Various Artists "Newcastle Folk Festival 1974"

Tony Suttor - festival performer 1974

Some time ago, I had a .wav rip of the "Newcastle Folk Festival 1974" passed on to me by a friend. (Just to alert our international visitors -  this Newcastle is in New South Wales)

The album suffers from all the usual problems with folk festival recordings back in the sixties and seventies - limited recording facilities and editing facilities. It appears that the vinyl did not have all that many problems itself. I only had to do minimal editing of the rip but the overall sound quality is very ordinary in parts. One very annoying feature was that there was a lot of applause included on the album after each number and it was not only "canned applause" but it was the same for each performance and on "fade" it sounded like a gurgling drain. I have severely reduced the amount of applause just to keep within the "live" performance spirit.

There are some good performances on this album despite the recording and production problems and some songs and talented performers that we have not heard elsewhere.
I do not have any graphics for the album so I have included a far more modern photo of Tony Suttor who was one of the performers on the day.

Additional February 2017
Coincidentally, Tony Suttor has rectified the absence of any album graphics by providing a photo of his cover - it is an 8" square plain paper sheet glued to the front. It does provide some additional information. Two of the listed "officials, promoters, organisers etc" are still active in the folk world. Norm Merrigan runs The Turning Wave folk festival in Yass. Pam Merrigan is the current "boss cocky" and long-time Artist Director at the National Folk Festival.

Please note: You can save this graphic by right-clicking on it and then choosing to save it. This graphic is not included in the download package.

Tracklist
Side One
    01. Lady Chatterly's Lover - Chris Cady
    02. Love Song to a Stranger - Fay Davis
    03. Hal 'n' Tow - Jolly Rumbylowe
    04. Right of the Line - Maureen Cummuskey (great poem/song by the late Dermott Ryder)
    05. Rise Up Jock - Tony Suttor & Andy Saunders
    06. Rovin' Gambler - Tim Glover
    07. Motor Car Song - Peter Mitchell
Side Two
    01. Shake That Thing - Chris Cady
    02. Starry Night for a Ramble - Sydney Ducks Push Band
    03. Broom of Cowdenknowes - Jolly Rumbylowe
    04. Dark Eyed Rovers (Child 200)- Colin Dryden
    05. The Tailor and the Mouse - Libby & Micky
    06. Calton Weaver - Tom Rummery
    07. My Faithful Johnny - Tony Suttor & Andy Saunders
    08. Polly Put the Kettle On - Tom, Kate, Jacko & Colin
    09. Wild Mountain Thyme - All lead by Tom Rummery

Click here to download compressed file MP3 224-256 VBR 49MB
The file will need to be decompressed before playing.
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"While The Billy Boils - A Panorama of Australian Folklore" 1981 2LP set

Featuring various artists, this is a Larrikin 1981 two LP compilation (LRD 9012) containing 30 tracks of traditional and contemporary Australian Folk songs and two instrumentals.
I presume this album was marketed to benefit from the Warren Fahey scripted ABC radio series "While the Billy Boils" as it also carries the ABC Logo on the rear of the LP slip.
It is a great compilation unfortunately marred to some degree by varying sound levels, not only between tracks, but also within individual tracks.  I have improved the problem with the different album sound levels but some downloaders might prefer to "normalise' some of the tracks (I am definitely not a fan of "normalising" but I could understand its use in a couple of these tracks).

The artists and their tracks are:
Dave de Hugard - 10,000 miles away, Then give me a hut in my own native land, Ballad of the Kelly gang, The tent poles are rotten.
Declan Affley - I've been to Australia-O, Mulga Maxims, The Cutters Lament, The whip and the spurs, The meat pie song
Warren Fahey - Colonial Experience, Freehold on the plain, Cain killed Abel, Two professional hums, Tumba-bloody-rumba
Trevor Shearston -  Moreton Bay, The Bullockies Ball
Cathie O'Sullivan - Castle Hill, Kanaka Love Song (poor quality track), Banks of the Condamine (horsebreaker version), Bluey Brink, The Ham Fat Man (delightful)
Mike Jackson - Coming down the flat
Jacko Kevans - Sign-on Day, The limejuice tub, The overlanders
The Larrikins - (instrumentals) Mudgee Scottische, Manchester Gallop
Andy Saunders - Five and a Zack, Woolloomooloo (Lair)
John Dengate - The Randwick Races, My Name's Bill

Full cover grapics provided including inner graphics, notes and comments.
All tracks stereo MP3 encoded at 192-224 VBR

Download from MediaFire 

Link failed? Then please leave a comment or contact mr.stockman@gmail.com

The Larrikin Sessions - A Panorama of Australian Folk Songs from the City & Bush CD 1993

I have probably been a little remiss in not presenting this album before. This particular album was a 1993 CD release by the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC). It has long been out of print and I obrtained this particular rip from one of our regular contributors some time ago.

This album is a real favourite of mine; all the tracks are well selected and beautifully presented. The Larrikins were then Warren Fahey, Dave de Hugard, Bob McInnes and Andy Saunders.  As far as I can tell all tracks are original performances for this album.

The 22 tracks and the primary performer of each of those tracks are as follows:-
1. The Lime Juice Tub - Warren
2. The Old Keg of Rum - Andy
3. Sign on Day - Dave
4. With a Swag all on my Shoulder - Andy
5. Two Professional Hums - Warren
6. Five and a Zack - Andy
7. Stringybark Cockatoo - Dave
8. Moreton Bay - Dave
9. The Morning of the Fray - Warren
10. Frank Gardiner is Caught at Last - Warren
11. The Streets of Forbes - Warren
12. The Death of Ben Hall - Andy
13. Goorianawa - Warren
14. One of the Has Beens - Warren
15. Garawilla - Warren
16. 'ard Tack - Warren
17. The Maryborough Miner - Warren
18. The Miner - Warren
19. The Mines of Australia - Andy
20. Ginny on the Moor - Warren
21. The Golden Vanity - Warren
22. Take Me back to Bendigo - Bob


Of course, Ginny on the Moor and The Golden Vanity originated in the British Isles - these are Australian collected versions of these much-travelled songs.


Download with graphics 

From MediaFire

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Various Artists "Game as Ned Kelly" Larrikin Record LRF50 1980

For our international visitors, it is probably sensible to give a quick postage-stamp view of Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang.  Edward ("Ned") Kelly was born in the state of Victoria. His father was a transported convict.  Starting out as a horse thief, he went on to lead a bushranging gang in the 1870s.  This gang mainly operated in Victoria with one significant incursion to Jerilderie in New South Wales.  His final robbery involved the capture of the Victorian town of Glenrowan.  He became aware that a trainload of troopers (mounted police commonly known as "traps") were travelling by train to capture him.  He then removed train tracks to derail the train but the troopers were informed, left the train, and walked to Glenrowan where the gang was beseiged.  Most of the gang were killed in a shoot-out.  Ned Kelly, wearing heavy metal armour then confronted the police firing as he came.  He was brought down by bullet wounds to his exposed legs, captured, tried, and hung at the old Melbourne Gaol.
He is regarded by some romantics as a bit of a folk hero fighting against the villainy of authority.  In the Jerilderie Letter, he presents himself as continuing the Irish Catholic fight against the Saxon hordes - a view somewhat spoilt by the fact that he had no hesitation ambushing and killing a group of Irish-born troopers.
As with all romantic figures, he features in several songs over the decades including some written and sung during his bushranging days.  Warren Fahey, on this LP, includes a good range of those songs.

Track List
My Name is Edward Kelly (Declan Affley)
The Ballad of Ned Kelly (in three parts) (Andy Saunders) Tune of "Wearing of the Green"
Stringybark Creek (Andy Saunders)
Farewell to my Home in Greta (Declan Affley)
The Jerilderie Letter (part) (recitation by Declan Affley) backed by Ian McKenzie on Uilleann pipes playing "Moreton Bay"
Kelly was their Captain (Dave de Hugard)
Ye Sons of Australia (Phyl Lobl)
Farewell Dan and Edward Kelly (Jacko Evans) Tune of 1865 US Civil War song "Just before the Battle, Mother"
Ned Kelly was born in a Ramshackle Hut (Graham Seal singing a Tex Morton composition of the Depression Years)
Ned Kelly was a Gentleman (Warren Fahey recitation of WWII poem) (Not the Slim Dusty song of the same name)
Poor Ned Kelly (Graham Seal and Andy Saunders singing another Depression years song this time written by Billy Blinkhorn)

MP3 Mono at 192 VBR

Apparently there has been a DCMA complaint about this particular album - my very first.  The supposed email with the details of the complaint has apparently been sent by Blogger but I have not received it.  I'm quite surprised that someone took such action over this LP but so be it.  No more downloads folks! Obviously there are some people who would rather that this music remains lost in oblivion.   If its been republished, I'd love to receive some details so I can post them.