I enjoyed working on this album - not only because it was very "clean:" - but also I found this group and its music quite infectious.
The blurb on the rear of the slip is, for once, quite a good description of this group and its music so I quote it:
A dedicated bunch of bush balladeers, the Forest Hills Folk aim to present folk music in the way it all began. Unsophisticated songs, sung in an unsophisticated manner, accompanied by unsophisticated instruments with a strong emphasis on Australiana. Mostly school teachers, living in Forest Hills area, they just love to get together and perform their repertoire in their own honest lively way, and after all, isn't that what folk music is really all about?
The members are advised as:
Denise - Lead vocals, Guitar, Recorder
Tim - Lead vocals, Conga Drum, Lagerphone
Pat - Violin, Tinwhistle, Accordion, Harmonica, Clarinet
Bill - Bush Bass
Keith - Guitar (possibly not included in cover photograph??)
Dixie - Guitar, Flute, Banjo, Mandolin, Accordion and Manager.
No family names are given so any contributions further identifying them will be very welcome.
For the main part, tracks are Australian bush traditionals the exceptions being "Ned Kelly" (an early "hillbilly" song, "Flies", "Snowy River Roll" and the "Woolloomooloo Blues" (the latter usually known as "The Woolloomooloo Lair". In their song "Eumeralla Shore" usually spelt "Eumerella", they are actually singing the name of the Victorian town of that name. Otherwise Australia is littered with the name "Eumerella" especially as being fully or partlty the name of various localities, sheep and cattle stations, streets and roads.
You rarely get much variation in the performance of "Black Velvet Band" but this group gives it a easy-going treatment which I found to be a very pleasant change from the norm.
Tracklist
1. The Old Bullock Dray
2. Flash Jack from Gundagai
3. Ned Kelly (Poor Ned Kelly)
4. Flies
5. Catalpa
6. The Old Bark Hut
7. Wild Rover No More
8. Springtime brings on the Shearing
9. Snowy River Roll
10. Eumeralla Shore
11. The Black Velvet Band
12. Woolloomooloo Blues (Lair)
Click here to commence downloading the album file with graphics. MP3 224-256VBR. 48Mb.
Click here for the FLAC (lossless) version 84MB
The file will need to be decompressed before any attempt is made to "play" it.
Please let me know at mr.stockman@gmail.com if the download becomes unavailable and I will re-up it.
