If it's gentle, unassuming but technically excellent acoustic music you like, then you need to hear Hunter Muskett's first album, which briefly appeared on Decca's budget Nova imprint in October 1970. It's quite wimpy, but at its best - as on these two tracks - I like it very much.
Contemporary reviewers were a little harsh, though. ‘Their folk songs come out halfway between Settlers-style folk and the real thing,' sniffed Melody Maker on October 17th. 'The trouble with groups like Hunter Muskett is that they strive for perfection, and in doing so the music loses its sense of fun. The three-piece group’s harmonies are fine, so is the guitar-playing, their songs are musically and lyrically good, but that X-plus is missing.’ Sounds was kinder a week later, calling the LP ‘gentle, unstartling stuff with warm cellos and guitars and sad, rather nostalgic lyrics,' and adding that 'lyrics seem one of their strong points. Praise too the gentleman who did the strong, arrangements hovering in the background.’ On November 14th, however, Disc put the boot in, branding them ‘a gentle country-folkish group. Competent if a little inspid.’ Sales were commensurately low.
Here's the only article about them I've seen from the time of the album (their fine self-titled follow-up appeared in March 1973), from Melody Maker of January 2nd 1971:
Contemporary reviewers were a little harsh, though. ‘Their folk songs come out halfway between Settlers-style folk and the real thing,' sniffed Melody Maker on October 17th. 'The trouble with groups like Hunter Muskett is that they strive for perfection, and in doing so the music loses its sense of fun. The three-piece group’s harmonies are fine, so is the guitar-playing, their songs are musically and lyrically good, but that X-plus is missing.’ Sounds was kinder a week later, calling the LP ‘gentle, unstartling stuff with warm cellos and guitars and sad, rather nostalgic lyrics,' and adding that 'lyrics seem one of their strong points. Praise too the gentleman who did the strong, arrangements hovering in the background.’ On November 14th, however, Disc put the boot in, branding them ‘a gentle country-folkish group. Competent if a little inspid.’ Sales were commensurately low.
Here's the only article about them I've seen from the time of the album (their fine self-titled follow-up appeared in March 1973), from Melody Maker of January 2nd 1971:
No comments:
Post a Comment