Joy Ride on Memory Lane (2011)
"Martin Welham was a founder of British psych-folk trio Forest, who withered away after two Harvest LPs. Joy Ride...is the fourth record with his son, Tom. Father and son make a hugely sympathetic pairing, with close folk harmonies over arrangements often surprisingly muscular, as on their rootsy "Her Name is Love", or "Magic Lantern"'s glam-folk organ and electric guitar. Elsewhere, "Andromeda" resurrects an unrecorded Forest song from 1971 and features ex-member Dez Allenby on penny whistle, while on "Sixty Eight" Welham hymns his former band's impoverished but spiritually rich existence. Unashamedly hymning Brit folk-rock's heyday, Joy Ride... combines the best elements of that wildwood era."
Rob Young, Uncut, November 2011
"If you couldn’t tell from their whimsical album title or cover artwork (a psychedelic photo of a blooming garden in front of a country cottage), the dozen confident, Britfolk/psych tunes on the Story UK’s third album, Joy Ride on Memory Lane, will lead you to believe that father-son duo of Martin and Tom Welham have probably each worn through multiple copies of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and definitely have near-encyclopedic knowledge of the genre.
Of course, it helps that Martin was the frontman for late-‘60s UK psych folk trio Forest and actually is a contemporary of Syd Barrett. Plugging back in after 2007’s acoustic “improvised song-cycle” Arcane Rising, Joy Ride hits all the psych folk bases: Friendly acoustic guitar jangle? Homilies like “the light that you shine is all you’ll ever need” (“Standing in the Rain”)? A wistful eye turned toward the late ‘60s (“Sixty Eight”)? Pan flutes? Check, check, check and check. Too, unlike their madman hero Barrett, the Welhams (who trade off vocals) are clear-eyed and eager to explore self-discovery (“Magic Lantern”) and self-empowerment (“For the Good of Your Soul”). British psych/folk may not be the hippest of genres to revisit but in these guys’ hands, it’s utterly charming."
Stephen Haag popmatters.com 15 November 2011
"The third full-length album by Martin Welham, formerly of '70s
acid-folk trio Forest and his son Tom is a collection of hook-laden acoustic
folk-pop. The accent throughout is on the songs, which are highly melodic, and
the harmonies, which are warm and inviting. 'Running Out Of Time' and the title
track have a very strong '60s vibe running through them that reminded this
writer of early Strawbs and even Martin's own former band - can't be a bad
thing. Like their name the highly literate songs tell a story, the mythical
'Andromeda', the presumably biographical 'Sixty Eight' and the philosophical
'Magic Lantern'. This is an album that bears repeated listening and comes highly
recommended".
Pat Curran, Shindig! Magazine, 24th November 2011
"Ex-Forest-er, Martin Welham and his son, Tom return with their third full-length collection of headswirling pastoral folk with acid tinges around the edges. [Following a couple of releases on the predominantly reissue-centric Sunbeam, the Welhams have signed with the American psych label, Rainbow Quartz, purveyors of jangly, guitar-based pop psych. The geographic appendage has been added to distinguish the project from a similarly-named U.S. folk band.] The album opens with the dreamy psych of ‘Her Name Is Love’ and by the time the poppy ‘Standing In The Rain’ seeps into the grey matter it’s perfectly clear that the Welhams have chosen the perfect imprint to release their feathery confections, as fans of labelmates The Grip Weeds, The High Dials, and Deleted Waveform Gatherings (Øyvind Holm of Terrascope faves, The Dipsomaniacs’ new project) will feel right at home.
The recordings retain that wonderful ’60s Brit psych vibe that graced Martin’s Forest recordings, with flourishes of backwards guitars, double-tracked bass, duelling guitar leads, and the odd piano tossed in to compliment their gorgeous harmonies. The songs also have more of a “rock” feel than previous recordings and, as such, may be more accessible than the ethereal, stream-of-consciousness tunes that dominated earlier releases. In this regard, the folk rock elements of Rubber Soul may be a comfortable signpost to the treasures that lie within. 'Sixty-Eight’ (an old tune Tom first heard as a wee lad on a reel-to-reel tape player) pulls out all the stops and kicks up some serious fairy dust, while ‘Andromeda’ could have sat comfortably on Kaleidoscope’s Tangerine Dream debut. [That’s “Kaleidoscope UK”, obviously - disgruntled Ed.] I also liked the strolling minstrel quality of the effervescent ‘Real World’ and ‘Magical Lantern’ wraps everything up in a warm, cozy blanket of dreamy harmonies, toadstool-inspired images, and a gnarly guitar solo.
The Welhams’ website offers a track-by-track annotation which explains how each song developed. It’s not essential to the enjoyment of the album, but gives an inside peek into their creative process. This is one of the year’s finest surprises – an album that can be appreciated by fans of folk, pop, and psych alike."
Jeff Penczak, Terrascope.co.uk 29 November 2011
"The Story UK (the 'UK' distinguishes them from an American duo called The Story) are a group from Somerset, who on their debut "Joy Ride On Memory Lane" proffer twelve tracks of what might be called psych folk, but which is nearer psych pop, I feel. Opening cuts 'Her Name Is Love' and 'Standing In The Rain' are both jaunty, melodious songs full of 'sixties harpsichords, fuzzy guitars and Donovan-esque vocals, which definitely hit the spot. 'For The Good Of Your Soul' sets the controls for the heart of Syd Barrett, though only by association - this is original stuff in many ways, though it's 100%, unashamedly retro. 'Running Out Of Time' is a gorgeous cut, beautifully written and performed, while 'A Stone's Throw Away' is a kind of psych pop round, with verses and choruses merging... lovely. 'Roundabout' is a jaunty little number with an East End style piano in the mix, 'Sixty Eight' brings in Moody blues style keyboards and a pattering drum sound - great track, this - while 'Andromeda' returns to a folk vibe, with flute and hand percussion; this one very 'Donovan,' I thought, which is of course a good thing. 'She Doesn't Care' is a minor key lament, 'Real World' matches sumptuous guitars with a tinkling Rhodes, 'The Chase' has an Indian hint, while album closer 'Magic Lantern' brings in the flute mellotron and a classic 'sixties descending chord sequence on a track that rolls and rides the psychedelic tide... lovely. Yes, this is a retro album with only retro sounds, but the songs are lovely, the sound impeccable, the production excellent, and the vibe of the whole package is just perfect. Very good indeed, and a must for all 'sixties heads."
Steve Palmer, Terrascope.co.uk, 23 December 2011
Rob Young, Uncut, November 2011
"If you couldn’t tell from their whimsical album title or cover artwork (a psychedelic photo of a blooming garden in front of a country cottage), the dozen confident, Britfolk/psych tunes on the Story UK’s third album, Joy Ride on Memory Lane, will lead you to believe that father-son duo of Martin and Tom Welham have probably each worn through multiple copies of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and definitely have near-encyclopedic knowledge of the genre.
Of course, it helps that Martin was the frontman for late-‘60s UK psych folk trio Forest and actually is a contemporary of Syd Barrett. Plugging back in after 2007’s acoustic “improvised song-cycle” Arcane Rising, Joy Ride hits all the psych folk bases: Friendly acoustic guitar jangle? Homilies like “the light that you shine is all you’ll ever need” (“Standing in the Rain”)? A wistful eye turned toward the late ‘60s (“Sixty Eight”)? Pan flutes? Check, check, check and check. Too, unlike their madman hero Barrett, the Welhams (who trade off vocals) are clear-eyed and eager to explore self-discovery (“Magic Lantern”) and self-empowerment (“For the Good of Your Soul”). British psych/folk may not be the hippest of genres to revisit but in these guys’ hands, it’s utterly charming."
Stephen Haag popmatters.com 15 November 2011
"The third full-length album by Martin Welham, formerly of '70s
acid-folk trio Forest and his son Tom is a collection of hook-laden acoustic
folk-pop. The accent throughout is on the songs, which are highly melodic, and
the harmonies, which are warm and inviting. 'Running Out Of Time' and the title
track have a very strong '60s vibe running through them that reminded this
writer of early Strawbs and even Martin's own former band - can't be a bad
thing. Like their name the highly literate songs tell a story, the mythical
'Andromeda', the presumably biographical 'Sixty Eight' and the philosophical
'Magic Lantern'. This is an album that bears repeated listening and comes highly
recommended".
Pat Curran, Shindig! Magazine, 24th November 2011
"Ex-Forest-er, Martin Welham and his son, Tom return with their third full-length collection of headswirling pastoral folk with acid tinges around the edges. [Following a couple of releases on the predominantly reissue-centric Sunbeam, the Welhams have signed with the American psych label, Rainbow Quartz, purveyors of jangly, guitar-based pop psych. The geographic appendage has been added to distinguish the project from a similarly-named U.S. folk band.] The album opens with the dreamy psych of ‘Her Name Is Love’ and by the time the poppy ‘Standing In The Rain’ seeps into the grey matter it’s perfectly clear that the Welhams have chosen the perfect imprint to release their feathery confections, as fans of labelmates The Grip Weeds, The High Dials, and Deleted Waveform Gatherings (Øyvind Holm of Terrascope faves, The Dipsomaniacs’ new project) will feel right at home.
The recordings retain that wonderful ’60s Brit psych vibe that graced Martin’s Forest recordings, with flourishes of backwards guitars, double-tracked bass, duelling guitar leads, and the odd piano tossed in to compliment their gorgeous harmonies. The songs also have more of a “rock” feel than previous recordings and, as such, may be more accessible than the ethereal, stream-of-consciousness tunes that dominated earlier releases. In this regard, the folk rock elements of Rubber Soul may be a comfortable signpost to the treasures that lie within. 'Sixty-Eight’ (an old tune Tom first heard as a wee lad on a reel-to-reel tape player) pulls out all the stops and kicks up some serious fairy dust, while ‘Andromeda’ could have sat comfortably on Kaleidoscope’s Tangerine Dream debut. [That’s “Kaleidoscope UK”, obviously - disgruntled Ed.] I also liked the strolling minstrel quality of the effervescent ‘Real World’ and ‘Magical Lantern’ wraps everything up in a warm, cozy blanket of dreamy harmonies, toadstool-inspired images, and a gnarly guitar solo.
The Welhams’ website offers a track-by-track annotation which explains how each song developed. It’s not essential to the enjoyment of the album, but gives an inside peek into their creative process. This is one of the year’s finest surprises – an album that can be appreciated by fans of folk, pop, and psych alike."
Jeff Penczak, Terrascope.co.uk 29 November 2011
"The Story UK (the 'UK' distinguishes them from an American duo called The Story) are a group from Somerset, who on their debut "Joy Ride On Memory Lane" proffer twelve tracks of what might be called psych folk, but which is nearer psych pop, I feel. Opening cuts 'Her Name Is Love' and 'Standing In The Rain' are both jaunty, melodious songs full of 'sixties harpsichords, fuzzy guitars and Donovan-esque vocals, which definitely hit the spot. 'For The Good Of Your Soul' sets the controls for the heart of Syd Barrett, though only by association - this is original stuff in many ways, though it's 100%, unashamedly retro. 'Running Out Of Time' is a gorgeous cut, beautifully written and performed, while 'A Stone's Throw Away' is a kind of psych pop round, with verses and choruses merging... lovely. 'Roundabout' is a jaunty little number with an East End style piano in the mix, 'Sixty Eight' brings in Moody blues style keyboards and a pattering drum sound - great track, this - while 'Andromeda' returns to a folk vibe, with flute and hand percussion; this one very 'Donovan,' I thought, which is of course a good thing. 'She Doesn't Care' is a minor key lament, 'Real World' matches sumptuous guitars with a tinkling Rhodes, 'The Chase' has an Indian hint, while album closer 'Magic Lantern' brings in the flute mellotron and a classic 'sixties descending chord sequence on a track that rolls and rides the psychedelic tide... lovely. Yes, this is a retro album with only retro sounds, but the songs are lovely, the sound impeccable, the production excellent, and the vibe of the whole package is just perfect. Very good indeed, and a must for all 'sixties heads."
Steve Palmer, Terrascope.co.uk, 23 December 2011
Arcane Rising (2007)
"One of our favorite "folkpsych" albums of last year was the debut full-length
Tale Spin from the English father-son duo known as The Story. Wasn't terribly
much of a surprise, really, since the elder half of The Story, Martin Welham,
was an integral member of Forest, an amazing (and undeservedly obscure) band
from back in the original late sixties/early seventies magical era of British
acid folk music, contemporaries of Fairport and Pentangle and the Incredible
String Band and Dando Shaft and Comus. The reissues of their two albums have
been huge favorite here at Aquarius. But now it's almost forty years later, and
we suppose that Martin making music with his son Tom could have been a
let-down. But it wasn't, not a bit, no sirree. Martin still had "it". And
apparently a musical talent for pastoral prettiness runs in the family too.
And this second album from The Story is also quite something. Again what wows us is
just the lovely blend of their gentle voices and sprightly guitar strum,
singing songs full of melancholic atmospheres and melodic enchantment... As an
acoustic duo, the focus here is on the song writing, the melodies and
pagan-tinged lyrics, not psychedelic effects or rock bombast, and the Welhams
do wonders with just their guitars and voices, plus some sundry
hand-percussion, flutes, and (literal) bells and whistles too. Like Tale Spin,
this album is utterly sweet and mellow and hum-able...in terms of mood, it has
its dark corners but even then the Martin and Tom's harmony vocals bring warmth
and light to the journey, which seems to be along forest paths and over country
streams, across both misty moors and sunny meadows. The songs (sixteen of 'em)
are ALL quite nice, none of them overly lengthy, mostly just a minute or three
apiece, making maximum melodic impact before The Story moves itself along to
the next song. Timeless stuff -- we could almost imagine a Welham grandchild
eventually joining up and The Story continuing and bridging yet another
generation.."
Christine, Aquarius Records, 2007
"Arcane Rising is psychedelic folk of a different sort than most. It isn't
laden with special effects, rather it achieves it's otherworldliness through the
use of melody & harmonies. In fact this is an ideal album to play to those
who consider folk-psych generally to be a little too strange for their
tastes.
It somehow manages to be "nice", without any of that unfortunate
blandness the word usually implies. Fans of artists such as The Incredible
String Band, Donovan, CSN&Y, Simon & Garfunkel & (obviously) Forest will find
a great deal to like here. This is an album it's very easy to lose oneself in.
Without sounding in any way dated, The Story manage to sound as if they would
have fitted in perfectly on the Woodstock soundtrack album.
Stand out tracks for me...
Lingering
Precious One
... but the whole album has a very stream of consciousness feel to it &
is best experienced as a complete work, played from beginning to end."
Dave Brzeski, Schrodinger's Cat, 15/10/2007
Tale Spin from the English father-son duo known as The Story. Wasn't terribly
much of a surprise, really, since the elder half of The Story, Martin Welham,
was an integral member of Forest, an amazing (and undeservedly obscure) band
from back in the original late sixties/early seventies magical era of British
acid folk music, contemporaries of Fairport and Pentangle and the Incredible
String Band and Dando Shaft and Comus. The reissues of their two albums have
been huge favorite here at Aquarius. But now it's almost forty years later, and
we suppose that Martin making music with his son Tom could have been a
let-down. But it wasn't, not a bit, no sirree. Martin still had "it". And
apparently a musical talent for pastoral prettiness runs in the family too.
And this second album from The Story is also quite something. Again what wows us is
just the lovely blend of their gentle voices and sprightly guitar strum,
singing songs full of melancholic atmospheres and melodic enchantment... As an
acoustic duo, the focus here is on the song writing, the melodies and
pagan-tinged lyrics, not psychedelic effects or rock bombast, and the Welhams
do wonders with just their guitars and voices, plus some sundry
hand-percussion, flutes, and (literal) bells and whistles too. Like Tale Spin,
this album is utterly sweet and mellow and hum-able...in terms of mood, it has
its dark corners but even then the Martin and Tom's harmony vocals bring warmth
and light to the journey, which seems to be along forest paths and over country
streams, across both misty moors and sunny meadows. The songs (sixteen of 'em)
are ALL quite nice, none of them overly lengthy, mostly just a minute or three
apiece, making maximum melodic impact before The Story moves itself along to
the next song. Timeless stuff -- we could almost imagine a Welham grandchild
eventually joining up and The Story continuing and bridging yet another
generation.."
Christine, Aquarius Records, 2007
"Arcane Rising is psychedelic folk of a different sort than most. It isn't
laden with special effects, rather it achieves it's otherworldliness through the
use of melody & harmonies. In fact this is an ideal album to play to those
who consider folk-psych generally to be a little too strange for their
tastes.
It somehow manages to be "nice", without any of that unfortunate
blandness the word usually implies. Fans of artists such as The Incredible
String Band, Donovan, CSN&Y, Simon & Garfunkel & (obviously) Forest will find
a great deal to like here. This is an album it's very easy to lose oneself in.
Without sounding in any way dated, The Story manage to sound as if they would
have fitted in perfectly on the Woodstock soundtrack album.
Stand out tracks for me...
Lingering
Precious One
... but the whole album has a very stream of consciousness feel to it &
is best experienced as a complete work, played from beginning to end."
Dave Brzeski, Schrodinger's Cat, 15/10/2007
Tale Spin (2005)
"The Story is a father/son duo consisting of Martin
Welham of the classic folk/psych band Forest and his
son, Tom. The pair have been touring recently across
the English countryside (Somerset seems to be home base these
days) and, following an initial unveiling on a split-LP with US
folkies Whysp 'Tale Spin' marks both their debut full
length as well as the first original (i.e.,
non-reissue) release on Sunbeam. Opening with their theme song 'The Story' is a rolling acoustic gem, full of
gorgeous harmonies that leaves me
with a laidback Moody Blues
taste in my ears. The Welhams mix things up by adding
banjo, piano and some strings and winds to 'Hope and Pray,'
another
harmonic beauty in the style of CSNY, Help
Yourself, or early Brinsley Schwarz. Welham
senior?s ?Walking the Wall? is a nostalgic recollection of
youthful experiences that could equally be directed at both
his son and his former bandmates, while junior?s youthful exhuberance injects a lightweight,good time poppy
groove to his 'Anyway' and the backwards guitars and
soaring harmonies imbue his 'Strange World' with just
the right air of mystery. So, these tale spinning
Welhams offer up a whistful collection
of melodic folk pop that will appeal both to senior?s old cronies with Forest, COB, Fresh Maggots, and Help Yourself LPs in their
collection along with junior's new breed of folkies like
Espers, 6 Organs of Admittance and In Gowan Ring."
8/10
-- Jeff
Penczak Foxy Digitalis (27 June, 2006)
"The Story can be regarded as a follow up to Forest. This still is the real thing with a late
60’s acid folk flavour. We hear warm, delicate beautiful harmony vocals, simple guitars
and percussion, some piano and flute. The music is closest to Forest in the vocals.These
songs are perhaps even warmer, played by father and son. “Walking the Wall” with different
voice, is closer to a C.O.B. melancholy. A beautiful album and another winner for true and
truthful acid folk collectors."
Gerald Van Waes, Psychedelicfolk.com, 2005
The Dawn Is Crowned (2004)
"This release has been one of my most anticipated in 2005. First it sees the
official re-emergence of Martin Welham, member of the classic sixties
psychedelic folk band Forest
working with his son Tom as ‘The Story’. Secondly it brings them together with
modern psychedelic folk band ‘Whysp’ from the USA on their second release. We
have had a preview of this sumptuous vinyl split-release for a while and it has
proven one of the most enjoyable and enduring releases of the year. Both bands
have a primarily acoustic folk sound with the psychedelic aspects coming from
vocal arrangements, melodies and lyrics. The arrangements are subtle but
inventive. Each band has one side each but so seamless are they that it feels
like one continuous release.
On the first side we have the selections from ‘The Story’ who start with a great acoustic track which introduces the band over clattering percussion, whistle and stunning harmonies. These are like Forest originally, who always had one of the most distinctive sounds. If you don’t know Forest (and you really should) then think of early Pink Floyd’s vocal layering or Incredible String Band circa 1967/68. It really is that good with organ and a hazy, smoke filled atmosphere. Voices rise and fall together over the music which has a spontaneous and free feeling, it’s like being transported back to the best music of the late sixties. Yet the arrangement has made the songs accessible, even more so than much of Forest’s original music.
Third song ‘Road To Ascension’ is a masterpiece of any era, staring with its lyrics of ‘open the door, we’ve been here before’. The vocal harmonies are incredible with an un-attributable psychedelic air, controlled but curious like the early sections of the song ‘Bike’. This is folk music though that should appeal to all fans of the genre, whether from the sixties or now. ‘Emergency’ has beautiful choral keyboards and the loose gently shambling acoustic feel of The Small Faces ‘Universal’ (a song that was to herald a new direction for that band but wasn’t a big hit so Steve Marriott split them). ‘English Oak’ is stunning too, simple percussion patters from wood and hands backing a marvellously written ode to the ‘cherry blossom memory, weeping willows history, the vanity of an apple tree, the English oak of sanity’. I’ve got more material by The Story including their own odes to The Wicker Man and All Hallow’s Eve (featured here at the site exclusively recently) and they are going to be a wonderful force during coming years. Support your local psychedelic tree pruners now! "
Mark Coyle, The Unbroken Circle, Dec 2005
"Pleasant surprise here – private-press modern psych-folk with significant ties
to the underground, at least on the Story’s behalf. That group, a duo from
Sommerset, England, is a father and son affair of Tom and Martin Welham.
Significant enough, indeed, as Martin was a member of somewhat legendary UK
folk outfit the Forest back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. He’s taught his
son well, and it’s probably the case that his son saw relevance in his dad’s
music to the times and tastes of today. True enough, the group’s five song
contribution to this split sound clean, panoptic in scope and fairly timeless,
interjecting frills and fantasy elements into solid, warm musicianship.
Listening to a winner like “Floating Box” makes me wonder what it would be like
if I could smoke pot with my dad. Actually, scratch that thought – just enjoy
it with no such thoughts."
Dusted Magazine, 2005
On the first side we have the selections from ‘The Story’ who start with a great acoustic track which introduces the band over clattering percussion, whistle and stunning harmonies. These are like Forest originally, who always had one of the most distinctive sounds. If you don’t know Forest (and you really should) then think of early Pink Floyd’s vocal layering or Incredible String Band circa 1967/68. It really is that good with organ and a hazy, smoke filled atmosphere. Voices rise and fall together over the music which has a spontaneous and free feeling, it’s like being transported back to the best music of the late sixties. Yet the arrangement has made the songs accessible, even more so than much of Forest’s original music.
Third song ‘Road To Ascension’ is a masterpiece of any era, staring with its lyrics of ‘open the door, we’ve been here before’. The vocal harmonies are incredible with an un-attributable psychedelic air, controlled but curious like the early sections of the song ‘Bike’. This is folk music though that should appeal to all fans of the genre, whether from the sixties or now. ‘Emergency’ has beautiful choral keyboards and the loose gently shambling acoustic feel of The Small Faces ‘Universal’ (a song that was to herald a new direction for that band but wasn’t a big hit so Steve Marriott split them). ‘English Oak’ is stunning too, simple percussion patters from wood and hands backing a marvellously written ode to the ‘cherry blossom memory, weeping willows history, the vanity of an apple tree, the English oak of sanity’. I’ve got more material by The Story including their own odes to The Wicker Man and All Hallow’s Eve (featured here at the site exclusively recently) and they are going to be a wonderful force during coming years. Support your local psychedelic tree pruners now! "
Mark Coyle, The Unbroken Circle, Dec 2005
"Pleasant surprise here – private-press modern psych-folk with significant ties
to the underground, at least on the Story’s behalf. That group, a duo from
Sommerset, England, is a father and son affair of Tom and Martin Welham.
Significant enough, indeed, as Martin was a member of somewhat legendary UK
folk outfit the Forest back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. He’s taught his
son well, and it’s probably the case that his son saw relevance in his dad’s
music to the times and tastes of today. True enough, the group’s five song
contribution to this split sound clean, panoptic in scope and fairly timeless,
interjecting frills and fantasy elements into solid, warm musicianship.
Listening to a winner like “Floating Box” makes me wonder what it would be like
if I could smoke pot with my dad. Actually, scratch that thought – just enjoy
it with no such thoughts."
Dusted Magazine, 2005
