Plainsong - In Search Of Amelia Earhart (Elektra ELK 22 013) (NL 1976, 1972) (Vinyl 24-96 & 16-44.1)

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Plainsong - In Search Of Amelia Earhart (Elektra ELK 22 013) (NL 1976, 1972) (Vinyl 24-96 & 16-44.1)

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Plainsong - In Search Of Amelia Earhart
FLAC | Artwork | 24Bit 96kHz: 785 MB | 16Bit 44.1kHz: 236 MB
Cat#: Elektra ELK 22 013 | Country/Year: Netherlands 1976, 1972 (ReIssue)
Genre: Folk | Hoster: Fileserve/Hotfile/Filesonic

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Plainsong - In Search Of Amelia Earhart (Elektra ELK 22 013) (NL 1976, 1972) (Vinyl 24-96 & 16-44.1)

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Plainsong - In Search Of Amelia Earhart (Elektra ELK 22 013) (NL 1976, 1972) (Vinyl 24-96 & 16-44.1)

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Plainsong was originally a British country rock/folk rock band, formed in early 1972 by Ian (later Iain) Matthews, formerly of Fairport Convention; Andy Roberts, previously of The Liverpool Scene; Dave Richards; and Bob Ronga. The original group split up before the end of 1972 but, since the early 1990s, Matthews and Roberts have intermittently performed and recorded together, with other musicians, as Plainsong.

In Search of Amelia Earhart is the 1972 album by Plainsong, a band formed by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews and Andy Roberts.

Ian Matthews played in four different incarnations within three years. He had left Fairport Convention for his own band, Matthews' Southern Comfort, put out two solo LPs for Vertigo Records, and then started the band Plainsong.

It is probably fair to say that In Search of Amelia Earhart is the pinnacle of Matthews' work in the 1970s. Working with producer Sandy Robertson (Hard Meat, Steeleye Span, Shirley Collins), Ian and bandmates, notably Andy Roberts who shared vocals on the album, created an atypical British folk album conceived around the idea of the legends surrounding Amelia Earhart and her supposed demise.

Matthews had read a book by Fred Goerner hypothesizing that Earhart and her flying companion Frederick Noonan had crashed around the Japanese held Marshall Island area and been taken prisoner by the Japanese on Saipan, in the Marianas, in 1937. Their plane had supposedly been outfitted with aerial cameras and had a bigger fuel tank than anyone outside of the US government knew. After being grilled by Japanese interrogators Earhart would perish of dysentery, and Noonan was beheaded by the Japanese.

Not all of the songs on the album are directly about Amelia Earhart. But the album carries that somber, mellow tone that so much great folk music of the early ’70s was in touch with. Many of the songs are about seeing and reaching for light, whether they be the light of day or the light of death. So in a way the album is more about the way people felt about, cared about and thought about Amelia Earhart and her death. That she is still considered a heroine of aviation and a distinctly American hero keeps the mystery of what happened to her in the greater cultural imagination. wikipedia

Review

by Brett Hartenbach

In just under three years, Ian Matthews split from Fairport Convention, went solo, formed Matthews' Southern Comfort - with whom he scored a number one U.K. hit - left the group at the height of its popularity, recorded three more records on his own (only two were released at this time) and in early 1972 started Plainsong, his fourth band in five years. And while his track record led one to believe that Plainsong may be just another short stay, the subsequent album, In Search of Amelia Earhart, proved to be worth the venture. Ian Matthews was of course the obvious draw, but Plainsong seemed to be formed as more of a collective effort, with lead guitarist Andy Roberts, who shares the lead vocal duties, the other focal point in the band. On the other hand, Matthews, whose folk and country-tinged tunes set the tone for the record, is the only member to contribute original material. Included among these is the thematic "True Story of Amelia Earhart," which along with the haunting "For the Second Time," leads a pack of five Matthews compositions that range from good to excellent. Elsewhere, Paul Siebel's heartbreaking "Louise," the dulcimer and harmony driven Appalachian gospel of "I'll Fly Away," and Roberts' readings of the playful "Yo Yo Man," Jim & Jesse's "Diesel on My Tail" and the mournful 1939 tale of "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight" are all highlights. Its title and artwork, along with notes by Charles Goerner on the flight and disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Frederick Noonan, gave In Search of Amelia Earhart the feel of a concept album, even though the title is nowhere to be found on the outside jacket and there are only two songs related to the subject contained within. It wasn't really a surprise when a follow-up, though recorded, failed to materialize, with the band parting ways on less than amicable terms, and Matthews going on to record two more records for Elektra. Still, In Search of Amelia Earhart fits nicely alongside the rest of his terrific early-'70's catalogue.

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Plainsong - In Search Of Amelia Earhart (Elektra ELK 22 013) (NL 1976, 1972) (Vinyl 24-96 & 16-44.1)

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