james hollingsworth - album page - Thirteen Moons

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Thirteen Moons
2021 album - released 12/02/2021

Thirteen Moons, as well as being an album, was a journey of a lunar year through thirteen singles mediated by live action and lyric videos on youtube. The album is out on most streaming platforms including Spotify and Tidal, and you can download on Bandcamp:

This completely remixed and remastered version of James' 2013 CDR release is also available on CD both in budget formats (see below) and in a choice of three colours of linen cases, with a vinyl-style cd and lyric booklet:

Limited Edition vinyl-effect CD in Linen Hardback case, in either Cream or Red fine linen, or 'Sand Weft' coarse linen, 7-page booklet, magnetic closure.

£20 + £1.53 UK
(for overseas postage please visit Bandcamp)

"A cracking album, I thought it was fantastic!" - Folk Pilot

"great guitar work and vocals." - Music Eye, Frome FM

Linen case ~ select one:

(more options below)

"a superb album" ~ The Walrus and Carpenter Show
(Rock FM and Cambridge 105)

"GOOD album!" - Barking Spider Promotions

"I'm already a fan of James' music, but I'm just listening to the new version of the '13 Moons' album and I must say it's a triumph." - Mr A. Fan

"fine rock musicianship" - Music Eye

“A cracking album with influences ranging from Roy Harper though to Jethro Tull and more. Definitely an album worth getting your ears round... it was right up my street, I thought it was fantastic!" - Folk Pilot

"Brimming with influences from the 70's & 80's - a real treat. If you like acoustic music with interesting rhythms and narrative lyrics then this is for you." - Acoustic Nations

"I am loving this record and have had a fair bit of time to listen. I love the sounds, that progressive folk rock feel, superb!" ~ Aldora Records

13th single: Privately Minded ~ Thirteenth Moon ~ Feb '22

12th single: Way Down South ~ Wolf Moon ~ Jan '22

11th single: Some Say ~ Oak Moon ~ Dec '21

10th single: Saturn Ruin ~ Frost Moon ~ Nov '21

9th single: In Your Own Time ~ Hunter's Moon ~ Oct '21 #COP26

8th single: Clouds Begin Their Reign ~ Harvest Moon ~ Sept '21

7th single: Faster Than Light ~ Red Moon ~ Aug '21

6th single: Rumi ~ Buck Moon ~ July '21

5th single: Still Lights Up The Rain ~ Strawberry Moon ~ Jun '21

4th single: Sea of Enrichment ~ for World Ocean Day ~ May '21

3rd single: Mothership ~ Pink Moon ~ April '21

2nd single: Breathing It In ~ Worm Moon ~ March '21

The 1st single Far Away From Home was released exclusively on iTunes with the album release following a week later on the very palindromic Chinese New Year of the Ox, a New Snow Moon and a New Music Friday to boot - 12/02/2021. At last, at the thirteenth new moon, the thirteenth single, Privately Minded, marked 2/2/22. Thank you for listening!

The launch message from James:

"Thanks for stopping by today! I always planned to go back and remaster my album '13 Moons' when I first released it back in 2013. At the time we were emerging from the recession, and after moving from Bristol to Frome I needed a new CD to sell at my gigs, so put the songs together and got back on the road. Then, with constant gigging, 2 more quick albums, moving house a lot (long story), designing and building a Permaculture garden and btw ending up doing all right playing small venues around the UK but... knowing... all the while... I needed to go back and finish Thirteen Moons! That annus horribilis of the 2020 pandemic definitely gave me the push the project needed.

"With most tracks being totally remixed with new parts plus guest performances added, and finally compiling into a new running order to reflect the album's theme of humanity's future on this fragile planet, the task grew way beyond a simple remastering job! Thanks so much for listening." - James 11/02/2021

CD details below! The complete album can also be downloaded from the excellent Bandcamp (high quality downloads in various formats).

See more videos from Thirteen Moons on an exclusive playlist created for James' Patreon subscribers (from £1 per month ~ offering exclusive live streamed parlour gigs, downloads, edits and more).

Limited Edition Hardback Linen CD's

Limited Edition vinyl-effect CD - housed in Linen Hardback cases, in a choice of cream or red fine linen, or 'sand weft' coarse linen, enclosing a 7-page lyric art booklet, with magnetic closure. Every order gets a souvenir Thirteen Moons Ale Beermat - while they last!

£20 + £1.53 UK

(for overseas postage please visit Bandcamp)

"A cracking album with influences ranging from Roy Harper though to Jethro Tull and more. Definitely an album worth getting your ears round... it was right up my street, I thought it was fantastic!" - Folk Pilot

"... such musicianship brings us to Frome's own James Hollingsworth and his new album Thirteen Moons. Just released - it's got some great tracks, sometimes reminiscent of the Proggie Seventies, and the album has a sort of Genesis feel to me with great guitar work and vocals." - Music Eye, Frome FM

Linen case ~ select one:

Hand-scribed CD's in Standard Card Sleves

Unique hand-drawn copy of 'Thirteen Moons' with 8-page lyric booklet in plain card sleeve direct from James securely online with Paypal for
£10.

No frills CD with celtic-knot design ink-stamped sleeve (as shown above) is also available for £5

LYRIC Gallery

Collaborations on the album

ThirteenMoons was written and recorded mostly by James, but importantly it also features the awesome talents of more collaborators than ever before on one of James' albums. Including the first single from the album, arranged and recorded with JEBO :

Far Away From Home:
Rob Allen (guitars)
Jeff France (drums)
Nicholas O'Neill (keys + backing harmony vocals)
Lawrie Jones (bass)

The song was mixed by James with help from John Burns (famous for his work with Genesis, John Martyn, Jethro Tull and others). Honourable mention to Ali Chant at Toybox Studios - who laid the tracks to tape.

The track-list below shows personnel for each song, starting with Bristol-based songwriter and multi-media extraordinaire Jason Flinter, who with lyricist Jackie Spindley, created Breathing It In.

James' long-time collaborator Sean McBride appears on Sax and Flute, accompanied by Sandro Granda with his intuitive percussion on Faster than Light, and Cheryl Louise, who added superbly relaxed drums to Privately Minded.

1. Breathing it in (by Jason Flinter and Jackie Spindley)
2. Sea of Enrichment (with Jason Flinter)
3. Still Lights up the Rain (live at St Georges Hall)
4. Some Say (live loop)
5. Faster than Light (with Sean McBride (flute), Sandro Granda (percussion), 2007)
6. In your own Time (live loop)
7. Rumi (remastered - originally from Eight Your Nature)
8. Mothership (with the WESST Stroud Class of 2012 Choir)
9. Privately Minded (with Jason Flinter, feat. Cheryl Louise (drums),and Sean McBride (Sax)
10. Saturn Ruin (live loop - featuring Steve Griffiths on additional Roland Juno 6)
11. Way Down South (remastered - originally from Coming Home To Stay)
12. Clouds Begin their Reign (by Jason Flinter)
13. Far away from Home (performed by JEBO).

The album's title derives from there being thirteen lunar cycles in one year, following on from James' numerologically inspired album cycle, which began in on 07/07/07 with Seventh String. After 12/12/12, where do you go?

The album opens with the bright pop-rock sound of 'Breathing it in'. James remixed the final version gently subverting the radio-friendly mood of the song with a long fade out as if the whole planet is fading out into its own dream. Later this was visualised in James' lyric video for the song (links to unlisted Youtube video).

Both 'Privately Minded' and 'Sea of Enrichment' were co-written by James and Jason during some very productive sessions in 2011.

"Privately Minded was originally twice the tempo of the version that appears here, but by a quirk of serendipity some audio-conversion-glitch created a slower version which had the right vibe for the kind of album I had in mind for Thirteen Moons".

'Clouds Begin their Reign' was written by Jason with James' voice in mind, an original tribute (the pun in the song's title included!) to the legendary Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Rush. James was delighted to be invited to sing, long having been a fan of the band.

Included on Thirteen Moons is the 2007 version of James' often-requested 'drop-D' epic 'Faster than Light'. It was recorded with the intuitive and inventive (both of 'em) Sean McBride (flute) and Sandro GrandaSandro Granda (percussion) - I reckon this is the definitive mix of this infinite journey. It's been slow to materialise as a single just 14 years later though!

There are also some Live Loop songs on the album, showcasing the Boomerang III Phrase Sampler, including Saturn Ruin with additional Roland Juno 6 by Keyboard Wizard Steve Griffiths.

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