Trees (folk band)
| Trees | |
|---|---|
| Origin | England |
| Genres | Folk rock, progressive folk, progressive rock |
| Years active | 1970–1973 |
| Labels | CBS, Habla |
| Past members |
Celia Humphris Barry Clarke David Costa Bias Boshell Unwin Brown Barry Lyons Alun Eden Chuck Fleming |
Trees was an English folk rock band that existed between 1970 and 1973. Although the group met with little commercial success in their time, the reputation of the band has grown over the years. Like other folk contemporaries, Trees' music was influenced by Fairport Convention, but with a heavier and more psychedelic edge. The group's material was divided between adaptations of traditional songs and original compositions.
Trees produced two studio albums, both in 1970, The Garden of Jane Delawney and On The Shore. The latter featured cover artwork by the Hipgnosis studio.
The original band disbanded after recording the two albums. A second Trees incarnation formed and played until 1973; this group featured Celia Humphris, Barry Clarke, David Costa, Barry Lyons (ex-Mr Fox), Alun Eden (also ex-Mr Fox) and Chuck Fleming (ex-JSD Band). Recordings by this line-up can be found on bootleg releases.
Both studio albums have been released on CD. In addition, a deluxe two disc edition of On the Shore was released in 2007, containing previously unreleased material. A new edition of the debut album followed in 2008, also containing previously unreleased material as well as some new recordings.
Celia Humphris went on to become a voice artist and recently provided vocals for Dodson and Fogg, a folk-rock project released in 2012.
Personnel
- Celia Humphris - lead vocals (1970-1973)
- Barry Clarke - lead guitar (1970-1973)
- David Costa - acoustic guitar (1970-1973)
- Bias Boshell - bass guitar, guitar, vocals (1970-1971)
- Unwin Brown - drums (1970-1971)
- Barry Lyons - bass guitar (1971-1973)
- Alun Eden - drums (1971-1973)
- Chuck Fleming - fiddle (1971-1973)
Timeline
Influence
Françoise Hardy covered "The Garden of Jane Delawney" on her album If You Listen.
All About Eve performed a cover version of "The Garden of Jane Delawney" as the B-Side to the single "What Kind of Fool".
In 2006, the Trees' version of "Geordie" was sampled on the title track of Gnarls Barkley's first album, St. Elsewhere
French goth group Dark Sanctuary has also covered "The Garden of Jane Delawney" on the 2006 album Exaudi Vocem Meam.
Heather Jones's Welsh-language take on "The Garden of Jane Delawney", "Cân I Janis", appeared on the compilation Welsh Rare Beat 2 (Finders Keepers 2007).
The Dutch folkduo Ygdrassil recorded " The Garden of Jane Delawney" for their 2005 album "Easy Sunrise".
Flying Saucer Attack covered "Sally Free and Easy" on their 1996 "Sally Free and Easy" EP.
Queen Adreena covered "Pretty Polly" on their 2000 album Taxidermy.
Danish artist Lasse Hoile's music video for Steven Wilson's 2009 song "Harmony Korine" features a short clip akin to the cover photograph by Storm Thorgerson.
Discography
- The Garden of Jane Delawney LP, 1970, CBS Records
- On the Shore LP, 1970, CBS Records
- Trees LIVE! (Italian) LP, 1989, Habla Label