Sunbeam Rec. 
Mark Fry : Dreaming with Alice (UK,1972)****'
Great to see how Sunbeam re-releases some of the classics of UK folk history, that are often still sadly neglected by media, but that collectors music lovers of the genre all have in mind, on their want list or already (most probably as a bootleg reissue) in their collection, amongst what they call the classics.
Mark Fry's album was written in Italy mostly during the time he tried to study at the art academy in Florence. After a second visit to Rome when presenting his demo, he was offered a contract by RCA, but for some reasons, described in the liner notes, was recorded basically in a private studio session on two four-track recorders. The album never found a way to the UK, and with one Italian pressing, it passed unnoticed.
The style of Mark Fry's songs shows hints to early Al Stewart and just here and there Donovan. The album itself more hangs together like a perfect musical concept, with the poetic inter-connecting "Dreaming with Alice" poem, split in various verses, and accompanied with a repeated acoustic guitar theme. Other tracks have very delicate band arrangements, leaving the song and acoustic guitar lead the music, with a enriched very acid folk driven sound. "The Witch", a bit like some Meic Stevens tracks, also has some rewarding sitar (?) and flute.
Nice to notice how the last two bonus tracks, which were recorded three years later in US, fit well with the album, and still make a convincing alternative ending.
PS. Mark was a bit dissapointed to see how the cover photo on the original vinyl album had been cut down so you couldn’t see that his little brother Wilde was playing a miniature guitar alongside.
