Dave Evans – The Words In Between
Earth Recordings – 6 July 2018
It is 1971. In the front room of a house in Greater Manchester, a group of school friends with long hair, loon trousers, tie-dye tee-shirts are doing that heavy hippy thing, sitting, heads bowed, their hair shutting them off from anything visually stimulating. There are seats but it is important that they all sit on the same level, in some sort of a circle, on the floor. Smoke fills the room and cider bottles stand like sentinels in front of each member of the circle and a giant ashtray is at the centre. The record on the player comes to an end and is removed with great deliberation and reverence. It is placed back in its paper sleeve, inserted into its cardboard gatefold and passed from hand to hand to its owner.
The next LP is removed from its sleeves and placed gently on the turntable. The needle is presented to the track. All voices die and with heads bowed the exhalation of smoke is the only audible sound until a guitar sings out of the speakers, its crisp notes stealing their way through the fug. After a few bars, the voice comes: Oh you do me wrong the way you smile…
It’s 2018. I am looking at the latest releases coming through to Folk Radio UK and see Dave Evans on the list. I’m sure I know that name, but I cannot place it. I’ll give it a listen. The album is The Words In Between.
There are a number of things us older listeners like to say to the younger ones. Firstly, there were a number of people who could play the guitar and compose and sing – it’s not all about chords. Secondly, there are certain singer-songwriters with good fingerpickin’ guitar technique that you should listen to, starting with Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, and Davy Graham. These three provided the vanguard and a few years later up popped Dave Evans. The Words in Between was Evan’s first album, released on Ian A Anderson’s Village Thing label and clearly reached the suburbs of Manchester in good time.
Evans’ guitar is bright and has a surprising amount of depth, especially given the recording equipment of the day. However, I am not surprised when I learn that he built his own instruments. In fact, he retired to Belgium in the 80’s to make guitars and harp-guitars. The brightness of the instrument’s sound provides an optimistic feel across the album irrespective of the lyric content, an optimistic sound for an optimistic generation.
The songs are often moving pictures, views from the eyes of the singer. Pictures are painted of life, scenes from a window perhaps, often seen from the bed, a somewhat recurring position. The woman in the Doorway does not know who she is any more, she’s doesn’t know which way to go; City Road may always look the same but it is always changing, a reflection of the changes that happen to us all – the road turns another day – the days are darker now, now you’re coming of age.
As well as the observations there are songs about the singer either as an observer or as an active participant – Grey Lady Morning (from his bed), Magic Man and Sailor. Admittedly there are some references that are of their day: Rosie is a woman without a relationship and finds friends difficult to retain but after a night at the discotheque takes a soldier home for a Nescafe. However we don’t worry about that for the aforementioned triumvirate, we certainly don’t for Nick Drake, and we don’t for Dave Evans.
This is an album that is as good today as it was over forty years ago. I doubt if I could sit cross-legged on a wooden floor for that long now, but the sound is still exquisite and unique, so make a space on the shelf alongside Jansch, Renbourn and Graham for Evans.
Order ‘The Words in Between’ – Digital / CD / Vinyl:
https://daveevans.bandcamp.com/