Common Sense Dancing, by Duncan Parsons

Common Sense Dancing

by Duncan Parsons

supported by

washburn77 Love where shall we go Favorite track: Where Shall We Go.

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In physical form, Common Sense Dancing is a two disc affair, disc one (tracks 1-15) focus on the Arts and Nostalgia, while disc two (tracks 16-20) are based around a half-hour radio play "Where Shall We Go."

In the radio play, the incidental music contains flute by John Hackett and violin by Clare Lindley. The tracks that follow are under the banner of the 'Mellotron Suite,' where selected pieces of the incidental music are played with the flute and violin being reproduced on the classic 60s/70s keyboard, a Mellotron.

Included is the artwork for the CD z-fold booklet (outside and inside), and the tray backliner (outside and inside).

Hope you enjoy it all!

"Gentle, wistful and evocative with beautiful arrangements" Cherry Cant (widow of Brian Cant) ... more

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Full double CD of the album Common Sense Dancing with z-fold booklet, and colour printed CDs.

Includes unlimited streaming of Common Sense Dancing via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	I Could Dance With You 03:17		buy track
2.	Family Entertainment 03:10		buy track
3.	Ladybird 06:30		buy track
4.	Come On! (Put That Hoedown) 01:56		buy track
5.	My Island 02:05		buy track
6.	Green Cross Code, Man 03:55		buy track
7.	A Breakthrough In Sound 06:20		buy track
8.	Antasia 03:31		buy track
9.	Cupboard Luv 03:30		buy track
10.	The Lobster Quadrille 02:45		buy track
11.	My Robot 01:01		buy track
12.	Furry Leaves 02:21		buy track
13.	Play's Cool 04:05		buy track
14.	Clare's Dance 06:12		buy track
15.	Take Me By The Hand 05:33		buy track
16.	Where Shall We Go 28:58	info	buy track
17.	Mellotron Suite - 1 Main Theme 01:06		buy track
18.	Mellotron Suite - 2 Ambling Excitedly 02:19		buy track
19.	Mellotron Suite - 3 Caught In The Rain 04:29		buy track
20.	Mellotron Suite - 4 Long Summer Days 03:06		buy track

about

“Common Sense Dancing” marks the fifth album release from Duncan Parsons. Titled after a quote from Clive James, the album continues progressive music's determination not to be defined. With themes taking in humour, nostalgia, the arts, and social science, it digs its own furrow with songs of love, dance, tribute, remembrance, and nonsense. Stylistically, there's rock, jazz, pop, folk, minimalism, sci-fi sound-scape - pretty much anything lying around the studio..

Packaged as a double album, the first disc contains 15 tracks of songs and instrumentals. Ladybird weaves a brief history of the children's books between 1948 and 1971; Play's Cool pays tribute to the golden age of British Children's Television; Green Cross Code, Man is the ultimate extrapolation of the social programming messages of 70s Public Information Films; Furry Leaves brings a fresh interpretation of a classic Romantic era piano piece; Family Entertainment bemoans standards in broadcast arts; and A Breakthrough In Sound tells the true story of when a TV signal was interrupted one teatime in Hampshire, 1977.

Disc two has a half hour 'radio play' about the history of Ordnance Survey maps based around a walk in the Peak District interspersed with music, followed by arrangements of the incidental music set for Mellotron. The atmosphere is pastoral, the tone reminiscent of Detectorists, and the terrain taken in its stride. NB - hills can go down as well as up.

Packed to the rafters with Mellotron sounds, including from less-than-common tapes, Common Sense Dancing sees the return of John Hackett's flute and Nick Fletcher's lead guitar work, along with stunning violin work from Clare Lindley (Stackridge, DLM) and Sarah Sharp (Tzarsi), and saxello from Mick Somerset (Floy Joy, Clock DVA).

Throughout the album one might catch glimpses of the likes of Supertramp, Nick Drake, 10cc, The Feeling, Bruford, Vangelis, Strawbs, Stackridge..

"Gentle, wistful and evocative with beautiful arrangements" Cherry Cant (widow of Brian Cant)

Currently drummer with the John Hackett Band, Duncan’s other work has included Marc Catley, Judith Silver, Marianne Velvärt, Philip Clemo, and music for theatre & video.He spends his days split between writing music, and buried in code for audio production.

‘Parsons writes catchy ditties and clever lyrics, he also possesses the ability to make restrained ideas have more impact than first impressions would have you believe.’ (SoT)
‘..mixes a dry wit with a wonderfully observant line in lyrics, this is an album that will both delight and provoke thought in equal measures.’ (TWR on ‘Abandoned Buildings’)

credits

released March 19, 2020

All songs and sounds Duncan Parsons
except:
The Lobster Quadrille - words by Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll
and
Furry Leaves - Betthoven arr. Parsons

Ant Clifford - horn and trumpet (Where Shall We Go)
Melanie Crawley - She (Where Shall We Go)
Kim Eames - backing vox (2, 3, 5, 9, 10, Where Shall We Go)

Nick Fletcher - lead guitar (4, 12, 14)
John Hackett - flute (4, 5, 6, Where Shall We Go)
Clare Lindley - violin (4, Where Shall We Go)

Jeremy Richardson - backing vox (2, 3)
Anna Roberts - The Laughing Dancer (10)
Hester Russell - muted trumpet (9)

Sarah Sharp - violin (8, 10, 13)
Judith Silver - The Lady (15)
Mick Somerset - saxello (8)

The HOLY ROBOTS choir - choir (15)

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about

Duncan Parsons Sheffield, UK

Multi-instrumentalist, drummer with the John Hackett Band, bassist with Joanne Harris and the Storytime Band

It's as if the 80s never quite arrived, music from Nineteen Seventy Twelve or Thirteen

"..like music beamed from an earlier, more innocent time.. a more assertive Nick Drake." (Prog magazine)
‘..mixes a dry wit with a wonderfully observant line in lyrics’ (The Waiting Room) ... more

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While I play with these folk, I wasn't involved in this, but what a wonderful song cycle based around one of Joanne's modern folklore stories. Just lovely Duncan Parsons
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I've been late to the party with Laura's work, but under her Penfriend moniker she's putting out some fabulous music Duncan Parsons
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Single Helix is a project by Rik Loveridge. This album is out on my mini-label RoughDraftAudio. Some great work found therein! Duncan Parsons
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