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Both Ears & The Tail

Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick

Gadfly

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1. Leitrim Fancy
   Drowsy Maggie
   Staten Island
   The Corbie and the Craw
   High - Martin Carthy,
2. Fair Maid on the Shore - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
3. Porcupine Rag - Martin Carthy,
4. Bonny Black Hare - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
5. Sovay (The Female Highwayman) - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
6. Barmaid
   Peter St.
   The Mason's Apron - Martin Carthy,
7. Broomfield Hill - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
8. Wind That Shakes the Barley - Martin Carthy,
9. Hens March
   The Four Poster Bed - Martin Carthy,
10. Man of Newlyn Town - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
11. Dill Pickles Rag - Martin Carthy,
12. Two Magicians - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
13. Kid on the Mountain
    The Donegal
    The Swallowstail
    The Marquis of ... - Martin Carthy,

Average customer rating:

What shall we play?

Answer: Anything you like -- just play!

This little gem of an album captures, as the contemporary studio albums do not, the magic of a live Carthy & Swarbrick performance in the 60's.

It seems hard to remember now that no one in the Folk Revival (except The Dubliners) was yet playing jigs and reels, and traditional musicians' performances were often ruined by clomping piano-drivers (Michael Coleman being the archetypal example). Swarbrick was like a breath of fresh air.

It looks like this was recorded sometime between Martin's first and second albums, and just before Dave's pioneering Rags, Reels and Airs. Unsurprisingly, there's a large overlap in material, but some of the performances are quite different: for instance, "The Swallow Tail" and the "Marquis of Tullybardine" are on fiddle instead of mandolin, and the former is in A minor instead of E minor.

The ad hoc nature of their sets is evinced by several conversations, some actually DURING the performance, e.g. the following from the first track (Dave speaking first):

"What's next?"
"I dunno... Drowsy Maggie."
"Eh?"
"Drowsy Maggie!"

[...]

"What's next?"
"(Undecipherable)"
"No."
"You think of something then!"

The highlight of the album for me is the last tune of this set, a stunning version of "Da Corbie an' da Craw" that is quite different from Tom Anderson's, and which they never recorded elsewhere. You also get to hear "Dill Pickles Rag" in stereo for the first time ("Rags, Reels and Airs" was only issued in mono, even on CD).

The total time is 48'49".

Traditional Folksongs with an Edge

This cd was a revelation for me. This is a rather rough live recording from the mid 1960's, that captures Carthy and Swarbrick playing passionately and off the cuff. The traditional songs presented here have all the rollick and fire of the Clancy Brothers. There are a few melancholy slow ballads here (the fantastic "The Wind that Shakes the Barley"), and there are several fabulous saucy and suggestive little ditties (the wonderfully lewd "Bonnie Black Hare") as well as some absolutely firey instrumentals. There is a certain enrgy to this recording that only a live show can generate. It's powerful, informal and a rollicking good time. Highly recommended.