Sunday 22 November 2009

The Jacobites (1981)




The Jacobites (Ptarmigan Records PT 001, 1981)

The Jacobites centred around the late Dave Davidson from Tayport. This incarnation featured Dave on lead vocals, guitar and Brian Lochrie from Perth on vocals, guitar and banjo. This was the first recording as The Jacobites. The cover photographs see the duo in front of The Unicorn frigate in Dundee's docks.

01 Ye Jacobites
02 The Lifeboat Mona (Peggy Seeger)
03 The Gallowa' Hills
04 Dainty Davie
05 Bonnie Glenshee
06 Island Spinning Song
07 A Man's a Man
08 The Balaena
09 Bonnie Brown Maid
10 Roving Journeyman
11 Jamie Raeburn
12 Bonnie Dundee
13 Loch Lomond
14 Scots Wha Hae

Front and back covers included.


Other albums featuring The Jacobites:
Dundee Folk (1977) (as Dingly Dell)

Saturday 21 November 2009

Arthur Scott Robertson, Scotland's Champion Fiddler




Arthur Scott Robertson, Scotland's Champion Fiddler
Arthur Scott Robertson (1911-2000), from Shetland, won the Scottish Fiddle Championship competition of 1969, and I think this album followed on shortly from that. I don't have the original album any more, but I found this cassette copy recently, and thought it was worth preserving.

1) Clan McCol/Monymusk/The Rejected Suitor
2) The Dean Brig of Edinburgh/Bank's Hornpipe
3) The Braes of Castle Grant/Struan Robertson
4) Mrs Helen N Robertson/Lady Anne Hope/Sullom Voe
5) Vagaland
6) Shetland Polka/Bob Bisset of Glenlyon/Ian and Isobel of Balnearn
7) Farewell to Gartly/The Beeswing Hornpipe
8) Leaving Glenurquart/The Devil in the Kitchen/The High Road to Linton
9) The Marquis of Huntly's Snuffmill/Dr Keith/Dr Neil Cadenhead
10) The Burning of the Piper's Hut/Lady Margaret Stewart
11) The Lightfoot Hornpipe/Castles in the Air/The Trumpet Hornpipe
12) Kinrara/The Second Star Hornpipe

Unavailable


Other albums featuring Arthur Scott Robertson:

A Better Class of Folk (1975)




Various Artists: A Better Class of Folk (Lismore Recordings LILP 5022, 1975)

This was released on the back of a 1974 Scottish Television series of the same name, featuring a handful of Scots folk performers led by Irish playwright and singer Dominic Behan. Mike Whellans was briefly in the original Boys of the Lough line-up after recording and touring as a duet with Aly Bain. Allan Barty from Dundee played fiddle and mandolin and had featured in many folk groups since the 1960s. Later he had a radio programme in Germany. Iain Mackintosh first recorded with The Islanders in 1965, and subsequently went on to a successful solo career, alongside celebrated collaborations with Hamish Imlach and Brian McNeill. Billy Davidson from Shotts toured in the 70s and released an album in 1976, On the Road (Lismore LILP5039). The ensemble was joined by Margaret Henery, who played bass guitar.

01 Ensemble-If You Want to See the General (trad)
02 Billy Davidson-Shores of Sutherland (Jim MacLean)
03 Mike Whellans-The Wars o' Germany (trad)
04 Allan Barty-Aunque Me Des (trad)
05 Iain Mackintosh-The Glasgow I Used to Know (Jim MacLean)
06 Dominic Behan-Liverpool Lou (Behan)
07 Billy Davidson-The Scottish Sabbath (Jim MacLean)
08 Mike Whellans-The Ballad of Sam Stone (John Prine)
09 Allan Barty-Sunshine Hornpipe/Humours of Glendart (trad)
10 Iain Mackintosh-The Ballad of Joe Hill (Woody Guthrie)
11 Dominic Behan-Spanish Lady (trad)
12 Ensemble-The Good Ship Reuben Jones (Woody Guthrie)

Unavailable

Other albums featuring Allan Barty:

Other albums featuring Iain Mackintosh:

Friday 20 November 2009

Arthur Scott Robertson, Champion's Choice (n.d.)




Arthur Scott Robertson, Champion's Choice (Spectrum Records FLP 5020, n.d.)

Like many fiddlers from Shetland, Arthur Scott Robertson (1911-2000)
loved Scottish fiddle music, and it was in this genre that he won the Scottish Fiddle Championship competition of 1969. His first recording shorty afterwards was Scotland's Champion Fiddler, and was followed by this one. Robertson was also a prolific composer, publishing his Musical Reflections in five volumes in the 1980s.

01 The Bonnie Lass o' Bon Accord/Tulchan Lodge/The Burn o' Forgue
02 Mrs Maj Stewart of Java/25 KOSB's Farewell to Meerut/Jenny Dang the Weaver
03 Captain Campbell/Mrs MacPherson of Inveran
04 Scott Skinner's Compliments to Dr Donald/Sandy Cameron/Gavin McMillan
05 Lament for Sir Harry Lumsden/The Fiddler's Cramp [h]
06 Mull of the High Mountains/Whistle O'er the Lave O't/The Flowers of Edinburgh
07 The College Hornpipe/The Rocket Hornpipe/Adrian Stuart
08 The Blackthorn Stick/The Rollicking Irishman/The Irish Washerwoman
09 Rose Wood/Leaving Lismore/74th's Farewell to Edinburgh
10 The Rakes of Kildare/Robbie's Wedding/Tom O' Browland
11 Morag of Dunvegan/Mrs Charles Sutherland/Charles Sutherland
12 The Mason's Apron
13 Fyvie Castle/Johnny Cope
14 JO Forbes of Corse/The Champion Hornpipe
15 Farewell to Huntly/Blair Drummond/Marquis of Tullibardine

Unavailable

Other albums featuring Arthur Scott Robertson:

Monday 16 November 2009

Norman Kennedy (1968)




Norman Kennedy, Scots Songs and Ballads (Topic Records 12T 178, 1968)

Norman Kennedy from Aberdeen had several influences in his young life as a singer. As a boy he lived in the same street as Jeannie Robertson and her mother Maria, and near another giant of traveller singing stock, Davy Stewart. Annual holdiays on Barra gave him a grounding in Gaelic culture and song. If you're interested in traditional folksong, this album is a must.

01 The Merchant's Son
02 Corachree
03 The Forester
04 The Jolly Beggar
05 Kismul's Galley
06 The Guise o' Tough
07 Talk re Bothies
08 Drumdelgie
09 Night Visiting Song
10 Wi My Rovin Eye
11 I Wish, I Wish
12 The Auld Beggar Man
13 Puirt-a-beul
14 The Bonnie Highland Soldier
15 Johnny My Man

Unavailable

Other albums featuring Norman Kennedy:

Monday 9 November 2009

Contraband ( 1974)




Contraband (Transatlantic TRA 278, 1974)

This is quite a rare record, but it's wonderful, and as far as I know, it hasn't been released on CD. Folk-rock band Contraband from Glasgow only recorded this one LP, but its members made quite a mark on the folk scene. The vocalist, Mae McKenna (sister of Hugh McKenna of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band), has recorded several CDs and has done some film work as well. John Martin (fiddle), George Jackson (mandolin, accordion, guitar, fiddle, banjo) and Billy Jackson (bass guitar, cello, double bass, vocal) went on to form the highly acclaimed folk group Ossian. The other members were Peter Cairney (electric guitar) and Alec Baird (drums - later played with The Jags).


01 Rattlin' Roarin' Willie
02 The Black Rogue/Sir Philip McHugh/ Alice Cooper's Favourite
03 Lady for Today (Rosemary Hardin)
04 The Devil's Fiddle (John Martin)
05 On the Road (Billy Jackson)
06 The Spanish Cloak/Pea-Pod McGinley/The Youngest Daughter
07 Alec's Interlude
08 Stainforth Blues (John Martin/Peter Cairney)
09 Come Up Smiling (Richard Digence)
10 The Banks of Claudy
11 Edward Sayers' Brass Band (Richard Digence)

Unavailable

Sunday 8 November 2009

Dundee Folk (1977)




Dundee Folk (Better Bacon Records PIG1, 1977)

This LP was part of the 1978 Dundee Students' Charities Campaign, and featured local groups, or artists who were in Dundee at the time. Singing on the record were:

Aileen Carr, a very fine traditional singer from Perthshire. Aileen went on to perform solo and in groups, including stints in Ceolbeg and Palaver. Her solo album, Green Yarrow, is available from Greentrax Records.

Dingly Dell, who were Dave Davidson (guitar, vocals), and Chic Batchelor (guitar and mandolin), who played together as Top Flight. They became Dingly Dell when Jan Caldon (tin whistle) joined. They took their name from the Lindisfarne album. Later, Dave Davidson formed The Jacobites and recorded several albums. Dave unfortunately died in a car crash aged 46 in 1992.

Haigh-Barrie-Weir, who sang the songs of Lindsay Barrie from Glenrothes. Others in the group were Julie Haigh from Chester and Barrie Weir from Kirkcaldy.

Fair Game, who were a close-harmony a capella group singing English folk carols. Debbie LeSurf was the sister of Cathy LeSurf of the English group Fiddlers Dram. The other singers were Linda Clark and Nina Wilson.

Chris Davies, a Welsh singer/songwriter.

01 Aileen Carr-Grat for Gruel
02 Dingly Dell-Balena
03 Haigh-Barrie-Weir-Rainbow Hill (Barrie)
04 Fair Game-Boars Head Carol
05 Dingly Dell-The Tailor
06 Haigh-Barrie-Weir-From the Armchair (Barrie)
07 Fair Game-Agincourt
08 Fair Game-Coventry Carol
09 Dingly Dell-Banks of the Roses
10 Aileen Carr-Corrachree
11 Chris Davies-Judith (Davies)
12 Haigh-Barrie-Weir-Cool for You (Barrie)
13 Aileen Carr-T Stands for Thomas

Unavailable

Sunday 1 November 2009

Alex Campbell: Chansons (1958)




Alex Campbell: Chansons Populaires des Etats-Unis (UniDisc 25119S, 1958)

Not Scottish material, but a Scottish artist. An early 10" LP from Scotland's original folksinger Alex Campbell, singing American folksongs, as he did many times through his career. The scans are not very good, as I only have a copy of the original cover.

01 Old Time Religion
02 No More Cane On the Brazis
03 East Virginia Blues
04 Battle Ship of Maine
05 John Henry
06 Freight Train
07 Foggy Mountain Top
08 Pretty Polly

Unavailable