Tracks: All Over Town / Wait A Minute / Pike Country Breakdown / Sparkling Green Eyes / I’ve Been Lifted Up / Muddy Water / Unseen Guest / Hello / Rough and Rocky / Clock On The Wall / Taking Your Picture from The Wall / Just When I Needed You Most / Chairman’s Bounce / I’ll Be There / Why, Why, Why / Like I Used To Do

Personnel: Bob Armstrong (dobro, vocals), Bill Forster (banjo, vocals), Brian Curtis (vocals, guitar), John Allen (bass, vocals), Ron Stevens (mandolin) and Bob Winquist (special guest: fiddle)

THIS SIXTEEN TRACK CD is one of the best and most original that I have ever heard from a British Bluegrass band. It deserves a lot more success than it will probably have. This, their first CD, is long overdue.

Rehearsals for this 5-piece band must be difficult as it’s members come from all over England: Leeds, Coventry, Birmingham and Nenthead in Cumbria. Not exactly living next door to each other, but practise must be possible judging by this CD. They also do a lot of writing, as there are nine originals, including an instrumental. The other seven tracks come from various sources, including Herb Pederson, Phil Rosenthal and Tim O’Brien and Pat Algar. There is even one from Randy Van Warmer. Although this is mostly a bluegrass gospel album, they are much more than a bluegrass band, as this is such a good CD.

The Acme Band and "unseen guest":
Ron Stevens, John Allan, Bill Forster
Bob Armstrong Brian Curtis.
Centre: Bob U.Winquist (fiddle)

All Over Town was written by Brian Curtis and Bob Armstrong and it is a good opening track. It starts with a mandolin intro, has a fairly high lead vocal and good harmonies. It also features a simple mandolin break, a steady mandolin and dobro in the background; a nice gentle starter. Wait A Minute, written by underrated songwriter Herb Pederson, starts with a banjo backup. Pike County Breakdown is an instrumental which starts with solo mandolin followed in by the banjo and the dobro. It is then nicely driven along by banjo throughout. Sparkling Green Eyes is another original and this is my favourite track. It is a lilting waltz with a nice gentle lead vocal, good background singing and a lot of gentle fiddle.

Guitarist Brian Curtis wrote the rousing gospel gong I’ve Been Lifted Up. It has a happy sound with five-piece harmonies and a very prominent banjo and dobro backing. Muddy Water, written by Phil Rosenthal (formerly of the Seldom Scene) has a high lonesome sad sound, lots of banjo and good high harmony. Unseen Guest, written by Bob Armstrong, is sung a capella style. It is a gospel song and the high harmony voices really compliment each other. Brian Curtis authored Hello, which starts with the banjo and bass, then dobro joins in. It has a high lead voice with swirling harmonies.

Rough and Rocky is an old favourite of mine and this version is as good as any I have heard. It starts with a very lively mandolin and dobro intro and has excellent lead vocals, fine harmonies and a lively banjo in the background. Clock On The Wall is yet another group original It is a very sentimental song, lead off by guitar and dobro and mostly has a lone voice throughout. Taking Your Picture From The Wall starts off with banjo and then voices blend in. It has a dobro and mandolin breaks and is driven along nicely by banjo, dobro and mandolin. Randy Van Warmer’s Just When I Needed You Most seemed like an odd choice of song, but it is one of the standout tracks, starting gently with a mandolin intro followed first by dobro and then a long solo vocal - lots of gentle dobro and a brilliant background chorus at the end.

Chairman’s Bounce is the second instrumental track written by Ron Stevens, the mandolin player. It starts with a long mandolin intro, good dobro and banjo with all instruments taking a turn, but the mandolin takes lead throughout. Another standout track is I’ll Be There, a traditional song with new lyrics by Brian Curtis. Starting with dobro intro, it has a nice lilting lead vocal, fiddle break, mandolin break and lots of gentle fiddle backup. Why, Why, Why is a very lively song, lead in by banjo, fast banjo solo, then driven along by banjo, mandolin and dobro. Nice lilting harmonies all through. The last track Like I Used To Do was written by Tim O’Brien and Pat Algar and is an excellent song to finish with. Gentle guitar intro, nice dobro, prominent banjo backup and gentle harmonies.

This is the very best CD I have ever heard by any British country or bluegrass band. It is equal to anything coming out if America at the moment and deserves to sell millions. So get out and buy it now!

Ivon Evans, Pallion, Sunderland

Previous ACME articles | July 1997| ACME band history | Gig report |

1st July 1999