We have previously featured some tracks from this CD but, thanks to a friend, I have obtained the CD so as to post it with all tracks and graphics advising details of the artists involved.
As previously advised this CD was fully intended as a German language teaching aid for NSW schools. The songs are firstly introduced in English then sung in English and then a German version is sung with the exception of the final song which is a medley of English and German.
Home Rule is the competent Australian group providing the musical backing and the Enlish language versions. Günther Pösterl and Klaus Knipp sing the German versions. The songs are mostly Australian traditionals with the exception of the more modern folk song of known authorship, namely "Sergeant Small", and the commercial song "Big Ben Pie". The traditional lullaby "Little Fishes" has been adopted to include modern ecological messages. For some unknown reason, they have absurdly substituted Charters Towers for Charleville as the starting point in Sergeant Small. Charters Towers is on the Townsville to Mt Isa railway line and is a long, long way from being on the Brisbane to Cunnamulla railway line through Charleville, Mitchell and Roma.
Sergeant Small aka
Down and Outback may not be so well
known. Sergeant Small was a well-known police officer stationed at Roma
in south-west Queensland. In the depression years, many men on the
dole were obliged to travel the country searching for work as they had
to collect their dole from different locations. With virtually no
money, there were really only two ways to effect this travel - by
walking or jumping a freight train. The railways tended to resent the
second option and there was a constant effort by both the state police
and the railway police to deter these free traveling swagmen or bagmen
as they were sometimes called. Their usual technique was to
intermittently board and comprehensively search trains. Sometimes the
swagmen were arrested and other times they would be forced off the train
in remote areas.
Sergeant Small developed a cunning approach. He would kit himself out
as a bagman trying to find some space on a goods train for himself and
he'd surreptitiously approach each carriage and ask if there was any
room inside and many a concealed bagman would answer back and thus give
himself up.
The songs are:-
Botany Bay, South Australia, The Catalpa, Black Velvet Band, Sergeant Small, Little Fishes, Big Ben Pie and
Wild Rover No More.
Song tracks are VBR in the 190s and the spoken introductions are at 128 - Graphics included.
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We met The Currency Folk (Kevin and Beth Baker) in January. They were responsible for putting together, and appearing on, "Beneath the Smoke - a Gathering of Nations". This album, which may have been issued at about the same time, featured only songs written by Kevin Baker, a political activist, of many years standing. There are some great tracks on here backed by some very good musicians. Beth Muntz,a good singer, appears as a solist on four of the tracks and provides some vocal backing to Kevin Baker on the others. Kevin is distinctly a better song writer than a singer but his vocal qualities are fitting for the songs he writes. Overall an entertaining album.
