Nomination.............Seasons................Magn a Carta

[gryphon]

[TABLE="width: 624"]
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[TD="class: tdheading, colspan: 3"]Seasons - Track List[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD="class: tdpadding"]Seasons[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD="class: tdpadding"] - Prologue[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TD="class: tdpadding"] - Winter Song[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TD="class: tdpadding"] - Spring Poem[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD="class: tdpadding"] - Spring Song[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: tdpadding"] - Summer Poem[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: tdpadding"] - Summer Song[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD="class: tdpadding"] - Autumn Song[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: tdpadding"] - Epilogue[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TD="class: tdpadding"] - Winter Song (reprise)[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TD="class: tdpadding"]Going my Way[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD="class: tdpadding"]Elizabethan[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TD="class: tdpadding"]Give me no Goodbye[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD="class: tdpadding"]Ring of Stones[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD="class: tdpadding"]Scarecrow Song[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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[TD="class: tdpadding"]Airport Song[/TD]
[TD]Chris Simpson[/TD]
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Written mainly on the back of cigarette packets on a train journey, the long and complex track that heads seasons was not that long in its Genesis.................

A second album is often a difficult one, the first often reflects a desire to lease the record company and is often a collection of a well honed live act..............Time Of Change could be described as a Magna Carta album but, as yet, the character as not fully formed


There was also conflict within the band……………Simpson was the blues based Yorkshire song writer against Glen Stuart whose theatrical based folk feel clashed strongly with Simpson. In the middle was guitar virtuoso Davy Johnstone and soon to be Australian Lylle Tranter…………..


Add to this many guest performers : London Symphony Orchestra, it has Tony Carr on Drums; Derek Grossmith on Flute; Spike Heatley on Bass and Acoustic Base; Davey Johnstone on Vocals, Guitar and Sitar (credited as 'Shaggis'); Barry Morgan on Drums; Tim Renwick on Recorder; Chris Simpson on Guitar and Vocals; Glenn Stuart on Vocals; Lyell Tranter on Guitar; Tony Visconti on Base, Percussion, and Recorder; Rick Wakeman on Organ, Piano and Keyboards; and Peter Willison on Cello. ( Thanks Magnac!)


The album was released at a time when the buzz word was progressive and this did in away progress on from simple folk music...............


The seven songs on the album are dominated by the lengthy track “Seasons” which tracks the passage of the seasons through Simpsons Yorkshire-based country childhood memories ......


There are biblical overtones ( This guy did rain to be a priest!) but above all it is a set of poems set to music. The playing is excellent and tasteful, the affects add to the atmosphere and the lyrics add magisty and power to this meek but homely picture....................



It paved the way for Progressive folk music ................however although released in both Europe and The States .........sales were modest............

The single from the album “The Airport Song” suffered from under promotion and lack of distribution...........................In those days this kind of thing was new the industry embryonic and as a result many big fish were never landed.............................


Europe rejoiced in TV performances of Elizabethan and much work followed on the coat tails of Seasons but money was not really made here.........................

It languished forgotten in The Mercury vaults until the late 90s when a reissue brought it to prominence in some places but, not many .................


Like many nominations ...............This might well take time to get into the award area but, at least now it`s on the path and is ready to promote itself to those who wish to listen..........................Personaly I don't think music gets much better than this one .......but I'm a bit bias!!!!!!!!


[FONT=&amp]Tracks from Seasons

Seasons Part 1[/FONT]
<span style="">[video=youtube;DdJngJgljSk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdJngJgljSk&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PLBDA26644C8A1 6D57[/video]


Seasons Part 2
[video=youtube;9Cwn0JwDB80]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cwn0JwDB80&amp;feature=related[/video]

The Airport Song

[video=youtube;F6rs-Y3P1ew]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6rs-Y3P1ew[/video]

Elizabethan

[video=youtube;dN7HrXnRvls]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN7HrXnRvls[/video]

[SteveO]

I nominate Magna Carta's Seasons without reservations....beautifully crafted album !

Mystical tales of the Pilgrims, Nature and the Four Seasons !