Witness (Show of Hands album)
Encyclopedia
Witness is the ninth studio album by Show of Hands
. The album was recorded in January 2006 at Presshouse Studio, Colyton, Devon
, and was produced by Simon Emmerson
and Simon ‘Mass’ Massey from the Afro Celts
, who helped to incorporate elements of traditional African, ambient
and electronic dance music
with the duo's characteristic folk
style. It was released in May 2006 on the Hands on Music label (HMCD23).
"Witness" and "Roots" were singles. Parts of the "Roots" music video were filmed at the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival
.
show Rubber Folk, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of the release of The Beatles
' Rubber Soul
album.
, except where noted.
Show of Hands
Show of Hands is an English acoustic roots and folk duo comprising singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer. In recent years they have been accompanied on tour and in the studio by jazz double-bassist Miranda Sykes.-Origins:...
. The album was recorded in January 2006 at Presshouse Studio, Colyton, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, and was produced by Simon Emmerson
Simon Emmerson
For the experimental music artist, see Simon Emmerson .Simon Emmerson is a Grammy Award-nominated record producer, guitarist, DJ and founder of the group Afro Celt Sound System....
and Simon ‘Mass’ Massey from the Afro Celts
Afro Celt Sound System
The Afro Celt Sound System is a musical group which fuses modern electronic dance rhythms with traditional Irish and West African music...
, who helped to incorporate elements of traditional African, ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
and electronic dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
with the duo's characteristic folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
style. It was released in May 2006 on the Hands on Music label (HMCD23).
"Witness" and "Roots" were singles. Parts of the "Roots" music video were filmed at the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival
Trowbridge Village Pump Festival
Village Pump FestivalStarted over 30 years ago in a barn at the lamb Inn Trowbridge, it then moved to Stowford Manor Farm, Farleigh Hungerford, England...
.
"If I Needed Someone"
"If I Needed Someone" was originally recorded in 2005 for the BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
show Rubber Folk, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of the release of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Rubber Soul
Rubber Soul
Rubber Soul is the sixth studio album by the English rock group The Beatles, released in December 1965. Produced by George Martin, Rubber Soul had been recorded in just over four weeks to make the Christmas market...
album.
Live at Exeter Phoenix
Following the release of the album, a 2008 live album titled Live at Exeter Phoenix was released. It was released on 27 December 2008 on the Londogs website.Track listing
All tracks written by Steve KnightleySteve Knightley
Steve Knightley is a singer-songwriter, musician and one half of British acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.-Career:...
, except where noted.
- "Witness" – 3:31
- Steve Knightley: vocals, acoustic guitar, cuatroCuatro (instrument)The cuatro is any of several Latin American instruments of the guitar or lute family. The cuatro is smaller than a guitar. Cuatro means four in Spanish, although current instruments may have more than four strings....
- Phil BeerPhil BeerPhil Beer is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and one half of English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.-Biography:...
: vocals, fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Seth LakemanSeth LakemanSeth Bernard Lakeman is an English folk singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, who is most often associated with the fiddle and tenor guitar, but has also mastered the viola and banjo...
: vocals, tenor guitarTenor guitar1932 Martin 0-18 T Sunburst Tenor Guitar|thumb|rightThe tenor guitar or four-string guitar is a slightly smaller, four-string relative of the steel-string acoustic guitar or electric guitar. The instrument was developed so that players of the four-string tenor banjo could double on the guitar... - Miranda Sykes: vocals, double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
- Matt Clifford: keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Mass: percussion and drum programming
- Steve Knightley: vocals, acoustic guitar, cuatro
- "Roots" – 4:48
- Steve Knightley: vocals, acoustic guitar, mandocelloMandocelloThe mandocello is a plucked string instrument of the mandolin family. It has eight strings in four paired courses, tuned in 5ths like a mandolin, but is larger, and tuned CC-GG-dd-aa . It is to the mandolin what the cello is to the violin.-Construction:Mandocello construction is similar to the...
, cuatro - Phil Beer: vocals, fiddle, viola, acoustic slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
- Fisherman's Friends: 'Haul away' choir
- Mass: bass, percussion and drum programming
- Steve Knightley: vocals, acoustic guitar, mandocello
- "The Dive" – 4:41
- Steve Knightley: vocals, high strung and low tuned mandocellos
- Phil Beer: acoustic guitar, fiddle
- Matt Clifford: pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Miranda Sykes: double bass
- Paul Wilson: melodeonMelodeon (organ)A melodeon is a type of 19th century reed organ with a foot-operated vacuum bellows, and a piano keyboard. It differs from the related harmonium, which uses a pressure bellows. Melodeons were manufactured in the United States sometime after 1812 until the Civil War era...
- Mass: Ambience and percussion programming
- Lyme BayLyme BayLyme Bay is an area of the English Channel situated in the southwest of England between Torbay in the west and Portland in the east. The counties of Devon and Dorset front onto the bay,-Geology:...
: The Sea
- "The Falmouth Packet" (Phil BeerPhil BeerPhil Beer is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and one half of English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.-Biography:...
) / "Haul Away Joe" (Trad arr. Knightley/Beer) – 5:36- Phil Beer: lead vocals, fiddle, mandolin
- Steve Knightley: vocals, cuatro
- Seth Lakeman: tenor guitar
- Miranda Sykes: double bass
- Paul Wilson: melodeon
- Jackie Oates: fiddle
- Lizzie Westcott: fiddle
- Mass: percussion and drum programming
- "Undertow" – 5:18
- Steve Knightley: vocals, high and low tuned mandocellos, acoustic guitar
- Phil Beer: EBow, acoustic guitar
- Miranda Sykes: double bass
- Matt Clifford: piano
- Mass: shakerShaker (percussion)The word shaker describes a large number of percussive musical instruments used for creating rhythm in music.They are so called because the method of creating sound involves shaking them—moving them back and forth rather than striking them. Most may also be struck for a greater accent on certain...
- "If I Needed SomeoneIf I Needed Someone"If I Needed Someone" is a song written by George Harrison. Versions by The Beatles and by The Hollies appeared simultaneously, both being released in the United Kingdom on 3 December 1965. The Hollies version appeared on a single. Most of the Hollies previous singles had been big top ten hits...
" (George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
) – 3:33- Steve Knightley: vocals, mandocello, acoustic guitar
- Phil Beer: vocals, fiddle, melodeon
- Miranda Sykes: vocals, double bass, cello
- Johnny KalsiJohnny KalsiJohnny Kalsi is a British Indian dhol drum performer residing in London. He rose to prominence as a former member of Transglobal Underground and the founder of the Dhol Foundation. He also performs with the Afro Celt Sound System and The Imagined Village....
: tablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
s, mazharMazharThe mazhar is a large, heavy tambourine used in Arabic music. The mazhar's frame is generally made out of wood. The instrument's brass jingles are quite large . It is played with a shaking technique that gives it a raucous sound...
, shakers - Mass: Percussion and drum programming
- "Innocents’ Song" (poem by Charles CausleyCharles CausleyCharles Stanley Causley, CBE, FRSL was a Cornish poet, schoolmaster and writer. His work is noted for its simplicity and directness and for its associations with folklore, especially when linked to his native Cornwall....
, music by Johnny CoppinJohnny CoppinJohnny Coppin is an English singer/songwriter, composer, poetry anthologist and broadcaster. He plays guitar and piano and has written and recorded many albums as a solo artist. He has a weekly one-hour show on BBC Radio Gloucestershire entitled Folk Roots which he has produced and presented every...
) / "Gwithian" (Beer) – 4:38- Phil Beer: lead vocals, fiddle
- Steve Knightley: vocals
- Miranda Sykes: vocals, double bass
- "Union Street (Last Post)" (Knightley/Matt Clifford) – 4:14
- Steve Knightley: vocals
- Miranda Sykes: vocals
- Matt Clifford: piano
- Paul Downes: guitar
- "The Bet" – 4:20
- Steve Knightley: vocals, acoustic guitar, acoustic bass guitarAcoustic bass guitarThe acoustic bass guitar is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually somewhat larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar...
- Phil Beer: cuatro, slide guitar
- Matt Clifford: keyboards
- Simon Emmerson: The A35A35 roadThe A35 is a trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton, Hampshire...
!
- Steve Knightley: vocals, acoustic guitar, acoustic bass guitar
- "Ink Devil" – 5:01
- Steve Knightley: vocals, acoustic guitar, cuatro
- Phil Beer: fiddle, mandolin
- Miranda Sykes: double bass
- Paul Wilson: melodeon
- Mass: percussion and drum programming
- "Scratch" – 3:39
- Steve Knightley: vocals, acoustic guitar, cuatro
- Phil Beer: fiddle, mandolin, DobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
- Miranda Sykes: double bass
- Matt Clifford: keyboards
- Mass: Percussion and drum programming
- "All I'd Ever Lost" – 5:37
- Steve Knightley: vocals, low tuned mandocellos
- Miranda Sykes: double bass, cello
- Matt Clifford: piano
- Mass: atmospherics, keyboards and drum programming