Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
It is remembered as a point in time in which Humanity gained a little perspective in a world that had gone completely and utterly insane. The leap of faith in which hundreds of soldiers, who only hours before had been shooting at each other in a conflict that none of them truly understood the reason for which it was being fought, met in the middle of a scrap of Earth called No-Man’s Land and declared a truce that would have lasting repercussions and the small smile of peace installed in the hearts of generations to come. The Truce was the moment in which peace broke out and man put down his weapon against all that had gone before him.
The Christmas Truce, an image so stirring, so vivid, that you can almost hear the faint sounds of Silent Night whispering its way through the streets that edge along the same path taken by the River Mersey, that haunting song that made its way across the battle scarred remains of a piece of land in France as the British and German armies dug in against the biting cold and wondered just exactly what they fighting for.
From out of the studios of Parr Street, former Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Gary Millar , his partner and all round entertainer Steve Macfarlane, the Springwood Heath Primary School, Pacific Swing and Steve Wright have taken that moment and given it a very special resonance, the year of the 100th Anniversary of a momentous and poignant day.
There are many albums, songs and pieces of art that can move you, after all we may have moved on a hundred years but those scars engrained in us all run so deep that if we are not careful, we allow hatred room to fester in even the most purest of hearts.
From out of the swirling mist comes the haunting voice of words written home and spoken with authority and timbre of a man affected greatly but with stoic heart by Gary Millar. It is a touching start into what is a tender release and with the mood lightened by the song Ding Dong Merrily On High, sang with great youthful exuberance by the pupils of Springwood Heath Primary School, Pacific Swing’s wonderful version of Silent Night and indeed the more emotive and perhaps more sensual German version of Stille Nacht being played out, the C.D. captures a very special truth about this time of year.
For many the season bring loneliness and heartbreak, of choices perhaps made and the coldness of Humanity looking out for its fellow man as distant as a dream as the hours before Christmas Day 1914.
Some pieces of music are made to kick start your heart, some do so without you even realising. The Truce is a statement that Christmas may be a time for goodwill and peace on Earth for all, but it is a mantra that should be observed at all times.
*All proceeds from the sale of The Truce will be donated to the Whitechapel Centre, a homeless charity in Liverpool, and The Royal British Legion.
The Truce can be purchased from Parr Street Studios, Liverpool.
Ian D. Hall