VALUE ADDED FACTS

lan Shirley, esteemed alumnus of the Rare Record Price Guide, answers your questions

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TRANSATLANTIC DRIFT

I have a copy of the Nic Jones folk album From The Devil To A Stranger on the Transatlantic label. It’s a great record and was released in 1978. However, looking on Discogs there are two versions listed as being released that year, the one I own and another version on the Highway label. It seems strange to me that the same album was released on different labels in the same year. Or did it originally come out on Highway and become so successful that it was picked up by the Transatlantic label for wider distribution?

Garth Everton via email

Nic Jones was a folk singer who began to go out as a solo artist on the circuit in 1969. His debut LP Ballads And Songs (Trailer LER 2014, UK, £60) was released in 1970. It was followed up by Nic Jones (Trailer LER 2027, UK, 1971, £40). He also recorded Songs Of A Changing World (Trailer LER 2083, UK, £30) which featured tracks by Jones and fellow folk singers Jon Raven and Tony Rose in 1973. He returned to his solo career with The Noah's Ark Trap (Trailer LER 2091, UK, £50) in 1977. The album that you own was released in 1978.

A Melody Maker review of From The Devil To A Stranger from the same year confirms that it was originally released on Transatlantic as LTRA 507.

The review by Colin Irwin states: “It almost goes without saying that Jones sings and plays consummately throughout, such is his class, and the strength of the record goes way beyond that.” It’s interesting to note that Irwin goes on: “The record has also been the subject of more delays than the general election, the upsurge in English country music prevalent when the concept was originally conceived has long since levelled out and the music has become more widely familiar.”