These are BBC live recordings from 1977 and 1982 and more live recordings of unknown origin from 1981.

Albion Dance Band (1977)

Recorded 15 September 1977 for BBC Radio 1 “Live in Concert”; broadcast 24 September 1977;
Produced by Jeff Griffin

Musicians

John Tams: lead vocals, melodeon;
Ashley Hutchings: backing vocals, bass guitar, tambourine;
Graeme Taylor: backing vocals, electric guitar;
Philip Pickett: woodwinds;
Pete Bullock: keyboards, baritone saxophone;
Ric Sanders: electric fiddle;
Michael Gregory: drums, shakers;
Dave Mattacks: drums

Tracks

The Albion Band Live in Concert	Vintage Albion Band
Uncle Bernard’s / Albion Sunrise / Jenny Lind (6.30) Boycott’s Bourrée (1.57) The Gresford Disaster (Roud 3089) (10.10) La Sexte Estampie Real (2.36) Hopping Down in Kent (Roud 1715) (3.17) Buttered Peas (2.27) The Postman’s Knock (Roud 13177) / Black Joke (Roud 9212) (4.08)	Uncle Bernard’s / Albion Sunrise / Jenny Lind (6.27) Boycott’s Bourrée (1.57) The Gresford Disaster (Roud 3089) (9.03) La Sexte Estampie Real (1.54) Hopping Down in Kent (Roud 1715) (2.52) Buttered Peas (2.31)

	The Albion Band (1981) The source of this recording is not listed in the album notes. Tracks 8-9 and 11 may well be the recordings from The Guv’nor Vol 2 and 5. Musicians John Tams: lead vocals, melodeon; Ashley Hutchings: vocals, bass guitar; Brian Protheroe: vocals, keyboard; Bill Caddick: lead vocals, triangle, acoustic guitar; Graeme Taylor: vocals, electric guitar; Philip Pickett: woodwinds; Howard Evans: trumpet; Michael Gregory: drums Tracks
	Vintage Albion Band
	Lemady / Arise and Pick a Posy (Roud 193) / Down the Road (5.28) Don’t Be an Outlaw (3.41) Jacob’s Well (Roud 17703) (4.36) Snow Falls (4.05) Galliard / Brawl (Bransle) (5.11) Dare to Be a Daniel

The Albion Band (1982)

Recorded 12 May 1982 for BBC Radio 1 “Live in Concert”;
Produced by Jeff Griffin

Musicians

Cathy Lesurf: lead vocals;
Ashley Hutchings: backing vocals, bass guitar;
Dave Whetstone: backing vocals, melodeon, acoustic guitar;
Simon Nicol: backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars;
Jean-Pierre Rasle: backing vocals, woodwinds, bagpipes;
John Maxwell: lead vocals, drums

Tracks

The Albion Band Live in Concert

Vintage Albion Band

Snowdrop Polka / High Tea Tango / Seaside Shuffle (4.30) The Greatest Show on Earth (Soccer Song) (6.07) Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (5.17) London Dance Song Medley: Pell-Mell in Pall Mall / The Kensington Square Dance / (Do) The Aldwych (8.13) Tracks 1a, 1c, 4-7, 8a trad. arr. Albion Band; Track 1b Richard Thompson; Tracks 2, 3 anon. arr. Albion Band; Track 8b Dave Whetstone; Track 8c John Lewis; Tracks 9-10, 11b/c Ashley Hutchings, Dave Whetstone; Track 11a Ashley Hutchings, Jean-Pierre Rasle

Snowdrop Polka / High Tea Tango / Seaside Shuffle (4.30) The Greatest Show on Earth (Soccer Song) (6.06) Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (5.14) London Dance Song Medley: Pell-Mell in Pall Mall / The Kensington Square Dance / (Do) The Aldwych (7.23) Tracks 1a, 1c, 4-6, 13a trad. arr. Albion Band; Track 1b Richard Thompson; Tracks 2, 3 anon. arr. Albion Band; Track 13b Dave Whetstone; Track 13c John Lewis; Tracks 14-15, 16b/c Ashley Hutchings, Dave Whetstone; Track 16a Ashley Hutchings, Jean-Pierre Rasle

Live performances of the Albion Band between 1972 and 1980. As usual with Talking Elephant, no recording details are given. I wonder about their marketing strategy—nobody but the serious Albion Band collector would be interested in such an album and he might be strongly disappointed by the shoddy information.

Musicians

John Tams: vocals, melodeon;
Ashley Hutchings: vocals, electric bass guitar;
Graeme Taylor: vocals, electric guitar;
Michael Gregory: drums;
Pete Bullock: keyboards, baritone saxophone;
Philip Pickett: woodwinds;
Simon Nicol: electric guitar;
Dave Mattacks: drums;
Shirley Collins, Julie Covington: vocals;
Martin Carthy: vocals, acoustic guitar;
John Kirkpatrick: vocals, accordion;
Sue Harris: vocals, oboe;
Roger Swallow: drums;
John Southcott: vielle, recorder;
Ric Sanders: violin

Tracks

1. The New St George / La Rotta (4.24)
2. I’ll Go and ’List for a Sailor (Roud 1614) (4.06)
3. Hanged I Shall Be (Roud 263; Laws P35; G/D 2:200) (6.23)
4. Harvest Home / The Gas Almost Works (3.18)
5. Horse’s Brawl (3.40)
6. Old Sir Simon the King (Roud 19776) (2.00)
7. Holm’s Fancy / Cuckold’s All Awry (2.54)
8. Poor Old Horse (Roud 3724) (5.37)
9. Y’Acre of Land (Roud 21093; TYG 23) (2.58)
10. The Postman’s Knock (Roud 13177) /
    Black Joke (Roud 9212) (3.40)
11. Merry Sherwood Rangers (3.04)
12. Time to Ring Some Changes (3.21)
13. Ragged Heroes / Father Williams (4.11)
14. A Sailor’s Life (Roud 273; Laws K12; G/D 6:1245) / One More Day (Roud 704) (8.34)

All tracks trad. arr. The Albion Band except
Tracks 1a, 12-13 Richard Thompson;
Track 1b anon. arr. The Albion Country Band;
Tracks 2-4a trad. arr. The Albion Country Band;
Track 4b John Kirkpatrick;
Tracks 5-6 trad. arr. Albion Dance Band

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Tony Rees for the record details and to Brian Hinton and Geoff Wall’s Ashley Hutchings biography Always Chasing Rainbows for the BBC recording dates. No thanks to Talking Elephant for leaving out all the details in their liner notes.