TICKLED PINK – Ceilidh (Rooksmere Records RRCD101)

The term Ceilidh, meaning “…an informal social gathering at which there is Celtic dancing, singing and storytelling” is now regularly being adopted by many English ‘folk-dance’ bands in preference to the term ‘barn dance’. Something of a throwback to the influential days of the Albion Dance Band and Ashley Hutching’s album “Kickin’ Up The Sawdust”, I certainly hope Tickled Pink won’t be too offended by my mentioning another band but, let’s face it the folk-rock being produced at that time (around 1977) certainly influenced a majority of those of us that enjoyed a good old fashioned folk knees-up. The music wasn’t precious or pretentious the way many of today’s artists try to pretend it is. No, this music was very much born of a case of the “…let’s get stuck in and have a good time” attitude. Therefore, uninhibited by any restraints of attempting to be ‘artistic’ it sounds very much as if Tickled Pink were given the freedom of playing (more or less) whatever they wanted in the studio and release their pent up energy as if they were performing ‘live’ for an audience of eager dancers. The length of the set pieces (often one tune repeated many times over) allows plenty of room for each of the musicians to shine and with the creative juices of Simon Care, Gerald Claridge, Rob Kay, Mark Jolley, Trevor Landen, Mark Hutchinson and Guy Fletcher in full flow you can’t help but be swept away by the infectiousness of it all. This is the kind of CD that will make you smile, laugh and above all ‘want’ to dance.

PETE FYFE