''Lie of the Land'' is the fifth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by English acoustic roots duo
Show of Hands
Show of Hands is an English acoustic roots/folk duo formed in 1986 by singer-songwriter Steve Knightley (guitars, mandolin, mandocello, cuatro) and composer and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer (vocals, guitars, violin, viola, mandolin, mandoc ...
. Following the live band setting of the band's previous album, 1994's ''
Beat about the Bush
''Beat About the Bush'' is the fourth studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. Originally released by Twah! Records in 1994, it was their debut studio album to be released on CD, following the discontinued cassette albums that a ...
'', the duo sought a simpler sound that featured just themselves, with the duo trying to capture their live sound, which included experimenting with
DI unit
A DI unit (direct input or direct inject) is an electronic device typically used in recording studios and in sound reinforcement systems to connect a high-output impedance, line level, unbalanced output signal to a low-impedance, microphone level ...
s and making the maximum use of
pick-ups and
pre-amplifier
A preamplifier, also known as a preamp, is an electronic amplifier that converts a weak electrical signal into an output signal strong enough to be noise-tolerant and strong enough for further processing, or for sending to a power amplifier an ...
s. The album was produced by Gerard O'Farrell, who by this point had become the band's manager, and recorded in July 1995 in
Bredon
Bredon is a village and civil parish in Wychavon district at the southern edge of Worcestershire in England. It lies on the banks of the River Avon on the lower slopes of Bredon Hill.
Location and geography
Bredon is located 3 miles (5 km) ...
,
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
.
It was released in 1995 by Isis Records, before being re-rereleased by the duo's own label
Hands on Music
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "hand ...
re-released the album in 1996 after the original version went
out of print
__NOTOC__
An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book ...
. The album was a turning point for the band, featuring major press attention from magazines such as ''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
*Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* '' ...
'' and ''
Q'', the latter naming it "folk album of the year".
Oldies.com note that the album was "considered one of that year’s finest folk releases."
[Show Of Hands Biography , OLDIES.com]
/ref>
Background
After folk musician Phil Beer
Phil Beer (born 12 May 1953 in Exminster, Devon, England) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and one half of English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.
Biography
Beer first began to play fiddle, guitar, and mandolin whilst ...
left The Albion Band
The Albion Band, also known as The Albion Country Band, The Albion Dance Band, and The Albion Christmas Band, were a British folk rock band, originally brought together and led by musician Ashley Hutchings. Generally considered one of the mo ...
in late 1990, it allowed he and Steve Knightley
Steve Knightley (born 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and acoustic musician. Since 1992 he has been one half of folk/roots duo Show of Hands along with Phil Beer. Knightley was named "Songwriter of the Nineties" by BBC Radio 6 Music in ...
to treat their project Show of Hands as a full-time musical collaboration. Show of Hands' work prior to Beer's departure from The Albion Band consisted of two albums, ''Show of Hands
Show of Hands is an English acoustic roots/folk duo formed in 1986 by singer-songwriter Steve Knightley (guitars, mandolin, mandocello, cuatro) and composer and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer (vocals, guitars, violin, viola, mandolin, mandoc ...
'' (1987) and ''Tall Ships
A tall ship is a large, traditionally- rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or fe ...
'' (1990). The newly prioritised Show of Hands recorded ''Out for the Count
''Out for the Count'' is the third album by Show of Hands. The album follows Phil Beer's departure from The Albion Band in 1990, allowing Show of Hands to become a full-time partnership. Recorded straight to Digital Audio Tape in The Old Court, D ...
'' at The Old Court in 1991, and released it on cassette that year, sold at the band's live performances. The duo briefly entered a hiatus as Show of Hands to allow to form the Anglo-Chilean band Alianza with Dave Townsend
Dave Townsend is a British songwriter, lyricist, and singer, and was born in Somerset, in South West England. Aside from a solo career, he was also a vocalist for The Alan Parsons Project, singing lead vocals on "Don't Let it Show" on the album, ...
with three Chilean musicians, exploring world music. They released a self-titled album in 1992, becoming Knightley and Beer's first CD release. During the Alianza project, the duo recorded a performance from 8 June 1992 at Bridport
Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and withi ...
's Bull Hotel, working with engineer Mike Trim and released it on The Road Goes on Forever in 1992 as ''Show of Hands Live
''Live'' (also known as ''Live '92'' and ''Show of Hands Live'') is the first live album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. After the duo had recorded three studio albums on cassette from 1987–1991, the last of these being '' Out fo ...
'', the duo's first CD, but by the time of its release, the band's previous three albums were out of print.[''Roots: The Best of Show of Hands'' liner notes]
The duo recorded their first, and only, studio album for TWAH! Records, ''Beat about the Bush
''Beat About the Bush'' is the fourth studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. Originally released by Twah! Records in 1994, it was their debut studio album to be released on CD, following the discontinued cassette albums that a ...
'', in January 1994, and it was released the following month. Produced by Trim, due to his successful work on ''Show of Hands Live'', he and the duo aimed for an "elusive "radio friendly" folk/roots album that retained the band's live sound whilst adding a rhythm section
A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band.
The rhythm sec ...
. Whilst the album did not attract much radio attention as the duo had wanted,['' Roots: The Best of Show of Hands'' liner notes] it helped make the duo more popular and built upon their fan base. The duo left TWAH! Records and signed to Isis Records, the label which saw the original release of ''Lie of the Land''.
Recording
''Lie of the Land'' was recorded in July 1995 at Free for Good Studios, Bredon, near Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury ( ) is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town has significant history in the Wars of the Roses and grew since the building of Tewkesbury Abbey. It stands at the confluence of the Riv ...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, a studio which belongs to Dave Pick and whose name is often initialised to FFG. This is the first time the duo recorded a studio album outside of Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
or Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
. The album was then mixed at Sonica Studios, London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, in August 1995. There are two traditional tracks on the album and ten Knightley compositions, including a re-recording of "Exile", one of the duo's earlier songs which had featured on their first album.
The album was produced by Gerard O'Farrell, and displays a simpler, stripped-down folk sound, as opposed to the full-band set up that the duo had used on their previous album, ''Beat about the Bush'', which the duo did not see as successful as wanted. On this album, the duo tried to capture their live sound by recording all the instruments using a DI unit
A DI unit (direct input or direct inject) is an electronic device typically used in recording studios and in sound reinforcement systems to connect a high-output impedance, line level, unbalanced output signal to a low-impedance, microphone level ...
. The band had originally hired O'Farrell, an engineer/producer, for their live shows, following the release of ''Beat About the Bush''. By the time he produced ''Lie of the Land'', nonetheless, he was now the duo's manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
.
Knightley said in an interview two years later that "normally when people take acoustic instruments into a studio they get the mikes out. Like, 'sorry everyone - that may be what you heard live but now it's going to sound like a PROPER acoustic guitar.' Gerard 'Farrellwas saying from his point of view the D.I. is what makes us sound different and it can kick in effects at a massive rate. The thump you get from the pickup is what turns the music into acoustic rock
Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the adven ...
." He also later summed up the recording by noting "overdubs were minimal" and that the duo "made maximum use of heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
instrument pickups and pre-amp
A preamplifier, also known as a preamp, is an electronic amplifier that converts a weak electrical signal into an output signal strong enough to be noise-tolerant and strong enough for further processing, or for sending to a power amplifier ...
s."
Release and reception
The album was released in October 1995 on the independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
Isis Records. Later, after releasing the duo's compilation album ''Backlog 1987–1991'', it became was their first studio album to be released on the duo's own label Hands on Music
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "hand ...
, having re-issued the album. Their debut album, ''Beat about the Bush
''Beat About the Bush'' is the fourth studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. Originally released by Twah! Records in 1994, it was their debut studio album to be released on CD, following the discontinued cassette albums that a ...
'', was originally released on TWAH! Records before it was re-released on Hands on Music in 1999. The album cover was designed by Rob O'Connor, who also designed the cover for their previous album, ''Beat about the Bush''. It features John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...
, who worked post-retirement teaching Latin at the nearby Beaminster
Beaminster ( ) is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Dorset Council administrative area approximately northwest of the county town Dorchester. It is sited in a bowl-shaped valley near the source of the small River Br ...
school, with a bird sat on his arm. The album cover was later included in the window display
A display window, also a shop window (British English) or store window (American English), is a window in a shop displaying items for sale or otherwise designed to attract customers to the store. Usually, the term refers to larger windows in the ...
collage featured as the album cover of the duo's compilation album '' Roots: The Best of Show of Hands'' (2007), which features four songs from the album, namely "The Preacher", "Captains", "The Keeper" and a re-recording of "Exile".
The album was seen as a turning point, as it was given attention by major publications who gave it praiseful reviews. Bradley Torreano of Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
later noted that the album "finally got them noticed by the British press". ''Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
*Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* '' ...
'' said the album created "a powerful, fresh sounding music with both integrity and widespread appeal", while ''Q magazine
''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. '' ...
'' called it a "startlingly good" album and went one step further in voting it their "folk album of the year" in 1996. Oldies.com note that the album was "considered one of that year’s finest folk releases." Knightley himself, whilst writing about the album in 2007, acknowledged the album earned them "some excellent critical feedback".
Having by now built up a considerable fanbase through their mailing list, largely due to the success of ''Lie of the Land'', the duo and O’Farrell took the gamble of hiring London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
’s Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
for a performance on the evening of 24 March 1996. The duo's website biography says that "hiring the hall to the amusement of the media and the cynicism of sceptics they had the last laugh, with a sold out show. It was a huge gamble but the night of March 24, 1996 proved that for this enigmatic, indy duo anything was possible." The performance was released as the band's second live album, '' Live at the Royal Albert Hall'', later on in 1996, and became the duo's best selling album. The duo also released the documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
''Acoustic Workshop'' on VHS in 1996, described as a "unique insight into the arrangements, instruments and techniques" of the duo's music. "The Man in Green" was included on the various artist compilation album ''The Best of British Folk'' (2000).Various - The Best Of British Folk (CD) at Discogs
/ref>
Track listing
All songs written by Steve Knightley
Steve Knightley (born 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and acoustic musician. Since 1992 he has been one half of folk/roots duo Show of Hands along with Phil Beer. Knightley was named "Songwriter of the Nineties" by BBC Radio 6 Music in ...
, except where noted.
#"The Hunter" – 5:03
#"Unlock Me" – 3:43
#"The Well" – 3:50
#"The Keeper" – 5:03
#"Captains" – 4:04
#"Weary" – 2:01
#"Ratcliffe Highway" (Trad arr. Knightley/Phil Beer
Phil Beer (born 12 May 1953 in Exminster, Devon, England) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and one half of English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.
Biography
Beer first began to play fiddle, guitar, and mandolin whilst ...
) – 4:52
#"Safe As Houses" – 3:19
#"The Man In Green" – 3:38
#"The Preacher" – 4:29
#"M Ferguson" (Trad arr. Knightley/Beer) – 2:10
#"Exile" – 5:22
Personnel
* Steve Knightley
Steve Knightley (born 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and acoustic musician. Since 1992 he has been one half of folk/roots duo Show of Hands along with Phil Beer. Knightley was named "Songwriter of the Nineties" by BBC Radio 6 Music in ...
- vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, cello-mandolin, concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front.
The ...
, cuatro
Cuatro is Spanish language, Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the 4 (number), number four.
Cuatro may also refer to:
* Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see cuatro (Puerto Rico), ...
, guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
* Phil Beer
Phil Beer (born 12 May 1953 in Exminster, Devon, England) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and one half of English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.
Biography
Beer first began to play fiddle, guitar, and mandolin whilst ...
- vocals, bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
, cello-mandolin, cuatro, fiddle
A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...
, guitar, mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
, viola
The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...
* Sarah Allen
Sarah Allen is a Canadian actress. She studied acting at the National Theatre School of Canada and graduated in 2002.
''Being Human''
Allen is perhaps best known for playing vampire Rebecca Flynt on SyFy's '' Being Human''. For the role, ...
- whistle
A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a larg ...
* Matt Clifford - keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
, piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
* Nick Scott - pipes
References
{{Authority control
1995 albums
Show of Hands albums