Today’s Song of the Day is something of a classic. It’s from the late Scottish folk singer Hamish Imlach – Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice. A live version is currently in our radio playlist from Cod Liver Oil and Orange Juice: The Transatlantic Anthology, the one below is from a later live DVD.
For me personally, the likes of Hamish and Archie Fisher call to mind the hey-day of the Folk Club. In JP Bean’s’Singing from the Floor’ Martin Carthy recalls meeting Hamish for the first time at the Glasgow Folk Song Club. “It wasn’t a house, it was like a shack – where Hamish Imlach lived with his wife, Wilma. I walked in and there’s Hamish and Archie Fisher and Ray Fisher and Bobby Campbell, all playing guitars.” He was one hell of a character, larger than life, the stories surrounding the man are legendary. In the same book Christy Moore recalls that Hamish “took me on the road and introduced me to a host of pleasures previously unimagined.” That’s saying something…
If you haven’t yet discovered the wonders of Singing from the Floor: A History of British Folk Clubs then you really are missing out. I know it’s made a big impression on many including our reviewer Paul who found it quite a revelation to read recently.
Order JP Bean’s Singing from the Floor: A History of British Folk Clubs via Amazon.