Verity

[Guest]

A drier, more conservative content to LJ in the hands of Verity Sharpe, I thought. Unaware, I've missed this flavour, the greater emphasis on classical and folk, with fewer jazz and experimental items. Or am I remembering it wrongly? Really good stuff.

I do like the sound of Gregorian chants, the nearest this one gets to God.

[johncorrigan]

Heard the first hour and a bit and enjoyed most of it - there's always something to switch off for don't you think? - really enjoyed the Coppers and this: 'Bratsch with Lhasa — Nié bouditié'. I even thought the chanting was alright. I didn't really miss VS when she went away, but I'm kinda glad she's back.

[DracoM]

She is terrific - cool, less is more style, great rhythm, lets the music speak. For me one of the very top presenters on R3.

[johncorrigan]

Loved the Lizzie Higgins track last evening! ......and I see Verity's giving Pokey and the Boys a spin this evening!

[Lateralthinking1]

I missed that one as I joined the programme at 11.30pm, just in time for the Arvo Part. He seems to be particularly popular again. No bad thing. Following Fink - Lopa played him too but I'm not convinced yet - there were eight or nine tracks in a row that were absolute winners, starting with Leo Kottke. I really enjoyed the Spanish and French selections and the track by Spiers and Boden.

Yes, sorry Fiona, but this week's choices have been far more for me than those from last week. More folky and European. Have to say, though, I find Verity's presentational style a little ordinary, lacking the character of a Lucy, a Lopa or a Mary Ann, but as we have discussed before, opinions differ as one would expect.

[ian russell]

I'm finding the Fink a good antidote to David Sylvian, though I like him too.

That Tam Lin went on a bit though, didn't it? I'm afraid I lost interest somewhere between verses 37 and 53 and had to remove my earphones for sanity's sake. He had a promising voice though.

[Globaltruth]

That Tam Lin went on a bit though, didn't it? I'm afraid I lost interest somewhere between verses 37 and 53 and had to remove my earphones for sanity's sake. He had a promising voice though.

didn't it just? Give me the Benjamin Zephaniah version anyday...

[johncorrigan]

I have a habit of hearing the first hour of LJ - stamina ain't what it used to be - but a very fine hour last night's turned out to be - and she doesn't hang about - just gets on with it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013859x

[Paul Sherratt]

Ms Verity, the Bob Harris of Radio 3 ?

[barber olly]

That Tam Lin went on a bit though, didn't it? I'm afraid I lost interest somewhere between verses 37 and 53 and had to remove my earphones for sanity's sake. He had a promising voice though.

Can't beat Fairports version of this!

[Paul Sherratt]

barber,

How about Mike Waterson's effort with it ?

All together now ...

Mike Waterson sings Tamlyn
1.Come all you maids, and you very pretty maids
And a warning take by me
Don't go down to the Chaser's wood
If a maid you want to return and return
If a maid you want to return.

2.Lady Margaret, Lady Margaret, she was sitting in her bower
She was red as any rose
But she longed to go the Chaser's woods
To pull them flowers that grows and grows
Oh, to pull the flowers that grows

3.And she taken out her silver comb
Made in haste to comb her hair
Then she away to the Chaser's wood
As fast as she could tear and could tear
Aye, as fast as she could tear

4.And she hadn't pulled but the one red rose
The rose that grows there in the green
When a voice said, “Lady, how dare you pull a rose
Without no leave of me, and of me,
Aye, without no leave of me?”

5.“This little wood,” she says “it is me very own
Me father he given it to me.
I will pull, pluck, break, I'll bend the branch
And I won't ask leave of thee, and of thee,
No I won't ask leave of thee.”

6.Oh, he's taken her by the middle so small
Down to where the grass it grows so green
And what they've done, well I just couldn't say
Oh, the green grass grew between and between
Aye, the green grass grew between

7.Aye, he's taken her by the lily-white hand
Down to where the grass it grows so green
And it's what they done, well I just couldn't say
But he never once asked her leave, her leave
No he never once asked her leave.

8.It's four and twenty ladies, they're all sitting in the hall
Playing at the chess
All except for young Margaret
She's green as any grass, any grass,
And she's green as any grass.

9.Aye, there's four and twenty ladies, they're all sitting in the hall
All as red as the rose
All except for young Margaret
And pale and wan she goes, and she goes
Aye, pale and wan she goes.

10.Up there spake one of them little girls
And on her face there was a smile
She says, “I think my lady's loved a little long
And now she goes with child, and with child
Aye, and now she goes with child.”

11.Up there spake another of them girls
A pretty little girl was she
She says, “I know a herb growing in the Chaser's woods
As'll twine the babe from thee, and from thee
As'll twine the babe from thee.”

12.Lady Margaret, she picked up her silver comb
Made in haste to comb her hair
Then she away to the Chaser's wood
As fast as she could tear, and could tear
Aye, as fast as she could tear.

13.And she hadn't pulled but the one bit of herb
The herb that grows there in the loam
When up there spake young Tam o' the Lyn
Saying, “Margaret, leave it alone
Oh, sweetheart, Margaret, leave it alone.”

14.“Why do you want that bitter, bitter herb
The herb that grows so grey
Except for to twine away the pretty little baby
We got in our play, our play,
Mark, we got in our play.”

15.“Oh tell me this, young Tam-'o-Lyn,” she says
“If a mortal man you be.”
“Well, I'll tell you truth without a word of a lie
I got christened as good as thee, as thee
I got christened as good as thee.”

16.“But as I rode out on a bitter, bitter day
'Twas from me horse I fell
And the Queen of the Elvens did take me
In yonder greenwood for to dwell, and to dwell
Aye, in yonder greenwood for to dwell.”

17.“And it's every seventh seventh year
We pay a toll to hell
And the last one here is the first to go.
And I fear the toll, it's meself, it's meself
Aye, I fear the toll's meself.”

18.“Oh, tonight it is the Halloween
When the Elven Court shall ride
If you would your true lover save
By the old mill-bridge you must hide, you must hide
By the old mill bridge you must hide.”

19.“And it's first there'll come this black horse
And it's then there'll come the brown
And they're both raced by the white
You must throw your arms up around my neck
And I will not you afright, and afright
No, I will not you afright.”

20.“And they'll change me then, and it's all in your arms
Into many's the beast so wild
You must hold me tight, you must fear me not
I'm the father of your child,
Oh you know that I'm the father of your child.”

21.And the woods grew dark, and the woods grew dim
Tam o' the Lyn was gone.
She picked up her lily-white feet
And to the mill-bridge run, now she run
Aye, and to the mill-bridge run.

22.She looked high, and she looked low
She encompassed all around
But she nothing saw, she nothing heard
She heard no mortal sound, no sound
No, she heard no mortal sound.

23.Till about the dead hour of the night
She heard them bridles ring
It chilled her heart, it's given her a start
More than any mortal thing, any thing
More than any mortal thing.

24.Then it's first there come this black horse,
and it's then there come the brown
They both raced by the white
And she's thrown her arms up 'round his neck
And he didn't her afright, and afright
No, he didn't her afright.

25.And the thunder roared across the sky
And the stars they burned as bright as day
And the Queen of the Elvens give a stunning ? cry,
Saying, “Young Tam-a-Lyn is away, is away
Aye, Young Tam-a-Lyn is away.”

26.And they changed him then - it were all in her arms
To a lion roaring so wild
But she held him tight and she feared him not
He was the father of her child, oh she knew he was
The father of her child.

27.Soon they changed him again - it were all in her arms
To a big black hissing snake
But she held him tight and she feared him not
He was one of God's own make, oh she knew that he
Was one of God's own make.

28.And they changed him again - it were all in her arms
To a big black dog to bite
But she held him tight and she feared him not
He didn't her afright, and afright
No, he didn't her afright.

29.So they changed him again - it were all in her arms
To a white-hot bar of iron
But she held him tight and she feared him not
He'd done to her no harm, no harm
No, he'd done to her no harm.

30.Then they changed him again - it were all in her arms
To a mother-naked man
And she throwed her cloak up around his shoulders,
Saying, “Tam o' the Lyn, we've won, oh, we've won,”
Saying, “Tam o' the Lyn, we've won.”

31.Then the Queen of the Elvens, how she cursed young Tambalyn
Oh, well she cursed him good
She said, “I should have torn out your eyes young Tam-a-Lyn
I should have put in two eyes of wood, of wood
I should have put in two eyes of wood.”

32.“And it's curses on you, Tam-a-Lyn,” she says
“You once was my very own.
And when you was, I should have torn out your heart
And put in a heart of stone, cold stone
I should have put in a heart of stone.”




Rpt ...


You 'n all can hear the glory in the audio archive of this rather grand show

http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/34535

[johncorrigan]

Couldn't manage to hear it in here, but I loved reading the poem, Paul - I always really liked Sandy Denny singing the line 'as fast as go can she!' in the Fairport version.

But scanning down the drummer's list for something to listen to I decided to salve my soul with a spot of Mr Robeson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5asIuDX6Rw

[Paul Sherratt]

Soul salved.

But back to Verity, I well remember us singing along to Robeson's awesome Joe Hill one of her late junction nights while crossing Bodmin Moor.
And I wonder if any top DJ would segue Mike's stunning Tam Lin with Val Rosing singing The Teddy Bear's Picnic ?





PS
The song is so renowned that the Brazilians named an airline after it ...

http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/files/2011/02/tam-boeing-777.jpg

[johncorrigan]

PS
The song is so renowned that the Brazilians named an airline after it ...
http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/...boeing-777.jpg

So did this lot, Paul -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrischenn76/5808996694/

....as fast as go can she

By the way Paul, if as you suggest 'Ms Verity, the Bob Harris of Radio 3 ?' does that mean that BH is the VS of R2?

[johncorrigan]

On Tuesday evening Verity played Kronos doing a Reich commission for the upcoming tenth anniversary of the World Trade Centre attacks - I thought it was very moving - also enjoyed the Gurdjieff piece that led into it. A very good twosome I thought.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013m4b5#synopsis