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Fuchsia - Fuchsia (1973)

Track listing:
  1. Gone With The Mouse 5:01
  2. A Tiny Book 8:04
  3. Another Nail 6:56
  4. Shoes And Ships 6:11
  5. The Nothing Song 8:26
  6. Me And My Kite 2:32
  7. Just Anyone 3:35

Notes

Size: 76.8 MB
Bitrate: 256
mp3
Ripped By: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included

First legit reissue of this UK folk album, originally issued in 1971 on Kingdom Records. Digipak with 16 page book of lyrics, notes and photos. "Their sole 1971 LP straddled gothic beauty and horror, and remains a surreal blend of joy and madness, a bewitching compound of gothic acid-folk, Canterbury whimsy and pop melody, complete with Pre-Raphaelite female backing vocals and highly ornate string arrangements...Fuchsia was unpredictable yet teemed with melody: eloquent string arrangements and rock rhythms collided and meshed with results veering from tempestuous to pastoral. 'Gone with the Mouse', and 'A Tiny Book' brought Syd Barrett-esque naivetι, 'Shoes and Ships' and the Durant/Chudley Louise-era collaboration 'Another Nail' were set to sweeping orchestral arrangements, while 'The Nothing Song' hovered in the realm of psychedelia . Then they added dreamy pop-rock with Chudley's 'Me and My Kite'(also from the Louise repertoire) and Durant's 'Just Anyone'..."

...a little-noticed self-titled album in 1971 that, true to its name, was a fusion of various currents of early-'70s rock, particularly progressive rock and British folk-rock. While guitarist and lead singer Tony Durant was Fuchsia's main motor as the composer of most of the material, the band's chief distinguishing mark was its three-woman string section, including cellist Madeleine Bland (who also played piano and harmonium) and violinists Janet Rogers and Vanessa Hall-Smith; all three also contributed backing vocals. With fairly tuneful folk-rock-pop-ish songs whose progressions are unconventional enough that you often don't know quite where they're going, it's an interesting effort...Structurally and melodically, the songs ... are complex and unpredictably winding, not conforming to the usual formats and progressions of popular music. The all-woman, three-part string section ... gives the material some orchestral density, and though it's a long way from the thickness of the arrangements of Electric Light Orchestra, some might find the more understated lightness far more likable. The songs and vocals are more aligned with folk-rock, however, in their benign and slightly fanciful storytelling feel, speckled with mentions of water, sky, breeze, a king and his crown, "Me and My Kite," and the like. In parts, "Just Anyone" certainly seems like a nod in the direction of early-'70s Pink Floyd's lightest, most song-oriented material, complete with swooping slide guitar.

Fuchsia is amongst my favourite folkrock albums, after Spirogyra's first and third album. While albums from Trees, Pentangle, Spirogyra, Spriguns were until now more generally known and appreciated, this album never got its deserved attention. It was left unknown for much too long a time. But never-the-less it has all the necessary elements : a powerful play, Pre-Rahaelitic woman's voices, a beautiful male troubadour's voice with sometimes an almost female energy, with second high female voice, with many additional chamber music arrangements, long tracks, strong song structure, and a gifted individual approach. Closest in style comes perhaps Spirogyra's 3rd album, to give you some idea. Both sides are equally pleasant with their additional chamber music arrangements, but perhaps the second side is strongest. These arrangements give the music an extra attractiveness (with a gentle power going in the direction of early Electric Light Orchestra*).

I bought the limited LP-minisleeve CD reissue once. But then I heard about an improved official reissue, with additional booklet, and I thought at first some bonus tracks as well, but they seemed to have preserved these for another issue later. Anyhow I felt obliged again to replace my older unofficial reissue copy for the better one. This replacing seemed to have happened to me lots of times already, not only from LP-reissue to cd much more often with improvements with CD's (Langsyne, Vashti Bunyan, Extradition, Linda Perhacs). In all these cases it was worth the improvement, because all these newer reissues showed much more care and love for the music, as well as in its presentation. (Langsyne I kept both reissues because they had interesting differences ; first reissues from LP to CD, like with Dr.Strangely Strange hardly were improvements, except for Extradition). I assume with this reissue that the remastering will give a better sound, but still I prefer to check on the best equipment to be really sure what is the difference. The booklet with the complete history of the band, the issue and the band members, and a colour picture of the band, are nice to see included with this version. As you can see the background colour on the original picture has been left out. This detail I don't see as a real improvement, because it makes the purple with black so contrasting that it gives a more sad / mourning vibe, less moody, like the music. ° There I prefer the original cover. The music at first seems to be more clear to. It makes my listening experience a bit different. Very difficult to say which version I prefer.

But I can at least say I'm very glad this release makes it possible for anyone to purchase the album at normal price. For the UK acid folkrock collector the album itself is of course a must-have.

01. GONE WITH THE MOUSE (4’59”)
02. A TINY BOOK (8’03”)
03. ANOTHER NAIL (6’57”)
04. SHOES AND SHIPS (6’14”)
05. THE NOTHING SONG (8’23”)
06. ME AND MY KITE (2’34”)
07. JUST ANYONE (3'33")