A-Z Artist Index Compilations Record Labels Media
Help Us! Contact Us Resources Timeline
Bio:
PR blurb: "Terry Woods could with some justice claim to be one of the founding
fathers of electric folk in Britain. In the late sixties he was involved with
two of the earliest groups from the folk world to plug in. Sweeney's Men was
formed with fellow Irish musicians Andy Irvine and Johnny Moynihan and for a
short time included Henry McCullough (later of the Grease Band and Wings) on
guitar. Terry still recalls the consternation they caused at the 1968 Cambridge
Folk Festival. The next year the idea of an electric band playing folk songs
took another step forward when Terry was playing football on Hampstead Heath
with Ashley Hutchings, who'd just left Fairport Convention. The result was
Steeleye Span in which Terry was joined by his wife Gay and another duo, Tim
Hart and Maddy Prior. That first Steeleye Span line-up lasted only a few months,
long enough to cut the Hark! The Village Wait album before the Woods struck out
on their own to form the Woods Band. The band appeared predominantly in Europe
and recorded this one album."
Band formed by Gay & Terry Woods after leaving Steeleye Span
and playing briefly with Dr Strangely Strange.
With guitarist Ed Deane (ex Blueshouse,
Granny's Intentions ) and drummer
Pat Nash (ex Granny's Intentions). The band had no
permanent bass player. Gay's brother Austin Corcoran played bass (and acoustic
guitar) on some tracks on their sole LP, recorded in August 1971. Producer Tony
Reeves (ex Colosseum bassist) played bass on the rest.
Ex Granny's Intentions pianist
John Ryan also guested on the album.
The album was released in December 1971. It's a mixture of originals, including a new recording of
the Sweeney's Men track "Dreams",
and adaptions of traditional songs and
tunes. What's most noticeable about it now is how much of a rock influence is present
compared to similar experiments. This gives the album a strong and unique feel.
It takes a few plays to warm to but it's a fantastic record that's not well enough known
due to it's scarcity and perhaps due to its more difficult nature.
It came out on the short-lived Greenwich label distributed by Decca, also responsible
for such rarities as Samuel Prody and Samurai.
The album cover is a beautiful but fragile textured purple and gold cover with an
engraved Celtic design on the front. This is notoriously susceptable to wear.
|
|
|
|
Advert for a gig at the Jesuit Hall in Galway on 13 January 1972, shortly
after the release of the debut LP. |
Another Galway date, this time a Students Union gig at Terrapin 5 at UCG in late 1974. |
In 1974 Polydor Ireland released a single credited to the Woods Band, their first release
in 3 years. At this point they began to record as a duo,
as Gay & Terry Wood.
The Woods band appeared on RTE television's "It's..." show on Monday 7th August 1972,
footage which is presumably lost.
Terry Woods reformed the Woods Band in 2002 and released a CD.
Notes:
Guests include Tony Reeves (bass guitar "Noisey Johnny" and "Everytime"), Austin Corcoran (acoustic guitar on "Dreams",
bass guitar on "As I Roved Out" and "Promises") and John Ryan (organ on "Lament & Jig" and "As I Roved Out" and piano on
"Promises" and "Everytime").
Help!: We need your help to complete this entry. If you can tell us more about this band then please do! We welcome any corrections, missing details, connections to other bands, where are they now, etc. We also need photos, scans, copies of releases or live or demo recordings, and any other memorabilia gathering dust in the attic. If you can help, then please get in touch.