Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

To mark 40 years since the release of their eponymous debut album, all five members of Edinburgh-based Christian student folk band Caedmon have decided to get back together to record a batch of new songs as well as a delving into the past courtesy of a dusty old quarter inch tape that tantalisingly contains previously unheard early recordings from 1975. As a result, this delightful addition to the stop/start Caedmon canon is very much a game of two halves with the first side presenting seven new songs in a way that is very much more reflective of the band's original folk sound than that of their fuller sounding 'A Chicken To Hug' followup in 2010. There remains a scriptural and spiritual tone in much of the new material with the likes of "Runaway" being loosely based around the Old Testament story of Jonah whilst the tender "Mustard Seed" - featuring a vocal cameo from percussionist and mandolin player Simon Jaquet's daughter Sally alongside original singer Angela Webb - has obvious parabolic connections. Also amongst the new stuff is an eight minute prog folk epic called "Dream Of The Rood" which shows that all involved are not afraid to push the artistic boat out whilst the title track is a canny allegory written by bassist Sam Wilson and multi-instrumentalist Ken Patterson which references the fact that the group's original LP has gone for silly sums online and is now considered something of a grail amongst vinyl enthusiasts. Side two hones in on songs found on that long lost tape and, thanks to modern technology, the sound quality and overall mix is far superior to both the group's 1978 debut and the subsequently released live album from the same period. A particular jewel in the crown is Wilson's "London Psalm" - complete with borrowed lyrics from a poem published in Buzz magazine and only previously available on the live album - whilst Jaquet's pacey reading of Psalm 30 "Tears May Linger" is a hidden gem. Elsewhere, folk-tinged versions of hymns such as Dearmer's "God Is Love" and Crum's "Now The Green Blade Riseth" - the latter a live recording from a 1978 appearance at Edinburgh's Haddington Kirk - add further depth to a release that simultaneously propels Caedmon's back catalogue forward and further back than ever before.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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