Festival and Anthology recordings
A' The Bairns O Adam
2003 - Greentrax CDTRAX244 CD
Tracklist:
Ballad of the D-Day Dodgers - Rod Paterson
Poem - So Long - Fred Freeman
The Flyting o' Life and Daith - Alison McMorland
Vctory Hoedown - Adam McNaughtan
Rivonia - The Corrie Folk Trio [1]
The Freedom Come -All -Ye - Jim Reid
Poem-Ninth Elegy/Song - Thug Oirinn Oro - Margaret Bennett
The Ballad of the Men of Knoydart - Geordie McIntyre
The Speaking Heart - Gordeanna McCulloch
The Song of the Gillie More - Dick Gaughan
The 51st Highland Division's Farewell to Sicily - Hamish Henderson
The John MacLean March - The Laggan
Pipe Tunes/Poem-Lament for the Son - Allan MacDonald & Fred Freeman
Mouth Music - Hamish Henderson
Auld Reekies Roses - Eurydice Choir w/Godeanna McCulloch
My Son David - Jeannie Robertson
Sleeve Notes (Excerpts)
Poet, songwriter, soldier, collector, academic - none of these pigeon -holes do justice to the late Hamish Henderson, one of the great cultural figures of 20th century Scotland. Most of the tracks were recorded specially for this album by artists who were personal friends of Hamish, or greatly admired his work.
1 All the sources I found note that this song was recorded in 1968, two years after Bill Smith left the trio.
"One very unusual track on the album was found amongst Hamish’s personal things where it had lain for some years. In 1968 Hamish invited The Corrie Folk Trio (Ronnie Browne, Bill Smith and the late Roy Williamson) to the School of Scottish Studies to record his song Rivonia (Free Mandela). Martin Carthy, by chance, was visiting Roy Williamson and remembers the occasion. Without much arm-twisting Hamish convinced The Corrie Folk Trio to rehearse and record the song on the spot, a recording earmarked specifically for Nelson Mandela and the freedom fighters in South Africa.
A copy of the recording was in fact smuggled on to Robben Island where Mandela heard and received it with delight. Hamish later telephoned Bill Smith to say he had received a letter from Mandela thanking him for his ‘time, effort and concern’. Years later Mandela thanked Hamish in person while visiting Scotland - on the occasion of Nelson Mandela being presented with the Freedom of the City of Glasgow."