The Delian's Commonwealth

FridayMonday Random Ten

1. "Something Doing" Scott Joplin from The Red Back Book performed by George Spoonhaltz and The Southland Stingers.  I've always been fond of Joplin, especially the instrumental arrangements in the RBB.  A nice performance, but not quite as energetic as those by the New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble.
2. "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)" The Commitments.  Not a big soul/R&B fan, but the soundtrack to The Commitments is pretty good.
3. "Trial Before Pilate" from Jesus Christ Superstar (Original Studio Recording).  One of my favorite musicals of all time.  I played in the pit orchestra for a production when I was in HS.
4. "Hanks For The Memory" from Expletive Delighted, Fairport Convention.  One of the core groups in the English Folk-Rock scene, they're still going strong.
5. "If Wishes Were Fishes" Eric Bogle, At This Stage.  Great singer/songwriter
6. "May Day Carol" Magpie Lane, English Country Songs and Dances.  Magpie Lane are based in Oxfordshire and are still going strong, according to their web site.  This CD was marketed through the Past Times catalog, which is no longer available in the US.
7. "Rocked In The Cradle Of The Deep" Mr. Jack Daniel's Silver Cornet Band On Tour Across America.  Great rendition on the tuba of a classic seaman's hymn.  Words: Emma C. Willard; Music Joseph P. Knight
8. "Streets of Baltimore" The Little Willies, The Little Willies. Some nice country music.  Too bad the are  (so far) a one-CD band.
9. "I Can't Say No" from Oklahoma.  Oklahoma was the first musical I ever played in the pit for (oboe), so I have fond memories of it.  Unfortunately, this isn't one of my favorite songs -- Ado Annie is just annoying.
10. "The Grey Funnel Line" June Tabor & Maddy Prior The Silly Sisters. The "Grey Funnel Line" is a term for the British Navy.

Friday Random Ten 7/11/08

Several bloggers I like used to run a "random ten" post, so I thought that I'd try, now that I have an iPod.

1. "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid.  Alright, I'm a sucker for Disney music.  I love the calypso feel.
2. "I'll Go And List For A Sailor" from Morris On.  This is a compilation by Ashley Hutchings (yes, of Fleetwood Mac) with a bunch of folk and folk-rock musicians doing Morris-dance related stuff.
3. "War Dance for Wooden Indians" The Music Of Raymond Scott.  Everybody knows Raymond Scott's music, even if they don't know that they know it.  The long-time Looney Tunes music supervisor, Carl Stalling, used Raymond Scott's music a great deal.  "Powerhouse" would be instantly familiar to anyone who has seen more than a couple of Bugs Bunny cartoons.
4. "The Mary Ellen Carter" from Between The Breaks Live.  Stan Rogers was a Canadian folk singer who, sadly, died in an airplane fire in 1983.  "Mary Ellen Carter" is a great song about strength in the face of adversity.
5. "Seventeen Come Sunday" Train to Sligo.  The band Train to Sligo used to play in Pasadena, CA, at a pub called The Loch Ness Monster, and I went there many times to hear the band.  The female vocalist, Janie Cribbs has the darkest and richest voice I've ever heard in a woman.  Other band members included Thom Moore, who is now well known as a composer of Irish music, Gerry O'Beirne, Cait Reed, Paulette Gershen (a fantastic pennywhistle player) and Judy Gameral.
6. "Piccolo Peet" sung by The Andrews Sisters.  I love 1940's swing and bought a 4-CD collection of the Andrews Sisters.  This isn't one of their best, but it's still a fun song.
7. "Dance".  A Renaissance dance played by the Southern California Early Music Consort.  A very talented group, some of whom I see at our local Ren Faire.
8. "Two for the Early Dew" sung by Tommy Makem and Liam Clancey.  I grew up listening to the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.  This is a very silly song, but has a nice rendition of Off to California at the end.
9. "Belle-Ile/Crookhill" from Unstrung Hero.  I first heard Brian McNeil when he played fiddle (and other strings) for the Battlefield Band.  Unstrung Hero was his first solo album and I was thrilled to find it released on CD (I had the vinyl.)  A very talented fiddler, guitarist and composer.
10. "Rattlesnake" from Incandescence.  My friend Michael J. Lewis is an amazing composer.  This is an album of guitar music that he wrote or arranged and produced.  A bunch of talented guitarists, along with some interesting percussion.