New Message Posted!2024-05-27 19:23
And as a more cheery follow up:
The first Fairport album without Richard Thompson, the legendary guitarist! But he appears on this song as a guest, and co-writer with Dave Swarbrick
The Journeyman's Grace
Lyrics
Someone told me there's a grace that leads you straight from place to place
And you always leave the road behind you
You don't need your horses shod, just a dowser and his rod
Leave your mistress, she won't need to find you
(Chorus)
Oh please, journeyman, help me on my way
Oh please, help me please, I won't be afraid
Oh please, journeyman, help me on my way
Oh please, help me please, I won't be afraid
Leave my weary flesh and bone to a circle made of stone
Take me to the mountains for my pleasure
And if the dead man won't depart, drive a stake into his heart
And let me ere deliver him his leisure
(Chorus)
(Chorus)
When you see the race is run and the dark has just begun
Come on with the few and leave the many
There you'll find the journeyman with a lantern in his hand
He'll show you a good time for a penny
(Chorus)
My emphasis,
[ This message was edited by: Orpbit on 2024-05-28 20:37 ]
Orpbit
Joined: 24-06-2012
Messages: 1590
from Shropshire
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New Message Posted!2024-05-27 19:21
"Journey to Avebury"
Derek Jarman's Super 8mm film with the title "A Journey to Avebury", which was originally backed by a bird song soundtrack, was later set to music by the band COIL :
An exploratory, but rather unsettling soundtrack, not for the feint-hearted! A strange juxtaposition of weird and eerie sounds set against the background of that all-so-famous patch of land in Wiltshire. Discordant sounds meander and contort their way through the stones of Avebury and wider landscapes; and with the 'decaying' quality of that old 8mm film, making the already otherworldly that much more so.
Also a challenge for any composers on the Portal to experiment with compositions of their own?
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2024-05-27 19:50 ]
Andy B
Joined: 13-02-2001
Messages: 12313
from Surrey, UK
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New Message Posted!2024-05-16 12:50
Ray Godwin 'The Dandelion Clocks' writes:
I'm please to announce the release of a new single and video:
Ava (The Achavanich Beaker Burial).
It's a song inspired by the accidental discovery of a 4,250 year old cist grave in Caithness, Scotland and the subsequent archaeological investigations, including the creation of an image of the young woman who was interred there all those years ago.
Many thanks to Archaeologist Maya Hoole and Forensic Artist Hew Morrison for kindly allowing me to include their illustrations and work in the video.
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2024-05-16 12:51 ]
sem
Joined: 12-11-2003
Messages: 2819
from Bridgend,S.Wales
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New Message Posted!2024-04-20 02:19
Sorry, but the idea of Stonehenge as hanging stones, hanging as in used for hanging, was on my mind when I found this. Roy Harper did it, as did The Strawbs, but a different perspective comes from Shell Siverstein.
Andy B
Joined: 13-02-2001
Messages: 12313
from Surrey, UK
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New Message Posted!2024-03-05 16:15
Baled Y Dolmen - a song by Yfory with accompanying film: "a doomed roadtrip taking an Ex to see the stones and realising enchantment is not a feeling you can force."
The film was shot in 24 hours on Super-8 by the Irish filmmaker and musician Leigh Arthur. Baled y Dolmen is a song in Wenglish about a search for salvation at the motorway services, the worlds' most awkward roadtrip and the strange neolithic modernism of my hometown Swansea.
New Message Posted!2024-03-03 19:31
Give this a listen at dead of night…
Orcadia. Chapter One - Megalithic Tapes & Neolithic Soundscapes
by Rural District Lo-Fi Recording Project Armed with an OS map, Julian Cope’s legendary “The Modern Antiquarian,” The Megalithic Portal's essential “The Old Stones” and Janet and Colin Bord’s “A Guide To Ancient Sites In Britain” (maybe not quite as useful a field guide, but I've had the book so long and felt it deserved a special place on the adventure) a bobble hat and, most importantly, for this Bandcamp forward, my microphone.
We leapt into the Fiat 500 and travelled from Sussex-by-the-sea the length of the UK to the Scottish port of Scrabster. A short and decidedly choppy ferry crossing later we landed in the Mecca of Megalithic Britain, The Orkney Islands.
Our short stay, in early October, was confined to the main Island, exploring World Heritage sites, amazing Cairns, mysterious earth works, ancient dwellings, enormous standings stones, monstrous stone circles, stunning Lochs, epic cliffs, beautiful windswept beaches and endless awe-inspiring views, where I proceeded to annoy anyone around me by insisting on setting up my microphone and making field recordings.
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2024-03-03 19:32 ]
Andy B
Joined: 13-02-2001
Messages: 12313
from Surrey, UK
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New Message Posted!2024-02-27 10:16
Ben Edge's painting of the Devil's Den (and the dolmen of course) has inspired a new opera by Isabella Gellis, which will be performed by the Shadwell Opera this June 15th 2024 at the Nevill Holt festival in Leicestershire.
A tale of superstition and sacrifice rooted in English folklore, concerning a child, a rabbit, a devil, a druid and their mysterious connection to a celebrated “dolmen”, or ancient burial chamber. A chorus of Morris dancers punctuate the drama, leading us through moments of exuberance, severity, tenderness and into the hysterical ruckus of a charivari. More details and booking at https://nevillholtfestival.com/whats-on/.
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2024-02-27 10:30 ]
Andy B
Joined: 13-02-2001
Messages: 12313
from Surrey, UK
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New Message Posted!2024-02-05 12:35
An article on stones in folk song from Folk Review, September 1973. This is by the same Rob Ixer who co-authors the papers on provenance of Stonehenge stones. Part 2 of 2; the earlier part was on minerals and gems. I've passed it on to Rob, asking "Was that your first published work on standing stones?" - he replied: "Good lord, yes I guess it is."
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2024-02-05 12:41 ]
Andy B
Joined: 13-02-2001
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from Surrey, UK
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New Message Posted!2024-01-16 13:23
The Yes album Tormato cover features a well known Tor on Dartmoor with what looks like an antiquarian / Alfred Watkins type character and what are presumably intended to be dowsing rods but being held more like drumsticks - maybe intentional but wrong in any case.) The inner sleeve has a Hipgnosis designed map with barrows, angles and alignments on both sides. Oh - and a tomato splat!
I always thought this was just terrible punnage but the planned name for the album was Yes Tor until Rick Wakeman vandalised the prototype artwork using a ripe tomato.
"Quarrels between Yes members were nothing new, and members came and went on a regular basis, but things seemed particularly stormy during this period. Singer Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman both exited in the following months. Wakeman's displeasure became particularly evident during an infamous incident when he hurled a tomato at the artwork for the record, which was then titled Yes Tor."
"We had paid a fortune for the artwork – which, when we were shown it, we all agreed we had been ripped off," he later recalled. "It was a pile of brown smelly stuff. I picked up a tomato and threw it at it. [The title] was hastily changed to Tormato."
The inner sleeve map that Yes clearly hated features Yes Tor, which is a real place - the second highest point on Dartmoor at 619 metres (2,031 ft) above sea level. One of only two wholly English peaks south of the Peak District National Park - the other being nearby High Willhays - that are above 2,000 feet (610 m). Not so well known as it lies within a British Army firing range and safe access is only possible on days or nights when firing is not taking place.
Source: Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Tor
From the inner sleeve: " Yes Tor is situated 2 1/2 miles from Okehampton, on a clear day, from the top, you can see far away places with strange sounding names"
Ancient sites in the music, not so much apart from some strange stuff about mythical creatures, Troy, Zeus and the Gardens of Babylon in Circus of Heaven. Most of the lyrics have vaguely new agey / fantasy / UFO themes.
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2024-01-16 13:34 ]
Andy B
Joined: 13-02-2001
Messages: 12313
from Surrey, UK
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New Message Posted!2023-12-29 12:53
Crwydro Cymru Hynafol (Exploring Ancient Wales)
Music composed & recorded by Matthew Shaw (half of Stone Club) on the pathways of ancient Britain at Bryn Celli Ddu, Din Lligwy, Gop Hill Cairn & Moel Arthur. It premiered within Barclodiad y Gawres on Anglesey thanks to CADW.
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New Message Posted!2024-05-27 19:23 
