In late 2016, The Memory Band – Stephen Cracknell and an ongoing list of collaborators, delivered A Fair Field, an album described by Folk Radio’s Thomas Blake as a varied, heartfelt set of tunes that also happens to be a valid and enlightening social document.
His sixth album, Colours, has just been released. Featuring eleven tracks, the album consists of a mixture of songs and instrumentals which employ “technologies old and new”. As well as traditional tunes, there are peices inspired by the poetry of William Blake such as Albion’s Daughter below. These are all delivered in The Memory Band’s characteristic style with a host of guest musicians from across the musical spectrum.
There are contributions from longstanding members Liza Bec, Helene Bradley, Olie Brice, Hannah Caughlin, Tom Page, Fred Thomas and Nancy Wallace. As well as Dee Byrne, Alex Bonney, Howard Cottle and Sam Ewens. John Andrews, Liam Bailey and Lisa Knapp also make spoken word contributions.
Stephen has shared an accompanying video for Albion’s Daughter on which Olie Brice’s double bass Tom Page’s percussion combine with keyboards, trumpet and sax to lay down smokey jazz lines and an infectious and rising groove to the rising sun. Inspired here by Awake! awake O sleeper of the land of shadows from Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’.
Awake! awake O sleeper of the land of shadows, wake! expand!
I am in you and you in me, mutual in love divine:
Fibres of love from man to man thro Albions pleasant land.
In all the dark Atlantic vale down from the hills of Surrey
A black water accumulates, return Albion! return!
Thy brethren call thee, and thy fathers, and thy sons,
Thy nurses and thy mothers, thy sisters and thy daughters
Weep at thy souls disease, and the Divine Vision is darkend
William Blake ‘Jerusalem’
Colours is available to order now via Bandcamp: https://thememoryband.bandcamp.com/album/colours