Tuesday 24 August 2010

Sharon People - Inside Looking Out LP



SHARON PEOPLE - Inside looking out LP (Indigo Sound Studios IRS 5510)




Here's the first Xian Psych/Folk album i bought. Got a call about it last year from a fellow digger. I'd never heard of it, but he assured me that i'd like it & if not that i'd easily move it on.

Well, the first few needle drops were anything but positive, but once again, it's the arrangements that set this apart from other LP's. Once i'd sat down to listen in it's entirity it made complete sense to me. Maybe that's the thing with private pressings, once you "get it"; the strange arrangements, the throwing out of the rule book; then you're hooked.

I could never hope to explain the music here. The only thing that came to mind was a Cabaret band playing songs written by Ennio Morricone, arranged by Bryan MacLeane, with Sterling Morrisson guesting on guitar. OK, so that's a bit strong, but how do you compare this to anything else you've ever heard?



Side one is much stronger than side two here, there's a passion throughout side one that seems to be lacking on the other side.

I've come up gainst a complete brick wall on researching this album. It's on the Indigo Sound Studios label out of the Republic of Ireland with a very home made looking sleeve. I originally thought this was a subsiduary of EMI, but i now think it was probably recorded in the EMI studio in the Republic of Ireland that happened to be called Indigo Sound Studios.

I've tried researching the members' names as well, but once again drew a complete blank. Two other diggers i've spoken too said they owned or had seen the Sharon People album, but it seems they are talking about a second album i've seen listed on a Japanese website which appears to be some kind of a stage play using some of the songs & music from this album.

If anyone can throw some light on this album please get in touch, as i am particulary obsessed by it. Who wouldn't be, you just need to hear the passion in the vocals of I'm in Love......if that's what being in love with Jesus Christ is all about, well......

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi

I have this record and the other one referred to. On the other one entitled "That I may dwell among them" on the Sharing Label; on the sleeve notes they make reference to a Rev W Barratt in Manchester 16. It maybe a coincidence but there is a church called SHARON CHURCH in Manchester 16 today. The female singer on the Inside Looking Out album was called Joanie Margerison- she featured in a Granada programme in the 1960's I think which was about the Sharon Church.

Mr Evergreen Winter Man said...

Thank you so much for that information.
Completely new to me and far closer to home than i expected!
Infact, it's less than 20 miles from where i live.
If i get anywhere i'll be sure to update.

timbone said...

Hello. My name is Tim Paton, I am the guy at the bottom of the album sleeve wearing a Jesus tshirt. I played solo trombone with the group and also did all the string and brass arrangements on the album.

Sharon People were a group from Sharon Church on Chorlton Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester.

Inside Looking Out was recorded in the front room of a large Victorian semi in Longsight, Manchester, with a kind of anti room through an archway where we put the drums. It was recorded on a Revox 2 track reel to reel through an 8 channel mixer. Lots of wired microphones and the reverb was provided by the famous Wem unit which worked via a tape loop!

If you have any further questions as to where everyone is and what they are doing or anything else then please ask.

By the way, only today I have uploaded the whole album onto you tube, INSIDE LOOKING OUT Sharon People