THE GARDEN OF LOVE (2015) TRACKLIST 1 THE GARDEN OF LOVE 2 ALLELUIA 7 3 THE DOWNS 4 SCAPE 5 LOST IN LOVE 6 MY LONGEST DAY 7 HALF MOON 8 ENGLAND, DEAR ENGLAND 9 THIS WINTER 10 BUTTERFLY 11 A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW 12 A SIMPLE FAREWELL
LINE UP Geoffrey Richardson - violin, viola, flute, cello, guitars, ukelele, banjo, mandolin, keyboards, saxes, percussion
VERSIONS year/format/label/cat/country 2015/CD/Esoteric Antenna/EANTCD1057/UK
REVIEWS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES Multi-instrumentalist and session player Geoffrey Richardson is probably best known in prog circles as a member of Caravan where he provides guitar but mostly that very distinctive viola that I first heard gracing their wonderful live album Caravan and The New Symphonia and my favourite with him, Blind Dog at St. Dunstans. Hmmm, must dig them out and see if I've got any Sauvignon Blanc left... Anyway, 2016 and he has a solo album under the Esoteric Record label umbrella called The Garden of Love, an apt title for this mix of folk, country, and west coast ditties. The viola is there but so is everything else he can play and he does it very well. First three tracks are pleasant enough in a folksy kind of way then instrumental Scape gets my attention with a synth bass and penny whistle motif that sounds like it's highlighting a short film about crop spraying. From then on there is a kind of later Mark Knopfler and Gallagher and Lyle vibe to proceedings with My Longest Day and This Winter reminding me of John Lodge's more pastoral moments. Butterfly has hints of reggae albeit diluted for the local flower show, with its refrain of "life's too short" probably echoing the despair of not winning the giant marrow rosette, then next non vocal A Different point of View is the background to a TV item on fence erection. Ending with the more than appropriate A Simple Farewell with the heartfelt longing that only a cello can provide, this piano and conga led track is the nearest to The Penguin Café Orchestra (with whom he has played) that parallels his previous output. This is not for fans of Caravan but it is for a summer picnic in an English country park (or the Caravan site) played through the ubiquitous Bluetooth speaker propped up by one of the empty wine bottles. The almost abrupt ending of a Tibetan bowl being boinged would serve as a gentle reminder to alert the wife to un-cork another chilled bottle. Andrew Halley 7/10 12.05.2016 (DPRP.NET)