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The Lovers Enchained

(1994)

This was Annwn's first release on CD, produced in something of an interregnum period for the band: not only had the original band, Daoine Sidhe, broken up, but the first "Annwn" experiment we tried with Mark Ungar had also ended. Leigh Ann and Elton were Annwn's only full-time members, though friends would drop in to help us. This album is also the one containing the most original works; there are only three traditional songs on it, and those have all been, how shall we say, massaged nearly to unrecognizability. We were always easily bored, and too clever by half at finding uncouth things to do to perfectly respectable tunes.

This version of the band is:

We were aided and abetted by: Matt Tidmarsh, bass; Dave Rubin, drums; Margaret Davis, harp, flute, vox; Kristoph Klover, oboe, vox; Paul Johnson, keys.

You can download the recordings! Right-click on the track name, select "Save Target As..." (IE) or "Save Link As..." (Firefox).

1 Bedlam Boys 128 kb, 4.8 Mb
lyrics		 An English begging song from around the time of Henry VIII, using a rather more modern melody. "Bedlam" was a sanatorium, "Bethelehem". "Maudlin" was its sister, "Saint Mary Magdalene". We took that madhouse theme and ran with it.
Bass: Matt Tidmarsh. Drums: Dave Rubin.
2 El Dorado 128 kb, 4.9 Mb
lyrics		 Elton wrote this to commemorate his 40th birthday. Years later, he's still wondering the same thing this song asks: how did I end up doing this with my life?
Bass: Matt Tidmarsh.
3 Hunter 128 kb, 5.3 Mb
lyrics		 Elton wrote this. Despite what others think of it, no it's not about anything as young and innocent as a vampire.
4 The Cutty Wren 128 kb, 3.9 Mb
lyrics		 A Welsh wren-hunting song, for a Yuletide festival, which we rearranged somewhat.
Keys: Elton and Paul Johnson. Extra vox: Margaret Davis and Kristoph Klover.
5 Cliffs of Moher / Pipe on the Hob 128 kb, 4.7 Mb A pair of Irish jigs. Sean Morrison thought up the twisted arrangement we use for the second tune.
Bass: Matt Tidmarsh. Drums: Dave Rubin.
6 Madonna and Child 128 kb, 3.6 Mb
lyrics		 Elton's song about the continuing violence in Northern Ireland.
Oboe: Kristoph Klover. Harp: Margaret Davis.
7 Chapel Perilous 128 kb, 4.9 Mb
lyrics		 A song by Leigh Ann, a crisis of faith.
Bass: Matt Tidmarsh. Snare: Dave Rubin.
8 The Tempest 128 kb, 5.3 Mb
lyrics		 Leigh Ann told Elton this story, and contributed the chorus, from a Russian fairy tale. The rest of the song is Elton's fault.
Bass: Matt Tidmarsh. Snare: Dave Rubin.
9 The Lovers Enchained 128 kb, 3.4 Mb
lyrics		 Leigh Ann and Elton wrote this together. We don't remember who contributed which phrases to it. It's written in devilish meters, as "The Lovers Enchained" is an alternate name for the Tarot "Devil". The song symbolizes the Alchemical wedding, also shown by the three birds on the album's back cover.
10 Wandering In Silence 128 kb, 4.0 Mb
lyrics		 Elton wrote this little musing on the nature of salvation and of the Savior.
Extra vox: Patti Wildermuth.
11 The Green Returns 128 kb, 4.9 Mb
lyrics		 Another shared song, this time mostly by Elton but with additions by Leigh Ann.
Extra vox: Margaret Davis and Kristoph Klover. Percussion: Leigh Ann.
12 Penguin Lust 128 kb, 3.5 Mb
lyrics		 This is the absolute truth. We used to play every Thursday at a bar in San Francisco. One of the hecklers there, our friend Chuck, used to ask (every week!) if we knew anything Irish. Then he got bored with that and began asking if we knew anything from Antarctica. One day Elton snapped and allowed as to how yes, we did know one. After which, of course, he had to back up that boast.
Extra vox: Colin Hussey.
13 Marsh Rose and Green Briar 128 kb, 4.1 Mb This is one of Elton's solo guitar compositions, with some additional instruments pasted into it.
Keys: Elton and Paul Johnson.