The early ‘70s gave rise to a host of experimental musical projects, none more unusual than Fire’s The Magic Shoemaker, an early concept album about a cobbler named Mark and his pair of magic shoes (“He’s a shoemaker… he made some magic boots… when he put the boots on/he flew like a white swan”). The record features a narrator who appears in between each song, dutifully advancing the tale of two warring kingdoms. Despite the quirky story line, this rock and roll fairy tale incorporates plenty of psychedelic hard rock riffs and fanciful progressive-tinged elements in tracing Mark’s journey to save the world. “Shoemaker” best describes the narrative, a mournful ballad featuring some impressive acoustic guitar work and an impassioned vocal from singer Dave Lambert. The remaining tracks shift effortlessly between guitar-heavy hard rock and acoustic-based, more pop-oriented fare. “Flies Like a Bird” and “I Can See the Sky” reveal the group’s penchant for psychedelic heaviness, while the piano-laden “Only a Dream” unveils a more delicate approach. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined recommending an album about a pair of magic shoes, but The Magic Shoemaker is a bona fide winner, an excellent representation of the early stages of conceptual hard rock.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Fire ● The Magic Shoemaker
The early ‘70s gave rise to a host of experimental musical projects, none more unusual than Fire’s The Magic Shoemaker, an early concept album about a cobbler named Mark and his pair of magic shoes (“He’s a shoemaker… he made some magic boots… when he put the boots on/he flew like a white swan”). The record features a narrator who appears in between each song, dutifully advancing the tale of two warring kingdoms. Despite the quirky story line, this rock and roll fairy tale incorporates plenty of psychedelic hard rock riffs and fanciful progressive-tinged elements in tracing Mark’s journey to save the world. “Shoemaker” best describes the narrative, a mournful ballad featuring some impressive acoustic guitar work and an impassioned vocal from singer Dave Lambert. The remaining tracks shift effortlessly between guitar-heavy hard rock and acoustic-based, more pop-oriented fare. “Flies Like a Bird” and “I Can See the Sky” reveal the group’s penchant for psychedelic heaviness, while the piano-laden “Only a Dream” unveils a more delicate approach. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined recommending an album about a pair of magic shoes, but The Magic Shoemaker is a bona fide winner, an excellent representation of the early stages of conceptual hard rock.
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3 comments:
Terrific album. Fire reformed to play "The Magic Shoemaker" album live for two nights in Windlesham, Surrey,at the end of 2007. A live recording of the album (The Magic Shoemaker Live) resulted, and that is absolutely fantastic. Available from Angel Air Records.
The original album has also been released with bonus tracks on Esoteric Recordings recently.
Fire (all the original members) are to play live again this September, at Strawbs' 40th Anniversary Weekend at The Live Room, South Stand, Twickenham Rugby Ground on the weekend of 12/13 September. (Dave Lambert, who wrote The Magic Shoemaker, Father's Name is Dad, Treacle Toffee World and various other Fire classics later joined Strawbs, and still plays with them).
More info: www.myspace.com/2007fire
www.myspace.com/davelambert07 and www.strawbsweb.co.uk
Psychedelic Fan, thanks for visiting. I knew about the live version of The Magic Shoemaker, but have yet to hear it. Perhaps I'll have to add it to my collection. Oh, and thanks for mentioning "Father's Name is Dad." I didn't include that in my review, but should have - the song is a killer. Those interested can hear an audio-only clip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byCv2ojpsPk.
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