Once upon a time, as far as I am aware, these guys weren't as unknown as they are now - in fact, it seems that when it was released, in 71, this album even achieved a decent success - only to be completely forgotten by the average listener later. But this, actually, can be useful to play the know-it-all card and bring out "the rarity" in music discussions ("Jethro Tull?.." - disdainful smile - "...and do you know Lindisfarne?" - disdainful smile, etc).

The problem with reviewing an album like this is clear and well-defined: it's Folk-Pop music, meaning, it's music you can talk about for at most ten seconds without becoming boring. What can you say, folk chords are always the same, the humble, sincere, and sentimental singing you know, the moody acoustic strumming is well-known to everyone, on the list we also have the refrain choruses, the harmonica, the rustic melancholy, and all the other hallmarks of the genre. I am reading just now - confirming what was said at the beginning - that this album, to put it with measured pretension, "topped the charts and did hit #1!".

In fact, the funny thing is that every song on this album is terribly well-written and delightfully pleasing to the ear; "Meet me on the corner" opens the record and is a super moody harmonica-supported song, which is surely preferable to many others if you find yourself with a guitar in your hands and someone to impress - for instance. There is so much talk about "folk" but in reality, there are a thousand shades of this glorious musical genre, and in this album, there's almost a song for each sub-genre: for the drunk, there's "Allright On the night", for the Newcastlers, the title track, and for the Scottish lords, "Scotch Mist" doesn't go unmentioned - ah and how the violins play in the suspender enthusiasm of the closing "No time to lose", it leaves me breathless, almost.

Tracklist Lyrics and Videos

01   Meet Me on the Corner (02:40)

Hey mr dreamseller, where have you been,
tell me have you dreams i can see?
I came along, just to bring you this song,
Can you spare one dream for me?

You won't have met me, and you'll soon forget me,
so don't mind me tugging at your sleeve.
I'm asking you, if i can fix a rendezvous.
For your dreams are all I believe.

Meet me on the corner when the lights are coming on,
and i'll be there, i promise i'll be there.
Down the empty streets we'll disappear until the dawn
if you have dreams enough to share.

Lay down your bundles, of rags and reminders,
and spread your wares on the ground.
Well I've got time, if you deal in rhyme,
I'm just hanging around.

02   Alright on the Night (03:33)

03   Uncle Sam (02:58)

04   Together Forever (02:35)

05   January Song (04:15)

06   Peter Brophy Don't Care (02:49)

07   City Song (03:07)

08   Passing Ghosts (02:30)

09   Train in G Major (03:09)

10   Fog on the Tyne (03:26)

Sittin' in a sleazy snack-bar suckin'
Sickly sausage rolls
Slippin' down slowly
Slippin' down sideways
Think I'll sign off the dole

Chorus:
'cause the fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine

Could a copper catch a crooked coffin maker
Could a copper comprehend
That a crooked coffin maker is just an undertaker who
undertakes to be a friend

Chorus:
'cause the fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine

Tell the truth tomorrow
Today will take it's time to
Tell you what tonight will bring,
Presently we'll have a pint or two together
Everybody do their thing

We can swing together
We can have a wee wee
We can have a wet on the wall
If someone slips a whisper
That his simple sister slapped them down
And they slavered on their smalls

Chorus:
'cause the fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine

Chorus:
'cause the fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine

11   Scotch Mist (02:07)

12   No Time to Lose (03:16)

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