Earth announces ‘Trees’ 50th Anniversary Edition Box Set

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While they only produced two albums, (1970/71), Trees, consisting of five Londoner’s (bass and keyboard player Bias Boshell, lead guitarist Barry Clarke, acoustic guitarist David Costa, drummer Unwin Brown and singer Celia Humphris) delivered a very unique spin on the electric pastoral folk of that period alongside others such as Comus, Tony, Caro and John and Mark Fry.

The more familiar Fairport Convention had released their groundbreaking Liege and Lief as Trees began recording their first album ‘The Garden of Jane Delawney’ and while both bands were said to have been exploring similar avenues, with Clarke’s playing often compared to that of Richard Thompson’s, to my ears, Trees stood very much apart from everyone else. They could present an incredible wall of sound which was also beautifully constrained to allow the space for that incredible voice of Celia Humphris to shine (highly recommend you listen to Streets of Derry).

The story behind those albums is also an interesting one which has been covered in interviews since…there are some great snippets out there – such as the very loud audition that very nearly put off Humphris singing for the band in the first place and that Martin Carthy helped Bias source some of the folk songs for their first album.

As an aside, despite releasing just those two albums, the voice of Humphris did live on although many were unaware they were listening to her – she did a lot of voice-over work including commercials and train recording announcements (which apparently included the Jubilee and Nothern Line ‘Mind the Gap’).

50 years on…they are definitely a band that are more than worthy of revisiting.

Enter Earth Records with a 50th Anniversary Edition Box Set…for those that know these two albums inside and out, Trees (50th Anniversary Edition) includes two new discs of alternate mixes, early demos, BBC session tracks and 2018 live recordings in London, as well as lost demos of ‘Polly On The Shore’ and ‘Streets Of Derry’.

The package includes 12″ book with liner notes from founder member David Costa and comedian Stewart Lee.

Pre-order Trees (50th Anniversary Edition) out on 13 November: https://earthrecordings.lnk.to/treestrees

It’s now over fifty years since Trees’ formation and, although ‘Acid Folk’ has now become a sub-category in the lexicon of record dealers and music critics, and although founder member David Costa feels the original noughties reissue helped consolidate a gathering wave of curiosity, they themselves remain in the shadows.

Earth’s new Trees collection brings together both albums adding shiny alternate mixes of key tracks along with a selection of radio sessions and demos, all sounding brighter and cleaner than ever before.

Trees first album, ‘The Garden of Jane Delawney’ (1970) snuggles nicely into contemporary nu-folkies’ idea of the genre, and shares some of the pastoral-whimsy that characterised The Incredible String Band or Donovan, offset by some stunning interpretations of traditional material and Bias’ own songs, which were somehow part of the tradition Trees had adopted. Readings of ‘Lady Margaret’, ‘Glasgerion’, the old standard ‘She Moved Thro’ The Fair’, and the extended fade of the group’s own ‘Road’, presage the explosive instrumental duelling that would come to characterise the follow up album, ‘On The Shore’.

There’s a definite shift between the records, the second being darker and more ambivalent. Here Trees don’t tell you what to think. You’re left to formulate your own response to this odd, opaque music.

The ‘Streets of Derry’ session version leans into the brain vibrating drone-groove they somehow found at the traditional tune’s centre. ‘Polly On The Shore’, another traditional tune, is one of the definitive moments of English folk rock.

This special expansive collector’s edition celebrates the bands 50^th anniversary.

Trees (50th Anniversary Edition) is out on 13 November

Pre-Order: https://earthrecordings.lnk.to/treestrees

Digital Tracklist

1. Nothing Special 04:31
2. The Great Silkie
3. The Garden Of Jane Delawney
4. Lady Margaret
5. Glasgerion
6. She Moved Thro’ The Fair
7. Road
8. Epitaph
9. Snail’s Lament
10. She Moved Thro’ The Fair (Demo Version)
11. Pretty Dolly (Demo Version)
12. Black Widow 03:23
13. Little Black Cloud (Suite)
14. Soldiers Three
15. Murdoch
16. Streets Of Derry
17. Sally Free And Easy
18. Fool
19. Adam’s Toon
20. Geordie
21. While The Iron Is Hot
22. Little Sadie
23. Polly On The Shore
24. Soldiers Three (Remix)
25. Murdoch (Remix)
26. Streets Of Derry (Remix)
27. Fool (Remix)
28. Geordie (Remix)
29. Little Sadie (Remix)
30. Polly On The Shore (Remix)
31. Forest Fire (Original 1971 BBC Recording)
32. Little Black Cloud (1970 Demo)
33. Soldiers Three (Remix 2007)
34. Murdoch (Remix 2007)
35. Streets Of Derry (Remix 2007)
36. Geordie (Remix 2007)
37. Polly On The Shore (Remix 2007)
38. Fool (Remix 2007)
39. Polly On The Shore (Demo 1970)
40. Streets Of Derry (Demo 1970)
41. She Moved Thro’ The Fair (Demo 1969)
42. Pretty Polly (Demo 1969)
43. The Great Silkie (BBC 1970)
44. Soldiers Three (BBC 1970)
45. Little Black Cloud (Demo 1969)
46. Forest Fire (BBC 1970)
47. She Moved Thro’ The Fair (Live at Cafe Oto 2018)
48. Murdoch (Live at Cafe Oto 2018)
49. Black Widow (2007)
50. Little Black Cloud Suite (2007)

Photo Credit : Hipgnosis