The Levellers discography

2008 marks twenty years of the Levellers. Their fierce independence has always defied pigeonholing or convention, the re-issue of their back catalogue with expanded packaging and bonus tracks reveals them as one of the best indie bands England has produced. In those twenty years they've sold over 1 million albums, played live to over 3 million people and had 14 Top 30 singles. Their energy shows no sign of flagging either, they play 29 festivals in 2007 including Fflam, Bestival, Rock Ness, Wychwood and their own Beautiful Days.

A Weapon Called The Word

Their first commercial album after a couple of ep's. Songs with folk roots played with the energy of punk. Strident protest allied with a compassionate humanity missing from much of their contemporaries marked them out as a band to watch.

Levelling The Land

The seminal album of the alternative folk-punk scene, blending folk, punk and rock into eleven songs that defined the anti-establishment world of the traveller. It touched a chord with so many that it transcended its fanbase and made several chart hits, One Way Of Life being the most well known. 'The Battle of The Beanfield's power to move is undiminished with time.

Re-released with five extra tracks and a twelve track CD of their epic performance at the Glastonbury festival in 1992. This could have been released in it's own right, including it on this mid-price release is a gift!

Levellers

Difficult third album syndrome, hampered by a tight schedule and muddy production. The band sounded pissed off and angry. Nonetheless it harboured songs that have become firm favourites, This Garden, Belarus, Julie and Dirty Davey are well loved features of their live act to this day.

The re-release has four extra tracks and has benefited from a welcome re-mastering and sounds great for it.

Zeitgeist

Marked the maturing of their sound into a near perfect mix of folk/rock/punk, the rage of protest had evolved into a conscientious observation of the failings of society and those in power. This album has everything that makes the Levellers great, from the National Lottery bashing 'Hope Street' to the mystical delight of 'Men-An-Tol'

Re-mastered and packaged with four bonus tracks of B-sides

Mouth To Mouth

This album found the band cresting the wave of Brit Pop, the single 'Beautiful Day' was the first feel good summer single to celebrate blowing up parliament! (re-released to celebrate the re-issue of all these albums). A great cover of Pentangle's 'Rain And Snow' kept faith with their folk influences whilst they once again demonstrated the sheer range of styles and quality they could pack into one album.

Re-mastered with four bonus tracks

Hello Pig

This took everyone by surprise. Probably their most experimental and creative album, in every sense, from writing to production. Described variously as a psychedelic or stoner album, mainly I suspect because the songs blend dreamily into one another. Critically a huge success, Q Magazine had it as one of the albums of the year. Strangely the fans didn't seem to take to it so warmly, perhaps it's because it's the furthest away from the punk ethic? Listening to it now reveals some of the most intimate songs they've ever penned; 'Edge Of The World' and 'Walk Lightly' give you that tingling feeling of tapping into a deep well of emotion.

Re-released with three bonus tracks. The fanclub only release 'Hello Pig - The Offal' is well worth tracking down too.

Green Blade Rising

A more straight ahead album than 'Hello Pig'. This marked the integration of the sixth leveller that wasn't quite a leveller, Matt Savage. Savage had been playing keyboards in the studio and live with them for some time, gradually he was having more to do with the writing as well.

Truth And Lies

Stylistically falling somewhere between 'Hello Pig' and 'Mouth To Mouth'. Multilayered vocals and Matt Savage's keyboards lend it an emotional depth, the whole thing driven by Charlie Heathers drums well up in the mix. 'Truth & Lies' brings together all the things that make the Levellers unique, from fiddle and guitar driven songs that make you want to up sticks and ramble off across the land, right to songs composed of poignant lyrics married to upbeat music that make you look at the world a little differently. The one thing it doesn't do is rest on it's laurels, there's not one piece of padding here.

Iain Hazlewood

Levellers video

Remastered albums

Links

Levellers Line-up