1971 saw Ashley Collins pull together yet another group, following on from his success firstly with Fairport Convention and then Steeleye Span. The Albion Country Band was formed to provide the music for an album with his wife, the renowned folk singer Shirley Collins. In fairness, this wasn’t a band as such, as it appears that often whoever appeared in the studio to see what was going on was asked to make an appearance. The result is an album that somehow had 27 credited musicians involved, and all their names appeared on the front cover.
Ashley of course played bass on each song, while Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol appear on eight of the nine numbers, while Dave Mattacks was on three. The Watersons were there, as was Maddy Prior, British free jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill, famed accordion player John Kirkpatrick and many more. That it is an important album in folk history is never in doubt, as it provided Ashley with the determination to create a permanent band, which is still going today, having had many different line-ups, names, and musicians (more than 70 at last count). Also, it showcased not only many musicians of the current folk scene, but also musically was an interpretation of traditional numbers. Included in the booklet is information about each song, where it was collected, and who was involved in the recording. This is traditional folk, with some electric instruments at times, played by people who had a real love and understanding of the music. I am sure that anyone interested in British folk will already have this album, but this is a new 2017 remastered edition, and Shirley’s vocals have never sounded so good.
