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HAMISH HENDERSON COLLECTS - VOLUME 2 - Songs, Ballads and a story from the School OF Scottish Studies Archives

HAMISH HENDERSON COLLECTS - VOLUME 2 - Songs, Ballads and a story from the School OF Scottish Studies Archives
KYLOE RECORDS KYLOE110

This is the welcome companion to Vol.1 (KY107) and once again, covers a wide spectrum of material and song type.  Mike Yates, the ablest of compilers, states in his erudite and detailed accompanying notes that he was only "able to include a small sampling of singers" of the hundreds recorded by Hamish.  Well, with twenty-two tracks and a playtime of 72 minutes you have an excellent representation of great material from authentic and distinctive voices. (The texts are available from the Kyloe website at www.kyloerecords.co.uk)

The album opens with a spirited, localised, version of Nancy’s Whisky from Willie Mitchell of Campbelltown, then, later on, two cracking miners songs, The Starlaw Disaster and Oh My Love is but a Miner (Johnny Seddon) from miner Rab Morrison.  In addition to two valuable ballad fragments we have a fine rendition of The Twa Sisters and an outstanding Laird O Drum’ from Jimmy Whyte and William Sharp Lonie respectively.  Then we have the famed `singing molecatcher` John Macdonald singing Jimmie Rose and Bervie Mains.  Comments by big Hamish are peppered throughout and he gets a track to himself i.e. The Rambling Beauty which he delivers in inimitable style. The album, which I can only give the merest flavour of, rounds off with a Jack Tale from Willie Johnson, which has a happy ending ... This is appropriate to what is a production of quality. In short a wee gem.

Geordie McIntyre

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This album was reviewed in Issue 73 of The Living Tradition magazine.