The Halliard

"It's The Irish In Me" 1967

Probably the most influential group featured here is the Halliard, a trio featuring Dave Moran (vocals), Nic Jones (vocals, fiddle, guitar), and Nigel Pattison (mandolin, recorder). Although they are remembered mainly as the group that Jones was in before his solo career, the Halliard would have had a healthy impact on the English revival even if Jones had not gone on to greater fame on his own. Every year, folk revival bands revamp Halliard material. "The Lancashire Lads," as performed in recent years by Old Blind Dogs, was first fitted with its tune by the Halliard. So was "Boys of Bedlam," a song recorded by Tom Gilfellon and Steeleye Span and picked up from them by countless other groups. Strangely, neither of these famous Halliard arrangements appeared on their records, but they have nonetheless endured 35 years in the folk revival. The Halliard: Jon Raven was a last-minute recording made to sell on the Halliard's farewell tour. Although it was the trio's second album to be released, this disc looks to be the only source of Halliard songs on CD for some time. Apparently they consider their first album, The Irish in Me, an embarrassment (it's essentially a Dubliners pastiche).

The Best of the Irish Folk Festival

"The Seventies Vol. 1 & 2"

Featured artists: Andy Irvine Clannad Comhluadar De Danann Dolores Keane Eddie Finbar Furey Jackie Daly Jeremiah Burke

aaa Jerry Bourke John Faulkner Liam O'flynn Micho Russell Mick Hanly Noel Hill Seamus Creagh The Buskers Treasa Ni Mhiollain

Nic Jones

"Unearthed"

Tony Hendry:
There is a dramatic quality to the life of Nic Jones - a life smashed and slowly mended, music lost and partly found. "Banish Misfortune" is the chosen tune. Ralph Jordan, producer of this seismic 128-minute double CD, has done a mighty bit of banishing. Building on Dave Emery's work on In Search Of, this digitally remastered collection of club, concert and studio recordings shows why Nic got to be a hero. Here is a singer of mature confidence and insight. An influential guitarist of effortless skill. A surgeon of the tradition, adept with scalpel and suture. An original whose style has never dated and is unsurpassed.

Thirty one tracks on the album, each a good reason to buy it. Here are just five. "Boots of Spanish Leather" - from Bob Dylan via Tony Rose. "Billy Don't You Weep For Me" - never was a broadside ballad brought more thrillingly to life. "Rapunzel" - his reflection on a favourite fairy tale of daughter Helen. "Clyde Water" - a better arrangement than the Penguin Eggs version, with superb guitar break and coda in his classic percussive style. And the closing "Ten Thousand Miles" - a song already taken up by many younger singers.

I could go on. There are songs from Jeff Deitchmann, Anne Lister, Cyril Tawney, Tucker Zimmerman, and Ivor Cutler... five short tunes… "Yarmouth Town" as tribute to Peter Bellamy… many a bold escape from the folk police… fun along the way. Most of the material was never put down on record, and some discoveries and re-discoveries are exciting enough to register on the Dylan Bootleg Series earthquake scale. The sound quality compares well with the tired tapes and ravaged vinyl of my pre Penguin Eggs collection.

Nic's album notes are a tease - witty and revealing on how and why, silent on when and where. In Search Of showed his repertoire as the 1982 car crash loomed, but these recordings have a longer span - probably from mid 70s, since I could detect nothing from early days. As a pointer, there are live performances of three songs each from Noah's Ark Trap ( (1977) and From The Devil To A Stranger (1978) but nothing from Ballads and Songs (1970) or Nic Jones (1971). In case you didn't know, those four vinyl albums remain in the clutch of Celtic Music and have yet to be re-issued in CD format. Nic is only one of the Leader and Trailer label artists affected. Some misfortune takes an age to banish.

One more reason to buy? "The Prickly Bush", where Nic takes his usual liberties with the tune but the true love saves the day in the end, as she ever did. The artwork for this CD includes Helen's beautiful drawing of Nic and his wife Julia.

Disc 1:

01. The Jukebox As She Turned
02. Bonny George Campbell
03. Roxburgh Castle
04. Boots Of Spanish Leather
05. Warlike Lads Of Russia
06. Prickly Bush
07. Captain Glen
08. Billy Don't You Weep For Me
09. Fare Thee Well My Dearest Dear
10. Plains Of Boyle
11. Icarus
12. Rufford Park Poachers
13. Oh Dear, Rue The Day
14. Love Will You Marry Me
15. On A Monday Morning
16. Yarmouth Town
17. Master Kilby

Disc 2:
01. Jimmy Allen
02. William Of Winesbury
03. Nine Times A Night
04. Annachie Gordon
05. Taoist Tale
06. Rapunzel
07. Clyde Water
08. Hamburger Polka
09. Barbara Ellen
10. Wanton Seed
11. Sonny Brogan's Mazurka
12. Dives And Lazarus
13. I'm Going In A Field
14. Ten Thousand Miles

Fish records

Acid Mothers Temple

"Starless and Bible Black Sabbath" 2006




















Starless and Bible Black Sabbath is the third album from Acid Mothers Temple to appear on the Canadian Alien8 label, but the first to appear in their new incarnation as Acid Mothers Temple and the Cosmic Inferno. Recorded March through May of 2005 at their home studio in Japan, this one is in keeping with the new band's commitment to "heavy coherency." The title and cover suggests two rock classics: King Crimson's Starless and Bible Black and Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album. The music? There are two cuts totaling a little over 40 minutes here. The title track, over a half-hour in length, begins with a crash, an echo, and a few moments of silence. Then another crash and steps in a hallway, succeeded by a gong ringing and pulsating for a few more moments, raising the tension. Then the steps again, many of them, before the guitar feedback of Makoto Kawabata and the Sabbath bass heavy sludge riff that dominates what comes afterward for the next 20 minutes or so. During this period, Kawabata is at his "most coherently" freaked out in his soloing. He's a guitar madman, bleating, screaming, wailing, and turning the instrument and its sounds inside out, and it never ever gets dull. Perhaps that's because Higashi Hiroshi's synths do such a fine job of laying atmospherics and noise over the backdrop and occasionally daring Kawabata to duel. The rhythm section, playing the same thudding riff incessantly through the entire thing, is hypnotic. There is a brief silence around 22 minutes with just Kawabata wailing, and then the plodding riff returns almost until the end of the track, which finally fades with Hiroshi's whirling synth. "Woman from a Hell," at a little over six minutes, is the Acid Mothers at their garage punk best, playing a hundred miles per hour, sounding like Gong crossed with Slayer. There are vocals by bassist Tabata Mitsuru, but they're indecipherable in the scree. The sound is like mud, overdriven to the breaking point by Okano Futoshi and Shimura Koji's insane drumming. Kawabata's solos are brief but blinding. But it's those drums burning a hole in your skull that make the track so utterly raw and grimy and incessantly intense. At the end, the listener is left exhausted but utterly satisfied. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Starless & Bible Black

"Starless & Bible Black" 2006





















William Blake's "green and pleasant land" may be vanishing as fast as Britain's developers can pave it, but British folk-rock seems to retain its pastoral idyll no matter how much modernity you throw at it. Starless & Bible Black, a new trio from Manchester, cadged their name from Dylan Thomas' 1954 play, Under Milk Wood, and their eponymous debut seems drawn from England's rich earth and folk music traditions. But there are enough differences between the band and their forebears that Starless & Bible Black doesn't sound derivative, though you can trace their roots easily enough. The trio is comprised of two home-studio rats -- Pete Philpson and Raz Ullah -- and French-born singer Helene Gautier; the sonic alchemy lends the record its modern feel, while her influence makes the music a bit like an audio Chunnel ride between the pastures of Kent and Pas de Calais' wheat fields. Songs like "Hermoine" and "b.b." are kin to surging Liege & Leaf-era Fairport Convention, even if the narratives don't sound particularly Chaucerian or Hardy-influenced. Others -- "Time Is for Leaving" and "Tredog," for instance -- are gentle acoustic vignettes closer in spirit to the modern rustic sounds of Adem or James Yorkston. Those songs are built like trellises: finger-picked guitar, banjo, glockenspiel, winds, and brushed skins augmented by carefully placed electronic glitches and synth washes. The loops and samples typically creep into bridges and outros to make their presence known, though on occasion a synth roar creates memorable contrast, like low-flying jets tearing over a green countryside. Sitting atop the bed of acoustics and electronics is Gautier, who slips into her native tongue once or twice but otherwise keeps to an appealing, heavily accented English. She can sound wraith-like or husky, like Francoiz Breut channeling Sandy Denny, especially on "Hermione," which is sung in French. Some of the more ethereal songs blend together, and the lyrics often float past innocuously, so it's the more robust cuts that leave the deepest impression. "The Bitter Cup" (a traditional tune often attributed to Billy Childish) is a cautionary tale about the perils of alcohol that Starless coats in a sinister drone, and album opener "Everyday and Everynight" has a rousing rock bridge. But it's "b.b." that best contrasts the band's gentle and experimental sides: horns, synth blasts and guitar feedback melding seamlessly in a crescendo that would seem to point the way forward for this promising band. ~ John Schacht, All Music Guide

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Complaints received...

Andy Irvine / Paul Brady: Download (vbr copy)

Andy Irvine / Paul Brady

Kieron:
Nothing could prepare even the hardest of folk music fans for an album that would combine the talents of Andy Irvine and Paul Brady. An album that is spoken as much about today as it was when first released, a pretty impressive achievement for an album that is 28 years old. I still see it as Paul’s best album, and although he has moved away from the Irish scene, many feel this was his strength. This album was different from the Planxty albums, although they were at one point both in the band. This for me, shows Andy Irvine as a very powerful artist in his own right, and set the base for a very long and impressive solo career.

Even today, this album is often in many polls for 'Best Folk Album'.

Plains of Kildare:
starts off the album, and what an incredible start it is. This is a firm part of Andy’s stage set even today and a much requested song too. It is one of those magical tunes that you simply never get tired of hearing. Beautiful bouzouki playing here and sung with a pure energy. I would probably say that this tune alone sold a lot of Irish Bouzouki’s, inspiring a generation of young musicians.

Lough Erne Shore:
There is a magical combination of Paul’s voice and Andy’s mandolin, and Hurdy Gurdy playing here. The Hurdy Gurdy is not the easiest of beasts to control but Andy really can make this thing sing when he wants it too. A truly beautiful track.

Fred Finn’s Reel and Sailing to Walpole’s Marsh:
Lovely set here, with Kevin Burke weaving a wonderful fiddle through this track. Kevin Burke would in later years come to join Andy on the now legendary Irish band Patrick Street.

Bonny Woodhall:
The emotion in Andy voice on this track is quite simply breathe taking. Another old tune that Andy has rewritten and put to a new tune to. This must be the ultimate version of this ballad. I really love this version. Infact, I think a live version of this was added to the re-issue of the “Rainy Sundays, Windy Dreams” album, labeled as a bonus track. This live version is played more on Bouzouki, than on the mandolin, as on this version. It is a wonderful solo recording, showing how once again Andy’s strength as a solo performer.

Arthur Mc Bride:
This version has never been equaled. If this tune is ever talked about, this is the version that everyone will know. Paul recently performed it on his Songbook DVD, and still does a fantastic version. Andy also sings a fantastic version of this song a Planxty album. Brady's version has a sweeter tone, where as Irvine's version captures a raw energy of the time.

The Jolly Soldier, Blarney Pilgrim:
Here is a lovely example of Andy’s mandolin weaving in and out of the words sung by Paul.

Autumn Gold:
This track is explained in “Aiming for the heart “as ‘written in Ljubljana in 1968, while sitting in a sunny park. Stood up on a date.’ I recently heard Andy sing this one stage and it was quite incredible to see how his passionate performance can breathe life back into a song many people haven't heard in many years. Truly wonderful. Very poetic words, wrapped it the most beautiful melody.

Mary and the Soldier:
Another great tune sung by Paul. I have to say Andy’s mandolin/ bouzouki playing on this track is particularly outstanding too. I love this weaving counter melody he winds through this track, something that always blew my mind about his playing. Even solo, Andy could be singing one melody and be producing the most beautiful and complex counter melody at exactly the same time. Truly amazing!

Streets of Derry:
A gorgeous track of Andy singing and playing hurdy gurdy, with some very tasteful guitar by Paul. I haven’t seen Andy play the hurdy gurdy for many years now, I wonder if he still does. I think it was actually made by Peter Abnet ( bouzouki maker ) a long time ago. Wonderful feeling on this track.

Martinmas Time, Little stack of Wheat:
A great tune to finish on, Martinmas time, being a tale of a troop of soldiers being out smarted by a young lady. Andy sings this track, and it also appears on the recent Songbook DVD. It is amazing how little Andy’s voice has changed over the years. It’s constancy keeps him as young as the original track.


I originally had this given to me on an old tape that I played on a loop for months. I played it to it's death. I simply had to replace it but it seemed to be impossible to get hold of. It became almost a joke, one of the best folk albums ever, written up as a classic album, inspiration for a generation of young musicians…………..but I couldn’t get a copy anywhere.

This great album seems to have a twist in the tale though………….. “In 1993 this album was re-released by Green Linnet, but they never paid royalties to Mulligan or the artists and had a cease and desist order issued against them to force them to stop pressing and selling this album. It's become a very difficult album to acquire.” This is pretty disgusting to read, Artists that make a ‘classic’ album, and make record companies the Fat Cats they are, don’t even get royalties they are due. A very sad ending to a to a review of an album that has brought so much happiness and inspiration to so many……………….

I suggest anyone interested in buying this album, to buy it directly through Andy’s Own web site. Your CD collection is NOT complete without this album !

Bucca

"The Hole in the Harper's Head" 1982



Around the world, the name Anao Atao has become synonymous with Cornish Music; such has been the unparalleled success of this pioneering family group in bringing their indiginous culture to the Celtic mainstream. Anao Atao comprises Soazig, Kyt, Sterenn & Maela Le Nen Davey, who between them combine a wealth of experience with youthfull enthusiasm and acknowledged musical prowess to produce a truly exciting and captivating rendition of their traditional music.

The group have won the hearts of audiences at major festivals around the world, sharing mainstage with the likes of Sharon Shannon, Natalie MacMaster, Karen Black and Shooglenifty, and building an international following in their own right. Their CD's receive regular airplay in such far flung places as Argentina, Russia, China and Australia - and sales have established Anao Atao as Cornwall's most successful recording artists.

Kyt hails from a musical family - mother played mandolin in the once famous Goonhavern Banjo Band, and little brother Neil is currently touring with the Gaelic group Anam. Soazig used to organise tours for Irish groups visiting Brittany (notably 1691, Monroe, the Bothy Band and Mick Hanley), was an activist in the early days of the Lorient Interceltic Festival, a member of a Breton dance team and a teacher of Celtic dancing before taking up post as manager of the Cornish group Bucca - whereafter she and Kyt paired up. BUCCA signed to Plant Life Records and enjoyed huge success, performing to international television, concert and festival audiences. Their album 'The Hole in the Harper's Head' is still very much in demand.

When the members of Bucca finally went their separate ways, Kyt & Soazig created Anao Atao. With a view to family commitments, the masterplan for Anao Atao was to keep alive and build upon the achievements of Bucca in promoting Cornish music, but not to spend life on the road!. For several years this worked out very well - the duo teamed up with various guest musicians to undertake anageable tours in Ireland, France & Brittany, were filmed for television, featured on the radio, and enjoyed modest success as composers of original music for television soundtracks. This quiet life all ended with the 1994 release of their debut CD soteric Stones・ Enthusiastic reviews and unexpected airplay threw Anao Atao into the international limelight, with album sales quickly extending to five continents.

Sterenn and Maela have been immersed from a young age in the Cornish (and Breton!) tradition. They represented their schools in traditional dance competitions, before joining the Celtic dance team 'Ros Keltek' with whom they have participated in festivals at home and abroad. They are also both accomplished classical and jazz musicians, and have already gained much performing experience through their work with Cornish youth ensembles - winning an outstanding performance award at the National Youth Music Festival in London's Royal Festival Hall.They recently performed at the Edinburgh Festival as members of the accalimed Cornwall Youth Wind Orchestra, for whom Sterenn is Principal Flaustist. Maela also enjoys a demanding role as saxophonist with the Cornwall Youth Jazz Orchestra. Through their experience with ensembles small and large, and with music both diverse and technically challenging, they bring a fresh and professional approach to the interpretation and performance of Cornish music.

I'm ready to start digging again!!

Wizz Jones

"Soloflight" 1978 (Includes recordings from 1970-74)

See insert pic for details

a1. National Seven a2. Pastures of Plenty a3. Dallas Blues a4. Sam Stone a5. Weeping Willow Blues a6. Shake, Shake Mama

b1. Second-hand Mini-me
b2. Sally Free and Easy
b3. Can't Keep from crying
b4. Angie
b5. Spoonful
b6. National Seven (long version)

New link:
http://time-has-told-me.blogspot.jp/2015/05/wizz-jones.html

Andy Irvine

"Rainy Sundays…Windy Dreams" 1980



















Kieron Seamons:
Andy Irvine has been the seal of quality on many of the most influential albums that have come out of Ireland since the late 1960’s. His mandolin, bouzouki, hurdy gurdy and vocals have helped carve the sound for bands like Sweeney’s Men, Planxty, and Patrick Street and held these bands as bench marks for all future Irish music to be judged. Even today, that bench mark seems to be untouchable.

His collaborations with Dick Gaughan and Paul Brady even strengthened his place on the music scene as a very powerful songwriter and performer. Infact the Paul Brady/ Andy Irvine album captures these two artists at the peek of perfection, and an album that still is regarded as one on ‘The Best Folk Albums of All Time’.

"Rainy Sundays … Windy Dreams" is the first solo album by Andy Irvine, released in 1980. This album, once again has Irvine pushing the door of Irish Music wide open. His exquisite mandolin, bouzouki, Harmonica, hurdy gurdy playing and compositions here mixed up tight, and beautifully balanced. This album sounds like nothing else on the market and to be very honest, I doubt we will. How many Irish folk albums mix harmonica, hurdy gurdy, uillean pipes, bouzouki, viola, piano, mandolin, Jews harp and Pan Flutes? Infact not only is he credited for his pioneering work of the Irish Bouzouki in Irish music but also his introduction of the Hurdy Gurdy to it. His travels through Eastern Europe are evident here, and the musical spices he gathered are used extremely well through out.

This album also pulls in the talents of Paul Brady, Donal Lunny, Liam O’Flynn and Frankie Gavin. If you include the bonus track of 'Bonny Woodhall' then you get the addition of Mick Hanly on guitar.


The Emigrants:
Is a trilogy, ‘ Come To The Land Of Sweet Liberty’, ‘Farewell To Old Ireland’ and ‘Edward Connors’. From the opening wavering notes of the Hurdy Gurdy you know you are info something different. The Notes are picked up in perfect harmony by Andy perfectly balance vocals. Then you are introduced the sounds of the mandolin and bouzouki as the song enters its second stage. The composition here is beautifully. I have heard Andy also sing ‘Farewell to Old Ireland’ as a solo song, in later years. A truly classic Irish Emigration song.

The Longford Weaver:
Is quite possibly the first time Hurdy Gurdy and Harmonica have played together in Irish music. It works surprisingly well, and also builds a wonderful atmosphere for a song about Nancy’s Whiskey. Andy’s vocals being song with real passion here. A brilliant performance. Andy says ‘It is rounded off with ‘Christmas Eve’ lead by Frankie on viola. The Christmas Eve reel is in celebration of the weaver’s declared intention of going on the dry’.

Farewell to Balleymoney:
Again, very tasteful vocals from Andy. Infact I think this is the first time I have ever heard Andy being accompanied by the piano. The words paint the picture of a very arrogant young man, who can have any woman he wants……………except the one he loves, of course!

Romanian Song ( Blood and Gold ):
This tack took many listens before I could enjoy it. Maybe it has a lot to do with the powerful ‘mountain singing’ of Lucienne Purceli. Though I must say that by Andy introducing this type of material I have found and enjoyed the work of singers like Marta Sebetyen.

Paidushko Horo:
I can never resist a chance to here Andy play one of his Balkan styled tunes. This is a lovely addition to the album.

Kingbore and The Sandman:
This is an amazing song. Everything about this self penned classic is wonderful. It has a magical, almost fairytale quality about it and the mandolin work on it is exquisite. Worth the price of the album to hear this track alone. Truly wonderful. This tune impressed me so much, that I actually contacted Tara records and got permission to use the track for a short animated film. It’s in a box somewhere now but a magical tune !

Rainy Sundays:
Here is a great song, written in Ljubljana in Yugoslavia following about rain, a broken heart and a girl. I have since heard Andy sing this live on stage and it still sounds great. This has the only instrument on it that seems out of place, for me, the soprano sax. But a wonderful track nonetheless.

Bonny Woodhall:
The cd version adds a live version of this track as a ‘bonus’ and what a bonus it is. Taken from the live LP ‘The 4th Irish Folk Festival’ and recorded three years earlier, this is a beautiful version of a song that appeared on the Irvine/ Brady album. This version is so much more beautiful, and once again shows just how much emotion and passion Andy puts into a live performance.


"Rainy Sundays…Windy Dreams" is a 'Classic Debut Album' from one of the giants of Irish music. If you have every bought a Sweeney’s Men, Planxty, Patrick Street or even the Irvine/Brady classic album, then this is a must for your collection. Once again that seal of quality is stamped all over it.

amazon.com

Roger Morris

"First Album" 1972





















Roger Morris' obscure First Album was part of a low-key country-roots rock movement in Britain in the early '70s -- Brinsley Schwarz being its most notable exponents -- that led to (and could be considered an early part of) the pub rock genre. The Band was a big influence on roots rock and pub rock, but even if you subscribe to the theory that there's no better way to start than by paying tribute to the masters, the Band's influence on this record is so obvious and inescapable that it starts to sound like an actual tribute album. It's not as alarmingly imitative as it might have been, since Morris is a skilled if derivative songwriter, and the musicianship is accomplished. Still, the effect is something like hearing a more laid-back, countrified early Band record that happens to have a singer that wasn't in the group. Morris, too, is not as strong or identifiable a vocalist as Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, or Rick Danko, with a scrawny tone that at times bears a slight resemblance to Van Morrison. It's a genial take on the Band sound, but not a very original effort. The highlight's the dramatic "The Trail of Tears," whose tolling bells and light orchestration not only add some tension, but (refreshingly) are touches the early Band would not have been wont to employ. The 2005 CD reissue on Hux adds historical liner notes and four previously unreleased bonus cuts, done about a year after the album, with a similar style and slightly lower (but still decent) fidelity. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Anne Briggs

"Sing A Song For You" 1973





















Early in 1973 she recorded (but never previously released) a third solo album "Sing a Song For You" with instrumental support from "Ragged Robin", who were a folk-rock band assembled around Steve Ashley. The album includes Moynihan's song, "Standing on the Shore", previously recorded by Sweeney's Men. She was pregnant at the time with her second child. Her confidence was at its lowest ebb and it was to be her final studio recording. By the time it was issued, Briggs was living in the Hebrides. The album sank without trace until Fledgling Records re-issued it in 1996, when it was acclaimed by folk music aficionados as a lost gem.

Bert Jansch

"L.A. Turnaround" 1974



















By the time Bert joined Charisma around late 1973/early 1974, he had already recorded what he intended to be his next album: eight tracks featuring himself either solo or with Danny Thompson, recorded at a session in Paris in early ‘73. Reprise, his label at that time, rejected the tapes as did Charisma – the latter preferring a complete break with the Pentangle era. Nonetheless, two of the eight tracks – ‘Chambertin’ and ‘Lady Nothing’ – were rescued for the Charisma debut. A further Paris track, ‘Doctor Doctor’, later appeared on A Rare Conundrum. The other five titles and, indeed, their current whereabouts, are unknown but it may be conjectured that they were mostly or all songs re-recorded for LA Turnaround.

Personnel:
Bert Jansch (guitar vocal),
Jesse Ed Davis (guitar),
Mike Nesmith (guitar),
Jay Lacy (guitar),
Red Rhodes (pedal steel),
Byron Berline (fiddle/mandolin),
Mike Cohen (electric piano),
Klaus Voorman (bass),
Danny Lane (drums)

Produced:
Mike Nesmith (10 tracks) / Danny Thompson (two tracks)

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Track.02

Wizz Jones

"Happiness Was Free" 1976

WIZZ:
Once again, thanks to Carsten Linde, I returned to Conny Plank's studio for this album. And, once again, my favourite guitarist Peter Berryman was on hand to provide some great guitar. Rod Clements flew over for one day to play bass on some tracks, and Sandy Spencer played Cello. Sandy hails from the USA, and is a fine songwriter. I love her playing on the Robin Williamson song 'Womankind'. Pity I didn't get the words quite right!

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Pete Stanley / Wizz Jones

"Sixteen Tons of Bluegrass" 1966

Wizz & Pete were probably the first British musicians to successfully interpret America's favourite traditional music for UK audiences. Both fine musicians and vocalists, during the late 50s and early 60s they rambled and gambled throughout Europe, often hitching their way around the clubs and bars. The basis of this album is their rare Columbia release, Sixteen Tons of Bluegrass, to which we have added their only single and some fine previously unissued tracks. And Wizz & Pete are getting back together for a few gigs soon! Booklet notes by Ralph McTell, with contributions from Wizz & Pete, Chas McDevitt and John Pilgrim. Riff Minor; Ramblin' Gamblin; My Grandfather's Clock; Burglar Man; Freight Train; Clinch Mountain Backstep; Kentucky Moonshiner; Teardrops In My Eyes; Ballad of Jed Clampett (theme from 'The Beverly Hillbillies'); Kentucky Mountain Chimes; Teapot Blues; National Seven; Iowa; Devilish Mary; Hesitation Blues; Weepin' Willow Blues; Stern Old Bachelor; Fidlers Green; Riff Minor; The Ballad of Hollis Brown; The Cuckoo; Walk Right In; Shuckin' sugar; Corinne

Nic Jones

"In Search of Nic Jones" 1998



















Pete Heywood:
The intention in putting together the album was to recreate a typical Nic Jones concert set and in this respect the album gets it spot on including Nic's legendary 'anti false-encore' last song. Whereas most performers would finish off with a crowd rouser, Nic would do the opposite and choose a quiet song. 'Thanksgiving', a song written by Rick Lee, closes the album leaving you satisfied yet looking for more.

The choice of songs on the album is interesting. Most of the songs are traditional but three by modern writers show that Nic had an ear for a good song. 'Texas girl at the funeral of her mother' is a new one on me and of the two instrumental tracks, 'Teddy Bears Picnic' may not be what you would expect. It was very much part of Nic's repertoire though and is a grand version.

For me the highlight of the album is Nic's version of 'Lord Franklin' which is sure to result in a new lease of life for the song. When Paul Brady sang 'Arthur McBride and the Sergeant', his treatment was so different that it became a definitive version. 'Lord Franklin' was not normally in Nic's repertoire, it came as quite a surprise when he heard the tape of it - recorded during a concert in Italy - as he doesn't remember having sung it in public. Perhaps he had some spare time that day and ran through it with the idea of introducing it into his set for variation. Whatever the reason, the result is a performance that sets a new standard.

'Ruins by the Shore' is another highlight. There can't have been too many songs inspired by a scene from Planet of the Apes - this song, I suggest, is a gem. Nic wrote a lot of songs, at one time he set himself a target of writing one a week, but just as he was critical of his own performances which if he didn't get right first time he moved on - most of his songs did not match up to his own exacting standards and he moved on to the next one. 'The Rose of Allendale' is given the Jones treatment which provided the inspiration for Mary Black's version.

Every time you saw Nic there was some noticeable variation in style - he was never one to stick rigidly to an arrangement and his guitar style changed over time. I have yet to sit down and listen to this album alongside Penguin Eggs or The Noah's Ark Trap, or to a muffled live recording we have of Nic at The Kilmarnock Folk Club. For the time being I am not analysing it, I am enjoying it.

The CD is 'album length', about 40 minutes. Since it was released everybody seems to have told Julia that they were disappointed that their particular favourite song was not chosen from the tapes. There are times when more can be less and my reaction when I got to the end of the album was to immediately play it over again. There are yet more gems to follow and because this CD is not a 'best of', future releases are likely to be just as strong.

For Dave Emery, the album was a labour of love. In the sleeve notes he gave his own opinion on the importance of Nic Jones. "When trying to analyse more closely I think that a combination of strengths collaborated to produce the most individual of acoustic music performers. It is his maturity as a singer and guitarist and as a portrayer of a story or message, and his sensitivity which drew in all the strands, together with an almost effortless skill and energy and whose breathtaking performances mark him to this day as one of the most influential and respected performers of his time."

Maddy Prior & June Tabor

"Silly Sisters' LIVE"





















01. Doffin Mistress
02. Seven Joys Of Mary
03. Four Loom Weaver
04. Singing The Travels
05. The Blacksmith
06. Reynardine
07. Wouldn't I (Lord Randal)
08. Where Are You Tonight
09. Agincourt Carol
10. Intro To
11. Deep In The Darkest Night
12. Dashing Away
13. Grey Funnel Line
14. What Will We Do
15. Cakes & Ale
16. Commit The Crime
17. Doffin Mistress

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Again, presented by anonymous...

Glenn Fink "Hot Stoves Burn" 2007



















Glenn Fink is a songwriter and performer based in Arlington, VA. Born and raised in the Boston area, Glenn’s first serious stint as a musician was as the keyboardist in the Grateful Dead cover band Laughing Water, which has several live shows available at archive.org. He also played in an original power pop band who took many of their writing cues from The Police, Talking Heads, XTC and Joe Jackson.

Glenn’s written songs with styles as varied as folk, hard rock, and progressive pop, with his earliest compositions set to analogue synthesizers. Some of those early compositions were used as the backdrop for college theatrical works and student films. Soon after graduating high school, he traveled to Norway to work with a fellow musician on an original synthesizer-based pop group. They received some label attention from CBS, but no deal was reached. Soon after his return, upon hearing Neil Young perform, Glenn began writing folk and rock-based material. He is now primarily playing fingerpicked acoustic guitar.

Glenn moved to the DC area in 2001. By 2003, Glenn was the lead singer and songwriter for local rock group Moxie Brown, with whom he continued to work until its breakup in 2006. Today, Glenn has an Arlington acoustic group called The Black Finks, which he co-headlines with Lou Black, another respected DC area songwriter. The new group is more attuned to the sounds of Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt and Lou Reed, and Glenn has begun writing new material specifically for this group (and for the next CD).

Hot Stoves Burn is a separate project from Glenn’s work with the Black Finks, and as such it emphasizes both his guitar playing and his piano playing. Many of the songs had been earmarked for his last band, Moxie Brown, but the band split before a recording could be made. Several former band mates make guest appearances on the album. Glenn is performing most of these songs with The Black Finks.

Presented by Anonymous

Dave Evans "Elephantasia" (1972)




















01. Only Blue
02. Elephantasia
03. Lady Portia
04. That's My Way
05. On the Run
06. St Agnes Park
07. Beauty Queen
08. Ten Ton Tasha
09. Earth, Wind, Sun & Rain
10. Take Me Easy

Sample pic: Click


Dave Evans - Take a Bite Out of Life (1976)





















01. Keep Me From The Cold
02. Whistling Milkman
03. Illustrated Man
04. You And Me
05. Insanity Rag
06. Every Bad Dog
07. Take A Bite Out Of Life
08. Willie Me
09. You're Wrong
10. Sunday Is Beautiful
11. Tear Away
12. Lucky Me
13. I'm All Right

Sample pic: Click

Download link in comments.

YOU'LL MAKE OUR DAY!! THANKS!!

Presented by Kristal #2

Saraswa "Yana" 2006






















01. Yana
02. Trees
03. Roz
04. Tube
05. Arkos
06. Kramer
07. Tiger
08. Estrilia 7
09. Merging
10. Symbiosis
11. Japon
12. The Boat
13. Thief
14. Suma

Tempest "BBC 1973" (artwork)

Anonymous said...
hi there,
i've made a backcover for this cd just look here: Download

So tell me if you liked it,
Greetings, Flo

Good work! Thank you!

Tempest - BBC 1973

North by Northeast Music Festival 2007 (Canada)

Bob Harris Saturday Programme [9th June 2007]

The Saturday Programme - presented from the UK by Bon Harris, with live material broadcast down the line from the Festival in Toronto, Canada.

Note:
Because the transmission to the BBC was over a live link some minor errors occurred.
I have checked my recordingof the broadcast against the BBC 'play again' broadcast (which is lossy) and have found the same small glitches which occurred in my recording of the broadcast in this replay version too.
This helps confirm the link as the source of the problem.
As said above the problems are minor - one exception, the last track Blue Rodeo which ends seconds from the end when the link ends... Bob Harris breaks in to explain the reasons for the drop seconds before the end of the programme.

The programme also containeda number of interview segments which have been included but not listed below.

Jim Bryson - Sleeping in Toronto
Jim Bryson - Feel Much Better
Jim Bryson - Somewhere Else
Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland - Passenger 24
Linda McLean - Working It All Out
Linda McLean - No Language
Ron Sexsmith - Not About To Lose
Justin Rutledge - Lay Me Down Sweet Jesus
Justin Rutledge - Too Sober To Sleep
Justin Rutledge - Does It Make You Rain?
Oh Susanna - Greyhound Bus
Oh Susanna - Bullies
Oh Susanna - You'll Always Be
Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland - Broken One
Ron Sexsmith - Secret Heart
Ron Sexsmith - These Days
Ron Sexsmith - Never Give Up
Kathleen Edwards - Cheapest Key
Kathleen Edwards - Good Things
Blue Rodeo - Bad Timing
Blue Rodeo - What Am I Doing Here?

Download link in comments.

Fantastic program!!

Link

Out of Darkness - Out of Darkness: A Pound for a Brown

Presented by David #2

June Tabor "Abyssinians" 1983

June Tabor is one of the finest folk singers alive. Not only is she completely in command of a vast repertoire of traditional British and Irish songs, but she has also shown herself able to move completely out of that repertoire (into, for example, Yiddish and Civil War songs) without any loss of authority. Not everything she does succeeds entirely, but there are singers who would kill to be able to do at their best what she does when she's just phoning it in. That said, Abyssinians is not her best album. Although it starts off strong with the almost a cappella "Month of January," things quickly bog down: where "The Month of January" is gorgeous and depressing, "The Scarecrow" is merely depressing. And is that glass harmonica in the background? Good grief. (The lack of musician credits on the CD is an irritant.) "A Smiling Shore" is the heartbreakingly effective tale of a Holocaust survivor; "Lay This Body Down" is a Civil War-era spiritual which she delivers in a surprisingly effective voice. Most of the rest is mediocre for her, but again, that's not even close to half bad. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

The Rain People (feat. Titus Luxor)

"Different Circles"





















Titus Luxor said...

Hello Lizardson,
I hope this will be more to your taste:
Recorded at The Music Room (my home studio) in 1991
I was originally just helping out but ended up playing on
some tracks. Not long after this album, bassist Paul Banks
left and I became a permenant member. I played my first
gigs with this band.
Bandleader/driving force Paul Bibby is more usually
associated with a harder sound in a King Crimson/Beefheart
sort of way. This band however had something of a folk rock
feel partly due to band member Neil Ellison's musical
background. When Neil left we gradually drifted back to the
more gritty material. 'Dance of Love' and the middle section
of 'Moonsong' should give a clue to this direction.
Artwork is included.

The Rain People - Different Circles

And again the links to my earlier/less acomplished solo albums:

Titus Luxor - Ridicularum
Titus Luxor - Cherry Tree

Great works as usual...

Amazing Blondel

"Restoration" 1997

The original trio's first album in a quarter of a century is a gem, a little more mellow than Amazing Blondel's classic early-'70s work but beautifully sung and played, and unlike a lot of other reunited bands of this era, it's just the three originals -- no extra musicians to fill out the sound. The first song is in Latin, but it's so beautifully melodic that that's not a problem (yeah, like every rock & roll song has words that are understandable). The harmonies are as graceful as the old stuff, though they don't soar nearly as high, and the instrumentals are, if anything, more accessible and filled with better hooks than their older work. Easily the equal of their best '70s albums, and worth the wait. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Presented by Kristal

Saraswa "Colour" (2006)





















Kristal said...
Saraswa’s music is instrumental and ambient, emotive and expressive. “Such a delicate, intricate sound - it's rare to find an artist whose sound makes you stop and consider the world for a moment. Beautiful.” Saraswa’s second release, Colour incorporates more ethnic sounds such as Indian instruments, whilst experimenting with synthesized sounds, climaxing on an intense electronic track in a style similar to Aphex Twin. The album is “inspired throughout, a most inventive and influential piece of work.”

Genre: Ambient / Organic
Bitrate: MP3 320kbps

1 Space (pink) 0:33
2 8 Cardinal 4:03
3 Wishwash 3:41
4 Santoor 4:39
5 Enem 2:39
6 Pura 2:09
7 Swanland 1:35
8 Iambic 3:53
9 Space (pink) 2:52

New

japan underground

Link

Jan Dukes de Grey - Mice and Rats in the Loft: Lost-In-Tyme

Folk Yourself

CrimsonKing said...
Hi Lizardson,
Could you add my new blog in your list, please?

Folk Yourself
http://folkyourself.blogspot.com/

Thank you :)

Presented by David

V.A. "Rubber Folk" (a Folk Tribute to the Beatles)

David said...
Hi,

Maybe you can link to this album on your website:
amazon.co.uk
This is the download link (no pass):

Download

Cheers,
D

Forty years on from the original Beatles album Rubber Soul, Mike Harding and his production team have gathered together a host of present-day British folk artistes to record their own versions of the songs - I mean one song each. The tracks were broadcast on BBC Radio 2 last year, and now at last we have a permanent record of the sessions. Mike was trying to prove that a great song is always a great song, and most great music is in some way folk music, and for the most part his thesis survives the exercise. Part of the success of the project is indisputably due to the high standard of musicianship on display, not to mention the lively and fertile imaginations of the various participants. Equally inevitably though, the project spawned its share of comparative turkeys, of which the CD's opener, Drive My Car, is a prime example - two minutes of dire Jerry-Lee-style rock-bash through what I've always regarded as a lesser creation on the original album; still, someone had to do it I suppose! Things improve immediately, however, with the combined might of the Watersons and an Eleanor-Rigby-style string section (Norwegian Wood) and Paul Brady (an attractive Latin-inflected take on You Won't See Me). Actually, there isn't really a weak track thereafter, although one or two of the reinterpretations are decidedly oddball. John Tams' Harry-Lime-style saunter through Girl is one of those "hear-it-once for surprise effect, but palls on repetition" moments, for instance. But June Tabor's beautifully-considered, penetrating unaccompanied rendition of In My Life is a spine-tingling high-point, possessing an intimacy closely matched by Boo Hewerdine and Eddi Reader floating airily through What Goes On (and vastly improving on Ringo's original in the process!). Chris While does a really lovely, plaintive makeover on Nowhere Man, and Show Of Hands bring a spicy eastern air to If I Needed Someone (to which we'd already "borne witness" when previewed on their latest CD, of course). Coope, Boyes & Simpson come up trumps with an imaginative take on Think For Yourself, Johnny Dickinson proves a natural choice to take on the twelve-bar creation The Word, and Ralph McTell brings an appealing Parisian-café feel to Michelle.("Mc-Telle, my belle", anyone?!). Neither Cara Dillon's Wait (with Sam Lakeman in tow) nor Martin Simpson's I'm Looking Through You let the side down, and Spiers & Boden's stomping take on Run For Your Life makes for an unexpectedly effective "that's the end" conclusion to the project. Now me, I've always liked Beatles For Sale ... (don't tempt fate!).

Thanks, David!!

Sweeney's Men

by Jeff Rice:

Sweeney's Men were the first of the modern folk-traditional Irish groups, and had a huge impact on almost everything that followed. In the late sixties, the folk revival in Ireland was chiefly in the hands of the Dubliners and Clancy Brothers, very much into vigorous ballad singing, and Sweeney's Men injected some fresh instrumentals into the scene. The original line up was Andy Irvine, Johnny Moynihan and Joe Dolan, in 1966. After having recorded some singles and played several gigs, Dolan left and was replaced by Terry Woods in 1967, which became the most famous lineup of this group. Their instrumentation included bouzouki, guitar, banjo, mandolin, tin whistle, harmonica, and concertina.

Certainly the most famous contribution of Sweeney's Men (besides some fine music!) was the introduction of the bouzouki in 1967 by Moynihan. This original bouzouki was a 6-string version, which has since been replaced in most groups by the 8-string variant that is now so common. (This variant was probably introduced by John Bailey, who made a flat-backed version with the 8-pegs.)

Their repertoire ranged from Irish songs like Willy O'Winsbury, to the Scots Rattlin' Roarin' Willie, to American folk like Tom Dooley. Among this mix are original selections so masterful that they entered the traditional scene so quickly that they are seldom recognized now as recent compositions. (I speak mainly here of Moynihan's Standing On the Shore, which to my sorrow he doesn't perform anymore.) Regardless of the country of origin, their music is exciting and spontaneous.

In 1968, Andy Irvine left the group to wander Eastern Europe, and was replaced by Henry McCullough. This group lacked the chemistry of the Moynihan/Irvine combination, however, and the group disbanded in 1969. Some talk of an Irvine/Moynihan/Woods/Ashley Hutchings combination came up in 1970 or 1971, but the dynamics that caused the breakup after Irvine left remained to a certain extent, and this never got off the ground.

Irvine went on to play with Planxty,Patrick Street and have a successful solo career. Moynihan played with Anne Briggs, Planxty, De Dannan, but recently is much more low-key, although he played at the San Francisco Celtic Festival in 1994 with Andy McNamara, and does some solo gigs as well. Terry Woods played with both Steeleye Span and the Pogues.

Besides the introduction of the bouzouki, the group is often credited with the revival of the traditional scene. Their first album "Sweeney's Men" (Transatlantic) is a classic. They had one more progressive album, "The Tracks of Sweeney", in 1969, after Irvine left. Demon records have issued a compilation CD, called either "The Magic of Sweeney's Men" or "Sweeney's Men: Time was Never Here 1968-69" which has both complete albums. "Sweeney's Men 1968" is also available as part of a 4CD set from Castle Records called something like "Irish Folk Favourites".

More information: Review of Time Was Never Here by Steve Winnick in Dirty Linen magazine.

Caius

Jordan Anderson said...

Hi Lizardson,
I was wondering if I could send you some of my songs for your consideration--please excuse the poor sound quality, and I also wonder if the songs might not sound right out of their proper order. Anyway I'm finding it a bit difficult to find anyone who understands what I'm trying to do with the songs.
Best wishes,

www.myspace.com/caiusband

We love it, Jordan!


Jordan Anderson said...
Dear Lizardson,
What a wonderful surprise, thank you for your support! May I also say how much I love your posts--it has been so nice to hear recordings such as the rare "guest works" of Nick Drake, which I had only read about in Patrick Humphries' biography--his guitar playing on Mick Audsley's "Dark and Devil Waters" is so beautiful.
Thank you again and all best wishes--
Jordan

My pleasure, wonderful is great works that musicians (like you) made.

Ron Sexsmith

Live At The Basement (ABC-TV 2003)

01. intro 02. talk 1 03. Disappearing Act 04. Cheap Hotel 05. talk 2 06. Thinking Out Loud 07. Lebanon, Tennessee 08. Just My Heart Talkin' 09. talk 3 10. Seem To Recall 11. talk 4 12. Gold In Them Hills 13. Fallen

14. talk 5 15. This Song 16. talk 6 17. Ring Them Bells 18. Former Glory 19. Foolproof 20. talk 7 21. Secret Heart 22. Least That I Can Do 23. talk 8 24. Galbraith Street 25. talk 9 26. outro

Download link in comments.

Bill Fay

"Time of the Last Persecution" 1971

Time of the Last Persecution is Bill Fay's second and last album for Decca. Released in 1971, it has attained nearly mythic status due to its unavailability for the better part of 30 years. Internet legends have touted that Fay went off the ledge of paranoia because of substance and psychic breakdown -- all of it's nonsense. This new edition on the U.K.'s Eclectic label has been wonderfully remastered and contains copious notes by Fay, who dispels falsities and offers a clear view of the LP's origins and processes. He wrote much of Time of the Last Persecution as a visceral and spiritual response to the slaying of four students at the hands of National Guardsmen at Kent State University in Ohio on May 4, 1970. Other inspirations include his conversations with producer/guitarist Ray Russell and another friend on the books of Daniel and Revelations in the Bible, and his own reading of a book of sermons from the 19th century. For Fay, the record was a reflection on the end of the 1960s and an emerging darker era. It was a clarion call about transition, yet it was also intended to impart some hope. Sonically, Time of the Last Persecution stands in stark contrast to its self-titled predecessor. Gone are Mike Gibbs' Baroque arrangements and the 27-piece orchestra, but similarly, it was recorded in a single day. The band featured Fay on piano and a small group Russell worked with, including drummer Alan Rushton and bassist Darryl Runswick. Trombonist Nick Evans was part of the three-piece horn section. The intensity of mood on the album remains some 34 years later. Electric guitars and piano usher in the opener, "Omega Day." Ghostly characters from the past and present emerge; they slip in and out of the mix prophesying, philosophizing, and reflecting. On "Inside the Keeper's Pantry," Russell's razored guitar forces the otherwise droning, lilting ballad over the edge into something brooding and foreboding. The horns that frame "Release Is in the Eye" ground Fay's piano and vocal with distorted fills by Russell: "...Moon is over the water/Business in the boom/The clouds are in the thousand mountains/A silence tree grows/The vacancy chair/'Cause I've had my share...." Russell goes outside in the instrumental break, building tension without ever releasing it as the song ends. But there are gorgeous melancholy ballads here as well, including "Laughing Man," "Don't Let My Marigolds Die," and "Tell It Like It Is." The easy singer/songwriter rock of "Plan D" and "I Hear You Calling" is offset by Fay's words. The title track, with its sorrowful cello, foreshadows the tautness of the broken emotions in the narrative. It feels like a warning offered by a half-mad street urchin in a Dickens novel. The closer, "Let All the Other Teddies Know," is sweetened by Tony Roberts' flute and Rushton's canny tom-tom work. It's a bittersweet ode to the world becoming unhinged: "Be ready Teddy/Don't let the shadows get me/And be ready, Teddy/For when the cupboard explodes/And don't cry Teddy/For there's someone to turn to/And Teddy, let all the other Teddies know...." Russell's guitar opens the cage door and wails his way manically through to the end. It's a chilling sendoff, one that allows new listeners some cautious empathy with those who saddled Time of the Last Persecution with the weight of a myth. True, it's a dark tome, but it's not without its glimmers. Most importantly, the music here has stood the test of time; it bears repeated listening and proves instructive and inspiring; it also offers a view of Fay as an overlooked yet gifted visionary and songwriter. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Recommended by Michelle

Michelle:
Hello, i love your blog/website, it's amazing! Came across it by acident and now i'm hooked reading all about those fabulous folk bands!

Anyway, i was on myspace and found this band - i saw them playing their flutes and recorders at the side of some pub (they weren't on the bill) at the lynton & lynmouth festival in Devon last year and they were absolutely awful! I only watched them because they are "superfans" of my friend micheal's band - Circulus ( who you know of). So i saw their page on myspace and thought i'd listen to what they've been doing this year and i think it's pretty amazing, i dont know them
or anything, but seeing as your into obscure british folk i thought you might like to give them a listen -

ThistleTown

Keep up your excellent work on the website, Michelle x //

Download (4 songs)

Fantastic!!

Tempest

Live at Hippodrome, London [June 2nd, 1973]















1. Foyers of Fun
2. Gorgon
3. Up And On
4. Grey And Black
5. Brothers
6. Round About Golders Green - Strangeher

Allan Holdsworth - Guitar, Vocals
Ollie Halsall - Guitar
Mark Clarke - Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Jon Hiseman - Drums
Paul Williams - Vocals

SB rec. directly copied from the original BBC Transcription disc(CN 1803/5)

Artwork by visitor: Download

Download link in comments.

Thank you so much again!!

My first requests are completed (except Skybird) supported by our friends.
What a kindness!!

Let me say thanks again...

Liz

Patto

"BBC Sessions" 1970-73
+ Mike Patto single A-side 1974


01. San Antone [1971]
02. Government Man [1971]
03. Sitting Back Easy [1971]
04. So Cold [1971]
05. The Man [1971-03-30]
06. Hanging Rope [1970-03-11]
07. Beat The Drum [1970-03-11]
08. A Hard Life [1970-11-03]
09. Love Me [1970-11-03]
10. Dear Landlord [1973-02-13]
11. Hold Me Back [1970-03-27]
12. San Antone [1973-02-12]
13. Holy Toledo [1973-02-12]
14. Loud Green Song [1973-02-12]
15. Pye Goodear [Mike Patto 1974, B-Side: Get Up And Dig It]

Download link in comments.

JANISFARM, Ailis, GarColga, bluenorther & anonymous visitors,

Planxty

"The Woman I Loved So Well" 1980


















1. True Love Knows No Season,
Christy Moore:
In December 1979 I met Noel Shine (whistle) in the Phoenix Pub, Cork, where he sang this song for me. It was written by Norman Blake and it's special in that it's the first Cowboy song I've heard in a Cork City pub.

2. Double Jigs
Liam O'Flynn:
(a) Out On The Ocean or Tierney's Jig
A well-known jig associated with Co. Clare.

(b) Tiocaidh Tu Abhaile Liom
An old jig heard from the playing of the late Willie Clancy & which appears in THE DANCE MUSIC OF WILLIE CLANCY - Pat Mitchell no.21.

3. Roger O'Hehir
Andy Irvine:
Again we have to thank Sam Henry for this tale. Roger never amounted to much, we fear. He seems to have been best at breaking out of jail. As a petty criminal he was definitely a failure and he even seems fairly relieved himself when faced with the gallows in the last verse.

4. Hornpipes
Liam O'Flynn:
(a.) The Tailor's Twist
I first heard this tune many years ago from the playing of fiddle player Joe Ryan. One also associates this tune with the piper Tommy Reck.

(b.) This tune is one of many I have learned from Junior Crehan from Co. Clare. Junior tells me he heard the tune from the late Denis Murphy, Co. Kerry, who brought the tune back from America. Junior had no name for this tune.

5. Kellswater
Andy Irvine:
I learned this from the Sam Henry collection courtesy of John Moulden's fine book SONGS OF THE PEOPLE and it appears to have come originally from one Jim Carmichael of Ballymena, Co. Antrim. The story appears to be that the girl's father did not consider Willie to be a suitable match for his daughter and had him sent away overseas. She waits in the certain knowledge that he will return. John Moulden writes, 'The Kellswater, a tributary of the River Main, rises as the Glenwhinny river on the west slope of Agnews hill which overlooks Larne, and then flows westward through Kells, collecting its name as it goes, and joins the Main about five miles north of Randalstown.' Our congratulations to the hero & heroine of this song for being the sole surviving characters on this album.

6. Johnny of Brady's Lea
Andy Irvine:
This is a famous traditional ballad from Scotland that I've known for years. Johnny is evidently an outlaw or at least a man who pays little regard to the game-laws. Despite his mother's warning , he sets out one day to 'bring the dun deer down'. His dogs & himself feast on the deer to such an extent that they all fall asleep. The foresters are tipped off by an interfering old codger and wound Johnny mortally as he sleeps. Johnny wakes in a rage and kills six of them. The seventh one suffers multiple injuries and is put on his horse to ride out of the forest and tell the news. Johnny Moynihan sings a version called 'Johnny O'Cocklesmuir' where the hero kills six, wounds one and rides off unscathed.

7. Reels
Liam O'Flynn:
(a) The Woman I Never Forgot (Canny's)
Noel & Tony learned this tune from a recording made by the fiddle player Paddy Canny of Tulla, Co. Clare.

(b) The Pullet
Tony learned this tune from Jim O'Connor who plays the flute and comes from Miltown Malbay.

(c) The Ladies' Pantalettes
One of the first tunes I learned form the late Leo Rowsome form whom I had my first lessons on the pipes.

8. Little Musgrave
Christy Moore:
I was first drawn to this song by its length. The first verse appealed to me because I too went to Mass to look at girls. I collected it in a book which had no music but I was lucky to collect a tune from Nic Jones album discovered on a field trip through Liam O'Flynn's flat. I first heard the adjoining tune (Paddy Fahy's Reel) in a dressing room in Germany when, having just died the death Matt played to us and made me forget where I was for 3 minutes 23 seconds.

Presented by JANISFARM

JANISFARM said...
thamks so much Lizardson...
Eventually we all can help you get all your lost stuff back...
and also keep time has told me alive by adding new links to the posts