All Folk Together (c.1969)

All Folk Together (Talisman STAL 5013, c.1969)

This is simply a compilation of artists on the Waverley label, part of EMI. There's no date, but it must have been released about 1969 or 1970.

01 The Islanders: Four Strong Winds

02 The Livingstones: Travelling Through the Rain

03 The Ian McCalman Folk Group: Sally, Free & Easy

04 Anne Byrne: Fiona and Shane

05 The Lowland Folk Four: The Tailor's Breeches

06 Eddie & Finbar Furey: Star of Munster

07 The Lowland Folk Four: The Jute Mill Song

08 The Ian McCalman Folk Group: Santiano

09 Eddie & Finbar Furey: Pretty Saro

10 The Islanders: Golden River

11 Anne Byrne: Come By the Hills

12 The Livingstones: Johnny Cope

Unavailable

Other albums featuring The Islanders:

The Islanders Keep Left (1965)

The Islanders (1968)

Patterns of Folk (1971)

Other albums featuring The Livingstones:

The Livingstons In Concert (1968)

The Livingstones I Presume (1969)

SNP Folk (c.1968)

The Livingstones I Presume (1969)

The Livingstones I Presume (Waverley SZLP 2113, 1969)

The second of their two albums, The Livingstones I Presume was released in 1968. By then, Frank McKay had left, and the group was a trio: David McCabe, John Dempsey and Ken McKay. There is a certain maturity about their arrangements and harmonies on this record, compared to their first; listen to the first few seconds of the opening track, Leonard Cohen's Suzanne. Another difference is that the songs of John Dempsey are given prominence, five out of twelve songs are his.

01 Suzanne (Cohen)

02 Johnny Cope (trad)

03 Far Too Far (John Dempsey)

04 Rough Justice (John Dempsey)

05 Travelling Through the Rain (John Dempsey)

06 Westering Home (H Roberton)

07 Admiral Benbow (trad)

08 Time I Was On My Way (John Dempsey)

09 Bonnie George Campbell (trad)

10 The Jolly Roger (John Dempsey)

11 Flo'ers o' the Forest (trad)

12 The Man from Cyandra (trad)

Unavailable

Other albums featuring The Livingstones:

The Livingstones in Concert (1968)

SNP Folk (c.1968)

All Folk Together (c.1969)

SNP Folk

SNP Folk (Scotia Records SCO 248, n.d.)

Bit of a rarity this one. Various groups contribute to a fundraising LP sponsored by the Midlothian Constituency Association of the Scottish National Party. There is no date, but I would guess at between 1967 and 1969. Winnie Ewing writes the album notes, and the groups performing are:

The Livingstones
From the Hamilton/Blantyre area, The Livingstones recorded two LPs of their own in 1968 and 1969, and toured Britain and mainland Europe.

Lallans

The group consisted of David Wright from East Calder, and Christine Hay, John MacKellar and Jim Nicholson, all from Midcalder. David has lived on Lewis since the mid 1990s, while the other three reside in the Livingston area. David, John and Jim later formed Reivers Galley, who were Fairly successful during the 1970s.

Tthe other groups are ones I know nothing about - any further information would be most welcome. They are:

The Albanachs, and The Newcomers.

01 The Livingstones:-Scotland Free
02 The Livingstones:-Because and the Reason
03 The Albanachs:-The Boys of Cardonald
04 Newcomers:-Scotland Stand Up
05 Lallans:-Legend of Scotland
06 Newcomers:-The SNP
07 The Livingstones:-Parcel of Rogues
08 Lallans:-Bonny Seat o' Hamilton
09 Newcomers:-Freedom
10 The Albanachs:-Scots Wha Hae

Front and back covers included.

Doonload

Other albums featuring The Livingstones:

The Livingstones In Concert (1968)

The Livingstones I Presume (1969)

All Folk Together (c.1969)

The Livingstones In Concert (1968)

The Livingstones In Concert (Waverley Records SZLP 2105, 1968)

The Livingstones were from the Hamilton/Blantyre area of Lanarkshire, Scotland and were all university graduates (three having gone to Strathclyde, one to Glasgow uni). The "anchor man" was Frank McKay, while his brother Ken McKay was the most versatile musician with several instruments in his battery. David McCabe, "one of the most glorious singing voices in folk music", played chanter and was an expert in Burns, and John Dempsey.

In 1965 the group was playing on the folk boat which sailed between Glasgow and Rothesay, and The Corries wrote of them, "Their sensitive arrangements class them as talented musicians". They toured throughout Britain during 1965-68, appeared on television in France, and supported Tom Paxton on tour. In 1968 they recorded this live album from Hamilton Town Hall, and the following year a studio album, "The Livingstones I Presume".

Frank McKay became a history teacher, and ran his school's folk club during the 1960s. There was a much later report of him selling calculators in Paris. Ken McKay married and settled in Dundee. There he played gigs with banjo player John McGuire, and then joined long-established local group The Taysiders. I heard from John Dempsey's daughter that he died of cancer in 1999.

01 Ye Jacobites By Name
02 The Buroo Song (words: McKay)
03 The Wild Rover
04 Wha'll Be King But Charlie
05 The First Time (MacColl)
06 The Yellow Haired Laddie
07 Bonnie Dundee
08 High Dunn
09 My Johnny Is a Shoemaker
10 Tramps and Hawkers
11 San Miguel (Bowers)
12 The Irish Rover

Back and front covers included.

Doonload

Other albums featuring The Livingstones:
The Livingstones I Presume (1969)
SNP Folk (c.1968)
All Folk Together (c.1969)