Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Up Downey

reel

Key signature: Edorian

Submitted on August 22nd 2002 by b2jay.

This tune has been added to 53 tunebooks.

Also known as The Mad Skeletons Of St Pancras, The Mad Skeletons Of St. Pancras, The Ugly Ewe, The Up Downey.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Chasing Sparks by Jeremy Kittel
Hush by Laura Cortese
Songdogs by Calico
Wound Up by Deirin De

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Up Downey

A gorgeous tune from Diarmuid Moynihan from Calico. Cranks every time, it's lovely to play.

# Posted on August 22nd 2002 by b2jay

Sorry to disagree, but this tune has everything I hate about some new compositions -- rambling, contrived and with two parts that seem to owe nothing to the other!! The better 2nd part sounds too much like it's made up of bits of better tunes. That's not too say it is doing it little justice to judge it from the Midi. Still, I remain dubious ...

# Posted on August 24th 2002 by LongNote

Up Downey

What he said.

# Posted on August 24th 2002 by Mad Baloney

Up Downey

The A part of this tune owes much to the Scottish tune "Charlie is my Darling". I like the syncopation of the B part. Overall, a worthy addition to the repertoire.

# Posted on August 25th 2002 by wightmana

Up Downey

Sorry, my earlier comments on the A and B parts need to be reversed. I learned the tune the other way round from how it is printed here!

# Posted on August 25th 2002 by wightmana

Up Downey's

I think it's a grand wee tune, but i always thought it was written by Tola Custy???

# Posted on August 29th 2002 by Fiddlin Mad

# Posted on September 17th 2003 by Dr. Dow

Thanks Dow - I really like this tune as you all know. But I must clarify - It is heaps more fun to play than to actually listen to. Does that make sense? its soo much fun - except when you have Dow purposely playing wrong chords!! No seriously Dow - good on you

# Posted on September 17th 2003 by bb

It's the car horn effect that he plays on the concertina on the a3 and B3 that I think *really* makes the tune.

# Posted on September 18th 2003 by Tish

Tabache - Waves of Rush

This tune's also on the Tabache album Waves of Rush.

# Posted on February 20th 2004 by drizzt

NongLote & Bad Maloney

I can't believe I'm disagreeing with you two, as normally I would be like minded, not very fond of contrivance and the 'see-what-I-can-do' tendency of a lot of 'new' composition. As Nong put it, "rambling and contrived", etc... While I don't like the tune particularly, finding the A-part ('B' in the comments) a bit "na-na-na-na~", or mostly stuck noodling between a third, it has 'agreement', though as Nong says, not much between the A & B. But even there, though not a direct tie, there is a 'noodle' here and there between the same third in the lower octave of the B-part ('A' in the comments). All that said, it ain't a half bad try and I can see where the fun is, but I'll bet you Dow/Mark ain't playing it anymore. It is one of those that I think would eventually grate on you like some commercial dittys. I still don't think it's a 'bad' tune in structure and with some fun changing the emphasis bow wise, syncopation other than intended, it has some laugh factor in it, especially if you've someone like Dow playing the wrong chords in the wrong places and maybe a 6/8 or 9/8 bodhran rhythm bubbling underneath it ~ just so long as no one takes it seriously...

# Posted on February 25th 2006 by ceolachan

(sad!)

A few points of 'agreement':
A (B comments) ~ measures 1 / 3 / 5, with a classic change for 7, and similar for 2, 4, 6 & same note for 8.
B (A comments) ~ same as previous.
Between the two ~
already mentioned, the noodling between gfe & EFG/GFE, and not forgetting agf & FGA. It is like poetry, the rhyme doesn't have to be strictly iambic pentameter rhyming couplets, always at the end of the phrase...

# Posted on February 25th 2006 by ceolachan

Up Downey

I brought this setting home from a contradance players workshop run by Jeremiah McLane:
X: 1
T: Up Downey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K:Emin
| EFGA B2eB | BAGB AGFD | EFGA B2ef | gfed fa (3aaa |
EFGA B2eB | BAGB AGFD | EFGA B2ef |1 gfed e4 :|2 gfed e3f ||
| gfeg fegf | egfe a2 (3aaa | gfeg fegf | egfd B2 (3BBB |
gfeg fegf | egfe a2 (3aaa | bagb agfd |1 (3efg fd e3f :|2 (3efg fd e4 ||

# Posted on April 5th 2007 by ʎɹoʇısuɐɹʇ

Here's the original version:

X: 1
T: Up Downey
C: Tola Custy
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
D: Calico - Songdogs
R: reel
K: Emin
EFGA ~B2ed|ABGB AGFG|DEGA ~B2ef|gfeg fazD|
EFGA ~B2ed|ABGB AGFG|DEGA ~B2ed|1 BAGF EB,~B,2:|2 BAGF EB~B2||
|:gfeg fegf|egfe a2~a2|gfeg fegf|egfe B2~B2|
gfeg fegf|egfe a2~a2|bagf agfg|e3e e2ee:|

1st time thru the fiddle plays the following variation on bars 7 and 8 of the A-part:

|E^DEG GFGA|BA (3Bcd edBG|

# Posted on May 18th 2008 by Dr. Dow

Up Downey

It is also on the album... Christy O'Leary & Bert Deivert: song's sweet caress. Track 2. second tune.

# Posted on August 19th 2009 by Taurus

Up Downey is actually The Mad Skeletons of St Pancras

This tune, as it appears on Songdogs, is actually written by Alan Burton of Fianna fame, though he did say "I'm honoured that someone would think Tola wrote it!"

He provides this (edited) version of the tunes history -
"For background it was written in London in 1998, and was named after ruminating exactly what went on in the upper rooms of St Pancras' Station when passing late one night. It went sort of 'I wonder what goes on up there'"

# Posted on March 9th 2010 by Kuzushisan

"The Mad Skeletons Of St. Pancras" ~ C: Alan Burton ~ duplication

Submitted on February 25th 2003 by matti.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1465

# Posted on March 9th 2010 by ceolachan

Ok, just to be clear here - Up Downey and The Mad Skeletons of St. Pancras Station are NOT the same tune. They don't even sound alike! In the liner notes for the Calico album "Songdogs", Tola is clearly credited as the composer for Up Downey. Both great tunes, both great composers, different reels.

# Posted on March 1st 2011 by Flute_boy