Glint At The Kindling/Selected Writings [2 on 1]

Glint At The Kindling/Selected Writings [2 on 1]

On this CD: 1. Road and Gypsies Go, The
Composed by Robin Williamson
with Sylvia Woods , Robin Williamson , Chris Caswell , Jerry McMillan

2. Me & the Mad Girl
Composed by Robin Williamson
with Sylvia Woods , Robin Williamson , Jerry McMillan

3. Lough Foyle
Composed by Robin Williamson
with Sylvia Woods , Robin Williamson , Chris Caswell , John Gilston

4. Woodcutter's Song, The
Composed by Robin Williamson
with Sylvia Woods , Robin Williamson , Chris Caswell , Jerry McMillan

5. By Weary Well
Composed by Robin Williamson
with Sylvia Woods , Robin Williamson , Chris Caswell , Jerry McMillan

6. Boyhood of Henry Morgan the Pooka
Composed by Robin Williamson
with Sylvia Woods , Chris Caswell , Jerry McMillan

7. Five Denials on Merlin's Grave
Composed by Robin Williamson
with Sylvia Woods , Robin Williamson , Chris Caswell , Jerry McMillan

8. Poacher's Song, The
Composed by Robin Williamson
with Sylvia Woods , Robin Williamson

9. Song of Mabon
Composed by Robin Williamson

10. Fair, The
Composed by Robin Williamson

11. Fair Dance, The
Composed by Robin Williamson

12. Edinburgh
Composed by Robin Williamson

13. Lammas
Composed by Robin Williamson

Tracks:

The Road The Gypsies Go
Me & The Mad Girl
Lough Foyle
The Woodcutter's Song
By Weary Well
Boyhood Of Henry Morgan The Pooka
Five Denials On Merlin's Grave
The Poacher's Song
Song Of Mabon
The Fair
The Fair Dance
Edinburgh
Lammas

Customer Reviews:

One of My Favorite CDs.......2005-06-18

Many years ago, I owned "A Glint at the Kindling" on LP, and was fortunate enough to buy one of what turned out to be a limited edition of 3,500 CDs on a business trip to London about a decade ago. "Kindling," a concept album dealing with Williamson's boyhood, was one of my favorite LPs of the 1970s, and at first, I thought of the "Selected Writings" as an annoyance tacked on to the end. Then I listened to it. In my opinion, an artist owes the world exactly nothing, but Robin, if you're reading this, please bring out another edition. "Edinburgh" alone is worth the price of admission -- a 19-minute rant that is one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. I have a lot of CDs, but if I had to chose a dozen "desert island disks" this would definitely be one of them.

The true bardic tradition.......2002-11-28

Robin Williamson isn't a folksinger - he's a bard. And the modern bardic tradition gets no better than this album. Five Denials on Merlin's Grave is a wake for a Britain that never really was, but should have been. My favorite track is Me and the Mad Girl, one of the saddest and most touching songs I have ever heard. The line "You took me for an enemy, and I took you for a friend" describes the loneliness of being different in such a pure way...

Apparently this album is out of print again. If you find a copy, grab it!

Glint at the Kindling - a timeless masterpiece.......1998-08-21

When I first encountered "Glint at the kindling" I was only familiar with Robin's work in the Incredible String Band. This was different stuff - but it soon captured me as much as the best the ISB produced - it even neared the dizzying heights of "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" ! Later I bought more Williamson records, but this one, along with "Songs of love & parting" and his recent "Mirrorman's Sequences" is the most captivating - amazingly well-crafted and filled with all one could wish for, both textual and musical. Earlier records like "American Stonehenge" sound like he was trying to find a new voice, but on "Glint" he definitely found one - and a strong one it is.

On cd, the original "Glint" is teamed up with some new unreleased songs, which are all great.

On the original lp, Robin plays with the Merry Band - of which he has said he's never worked with better musicians - and it shows ! The songs I love best are "The road the gypsies go", "The woodcutter's song" with its great instrumental coda, "By weary well" and of course the epic "Five denials on Merlin's grave".

Of the added songs especially "Song of Mabon" and "The Fair" stand out, as well as the intriguing "The Fair Dance", which evokes the weird atmosphere of his "Dancing of the Lord of Weir" which graces his "Myrrh" album. "Lammas" has been re-recorded on "Ten of Songs", and sounds better there. "Edinburgh", though a great effort, is not completely satisfying.

I was very happy with the release of the album on cd - and also very pleased with the additions, although, in some sense, these have destroyed the intimacy and the sense of completeness of the original. But I can still play the lp, can't I ?

Chillingly good........1998-06-16

This CD may be the best example of a Bardic performance anywhere. It's a rich mixture of songs and spoken pieces, traditional tunes and original ones, following both timeless mythic themes and intensely personal ones. I love it.

The two showpieces of this album have to be "Five Denials on Merlin's Grave" and "Edinburgh", each of which is over ten minutes long. They're both spoken pieces; long, lovingly-crafted poems evoking wonderfully intense moods. That's about the extent of the similarity, however. "Five Denials" traces the history of the British Isles, comparing the dry historical texts with the meaty stuff of myth and poetry, resounding always with the refrain "I will not forget!" "Edinburgh" plays with layered voices and sound effects to paint a picture of a city haunted by the ghosts of its past, and filled with a population shaped by the haunting.

Other pieces on the album should not be ignored, however. "Mabon's Song" sends chills down my spine every time I hear it, "Lough Foyle" is fun and funny, and "Hard Wood Logs" takes and old rhyme that my Grandfather hung in his woodshed and sets it to music.

All in all, this album illustrates a flexibility and artistry that makes Mr. Williamson, in my humble opinion, one of the last True Bards.

Buy it. Listen to it. Enjoy it.

Music Review: