The Fiddle Collection

Since Beer's collaboration with Steve Knightley, Show of Hands, became his musical priority in 1991, the duo had built up gradual but sure success throughout the rest of the decade. In 1996 they played a sold-out performance at the Royal Albert Hall, later released as their best-selling album to date Live at the Royal Albert Hall (1996), and followed it with Dark Fields (1997) and a limited edition set of traditional folk music covers, Folk Music (1998). As a result of their busy schedule, the duo took some time apart in 1999 to undergo solo, side-projects before they would regroup in 2000. Knightley recorded his first solo album, Track of Words, whilst Beer recorded two different collaboration albums. The first of them was a various artists album project in which Beer, a skilled fiddle player, would gather many of the United Kingdom's finest fiddle players. With Beer acting as the producer to the music on the album, and contributing some recordings of his own, the album would be the first time such an album of folk fiddle players had been created. Each song would be by a different folk musician, and would feature original material. Beer enlisted Phil Beer, Chris Leslie, John McCusker, Gris Sanderson, occasional collaborator Paul Burgess, Chris Wood, Tom Leary, Michael Burnham, Dave Swarbrick, Ben Van Wede, Ric Sanders, Peter Knight, occasional collaborator Paul Downes, Welsh celtic rock band The Bluehorses, Gareth Turner and Ian Carr to feature on the album. ==Composition==

playing the fiddle (pictured in 2009). The Fiddle Collection begins with Beer's own recording, "The Falmouth Packet/Penmere Halt", a two-part piece consisting of two "Cornish" tunes Beer had written to commemorate his childhood holidays in Falmouth. The track is followed by "While You Sleep/The Willow Arch," a two-part piece by Fairport Convention's Chris Leslie, a member of Feast of Fiddles; the first conveys the stillness of home after a long night drive from a show, whilst "The Willow Arch" was built from withies over the entrance to a campfire at a woodcraft folk get together. The second half of the album starts with Feast of Fiddles and Albion Morris member Tom Leary's "The Yearning Heart/The Monkey Tree," followed by "Herr Rolorffs Farewell" by fiddle maker and player Michael Burnham. "New South Wales" by David Swarbrick, described by Beer as "probably the most influential fiddler in Britain," appears next followed by two original jigs by Ben van Wede, "The Stone On The Gate/Jiggered." "Jiggered" pays homage to the many squeeze box players that he has played with over the years and the first tune was written for the album. Fairport Convention's Ric Sanders appears with "As Yet", inspired by a trip to Slovenia with a middle section written after watching a television program about the 1960s Russian experiments with the Ekranoplus high speed 'ground effect' vehicles. Beer described the song as containing "a wonderful mix of folk, rock, and jazz influence from one of Britains great fiddlers." Peter Knight's "The Gemini Cadenza" was not recorded exclusively for the album and instead taken from his then-latest solo album The Gemini Cadenza. Beer then appears with his sporadic collaborator Paul Downes with the latter's "lovely tune" "Dancing with Nancy". The album closes with a song from Welsh celtic rock band, 'The Old Conwy", which sees the band depart from their electric sound and record "unplugged and in a contemplative mood." ==Release and reception==

The Fiddle Collection was released on 12 April 1999 by Hands on Music, the independent label that Beer had co-founded in 1995 with Knightley to release Show of Hands releases; it was the ninth release on the label. A print advertisement advertised the album as "the finest players in the UK brought together in a special collection celebrating the fiddle in folk music." It was also promoted with the tagline "This really is modern folk music." Beer noted it was "the first time such an album of folk fiddle players had been created". however, it was the only volume of The Fiddle Collection, as there was never a second volume produced. On 26 November 2001, the album was re-released by Talking Elephant at the same time as the release of Beer's live album "Ridgeriders" In Concert. In February 2011, it was announced Phil Beer had remastered The Fiddle Collection and hoped to re-release it by the summer, however, this release has not since occurred. ==Track listing==

• Phil Beer - "The Falmouth Packet/Penmere Halt" • Chris Leslie - "While You Sleep/Willow Arch" • John McCusker - "Wee Micheal's March/Joe's Tuxedo" • Phil Beer - "Old Court Waltz" • Gris Sanderson - "Uptodden?" • Paul Burgess - "Red Legs/Tipputs" • Chris Wood - "The Burning Babe" • Tom Leary - "Yearning Heart/Monkey Tree" • Michael Burnham - "Herr Rolorffs Farewell" • Phil Beer - "The Yankee Clipper" • Dave Swarbrick - "New South Wales" • Ben Van Wede - "Stone On The Gate The/Jiggered" • Ric Sanders - "As Yet" • Peter Knight - "Gemini Cadenza" • Paul Downes and Phil Beer - "Dancing With Nancy" • Blue Horses - "The Old Conwy" ==References==