Arctic City - Music

Marc Brierley Born 9 October 1944 Is An English Singer Songwriter Who Was Part Of The British Contemporary Folk Scene From 1966 To 1973. He Was A Contemporary And Friend Of Guitarists Bert Jansch And John Renbourn Amongst Others. Brierley Recorded His First E.P. In 1966 On Transatlantic Records. It Featured Him Solely On Guitar And Vocals - Playing A Style Reminiscent Of Bert Jansch. Notable Tracks On The E.P. Are 'Time For Love' A Song Later Covered By Eclection An Early Band Featuring Trevor Lucas - Who Was Later To Form Fotheringay With Sandy Denny And Then Join Fairpoint Convention . 'Time For Love' Was Also Featured On Transatlantic's 'The Best Of British Folk Vol. 2' And Sanctuary Record's CD Compilation 'Footprints In The Snow' 'Arctic City' Was Written About A Young Sandy Denny And The Instrumental 'Dragonfly' Was Later To Feature On The Seminal Album 'The Electric Muse The Story Of Folk Into Rock'. Through His Desire To Experiment With More Complex Arrangements Brierley Signed To CBS One Of The First Of The British Folk Scene Singer/songwriters To Sign To A Major Label. His First Release On CBS Was The Psychedelic Influenced 'Welcome To The Citadel' In 1968. 'Welcome To The Citadel' Features Jazz Inflected Drumming And Electric Bass Trumpet And Violin From Henry Lowther And Cello From Claire Lowther Who Later Would Feature On Nick Drake Recordings . These Songs Have Been Compared To Tim Buckley And Nick Drake - But Were Written And Recorded A Few Years Prior To Nick Drake Recordings And Before Tim Buckley Was Known In The UK. His Second Album Released In 1969 'Hello' Was A More Polished Commercial Affair Featuring Full String Arrangements Flute From Harold Macnair And Piano From Dudley Moore Yes That Dudley Moore... . The Songs Are Tighter With More Obvious Humour- And Influences Range From Biff Rose Writer Of 'Fill Your Heart' - Later Covered By David Bowie On 'Hunky Dory' To 'The Band' 'Crosby Stills And Nash' To 'Traffic'. The Noteworthy Tracks On 'Hello' Are 'Lady Of The Light' Which Later Cropped Up Slightly Rewritten On A Harvey Andrew's Album And 'Sunny Weather' Which Was Featured As Part Of The 2006 Cricket Australia Promotional Campaign. His Final Release On CBS Was The Single 'Be My Brother' In 1970 Which Had His Most Focussed Sound Yet And Is Very Reminiscent Of 'The Band' The Track Features Andy Bown Later To Join Status Quo On Piano. Brierley Continued To Tour In The Early 70s Including A UK Tour Supporting Fairport Convention And Touring The University Circuit As The Duo Brierly Cross With Steve Cross On Lead Guitar And Harmony Vocals . After Supporting Traffic In 1972 Brierley Was Courted By Island Records. This Led To A Recording Session At The Island Studios For A Proposed New Album But By The End Of 1973 He Had Retired From The Music Scene For Good. His Complete Recorded Output 'Autograph Of Time- The Complete Recording 1966-1970' Was Released In 2006 On A Double CD By Sanctuary Records On Their Castle Music Imprint. It Compiles His Two CBS L.P.S His Transatlantic E.P. And His Two CBS Singles. read less