Saturday, June 6, 2015

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.


11 comments:

  1. Thank you for all the wonderful folk music from so far away. A rich bounty to say the least. I appreciate all your kind effort and information. A great heritage and history is a thing of beauty. Thanks again.

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  2. Thanks for posting. My copy, purchased around the date of release, is well worn.
    Denis toured with Kate Delaney during 2011; heard them at Majors Creek Festival.
    Don't know if he is still performing though.....

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  3. Nice find Paul, some interesting variations of known versions, sounds great to me...

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  4. Oh dear. much to my eternal embarrassment I did spell Denis's name incorrectly. Gremlins on record sleeves are pesky! I recall issuing a wonderful album by Dave Fennel where I spelt the artist's name with THREE 'n's .... no one picked it up, not even the artist, until eight months had passed. oops. As for Denis Tracey... I see him regularly. He has been singing with Kate Delaney however, in 2016, he moved back to Canberra. He used to sing with Justin Murphy ex ABC TV. Denis will be delighted to know his album is ripped here. Warren Fahey

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    1. Hi Warren

      I have been trying to track down Justin Murphy for some time lost track of him when he left ABC. Am at Celtic Festival just watched the wonderful Eric Bogle. I went back stage and asked him if he had been in touch with Justin
      He said Justin had lost contact with all his old friends (including me) and had not returned his email. Probably old ANC one. A guy came up to me after and asked me if I knew Denis Tracey which I did. He said Denis was in Sydney and he thought Justin had returned to Sydney. If you are in contact with Justin could you please tell him Lyn Wiles would love to reconnect with him 0411173849 lyn.wiles@bigpond.com Thanks Warren Lyn

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  5. Is this the same Denis Tracey, a speaker at http://www.badsydney.com/speaker/denis-tracey/, a festival of crime fiction? "Denis Tracey is a former academic and author of two books on family-owned business and philanthropy. Now semi-retired he spends a lot of his time travelling and reading crime stories."

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  6. I bought a copy more years ago than I will admit. Great album, don't know if he and his wife put out more than this[this is Denis - I know, but Lynn (?) has at least one album to her name. I have a copy of this, Quite a nice one from memory]. My ex has the record, somewhere I have a tape of it.

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  7. I had a copy of this on cassette in 1986: terrific versions of the music, and altogether wonderful stuff. - Lost my copy in the move to Brisbane in 1991, and I would donate the proverbial to obtain another...
    HW Brisbane 0450448255

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  8. Denis is on the bill, singing with Kate Delaney, at the Sydney Folk Festival this coming weekend.

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  9. I buught this album and "A Heart Needs a Home" after a performance at Whyalla. They remain among my favourites.Is Denis still performing. Would love to see/hear him again.

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  10. I picked this album up at a charity shop and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was, excellent in fact. His version of Lassie wi a yellow coatie is the best that I've heard and I've heard quite a few versions. I can only assume that he has a certain Scottishness in his genes. A wonderful album. Ron from Glasgow.

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