Spriguns of Tolgus
Spriguns of Tolgus | |
---|---|
Origin | England |
Genres | British folk rock - folk music |
Years active | 1972-78 |
Past members | See: Band members section |
Spriguns of Tolgus (aka Spriguns) were a British folk rock group formed in 1972. They managed to obtain a record deal with a major label and the attention of some significant figures in the folk rock world. They produced four albums with growing originality and recognition but were unable to achieve mainstream success and disbanded in 1978. Their lead singer, Mandy Morton, continued her solo career in Scandinavia and the band have now obtained a cult following.
History
Origins
Mike and Mandy Morton formed Spriguns of Tolgus as an acoustic duo at a folk night at the Anchor pub in Cambridge, England, in 1972.[1] They took the name "Spriguns" from a malignant Cornish pixie and Tolgus from a tin mine in Cornwall.[1][2] Initially the band relied on traditional songs, particularly ballads, from England, Scotland and Ireland and were similar in sound to Steeleye Span.
The Mortons, with Mandy on vocals and Mike on bass, were joined by Rick Thomas (fiddle) and Chris Russon (electric guitar),
Decca albums: 1976-77
In 1976 they signed with
It relied exclusively on material penned by the band, particularly by Mandy Morton, but many of these were reworkings of traditional material.For the next album Time Will Pass (1977) only Powell and Ling were retained and Australians Wayne Morrison (guitar) and Dennis Dunstan (drums) were recruited.
Magic Lady
The Mortons left Decca in 1977 for reasons that remain unclear and established their own label, Banshee Records, in 1978. A new band was formed, retaining Tom Ling but adding Byron Giles (guitar) and Alex Cooper (drums, later of
After Spriguns
In 1979, Mandy Morton signed for
She produced the album Sea Of Storms (1979) before Mike and Mandy split and Mike returned to Cambridge, where he died unexpectedly in his forties in 1995.[1] After producing Valley Of Light for Banshee in 1983, Mandy returned to England to work for BBC Radio Cambridgeshire in 1986.[8] Dick Powell is the leader of Cambridge band The Melodybeats, and is writing songs and poetry and short stories and released a CD of songs about Cambridge in 2018. The CD featured local artistes and was called Cambridge Skies and can be found on eBay under that title.[9] Tom Ling plays in Cambridge bands.[citation needed] Wayne Morrison and Dennis Dunstan are back home in Australia having fleetingly lived in California where Dennis worked for Fleetwood Mac for some time as Head of Security.[citation needed]
Mandy Morton writes the No.2 Feline Detective Agency series and lives in Cambridge and Cornwall with her partner, the novelist Nicola Upson.[1]
Style and significance
Mandy Morton's song writing and fey laid-back singing was central to the sound of the band. Initially they seemed to be a clone of Steeleye Span, but the greater experimentation, production values and confidence of the later work, in which Mandy Morton began to produce her own material, is closer to bands like Trees or Mellow Candle in style, relying on long guitar solos, similar to those of some progressive rock bands. The material was often dark in nature, focusing on black magic, war and death, which prefigured the obsessions of some later dark wave bands. Their rare albums became particularly sought after by record collectors and began to be re-released as CDs from the 1990s.[4]
Band members
Spriguns of Tolgus: original line-up
- Mandy Morton (vocals, 12 string guitar, dulcimer, bongos)
- Mike Morton (bass guitar, vocals)
- Chris Russon (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, 12 string guitar)
- Rick Thomas (vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, dulcimer)
Spriguns: later members
- Thom Ling (electric and acoustic violins, harpsichord)
- Dick Powell (electric guitar, keyboards, vocals)
- Chris Woodcock (drums)
- B. J. Cole (pedal steel)
- Dennis Dunstan (drums)
- Wayne Morrison (lead guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals)
- Alex Cooper (drums and percussion)
- Byron Giles (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals)
- Lea Nicholson (concertina)
- Dominic Green (drums)
- Mark Boettcher (electric guitar, vocals)
- Vince De La Cruz (electric and acoustic guitars, bass, vocals, later of Katrina And The Waves)
Discography
Albums
- Rowdy, Dowdy Day (Private pressing, 1974) (tape)
- Jack With A Feather (Alida Star, 1975)
- Revel, Weird & Wild (Decca, 1976)
- Time Will Pass (Decca, 1977)
- Magic Lady (Banshee, 1978)
Mandy Morton
- Sea of Storms (Polydor, 1979)
- Valley of Light (Banshee, 1983)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Spencer, Alex (12 August 2022). "Mandy Morton: The true story of my decade in folk". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ Sleeve notes by Michael Grosvenor Myer from the CD release of Spriguns of Tolgus's Jack with a Feather (1992).
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84697-141-9, pp.540-541
- ^ a b c d "spriguns - news, lyrics, pictures, reviews, biography, videos, best songs, discography, concerts, gossip, pictures and tour dates". 11 January 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ Dave Sleger. "Time Will Pass - Spriguns | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ Sleeve notes from the CD release of Mandy Morton and Spriguns, Magic Lady (1994).
- ^ "She Moved Through the Fair: Mandy Morton & Spriguns - Magic Lady". Throughthefair.blogspot.com. 30 July 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ "SPRIGUNS (OF TOLGUS) discography and reviews". Progarchives.com. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ "Cambridge Skies CD: songs about Cambridge(shire) by local bands/artistes". eBay. Retrieved 30 March 2021.