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.
The Great Eradicator
Rev Hammer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the black heart of folk music beats between rests
Where the beauty MacGowen swung McColl's axe around
Navigating his way
Through the streets of this town
Hallelujah we're drunk to hell
And it's good that we are
Who is driving this car
Fill up my radiator
With the great eradicator
Then carry me home, you're never alone
With the great eradicator
Those sons of the water, the dishevelled crew
Spanning the steel iron, women, for you
And the sad rent boys and the melody men
Roaring the guts of an accordion
Hallelujah we're drunk to hell
And it's good that we are
O great eradicator
Who is driving this car
Fill up my radiator
With the great eradicator
Then carry me home, you're never alone
With the great eradicator
Then carry me home, you're never alone
With the great eradicator
The lyrics to Rev Hammer's song "The Great Eradicator" are a surrealistic mix of images and ideas that create a rich tapestry of the musician's thoughts and experiences. The first stanza of the song tells a story of a woman who wears a red rose on her breast, a symbol of love and passion. In contrast, the black heart of folk music beats between rests, a reference to the dark history and roots of this genre. The beauty MacGowen swung McColl's axe around is a tribute to the singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl who was influential in the British folk music scene. The stanza also describes navigating one's way through the streets of a town, perhaps signifying the journey of life and the search for meaning and purpose.
The chorus of the song is a joyous celebration of life and a tribute to the great eradicator. The lines "Hallelujah we're drunk to hell, and it's good that we are" suggest a revelry and a sense of being alive in the moment. The great eradicator is a mysterious figure who is driving the car, and his presence is all-pervasive. The lines "Fill up my radiator with the great eradicator, then carry me home, you're never alone with the great eradicator" suggest a desire to be enveloped in the energy of this character and to be carried home safely.
The second stanza of the song introduces a new set of characters, the "sons of the water, the dishevelled crew," who span the steel iron for the women. The imagery of this stanza is abstract and poetic, with references to rent boys and melody men roaring the guts of an accordion. The focus of the stanza is on the raw energy of these characters and the music they make, which is life-affirming and transcendent.
Overall, "The Great Eradicator" is a song that defies easy interpretation, with its mix of concrete and abstract imagery and its allusions to various people and events in British folk music history. The song is a tribute not only to the people and places that inspired it but also to the irrepressible spirit of life that courses through us all.
Line by Line Meaning
The red rose of (...) was pinned to her breast
She wore a red rose, a symbol of love and passion, on her chest.
Where the black heart of folk music beats between rests
In the midst of silence rests, the dark and heavy emotions of folk music can be felt.
Where the beauty MacGowen swung McColl's axe around
The beauty and chaos of Shane MacGowan's music can be felt through the influence of Ewan McColl's political views.
Navigating his way
Moving through life, not knowing the final destination, but taking control of one's own path.
Hallelujah we're drunk to hell
Experiencing a euphoric state of celebration and enjoying every moment of it.
And it's good that we are
It is important to let go of inhibitions and fully embrace the present moment.
O great eradicator
Calling out to an unknown force, perhaps a higher power, to guide and protect.
Who is driving this car
Questioning the authority and direction of the journey through life, wondering who or what is truly in control.
Fill up my radiator
Asking for fuel, energy and inspiration to keep moving forward.
Then carry me home, you're never alone
Looking for companionship and support on the journey through life.
Those sons of the water, the dishevelled crew
Referring to the marginalized and misunderstood, the outsiders who live on the fringes of society.
Spanning the steel iron, women, for you
Celebrating the women who have overcome adversity and broken through barriers to achieve success.
And the sad rent boys and the melody men
Including the voices of the overlooked and the underprivileged, the marginalized and the struggling.
Roaring the guts of an accordion
Expressing the intense emotions and inner turmoil through a powerful and guttural musical instrument.
Writer(s): Rev Hammer
Contributed by Arianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.