Michael Chapman

For Michael Chapman's early fans, the 1971 release of Wrecked Again, his fourth and final album for Harvest was a return to the glories of Rainmaker and Fully Qualified Survivor. He'd disowned his third album, Window, claiming it was an unfinished series of acoustic demos released by the label while he was on tour for an album he fully intended to be electric. (This bears weight since some of its songs have remained in the songwriter's live set into the 21st century.) Recorded at Rockfield Studios with producer Gus Dudgeon and a band that included bassist Rick Kemp (who had been with him since the beginning), drummer Pique Withers, accordionist Jack Emblow, and a slew of backing vocalists (including Albert Hammond), with lead guitar by Ray Martinez and strings and horns by Paul Buckmaster added by Dudgeon later.

With a delivery that makes John Martyn sound like a Shakespearian voice coach, the one-time hero of the early Harvest days returns with a small band (Steeleye Span's Rick Kemp and Lindisfarne's Ray Laidlaw) and his best album in years. Indeed, the old obsessions (loneliness, love, drinking, injustice) have not been explored this convincingly since 1970's Fully Qualified Survivor. It Ain't So is an understated grumble of a song, feeding off an insistent minor riff; The North Will Rise unexpectedly introduces northern dissaffection to a reggae beat; while Hard Times has a riff and solo that recall Chapman's ex-guitarist, Mick Ronson. If anything, the ballads hit even harder, particularly Drinking Alone and the title track, where humanity and old-fashioned canniness produce a song to break hearts old and young.

Hopefully this reissue of Chapman's 1993 disc will find a wider audience than it managed the first time around. For those who love his late-'60s work, there's a real harking back to the classic Rainmaker in the title, and even a new version of one of his best-known songs, "Postcards of Scarborough." Doing everything himself, Chapman melds his gritty voice with thoughtful lyrics and rippling guitar work, although he does cut loose on a couple of occasions, on the instrumentals "Akublu" and "Elinkine," while his non-vocal take on "She Moves Through the Fair" glides with an almost ethereal grace. He can still write some stunning, insightful songs, like "Fool in the Night," with its remorse, or the wistful "Falling from Grace."

Volume 1, which contains the tracks recorded between 1966 and 1980, was originally released in 2000, and Volume 2, which compiles recordings from 1969 to 1986, came out a year later. CD 1 - 1,2,3,4, Studios, Hull 1966; Tracks 5,6,7 Cellar Folk Club, Southampton 1969; Track 8,9,10,11,12 Southampton University Concert 1971; Tracks 13,14,15,16 Studios, Hull 1980. CD 2 The first four songs are taken from a live show at Southampton Uni Folk Club in 1969. The next 5 are from 1978 and feature Bass Rick Kemp (tracks: 5 to 9) Drums Keef Hartley (tracks: 5 to 9) Guitar Ray Martinez (2) (tracks: 5 to 9) Keyboards Brian Chapman (tracks: 5 to 9) The final track is a half-hour instrumental piece created as backing music for catwalks of Chapman's wife's fashion shows. The CDs come with a poster style booklet comprising sleeve notes and photos.

Originally recorded for Criminal Records in 1980, Looking for Eleven finds Rod Clements and Ray Laidlaw of Lindisfarne handling bass and drum duties, rather than Rick Kemp and Dave Mattacks. The resulting set has a somewhat stripped-down sound to it, though the assorted Chapman trademarks are present and accounted for, right down to the offbeat guitar sounds (Chapman, like John Martyn, has always refused to stick with a typical acoustic guitar sound). This album features more than the usual amount of instrumental work, which makes for a particularly engaging listening experience.

These two albums are part of a clutch of albums Michael made when he was between record companies and which he recorded for his own production company Rural Retreat Records. Rural Retreat West Virginia, on the old Virgin Creeper Line, was the subject of one of O.Winston Link's famous "train" pics of whom MC is a huge fan. We made the pilgrimage on one of our US road trips hence the name. 2xCD + Booklet in 6 panel Digipack with sleeve notes by Andru Chapman.