SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LEVELLERS – LEVELLING THE LAND (35th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

LEVELLERS
LEVELLING THE LAND
WARNER/RHINO RECORDS

Back in 1991, I was a poor student attending University Of Toronto, so I could not afford CDs, but I could afford cassettes. So, I purchased this album in that format and wore it out. It is a great album that is celebrating its 35th anniversary. I don’t know how 35 years has gone by that quickly, but there you go, they have, and we have this new expanded/remixed version of that classic album to enjoy and possibly introduce it to a whole new audience. Levelling The Land was Levellers’ second album, and they certainly did not suffer the second album syndrome. This is a fantastic rocking album, with brilliant lyrics.

The original producer, Al Scott, has remixed the album, perhaps giving it a harder punch, but he does not alter the songs too much. The album does sound cleaner and seems to be a bit more sharp. One can also hear the bass and drums better than before. It does bring a new sound to the music. Drummer Charlie Heather deserves a great deal of credit for his creative and very interesting drumming.

While the band was lumped in with Big Country, The Alarm, The Waterboys and even U2, it did them a disservice, as they always had (and have) their own distinct sound. It is interesting to hear an album go from a straight-ahead rock album and drift into Celtic music country (thanks to fiddle player Jonathan Sevink). Listen to “The Boatman”, which is very traditional Celtic music, and ends with a heavy dance beat. Very interesting and quite good.

The CD is available as a three-CD set, which includes contemporaneous B-sides, which are extremely good. “Last Day of Winter” is a lost gem, and while it was a treat as a B-side, it is almost a lost opportunity for the band. It is an incredible combination of Celtic and rock. And their take on “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” must be heard to be believed. While the outtakes are interesting (as is the remix of “One Way” which includes pretty hard fiddle action), they may be more geared to the diehard fan.

The last CD, however, is the most interesting aspect of the bonus material. Here, we get demos Listening to the demos, one can hear the influence and impact of Scott as the producer and how he helped shape already brilliant songs into a tight album. “Battle of the Beanfield” as a demo is a little more exciting and is much larger than the released version. But that is just one example. The songs were there, and were great, but one can hear how they are elevated to brilliant.

Levelling The Land is not regarded as a classic album, as it should be. Mike Chadwick’s earnest vocals, in combination with the rest of the band, make for riveting listening. The artwork, by bassist Jeremy Cunningham brings everything together, then and now. Simon Friend’s guitars, mandolin, banjo and harmonica bring a great deal to the proceedings. Levelling the Land is a brilliant album and hearing it in expanded form just adds more weight to that argument. Levelling the Land  it is like a welcome return of an old best friend.

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