We Can Swing Together

Book excerpt: Thoroughly researched history of one of Britain’s longest-established folk-rock groupsDetailed and comprehensive discographyEssential reading for any lover of ’70s and ’80s rock musicIncludes information provided to the author by surviving original members such as Rod Clements (leader of the current line-up) and Ray Laidlaw When singer-songwriter Alan Hull joined the group Brethren in 1969 and they were renamed Lindisfarne shortly afterwards, nobody could have foreseen that the name would still be around more than forty years later. It has been a chequered saga for them, from the members’ origins in the beat and folk boom of their teenage years, to their swiftly-won reputation as one of Britain’s most popular live attractions and the remarkable success of the chart-topping second album Fog on the Tyne, from the issues – which divided them into two camps in 1973 and a total disbandment two years later – to a reunion following two annual series of Christmas concerts in their native Newcastle and beyond. They survived the sudden death of Hull in 1995 and several changes in line-up until 2003, dispersing and then reforming again some ten years later. This tells the story of their long and colourful history, the ups and downs, and the singles, albums and concerts, which made them a unique name in popular music history. Illustrations: 35 colour photographs