This is a jaunty little number and Jon is unsure of his source saying “I think I learnt it from Daniel Jacks on FSC, but it may have been from an anonymous shanty album. A great shanty it is none the less.” This Wiki page is useful referring to it as a halyard shanty, but having got these things wrong before I’d invite a more expert opinion than either that or my own. It seems to have been a popular one with the sailors themselves, which may or may not have anything to do with the alternate recordings down the years At the bottom of the Wiki page is a link to Show Of Hands and Fishermen’s Friends doing this on YouTube, which seems to work.
A suitable song to greet Bonfire Night, with Jon’s best wishes as he says, “Happy Bonfire Night! Fire on the common for me. No Guy though – that always freaked me out as a kid.” I can’t help but agree with the sentiment there as the burning of the Guy always seemed to be a little gruesome to me. These days of course it’s all organized displays, apart for the Herberts who’ll be letting them off at random for the next month as the unsold stock is discounted down! Mind you there’s generally more to these traditions that we are told as kids and this Mainly Norfolk link to the Watersons has sleeve notes that make the link to older traditions. Wiki here for more on Bonfire Night itself. Enjoy the festivities and stay safe.
Jon and Fay again, as Mr. Boden says, “A brilliantly singable ballad from the Coppers. We sing it at Royal Traditions, partly because of the local connection in the lyrics.” I’ll confess to loving this although some of the words to this version are new to me, although that may well be a faulty recollection of the Coppers’version. Link here for their site and Mudcat for more. I must say this version for me is a cut above, although my heart will for ever be with John Martyn’s version on Sunday’s Child. It still breaks my heart every time I play it (which has been regularly over the last 30+ years.) The power of song eh!
Jon confesses, “This is not a song I was terribly keen on until Paul Sartin turned it into Bellowhead’s biggest rabble rouser – so I have learnt to love it. I do prefer this slightly different version of the melody (the one Bellamy uses) for singing it unaccompanied.” Mainly Norfolk covers Bellamy to Bellowhead via Tony Rose and the various sleeve notes make interesting reading. It is of course an essential staple of Bellowhead live and as it’s in London I see them play, has a particularly rambunctious and lively reception. As Bellamy points out, there are several songs on this theme with either party ripping the other off. I guess the sense of “Up to the rigs, down to the jigs…” means wise to the tricks and rather than the apparent innocent abroad, quite capable of acting out your own scam. It’s interesting to hear this shorn of Bellowhead’s power and pace, it somehow makes the dirty deeds sound all the more calculated, although I can’t wait for Shepherd’s Bush and the chance to bellow along.
Jon says, “I’ve always loved this from Martin Carthy’s version and have been singing it for ages, albeit infrequently. I recently had a listen to the David Ackles original (on Spotify), which is also great, although I still prefer Carthy’s version.” David’s name rattled at the back of my brain, but I had to conclude I’d never heard anything of his, although I found myself drawn to the strangeness of this song and Jon’s fiddle accompaniment. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before and not knowing Martin’s version either, I made haste to Spotify too. Wow! I wonder at Martin’s choice of this song and the very odd guitar chords that it demands. I also wonder at the oblique and somewhat grim poetry of the original, something that instantly struck me as a one off. It transpires that Ackles had several notable fans (Phil Collins, Elvis Costello, Elton John) and despite critical acclaim never really sold many records before commercial pressures and a later, tragic collision with a drunken driver curtailed his output. You can Wiki here. Mainly Norfolk covers Martin Carthy’s version as you’d expect and both that and the original are worth seeking out. With thanks to Jon for the introduction, here’s someone else I need to know more about.
