Spiral Staircase is British folk musician Ralph McTell's second album.[1] Produced by Gus Dudgeon and released in the UK in 1969, its opening track, "Streets of London", has become McTell's signature tune. "Rizraklaru" is an anagram of "Rural Karzi". The sleeve design was by Peter Thaine, a friend of McTell from Croydon Art College.[2]
| Spiral Staircase | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Ralph McTell | ||||
| Released | 26 May 1969 | |||
| Recorded | December 1968 | |||
| Studio | Regent Sound Studies, Tottenham Court Road, London | |||
| Genre | Folk, folk rock, country blues | |||
| Length | 35:27 | |||
| Label | Transatlantic | |||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Ralph McTell chronology | ||||
| ||||
Track listing
editAll titles by Ralph McTell except where stated.
- Side One
- "Streets of London" - 4:06
- "Mrs Adlam's Angels" - 2:43
- "Wino and the Mouse" - 0:59
- "England 1914" - 3:04
- "Last Train and Ride" - 2:31
- "The Fairground" - 4:07
- Side Two
- "Spiral Staircase" - 3:30
- "Kind Hearted Woman Blues" (Robert Johnson) - 2:43
- "Bright and Beautiful Things" - 1:53
- "Daddy's Here" - 4:22
- "Rizraklaru (Anag.)" - 1:44
- "(My) Baby Keeps Staying Out all Night Long" (Buddy Moss) - 1:52
- "Terminus" - 1:53
Personnel
edit- Ralph McTell - guitar, vocals
- Famous Jug Band
on "Last Train and Ride" and "Spiral Staircase"
- Brian "Brock" Brocklehurst - double bass
- Mick "Henry VIII" Bartlett - jug
- "Whispering Mick" Bennett - washboard
- Peter Berryman - second guitar
- Mike Vickers - orchestral arrangements
- Brian Gascoigne - musical direction
Production credits
edit- Producer: Gus Dudgeon for Tuesday Productions
- Engineer: Tom Allom at Regent Sound
- Sleeve design: Peter Thaine
- Liner notes: Ben Klein
Awards and accolades
edit- McTell's song "Streets of London" won the Ivor Novello Award for songwriting in 1974.[3]
- A re-recorded version of "Streets of London" became a world-wide hit single in 1975.
- During his 60th birthday concert at the Royal Festival Hall in November, 2004, McTell was presented with a Gold Disc of Spiral Staircase.[4]
Release history
edit| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1969 | Transatlantic | LP | TRA177 | |
| France | 1978 | Transatlantic | LP | TRA89554/5 | Record 2 of 2-LP set. Record 1 is Eight Frames a Second |
| Australia | 1980 | Transatlantic/ 7 Records |
LP | MLF227 | |
| Japan | 1980 | Transatlantic | LP | YS-7057-LA | |
| Israel | Logo/Transatlantic | LP | TRA177 | ||
| Germany | 1988 | Titan | LP CD |
577/3001-1 577/3001-2 |
|
| United Kingdom | 1990 | Ariola Express | CD | 295945 | Released as The Streets of London |
| United Kingdom | 1996 | Wooden Hill | CD | HILLCD5 | |
| United Kingdom | 2007 | Transatlantic | CD | TRRCD401 | 'Expanded Edition' with four bonus tracks taken from Revisited |
Many of the tracks on this album also feature in the Spiral Staircase - Classic Songs compilation.
Track variations
editThe UK 2007 CD release includes four bonus tracks that were re-mixed or re-recorded in 1970 for "Revisited":[5]
- 14. "Spiral Staircase"
- 15. "Last Train and Ride"
- 16. "The Fairground"
- 17. "Terminus"
References
edit- ^ "Spiral Staircase" LP sleeve, 1969.
- ^ "Spiral Staircase". Ralph McTell. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ BBC. "Sold on Song: Streets of London". Accessed 9 May 2009.
- ^ Leola Music Ltd. “The London Show”, TPGDVD25, 2005.
- ^ "Spiral Staircase" CD inlay, 2007.