Alison Statton and Spike
Country of origin:
England and Wales
Type of music generally:
A dreamy mix of jazzy pop
Status:
Most recent release, Shady Tree (1997)
See also:
LTM's page on Alison Statton and Spike (LTM is reissuing their discs)Wikipedia's entry on Alison Statton
An article on the band Weekend, which preceded this project.
The Ectophiles' Guide entry for Alison Statton's former band, Young Marble Giants
Comparisons:
A little like a dreamier, more jazz-flavoured Young Marble Giants
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
Alison Statton was the voice of Young Marble Giants, and in some ways her work with Spike is like a less pop/rock more jazz/pop Young Marble Giants. The minimalist sound's anchor is her dispassionate yet seductive way of singing. It's an odd but attractive overall sound. In between Young Marble Giants and taking the Alison Statton and Spike name, both artists were part of the band, Weekend, which released La Varieté (1982) and the ep Live At Ronnie Scots (2003). (Neile)
Recommended first album:
Maple Snow
Recordings include:
- as Weekend
- La Varieté (1982)
- Live At Ronnie Scots (ep, 2003)
- '81 Demos (1995)
- Weekend Archive (2003)
- as Alison Statton and Spike
- Weekend in Wales ep (1993)
- Tidal Blues (1994)
- Maple Snow (live, 1995)
- Shady Tree (1997)
Weekend in Wales ep
Release info:
1993—Vinyl Japan (Japan and England)—TASKCD 19
Availability:
Unknown
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for fans of Young Marble Giants or soft jazz
Group members:
Alison Statton—vocals
Spike—guitar
Guest artists:
Paula Gardiner—bass
Neil Gerstenberg—saxophone
Andrew Moxham—drums
Phil Moxham—percussion
Paul Sax—violin
Produced by:
Alison Statton and Spike
Comments:
Kinda poppy, jazzy, minimalist and sweet-voiced. It's still so much in advance of the times that doing the same kind of thing as Young Marble Giants did in the '70s is still new. (Neile)
Maple Snow
Release info:
1995—Vinyl Japan (Japan, UK)—ASKCD59
Availability:
Unknown
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for fans of Young Marble Giants or soft jazz
Group members:
Alison Statton—voice
Spoke ap Alun—guitar
Guest artists:
Sarah McGuiness—keyboards
Andrew Moxham—drums
Philip Moxham—bass
Comments:
Came as a heavy, heavy, heavy recommendation from a record-store person who knows my tastes very well. So heavy, in fact, that I spent $24 on it (Japanese, you know) unheard. H a t e d it. She sounds like Heidi Berry at fourteen. Thin, immature, cliché lyrics and no voice to compensate—it's even more thin and immature, if possible—and dull, Kumbaya-ish guitar. In a word: lame. Oh, well. (lissener@wwa.com)Very minimalist soft jazzy-sounding. I can see why someone coming at it cold might take a dislike to it, but I certainly enjoy it when I play it, and like their overall simple sound of her vocals and the instrumentation. I certainly disagree that Alison Statton has no voice—it's a minimalist style of singing that I find intriguing because it has a certain uncommon power which may be better displayed in her Young Marble Giants work but has a good effect here for me, too. (Neile)
Thanks to James Kobielus for work on this entry.
