Kenneth McKellar- Roamin’ In The Gloamin’

Well, it is that day again.  Happy Burn’s Day or Burn’s Night or Burn’s Supper.  The day Scotland and Scots all over the world celebrate the work of the great national poet, Robbie Burns.  I believe I have posted something Scottish every year on this day although some things more Scottish than others.  Well, there is nothing more Scottish than I man in a kilt which lead me to buy this album, which I did for $4.  I went ahead and made a new category for Scottish records but I am unsure if I will get to populating it by the time this post is published.  SO the best bet if you are looking for more Scottish music for you celebration is to either search Scotland or Burns on this blog.

I am pretty sure I have linked to this page in the past but here is some Burn’s Supper info

Kenneth McKellar, born in Paisley, Renfrewshire in 1927, was a Scottish singer of some renown.  After a quick stint working opera, McKellar switched to traditional music and enjoyed a successful career in the UK, US, and around the globe.  I imagine it was that opera training which led to his success with his deep,strong voice. McKellar passed in 2010 of pancreatic cancer.  He was 82.

This record, released by London Records in what I believe was 1959.  Pretty traditional Scottish stuff.  Good vocals.  Good music.  Good record. So close to finishing this month so expect a lot of the word good from here on out.

For a sample, I really liked the title track so that is the one I am going with.  I also felt given the day “The Star O; Robbie Burns” was highly appropriate as well as “Scotland The Brave” which is quite a good (there’s that word again) version.

Satisfactory record.  Please enjoy the day/night in honor of the esteemed Robbie Burns.

Bay City Rollers- ST

I was originally going to post this on Saturday despite the fact that this really is not the hard rock I have been using over the weekends.  However, I realized this is the first year of the blog that I did not have something for Robbie Burns Day.  Well, despite being Scottish, this may not exactly fill that void, but I guess it is better than nothing.

I bought this for a dollar.  Coincidentally, I received two more copies for free from my friends’collections.

The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish band from Edinburgh.  They formed in 1966 and had thee first hit in the UK in 1971.  By 1976, they had become worldwide stars, most notably with the song “Saturday Night”.

This record, released in the North America in 1975, was compiled from the bands first three UK releases with the addition of one brand new song.  It would go #1 in Canada and #20 in the US.

For a sample, I went with “Shang-a-Lang”.

Satisfactory.  Happy Burns Supper.

Andy Stewart- A Scottish Solider

Scottish Week on the blog is winding down and here is another album by Andy Stewart.  I got this the same day I got the last Stewart record I posted.  Paid $3 for this.  

One of Stewart’s most memorable performance was also his last.  Suffering from ill health over the years, Stewart arose from his sick bed to perform at Usher Hall in Edinburgh, for a Gala Benefit for The Children’s Hospice Association- Scotland in 1993.  The next day, at age 59, he suffered a fatal heart attack. 

I loved this album, which is very strange as it is a variation of the album I posted earlier this week.  It is basically the same album with a few different songs, released in 1961.  Whereas I found the last album slow and lackluster, I found this one arousing and spirited.  Again, I am not sure why, as most of the songs are the same.  I guess it is merely on the strength of ” A Scottish Solider”, “The Battle’s O’er” and “Come In, Come In”, all of which were hits for Stewart.  For the record, I also really liked “The Bonnie Lassie O’ Dundee”, “Oh Kate”, and “McGinty’s Meal and Ale”.

For a sample, I went with the three songs that drove this album, again ” A Scottish Solider”, “The Battle’s O’er” and “Come In, Come In”. Very patriotic and awe inspiring stuff.

I really liked this album.  Top Rated.

Jean Redpath/Serge Hovey- The Songs Of Robert Burns Vol 2

Today is Burn’s Supper or Burn’s Night, smack in the middle of this week’s Records of Scotland theme.  Burn’s Night is in tribute to Scotland’s most famous poet, Robert Burns.  I did a post explaining Burn’s Night last year and I used Vol 1 of this record series.  So when I saw this record, I though it would be perfect for this year’s celebrations.  I bought this during Memorial Day at Half Price so with discount, it came out to $4.80, just under my range.

Link to last year’s Burn’s Night post which is more informative.

This was the second of what was to be a long series of records by Jean Redpath and Serge Hovey, honoring the work of Burns.  However, his death in 1989 from Lou Gehrig’s Disease limited the planned 22 volumes down to 7.  At the time of this record, Hovey was being assisted by Drake Mabry.  Still Hovey managed to research and arrange 324 of Burn’s works.

This album features some good numbers and has a bit of a back story in the notes.  I had to think a bit about what I wanted to sample as there were several good choices.  Oddly enough, when I was recording songs from this album, Braveheart was playing on TV.  When it came to the scene where the noblemen betray William Wallace, “A Parcel Of Rogues for A Nation” was playing.  It made for a real powerful scene.  I have posted this song before on thsi blog, but I really liked this album’s version.  I also posted “Auld Lang Syne” which maybe is Burn’s most famous number outside of Scotland.

Finally, I posted “Sae Flaxen Were Her Ringlets”, a pretty song based on an earler Irish song, “Oonagh’s Waterfall”.  I believe Burns intention was to take a beautiful yet bawdy song and put lyrics to it that could be sung in front of women.  Since the title of the Irish song referred to the act or urination, Burns wrote a new set of lyrics that could be enjoyed by all.  And since pee was very much in the news when I wrote this post, I could not resist posting it.

Anyway, good album.  Satisfactory.

Andy Stewart- Andy Stewart’s Scotland

As I have been doing themes all month (and year for that practical matter) long, this week, in anticipation to Burn’s Supper, this week’s theme is Scotland, the land of my peoples. Before I did this blog, I had really no concept of Scottish folk music despite having a comprehensive knowledge of the Irish’s. Now, I have at least some basis on the songs and can even sing a few.  Not an expert by any means but hey, that’s progress. Oh yeah, I paid $3 for this.

Andy Stewart (1933-1993) has been described as the Englishman’s image of Scotland.  Born in Glasgow, his gift for imitation at a young age lead him to the business of show.  His music hall style along with his kilt made him an international star in the 1950’s and 1960’s.  He had several hits all over the world.  He also was known for imitating famous singers during his shows as well as letting loose a little Elvis in his first big hit “Donald, Where’s Your Trousers”.

Link to an awesome home page with a lot of music for Andy Stewart

This album, released in Full Dimensional Stereo by Capital Records, came out in 1962 and was a US variant of his first album, released in the UK a year prior.  In the UK, it would go to #13 on the charts,

For some reason which will appear more absurd later in the week, I did not like this album much.  I thought it was a bit to slow.  But it did have some decent songs such as “Nae Sae Bad” and “Bonnie Lass O’Fiyvie” . The Scottish music is a bit less polished than the Irish.  There is a bit more gruff to it but I do not think that is a bad thing.

For a sample, I went with “The Heart Of Midlothian”, based on the mosaic that adorns a section of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.  In a previous life, executions used to take place at that point and it was common for people to spit on the heart.  Now, it is seen as a gesture of good luck.

As far as this album goes, it was really meh which come Friday will sound strange.

Jean Redpath/ Serge Hovay- The Songs of Robert Burns

DSCN3696This was an expensive record coming in at $4.00. I got it in September for the sole purpose of posting it today, January 25th, which is Burn’s Supper, or Burn’s Night or Robbie Burn’s Day, depending on how traditional you are.

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A Story on Burn’s Night 2016

Robert Burns (1759-1797) is Scotland’s national poet and perhaps the best known (with an exception for the Poet Ewan McTeagle).  He is known for his work both in English and in a Scot dialect.  A pioneer of the Romantic movement according to Wikipedia, he also wrote as well as collected songs making updates and modifications where need be. His most well known work is probably “Auld Lang Syne” but my favorite is “A Parcel of Rogues for a Nation”.

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A Web Page with More Info

Burn’s Supper is the annual traditional held in Burn’s honor.  These celebrations take place mainly in Scotland but over the years have moved outside into other part of the UK and beyond. The First Supper took place five years after his death by a group of friends. From there, the event grew into what it is today.  The Supper includes set traditions such as Host’s Speech, the Immortal Memory, and  the Toast to the Lassies as well as the consumption of Haggis and whiskey. Works of Burns are also read.

A slightly deeper explanation of Burn’s Supper

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I believe I read somewhere that this record was originally part of a series of twenty two volumes intended to capture the complete song works  of Burns.  However, the arranger Serge Hovey, died after seven volumes and the singer decided she could not carry out the project without him.  The work that was released was well received.  Redpath, incidentally, was born in Edinburgh in 1937 but moved to the US when she was 24. According to her obit. she once shared a flat with Bob Dylan in the early day of Greenwich Village.  She performed, curated, and lectured on folk music on both sides of the ocean until her death in 2014 in Arizona.Jean Redpath At Newport

This album is a pretty good collection of Burn’s compositions.  This was the first volume in the collection.  It came out in 1976.  It is as it would appear; Scottish Music.  The music and vocals are very good.  Not much to say other than the album is what it says it is.

A Link to Burn’s Work

For samples, I went with “The Winter It is Past” which is similar to the Irish song “The Curragh of Kildare”.  Also the Pogues’ “White City” is based of the music of both.  The other sample is “My Tocher’s the Jewel” which appear to be a love song.

Alright record.  Satisfactory.  Enjoy the rest of Burn’s Night.

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