LINDISFARNE : BACK AND FOURTH

  1. Juke Box Gypsy
  2. Warm Feeling
  3. Woman
  4. Only Alone
  5. Run for Home
  6. Kings Cross Blues
  7. Get Wise
  8. You and Me
  9. Marshall Riley's Army
  10. Angels at Eleven
  11. Make Me Want to Stay

Label : Mercury

Release Year : 1978

Length : 38:26

Review (AllMusic) : This was the band's comeback album after a fairly dire patch in the mid-'70s. The fact is, Back and Fourth (originally issued by Polygram) isn't really that good a record, lacking the imagination and spirit of experimentation that highlighted their early albums for Charisma. But at its best, it was smoothly commercial, standing next to those earlier albums roughly where the Bee Gees' early disco stuff stood next to material like Odessa. And it was a success, mostly thanks to the presence of Alan Hull's best song to date, the Springsteen-like "Run for Home." With its original lineup back together, Lindisfarne went for the gold this time, building their music on folk-like melodies (and a distinctly American sound, at that), country-type hooks ("King's Cross Blues"), and pleasing harmonies, exemplified by "Warm Feeling," where the group sounds like an earthier, edgier Firefall. Alan Hull's writing also took on a trans-Atlantic character - gone was the distinct English character of songs like "Fog on the Tyne," and in its place was a poppier American sound, with some brief, embarrassing digressions into funky R&B ("Get Wise"). "Woman," whose subject is no more ambitious than its title, would have been an embarrassment to Lindisfarne during the early '70s, but it was the kind of sound that didn't offend radio programmers, and "Run for Home" became a familiar track on FM radio even in America, where the band had scarcely made any impression in earlier years. Producer Gus Dudgeon kept the instrumentation simple and the sound pretty much rooted in midtempo rock, and the result was a pleasing collection of new tunes.

Review (Wikipedia) : Back and Fourth is a 1978 album by English rock band Lindisfarne. Released in nine countries on three record labels, it reached position 22 on the UK album charts and contained the successful single "Run for Home". The album was produced by Gus Dudgeon and recorded between February and April 1978. It was the first album to feature the reformed original Lindisfarne lineup after they had broken up in 1973, hence the pun in the title that, although it was Lindisfarne's sixth studio album, the band was "back" on their fourth album with the original lineup. The album cover is the band's first to show Lindisfarne, the island off the coast of Northumberland after which the band was named. Lindisfarne Castle can be seen at sunrise. AllMusic stated that the album's sound is "rooted in midtempo rock". Back and Fourth was released in June 1978 in the UK by Mercury Records. It spent eleven weeks on the UK album charts, reaching the highest position of No. 22, with a total of three weeks in the top 25. It was also released in eight other countries around the world on three different record labels. Although it was a chart success, the album has not received entirely positive reviews. Bruce Eder of Allmusic retrospectively gave the album just two stars out of five, stating that it "isn't really that good a record, lacking the imagination and spirit of experimentation that highlighted their early albums". However, he did praise "Run For Home" as "Alan Hull's best song to date". Three tracks from the album were released as singles. The first, "Run For Home", was released a few weeks before the album. It proved very popular, reaching No. 10 during a 15-week stint in the UK charts. It also became the band's first hit in the USA, reaching #33. The arrangement features a prominent cor anglais. The second, "Juke Box Gypsy", was less successful. It was released in October 1978 and spent four weeks in the charts, peaking at #56. A third track, "Warm Feeling", was released in early 1979 but failed to chart.