This week at The Prince Albert, we heard some songs and tunes that we haven’t heard before or don’t hear very often. In particular:

• Roger’s morris-style arrangement of the tune for ‘To be a Pilgrim, which he calls Pilgrim’s Progress
• James Taylor’s Anywhere Like Heaven from Steve
• A Calling-On, the Steeleye Span song, from Simon
• A song from Karen that I think was called One Down The Road, Two Down The Road
• John’s version, to a different tune, of the Wild Rover, which he calls the Docile Rover
  
• Also from John, the hilarious and irreverent parody of Green Fields of France

I was sitting between Simon and Rosie, with Dave on Rosie’s other side. This made the joining-in tunes a test for my eardrums, being surrounded by Daddy melodeon, Mummy melodeon and Dave’s baby melodeon. The tunes were:

• Huntsmen’s Chorus/Brooms Reel led by Simon
  
• Old Tom of Oxford by Dave
  
• Off to California/Tomgraney Castle and Musical Preist/Star of Munster by Rosie
  
• Varsoviana by Roger

Other songs were:

• Sonny’s Dream from Karen and Steve
  
• Ride On from Karen and Roger
  
• Rover Days from Steve
  
• Hares on a Mountain, Good Ale and The Card Song from Dick
  
• Tolpuddle Men and Let Smiling Be Your Banner from Dave, with his now-regular backing singer, Norma
  
• Looking in the Eyes of Love and Jolly Rogues of Lynn from Rosie, plus Killing The Blues (featuring Roger on harmonica)
  

Steve has at least six songs popularised by Nanci Griffith in his repertoire. He clearly thinks that’s not enough because, having won the raffle, he choose another of her CDs as his prize.

We’ll be at The Belle Vue in High Wycombe next week, where there will be many more non-musicians than we get at our other venues. The amps and microphone seemed to work well last time we were there, so I’ll set them up again for those who want to use them. Stuart W has a new box of tricks that I look forward to hearing.