A wee bit stuck for inspiration now that the holiday and post holiday purchases have been exhausted and then I came up with this.
I finally got round to taking Gaughan Live! at the Trades Club out of the library.
I've seen it there for years , thought about it but never got round to it. Now I am about the 6th person in as many years to take it out and am kicking myself for not having done so earlier.
Recorded in the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge,North Yorkshire in December 2007 and released in April 2008.The Greentrax label website explains that:
One of the many reasons Dick has so much affection for the place is that it is a solidly working class venue and is one of the few venues where the idea of a performer having to explain why their work contains commentary on political and social issues would be absurd - it is not only taken for granted, but expected, that working class art and politics are inseparable.
He is not alone.JC visited there recently and wrote a great piece about it here
No Gods has featured here before and also at JC's and at Drew's place and I make no apologies for playing it again. It does no harm for a nation to take a good hard look at itself.
Sadly Dick is now in very poor health but still remains a true legend and a giant of Scottish folk music.
Dick Gaughan - No Gods
Dick Gaughan - Thomas Muir of Huntershill
I heard this name before but never listened to one of his songs so far. And I have to admit that I missed something great. Thanks CC for introducing me to him
ReplyDeleteI remember Dick Gaughan's set being an intense, impassioned experience, when I saw him at a folk festival about 20 years ago and was very sorry to learn that he's now in such poor health.
ReplyDeleteFunnily Stiff and I were talking about Dick on the way back from TRB on Sunday night. I have seen him on quite a few occasions always entertaining and informative. No Gods is one of my favourites also high up there are his covers of Vincent Black Shadow, which on Sunday I thought about posting if/when I get my enthusiasm back and also his cover of the Joe South song The Games People Play.
ReplyDeleteThere is a Just Giving page set up for Dick too.
Gaughan's "Handful Of Earth" is one of the greatest folk albums.
ReplyDeleteLive, he's outstanding. The man can switch effortlessly from the confrontational protest of songs such as "No Gods", "Workers' Song" and "The World Turned Upside Down" to a more subtle social commentary in ballads such as "Now Westlin Winds" "Song For Ireland" and "Both Sides The Tweed".
Add to that his incredible guitar playing and you have one damn fine musician. As you say - a true legend.
1952 Black Lightning, not Black Shadow, mixed it up with the only bike that this scooter over would love to own.
ReplyDeleteI don't know many of his recorded songs, but he must have put on quite a live show in his time. My favourite (so far) is "The Yew Tree." Did he record a lot of traditional folk songs?
ReplyDeleteYup a fair few Marie
DeleteMainly Scottish or Irish
Thanks for the very kind words about the Hebden Bridge post. Can't recommend it highly enough as a place to visit, especially if a gig is involved.
ReplyDelete