A Folk Song A Day

Jon says, “Learnt on FSC. As moving as any WW1 Song I’ve heard.” Simple, effective and timed to coincide with Armistice Day. I will say no more and let this speak for itself.

I’ll be brief here (and explain myself later), but this is another non-trad song which Jon derives from Bellamy again, saying, “From the fantastic Wake The Vaulted Echoes triple Bellamy CD issued by Free Reed, now sadly unavailable. It includes loads of great obscure performances including this little number. I love the verses, less sold on the chorus, but a handy number to have up your sleeve.”  It was written by an American duo Lou and Peter Berryman and Mainly Norfolk is excellent as always on Bellamy’s discovery and also the curious fact that it appears as a bonus track on the WTVE CD set and is not included in the cover track list. Perhaps that’s in deference to Bellamy having grown tired of it as it became such a popular request.

Jon hails this as “From the Penguin Book of Canadian Folk Songs. I particularly like the recipe for gin and tonic, folk style.” We’re sticking in a nautical vein for this one, although it’s rather sorrowful compared with the gusto of the recent shanty and forebitter. Simple and very nicely done and I can’t add much extra here, except to say if you wish to Mudcat, then start here as this post gives Jon’s version and you can explore at will from there. Should anyone have more to offer please add here.

Another  fo’c’sle song, or forebitter, at least according to Bert Lloyd in his notes for the Watersons’ version and Jon says, “From the great Mike Waterson. A Watersons’ classic.” As you’ll seee from this Mainly Norfolk link it’s also on Spiers & Bodens Through And Through, where the sleeve note praise it’s anti-authority stance. Mudcat here throws doubt on the ‘sailor as author’ theory as apparently some of the detail is wrong. Perhaps one of the nautically informed can throw more light here again. Still that’s a couple of seafaring greats over the last few days.

I wasn’t quite ready for this arrangement, but Jon says, “Henry Timms introduced me to Nanci Griffiths at university. We shared a flat and a stereo system – he hated folk music but loved country music, I reciprocated the reverse. We had a sort of 3 year war of attrition forcing each other to listen to music. In the end I won him round with Peter Bellamy and Kate Rusby (strange but true) and he won me round with Nanci Griffiths (solo – not with band!) and Lyle Lovett.” Strange(or not?) that Jon should be drawn to two Texans. Before we get into an “it’s not folk music,” blind alley, Nanci did pick up a Lifetime Achievement Award at the last BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, which makes her and this song folk enough. I rather like this slowed down version as it brings out the lingering sadness at the heart, with the concertina adding a subtle but telling flourish to the choruses. Lovely.