As always, we spend an hour exploring important albums from the world of folk and roots music. This episode features two albums by the British group City Waites.
In Disc-Cover!, we delve into the history of folk and root music through albums that have been lost, overlooked, underrated, remarkable, unusual or influential. The series broadly covers the period from the folk revival of the 1960s to the first two decades of the 21st century.
The albums we feature today certainly belong in that tradition, but the music itself is much older—ranging from the 12th to roughly the 19th century. That may sound like early, medieval, Renaissance or Baroque music—in other words, ‘classical’—but City Waites are something quite different.
This British group really does bring us ‘folk music in its purest form’: a collection of popular music from the streets, taverns, theaters and countryside. Nothing courtly—apart from the odd composition by Henry VIII, perhaps—and performed on historical instruments such as the lute, woodwind instruments including the crumhorn and shawm, violins, bagpipes and more. The core of City Waites was formed by siblings Adam, Lucy and Roddy Skeaping. The group is still active today, albeit with a different line-up. The siblings are regarded as authorities on early folk music and have appeared as guest musicians on various albums by established folk and folk-rock artists such as Shirley and Dolly Collins, Richard Thompson and others.
Today we’ll be listening to their debut album, A Gorgeous Gallery of Gallant Inventions (1974), along with selections from its successor, City Waites.
Time to start the time machine…
City Waites – A gorgeous gallery of gallant inventions – EMI EMC 3017
01. The Baffled Knight 2:38
02. Min It Is 1:32
03. The Courteous Carman 2:30
04. Grim King Of The Ghosts Or The Lunatick Lover 2:13
05. The Gallant Seaman’s Sufferings 1:50
06. Time To Pass With Goodly Sport & Taundernaken 2:40
07. Sir Eglamore Or Courage Crowned With Conquest 2:52
08. When Celia Learning On The Spinet To Play 1:17
09. England Be Glad 2:01
10. Watkyns Ale 4:49
11. Sing We And Chant It 1:48
12. Stantipes 1:36
13. I Have Been A Foster 2:06
14. Give Me My Yellow Hose Again 2:00
15. Tom Making A Manteau 2:00
City Waites – City Waites – Decca SKL 5264
16. Lillibullero (the farmer’s curst wife) 3:04
17. Now is the month of maying (Thomas Morley) 2:05
18. The crossed couple 4:07
19. Il ne l aura pas (Elzéar Genet Dit Carpentras) 0:45
20. The nota / The english dance 3:45
21. Three country dances in one (Thomas Ravenscroft) 2:31
22. Pastime with good company (Henry VIII) 2:12
23. Chi passa 2:50
24. Lavender’s green lavender’s blue 2:50
