Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Forest
Company: Harvest
Catalog: SHL 760
Year: 1969
Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+
Comments: UK pressing; gatefold sleeve
Available: 1
Price: $90.00
Forest is one of those obscure English acts (c'mon how many of you have actually heard of this trio, let alone heard from of their two albums?), that somehow manages to straddle the demarcation line between conventional Fairport Convention-styled folk and outright psychedlia. Their two albums are certainly an acquired taste (we'll readily admit it took awhile for us to acquire the taste), but are well worth the investment of time, energy and cash. Both albums are rare and highly prized among collectors ...
Hailing from the Lancolnshire district, multi-instrumentalists Derek Allenby and brothers Hadrian and Martin Welham started out performing under the catchy name The Foresters of Walesky. Relocating to Birmingham, and opting to shorten their name to Forest, they found a benefactor/proponent in the form of BBC DJ John Peel. With support from Peel, the trio was signed by Harvest Records, debuting with an instantly obscure 1969 single ("Searching for Shadows" b/w "Mirror of Life").
Renown for it's willingness to sign and finance obscure acts, Harvest came through with flying colors, overlooking the absence of earlier sales in agreeing to finance an album for the trio. Co-produced by Andrew Hill and the band, 1969's
"Forest" is simply one bizarre album. Musically all acoustic material such as "Bad Penny", "Lovemaker's Ways" and "While You Were Gone" is firmly in the folk camp, but the combination of nifty melodies, quirky arrangements and intricate harmonies make for an album's that wholly original. Can you picture the Fairport or Steeleye Span crowd taking on a track like "Do You Want Some Smoke?" ... Interestingly, the trio were also capable of penning relatively straightforward commercial material. It's easy to see where with a slightly different arrangement "Sylvie (We'd Better Not Pretend)" would have made a dandy single. English sales proved non-existent and the collection was never released in the States. (The album was originally released with a gatefold sleeve; John Peel contributing the weird liner notes.)
"Forest" track listing:
1.) Bad Penny (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
2.) A Glade Somewhere (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
3.) Lovemaker's Ways (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
4.) While You Were Gone (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
5.) Sylvie (We'd Better Not Pretend) (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
6.) A Fantasy You (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
7.) Fading Light (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
8.) Do You Want Some Smoke? (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
9.) Don't Want To Go (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
10.) Nothing Else Will Matter (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
11.) Mirror of Love (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
12.) Rain Is On My Balcony (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -