Morris On

Morris On
Studio album by Ashley Hutchings and others
Released	1972
Genre	Folk music
Length	36:38
Label	Island
Producer	John Wood

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Morris On is a folk/rock album released in 1972 under the joint names of Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield. Like the subsequent "Descendant Of" Morris On albums, it features English Morris dance tunes and songs, played with a combination of traditional instruments (button accordion, concertina, fiddle, etc.) and modern ones (electric guitar, bass, drums). In common with later records, dancers complete with bells and sticks were also included in the sessions.

A digitally remastered version of the album was released on January 18, 2010.

The album is described by Allmusic's reviewer as

A beautiful, authentically rustic album, without a trace of elegance, and hardly even an effort at smoothing over the rough spots. The music and the performances have a quiet power and dignity, and a raw, direct nature that is extremely appealing^[2]

The cover includes an amusing photograph of the principal participants in morris-associated costume, but with modern accessories - Hutchings' morris man sports a Gibson Flying V guitar, Kirkpatrick's chimney sweep a vacuum cleaner, and so on. This is in keeping with the jollity of the music, including as it does nonsense songs, exuberant dance, general bawdiness and the grand false start to Princess Royal.

The album was produced and engineered by John Wood.

Track listing

(All tracks trad. arr. Dransfield/Mattacks/Kirkpatrick/Hutchings/Thompson)

1. "Morris Call"
2. "Greensleeves"
3. "The Nutting Girl"
4. "Old Woman Tossed Up In A Basket / Shepherds' Hey / Trunkles"
5. "Staines Morris"
6. "Lads A'Bunchum / Young Collins"
7. "Vandals Of Hammerwich"
8. "Willow Tree / Bean Setting / Shooting"
9. "I'll Go And 'List For A Sailor"
10. "Princess Royal"
11. "Cuckoo's Nest"
12. "Morris Off"

Personnel

• John Kirkpatrick - Vocals, Button Accordion, anglo-concertina, harmonium, tambourine
• Richard Thompson - Vocals, electric guitar
• Barry Dransfield - Vocals, fiddle, acoustic guitar
• Ashley Hutchings - Vocals, bass guitar
• Dave Mattacks - Drums, tambourine

with

• Shirley Collins - vocals on "The Willow Tree" and "Staines Morris"
• Bert Cleaver - Pipe and tabor on "Vandals Of Hammerwich"
• Ray Worman - Dances the Bacca Pipes Jig to "Greensleeves"
• Chingford Morris Men - Stick dances on "Lads A'Bunchum" and "Young Collins"

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ "Morris On". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r20093. Retrieved 2008-04-24.