The album’s first track, “Sheriff Hutton,” has a modern rock sound, with some progressive elements, and features some good work on electric guitar. Sheriff Hutton is a village in North Yorkshire, where there is a castle where the Council of the North was stationed. This song is sung from a modern perspective, of someone who has learned about the castle there and is looking back. “Of Sheriff Hutton I have been told/A sense of wonder did unfold/Of Richard's council of the north/Its lonely ruins I see henceforth.” This track provides an entrance for us in these modern days back to the time of Richard. It is followed by the album’s first bit of narration, which gives biographical information about Richard. The narration on the previous album was given from the perspective of Richard III’s mother, making the narrator a strong character in the story. This time there is a different approach to the narration, the more traditional approach of an historian giving information. “Richard Plantagent was born on the second of October, 1452 at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire.” This track also touches on the rewriting of his biography after Richard’s death. In “Richard Liveth Yet,” the sound is a great mix of modern and medieval, sort of like a medieval rock song, with a catchy rhythm. I dig that bass line. It’s a lively song that celebrates Richard’s birth: “And the delight at the birth of a son/The Duke of York full of pride/And a new life has just begun.”
The next bit of narration is about William Shakespeare’s play, the work that introduced a lot of us to Richard. Matthew Lewis calls the play “a masterpiece in the depiction of evil and the study of the psychology of the antihero, the villain we love to hate.” He adds, “This is the image of King Richard that has imprinted itself onto our collective consciousness – the scheming, evil murderer, worst of all, murderer of children.” Then “Written At Rising” opens with the sounds of a storm and some strong work on electric guitar. This track draws us in, and then holds us with that slow steady beat. There is a power to this one. That’s followed by narration about the medieval Christmas, and how the religious community then “saw the true meaning of Christmas lost in the debauchery.” “How little some things change across the centuries,” Matthew Lewis comments. He then mentions the Lord of Misrule, often a peasant, who was responsible for overseeing and organizing festivities. That leads to “Gold Angels.” This music has a warm feeling of celebration, perfect for a Christmas song, making this an interesting and wonderful addition to your holiday play list. Seriously, you can slip this one into your Christmas day play list and everyone will probably enjoy it. And perhaps you could appoint a Lord of Misrule in your own home. “It was Christmas day in London town/Snow covered the filth in the streets/There was ice on the banks of the River Thames.”
There is some narration regarding the executions of Lord Rivers, Richard Grey and Thomas Vaughan, urging us to take a fresh look at this event. These men are led to their execution in Act III Scene iii of Shakespeare’s play, and this narration leads to a track titled “Act III, Scene IV.” The song’s first lyrics are the first lines of Act III Scene iv, spoken by Hastings: “Now, noble peers, the cause why we are met/Is to determine of the coronation./In God’s name, speak. When is the royal day?” And then Buckingham’s line: “Are all things ready for that royal time?” Female vocals deliver Hastings’ last line and the line by Buckingham, and the music does have the feel of celebration, particularly during the instrumental sections. That is followed by narration about the coronation. “Streets bursting with color and packed with bodies hungry for a glimpse of their new monarch.” This was touched upon in a bit of narration in the previous album, but this time we are provided a lot of interesting information about the coronation, what set it apart and made it remarkable, its historical significance. “The omens were promising/This was something new at a time when the country did not want old problems.” Then “The Year Of Three Kings” begins in a pretty place. “Edward the Fourth his lust for life flown/With the hated Woodvilles the seeds of strife sown/The chronicles tell us of conspiracy/Of the struggle for power in the year of three kings.” And I love of the use of backing vocals on the song’s chorus, “The year of three kinds, the year of three kings/The chronicles tell us of the year of three kings.”
Perhaps the biggest question surrounding Richard III is whether he was responsible for the deaths of the princes in the tower. In Shakespeare’s play, he is. But apparently there is no historical proof that was the case. It is part of the depiction that many object to, for it really helps cement Richard’s image as an evil man. That’s what the next section of narration is about, questioning who actually said that Richard killed the princes. There was rumor and gossip about their disappearance from public view at the time. That leads to “Hollow Crown.” The phrase “hollow crown” was used by Shakespeare in Act III Scene ii of Richard The Second, when Richard says, “let us sit upon the ground/And tell sad stories of the death of kings –/How some have been deposed, some slain in war/Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed,/Some poisoned by their wives, some sleeping killed/All murdered: for within the hollow crown/That rounds the mortal temples of a king/Keeps Death his court.” And so those lines are in mind as we listen to this song about Richard III. This one establishes a strong beat immediately, and interestingly has some dance elements, while also having a darker energy. “A golden crown and it is mine/I wear it for England which I hold dear/A cry of usurper I did hear/This hollow crown upon my head/They say my brother’s sons are dead/Whispers at court behind my throne.”
The disc contains narration about the Battle of Bosworth. Again, this historical event was addressed on the previous album, but from a different perspective. Here is drawn a connection between this and an earlier event: “Seventy years earlier, at the Battle of Agincourt, King Henry The Fifth had done the same thing, as his small band of bedraggled refugees faced the flower and might of French chivalry.” That leads to “Remember My Name,” which has more of a folk vibe, and is about soldiers called to battle, bidding farewell to loved ones, and it features both male and female vocals. “So if I never see you again/I won't forget you/I'll remember your name.” This is one of my favorite tracks. It is followed by the shortest bit of narration on the album, this one simply mentioning Richard’s friend Lord Lovell. “Lord Lovell’s Lament” is a slower and moving number. “Remember those now reviled/Whose faith had wavered not/Their honor has been defiled/They lie in earthen plot.” This track features a pretty instrumental section.
The narration now moves past the death of Richard III. “York rejoiced when Richard became king, and mourned him after Bosworth, doing all that they could to resist the influence of Henry Tudor without openly inviting attack on the city.” “Requiem” is about the reaction of Richard’s older sister to his death as the news spread, and what she had to do regarding a requiem mass for him. “A requiem mass for Richard/She had to prepare/Her heart was full of turmoil/Anger and deep despair.” This track features some excellent work on guitar. Interestingly, another requiem mass was held for Richard III in March of 2015, a few months before the release of this album. His body had been discovered in 2012, which reignited interest in the king. The next narration is about the divided opinion about Richard III, during his lifetime and beyond. Matthew Lewis mentions the works written by Thomas More and William Shakespeare, as well as the novel The Daughter Of Time. This track also gets into the interesting idea that Shakespeare might have been making a point about Robert Cecil, son of William Cecil. The next song, “Royal Title,” is sung from the perspective of Sir George Buck, who wrote a history of King Richard III, a work published after his death in the mid-1600s. In it he apparently defends the king, and now I want to obtain a copy that book. There are so many fascinating facets to this tale, and seems to be enough material for several more albums on the subject. There is a light feel to this track, as in the work on keys. “For King Richard I will write a book/Truth and honor he does deserve.”
Matthew Lewis then talks about how people over the ages have sat at Ambion Hill, which was believed to be the site of the Battle of Bosworth, where Richard III died. That leads to “Ambion Hill,” which has a beautiful opening, like a new day, saying goodbye to the old. “I saw a knight up on Ambion Hill/His armor did shine in the sun/He wore a surcoat of murrey and blue/It felt like a dream had begun.” By the way, the fifth album recorded by The Legendary Ten Seconds to address Richard III is titled Murrey And Blue. This track has a beautiful ending. The subject of the final section of narration is the question about how Richard’s rule might have gone if not for the events at Bosworth Field, and raises the question of how the history of England might have been different had the Tudors not ruled afterward. The album concludes with “How Do You Rebury A King,” addressing the burial of King Richard III in the early spring of 2015. It is a bright, rousing number, a great way to wrap up the album.
CD Track List
- Sheriff Hutton
- Richard Plantagenet (Narrative)
- Richard Liveth Yet
- William Shakespeare (Narrative)
- Written At Rising
- The Medieval Christmas (Narrative)
- Gold Angels
- The Issue Of (Narrative)
- Act III Scene IV
- King Richard (Narrative)
- The Year Of Three Kings
- Who Said (Narrative)
- Hollow Crown
- As King Richard (Narrative)
- Remember My Name
- It Was (Narrative)
- Lord Lovell’s Lament
- Whatever His Motivations (Narrative)
- Requiem
- Good King Richard (Narrative)
- Royal Title
- Many Have Stood (Narrative)
- Ambion Hill
- Part Of The Lament (Narrative)
- How Do You Rebury A King
Richard III was released on July 6, 2015.
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