-based leanings of the early days now replaced by prevailing soft-rock trends, the difference is epitomized by anthemic hit single ‘Run For Home‘ which proved their final showing on the charts – aside for a loose collaboration with footballer Paul Gascoigne, whose strangulated version of ‘Fog on the Tyne‘ reached number two in October 1990.
Recruiting Elton John producer Gus Dudgeon to give them a more refined sound, many reviewers alluded to Lindisfarne making much better records earlier in the decade. It was still a surprise, however, the album did not eke out a second hit with the radio-friendly ‘Warm Feeling.’
Despite an obvious lack of top-draw songs (‘Run For Home‘ and ‘Marshall Riley’s Army‘ excepted), having a top ten single hoisted ‘Back and Forth‘ into a respectable place on the LP charts – only for momentum to be lost with ‘THE NEWS’ (1979) a largely undistinguished set that sank without trace.
‘SLEEPLESS NIGHTS’ (1982) was a slight improvement, but by now even Hull appeared to be having difficulty coming up with songs that were valid and authentic.
Saxophonist Marty Craggs was added to the band in 1984, the six-strong outfit releasing ‘DANCE YOUR LIFE AWAY’ (1986) that contained a handful of decent tracks – one of which, ‘100 Miles To Liverpool,’ was later re-recorded by Hull, appearing on his posthumous ‘Statutes and Liberties‘ (1996). Hull’s stripped-back version sounded more effective than the cut framed by synthesizers and echoing drums of ten years before, the ‘Dance Your Life Away‘ set embracing many mid-80s production trends.
As the 90s approached, interest in whether Lindisfarne made any more albums let alone a good one appeared to have vanished, their roster of 70s favourites enough to draw respectable audience numbers into concert halls. But just when the game seemed up in terms of making a telling addition to their body of work, the group showed admirable resilience, let alone achievement, in releasing ‘AMIGOS’ (1989).
Displaying a renewed sense of purpose the playing sounds fresh and exuberant – confidence in the material being well founded as this fine collection of songs reached a standard of excellence not heard since the halcyon days.
Reduced to a five piece unit by the time of their next album – Ray Jackson leaving the band three years before – ‘ELVIS LIVES ON THE MOON’ (1993) comes across as something of a muddle.
In dominating the song-writing credits, Hull once more takes a commendable stand against privilege and poverty, but the quality of his compositions is patchy at best – ‘Day of The Jackal‘ reheated from a solo album he made in the early 80s, where it sounded better for a more understated production.
The absence of Jackson takes the mandolin (and best singer) from the mix and with it a key component of their sound. Like much of the album that bears its name the title track is listenable, over-produced, but ultimately unconvincing.
When Cowe departed the following year, Lindisfarne reverted to a six piece outfit, recruiting Ian Thompson (bass), (Clements switching to guitar) and Dave Denholm (guitar) – but before the new line-up were able to record, Hull, in the midst of recording a solo album, died suddenly on November 17 1995.
Devastated by the loss but determined to carry on, Billy Mitchell (a founder member of Jack The Lad) was brought into the fold – making his presence felt with the gorgeous ‘Born At The Right Time‘ which opens the 1998 set ‘HERE COMES THE NEIGHBORHOOD’ With Hull sadly no longer around, Clements becomes the prime source of songs and while not everything works, the melodies are earthy and spirited. Marks aplenty for trying, the decision to continue sounding fully justified.
One last change in personnel saw Craggs depart in 2000, leaving the five who remained to record ‘PROMENADE‘ (2002). Coming up with enough good songs to make this another worthwhile effort, Clements again dominates, ‘This Too Will Pass‘ an absolute gem. In handling most of the vocals Mitchell never falters, also contributing the wistful ‘Happy Birthday Dad‘ to a collection of tracks that, one or two miscues aside, offers plenty of enjoyment and promise for the future.
It was, however, to prove their epitaph, Lindisfarne calling time on their existence as a formal entity with a rousing show at Newcastle Opera House (where else?) in November 2003 – which turned ‘Promenade‘ into their final chapter, the line (‘dedicate your days to a changing of the ways‘) in closing track ‘Remember Tomorrow,’ sounding somewhat prophetic.
During their career Lindisfarne made a series of albums that ranged from brilliant to baffling to borderline awful – that said, the high calibre of the first two along with ‘Pipedream‘ make them worthy inclusions in any collection of mainstream rock records.
Among the finest songwriters of his generation, Alan Hull could be perceptive, intriguing, witty and when railing against injustice, cynical and downright angry.
Even when his sentiments sound skewed or a touch contrived there is no doubting the good intentions and feeling of a heart in the right place – traits never far from the surface in the rippling story of Lindisfarne.
This article was first published on 8/3/2019.
NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of MONTY’S DOUBLE – an acclaimed thriller now available as an Amazon Kindle Book.
