JDIZZY's 365 # 289: Fog On The Tyne

Fog On the Tyne - Lindisfarne (1971)

The early seventies were an era of amazing folk rock in England that ruled the charts at home but barely made a dent in the States' musical conscience. A fine example is Lindisfarne who rocketed to the top of the album charts with their 1971 classic Fog On The Tyne. The title track is a party in single form: a sea shanty of sorts that sparkles with wit, harmony and stellar musicanship by the band.

Later on, after their album sales began to fade, de facto leader Alan Hull broke up the group then reformed it with new members. This lead to the fired players starting the successful offshoot Jack The Lad, another great folk rock gem of a band.

In England of course.

Here one might think Lindisfarne is a type of micro brew from Wisconsin.

...sigh...

Thank god my father stumbled across a promotional copy of Jack the Lad's debut during his twenties. If not for his impeccable taste and timing, I never would have known of either of these band's existence.



Then again, there are certain covers like the one below (that went to number 2 in the UK) that should never cross the waters of the Atlantic!