Swan-Upmanship
Wild Goose WGS 320 CD
Track List: The Green-Clad Hills / Jimmy Garson's March; Jack Robinson / William Irwin's No 3 / The Tipputs; Steamboat Hornpipe / Gloucester Hornpipe; False Start; General Ward / The Day Room; Winster Gallop / Four-Hand Reel / The Dark Girl Dressed in Blue; Church St / Redwing / St Mary's; Flowers of Edinburgh / Soldier's Joy / Morpeth Rant; Wenlock Edge / Summer Waltz; Flowers of Edinburgh; Schottis Fran Havero / Another Fine Mess; George Green's College Hornpipe; Basquet of Oysters and Sally Sloane's; Freedom of Ireland / Kitchen Girl; Beatrice Hill's Three-Hand Reel; Ger the Rigger/Mickey Chewing Bubble Gum.The Old Swan Band are John Adams - trombone, fiddle; Martin Brinsford - percussion; Paul Burgess - fiddle; Fi Fraser - fiddle; Jo Freya - Tenor Saxophone, whistle; Neil Gledhill - bass saxophone; Flos Headford - fiddle; Heather Horsley - keyboard.
Included here is a set of tunes (Winster Gallop/ Four-Handed Reel/ Dark Girl Dressed in Blue - sound clip) from the band's first album back in 1977. The sleeve notes say 'it's changed a bit since then and shows the way the band has developed'. There is another statement being made here - that these are great tunes and, look, we are still playing them. It seems to me that a lot of what I will call 'old tunes' are being forgotten in favour of newer discoveries and newly written ones. I've nothing against them, but I wish they would not supersede the older ones. The very fact that this band still plays these tunes - and there are many in evidence here - pleases me no end.
The overall effect of this immensely enjoyable album is of a working dance band with a well-played-in repertoire who enjoy what they are doing and do it well. This is no CD that could be used in place of a band - hardly any of the tracks are dance length and often we only get twice through each tune. It doesn't matter - this is a studio version of the Old Swan Band's current repertoire and a clear example of 'what you hear is what you get'. This is a great dance band, all the tunes are memorable and they have all got sensible titles. One final word of praise for the percussion work of Martin Brinsford - spot on every time, and each track different. Wonderful!
Dan Quinn - 18.8.05
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