Nick,

Rod Stradling has now passed on to me a copy of his review (not an open letter) for Folk Roots. After much though and soul searching, I decided the only practical repsonse is to post it on here. That way, all interested parties can make their own minds up.

It's not the kindest review I've ever read and, never having heard the cassette, I cannot judge the validity or otherwise of what he says. Equally, I cannot see anything in it to justify your various comments.

Fred McCormick.

Folk Roots, No.34, April 1986 : Reviews

BILL HOUSE, NORMAN GREY, FRED CHUBB

Gin And Ale And Whiskey OHC 104 (Cassette)

I suppose there must be quite a number of you out there who have actually heard an example of that dying breed, the Traditional Singer, in his/her natural environment, the Local. Some of you may even be in the lucky position of having such people in your own local and as neighbours in your own town or village (many more may be in this position without knowing it - but that's another story). You may very well have even taken a tape recorder along with you now and again to catch a bit of the action for a keepsake, or to learn the tune, or whatever. In fact, I know of lots of people who have such recordings kicking about their cassette racks and who will play them every now and again with a smile and a misty eye, or share the performance with a mate or two, or even send a copy to the singer or musician as a present. It is very rare indeed for them ever to go to the trouble of having photos screened, printing up a set of inserts, making multiple tape copies, sending cassettes off to mags like Folk Roots for review, and generally putting them on the market for public sale.

Such cassettes are usually only published by 'professional' collectors and almost always for some additional motive, i.e. to illustrate a particular style of performance or repertoire, to give an overview of the traditional music of a particular geographical area or, more rarely, to act as a showcase for the music of an individual or family. Such motives are often considered ample justification for the inclusion of performances of little intrinsic merit. The publication of a cassette which does not fulfil the requirements of the above criteria is, therefore, an unusual event and one which provokes some scrutiny of its worth and of the intentions of its publishers. This is, I feel, such a case and I am bound to ask what on earth prompted Nick and Mally Dow to want to expose Messrs. House, Grey and Chubb to the general public in this way.

The insert notes tell us that Fred Chubb played about two hours' worth of melodeon, mostly modern song tunes rendered unusable by background noise and we are left with one "more rare piece", an indifferent tune played - let's not quibble - badly. Of Norman Grey we are told only that he is middle-aged and unemployed. He sings only one song, the ubiquitous Cock-A-Doodie-Doo, in so charmless and forthright a way as to make it utterly offensive - nothing but dirty doggerel. I cannot see that the production is in any way enhanced by the inclusion of these two tracks, other than to give better 'value for money', a supremely inappropriate phrase in this case!

The rest of the cassette is given over to the singing of Bill House. Had this recording been made twenty years ago the results could, I am sure, have stood comparison with the best of Southern English country singers. Today, in his eighty-fifth year, I don't think it fair that I - or any outsider - should be asked to comment on what he must have felt to be a 'private' performance before friends and neighbours. What may be seen as an excellent recording of several evenings' worth of musical communication between Bill House and his young admirers is transmogrified, out of its social context, into something very different; it becomes a social gaffe. The relationship between collector and source performer ought, I think, to be one of respect and friendship. I hope I don't often embarrass any of my friends in this fashion.

Rod Stradling