"...Sally Free And Easy..."
In his superlative 2010 oversized paperback book "The Great Folk Discography Volume 1: Pioneers and Early Legends" – king of discography tomes Martin Strong tells of how passionate fans of the second and last album by England's Trees describe it as the "...cat's pyjamas".
They might do, others aren't so generous, calling them derivative Fairport Convention clones where the soloing parts go on for too long. And as ever, the dapper dude of facts is bang on the even-handed money with his fair and realistic in-between appraisal of 7 out of 10. Some history...
Formed in 1969 London through a circle of mutually interested friends - TREES made two rather good albums that received praise but sold diddly squat and then disbanded in 1972 broken-hearted and broke (would we have it any other way). Both their British CBS LPs (neither received US releases) have been darlings of the Prog-Folk collecting scene for years. Quickly deleted and listed at sums in excess of £400 and £450 respectively ever since – they can easily sell for twice that and more in genuine Mint condition (they had flimsy card sleeves and are notoriously difficult to find in good nick).
As luck would have it, singer Cee-Loo Green and Producer Danger Mouse of the British chart-topping act Gnarls Barkley sampled the Acid Folk guitar and drums sound of Side 2's "Geordie” on their 2006 track "St. Elsewhere" – thereby bringing the group's sound and their two rare albums to a wider public. Suddenly Folk, Folk Rock, Psych Folk, Acid Folk and all its myriad variants became the new cool (so said the influential taste-barometer of London's "Time Out" magazine). Reissue giant Sanctuary of the UK even released a CD called "Garden Of Delights" in 2006 on Sanctuary DQFCD022 (Barcode 5050441402227) – a folk compilation compiled by Pete Lawrence and AJ of The Big Chill Radio programme. And although our heroes weren't featured on that set, it gave Folk-Rock bands with a historical twist like Trader Horne, Dransfield, Mr. Fox, Fotheringay, Pentangle and Gryphon pride of place when these troubadours and contemporaries of Trees had remained underground cult acts for decades. It was only a matter of time before reissue attention turned to these melodious rarities...
Newly Remastered in 2007, both Trees albums saw proper appreciation in lovely Sony CD Reissues in August and September of 2008 – 16-page booklets, band involvement in the mastering and even newly formed tracks from old tapes. Both are expanded editions, April 1970's debut album "The Garden Of Jane Delawney" with four bonuses on a single CD while February 1971's "On The Shore" is stretched to an extra nine bonuses on CD No. 2. They have been done before, but not as good as this.
There are actually two variants of this 2CD Reissue; the first issued February 2007 on Sony/BMG 88697057652 (Barcode 886970576529) came in a gatefold digipak. That was deleted and replaced with a jewel case version in 2008. It's that reissue we're dealing with...to the details...
UK released 8 July 2008 – "On The Shore" by TREES on Sony/BMG Music Entertainment 88697316542 (Barcode 886973165423) is a 2CD Expanded Edition Jewel Case Version Reissue with Nine Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows:
CD1 "On The Shore" Album (49:02 minutes):
1. Soldiers Three [Side 1]
2. Murdoch
3. Streets Of Derry
4. Sally Free And Easy
5. Fool [Side 2]
6. Adam's Toon
7. Geordie
8. While The Iron Is Hot
9. Little Sadie
10. Polly On The Shore
Tracks 1 to 10 are their second and last studio album "On The Shore" - released February 1971 in the UK on CBS Records S 64168 (no US release). Produced by TONY COX - it didn't chart.
CD2 BONUS TRACKS (41:59 minutes):
1. Soldiers Three (Remix)
2. Murdoch (Remix)
3. Streets Of Derry (Remix)
4. Fool (Remix)
5. Geordie (Remix)
6. Little Sadie (Remix)
7. Polly On The Shore (Remix)
8. Forest Fire (Original 1971 BBC Recording)
9. Little Black Cloud (1970 Demo)
TREES was:
CELIA HUMPHRIS – Lead Vocals
BARRY CLARKE – Lead and Acoustic Guitars
DAVID COSTA – Acoustic Guitar, Electric 12-String Guitar and Dulcimer
TOBIAS 'BIAS' BOSHELL - Bass, Acoustic 12-String Guitar, Piano and Vocals
(STEPHEN) UNWIN BROWN – Drums, Percussion and Vocals
With help from band-members Boshell and Humphris, uber-fan and champion of the flame STEWART LEE has written the affectionate, illuminating and witty liner notes to this elegant Sony/BMG CD reissue. They enlighten us on the mysteries of their two highly revered Psych-Folk albums - April 1970's "The Garden Of Jane Delawney" and "On The Shore" which followed only 10-months later in February 1971. The text is peppered with super-cool period photos and unbelievably, out-takes from the Hipgnosis/Storm Thorgerson cover shoot of a giddy Katherine Meehan swishing her drink in the garden (she's the daughter of Tony Meehan from the Shadows). There are also explanations dated January 2007 on the Disc 2 bonuses – for instance that Celia added Harmony Vocals to the "Streets Of Derry" remix that the band felt had always been missing – lost Bob Harris sessions for the BBC in 1971 now found and aired and even an obscure demo. The Trees website is in fact called ontheshore.net after this weird, lovely and ethereal LP.
PASCHAL BYRNE of Audio Archiving did the Remasters for the album on CD1 with restoration and mastering done by BIAS BOSHELL and ADRIAN HARDY for the nine extras on CD2. This is a fabulous listen – care and attention given to the transfers - and along with the lush presentation of the booklet and picture CDs – gives me a thrill to see and hear these records in such top quality again. To the music...
Sounding like its history-steeped title, the two-minutes of "Soldiers Three" recalls money-lacked and the demon-drink luring gullible lads into bad decisions (the Bass and Acoustic guitars are beautifully clear). Up next is one of this album's substantial tracks "Murdoch" - chosen for Grapefruit's June 2017 Mini Clamshell Box Set "Milk Of The Tree..." - a 3CD Anthology set exploring female singers in Folk and Folk Rock between 1966 and 1973. The lead vocals of Celia Humphris is the gal in question, singing here about Harvest Moons and rivers of sand to the south and pagan myths hard to grasp - a song that literally came to Tobias Boshell in a dream (to this day he still can't quite explain it). For many this is where the 'sound' of Trees begins proper - the guitars of Barry Clarke and David Costa battling into Folk Rock that isn't quite Fairport Convention (although you can still so hear Richard Thompson's lead guitar style influencing everything) but something slightly different - perhaps something a bit more spacey as they stretch out.
Complaints of the same (long solos) are often levied at the 7:32 minutes of the "Streets Of Derry" – a Traditional air completely reworked. But I would argue that its precisely the way Trees organised the song that makes it – a muddle of guitars to begin with, soon succumbing to Celia's lone voice as it holds stage like a shimmer, then a Bass builds instruments into a very 1974 Richard Thompson "I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight" groove. It isn't cluttered – it's brill and cleverly paced. Side 1 ends with 10:08 minutes of the majestic and epic "Sally Free And Easy" – a rapid keyboard roll opening making it feel like a Keystone Cops movie reel before it mellows down into melodious piano notes – like great early Elton John. As the acoustic guitars then slip in like trickling water, you can feel that the album has produced its first genuine magical moment. Trees weren't the first or last act to sense something special in the Cyril Tawney tune "Sally Free And Easy" – Pentangle would do their version on the "Solomon's Seal" album (Transatlantic Records in 1972) while Marianne Faithfull had touched upon the song as far back as 1966 on her third LP "North Country Maid" on Decca.
Side 2 opens with "Fool", 5:09 minutes of philosophy and untimely incidents and the world turning oddly in 1971. That bevy of guitar overdubs in "Fool" feels lighter for sure but its not as un-muddied as I would have liked. At 1:10 minutes, the acoustic instrumental "Adam's Toon" feels like a vibe interlude that probably didn't need to be there. But it is quickly followed by something that does - as I walked out one misty morning over London Bridge - our hero meets a lamenting maid in the atmospheric swirl of "Geordie". You can so hear why the plaintive drums and guitar passage at its centre was such a draw to samplers - Barry Clarke channelling his inner Richard Thompson and Tom Verlaine as he plays that great lead.
"While The Iron Is Hot" is all nineteenth century history telling us of the Tolpuddle Martyrs and workingmen shipped off to Australia in search of a living wage (it bursts into a wild guitar solo just when you least expect it). "Little Sadie" is a pretty little tune in the vein of Country-Folk Matthews Southern Comfort - a tale of young lad called Lee accused of mowing young Sadie down – a crime he denies. And the album finishes in the merry month of May when "Polly On The Shore" finds a cocky youth being warned to avoid bad company lest he too end up in stocks (another great Folk-Rock groove - you can so hear why this cut makes its way onto so many compilations).
In some ways CD2 is even better for us that have grown up with the album. You get seven 'remix' versions of albums tracks done by surviving members of Trees alongside a badly recorded 1971 BBC session and a 1970 piano/vocal demo that just about rises above bootleg standard. Neither tracks 8 or 9 interested me much and disappointed a lot. But the remixes are different beasts entirely - my fave being an extended "Murdoch" that pushes the 5:08 of the original up to 6:35 minutes by adding acoustic passages. You can also feel the slight and subtle changes in the others - sympathetically boosting the oomph in recordings previously lacking - very cleverly done.
In September 2020, this 2CD reissue of "On The Shore" by Trees is available for less than seven quid new, and even cheaper on the used market. I'd suggest that's a deal you might want to haul into your parlour and get cosy with by the peat fire. I've also reviewed the Sony/BMG CD reissue of their 1970 debut "The Garden Of Jane Delaney" (use Barcode 886973567128 to locate it) - another acquaintance worth warming too...
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