David Laing, Folkways

Subject: David Laing, Folkways
From: GUEST,Matt
Date: 15 May 00 - 02:43 PM

Does anyone know anything about a singer, writer named David Laing? He wrote a number of finely crafted songs on a collection of environmental songs on Folkways called "Equilibrium". His songs are largely about the American West and the steamroller of western expansion, the profound beauty of the natural world, etc.. I love the few songs of his that I know, and I'm curious who he is, where he resides and so on. Does he perform, record, write currently.

Subject: RE: David Laing, Folkways
From: The Shambles
Date: 16 May 00 - 09:36 AM

refresh

Can anyone help with this?

Subject: RE: David Laing, Folkways
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 May 00 - 10:18 AM

Any relation to poet Dilys Laing?

Subject: RE: David Laing, Folkways
From: GUEST,Matt
Date: 16 May 00 - 04:38 PM

No Idea if he's related to Dilys. He's a lovely fingerstyle guitar player, a great yodeler, and a keen writer of songs about the natural world. He has a solo album on Folkways in addition to the songs that are on the Equilibrium collection. Here's one of his songs about the Westward expansion of the US. It sort of combines the confident quality of a romantic cowboy song with a more sober realization about the finality of what we have "achieved" as a nation.

Roving Mind

Monday, crossed the big Missouri The prarie grass and the buffalo and the big hot sun everywhere you go, every where you go -Over hill and dale where the wagons wind in the wind and hail got a rovin mind

Make way, for the ax and the plowshares, Look out west cause here I come and there's a whole lot more coming on the run, comin' on the run. -Over hill and dale where the wagons wind in the wind and hail got a rovin mind Daybreak, on the powder river It's quite a sight and it sure is grand to be the first in a virgin land, in a virgin land. -Over hill and dale where the wagons wind in the wind and hail got a rovin mind Rockies, how we used to hate you, But there's gold and silver all around and we tore it out of your cold hard ground, your cold hard ground -Over hill and dale where the wagons wind in the wind and hail got a rovin mind

Westward, can't rove any further. Backed up against the pacific shore the wild frontier I'll see no more, I'll see no more -Over hill and dale where the wagons wind in the wind and hail got a rovin mind

Subject: RE: David Laing, Folkways
From: GUEST,Michael
Date: 27 Jan 23 - 10:32 PM

Yes, I just recorded and track his ablum Magic Mountain .. My favorite song was Alder River but many are romantic and quite beautiful .

Subject: RE: David Laing, Folkways
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Jan 23 - 12:43 AM

The nice thing about Folkways, is that the entire catalogue is always available. Smithsonian Folkways has two David Laing albums:

• Magic Mountain (1978)
  
• Equilibrium: Songs of Nature and Humanity (1980)