Magna Carta
Seasons & Songs From Wasties Orchard

If I had to find a suitable term to describe the music of this English group, I would use the adjective 'refined'. This compact disc contains the albums "Seasons" from '70 and "Songs From Wasties Orchard" from '71, excellently reissued, also in terms of recording, by Mercury in 1999. The group's name was taken from the well-known 1215 treaty, marking the beginning of English history. Originally, Magna Carta was a duo formed by Glen Stuart and Chris Simpson. The first long track "Seasons" (22:21 min) perfectly clarifies the musical intentions of the musicians led by singer and guitarist Chris Simpson. This piece, particularly exciting and varied, is divided into nine parts, all lovingly connected with excellent, delicate, and almost whispered vocal sections, undeniably, among all the tracks on the record, it is the most genuinely progressive. The other pieces, however, last on average 3/4 minutes, some are decidedly above average, while others a bit less, although all are noteworthy. Still in the first album, I would like to highlight the small masterpieces of "Elizabethan", "Ring of Stones", and "Airport Song", all characterized by graceful and extremely pleasant music, subtle and rather intimate. This record also features the future keyboardist of Yes, Rick Wakeman. The second album continues in the same musical direction, that is, evocative and at times melancholic ballads. In my opinion, the well-structured vocal parts stand out again (obviously for those who appreciate this type of singing) and some memorable instrumental virtuosity, with compositions always extremely curated, never banal or predictable. Particularly moving to me were: the instrumental "Sponge", original and convincing both as music and composition. Also valid are the lively "Good Morning Sun" and the almost Folk-Rock "Home Groan" and "Parliament Hill", the touching "White Snow Dove" and the amusing "Country Jam". In both albums, the music at certain moments becomes almost impalpable and mysterious but always possesses a well-defined personality full of deep and insinuating emotions. After brief success, the group will remain 'relegated' in the minor Folk circuit, producing nonetheless works of more than dignified level. The booklet is more than satisfactory, especially regarding the biographical part, extremely well cared for, but also in the very detailed technical notes (John Tobler, 1998), although it is printed in almost microscopic writing (at least from my point of view). Also in the booklet, there are the covers of the two albums, the first one represents a sort of very suggestive floral bas-relief, while the second album depicts the side of a box containing red apples; both logos of the group's name present on the two covers are excellent. Before concluding, I also want to point out, given the musical proposal of the Folk genre, essentially free from certain Rock 'pushes', that the disc is recommended for a certain type of listeners and enthusiasts of this musical genre, although it might move those searching for dreamy and at times even romantic musical atmospheres.