(Folk) Moths - Heron's Daughter - 1970, MP3, 192 kbps

Recorded in 1970 but not released until 1994, the Moths' Heron's Daughter album was competent but very derivative British folk. Not that it really pretended to be anything else, having been recorded by college students pretty much for their own pleasure, without any expectation that it would be reissued by a specialist label a quarter of a century later. With flute and bongos supporting the guitar-and-bass-playing singers, it's largely devoted to covers, executed competently but dryly. Those covers do expose their main influences, as they play four songs alone by Bert Jansch, as well as one apiece by Bob Dylan and Tim Buckley. Give them credit, at least, for picking some unusual tunes. There couldn't have been that many other covers recorded anywhere of Buckley's "Phantasmagoria in Two," or of anything whatsoever by original Incredible String Band member Clive Palmer (whose "Empty Pocket Blues" is one of the tracks) and cult American singer/songwriter David Ackles (whose "Be My Friend" closes the disc). The group's reserved, understated approach, however, does have the effect of making all of these diverse folk and folk-rock songs by notable composers sound like somewhat humdrum, similar-sounding folk with a British pastoral edge. Of the two originals by the group's John Ellis, "The Heron Song" is a decent Jansch-like tune, but the jug band romp, "A Stupid Song" (complete with kazoo and hiccups), is unfortunately a little too accurately titled.

John Ellis - vocals & guitar
Mike Jones - vocals & guitar
John Dunn - vocals & bass
Neil Cawley - flute
John Beazer - bongos