Nicely Out Of Tune

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Seemingly inspired by The Beatles ‘ Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds‘ (although lyrically less abstract), ‘ Alan in the River with Flowers‘ prompts an excellent ensemble performance, delicate reading of the verses by Hull nicely offset with searing harmonies in the chorus. Reinhard Groll: Ray, on the rear side of the album cover of the original Charisma album, and only there, one can find a "Thanks to..." section. First named is Ian, Si's younger brother and Lindisfarne's roadie until the disband in 73. Then there is the "Hull family", Alan's wife Pat and their daughters Rosamund, Francesca and Berenice. Coming from the pre-LF time still under the name of "Brethren" and "Downtown Faction" are Jeff Sadler and Richard Squirrel. Long time friend and Alan's partner in Hazy Music: Barbara Hayes. David Wood as the Engineer and Uncle Tony might be noone else than John Anthony. But who is: "Charlie, Kath, Barbara, Anna, Julia, Joe Robertson, Drummond, Mr. Bolton and Spectrum?" You took me on a pleasure trip/But the waves got high and sunk the ship/And the captain was mad and so was his crew/And they all looked just the same as you.’ I remember what the old man said on his little wooden stand/As he spoke very quietly with a waving of his hand/Every pigeon to its own hole, but what he seemed to say/I know I should go looking for, a better place to stay.’

Side two has a completely different version of ‘We Can Swing Together’, although approx. two minutes shorter and ‘Alan In The River with Flowers’ is renamed ‘Float Me Down the River’. However, ‘We Can Swing Together’ deserves to get some extra space for a more detailed description: The version on the original single which was released when Nicely Out Of Tune first came out and flopped (in pic sleeve - run off groove A1U) is a shortened version of the UK album version (bones). When Meet Me On The Corner was a hit in 1972 Lady Eleanor was rereleased as A2U (some copies in pic sleeve, most without). This is the full length version and is the same as appears on the US Nicely Out Of Tune LP (bone). There was a 3rd UK version (A3U). This is the same shortened version as A1U. Some versions of A2U have ‘(From the L.P. CAS. 1025 - “Nicely Out Of Tune”)’ on the label A side even though that particular version is different from the album. The 4 prong version is the same as the solid centre (A2U). Inspired by ‘ The Fall of the House of Usher’ (a 19th Century short story by Edgar Allan Poe), Hull captures the supernatural aspect of the tale, his interpretation of events set on a platform incorporating electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, but added to on this occasion by some ominous, yet atmospheric organ work. The guitar/mandolin framework would go on to serve many Lindisfarne songs, producer John Anthony, as he does throughout the record, steering clear of otherwise unnecessary embellishments in allowing the words and melody to speak for themselves: Yet when the follow-up ‘ Fog on the Tyne‘ appeared the following year, it not only topped the UK album listings for a month but also brought attention to its predecessor, ‘ Nicely Out of Tune‘ belatedly reaching the Top Ten early in 1972.For myself, I was never quite the same after Fog On The Tyne. I still liked a bit of bombast – I still do – but Fog On The Tyne opened my eyes to the pleasure that can be derived from softer, acoustic music that has sheer enjoyment as its main objective and, when just a few months after my Fog On The Tyne epiphany, my bass guitar tutor got me to listen to Ashley Hutchings‘ Morris On, an album that truly and permanently shifted my musical axis, he was pushing at a door that was already half-open. All thanks to Fog On The Tyne. Ray: OK Reinhard, here goes. All above is correct except that Dave Wood, in addition to being the engineer on all of Alan's and Lindisfarne's early demos, was also the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, the third partner in Hazy Music and Alan's / Lindisfarne's manager. Uncle Tony was Tony Stratton Smith, Lindisfarne's manager and owner of the Charisma label which was based at Number 7, Dean Street (I think). Confusion because the office moved about six times in three years. Didn’t think there could be more..." – Lindisfarne sang on the hypnotic and ethereal "Lady Eleanor" Turns out there is... In the end there is a court appearance and verdict handed down by the judge who hears the case (‘ I have to send you all to jail for doing this terrible thing‘), the bonhomie and sing along nature of the piece ensuring it was a song they rarely failed to perform onstage. Fog On The Tyne was phenomenally successful. it made number one in the UK albums chart and, although released in late 1971, it became the UK’s biggest selling album of 1972. For a short while, Lindisfarne were the biggest thing going and Fog On The Tyne was popular across a wide demographic, not just with those of us who aspired to be hippies. It couldn’t last, and it didn’t. The follow up album, 1972’s Dingly Dell failed to capitalise on the success of Fog on the Tyne, although, personally, it’s an album I’ve always enjoyed. The critical reception was muted in comparison to the euphoria heaped upon Fog on the Tyne and the two singles extracted from the album, All Fall Down and Court In The Act both performed poorly. In early 1973, the original line-up of Lindisfarne sundered and, whilst the band have continued to exist, albeit sometimes sporadically, and for many years were almost sacred property in their home city of Newcastle, they never managed to recreate the magic of Fog On The Tyne – so let’s leave the story there and celebrate a fantastic, memorable, influential and culture-defining album.

Appropriately, this striking debut collection ends with another impecable lyrical ballad by Hull, ‘ Scarecrow Song‘ a heartfelt plea on behalf of those feeling isolated and lonely, the scarecrow a metaphor for one whom fate has cast alone (‘ Your Saturday nights they are sober/And your Sundays are too long‘). The understated drums and resonant electric piano give the song such gravitas comparisons with The Band are in no way fanciful, the richness and sense of purpose apparent in this and several other cuts, quite remarkable for a first album.Scarecrow Song (Full Version with ending) Time:4.02 all original versions fade out around 3.20 or 3.50

When the turkey’s in the oven/And the Christmas presents are bought/And Santa’s in his module/He’s an American astronaut/Do you spare one thought for Jesus, who had nothing but his thoughts?/Who got busted just for talking/And befriending the wrong sorts?/When winter/Comes howling in.’

We’ve all experienced the overfamiliarity that repeated plays of a well-loved album can cause, and I have to admit that I expected Fog On The Tyne to be a victim of such “Dark Side Of The Moon” syndrome and, as I settled down to revisit it, I did wonder whether it was necessary for me ever to hear the album again. Well, happily, the songs on Fog on the Tyne still sound good today and, now that much of the political and societal progress of the past 50 years has been successfully reversed by those who know best, the subject matter of many of the songs – class differences, the futility of war, loneliness, desperation and pleasure in adversity still resonate strongly. But, before we go on, let’s deal with that elephant that came into the room in 1990… Reinhard Groll: Ray, on the rear side of the album cover of the original Charisma album, and only there, one can find a "Thanks to..." section. First named is Ian, Si's younger brother and Lindisfarne's roadie until the disband in 73. Then there is the "Hull family", Alan's wife Pat and their daughters Rosamund, Francesca and Berenice. Coming from the pre-LF time still under the name of "Brethren" and "Downtown Faction" are Jeff Sadler and Richard Squirrel. Long time friend and Alan's partner in Hazy Music: Barbara Hayes. David Wood as the Engineer and Uncle Tony might be noone else than John Anthony. But who is: "Charlie, Kath, Barbara, Anna, Julia, Joe Robertson, Drummond, Mr. Bolton and Spectrum?" Nicely Out of Tune is the debut album by Lindisfarne, released in late 1970. It charted more than a year after release, thanks to the huge success of their second album Fog on the Tyne, which topped the charts early in 1972. There are 2 versions of Lady Eleanor with regards to the lyrics. One has “… some music in my bone.” and the other “… some music playing in my bones.” In addition some versions have the intro cut and others are full length. Both "bones" & "bone" versions exist cut and full length. Cut versions are around 3:30, full length around 4:10. They sound like very slightly different mixes.

She gazed with loving beauty like a mother to a son/Like living, dying, seeing, being all rolled into one/Then all at once I heard some music playing in my bones/The same old song I’d heard for years/Reminding me of home.’ By the last verse, however, the writer has moved his focus from the personal to the universal, mankind best served by compassion and communal respect:Shaped primarily by the song writing prowess of guitarist Alan Hull, the band during its first incarnation left behind an impressive body of work, a couple of hit singles and reputation as a first class live act. Purveying an infectious brand of folk/pop, they had climbed to some lofty heights before time was called – this brief, but glowing trail set ablaze by debut LP ‘ NICELY OUT OF TUNE‘ (1970), the most assured of their first three releases and a defining album of the year. Melodically serene and lyrically sublime, he develops the oration from climatic conditions to the human condition, asking questions of us as individuals and society as a whole in pondering the plight of those who are vulnerable and oppressed. Throughout a career as member of Lindisfarne and solo artist – that ended with his death at the relatively young age of 50 in November 1995 – Hull was committed to social justice and always a champion of the underprivileged. The final verse of this outstanding folk ballad is not only an extraordinary piece of literation, but manifesto for the next twenty five years. When winter’s shadowy fingers/First pursue you down the street/And your boots no longer lie/About the cold around your feet/Do you spare a thought for summer whose passage is complete?/Whose memories lie in ruins/And whose ruins lie in heat?/When winter/Comes howling in.’