The Johnstons
Album: The Johnstons/Give A Damn/The Barley Corn
Label: BGO
Tracks: 38
Website: http://www.bgo-records.com

The Johnstons were one of Ireland's most influential and successful folk groups; their career began in the early 60s, and survived courtesy of expanded lineups through the West-Coast-inspired folk-rock years and into the early 70s, finally calling it a day in 1973. At the start, the group's nucleus was the family folk trio comprising Adrienne, Lucy and Michael; this lineup was often compared favourably to the Seekers, though after a couple of years they were to embrace a far more enterprising choice of material culled largely from American songwriters (a penchant they shared with the nascent Fairport). Coincident with this shift in musical direction came a major lineup change, whereupon Michael left the group and was replaced by Paul Brady and Mick Moloney, both of whom brought a diversity of musical influences, from skiffle to traditional Irish folk, to the group's repertoire of largely contemporary song. They had everything going for them, as their albums showed - vibrant lead and harmony singing and an excellent standard of musicianship, allied to an innate versatility and an exciting and often innovative approach to their chosen material.

This latest reissue presents the group's first three LPs in their entirety, spread over two discs. It scores over the late-90s Castle/Essential reissue by reinstating The Rambler From Clare, the one track from the original LP which had been illogically omitted from the reissue (admittedly for space reasons), and by including all the original sleeve notes as well as an informed and well-written biographical essay by John O'Regan. However, the comparable pair of Castle discs also included album number four, Bitter Green, and a non-album single…

The Johnstons' eponymous debut LP came out early in 1968, at the point when Paul and Mick had joined, and the emphasis was on traditional (mainly Irish) material, with just a couple of covers of Ewan MacColl and Ian Campbell songs; the well-balanced set includes some sparkling instrumental tracks alongside strong versions of The Rounding Of Cape Horn, Fhir A Bhata and Caillerch An Airgid, and the disc is characterised by its bright, forthright singing and keen, pin-sharp playing.

The group's second album, Give A Damn, recorded only months after the first, shifted the emphasis entirely onto contemporary folksong, and included ambitious, quite elaborately arranged and orchestrated covers of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen songs alongside Ewan MacColl's Sweet Thames Flow Softly, two songs by Jacques Brel, and early compositions by Dave Cousins and John Ledingham (who later changed his name to Jonathan Kelly…). However, in order to compensate for this, and to showcase the group's diversity and versatility, album three, The Barley Corn, which had been recorded in tandem with Give A Damn, was released simultaneously in 1969. The Barley Corn comprised exclusively traditional material, and additionally trawled non-Irish repertoire like Ye Jacobites By Name, Sorry The Day I Was Married and The Flower Of Northumberland, invariably in suitably committed performances that appealed both to the purists and the mainstream audiences which they were then commanding. The album was also notable for including Paul Brady's first recording of Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore and a heartfelt reading of the Gaelic narrative ballad Fuigfidh Mise 'n Bail Seo.

Following The Barley Corn, it became difficult for the group to maintain consistency over the range of material, and the release of their next album, the Janus-faced Bitter Green, was to herald the departure of Mick and further personnel changes and a new era for the group (and presumably will attain reissue in a subsequent/future BGO release).

David Kidman