Jimmy Shand & Ian Powrie: When Auld Friends Meet (1974)

Jimmy Shand & Ian Powrie: When Auld Friends Meet (1974)

01 Jimmy Shand's Comps to Ian Powrie/10th HLI Crossing the Rhine
02 Big Dougal/Margaret's Fancy/Carnie's Canter
03 79th's Farewell to Gibralter
04 The Bonnie Isle of Gletness/Sunset Over Foula/Rona's Voe
05 The Atholl and Breadalbane Gathering/Lord Elgin of Broomhall
06 O Gin I Were a Baron's Heir
07 St Andrew's Parade/Harveston Castle/Breadalbane Reel/Bobby Watson
08 Bill Black's Mirk/John Stephen of Chance Inn/Ian Powrie's Comps to Willie Hunter
09 MacLean of Pennycross/Sprig of Ivy
10 Soft Lowland Tongue/Annie Laurie/My Nannie's Awa'/I Lo'ed Nae a Lassie But Ane
11 Aunice Gillies's Farewell to Loch Gilphead/John Bain Mackenzie
12 My Ain Folk

Two giants of the Scottish dance scene collaborate on an album of great tunes, great music. There are solos by both, but most tracks are band efforts.

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Ian Powrie: His Fiddle and his Friends (1975)

Ian Powrie: His Fiddle and his Friends (1975)

This is a tribute to Scottish fiddler Ian Powrie, who died last week. Powrie was born in 1923 at Strathardle, near Blairgowrie in Perthshire. His father, Will Powrie, was an accomplished melodeon player, and recorded several excellent sides for Beltona during the early 1930s, and some with his very young son Ian in 1933. At age twelve Ian was playing in his father's dance band, but on piano accordion! In 1949 he formed his first band, this time playing fiddle while his brother Bill played accordion.

01 Flowers of Edinburgh/Spinning Wheel
02 A Piper's Prayer
03 Miss Laura Andrews/Ian Powrie's Compliments to Angus Fitchet
04 The Music of Spey
05 Soir de Paris
06 Arran Hills
07 Millbrae/Mickie Ainsworth/The Dawn Hornpipe/Jean's Reel
08 Loch Maree/Ian Powrie's Compliments to Sir Thomas Wardle/Murdo's Wedding
09 Leila/Massacre of Glencoe
10 Mrs Ian Powrie of West Kirkton/Angus Fitchet's Compliments to Ian Powrie/Lady Charlotte Campbell
11 Beverley Wood
12 McNeil of Ugadale/Mr and Mrs Alec Ross
13 The Earl of Dalhousie
14 Waltzing Matilda

Front and back covers included


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Various Artists: The Hoot'nanny Show Vol 1 (1964)

Various Artists: The Hoot'nanny Show Vol 1 (1964)

Side One:
01 The Corrie Folk Trio & Paddie Bell: Jug o' Punch
02 Ray & Archie Fisher: Leave Her Johnny
03 Ray & Archie Fisher: Poor Bill
04 Eleanor Leith: What Have they Done to the Rain
05 Eleanor Leith: Still I Love Him
06 The Corrie Folk Trio & Paddie Bell:: Hanging Johnny
Side Two:
01 The Corrie Folk Trio & Paddie Bell: Finnegan's Wake
02 Paddie Bell: She Moved Thro' the Fair
03 Dolina McLennan: Peurt a Beul
04 Dolina McLennan: Dee An Auld Maid in a Garret
05 Ray & Archie Fisher: Backgreen Ballad
06 Eleanor Leith: I Aince Loved a Lad
07 The Company: We Shall Overcome

An absolute gem of a live recording from the Edinburgh of November 1963. Beautiful, beautiful performances from The Corrie Folk Trio and Paddie Bell, Ray and Archie Fisher, Eleanor Leith and Dolina McLennan. Since this is a continuous live performance, I have not separated the tracks, so there are only two: Side One and Side Two.

Unavailable

Companion album to
Various Artists: The Hoot'nanny Show Vol 2 (1964)

The Corrie Folk Trio & Paddie Bell: More Folk Songs for the Burds (1963)

The Corrie Folk Trio and Paddie Bell: More Folk Songs for the Burds (Waverley ELP132, 1963)

01 The Twa Corbies
02 Fine Flowers
03 Queen Mary
04 The Bonny Earl o' Moray
05 Blow Ye Winds of Morning

Unavailable

The Corrie Folk Trio & Paddie Bell: Yon Folk Songs Is for the Burds (1963)

The Corrie Folk Trio and Paddie Bell: Yon Folk Songs Is for the Burds (Waverley ELP131, 1963)

01 Bungle Rye
02 The Queen's Maries
03 Tiree Love Song
04 The Itinerant Cobbler

Unavailable

The Corrie Folk Trio and Paddie Bell (1963)

The Corrie Folk Trio and Paddie Bell (Waverley ELP129, 1963)

01 Lock the Door Lariston
02 O'er the Water
03 Jug o' Punch
04 Singing Bird

The Corrie Folk Trio's first recordings consisted of three EPs published on the Edinburgh-based Waverley Records label in 1963. The artists were Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne (both from Edinburgh art school), Bill Smith (an architect) and Irish-born singer Paddie Bell, by this time resident in Edinburgh. The EPs sold very well, and were re-released soon afterwards. At this time The Corrie Folk trio and Paddie Bell were in the ascendancy, and before long sell-out tours, television appearances and LPs were the norm. These three EPs are almost fifty years old, but the strength of the performance is evident, and are significant for heralding the arrival of The Corries.

Unavailable

The Lowland Folk Four: Eh'll Tell the Boaby (1967)

The Lowland Folk Four: Eh'll Tell the Boaby (Waverley, 1967)

01 The Pear Tree
02 The Balaena
03 The Battle of Harlaw
04 Kilgannon Mountain
05 The Jute Mill Song
06 Cauld Kail In Aberdeen
07 Children's Street Songs
08 The Standard of the Braes o' Mar
09 When I Was New But Sweet Sixteen
10 The Spinner's Wedding
11 Mingulay Boat Song
12 The Seasons
13 The Tailor's Breeches

This group were stalwarts of the Dundee folk scene of the 1960s and 70s. Led by Stuart Brown, supplemented by his wife Anne and his brother Ramsay, with occasional fourth members through the years (the fiddler/mandolinist Allan Barty was one of the regular "fourth members"). The group recorded three LPs that I know about: this one from 1967, Time to be Singing Again from 1984, and This Is Lowland Folk from 1988. I think there may have been a CD, but I can't remember off-hand. They also featured on a compilation record from 1986, Coorse and Fine, a collection of Dundee songs released to coincide with Nigel Gatherer's book Songs and Ballads of Dundee.

Unavailable

Other posts featuring The Lowland Folk:
Various Artists: All Folk Together (c.1969)
Lowland Folk: Newport Braes (1985)

Various Artists: The Hoot'nanny Show (1964)

Various Artists: The Hoot'nanny Show Vol 2 (1964)

There were a number of highly successful folk concerts in Edinburgh in the early 1960s, with many visiting singers and musicians travelling from England and Ireland including Barney McKenna, Luke Kelly (both of The Dubliners), Nadia Cattouse, Roy Guest, The Ian Campbell Folk Group and so on. This album, Hoot'nanny Vol.2, is one of a number of similar releases from this time, and is a gem for those interested in the folk music revival era. The compere of the show was journalist W Gordon Smith.

01 Roy Guest: Kellyburn Braes

02 Ray and Archie Fisher: Johnny I Hardly Knew You

03 Eleanor Leith: John Riley

04 Barney McKenna: The Mason's Apron

05 Roy Guest: Strangest Dream

06 Ray & Archie Fisher: The Blackleg Miner

07 Eleanor Leith: The Water Is Wide

08 The Corrie Folk Trio and Paddie Bell: The Roving Ploughboy

09 Ray and Archie Fisher: Johnny McEldoo

10 Roy Guest: Everybody Loves Saturday Night

Unavailable

Companion album to
Various Artists: The Hoot'nanny Show Vol 1 (1964)

The Fiddler's Companion (1980)

The Fiddler's Companion (Waverley Records GLN 1023, 1980)

This was released as a companion to a book of fiddle tunes, The Caledonian Companion (there was already an LP of that name, so they had to come up with something else). It's simply a small collection of tracks from some of Scotland's top fiddlers of the time. The LP kicks off with Aly Bain playing a couple of wonderful sets, and continues at a very high standard. Other fiddlers featured include Angus Grant from Fort William, Tom Anderson from Shetland, Hector MacAndrew from Fyvie, Donald Stewart from Edinburgh, Alastair Hardie and Bill Hardie from Aberdeen. Because MacAndrew died just before he was due to record the tracks for this LP, they have used some earlier recordings from the 1960s.

Tracks

01 Aly Bain: The Shakin's o' the Pocky/Princess Beatrice

02 Aly Bain: The Firth House/Mrs Forbes Leith

03 Angus Grant: Well May Charley Wear the Crown/Lady Dorothea Stewart Murray's

04 Angus Grant: Donald MacLean's Farewell to Oban

05 Alastair Hardie: Gin Yell Kiss My Wife I'll Tell the Minister/here's a Helath to Glorious Wellington

06 Alastair Hardie: Robert Innes of Stirling Universirty/Whistle O'er the Lave O't

07 Alastair Hardie: Methlick Style/Madam Neruda

08 Donald Stewart: Merrily Danced the Quaker's Wife/My Wife's a Wanton/Stool of Repentance

09 Donald Stewart: Balmoral Castle/Miller o' Dervil/James Hardie

10 Tom Anderson: Da Sixereen/Willafjord/Da Grocer

11 Bill Hardie: Mr AG Wilken's Fav/Jenny Hardie's Reel

12 Bill Hardie: Earl Haig/Laird o' Drumblair/Speed the Plough

13 Hector MacAndrew: Chapel Keithack

14 Hector MacAndrew: Muir o' Gellan/Gillen's Reel

15 Hector MacAndrew: Gicht Cadstle/Mrs JH Alexander/JH Alexander Esq

Unavailable

Other albums featuring Tom Anderson:

Tom Anderson: Scottish Violin Music (1963)

Other albums featuring Hector MacAndrew:

Hector MacAndrew: Scottish Fiddle Music (1963)

Hector MacAndrew: Scots Fiddle (1975)

Tom Anderson: Scottish Violin Music (1963)

Tom Anderson: Scottish Violin Music - Volume 2 (Waverley Records, ZLP 2015, 1963)

Tom Anderson is the main reason why Shetland music is known and played around the world. It's not just the tireless collecting and publishing of the traditional fiddle music of his native islands, but through his composing, performances and teaching (two of his young students were Aly Bain and Catriona MacDonald). He also had a long, if erratic, recording career, and there are dozens of albums which feature his music.

As well as Shetland fiddling, Tom Anderson was a great lover of the Scottish style of fiddling, and he recorded a few favourite Scots tunes as well. He is accompanied on this record, as he was throughout his performing life, by guitarist "Peerie" Willie Johnson.

01 The Hen's March

02 Oliver Jack/Willafjord

03 Smith of Couster's Fancy/The Grocer's Reel

04 The Peerie Hoose Ahint the Burn/The Merry Boys of Greenland/MacDonald's Reel

05 Norwick Wedding/Hillswick Wedding/A Road to Houll

06 Boys of Bluehill/Londonderry Hornpipe

07 Captain Gillan's Reel/Bob Johnson's Reel

08 Barclay's Hornpipe/The Meteor

09 Mavis Grind/Peter's Peerie Boat

10 Kail and Knockit Corn/Caper Fey/Pottinger's Reel

11 Wm Moffat's Strathspey & Reel

12 Sister Jean/Midnight Polka

13 A Liverpool Hornpipe/Harvest Home Hornpipe

14 Annie's Welcome Home/The Four Posted Bed

15 Jack Is Alive/Clettonroe

Unavailable

Other albums featuring Tom Anderson:

Tom Anderson: Shetland Fiddle Music (c 1970)

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 Islanders: Patterns of Folk (1971)

The Islanders: Patterns of Folk (Waverley SZLP 2124, 1971)

By the time of this, their third LP, Noel Eadie had joined the group in place of Pete Furnish. Jim and Nancy Craig and Eddie Pollard made up the foursome. Eadie, who plays mandolin and sings, was soon afterwards to come to prominence as a member of Gaelic folk group Na h-Oganich.

Patterns of Folk was also the title of a television series starring The Islanders, of which STV broadcast seven programmes.

01 If I Had a Hammer (Hays-Pate Seeger)

02 Before I Met You (Seitz-Lewis-Rader)

03 Jeelie-Piece Song (Adam McNaughton)

04 Song for a Winter's Night (Lightfoot)

05 I Can't Help But Wonder (Where I'm Bound) (Paxton)

06 I Never Will Marry (Ed McCurdy)

07 Wild Rover (trad)

08 The Orange and the Green (Jim McLean)

09 Children of the Mist (Moir-Craig)

10 Farewell to Fiunary (N McLean)

11 Rivers of Texas (Carlyle)

12 Song of the City (J Craig)

13 The Strangest Dream (Ed McCurdy)

14 Wild Colonial Boy (trad)

Unavailable

Other albums featuring The Islanders:

The Islanders Keep Left (1965)

The Islanders (1968)

All Folk Together (c.1969)

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)

Pibroch MacKenzie: The Mull Fiddler (1969)

Pibroch MacKenzie: The Mull Fiddler (Waverley ZLP 2115, 1969)

Alex "Pibroch" MacKenzie played with accordionist Bobby MacLeod, and like MacLeod was from the island of Mull. He recorded at least two solo LPs, and appeared as a guest on many more. This is the only solo album I have, but I will prepare a compilation of bits and pieces of his recordings at a later date. Unfortunately, I know very little about Pibroch MacKenzie, and it would appear that not much is known generally. I'll be happy to be proved wrong.

01 Kirkhill/Dovecote Park/Cock o'the North

02 Tom Bain's Lum/74th's Farewell to Edinburgh

03 All the Airts

04 Blackthorn Stick/Rakes of Kildare/Donnybrook/Father O'Flynn

05 Londonderry Air

06 Conundrum/PM Willie Maclean/Skye Crofters

07 Miss Monaghan/Teetotaller's

08 Atholl & Breadalbane Gathering/Rhodesian regiment

09 Lord Lovat's Lament/The Lovat Scouts

10 Tribute to the Queen

11 Stool of Repentance/Washer Woman

12 Cradle Song

13 Harvest Home/Boys of Bluehill

14 Red, Red Rose/I Lo'e Nae a Laddie/Nut Brown Maiden

Unavailable

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)

Folk Philosophy (1971)

Folk Philosophy (Talisman STAL 5019, 1971)

"Folk Philosophy" was the result of a Scottish Folk Group Championship, the dreamchild of Bill Houston and Watt Nicol. There were an astonishing eighteen heats, with semi finals being held in Glasgow and Dundee, and the grand final in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, with The Corries as guest artists. All proceeds went to the Scottish Council for the Care of Spastics.

I have been told that the winners of the Championship were The JSD Band, whose prize was an album deal and contract with EMI. The winners of the heat held at Perth City Hall were Bitter Withy. They won £50 but couldn't take part in the semi-finals because of work commitments.

The other seven finalists were featured on this LP and received six month contracts.

The Gowries (1969-1973)

Forfar-based The Gowries first got together in the summer of 1969. Brian Hendry and Dave Fyfe had been in The Anchor Folk Four until they split. They met Ian Lamb (who had played before in The Shannermen) and Elaine Nicoll through the Forfar Folk Club. They played a mixture of traditional and contemporary material and were resident at the Forfar Folk Club at the time, where Ian was president. They played a lot in Tayside and Fife playing mostly contemporary folk along the lines of The Seekers and toured a bit with Watt Nicoll and Whisky Fizz. Latterly they were playing mainly pubs (where the money was) and switched to electric guitars and bass doing chart cover stuff. The Gowries played their last date in September 1971 when Dave went off to Edinburgh University. Brian and Elaine continued singing as a duo. The group reformed in December 1972 for a special one-off appearance supporting Watt Nicoll. The Gowries came 6th in the Scottish Folk Group Championship.

Eggplant

Originally called Arizona Eggplant, this threesome came from Lochee, Dundee. After a line-up change, they went back to being called Arizona Eggplant and were resident at hotels in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry. The lead singer was Willy McNally.

Town Choice

This trio was from Edinburgh. Shortly afterwards two members of the group formed a band called Both Sides (unrelated to the Dundee-based group of the same name). Lead singer of Town Choice, Harry Cullen, is now manager of the Oxford Bar in Edinburgh

Chorda Cleich

A quartet from Edinburgh. In 1971 they dropped the "Cleich" and were known simply as Chorda. Lead singer John Croall later helped form Jock Tamson's Bairns. Chorda Cleich came 3rd.

The Galloways

From Edinburgh. Member George Grant moved to Dundee and joined Both Sides. The Galloways came 5th.

Ailsa Craig

This group met when they were all students at Strathclyde University. The group consisted of William Devine, Frank McArdle, Frank D'Ambrosio and Arthur Loughran.

Pert & Dobbie were from Clydebank.

01 Chorda Cleich:-Until It's Time for You to Go

02 The Galloways:-Dainty Davy

03 Town Choice:-Kid's Colour Bar

04 Ailsa Craig:-Peggy Gordon

05 Eggplant:-Whiskey On a Sunday

06 Chorda Cleich:-Three Score and Ten

07 Ailsa Craig:-Johnnie Cope

08 The Gowries:-Call On Me

09 Pert & Dobbie:-Bogie's Bonnie Belle

10 Town Choice:-For Bobbie

Front and back covers included.

Download

Other posts featuring Chorda Cleich:
Various Artists: Sandy Bell's Ceilidh (1979) (As Chorda)

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.

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