Although only a year removed from Bushfire, the lineup on this
Bushwackers album is drastically different from that 1979 offering. New members include guitarist Andy Colville, bassist Roger Corbett, and fiddler Michael Harris. Founding member Jan Wositzky has chosen to be identified by his pseudonym, Bill Smith. He, along with drummer Gregory Martin and percussionist Dobe Newton, remain from their prior release. After appearing on Murrumbidgee, fiddler Louis McManus once again returns to the band. Like their British counterpart,
Fairport Convention,
the Bushwackers apparently welcome one-time members to come and go at their leisure. Dance Album is produced by former
Fairport guitarist
Trevor Lucas, who also contributes acoustic guitar on two tracks. This is a mostly instrumental collection of traditional dance tunes (jigs, reels, polkas, waltzes, schottisches, etc.) from Australia, Ireland, Scotland, and England that is a complete rejection of the post-punk, new wave, and techno-pop that was beginning to saturate the popular music arena in 1980 -- a bold move for a band who had just experienced a taste of success with their electrified folk-rock in the years leading up to 1980. ~ Dave Sleger