Our Song of the Day is from legendary folk singer Steve Ashley who began singing in folk clubs as far back as 1961 before setting up Maidstone Folk Club in 1964 with none other than Peter Bellamy. In 1969 he sang vocals on several tracks of Shirley and Dolly Collins’ classic album Anthems in Eden and, keeping things topical, his song The Waiting Game was used in a Labour Party election broadcast on unemployment in 1971.
All of the above and a lot more (just read our interview) before releasing Stroll On, an album which has inspired many young music makers of today. But that was in 1974…since then he has released some equally fine classics including Time and Tide (2007) and most recently This Little Game, which we reviewed here. One thing that has remained consistent throughout his singing career is his songcraft. He’s one of our most gifted songwriters in the British Isles today and our Song of the Day, taken from his latest album, demonstrates that gift. The Last Deeds of Love made a big impression on our reviewer Paul who described it as a song that was “…none more harrowing and vital…, a desperately sad treatise on the end of a partnership. All the small things we take for granted when we’re together are magnified, raised like welts in the words”
https://soundcloud.com/folk-radio-uk/steve-ashley-the-last-deeds-of-love
‘When the clothes are gone from the home / With the toothbrush and the comb / When the shoes no longer to roam / Have all been thrown / The grief and sorrow remain in every wall / and they’ll be there when tomorrow comes to call’.
Out Now via Market Square
Order via Amazon
Read our interview with Steve Ashley here.