The Islanders: Keep Left (1965)

The Islanders: Keep Left (Waverley ZLP 2048, 1965)

This, I believe, is the first of three LPs The Islanders recorded. Having started around 1964, they included a very young Iain MacKintosh (vocals and banjo), who went on to a successful solo career. The main force behind the group were Jim and Nancy Craig, who lived in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow (Jim was a University lecturer). They started out with a concert party ran by Charlie Sweeney in Pollock Community Centre in Glasgow (they returned there in 1969 to play in a benefit concert). Nancy left the group when she became pregnant. The fourth member at the time of this recording was John Noble, who played guitar. They were joined by Ian Brown on bass.

The Islanders went through line-up changes in the years to come; more of that later. They featured in a BBC television series called The Making of America in the mid-1960s. The series was presented by a University history professor, I think it was Owen Dudley Edwards, and each week they performed one or more songs related to the unfolding story.

01 The Hour That the Ship Comes In

02 Polly Wolly Doodle

03 Four Strong Winds

04 The Pawn Song

05 Mary Don't You Weep

06 Spanish Is a Loving Tongue

07 John Henry

08 The Dark Island

09 Red Yo-Yo

10 No Irish Need Apply

11 Golden River

12 Jolly Roving Tars

13 Banks O' Sicily (trad/Hamish Henderson)

Unavailable

Other albums featuring The Islanders:

The Islanders (1968)

Patterns of Folk (1971)

All Folk Together (c.1969)