Glen Peters with… – Just for the Record
Fflach – Out Now
Just for the Record has an unassuming cover featuring Pembrokeshire-based Glen Peters posing alongside an old wind-up phonograph, the gold and black design recalling the golden age of shellac and the 78rpm.
Whilst the likes of the well-known Eliza Carthy and Angharad Jenkins (of Calan) guest on the album, like the cover, there is a similar humble quality throughout this release which makes it all the more potent. Even the album title hints at this.
Just for the Record is a personal celebration of his years spent enjoying the British folk music scene, which he was first introduced to in the 1970s when he arrived in Britain as an immigrant from India. He was taken under the wing and encouraged by the likes of Bob Davenport via the Islington Folk Club, later becoming an event booker and running venues.
What you hear across these eleven tracks are very far from the obvious. There’s variety in abundance and some stunning moments.
His love for vaudeville and music hall surface on the comedic Billy Williams number (a fellow immigrant) “She Does Like A Little Bit of Scotch” and, accompanied by George Whitfield’s accordion, the quirky but catchy “He Used to Sing in his Sleep”.
Whilst there’s a healthy dose of humour and nostalgia, Peters diverse selection of songs also paint the picture of an activist with a warrior’s heart. With Angharad Jenkins’ fiddle providing strong emotional accents, Peters’ penmanship shines through on Damascus Skies, casting a light on the plight of the immigrant fleeing from war-torn homes, as well as on Slaving for your Craving that highlights the ongoing exploitation of immigrant labour, as he recalls the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster of 2004 when 21 Chinese immigrants, men and women between the ages of 18 and 45, were drowned after being cut off by the incoming tide. His attentions turn to Iraq and Tony Blair’s “prayer for divine guidance” when he chose to go to war on Lord You Never Told Me, …it’s a powerful song to end the album and highlights the inequalities that weigh heaviest on his heart.
Having set up his own renewable energy company in 2010, sun-themes also feature prominently on two clever self-penned numbers. Played to the gleefully nostalgic pre-war tune of The Sun Has Got His Hat On, with a bright mandolin and irresistible knee-bending sousaphone, The Sun is Quite a Hottie tackles global warming and fossil fuel consumption. In contrast, the sun-worshipping Aurora plays out like a swaying vintage love song to the sun and her atomic power.
The album’s highlight has to be Let No Man Steal Your Thyme, on which he is joined by Eliza Carthy on fiddle. The added combination of Peters’ shruti playing and Angharad James’ cello lends a melancholic raga air to the song, which beautifully accentuates Peters’ voice. It’s one of the most beautiful versions I’ve heard of this well-known song.
While there are moments of humour and sadness throughout, Glen Peters’ passion makes the biggest impression upon the listener. You don’t just warm to his voice; you get a real glimpse of his personality. So much so that you are left with a desire to play it all over again.
Just For The Record is an album with a genuine and enriching heart. Just don’t make this your last, Peter.
All proceeds are going to Unicef – unite for children.
More here: https://just4therecord.com/