Always one of Oysterband’s pearls, Prosser pops out an eclectic selection from his personal collection of studio dabblings.

Release Date: Available now

Label: Rafting Dog

Format: CD (limited edition)

With possibly loftier things on his mind, predominantly Oysterband’s mammoth Long Goodbye tour, stretching into the middle distance of next year, little pomp or circumstance has gone into the release of this little disc, with an advertising budget of, seemingly, nil. Indeed, ATB almost only discovered it by chance, from the guitarist himself. Already familiar with his small but elegantly crafted solo oeuvre, three solo and one apiece as a duo (with Al Clark), and a trio (with Brendan Power and Lucy Randall), all on his own Rafting Dog label, this could only be, at least, a worthwhile listen, and, probably, a whole lot more.

incidental music

He describes the set as a collection of some of the “incidental music” he has written over his 40+ years on the road with his main gig, and he plays everything on it, from, understandably, guitars through to fiddle, banjo and whistle. Less predictably, guitar synths and drum machines make up part the mix, along with less frequently spotted instruments like kantele, bowed psaltery and thumb piano. He also sings, on one track. Band buddy, Oysterband producer and bassist, Al Scott mastered the material, but it was all first recorded by Prosser, at home.

It is with some renaissance whimsy that the set opens, the barely minute long Nonis Overture For Two Guitars, which could easily come from a John Renbourn record, and have been written in the 1500s. Nonis refers to the maker of the guitar, Prosser thus duetting with himself on the same guitar. I’m a sucker for stuff like this, so, with no ado, in I am locked. And, if that was sublime, there is some faint ridiculousness in the idea of Folkzone, the titular track, being a folk cover of Dreadzone’s Little Britain. But, here it is, and, actually, ridiculous it isn’t. Prosser describes how he was playing with his various toys and an 8 track TEAC, as, I guess, you do. It works, the mix of instrumentation, both orthodox and synthesised, sounding a good deal less dated than the original, even if I’m getting a distinct hit of the coda from Rod the Mod’s version of Mandolin Wind.

skipton…

Following in the pattern of a short one and a long one, Fiddle Around Skipton is a brief skirmish of violins. Remember After Rain, from his day job’s Here I Stand, in 1999? It is, broadly, the introduction to that song, shorn of all but violins. Ray Cooper, aka Chopper, Al Scott’s predecessor on bass in Oysterband (and Adrian Oxaal’s on cello) makes much of the Kantele, in his solo work, it being a traditional Finnish zither variant.

Prosser is also an afficianado, so Kantele Lace is based around the instrument. and, with light percussion, it offers up a floaty feel of fire and ice, before distorted guitars bounce in, the mood now of pagan sacrifice. In soundtrack, it would be the sound of Nicolas Cage losing his mind. Possibly. Back to Henry VIII, again, for Slow Air Skipton, with whistle leading a banjo waltz. An evocative melody, I might have liked this one to be granted a longer timeframe.

Star Above The Garter is possibly the first track to give any expectation of John Jones suddenly joining in, with both the tune and swaggery lope each very Oyster. He doesn’t, as the track resolutely instrumental. The programmed percussion suggests the clashing of oaken staffs, with whistle and mandolin repeating a tune that certainly beckon up a polka. (Dating from when the band still did ceilidhs, would it be too much of a stretch to expect a burst of this, at next month’s Sidmouth Festival, they then duly lined up to do another?)

Nonis Gavotte sees the return of that selfsame earlier guitar, the one from the opening gambit. A man after my own heart, Prosser admits he has no idea as to whether it actually is, or not, a gavotte. It sounds as if it should be, even if it isn’t, with more elaborate guitar play.

euston…

Euston Station Reprise is another with a link to the band, a tune he originally wrote for the verses of the unreprised version, which appeared, gulp, 41 years ago, on Liberty Hall, their last pre-drumkit album. The resembalance is slight, not least as it opens with a loop of drums, culled from the play of their second drummer, Lee Partis, and a ton of guitar synthesiser from Prosser. It matches vibes of Gary Numan, guitar calisthenics, and a ceremonial march, wherein the synth has turned strings to trumpet. Beguiling and bewitching. A pair of jigs, Bishop Of Chichester’s Jig/The Peacock Followed The Hen revisit the Folkscene template, folk as dance, and would be a hoot, played loud and live. It reminds us that Ian Telfer may not even be the best fiddler in the band.

Highway is little more than a bridge between the folk-dance of the track ahead of it, and the post jugband of Kearey Hop Step Massacre, an aimiable blend of plinky mandolin over a slightly boggy base of bluesier guitar and bass, synth and whistle buoying the lead melody as it progresses. Quite Tubular Bells-y, in it’s way. Kearey was the bass player in early iterations of the band, and now musical director for Shirley Collins. I’m uncertain if there actually are voices adding a da da da along the way, it possibly having been me; it is that sort of tune! The Slow Stream is a further solo acoustic guitar piece, and possibly a favourite track in this expedition of flavours, and the most similar to the feel of Makerfield, Prosser’s second solo release.

The closer is the first to have identifiable vocal, I’m Glad I Met You On The Way, and is a sweetly sentimental song, with just light vocal and guitar. In a bound, it quickly overtakes The Slow Stream in my personal pecking order, an example of how to end an album with a closer that can effortlessly remain in your ear for some time. Leaving the most pleasant of aftertastes, it elevates, instantly, the overall reception this contrasting pot-pourri leaves. Bravo!

If you are struggling to recall what Fiddle Around Skipton later became:

Alan Prosser online: Facebook / Bandcamp

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