Need Help with Title for a new Album

Subject: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Snoozer
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 07:14 AM

I'm working on an album with a friend (he's the artist, I'm engineering) and we are nearly done, but are having a hard time coming up with a title for the album.

The songs on the album are all taken from the book "The Drifters" by James Michener. The book (written in 1971) is the story of six young adults who each are escaping some political or personal turmoil in 1960's America, and who end up traveling together to Europe and Africa, each in search of some meaning or ideology in their lifes. One of the characters is Gretchen, from Boston, MA, who is a folk singer. The songs she sings are all Child Ballads, 14 are mentioned in the book along with two other songs (Eriskay Love Lilt and Greenland Whale Fisheries). The album is made up of those 16 songs. The songs are all recorded with just voice and guitar and the occassional mandolin, harmonica, vocal harmony, etc to give it a "kind of" 60s folk club feeling.

Our first thought was to call the album The Drifters or Songs of The Drifters, but whenever we mention that to anyone they think of the Mo-Town group from the 1950s and 60s. We've had some other lame ideas but nothing we can use.

So I'm asking all you creative and clever people if you have any ideas for a title for this album.

Thank you!

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: webfolk
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 07:19 AM

Was it Bob Dylan who sang "Drifter's Escape"? Perhaps there's a line in that?

Geoff Rodgers

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: webfolk
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 07:24 AM

"Oh, help me in my weakness,"
I heard the drifter say,
As they carried him from the courtroom
And were taking him away.
"My trip hasn't been a pleasant one
And my time it isn't long,
And I still do not know
What it was that I've done wrong."

Well, the judge, he cast his robe aside,
A tear came to his eye,
"You fail to understand," he said,
"Why must you even try?"
Outside, the crowd was stirring,
You could hear it from the door.
Inside, the judge was stepping down,
While the jury cried for more.

"Oh, stop that cursed jury,"
Cried the attendant and the nurse,
"The trial was bad enough,
But this is ten times worse."
Just then a bolt of lightning
Struck the courthouse out of shape,
And while ev'rybody knelt to pray
The drifter did escape.

That's it and it was his Bobness.

If you avoid "Drifters" and use "drifter" if you get my drift, I think you might be on less Motown ground.
Not got you a title yet, sorry.

Geoff Rodgers

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 07:29 AM

Keep it simple but informative?
"Drifting. (songs from.....)"
or is there a hook line from the book which could be used to tie things together (without getting into copyright issues with the books publishers).
I have an LP from the '70s entitled "Music inspired by the Lord of the Rings" Not the most imaginitive title, but it accurately describes what you are getting.
Quack
Geoff the Duck.

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Dunkle
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 07:41 AM

Driftlines?

I'll keep thinking...

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: jeffp
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 07:42 AM

Songs the Drifter Sang

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Rasener
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 07:43 AM

Drifting From Turmoil
Drifting For Ideology

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: MMario
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 07:58 AM

Adrift With Michener?

James Adrift?

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: GUEST,Dazbo
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 08:01 AM

Songs from Gretchen's Travels

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Kara
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 08:09 AM

Drifting.

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Rasener
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 08:11 AM

Turmoil To Ideology

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Artful Codger
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 08:17 AM

Child of the 60's ;-}

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Paul Burke
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 08:23 AM

Getting the Drift
Songdrift
Drifting Folk

Or scrap the project and choose another novel- Clockwork Orangeman perhaps.

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: GUEST,maryrrf
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 08:26 AM

I remember reading that novel a long time ago - what were the songs?
I know "The Bonnie Earl of Moray" was one, but I can't recall the rest of them.

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 08:29 AM

The Drifters sing the Child Ballads

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 08:45 AM

Driftin'

Valmai

(Clear it with The Folksmen first)

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Snoozer
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 08:48 AM

The songs in the book (in no particular order) are:
Bonny Earl of Murray
Mary Hamilton
Barbara Allen
Gaberlunzie Man
Twa Sisters
Cruel Mother
Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
Golden Vanity
Geordie
House Carpenter
Matty Groves
Gypsy Laddie
Prickly Bush
Lord Randal
Eriskay Love Lilt
Greenland Whale Fisheries

Already see some great title ideas, thanks all!

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Snuffy
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 08:56 AM

Child of the 60s does it for me, AC.

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Artful Codger
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 09:04 AM

Sing Along with Mitchener

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Peace
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 09:10 AM

I was gonna post what Snuffy said.

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: GrassStains
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 09:15 AM

If I had the book handy I think I'd look for a passage in it that refers to music and find a quotable part. Since I don't have the book handy, I looked at the excerpt on Amazon and found that the first line of the book is "Youth is truth." That seems like a possibility to me, followed by a descriptive subtitle, so something like:

Youth is Truth: Songs from James Michener's *The Drifters*

Carol

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: frogprince
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 10:08 AM

IMHO Carol's is easily the best title so far. If that doesn't work for you:

"Songs from the Book of James"
The 16 ballads sung in the James Michener novel "The Drifters"

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Scrump
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 10:30 AM

What's all this about the Drifters being a Motown group? Everyone knows they were Cliff Richard's original backing group (before they changed their name to the Shadows) ;-)

But I don't think the US Drifters were ever signed to Motown AFAIK, they were on Atlantic for a while though.

Sorry for OT stuff, just showing signs of a partly mis-spent youth (partly because the rest was spent on folk).

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: GUEST,Magnus Eisengrim
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 10:36 AM

Gretchen Goes To Nebraska

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Ernest
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 12:05 PM

Child`s Drifters?
Drifter`s Childs?

Also I like Grass Stains idea...

Best
Ernest

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: Kaleea
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 02:10 PM

Driftin' Away

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: GUEST,mrs punkfolkrocker
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 02:34 PM

"old child songs for lost innocents of the 60's"

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 02:39 PM

"old child songs for aging children of the 60's"

or


"child songs for old hippies"

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 02:47 PM

Driftsong

Subject: RE: Need Help with Title for a new Album
From: GUEST,Sharon G
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 02:48 PM

Spindrift