Amazing Blondel was an English acoustic progressive folk band, consisting of Eddie Baird, John Gladwin and Terry Wincott. They released LPs on Island Records in the early 1970s. They were sometimes categorised as psychedelic folk or as medieval folk rock, but their music was more a reinvention of Renaissance music, based around the use of period instruments such as lutes and recorders.

History

In the 1960s Gladwin (guitar and vocals) and Wincott (guitar and vocals) formed a band called The Dimples, with Stuart Smith (drums) and Johnny Jackson (bass guitar). They were signed to the Decca label and recorded a single, "Love of a Lifetime". The B-side, written by Gladwin, was titled "My Heart is Tied to You". The record did not chart, although the B-side later became popular on the Northern soul scene.

After the break up of The Dimples, Gladwin and Wincott formed a loud electric band called Methuselah. After what Baird described as "a disastrous showbiz record signing", Amazing Blondel were introduced by members of the band Free to Chris Blackwell of Island Records and Artists. John Gladwin died on 16 May 2025, aged 77.

Style of music

The band composed most of their music themselves, basing it on the form and structure of Renaissance music and featuring styles such as pavanes, galliards and madrigals. Their sound was sometimes categorised as psychedelic folk, but would have been instantly recognisable to students of early music. Terry Wincott described it as "pseudo-Elizabethan/Classical acoustic music sung with British accents". Baird is quoted as saying "People used to ask us, 'How would you describe your music?' Well, there was no point asking us, we didn't have a clue." Their music has been compared to that of Gryphon and Pentangle, although Amazing Blondel did not embrace the rock influences of the former or the folk and jazz influences of the latter. They were also likened to Jethro Tull.

Later instruments

The band employed a wide range of acoustic instruments (see above) but central to their sound was their use of lute and recorders. When touring, the lutes proved to be difficult to use, in terms of amplification and tuning, for stage performance. In 1971 the band commissioned the construction of two 7-string guitars, which could be played in lute tuning. The design and construction of these instruments was undertaken by David Rubio, who made classical guitars, lutes, and other early instruments for classical players, including Julian Bream and John Williams.

Gladwin's instrument was designed to have more bass as it was used mainly as an accompaniment instrument. Baird's had more treble emphasis to allow melodic playing in the higher register to predominate. The two instruments were individually successful, and also blended well together. They also proved to be stable, from a tuning point of view, for stage performance. The guitars were fitted with internal microphones to simplify amplification.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable"

! Title

! Year

! Label

! Line-up

|-

|The Amazing Blondel (aka The Amazing Blondel and a Few Faces)

|1970

|Bell Records

|John Gladwin, Terry Wincott

|-

|Evensong

|1970

|Island Records

| rowspan="3" | Eddie Baird, John Gladwin, Terry Wincott

|-

|Fantasia Lindum

|1971

|Island Records

|-

|England

|1972

|Island Records

|-

|Blondel

|1973

|Island Records

| rowspan="4" | Eddie Baird, Terry Wincott

|-

|Mulgrave Street

|1974

|DJM Records

|-

|Inspiration

|1975

|DJM Records

|-

|Bad Dreams

|1976

|DJM Records

|-

|Restoration

|1997

|HTD Records

|Eddie Baird, John Gladwin, Terry Wincott

|-

|The Amazing Elsie Emerald

|2010

|Talking Elephant

|Eddie Baird, Terry Wincott

|}

Other releases

  • Live in Tokyo (1977) (actually this live album was recorded in Europe)
  • Englishe Musicke (compilation), Edsel Records, (1993)
  • A Foreign Field That Is Forever England (recorded live, 1972–1973) HTD Records (1996)
  • Evensong/Fantasia Lindum, Beat Goes On 626 (2004)
  • Going Where The Music Takes Me (Live & Studio Archive recordings From The 60's To the 80's) (2-CD-Box + DVD), Shakedown Records (2004)(Compilation with 38 unreleased songs; no Amazing Blondel recordings but songs by the individual members)
  • Harvest of gold - The English Folk Almanach (Live sampler including recordings from Steeleye Span; Fairport Convention and Magna Carta as well as five live recordings by Amazing Blondel from the early 1970s which are otherwise unreleased)

References

  • Blondel CD re-issues and latest news on their reformation courtesy of Talking Elephant
  • The last snapshot of the official site of Amazing Blondel
  • The official site of Ebbatson Baird