Marlow Bottom Acoustic Club

It was a full house at TJ O’Reilly’s with 19 of us most of the time, though Karen kept having to go back home for things she’d forgotten, and Alan and Rosie watched a performance at Borlase before coming along. So we were a bit late starting and unusually only managed to get 2 songs each. Dick kicked us off with Drink Old England Dry, followed by Roger R singing about the landlubbers lying down below. Simon & David were joined by Bob and Roger M for Herbert Smith’s 4 Hand Reel and Dark Girl Dressed in Blue.

David and Alison played guitar and concertina for a lovely version of One More Day followed by Alison’s lovely singing on Dave Watters Angels on Sunday. Bob continued the singing with Alan Hull’s I Think I’ll Walk Out in the Rain and Karen did an unaccompanied song The Call and The Answer.

Roger M played the lovely Canal in October which was followed by Alan’s mandolin solo The Pernod Waltz – Rosie at this time having had to taxi-drive to Norden Farm at Maidenhead. Martin sang in his own inimical style his self-penned New Tricks and Stewart then had us all singing along to The Golden Vanity (something I hadn’t heard for years (used to have it on an old Lonnie Donnegan EP) until recently at Maidenhead Folk Club where it was sung by Brian Peters). Delia sang Far Away Town and the prolific Dave H gave his new song Will He, it’s first outing, swiftly followed by John who had just arrived and sang Clyde Water to end the first half.

Dick started off the 2^nd half but I can’t remember what with. Roger R had us all singing Riding on a Donkey which was followed by Simon’s melodeon, playing Simonsbury with snatches of Dr Finlay’s casebook – cleverly guessed by someone – and Holly’s I Guess it Doesn’t Matter Anymore.

David and Alison then took us back to the 60s for a beautiful version of Velvet Underground’s number Pale Blue. Bob had us all joining in Ride On, Karen and Roger did Medicine Wheel, & Alan & Rosie did Taj Mahal’s Fishing Blues. An extreme change of mood took us as Martin then sang Rock and Roll Nerd which caused rather a lot of laughter. John finished with the Flusher’s Song about sewage. Somewhere along the evening Alison and David won a rather nice bottle of wine and everyone decided that at least TJ’s was big enough for 19 of us even thought the beer leaves something to be desired – in fact Karen was accused of torturing people by displaying some rather nice bottles of beer as an alternative raffle prize.

Next week we are at The Old Ship, Cadmore End, where the beer and environment are wonderful, and of course the music is wonderful too because we will be there – Wednesday 2^nd of April.

Despite it being a proper old pub with excellent beer, the Prince Albert is usually empty by the time we arrive on a Wednesday. So we were surprised to find several drinkers in the pub when we got there this week. After some debate and shuffling around, we settled in the end which isn’t full of tables. It was so much of a squeeze that Steve kept disappearing into the restaurant area (his ’dressing room’) to get a seat.

Probably as preparation for our St Georges Day session at The Old Ship, we had an unplanned English focus this evening. The English tunes were started off (during the shuffling) by Dave H on melodeon with Young Collins & Princess Royal. Simon and Dave F’s added Steamboat / Rambling Sailor, Speed the Plough / Jenny Lind and, with Roger on harmonica, Scan Tester. Roger kicked off Seven Stars on guitar. At one point, Dave H, Simon, Rosie and Roger R were all playing melodeons.

Stuart took us to Dartmoor with The Bellringers, and Simon and Dave took us back later with Show of Hands’ Widdecombe Fair. Dave’s contribution to the south coast thread was his own song Smugglers’ Moon.

Once again, Richard Thompson failed to turn up for the evening, so Karen deputised for him by singing Dimming of the Day with Roger and Crazy Man Michael with Steve.

Dick’s songs for the evening were Let Union Be, the lovely Limehouse Reach and Walking Your Bulldog. Roger R sang Green Grows the Laurel and The Rosabella, a shanty apparently collected in North Somerset. Vicky’s only song for the evening was Rose In April with her own excellent guitar accompaniment - it was worth waiting for. Other songs were Dave H’s Oil, Little Vagabond (with words written in 1794 by William Blake) from Delia, and He Must Have Been a Mormon from John.

We had a trip across the channel for Valse Eric Rocher and a French schottische from Rosie and Alan and Canale en Octobre from Roger.

The more contemporary side of the club surfaced with Billy Joel’s Piano Man from Dave F and Simon. This song was used to good effect for a Viennese waltz on Strictly Come Dancing by Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy, which is about as far from a folk club as can be imagined. Rosie and Alan followed with John Lennon’s Across the Universe and Kris Kristofferson’s Help Me Make it Through the Night. More contemporary country music came from Karen and Steve with Steve Earle’s I Ain’t Ever Satisfied.

To finish off, we couldn’t resist revisiting Saturday’s St Patrick’s success. Karen and Roger led Jolly Beggarman, onto which Rosie added the reel The Wise Maid. Steve and Dick led an unaccompanied Molly Mallone, then Karen, Rosie, Steve and Roger completed the evening with Look at the Coffin.

Next week, we’re at T J O’Reillys in Marlow Bottom, where we’ll have more space but the beer will be nowhere near as good.

A packed night - 22 people - with some fantastic tunes, songs and harmonies. 

A very warn welcome to Pete, Sian and Roxy from Oxford, to Sally from somewhere the other side of High Wycombe (possibly Holmer Green or thereabouts - can’t remember exactly), and to Linda from Didcot.  It was also good to see Bob and Roger R again as well as all the regulars.

Roger Rowe provided the humorous entertainment with a song that mentioned Van Gogh’s ear and another about "Old Brown".  Simon and David also sang "A Brother like Martin". 

Some of us (Dave, Karen, Rosie, and Linda) practised our Irish songs for Saturday - with songs such as Irish Horse Trade Fair, the Excise man, Star of the County Down, Ring a Ring a Rosie, Sally Gardens, Galway Shawl, The Blacksmith - some of the lady singers beautifully accompaniedby Roger M and Steve.

We had some lovely harmonies  - which everyone joined in with - from Pete and his 2 lady singers Sian and Roxy - e.g. A Stranger in this Country (the singing of which was accredited to Graham Metcalf - now in canada, but back for some summer festivals including Whitby), Bonnie at Morn, Nightingale Carry me Home, We Circle round the Sun, Blue Cockade, and Who Knows Where the Time Goes.

It was lovely to hear Bob’s guitar playing on Raglan Road, My Lover’s Gone (Dido), and his acompaniment for Linda on Autumn Leaves.

Add to all the above........ On The Banks of Roses (lyrics masterfully held by Karen!) and Ready for the Storm from David and Simon, Top of the World from Vicky and Karen, Old Maui from John, Turkish Men of War & others,  from Dick, Early one Morning and others from Delia and various tunes led by Alan and Rosie which sounded fantastic with so many people playing along e.g. Mazurkas, Maggie in the Wood, Jigs etc with guitars, melodeons, concertina, mandolin, and bodhran.....and you can see we had a fantastic evening.

We’ll be doing it all again next week at The Prince Albert in Frieth, where space is at a premium so get there early if you want a seat!  Some of us are at Henley at The Horse and Groom, New Street on Saturday doing some Irish music for St Patrick’s Day.  And after that, get ready for St George’s Day on April 23rd at The Old Ship, Cadmore End.

The Old Ship is a fantastic, but small, pub and we pretty much filled it this week. Maybe the beer served directly from the barrel was the attraction.

Robin was passing through and was on very good form with Dare to be Different, Lost and the hilarious Men and Sheds. I think the line about touching up Napoleon referred to painting soldiers. I think his work schedule might arrange itself so that he's in this area on the 3rd week of some months in the future.

The Simon and David pairing was re-united after David's enforced absence and started with Little Pot Stove followed by Steamboat/Rambling Sailor. Next time around they were joined by Roger for Scan Tester 2. David then gave us an unaccompanied version of Ladies of Pleasure.

Roger R's version of A Rovin' was somewhat different from the one I learned at primary school. The lyrics are here. His version of Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill was also very different from the one we're used to hearing from Martin.

Karen and Vicky's duet on the Dixie Chicks' Top of the World was lovely, especially considering it followed an impromptu first practice in the in the small area between the bar and the toilets.

Some of us used the opportunity to rehearse our Irish material in preparation for our St Patrick's themed evening at The Horse & Groom in Henley on 15th March. This happens to be the day England and Ireland play at rugby. Here's hoping we're asked to play Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

The evening's Irish songs were Wild Rover (Dick), Raggle Taggle Gypsy (Delia) , Black Velvet Band (Steve), Bold Donnelly (Rosie + Alan), The Excise Man (Dave H), The Rare Old Time (Dave S) plus As I Roved, Star of the County Down and I'll Tell Me Ma (all Karen and Roger). Rosie and Alan led the mazurkas Sonny Brogans and Charlie Lennons, the polkas Teahan's Favourite and Off to California and the O'Carolan waltz Lord Inchquin. We'll be in decent shape with a bit more rehearsal.

Other songs from the evening were Teenage Cremation and WC Fields' Fatal Glass of Beer (watch the original on youtube) from Dick, Harvest Moon (Dave H), Rolling Fields of Blue (Steve), Around Cape Horn (Dave S), British Grenadiers (Delia) and Love That Can Never Grow Old (Vicky).

We're back at TJO's next week, where we can expect more Irish material in preparation for the Saturday's evening at the Horse & Groom. All welcome at both occassions.