Mother Earth Music
Miriam Backhouse : Gypsy Without A Road (UK,1977)*****
When Miriam Backhouse album was first reissued on Vinyl Tab in 1994, collectors wondered what happened to her. They only knew she disappeared to South Africa. Just recently, she returned home to the UK after having raised her children and started touring again. Before that, Saffron Summerfield has reissued her album on her label, with two more recent recordings as bonus tracks.
In 1973, Fred Woods of Folk Review followed Miriam’s evolutions from the beginning and gave her the “New Year’s Honours”, a feature of the magazine at that time. Around 1976 he felt she had grown with her performance ever since. In January 1977 she was able to record her first full album, produced by Saffron Summerfield. Unusual for a folk album it also featured mellotron on one track. It was also recorded with double tracking.
Participants were Julia and Brian Etheridge on vocals, first and second violin, string arrangements, string and bowed bass, mellotron, 12-string guitar, electric bass and piano arrangements. Miriam sung the lead vocals and played viola (1) and six string nylon guitar. Stephen Deltt played bowed and birowed dulcimer (4) and Jock Cummings played percussion (6).
This was a very unique recording, and one of the best albums based upon traditional music, due to the strong emotional depth in singing, and the beautiful string and vocal arrangements. But even when sparsely arranged, every track remains essential. For instance, I can not think of a better version than “Long Lankin” even when this is only voice and nylon guitar, and a double bass rhythm, and bits of percussive dulcimer. Her voice penetrates deep. A funny, equally brilliant song is “Nasty Spider” (by Jeremy Taylor), like entertaining storyteller, this is sung as if being a little child. “John Riley”, starting powerfully with vibrating double bass is another winner of interpreting a traditional.
If all folk was like this I wouldn’t have to hate it so often for there are too many interpreters who repeat patterns and think this is traditional music. At least you’re able to separate the wood from the forest, Miriam said. I cannot agree more. In her forest of expressions you can get lost easily, without feeling lost.
The bonus tracks were recorded live at the Robin Hood folk club Brinsley in around 1977. They are vocal only and contain beautiful, almost magical and mantra-like (within a folk tradition), vocal harmonies by the local folks.
