Here we have a facsimile of Anne
Brigg’s debut EP ‘The Hazards of Love’ (Topic). During the 1960’s & 70’s Briggs released
only a handful of material including her seminal piece “The Time Has Come”. A number of factors play a part in Brigg’s
modest catalogue, a painfully self-critical approach and eschewing any sort of
commercial recognition. Despite this she
is well known for influencing folks like Bert Jansch, Richard Thompson and
Sandy Denny to name a few. Although
Briggs has gone to great lengths to remain in obscurity, the power of her
recordings has meant her music is anything but – as this single testifies.
Opening track “Lowlands” is a
mysterious capstan/pumping and some suggest a halyards shanty dating back to
1860, traditional both on British and American shores. The song has developed over time with the
addition of a sailor appearing in a lover’s dream. A.L. Lloyd theorizes the lyric’s origins are
tied into Anglo-Scots who co-existed with British seamen and the song was
passed along to shore-men in Gulf Ports.
He also asserts the “Lowlands” refrain may mirror the ballad “The Golden
Vanity”. This is how Brigg’s delivers
her version (1964) as well, as a ballad rather than a shanty, with no
instrumental accompaniment her beguiling voice lingers, longs and laments
through the track singing straight from and hitting right into the core.
The earliest known record of the
following song “My Bonny Boy” goes back to the mid-17th century. Over
time it’s evolved partly through featuring in plays and Vaughan Williams’
Folk-Song Suite. It’s a good example of
how folk songs get passed down and develope, until we have what’s available
today – Brigg’s captivating interpretation where you feel both the history, and
the new life breathed into the song.
On side B first up is ”Polly
Vaughan”, a story about a man who went hunting for birds and sees something in
the bushes. Mistaking it for a swan he
finds he’s actually killed his true love, Polly Vaughan, when she was taking
shelter from rain. The man, sometimes
called Johnny or Jimmy Randle, reports the accident to his Uncle who urged him
not to flee. He’s convinced he should
stay and explain to the court it was an honest error. The story continues that in the evening
before Vaughan’s funeral her spirit appears to confirm Randle’s account of what
had happened. We never learn the outcome
of the trial, but if Brigg’s version of the song is anything to go by, he felt
as though he’d lost regardless. It’s a
powerfully mournful song, sung again acapella.
“Rosemary Lane” is another
bitterly tragic story, this time about the seduction of a servant by a
sailor. “I won the good will of my
master and dame, Until a young sailor came there to stay, And that was the beginning
of my misery”, Briggs laments in this traditional folk ballad. She was known in her earlier years for questioning
a woman’s role in society and kicking against the status quo. So perhaps that’s
why this song in particular appealed, tackling the path the servant was
expected to take when she fell pregnant, “Now if it’s a boy, he’ll fight for
the King, And if it’s a girl she’ll wear a gold ring; She’ll wear a gold ring
and a dress all aflame, And remember my service in Rosemary Lane.” Even in her early years Briggs challenged
women’s place in the world, "The role of women was very defined and veryrestrictive, but right through my teenage years, I'd just been shedding everything as I went, you know: I can do without that, I'm not doing that, why can't I do that if blokes can do it? In fact, I'm going to do it, so try and stop me and see what happens.”So it’s
no surprise this song moved her to depict it.
These four songs explore fantasy, unfaithfullness, loss and a woman's role in regards to love and relationships. Each story tells a different side in a candid way that's both bewitching and sorrowful, it doesn't get more raw than this. Due to the limited number of
releases and small pressing originals are hard to come by and when you do find
one they’re pricey. For me there isn’t a
lot to get excited about when it comes to RSD anymore, but this year ‘The
Hazards of Love’ was a pretty brilliant surprise. I
managed to find this in London’s Rough Trade West only a few weeks ago, so if
you get there quick they may still have some.
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