Marlow Bottom Acoustic Club

MBAC attendance is somewhat unpredictable in the summer holidays. However, I successfully predicted a lower than usual turn-out this week.

We heard the following from the seven assembled musicians:

Dick (who’s trying some no-often-heard material for his gig at Chesham on 23rd August): Fair Rosamund, Monday Morning, The Ship in Distress, Man in the Moon (more of which below)

Steve: My Live is Changing (good to hear more of his own songs recently), Bitter Creek and Desperado (both The Eagles), Southbound Train (Julie Gold via Nanci Griffith), Family Hands (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

Delia: Hard Times Come Again No More, Lavender’s Blue, Blow Your Winds Oh, Brand New Key (Melanie)

Stuart: Dog & Gun, Elsey’s Waltz, Brighton Camp

Stuart & Delia: Sheebag Shemore

Martin B: Touching Base (original lyrics about corporate buzzwords, very familiar to those of us working in large organisations), The Fisherman of Whitby (Steve Tilson), Dimming of the Day (Richard Thompson)

Rosie and me: Silver Spear/ Sally Gardens, Tar Road to Sligo/Tripping Up the Stairs/Blarney Pilgrim, Off to California/Tomgraney Castle, You Go To My Head (with very approximate guitar accompaniment from yours truly)

Me: My Darling Asleep

Rosie, me and Steve: Keep on the Sunny Side, Killing the Blues

Rosie asked Dick about the history of Man in the Moon. The first recording known by Dick was from 1959. The sleeve notes of his ‘Live at Wycombe Folk’ CD say:

‘One of the nicest songs I know. It’s actually a late version of “The Hares on the Mountain” . Some verses were added by Phil Tanner, some by American servicemen 1944-46. ‘

For the record, the verses Dick sang tonight were:

- rabbits
- sheep
- vixens
- fish
- b29s
- bells
- bricks
- ladies

We’re at the Belle Vue in Wycombe next week (4th) and hoping for a better turnout so we don’t all have to work so hard.

On Tuesday 3rd, The Bottom Line will be playing their regular ‘first Tuesday’ set at The Dog & Badger. It would be nice to have some friendly faces in the audience.

Well, Prince Alberts should be hot and sultry, shouldn't they? Okay, forget I said that. There was some sort of a warm-up jig or two that most instrumentalists joined in, even Izzy. I was still finding my pen at that point, so I never did hear what they were. Dick Frost kicked off with "Bring us a Barrel". The chorusers are really getting into those six-part harmonies, there. Delia sang "Bury me beneath the Willow", and Stuart sang "Oh you New York Girls (can't you dance the polka)". We got some good choruses going on those too. What's the Acronym? EJITC. Everyone joined in the chorus! Ye gods, this internet stuff is taking off. Or catching on. One or the other. Then it was Dougie and Bob, a lovely combination of fiddle and guitar, an entertainment in itself while Dougie was getting his guitar out of the fireplace, and later when they were playing musical chairs, or perhaps it was falling between two stools. They played "The House Carpenter" first (in Dorian, or possibly Doreen), and then "Living in the Country". Alan and Rosie were next. They played two "easy polkas" Teahan's Favourite and Maggie in the Woods. (They played the same ones last time I did the blog. I expect they thought I wouldn't notice. It does make it easier for me! )Then Rosie sang a Joan Armatrading number "I really must be going" to Alan's accompaniment. It brought a tear to the eye. Then it was me, doing the best I could with two jigs on the pennywhistle: "I do not Incline" and "Tousle your Kerchief". Martin and Kerralee showed us how it was done with a number by Jonathan Rice "Further North", and one of their own compositions, "Twenty Four Letters". These guys get my vote. They are blogger-friendly and showed me the titles on paper! And I loved Martin's ornamental bottleneck. Kerralee is getting good on that harmonica accompaniment!
Around about this time there was an influx of cricketers, so the buzz of chat from the other end of the bar increased perceptibly. Not that it affect us, at all.
Marty played "Cousin Jack" – I think it was on his tenor guitar, but I can't be sure. EJITC! Richard and Andy played "Carrickfergus", on guitar and low whistle and singing with a fair amount of joining in, since it doesn't actually have a chorus as such, but everybody knows the words to that one. Don't they? Simon had snuck in by that time, looking like a dirty stop-out, and played "No-one ever had a brother like Martin" on his accordian. EJITC again.
We had come full circle back to Dick again, who obliged with "Twas on an April Morning", without a chorus but a certain amount of joining in anyway. Delia got a lot more joining in with "Messing about on the river." There is a certain skill in choosing a song with a nice simple refrain. Stuart sang "Pleasant and Delightful". Some of us know the chorus to that one, too. Or the words. One or the other. Maybe both. At any rate we can repeat the last line like a good 'un.
Now Dougie and Bob played a pair of French Canadian Reels. But they didn't tell me which ones. Not blogger-friendly, guys! Black mark! Their second number was the Ballad of Eddie Baker, with a joining in chorus. Now see, if they were blogger-friendly, I wouldn't mention the mild memory-lapse... could have happened to anyone... I have these memory lapses myself... and they're contagious... but I remember the bone-shaker/muck-spreader. Can you have a bone-shaker-muck-spreader? Obviously you can.
While the raffle equipment was being found, Alan played the Pernod Waltz on his mandolin. Lovely stuff. A very curious tune. I've got that in my pending file. I must have another look at it. Rosie sang "The Grass is Blue" to Alan's accompaniment. Sad songs they're playing. Anything you need to share, guys?
Then I had a go on my Native American Flute. They don't call it NAF for nothing... Quoted the Skolion of Seikilos, which is the oldest tune I know. It's the wrong thing to do on a NAF, but arguably the right thing to do at a folk club.
The Raffle was a Triumph, with an matching image being picked in fewer than ten goes! John won! (With a Xylophone.)
Martin and Kerralee again, playing their own composition, "We live in the valley", and one by Bonnie Prince Billy "Ease Down the Road" . "A song of Infidelity and Drunk-driving" as Martin said. See? Keep in with the blogger and you get verbatim quotes. Fail to do so and your witty story may be lost to posterity... No, I don't bear grudges...
Marty used his other guitar to play "Old Friends", a melancholy folk-club-ish one. Nicely done. John regaled us with the original traditional version of "Pinball Wizard", a cheerful delight after the distressing rocked-up version by that pop band. Can't remember the name... the who? Richard and Andy combined to play "Mrs McGrath" and followed that up with "To Welcome Paddy Home". Simon took out his accordion again to play a couple of tunes, the second of which was "the Prince Albert" which I find variously described as a hornpipe and a scottische. If that's the tune he was playing, which it might not be. The serious instrument-players were joining in, anyway. SO there you are.
Dick Frost wound up the evening with "She loved a Portugee". That put the cap on the session.
I'm getting the hang of this blogging business, I think. Song titles in 12-point Times New Roman on plain white stationery, for next time, please. Bitter, since you ask, and I'm happy to accept halves. I'm not proud. You *can* get a good write-up!

Herewith a somewhat shortish " ROGBLOG", as I / we prepare for our East Anglian Odyssey.

Wednesday the 14th of July saw a good turnout, once again, at the Prince Albert in Frieth, in a bar which seems to be acquiring more furniture than White's Repository. Somehow, we all managed to squeeze in, and soon Dick's dulcet, or do I mean duck-like, tones signalled that the proceedings were under way. His first choice for the evening was "Fathom The Bowl", although I have a suspicion, to be honest, that it was IAN who started us off with "Lord Benbow", now I come to try to make sense of my notes !!

Anyway, The Gruesome Twosome were soon at it with some A minor ( or "R Moll" as they say in Bavaria) jigs, followed by a delicately -performed "I only Have Eyes For You", or, as HM The Queen says, "One Only Has Eyes For One". Steve then sang the lovely "Sweet Music", what he wrote hisself. The Newly- Weds, freshly returned from The Everglades, offered "Medicine County" ( H Golightly ) and "Money In The Bank" (Dawn Landes), which, if they continue to get better & better each week, is what we'll have to pay them! (Only joking, you two!. Melodeonist Paul, (a welcome visitor) entertained with a deftly-fingered "The Railway" & "The Rogue's March". Fast becoming "regulars" are Duggie Brown and his charming companion; although possessed of a concertina, she demurred, so he took up his guitar and sang "The Ballad Of Jamie Penman", by Robin Lang, after which Karen and I dusted off "Follow The Heron Home" with reasonable success. The Back Bar Ramblers then, somewhat noisily, gave us "See How The Wind Do Blow" and "You Are My Moonshine".

This brought us to SAD ( Simon,Alison, and Dave ), who seemed to have been waiting since the previous week, and who ventured "Sun Goes Down", "Just The Motion", and something that looks like, rather improbably, "Hole In Worms" ( in my notes !). Alan & Rosie, their names restored, performed "Angie Baby", followed by Steve and "Sleepless Sailor" ( K Rusby).

The Newlys then showed more class with "The Ghost Who Walked" ( Karen Elson). Paul's next pairing was "Will Ye Go To Flanders" (I think !)(Corrected by Karen from Willy Goes to Flanders!) and "Wine In The Glass". Tony, whom we hadn't seen for almost a year, sang "Drift From The Land", and Karen & I were joined by Dave Fenner for our arrangement of "Here In California" (K Wolf), which seems to go down well !

The late (as always!) John Crosby sang Mr Thompson's ""Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight", after which Andy proffered "If I Were A Carpenter". Well, that's about it, Folks; there's nothing else in my notes, so apologies to those that I missed due to lavatorial visits, chatting, etc !! See you all in 2 weeks time !!

Extra Note from Karen: The newly-weds were presented with a bottle of Fizz, under the pretext of the raffle, to help them continue celebrating their nuptials (Roger's word)!

Those who have looked over my shoulder while I’ve been taken notes on a Wednesday will not be surprised that, this week, I can’t actually make head nor tail of them. So this is a set of highlights from the bits I can actually de-cipher…

We had two second time visitors…. Firstly Garry, who’d once made it along with his resonator guitar to The Pegasus and made a big impression. He was on even better form this evening with Stephen Foster’s Hard Times Knocking At My Door, an excellent song of his own called, I think, Planet Earth to Heaven. Plus one more! It’s great to hear the resonator played so well.

We often see Creag’s parents at The Belle Vue. Creag was visiting them so popped in with them for a second time. He started with an impressive original song called Naturally Beautiful. This usually mentions Bristol where he lives but, this evening, Wycombe was the natural choice.

It’s always a pleasure to see Malcolm, who can always be relied upon for an amusing song or two in addition to his melodeon playing. This week’s gems were The Hole In The Elephant’s Bottom and Sidney Carter’s Play The Film Backwards.

Also in attendance with selections from their usual repertoires were (in order of appearance) Dick, Terry, Rosie and me, Richard and Andy (not sure I’d heard the Tommy Steele hit Singing the Blues from them before), Debbie and John.

We’re at The Prince Albert for each of the next two weeks. Be there, or be in the wrong place.