About Mellow Candle
Mellow Candle was a progressive/psychedelic folk rock band founded in Kilkenny in the mid-60s and they were active until 1973. They featured two female vocalists Clodagh Simonds and Alison Bools. The band had evolved out of a vocal trio called Gatecrashers formed by Simonds and Bools along with Maria White while they were teenagers attending school in Dublin. After years of performing covers, Simonds and Bools (with Maria White having already left) sent a demo to Radio Luxembourg DJ who passed it to noted producer Simon Napier-Bell, who was impressed and arranged a recording session. This led to the release of their 1968 single "Feeling High" b/w "Tea with the Sun" credited to the newly named Mellow Candle. The single failed to chart and they took a break for awhile but got back together in 1970 with guitarist David Williams and bassist Pat Morris on board. They made their debut performance in support of the Chieftains.
Over the following year, Mellow Candle's public profile grew significantly through numerous concerts and festival appearances alongside other emerging acts like Horslips, Taste, and Thin Lizzy. Clodagh Simonds even contributed harpsichord and Mellotron to Thin Lizzy's Shades of a Blue Orphanage LP. By the time that album was released, Mellow Candle was hard at work on their debut album. They had replaced the Morris with bassist Frank Boylan and added drummer William Murray. Their debut album, Swaddling Songs, was released in April 1972, coinciding with Mellow Candle's performance as support for Steeleye Span at Dublin's National Stadium.
Swaddling Songs was not a commercial success and the band ultimately disbanded in 1973. A collection of demos and sessions recorded between 1969 and 1971 was later released as The Virgin Prophet in 1996.
Despite not achieving significant recognition at the time of it's release, Swaddling Songs has subsequently gained critical acclaim, being described as a "lost masterpiece". Original vinyl copies have become highly sought after by collectors. The album has been reissued multiple times since 1989, including a special 50th anniversary edition by Deram in 2023. In 2022, RTE radio marked the album's milestone with a documentary titled Swaddling Songs at 50.
In the years immediately following the band's dissolution, Simonds worked with Thin Lizzy, Jade Warrior, and Mike Oldfield. Boylan played with Gary Moore, while Murray, who had previously worked with Kevin Ayers contributed to albums by Amazing Blondel, Mike Oldfield, and Paul Kossoff. Steve Borrill and William Murray toured with Richard and Linda Thompson.
Members
- Clodagh Simonds – lead vocals, backing vocals, piano, harpsichord, mellotron
- Alison Bools (later Williams, later O'Donnell) – lead vocals, backing vocals
- David Williams – guitar, backing vocals
- Frank Boylan – bass guitar, backing vocals (later replaced by Steve Borrill)
- William Murray – drums, percussion
Video
Mellow Candle- Silver Song
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