01 Out in the open 5.15
02 Long, hot summer 2.58
03 Venus in furs 3.32
04 Paper Devils & Spirits of Fire 3.41
05 Dangerous Age 3.42
06 Magpies 3.29
07 After the Show 3.23
08 A Transylvanian Liebestod 4.33
09 One of those days 3.06
10 The Mysterious case of Sherlock Holmes 5.54
11 Claptrap Rap 5.07
12 The Oddsock Blues 7.04
13 Hot Robin 2.48
14 The English Blues 5.08
Total running time: 65.39
PAPER DEVILS & SPIRITS OF FIRE
Brambus 1992 36-2 (CD.)
A seriously entertaining album by an English singer/songwriter who doesn't take himself too seriously at times ... His acoustic guitar-playing is elegant and precise ... His vocal style is not unlike Martin Carthy, heavy on emotions and inflection.
Dirty Linen. U.S.A.
This is a mixture of spirited madness and 'live' devilry. There are some blues, some ballads, a touch of romance, a fit or two of politics and, later on, a vampire employing the services of a computer-dating agency (incidentally, the Banshee's voice is mine, courtesy of extremely tight trousers); a day when everything goes wrong; and Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson stumped by the most un-elementary and mystifying problem of their career. The last four tracks are all 'live', and present a Rap parody; a tongue-in-cheek Blues explanation of what happens to all those missing odd-socks, Robin Hood and accompanying cast exploring the possibilities of yoga, jogging and hula-hoop; and, finally, an explanation, and very convincing demonstration, of the true, Bronze-age origins of the Blues. If you're very observant, and absolutely stuck for something to do, you may be able to identify the 'Paper devil' and the 'spirits of fire' in the background of the front cover photo.
'Paper Devils and Spirits of Fire,
where do we go from here. Better than a bullet or a funeral pyre,
you know it isn't merely
'win or lose' or 'time will tell'. Whatever they lose you lose as well,
and you can't drag people down to hell without getting your fingers burned.
Isn't it time we learned?'
From: Paper Devils and Spirits of Fire
