Alan Millington and Mick Skinner's songs
were solid if perhaps a little too safe, however. The breezy rocker
'Making It Hard' drives along at a nifty pace, while the likes of
reflective strummer 'Simple Man' and the sun-kissed 'It's All Right'
contain echoes of The Hollies and early Bee Gees...
Record Collector (October 2013)
'Shanty' alone is worth the album, a
brilliantly composed tale of the sea broken into segments. Starting out
with a mere flute, the narrative voice sings of a ship about to embark
on a voyage, with someone's sweetheart left behind on the quay and tears
streaming down her face. These emotions are emphasized by melancholic
guitar riffs, strings, punctuated keys, and an altogether floaty and
dreamy quality.
Gradually though, it all turns heavier
and the dreamy quality makes place for excellent but hard riffs and
keyboard sounds - obviously reflecting inner turmoil as well as the
stormy sea. Once the musical climax is reached, the sound mellows and
the narrative voice picks up again - singing of a sea that by now has
calmed down, and of the ship heading back to the harbour while the
Captain is looking older. Some delicate a-capella singing brings the
voyage to an end. Simply fantastic!
The album is a rarity indeed, and it's a bonus that Ironbridge songs don't sound the slightest bit rusty to the modern ear.
music-news.com (September 2013)
Formed from the ashes of The Birds and TheBees and Fluff, Ironbridge released their one and only album in 1973 on the then EMI International label.
Having released no less than five
singles under their name Fluff this Shropshire band made their final bid
for the big time by changing their name to Ironbridge (the worlds first
iron bridge had been built in the Shropshire town) and the album sold
extremely well in France whilst gaining rave reviews.
Now having achieved a cult status the
album is released on CD for the very first time and the music today
falls under the “power pop” category but at the time was described by
reviewers as “somewhere between The Beatles and The Moody Blues”!(angel air.co)
Very good album. Give it a try you will not be disappointed.
Viel Spass
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