Clive Gregson & Christine Collister

“In 1984, while still the frontman in Any Trouble, Clive Gregson saw vocalist Christine Collister perform at Poynton Folk Club, Cheshire. After the demise of Any Trouble, Clive recorded a solo album (Strange Persuasions) and invited Christine to sing on it. Then Richard Thompson asked Clive to sing on his new album Across A Crowded Room; at Clive’s suggestion, Christine was also enlisted for vocal duties, leading to her joining the Richard Thompson Band.

Recorded on a 4-track Portastudio cassette recorder, Home And Away represented the start of a popular and productive musical partnership for Clive and Christine, yielding five albums and earning them the attribution “the state of the art in British folk-rock” by Rolling Stone magazine.

Issued in 1986, Home And Away was an early success for Cooking Vinyl Records. Despite the DIY recording quality, Home And Away was the quintessential slow burner, continuing to sell for years after its release, winning over thousands of fans with its melodic charm.

In 1992, Gregson and Collister went their separate ways after recording a fifth and final album The Last Word; the supporting tour proved to be their most successful and two performances from those farewell concerts (both captured at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall) provide bonuses to a remastered edition of Home And Away.”