In 2005, Tompkins Square record label came into being and kicked off its career with Imaginational Anthem Volume One, a compilation that brought together pioneering acoustic guitar heroes of the 60s and 70s while also bringing to light a new generation of amazing players.
Over the years, various players have curated these offerings, bringing a unique perspective – Ryley Walker chose lesser-known players on Volume 9, managing to cram forty-four minutes with enough musical styles and new artists to satisfy anybody. Imaginational Anthems X was curated by Marcus Obst (of Dying For Bad Music), who has long had his ear to the ground for artists that occupy the outer fringes and his offering ranged from the ‘traditional Takoma School pieces to more Avant-garde minimalism; from the warmer hemisphere of Southern Europe, through Central Europe, and into the stark beauty of the Scandinavian regions.’ The last Volume, curated by Nashville pedal steel maverick and Third Man recording artist Luke Schneider, was not only the label’s first-ever cassette release but their first full deep-dive into Modern Pedal Steel. It included the legendary BJ Cole, as well as leading exponents on the instrument, including Susan Alcorn, Luke himself, and British ex-pat /Nashville hotshot Spencer Cullum among others. Nashville native and Merge recording artist William Tyler also wrote a detailed history of the pedal steel for the package.
I’m quite excited about the forthcoming volume XII – available again on cassette (as well as Digital, CD and Vinyl) and curated by the super-talented Henry Parker, whose playing I’ve loved since first hearing his debut album Silent Spring (reviewed here) and his superb 2021 Lammas Fair. In his review of that album, Thomas Blake concludes that it’s: “an album full of old wisdom and new beginnings, deeply rooted in the wild landscape of northern England but ultimately outward-looking and welcoming.”
It’s this connection to northern England that caused Josh Rosenthal of Tompkins to reach out to Parker to curate this new offering, sub-titled – I Thought I Told You – A Yorkshire Tribute to Michael Chapman.
Anyone unaware, another England was also Chapman’s home turf:
Michael Chapman (1941-2021) released his debut album Rainmaker in 1969 on Harvest. He went on to release over fifty albums and influenced many with his evocative songwriting and guitar prowess. From heady jams to expressive ballads to experimental noise, Chapman’s work continues to inspire. Tompkins Square recruited Henry Parker to curate a collection of covers by working musicians from Chapman’s home turf in Northern England. With stunning artwork by local artist Bunty Marshall mapping the important places in Michael’s life, and package design by D. Norsen, this 12th volume of Tompkins Square’s Imaginational Anthem series is the ultimate tribute to a very dearly missed artist.
From Henry Parker :
Tompkins Square approached me in Autumn 2022 about putting together a tribute album to Michael Chapman who had passed away one year ago, on my birthday, in 2021. I remember it well; Michael Chapman had always been a huge inspiration to me since starting out on the acoustic guitar, and was the first artist I had heard who played the instrument with that heavy thumb, drop tuned sound. I first got the chance to see him live at the Bradford experimental music festival Threadfest in 2015 and then went on to watch him play many more times, in the northern towns of Halifax, Hebden Bridge and Preston, also getting the chance to support him on a couple of his Yorkshire dates in 2018, in Saltaire and his home town of Leeds.
With both Michael Chapman and myself proudly coming from the county of Yorkshire in northern England, Tomkins Square and I decided to make this compilation decidedly Yorkshire focused, bringing together seven other artists from the county who have drawn influence from the profound music of this man.
[For those who don’t know, Yorkshire is an area that spans much of northern England, with its people taking great pride in the county, never too seriously, and poking fun at the “soft south” or its near neighbour Lancashire.]
Michael’s sound always spanned from introspective folk songwriting to more experimental forms and naturally so does this album, created for Tompkins Square. When it came to choosing musicians to contribute to the record I was grateful for the Yorkshire limitation on who I could draw from, as the resulting album is comprised of eight artists, who have all shared stages with each other across the folk and experimental scenes in the area. The lack of “bigger” names on the record feels natural, there’s no ego about this project as there never was with Michael, who always seemed content touring the smaller clubs and making records for anyone who was interested.
The artwork for the project came together organically, and firmly within the Yorkshire cottage industry. Two months before I was asked to put this album together, I had played a show in Leeds for the launch of a new zine, centred on folklore and mythology. The artist and founder of the zine Bunty has an exceptional eye for detail and a profound love of Yorkshire landscape and culture. Her intricate maps and illustrations created for ‘Hwaet’ zine were the perfect starting point the for this record, and the cover art and inner sleeve is an ocean of detail for Michael Chapman’s incredible life, music and his connection to Yorkshire.
Many of those featured on the compilation have appeared on Folk Radio, most recently, Chris Brain, who has just released his new album Steady Away, currently one of our Featured Albums of the Month.
Here is Parker performing the lead single ‘In the Valley’, Chapman’s anthem to loss and regret from his Window album. Interestingly, as revealed by Light in the Attic, who reissued a number of Michael’s records – it was originally recorded in 1970 whilst he was with the Harvest Label, but it wasn’t part of his career Chapman likes to dwell on. Although he gave Light in the Attic his blessing for a reissue, he stated, “It is a piece of my history for those interested in that, even though I think it sounds like a piece of crap”. Many beg to differ, and the fact that he continues to inspire young talents like Parker, Katie Spencer, Dean McPhee, Bobby Lee, Holly Blackshaw, Chris Brain, Andrew DR Abbott and Hawthorn speaks far louder. It also underlines how vital and inspiring these outputs from Tompkins Square are.
Tracklisting
Henry Parker – In the Valley
Dean McPhee – Caddo Lake
Katie Spencer – You Say
Bobby Lee – Heat Index
Holly Blackshaw – March Rain
Andrew DR Abbott – (Some) Trains
Hawthorn – Kodak Ghosts
Chris Brain – Among the Trees
Pre-Order Imaginational Anthem vol. XII : I Thought I Told You – A Yorkshire Tribute to Michael Chapman – https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/album/imaginational-anthem-vol-xii-i-thought-i-told-you-a-yorkshire-tribute-to-michael-chapman