The thread binding it all together is Ashley Hutchings himself... and the difficulty of getting lyrics for any of their works.
It is possible to see two phases in the career of the band, however. Broadly, when Hutchings had money to work with musicians established as the best, and after he finally ran out! Broadly in the first category from 1971 to 1979 there are the albums No Roses, Morris On, Battle of the Field, The Compleat Dancing Master, Son of Morris On, Kickin' up the Sawdust, The Prospect Before Us, and Rise Up Like the Sun, Lark Rise to Candleford: a Country Tapestry. And then everything else!
Of these, No Roses, Battle of the Field and Lark Rise are those where everything best comes together, as portraits of a vanished world, specifically English, without the Irish and Scots elements that Fairport cheerfully incorporated but with elements of the modern world too in the electric guitars and fiddle. The Prospect Before Us, and Rise Up Like the Sun are perhaps however the most accomplished as folk rock, although the arrangements may sometimes verge on the overblown to some tastes.
Rattlebone and Ploughjack also deserves honourable mention, in a third category, as probably the least commercially minded release ever by a major label! Find it (if you can) and wonder!
Band members supporting Hutchings are too numerous to list in full, but in the early years among the most notable are Mike and Lal Waterson, Tim Renwick, Maddy Prior, Shirley Collins, who headlined No Roses, Dolly Collins, Richard Thompson, John Kirkpatrick, Barry Dransfield, Simon Nicol, Martin Carthy, Peter Knight, and later John Tams, Phil Pickett, Graeme Taylor, Eddie Upton, Phil Beer and Rick Sanders.
2011
In July of 2011 Hutchings announced that the Albion Band would be forming again, and for the first time he himself would not be a member. Instead he passed the baton to his son - the guitarist and singer Blair Dunlop. This new line up also features a number of other current folk performers from a range of backgrounds reflecting earlier versions of the Albion Band. These members include Folk Award nominee Katriona Gilmore (Tiny Tin Lady, Gilmore/Roberts) on fiddle and vocals, vocalist, concertina player and guitarist Gavin Davenport (Crucible, Glorystrokes, Hekety), drummer Tom Wright (Eliza Carthy projects/Glorystrokes), and Tim Yates (Blackbeard's Tea Party/The QP) on bass - only the second bass player in the band's history, and lead guitarist and relative newcomer Benjamin Trott. This line up released an own label EP Fighting Room in 2011 and their first studio album Vice of the People in 2012.
Ragged Heroes
The Albion Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Half remembered Albion hymns
Rise up Saint George and tell the story
This is where your song begins
Leave the drunkard to his bottle
And leave the prophet to his doom
Let the critics sneer and prattle
Come, come, throw a penny on the drum
A penny for the passing of the days
Run, run, and see the setting of the sun
Come and see the changing of the ways
Where are all the ragged heroes?
Buried in their suits of iron Withered rose lies on the headstone
Will it bloom a second time?
Come come and throw a penny on the drum
A penny for the passing of the hour
Run, run, and see the rising of the sun
Come and see the blooming of the flower
Throw a penny piece, a penny on the drum
And the withered rose will rise up like the sun
The Albion Band's song "Ragged Heroes" is a call to arms, a reminder of the vital importance of preserving and continuing the traditions and histories of a nation. The lyrics speak of songs of hope and tunes of glory, half-remembered Albion hymns that must be resurrected and celebrated. The song invokes the spirit of Saint George, the patron saint of England, and urges him to rise up and tell his story, to take his place at the forefront of the nation's collective consciousness. The lyrics also send a message of defiance and resilience, urging us to ignore the distractions and criticisms of the world around us and to focus instead on our own struggles and triumphs. The song reminds us that even the heroes of the past may have been forgotten, but their memory can be resurrected with a small gesture, as simple as throwing a penny on a drum.
Line by Line Meaning
Songs of hope and tunes of glory
Melodies of positive aspirations and themes of triumph
Half remembered Albion hymns
Religious ballads from the past that are partially forgotten
Rise up Saint George and tell the story
Take action and spread the narrative of Saint George
This is where your song begins
Seize this moment to start creating your own musical legacy
Leave the drunkard to his bottle
Don't worry about the alcoholic's problems
And leave the prophet to his doom
Don't worry about the prophesier's fate
Let the critics sneer and prattle
Ignore the naysayers' mocking and babbling
Give Saint George some fighting room
Provide space for action and progress towards Saint George's goals
Come, come, throw a penny on the drum
Join in and contribute to the beat
A penny for the passing of the days
A small sum in remembrance of the fleeting time
Run, run, and see the setting of the sun
Hurry and observe the sun going down
Come and see the changing of the ways
Observe the shift in the current state of affairs
Where are all the ragged heroes?
Where have all the unrefined heroes gone?
Buried in their suits of iron
Laid to rest in their metallic uniforms
Withered rose lies on the headstone
A decaying flower is placed at the gravestone
Will it bloom a second time?
Can the plant flourish again?
Come come and throw a penny on the drum
Again, participate and add to the rhythm
A penny for the passing of the hour
Another small sum to mark the swift passage of time
Run, run, and see the rising of the sun
Hastily observe the ascent of the morning star
Come and see the blooming of the flower
Witness the growth and development of the plant
Throw a penny piece, a penny on the drum
Drop another coin on the percussion instrument
And the withered rose will rise up like the sun
The dying flower will flourish like the daystar
Contributed by Oliver T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.