Click on any of the titles to hear the song in MP3 format
Searching For Lambs
One of my very favourite songs, and one that I've always thought of as being quintessentially English.
Unusual to find such a happy love song, most good ones are sad. Think I
originally nicked it from Martin Carthy - start at the top I say!
Ballad For Catherine of Aragon
A wonderful combination of Charles Causeley's poem
and Alex Atterson's music.
Alex was a stalwart of the Folk scene who for many years ran the Norwich Folk Festival. Besides being a
great guy and a fine folk musician he was a gifted jazz pianist as well. Unfortunately Alex
died a few years or so ago and it's sad to think well never hear him perform
it again, but I hope he would approve of this version.
Bitter Withy
When I started going to the Folk Club some 30 or more years ago English Tapestry, who were one of the resident artists at the
club, used to perform this song in three-part harmony. I waited for a few years after they'd gone before risking my solo version. The tale itself is based on what were called "The Alternative Testaments", supposedly written by other disciples, which contained stories of Jesus as a child. As you will hear, not only had he not learnt to turn the other cheek but it possibly constitutes the first case of football hooliganism.
All For My Love
This started off as an attempt to write a
traditional sounding chorus song for somebody very special. I was trying to get
a song with a chorus that others could easily join in with and hopefully add
some harmonies. Whether or not I succeeded is up to you to decide.
She Moved Through The Fair
There are many sad Irish songs of lost love but
this is probably the best known and most often performed.
I can remember singing it years ago at Folk clubs
and I still enjoy singing it as much today. I used to occasionally to accompany
myself on guitar but with nothing like the skill of those doing the backing on
this version.
Fields Of Gold
I first heard John Kirkpatrick sing this at the Folk Club and thought at the time I'd like to learn it. I then seemed to hear
it everywhere I went so that in the end I had to learn it just to get it out of
my system, it's still not out so guess I'll keep singing it for a while longer.
Oggie Man/Peggy Gordon
Two of my favourite sad love
songs of all time. Maybe it's the Celtic link that made me put them together.
Cyril Tawney was a one time member of the Royal Navy who has written some of the very best
contemporary folk songs. The Oggie man was the Cornish pasty seller who used to
frequent Portsmouth harbour docks, close to where the departing sailors would
say goodbye to their families and girls.
I was told many years ago that Peggy Gordon was credited to Robbie Burns and that he probably collected an older song and changed it a little. However, I've recently found out that it is probably a song of Canadian extract, so now is an intercontinental combination.
Reconciliation
Ron Kavana's song is just so powerfully simple. It
would have been nice to have imported the chorus from the Folk Club - maybe
next time. The song is about a sort of Romeo and Juliet love affair between two
people in Northern Ireland , one Protestant and one Catholic and both rejected
by their communities.
Something In The Way She Moves
James Taylor - as far as I'm concerned he's one of the very best. Although this is one of his earlier songs he, himself, just
seems to get better with age - wish I could learn the trick.
Spencer the Rover
Again back to early Folk Club days and again "pinched" from English Tapestry, but that's the folk process!
The Protecting Brewer
I found this poem about Oliver Cromwell in
Gormley's "History Of Huntingdonshire" and thought it was too good an opportunity to miss to "create" a local song. I slightly modified the verses and left some out. Well quite a lot really, the twenty or thirty other verses get a bit boring and exhausting to sing. I since found out that it was in fact a song already recorded by others - but a different tune and arrangement - so I'll keep doing mine!
The Man You Don't Meet Everyday
I think I've seen this song credited to nearly every part of the UK. Doesnt really matter where it came from, just a good
chorus song for all to join in with. As I didn't have the Folk Club chorus I had a bit of fun doing a limited multi-track. OK so we did mess around with one song.
The Protecting Brewer - Special Brew
Andy's absolutely authentic 17th
Century arrangement of the earlier song. Could be almost straight out of the
Puritan Hymnal J