What does it sound like?:
Subtitled The Very Best of Richard Hawley, this retrospective two cd set takes a long lingering look back at Hawley’s career, spread over thirty two tracks. It’s not in chronological order, which is a little frustrating, as personally I like to hear how an artist has developed and progressed over the years, but that’s by the by really. Hawley is known for his affection for his home town, his rich vocals eulogising and romanticising the people and places of his native city of Sheffield in his songs and also in his album titles – Lowedges. Hollow Meadows, Cole’s Corner, Lady’s Bridge and Truelove’s Gutter to name but a few, and one of the very earliest songs here is the single Naked in Pittsmoor. I do prefer the ballads, sometimes brooding, sometimes uplifting, to the more uptempo rockabilly style songs, but each to their own of course. The selection covers the full span of his twenty year plus solo career, although there’s only one previously unreleased song, and it throws in a few B sides, such as the beautiful instrumental Kelham Island, alongside the cherry picked album tracks. There’s also his super cover of Dylan’s Ballad of a Thin Man taken from the Peaky Blinders soundtrack, and the excellent ominous There’s A Storm A’Comin’ from the Brighton Rock remake of a few years ago. Personal favourites have to be the epic The Ocean and the psychedelic tinged Don’t Stare at the Sun and She Brings Sunlight, but there’s lots more great music to discover here. To sum up then, a comprehensive overview of a great career, one that still hopefully has much more to offer.
What does it all *mean*?
To paraphrase one of the more recent songs on here, this is an album full of little treasures
Goes well with…
Enjoying a pint or two of bitter in Fagins or The Grapes with your mates.
Release Date:
Out now.
Might suit people who like…
If you’re not familiar with the work of Richard Hawley then this is the ideal place to start putting that right.
Nice review as usual Bargie. I have this comp and you’ve covered everything very well. I also have all of R.H.’s albums so I had no doubt about the worth of the comp. I don’t mind that the tracks are mixed up chronologically. I just wish the great man would get it together and give us some new material.
I too have all of his studio albums but will be getting this for the few tracks that I dont have plus it’s nice to have most of his best songs in one place.
A great artist – something new wouldn’t go amiss.
Funny artist Richard Hawley. I should love him, he’s from my home town and many of his songs I know where they are about, but really struggle to get into him. Just doesn’t move me however hard I try….and I’ve tried a lot
Well go back and try some more !
Excellent review, Bargepole. It reminded me to go and listen to him again.
I was extremely chuffed that I managed to get a ticket when RH played Berns in Stockholm a few years back- He was superb.
Excellent review. Even though I have all the albums, I will still probably get this compilation.
I believe that the musical “Standing At The Sky’s Edge” will be in London next year (The National ?). I saw it at The Crucible in Sheffield when we visited family last year – highly recommended.
Yes I also saw it at The Crucible – transfers to The National in February.
Truelove Gutter is for me the real gem in his splendid catalogue. Can heartily recommend Standing at the Skys Edge. Saw it at the National earlier this and one of the best things I’ve seen at the theatre – and I’m not a musicals kind of guy.
Truelove Gutter is a fabulous, fabulous album.
Great compilation.
Like Chris F, I bought this (on vinyl) despite having all the albums (on CD). I then went out and bought the CD as a “present” for Mrs JG’s car
Got my tickets to see him (second time) at Dubln’s Olympia in May yesterday am
Coles Corner is a brilliant late-night album, and he’s done some fabulous songs.
I saw him in Sheffield last year, and I was rather disappointed with the setlist. He played three nights at the same venue, in fairness, so perhaps he’d already played Run for Me!
His appearance on “Word In Your Attic” recently was superb and well worth watch……
At one point, he talks about receiving a call from Cillian Murphy about doing “Ballad Of A Thin Man” for Peaky Blinders. He was in Fagin’s (Sheffield Pub) and says Tom, the landlord passed him the phone – I believe this is referring to a guy called Tom Boulding who was one of my Engiish teachers at All Saints in Sheffield and left in (I think) my 4th year to run a pub……