TREES
Trees (50th Anniversary Box Set) FIRE
Four-disc set from overlooked UK folk-rock pioneers.
Trees’ two studio albums The Garden Of Jane Delawney (1970) and On The Shore (1971) exemplify the spirit of adventure that ran through an era when the British folk revival of the early 60s came up against rock, and was an adjunct to progressive rock - the group shared bills with Genesis and Yes. Trees have suffered, rather unfairly, with comparisons to Fairport Convention as although there was some stylistic overlap, they had a strong individual character Celia Humphris is an exceptional singer with stratospheric top notes and lead guitarist Barry Clarke plays with attack and imagination, while Unwin Brown’s crisp stickwork steers them away from the sort of rhythmic plod that bedevilled some 70s folk rock. And their original material, mainly written by bass and keyboard player Bias Boshell, has a timeless feel.