Sleeve Notes:
It was a Monday night about a year ago, when I walked into one of
Edinburgh's folk clubs. The room was large, smoky and rather noisy. I
ordered a drink and sat down. About ten minutes later three boys walked
on stage with three pints, two guitars, a penny whistle and a room full
of harmony. The crowd suddenly quietened and I sat back to enjoy what
turned out to be one of the best folk nights I have ever spent. This was
my first encounter with Ian, Derek and Hamish, "The Ian McCalman Folk
Group", so when they asked me to write the sleevenotes for their first
LP, I jumped at the chance, having long since enjoyed their work.
"The McCalmans", as their friends call them, have created a group unity
and so to write about them individually would be folly. Musically they
think as one and play as one which I think is the reason for their
unique interpretation of folk music. They can sing the strong
contemporary song "Sally Free and Easy" with as much ease as the African
chant, "Quaheri" and still dominate their repertoire with Scottish
traditional music.
When I asked Ian what they hoped to achieve in folk music, he said, "The
work we put into it we enjoy—the rest will look after itself". Folk
enthusiasts from Scotland and abroad have been enjoying their singing
for 2 years, and now with their voices on wax, a larger audience will
hear and appreciate this 3 in 1 McCalman sound.
Put on the record, adjust the volume, then sit back and enjoy three
singers "All in one mind".
IAN RANKIN
