Sunday, August 23, 2015

Bobsy-Die "A Bob Each Way" LP 1988

Another offering from the Victorian Bush Folkie. Again many thanks.

"Kick up Bobsy-die" - I had to look it up. New one for me. Interesting, but I think I'll stick with "there'll be hell to pay". But I am familiar with "having two bob each way". Somewhat stretching the theme, the "A" side is "Heads" and the "B" side is "Tails". Perhaps the latter feature is why they did not release on CD!

As far as I know this Victorian-based band which, in 1988, comprised Graeme Akers, Michael Regan, Greg Hunt, and Russell McKenzie, only released this one album (contrary advice very welcome). The "Bobsy-Die Band" does feature on Facebook which identifies that the band was still active in 2014 but the only original member was Graeme Akers.

The album is a mixed offering featuring trad and modern folk and there is also a strong instrumental component. Tracks are of Australian or British Isles origin.

Tracklist
1. Dennis O'Reilly (Oz traditional)
2. Feather top (instrumental by Regan and Hunt)
3. Bonny Jess (Spencer / Shearston)
4. Barnyards of Delgaty (Scottish traditional)
5. The Overlanders / High Reel
6. Instrumental medley - Going broke saving money (Hunt), Market Slide (Hunt & Regan), Banish Misfortune (traditional)
7. 10,000 miles away / Timor the Tartar (traditional song and instrumental)
8. Hewlett (traditional instrumental)
 9. Ballarat (Regan)
10. Flash Jack (Oz trad) / Claire Jig (traditional instrumental)

Click here to download album and graphics in one compressed file MP3 @ 224-256 VBR. 43.5 Mb
Let me know if the download becomes unavailable and I will re-up the file,

Monday, August 10, 2015

Paradiddle "Eureka - Live at the Stockade" LP 1983

Another album ripped by the Victorian Bush Folkie and cleaned by me.

This is the third Paradiddle album to appear on this Blog. This album was recorded live at the Stockade Hotel in Carlton (an inner suburb of Melbourne) on 7 November 1983. They were a fine group of musicians comprising (alphabetically) Athalie Brooks, Rob Fairbairn, Mark Leehy, Helmut Lopaczuk, Judy Turner and John Zigmantas.

You will be impressed with the instrumental breadth and flexibility of this group. They draw upon a far greater range of music than other folk musicians and they pull it off brilliantly especially in the two tracks given a comedic treatment. "Home among the Gumtrees" is far from standard and there are sections reminiscent of klezmer and calypso. Their vocal performances are great too.

That this album comes from a single night's live performance in a pub is, in my view, astonishing.

Tracklist 
1. Lazy Harry (Trad)
2. Poor Ned Kelly
3. Billy of Tea (trad)
4. Aussie Beer (Rob Fairbairn)
5. Albert  (Fairbairn and Leehy) (Albert Namatjira memorial)
6. Ludwigs Lot (Instrumental medley of  old time trads)
7. The Ghan (Leehy, Fairbairn and Lopaczuk) (honouring the older Ghan)
8.  Home among the Gumtrees (actual song lyrics by Bob Brown - commentary by ??)
9. Dear Mr. President (Judy Turner (Aussie) poem set to music by Fairbairn)
10. Looking for a Job (Fairbairn's Australianised adaption of Scotsman Matt McGinn's famed song of the same name)
11. Put a Light in every Country Window (Don Henderson)

Context for Track 5 "Albert" Albert Namatjira, a famed aboriginal artist active from late 1930s to late 1950s, was jailed for 2 months for illegally supplying alcohol to a fellow aboriginal man who then went on to kill an aboriginal woman. Apparently, Albert believed that one of the woman's relatives "pointed the bone" at him (killing by witchcraft) which is believed to have an influence on him.
New Link 5Dec2016

Click here to commence downloading the compressed album file and its graphics
File is 61MB. Tracks are MP3 @224-256VBR
Please let me know if download is no longer available and I will re-up the file.