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The Legends of Tomorrow – The Weather at World’s End: 1997-2022

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07/04/2023

The Legends of Tomorrow
The Weather at World’s End: 1997–2022
TALKING ELEPHANT RECORDS TECD482 – RELEASED: 7 APRIL 2023

‘Colin Harper writes passionately about the music of these islands. ‘The Weather at World’s End’ showcases his own remarkable contribution to that music over 25 years with “the Greatest Northern Irish Supergroup That Never Existed”. Essential!’
Barry Devlin (Horslips), 2023

‘The Weather at World’s End: 1997–2022’ anthologises 20 songs from 25 years of Colin Harper’s under-the-radar ‘studio band’ the Legends of Tomorrow. Dozens of musicians/recording artists from Northern Ireland’s rock, blues, folk, punk, jazz and traditional music communities and guests from further afield have joyously contributed to Legends’ recordings over that period – only a few of which have been nationally released – and this anthology features 50 of these collaborators.

Of the 20 tracks, 18 are Harper compositions and the others are by 60s British folk enigma Anne Briggs and 70s Australian rock god Billy Thorpe. There are two 2023 remixes of 1997 tracks, one previously unreleased track and two new tracks: ‘Better Weather’, featuring rising Yorkshire folk sensation Katie Spencer (vocals) plus jazz stars Linley Hamilton (flugelhorn) and Scott Flanigan (piano); and ‘All We Need is Love’, featuring soulful Americana recording artist Janet Henry (vocals) in her first new collaboration with Colin in 15 years, plus Belfast guitar hero Norman Boyd (Stonefish/Protex) and, on BVs, Alison O’Donnell (Mellow Candle) and Joby Fox (Bankrobbers/Energy Orchard).

The anthology majors on the ‘classic rock’ aspect of the Legends’ canon and features 14 lead vocalists, including Dave McLarnon (Shock Treatment), Tíona McSherry (Tamalin), Mickey Rafferty (the Minnows), Rick Monro (Sweet Mary Jane), Alison O’Donnell (Mellow Candle), Helen McGurk, Janet Henry, Katie Spencer, Ciaran Gribbin (INXS), Bruce McClements (Strawman) and Lyndsay Crothers (Wookalily). The 32-page booklet includes Harper’s telling of the secret history of the ensemble and a ‘reunion photo session’ bringing together almost all of the featured vocalists along with Harper and his key collaborators over the past 25 years: Ali Mackenzie (bass), Cormac O’Kane (keys, production) and Mark Case (graphic design/promo videos).

Promotion will include promo videos of the two new tracks: ‘Better Weather’ by acclaimed animator Marry Waterson, including film of vocalist Katie Spencer; and ‘All We Need is Love’, an ersatz performance video shot at a Belfast club by Mark Case.

Colin Harper is an established music historian – author of six books including acclaimed biographies of Bert Jansch and John McLaughlin and a history of uillean piping, and curator of increasingly colossal box sets for various labels on the likes of Ian Carr’s Nucleus, the Pretty Things, Horslips and Lindisfarne. His current project is a 20CD Martin Carthy at the BBC for Snapper.

In the 90s, Colin was a full-time writer for Q, Mojo, The Independent, The Irish Times and others, and chronicler of the vibrant Northern Irish live scene for the Irish News. Discreetly, he began a parallel path as a recording artist and songwriter. In 1997, the first Legends album – featuring 33 musicians – was ‘released’ in a run of 200 cassettes. Most further works were similarly low-run affairs – but demand for ‘Sunset Cavaliers’ (2016) and ‘Titanium Flag: Expanded Edition’ (2017) (both released nationally under his own name but effectively Legends projects) convinced him there was no longer anything to be coy about.

‘It started as just scratching a creative itch,’ says Harper, ‘and it became a festival of friends over the next 25 years, appearing and disappearing like the Cheshire Cat. It spans generations – Mia O’Donnell (21) to Alison O’Donnell (69, no relation) on this album – and it ignores status. I’ve had the likes of Jan Akkerman, Chris Spedding, Martin Hayes and Duffy Power on previous releases – but I’m just as honoured to work with unsung heroes and rising stars. There’s a line in ‘Be the One’ (1997): ‘I met my heroes then / I made them all my friends’ – and by and large I did. These days, we huddle together for warmth – creating music ‘because it’s there’. Too late to stop now!’

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Comments

    • Thank you, Bazza – and good question! 😀 I’m awaiting that mammoth mogul Malcolm over at Talking Elephant getting his guy to update the Elephant’s pages. In a day or two, hopefully. It’ll be around here: https://talkingelephant.co.uk/

      I suppose I should have mentioned that the CD contains a 32-page booklet.

    • Thank you, Foxmeister! Here’s another taster from the album – a hitherto unreleased 2001 recording, a cover of a song credited to Anne Briggs on her 1971 album ‘The Time Has Come’ – sung her by the sensational Janet Henry.

  9. That song ‘Better Weather’ is an instant classic. The band is so fluid and generous, elegantly leaving spaces for the highlights; Katie’s vocal is right up there with the absolute best, the bass and piano parts are perfect, and the flugelhorn, oh, yes, so gracefully judged. A triumph all round.

  12. A sampler I cobbled together yesterday. Expect a faux performance promo video for ‘All We Need is Love’ soon. Might feature man who should know better leaping around…

  14. You constantly surprise and delight me, Colin!

    But what on earth are doing comparing yourself to the Orrible Oo?

    I bet Keith Moon never knew a fraction of what you know about beautiful, deeply obscure, uninhabited, islands in the far north, frozen parts of Europe. If you weren’t a musician, you could be leading expeditions to places that are magnificently off the map.

    • I’m an armchair traveller, Fatz! I really don’t like being away from home for more than a couple of days. I travelled upwards (and then downwards) a bit in that promo, though… 😀

      • I’d never have suspected, Colin. I was fully convinced you’d been clambering up those Drangarnir stacks.

        If you are an armchair traveller, that armchair of your has knocked up an impressive number of airmiles!

        Two films about far-off frozen places that I suspect I may have mentioned before. The same story told in rather different ways,

        Titina (Norway 2022)

        The Red Tent (USSR 1969) Starring Sean Connery as Raoul Amundsen and Peter Finch as Evito Nobile)

        The IMDB page is worth a look.

        https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067315/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

        “This film was released in two primary versions. The version released in Russia was presented in a Sovscope 70 70mm roadshow version running over 2 1/2 hours (prints of various running times reportedly existed). The non-Russian speaking cast members were dubbed into Russian. For the rest of the world there was created an “International Version” which was cut down to 121 minutes, had the 2.20:1 Sovscope 70 format cropped to 1.66:1 spherical widescreen, and had the original score replaced with one by noted Italian composer Ennio Morricone. This version used the original English language voice tracks of the lead actors.”

        • Fascinating! By coincidence, I’m currently reading Jonathan Clements’ 2005 book ‘The Vikings’ – erudite, dryly amusing in places, probably the best concise exploration of their world, voyages and culture.

            • I can confidently stand over that 7 quid you’ll be parting with, Fatz! I am particularly taken so far in the book with passing references to a seemingly inexhaustible supply of bizarrely named characters such as Bodvar the Wise, Halli the Sarcastic, Halfdan the Stingy, his fiscally wayward son Guthroth the Generous and, most delightfully, Eyvindr the Plagiarist – a poet whose works were of seemingly questionable originality. 😃

              Astoundingly, Google tells me Eyvindr is mentioned in the Norwegian national anthem.

              It reminds me of early Anglo-Saxon king Æthelred the Unready, whose moniker came not from a tendency to tardiness but from a false updating of the Old English ‘unræd’, meaning ‘badly advised’. It makes one think of the fellow as a sort of hapless Captain Mainwaring character with a chainmail-sporting Sgt Wilson pottering along beside him saying ‘Are you sure that’s wise, Sir?’ 😃 Perhaps Eyvindr had a similar sidekick mumbling ‘Are you sure you actually wrote that, Sir?’

  18. It seems that today is release day. 🙂 Should anyone wish to listen, minus the lavish 32-page booklet ( 😀 ), it’s all on Amazon Music (can’t seem to post a link though) and YouTube.

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