Posted in what are you listening…
Interesting to hear “straight” versions tunes and songs as they were collected. The inclusion of Lord of the Dance sounds almost pop music.
By comparison the versions of Creeping Jane on The Full English and Jack Orion on Fay Hield’s Old Adam sound very powerful.
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Would like to recommend these three:
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I find Chris Wood’s albums variable, but his voice is ever seductive.
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I agree about his albums. He’s very good live, both as a solo artist and when we saw him with Imagined Village.
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I also recommend Ruth Notman. Her second album ‘The Life of Lily’ is equally good and well worth a listen.
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Yep, got that one as well. This is worth a listen as well…
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Time for some Trembling Bells. They split in 2018 and the front woman, Lavinia Blackwall has subsequently made a solo album Muggington Lane End ( Bandcamp). Trembling Bells has a shimmering folk-rock sound recalling Incredible String Band, Fairport, Gram Parsons with bells and drones. Carbeth, the title of their first album meant nothing to me, but I subsequently read the history of the hut community established in Stirling by returning soldiers.
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The other half of Trembling Bells is Alex Neilson with his new band Alex Rex - saw them in Whitstable just before lockdown. Alex’s favourite place in the UK is Dungeness.
The Lavinia Blackwell album Mugginton Lane End is a beauty.
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Stewart Lee in conversation with Alex Neilson. I’ve only seen Dungeness from a distance, but will look at the Derek Jarman garden some time. It is an amazing landscape with extraordinary light.
Last Trembling Bells album called Dungeness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKklKZaEt_s
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Luckily only a few miles down the coast from me. Trembling Bells album Dungeness is quite amazing - must give that a spin.
The number of album covers shot at Dungeness is unbelievable even little Aled Jones got in on the act.
I went to find this one the other day.
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Oisín Mac Diarmada, Sligo fiddle player. CD ‘Ar an bhFidil’/ 'On the Fiddle - Green Linnet. On Qobuz.
His new recording with Samantha Harvey on piano. The Green Branch / An Géagán Glas is on Bandcamp. Here’s a taste of them both on YouTube:
He also is part of a group Téada (which I have not heard yet.)
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Shirley and Dolly Collins, Anthems in Eden. Harvest 1969. Christopher Hogwood on harpsichord, David Munrow on crumhorns, rackett, sordun, treble recorder. Plus Roy Wood, Steve Ashley and others. My first acquaintance with this was Amaranth 1976 which included Anthems in Eden on side B. A legend.
A taster via YouTube.
Available too on Qobuz, included in Shirley and Dolly Collins, The Harvest Years. (Parlophone, 2008)
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A happenstance purchase. Charity shop, unknown artists. Track list starts “Bellringing”. Daughter, son in law and aunt are all ringers, better try this…
A beautiful song where the chiming of bells is followed in the melody.
In fact the whole album is enjoyable.
Later, I was told that it is more than likely my aunt has rung in all the towers mentioned.
The Teacups - Of Labour And Love
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Davy (Davey) Graham, Anji, his evocative guitar solo I first heard on The Electric Muse box set (1975), since then I’ve heard many versions including Bert Jansch who called it Angie. Davy Graham was a virtuoso, using different tunings and learning exotic instruments like the Sarod. Maajun is one of my favourites on Folk, Blues and Beyond. To my mind, he’s an instrumentalist rather than a singer. Robin Denselow wrote an appreciative obituary in The Guardian Graham the son on a gaelic teacher from Skye and a mother from what is now Guyana was a wild man, unpredictable and prone to disappear. He became a drug user and would sometimes support himself by busking. But his dedication to his instrument was constant. Shirley Collins tells some good stories of touring with Graham when they had recorded Folk Roots, New Routes. (1964) Anji here on YouTube from Fire in the Soul, but was recorded on tape in 1961. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXhWgbmc9yU
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He was a great guitarist - but certainly not really a singer. But I still liked what he did, even when he sang. Some of the earliest I heard of his was “rags and old iron” and “Hummingbird”, both of which I really liked. That was back in 1968, IIRC. A friend of mine had the Hat album, which was good.
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‘Rags and Old Iron’ very good and his vocal delivery has drive. In recent years more recordings have appeared on CD After Hours at Hull university 1967 and Live at St Andrews University. There’s also an Anthology 1961- 2007 Lost Tapes which is for sale at a stupid price on the River only to rival the Sandy Denny ‘complete’ edition. Such is cult status. There’s also various odd tracks to stream on Quobuz, so it looks as if someone is curating his back catalogue. He had children and also a partner, i do hope they are able to collect some of his royalties.
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I’ve just stumbled on this thread and because of it, am now playing Spell Songs via Tidal. Very nice it is too. There is clearly a lot more for me to discover. As a contribution, this is an album I listen to quite regularly: Georgia Ruth, Week of Pines.
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Why isn’t Irish Traditional Music ‘curated’ too?
Via the Irish poet Billy Mills on Twitter.
Folk music in any tradition can be formulaic. As an Englishman, I’m an outsider to the Irish music scene.
I enjoy ‘The Gloaming’ who have an international audience (I’ve never seen them live, though their live recording album is a gem.) Perhaps it is not surprising that there are bands playing in their style? Not everyone who is a skilled player in sessions is a professional musician, though many are. I’d say that Traditional music in Ireland is in a better place than folk music in England or Wales. It is actively promoted as a branch of cultural policy. There’s an Irish language radio station RnaG RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltacht that plays mostly traditional music. I know that Irish contemporary classical musicians who are not traditional feel neglected. But such music is often a niche interest.
When I ordered Orla Harrington’s fiddle tunes ‘Melting Snow’ the CD came with a handwritten note thanking me for my interest in local tunes from Co. Clare. She recorded two CDs, was associated with Riverdance and taught in France. Many young Irish people work abroad. The Riverdance wave provided interest in the community who do not listen to folk music. We know that it is not proper dancing of course and the wave is over.
Toner Quinn’s article gives me some unfamiliar names, but seems to be calling for the (Irish) Folk Police. Who is to be the curator? Tradition talking to itself?
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Covers of Richard Thompson’s songs, some folk oriented and several not.
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