Saturday 23 July 2011

theillalogicalspoon - experiment 3 - Remember your Creator in the Days of your Youth

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Featuring ex-members of Psalters and sounding like the Trees Community fed on a diet of Modest Mouse and Neutral Milk Hotel with the occasional guttaral crust bellow. This album takes it's lyrical inspiration from the Book of Ecclesiastes, the writings of Jacques Ellul, William Blake and Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man.

tracklisting

1. The Hours
2. Moonlight and Fog 1
3. Grasping the Wind
4. Who's the Cowboy Now
5. New Moon
6. When the Rain Comes
7. Wild Fire
8. Moonlight and Fog 2
9. Dare!
10. Moon and Fire
11. Fields of Green
12. Come Thou Warrior In Soul Thou Poet In Deed At 12:17 We Shall Believe
13. In The Moonlight and Fog/Amidst This Apocalyptic Twilight

and track 14 is a bonus Untitled track from another session.

http://www.mediafire.com/?k17rf2h5vpb74bh


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Sunday 17 July 2011

Planxty - The Well Below the Valley

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Planxty is an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, guitars), Andy Irvine (mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), and Liam O’Flynn (uilleann pipes, tin whistle).

01.Cunla
02.Pat Reilly
03.The Kid On On The Mountain, An Phis Fhliuch
04.As I Roved Out (Andy Irvine)
05.The Dogs Among The Bushes, Jenny's Wedding
06.The Well Below The Valley
07.Hewlett
08.Bean Phaidin
09.Fisherman's Lilt, Cronin's Hornpipe
10.As I Roved Out (Christy Moore)
11.Humours Of Ballyloughlin

http://www.mediafire.com/?0vbmsiqntvng725

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"The Maid and the Palmer" or "The Well Below The Valley" is Child ballad 21 and a murder ballad. Because of its dark and sinister lyrics (implying murder and, in some versions, incest), the song was often avoided by folk singers. It is claimed that Tom Munnelly was largely responsible for preserving the song. Munnelly heard it sung by a member of the travelling community named John Reilly in County Roscommon in 1963.

A palmer begs a cup from a maid who is washing at the well, so that he could drink from. She says she has none. He says that she would have, if her lover came. She swore she had never had a lover. He says that she has borne nine babies and tells her where she buried the bodies. She begs some penance from him. He tells her that she will be transformed into a stepping-stone for seven years, a bell-clapper for seven, and spend seven years in hell.

In some variants, the children were incestously conceived.

This ballad combines themes from the Biblical stories of the Samaritan woman at the well, and Mary Magdalene.In several foreign variants, the palmer is in fact Jesus.

The ballad "The Cruel Mother", Child ballad 20, exists in a number of variants; one contains a number of verses that appear to stem from this one.



A gentleman was passing by
He asked for a drink as he got dry
At the well below below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

Me cup is full up to the brim
If I were to stoop I might fall in
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

If your true love was passing by
You'd fill him a drink as he got dry
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

She swore by grass, she swore by corn
That her true love had never been born
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

He said, Young maid, you're swearing wrong
For six fine children you had born
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

If you be a man of noble fame
You'll tell to me the father o' them
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

There's two of them by your Uncle Dan
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

Another two by your brother John
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

Another two by your Father dear
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

If you be a man of noble esteem
You'll tell to me what has happened to them
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

There's two buried 'neath the stable door
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

Another two near the kitchen door
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

Another two buried beneath the well
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

If you be a man of noble fame
You'll tell to me what'll happen mesel'
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

You'll be seven years a-ringing the bell
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

You'll be seven more a-portin' in Hell
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o

I'll be seven years a-ringing the bell
But the Lord above may save me soul
From portin' in Hell
At the well below the valley o
Green grows the lily o
Right among the bushes o.

The Anomoanon - The Derby Ram

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I can't tell you a lot about The Anomoanon, aside from they are fronted by Ned Oldham (Will's brother) and that they play a folksie brand of psychedlia and that they play it beautifully. Most of the lyrics on this album are traditional English and American folk standards but the musical compositions are entirely original.

http://www.mediafire.com/?lrvor6pi43l23xy

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The Derby Ram

As I went out to Derby, upon a market day
I spied the biggest ram, sir, that ever was fed on hay

The horns upon this ram, sir, they reached up to the moon
A lad went up in April and didn't get down 'til June

The fleece upon this ram, sir, it reached up to the sky
The eagles made their nests there, you could hear the young 'uns cry

And all the boys of Derby come begging for his eyes
To kick around the streets, sir, 'cause they was football size

And all the women of Derby come begging for his ears
To make 'em leather aprons to last 'em forty years

And all the men of Derby come begging for his tail
To ring St. George's passing bell from the top of Derby jail

It took all the boys of Derby to carry away his bones
Took all the maids of Derby to roll away his stones

Now the butcher that killed this ram, sir, he was up to his thighs in blood
The boy that held the basin was washed away in the flood

And now my song is over, I've got no more to say
Just give us eggs and brandy and we'll be on our way

Sunday 10 July 2011

Folk songs from Pasolini's The Canterbury Tales

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I'm really pleased to offer this short compilation from Pasolini's Canterbury Tales. As a film it is not highly rated by aficionados of Chaucer or Pasolini, but it remains one of my favourite ever movies. Bawdy, earthy, sacred and profane.

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What we have here is a labour of love. It's taken me a long time to find all the information for the soundtrack, finding the songs themselves hasn't been so difficult and this is due to some generous folks who run blogs and frequent forums. No soundtrack was released for the film, despite it's utilising substantial portions of authentic English folk song, a couple of Medieval dance tunes composed by Ennio Morricone performed on authentic instruments and some fine liturgical music. I am still attempting to track down some of the religious music from the film, but what I offer today is the majority of English folk tunes as they appear, presented in sequential order.

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here is the tracklisting


1. Ould Piper - Frank McPeak (from Jack of all Trades)
2. Jug of Punch - Edward Quinn (from Jack of all Trades)
3. Paddy West - Timothy Walsh (Songs of Sailormen and Serving Maids)
4. The Coolin - Paddy Taylor (Songs of Courtship)
5. Dairy Maid - John Maguire (Jack of all Trades)
6. Bundle and Go - John Doherty (Jack of all Trades)
7. The Wind Blew the Bonnies Lassie's Plaidie Awa' - Jimmy McBeath, Duncan Burker, Jeannie Robertson (Songs of Seduction)
8. The Wee Weaver - John Doherty (Jack of all Trades)
9. Behind the Bush in the Garden - Seamus Ennis (Songs of Seduction)
10. Merry Haymakers - Bob & Ron Copper (Jack of all Trades)
11. Torna Ma Goon - Jimmy McBeath (Songs of Seduction)
12. The Liverpool Packet - Billy Barber (Songs of Sailormen and Serving Maids)
13. Gower Wassail - Phil Tanner *
14. Oxford City - Mary Doran (Fair Game and Foul)
15. Newlyn Town - (Fair Game and Foul)
16. The Brown Thorn - Seamus Ennis (Songs of Seduction)
17. Our Wedding Day - Francis McPeake (Songs of Courtship)
18. Hal An Tow - The Watersons *
19. Campanero - Bill Cameron (Songs of Sailormen and Serving Maids)
20. The Roving Journey Man - Blanche Wood (Jack of all Trades)
21. Our Gallant Ship - William Howell (Songs of Sailormen and Serving Maids)
22. Napolean Bonaparte - Robert Cinnamond (A Soldier's Life for Me)

* I am not certain who performs the versions in the film, so have substituted Phil Tanner's and The Watersons' versions of these songs, respectively.

Massive thanks to the Gonzo archive (http://gonzo-archive.blogspot.com/) for making available restoring and sharing the out of print "Topic Folk Songs of Britian" archive. If you like what you hear here, you should check out Topic Records (http://www.topicrecords.co.uk/) "Voice of the People series" which is an absolute treasure trove of authentic folk music from the British Isles.

http://www.mediafire.com/?82odfkf7ck596k3

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Friday 1 July 2011

Before the Spring pt IV

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Here is part 4 and it's heavy on the hurdy gurdy and the choral. Also, it appears that a couple of the tracks are downloading out of sequence. Valle Me Gajde by Folk Shqiptar should be track 5 and Kanasztancok Ket Hegedun by Hala Strana should be track 11. If these tracks turn up at the end of the playlist then switch them around.

I need to give a shout out to Bluesmen's World blog, which is put together by someone who really knows their stuff. If you like the tracks by Kalyi Jag, Zurgo and Magyar Dudazenekar this blog is where I found them. It's an incredibley generous resource http://bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com/

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1. Earth - Third Ear Band
2. The Zither Player - Dirty Three
3. Tuke Bahh - Kalyi Jag
4. Juhajgatás - Zurgó
5. Valle Me Gajde - Folk Shqiptar
6. Delya Became a Haidouk - Valva Balkanska
7. Wave - Angelite & Huun-Huur-Tu
8. Improv: Trio - King Crimson
9. Kontilies - Psarantonis
10. Táncolj Kecske - Magyar Dudazenekar
11. Kanasztancok Ket Hegedun - Hala Strana
12. Palots Regional Duet For Bagpipe And Hurdy-Gurdy - Mandel Quartet
13. Highland Tune - Huun-Huur-Tu
14. The Ace and the Deuce of Pipering - The Chieftains
15. Danse real (anon. French 13th century) - David Munrow
16. Tale III (Lento Arabesco) - Goran Bregović
17. Tsintskaro [Nosferatu. Phantom Der Nacht] - Gordela Ensemble
18. Plaine De Duel - Josquin des Pres
19. A Silence Song - Current 93
20. Gesualdo : Miserere [Psalm 50] - A Sei Voci

http://www.mediafire.com/?yogx1c8wuoraz9b

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