Rev's debut album "Industrial Sound and Magic" was recorded in a cow shed in Essex on a budget of nothing but, given that that the backing band (which gave its services for free) was The Levellers, this offbeat album has opened up intriguing windows of opportunity.
In 1986 he became a founder member of The Red Sky Coven together with poet Joolz and Justin Sullivan. The show mixes acoustic songs, poetry, humour and story-telling in the best traditions of the travelling bards. It continues to sell out within the UK and Europe.
1991 saw the release of Rev's debut album, "Industrial Sound & Magic" on the Cooking Vinyl label. The follow up album, "Bishop Of Buffalo" (also on the Cooking Vinyl label) mixed acoustic ballads with hard electric songs and was produced by long-time friend Justin Sullivan. The unusual title was arrived at when Rev Hammer (christened Stephen Ryan and brought up near Royston) found that he shared his real name with the 1860's second Bishop of Buffalo in America. Intrigued by the connection he began researching and wrote to the current Bishop of Buffalo, sending him a copy of his album. The album received the current Bishop's blessings! "Bishop Of Buffalo" features Dave Blomberg from New Model Army on guitar and Stepan Pasicynyk of The Ukrainians on accordion.
In the winter of '94-'95 Rev joined the 'Serious Road Trip', a charity entertainment troupe, and (along with jugglers, clowns, DJ's and other musicians) toured refugee camps in Slovenia and Croatia. The camps served as 'homes' for thousands of victims of the Balkan conflicts and wars. On arrival at a camp a spontaneous show was performed and workshops went long into the night. The money for the 'Serious Road Trip' had been raised by live shows and performances in England and aid was also carried to many of the most disadvantaged areas.
In the autumn of '95 two songs written by Rev featured on top-selling albums. "Maid Of The River" was featured on The Levellers "Zeitgeist" album. "Searchlights" was included on the record breaking "Help" album which raised yet more funds for the war victims in Croatia and Bosnia.
Rev started work on the "Freeborn John" album late in 1995. It was, like all masterpieces, an ambitious project and it took two wonder-full years to record. It tells a musical story of John Lilburne, England's first radical and unsung hero of the English Civil War. Audiences and performers, charmed on the wings of great songs and a big issue, revel in the visceral thrill of the words and music of "Freeborn John" and realise Lilburne's immediate relevance to contemporary England. The songs and characters are populated by Rev, Maddy Prior, The Levellers, Justin Sullivan, New Model Army, Eddi Reader, Rory McLeod, Harry S. Fulcher and Phil Johnstone. Phil produced the album and Mike Gregovich made it sound like les ballons du chiens. The "Freeborn John" show was performed to standing ovations on all three nights of the 2005 Beautiful Days Festival thanks to the faith of Dave Farrow. 2007 will see a great deal of the "Freeborn John" show, as will you.
In the summer of 1996, immediately after the Freeborn John album was finished,
Rev recorded the acoustic “Green Fool Recordings” album in five days.
Rev comments: “Having proved to ourselves that we could work quickly..... my producer, Phil Johnstone, and I (the years I've waited to say that!) started recording “Spitting Feathers”. We had no record company to hurry us along but we also had no studio to use for a year whilst Phil moved his family to Exeter. In Devon even fast things get slow very quickly so...here it is: recorded in glorious technicolour, with 20 musicians and the odd ...well I can't get into that here...Spitting Feathers has arrived...right on time! It sounds big. However, don't get fooled by that...so does George W.Bush but he's not on the album. Phil and me are. So is Rob Heaton (who we miss dearly), Jon Sevink, Pierre Noir ...I could go on...oh ok then...Martin Le Fop Pannett, Harry Fulcher and Rob Wheeler. Enough, enough already! We have been waiting as fast as we can."
Love y'all, Rev vie
xxx
2010 saw the releae of of Rev's latest album Down in the Alley.
Down By The River 'O'
Rev Hammer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I′ll be on your side
There is no reason
For you to hide
It's so hard for me
Staying here all alone
When you could be
Taking me for a ride
You could drag me
Over the rainbow
Take me away
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Dead
You take my hand
I′ll take your hand, baby
And together we may get away
'Cause this much madness
Is too much sorrow
It's impossible
To make it today
She could drag me
Over the rainbow
Take me away
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Dead
Be on my side
I′ll be on your side
There is no reason
For you to hide
It′s so hard for me
Staying here all alone
When you could be
Taking me for a ride.
She could drag me
Over the rainbow,
Take me away
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river,
I shot my baby
Down by the river,
Dead
The lyrics of Rev Hammer's “Down By The River 'O'” talk about two people being vulnerable with each other and finding comfort in each other's company. The first stanza is an invitation: “be on my side, I’ll be on your side”. It implies that the singer is offering his support and is asking for the same in return: “there is no reason for you to hide”. The second stanza talks about the frustration that comes with being alone. The songwriter is finding it difficult to deal with his loneliness, and he wishes that his partner would take him out for a drive. He imagines that he could be taken away, out of his misery: “you could drag me over the rainbow, take me away down by the river”.
However, the last verse changes the tone. The song shifts from being a comforting love ballad to being a story of tragedy. The line “I shot my baby down by the river, dead” is jarring, and it makes the listener question everything they’ve heard so far. It’s unclear who shot the baby or why, but it’s clear that the singer has caused harm. The final repetition of the phrase “down by the river” is haunting since it's now associated with death. The song ends with a somber reminder that everything that had been comforting about the song was just a fleeting moment before the final act of desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
Be on my side
Support me through this
I'll be on your side
I'll support you too
There is no reason
No justification for hiding our true emotions
For you to hide
You can express your true feelings to me
It's so hard for me
I'm struggling to cope alone
Staying here all alone
Being alone is unbearable
When you could be
You have the power to make me happy
Taking me for a ride
Take me on an adventure with you
You could drag me
Take me with you
Over the rainbow
To a magical and happy place
Take me away
Just get me out of here
Down by the river
A place of peace and solitude
I shot my baby
I killed my lover
You take my hand
Let's go together
I'll take your hand, baby
I'll protect you
And together we may get away
We can escape our troubles
'Cause this much madness
Our current situation is too much
Is too much sorrow
It's causing too much pain
It's impossible
We can't survive it
To make it today
To continue surviving in this state
Writer(s): Stephen N. Ryan
Contributed by Emily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Portcullis
Wonderful song. I was also born close to a river. Rivers are magical places and should never be for sale; they belong to everyone, the veins of the countryside, the soul of a landscape. Much abused, polluted; straightened, embanked, dredged and abstracted. Thatcher 'sold' them when she privatised the water companies. Except that she didn't. . .because rivers are dynamic and ever changing; they fight back, they move, 'dead' polluted rivers can recover (given a chance) and they continue to flow. Watch the river flow. . . . .the angst and worry and all the baggage of modern life . . . just let the river take it all away.
Getting Nervous
Absolutely brilliant.
Nicolas
Temaso!!
King Dodo
Hats off rev
..bones!!
..fucking nice one!!..ive been looking for this tune for years!!...tis fucking brilliant!!...the bishop of buffalo is a class lp!!...if someone out there has it could you please upload the whole thing please!!!....
Rachel Brudenell
saw live recently at The White Thorn Inn Shaugh Prior , excellent night 🌠
johnnymoonbeam
at last a clean version...me lps quite worn out lolz thank you:)
carron stick
7 views? this is excellent