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What the folk press said about the most recent
Geckoes CD, The Red Horse:
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"The band’s tunes come from a wide stretch of
northern Europe (one’s from a website in Leeds) and a number were
composed by bassist Andy Cheyne, erstwhile cassette reviewer of this
parish (another traditional trade trampled by the relentless march of
technology). Inclining to sets of two and three tunes, Geckoes know how
to make smooth transitions and keep up an insistent rhythm. They never
get that loud, never get that brash but they always maintain the
tension. There’s no drum kit but a mass of variegated percussion to
drive things along. Tunes are as apt to be led by a mandolin as a
squeezebox and the arrangements sound as if a lot of care has gone into
them; this is no pub session free-for-all. I particularly liked the
pounding Full Rigged Ship, Caroline Ritson’s fiddle on I Do Not Incline,
Nickley Hood (shades here and elsewhere of The Oyster Ceilidh Band, as
once was: no bad thing) but the whole record’s really good.
The inclusion of ABC software that displays
all the tunes in standard notation and plays them through your speakers
is a great idea for Windows users (who need something to lighten the
cruel hardships they daily undergo, after all) but rendered the CD
unplayable on my Mac, even for audio-only. Downloads for Apple, Linux
and other systems are available from the net, though."
Nick Beale
Folk Roots March 2000
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"Here’s more wonderful music from Oxfordshire’s
dancehall champions, bundled with a powerful bit of computer shareware
on to one CD. ABC2Win displays musical notation, letting you copy,
compose, transpose, arrange and play music in the comfort of your own PC
seat - just register with the publishers to print out.
Aside from that, here’s a worthy successor to
1995’s Art Gecko. John Keston-Hole’s replacement on guitars, Tom Miller,
contributes occasional keyboards to the mix - a new element for Geckoes
that brings a touch of Beryl Marriot (or Violet Tulloch) to some
quickstep and reel sets.
Andy Turner’s bright anglo gets, consciously
or otherwise, as close to that of the late William Kimber as you might
wish, particularly on the morris derived tunes, while never hogging the
limelight. And the expected smattering of vocal pyrotechnics, added to
the driving instrumental arrangements compel you to listen and defy you
to stay seated."
Mike Greenwood
Taplas February/March 2000
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and finally, not actually a review - just an
unsolicited comment from one of the country's finest dance callers
"the new Geckoes album, the Red Horse ... is
really excellent. They've finally managed to get on record the kind of
glow-in-the-dark touch they manage so easily live. Beautiful tunes, too,
and easy to learn, too, because those generous reptiles have put the abc
for the tunes on the disc. So, if you're as good a player as them, it'll
sound as good....hmmm. I detect a problem for most of us..."
Gordon Potts |
Hear for your yourself - listen to sample tracks
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