Bob Davenport - Topic Records

"Few singers command the respect of their peers like Tyneside’s Bob Davenport – his radical fire is undimmed”

BOB DAVENPORT THE COMMON STONE TSCD552

A new album of traditional and original songs by one of the all time great voices of the English folk scene. Renowned on both sides of the Atlantic for his uncompromising, gritty talent, Davenport’s recording history goes back over four decades and has produced raw, idiosyncratic nuggets. His unique poetic realism has been a profound influence on such disparate artists as Richard Thompson and Ray Davies. Never one to court fashion, Bob has remained true to the living tradition while being on the cutting edge of revivalism.

When word got round that Bob was recording a new album, the cream of the current folk scene queued for a chance to participate. The final list includes appearances by Richard Thompson, Chumbawamba Acoustic, Martin Carthy, Linda Thompson, Mike and Norma Waterson, John Tams, Coope, Boyes and Simpson and Fi Fraser. The resulting album is raw, real and original.

• "A Folk Album of the Year 2004" Mojo

• "Few singers command the respect of their peers like Tyneside’s Bob Davenport – his radical fire is undimmed.” The Observer Music Monthly Magazine

• "... some sublime moments…such a strong sense of identity. Linda Thompson pops up and steals the whole album with her charged and atmospheric rendition of Davenport’s own song You Came Back Down That Long Road." FRoots

• "His more subdued approach lends a subtle reflective quality to his material. And what fine material he has here and what fine “assistants” to help." Living Tradition

• "Warmth and sincerity – his unaccompanied version of the McGarrigles’ Heart Like a Wheel is a whimsical treasure. Few singers are as important to the revival." The Telegraph

more press reviews at the foot of the page

1 Davenport's Cakewalk
2 Song Of The Other Ranks
3 Those Men We See
4 Jerusalem
5 Jockey To The Fair
6 Wealthy Squire
7 Bottle Bank
8 She Moved Through The Fair
9 You Are My Sinshine
10 The Cuckoo
11 Trust No Man
12 Heart Like A Wheel
13 Song Of A German Mother
14 The Drum
15 The Dawning Of The Day
16 Down By The Glenside
17 Police Patrol
18 The Sergeant's Returned / Kiss me Goodnight Sergeant Major
19 You Came Back Down That Long Road
20 The Colour
21 Wild, Wild Whiskey

22 Alabama Song
23 Wild Rover
24 I Am A Rover
25 I Wish You Were Here Again
26 Davenport's Retreat

Please click here for a full size back cover picture and track listing

Bob Davenport with
Chumbawamba Acoustic tracks 2,4,13,21
Martin Carthy guitar 5,15,24
Mike Waterson 2,4,18,19,21,25
Norma Waterson 6,24
Barry Coope 9,22
Jim Boyes 2,4,9,18,19,21,22,25; uke banjo (after John Tams) 9
Lester Simpson 9,18,19,22,25
Richard Thompson guitar 1,26
Linda Thompson 7,19; lead vocal 11
John Tams 9,22
Fi Fraser 22

More Press Reviews

TSCD 552"The Common Stone"

• "A varied collection of songs presented with care and originality" Dirty Linen

• "There’s a wondrous purity to his take on traditional material." Sing Out

• "His first album in six years amply demonstrates his past and present significance and standing. Underling Davenport’s continued radical relevance, Police Patrol sounds a timely note of concern for the insidious loss of democracy in the name of protecting the state." Netrhythms

• "The Common Stone includes 26 numbers from sources as disparate as The Kinks, William Blake, Berthold Brecht and Thomas Hardy. Davenport himself offers half a dozen powerful narratives performed largely a cappella in his rough, sweet voice that’s both intimate and declamatory – a voice that gets under your skin and into your inner ear. “The Common Stone” displays a dramatic and historical sensibility drawing as much on Brecht’s epic theatre as it does on the great anonymous pool of sources in the British Isles’ living folk traditional….. There’s superlative instrumentals from messrs Thompson and Carthy…. Linda Thompson provides a first-class performance of Davenport’s “You Came Back Down That Long Road”. Songlines

• "Bob has served up a wonderful evening’s entertainment…this album gets nearer to the essence of Bob Davenport than any other he has ever made. At 72, Bob Davenport is still singing with a passion and commitment that few can match". Taplas

• "The singer’s enduring craft and enthusiasm lift it into a highly enjoyable collection." Burton Mail