Tina Lawton - Audio from ABC TV "Tina Lawton Interludes" 1965

We have rather a good Christmas present facilitated by Michael of Adelaide. Many, many thanks!

In 1965, the ABC Adelaide produced a number of 10 minute fillers entitled "The Tina Lawton Interludes" which were broadcast nationally on ABC TV in popular time slots.

The ABC provided Tina with audio of the tracks featured in these Interludes and she provided copies to a limited number of friends including Michael's family. Michael has provided a rip of the cassette in his possession. Obviously the quality is what should be expected of 1965 TV audio and cassette tape technology (just three years old) but, with a little cleaning, the tracks have come up a good listening standard.

Now, if only some kind soul with ABC access could locate the original TV films?? Anyone? What a prize that would be.

You will notice that some of these tracks feature on her three albums previously posted. The ones I checked are different performances.

Tracklist
01 - The  Lowlands of Holland
02 - Bonny Ship The Diamond
03 - The Water is wide
04 - Raggle Taggle Gypsies
05 - Strawberry Fair
06 - Barbara Allen
07 - The Tailor and the Mouse
08 - Moreton Bay
09 - My last Farewell to Stirling
10 - Derby Ram
11 - What have They done to the Rain
12 - When I was young
13 - The whispering poplar tree (My guess as to the title)
14 - Trotting to the Fair
15 - She moved through the Fair
16 - Spanish Lady
17 - Cuckoo Song
18 - Welsh Lament
19 - Blacksmith Song
20 - Early one morning
21 - Mr McQuire (usually McGuire but this title appeared on here first LP)
22 - Spinning Wheel
23 - Molly Malone

Commence downloading compressed file by clicking here. 65Mb. MP3 VBR 224-256.
Let Mr.Stockman@gmail.com know if download no longer available and I will put it back up.

Various Artists "Folk Concert on Campus" Sydney University 1964 LP

Quite an impressive lineup here. This folk concert was held by the Sydney University Folk Music Society over three days in December 1964 at the University's Union Hall. RCA attended and recorded sessions. I am guessing that the contents of this album represent the best of the performers and the tracks are said to be in performance order. I presume the album was released in 1965.

The first of the artists was Beth Schurr who is mentioned by Warren Fahey as being an early folk participant especially in respect of live TV performances.

Declan Affley, despite passing away far too early in 1985 is very well known in Australian folk circles. Born in Wales to parents of Irish heritage, he became a merchant seaman but jumped ship in Australia in 1959 and became fully immersed in the Australian folk scene. There is some distortion in some of his tracks and I suspect that he was then a sound recordists's nightmare.

Roy Waterson (aka Watterson) was, like Affley, a young migrant to Australia. He was born a Liverpudlian in 1935 but was reared in Wales whose culture he readily adopted. He sings beautifully on his two tracks accompanied by Irish harpist Astrid Frost, an immigrant from Dublin. Roy was a persistent performer including opera, concerts and clubs but always at the edges of true success. Eventually, he developed and ran the very successful "Good Old Days Concerts" aimed at senior audiences and received both Australian and Welsh awards. He died in Sydney in 2013.

Jean Lewis was almost 20 when she performed at the Concert. At the time she was a student at the University and a activist supporting the National Aborigines Day and the Freedom Ride on 1964. As "Jeannie" Lewis, she went on to a very successful musical and stage career. She featured on the Come Listen to Australia album featured on this blog for "Red Dust".

Paul Marks was an occasional folk singer but was more into jazz, skiffle, blues and spirituals. He migrated from the UK in 1956. He abandoned music probably not that long after his performance at the concert.

Last but definitely not least is the late Marian Henderson performing four numbers. Look elsewhere on this blog and the web for more details about her.

I received this album in MP3 at 320 CBR in the rough. I have managed to get some of the glitches out but the recordings had some of the typical problems of live performances and there is variation specific to each artist. I eliminated the introductions and the massive amounts of applause as most, if not all, of it was "canned" applause with absolutely no vocal noise at all - just clapping.  I guess that RCA thought that was much neater.

It is not all that surprising that in 1964, the students involved in the Society were far more interested in performances of non-Australian folk songs. Only two of the 18 tracks are Australian. "Emu Plains" by Lewis and "Bluey Brink the Shearer" by Henderson. Speaking of "Emu Plains" - can someone please tell me what instrument is providing the backing? (Agreed to be harmonica)

Tracklist
By Beth Schurr
1. The Keys of Canterbury
2. The Next Market Day

By Declan Affley
3. Cruiskeen Lan
4. The Moonshiner
5. Brian O'Lynn
6. God Bless England

By Roy Waterson with Astrid Frost on Irish Harp
7. Counting the Goats
8. Fair Liza

By Jean Lewis
9. The Lag's Song
10. Roberta
11. Emu Plains

By Paul Marks
12. Tom Pierce
13. Sipping Cider through a Straw
14. The Frog and the Mouse

By Marian Henderson
15. Old Joe Clark
16. The Cat and the Mouse
17. The Devil and the Farmer's Wife (Child 278)
18. Bluey Brink the Shearer.

Click here for Download Link of the album which is a compressed file needing to be decompressed into its folder and tracks. (I get asked often why the download file does not play)
Tracks are Mono MP3 224-256 VBR Mono 34Mb

The Bush Music Club "Songs from the Shearing Sheds" Mono LP 1966 Re-issue

Another welcome offering from the Victorian Bush Folkie.

The Bush Music Club was inaugurated in Sydney in 1954 and is still very active today. The renowned collector, John Meredith, was one of the founders and is also featured is a lead singer on this album.

This album was originally released in about 1959 under the title "Songs of the Swaggies" and then released in about 1966 as "Songs from the Shearing Sheds". Both titles are equally misleading.

The LP itself has cleaned up fairly well. The recording and editing was of a reasonable standard for 1959 especially considering that it was almost certainly a budget production leading to some distortion.

But we do need to recognise that the context is that the performers were a group of ardent enthusiasts seeking to generate greater interest in Australia's folk music legacy (these were very early days in the folk music revival period and Australian folk music was being swamped by American influences in the popular music scene).

Frankly, the performances are, IMHO, pretty ordinary especially in respect to instrumental backing  The percussion is often overdone and discordant and the tin whistle is quite shrill at times. For me, it is a pretty disappointing album but that should not distract from the significant contribution that these people made to the early popularising of Australian folk music.

The download file is small because it is mono.

Tracklist
1. Charlie Mopps (First time I have heard that one for many years - great song)
2. The Ballad of Catalpa
3. To the Shores of Botany Bay.
4. Dennis O'Reilly
5. Paddy Fagan
6. 16000 miles from Home
7. Nine miles from Gundagai
8. The Ryebuck Shearer
9. The Drover's Dream
10. The Ram of Dalby
11. The Flash Stockman
12. Jog along till Shearing

Click here to download album as MP3 224-256 VBR mono. 23MB
Click here to download album as FLAC version mono.  74MB
You will need to decompress the downloaded file. Let me know if the link fails at mr.stockman@gmail.com.

A.L. Lloyd "Across the Western Plains" Wattle LP 1958

Picture: Drovers on the stock route on the Old Man Plain near Hay

My mate Gonzo rescued and ripped this 1958 Wattle label LP after locating it in very poor condition in a shed. His notes about the recovery and the extent to which he went to make the LP playable are included in the downloadable album. H has gone to considerable effort for which I, and probably many of the blog readers, offer our thanks. This is truly a historical album.

"Bert" Lloyd was an Englishman who spent some years in Australia mainly working in the Lachlan area where he collected several Australian folk songs. He was also a prolific performer of  British Isles folk songs.

Wattle was an Australian record producer with a strong focus on Australian folk music (refer to the recent posting of  the 1957 "The Bushwhackers" Wattle LP or do a web search for more details if required). This was release D1. There are extensive notes on each track on the rear of the album cover.

This is by no means a "clean" rip but Gonzo has brought up the tracks to a very listenable standard and it is easy to overlook the occasional glitches.

The vocals are all by Lloyd but he is very ably backed by Peggy Seeger on banjo and guitar; Ralph Rinzler on mandolin; and John Cole on mouth organ. The rear of the cover advises "Words and a map of place names included" but that is missing. Additional:- Paul Edmund Zajaczkowski has a prime example of the LP which has the notation neatly crossed out and a stamped message added - "Words and Notes available from Wattle Recordings ...". He is also offering the LP or copying.

Tracklist
Side 1   
1. The Flash Stockman
2. Click Go the Shears
3. One of the Has-Beens
4. The Road to Gundagai (really Lazy Harry's - not to be confused with O'Hagan's "Along the Road to Gundagai)
5. The Maryborough Miner
6. South Australia
Side 2
7. Lachlan Tigers
8. The Shearer's Dream
9. Wallaby Stew
10. The Wild Rover
11. Bluey Brink
12. Across the Western Plains

Click here to download compressed album with cover graphics and notes 97Mb 320CBR
File will need to be decompressed. Send an email or make a comment if download link fails and I will re-up the file.

Ball & Chain "Autumn Days in Clare Valley" LP 1976

This is another offering from the Victorian Bush Folkie cleaned by me.

This in quite a surprising album considering its origins - four part-time local musicians from the Clare Valley getting together on a hot summer Saturday afternoon in 1976 in a Clare menswear shop to record the tracks for this album. The album is dedicated to the 1976 Clare Valley Wine Festival but all proceeds were to go to "aid the Clare Swimming Pool".

For those not in the know, Clare is a town in the Clare Valley in South Australia and produces some excellent wines. Well worth a visit if you are every near there.

Despite its origin, the album is of a good quality and many of the tracks are well worth a listen even though some tracks have suffered from scratching over the years - most notably the "Waltzing Matilda" track but then I think we have already published more than enough versions of that song to last us forever.

Those four performers were school teacher Jim Stokes (who also composed the first track), arts and crafts dealer Tony Wells, Quelltaler Wines vineyard manager Chris Smith, and electrical goods store manager, David Lawler. Side 1 of the LP was Australian themed (tracks 1-7) and side 2 consists of international favourite from the folk revival period.

Tracklist
1. Clare Valley (Jim Stokes)
2. Ryebuck Shearer
3. Waltzing Matilda (a little patcht)
4. Lime Juice Tub
5. Botany Bay
6. Moreton Bay
7. Ram from Clare (same one as from Dalby, Albury and many, many other localities - originally migrated from England)
8. This Little Light of Mine
9. Copper Kettle
10 Nancy Whisky (Calton Weaver)
11. Tribute to Newfoundland
12. Lonesome Traveller
13. Fair and Tender Lady
14. All for m' Grog (Western Ocean version)

Click here to download compressed album with graphics - 224-256 VBR - 48Mb
The file will need to be decompressed into its two folders and 14 tracks.
Let me know if the link does not work and I will re-up the file

Bobsy-Die "A Bob Each Way" LP 1988

Another offering from the Victorian Bush Folkie. Again many thanks.

"Kick up Bobsy-die" - I had to look it up. New one for me. Interesting, but I think I'll stick with "there'll be hell to pay". But I am familiar with "having two bob each way". Somewhat stretching the theme, the "A" side is "Heads" and the "B" side is "Tails". Perhaps the latter feature is why they did not release on CD!

As far as I know this Victorian-based band which, in 1988, comprised Graeme Akers, Michael Regan, Greg Hunt, and Russell McKenzie, only released this one album (contrary advice very welcome). The "Bobsy-Die Band" does feature on Facebook which identifies that the band was still active in 2014 but the only original member was Graeme Akers.

The album is a mixed offering featuring trad and modern folk and there is also a strong instrumental component. Tracks are of Australian or British Isles origin.

Tracklist
1. Dennis O'Reilly (Oz traditional)
2. Feather top (instrumental by Regan and Hunt)
3. Bonny Jess (Spencer / Shearston)
4. Barnyards of Delgaty (Scottish traditional)
5. The Overlanders / High Reel
6. Instrumental medley - Going broke saving money (Hunt), Market Slide (Hunt & Regan), Banish Misfortune (traditional)
7. 10,000 miles away / Timor the Tartar (traditional song and instrumental)
8. Hewlett (traditional instrumental)
 9. Ballarat (Regan)
10. Flash Jack (Oz trad) / Claire Jig (traditional instrumental)

Click here to download album and graphics in one compressed file MP3 @ 224-256 VBR. 43.5 Mb
Let me know if the download becomes unavailable and I will re-up the file,

Paradiddle "Eureka - Live at the Stockade" LP 1983

Another album ripped by the Victorian Bush Folkie and cleaned by me.

This is the third Paradiddle album to appear on this Blog. This album was recorded live at the Stockade Hotel in Carlton (an inner suburb of Melbourne) on 7 November 1983. They were a fine group of musicians comprising (alphabetically) Athalie Brooks, Rob Fairbairn, Mark Leehy, Helmut Lopaczuk, Judy Turner and John Zigmantas.

You will be impressed with the instrumental breadth and flexibility of this group. They draw upon a far greater range of music than other folk musicians and they pull it off brilliantly especially in the two tracks given a comedic treatment. "Home among the Gumtrees" is far from standard and there are sections reminiscent of klezmer and calypso. Their vocal performances are great too.

That this album comes from a single night's live performance in a pub is, in my view, astonishing.

Tracklist 
1. Lazy Harry (Trad)
2. Poor Ned Kelly
3. Billy of Tea (trad)
4. Aussie Beer (Rob Fairbairn)
5. Albert  (Fairbairn and Leehy) (Albert Namatjira memorial)
6. Ludwigs Lot (Instrumental medley of  old time trads)
7. The Ghan (Leehy, Fairbairn and Lopaczuk) (honouring the older Ghan)
8.  Home among the Gumtrees (actual song lyrics by Bob Brown - commentary by ??)
9. Dear Mr. President (Judy Turner (Aussie) poem set to music by Fairbairn)
10. Looking for a Job (Fairbairn's Australianised adaption of Scotsman Matt McGinn's famed song of the same name)
11. Put a Light in every Country Window (Don Henderson)

Context for Track 5 "Albert" Albert Namatjira, a famed aboriginal artist active from late 1930s to late 1950s, was jailed for 2 months for illegally supplying alcohol to a fellow aboriginal man who then went on to kill an aboriginal woman. Apparently, Albert believed that one of the woman's relatives "pointed the bone" at him (killing by witchcraft) which is believed to have an influence on him.
New Link 5Dec2016

Click here to commence downloading the compressed album file and its graphics
File is 61MB. Tracks are MP3 @224-256VBR
Please let me know if download is no longer available and I will re-up the file.

Various "The Traitors Gate Folk Club - Five Years On" LP Stereo 1982

Another offering from the kindly Victorian Bush Folkie. Thanks again. I have been asked for this a few times over the years.

The Traitors Gate Folk Club  was the folk venue to go to in Adelaide in the late '1970s and early 1980s. I attended  the club a couple of times when they were using the Leicester Hotel in Parkside as a venue.

This LP was released in 1982 featuring singers who performed at the club over the years but they are not live performances.  The record was released with an informative insert but we do not have it.

The LP had quite a few glitches - quite a high level of crackles and pops and the vocals had far too many moments of distortion.  I have managed to clean the recordings to a good standard so please ignore the occasional residual glitches. The album is quite enjoyable and has a little of something for everybody.

Tracklist
1. Heights of Alma - Lis and John Munro
2. She moved through the fair - John Francis
3. If wishes were fishes - Irene Petrie
4. Queen amang the heather - Bob Hardie
5. Long Shadows - Lynne Muir
6. Patriot Prejudice - Bryan Cullen
7. The legend of Kelly - Eric Bogle
8. Jigs: Denny Delaney's, Morrison's - Joe Manning and Warwick Nottage
9. Only our rivers (run free) - Margaret Monks
10. The Week before Easter (The False Bride, I once loved a lass) - Denis Tracey
11. The town I loved so well - Phil Cunneen
12. Down and out blues - Chris McGloin and Bryan Monaghan

New Link 12 Feb 2017
Click here to commence downloading the compressed album file with slip graphics.
File is 61Mb. Tracks are MP3 @224-256VBR
Let me know if download is no longer available and I will re-up the file.

Denis Tracey "No man's land" LP 1979

I downloaded this particular album sometime ago from the web and I have kept putting off posting it on the blog. (The Victorian Bush Folkie has also provided a copy of this album but this one is an excellent rip likely done from a very clean copy so I have been saved a lot of work). I have no idea who did the work but thanks if you are reading this.

Oh, as far as I am aware the artist's given name is "Denis" as shown on the LP labels and "not Dennis" as consistently listed on the album slip. I know very little about this man even though he has been a constant Australian Folk presence for many years. He appears to have had a strong South Australian connection. I suspect that he stopped performing for a few years now. I could use some help here please!

This is an excellent album with great performances both vocally and instrumentally. Most tracks are British Isles traditionals with three Australian items one of which is traditional, and the album finishes with an hilarious ditty about funeral caskets, supposedly from an American advertising jingle - who knows. You do not need to be a folk fan to enjoy this album.

Tracklist
1. The dark-eyed sailor
2. The Coventry Carol
3. Instrumental Medley - The South wind, Rolling in the Rye Grass, Drowsey Maggie
4. She moved through the fair
5. No Man's Land (aka Green Fields of France) (Eric Bogle composition, of course)
6. Lowlands (male dying sailor version) (windlass and pump shanty)
7. Lassie wi' a yellow coatie
8. Arthur McBride
9. Wee pot stove (Harry Robertson composition - Scot immigrant with whaling background)
10. The banks of the Condamine (Australian traditional - shearing version)
11. Instrumental Medley - The Tenpenny bit, and the lark in the morning.
12. Lizzie Lindsay (Child 226)

Click here to proceed to download the compressed file with graphics. MP3 320CBR 94 Mb.
If download lapses - please let me know and I'll put it up again.

The Bushwhackers "Australian Bush Songs" EP 1957

Do not confuse this band "The Bushwhackers" with the substantially later "The Bushwackers Band". This group was one of the pioneer bush bands formed by a group of Sydneysiders in the mid 1950s. The group had a relatively short life but their music was popular for many years. This was a 7" vinyl playing at 33 and a third rpm. It was produced in 1957 by Wattle Records which focused on folk music. It was the first of this type.It was a follow up to their first five Bushwhackers 78s. A search for Wattle Records will locate further information about them at folkstream.com.

We know that the group broke up in about 1957 and three of its members, Alex Hood, Harry Kay and Chris Kay went off to form The Rambleers with other performers; also recording with Wattle starting in 1958. This band also focused on Australian folksongs and included old-time dance music. For those interested, the National Library of Australia, in 2002,  released a compilation CD "The Rambleers" featuring their original material. I have a copy of the CD but I do not know if it is still for sale at either the Library or the National Film and Sound people. Update 2017 - Bush Music Club still has the Rambleers CD for sale.

Our kind Victorian Bush Folkie provided digitised files from the EP. Did they call them EPs back then? I doubt it.
Not surprisingly, the vinyl has not aged gracefully and the roughed-up slip gives some indication that it has had a hard life. Still, I have managed to do acceptable cleans of the first four tracks. The fifth track has some bad distortion which I can do nothing about but it is still listenable. Incidentally, these recordings are far from complex and although I have encoded them at 224VBR, as a matter of principle, they could be reduced to a lower level without any noticeable loss. Compressing the total of 27Mb resulted in a .RAR file of only 12Mb. Of course, the recording is mono.

This is definitely an item of historical interest.

Additional: This album did come with an insert/s and Sandra from the Bush Music Club (see comments) has posted images of the insert. The insert also provides lyrics for each of the songs. Click here to see the posting.

Tracklist
1. The Hut that's upside down
2. Australia's on the wallaby
3. Click go the shears
4. Black velvet band
5. Drover's Dream

Download compressed file containing track and graphic files

Click here for MP3 version VBR 224 MP3 12.28Mb Mono

Download compressed FLAC (lossless version - 61MB
File needs to be decompressed to extract music and graphic files

Any problems with downloading - let me know mr.stockman@gmail.com

Twankydillo - Untitled cassette album 1990

"Twankydillo" was a Victorian-based grouping featuring the singers Lis Johnston, Meg MacDonald and Annie McGlade resulting in very beautiful singing. The album was released in February for sale at the 1990 folk festivals. Tragically, Lis Johnston died towards the end of 1990 but Annie McGlade with others set up the annual Lis Johnston Memorial Award for vocal excellence which , since 1992, has been bestowed at the National Folk Festival in Canberra.

The name "Twankydillo" is from a traditional English folk song but it is not included in this album. The tracks are a mixture of old (2, 6, 9) and modern including the old pop standard "Sugartime". A very enjoyable album with great voices and lots of instrumental backing. Their first track is "The Fields of Athenry" written by Pete St John in the 1970s. It made three successful appearances in the Irish hit lists. Since about 1990, it has become the Irish defacto sporting anthem. It's a great song in the folk style about a fictitious man who, during the Irish famine (1845-1850), steals corn to feed his family and is sentenced to transportation to "Botany Bay". Go to a sporting event in Ireland and you are very likely to hear everyone singing this song; very impressive.

Oh! It is another welcome offering from the Victorian Bush Folkie.

Tracklist
1. Fields of Athenry
2. False Knight (Traditional - Child 3 -  The False Knight is Satan)
3. Don't get married.
4. Let her go down
5. Shadow Dreaming (has a modern Irish feel - any information welcome)
6. Dumbarton's Drums (Scottish traditional)
7. The Bramble and the Rose
8. Dittisham Lad (song of South Devon supposedly - could be a fairly recent traditional?)
9. Reynardine (traditional)
10. Sugartime


Click here to download entire album (compressed) MP3 224-256 VBR 45Mb

Any problems - email me at mr.stockman@gmail.com

The Flyte "Tern" Cassette 1989

Another one gratefully received from the Victorian Bush Folkie. The Flyte were composed of Penny Davies, her life partner Roger Ilott, Jim Gregory, Byrd Fairport and Kim Brown. The music was recorded 1988/1989. I have not found any references to this album which was produced by Restless Recordings owned by Davies and Ilott. I recommend that you click here to peruse their website "Restless Music". It is well worth a visit and they have several CDs for sale at reasonable prices and some free downloads.. Davies and Ilott are still very active at folk festivals and folk venues and catch them if you can. They do a great job on the late Bill Scott's poems and songs.

This particular album is "out-of-print" and quite clean. The major task for me was the simple one of removing the usual tape and player noise. The tracklist is shown on the above graphic.

Click here to proceed to download the compressed album. Needs to be decompressed before playing. 48Mb of 10 MP3 files @224-256 VBR.

If the download link fails make a comment on this posting or email me mr.stockman@gmail.com

Ants Bush Band "The bush has friends to greet us..." LP 1986

And another vinyl rip provided by the Victorian Bush Folkie. Thanks mate! I never knew about this album despite a fair degree of research on the band. It was recorded in August and September 1986 according to its jacket produced by Nicholls N Dimes Records. The Band members at that time were Paul Duncan, Ron Salter, Michael Roberts, Barry Wiggs, Mary McDonald, and Dominic Dickson.

Cleaning the LP did present some difficulties especially on the B side (tracks 7 to 12) but all tracks are at an acceptable level - just don't listen too critically please.

Most of the tracks are of relatively modern authorship; the exceptions being the medley at track 1 and "The Leaving of Liverpool" (track 10). However, three tracks, as noted in the track list, have traditional dance interludes. I think I can identify two of the dance tunes but, rather than make a fool of myself, perhaps some kind soul can confidently identify them (perhaps Mr. Kind Appo?) Yes he has identified them (see his comment and subsequent correction by band member Paul Duncan).

Tracklist
1. Instrumental medley - Irish Washerwoman, Haste to the Wedding, and Merry Old Maid.
2. Clancy of the Overflow
3. No Man's Land (aka Green Fields of France)
4. The Gamble
5. The Pioneers
6. A Tale of Crooked Jack Mick (with unacknowledged instrumental interlude "Waves of Tory")
7. The Ryebuck Shearer (with unacknowledged instrumental interlude "The Rattling Bog")
8. And the Band played Waltzing Matilda
9. The Man from Snow River
10. Leaving of Liverpool
11. Poor Ned
12. The Whale (with unacknowledged instrumental interlude "The Keel Row"and fade out of "The Sailor's Hornpipe")

Proceed to download compressed album file with graphics MP3 224-256 VBR 71 Mb by clicking here.
You will need decompression software or capability to extract album and its files.
Leave a comment on this post or send email to mr.stockman@gmail.com if file no longer available for download and I will re-upload it.

Tim O'Brien & Joe Paolacci "Torn Apart/People & War" LP 1982

This is another LP from the Victorian Bush Folkie. The album appears to be a bit of a joint effort with the rear of the album slip advising the performers as "Joe Paolacci & Tim O'Brien with Tony Lavin, Richard Leitch, Peter Dwyer & Hugh McDonald". It was a Melbourne based production.

This album features many of the anti-war or Irish Rebellion classics, mostly popular in the 'sixties and early 'seventies with a couple of traditionals and three spoken items so it's quite an eclectic offering with leading performances from Paolacci, O'Brien, Lavin and Richard Leitch.

Despite the admirable sentiments, the overall theme was probably even a little outdated in 1982 and doing copy covers of songs previously brilliantly performed by others is always risky.  This album does not translate that well to 2015 but that's just a personal opinion and contrary opinions are welcome.

Tracklist
1. Joe Paolacci performs Buffy Saint-Marie's 1964 classic "The Universal Soldier". It was deservedly a big hit for Donovan.
2. Tim O'Brien performs Dominic Behan's "The Patriot Game". - an IRA favourite.
3. The traditional "Newry Town" by Tony Lavin. A song about a highwayman whose nationality is somewhat vague. No connection to war or rebellion.
4. Phil Coulter's "The town I loved so well" An Irish "troubles" lament.
5. Tim O'Brien recites Dame Mary Gilmore's poem "War"
6. Joe and Tim combine in the traditional "Eileen Aroon" (it has nothing to do with war or rebellion)
7. Tim O'Brien sings his own composition "Davy Fields". It is a very interesting composition which I have never heard before. IMHO it is the outstanding item in the album.
8. "I.W.W." - Tim O'Brien reads from an Australian poster issued in 1915. Short, sharp and pointed!
9. The ancient Scottish lament "The Flowers of the Forest" - Joe Paolacci. Best known in Australia because of Eric Bogle's phrase "did the pipes play the Floo'rs of the Forest". Commonly known as "The Lament" and public pipe performances are usually restricted to funerals and remembrances for the dead.
10. A recitation of Henry Lawson's "Scots of the Riverina" by Richard Leitch in a strong Scottish brogue.
11. "The Button Pusher". Tony Lavin sings this comedy/ironic song of unknown authorship about a person who has the job of pushing the button for all-out atomic war.
12. "The Sun is Burning" performed by Tim O'Brien. Composed by the famed Scottish born, Birmingham resident Ian Campbell, a prominent figure in the UK folk revival. The song became very popular with many Irish folksingers. The "Sun" in this case is the blast of atomic bombs.
13. "Einstein" is a recitation by Joe Paolacci of a very disparaging opinion that Einstein wrote about the intellect of soldiers.

Click here to begin downloading the album and its graphics as one compressed file. MP3@224-256 VBR. 55Mb. Decompression capability required to expand file.

Link fails? - tell me mr.stockman@gmail.com and I will re-up the file.

Death of Marian Henderson 21 May 2015

What a sad time! According to reports, Marian Henderson passed away yesterday. She had been retired for many years living near Nimbin, NSW. She remained an active piano player for friends. She was a brilliant singer and it is a great pity that her musical output was so limited. Still, we can continue to cherish what is available and to remember her fondly.
Farewell Marian!

What are Child Ballads?

I referred to Child Ballads in a recent posting and now realise that I should provide an explanation for those who are wondering just what I am referring to.

Francis James Child, an American, in the 19th century, amongst other things, was a dedicated collector/collator of English language folk songs, mainly English and Scottish but also with some American variations. He published "The English and Scottish Popular Ballads" in 5 parts between 1882 and 1898. It featured 305 different folk songs and many of their variations, each was given a number.

These songs and their variants are popularly known as "Child Ballads" and individually as "Child Ballad (No.). For example Child Ballad 200 is entitled "The Gypsy Laddie" and is a story about a high born lady who is lured by one or more gypsies to leave her wedded lord to live with the gypsies. The lord takes after them and pleads for his lady to return. She refuses and he usually hanged the gypsies. Child provided 12 variants - mostly older ones.

Many people throughout the world collect performances of folk songs listed by Child - not just the ones he listed but also other variants ancient and modern. Child Ballad 200 is very popular and some of the other song titles are "Wraggle Taggle Gypsies", "Awa Johnny Faa" (Old Scots slang for Gypsy), "Seven Yellow Gypsies", "Gypsum Davy"  and "Black Jack Davy". Woody Guthrie copyrighted and sang "Gypsy Davy", an Americanised version. America also offers up "Clayton Boone" who is a rancher whose wife runs off with "handsome Davy".

There is also the much sanitised version/s popular during the folk revival - "Gypsy Rover" or "Whistling Gypsy" etc. In this case a Gypsy runs off with the Lord's daughter (no adultery here) and the Lord takes off after them and tracks them down to the River Glady where she tell the doting dad -
"He is no Gypsy, my father, She said. "But Lord of these lands all over.." Ah! Happy endings.

It is for the Child Ballad collectors that I put up a special download link in case that is all they are interested in. Incidentally many Australian folk singers perform Child Ballads.

There is lots about Francis James Child and Child Ballads on the web - Just Google. You can actually download the books as PDFs (copyright has long expired) and if you want to see what songs are included and even see the lyrics, click here to go to this Wikisource site. See comment below for a site listing known recordings of the Child ballads.

Various "West Australian Bush Bands" LP 1982

Another great offering from the Victorian Bush Folkie.
Topic records produced this LP and it was a pleasure to work on a rip from good quality vinyl. Glitches, and there were a few, were relatively minor and easy to correct although a critical listener may still pick out a few very minor problems. I know nothing about these six bands and there are no notes about them on the record slip. The band names look somewhat suspicious and one or more of the bands may have been one-offs. Information will be very welcome. Additional:- we now have confirmation that they were existing bands and Numguts is still active (see comments). For the main part, the performances are very good.

 The tracks are a mix of traditional and modern Australian folk songs with some instrumental jigs and reels.To my ear the jigs and reels are very uninteresting. Other opinions are welcome.

Tracklist
1. The old Bullock Dray by Beat 'n' Coppa (very good performance of this standard)
2. Bring the Beer to Broome by the Rakes (a new one to me - very enjoyable)
3. The Timbercutters Song by W.A. Bush Orchestra
4. Billy of Tea by Numguts. (Tom Blackman's Waltz in the middle is not acknowledged)
5. Jigs by Rabbits Ears
6. All for me grog by Flash Jack (Irish 'across the western ocean... and "nobbin nobbin boots' version)
7. Shearing Song by the Rakes
8. Sir Frederick Pottinger by W.A. Bush Orchestra (written by Kenneth Cook for Lionel Long "Bold Bushrangers" 2 LP set).
9. The Contract Mailman by Beat 'n' Coppa (honours a W.A. mail contractor from the Broome area)
10. Jigs by Flash Jack
11. Augathella Station by Numguts. (see comment below)
12. Cool Bush Nights by the Rakes
13. Johnny Stewart (drover) by W.A, Bush Orchestra (poor performance lacking musical coherence)
14. Reels by Rabbits Ears.

Re "Augathella Station".  It is now generally accepted that Saul Mendelsohn, stockman turned shop-keeper. originally penned "Brisbane Ladies" which then entered into the folk tradition but remaining close to the original version; the only significant variation being the name of the musician at Nanango and whether he played a concertina or a banjo. It tells the story of a group of stockmen who had driven a mob of cattle to Brisbane where the cattle were sold. They hit the good times in Brisbane and were then riding home to Augathella Station and the song focuses on the towns on the way home.
Unfortunately, in more modern times, someone (perhaps Bushwackers ;-), decided to rewrite part of the song and this is the version sung here. Despite the cattle already having been sold in the first verse, the drovers are now taking the herd back to Augathella (Coals to Newcastle anyone?). For a little more excitement the stockmen, on the way home, stop off at a "shanty town" and sample "the shanty town women" - pure American terminology. We had shanties (solitary roadside inns/taverns) but never shanty towns. Anyway, the Bushwackers put out this version and, thankfully, only a limited number of performers have subsequently picked it up. When city people decide to rewrite bush ballads things can really go really wrong when they, as "Banjo Paterson opined, "don't know a horse from a hoe".

Still, I recommend the album as overall it does contain some very good music and a few songs not previously covered on this blog.

Click here to download from Zippyshare. 66Mb. MP3 @224-256 VBR. The file will need to be decompressed.

Download no longer available? Tell me by comment on this post or email mr.stockman@gmail.com and I will put it up again.

Various Artists - Seventh Australian Folk Festival (1973) - LP

This is another album kindly provided by Victorian Bush Folkie. Thanks again.

The National Folk Festival (as it is now known)  commenced in 1966 originally in Victoria and, after about a decade, moved to Canberra. The 50th Festival will be held there in March next year (2016). Their website can be reached by clicking here. 

I believe that they usually put out an album of performers for most, if not all years and an occasional commemorative album. I suspect that there will be one of those for the 50th festival featuring selected artists from various years.

Of course, these festival albums can only feature artists who can, and do, give permission for their live festival performances to be used.

This album is a typical example of recorded live performances in the 1970s. The sound quality varies quite a lot and sound equipment and performances are far more sophisticated nowadays. Incidentally, the sound technicians at these festivals are mostly volunteers and they deaserve a lot of praise for their contributions over the years.

Tracklist
1. Rawhide by Country Express (bluegrass - not the series theme song)
2. Fiddlers Green by Declan Affley
3. Tell it to me by John, Juanita and Marnie Sheehan.
4. Robin Hood's Progress to Nottingham (Child 139) by Hugh Macewan
5. The Conservationist by The Ramblers (members listed on graphics)
6. EE, AYE AA CUD HEW and Find the Cost of Freedom by Danny, Gordon & Shayna
7. Address tae the Haggis Recitation by Richard Leitch (mostly incomprehensible to me)
8. Sean Ryan's Hornpipe and The Cuckoo's Nest" Instrumentals - Jacko Kevans on concertina and Bob MacInnes on fiddle.
9. Sugar Momma by John Crowle
10. Before I met You  by Country Express - bluegrass
11. Fair Flower o' Northumberland (Child 9) by Rhonda Mawer
12. Bright Morning Star An Appalachian Hymn sung by a Workshop Audience (presumably not a singing workshop - included to complete album - rapid deletion recommended)

Click Here to go to the download host MediaFire to get compressed file containing the album and the LP graphics. Needs to be decompressed. 56Mb MP3 224-256 VBR.

If download does not work - let me know by a comment on this entry or email mr.stockman@gmail.com.

Captain Moonlight - Untitled LP - 1982

Sorry that I have been missing for a while. I've had some problems - mainly with my computer needing two system re-installs and re-installing and setting up various applications.

This music is the first of several albums ripped by the Victorian Bush Folkie and to be cleaned by me.

I understand that this was a Melbourne based group and the rear of the slip advised the band members as being Martin Hanley, Anthony O'Neill, Noel Murphy, Joe Paolacci and Peter Dwyer. (Wonder why the front cover shows six musicians? - see subsequent comments for the answer.)

They were obviously very competent musicians with a markedly eclectic output but with an emphasis on Celtic instrumentals. They also include Bernard Bolan's "Not many Fish in the Harbour Today"

Only moderate cleaning was required.

Tracklist

1. Bonny Ship the Diamond (English traditional)
2. McFarlane's Lament (air)/ Earl's Chair, Banshee, and Faral Gara (reels)
3. Mines of Australia
4. Hag's Reel and Longford Collector (reels)
5. Not Many Fish in the Harbour Today" (Bernard Bolan)
6. Humours of Ballyloughlin (jig) - Black Creek (reel by Anthony O'Neill)
7. Maryborough Miner
8. Ril Gan Ainm, Devil's Dream, and De'il among the Tailors (reels)
9. Green Groves of Erin and Granny's Gravel Walks (reels)

Click here to download the compressed album file including the the album graphics. File is 50Mb. Tracks are MP3 at 224-256 VBR. The file needs to be decompressed.
Please let me know if the file becomes unavailable for download so I can re-upload.

Jolly Rumbylowe - Untitled album of English Traditionals 1976 LP

"Jolly Rumbylowe" was a Brisbane based group of five musicians, namely, Don Nichols, Marty Gallagher, Alan Forshaw, Liz Thompson, and June Nichols.
In this album they successfully emulate what I call the English local pub style - lots of participation and lots of enthusiasm and songs to match. They do it very well too.

It is quite a mixed bag of traditionals too -  including salt water songs, festival songs, fox hunting, and pleas for sustenance on celebration days and a couple of classics. The "A' Soalin'" song was so named when Peter, Paul and Mary put it out as a hit. It's better known historically as "The Soul Cake Song" which the poor would sing on certain saint's days, most notably All Hallows Day, pleading to be fed the traditional soul cakes. The relatively modern "trick and treat" is believed to have derived from this custom.

The Album is from Ian of Tasmania and the LP has been fairly-well preserved. There are some minor glitches and I did remove a few but editing was largely restricted to removing equipment and vinyl noise.

Tracklist
1. The Fox Hunt
2. I beg your leave
3. The apprentice song
4. The Hogseye Man (has politically incorrect content - you are warned)
5. The Boar's Head Carol
6, The country life
7, Bright morning star
8. Hal'n'Tow
9. A-Soalin'
10. Homefirth Anthem
11. Children's skipping songs
12. Admiral Benbow
13. Three  jolly sportsmen
14. The Maypole
15. The Cadgewith anthem.

Total compressed file size is 70Mb and contains all tracks and the graphics. You will need to decompress it.

Click here to download the album file.
It will need to be decompressed for playing.
Let me know if you have any problems - mr.stockman@gmail.com

Mulga Bill's Bicycle Band - In Concert Recording ~ Live in Queensland. LP 1973

At the time of recording for this LP, Mulga Bill's Bicycle Band consisted of:-
Tony Britz - banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals
Liz Eager - acoustic and electric flute
Barry Golding - lagerphone, acoustic guitar and vocals
Chris Bettle - acoustic and electric fiddle
Marsh Robinson - double and tea chest bass
Jo Beams - vocals and tambourine
Peter McDonald - electric and acoustic guitars. mouth organ and vocals.

At the time of recording, they were on tour with the Queensland Arts Council following performances in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales.

They were a fine group of instrumentalists and their musical backing brings a new perspective to many of these tracks - very refreshing in that respect. I enjoyed the singing but it is noticeable that vocals and backing are sometimes out of sync. To all appearances this is deliberate and provides a rather pleasing contrast. I guess that there is a term for this but I do not know it. Anyway, it is pleasant to see a band not slavishly following the "bush band" stereotype,

I have only lightly edited the music which, incidentally was another rip from Ian of Tasmania - many thanks Ian. There are still some minor glitches which should not be much of a bother. The exception is track one which, every so often, has a very strange glitch which refuses to be eliminated. I am hopeful of obtaining a better copy of that track. On the plus side, it is another rendition of "Waltzing Matilda" so I'm sure we can all survive without another one.

The tracks are:-
1. Waltzing Matilda (Paterson type)
2. Gum Trees by the Roadway (the early Slim Dusty classic)
3. Streets of Forbes
4. Whistling Rufus (instrumental)
5. Maryborough Miner
6. Going Home (Kingston Trio and The Johnstons did great versions of this. This is more in the style of the latter complete with Irish accent - It has been adapted from USA to Tasmanian localities.)
7. Spider from the Gwyder (poem)
8. Overlanders
9. Pub with no Dyke (very funny parody of the Pub with no Beer)
10. Jim Jones (great backing)
11. Drover's Dream
12. Tom Blackman's Waltz (actually a medley of three old favourite dance tunes - see comment for details)

Click on here to go to the download page.

File is 54Mb. MP3 224-256 VBR
 The entire album and graphics are in one compressed file which you will need to decompress to the individual track and graphic files. You may need to obtain decompression software - if so install 7-Zip (free) or one of the commercial offerings e.g WinZip or WinRAR. Any problems - make a comment (anonymous or otherwise) or send me an email - mr.stockman@gmail.com.

Peter McLean "Fair Dinkum Folk" LP 1974 aka "Australian Heritage"

 Somebody suggested this artist and album many years ago and I have finally managed to get my hands on it. There were two issues of this album in 1974. I have the first issue (above). It really is an atrocious graphic reminiscent of the USA cover for Burl Ives' Australian Folk Songs album. What a wonderful menagerie of badly-stuffed Australian wildlife. Obviously the distributors had the same view because it was soon re-issued under the title "Australian Heritage" and with far more sophisticated graphics as also shown here. The album remained the same - just different presentation and labelling.

It is a good album. Peter Mclean has a good easy-going, laconic singing style occasionally ably backed by a very good chorus group. Instrumental backing is fairly sophisticated for these songs but is not intrusive (IMHO) - presumably by studio professionals but they are not acknowledged.

The vinyl, considering its age, plays really well and only minimal editing was required. Now, can someone tell us anything about this artist??

Eight of  the tracks are Australian traditionals - the four exceptions are "The Road to Gundagai", "Botany Bay" (from a late-19th Century English play), Waltzing Matilda (it's the standard 1903 Marie Cowan version which, as far as I am aware, never entered the folk tradition - unlike Paterson's original 1895 version) and "Ben Boyd"which was penned by the singer. It's a good song and touches upon how Orcas helped Eden (Twofold Bay) whalers by herding humpback whales so as to share in the takings.

Tracklist:
1. Botany Bay
2. Ten thousand miles away
3. Ben Boyd
4. Tambaroora Gold (a rare but a good one)
5. Mustering Day (another rare one -  "Early in the Morning before the break of day" adaption)
6.  Along the Road to Gundagai
7. Waltzing Matilda
8. The Station Cook
9. Click go the Shears
10. Ladies of Brisbane (a traditional version of Mendelsohn's Brisbane Ladies")
11. Frank Gardiner
12. The Old Bullock Dray (it refers to finding a wife at the "factory" - see last post)

Click here to commence downloading the compressed album. 42MB MP3 @ 224-256 VBR.
Or click here for a FLAC (lossless) version 67MB
Download file will need to be decompressed with 7-Zip, WinRAR, WinZip or equivalent.
Download not available?: Email me - mr.stockman@gmail.com

Clair Hayes (Australian Maid) "Female Factory" Cassette 1990

I was given this cassette by a friend and I firstly put it to one side as an item of low priority. I now regret that I did so because this performer and this album certainly deserves far greater attention.

This album has much to commend it. It's a great collection of songs written by the songwriter, singer, instrumentalist, Clair Hayes. The content is both country and folk examining life in the bush often with a pioneer perspective.  The performances are highly competent with excellent instrumental  backing.

Clair is based in the Sydney area and is still a regular performer in both the country and folk arenas.

Clair has advised that "Esmerelda" was the emu that was a long-term resident at Timbertop to the delight of the many visitors.

The Female Factory referred to is the "Parramatta Female Factory" where many early female convicts were housed and employed. Many a pioneer, convict or otherwise, obtained a wife from the factory on mutual arrangement so long as both were approved as being suitable for marriage. It was an interesting arrangement and I recommend that you visit this website page for some very entertaining detail on the process. Many versions of the traditional "The Old Bullock Dray" refer to the possibility of obtaining a wife from the female factory.

To download the album and its graphics
Click here to download from MediaFire

It is about 42Mb. Tracks are MP3 @224 VBR.
You will need to decompress the file to extract the tracks and the graphics using 7-Zip or commercial utilities such as Zip or WinRAR.
If the link does not work then please email mr.stockman@gmail.com or leave a comment on the blog entry.

Cobbers "Bushdance Party" Cassette c1988

The Cobbers bush band was mainly active in the 1970s and 1980. They had a relatively high output of good quality music. They have a website at http://www.cobbersbushband.com/ from where you can order some of their albums (on CD-R) and also download the individual tracks of their first LP (MP3 @128bps). There have been no changes to this website for many years - the download bit works so I presume that ordering might still be possible. Perhaps query by email first. If you are a fan of this blog you would be sure to enjoy their music.

I found this cassette recently. This album has long been "out-of-print" and is not offered on the website. It was put out by Dino Records on both cassette and vinyl sometime about 1988. Being a Dino release, is is possibly a re-release possibly a condensed version of earlier tape releases of bush dance music. Any information would be very welcome. You will notice that one of the corners of the insert has been clipped indicating that the cassette was sold at a remainder bargain price.

This is a great toe-tapping album but also features lots of vocals. The Cobbers were excellent musicians and singers as this album demonstrates. Most of the tracks have both a traditional instrumental section coupled with a song in the appropriate dance time. The two exception, unsurprisingly, are the "Manchester Gallop" and the Russian "Troika".

Tracklist
1. Polka with "The Lachlan Tigers"
2. Stockyards Jig with Travelling down the Castlereagh
3. Heel and Toe Polka with "Lazy Harrys"
4. The Galopede - "10000 miles away"
5. The flying pieman with "The Old Bullock Dray"
6. Pride of Erin with "Springtime it brings on the Shearing"
7. Strip the Willow with "Stringbark and Greenhide" (a rarely featured song)
8. Barn Dance with "Click go the Shears"
9. Waves of Tory with "The Ryebuck Shearer"
10. Muffin Man Jig (eh!) with "The Drovers Dream"
11. Polka - "Maggie May"
12. Gay Gordons with "Sandy Maranoa"
13. The Oxo Reel (eh! eh!) with "Lime Juice Tub"
14. The Troika (all alone)
15. Waltz Country Dance - "The Reedy Lagoon"
16. The Manchester Gallop (all alone)

Click here to download the album. MP3 @ 224-256 VBR. All graphics included with dance instructions in very minature printing.
Any problems, please let me know on mr.stockman@gmail.com.

Rick & Thel Carey "Best of Buddies" 1973 Cassette issue

"Best of Buddies" is so named because it is a tribute album to the original Australian country and western singer and composer Buddy Williams (he did follow in the footsteps of that other great performer - the New Zealander, Tex Morton).

I have no idea when the album was originally released but the term "tribute album" probably had not been coined then.Rick and Thel Carey, a husband and wife team, were active from 1950 to 1987 and extensively toured during much of that period and had lots of radio and television appearances. They were a class act with a prolific output. Their performance with extensive backing has brought a more modern Country and Western feel to these songs as contrasted to Buddy Williams' hillbilly style where his superb guitar playing was usually his only accompaniment.

Additional: Donnatv has again come to our rescue through identifying that the LP issue of the album was dated 1973. Many thanks!

The album has ripped well and required only basic editing. Thanks very much to the kind contributor who provided this and other cassette tapes. the file is 42Mb with all tracks are MP3 at 192-224kbs. Graphics are included.

Click here to begin download

Please email mr.stockman@gmail.com if the file becomes unavailable for downloading. The file is a zip file which will need to be decompressed before playing.