History - BBC's 'Singing Together'

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Karen
Date: 26 Oct 10 - 05:57 AM

I clearly remember the tune for Antonio, Antonio its Raining its raining again!

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Jane of 'ull
Date: 09 Oct 10 - 08:40 PM

Yes the ones I remember are from that era too.

I remember the 'Peanuts' song - though we sang a ruder version in the playground!!

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,destiny
Date: 09 Oct 10 - 02:33 PM

Wow what a site, I remember singing together with fond memories. We would listen to it on the radio in class, I was about 8. I would even listen to it at the half terms.
The songs I remember are from 1979 - 81
Peanuts ( or a song about peanuts)may have had a different title
Here come the navvies
Also I remember my older sister singing one called Yellow bird.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: puck
Date: 05 Oct 10 - 03:12 PM

I have very fond memories of Singing Together in 1956 onwards 'till I left primary school near Brecon S Wales to go to grammar school. It introduced me to folk music at an impressionable age! THANK GOD!!
P

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 05 Oct 10 - 03:08 PM

I was thrilled to discover this thread. These class singing activities were a weekly event when I was a pupil at Willowbank Primary in Glasgow from autumn 77 to summer 81. It is so long ago that I couldn't even remember whether it was a BBC or ITV service. I am specifically searching for books and songs from this period and I would really love to hear these old songs again. In the fog of my memory the following songs stand out...

Rocky Rocky Road
Ling ling and the Chinese Dragon
A Wassail, A Wassail
Here come the Navvies
The Football Song (?)
The Gypsy Rover

I know there is a website mentioned somewhere on theses threads that has what i am looking for but I cannot find it. Could anyone email me with any details at [e-mail] ?
It Seemed like a different world then. Although it was just 30 years ago it seems like 3 million years ago to me. I also found a great DVD set called "Charley Says" which includes loads of public information films from the era. It's also worth looking at wwww.sub-tv.co.uk and www.tv-ark.org.uk if you want to hear the continuation music that was played whilst the onscreen clock ticked towards the next programme. Does anyone remember "Theme from Justine" by Bruno Nicolai or "Bart" by the obscure US band "Ruby"? Happy memories indeed! Cheers Ray

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Jonah
Date: 05 Oct 10 - 12:45 PM

Does anyone remember an Hungarian folk song on Singing Together It would be about 1959 or 1960 I believe.   What was its title?

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Ralph Bacon MBE
Date: 27 Sep 10 - 11:11 AM

This thread has confirmed the wide influence of Singing Togethern broadcasts and also the influence of 'Pip' Appleby whose idea it was. It has even brought an apology for the sound of cello practice from Yvonne Jackman my neighbour of years ago.
E mail: rbaconmbe@aol .com for anybody else who remembers me.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,SRD
Date: 06 Sep 10 - 06:09 PM

My mother was a primary school teacher at various schools in NW Kent including our village school, St Pauls, in Swanley Village. One of the 'extra skills' she bought to the job was the ability to play the piano and accompany the songs in 'Singing Together', to provide the music for 'Music and Movement' and the later equivalents. Somewhere or other I still have some of the booklets (between 1955 and 1971). Those songs, although more than a little edited and bowdlerised, helped fix the idea of folk music in me.
I particularly remember 'Westering Home', 'No John', 'Garden Where the Praties Grow' as well as later stuff; a song about Newfoundland the chorus of which went something like:
'Hip your partner, Sally Thibeau,
Hip your partner Sally Brown,
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour,
All around the circle.'

And my younger siblings still sing
'Oh Dagobert half dachsund, half basset hound
had ears and a stomach that trailed to the ground.
And four legs so short that they did not make sense.
With such legs he'll never see over the fence.'

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Midzone1
Date: 06 Sep 10 - 03:28 PM

Hi

My search for old recordings of Singing Together continues - especially from the seventies and early eighties. I have many sets of School Radio Broadcasts but would love to get more from Singing Together!

My oldest broadcast is the request programme from Spring Term 1977 - the winning song was Pay Me My Money Down - copy the link below for a sample from the broadcast! The presenter was John Camburn and Soloist Stephen Varcoe.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/jcop0v


If you can help with any broadcasts please email me direct - [e-mail]


Regards


Steve

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,ratsmat
Date: 03 Sep 10 - 07:39 PM

1965 ish?? Zartians.. I remember it as
Calling all Zartians to take a stand
Earthmen invaders approach our Land
Up and Attack to make them draw back
We are all set and our spaceships manned.

Calling all Zartians Out
Calling all Zartians Out

Though we are small we are brave and Strong
Our two Antenna are extra long
We can transmit every thought as we think it
We can transmit every Zartian Song

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Xi Hymn
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 05:48 AM

Joe, yes, it is the tune to The Rain Song I'm after.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 02:43 AM

I would like to actually see some of the Singing Together booklets and hear the BBC productions. Are samples of either available online?
In this thread, Kernow John said he had posted copies of the booklets online, but the link he gave now leads to an unsafe site, so I deleted his link. Anybody have contact with John, so he can lead us to the new home for his stuff? Maybe I saw Johns stuff when he posted it back in 2003, but I'm much older now and can't remember seeing them....

-Joe-

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Aug 10 - 05:54 PM

Which song are you looking for, Xi Hymn? - "The Rain Song"???

-Joe-

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Xi Hymn
Date: 25 Aug 10 - 04:49 PM

Please email me, [e-mail], if you can sing/hum/whistle it for me!

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Aug 10 - 12:26 PM

hello there
Read with interest you knowing William Appleby he was a fantasic example and it a great shame hes not around today. I used to teach music we also listend to his Home Service radio broadcasts to schools in late primary and early secondry. I trined to be a music teacher and I have a whole braodcast still on tape would you like a cassette of it would love to be in contact with you. My email address is [e-mail]

Hope to hear from you

dec

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Aug 10 - 12:15 PM

HI Ian
read your interest re Willam Appleby Singing Together Luckly I have a braodcast on tape autum term 1967 my last year at school we used to follow his radio programmes and I worked as a music teacher myself if you are keen I can et you have a copy on cassette its worth a listen emial me [e-mail] if interested

Dec

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Xi Hymn
Date: 18 Aug 10 - 05:54 PM

NO! Simon Breadbin I didn't! I can't tell you how exciting your offer is!!!!!

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Simon Breadbin
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 06:23 AM

RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'

Hey Xi Hymn, did you find your music? I know the tune and often sing it at top volume, to annoy my girlfriend. It was one of my favourite songs at school. I'll happily sing it for you as I'd forgotten the words and your post was very useful.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 09:51 AM

I remember the tune :-)

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: mikesamwild
Date: 23 Jul 10 - 12:01 PM

My teacher at Birchfields Primary Schhol Manchester, Miss Hedgewick, taught us songs in 1948 when I was about 9. She would reward you with Cherry Lips sweets from a tin if you sang well!
My love of a lot of folk songs stems from her.

She did explain that New York gals was a bit riskier than she taught us , not a prude I think!

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Yvonne Jackman
Date: 23 Jul 10 - 11:54 AM

I have just found this incredibly nostalgic site. I was a Doncaster school pupil during the fifties and sixties and had the privilege of knowing 'Pip' Appleby personally. He was a great friend of my secondary school Headmistress, Miss Woollett and together they ran a Thursday lunchtime 'Listeners Club' where we heard recordings of the great classics and followed the music on miniature scores. Thanks to 'Pip' I was invited to join the Danensian Singers group and went to Leeds to record Singing Together programmes. He also used us to record hymns for the BBC Daily service for which we were paid the princely sum of £9.... a small fortune to a 16 year old in those days. Pip also encouraged me to play the 'cello'and arranged for me to have free lessons and the loan of an instrument for the remainder of my school days.
I noticed an earlier post from Ralph Bacon MBE - He and his family lived next door to us in Finch Road, so the poor man had to endure the sound of my practising - it must have been excruciating.
I still have my singing together pamplets from the 1950s - I was given them at primary school to use for tunes to play on my recorder.I owe my enduring love of classical music to William Appleby and his involvement with the Doncaster schools music service.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Robin Carmody
Date: 07 Jul 10 - 05:43 PM

A bit of both, I think.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Ronan
Date: 07 Jul 10 - 08:19 AM

Hi

Wonderful to discover this long-running thread. Strange how so many people have the same kind of memories. The wooden speaker plugged into some kind of socket that ran to the headmasters's office. Two classes squeezed into one classroom, etc.

We grew up in an urban setting in South London and the lyrics were sometimes like a kind of cultural education. Places like Wales, Yorkshire, Scotland were like another universe. I remember things like Men of Harlech and Lisa Llan particularly.

At the time (in the sixties) I was also buying the Record Song Book which had the lyrics of chart music. I remember experiencing a conflict between the way I sang those songs, and the way we were expected to sing in "Singing Together". I guess there were kind of blue-note slurs in all the pop songs, whereas the "folk" songs as delivered by William Appleby were squarely on the notes.

The folk songs I later came to appreciate are usually spiced with ornamental lead-in notes and jumps (can't remember what to call them - in guitar playing I would call them hammers and pull-offs). The Singing Together style must have been somehow cleaned up or simplified - or was it because they weren't being sung by folk singers as such?

Subject: ADD: The Rain Song (Perry & Coombes)
From: GUEST,Xi Hymn
Date: 30 Jun 10 - 03:32 PM

Ruthie Two Shoes, the words are....

THE RAIN SONG
(John Perry and Douglas Coombes)

On Monday morning he got up.
"It's raining, it's raining again!"
"I can't go to school today," he said
"It's raining, it's raining again!"

Chorus: Antonio! Antonio!
it's raining, it's raining again!"

On Tuesday morning he got up.
"It's raining, it's raining again!"
"I can't play football today," he said.
"It's raining, it's raining again!"

On Wednesday morning he got up.
"It's raining, it's raining again!"
"I can't go shopping today," he said,
"It's raining, it's raining again!"

On Thursday morning he got up.
"It's raining, it's raining again!"
"I can't go swimming today," he said,
"It's raining, it's raining again!"

On Friday morning he got up.
"It's raining, it's raining again!"
"I can't paint the house today," he said,
"It's raining, it's raining again!"

On Saturday morning he got up.
"It's raining, it's raining again!"
"I can't sweep the floor today," he said,
"It's raining, it's raining again!"

On Sunday morning he got up.
"It's raining, it's raining again!"
"I can't cook the dinner today," he said,
"It's raining, it's raining again!"

I have found these lyrics because I'm desperate to rediscover the song but can only recall a fragment of the tune. So if you have the melody or sheet music or a recording of it or knowledge of where I can find them... or even just a willingness to sing/hum it, then please let me know.

---

Note from Joe Offer: This page says the songwriters are John Perry and Douglas Coombes.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Midzone
Date: 11 Jun 10 - 09:26 AM

In reply to Robert the Singing Together presenters for those years are talking about are:

Autumn Term 1976 - Johnny Morris
Spring Term 1977 - John Camburn
Summer Term 1978 - John Amis

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Lynn Breeze
Date: 11 Jun 10 - 08:18 AM

I illustrated a few of the song books for the BBC during the seventies/ eighties. They were great fun to do... simple two colour jobs and I probably still have them in my files somewhere. It's good to hear they may still be going.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Robin Carmody
Date: 12 May 10 - 09:16 PM

Gwen/Croaker upthread: I've got the Autumn 1983 pupil's book. The songs were:

Patrick on the Railroad (Ireland, aka "...to work upon the railway")
Tinga Layo (West Indies)
Skye Boat Song (Scotland - obviously!)
The Blue-Tail Fly (USA)
Guy Fawkes (England - a prime example of a song that wouldn't be taken seriously today: best/worst line "that is, he would have used the gas, but solely was prevented, 'cause gas, you know, in James's time, it wasn't then invented")
Sleep my Baby (Wales)
Christmas Day in the Morning (England)
Calypso Carol (Canada)
Song of the Crib (Germany)
Now in Bethlem (Mexico)
Hey Little Bull (Brazil)

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Ruthie Two Shoes
Date: 03 May 10 - 06:56 AM

Would love to find the words to Antonion, it's raining again ready for our camping holiday this year with the grandchildren - how do I find them?

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Robert
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 06:54 AM

I can remember the Singing Together broadcasts in the 1970s. I was at Castlehill Primary School in Bearsden and we got Singing Together from P5 through to P7. The songbooks that accompanied the broadcasts were always beautifully illustrated. The broadcasts were entertaining although I wasn't too keen on the old ballads. I think it's fair to say that the words "fair maid" and "love" occurred in a Singing Together broadcast like the word "minister" in an episode of Yes Minister. At the end of each series there was a vote on the most popular songs that had featured in that series. The winners of the vote were always bouncy upbeat non-romantic songs like Pay Me My Money Down and The Banana Boat Song. The teacher I had in P7, a woman who seemed to think kids should only like the things that elderly ladies in the 1970s liked, complained about the ballads being at the bottom of the poll or not included at all. She had no empathy with kids. On the subject of the vote, can you tell me the name of the presenter. I know one was Johnny Morris but who was the other one? If I can speak freely, he was a bit of a drip. The week before the results of the vote, he finished the programme by saying "Next week we're going to find out the results of your votes. Oh I can hardly wait". When the programme with the vote was broadcast he started with the words "At last the great day has arrived!". My words to him, 35 years on, are "Get a life". He was on another schools radio programme, the title of which I can't remember, and he said "You know, at school people used to call me "Rosie, Rosebud" and there's nothing really rosy about me at all". But it's fair to say he sounded a bit camp. Anyway, part of my not too fondly remembered years at Castlehill Primary but Singing Together was a good programme which definitely did stimulate my interest in music.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Alban
Date: 22 Apr 10 - 07:35 PM

Ive just seen that somone is selling Singing Together, Time & Tune, Music Workshop, Music Makers & Music time pamphlets and Teachers Notes on ebay, they look a bargain!!!!

Alban

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: Weasel
Date: 21 Apr 10 - 06:21 PM

It's certainly true that the kids don't "casually pick up" the things we picked up, but they're not thick! - they pick up different things.

I don't suppose we picked up the things our grandparents thought were essential.

I'm always impressed by how important children's tv programmes are to us and to them - how can they live without having known The Woodentops? - but to them, Postman Pat is just as wonderful, the Clangers are as vital to their history as Rag Tag and Bobtail or Bill and Ben were to ours.

I remember singing "For she is the flower of Killarny" from "Singing Together" when I was about 9 years old, most of us were in love with her in fact, well, with the pen drawing of the Irish beauty that headed the page, and we all identified with Black Sir Harry and that last knight who declared, "my bride, my queen, thou must with me" in "the Red the Green and the Yellow". The kids would laugh at such songs now, just at their grandchildren will laugh at their songs.

We can try to pass on to our children the things we think are important, but the tradition is, and should be, a living one that grows.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: Edthefolkie
Date: 21 Apr 10 - 05:27 PM

On a point of information Borchester, the words of "Silent Worship" appear to have been written by Sir Arthur Somervell but were certainly set to his adaptation of the aria by Handel.

I knew the song from primary school and the BBC, and I bet Barry Dransfield did too - I was so blown away by his rendering on "Unruly" a couple of years ago that I did a bit of Googling and found at least some of the song's origins. Obviously the lyric is meant to evoke the 18th century but to me it's redolent of the 1890s/early 1900s - I can imagine Walter Crane or Arthur Rackham illustrating it.

It's very true, as several people said, that unfortunately children don't casually acquire gems like these any more - I believe it was called education wasn't it?

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Robert
Date: 21 Apr 10 - 03:13 PM

I've just noticed that someone is selling Singing Together / Time & Tune, Music Workshop, Music Time pamphlets and teachers notes on e-bay.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Cath
Date: 15 Mar 10 - 06:56 PM

@drivers, @rosiet Great to track down others who remember the Zartians! From 1965ish??

Calling all Zartians to take a stand
Earthmen invaders approach our land
Come and attack and make them draw back
We are all set and our spaceships manned

[I'd forgotten this last line...]

And from the same time - I used to love singing 'Streets of Laredo' - I always thought it was most sad...

Cath

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Adam Carew again
Date: 16 Feb 10 - 07:38 PM

It's probably bad form to reply to your own posts, but I have now come across a list of the songs here, and anyone following my footsteps in the future might like to know:

http://www.folkinfo.org/forum/topic.php?topicid=1188

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Adam Carew
Date: 16 Feb 10 - 07:16 PM

What a thread to stumble over! Too many shared memories here, but I might add that I never quite fell for William Appleby's programme after he did "Football Crazy" but the words were different from the song sung by Robin Hall and Jim MacGregor. I sensed even then that this was kid's stuff, and for a 10 year old at the end of the swinging sixties that was not cool.

I would love to see a list o hte songs. Someone said "Kernow John" is producing a CD. If you read this, KJ, please let me know how to get hold of it.

PS Like someone else I (mis)remembered Wm Appleby's booming "Hello Schools!" coming out of the speaker with rather a plummy accent, so hearing a soft but definite Doncaster accent a few moments ago came as a surprise; but perhaps for people in Chester, Doncaster was rather posh - it's all relative you know...

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 10 Jan 10 - 09:21 AM

Did You Not Hear My Lady? is actually entitled Silent Worship and is an aria from the G F Handel opera Tolomeo. The most beautiful version I have ever heard was arranged and recorded by Barry Dransfield on Unruly.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: gnomad
Date: 10 Jan 10 - 09:03 AM

I confess to having also been thoroughly influenced by these programmes, including the stack of several previous year collections which made up the textbooks for school music lessons.

Just for Guest Margaret in Chile, the lyrics she was hunting can be found here. Stay a while longer, there's lots to enjoy here.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,margaret in Chile
Date: 09 Jan 10 - 01:09 PM

It's a hot summer afternoon here and I have been humming 'Have not you heard my Lady' all morning. In my search for the words and music I came across this thread and what a delight to read the comments. I remember when Singing Together began it was a huge innovation. It was I believe 1948 and we'd never had a radio in the classroom before. What fun it all was.   I have to concur with the writers who feel the programme gave them a lasting interest in folk music ... it certainly did for me. And your comments about your classrooms - oh my the years float away and I'm back in Scotland!   Thank you so much everyone for sharing your memories.   Margaret

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Dec 09 - 07:16 AM

Does anyone know where I can get hold of the wonderful production "Sir Spence and a Dragon called Horace" which my class performed at school in (I think) the early 1980's? Many of its songs have been stuck in my head for nearly 30 years and I am now singing them to my children who want to know more! All suggestions welcome please.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: Paul Davenport
Date: 27 Sep 09 - 12:28 PM

DMcG I'll check them out tomorrow
Paul

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: Willa
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 05:30 PM

Just bought a copy of 'Songs for Singing Together' Pupil's Book BBC Publications 1974 for 39p in a local charity shop!Back cover reads 'All the songs have been taken from recent programmes of 'Singing Together.....
Each term pupils from all around the British Isles send in their votes for their favourite songs and this volume contains a selection of the most popular.'

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: DMcG
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 12:34 PM

If there are some of the missing ones from those listed at that folkinfo page (in the post just above yours), I'd certainly be interested.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: Paul Davenport
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 12:30 PM

Clearin up a bit in my stock room I have three 'Singing Together's' non sequential and all from 1970 to 73 (I'm relying on memory not being in my classroom currently. Anyone want's them let me know. They certainly bring back memories and beg the question as to when many of us learned what a folk song was.
Paul

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: DMcG
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 11:35 AM

As it happens, 1983 is one of the years we are missing at Folkinfo. Sorry I can't help.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: Croaker
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 11:08 AM

Hi,
I was just wondering if you could possibly tell me the songs that were in the autumn 1983 singing together booklet please as I cannot obtain a booklet and I have some copies of the singing together but not many.Any help you could give I would be most grateful.Many thanks
                         Kind regards
                            Gwen

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Chris
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 09:02 AM

At school in '82, our class did a (recorded using reel to reel) Singing Together programme. I remember the (first?) song that began "My father bought at great expense...", but can anyone recall a song called Miggaldy Maggaldy? I believe it was the same set, and that is from Autumn '73 (curiously the time when myself & my school year were born)

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 04:52 PM

Gossip Joan - why on earth did this come into my mind today?

Do they call them 'ear-worms' now?

Whatever, i couldn't shake it off so I Googled her! And here we are! Yes!! The big speaker in the hall and all sitting cross-legged until we had to stand up to sing! And Mr Appleby on the piano I now see - I knew it was Mr someone but my neurones didn't fire bright enough. But I do remember these interludes so well. And then on to the nature walks and the pond-dipping and the poetry and the art in the afternoon. Where has it all gone? SATS???!! Yechhh!!! Back in the 1950s, that was what schooling was all about - oh deeeear, am I a grumby old 'person'.

Good evening Gossip Joan - I guess you had more fun at school than we do these days! But I guess you'd like Twitter??

Cheers

Dave J

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 03 Jun 09 - 10:57 AM

In the Special School in Leicester I worked at, Singing together was a regular, with the deputy head on the piano, the rest of us got a free lesson, bless you Dereck. Circa 1980 a christmas favourite was

Wrapped in swaddling clothes, the baby's lying
In his mother's arms, there'll be no crying
Shepherd's from afar, they do come [nigh?] him
Rocky Road-um, heyyy, a Rocky Road-um.

Rocky Rocky Road, a Rocky Road-um
Rocky Rocky Road, a Rocky Road-um
Rocky Rocky Road, a Rocky Road-um
Rocky Road-um, heyyy, a Rocky Road-um.

Subject: RE: History - BBC's 'Singing Together'
From: GUEST,Roy
Date: 03 Jun 09 - 10:37 AM

Ah yes I remember this little gem from my primary school days broadcast on a Friday afternoons back in 1982-84, or we would at least listen to them on a Friday afternoon after going to the local swimming baths for our weekly swimming lesson. I can only recall listening to two series of it and can see the paper booklets we used to sing from in my minds eye like it was yesterday.
Like many others, titles and snatches of the songs stick in my mind or haunt me to this day. Here's a few from memory:

Patrick on the railroad
A frog he would a wooing go
Bold Gendarmes
Casy Jones
Bill Bones and his faithful cat(?)
Soldier Soldier won't you marry me?

Yes those were high tech days at school VCR's were the size of a breeze block and usually were the target of a break in during the school holidays. A mono radio/casette recorder player would provide the class with audio entertainment and every piece of electrical equipment deemed valuable by the staff was daubed with lemon coloured emulsion for identification purposes. LOL