50p No. 88 Winter 2008/2009 - Devon Folk

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Reviews AS I WENT DOWN TO HORSHAM Mabs & Gordon Hall VT115 CD WILD WILD BERRY: The songs of Ray Driscoll Artension CD 103 Receiving these two albums for review within a short time period is particularly appropriate and there is much value in considering them together. Both reect the time before the folk song revival of the mid twentieth century; both reect a time before the prime concern was the audience, a time when singing was relaxed, a way of life. The singing is effortless: the listener is transported into the company of the singers. The delight of the singers in their songs is conveyed by the easy style in which they sing. Ray Driscoll and Gordon Hall carried a tradition that would have excited Baring-Gould or Sharp into the 21st century, while Mabs, Gordon’s mother, passed away in 1992. The material on both CDs comprises classic ballads, folk songs, Victoriana and musical hall songs plus a selection from the what some might consider the periphery of the traditional song genre such as football chants, fragments, nonsense rhymes. It is probably true to say that most of the population would be able to sing something appropriate although whether they would be willing to do so when faced with a specic request is not so sure. It would be rare, however, to nd anyone with the range of material and even rarer to nd someone who had learned them from other family members. If asked to produce a recording, they would practice to create a performance style. Looking rst at As I Went Down to Horsham Town, Mabs Hall was born in 1899 and had a hard life. When these recordings were made she was well into her 80s, a fact that shows in her voice, which was likely to have been stronger when she was in her prime. Mabs died in 1992. Gordon (1932 – 2000), her son, worked at various selfemployed and labouring jobs over the years and had retired by the time the recordings were made. He had become interested in the songs, was in touch with the revival and is more conscious 36 Mullachabú A lively traditional dance band and caller for ceilidhs, barn dances, weddings, parties and fundraisers 01626 871 260 of the sense of history and uniqueness of their family tradition. The songs came from the family singing tradition at parties and celebrations. There are some wonderful tracks, unknown to the majority of people, for example The Royal George about the sinking of the ship in 1782, The Bitter Whaling Ground, and Banks of Inverness, and two First War songs, Salonika and Blandford in the Mud. Gordon also sings full versions of The Outlandish Knight and The Horsham Ram, elsewhere known as The Derby Ram. Songs when Mabs and Gordon sing together, such as Come Write Me Down, the close attachment that they have to each other is tangible. With the CD comes a 20 page booklet, giving biographies, details of songs, pictures and all the other stuff that Veteran does so well. The words to the songs can be found at www.veteran.co.uk Ray Driscoll was born in County Mayo in 1922, the singer on Wild, Wild, Berry, moved to London with his family, was evacuated to Shropshire, served in the Royal Navy before returning to London and then to Shropshire, where he died in 2005. He was aware of the songs importance and the contemporary audience to which he warmed, while still retaining the unforced performance. Versions of Sir Patrick Spens, and The Death of Queen Jane, and the very rare Oh Mariners All are delightful. There are signs of the Irish connection with Glen Swili and The Irish Soldier Boy. Hopping Down in Kent is obviously from London days, as is We are the Peckham Boys, which was a widespread localised song while the Shropshire Football Song and the Hanwood Carols, come from his time in Shropshire. More comprehensive sleeve notes would be greatly appreciated, for Wild, Wild, Berry.
RUMPUS Dance Band Traditional music for folk dance, ceilidh, barn dance Weddings, functions, etc. Fiddle, concertina, melodeon, guitar. Contact Nigel or Sarah 01548 531525 Veteran, the label under which the recording As I Went Down to Horsham Town is issued, excel in this eld. Both CDs are excellent for their content and effortless performance. If you enjoy a simple style, good source material, and a sense of timelessness, you will enjoy these albums. Jacqueline Patten COLOUR Whapweasel www.whapweasel.com If variety and diversity of genre is what you seek, look no further than the new Whaps CD – Colour. Building on the high energy ska-like tunes from earlier albums, ‘Colour’ encapsulates the band’s desire to broaden out into the concert scene, while keeping to their roots as a dance band. Some of you might have experienced their explosive set opening this year’s Cropredy festival. If so, you will love this album. If you haven’t seen their concert set, you might nd some of the arrangements a bit surprising at rst – almost as if you were transported back to the halcyon Radio 1 days with John Peel and Alan 37 Freeman (try listening to Bus and you will see what I mean!). I found that the CD really grows on you, as you discover more and more subtleties and interesting sub-themes buried in each (seemingly simple) tune. This is hardly surprising as the band now includes some ‘slightly known’ newcomers on melodeon – Saul Rose (Waterson Carthy/ Faustus/ numerous Morris dance teams etc.) and Simon Care (Tickled Pink etc etc). Some of my favourite tracks are Crisps which has a rich, lively folky appeal, lots of sax and a great contrasting ‘slows’ section in the middle. I also liked Mayday, which is a haunting cittern melody in contrast to the up tempo style of other tracks. Moustache has some fantastically intricate rhythms and arrangements – taking you on a journey from a ceilidh dance style to 70’s glam rock and back to ceilidh dance. There are plenty of ‘traditional’ Whap tunes to enjoy – title track Colour and Ticket’to name but two. This is a CD of contrasts, surprises, superb musicianship, lots of brass and sophisticated arrangements with never a dull moment. It will grow on you the more you listen to it. Sue Hamer-Moss SWEET NIGHTINGALE Trio Threlfall (Jane & Amanda Threlfall with Roger Edwards) I should probably declare that I believe that the Threlfalls’ ‘Gown Of Green’, was and is one of the nest Folk CDs ever recorded. So it was with interest that I listened to ‘Sweet Nightingale’ and horror that I discovered that ‘Gown of Green’ has been deleted. Sweet Nightingale is another ne collection of English traditional folk songs delivered by Jane and Amanda, two of the nest singers of English folk song. The CD opens with Yellow Handkerchief, a nely paced rendition with a lively accompaniment followed by No My Love Not I, beautifully sung and simply arranged. These two songs epitomise the whole CD, Jane and Amanda manage to keep the integrity of the song and the beauty of the melody, their harmonies and vocal arrangements shine throughout. Roger Edwards provides sympathetic
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50p No. 88 Winter 2008/2009 - Devon Folk

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