Magna Carta - Songs from Wasties Orchard (1971/1994 Repertoire)
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Artist: Magna Carta
Album: Songs from Wasties Orchard
Released: 1971
1994 Repertoire (REP 4447-WP)
Genre: Folk Rock
MAGNA CARTA is an English ‘folk’ band, formed in 1969 in London by Chris Simpson, Lyell Tranter, and Glen Stuart. They were part of the early progressive wave, but without really fully stepping into the progressive realm. Magna Carta’s music is largely inspired and influenced by the folk of Simon & Garfunkel, focussing on soft and gentle acoustic music, often with a traditional feel, augmented with orchestral arangements and good vocal harmonies. Influences and similar artist include the already mentioned Simon & garfunkel, Fairport Convention, Kevin Ayers, Moody Blues, Amazing Blondel, Caravan, Al Stewart, the softer folk/singer songwriter genre and Canterbury genre.
MAGNA CARTA has gone through numerous personel changes over the years, with the only constant factor being Chris Simpson. Most notable members include Glen Stuart, an amazing vocalist with a great range, Lyell Tranter, who soon departed for Australia to be replaced by Davey johnstone on guitars (left Magna Carta to join Elton John as long time band member), and Linda Taylor who would later merry Chris Simpson.
Between 1969 and 1975 MAGNA CARTA made some wonderfull albums, with the beautifull “Seasons’ and ‘Lord Of The Ages’ as absolute highlights. Also the live album “In Concert” recorded in 1971 in Amsterdam is not to be missed. With the leaving of Glen Stuart the magical beauty was lost, and for a while the band seemed to fall apart. Chris Simpson however managed to keep the band alive and MAGNA CARTA continoud making nice highly enjoyable music.
In 1983 Chris met Linda Taylor and they continued mostly as a duo keeping the MAGNA CARTA name alive. Studio albums became rare, but rereleases of studio albums, and new live recordings kept them performing throughout Europe until today (2006). (progarchives.com)
Track List:
1. Time for Leaving (4:01)
2. Beyond the Isle of Skye (2:54)
3. Sponge (instrumental) (2:24)
4. Sunday on the River (3:32)
5. Good Morning Sun (2:42)
6. Home Groan (2:23)
7. The Bridge at Knaresborough Town (4:56)
8. White Show Dove (2:09)
9. Parliament Hill (2:45)
10. Wayfaring (3:48)
11. Down Along Up (2:09)
12. Country Jam (1:53)
Total Time: 35:36
(by Bob McBeath, progarchives.com)
This, Magna Carta's third album, was one of their least progressive efforts. Founding member Lyell Tranter left the band to return to Australia for romantic reasons. His place was filled by a young Davey Johnstone who had appeared as a guest musician on the previous "Seasons" album. After just one studio album, Johnstone would leave Magna Carta to join Elton's John's band, where he has remained ever since.
For "Songs from Wasties orchard", the band retreated into their folk roots, even touching at times on country. The opening two tracks, "Time for the leaving" and "Isle of Skye" both sound like traditional songs, but are in fact Chris Simpson compositions. Their pleasant understated acoustic nature follows on naturally from the second side of "Seasons". Davey Johnstone contributes two songs, and co-writes a third. Of these, "Sponge", an acoustic guitar workout, would sit well on any Fairport Convention album, especially "Angel Delight" (which it sounds like an outtake from).
There are a couple of upbeat numbers ("Good morning sun" and Parliament Hill") where the Simon and Garfunkel sound of Magna Carta is very much to the fore. They are pleasant but very lightweight. "Home groan" and "Country jam" see the band venturing into country rock, a misguided and fortunately brief foray. "Songs from Wasties orchard" is a relatively prosaic and uninspired offering from Magna Carta. It lacks the originality of the albums released both before and after it. The guest musicians, who include of Rick Wakeman and Ron Chesterman, are woefully under exploited, indeed it is all but impossible to identify their contributions. While much of the music, especially the soft reflective numbers, is pleasing to the ear, there is little here to get excited about and certainly nothing to enhance the band's prog credentials.
All Music Guide Review
Magna Carta's third album was the first with guitarist Davey Johnstone on board, one reason for its subsequent immortality in collecting circles.
Another is the extravagant packaging that accompanied the original Vertigo release -- the gatefold sleeve was designed to open up like a box, with a layer of apples (from Wasties Orchard, of course) within.
Add a crystalline Gus Dudgeon production and, of course, the popularity among collectors of the original swirly Vertigo label design, and Songs from Wasties Orchard emerges a seldom seen but much sought-after gem.
For anybody familiar with the group's first two albums, Magna Carta's own style remained constant, a collection of beautifully stylized folk ballads sung and gently strummed with a warmth and versatility that saw the group endure (and, presumably, enjoy) constant comparisons to mid-period Simon & Garfunkel.
The addition of Johnstone to the original duo does little to derail those remarks -- indeed, his own musical versatility puts one firmly in mind of the Americans' more ambitious moments, as mandolins, sitars, and harpsichords dance behind Glen Stewart and Chris Simpson's magically melded vocal harmonies.
Highlights of the album are manifold -- Songs from Wasties Orchard is one of those rare records where every song contributes something massive to the overall mood.
But the (by comparison) rocking "Wayfaring," Johnstone's virtuoso "Down Along Up," and the evocatively reflective "Isle of Skye" are genuine milestones, while the curiously titled "Home Groan" closes the album with a shockingly electrified country-rocker that is hard to shake out of your head.
Songs from Wasties Orchard has rightfully been proclaimed Magna Carta's finest hour -- certainly neither of their subsequent studio albums can touch it, while its two predecessors sound positively tentative in comparison to the confidence that carries the dozen songs here.
All are worth checking out, but this is where your journey should begin.
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