How Green Is the Valley is the second studio album of The Men They Couldn't Hang. It was released in 1986 after the band were signed to MCA Records following the success of their previous album Night of a Thousand Candles. It is the last album to feature co-founder Shanne Bradley on bass guitar.
| How Green Is the Valley | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Recorded | Elephant Studios, Wapping. | |||
| Genre | Roots rock, Folk-rock, Folk-punk | |||
| Length | 37:25 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Mick Glossop | |||
| The Men They Couldn't Hang chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from How Green Is the Valley | ||||
| ||||
Singles
Three singles were released from the album: "Gold Rush", which included "Gold Strike" on the 12" version, "Ghosts of Cable Street" and "Shirt of Blue". "Ghosts of Cable Street", a song detailing the battle of Cable Street in 1936, used actual recordings of mounted police which could be heard outside the Wapping studios as it was during the time of the Wapping Printers Strike.[1] "Shirt of Blue" was another song, typical of The Men They Couldn't Hang writing material on British history, was the subject of the UK miners' strike (1984–1985). The video features press footage of the conflict between striking miners and the police.[2] The cassette version is the only one to feature additional tracks which were recorded during a live performance at the Electric Ballroom in London's Camden Town.
Personnel
Credits adapted from AllMusic.[3]
- The Men They Couldn't Hang
- Shanne Bradley - bass guitar
- Stefan Cush (a.k.a. Cush) – vocals, guitar, horn
- Jon Odgers – drums, percussion
- Philip Odgers (a.k.a. Swill) – vocals, guitar, tinwhistle, melodica, recorder
- Paul Simmonds - guitar, bouzuki, mandolin, lute, biscuits
- Additional musicians
- Lindsey Lowe – trumpet
- Bobby Valentino – Violin
- Additional personnel
- Mick Glossop – production and engineering
- Richard Haughton – album artwork
- Paul Cox – photography
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gold Strike" | Paul Simmonds | Instrumental | 1:20 |
| 2. | "Gold Rush" | Paul Simmonds | Swill, Cush | 2:03 |
| 3. | "Ghosts of Cable Street" | Paul Simmonds | Swill, Cush | 3:59 |
| 4. | "Dancing on the Pier" | Paul Simmonds | Cush | 2:20 |
| 5. | "The Bells" | Paul Simmonds | Cush | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Wishing Well" | Nick Lowe | Cush | 2:54 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Going Back to Coventry" | Paul Simmonds | Cush | 3:15 |
| 8. | "Shirt of Blue" | Paul Simmonds | Cush | 4:27 |
| 9. | "Rabid Underdog" | Stefan Cush | Cush | 2:12 |
| 10. | "Tiny Soldiers" | Philip Odgers | Swill | 3:41 |
| 11. | "The Parade" | Paul Simmonds | Instrumental | 2:12 |
| 12. | "Parted From You" | Philip Odgers | Swill | 4:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Whiskey with me Giro (live)" | Unknown | Cush | |
| 14. | "Scarlet Ribbons (live)" | Paul Simmonds | Cush |
References
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