Archie Fisher - The Man With A Rhyme (1976)

Archie Fisher's The Man With A Rhyme has been a personal favorite record for about the course of a year now. Having grown up with the music of Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, I was first introduced to Fisher's contributions to some of their albums as a guitarist and producer. As a Makem/Clancy faithful and a sucker for anything on the Folk-Legacy label, I was not disappointed when I decided to pick this one up.

Archie Fisher is a renowned Scottish musician, with his catalog dating back to the early 1960s on some absolutely classic releases by Topic Records. Some of these including the monumental Far Over The Forth EP, recorded with his sister, Ray, and The Fisher Family: Traditional & New Songs from Scotland, a recording of a family get-together at the Fisher home. Fisher is a very inventive guitarist, perfectly accompanying his arrangements of traditional songs with beautiful counter-melodies and a certain dexterity that never becomes masturbatory in the slightest, unlike some of his contemporaries. Fisher is a very soft, tender and reserved vocalist, though he sings with a very strong sense of confidence. Fiddle, banjo, concertina, flute, dulcimer and cello compliment Fisher's relaxed performance.

In addition to accomplished musicianship, Fisher has a distinct knack for creating very vivid imagery in his own lyrics and is a truly awesome storyteller. A prime example of classic Fisher storytelling is The Witch of the West-Mer-Lands, an epic tale of witches and centaurs that draws heavily on traditional narrative and could very well be easily mistaken for something taken out of the Child Ballads. A personal favorite on this record is Jock Stewart, commonly known as I'm A Man You Don't Meet Every Day, because it makes me believe that Fisher is this larger than life character he sings about, all with his soft, welcoming delivery.

The Archie Fisher experience should leave you with a very warm and comforting feeling. In my opinion, this is one of the coziest records I have ever heard.

Be easy and free.