Just Others - Where Is He? (UK Contemporary Folk 1974)

Even in the most extreme realms of sonic esoterica, where unknown, decades-old private-press releases are commonplace, Amalgam is about as rare as such records get. It's the only release by British folk duo Just Others, which (briefly) consisted of Geoff Twigg and Brian Rodgers. By the time of its release in 1974, the British folk scene was still going, but had pretty much peaked. Perhaps if Amalgam had come along about five years earlier, it might have attained a higher profile, but it was released in a super-limited edition of just 250 copies and disappeared without a trace. Nevertheless, the blend of influences between Twigg's singer/songwriter orientation and Rodgers' more traditional folk inspirations gave Just Others a familiar but distinctive sound.

There are no traditional folk tunes to be found on Amalgam, but the influence of artists like Bert Jansch, Martin Carthy, et al, can be clearly heard. Even though the aforementioned folkies, like so many of their peers, had experimented extensively with electrified folk-rock by that time, Amalgam is a strictly acoustic affair, with nary a rhythm section in sight. In fact, one of the very few outside contributions to the album comes in the form of crumhorns that add a Renaissance-era touch, evoking the retro-folk stylings of Amazing Blondel and Gryphon. At the same time, despite the old-school nature of the sonic settings, Twigg's songs (he wrote all but one of the tracks here) all bear a very personal stamp, and couldn't have been written in any other era than that of the ‘60s/'70s singer/songwriter. Cast in stark relief by necessity due to the low-budget nature of the recording, the tracks sound all the more haunting and poignant, bearing a kind of innocence that could be seen as the last gasp of the hippie era in the mid-‘70s. Fortunately, Amalgam was saved from extinction through the work of dutiful folk enthusiasts, and decades later, it stands as a sweet musical time capsule.


Amalgam Review by James Allen




Discography


Album


Amalgam (1974))



Amalgam (1974))


Side 1


1. I Do Not Know Your Name

2. Question of Emotion

3. A Ballad to Lady Ann (A)

4. We Are Not Alone

5. Close Your Eyes to the Sun

6. Concerning a Lost Love*


Sıde 2


1. I Miss You

2. Song for All Seasons

3. Ballad of a Londoner (B)

4. Where Is He? (C)

5. Night

6. At the End of the Rainbow

7. Sing for Me (D)


All the songs were written by Geoff
except * (by Brian)

Special thanks to Penny

and also: The album was produced by Will Sedge
and recorded by Gordon Phillipson and Keith
Kitchen at Vortex Studios.

Without them the amalgam album would not exist.

Art Work - Brian


Just Others are Geoff Twigg and Brian rodgers, who first came to blows in a music shop in Maidstone around September 1973. Between them they can get around most guitar styles (plus other odds and ends).


Instruments: Geoff 6-string guitars, piano, and sings

Brian: 6 + 12-string guitars, mandolin, recorder, and sings

(A) The Canterbury Waites played Crumhorns.
(B) Evelyn Tubb played Trumpet.
(C) Thank you , the Trent Quartet.
(D) The choir are the Concord Singers who also sang on * .

Thanks very much one and all.



Source


https://www.discogs.com/release/63585...

https://www.allmusic.com/album/amalga...

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/alb...



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