Search - John Tams :: The Reckoning

Deluxe CD issue of the award-winning 2005 Topic album plus 3 bonus tracks (2 previously unreleased). Includes 28 page booklet with new sleeve notes by acclaimed journalist/Sandy Denny biographer, Mick Houghton and new intro by John Tams. Originally released in 2005, John Tams' third and final album, 'The Reckoning' received produced a triple whammy at the following year's BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, winning Best Album, Best Traditional Track (for Bitter Withy) and Folk Singer of the Year. A masterful collection of traditional and self-composed material including a spellbinding reading of 'The Bitter Withy,' a powerful reworking of 'A Man Of Constant Sorrow' and a magnificient set of sea songs including 'Pretty Nancy' and 'A Sailor's Life.' The musical settings range from sparse acoustics to full-on band recordings with such musicians as Barry Coope and fellow Albion Band and Home Service alumni Graham Taylor and Roger Wilson. This new deluxe CD re-issue, as part of the new Topic Treasures series to celebrate the label's 80th anniversary, features original album artwork, new sleeve notes by respected journalist/Sandy Denny biographer, Mick Houghton, a new intro by Tams and 3 bonus tracks ? two previously unreleased. John Tams was a member of Derbyshire folk group Muckram Wakes in the 1970s, then worked with Ashley Hutchings as singer and melodeon-player on albums including 'Son of Morris On,' and as a member of the British folk rock group Albion Band. Splitting with Hutchings in the 1980s, he formed Home Service. Tams may be best known for playing a regular supporting role (to Sean Bean) in the ITV drama series Sharpe, as rifleman Daniel Hagman. He also co-wrote the music for the series alongside Dominic Muldowney. In 1996, Tams and Muldowney released the best-selling album,' 'Over the Hills & Far Away: The Music of Sharpe.' This album has sold over 120,000 copies. He also worked as a music consultant on War Horse at the National Theatre - the most successful show ever staged by the National which received six nominations for the Olivier Awards, including one for the Best Sound, for Tams and fellow team members Chris Shutt and Adrian Sutton.