Marlow Bottom Acoustic Club

Tonight’s star turn was Garry and his resonator guitar on their first visit. He started with his own great song The Dog and the Banker, which was both funny and accurate. Second time around, he gave us Raglan Road in his own distinctive style. He finished the evening with a barnstorming version of Steve Earle’s Copperhead Road. Let’s hope he joins us again soon.

Inspired or otherwise by Andy William’s UK visit, David sang his 1970 hit Home Comin’ Man, written by the UK team of Roger Cook, Tony Macaulay and Roger Greenaway. I remember my Dad buying the single. Andy Williams’ voice was declared to be a national treasure by Ronald Reagan. Who could want for a better endorsement? Judging by his performance on Strictly Come Dancing a few weeks ago, it’s a shame that he didn’t retire at the top.

The future of The Pegasus is once again uncertain so it’s possible that it will cease to be one of our venues soon. We won’t miss the evenings when there’s live football on the TV. These evenings inspired Fred to write the excellent If It Wasn’t For Watching The Football (I’d Be Doing Something Worthwhile). This evening’s football was not on terrestrial TV. However, I was able to keep him up-to-date with the latest score in Arsenal v Liverpool match even though I didn’t like what I was telling him. As for future venues, we’re hoping to try out the Dog and Badger at Medmenham before Xmas. Watch this space for news.

Also featured were:

• Dick: Let Union Be, Drew My Ship Into The Harbour, The Queen Gadee
• Dave: Plough and Sow, Nova Scotia, Hop Picking – all his own work
• Rosie and me: Kerry Polkas, Bold Donnelly, the reels The Shaskeen & Pigeon On The Gate, Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Daddy (prompted by our upcoming outing to see them, and which I’ll try to get right next time) and your Cheatin’ Heart (with very welcome resonator guitar support)
• Gerry: Crash Test Dummies’ mmm mmm mmm mmm (an unusual song that was named by Rolling Stone as the 15th most annoying song ever) and Cat Stevens’ more conventional Moonshadow
• Delia and Stuart: Sean South of Garryowen / Bear Dance as a concertina duet
• Delia: Michael Row The Boat Ashore accompanying herself on of concertina
• Stuart: The Snail (You’d Be The Same If You Carried You House) - this featured in Baring-Gould’s 1895 A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes
• ‘Tring’ John: The Green Man, My Lady’s Coach
• Fred: The Witches
• Ian: Death Of a Lady, Spencer The Rover
  
• Bob: Donovan’s The Magpie, Jonathon Kelly’s Ballad of Cursed Anna
• Alison and David: Coshieville, Courting Too Slow (learned from Spiers & Boden / Bellowhead), The McGarrigle’s Work Song
• Simon, David and Alison: John Tams’ The Year Turn Rounds Again, Steve Knightley’s Widdicombe Fair
• John C: Same The Whole World Over

We’ll be at the Belle Vue in High Wycombe next week. I usually set up a minimal PA there because there used to be a lot of background noise. That seems to have subsided now, and few people used the PA last time. So we’ll be unplugged next week to see how that goes.

Hello again !! Herewith the RogBlog Mk IV, or thereabouts. Apologies for late posting.

Last Wednesday's gathering at (again) The Prince Albert,saw MBAC gathered snugly for a fairly nautical evening, bearing in mind the solemnity of the occasion, it being the anniversary of not only the death of Lord Nelson, but also the anniversary of the terrible events at Aberfan in Wales, all those years ago.

A fair gathering of regulars,including Roger & Karen-Steve-Jennifer- Roger Rowe-Gerry-Rosie & Alan, Dave & Norma-Terry Silver-Stuart & Delia-Dick-Andy & Richard managed once more to cram into the space available after some nifty furniture-moving by Karen & Terry. Dick started the proceedings with the relatively un-nautical "She Loved A Portuguese" -(Man of War ??), whereafter Andy & Richard entered into the spirit of things with the tunes "Lord Nelson's Hornpipe" and "Admiral Nelson's" ---stirring stuff!

Stuart & Delia, Oh ! Delia, then riposted with "Lord Nelson's Hornpipe no 2" and "Penny On The Water".-I spent a penny on the water once : under the Forth Bridge, actually, from a liberty-boat,in 1968 ! Andy & Richard,by now thoroughly fired up, then launched into "Lowlands of Holland".

Now then-----The highlight of the entire evening HAD to be Delia's rendering of "Nelson's Death And Victory", with the aid of her I-Pod, complete with pauses........Unforgettable and, albeit unintentionally, hilarious !!

Terry Silver then brought us back to reality with a vengeance with a stunningly good performance of a song about the Aberfan Disaster by Bernie Lamb.

Dave's "The Sea" brought us swiftly on to Roger
Rowe's "Spanish Ladies", with which we all joined in lustily.

Then, one of the great (and pleasurable) surprises of the evening was Gerry's "Trafalgar", a lovely,melodic piece by the Brothers Gibb. Alan & Rosie then played two hornpipes and sang Billy Bragg's "Looking for a New England".

I then played for Karen to sing "Here In California" (Kate Wolf), after which I sang, as best I could, "On Board Of The Victory", as performed by The Boys Of The Lough on their "Wish You Were Here" album from about 1970 !!

Perched at the bar,Dave Sanderson, making a welcome appearance, led us all in "Liverpool Judies", with Dick following up with a sombre "All Things Are Quite Silent". Andy & Richard's "See How The Winds Do Blow" ( A Norfolk song,hence the Nelson connotation !) was followed by a spine -tingling "Bonny Light Horseman" (it was that good !) and Stuart's "14th of November", after which Delia Oh Delia sang "Blow The Wind Southerly".

By now, everyone was on top form, and Terry gave us "October Song" ( Inc. String Band, Dave H sang his own "Trafalgar Day"; Roger Rowe offered "Landlubbers",Gerry did "Human" ( The Killers), Alan played some Mandolin tunes & Rosie sang "The Weakness In Me ( Joan Armour-Plating). Our John, late again but welcome, gave us the "Little Bantam Emperor": I assayed "Up to the Rigs of London Town", Dave Sanderson sang "On Board of a Man of War", and Dick finished off with "Lusty Smith".
Then we all went home.
RVM

Hello everybody and welcome to the third RogBlog!

Last Wednesday saw a truly formidable gathering at Frieth, in The Prince Albert, where there were, by popular estimate, probably more people crammed into the pub than at any other time! If not, then I'm a Dutchman.
Goede Dag, Dames en Heeren ! Mag Ik mij even voorstellen ? Ik heet Roger,en Ik woon in........en zo voort ! Well, OK, maybe not a record, but it WAS packed!
So packed that Dick didn't seem to know when to start, so Dave and I turned our initial "tune up" into a rousing (in the musical sense) rendition of "The Blue-eyed Stranger" and "Speed The Plough". Dick then replied with "Bring Us a Barrel", followed later by a haunting "Fair Rosamund". Martin and Kerraleigh were on top form with their own "40 Rod of Lightning" and "The Dying Californian" (John Davies), with later performances of P J Harvey's ( I nearly put P J Proby !---showing my age !) "Come on Billy ", and a Martin solo effort "The Ticket Taker" (from The Low Anthem).

The Fletchers duly duetted with the venerable "The Queen's Birthday" from the excellent Mr John Playford's collection, Delia subsequently solo-singing "Lord Abre & Mary Flynn". Never heard of it, but hey !--that's Folk for you !

The ever-dependable Gerry, who STILL hasn't gone back to Stryleer, brought sanity, if not serenity, to the proceedings with " Flower On The Water" by John Williamson (yes, I DID write "Flour" originally ) and further amazed us with a hitherto unknown talent for song-writing with his very own "Long Hard Life".

Two and a Half Row Dave, ever eager to please, then enlisted my modest help in offering the traditional "Roxburgh Castle " and "Portishead Breakfast" from Meridian, so well received that we happily continued later with "Oyster Girl " ( well, there IS an R in the month !) and Dave's own "Isabella". Visitor-from-distant-parts John let fly with " Egloshayle" ( Baring-Gould) and, later, "Bored of the Dance" ( Kipper, S). Karen then joined me for "Dimming of the Day"(Thompson) and solo'd with "Here is My Home" ( Si Khan).

To my left sat, fresh from The Cut, Jim, who, having previously played a tune the name of which I knowest not on his mandolin, further contributed "The Fields Of Athenry" and "A Pint Of Contraception" (Dunno).
Andy and Richard, performing virtually at the far end of the bar, shouted "The Wild Rover" (Marty Wild), "All For Me Grog" (Admiral Vernon) and "Tracks of my Tears" (Anybody's Guess"). Ian sang, quietly but well, "Coal Owner & The Pitman's Wife "( Coal Porter ?) and "Nancy of Yarmouth".

And a MASSIVE contribution from "The Fenestrations", (Dave ,Alison & Simoan), viz "One More Day, Johnny", "Rivers of Delight", "We Are Safe" (Jim Woodland),"Coshville", "Moll in the Wad" and "Islands Of Steel" (Fenner, D !!).

AND------I (yes, I !!) won the raffle, at last-----what a night! Next Wednesday it's Trafalgar Night, so don't forget to bring a suitable sea-song (not compulsory!) and some Grog (for me).

RVM (or should that be RUM ?).

At some point, I apparently suggested that it would be a challenge to play Steely Dan sings on the melodeon. So, this evening, David and Simon rose to that challenge to bring us two: My Old School and Pretzel Logic. Not content with that, we also heard The Travelling Wilburys’ Tweeter and The Monkey Man (by Bob Dylan). Unsurprisingly, Simon needed several lyric sheets for this 10-verse song. They also played The Moll In The Wad to balance the ancient and modern somewhat.

We also had something of a Trade Union theme. Dave started this with his own song, Tolpuddle Men. Ian followed with Tommy Armstrong’s Durham Lockout and Andrews Harvey’s ‘Unaccompanied’, reflecting back on the Jarrow march.

Welcome back to Jim, who was apparently something of a regular before heading off on a boating adventure. He sang Toot Toot, a parody of Beep Beep (his horn went beep beep beep). Jim’s version refers to canal boats! He also played a set of tunes, including Marie’s Wedding, on the mandolin.

We also heard:

• Dick: Dido Bendigo, Man In The Moon
• Dave: Oyster Girl / Isabella, the latter being Dave’s own tune named after his and Norma’s granddaughter
• Steve: River Days
• Steve, Karen and me: Pony On A Boat
• Alan and Richard: Valse Eric Rocher
• Karen and Roger: Waltzing For Dreamers, Follow The Heron Home, Here in California
• Karen, Roger and Steve: Oh Cumberland
• Richard: Siobhan Loclan / Melancholy Martin on the low whistle and the music hall song Polly Perkins of Paddington Green
• Bob: The Cuckoo She’s Pretty Bird and Jukebox As She Turned, both on bouzouki

Thanks to Roger, who was also assuming he’d be blogging this week and who donated his notes for the first part of the evening. Apologies for the lateness of this post. I’d hoped to get it done before heading off for a week in Cyprus. Clearly it would have been better if Roger had handled it!