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WHERE THE
WORKING BOATS WENT
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Wixamtree A celebration of 250 years of the British canals It is the music
from this CD which won us the FATEA Tradition 09 Award
which… “…is presented to
the act that have traditional folk at the root of
their sound and use it to inspire new songs, tunes and arrangements.” fROOTS …an intelligent
collection of songs… The duo’s keen insight into their subject benefits from
genially musical accompaniment making this a charming and often impressively
memorable disc. Graeme and
Barry have a keen feel for their chosen subject, and their writing is
intelligently crafted, appealing in melody and well-observed imagery… Such is
the quality of these original songs, their overall memorability
(and fine chorus quotient), that I can envisage a number of them filtering
through into wider currency very quickly indeed… performances strike an ideal
balance between enthusiastic drive and gentle sensitivity, being accomplished
and warmly-sung with a style and manner of musical accompaniment (melodeon
etc.)… that’s perfectly complementary, being simply
and effectively managed and genuinely attractive. In short, this is a real
winner of a disc. Read the full
review here. FOLKANDROOTS.CO.UK …an
affectionate and largely nostalgic portrait that's nevertheless sensibly
tempered with realism. …intelligently crafted, perceptive and melodically
appealing in the contemporary-but-sounds-traditional vein. They convince and
charm us… These are compositions of quality and memorability,
several of which I envisage quickly being taken up by other performers.
Graeme and Barry's pleasing and accomplished performance style… Warmly-sung
with attractive, simply-managed and wholly complementary musical
accompaniment… their songs together form a delightful, stimulating and
entertaining programme and a disc to treasure. Read the full
review here. (near bottom of
page) TIM CARROLL of www.folkwords.com
…finely crafted
music and song… This album has
presence. Its charisma comes through its gentle yet perceptive lyrics, warm
rounded voices, and masterful musicianship. …it's a damn fine piece of work.
If you feel affection for the canals or just love folk music - then this is a
rare masterpiece and you'll love it too. Read full
review here. UNICORN MAGAZINE This CD is of a
very high standard all round, and as well as musically excellent, it is
accompanied by well-researched sleeve notes. The lyrics are
thought-provoking, yet catchy enough to become firm session and club
favourites. WHAT’S AFOOT For those who
are interested in canals and their history, this is a must… periods brought
to life via authentic, traditional-style songs… The songs’ lyrics tell an
enthralling story and the songs are sung with verve. Enjoy the expert
melodeon playing and some beautiful violin countermelodies to some of the
gentler songs. There is a dance-y feel to the up-tempo songs. MARDLES The songs have
a good mixture of tempos and rhythms… The addition of two original melodeon
tune tracks, (very interesting with plenty of syncopation) further increases
the variety of the listening. There is a very high level of musicianship from
all three performers, and the songs are relevant and well crafted… The songs
are performed in a way that compliments the subject matter and makes them
very easy to connect with. Many of the melodeon tunes/accompaniments have a
cheery “morris” feel, giving a great lift and
adding to the atmosphere of celebration and the pride of the people who
worked on the waterways. So to sum up –
a very good CD, whether you’re interested in the inland waterways or not, and
if you get the chance to see the show, I would highly recommend you to do so,
and you’ll probably see me there too. Their songs are
carefully researched and cleverly written, reflecting industrial
history. …I am not known for offering praise where it is not due, but
this is a collection of no less than seventeen excellent songs and tunes,
mostly self-penned and several strong enough to enter the tradition. I would
tip 'Carrying the Load' (Goodman), 'The Row between the Boaters' (Meek), and
the evocative 'Until the Cut Runs Dry' (Meek) as three easily in this
class. I'm going to learn 'em anyway. Their
atmospheric rendition of 'Push, Boys, Push,' is a leg up from the old
Boatmen's original version too. I defy the track 'Iced In' not to send
shivers down the spine of anyone who has tried winter boating. It brings to
mind David Blagrove's haunting ballad of the death
of Tom Beachy on the Read full
review here and here. TAPLAS …excellent
songs, confidently delivered. ENGLISH DANCE & SONG Barry and
Graeme have been very diligent in their approach, as well as creative in
their compositions. The singing is confident and clear and accompaniments,
though simple and solid, allow considerable scope for variety, which keeps
the theme flowing in a steady and pleasant way – in fact rather like the
canals they describe. The vocals are impressive - strong, precise and with excellent diction… The quality of the individual songs is steady throughout. …if English folk music in its most time-honoured form floats your boat (sorry, couldn't resist) then you’ll love this… In the 21st century, it's reassuring to know that the story telling tradition is in good hands, at least if Messrs Meek and Goodman have anything to do with it. JAN IVARSON (EKEN MORRIS) We can
recommend the CD with the great songs! TERRY FERDINAND THE FOLK …what a great cd it is … fab CD ROGER WILLIAMS A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE (TRENTSOUND) …a terrific
piece of work |
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CHARIVARI
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Wixamtree Songs of Bedfordshire history, customs, legends etc. fROOTS The songs on
Charivari have connections with various parts of the county (of
Bedfordshire); they deal with a healthy variety of subjects from those
steeped in local customs and festivities, local “heroes”, local legend,
historic local industries, and the Grand Union Canal. There’s also a song to
accompany a local mummers’ play which reminded me a bit of Bob Pegg’s Rise Up Jock. The
unpretentious yet accomplished playing (guitar, melodeon and concertina with
occasional fiddle courtesy of guest Debbie Chalmers) is affecting, eminently
musical and suitably vibrant, well matching the solid singing style. The
variety of styles between the individual songs is cleverly managed. The
spirited tunes are common to the repertoire of local dance band Time of Your
Life, in which the duo also play. A very likeable
release. SHIRE FOLK Well written
and well researched. I wouldn’t wish any of the tracks off the CD. It would
be great to hear more of Graeme Meek and FOLKWRITE …this rather
good album. …their solid style and presentation demand attention. Strong
vocal work is complemented by well-played instrumental accompaniments… there
is a good old English feel throughout this collection of songs and tunes. The
vocal tracks have a pleasant warm and melodic quality that never becomes dry
or hard on the ear and the listener is left with a sense of well-being which
comes from hearing music well-played and sung. WHAT’S AFOOT …this is a very
polished CD – fine singing and playing with varied arrangements for finely
crafted songs… if you write and perform this will give you a quality to aim
for, do give it a listen you won’t be disappointed. FREEFOLK.COM This pair would
go down well at any folk do that I know of, and they have a long string of
festival appearances to prove it. It’s a pleasure to recommend these strong
singers with their unusual repertoire, good workshop potential, to listeners
and festival bookers alike. I end with a salute to guest fiddle player Debbie
Chalmers for her notable contribution. FOLKANDROOTS.COM This album is a
fascinating attempt to bring the traditions, customs, practices and history
of Bedfordshire to life and it is done in a very genuine and clear fashion
breathing life into customs and folklore… These are songs that deserve a
wider audience and they will hopefully receive one… SOUTH FOLK MUSIC NETWORK Once in a blue
moon the postman brings a package containing a CD for review that you know is
going to be outstanding – this is one of those. We get several packages a
week but this one was an absolute pleasure to listen to. It was good to hear
Graeme and Barry’s well-written and beautifully crafted songs providing an
interpretation of the history and traditional stories and customs of
Bedfordshire given a new lease of life. Why have we not heard more of Life
and Times? They play well
together, the vocals are clear concise and full of emotion on all the tracks.
This is a well put together album and full of English folk music at its best. …we loved it… TIM CARROLL of www.folkwords.com Tradition at its finest Do you want to understand the English
folk music tradition? Then take some time to listen to Life and Times. This
duo is Graeme Meek (guitars, bouzouki, vocals) and
Barry Goodman (melodeons, concertina, vocals). Every time you listen to them
you’ll know why there remains so much power and strength in English
traditional folk music. Their CD – Charivari – is a fine example
of their art. The combination of their rich, warm English-accented vocals
(not an American drawl in earshot) and sound musical foundation gives their
performance a well-rounded unadorned feel that is becoming increasingly hard
to find. Too often, frippery and overblown production is applied to folk
music. Nothing like that happens here, the music is all you get and it’s
worth every second. Little wonder that these two are well known for bringing
the English musical tradition to the ears of school children – long may they
continue. There are elements of the folk world that
want to tear down tradition and replace it with ‘new’ at the expense of
realising where the ‘new’ came from. The music of Life and Times proves that
although ‘new’ – in all its different branches - is good and healthy,
tradition has much to give. For without their roots where would the branches
be? If you want to
know where our musical heritage lives listen to Life and Times – it’s that
simple. |
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Fellside Recordings FE071 (& FE071/c
cassette) Songs of The Industrial Revolution in 18th Century SOMERS JOURNAL I think Life
& Times have a record to be proud of: good title, good songs, good
content – good luck to ‘em! |
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STRAWPLAIT & BONELACE
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Fellside Recordings FE043 (& FE043/c
cassette) Songs of Bedfordshire history, customs, legends etc. FOLK ROOTS The sheer
diversity and creativity of Graeme’s songwriting should leave lesser
tunesmiths in envy. |
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BARRY’S
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…and an
Australian Morris internet review of The Grandson of Morris On states: Some of these newies are real corkers like Click here to read more. |
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