Freedom and Rain is a 1990 album by British folk rock band Oysterband and singer June Tabor.[1][2] The album features a mixture of traditional material and contemporary covers including "Lullaby of London" by Shane MacGowan, "All Tomorrow's Parties" by Lou Reed, "Valentine's Day Is Over" by Billy Bragg and "Night Comes In" by Richard Thompson. It was produced by Oysterband.[3]

Freedom and Rain
Studio album by
Released10 September 1990 (1990-09-10)
RecordedThe Yard, Southall, England
GenreBritish folk rock
Length39:00
LabelCooking Vinyl
ProducerOysterband
Oysterband chronology
Little Rock to Leipzig
(1990)
Freedom and Rain
(1990)
Deserters
(1992)
June Tabor chronology
Some Other Time
(1989)
Freedom and Rain
(1990)
Angel Tiger
(1992)

Oysterband and Tabor would reunite for the 2011 album Ragged Kingdom.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide     [3]
Select3/5[5]

The Edmonton Journal said that "Tabor's solemn magnificence commands the usual reverence, while the Oysters bump and grind in typical cavalier fashion."[6]

Track listing

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  1. "Mississippi" (Si Kahn) - 3:18
  2. "Lullaby of London" (Shane MacGowan) - 2:45
  3. "Night Comes In" (Richard Thompson) - 4:54
  4. "Valentine's Day Is Over" (Billy Bragg) - 3:26
  5. "All Tomorrow's Parties" (Lou Reed) - 3:47
  6. "Dives and Lazarus" (Trad.) - 4:18
  7. "Dark Eyed Sailor" (Trad.) - 4:15
  8. "Pain or Paradise" (John Tams) - 3:13
  9. "Susie Clelland" (Trad.) - 5:16
  10. "Finisterre" (Ian Telfer) - 3:45

References

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  1. ^ "Lifting folk out of the doldrums". Birmingham Post. 6 March 1998. p. 15.
  2. ^ Burke, David (2015). Singing Out: A Folk Narrative of Maddy Prior, June Tabor and Linda Thompson. Soundcheck Books. p. 151.
  3. ^ a b MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 613.
  4. ^ "Freedom and Rain Review by Richie Unterberger". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  5. ^ Cavanagh, David (August 1990). "The Oyster Band And June Tabor: Freedom And Rain". Select. p. 102.
  6. ^ Campbell, Rod (21 October 1990). "Oysters overcome host of problems". Edmonton Journal. p. C4.