Ashley Hutchings — By Gloucester Docks I Sat Down and Wept: A Love St

The name of Ashley Hutchings is almost legendary in Folk Rock circles. As a founding member of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band he is responsible for some of the most important music of the 1970s Folk Rock explosion. Hutchings was also married to Folk royalty between 1971 and 1978, the extraordinary Shirley Collins. The 1980s wasn’t kind to Folk music driving it into something of a cul de sac where it was looked upon as a twee, woolly jumper, finger in the ear style of music played by older men and women in quiet pubs in fishing villages across the country. This stereotype hung around for some time, however many musicians including Hutchings tried to weather the storm, he kept the Albion Band running throughout this time and wrote and recorded a number of solo records, By Gloucester Docks I sat Down and Wept is one of those records.

Originally released in 1987, the album is an interesting mix of influences, blending folk, pop, rock and country with poetry to create an ambitious recording. The band featured on the record include Hutchings himself on vocals, he also managed to persuade former Dando Shaft vocalist Polly Bolton out of retirement to join him as the female vocalist, while RSC alumni Michael Pennington and Marilyn Cutts took on the roles of the spoken words sections. Christine Collister and Clive Gregson also provide vocals at various points. A strong band featuring the likes of long-time collaborator Peter Zorn, Graeme Taylor (Gryphon) and Fairport legend Dave Mattacks made up the rest of the personnel alongside various members past and present of the aforementioned The Albion Band.

By Gloucester is a concept album that tells the tale of a doomed love affair, from the perspective of both the man and woman involved through both spoken word and song lyrics. Hutchings mixes both traditional and new material to tell the story and whilst there is a folk element that holds the whole thing together you can hear the distinct influence of Dire Straits and their brand of corporate radio friendly rock, mixed with some country whilst on the track Lies I am reminded somewhat of Mark E Smith’s more commercial late 80s era of The Fall. There are also points where Hutchings’ past shines through, giving us a hint of his work with Fairport and Steeleye Span, however this is largely an album of its time.

By Gloucester Docks I Sat Down and Wept is thought to be Hutchings masterpiece, while I would argue his work with Fairport and Steeleye Span remains his best, this is still a particularly good record. The central theme of the story works very well, and the production and performances are top notch. This lovely new remaster from Talking Elephant is the release the album deserves, beautifully put together from both a musical and aesthetic perspective. We have already discussed the album’s production, which is exceptional, but the packaging is superb too, the album is presented in a very well designed digipak with some not too extensive notes. The whole this just works so well. One does have to wonder how well this might have done if released at another point in time, as in 1987 there was such a backlash against the old guard that this barely registered and it remains an underappreciated 1980s gem, that will hopefully receive more of the praise it so richly deserves.