Interesting albums from the folk and roots music history, by Marius Roeting.
In 1966, the first EP by Harvey Andrews was released on Transatlantic Records, an established record label. It contained four songs. Paul Simon’s ‘A Most Peculiar Man’ is, as far as known, the very first cover of one of his songs ever. The other three songs were composed by British singer-songwriter Harvey Andrews. The opening track, ‘Death Come Easy’, is a powerful anti-war song in the style of Pete Seeger’s ‘Where Have All the Flowers Gone’. The song was recorded by various musicians and groups. However, it’s not Andrews’ most famous song. That distinction belongs to a track from his 1972 album, ‘Writer of Songs’. ‘Hey! Sandy’ was covered by Irish singer Christy Moore and featured on his ‘Live in Dublin’ album. A year later, Harvey Andrews surprised his audience with ‘Friends of Mine’. This album featured rich arrangements, sometimes orchestral, other times delicate and transparent. The approach to the songs seemed different too: less confrontational, more lyrical, and reflective from a human perspective. The mood was often introspective but always infused with a dose of emotion. There were also lighter pieces, like the bluesy ‘Down So Long It Looks Like Up’, and the humorous and allegorical ‘The Otter Song’. During this period, Harvey Andrews formed a duo with guitarist Graham Cooper. It seemed that the path to greater success was opening up. Andrews and Cooper produced one more album together, the somewhat cabaret-style ‘Fantasies from a Corner Seat’. However, the big breakthrough didn’t materialize. Andrews kept going, stayed true to his path, and went on to make another dozen albums. Not all of his albums were equally strong or coherent, but each one contained at least one gem of a song. He wrote about the downfall of a once-glorious English soccer player, a tribute to his hero Phil Ochs, a clever song about the nation of England, and the remarkable song ‘Margarita’, about and for his great-aunt Annie Pearce. It’s not your typical anti-war song, but rather a song about the human drama—the impact of war on survivors and those not directly involved: humane, lyrical, emotional, compassionate, poetic, captivating, and amiable. Just like Harvey Andrews himself.
Harvey Andrews – Harvey Andrews – Transatlantic Records TRA EP 133
01. Death Come Easy (1966) 3:10
Harvey Andrews – Writer of songs – Cube Records HIFLY 10
02. Hey! Sandy 4:20
03. Soldier 4:54
Harvey Andrews – Friends of Mine – Cube Records HIFLY 15
04. Friends of Mine 3:27
05. The Mallard 3:23
06. Down So Long It Looks Like Up 1:57
07. Sweet Little Fat Girl 3:32
08. Headlines 2:35
09. For My Father 3:10
10. Troubadours 2:46
11. Requiem 3:23
12. Autumn song 3:09
13. Focus Hocus Pocus (One Night Stand) / The Otter song 7:04
Harvey Andrews – Margarita – Beeswing Records LBEE 001
14. Margarita 5:42
Harvey Andrews – Brand new day – Polydor Records 2385 595
15. Volendam 3:36
All compositions: lyrics and music by Harvey Andrews; except for track 6, 7, 12, 13b: Harvey Andrews & Graham Cooper; Track 9: Harvey Andrews, Graham Cooper arr. Mike Moran
