Holyground Records - one of the most collectable labels in the world

Joint: Holyground & Friends

Joint: Holyground & Friends

   

"To me it always seemed that the 'uncredited player' on all of the Holyground releases was
the sense of connection between the many performers involved; an almost tangible presence that is very unique, both universal and intimate at once. ”
John Stanton, Alexandria, USA

Joint comprises tracks from the following albums:

Tracklisting

NB: the printed booklet track listing is incorrect: this is the corrected listing.

1 Silence On The Wires THE WIRES from & Strangeness And Charm
2 That's Where They Buried the Giant NATHANIEL GREEN from Same Time Tomorrow
3 Nothing Rhymes With Lonely THE WIRES from In And Out Of Time
4 Riders of my Love BILL NELSON from Electrotype
5 Cruel ANDY WELLS from Lost The Will To Play
6 Sometimes CHARLIE SPEED from Sugarhills
7 Believe Me Now PILGRYM from Pilgrimage
8 Unstoppable PYLON from 2400 Volts
9 Boogie Music THUNDERMOTHER from Astral Navigations
10 Tomorrow (Buffalo) CHRIS COOMBS from Astral Navigations
11 Turning The Tables THE WIRES from & Strangeness And Charm
12 It's Alright MUSICS FROM HOLYGROUND from A - Austr
13 54 Days and Nights CHRIS COOMBS from Up To McGill's
14 Heart of the Storm STEVE CHANNING from Heart Of The Storm
15 Cry Cry Cry CHARLIE SPEED from Sugarhills
16 Oh No No No THE WIRES from In And Out Of Time
17 No Point at All STEVE CHANNING from Tears On The Console
18 So . . . JOINT EFFORT recorded 2004 for this CD

The So Session

THURSDAY 16th OCTOBER 2004

Andy Wells suggested we do a special track involving as many of the people who play on the JOINT tracks as possible. The date was to be Thursday 16th October.

WEDNESDAY
2.00 pm
Mike and Chris, the composers of 'So...', the song they'd chosen to do,
laid down a basic backing of acoustic guitar and drums
THURSDAY
9.00
Al Quinn, bass player with Global Village in the '70's arrives, says he hasn't played for 20 years, and starts to learn the song. A string on his bass breaks, a quick change of instrument to Pete Taylor's bass, and Al lays down the track. (Pete unfortunately was living it up at his French Chateau and couldn't be at the sessions).
 
11.00
Steve Channing arrives, (from New York! - well, OK, New York in Lincolnshire, England). He's soon picked up the chord sequence and lovely fluid lines are flowing from his acoustic guitar. Shortly after this Andy Wells and Kevin Mulvihill from Pilgrym arrive, and cart a selection of synths and a warmed-up Moog into the studio. Mike sets Andy up in the control room and he's also learning the song by the time Rob Taylor (of Pylon and Nathaniel Green fame) arrives. Rob gets some help to carry in his Fender Rhodes and sets up an amp. Mike's been busily setting up microphones on Rob's amp, Steve guitar and Chris' acoustic guitar.
 
12.30
The first of three takes follow : Rob on Rhodes, Chris and Steve on acoustics, and Andy on keys. Although there are a few nice bits in takes 2 and 3, it's the first take you hear on JOINT.
 
1.30
A break for some sandwiches and coffee made by Shirley - just like the old days in Cass Yard!
 
2.15
Chris realises he has little time to do the main vocal - laid down in three takes, again with the vast majority of the finished vocal coming from take one.
 
3.00
Chris, Al Quinn and Steve rehearse and record the chorus vocals - unlike the original song these are a single held note over the chorus; over two choruses at the end. It's sounding good.
 
4.00

Time for some percussion to augment Mike's drum track. A quick raid on a drum kit stored in the cellar and Kevin Mulvihill has a kind of bongo-cum-conga setup - bongas or congos! Chris, Andy and Rob grab some claves, drum sticks, - anything guaranteed to be really intrusive and bleed into everyone else's mikes, thus insuring they are in the final mix!

Al Quinn and Steve have some 'chicken eggs' - nice little shakers; and Mike uses a child's plastic snake rattle to add some shush-shushing sounds.

Again three runs through, and yes, again, it's the first take which makes it to the mix.

 
5.00
Andy's adding other keyboard pasts - piano, organ and the Moog parts in the choruses.
 
6.00
Another break, this time for fish and chips from Wakefield's drive-in chippie - really! Chris has nipped off to collect Sally who is going to add some flute to the mix - and apart from Charlie's lead it will be finished. Sally plays flute on our new album IN & OUT OF TIME.
 
7.30
Sally is learning her parts - a mix of input from Chris and Andy, based on the original vocal parts. A small crowd gathers now the main work is done - Sally has to learn and record in public! After the first take is done, it's two more harmony parts, and then some twiddly bits for the end.
 
9.00
All done and dusted bar the lead. It's time to relax.
THE FOLLOWING WEEK
Charlie was ill unfortunately and couldn't come on the Thursday, but via a mixture of internet up- and down-loading; CDs in the mail, and one CD brought from Charlie's house in Leeds by taxi, there's soon a lovely U2-ish rolling guitar part in the mix. During the week Mike mixed the final versions of the song, and here it is, less than 18 days later on the website on sale!

Artwork

THE JOINT CD INLAY


Mike had the idea of a group photo on the inlay, and mentioned to Andy Wells it would be nice to have an old school photo.

Andy came up with this one - from his own school days in Cottingley Primary school. Andy, aged 6-ish, (aahh . . .), is on the far left of the front row, both in the original, and in the JOINT version!

Mike simply replaced the heads, a larger version of which is shown below. To find out who's who see the key below this.

all left to right
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
BACK ROW
Liam
Robinson
Chris
Coombs
Mike
Levon
Ian
Moran
Al
Quinn
Chris
Charlton
Bill
Nelson
Joe
Maples
Tony
Crane
Alan
Robinson
Dot
Nunns
-
MIDDLE ROW
Paul
Denny
Chris
Bonner
Andy
Wells
Alex Wilson
Mike
Levon
Nic
Coombs
Dave
Millen
Eno
Koço
Pete
Taylor
Kevin
Mulvihill
-
-
FRONT ROW
Andy
Wells, 6
Slyv
Wood
Pete
Taylor
Steve
Channing
Matt
Broadbent
Sally
Dover
Rob
Taylor
Chris
Coombs!
Charlie
Speed
Shirley
Levon
Steve
Channing
Raimunda
Koço

The pink scarf which many in the middle row seem to be intrigued by is Mike's mum, caught by the
breeze as she came over the sand dunes at the seaside.

Slyv Wood is a friend who has helped with Holyground for years.
Dot Nunn is a friend too, from the 1970's when her picture graced Astral Navigations cover
and became, over the years, Holyground's logo.
Shirley is Mike's partner - and the person 'So. . ." was written about.
Ian Moran played some drums on & Strangeness and Charm.

Everyone else is a musician on the tracks which comprise JOINT.
Apart from those playing in the specially recorded "So...",
details of what they played and on which tracks are in the CD booklet.

THE COVER ART

Mike had a brain scan around this time, and decided to use the results (a perfect brain, he tells us!)
as a cover.

The original, shown near right, was in black and white. Mike coloured the image to give the striking
design on the front cover.

There was another scan, a paler version of some of which can be seen behind the words and
pictures on page 8 of the booklet. This one (see far right) shows Mike's eyes at the top, but
looks for all the world like a giant puffer fish swimming threatenly towards you!


Thanks to Wakefield Area Health Authority and the Lodestone MRI centre for the images.

Artists


PILGRIMAGE by PILGRYM
PILGRYM is ANDY WELLS, TONY DRAKE, KEVIN MULVIHILL
BELIEVE ME NOW written by Andy Wells
CD available from www.recordheaven.net
more information on
www.pilgrym.co.uk

UP TO MCGILL'S by CHRIS COOMBS
CHRIS COOMBS performing songs by him, & by him & Mike Levon
54 Days and Nights written by Chris Coombs
CD available from www.holyground.co.uk
more information on
www.holyground.co.uk/mcgills

ELECTROTYPE by BILL NELSON
All the early Bill Nelson, Global Village and Be Bop De Luxe upto 1973
Riders of my Love written by Bill Nelson
CD available from www.holyground.co.uk
more information on
www.holyground.co.uk/electrotype

2400 VOLTS by PYLON
PYLON is PAUL DENNY, CHRIS BONNER, ROB TAYLOR,
CHRIS CHARLTON, JOE MAPLES. Unstoppable written by Pylon
CD available from www.jealousrecords.com
more information on
www.pylonline.co.uk

ASTRAL NAVIGATIONS by CHRIS COOMBS, THUNDERMOTHER and others
CHRIS COOMBS wrote and sang TOMORROW (BUFFALO)
THUNDERMOTHER performed BOOGIE MUSIC
CD available from www.holyground.co.uk
more information on
www.holyground.co.uk/mcgills

SUGARHILLS by CHARLIE SPEED

CHARLIE performed and sang CRY CRY CRY,
and performed and co-wrote SOMETIMES with Ray Lyon
CD available from www.charliespeed.co.uk
more information on
www.charliespeed.co.uk


LOST THE WILL TO PLAY by ANDY WELLS
ANDY WELLS performed and sang CRUEL
CRUEL written by Andy Wells
CD available from www.hydeaway.fslife.co.uk
more information on
www.hydeaway.fslife.co.uk

SAME TIME TOMORROW by NATHANIEL GREEN

NATHANIEL GREEN is Matt Broadbent & Rob Taylor. THAT'S WHERE
THEY BURIED THE GIANT by Matt Broadbent & Rob Taylor
CD available from www.fireflyrecordings.com
more information on
www.nathanielgreen.co.uk


TEARS ON THE CONSOLE and HEART OF THE STORM by STEVE CHANNING
NO POINT AT ALL and HEART OF THE STORM
written and performed by Steve Channing
CD available from www.holyground.co.uk
more information on
www.holyground.co.uk

& STRANGENESS AND CHARM and IN AND OUT OF TIME by THE WIRES
NOTHING RHYMES WITH LONELY, OH NO NO NO, SILENCE ON
THE WIRES by Mike Levon & Chris Coombs; and TURNING THE
TABLES by CHRIS COOMBS performed by THE WIRES
CD available from www.holyground.co.uk
more information on
www.holyground.co.uk