(Progressive Folk) Phil Beer - Rhythm Methodist - 2005, MP3, 320 kbps

Phil Beer (born 12 May 1953, Exminster, Devon) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and one half of English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.Beer first began to play fiddle, guitar, and mandolin whilst still at school in Teignmouth, Devon. This passion for acoustic music was especially stirred by the Davey Graham album Folk Blues and Beyond. He played his first gig when he was fourteen in a band called Retrospect with Richard Entwistle, John Allman and Martin Pike and other musicians, and by the time he was sixteen he was performing regularly. Beer worked with Paul Downes as a duo from 1974 and also in the Arizona Smoke Revue 1980. He was a key member of Johnny Coppin's band (ex-Decameron), and together they collaborated with Nigel Mazlyn Jones on his 1979 Sentinel album. He toured with Mike Oldfield in 1979 and also recorded some tracks at Oldfield's Througham studio. Beer joined the Albion Band in 1984 and stayed with them until 1991, touring extensively at home and abroad, and recording many albums. Show of Hands became a full-time partnership from 1991. Beer continues to do session work, most notably on the Rolling Stones Steel Wheels album, Steve Harley's Poetic Justice and countless other mainstream and less high profile projects. He operates the Show of Hands' recording studio, Riverside, in Exeter and records and produces several albums each year. Recent projects include two albums for folk fiddle player Jackie Oates, two albums for former Spinners singer Mick Groves, An album for folk musician Jez Lowe, An album for singer-songwriter Tom Palmer and an album for north Devon singer Jenna.

his is Phil Beer's first solo album in nine years and offers two CDs - one of songs and one of instrumentals. The music on this CD confirms what we already know. Phil is a multi instrumentalist of extraordinary talent who can also produce and engineer a recording to a high standard. The instrumental collection has some interesting arrangements of a variety of mostly traditional tunes though for me the highlight is the slide guitar on his version of Linda Thompson's 'Telling Me Lies'. Terrific musicianship throughout. Our hero plays just about everything but also has creditable help from the likes of Steve Crickett and Nick Quarmby.
The collection of songs is a different matter. The title is a reference to his religious upbringing, but 'Unfettered' might have been a better choice. Phil has been let loose with all the 'toys' at his disposal and nobody to gainsay him. This is a delightful plundering of the catalogues of Dylan, Steely Dan and Jackson Browne via Jimmy Cliff. Each song has his individual stamp on it and I reckon these arrangements were a labour of love. I particularly like his cover of The Band's epic 'Acadian Driftwood'. Six minutes or so of real passion. I was also enchanted by his acapella rendering of Jackson Browne's 'Our Lady of the Well' in duet with Deb Sandland.