Edinburgh Folk Festival Volume Two
1964 Decca LK 4563 LP
Side One
Back To Back → Nadia Cattouse
When I Was Noo But Sweet Sixteen → Ray Fisher
My Husband's Got No Courage In Him → Lou Killen
Johnny Remensky → Hamish Imlach
Let No Man Steal Your Thyme → Ann Briggs
Fiddle Tunes → Ian Campbell Folk Group
(by permission of Transatlantic Records)
All The Week (MacColl) → Jill Doyle
MacPherson's Rant → Hamish Imlach
Side Two
You Cannae Kick Around Here (McGinn) → Matt McGinn
I Loved A Lass → Archie Fisher
Hamba Lilli → Jean Hart
(by permission of Transatlantic Records)
Shoals Of Herring (MacColl, Clancy) → Ian Campbell Folk Group
(by permission of Transatlantic Records)
Mouth Music → Dolina Maclennan
lnveray → Owen Hand
Kishmul's Galley (Kennedy-Fraser, MacLeod) → Ray & Archie Fisher
Credits
Nadia Cattouse, Lou Killen, Ann Briggs, Jill Doyle, Hamish Imlach,
Matt McGinn, Jean Hart, Ian Campbell
Folk Group, Dolina Maclennan, Owen Hand, Ray & Archie Fisher
Produced by Nathan Joseph for Transatlantic Records in association with Hugh Mendl
Recorded by Bill Leader
Edited by Gus Dudgeon
Sleeve Notes
Somewhere about the fringe of the fringe of the fringe of the Edinburgh Festival there was great
deal of folk music going on. Officially, and in the official fringe
festival" there was quite a bit. But right at the outer edges of the
festival there were always a lot of unannounced good things to be had,
provided by people who no doubt believed that Edinburgh presents them
with an ideal platform for their wares.
The difference between the 1963 festival and those of former years seems
to be, as far as folk music is concerned, that a lot of Edinburgh folk
got together with a fair number of Glasgow folk—there's a very thriving
folk scene in Clydeside and a fast road and diesel service link Glasgow
to the Scottish capital.
And somewhere along the line other singers from all over Scotland and
England heard on the folk grapevine that Edinburgh '63 was a thing not
to be missed. The result was something very much like a folk festival
superimposed on the drama and classical music and exhibitions. Much of
this folk festival took place in odd pubs and coffee bars and most of it
was unadvertised, but those lucky enough to find it lapped it up.
The mobile recording van did not find it by luck, of course, but by
design. The first fruits of the design are on Edinburgh Folk Music
Festival"—Vol. 1 (Decca LK 4546). This present disc is a natural
follow-up.
SIDE ONE
BACK TO BACK is probably one of the best things the West Indians ever brought
to Britain. This ghostly jamboree, celebrated in a cemetery, is sung by NADIA
CATTOUSE, well known here as a singer and actress. She appeared at Edinburgh in
1963 in the 'Behan Bein' Behan' show.
WHEN I WAS NOO BUT SWEET SIXTEEN, a lovely traditional Scots song, sung here by RAY FISHER, a young Scot who has achieved considerable success on the folk music scene in Scotland and North-East England.
MY HUSBAND'S GOT NO COURAGE IN HIM, a nice bit of allusive songwriting, popularised by A.L. Lloyd. It is sung by LOUIS KILLEN, a fine lyrical singer from Tyneside who is well known all over the folk scene.
JOHNNY REMENSKY, more usually called 'Let Remensky Go', is a song written by Roddy Macmillan about the five escapes from Peterhead jail of Remensky the safe-breaker, who was 'employed' during World War II as a cracksman-commando to break safes in enemy territory, given a free pardon at the end of the war and subsequently jailed again for safe-breaking. His escapes were spectacular, his freedom short-lived, but many people thought, perhaps sentimentally, that he should have been given another pardon. Hamish Imlach, who sings the song, is rather like Burl Ives in appearance, but more rugged in voice.
LET NO MAN STEAL YOUR THYME, a very beautiful English song, sung here by ANN BRIGGS, who has one of the best voices among today's young singers.
FIDDLE TUNES. A vigorous medley of Scots and Irish tunes from three-fifths of the Ian Campbell Folk Group, Dave Swarbrick (fiddle), John Dunkerley (banjo) and Brian Clark (guitar).
ALL THE WEEK is one of the songs written by Ewan MacColl for the radio ballad 'Singing the Fishing'. JILL DOYLE, who sings it, is one of the band of people responsible for fostering a love of folk song among Edinburgh's young people during the last four or five years.
MACPHERSON'S RANT. The legendary hero of this song is said to have broken his fiddle at the foot of the gallows, rather than let anyone else play it. The authorities, hell-bent on the execution and knowing that a reprieve was on the way, put forward the clock so they could hang Macpherson. Hamish Imlach is the singer.
SIDE TWO
YOU CANNAE KICK AROUND HERE, one of the thousand songs written by
Glasgow school teacher Matt McGinn, who sings it here.
I LOVED A LASS, a lovely traditional song found in many versions a 11 over Britain. Sung here by ARCHIE FISHER, a young singer who has done a great deal to promote folk music in Scotland.
HAMBA LILLI, a South African kwela song meant, as you will hear, to be danced to. The repetitive words mean, 'Move, Lily, move.' JEAN HART, who sings the song, is better known to audiences at the Establishment Club in London, but she enjoys singing folk songs and has appeared at several folk song concerts in London and Edinburgh.
SHOALS OF HERRING. If this song, written by Ewan MacColl for 'Singing the Fishing' is not No.1 on the folk hit parade, it is pretty near the top. This arrangement for the Ian Campbell Folk Group features Ian Campbell as singer.
MOUTH MUSIC. Born in the island of Lewis, DOLINA MACLENNAN has been singing in Gaelic and English for several years in Edinburgh. Here she displays the mouth music used traditionally as an accompaniment for dancing.
INVERAY, the famous ballad of the Baron O' Brackley (Child No. 203), sung here by a fine young Scot OWEN HAND.
KISHMUL'S GALLEY is one of the Hebridean songs made famous in a rather poetic English version by Kennedy-Fraser. Here it is sung with vigour and conviction by ARCHIE FISHER and his sister RAY.
ERIC WIRTER