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02/05/2008 - LONG DELAYED UPDATE
Things have been very busy here at Fellside HQ and, as a result, the News section has not been updated. The reason for things being frantic has been because Fellside has five new signings! Already out is a new album from the already well established group from Sheffield, CRUCIBLE. Just completed and due out in July is the Manchester based band, THE MAERLOCK, and, also in July, we will be starting on a new album with ELBOW JANE. Also completed and scheduled for late June is a CD by the duo, RACHEL NEWTON and LILLIUS KINSMAN-BLAKE. We also have another duo, JACK McNEILL & CHARLIE HEYS. Jack & Charlie were finalists in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards and this CD has been recorded and produced by Bob Hallard, our young engineer who has since moved to Manchester to seek gainful employment instead of messing around in recording studios. We've also seen the release of CDs by long-term Fellside artists, GRACE NOTES and FRANKIE ARMSTRONG. There's also a regrouping of old favourites, Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, into a trio with Rob Harbron (ex Dr Faustus) under the name of KERR, FAGAN, HARBRON. LAKE has seen the usual re-issue programme continuing, but we have done one CD we're rather proud of by KEN MATHIESON'S CLASSIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA. We're also in the process of finishing off a CD featuring the singer VAL WISEMAN and pianist, MARTIN LITTON. The CD is based around a show they are preparing of songs by Duke Ellington. One of our CDs, LACD245 Tribute To Paul Whiteman, has been nominated for an All Party Parliamentary Jazz Award.
22/10/2007 - WEBSITES & DOWNLOADS
The website was given 4 out of 5 in a review of sites by the Cumbrian based Business Gazette. We're still developing the site: you can now sample selected tracks and this facility should increase slowly over the next few weeks. You can also download selected tracks and albums via iTunes, Napster and Rhapsody. This, too, is an on-going project as we slowly build up the material available. To date it is concentrated on the FELLSIDE label, but some LAKE CDs are available.
11/09/2007 - CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to the third, part-time member of the team, Bob Hallard, on getting a 2:1 in his Music degree. Despite needing to find a 'proper job' rather than hanging around a record company enjoying himself we expect he will be still be involved for some time to come. The summer has been excellent for our artists old and new: new signing, Last Orders, had very successful appearances at Cambridge and Cropredy Festivals; also new to us, Tom Kitching and Gren Bartley had a CD launch at Brampton Live and played a couple of storming sets; Fellside's longest serving artist, Bram Taylor, had a successful trip to Canada to appear at the Mariposa Folk Festival. Currently we are working on new albums with The Queensberry Rules and another new signing, Crucible. On the Jazz side it was a sad event which has received most attention. The death of George Melly featured a lot in the media. We released George's final recording and there will be a big spread in Jazz Rag magazine and on the Jools Holland show on BBC Radio 2 featuring the CD and Digby Fairweather's book about George. Two of our favourite people from the US, Jeff & Anne Barnhart passed through and helped to promote the two new CDs we have featuring Jeff, one with John Hallam and fourth by the Fryer-Barnhart International band.
02/07/2007 - The New Website
Welcome to our totally revamped website. This has been some time in development and we would like to think everything is working perfectly BUT we won't know until people start to use it. Have a browse around - even buy something - and please let us know if you encounter any problems. There is still work to be done on the catalogue, but, with luck it should all be done in the next few weeks.
27/11/2006 - BBC FOLK AWARDS
Congratulations to Nancy Kerr & James Fagan and Spiers & Boden both nominated for 'Best Duo' in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. No favourites at Fellside HQ - we're rooting for both duos as both thoroughly deserve to win!
13/07/2006 - A LANDMARK IS REACHED
The 30th anniversary CD is launched (FECD203) three CDs for the price of one. The three CDs are 'themed': 'Signposts' has tracks from significant albums in the Fellside story, 'Starting Points' deals with debut albums and 'Wayside Views'has tracks from one-off albums, artists who disappeared and other tracks which wouldn't fit on the other two CDs. "A love of folk music, both traditional and 'new wave', is apparent throughout and all thse recordings have a wonderfully 'live' sound that is warm yet full of detail. This is a fascinating and fitting tribute to thirty years of sterling work" NEW CLASSICS "..there's always more to Fellside Recordings Ltd than meets the ear. As a testament to Paul & Linda Adams' passion for traditional music 'Landmarks' is second to none. Few box sets are so appropriately named. Bravo! Here's to the next thirty!" LIVING TRADITION
31/03/2006 - 30th ANNIVERSARY
April sees the 30th anniversary of Fellside Recordings (the company and the Folk Music label - LAKE is a mere 22!). In preparation is a triple-CD-for-the-price-of-one collection of tracks gleaned from the whole catalogue of 200 albums. Entitled 'LANDMARKS'(FECD203) it will be released in June. We celebrate our 30th year with a new signing, THE QUEENSBERRY RULES, a trio who have been steadily making a name for themselves. Look out for their CD in the summer. We also welcome to the label the acclaimed, award-winning, Canadian singer/songwriter, James Keelaghan. We were introduced to James' songs by UK songwriter Jez Lowe who, in turn, established his reputation via a debut and five further albums on Fellside. On LAKE we welcome 'Spats' Langham via two CDs, one as a duo with Martin Litton and one with his own Hot Combination. Spats is a virtuoso guitar/banjo player specialising in 1920's and 1930s material. We also acquired the rights the two former LPs on the 77 label by the legendary trumpet player, Buck Clayton with Humphrey Lyttelton's Band. That is due for May release.
10/03/2006 - FELLSIDE SPACED OUT!
Fellside joins Myspace. You can view our entry at www.myspace.com/fellsiderecordings. We hope to have news soon of the availability of some of our albums on various download sites. Too early to confirm exact details, but certainly on its way. Sales of 'Landmarks' have been very good and we've had lots of coverage in various magazines particularly Living Tradition and one coming up in fRoots. Mike Harding's show on BBC Radio 2 did a feature. Almost all the CDs for this year have been released (we're just waiting for Debbie Arthurs' superb debut CD on LAKE to wrap things up. Lots of interest in The Queensberry Rules album which is very encouraging.
08/02/2006 - NEWSFLASH!!!!!!
There will be a feature on Fellside's 30 years including an interview with Paul and four tracks from the 'LANDMARKS' (FECD230) CD on Mike Harding's programme on BBD Radio 2 on 16th August. The programme goes out between 8 and 9 pm.
28/11/2005 - Awards Nominations & Accolades
FOLK NEWS Spiers & Boden continue to conquer all before them - in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards they have been nominated for 'Best Duo' and, from their latest album 'Songs' (FECD194), the song 'Sir Rylas' has been nominated for best traditional track. 'Sir Rylas' will also appear on the compilation CD of Folk Award nominees. Their Big Band, Bellowhead is also nominated for 'Best Live Act' and 'Best Band'. They are also members of 'Eliza Carthy & The Ratcatchers' who also have been nominated for 'Best Live Act'. Look out for them in the January edition of 'Mojo'. Due out in January is a new CD by Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, 'Strands of Gold' (FECD199). It is their first album for almost four years following Nancy's decision to take a University course. They will be touring Australia and New Zealand between January on April and return to the UK for the album's promotional tour in mid-April. JAZZ NEWS In the December/January edition of 'Jazz Review' album critic, Ben Cree, listed five LAKE CDs in his top ten albums of the year:- KEN COLYER - NEW ORLEANS TO LONDON - LACD209 CHRIS BARBER - IN SWITZERLAND 1974/75 - LACD208 CY LAURIE - A JAZZ CLUB SESSION - LACD199 HUMPHREY LYTTELTON - BLUES IN THE NIGHT - LACD216 ALEX WELSH - ECHOES OF CHICAGO - LACD215
23/05/2005 - NEW RELEASES
The new DR FAUSTUS (FECD189) is out - "complex vocal arrangements the enrich the textures of the pieces, and the confidence that comes from there being no weak link in the line-up....all tracks being delivered with drive and panache." LIVING TRADITION. The second SONG LINKS (Anglo-American songs)FECD190D was launched majestically at Cecil Sharp House in London in April and is already selling well. The eagerly awaited third album from SPIERS & BODEN FECD192 has just arrived and we expect it to attract a lot of interest. Some excellent reviews of Jon Loomes' FEARFUL SYMMETRY, FECE186, have been trickling through: "traditional song is alive and well as is traditional music in the hands of Mr Loomes" SHREDS & PATCHES; "Do yourself a favour, if you want to see the future of folk in safe hands then buy this record" LIVING TRADITION
04/05/2005 - STOP PRESS: LAKE RECORDS NOMINATED IN THE BBC RADIO 2 JAZZ AWARDS
LAKE Records have been nominated in the BBC Radio Jazz Awards for the reissue series, THE RECORD SUPERVISION COLLECTION based on the old Pye 'JAZZ TODAY' series and Columbia 'LANSDOWNE JAZZ' series. Voting is by the public so if you feel inclined to support us and vote for us go to:- www.bbc.co.uk/music/jazzawards2005/ and register your vote!
10/04/2005 - SECOND SPIERS& BODEN ALBUM THIS YEAR
The companion to 'TUNES' (FECD192), 'SONGS' (FECD194) is now available via the website (it will not be in the shops before 17 October). On the LAKE label we have a new CD teaming two popular figures from the UK Jazz festival circuit, the incredible pianist from the US, Jeff Barnhart, and the vaery talented redd player John Hallam (LACD220). One of the most popular and best-selling of the current bands we have is the Fryer-Barnhart International All Stars and we have reissued their first CD (LACD221). We recorded it, but it was originally issued privately. In the Record Supervision series we have a superb album featuring the seemingly unlikely pairing of Acker Bilk and Stan Tracey (LACD218). In July we attended Chris Barber's 75th birthday concert in Liverpool. We have an extensive collection of Chris Barber tracks on CD from his amateur band (LACD158) through the fifties, sixties and seventies.
14/03/2005 - GENERAL AND LABEL SPECIFIC NEWS
In some way 2004 was very much a ‘holding’ year for us despite there being some very worthwhile releases (for example, Bram Taylor celebrated 20 years with Fellside with a new CD). Artists tend to make a new album about once every eighteen months. Some managed to get a little out of that pattern and, particularly on the Fellside label, a number of our most significant artists are all making new CDs. So, look out for new albums from Dr Faustus, 422, Spiers & Boden, and, later in the year, Nancy Kerr & James Fagan. In January we released a debut CD by a new young singer emerging on the scene, Jon Loomes, and this is already having a very positive reception. We will also be making a debut album with a young singer called Maddie Southorn – she is a voice to look out for. We also took Fellside into the realms of budget priced samplers with ‘Men Folk’, ‘Women Folk’ and ‘Cutting Edge’. These have been selling extremely well and serve as snapshots of the range and diversity of the material on the Fellside label. Look under the Fellside Budget section of the catalogue. They supplement the Repertoire series of compilations from the old Traditional Sound Recordings label. We also have a budget sampler series on the LAKE label. The most recent one of Gospel music has proven to be a very big seller. Look out for at least two more before the end of the year. The Record Supervision Collection series continues. This year sees Terry Lightfoot’s 50th anniversary as a band leader and to mark the occasion we are releasing his first LP, ‘Tradition In Colour’ (which also includes the EP ‘Trad’ which was the first time the word ‘trad’ appeared as a title) as part of the RSC series. In the early 1960s two LPs by Acker Bilk, ‘The Noble Art of Mr Acker Bilk’ and ‘The Seven Ages of Acker’ both spent some time in the Melody Maker Jazz Charts – we have combined them onto one CD. 2004 is the 30th anniversary of Sandy Brown, one of the UK’s most original Jazz musicians. To mark the event we have reissued ‘Doctor McJazz’, one of his landmark albums. To complete the first of 2004’s RSC albums we have a double CD of three classic, and much sought after, concerts by Chris Barber’s Jazz Band. In the Spring of 2004 we released the first CD for LAKE by TJ Johnson. It received universal acclaim. Here in 2005, hot on its heels, is another CD. The first one featured guest musicians whereas this one is by TJ’s current working band. It’s the same mixture of Jazz, Blues, Gospel and even a touch of Country. TJ plays piano and drums and, of course, sings superbly. It’s a young band, which includes reed player, Adrian Cox (ex-Richard Bennett band) who already has a huge fan base at the age of 20! It’s easy to see why the band is so popular on the jazz club and festival circuit both in the UK and in Europe. You will find dotted around the website various bargains – just look in the price box.