The Manchester Ballads

Subject: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 12:48 PM

In 1983, Harry Boardman and Roy Palmer edited a collection of ballads that dealt with goings on in Manchester hence "The Manchester Ballads"
This collection was published by the City of Manchester Education Committee.

Following the release of the CD "A Mon Like Harry The Songs of Harry Boardman", Cock Robin Music and myself are about to embark on a project to record the ballads - something that Harry Boardman hadn't got round to doing before his untimely death in 1987 other than a few recordings for a radio broadcast that is not available to the general public, and one or two ballads that he had recorded on LPs prior to the publishing of the ballads folder.

21 years down the line, I was wondering if the Manchester Ballads were still available to buy and I'm delighted to say that they are for the measly sum of £10 which includes p+p (UK only - overseas please enquire further)
Anyone wishing to purchase a copy, please send a cheque for £10 payable to "Manchester Music Service" with delivery details to:

Manchester Music Service
Zion Arts Centre
Stretford Road
Manchester
M15 5ZA

More information on the Manchester Ballads is avaialable HERE

I hope this will be of interest to you 'catters

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: 8_Pints
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 07:27 PM

Many thanx for the info Mark.

Bob vG

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 12:58 PM

Cheers, Mark...

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Barb'ry
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 01:37 PM

Sent off today - thanks Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mary Humphreys
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 03:12 PM

Hi all,
I have had a copy of the Manchester Ballads for over 10 years - there were boxes of them gathering dust on the Education Committee shelves and no-one quite knew what to do with them. I think they were originally priced at £13 - so anyone buying them now is getting a bargain!
It is a beautiful set of faximile broadsides in a hardback folder, with notes on the songs.
I still don't know why it didn't sell. Perhaps it was it was never marketed.
Rush out and buy now!
Mary

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: karen k
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 06:06 PM

Ooooooooooooooooooh! Sounds great. Will Camsco have any? Maybe I can get one when I'm over in March and April.

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 06:46 PM

Generally speaking, CAMSCO will carry anything that there's a demand for. (demand meaning a half-dozen requests or more.) Fewer than that means that I don't get a discount, and I have to wind up charging more than the publisher.

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Joybell
Date: 06 Feb 04 - 05:38 PM

Looks great, Mark, thank you. Now I just need to try and find out about overseas purchase. Joy

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 07 Feb 04 - 09:14 AM

Joybell

If you send an email to [e-mail] and tell them "you'd like a copy of the Manchester Ballads but live in (insert country here) can you advise the price please?", then I'm sure they'd let you know.

Please let us know how you get on.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 16 Feb 04 - 06:55 PM

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 17 Feb 04 - 02:47 AM

I pass the Zion Arts centre at least once a day if that's any help to anyone. PM me if arrangements need making!

Cheers

:D

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Joybell
Date: 17 Feb 04 - 05:09 PM

Thanks Mark. I did email them without response a few weeks back. I've just sent off another message.
Thanks Dave, I'll give it this try and maybe ask for your help if it doesn't work. Thanks a lot Regards Joy

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 17 Feb 04 - 07:34 PM

Barb'ry got her copy the other day so the system works!


Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Dita
Date: 18 Feb 04 - 06:37 AM

Thanks for the sharing this Mark, my cheques in the post.

John

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Brakn
Date: 18 Feb 04 - 08:26 AM

If you go into the Zion Arts Centre ask for the Manchester Music Service. If you ask the desk for The Manchester Ballads they probably won't know what your talking about.

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 22 Oct 04 - 03:47 AM

Just to keep you up to date on this project. Chris and myself are now about to do some recording after further research of the ballads - especially the tunes to some of them. We've found the original tune to "Calico Printer's Clerk" and "Telegraph Girls in Cannon Street" and will be using these tunes rather than the ones suggested. As there are 35 of these ballads to record, it will take a while as I'm doing it in my spare time. What we plan to do is record so many and try and get local folk radio programmes in the North West interested in featuring them to get interest aroused then record the rest and release what will most likely be a double CD.
More news to follow.
Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: PennyBlack
Date: 22 Oct 04 - 04:44 AM

Mark - have you contacted Phil Brown (Radio Lancashire "Drift")?

I'm sure he'd be interested in doing an interview.

Keep us up to date with the project We will be 2 of the many interested.

cheers

PB

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 22 Oct 04 - 12:11 PM

Hi PB

I am in touch with Phil on a regular basis regarding "The Drift" and he will certainly be one of the people we will be contacting as well as Ali O'Brien of Sounds of Folk on BBC GMR, Stan Ambrose of Folkscene on BBC Radio Merseyside and Genevieve Tudor of Sunday Folk on BBC Radio Shropshire. We will also be sending sample copies to other stations further afield - Radio Derby and Radio Cumbria in this country and also Malcolm Rigby and Ron Olesko in the states for their programmes.
Hopefully we'll have something this side of Christmas but as Chris is unavailable for a week or so it's going to get into November before the "tape" gets rolling.

One thing we've found when practicing these songs is how wordy many of them are when being sung. Whilst "Jone o' Grinfilt" and "The Calico Printer's Clerk" have been regularly performed over the years, I don't recall hearing many of the other songs. Harry Boardman did start doing The Telegraph Girls but he had the words in front of him when he sang it at his club in the Unicorn. "Victoria Bridge on a Saturday Night" is also one that needs plenty of lung capacity and concentration.

From what we've done so far, quite a few of the songs will be accompanied on the piano as we feel that the songs could well have been performed in a music hall environment which lends itself to piano. We're also arranging them for other instruments or unaccompanied singing where we feel this would be best.

Following our successful festival concerts/workshops over the summer with the Harry Boardman material, we hope to be doing something similar with the Manchester Ballads next year.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: GUEST,Mark Dowding (at work)
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 10:43 AM

An update on how this is going:

It's been a bit of a slog doing 23 of the 35 ballads so far but there's a bit of light at the end of the tunnel! What we've done so far sounds really good (well I would say that wouldn't I!) and has surprised me how much life there is in the songs once you start singing them. Chris's arrangements have improved the songs no end and whilst he has been using keyboard on many of them, I've been adding banjo, guitar, English and Anglo concertina and mandolin here and there.
We've got a couple of Radio shows lined up in May and June so you can have a listen and we'll be doing a workshop on them at afew local festivals over the summer.

The new (sorry - original) version of Calico Printers Clerk has gone down really well when I've been singing it recently - much more music hall in style than the tune we all know via Dave Moran and Nic Jones.

Hopefully this will be available in June on a double CD.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mary Humphreys
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 10:51 AM

For those of you in Suffolk and neighbouring areas, Mark ( & Chris) will be doing the Everyman Folk Club on 28th October when you can get an earful of the best of Manchester.
Mary Humphreys

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: GUEST,padgett (at home)
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 11:35 AM

Hy Mark, Mary et al!!

Harry Boardman workshop went very well indeed at Barnsley Singaround festival.

Lovely Calico printer's clerk original tune very musical hall and singable!!

Chris (Harvey) mentioned Barnsley Anthem (We're reight dahn in cellar 'ole weer muck slaights on winders____)

This song as far as I know is lttle known this side of the Pennines I only know of Dave Burland doing it!

Any further information as to where it came from? [Roy Palmer, yes I know but____]??

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: GUEST,Mark Dowding (at work)
Date: 11 May 05 - 03:13 AM

Well we've finished the recording and it's now just a case of mixing the 35 tracks down on to the CD - I say CD - it's actually going to be a double CD at 133 minutes long. Over the next few weeks Chris and I will be discussing this project on BBC GMR Sounds of Folk with Ali on 30th May and then we're down to BBC Shropshire on 19th June with Genevieve by which time we should have something to sell to the public.
I'm hoping Roy Palmer will be able to join us on 19th to give his insight into the original publication of The Manchester Ballads.

We're going to price it at £15 which we think is reasonable for a double CD.
Please keep an eye on www.markdowding.co.uk for more information.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 11 May 05 - 02:59 PM

Sounds great Mark, Im sure lots of people will really enjoy and value what you have done

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 14 May 05 - 07:37 AM

Roy Palmer can't make it to the BBC Shropshire studio on the 19th June but he will be with us on the telephone to talk to Genevieve on the night.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: GUEST,Mark Dowding
Date: 16 May 05 - 03:11 AM

Refresh

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Alio
Date: 16 May 05 - 05:36 AM

I'm really looking forward to listening to it - roll on Bank Holiday Monday!

Ali

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: GUEST,Mark Dowding (at work)
Date: 26 May 05 - 08:24 AM

Don't forget BBC GMR Sounds of Folk this Bank holiday Monday from 8-05 pm. 95.1 and 104.6FM.

The four songs from the Ballads that Ali will be playing are "The Manchester Exhibition", "The Calico Printer's Clerk", "A New Song on the Carters' and Railway Servants' Strike" and "The Telegraph Girls of Cannon Street"

"Calico..." and "Telegraph..." feature the original tunes which one or two people have already heard when I've sung the songs in clubs recently and hopefully you'll like what we've done with the other 2 songs as well.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mary Humphreys
Date: 26 May 05 - 09:14 AM

Though we are away this weekend - Chippenham Folk Festival - we wish you & Ali all the best for the programme. See you at the Everyman in October if not before!
Mary

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: John Routledge
Date: 26 May 05 - 09:46 AM

Mark sang "The Telegraph Girls of Cannon Street" and the origional "Calico Printer's Clerk" last night at Songs in the Snug at Lymm and excellent they were too :0)

An excellent night all round with 10 very varied singers including Ted Edwards accompanied by his first CD.

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 30 May 05 - 04:21 AM

Sounds of Folk tonight on BBC GMR at 8-05 after the news
95.1 and 104.6 FM
Also online on t'internet and on DAB on the fancy wireless sets!

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: GUEST,Mark Dowding at work
Date: 02 Jun 05 - 08:04 AM

Hopefully the double CD of Manchester Ballads will be available for purchase in the next couple of weeks barring problems with MCPS - the "Calico Printer's Clerk" will be interesting in this respect as we are using the original tune and not the one by Dave Moran.

The catalogue number is CRM 143/144 (not CRM 139 as it says on the website at the moment) and it will cost £16 inclusive of p+p.

Manchester Music Services have given us permission to utilise the cover of the original publication of "Manchester Ballads" for the CD and this is now available to view on my website with other details of how to get hold of it.

Roy Palmer has written an introduction for us - I sent him a demo CD of 14 tracks that we'd already mixed and he's dead chuffed with what we've done.

Chris and myself will be doing three workshops about the ballads at Four Fools, Saddleworth and Fylde festivals over the summer so please drop in and see us if you're around then.

Anyone who thinks ballads are long, drawn out, boring, finger-in-the-ear-performance dirges are in for a bit of a surprise!

Cheers
Mark
WEBSITE

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 17 Jun 05 - 06:11 AM

The CD should be available next week.

Listen to Sunday Folk on BBC Radio Shropshire with Genevieve Tudor on Sunday from 8-00pm for a preview.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 01:55 PM

If you're at Four Fools festival this weekend then copies will be available. Chris Harvey and myself are doing an hour on Saturday singing a few of the ballads.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Barb'ry
Date: 26 Jun 05 - 06:24 PM

Congratulations to Mark and Chris for a fantastic CD. Just got back from the Four Fools Festival and the Manchester Ballads session has to be the highlight of the festival for me. I've been listening to the CD since I got back and it's really interesting as well as having great songs and tunes. Thanks for putting in all the hard work
Barb'ry

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 29 Jun 05 - 08:11 AM

Thanks to everybody who came along to Four Fools last weekend to see the concert/workshop that Chris and I did. I'm sorry the room wasn't bigger to fit everybody in who wanted to see it. The response we had was fantastic.
We will be doing a similar concert/workshop at Saddleworth festival on July 16th but this will also be featuring some of the songs of Harry Boardman after Alio put a request in!
Fylde is the other festival we're presenting the ballads at in September.

Please check my WEBSITE for details of the CD.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 11 Jul 05 - 12:47 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: R. Padgett
Date: 11 Jul 05 - 02:08 PM

Saddleworth FF workshop then Mark and Chris and Cds for sale eh!

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 14 Sep 05 - 08:20 AM

Chris and I have been really chuffed with the response we've had from the three festivals this year. Two small rooms full at Four Fools and Saddleworth and the Gasworkers' Club hall with about 60-70 people in at 10-30 on a Saturday morning at Fylde was very pleasing to see. The Henry Watson Library in Manchester is interested in us doing a concert for them at some point in the near future and I'm sure we will be doing a similar exercicse at next year's festivals. We only managed 9 or 10 songs in the hour we were given so there's plenty more to listen to.
Thanks to all who came to see us.
Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 31 Oct 05 - 09:11 AM

Subject to confirmation, Chris and I will be doing a concert of the Manchester Ballads at Manchester central library on Friday December 16th from 12:30 till 2:00. This is a free event and we'd love to see anyone who is in Manchester on that day if you can make it. More details when I get more details

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mary Humphreys
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 02:22 PM

Mark and Chris did a superb evening at the Everyman Folk Club in Saxmundham on 28th October. The room was full and the response from the Suffolk crowd was wonderfully enthusiastic. They certainly did us proud!
I have just listened to the whole 2 CD set over the last couple of days and I think it is one of the best bargains of the year. I have learnt more about Manchester from these ballads than I ever did in 'academic' education.
Great work.
Good luck with the Henry Watson Library gig. I bet it's a sell-out. Would love to be there.
Mary Humphreys

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 11 Nov 05 - 05:16 AM

After further discussion with Manchester library, the concert we are doing for them will now be held on Saturday Feb 4th 2006.

It was felt by the library that 16th Dec was too near Xmas and that a Saturday dinner time slot would be better but the eariest ones available would be into next year.

Did anybody catch "The Drift" last night on Radio Lancashire?
A couple of blokes on there rambling on about some ballads from Manchester!

Cheers
Mark
www.markdowding.co.uk

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 24 Nov 05 - 10:44 AM

The Manchester Ballads radiothon continues.
Stan Ambrose of BBC Radio Merseyside "Folkscene" interviewed Chris and myself the other day for his show to be broadcast on Sunday 27th Nov at 7-05pm, 95.8FM and online - www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jan 06 - 07:51 AM

Just a reminder about the "Manchester Ballads" concert that Chris and me are doing in the Henry Watson Library (Manchester Central Library - 2nd floor) on Saturday 4th Feb from 12-30 to 2-00 in the afternoon. It's a free event and I think there's refreshments being served.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: GUEST,Mark Dowding
Date: 03 Feb 06 - 09:03 AM

Allan Beswick's having us on his programme on BBC GMR tomorrow morning at about 8-45am to talk about the ballads and the concert at the Library

BBC GMR (Manchester) 95.1 and 104.6FM and online www.bbc.co.uk/gmr

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Roberto
Date: 03 Feb 06 - 09:07 AM

I've just received the cd with the Manchester Ballads I have bought from Mark Dowding: very, very good. R

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 04 Feb 06 - 12:49 PM

We've just been to the Library to see Chris and Mark and I have to say they were brilliant. Great songs, great arrangements, great singing, great setting. Well done both and Manchester City Libraries for hosting a unique event.

On show for is to see, handle and lust over were the Libraries collection of broadsides. Lots of good songs to be had even now after all sorts of people have used them as sources.

The Library is keen to do more music - what would we like to hear? I would go for an afternoon of subtle dance music from Gorton Tank.

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 04 Feb 06 - 03:00 PM

................ and I bet that Mary Humphries wouldn't turn down a chance to play in that place?

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 05 Feb 06 - 02:08 PM

Thanks for that Les. Glad you enjoyed it.
It was the first musical event of that kind that the library have staged - the other events have been poetry readings and book launches and so nobody was really sure how it would go. To see a full house stay until the end was great.
The event was filmed by Manchester District Music Archive for their collection which will be of use in years to come.
I'm sure the response that this concert got from the public will encourage them to put more events on in future. I've suggested "The Lancashire Cotton Famine" production thatI'm involved with to Libby Tempest and I'm sure she'll consider it in future.

Anybody see Time Team tonight digging up the middle of Manchester trying to find Arkwright's first mill?

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 05 Feb 06 - 02:14 PM

Taped it to watch later. Manchesetr Lit and Phil are another organisation with an interest in all things Manchester and what ever, perhaps they would give you and Chris a spot sometime.

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: GUEST,Mary Humphreys - at work
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 08:50 AM

Les,
I would LOVE to play in the City Library - affectionately known as Central Ref by us students at the time. The years I spent there, supposedly doing work on botany and zoology, when all I was doing was getting my hands on everything to do with folk music. What a resource!
No wonder I wasn't much cop at science, but still heavily involved in music....
Glad to hear that Mark is paving the way for us.
Mary Humphreys

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 01:02 PM

Perhaps Mark knows how to ease the route?

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 03:11 AM

I've just had Libby Tempest contact me saying how much they enjoyed the event and they were delighted with the audience. They want to do further events so there is definitely potential for other people to do something. The route is easier than you think. If you're interested Mary, please get in touch and I'll send you Libby's details. ([e-mail])

Our spot on the Allan Beswick programme on BBC GMR earlier in the day has had a couple of people getting in contact wanting more information. I listened in to the start of his show before I went to the studio and I thought he was going down the road of all presenters who see folk music as "Arran jumpers and fingers in the ear" but he was really enthusiastic about what we were doing and gave us a good build up. Beswick used to do a bit in the folk clubs anyway so he knows what he's talking about and doesn't dismiss us as rural idiots!


Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: The Manchester Ballads
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 02:21 PM

All good news then. Beswick is brilliant on his phone in the mornings. Lots of good people phone but some pretty strange ones too. Perhaps Folkies could listen and phone to raise the profile of folk related issues in the North West?