Country Express (Australian) "Another Lonesome Morning" LP 1985

The rip for this album was provided by the Victorian Bush Folkie and mildly cleaned up by me.

Country Express was a South Australian based group which performed over several years. This album features Brent Miller, John Munro, Mike O'Callaghan and Mike Smith. I do not know who Mike Smith is (although I feel that I should - help please) but the other three are well known in Australian folk circles as both individual performers and as members/backers of other groups and performers. The three have also done a lot of work with Eric Bogle especially John Munro who has featured in other posts on this blog.

Country Express focused on Bluegrass sound and most of the tracks on this album can be readily classified as  bluegrass gospel. Unsurprisingly, the overall performance is very good even though the sound quality is not always the best for some reason - likely wear over the years. Great harmony and great musicianship.

Incidentally, Country Express has been a popular name for bluegrass bands in America so do not be confused.

Tracklist
1. Other side of life
2. Hey boys
3. House of gold
4. Hail to the Redskins
5. Sing me back home
6. Aunt Dinah's quilting party
7. Another lonesome morning
8. Willie Boy
9. Hello stranger
10. Snowball
11. Slow moving freight train
12. Hallelujah, I'm ready

Download includes graphics. (downloads now have the correct track 9)
Click here to commence downloading a Zip file of the MP3 256-320 VBR version 43MB
Click here to commence downloading a  Zip file of the FLAC (lossless) version 144MB
The downloaded file will need to be decompressed before you can play the tracks.
If download file not available please email mr.stockman@gmail.com and I will fix it.

Liz and John Munro "Family Favourites" LP 1985

I have received two rips of this album. I have mainly used the one from Michael as it was slightly cleaner and he had already did some good work on it. I used a part of the other rip from the Victorian Bush Folkie to patch in a missing section (track jump) on one track. Thanks fellows, you make a life a bit easier.

There are some very good tracks on this album but the stand-out is Liz Munro's treatment of Eric Bogle's "Safe in the Harbour" which is a tribute to the famed Canadian singer/songwriter Stan Rogers. Incidentally, if you like the more contemporary folk singers like Bogle, I highly recommend the music of Stan Rogers. He's very good.

Liz and John are Scottish expats with a long association with the Aussie folk scene. John regularly accompanies Eric Bogle.

Tracklist
1. Safe in the Harbour
2. Celtic Medley (instrumental)
3. Laundromat Lover
4. Open your Heart
5. The Rose
6. Heights of Alma
7. Coilsfield House (instrumental)
8, Lord Franklin
9. The Bonnie Maid of Fife
10. Snowball (instrumental)
11. Mary Parker's Lament

Sorry - no FLAC available.
Click here to download compressed file MP3 192-224VBR.  58MB
Will need to be decompressed. Downloads not available - then tell me mr.stockman@gmail.com and I will put it up again,

Tracey Munro Tracey "Nightpiece" LP 1987

We need to thank the Victorian Bush Folkie for making the tracks and graphics of this album available.

"Tracey Munro Tracey" was the group name chosen by Lynne Tracey, John Munro and Denis Tracey for the release of this album. It was recorded in 1986 and released in 1987. As far as I can determine, ti was not released on CD.

We have met Denis Tracey before on this blog but I know nothing about Lynne Tracey. Additional information from visitors:- Lynne Tracey is also known as Lynne Muir and is a well-known illustrator. See one of many web entries about her at The Printery House which makes this identification highly positive.

John Munro, an ex-pat Scot, will be very well known to many visitors on this blog. He has had a long career in folk but, of recent times, he is probably best known through his frequent and enduring association with fellow ex-pat Scot Eric Bogle. Need to know more? - then Google him.

There's just a little Australian content on this album, namely, the performance of Reedy River; the Henry Lawson poem as adapted by Chris Kempster. There are four tracks in the British Isles folk tradition, namely, Kelvin Grove, Miss Robertson's Reel combined with Troy's Wedding (instrumental), Bonny George Campbell combined with the instrumental Green Cathedral and the the Irish Giolla Mear (Mo Ghile Mear). The other tracks are not really folky (in the sense I use it) - more like early "new age". Of course, it is a pleasure to listen to this album with each of the performers displaying great talent. There is one unexpected feature in tracks 7 and 10 - Lynne Tracey's breathing in  is often very audible. Just ignore it.

The LP has cleaned up well.

Tracklist
1. Great Storm
2. Portrait of a Lady
3. Miss Robertson's Reel with Troy's Wedding
4. Kelvin Grove
5. Nightpiece
6. Too close to the Wind
7. The Stolen  Child (from W.B. Yeats poem)
8, Bonny George Campbell with Green Cathedral
9.  Reedy River
10. Giolla Mear

Click here to download from MediaFire
You will need to decompress the file you download to extract the folders and the track files and graphics. MP3 @ 224-256 VBR - file size 62Mb.

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.