Origin: Wild Mountain Thyme

Subject: RE: Help: real origin of Wild Mountain Thyme
From: pavane
Date: 05 May 09 - 11:30 AM

Yes, perhaps they originated that version, and the tune, but a note could perhaps be added to Wikipedia about The Braes o Balquhidder and Tannahill

Subject: RE: Help: real origin of Wild Mountain Thyme
From: pavane
Date: 05 May 09 - 11:33 AM

And remember that Wikipedia is not a definitive work of reference. Anyone can add to it (most pages, anyway). That is a strength but also a weakness.

Subject: RE: Help: real origin of Wild Mountain Thyme
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 May 09 - 11:53 AM

Can't add to Pavane's brief comments. "The Braes O' Balquhidder" remains a better song.

Subject: RE: Help: real origin of Wild Mountain Thyme
From: Bill D
Date: 05 May 09 - 12:46 PM

"The Braes O' Balquhidder" is a 'different' song... a bit harder to sing and not comfortable for an audience to chime in on a chorus. I can see why the McPeake's changed it, but I wish more folks were aware of the grace and simplicity of the original.

Subject: RE: Origin: Wild Mountain Thyme
From: GUEST,Iain
Date: 23 Jul 09 - 06:03 PM

I'm also interested in including this tune on a recording. I do prefer The Braes O' Balquhidder for its "grace and simplicity" but it cannot replace Wild Mountain Thyme in our medley. If it's true that the McPeakes' own only the copyright to the words, what title would I give this song on the CD jacket? The medley is an instrumental, so it would seem stupid to incure the wraith of the copyright gods by putting "Wild Mountain Thyme" in the name.

Subject: RE: Origin: Wild Mountain Thyme
From: Jim McLean
Date: 24 Jul 09 - 04:28 AM

Guest Iain,
If you check with the MCPS or PRS here in the UK you'll find that the McPeakes own the copyright to both words and music. The words are a variant of Tannahill's Braes o' Balquhither but the tune is original.

Subject: RE: Origin: Wild Mountain Thyme
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Jul 24 - 09:02 AM

The words of this song was set to a poem by Robert Tannerhill from Scotland but the tune was first written in 1957 as being an original tune. I have heard that many folk songs from other countries like the USA were written before 1957 share similar tunes to Frances McPeake's 1957 song which is the song we know today. I have sung this song the Wild Mountain Thyme written in 1957 so many times and still like singing the song. If anyone who is writing about the earlier songs like Braes of Balquidder or some of the others that use similar tunes of the the 1950s folk revival song please send them to me from Joe.

Subject: RE: Origin: Wild Mountain Thyme
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jul 24 - 03:47 AM

“It’s a daft song…who’d want to pull that, it’s *** useless stuff..”
The one and only Fred Jordan.

Subject: RE: Origin: Wild Mountain Thyme
From: The Sandman
Date: 12 Jul 24 - 05:33 AM

Thyme is very useful, Fred might have been pulling your plonker

Subject: RE: Origin: Wild Mountain Thyme
From: GUEST,Rossey
Date: 12 Jul 24 - 02:04 PM

We've been going round in circles with this thread.. The guest who revived it, repeated an error.. The first recording of the McPeake's version was NOT 1957, the original field recording was made in 1952 - though the first recording on vinyl record appeared in 1957. The field recording (with introduction) is available via the British Sound Library. it was performed live by the McPeakes in January 1953 at the Albert Hall, London in an English Folk Society concert. (see British Newspaper Archive) under the title of 'Go Lassie Go'. Of course the re-vamped words were derived rom Tannahill's, but added to, tidied up and a modern structure created. The tune is reckoned to be totally original. However, there was some debate as to whether Francis McPeake heard it from an 'uncle', or some such source - as in the first field recording he makes a mention of this, but not having written it - and the interpretation is ambiguous. There are extensive threads on Mudcat, and this duplicate thread muddies a subject already covered.

Subject: RE: Origin: Wild Mountain Thyme
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 13 Jul 24 - 10:53 AM

I first heard the McPeakes sing WMT as their one track on an album from the LLangollen International Eisteddfod, some time in the 1950s. Is that the 1957 vinyl? In my memory the LP was a bit earlier, but I cannot locate any info online.

Subject: RE: Origin: Wild Mountain Thyme
From: Reinhard
Date: 13 Jul 24 - 11:13 AM

Yes Ewan, the album Folk Song Today with Frank McPeake and son's “Will You Go Lassie, Go?” was released in 1955, not in 1957.

Subject: RE: Origin: Wild Mountain Thyme
From: GUEST,Rossey
Date: 13 Jul 24 - 01:53 PM

It doesn't matter too much when the album was released.. the earliest actual field recording of the song was made in 1952 with a verbal introduction mentioning an uncle as being a source (but ambiguous in tone). It was also performed live by the McPeakes in January 1953 at an Albert Hall folksong event, Sorry for repeating the erroneous 1957 vinyl date, I took the previous poster's word on that rather than checking.