Blackeyed Biddy: High Spirits (1990)

Blackeyed Biddy: High Spirits (1990)

01 Jim McAllister's Jig/Mairead Nicoll of Drumossie/Temple House
02 Ballad of Sawney Bean
03 Come By the Hills
04 Morar's Silent Beauty/Dunkeld Oaks/Jacqui's Day/Bass Through the Window/Reconciliation/Musical Priest/St Anne's
05 CM Barbour/Fiddlin' Around
06 The Cobbler
07 Christine McRitchie
08 Santiano
09 A Man's a Man For A' That/Winding Up the Piper

For their second recording Blackeyed Biddy regulars Lionel McClelland and Kris Koren were joined by Gregor Lowry on accordion, making this the most instrumental of their output. The band are working well together, resulting in a very fine album from 1990. This is a rip from a cassette tape.

Doonload

Other posts featuring Blackeyed Biddy:
Blackeyed Biddy: Guid Niebours (c1984)

Scotch Measure (1985)

Scotch Measure (1985)

01 Ythanside
02 For A' That
03 The Brewer Laddie
04 Wild Rovin'
05 The Bonnie Lad That Handles the Plough
06 The Swallow
07 The Laird o' the Dainty Dounby
08 The Calton Weaver
09 The Handweaver and The Factory Maid
10 The Twa Magicians

Scotch Measure were Jim Barnes (guitar, cittern, vocals), Sylvia Barnes (vocals, dulcimer, guitar) and Andy Lavery (keyboards, vocals), and the group were based around Sylvia's voice. She and her husband Jim had been in Glasgow group Tinkler Maidgie, then Kentigern, before a tour of duty with The Battlefield Band.

Unavailable

Various Artists: The Streets of Glasgow (1973)

Various Artists: The Streets of Glasgow (1973)

01 The Clutha: Dance Tune Medley
02 Terry Dick: Football Song Medley
03 Flora MacNeill: MacDonald's First Visit to Glasgow
04 Geordie McIntyre: The Sports o' Glasgow Green
05 Freddy Anderson: Let Glasgow Flourish
06 John Eaglesham: The Collier's Eight Hour Day
07 Gordeanna McCulloch: The Weekend Song
08 Geordie McIntyre: O'Reilly and the Big MacNeill
09 Gordeanna McCulloch & The Clutha: Bottling Songs
10 Gordeanna McCulloch: The Bleacher Lassie o' Kelvinhaugh
11 Geordie McIntyre: Three Nights and a Sunday Double Time
12 Barmulloch Primary School: Children's Street and Playground Songs
13 Mick Broderick: The Ballad of the Q4
14 Geordie McIntyre: The Works Outing
15 The Clutha: March Tune Medley

A marvellous collection of songs and tunes relating to Glasgow, sung and played by The Clutha, Geordie McIntyre, John Eaglesham, Mick Broderick, Gordeanna McCulloch and Flora MacNeill.

Unavailable

Robin Hall: The Ballad of Johnny Ramensky (1959)

Robin Hall: The Ballad of Johnny Ramensky (1959)

01 The Ballad of Johnny Ramensky (Norman Buchan)
02 The Day We Went to Rothesay O (trade)

Robin Hall featured in the folk revival of the late 1950s in London. Originally from Edinburgh, he was one of a number of Scottish exiles in the capital. He combined with another Scot, Jimmie Macgregor and together they became the most successful folksingers in the country for many years.

Johnny Ramensky was a safecracker who spent more time behind bars than in freedom. His persona was as someone who could escape from any jail - he certainly did escape a few times, but the fact that he spent a total of forty-odd years in prison does not indicate a Houdini-type character!

Doonload

Ray & Archie Fisher: Far Over the Forth (1961)

Ray & Archie Fisher: Far Over the Forth (1961)

01 The Night Visiting Song
02 Far Over the Forth
03 The Twa Corbies
04 Kilbogie

An early release by brother and sister act Ray and Archie Fisher from Glasgow. Both went on to become hugely influential as solo singers.

Unavailable

Alex Campbell: Way Out West (Society, 1963)

Alex Campbell: Way Out West (Society, 1963)

01 The Wabash Cannonball

02 Careless Love

03 Bowling Green

04 On Top of Old Smokey

05 The Old Chisholm Trail

06 The Streets of Laredo

07 Jesse James

08 Down In the Valley

09 Orange Blossom Special

10 The Banks of the Ohio

11 The Frozen Logger

12 Barbara Allen

13 St James Infirmary

14 Railroad Bill

15 John Hardy

From the first scratchy tracks, you can tell that while this record is almost fifty years old, it is powerful. Not Scottish music by any means, but one of Scotland's most widely travelled and best known folk singers, Alex Campbell. Joining him on this session are some top musicians: Royd Rivers playing terrific harmonica, Gerry Loughran on guitar, Ian McCann on mandola, mandolin and autoharp, and Dave Laibman on guitar and banjo. Laibman was from Ohio originally, but studied at Oxford at the time this LP was recorded. Best known for his academic work in the field of Marxisim, he was also regarded as a pioneer in ragtime guitar, eventually recording albums in the US for Folkways, Rounder, etc, and publishing an instruction book. This album is enhanced by Laibman's outstanding guitar; check out Orange Blossom Special and Railroad Bill for examples. 

Front and back covers included.

Unavailable

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