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By OCB
#1694382
The "come from away" and a few comments on other threads got me thinking over the past few days about traditional music that I grew up with.

For more worse than better, I was classically trained, played in orchestras and was a very competent technical musical machine.

My family and cultural background in music was a million miles away from that.

Yep, I have a season ticket with the best Belgian conductor and orchestra, and go regularly to concerts.

I never got "good" at traditional music though. I could play them. I rarely "felt" them - not like the family get togethers when I was a kid and everyone did one song or another.

My mum's last remaining sister past away a few days ago. She was not far from 90, one remarkable lady, and at her eulogy there were some of those "trad" Scots songs that were "family favourites"

At the purvey, one of of my uncles - an ex president of Mensa and Royal Dutch Shell director( we might be daft, but no stupid) asked "what was that song you used to sing, about the boatsmen". Dammit. I hadn't thought about that song in nearly 40 years, it took a minute or so - Mingulay Boat Song.

I'm the first to admit that "trad" music can sound quite utterly carp.

A right good rendition though, pulls ever chord in my being.

A single vocalist, with the best sense of rhythm and a right good range starts off. The song itself has couple of twists, like it's Gaelic origin, it's 9/8 timing - and when sung well (zero instruments) - it's purely the power of the additional voices dove-tailing in, and the room's acoustics.

Yeah, I'm probably feeling a bit sentimental for a time gone by that family, friends, neighbours got together and battered out a song or 5.

Anyway, here's to the past, enjoying doing a song well - and hoping to whatever God you pray to goes with him - but that dodgy jumper and scraggy beard get left behind in the 1970s where it the effin belongs.

btw - the youtube rendition isn't great, but it isn't bad.
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By OCB
#1694387
Bill Haddow wrote:
OCB wrote:
At the purvey,



Ahh, purveys. Co' purveys, Tunnock's purveys, Lightbody's purveys. A simpler time. :-D

Bill H


Tunnock's did purveys? Certainly the tea-cakes, but never the mince pie.....

Since this is an aviation forum, those certain Italian uncles got locked up. That'll have been the Paccitti, Capaldi, Spiteri etc family.

Uddingston, circa mid 70s. I was dresses to the nines, it was a family wedding. Papy Pacciti was in his death bed. He'd been locked up during the war, as was his son. They'd left - lock stock and barrel, the entire village, in the 1930s.

None of them were combatants. They were dirt poor mountain peasants.

Tunnocks factory, for decades, the staff chowed down on the Paccitti offerings - and I know from personal exprience the older generation were perfectly aware their neighbours were "enemy", but they knew fine well nothing of the sort.
By Chris Martyr
#1694405
OCB wrote:I'm the first to admit that "trad" music can sound quite utterly carp.

A right good rendition though, pulls ever chord in my being.


Crikey , that was a trip down memory lane . I remember listening to that song being played on the wireless years ago when I were a wee laddie . For some inexplicable reason I used to like things like , 'The White Heather Club' and The Hoot Nanny Show . [I was an odd child]
Any song performed badly can sound bloody awful . But with the right musicians and harmonies can sound quite beautiful. Our old mates across the Irish Sea are excellent at that too . Just listen to the amazing Mr Ronnie Drew and the Dubliners .

Oh,,,and OCB,,, :D ,,I think the scraggy beard and R. Branson jumpers were around a long time before the 70's . Think Finlay Currie in the film Whisky Galore . :D

And if you've made your living in the craggy, windswept Scottish highlands or coast , you don't really want to go off to work clean shaven , and that oil impregnated jumper could just save you from hypothermia .
Wouldn't suit a Westminster spin doctor though . [ except , maybe , Mr 'pretend working class' Corbyn.. :lol: ]
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By Jim Jones
#1694498
Chris Martyr wrote: .
Wouldn't suit a Westminster spin doctor though . [ except , maybe , Mr 'pretend working class' Corbyn.. :lol: ]



Sir! Sir! Look wot he just did! S’not fair...
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By Chris Martyr
#1694525
Well done OCB for putting that great rendition of the Mingulay Boat Song on here.

But is that bonnie lassie on the cover appropriately clad for such a voyage ?

She must be 'frizzin' her wee tatties off'.. :D
By romille
#1694559
Chris Martyr wrote:She must be 'frizzin' her wee tatties off'.. :D


When I was a young laddie singing that song in school it would have been 'Wee paps', takes me back! :)
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1694582
I'll see your Mingulay and raise you some pure Geordie 'When the boat comes in':


(sorry no paps.)

Peter :wink:
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By kanga
#1694674
For any other Newfiphiles('neochthonophiles' ? :) ):

"I'se the b'ye"



"Old Polina"



lots more where those came from .. I guess seagoing folk everywhere, at sea and ashore, generate a lot of related lyrics and adapted or original tunes
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By Samsonite
#1694705
I can really empathise as despite coming from a very trad Irish family I grew up playing classical violin and could never loosen up enough to play proper fiddle much to my personal regret :(

How ever it didn’t dampen my love for the music ...

Give me Julie Fowlis , Phil Beer , Seth Lakeman , The Unthanks and of course the great Christy Moore any day over more modern music...though I’m yet to convince Ridders that Bellowhead are a good thing :lol:
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By Chris Martyr
#1694885
Samsonite wrote:...though I’m yet to convince Ridders that Bellowhead are a good thing :lol:



Yeah , I think Ridders is more of a Motorhead fan isn't he ?..... 8)
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By Samsonite
#1694915
Chris Martyr wrote:
Samsonite wrote:...though I’m yet to convince Ridders that Bellowhead are a good thing :lol:



Yeah , I think Ridders is more of a Motorhead fan isn't he ?..... 8)


It’s far far worse than that .....70’s prog rock :pale: