A Folk Song A Day

Three full months in already, with a weeks worth of June as well. As we’re in the harvest season, this seems appropriate and Jon says, “My favourite track from Larkrise To Candleford (the Albion band version, not the BBC thing). I’ve only ever heard Carthy sing it so not sure where it comes from.” Interestingly I found Jon on Mudcat asking questions about this, which brings up a couple of alternate versions. Mainly Norfolk has Martin Carthy covered. Finding further information has more or less foundered on the rocks of the popular country-rock troop The Eagles and I note even Mudcat is heading that way with the bizarre inclusion of Joe Walsh’s lyrics at the end of the thread. A last minute saving grace is this link, which is a collection of Harvest songs in one place that some of you might like to explore. You’ll find  a couple of other familiar entries there.

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Back to Bellamy again and Jon says, “The first song I ever heard Bellamy sing (on the Voices album). He started singing it as a tribute to Royston Wood after his untimely death.” Mainly Norfolk puts the flesh on those bones as you’ve come to expect and I can only add Davy Graham and one Benjamin Britten to the list of versions offered there (that latter is curious – does anyone know it?) I also found this link that adds a little detail. Jolly enough it’s left me with a lingering nag as to what the collier had that the farmer didn’t!!

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I was just checking through the messages and noticed a reply had gone up. As it relates to Yellow Roses back in July, I thought many of you would miss it. But as I’ve promised to make any of your own versions of these songs available I thought this might be worth an extra post.

It occurs to me that I might have missed other submissions (apologies if I have), so if anyone else has anything current on YouTube or elsewhere relating to the songs so far, please add links below. I’ll try and keep on top of any future submissions and ensure they are brought to everyone’s attention. I’d prefer it if we can stick to new or recent recordings rather than trawling up every link to Steeleye, Martin Carthy, etc as I know there are a lot out here, mostly with the audio taken directly from CD and there we get into murky waters.

Can I also ask (although I’m sure I don’t really need to) that in the spirit of an open door policy here, no disparaging of others’ efforts please. If you don’t think someone’s submission is good, then do better rather than leave negative comments.

What I’m after is people who feel inspired by this in some way. And with thanks to Kate this fits the bill so here’s that post and video link.

This is such a wonderfull song, and i would probably never have heard it if it wasn’t for Fay and Jon. I’ve recorded my own attempt on you tube and thought I’d post it up here.
Hope that works!
Kate

I’m willing to wager a groat or three that you’ll all know this and have been happily singing along from the start, although that might make me guilty of assuming everyone’s age. Still Jon says, “I lived in Australia for a year as a kid but unfortunately didn’t pick up any Australian folk songs, although we did all have to learn the national anthem. I can’t remember it now so here’s the unofficial national anthem.” Familiar yes, but like any good song it has a perhaps surprising history and you can read a good Wiki page here. Bert Lloyd has the Brit folk claim to recording what he calls a fairly hackneyed song, although Jon names Lou Killen as his source and you can see the usual detail of their respective recordings, plus some more including sleeve notes at Mainly Norfolk.

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I know this will please many of you as it’s Jon and Fay again. Jon credits his partner, “Fay taught me this a few years back. I’m not sure of the source although Hannah James and Sam Sweeney have just recorded a very nice version of this as well.” Now here’s an intrigue. I managed to grab a brief few words with Fay when she played the Green Note, although the timing (my slightly later than expected arrival) meant no serious interview was possible. I did, however, manage to ask her (with this project in mind) whether she and Jon shared their repertoire freely? She responded quite frankly but with a smile, saying that although they shared many ideas and discussed much, she was quite guarded about her own collection of songs. With Jon having such a high profile in folk circles, it would be easy for people to mistake her work as simply following Jon’s lead. I’m sure many of you will agree that the strength of her voice and the excellence of Looking Glass immediately knock any such notions into a cocked hat and we should do all we can to dispel such glib notions. If you haven’t already checked out the CD, you should. Anyway, sorry I’m getting a little carried away. I confess to having fallen behind the advanced timetable that I was aiming for  and just hadn’t listened to this before today (Friday), so was taken by surprise by Fay’s appearance again. What a pleasant surprise it is too and what a great version of this brooding, mournful lament. Getting back to the matter in hand, Wiki has a good entry for this and the Scottish variant Twa Corbies, which whilst numerically inferior in terms of Ravens is the makedly more gruesome, with the unfortunate slain cynically abandoned to the scavengers!

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