Mellow Candle

Mellow Candle
Background information
Origin	Ireland
Genres	Folk rock, progressive folk
Years active	1968–1972
Labels	Deram, ACME Gramophone Company
Members	Clodagh Simonds Alison Bools (later O'Donnell) Maria White David Williams Frank Boylan William Murray Steve Borrill

Mellow Candle was an Irish progressive folk rock band, active from 1968 to 1972.^[1] At the time of their first single, "Feelin' High", released in 1968 on Simon Napier-Bell's SNB Records, band members Clodagh Simonds, Alison Bools and Maria White were teenagers at high school.

By 1972, the line-up had expanded to include Dave Williams (guitar), Frank Boylan (bass) and William Murray (drums). In that year the band released its only album, Swaddling Songs (Deram Records SDL 7, 1970), which was commercially unsuccessful at the time.^{[citation needed]}

The album has since received critical acclaim^[2] and original vinyl copies are collectable^[3]. The album was re-released in 2004 (ACME Gramophone Company, ADLP1040)^[2] and in 2022 the album's 50th anniversary was marked by the RTE radio documentary Swaddling Songs at 50.^[4]

Boylan was later replaced by Steve Borrill (ex-Spirogyra), but shortly afterwards the band split up.

Members

• Clodagh Simonds – lead vocals, backing vocals, piano, harpsichord, mellotron
• Alison Bools (later O'Donnell) – lead vocals, backing vocals
• Maria White
• David Williams – guitar, backing vocals
• Frank Boylan – bass guitar, backing vocals (replaced by Steve Borrill)
• William Murray – drums, percussion

Discography

Albums

• Swaddling Songs (Deram SDL 7, 1972)^[5]; re-released 2004 (Acme ADLP1040)^[6]
• The Virgin Prophet, recorded 1969–1971, released 1996 (Kissing Spell KSF004)^[7]

Singles

• "Feeling High" / "Tea With The Sun" (Snb (2) 55-3645, 1968)^[8][9]

• "Dan The Wing" / "Silversong" (Deram DM 357, 1972)^[10]

After Mellow Candle

After the band's dissolution, Simonds worked with Thin Lizzy, Jade Warrior, and Mike Oldfield. Boylan played with Gary Moore, while Murray contributed to albums by Kevin Ayers, Amazing Blondel, Mike Oldfield, and Paul Kossoff. Together with Steve Borrill, Simonds toured with Richard and Linda Thompson.

In 1991, "Silversong" was covered (as "Silver Song") by All About Eve as a B-side to some versions of their single "Farewell Mr. Sorrow".^[11]

1996 saw the release of The Virgin Prophet, a collection of previously unreleased material by the band, including early versions of many of the songs later released on Swaddling Songs. Some of these sessions featured Richard Coughlan of Caravan on drums, although his sessions do not feature on The Virgin Prophet.

In 1996, Simonds recorded Six Elementary Songs, released in 1997 on the Tokyo-based Evangel Records.^[12]

In 1999, Simonds recorded a version of Syd Barrett's setting of the James Joyce poem "Golden Hair" for Russell Mills' album, Pearl and Umbra.^[13]

In 2003, Steven Malkmus included a live version of "Poet & The Witch" on a bonus CD accompanying his album Pig Lib.

In 2006–2007 Simonds participated in Fovea Hex, alongside Brian Eno, Roger Eno, film composer Carter Burwell, Andrew McKenzie of the Hafler Trio, Steven Wilson, Colin Potter (of Nurse With Wound), Robert Fripp, Percy Jones, and others. The project was favourably reviewed by Pitchfork Media.^[14][15][16] Also in 2006, Simonds performed a version of "Idumaea" for Current 93's album Black Ships Ate The Sky, and a version of "Cockles and Mussels" for Matmos's EP "For Alan Turing".^[17]

In 2006, O'Donnell was reunited with Dave Williams and Frank Boylan on the album Mise Agus Ise.^[18] She followed this with the 2008 EP The Fabric of Folk, a collaboration with English folk/rock band The Owl Service),^[19] and her debut solo album, Hey Hey Hippy Witch (Floating World, 2009).^[20]

References

External links

• Mellow Candle in Irish Folk, Trad and Blues – A Secret History (Harper & Hodgett, 2004)
• Mellow Candle at irishrock.org
• Swaddling Songs at 50 | The Lyric Feature at RTÉ lyric fm
• Interview with Clodagh Simonds and Alison O'Donnell at It's Pyschedelic Baby
• Clodagh Simonds' website
• Alison O'Donnell's website