Swordedge – s/t (Private Pressing 1980)

Swordedge was a folk band from the North East of England. They only released this album, as a private pressing back in 1980. It’s really a pity that the band never got this wonderful album commercially distributed at the time, as it deserved – and still deserves – a much larger audience. What you’ll find here is traditional folk mixed with a couple of songs in a more contemporary style. Simply put: The album is flawless folk, and I play it on a regular basis. The band consisted of Sue Fenwick on vocals, bowed psaltery and bodhran, Dave Smith on guitar and John Davies on vocals, guitar and flute. Everything is arranged, played and sang so wonderfully that any true folk fan will be crying of joy when hearing this album. It all begins with the best version of the traditional tune ‘Rosemary Lane’ that I have ever heard. Sue Fenwick was a truly amazing vocalist, and you can hear her voice in all its glory on this one – as well as a number of other gems. There are also some excellent instrumentals on the album, and these sound very fresh and inspired. I actually also love the two songs in a more (at the time) contemporary style, namely ‘No Pain’ and ‘Party on Mars’. They both feature excellent melodies and John Davies’ very fine vocals. As you can understand, there isn’t one negative thing to say about this masterpiece. But the album still sank like a stone, and the band members soon became geographically separated. A second album would have been very interesting, but alas, it never came to be. The original album is next to impossible to find, but thankfully the wonderful record company Guerssen took responsibility and got it re-released in 2014. Do yourself a favour and get this album – on vinyl! Any fan of traditional folk rock will have a friend for life here, that’s for sure.