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Memento: The Best of Maddy Prior

Maddy Prior: Memento: The Best of Maddy Prior (Park PRK CD28)

Memento: The Best of Maddy Prior
Maddy Prior

Park Records PRK CD28 (CD, UK, April 1995)

Compiled by John Dagnell at Park Records;
Mastered at Porkys by Denis Blackham

Tracks

  1. After the Death (4.34)
  2. Long Shadows (5.23)
  3. The Grey Funnel Line (3.05)
  4. Baggy Pants (2.56)
  5. Rose (3.44)
  6. Commit the Crime (2.43)
  7. Bewcastle (4.12)
  8. Mater Dolorosa (4.50)
  9. Woman in the Wings (5.19)
  10. Face to Face (4.14)
  11. Doffin’ Mistress (Roud 2133) (2.12)
  12. Mother and Child (2.38)
  13. Accappella Stella (1.46)
  14. The Sovereign Prince (8.39)
  15. Deep in the Darkest Night (3.51)
  16. Alex (3.03)
  17. Pater Noster (1.10)
  18. Allelujah (2.54)

#3 and 11 are from Maddy Prior & June Tabor: Silly Sisters;
#4, 9 and 12 are from Woman in the Wings;
#13 is from Changing Winds;
#14 is a new version of a track originally from Changing Winds;
#6 and 10 are from Hooked on Winning;
#1, 17 and 18 are from Going for Glory;
#5 and 16 are from Maddy Prior & Rick Kemp: Happy Families;
#7 is a single mix of a track originally from Maddy Prior & Rick Kemp: Happy Families;
#2 is from Year;
#15 is a new version of a track originally from Year;
#8 is a previously unreleased recording

Sleeve Notes

I realise looking at the list of so many musicians I have worked with how lucky I am to have been blessed with such splendid company.

I would like to dedicate this album to the memory of Richie Close, a superbly talented and generous musician with whom I spent many happy hours, along with his wife Sheila, in the depths of Manchester.

I have always relied heavily on other musicians to bring my rather meagre vision to fruition. Rick Kemp, who happens to be my husband, not only co-wrote some of the material but was also instrumental in arranging a large amount of it. Rick (bass), Richie (keyboards), Mick Dyche (guitar) and Gary Wilson (drums) and I travelled the roads of England and Ireland together and enjoyed our music and ourselves. Nigel Pegrum (drums), Andy Richards (keyboards) and John O’Connor (guitar) were also at various times in that band. We recorded Hooked on Winning which was engineered by Dave Cook and Going for Glory which was produced by Nick Griffiths.

I would especially like to thank Chris Coates at this point who organised and held it all together. He seems to have been there behind so much that I have done over the years. Likewise, Tim Hart.

But the first “solo” album I ever made was Woman in the Wings produced by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and arranged by David Palmer. Andy Roberts who played guitar was the first person to try and make senses of my tunes. Barriemore Barlow played drums and John Glascock bass. The job of management at the time fell to Jo Lustig. Thanks also to Paul Brown who warned me about “cross-colateralization”.

Changing Winds rather hurriedly followed and that was when I first met Richie. At this point I also unfortunately lost touch with Chris Stainton (keyboards) who had done a lot of work on an ill-fated debut tour. I allowed frustration and greed to end an excellent working relationship to my cost. I hope if he remembers, he forgives. Sovereign Prince was largely due to his efforts. Also on keyboards was Kevin Savigar, John Lingwood (drums), Rick (bass), B.J. Cole (steel guitar), Doug Morter (guitar), David Hassel (percussion), John Gillaspie (wood wind), Barbara Dickson and Sara Deco (backing vocals).

After Hooked on Winning and Going for Glory there was a gap when energies went in different directions. Rick and I finally made an album together, Happy Families. Nick Holland joined us on piano/keyboards and Richard Lee on double bass since Rick had moved to guitar (see solo on Deep in the Darkest Night). Also on that album were Roy Dodds (drums) and Simon Edwards (acoustic bass guitar), Pete Crowther (cello) and Kim Burton (bagpipes). Al Hodgson and Chris Baylis engineered.

The most recent album to date, Year, sees Nick again on keyboards and holding it together, Richard again on bass, Liam Genockey on drums and percussion, Martin Loveday on cello and John Dochary BVs.

The other album that two tracks are taken from is Silly Sisters, recorded with June Tabor. The lovely song The Grey Funnel Line has Danny Thompson on double bass and Brian Golby on violin. Again we had a delightful tour round unlikely places of Britain with Tony Hall (squeeze box), Johnny Moynihan (whistle and mandola), Nic Jones (guitar), Andy Irvine (mandolin, mandola). Martin Carthy also played guitar on the album.

All these and more musicians have given of their own unique talents and I am extremely grateful to them.

The observant among you will notice that there is no Steeleye Span or Carnival Band material included here. Steeleye is so well served with compilations it seemed unnecessary and the Carnivals are so very different in style it seemed ill-matched. This album represents a seam of work that is perhaps less familiar and, in some cases, now unavailable.

Finally, I would like to thank John and Nico Dagnell for all their help and patience. May all their trouble be little ones.

Maddy Prior