cd SPRCD 1042 £11.99
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Booklet (16 pages) with full song texts included with the CD.
Shepheard, Spiers & Watson were nominated in the ScotsTrad Music Awards as Scottish Folk Band of the Year 2006.Simple, powerful and effective fiddle, whistle and melodeon underscore three big voices as they revel in a colourful, broad sweep of Scots song. Pete, Tom and Arthur have known each other for many years and, after enjoying each others’ company at sessions, festivals, hogmanay and suchlike seasonal gatherings, they began to gain bookings together and formalised this as Shepheard, Spiers & Watson in 2003 for an appearance at the great Whitby Festival:
All three sing - leading songs in turn - with accompaniments from Pete on melodeon, Tom on fiddle and Arthur on whistles. This is their first album together.
Shepheard, Spiers & Watson: Biography and Gigs/Appearances
Play mp3 samples of selected songs:
Play: Jock Hawk's Adventures (The full song)
Play: The Fair of Balnafinnan (mp3 clip)
Play: Bonnie Ship the Diamond (mp3 clip)
Play: Calder's Clear Stream (mp3 clip)
Play: Glenlogie (Bonnie Jeannie o Bethelnie) (mp3 clip)
Play: Bleacher Lassie o Kelvinhaugh (mp3 clip)
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Refreshingly real and nourishingly organic
Scotland on Sunday (Norman Chalmers)
Inordinately fine ... stirringly fresh ... why aren't there more records like this?!
NetRhythms (David Kidman)
Storytelling in music at the highest level.
Living Tradition (Paul Burgess)
Sobere maar mooie begeleiding, trekt nooit de aandacht weg van de tekst en de zang.
Folk Roddels (Belgium)
Original and fine folk music from Scotland
Rambles.NET
Pure and authentic folkmusic, a number one product of the year 2005.
NewFolkSounds (Holland)
So good, mere words are a poor substitute for listening - go and buy a copy - you'll thank me if you do!
Musical Traditions (Rod Stradling)
Bookings, Biography and Pics
Shepheard, Spiers & Watson
The Songs
1 Jock Hawk’s Adventures
2 The Fair o Balnafinnan
3 The Last o the Clydesdales
4 The Nutting Girl
5 Bonnie Ship the Diamond
6 Calder’s Clear Stream
7 Glenlogie (Bonnie Jean o Bethelnie) (Child 238)
8 Grat for Gruel
9 Banks of Newfoundland
10 Atween Stanehive & Laurencekirk
11 Rhynie
12 The Bleacher Lassie
13 My Auld Sheen
14 Dowie Dens o Yarrow (Child 214)
15 Ye Boys o Callieburn
Liner Notes
On a fine early Topic LP (and more recent issues on CD), in concert and in clubs The Gaugers, when they were active, were an example to all of how to be erudite while having a really exciting and intriguing time in music. Three clever, diverse and individually engaging musicians found ways of providing beautiful backdrops for each others’ work. With the sudden and unfortunate death of Peter Hall, the remaining two, Arthur Watson and Tom Spiers, could have chosen to draw a line under the whole enterprise but to everyone’s good fortune - and after a pause - they chose to co-opt Peter Shepheard and continue along what has become, musically speaking, a very rewarding path. But no longer as The Gaugers. Their collective way with the songs continues to develop, becoming something very interesting indeed, as again and again they give an object lesson in how to accompany song. Any kind of song. The pulse is always there but they do not seem ever to be bound hand and foot to a metronome - which, of course, is how ordinary people sing. The hard part of such an approach to accompaniment is doing so without falling over each others’ feet. Coupled with all this, their versions of songs are always compelling and often downright unusual (see The Nutting Girl as a prime example). You are about to hear - or, come to that, have just heard - some fine, fine music.
Martin Carthy March 2005
Bookings, Biography, Pics and Gigs:
Shepheard, Spiers & Watson
SPRINGTHYME or TOP OF PAGE
© Springthyme Records 2005