Lindisfarne’s first three albums, released on Charisma between 1970 and 1972, are all bonafide classics full of boozy, raggle-taggle charm and endearing amateurism, in a sense, yet made impregnable then and now by Geordie poet, songwriter and vocalist Alan Hull’s searing combination of canny observation, pathos, wit and vitriol.
Famously, a period of working in a mental institution prior to joining the band inspired his writing of the bulk of the material on the first two albums.
The Fog On The Tyne LP delivered a feel-good Top 10 single in Meet Me On The Corner and became the best-selling album in Britain for 1971.
The third album, Dingly Dell, was seen as a disappointment at the time and the band split.
They re-grouped at Christmas 1977 and have more or less carried on treading the boards ever since, albeit now without the late Alan Hull, guitarist Simon Cowe and singer Ray Jackson.
Alan Hull
Vocals
Ray Jackson
Guitar, mandolin, vocals
Simon Cowe
Guitar, mandolin, vocals
Rod Clements
Bass, violin, vocals
Ray Laidlaw
Drums
