This week’s folk show features some British Folk music classics from the likes of June Tabor and Martin Simpson, Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Dick Gaughan, Nic Jones and Steve Tilston & Maggie Boyle. Plus we’ve new and forthcoming releases from Breabach, Rachel Newton, Kelly Oliver, Hannah Rarity, Karan Casey, Stevie Dunne and Shooglenifty & Dhun Dhora as well as some personal favourites.
Folk Show: Episode 40 Playlist
00:00:00 June Tabor And Martin Simpson – Strange Affair
From A Cut Above, released on Topic Records in 1980. Together, Tabor and Simpson sounded incredible. Some say that it was on this album that Tabor first showed the darker musical colours which would typify her later releases. Strange Affair is a Linda Thompson cover which appeared on Richard and Linda Thompson’s album First Light from 1978.
00:05:35 Fairport Convention – Days Of 49
The first of two Bob Dylan covers by Fairport Convention on this week’s show, both of which feature on the recently released compilation A Tree With Roots: Fairport Convention And The Songs Of Bob Dylan. (Amazon)
00:11:50 Karan Casey – Hollis Brown
Continuing the Dylan theme, this cover of Hollis Brown features on Karan’s shining new album Hieroglyphs That Tell The Tale (out 2 Nov) on which she is joined by a mighty line-up that you’d more likely expect to see at the finale of something like Celtic Connections than on a studio album. With names such as Dirk Powell, Louis Abbot, Greg Lawson, Catriona McKay, Aoife O’Donovan, Karen Matheson, Donald Shaw, Sean Óg Graham, Pauline Scanlon and lots more…you’ll be spoilt. (Amazon)
00:16:17 Stevie Dunne – The Yellow Wattle / The Maids at the Spinning Wheel / The Meelick Team
Regarded as one of Ireland’s finest banjo players, this is taken from Stevie Dunne’s latest live album Live at the Crosskeys Inn. Recorded on the 8th April 2018 and released in September, this record portrays Stevie’s ability to weave and meander around the tunes with the lightest of touches, when called for. Coupled with raw energy and magnetism, he produces a refreshing and invigorating sound. He is joined by some of Ireland’s finest accompanists – Brian McGrath on Piano, Gerdy Thompson on Guitar, Cyril O’Donoghue on Bouzouki and John Joe Kelly on Bodhran. This will set your feet tapping.
00:21:43 Shooglenifty & Dhun Dhora – Jog Yer Bones
Taken from Shooglenifty & Dhun Dora’s new album Written in Water, set for release on 9th November. Jog Yer Bones is based on a recording of Roshan Khan singing Raag Jog ‘Sufi-style’ into Ewan MacPherson’s iPhone (you can hear him in the mix). It’s paired with a tune called Jump Yer Bones by Laura Jane Wilkie’s. She apparently wrote the tune to gee up her fiddle class; you can see why this has become a firm favourite with live audiences.
00:26:31 Ushers Island – The Half Century Set
From their 2017 eponymous album, Usher’s Island brings together two generations of the finest and most influential of Irish traditional musicians: Andy Irvine, Dónal Lunny, Paddy Glackin, Mike McGoldrick and John Doyle (Album Review | Amazon)
00:32:12 LAU – Far from Portland
From Lau’s third studio album Race the Loser released in 2012. A weighty instrumental at nearly 8 minutes but this is still one of my favourites with it multiple musical themes. (Review | Amazon)
00:39:56 Breabach – Birds of Passage
From Breabach’s forthcoming new Frenzy of the Meeting (26th October) which is currently one of our Featured Albums of the Month. This is the first single from the album which was co-written by guitarist Ewan Robertson with his friend Michael Farrell. “Frenzy of the Meeting, as a whole, takes the listener on an outing just as fascinating, and rewarding. Among familiar, and well loved, approaches to the music that inspires and drives every member of the band, there are fascinating new soundscapes to explore. Breabachembarked on the journey from Astar to Frenzy of the Meeting with an open mind and a keen desire to explore, listeners who join them are sure to enjoy the results with an ever increasing sense of wonder.” Neil McFadyen. (Review | Bandcamp | Amazon)
00:43:49 Hannah Rarity – Wander Through This Land
From Hannah’s début album, Neath the Gloaming Star, which is also one of our Featured Albums of the Month. As Neil mentions in his review, with this song, she proves she clearly has a gift for writing contemporary songs that still succeed in honouring trad roots. He concluded his album review “With Hannah’s crystal clear voice, sparkling production and thoroughly engaging arrangements, Neath the Gloaming Star is a must-have album for anyone with a love for Scots traditional and contemporary song.” (Review | Bandcamp)
00:47:50 Chris Stout & Catriona Mckay – Seeker Reaper
From their 2017 album Bare Knuckle. Although Shetland fiddler Chris Stout and harpist extraordinaire Catriona McKay have collaborated with other artists in recent years including Séamus Begley and the Scottish Ensemble, this release was very well received as it had been ten years since their last duo album, the critically acclaimed White Nights. (Amazon)
00:53:53 Rachel Newton – Once I Had A True Love
From Rachel’s new album West, which has just been released. It’s also a Featured Album of the Month – “West is a solo album, in every sense, featuring Rachel alone, on vocal, acoustic harp, and electroharp. Anyone who has ever been lucky enough to catch one of her solo live performances will be aware of how promising a prospect this is…This album never sounds sparse or minimalist (even when it’s almost silent), it’s almost as if the setting has helped Rachel Newton pour more of herself into this album than ever before. West is a significant accomplishment; a rich, deeply moving, and immensely enjoyable album.” (Review | Order the Album here)
00:57:05 Steve Tilston & Maggie Boyle – Then You Remember
From Of Moor and Mesa released in 1992. This is still one of my favourite albums that gets regular play in the Folk Radio UK office. Simply beautiful, an album to lose yourself in. You may need to hunt around a bit to get yourself a copy as the album, start with discogs.com.
01:00:15 Thom Ashworth – Crispin’s Day
From Thom’s Hollow EP which Richard reviewed earlier this year. “Crispin’s Day returns to the subject of the first song and conjures images of warfare. Here, ‘each man takes the moment squarely on the jaw’ though the futility and the barbarisms shows through in colour and texture as much as in words. Taking lines from TS Eliot’s Burnt Norton and having allusion to Agincourt (fought on St Crispin’s Day), this is a powerful piece.” (Review | Bandcamp)
01:03:47 Kelly Oliver – The Bramble Briar
Taken from Botany Bay, Kelly’s third album which also marks something of a departure from previous releases in that all the songs are traditional folk songs collected from her home county, many by Lucy Etheldred Broadwood, a founder of the Folk Song Society. Mike concluded his recent album review “It’s often the case that emergent young folk singers start out mining traditional folk roots before sewing their own crop, in reversing the cycle Oliver not only underscores her own songwriting influences but, in visiting them directly, proves herself very much in command of rather than in thrall to them too.” (Review | Bandcamp)
01:07:48 Fairport Convention – Percy’s Song
The second of two Bob Dylan covers by Fairport Convention on this week’s show, from A Tree With Roots: Fairport Convention And The Songs Of Bob Dylan. (Amazon)
01:13:10 Steeleye Span – Sheep-Crook And Black Dog
From Below the Salt, a folk classic from 1972. The lineup for this album featured Bob Johnson and Rick Kemp, in place of Carthy and Hutchings. Many consider this to be their best release thanks to the more muscular folk-rock sound. Prior’s vocals shine throughout, and their a capella version of Rosebud in June is exceptional. Revisit this one if you get the chance. (Amazon)
01:17:49 Nic Jones – Billy Don’t You Weep For Me
From Game Set Match, a superb release from Topic Records which was researched and curated by David Suff of Topic. The album gathered together a series of live performances from the late 1970s before Nic’s terrible road accident in early 1982 which ended his performing career for many years before returning in 2010. (Amazon)
01:22:39 Dick Gaughan – Crooked Jack
From his 1978 album Gaughan, another fine release from Topic Records. Crooked Jack was written by Irish songwriter and singer Dominic Behan. Gaughan mentions in the liner notes he that he learned the song from “Al O’Donnell, a personal hero of mine.” Born in Dublin, O’Donnell moved to London in the mid-1960’s where he regularly performed alongside the likes of Peggy Seeger, Martin Carthy, Ray and Archie Fisher and the McPeake Family. He passed away in 2015.
01:27:42 Jarlath Henderson – The Two Brothers
From Jarlath’s long-awaited 2016 solo debut Hearts Broken, Heads Turned in which he demonstrated his talents went beyond that of the Uilleann pipes…to that of a fine voice as well. In his review, Neil concluded “Hearts Broken, Heads Turned has drawn a line in the sand. It shows how Jarlath Henderson shines as an arranger, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, the power of his imagination only excelled by his musical skill. Like a growing number of exceptional albums appearing recently in the UK, it also proves that there’s ample scope in the tradition for experiment, innovation and sheer excitement.” (Review | Amazon)
01:32:35 Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick – Polly on the Shore
From Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick’s second album, Prince Heathen, released in 1969 on Fontana and then later re-issued on Topic in 1977. Go seek it out, this one is still easy enough to find on CD (Amazon)
01:36:19 Duncan Chisholm – Caoineadh Johnny Sheain Jeaic / The Hill of the High Byre (Live)
From Live at Celtic Connections, released in 2013 and recorded at the iconic Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow. “Interweaving material from the Strathglass Trilogy, embodying Duncan’s personal artistic odyssey through the Highland landscapes where his family roots run seven centuries deep. This performance saw Duncan leading a six-piece traditional band, backed by a 20-strong string and brass ensemble. The impact was such that the crowd couldn’t wait till the end to deliver its first standing ovation, but leapt to their feet halfway through, impelled by an especially thrilling set of reels.” The first tune is from his 2010 album Canaich and The Hill of the High Byre is from his 2008 album Farrar. (Amazon)
Photo by Claire Bissell on Unsplash