Swaddling Songs

Personnel: David Williams , David E. Williams (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Clodagh Simonds (vocals, piano); Frank Boylan, Alison Williams (vocals).
Audio Remasterer: Paschal Byrne.
Liner Note Authors: Jon Wright; John Reed.
Recording information: Tollington Park Studios (12/1971).
The lone official Mellow Candle release from their early '70s heyday, SWADDLING SONGS disappeared upon release but eventually became a favorite of rare-record collectors. While classifiable as British Isles folk rock, the Irish quintet embraced a piano-driven prog-folk sound more in common with the Horslips and Comus than more traditional genre stalwarts like Fairport Convention. However, with lyrics about witches, unicorns, and all things druidic--courtesy of singer-lyricists Clodagh Simonds and Alison Williams--there is no mistaking that their hearts were clearly at the Rennaissance Faire. Simonds and Williams intertwine leads and trade thrumming harmonies on stand-outs such as "The Poet and the Witch," "Sheep Season," and album opener, "Heaven Heath," which also features a hypnotic accordion and harpsichord interplay. Despite its lack of commercial viability, SWADDLING SONGS remains a resonant, lost gem of the electric folk era.