Bright Phoebus

"Lal and Mike Watersons' Bright Phoebus has had a troubled life - originally released on Leader in 1972 shortly before the label folded, the album fell out of circulation with the master tapes trading hands and gathering dust in the chaos of liquidation ... Finally, this disturbing masterwork's moment in the sun. Phoebus be praised".

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"Bright Phoebus declares its intentions as the English folk equivalent of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. However, it's not all "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite," as evidenced by Lal's devastating - and oft-covered -- tale of loneliness, drink, and regret, "Red Wine Promises," featuring a beautiful guest vocal by sister Norma Waterson. All of the players, Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, producer Bill Leader, and the ever-present dual acoustic guitar assault of Richard Thompson and Martin Carthy, work as a single organism to bring these idiosyncratic songs to life. There are psych-rock confections ("Magical Man"), country-folk romps ("Danny Rose"), and haunting ballads ("The Scarecrow"), but it's the singularly perfect title track, a bucolic, pagan campfire singalong, that provides the biggest thrills. While its dark charms were quelled for years due to licensing agreements and general mismanagement, the songs themselves have only grown instrength,waiting patiently for their inevitable day in the sun, and the well-deserved accolades of the masses".

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