Revived? Forty Five!

Track list:

A Mon Like Thee (lyrics)
Taken from the Oldham Tinkers' repertoire, I play 12 string guitar with mandolin and 5-string banjo dubbed in.
Seth Davey (lyrics)
I first heard the Spinners' version in 1967, I think. Many others have done it, including Rolf Harris! 12 string guitar and mandolin.
Jock Stewart (lyrics)
I think I first heard this song at the White Lion in Swinton, as performed by the Watchers who were the resident group at the time. I use English Concertina, with 6-string guitar dubbed. The other singer is me...
She Loved a Portuguese (lyrics)
Derek Brimstone was the source, though I subsequently learned from Martin Carthy that it was written by Paddy Roberts. 6-string guitar on this one.
Wiltshire 6 Hand Reel
From the dance band days, arranged for Accordion, Guitar and Bass.
Cushie Butterfield (lyrics)
I first heard this done by Francis Roe at the House Without a Name in Bradshaw in 1971. I remember being amazed that he could play the accordion and sing the song at the same time! It's now a frequently requested part of my repertoire.
Jug of Punch (lyrics)
That distinctive Tony (Spinners) Davis tin whistle style seemed appropriate. Banjo and guitar continue after the song with Cripple Creek and John Henry.
Old Pendle (lyrics)
This tune was written by Brian Osborne of the Blackpool Taverners. I know the tune isn't quite as he wrote it, but I learned this version too long ago to change! Guitar and two mandolins in harmony, as we used to do it in Haywain.
Katz Rag
From the playing of Stefan Grossman.
Lizzie Lindsay (lyrics)
An Alex Campbell favourite, although he didn't use the first verse as a chorus. 6 string guitar and mandolin.
Dark Island
I first heard this played by Pete Shutler of the Yetties at the Sidmouth Folk Festival. A frequently requested tune, and one of my favourites, which shows off the range of the accordion. Although it sounds traditional, it was actually written for a television programme of the same name in the late 1950's.
The Streets of London (lyrics)
Although it's a Ralph McTell song, I'd been singing it for quite a while before I heard Ralph himself perform it.
The Hills of Connemara (lyrics)
This dates back to my college days, and a group called the Moonshiners that I played in at the time. I first heard it sung by the Grehan Sisters at Eagley Tennis Club, though I remember being more impressed by Bernie Grehan's Fender Shenandoah 12 string guitar at the time! I play this on my ancient mandolin with 6-string guitar dubbed. I bought the mandolin at college from a fellow student for 3 pounds to use as a stage prop in 'The Gondoliers'. The label says 'Made In Saxony', and it has an unusually rich, mellow tone. The tune which follows I know as 'Poor Little Crocodile', but it has other names.
Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go? (lyrics)
Robert Tannahill wrote a poem called 'The Braes of Balquhidder', and Francis McPeake was inspired to write the tune with the very singable chorus. I usually save this song until last, because the tune is so infectious that people invariably find themselves singing it on the way home. This is a shortened version; I may include the full version on another album if there is sufficient demand. 12 string guitar, Mandolin and Whistle.

BACKGROUND

I first began playing music in the folk idiom (idiot?) in the late 1960's, influenced mainly by the Spinners. Two songs on this album, Seth Davey and Jug of Punch, are now as much a part of my repertoire as they were of the Spinners'.

It would take too long to list all the people whose influence contributed to the development of my style of performance, but thanks must also go to my friends the Yetties (Dark Island was pinched from Pete Shutler), and the Oldham Tinkers.

For many years I was a member of the local folk group Haywain, which is now better known as a folk dance band. I left the band for personal reasons about three years ago (1991), and virtually stopped playing in public altogether.

This album marks an attempt to revive my interest in playing for other people's enjoyment, and I've mainly included the more 'serious' material, as comic material tends to lose its appeal rapidly when it has been recorded. It also gave me the opportunity to 'show off' a little, by playing all the arrangements myself, using multi-track dubbing techniques.

Originally released on cassette in January, 1994,
my album is now on CD!!


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NOW!!

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you will be visited by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse...
or something horrible and nasty might happen to you...
or you might feel slightly ill...

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©2000 Bernard Cromarty