Magna Carta -

Magna Carta was an English folk-rock trio that released a 1969 self-titled Mercury album, followed by the 1970–73 Vertigo titles Seasons, Songs From Wasties Orchard, and Lord of the Ages.

Guitarist and songwriter Chris Simpson led the combo through multiple lineups that included original singer Glen Stuart and assorted third members, including co-founder Lyell Tranter and subsequent Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone.

Members: Chris Simpson (vocals, guitar), Glen Stuart (vocals, 1969-75, 1977), Lyell Tranter (guitar, vocals, 1969-71), Davey Johnstone (guitar, vocals, 1971-72), Stan Gordon (guitar, vocals, 1972-73), Tom Hoy (guitar, mandolin, vocals, 1975-76, 1978-79, 2009, 2015), Graham Smith (jew’s harp, bass), Nigel Smith (bass, keyboards, vocals, 1976, 1978-79), Pick Withers (drums, 1977), Robin Thyne (vocals, guitar, percussion, 1978-79), Lee Abbot (bass, vocals, 1979-92), Tom McConville (fiddle, vocals, 1979)

Background

Magna Carta formed in April 1969 when guitarist–singer and songwriter Chris Simpson teamed with singer Glen Stuart (b. Alastair Urquhart) and guitarist–singer Lyell Tranter. They took their name from the Magna Carta Libertatum, a royal charter drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Stephen Langton (1150–1228) and accepted on the 15th of June 1215 by John, King of England (1166–1216) as a peace-maker between the unpopular English monarchy and the rebel barons, granting protection of church rights and protection from illegal imprisonment.^>

Simpson hailed from Yorkshire Dales, where he worked an assortment of menial jobs, including millhand and post-mortem assistant.

In 1965, Simpson emerged in Chris & Forbes, a folk-pop duo with songwriting partner Alan Forbes Bainbridge. They signed with Philips for two singles: “Song of the Wind” (b/w “Empty Little Shadow”) and “Get Away From It All” (b/w “I’m Running Away”). In 1968, Diana Landor covered “Empty Little Shadow” as the b-side to her Pama Records single “Afro Blue.” Meanwhile, Simpson wrote but didn’t record a song called “You’ll Find Out,” which inspired covers by Italian beatsters I Pooh, German beatsters Paul’s Troubles, and the UK Mercury act The X-Calibres.

Simpson adopted the stage name Paul Stewart for the 1966 Philips single “Queen Boadicea” (b/w “Talkin’”). He recorded twelve songs for a proposed album, backed by guitarist Mick Woods, pianist Mike Rooms, and (future Jolly Jack) vocalist Alan Taylor. Woods partook in the Paul Stewart Movement, which cut the 1967 Philips single “Saturday Mornin’ Man” (b/w “Too Too Good”). In 2006, the vaulted album appeared with the Stewart single side on the archival CDr That’s The Way It Goes.

In 1968, Simpson adopted another alias, Christopher Colt, for the Decca folk-psych single “Virgin Sunrise” (b/w “Girl In the Mirror”), produced by Ivor Raymonde, an arranger for numerous pre-Beatles British acts (Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Frankie Vaughan, Tommy Steel, The Springfields).

By 1969, Simpson played guitar at London University, where he met Stuart and the Australian-born Tranter. Stuart’s resume included songs recorded by Leslie Gore (“You Didn’t Look ‘Round”), Mike Berry & The Innocents (“Don’t Try to Stand In My Way”) and one song (“I Don’t Understand”) covered by Nola York, Sandy Edmonds, and Inez Amaya. On May 10, Magna Carta made their live debut.

Magna Carta

Magna Carta released their self-titled debut album in mid-1969 on Mercury.

The albums contains twelve Chris Simpson originals, including “Times of Change,” “Mid Winter,” “Emily Thru’ the Window Panea” and “Ballad of Francis Alabadalejo.”

Simpson and Lyrell Tranter both play acoustic guitar and provide vocal backing to Glen Stuart on Magna Carta, which features supplemental musicianship by Pentangle double-bassist Danny Thompson, session fiddlist Johnny Van Derek, jazz flutist Harold McNair, ad McNair Quartet percussionist Tony Carr.

A1. “Times of Change”
A2. “Daughter Daughter”
A3. “Old John Parker”
A4. “I Am No More”
A5. “Ballad of Francis Alabadalejo”
A6. “Spinning Wheels of Time”

B1. “Romeo Jack”
B2. “Mid Winter”
B3. “Shades of Grey”
B4. “Emily Thru’ the Window Pane”
B5. “Sea and Sand (The Isle of Pabay)”
B6. “7 O’Clock Hymn”

Magna Carta recorded the album with producer Brian Shepherd, a soundman on 1969 Mercury blues-rock titles by Dave Kelly, John Dummer Band, and Sweet Pain. The engineer, Dave Voyde, handled Magna Carta and Dummer’s Cabal in sequence with Fontana/Philips albums by Alex Harvey, Harsh Reality, Jimmy Campbell, and Kaleidoscope.

Magna Carta features string arrangements by McNair Quartet contrabassist Spike Heatley. Easy listening veteran Van Derek (b. 1926, a Henry Mancini Orchestra fiddlist) made his rock debut on Magna Carta and played on 1970–72 albums by Gerry Rafferty, Elton John, Edgar Broughton Band, Kevin Ayers, Michael Chapman, and The Pretty Things.

Magna Carta appeared in a laminated cover with a beige backside with titles, credits, and liner notes (by Danny Thompson) in Blackletter type. Design Machine’s Linda Grover designed this and the subsequent Magna Carta cover along with covers for Ambrose Slade, Colosseum, and Scott Walker.

In June 1969, Mercury lifted “Mid-Winter” as the first single (b/w “Spinning Wheels of Time”), followed in late November by “Romeo Jack” (b/w “7 O’Clock Hymn”). In the Netherlands, Fontana paired “Romeo Jack” with “Spinning Wheels of Time.”

In August, Magna Carta appeared at the Plumpton Race Track in the village of Streat, East Sussex, for the Ninth National Jazz and Blues Festival, a three-day weekend event with more than forty acts split between the village tent (Affinity, Circus, East of Eden, Groundhogs, Gypsy, Julian’s Treatment, King Crimson, Steamhammer, Wallace Collection) and the arena (Blossom Toes, Chicken Shack, Fat Mattress, Pink Floyd, Soft Machine, Strawbs, The Who, Yes). On day three (Sunday 8/10), Magna Carta played among the arena lineup, which also featured Blodwyn Pig, Eclection, Family, Keef Hartley Band, and The Nice.

Seasons

Magna Carta released their second album, Seasons, in August 1970 on Vertigo. Side A consists of the title suite, a poetic opus in ten parts. Side B contains six short Chris Simpson originals, including “Ring of Stones,” “Goin’ My Way (Road Song),” and the single “Airport Song.”

Seasons retains the original trio configuration with Lyrell Tranter and singer Glen Stuart; supplemented by Strawbs keyboardist Rick Wakeman, Quiver guitarist Tim Renwick (on recorder), session guitarist Davey Johnstone (also on sitar), Blue Mink drummer Barry Morgan, Sinfonia of London cellist Peter Willison, and jazz flutist Derek Grossmith. Tranter, on his final album with the group, plays classical guitar.

A. “Seasons” (22:18)
— a. “Prologue”
— b. “Winter Song”
— c. “Spring Poem”
— d. “Spring Song”
— e. “Summer Poem”
— f. “Summer Song”
— g. “Autumn Poem”
— h. “Autumn Song”
— i. “Epilogue”
— j. “Winter Song (Reprise)”

B1. “Goin’ My Way (Road Song)” (2:56)
B2. “Elizabethan” (2:38)
B3. “Give Me No Goodbye” (3:10)
B4. “Ring of Stones” (3:49)
B5. “Scarecrow” (2:19)
B6. “Airport Song” (3:42)

Sessions occurred in London in the spring of 1970 at Trident Studios with Gus Dudgeon, who produced the album between the second and third Elton John albums, Elton John and Tumbleweed Connection. Emerging soundman Tony Visconti engineered and arranged Seasons in sequence with titles by Badfinger, David Bowie, Gentle Giant, Strawbs, and T. Rex.

Magna Carta recorded “Give Me No Goodbye” with drummer Tony Carr at Morgan Studios, where Robin Geoffrey Cable engineered the track amid work on 1970 albums by Andwella, Jade, Harvey Andrews, Shawn Phillips, Genesis (Trespass) and Van der Graaf Generator (The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other, H to He Who Am the Only One).

Seasons appeared in a beige gatefold with a floral/ivy arrangement surrounded with text (front) and fantasy doodles (back). The inner-gates feature lyrical white Blackletter text on a purple-tinted photo-negative collage of group pics. Linda Glover employed similar details on subsequent designs for Dulcimer (And I Turned as I Had Turned as a Boy) and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (The Good Earth).

Vertigo issued “Airport Song” as a September 1970 single (b/w “Elizabethan”). Soon after Seasons, Lyrell Tranter left Magna Carter and resigned from the music scene. The group continued with guitarist Davey Johnstone.

Songs From Wasties Orchard

Magna Carta released their third album, Songs From Wasties Orchard, in June 1971 on Vertigo.

The album contains nine Chris Simpson originals, including “The Bridge at Knaresborough Town,” “White Snow Dove,” “Wayfarin’,” and “Isle of Skye.” Davey Johnstone wrote two songs (“Down Along Up,” “Sponge”) and co-wrote “Country Jam” with Simpson and singer Glen Stuart.

Johnstone plays acoustic and electric guitar as well as mandolin, sitar, cymbal, and harpsichord. His multi-instrumental talents eliminated the need for sessionists on Wasties Orchard, which features Simpson on acoustic guitar and percussion and Stuart on the lyre, an ancient yoke-framed stringed instrument in the harp family.

A1. “The Bridge at Knaresborough Town” (4:55)
A2. “White Snow Dove” (2:03)
A3. “Parliament Hill” (2:40)
A4. “Wayfarin'” (3:43)
A5. “Down Along Up” (2:05)
A6. “Country Jam” (1:47)

B1. “Time for the Leaving” (4:06)
B2. “Isle of Skye” (2:48)
B3. “Sponge” (2:19)
B4. “Sunday On the River” (3:30)
B5. “Good Morning Sun” (2:40)
B6. “Home Groan” (2:21)

Sessions occurred at Trident Studios with Seasons producer Gus Dudgeon and “Give Me No Goodbye” engineer Robin Geoffrey Cable, the sound team on 1971 albums by Audience (The House On the Hill), Spring (self-titled), Eton John (Madman Across the Water), and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. Johnstone’s guitar work on the DJM release Taupin impressed Elton, who hired Davey for his backing band.

Songs From Wasties Orchard appeared on Vertigo’s “swirl” imprint in a three-fold vertical tab-lock cover designed as a wood crate that opens to an apple cart. The cover was designed by the Bloomsbury Group, the firm behind 1971/72 covers for Beggars Opera, Black Sabbath, The Kinks, and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. The blue monochrome group pic (backside) is credited to the Reverend Peter Murphy.

Vertigo issued “Time for the Leaving” as a May 1971 single (b/w “Wayfarin”’). “Good Morning Sun” appears on Heads Together / First Round, a 1971 Vertigo comp with cuts by Assagai (“Cocoa”), Clear Blue Sky (“Bird Catcher”), Jade Warrior (“Telephone Girl”), Nirvana (“Home”), Peter Atkin (“Beware of the Beautiful Stranger”), and Tudor Lodge (“Willow Tree”).

In Concert

On November 4, 1971, Simpson, Stuart, and Johnstone performed at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Their set from that evening constitutes the 1972 Vertigo release In Concert, which features renditions of songs from Magna Carta (“Old John Parker,” “7 O’Clock Hymn / Midwinter,” “Sea and Sand”), Seasons (“Airport Song,” “Ring of Stones”), Wasties Orchard (“Time for the Leaving,” “Country Jam”), an unrecorded Johnstone number (“The Boatman”), and the Davey-arranged traditional “Banjo.”

Lord of the Ages

Magna Carta released their fourth album, Lord of the Ages, in October 1973 on Vertigo.

The album contains eight Chris Simpson originals, including “Wish It Was,” “Isn’t It Funny (and Not a Little Bit Strange),” and the epic title track.

Simpson and Glen Stuart welcome guitarist and backing vocalist Stan Gordon on Lord of the Ages, which features earlier string bassist Danny Thompson, Juicy Lucy pianist Jean-Alain Roucel, Gospel Oak pedal steel guitarist Gordon Huntley, Jew’s harpist Graham Smith, electric bassist Dave “The Wag’ Peacock, and journeymen folk drummers Alan Eden (Mr. Fox, Pisces) and Gerry Conway (Fotheringay, Fairport Convention, Mick Softley).

A1. “Wish It Was” (3:33)
A2. “Two Old Friends” (3:31)
A3. “Lord of the Ages” (9:58)

B1. “Isn’t It Funny (and Not a Little Bit Strange)” (2:32)
B2. “Song of Evening” (3:43)
B3. “Father John” (6:41)
B4. “That Was Yesterday” (3:23)
B5. “Falkland Grene” (2:49)

Sessions occurred at Sound Techniques in Chelsea with producer/arranger Tony Cox, a prior Caravan and Trees soundman who orchestrated the 1970 second Yes album Time and a Word. Lord of the Ages was engineered by Victor ‘The Gnome’ Gamm, an early Jethro Tull and Deviants soundman with 1971–72 credits behind Fuchsia, Gringo, Stackridge, and Steeleye Span. They created “assorted crowd effects” with Simpson, Stuart, and Gordon, who styled their harmonies as an “impersonation of thirty monks.”

Graham Smith and Dave “The Wag’ appeared concurrently on the Flying Dutchman release In London by American jazz singer Teresa Brewer, who co-credited Peacock’s Oily Rags, the springboard of his partnership with ex-Heads Hands and Feat pianist Chas Hodges in the R&B/music-hall duo Chas & Dave.

Lord of the Ages displays a blue-sky fantasy painting by Roger Dean, the famed cover illustrator of classic albums by Earth and Fire, Dr. Strangely Strange, Midnight Sun, Osibisa, Uriah Heep, and Yes. The cover shows robed wonders on horseback (on on giant rodent-back) crossing stormy clouds that blend into ocean waves on the backside, which list the credits with comic anecdotes of the album’s creation. The LP labels sport the Vertigo spaceship icon.

“Falkland Grene” first appeared in February 1973 as the b-side to the non-album Simpson song “All My Love,” an early product of their work with Cox. “Song of Evening” appeared on the backside of Simpson’s “Give Me Luv,” a non-album November single produced by Gamm.

A. “Give Me Luv” (2:57)

After Lord of the Ages, Graham Smith replaced Stan Gordon. The lineup of Simpson, Stuart, and Smith recorded a fifth Manga Carta album, Martin’s Cafe, but it only appeared belated and out-of-sequence due to contract issues.

Took a Long Time (1976)

Martin’s Cafe (1977)

Prisoners on the Line (1978)

No Truth in the Rumour (1979)

Midnight Blue (1982)

Discography: