Some Christmas collections for 2014

Just to get you in a seasonal mood for Christmas here's half a dozen songs from the "Parchment family", including some of the special Christmas videos we've made in the last few years:




 And, as a stocking filler, we've created a Parchment Christmas station on Pandora.com here.

You won't get much Parchment on the station - being Pandora the sounds range widely - but we've tried to exclude Phil Collins and some of the crooners. Run it in the background, you'll hear some gems, like this Appalachian Christmas song

If you have trouble getting access to Pandora because you're not in the USA, use www.hola.org

And more Fresh Air...

John Pantry Live with Fresh Air. Not Guilty. 1983 Executive producer: John Pac. Producer: John Pantry. Pilgrim America RO3984

After releasing the studio album, Fresh Air, John Pantry and Fresh Air went on tour to the States. Except that not all Fresh Air went. The cover sleeve, here, shows the picture of the full line-up, the same picture that was used on the studio album with Sue McClellan, formerly of Parchment, and the singer songwriter Phil Potter. But neither Sue McClellan nor Phil Potter is credited on this live album nor do they appear on the photos of the US tour on the rear of the album.

So although Sue McC's photo appears on the album, it seems none of her work does.

John Pac and Pilgrim America used a format that was proving successful for Brits in this period - take a star artist, tour the USA and then release a live album, which knits together their greatest hits. It seemed to work - think Wings Over America or Peter Gabriel's smash hit live album. You can see from the sleeve photos that Pilgrim put some investment into the stage sets.

The tour was promoting Pantry's 1981 album Hot Coals. You can find out more about the album here.

And it seemed to work for the two John Ps. This is a great album, especially if you are a fan of John Pantry. But the Fresh Air project was clearly petering out. The three remaining members feature merely as backing singers.

There's a dedication to "Eric and Sue and all our  friends at St Andrew's."

What Sue did next.....

Fresh Air. Fresh Air.  1982 Producer: John Pantry. Marshalls MRT1006

Some time ago we were told that, after Parchment and after the Grapevine label, Sue McClellan went to work on some Christian super-group project.

Here it is - Fresh Air - and here is an amazing picture of Sue McClellan, second from right, showing her youth as an 80s new wave rock chick.

Fresh Air was fronted by Parchment album producer John Pantry, second from left, by then an established and very successful Christian solo artist.

Disappointingly Sue didn't contribute any of the songs on this album - whilst John wrote and sang most of them. So it doesn't really count as the missing link between Parchment and River.

The band seems to have formed as a vocal band,  using others to contribute the backing music. If you can find the album, buy it for curiosity value. You get to hear Sue McC singing rock, for a start (She sang jazz on Shamblejam and the unreleased album).

It has some nice songs, some nice arrangements and some lovely bursts of music but, as often with "super groups", doesn't quite hang together. Unsurprisingly, given its date, it is heavy on key-boards - piano, keyboard and synthesiser and you won't get to hear Sue McC on the mandolin or guitar.

The band's other members were Phil Potter, an established solo performer, together with Donna Carey-Owen, Julie Moon and Steve Buckley. Chris Norton contributes one song and is responsible for arrangements.

The album was released on a new Marshalls label and John Pac is given a "special thanks" for "believing in us." Marshalls by now had taken over Pilgrim and Grapevine and John P was in the job which led to him eventually running Kingsway.

There's more Fresh Air out there and we'll be reporting on it soon.

Songs recorded more than once

If you listen to the single version of Where Can I Find You?, released sometime in 1973, you find almost a new song.

On the Light Up the Fire album, the song is a psych/folk/beat drone. It's a great album track.Review here.

Clearly the band or their record company felt the song was a single and they wanted to do something different.

The single version is New Seekerish. The New Seekers were big in 1972 and specialised in a very light form of folk/pop. There's a single lead vocalist, singing the tune as if playing live - it's probably Keith Rycroft. There's a lot of backing vocal, which does not feature on the album.

You can hear the single on this YouTube recording.

Full list of singles here.




Given the near absence of live recordings of Parchment, hearing two versions of one song is a treat. How many Parchment tracks were recorded twice?

This is what we can think of:
Working Man -  live as Trinity Folk, on Sound Vision in Concert
              -  as B side of Where Can I Find You single
Light Up the Fire - as single and as opening track of album of same name
              -  as final track on Rehearsal for a Reunion
Where Can I Find You? - track on Light Up the Fire album
               -  single version in 1973
Denomination Blues - on unreleased third album
               - on Shamblejam
People and Places - on unreleased third album
              -  on Rehearsal for a Reunion

And that's it - although we're currently looking into one more "almost Parchment" recording.


The promo single for Hollywood Sunset-  You Are My Morning - used the album tracks

Where the cross and the manger meet

For Christmas 2013, here's one of the loveliest tracks from River, Sue McClellan's vocal group from the late 90s, early noughties. The song is Where the Cross and the Manger Meet and it appears on the band's last studio album, Shadow and Flame. So we've put some shadow and flame in the video.

And as it's Christmas we've mxied in a couple of Parchment songs to make a seasonal mix. Enjoy!

Lights of the World

 By Clive Price

As a young person on a seemingly endless search for some kind of spiritual comfort, I found solace in the music of Parchment.

This progressive folk-rock outfit from Liverpool – initially John Pac, Sue McClellan and Keith Rycroft –  had become local heroes in north-west England. They achieved far more than many other acts of their genre at the time, in the 70s. They made the charts at home and abroad, recorded Top Of The Pops, played Wembley, the Royal Albert Hall, Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square. Their song Light Up The Fire became the anthem of a socio-political movement, and to this day is still one of the most sung compositions in school assemblies.

HEAVENLY VOICE

But all of that was secondary to me. I appreciated Parchment because, even though they were part of the religious music scene, they wrote about fear and doubt – words you weren’t meant to mention in church circles. They also understood that not everyone spoke Christian jargon with an American accent, and so their lyrics were down-to-earth, sometimes even mystical and often coloured with Scouse! And they used unorthodox sounds of wailing guitar, sitar and haunting vocals.

My friends and I would frequently travel to Liverpool to see them in concert. We’d also see them at the Greenbelt arts festival. I really liked Sue, with her heavenly voice and mysterious looks. I remember chatting with her once, and I kept thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m chatting with Sue McClellan, in her van!’ Silly, I know, but Parchment had a big impact on me.

Their song Light Of The World is a brilliant example of their craft. A guitar gently weeps George Harrison-style, the bass punctuating the intro, while the track opens with the words, ‘Holy Jesus of the seeing eye, gaze upon me in my dreams’. What on earth? Who else could get away with lyrics like that, in a starched evangelical sub-culture? Only Liverpudlians could manage that! I remember that line captivated me, as there’s always been a part of me that’s been open to mysticism. So for me, a prayer starting with ‘Holy Jesus of the seeing eye’ was a winner. John’s Scouse accent came across as he sang ‘making everythink alright’ instead of ‘everything’. I love that!

Then there was that strange song Green Psalm where Sue proclaimed, ‘I’m a daughter of the earth/Planted virgin at my birth/Like the breeze before it mingles with the dew’. These guys were treading on dangerous territory – how dare they mix spirituality, sexuality and virginity! Some clergymen must’ve surely been quaking a little at that, fearing their youth groups might become rampant New Agers after listening to Parchment.

DARKEST DOUBTS
Perhaps one of the most helpful tunes spiritually was Corners Of My Life, which spoke of our complete fragility and helplessness as we surrender to the Great Unseen, ‘walking where the angel showed’. The lyrics talk of being ‘possessed’ (in a good way!) and ‘casting off this heavy load’. It’s a very powerful prayer. All of these compositions were comforting and assuring, as I struggled with questions of faith and doubt. I warmed to the possibility that God might accept me after all, even with my darkest fears.

And now we’ve been faced with the very sad news that John Pac passed away on 22nd January. I’d met with John at various times over the years. He may have often wondered exactly who this eejit was, bugging him with stories of Parchment’s early days! Later on, we worked together on a project, and he was always fair with me. John not only nurtured and produced other artists – but also led development work in the Amazon basin with his wife Juliet. I can’t believe he’s gone, as he and his music were so much a part of my early search for spiritual fulfilment.

All I can say now is – thanks, John. See you some time. You did well. You did very well.

 With thanks to Clive for permission to use this article he posted first on his blog.

Fast Train - Tribute to John Pac

Here for the first time is a song from Parchment's "lost" third album.

 Last year John Pac talked of making some of these tracks available. We have selected this song Fast Train, which John wrote, as it seems it held a special place in his heart. When you listen, you will understand why. The song was performed with Sue McClellan and Jeff Crow.

This video tribute also includes clips from three other Parchment/ John Pac tracks not currently available on Youtube:
Zip Bam Boo, Glory Shone Around and the ending of the original Light Up the Fire single - the bit that does not get sung in schools!
Zip Bam Boo appears on the Light Up the Fire album and Glory Shone Around on Rehearsal for a Reunion

 

The late great John Pac

John Pac, or John Paculabo to give him his full name, was the rock who, together with Sue McClellan, held Parchment together through a turbulent and amazing seven years.

He died after a year long struggle with cancer on Tuesday January 22nd 2013, aged 66.

I always felt John was responsible for the more raucous elements of the Parchment sound, the pulsing beat/rock/folk that permeated the Light Up the Fire album and returned on the last album Rehearsal for a Reunion in songs like Jesus on that Mainline.

He was also responsible for the stunning mandolin sound that underlay so much of their music and to this day makes it exceptional and sought after by collectors.

John Pac

For updates please  see our Facebook page

A Christmas song by River

Here is a video reconstructing the live performance of River's great Christmas song Heaven Come Down in October 2004. The song, written by Sue Mack (Sue McClellan of Parchment) featured on their live album River Live at the Riverhouse and also on the studio album Rise Like The Sun. The music is taken from the live album and Sue Mack can be seen on the right leading the band.

The song was performed acapella - without instruments. Who can name what songs Parchment performed acapella?

Happy Christmas!
 

With thanks to Sue Mack for agreement to post this video.

Death in Jerusalem

Somebody has uploaded Death in Jerusalem to YouTube. This classic psych folk track is the first song from Hollywood Sunset to appear on YouTube. We've added it to our playlist. The photo is in fact Trinity Folk, not Parchment.
 

Link to playlist: 
Parchment playlist

UK pop chart Sept/Oct 1972

1 Slade Mama Weer All Crazee Now 
2 David Cassidy How Can I Be Sure 
3 T Rex Children Of The Revolution 
4 Faron Young It's Four In The Morning 
5 Rod Stewart You Wear It Well 
6 Donny Osmond Too Young 
7 Michael Jackson Ain't No Sunshine 
8 Lieutenant Pigeon Mouldy Old Dough 
9 Roxy Music Virginia Plain 
10 Lynsey De Paul Sugar Me 
11 Sweet Wig-Wam Bam 
12 Drifters Come On Over To My Place 
13 Cliff Richard Living In Harmony 
14 Jackie Wilson I Get The Sweetest Feeling 
15 Blackfoot Sue Standing In The Road 
16 Dandy Livingstone Suzanne Beware Of The Devil 
17 Judge Dread Big Six 
18 Mott The Hoople All The Young Dudes 
19 Junior Walker & The All-Stars Walk In The Night 
20 Gary Glitter I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock 'N' Roll) 
21 Hurricane Smith Who Was It 
22 Bill Withers Lean On Me 
23 Derek & The Dominoes Layla 
24 Little Eva The Loco-motion 
25 Hot Butter Popcorn 
26 David Bowie John I'm Only Dancing 
27 Peter Skellern You're A Lady 
28 Partridge Family Breaking Up Is Hard To Do 
29 Hawkwind Silver Machine 
30 Elton John Honky Cat 
31 Elvis Presley Burning Love 
32 Parchment Light Up The Fire 
33 Seashells Maybe I Know 
34 Donny Osmond Puppy Love 
35 10cc Donna 
36 Alice Cooper School's Out 
37 Bee Gees Run To Me 
38 O'Jays Back Stabbers 
39 Hollies Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress 
40 Carpenters Goodbye To Love

Song contest winner

We're delighted to announce that Shining Light by Peter Hunt is the winner of our Light Up the Fire 40th Anniversary contest.

Owing to a disappointing shortage of entries, the second prize hasn't been awarded. However we think our winner is a great example of a contemporary interpretation of the Light Up the Fire theme by a new musician and deserves its place. It has superb guitar work, great lyrics, great pace and high production values and well deserves to win. We've added the song to our Parchment play-list.

As the anniversary is still under way we're going to keep the second prize open until September 30th. That is a prize of £60.



Lyrics:
Just a normal guy walking down the street
when he looks up from the ground and what does he see
he sees a need for love, a need for hope
he sees a need for God

#lutf40 anniversary entry

Here's a great entry that's come in for the Light Up the Fire 40th Anniversary contest. Don't forget the deadline for entries is on Saturday. There may be extensions granted - please contact us, pfblog99 at gmail.com,  if you want a little more time.

 Does anybody know how many songs were entered for the original contest in 1972? Parchment won it with Light Up the Fire. The singer Judy Mackenzie came second with Let There Be Light. This latest entry follows the theme.

 We are now in the 40th anniversary of the month of the release. The song hit the charts and charted at the end of September. I do not have the date of its release - I would imagine mid-September. Not high but check out our original posting to see who and what else was in the charts. The competition was very, very tough.

Let's celebrate the 40th of a great song

We've had some great ideas suggested for marking the 40th anniversary of the release of Light Up the Fire. Sadly band reunions and new releases are outside the scope of this site. Over to you John, Keith, Sue, Jeff, Brian and Pete!

Here is how we are kicking things off:

Can you compose a new song in the spirit of the original Light Up the Fire?

Our first prize will be £90 (UK pounds) and our second prize will be £60 (UK pounds), payable through PayPal. These may be extended if other sponsors come on board. The original emerged from a competition for a great song - so I think this is a great way to honour it.

Here is how to enter:
1/ Record your song and place it on YouTube.
2/ Add the hashtag #lutf40 to your notes together with a link to this site.
3/ Add a comment here with a link to your YouTube entry. We will retain all links that pass the basic standards for entry.
The deadline for entries is Saturday September 8th 2012.


What you need to be thinking about:
Great melody!
Great lyrics - it's that first line "Colours of day dawn into the mind" that captures the imagination.
To capture the other ingredients you need to listen to Parchment's music. We're posting some of the best clips on the Facebook page.

These include:

• great instrumentation;
• great voices;
• great arrangement (which was down to John Pantry - but see what you can do);
• powerful message. It doesn't have to be the same message as Light Up the Fire but it should be spiritually exciting. I recently tried to find a song in our church song-book with a similar message to Light Up the Fire. We ended up singing the original - very cheerfully - as there was nothing else.
• it doesn't have to be a folky syle! Any style is acceptable but it needs to stand out.

Some terms and conditions: By entering you attest that the work is your original work and is not in breach of someone else's copyright. It remains your copyright. Entries must not previously have been published as a commercial recording. We reserve the right to refuse entries. The judges' decision is final.

Our facebook page

The story of Light Up the Fire

Here's some links which bring together the story of Light Up the Fire, now known to many as Colours of Day.

Our original account of the story of the single
Magazine cutting about the launch of the single
How Colours of Day became a hit in schools
Video of a decent schools version of the song

This link takes you to Sue McClellan's version of the words on the River web-site.

Here's a tribute to the song on the Cross Rhythms website.

And here's our new facebook page. If you're on Facebook please like it!

* Details of the anniversary competition will be announced tomorrow.

Bluegrass

Just before we announce details of the 40th anniversary competition - yes it will be a competition - here is the nearest you will get to the sound of Parchment in the modern world.

I came across these wonderful twin sisters, the Carrivick Sisters, recently. They combine English folk and US bluegrass - rather like Parchment did often, especially on Rehearsal for a Reunion.

Their instruments include the dobro - featured here, the mandolin, guitars but also the banjo and fiddle. They also frequently sing in harmony. Sadly as there's only two of them you  mostly only get combinations of any two in any one song. They don't do gospel and although the ingredients of the mix are similar to Parchment, the sound isn't so similar. Did Parchment even play the dobro like that?? But if ever you want to see a dobro in action, track them down as they seem to perform live incessantly. This link takes you to some comments John Pac made on this site a few years ago about Parchment's dobro.

So what are we doing for the 40th anniversary?

I hope to make an announcement soon.....

Happy Easter!

 More on this song here

In demand

Two Grapevine albums were among a clutch of the rarest folk-gospel-prog-psych rarities auctioned on ebay over the weekend.

The albums I tracked were:

Water into Wine Band - Harvesttime - £460  - 14 bids (and apparently sold by Oxfam)
Whitsuntide Easter - Next Time You Play a Wrong Note GRV109 - £142 - 22 bids
Reynard - Fresh From the Earth GRV 102 - £22.77 - 5 bids
Linda Rich - Apple Tree - £14.82 - 2 bids

All that were missing were Caedmon,  Candle Factory and Voiz (GRV 110).

Strictly speaking Whitsuntide Easter and Voiz are rock, not folk - although Whitsuntide is quite folk-rocky.