> Folk Music > Records > Fay Hield: Looking Glass

Fay Hield: Looking Glass

Looking Glass
Fay Hield

Topic Records TSCD573 (CD, UK, September 6, 2010)
Topic Records TSCD7005 (promo EP, UK, 2010)

Recorded by Keith Angel at Wavelength Studios;
Additional recording by Andy Bell;
Mastered by Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering;
Produced by Fay Hield and Jon Boden;
Photograph by David Angel;
Design by David Suff

Musicians

Fay Hield, vocals;
Jess Arrowsmith, vocals [1-2, 9, 11], bells [2];
Jon Boden, fiddle [1, 3, 11], percussion [1], concertina [2, 4, 9], guitar [7], feet [11];
Sam Sweeney, fiddle [1-2, 4, 7, 11], viola [3, 9], nyckelharpa [5-6, 8];
Keith Angel, percussion [3];
Hannah James, clogs [11]

Tracks

CD	promo EP
The Huntsman (5.58) Mad Family (Roud 19704) (2.29) Two Brothers (Roud 38; Child 49) (3.51) The Looking Glass (3.20) Little Yellow Roses (3.41) The Banks of the Nile (Roud 950; Laws N9) (2.36) Kemp Owen (Roud 3912; Child 34) (7.25) Sheepcrook and Black Dog (Roud 948) (3.57) Grey Goose and Gander (Roud 1094) (4.02) The Shepherd's Daughter (Roud 67; Child 110) (2.40) King Henry (Roud 4203) (2.34)	Two Brothers (Roud 38; Child 49) (3.51) Mad Family (2.29) Little Yellow Roses (3.41) The Huntsman (5.58)

promo EP

The Huntsman (5.58)
Mad Family (Roud 19704) (2.29)
Two Brothers (Roud 38; Child 49) (3.51)
The Looking Glass (3.20)
Little Yellow Roses (3.41)
The Banks of the Nile (Roud 950; Laws N9) (2.36)
Kemp Owen (Roud 3912; Child 34) (7.25)
Sheepcrook and Black Dog (Roud 948) (3.57)
Grey Goose and Gander (Roud 1094) (4.02)
The Shepherd's Daughter (Roud 67; Child 110) (2.40)
King Henry (Roud 4203) (2.34)

Two Brothers (Roud 38; Child 49) (3.51)
Mad Family (2.29)
Little Yellow Roses (3.41)
The Huntsman (5.58)

All tracks trad. adapted and arranged by Fay Hield and Jon Boden; additional arrangement by Sam Sweeney, except
Track 2 tune Jon Boden;
Track 4 text Rudyard Kipling, tune Peter Bellamy;
Track 5 Trevor Peacock

> Folk Music > Records > Fay Hield: Orfeo

Fay Hield: Orfeo

Orfeo
Fay Hield & the Hurricane Party

Topic Records, TSCD586 (CD, UK, May 28, 2012)

Produced by Fay Hield, Jon Boden and Andy Bell;
Recorded by Andy Bell at Underbank;
Mastering by Andy Seward;
Photography by David Angel;
Design by David Suff

Musicians

Fay Hield, vocals;
Jon Boden, fiddle, guitar, percussion, double bass, mandolin, banjo, vocals;
Andy Cutting, button accordion, melodeon;
Robert Harbron, English concertina, fiddle, vocals;
Sam Sweeney, fiddle, viola, cello, nyckelharpa, vocals;
with
Martin Simpson, banjo, guitar

Tracks

The Lover's Ghost (Roud 179; Child 248) (4.15)
The Wicked Serpent (Roud 431; Laws G16) (2.46)
The Parson's Gate (Roud 1172) (2.26)
The Cuckoo (Roud 413) (5.44)
Pretty Nancy (Roud 407) (3.01)
Sir Orfeo (Roud 136; Child 19) (7.28)
The Old 'Arris Mill (2.46)
The Weaver's Daughter (Roud 1277) (3.26)
Tarry Trousers (Roud 427) (2.20)
Henry (Roud 200; Child 13) (4.45)
Naughty Baby (Roud 20649) (4.36)

Tracks 1, 4, 7, 9 trad.;
Tracks 2, 8 trad., Jon Boden;
Track 3 trad., Mrs. Bellamy, Rob Harbron;
Tracks 5-6 trad., Fay Hield, Jon Boden;
Tracks 10-11 trad., Fay Hield

Promo Video

Reviews

Propermusic review (April 6, by Sofi)
FolkWorlds review (April 10, by Pete Fyfe)
FATEA review (April 14, by Pete Fyfe, same text as above)
Spiral Earth review (May 14, by Iain Hazlewood)
Folk Radio review (May 18, by Mike Wilson)

Fay's Orfeo Countdown

(posted as a folk fact a day on twitter@fayhield in May 2012)

The title track Sir Orfeo is edited from a C13 retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, a Tolkien translation & the Wiki entry.
Hurricane Party: when people meet in cellars (or basements) and have a party when there's a hurricane. Obvious really.

It's also the title of a book by Klas Östergren which I found quite harrowing.
Naughty Baby's tune was made up after listening to a BBC Radio 4 show and strongly resembles the German National Anthem.
While recording the album Rob Harbron mostly wore (amongst other things) slippers.
The story Orpheus and Eurydice is commonly set in Winchester, where Jon grew up. Perhaps he's a child of the Otherworld.
The verses of Pretty Nancy come from George Townshend, a railway policeman of Lewes. The chorus comes from our heads.
I wanted bassier sounds so Sam learned the cello in 2 days (then practised). He owns a strap-on nipple holder (tech term).
Parson's Gate's tune was written by Rob H and Peter Bellamy's mum, though admittedly not an intimate collaboration.
Henry more commonly goes under the name of Edward or David. Must've gotten my incest driven / eel eating men all confused.
Cellar shots were taken in our house in a very small space and we all had the giggles. Andy Cutting was worst.
The ghostly revenant in The Lover's Ghost is atypically a woman. Why should dead guys get all the fun? Wholly trad though.
In Tarry Trousers she's more interested in the fella's pants than him. Her mother was right, she should marry a tailor.
This is the elaborate blend of my administrative and musical skill in the score for Sir Orfeo.
Sam Sweeney tests the Hurricane Simulator and says we're more authentic.
Andy Cutting refused to sing on the album claiming to be tuneless. He lies and we will make him sing one day. Soon.
The ‘vocal booth’ I recorded guide vocals in was a damp and smelly broom cupboard.
I got the background info on 'Arris Mill from Mike Harding via Twitter.
We were delighted to see Martin Simpson at the Hurricane Party. All round good egg and banjo genius.