Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Madden And Harris (psych folk, prog. folk / Australia)

Biography:

Madden And Harris is a folk duo from Sydney Australia, Madden And Harris had the particularity of being a teacher/pupil team, Peter Harris being a classically trained music teacher who was a multi-instrumentalist (from keyboards to winds, harp and guitars), while Dave Madden was a guitar student of the former. The duo started playing together as early as 72, releasing a single in 74 (Remember Me and its flipside, A Simple Song, both track a pure UK/Celtic-like folk drenched in mellotron), before releasing their only album in 75, Fools Paradise. This album was released on their own private label, Jasmine Records, and only 500 copies were pressed. It was a suopebly illustrated gatefold album with an extremely fascinating innerfold, drawn by Jane Lerossognol and named Fool's Paradise. The album's sidelong suite is dedicated to this painting, and the arrangements are fully progressive some movements are drowned in mellotron drones. Harris once said of Fool's Paradise: "our music lies halfway between a 16th century chamber sound with light jazzy influenced breaks", but there is a pure 60/70's folk-rock vein to be found in their music as well. 

The album sank without a trace and nothing is known of the two author's post M&H days in music. Apparently the album saw a reissue in the very early 90's, but we had to wait for the Korean label M2U to release this album in its full-blown splendour, a mini-Lp with the non-album single tracks added as sweet bonuses. 

Musicians:

David Madden (vocals, guitar, bass) 
Peter Harris (vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin, piano, organ, mellotron, harpsichord, bassoon, saxophone, zither, cello)


Discography:

- Fools Paradise (1975)



 Fool's Paradise  (Full Album, 1975): https://youtu.be/MkG58lT3O2w :





Source: Prog Archives


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