Only slightly dodgy

We can just about cog along with three singers present and that's what we had last week. Really we need some more of you to come and swell our numbers. At least one of last week's singers won't be there this Friday so it's all the more important for you make an effort. Three just about works, five is OK, more is much better.

Colin kicked us off with Murray Lewis' Forgotten the words. Simon continued with Geordie (roud 90, child 209) and Geoff completed the first rotation with The little beggarman (roud 900).

I won't go through the whole of the evening, you can almost do that by using the "a selection" link below. There were just two songs, both sung by Simon, for which there isn't a video linkable there. The first deserves a bit of a preamble.

Geoff noted that the Doom Bar (beer from Cornwall) wasn't at its best this week. Simon recalled a recent occasion when it had been worse. Conversation continued for a while along the lines of how well beer is kept by different pubs, where you can get a cheap, well kept pint, and how some pubs don't have enough turnover of beer for particular ales which don't keep well. This conversation led Colin to sing A pub with no beer. Note that on this blog Colin's song has previously been credited to Slim Dusty who did indeed record it, but in fact it was Gordon Parsons who wrote it, adapted from a poem by Dan Sheahan (A pub without beer).

Simon immediately referred to a song written by our old friend Richard Gillion about him and the fact that he drinks Doom Bar at the club. Simon had never sung the song and didn't think he could. Later however he looked up the words which refer not only to Simon, but also to a number of songs he sings and the fact that he used to bring a bodhrán to sessions. The song in question is The dodgy Doombar and he managed to squeeze out a rendition. Don't worry, the beer is usually better than this at The Bridge Inn.

The other song with no easily link-able video, again sung by Simon, is The Lincolnshire song written by John Sykes and sung here by his daughter Miranda. The video is there on YouTube alright, but is part of a much longer performance. By the wonders of YouTube we can link an index into the video here, but not in the playlist.

It also fell to Simon to finish off the evening, which he did in his customary way with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford). It's always guaranteed to get people singing, even when there's only three, and even when, as this time, Simon's throat demands that he turn down the volume from 11 to maybe 7 or 8. Perhaps the plaster wasn't quite shaken from the wall this time - our hosts Helen and Mark might be grateful for that.

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

(Number of people present - 3 of whom 3 performed)