What happens when...?

Caversham Charity Folk Festival 2004
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

It had to happen sooner or later: a perfect storm of several of our Dragon Folk Club regulars being unavailable and there being no visitors, so two singers held the fort all evening. A good time was had and maybe the mix of songs was slightly more eclectic than is usual even for us!

Colin had raided the depths of his song drawer, and Simon, challenged by his wife, sought out mostly songs suitable for a hot day and warm evening - our stone barn venue may be a tad chilly in the winter, but it's certainly a refuge at the height of summer.

Colin as MC started off with Jordan is a hard road to travel (roud 12153) and Simon quickly completed the first rotation with Summertime (DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin).

Colin had a monopoly this time on songs not in the Dragon Database, and there were a good number of them, all now duly added:

• Earthcare (*# Selly Oak Methodist Church Green Team)
• Colours (* Donovan Leitch)
• The Broomsquire's birdsong (*)
• Eight days a week (* Lennon-McCartney)
• The beggar (* roud 1537 - Tune: Bob Johnson)
• The man who couldn't sing [Caedmon's song] (* Keith Gregson)
• The original folk song (*#) - Derek Brinkley wrote on mudcat.org "Someone (I think it was Malcolm McDonald) wrote a song consisting almost entirely of floating lyrics. It went somewhat after this fashion" Derek didn't give it a name, but this is the one Colin has recorded.
•  (Is this the way to) Amarillo (* Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield)
•  Bantam cock (* Jake Thackray)
•  Geordie lost his penker (* roud 8244) - I won't apologise for linking this surprising version sung by Brian Johnson of AC/DC accompanied by Billy Mitchell of Lindisfarne even though Brian calls the marble a "liggie" rather than a "penker"
• Serafina (*) 
• Hells Angel (* parody of Wild Rover - roud 1173)

After all that Simon closed the session with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 2 of whom 2 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).