Ronnie Lane: Life’s A Circus

Title: Just For A Moment: Music 1973-1997

Label: UMC

Ronnie Lane may best be known for being the bass player, songwriter and occasional vocalist for the Small Faces and the Faces. He later became disillusioned with the music industry whereupon he bought and settled on a farm then hit the road with a new band, Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance and would create The Passing Show a circus tent tour of the country with assorted clowns, acrobats and comedians. He also built his own recording studio – The Lane Mobile Studio.

Lane’s solo work would explore a wide variety of musical genres including folk, country and R&B

This new box set collates Lane’s solo and collaborative work. Pete Townshend commented on the set, “Here, in these songs, collected with such love and care, he is found again. Probably at the height of his rebellious and chaotic powers, where music had to be immediate and uplifting or else heart-breaking – but always real.”

That set includes four solo albums Anymore For Anymore, Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance, One For The Road and See Me.  In addition, tracks from Mahoney’s Last Stand soundtrack album with Ron Wood and Rough Mix with Pete Townshend. The final disc focuses on Lane’s time in the US with previously unreleased live highlights and studio tracks. There’s lots more too including tracks for the BBC and highlights from a Rockpalast concert. That’s six discs housed in a hard-back book with outer slipcase. The package also includes a book of lyrics and an A2 fold out poster.

The mastering for this Ronnie Lane set, sorted by Jon Astley at Close to the Edge, has a touch of compression but nothing too aggressive. Enough to highlight the vocals and individual instruments, produced a wide and open soundstage with an attractive 3D effect that adds depth and layering to the presentation. 

A compact box set from a compact man, this is a little gem of a set from an under-rated solo artist.

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