A rediscovered gem, now on CD for the first time, provides a poignant soundtrack to these financially challenging times. Featuring the combined vocal talents of Barb Jungr (“One of Britain's most effective deliverers of sonic bombshells” - Jazzwise), Christine Collister ("One of the world's finest white female singers" - Q Magazine) & Helen Watson ("A singer of goose pimply beauty and songwriter of rare depth" - City Life), along with acclaimed singer Michael Parker.
A CONVERSATION WITH BARB, CHRISTINE & HELEN.
When Barb Jungr first came up with the idea of the vocal harmony group “Hell Bent, Heaven Bound” she invited Michael Parker, Christine Collister and the great jazz singer Ian Shaw to join her. The show's first theme was “Death…” - 21 songs about death and dying! It was a great concept and worked brilliantly well, playing for 3 weeks at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1992 and nominated for Pick of the Fringe. There then followed a UK wide tour culminating in a sell out show at the Purcell Rooms at the South Bank in London. It was a great success, and left the group wanting more.. So, Barb came up with another idea – 'Money, The Final Frontier'.
“I jumped at the chance to be a part of this again” says Christine “but Ian was unavailable so Michael suggested Helen Watson as a replacement – they'd been friends for many years and Michael actually sites Helen as one of his major musical influences. It was the first time that Helen, Barb and I had worked together and we all got along brilliantly. Still do!”
Barb recalls “We were offered some folk festivals in Canada off the back of 'Death..' and with Helen joining us, we worked on a new collection of songs around the subject of money - rather prophetically as it seems now! We recorded them in a small studio in Huddersfield, all of us playing and singing around one mic, like in the Blue Note days”
Everybody worked long and hard on the arrangements, mostly at Barb's flat in Pimlico; it was absorbing and fun. Because there was no recording of the first HBHB, it was essential to get that right the 2nd time round. Barb had worked with Harbour Town Records in the past and felt they would be great. Because all the work had already gone into the arrangements for live performance, recording the songs was quick and simple and full of energy - something which comes across even now after all these years.
As Barb said, each song was performed live around one microphone, straight to DAT. It meant the group themselves had to acoustically balance the blend of voices and instruments – a fantastic way of working on vocal harmony projects. It also gave the recording it's wonderful sense of spontaneity and cohesiveness. Barb enthuses: “I was amazed when I heard the work recently, and realised how lovely it was and how proud of it I felt.”
Christine recalls that she found working with a director incredibly liberating too: “Debbie Isitt, a wonderful playwright and theatre director and long time friend of Barb's, agreed to help us make the live performances have more of a flow and purpose about them, make it more of a show than a revue. I know she enjoyed working with us but we were thrilled by the whole experience. She really made a difference.”
Touring Canada was an obvious highlight. “We played in two beautiful places” says Christine, “Winnipeg and Vancouver Folk Festivals, with some extraordinary performers. Being on stage with the 'Fairfield Four' in Winnipeg was amazing. I don't think any of us will ever forget the long, slow drive from Winnipeg, across the Manitoba Plains to Calvary and then on to Vancouver through the Canadian Rockies, in a small people carrier with a yodelling, Jimmy Hendrix-like guitar playing Rock Chick – Ellen Mcllwaine. She was brilliant and wonderfully kind and generous to us – and the slowest driver in the world!”
Helen Watson also remembers the adventure with fondness: “Today, writing this, I've got a Steely Dan song ".....lost wages, lost wages, Las Vegas...." rolling around in my head. It's HBHB's version of course and the propulsion of that, with only four voices, is taking me from Huddersfield to Devon - and on from Winnepeg to Vancouver.”
Barb continues: “The Canadian trip was one of those special times you keep in your heart forever... We also did a set of shows in the UK and the Sidmouth Folk Festival, all of which were great experiences. My memories of 'Hell Bent, Heaven Bound' are warm and wonderful, even though for me it was a very difficult time personally; my sister was very ill, and my family was in turmoil. The work helped me through a lot of that as did our friendships, which have stood the tests of time and distance.”
“HBHB I and II were important moments in my performing life” adds Christine, “and I'm still very proud of the work. This CD is a wonderful reminder of that experience and I'm thrilled it's being re-released.”
Helen sums it up perfectly: “Astonishingly, the memories and the music are as fresh as they were 15 years ago. It's very exciting to hear all this again and quite timely considering the current global fiscal cock up!”
It's clear that “money” will always be a driving force in our lives - whether in good times or bad, it has the power to determine our path through life. In this instance, it inspired four exceptionally talented individuals to record a superb collection of songs and, now available for the first time on CD, this is the perfect soundtrack (and welcome tonic!) to these uncertain times.
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