Jon and Fay again, as Mr. Boden says, “A brilliantly singable ballad from the Coppers. We sing it at Royal Traditions, partly because of the local connection in the lyrics.” I’ll confess to loving this although some of the words to this version are new to me, although that may well be a faulty recollection of the Coppers’version. Link here for their site and Mudcat for more. I must say this version for me is a cut above, although my heart will for ever be with John Martyn’s version on Sunday’s Child. It still breaks my heart every time I play it (which has been regularly over the last 30+ years.) The power of song eh!
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There I was…. “a skiffle man” back in the late 50s and got lured to a folk club…Spencer the Rover was the first song on the bill and hooked me forever. Incidently, what made F&J laugh when they got to Prittleprattle stories…..I’m sure you can hear it in the voices!
A cracking song and a great rendition of it, and one I’ve learned directly from Jon and Fay at Royal Traditions. Thanks to you both!
Love it, although I think I prefer Fay’s line to Jon’s.
Very nice. This song has a special resonance for me, partly because of the way it speaks to middle-aged blokes everywhere but also because I remember how it blew me away when I first heard it sung (by the great John Kelly, whose rendition you can hear here.)
I did it myself in a singaround almost exactly two years ago – it was the fifth of November, I have reason to remember…!
I find it quite difficult to sing, I keep drifting into the Ash Grove.
“I find it quite difficult to sing, I keep drifting into the Ash Grove.”
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We first knew the Dransfields version, which I still love, but Jon and Fay’s words make much more sense – “England and most parts of Wales” instead of “Britain and most parts of Wales” that the Dransfields sang! We always wondered why Wales wasn’t part of Britain in their version! And yes, this is a great version and I’m sure will become a classic.
Linda – that’s the tradition for you. (At last night’s singaround I did Boney’s Lamentation, which includes the marvellous line “We marched them forth in inveterate streams” – makes no sense whatsoever, but that’s how it was collected (and besides, it *sounds* right).)
On the Copper family Web site you can find the family’s own version of “Spencer the Rover”; you can also find the version Bob Copper collected from a man called Jim Barrett in a pub in 1954. A look at the Bodleian’s ballad site will find you several broadside copies of “Spencer the [young] rover”, printed around a hundred years earlier. I haven’t got time to check the Bodleian now, but both the Copper versions say ‘Britain’; that’ll do for me. (Besides, I don’t think he can really have travelled most parts of England if he thought there were mountains in Rotherham!)
Great, the J&F duets really stand out for me.
Quick question: I use Last.fm to keep track of what I listen to and make sure that I edit the names/tags etc on Windows Media Player. When it’s a duet do you want the tracks to show up as Jon Boden & Fay Hield, or just show Jon Boden as the Artist and include Fay as a tag?
Jon & Fay would be fair, Andrew.
Lovely! And yes, we know there aren’t any mountains near Rotherham, but it’s a folk song, innit? The ‘prittle-prattling stories’ make me want to laugh when I sing it, and dare I say , a friend I sing with is working on a send-up of the song for that very reason, not that we don’t think it’s a beautiful song.
A classic, beautifully and sympathetically sung. Well done, and thanks
Reinhard I think you’re right, but the mp3s are supplied with just Jon’s name so show up as JB only on Last.fm
There’s a update-of-sorts version of this on Jim Moray’s new album called ‘Spencer The Writer’
As a baritone its good to hear the counter melody but I would think Fay’s volume should have been a little louder since she has the melody. Nicely sung though.
Another one for your joint album! Prittle-Prattle Stories would make a great title, though not sure the sense would be a perfect fit. Beautifully sung. I agree with John above, a little more volume from Fay would have balanced it more exquisitely, but only a minor point. You always sound as though you like singing together. Something special comes through.
wonderful website, great to be able to browse leisurely through so many songs.
where has the recording of Spenser the Rover gone then? jumped onto a disc?
may great natural skill infuse your works
cheerio
Love your voice Jon, but Fay very competently carries the melody and should have been prominent in the mix. Given the other comments in this vein, its really worth remixing and reposting.
Faye in excelsis: Spencer the Rover (Woodbine and Ivy Band). A Christmas Number One? (No, but it’s ace anyway.)
And here’s my own version, Spencer the Dusty Miller!
Love the duet.
Thanks for the Woodbine and Ivy link, Phil. Wondeful musical accompaninment to Faye’s lovely lilt – excelling, if not in excelsis! Would be quite an achievement to produce a folk rock Christmas No 1, but I admire the attempt! You never know!
And love the pipes, Phil!
Cheers, Jane!
Here’s another one: Spencer the Differently Roving (from Andy Turner).