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22 Sep 24 - 08:16 PM (#4208733) Subject: Origins: Tom o' Bedlam melody From: GUEST,Doug O Does anyone (besides me) sing Tom o' Bedlam with the melody in "Pills to Purge Melancholy" ? Everyone seems to use the melody used by Steeleye Span (would love to know the source of that melody). |
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23 Sep 24 - 06:54 AM (#4208741) Subject: RE: Origins: Tom o' Bedlam melody From: MoorleyMan Doug, Check out this link https://www.mainlynorfolk.info/nic.jones/songs/boysofbedlam.html which provides loads of information on the various recordings of this song. Specific reference is made to the tune you mention, thus: "It was in the repertoire of The Halliard at the end of the 1960’s with a tune that was “mostly the work of the Halliard’s Dave Moran with some small input from Nic Jones” (according to Julia Jones). However, they didn’t record it until later (2005 release) for their songbook and CD Broadside Songs." |
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23 Sep 24 - 09:32 AM (#4208756) Subject: RE: Origins: Tom o' Bedlam melody From: GUEST,Wireharp https://www.google.com/search?q=mad+maudlin+catherine+bott&client=firefox-b-1-d&sca_esv=60dc7b8df89f0db7&sca_upv=1&biw=1344&bih= |
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23 Sep 24 - 10:49 AM (#4208757) Subject: RE: Origins: Tom o' Bedlam melody From: GUEST,henryp According to Dave Moran on the goldilox website; http://www.goldilox.co.uk/engfolk/frames/nicjones4.htm "Nic [Jones] and I and mandolin/guitar player Nigel Patterson made up the Halliard. We were looking to develop some new music and we took the advice of song-writer Leslie Shepard. We decided to add tunes to Broadsides that we discovered, uncovered or collected – we checked out the Harkness Collection at Preston and the collections in Manchester etc. We also used Ashton's Street Ballads and Victorian Street Ballads (Henderson) and on a couple of occasions we dipped into Thomas D'Urfey's Pills to Purge Melancholy; that is where we found Mad Maudlin (Tom of Bedlam or the Boys of Bedlam). Nic and I wrote all the tunes together, usually sitting in the front of the Mini and singing and working out tunes as we drove – as the mandolin was the smallest instrument and Nigel [Patterson] was in the back, he always played the tunes. 'Jones and Moran' wrote a heap of songs like this including Lancashire Lads, Going for a Soldier Jenny, Miles Weatherhill, Calico Printer's Clerk etc. We wrote the tunes to fit the words and sometimes added or altered words, as in The Workhouse Boy. So Nic and I wrote the tune to D'Urfeys words of Mad Maudlin – audiences were confused and stunned – it was very surreal... We did a booking in the Midlands and an unaccompanied foursome called the Farriers loved the song and asked if they could sing it unaccompanied. We said, Sure – they were very good, a bit like the Young Tradition. I believe that is how it got into the mainstream. |
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29 Sep 24 - 10:19 AM (#4209019) Subject: RE: Origins: Tom o' Bedlam melody From: maeve Good info, that- thank you henryp. And of course Nigel Paterson is a long-time Mudcat member. |