Sumer Is Icumen In: The Pagan Sound of British and Irish Folk 1966–75 is a 2020 compilation album released by Grapefruit Records, an imprint label of Cherry Red Records. It consists of British folk revival music influenced by the counterculture of the 1960s; the song material has a focus on eerie and mystical elements.
| Sumer Is Icumen In: The Pagan Sound of British and Irish Folk 1966–75 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by Various artists | |
| Released | 27 November 2020 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:55:10 |
| Label | Grapefruit Records |
Background edit
In 2015, Grapefruit Records, an imprint label of Cherry Red Records, released the 3-CD compilation album Dust on the Nettles: A Journey Through the British Underground Folk Scene 1967–72. It had a focus on the meeting between the British folk revival and the counterculture of the 1960s. It was followed by Sumer Is Icumen In: The Pagan Sound of British and Irish Folk 1966–75, which differs from its predecessor by having a stronger focus on spiritual and eerie elements.[1]
Reception edit
Grapefruit Records released Sumer Is Icumen In on 27 November 2020.[1] Multiple critics wrote that the album contains tracks from both famous and obscure acts.[1][2] AllMusic's Timothy Monger said the mystical elements are best represented by less famous acts such as Oberon, Meic Stevens and Jan Dukes de Grey. Aspects of progressive folk, according to Monger, are best represented by Comus, Dr. Strangely Strange and Third Ear Band, and more traditional approaches by Archie Fisher and Anne Briggs. Monger named Briggs' previously unreleased "Summer's In" as a standout track, gave the album a rating of four and a half out of five and he called the material "quite magical and still captivating a half-century later".[1] David Honigmann of the Financial Times wrote that the music on Sumer Is Icumen In is rooted in the eerie and uncanny aspects of traditional song material which makes it distinct from New Age culture. He rated the album four out of five and called it "a wintry collection, melodic and strangely strange".[2]
Several critics mentioned the 1973 film The Wicker Man as a cultural reference point;[1][2][3][4] track number two, "Corn Rigs" performed by Magnet, comes from that film.[3] For The Arts Desk, Kieron Tyler wrote that Sumer Is Icumen In has a "pick-'n-mix approach to the pagan", comparing it to The Wicker Man in that regard, in which atmosphere is at the centre. He highlighted the tracks from Fairport Convention, The Incredible String Band, Comus and Amber, and although he described some tracks as weak, he wrote that the album is "stuffed with gems".[3] Jack Hopkin of It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine wrote that Sumer Is Icumen In is more coherent than Dust on the Nettless and thought it was an improvement to include Irish acts such as Dr. Strangely Strange. He said the selection can be enjoyed by "both the casual fan and serious archivist" and the album should appeal to fans of freak-folk.[4]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lark Rise" | Third Ear Band | |
| 2. | "Corn Rigs" | Magnet | |
| 3. | "John Barleycorn" | Traffic | |
| 4. | "Sanctuary Stone" | Midwinter | |
| 5. | "The Keys of Canterbury" | Vulcan's Hammer | |
| 6. | "The Wood-Gathering Man" | The Celebrated Ratliffe Stout Band | |
| 7. | "Twa Corbies" | Steeleye Span | |
| 8. | "Lovely Joan" | Folkal Point | |
| 9. | "Canon Dale (Alternative Version)" | Strawbs | |
| 10. | "White Horse" | Kevin Coyne | |
| 11. | "Yorric" | Meic Stevens | |
| 12. | "Lyke Wake Dirge" | The Young Tradition | |
| 13. | "Swan in the Evening" | Amber | |
| 14. | "Minerva" | Synanthesia | |
| 15. | "The Parting Glass" | The Minor Birds | |
| 16. | "Virgin Childe" | Parameter | |
| 17. | "The Sapphire" | Carolanne Pegg | |
| 18. | "Cabin on the Clifftop" | Dry Heart | |
| 19. | "Winter Passes" | Mighty Baby | |
| 20. | "On Horseback" | Mike Oldfield |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tam Lin" | Fairport Convention | |
| 2. | "Let No Man Steal Your Thyme" | Gallery | |
| 3. | "False Knight on the Road" | Tim Hart and Maddy Prior | |
| 4. | "The Scarecrow (Demo Version)" | Lal Waterson | |
| 5. | "Silver Man" | Chimera | |
| 6. | "The White Hare" | Shirley Collins and The Albion Country Band | |
| 7. | "Mad Tom of Bedlam" | Horden Raikes | |
| 8. | "The Song of the Healer" | The Sallyangie | |
| 9. | "Lizard-Long-Tonque-Boy (Alternative Version)" | Bridget St John | |
| 10. | "Strings in the Earth and Air" | Dr. Strangely Strange | |
| 11. | "Sorcerers" | Jan Dukes de Grey | |
| 12. | "Green Grass" | Dave and Toni Arthur | |
| 13. | "Where's Your Master Gone?" | Simon Finn | |
| 14. | "Nottamun Town" | Oberon | |
| 15. | "The House Carpenter" | Fresh Maggots | |
| 16. | "Hand in Hand" | J. P. Sunshine | |
| 17. | "The Bite" | Comus | |
| 18. | "Death" | The Sun Also Rises | |
| 19. | "Winter" | Tea and Symphony | |
| 20. | "Autumn Lady Dancing Song" | Principal Edwards Magic Theatre | |
| 21. | "Summer's In" | Anne Briggs |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Bells of Dunwich" | Stone Angel | |
| 2. | "Cruel Sister" | Pentangle | |
| 3. | "Witches Hat" | The Incredible String Band | |
| 4. | "Reynerdine" | Archie Fisher | |
| 5. | "The Poet and the Witch" | Mellow Candle | |
| 6. | "Elfin Boy" | Curved Air | |
| 7. | "Pretty Polly" | Sweeney's Men | |
| 8. | "Three Ravens" | Parke | |
| 9. | "Salisbury Plain" | Green Man | |
| 10. | "Flodden Field" | Spriguns of Tolgus | |
| 11. | "Geordie" | The MacDonald Folk Group | |
| 12. | "The Queen of the Night" | Michael Raven and Joan Mills | |
| 13. | "Holsworthy Peter's Fair" | George Deacon and Marion Ross | |
| 14. | "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" | Staverton Bridge | |
| 15. | "Butterfly on the Shore" | Shirley Kent | |
| 16. | "Eastern Spell" | Marc Bolan | |
| 17. | "The Lark in the Morning" | Heather, Adrian and John | |
| 18. | "Scarborough Fair" | The Coterie | |
| 19. | "Mendle" | Mr. Fox | |
| 20. | "Sumer Is A-Cumin In" (bonus track: not listed on box) | Choir Unnamed | |
| Total length: | 3:55:10[1] | ||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f Monger, Timothy. "Sumer Is Icumen In: The Pagan Sound of British & Irish Folk 1966-1975 Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Honigmann, David (27 November 2020). "Various artists: Sumer Is Icumen In — vintage melodic folk with magic aplenty". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Tyler, Kieron (20 December 2020). "Reissue CDs Weekly: Sumer Is Icumen In - The Pagan Sound Of British & Irish Folk". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ a b Hopkin, Jack (5 December 2020). "Various Artists – 'Sumer Is Icumen In: The Pagan Sound of British & Irish Folk 1966-1975'". It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine. Retrieved 8 November 2021.