City
Of Manchester
Release
Date: 1st October 2010
Label: Wednesday Music
'City
Of Manchester' is a
collection of songs from founder Fivepenny Piece
members John Meeks and Lynda Meeks.
There are 22 tracks - a mix of reworked old
songs and brand new material.
- City of Manchester (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Miss Prim & Proper (Meeks/Ashton)
- Wonderful Time (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Wakes Holiday (Meeks/Bush)
- Emerald Dew of The Morning (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Dukinfield Park (Meeks/Johnson)
- Tupence Change (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Molly Cinders (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Passing of To-Day (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Barefoot Days (Trad/arr /Meeks)
- Sometimes (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Lancashire Lyne (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Winter Sun (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Oh Gosh By Gosh (Trad/arr /Meeks)
- Velvet Cushions (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- He Came To Me (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Peddler of Songs (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Tater Pie (Meeks/Ashton)
- You Have Been This Way Before (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Codswallop (Meeks)
- Can I (Meeks /Radcliffe)
- Time (Meeks /Radcliffe)
The
CD artwork was designed by award-winning graphic
artist DJ Sampson, who has also produced the
album covers for the likes of The Mangledwurzels,
Circle of Blues and The Glambusters.
You
can now order City Of Manchester
on CD from the 5PP corner
shop. |

Front
Sleeve

CD
label |

Review
of City Of Manchester by retired journalist
(and Fivepenny Piece fan) Keith Whittaker
The City Of Manchester CD arrived in the post
on the morning of Friday, October 1. The next
item on my agenda was a trip to the local grocery
store so I put the disc into the car's CD player
to hear the first couple of tracks during the
journey. By the time I pulled on to the store's
car park I was hooked and ended up listening
to another four tracks as the rain streamed
down the car windows.
I eventually tore myself away and did some shopping
before listening to two more tracks on the way
home and four more while sat outside the house
with the rain still streaming down the windows.
It wasn't the rain which pinned me in the car,
it was the music. I thought the previous "homemade"
discs were excellent but everything seems to
have moved up a gear with this new CD. I assume
that as John becomes more familiar with the
technology he is finding ever more ways of exploiting
the possibilities. The instrumental backing
and vocal harmonies on the disc are remarkable
considering that it features only two people,
and there are times when it is easy to imagine
that Colin, George, Eddie and Phil are making
their contributions such is the authenticity
of that unique Fivepenny Piece sound. I realise
that achieving that will not have been easy,
but whatever effort was involved is fully justified
by the end product.
John's and Linda's voices were always one of
the key trademarks of any Fivepenny Piece concert
or album but on this disc they seem, dare I
say, in even better form. I suppose maturity
lends more assuredness. That certainly appears
to be so in Linda's case because I have replayed
the original recordings of Emerald Dew Of
The Morning, Tuppence Change,
Passing Of Today and Winter Sun
and her performances of these songs on this
new CD or even better than the originals, which
is saying something. She's obviously maturing
like a fine wine!
It's always a joy to hear Colin's lyrics, and
particularly those which have now been set to
music sadly too late to be appreciated by the
concert audiences of the Seventies. At least
they can now be enjoyed by people like me who
find that they so often strike a chord and revive
half-forgotten experiences. Velvet Cushions
evoked memories of my Mum who died, aged 91,
three years ago and who I would visit daily
and find her sitting in her armchair watching
the world go by and probably remembering how
it used to be.
I also enjoyed the mix of ballads and comedy
numbers which is firmly in the tradition of
Fivepenny Piece albums of years ago. And the
sentiments expressed on Tuppence Change
and Passing of Today are just as valid
now as when they were first performed. I was
delighted with John's composition, Codswallop,
which follows in the footsteps of the group's
previous "social commentary" numbers
like Tuppence Change, They'll Tell
Us Owt and Where There's Muck There's
Brass. It would have gone down a storm
on That's Life and with Northern concert audiences
if Fivepenny Piece had still been performing
today.
Unfortunately those days are gone but those
of us who lived through them will never forget
the "amateur" group that was more
professional than many professionals, and which
gave so much pleasure to thousands of concert-goers.
This new CD not only recaptures the old magic
but uses new technology to entertain people
like me with songs that are often amusing, occasionally
thought-provoking, and always easy on the ear.
It's like a breath of fresh air compared to
most of the rubbish which fills the airwaves
these days.
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