Genre: folk
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Title: Forest
Company: Harvest
Catalog: SKAO-419
Year: 1969
Country/State: UK
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: US pressing; gatefold sleeve; cut out hole top right corner; 'WMCJ' top right corner (not shown in picture)
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5189
Price: $150.00
Cost: $66.00
Forest was one of
those obscure English acts that somehow managed
to straddle the demarcation line between Fairport
Convention-styled folk and outright psychedelia. Unlike Fairport, they
didn't have an interest in reviving English folk music, rather just seemed
to enjoy working in a pastoral, acoustic environment. Lots of folks
compared them to Dr Strangely Strange or The Incredible String Band and
while they share the same placid, late-1960s hippy mantra, in my book Forest
would kick ISB's collective butt every time. I'll also readily admit
that their two albums are an acquired taste. Their catalog is occasionally
quite dark, but with some effort they've proven to be well worth the investment of time, energy and
cash. Not a surprise to the few of you familiar with the band, but
both of their albums are rare and highly prized among collectors ...
Hailing from the Lancolnshire district, multi-instrumentalists Derek Allenby
and brothers Hadrian and Martin Welham started out performing under the
catchy name 'The Foresters of Walesky'. Relocating to Birmingham they wisely
opted to shorten their name to 'Forest' and subsequently found a benefactor/proponent in the
form of BBC DJ John Peel. With support from Peel the trio were signed by
Harvest Records, debuting with an instantly obscure 1969 single 'Searching for Shadows' b/w
'Mirror of Life' (Harvest catalog number 5007).
Renown
for it's willingness to sign and support obscure acts, Harvest came through
with flying colors. Overlooking the instant commercial death of their
debut single, the label wasted no time in financing an album. Co-produced by Andrew Hill and the band,
1969's "Forest" was
simply one bizarre collection. Showcasing twelve group penned originals, all acoustic material such as
'Bad
Penny', 'Lovemaker's Ways' and 'While You Were
Gone' was firmly in the folk camp, but the combination of nifty
melodies, quirky arrangements and intricate harmonies made for an album
that was wholly original. Can you picture the Fairport or Steeleye Span crowd
taking on a track like 'Do You Want Some Smoke?' ...
Interestingly, the trio were also capable of penning relatively
straightforward commercial material. It probably sounds kind of
strange, but with slightly
different arrangements and some electric guitar and keyboards, tracks like 'Sylvie (We'd Better Not Pretend)'
and 'A Fantasy You' would
have could have generated strong commercial recognition. 'Course that
might have undermined some of their uniqueness ... Unfortunately English sales proved
disappointing; the
collection doing even less in the States. (For anyone interested, John Peel
contributed the weird liner
notes.)
"Forest" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Bad Penny
(Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
2.) A Glade Somewhere (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
3.) Lovemaker's Ways (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
4.) While You Were Gone (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
5.) Sylvie (We'd Better Not Pretend) (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham -
Martin Welham) -
6.) A Fantasy You (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
(side 2)
1.) Fading Light
(Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
2.) Do You Want Some Smoke? (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham)
-
3.) Don't Want To Go (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
4.) Nothing Else Will Matter (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham)
-
5.) Mirror of Love (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
6.) Rain Is On My Balcony (Derek Allenby - Hadrian Welham - Martin Welham) -
Allenby apparently kept active in music, performing with the band Sounternwood. To a lesser extent Martin Welham also kept his hand in music, reappearing under the name 'The Story' with his son Tom on an album shared with the Santa Cruz California band Whysp "The Dawn Is Crowned" (Good Village catalog number GVR-001).