Anger and Kiss

The concept of the album began in the mid 90s when Jill and Jerry Barker asked Tim if he would like to put together a few tracks at Milking Parlour studios with a view to an album release in the future. These first sessions produced ‘Scared of the Monkey’, ‘The Funeral’, ‘Radio Baghdad’ (rerecorded for ‘Anger and Kiss), ‘I’m the King he Said’ and ‘Eve of a Storm’ (the only track to make it onto the finished album) as well as a couple of extra tracks for other projects. ‘Rollright Stones’ for an instrumental compilation album and Mike Herons ‘Swift as the Wind’ for the follow up to the Incredible String Band tribute. Following Jill and Jerrys decision to make a career out of a recording studio there was then a lull until Woodman Studios found the right premises and was set up. Recording commenced in Autumn 1999 and was completed by early 2000, when mixing took place and mastering was completed. The release was on 22nd August 2000 with ‘The Rural launch’ in Haworth, with ‘The Urban Launch’ planned for later in Bradford city centre.

What sort of music is it?


This the worst question in the world, I can never put this stuff in boxes so all I can do is sight those people you may know of, and if you like them you should like this;

Richard Thompson, Fairport Convention, Incredible String Band, Andy Irvine, Stackridge, Harry Nilsson, and a bunch of folkies and folk rockers.

The tracks are as follows:

1. GREAT COAT No 3 ; TRUMPET & TROMBONE ; The short New Years Eve party version of the track which runs through the album.

2. ROLLING ENGLISH ; ACOUSTIC AND BASS GUITARS, APPALACHIAN DULCIMER, DRUMS, PIANO, TAMBOURINE, ALTO SAXOPHONE AND VOCALS ; A bit of a romp through the Conservative New Right of the late 1970's to the early 1990's, all to a rocky beat! Play Sample

3. EVE OF A STORM ; ACOUSTIC, ELECTRIC AND BASS GUITARS, ORGAN, CLARINET AND VOCALS ; A gentle waltz through a dream world of back light.

4. THIS WAS THEIR FINEST HORO ; FIDDLE, VIOLA, SOPRANINO DJEMBE, BASS AND ELECTRIC GUITARS. RAINSTICK, MOROCCAN POTTERY DRUMS, DIDGERIDOO AND AN AFRICAN ONE STRINGED INSTRUMENT THAT WE COULD FIND NO NAME FOR. ; A dance tune in some strange time signature that recalls Eastern Europe.

5. CHIPPING NORTON GIRL ; 12 STRING GUITAR, VIOLINS, VIOLA, ‘CELLO AND VOCALS ; Waltz time again with a folk string quartet in the Oxfordshire countryside. Play Sample

6. THE MAN WHO KILLED ; MELODEON, MANDO-CELLO, FIDDLE, MANDOLIN, 5 STRING BANJO, DRUMS, VOCALS ; Those people in suits get a musical bashing from a stomping melodeon.

7. GREAT COAT No 2 ; ELECTRIC PIANO AND VIOLIN ; The version that remembers Collinsons Tea Rooms in Bradford.

8. OLD TIME DANCING ; ACOUSTIC AND BASS GUITARS, VIOLIN, VIOLA, DRUMS, FRICTION DRUM, BELLS, MELODICA AND VOCALS ; The song I wrote for Fairport Convention.

9. YOUR TRADITIONS ; APPALACHIAN DULCIMER, MANDOLIN, FIDDLE, JAWS HARP, HARMONICA, BOHDRAN, SPOONS, ORGAN AND VOCALS ; Time for the tradition to praise its holders of the legacy.

10. BOOZIN’ ; ACCORDION, FRETLESS BASS GUITAR, WHISTLE, SYNTHESISER AND VOCALS ; The fretless bass sways, unsteady on its feet, all the way down Leopold Lane.

11. COCK THOMAS / OM SI THE DOM SI (trad arr) ; MELODEON, MANDOLIN, 5 STRING BANJO, DANCING FEET, TRIANGLE AND VOCALS ; The debut of my dancing feet through two little English tunes.

12. RADIO BAGHDAD ; MANDO-CELLO, BALALAIKA, ELECTRIC VIOLIN, AUTOHARP, ELECTRIC DRUM KIT, ACOUSTIC DRUM KIT, CABBASSA, AFRICAN SKIN DRUM, SOPRANINO DJEMBE, TRI-HAMMER AND VOCALS ; Bombing people is wrong.

13. GREAT COAT No 1 ; FLUTE, BELLS, HAND CYMBALS, MANDOLIN, BUGLE AND VOCALS ; Memories of living by a lake and being naive enough to think that it would all turn out perfect.

14. BLACK CONCERTINA ; ACOUSTIC GUITAR, BASS KEYBOARD, DRUMS, WHISTLE, ACCORDION, FIDDLE, DJEMBE AND VOCALS with PETER BELLAMY ; VOICE AND CONCERTINA AND THE VOICES OF MAGGIE BOYLE, NIGEL SCHOFIELD AND JAMES O’DWYER ; For Peter Bellamy, the friend who should still be squeezing. Play Sample

15. DEAD MANS HANDLE ; ELECTRIC AND BASS GUITARS, ACCORDION, CHINA BANJO, EGG, DRUMS, FLUTE AND VOCALS ; Don’t touch innocence.

16. JUNE 6TH 1991 ; ACOUSTIC, SLIDE AND BASS GUITARS, DRUMS, FIDDLE AND VOCALS ; The end of the world via Radio 4, a Rottwieller and a very jolly bass line.

17. GREAT COAT No4 ; SIEMANS C25 MOBILE PHONE ; Sound like bagpipes.

18. SLEEPY TIME ; CLASSICAL GUITAR. DOUBLE BASS, BASS, TENOR, TREBLE, SOPRANO, DESCANT AND SOPRANINO RECORDERS AND VOCALS ; The St Timothy Junior School Year 3 Recorder Ensemble VS An old double bass. Result? A lullaby!

19. BREATHLESS ; ACOUSTIC, ELECTRIC AND BASS GUITARS, SEED POD, STRING BASS, PANPIPES, SYNTHESISER, DRUMS, TONGUE DRUM, DJEMBE AND VOCALS. Play Sample
with ADDITIONAL VOCALS BY SIAN PEDERICK, MAL JARDINE AND JIM ELLISON ; The wider picture overruled by the close to your heart as the whole thing reaches a climax with fuzz electric guitar and a change of basses.

20. GREAT COAT No5 ; GLOCKENSPIEL ; Children’s TV circa 1960.

The album was produced and mixed by Jerry Barker and Tim Moon, and Jerry engineered and mastered the album. DAT was used throughout for the recording, except ‘Eve of a Storm’ which was recorded on analogue tape, mixed by just Jerry and then transferred to DAT.

Most instruments were recorded on mike, only the electrics being DI'd into the mixing desk.

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