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
Great harmonies. Sadly, June and Alan are no longer with us (RIP). Don is still active on the Brisbane folk scene, though I don't know what became of the others.
ReplyDeleteJust to be pedantic, I think track 11 should read "skipping" rather than shipping, though the cover notes are in a bit of a "hard-to-read font.
That's sad! Thanks for the correction - now edited.
DeleteDon Nichols lives in Maleny (1.5 hours north of Brisbane). Martin Gallagher is around somewhere (he's active on Facebook!) No idea re Lid Thompson.
ReplyDeleteI have the album some where here (at FolkRag Castle). Trying to remember the cover artist's name. She produced a few at the time if memory serves. Michael
DeleteMichael, it was designed by Cheryl Antonini according to the cover notes. I would like to see more of her work. Nothing on Google as far as I can see.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember rightly (correct me) there are a few albums of the period with Cheryl's handiwork on the cover though not as detailed as this was. PS: thanks for reminding me of her name. I remember her from those days but not since. (I dropped out for twenty years myself.) Martin Gallagher is to be found around the Morris dance groups mostly. Cheers, Michael
DeleteCame across your blog via Folkrag. Glad to see you've made Jolly Rumbylowe available. I too have the LP in very good condition which I digitised for myself. It's always been one of my favourites and introduced me to the English folk tradition, Watersons etc. I was the record buyer working at King's Music in Queen St in the 70s. I played this record instore a lot when it was released and sold many copies. I knew Marty Gallagher then but hadn't heard anymore about him until recently. Thanks. Dale
ReplyDeleteHow funny to see *Anonymous* here & then work out it's Michael of Folk Rag esteem.
ReplyDeleteIt also took me a few seconds to add up why all of these songs feature in the booklet of session song lyrics *Paddy Lay Back* (Volume 1) that QLD FOLK FEDERATION published in the late eighties I think? Edited by myself & Alan Banniester, & subsequently re-edited (much more authoritatively) by Roger Holmes. In my defence I was a newbie, with no knowledge of most of the songs!
The connection ia that the booklet was made to honour Alan Forshaw'ssession song leading, I think it was done in the year after his death.