Search - Robin Williamson :: Glint At The Kindling/Selected Writings [2 on 1]

Chillingly good.

06/16/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD may be the best example of a Bardic performance anywhere. It's a rich mixture of songs and spoken pieces, traditional tunes and original ones, following both timeless mythic themes and intensely personal ones. I love it.The two showpieces of this album have to be "Five Denials on Merlin's Grave" and "Edinburgh", each of which is over ten minutes long. They're both spoken pieces; long, lovingly-crafted poems evoking wonderfully intense moods. That's about the extent of the similarity, however. "Five Denials" traces the history of the British Isles, comparing the dry historical texts with the meaty stuff of myth and poetry, resounding always with the refrain "I will not forget!" "Edinburgh" plays with layered voices and sound effects to paint a picture of a city haunted by the ghosts of its past, and filled with a population shaped by the haunting.Other pieces on the album should not be ignored, however. "Mabon's Song" sends chills down my spine every time I hear it, "Lough Foyle" is fun and funny, and "Hard Wood Logs" takes and old rhyme that my Grandfather hung in his woodshed and sets it to music.All in all, this album illustrates a flexibility and artistry that makes Mr. Williamson, in my humble opinion, one of the last True Bards.Buy it. Listen to it. Enjoy it."

One of My Favorite CDs

Mark K. Mcdonough | Reston, VA USA | 06/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many years ago, I owned "A Glint at the Kindling" on LP, and was fortunate enough to buy one of what turned out to be a limited edition of 3,500 CDs on a business trip to London about a decade ago. "Kindling," a concept album dealing with Williamson's boyhood, was one of my favorite LPs of the 1970s, and at first, I thought of the "Selected Writings" as an annoyance tacked on to the end. Then I listened to it. In my opinion, an artist owes the world exactly nothing, but Robin, if you're reading this, please bring out another edition. "Edinburgh" alone is worth the price of admission -- a 19-minute rant that is one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. I have a lot of CDs, but if I had to chose a dozen "desert island disks" this would definitely be one of them."