music from the North West / Lancashire?

Subject: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: red max
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 05:17 AM

This morning I listened to Harry Boardman's "A Lancashire Mon" and really enjoyed it. I've never really tapped into this region's music...not because I'm a Yorkshireman, but because it seems that many folk artists from over the Pennines seem to be semi-comic in their output. If you check out the Oldham Tinkers or Gary & Vera Aspey's stuff there's a lot of jokey songs that can grow quite tiresome after a few listens

I'm sure there are plenty of fine traditional performers from the North West...can anyone suggest some further listening? Thanks

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: The Barden of England
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 05:56 AM

Alan Bell comes to mind straight away, from Fleetwood. Ian Gartside is another, but if you look up http://www.fyldefolk.freeserve.co.uk/ it may do as a start

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: GUEST,Santa
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 07:12 AM

Depends quite what you mean by traditional, but if you haven't seen/heard Jane and Amanda Threlfall you are really missing excellence.

Also notable enough to be booked at festivals even in Yorkshire:
Strawhead
Pat Ryan & Ken Howard
Scolds Bridle

Not sure where Pete Coe lives - think its Lancashire.

Less traditional but worthy of note
Ken Nichol
John Brindley

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: greg stephens
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 07:19 AM

The first LP ever issued of north-western English tunes came out 25 years ago. It is about to be re-issued on CD and is totally excellent. It was called "The Beggar Boy of the North", on Fellside Records.
   The name of the artists eludes me at the moment. Ah, I've just remembered. It was by Greg Stephens and Crookfinger Jack.

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 07:58 AM

Good to hear that Harry Boardman still gets listened to. Other records of his or that he's on can be seen on this site:
Harry Boardman

"Transpennine" with Dave Hilary is one of my favourites.

Comic songs are always difficult to keep listening to as are jokes - once you've heard them they're not funny anymore. I used to do a few of Mike Harding's comic songs but when you've done them to death and people don't laugh at them you have to move on. On the other hand I can sing his more serious songs like "Jimmy Spoons", "King Cotton" and "Christmas 1914" at regular intervals and people will listen and join in and enjoy the songs.
Don't forget Vera Aspey's solo LP "The Blackbird" - some great songs on there without Gary interfering! Their first LP "From the North" has some good non-comic stuff on it as well. Two LPs that are crying out for a CD release! After that they tended to become more of a "music hall" act for school PTA evenings, etc and went away from the more serious side of things.
The Oldham Tinkers also have many songs inbetween their comic tracks that are worth listening to. A lot of them I can relate directly to history lessons from school, especially "Peterloo". Talking of Peterloo, catch Geoff Higginbottom's CD - Peterloo. Mainly self penned songs about the period well worth a listen.

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: red max
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 10:08 AM

Funny you should mention it, I was listening to Vera Aspey's "The Blackbird" album only yesterday. She wrote an excellent song called Coal Black Faces, but elsewhere there's pretty disposable stuff like the music hall Maypole Inn. And that Highwayman song takes a bit of wading through

It's a shame that Harry Boardman's recorded output was slight, as he was plainly sitting on a wealth of knowledge. I mean to check out Trans Pennine very soon, as Dave Hillery's always worth hearing

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: greg stephens
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 10:12 AM

I used to sit in a Lancashire pub with Harry Boardman at the end of the 60's playing tunes, and having deep discussions on the future of the folk revival and how north-west music could best be helped and made available.The last thirty years I've spent trying to implement some of those plans. It's been uphill work!

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: VIN
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 10:28 AM

I think 'Owdam Edge' & 'Deep Lancashire' are still available - some good stuff on there - on Topic?

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: stevethesqueeze
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 10:30 AM

i would make some time to listen to Mike Harding who although a fine comedian also played some good north west stuff. Also I rate Bernard Wrigley, the Bolton Bullfrog and have recently obtained some of his early work on CD available from his website. I also got hold of the two sampler albums from the 60's, "Oldham edge" and "Deep Lancashire" which contain a wealth of excellent stuff from that period.

stevethesqueeze

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 10:30 AM

Greg

I'd be interested to hear the sort of things you and Harry had in mind and whether or not any of your plans came to fruition. I'm always on the lookout for people with memories of Harry to add to the page of the website (see above). If you want to PM me with anything then please feel free.
Myself and Chris Pollington are in the middle of recording a CD of some of the songs that Harry used to do in an attempt to make people aware of them. The sad thing is that if you ask a folk club audience today if they've heard of Harry Boardman, many of them shake their heads which is a pity because he was one of the influential people of the folk revival especially here in the North West and he deserves to be better remembered.

Red Max

I must listen to "The Blackbird" again. Maybe time has clouded my memory of it. (I find long drawn out ballads tedious as well - give me a four verse song with a rousing chorus anyday!)

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: greg stephens
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 11:21 AM

I'll PM you, Mark

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 12:20 PM

I heartily recommend Deep Lancashire.
Giok

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 02:27 PM

Deep Lancashire and Owdham Edge were combined and released as a CD "Deep Lancashire" a few years ago and should still be available - Topic TSCD 485. The trouble is that five tracks were missed off due to time constraints. Three of them were Harry's and two were the Oldham Tinkers'. Topic records have told me that it's unlikely that Harry's stuff will be put out on CD. The Tinkers are having their stuff re-released but under licence on the PIER label.
If you're lucky you can still get hold of vinyl copies of both Deep Lancashire and Owdham Edge from dealers.

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 02:39 PM

Great to find some of these excellent artists and albums being discussed again! Mark Dowding is doing some stirling work on behalf of the late Harry Boardman and ain't a bad interpreter of Lancashire material in his own right!

Pete Coe is originally from Cheshire and now resides in Yorkshire...I think someone mentioned him earlier?

All the best............Harry.

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 02:48 PM

Shucks Harry, you've got me blushing now!!
Next time I come down to the Open Door I'll bring my banjo (which is actually Harry Boardman's's banjo - I bought it off him when he got another one) and do you a couple more of Harry's songs.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 04:13 PM

Looking forward to it already, Mark.....by the way, your version of 'Little Pot Stove' got played on Lancashire Drift tonight...

I got them to mention the Open Door venue change and we had a bit of fun with the address which they gave out as Oswaldenton instead of Chadderton at one stage...got there in the end! :0)

All the best......Harry.

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 07:42 PM

I'm never in on a Thursday when Lancashire Drift is on. I must make a point of trying to listen to it somehow.
I think that's the third track off the CD that's been played. I think Les Bond likes it!

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: red max
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 05:06 AM

It's a terrible shame that Topic don't seem to have any intention of releasing "A Lancashire Mon", as it's a superb LP. I mean, how costly is it for them to dig these up from the vaults?

Notice how classic Shirley Collins albums were actually sub-licensed by Fledgling rather than issued as Topic CDs? If her output isn't viable then the likelihood of those John Kirkpatrick & Sue Harris albums making it to CD is remote

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 05:20 AM

Pete Coe, if I remember rightly, was a Chesire man but now resident in Riponden or thereabouts, West Yorkshire. Again, if memory serves me well, he runs or at least attends the same club as Johnny Adams who's wonderful Village Music Project has music from all over the country, including the North West.

Visit this site for further details.

Out of interest (Well to me anyway!) William Tyldsley, 'Good Billy Tilt', played fiddle at the White Lion, now home of Swinton Folk Club.

Good luck in you research.

Cheers

Dave the Gnome

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: clansfolk
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 05:35 AM

The Ian Gartside Band - Ian Gartside, Pete Skinner, Trevor Colluney

Plus Bass by John Craig (replacing Bill Hunt)

They, along with many other traditional Lancashire Folk Singist will be at The Fylde Folk Festival at Fleetwood 29/30/31 August - and well worth the visit!

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Ralphie
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 07:20 AM

Ssssh...Don't tell the world just yet...
Plans are afoot to record the "Tinkers" for a Xmas special "Andy Kershaw" Radio 3 prog later in the year...Sadly, down in London Town.
Well, we've done Jim Eldon off Flaneborough Head, so, we ought to redress the balance.(Andy, after all is an Oldham lad!)

Regards to all
Ralphie

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Ralphie
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 07:27 AM

Oh, and while I'm on....Lets start a petition for the re-issue of the "Ran-Tan Band" tapes....

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 08:23 AM

Good Grief, Ralphie.....that's a blast from the past....

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Ralphie
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 08:29 AM

Ah Yes Harry....!! And what's wrong with that?
One of the finest dance bands ever to grace this land, and, criminally ignored by those in power (Beware the dread hand of the Folk Mafia!)
At least Ellison is still doing stirling work with those Threlfall Hussies!!

Cheers Mate R.

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 08:32 AM

Absolutely, Ralphie.......and perhaps not as far back as it seems...I think 'The Big Cheese' was about the tail end of the 80's wasn't it?

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Ralphie
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 08:40 AM

Yep...Spot on.!
May Pete R RIP.
Fond memories.
I suppose we should add RTB to the list of lost recordings.
(Does anyone in the US have the foggiest what we're talking about, I wonder?!)
Off to the day job now, Yo, little dawgie! Ralphie

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: VIN
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 08:41 AM

On visiting th'upstairs club at the Unicorn, Church Street a few times, many years ago, that Harry B ran, i'm sure there was a band called 'Gorton Tank' or am i imagining things or gettin mixed up with someone else. Anyone remember?

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 09:02 AM

Gorton Tank rings a bell with me as well, Vin. I think the original name was something to do with the locomotive factory at Gorton. I think more latterly a band did take the name and I think it was something to do with a Morris team as well. Could be the old grey cells letting me down though..;-)

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 09:09 AM

Gorton Tank was indeed the name of a band that appeared at the Unicorn from time to time. It was led by Chris Cole on melodeon but I'm afraid I can't remember the names of the rest of the band. I've got a tape of them performing at the Unicorn in my collection.
When did you go to the Unicorn Vin? I was there from '81 to '84. Might we have met I wonder?

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: VIN
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 09:18 AM

It would have been in the seventies mark and i can remember Harry on that banjo. Great voice he had aswell. I think Middleton library used to have a cassette of his songs, must call in and see if they still have. I've got the vinyl of Owdam Edge if your missin any tracks. I'll put em on the mini disk!

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 09:40 AM

Missed you by a couple of years then Vin!
I've got both the vinyl of Deep Lancashire and Owdham Edge as well as the CD thanks Vin. After many years of having a ropey cassette copy of Deep Lancashire that was played to death I got hold of a virtually pristine copy of it on vinyl a couple of months ago. All I'm looking for now is a vinyl copy of "New Voices" (got a cassette of it) with Harry, The Watersons and Maureen Craik.

Subject: RE: music from the North West / Lancashire?
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 04:04 PM

Vin...when are you going to pay us a visit at the Linnet?