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''Dark Fields'' is the sixth studio album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands, released in 1997 on their own label Hands on Music. The album follows the duo's 1996 performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, a performance which raised their profile. A live album of the performance was released as ''Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' in August, becoming the band's best selling album. The duo followed the success with ''Dark Fields''. Recorded in St Merryn, ''Dark Fields'' features Knightley's characteristic West Country-focused lyrics and a "live" sound carried over from their previous studio release ''Lie of the Land'' (1995). The album was released in May 1997, received positive reviews from critics. The band also released a single from the album, "Crazy Boy", which was the band's first single. ==Background== With their 1995 album ''Lie of the Land'', Devon-based folk duo Show of Hands, consisting of Steve Knightley and Phil Beer, found the most success in their career so far. Whilst that album's predecessor, ''Beat about the Bush'' (1994), aimed for radio play by incorporating a full band set up,〔''Roots: The Best of Show of Hands'' liner notes〕 it did not receive the air play wanted.〔''Roots: The Best of Show of Hands'' liner notes〕 The duo then sought for a stripped down, more acoustic sound for ''Lie of the Land'' which felt more like the duo's live performances. The album was released in 1995 on Isis Records, and unlike their previous album, it found attention from major publications, such as ''Mojo'' and ''Q'', with the latter subsequently naming it the "folk album of the year".〔http://www.folkmusic.net/htmfiles/inart383.htm〕 The duo received more attention and, by early 1996, they had by now built up a considerable fanbase through their mailing list.〔http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Show-Of-Hands.html〕 Knightley, Beer and manager O’Farrell, who had produced ''Lie of the Land'', took the gamble of hiring London's famous Royal Albert Hall for an performance on the evening of 24 March 1996, in attempt to gather all of the duo's fans, and to raise the duo's profile.〔http://www.showofhands.co.uk/about/show-of-hands-full-biog/〕 Whilst a certainly ambitious idea, the duo hired the hall "to the amusement of the media and the cynicism of sceptics" and was considered a huge gamble.〔http://www.showofhands.co.uk/about/show-of-hands-full-biog/〕 Nonetheless, the performance sold out in advance. Selling out the hall was unprecedented for a folk act.〔http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/music/preview-show-hands-sage-gateshead-1423155〕 One biography said that the success "proved that for this enigmatic, indy duo anything was possible."〔http://www.showofhands.co.uk/about/show-of-hands-full-biog/〕 Knightley said in 1997 that "people still talk about it in glowing terms."〔http://tomrobinson.com/writing/soh.htm〕 He also noted that "quite a lot of people now know Show Of Hands as 'Those guys who did the Albert Hall'. So it's opened a lot of doors. In India there was a tremendous cachet - we were checked out by people who came to see us just because of having played the Royal Albert Hall. In America as well. So it exceeded all our expectations in that sense."〔http://tomrobinson.com/writing/soh.htm〕 O'Farrell commenced producing the performance as a live album, whose production work on ''Lie of the Land'' pleased the duo, who also liked the live sound of their previous live album ''Show of Hands Live'', produced by Mike Trim. The album cost £200 on the night to record.〔http://tomrobinson.com/writing/soh.htm〕 The live album was released in August 1996 as ''Live at the Royal Albert Hall'', which became the duo's best-selling album.〔http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Show-Of-Hands.html〕 With this new tinge of success that the strength of the Albert Hall built open, Knightley noted that "it's easier to get in local papers. But we now need to replace that with a story about the music. That's the dilemma."〔http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Show-Of-Hands.html〕 With this in mind, the duo decide it was time "for a new studio recording".,〔''Roots: The Best of Show of Hands'' liner notes〕 and the duo began work on their sixth album, ''Dark Fields'' in 1997. The duo co-produced the album with manager Steve O'Farrell who produced ''Lie of the Land'' and ''Live at the Royal Albert Hall'', and recorded it at Joe Partridge's Airfield studios in St Merryn, Cornwall, with the studio commencing recording here due to Knightley's pleasant experience when working on a Mike Silver album at the studio several years prior.〔''Roots: The Best of Show of Hands'' liner notes〕 Knightley later commented that, "wonderfully equipped and utterly secluded, (duo ) locked themselves away for a week or so" to record the album.〔''Roots: The Best of Show of Hands'' liner notes〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dark Fields (album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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