Agincourt - Fly Away (1970) (2004)

Formed in East Sussex, UK as a one-off project in 1970

The concoction of John Ferdinando and Peter Howell, two childhood friends from the hamlet Ditchling, Sussex, England, AGINCOURT was in fact not actually a band but rather simply a name given to the trio of musicians who recorded it (Ferdinando and Howell were accompanied by the female vocalist Lee Menelaus).

Ferdinando and Howell recorded several albums in Ditchling during the latter sixties and early seventies, during which time they appeared at times as members and guests of various regional acts such as MERLIN'S SPELL and THE FOUR MUSKETEERS. The two (sometimes with Menelaus) also recorded albums under the names ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, ITHACA, FRIENDS and as simply FERDINANDO & HOWELL.

This record fetched significant sums as one of the more rare folk rock recordings of the early seventies, although demand waned somewhat when an unauthorized CD issue was released in the mid-nineties. Acme Lion and Media Arts have since issued legitimate versions on CD and LP with bonus tracks.

The partnership ended when Howell secured a position as a BBC engineer in the early seventies, working on among other things sound recordings for the television show Doctor Who. Ferdinando would eventually leave music for a professional career, but has over the years appeared been nominally active in his local music scene. Menelaus sporadically provided vocals for some small soundtrack and spoken-word recordings, but AGINCOURT never existed as a proper band beyond the recording of this album. progarchives.com