I'm slightly embarrassed now to find that I mentioned that I was building a playlist themed around the roots and influences of Alasdair Roberts' music. It's true, but I haven't got very far with it yet: I'm looking forward to giving it some proper attention later in the year after I've finished up here.
However, I am infrequently picking up bits and pieces here and there that will contribute to this playlist, and First Time Ever is part of that process (as is The Voice of the People). It was just before Christmas last year, at this concert in Snape, that Alasdair introduced Bonnie Susie Cleland (which has been in his live repertoire since late 2009) by saying he'd learnt it from the singing of Maureen Jelks.
Back home, I googled Maureen and found her website and details of her two CDs. They were recorded at Dougie MacLean's studio, MacLean having played with Alasdair's father, Alan Roberts. I picked this CD, because as well as Bonnie Susie Cleland, it features three songs that Alasdair has recorded: the traditional songs Bank O' Red Roses (on No Earthly Man) and Sheath and Knife (on this EP), plus Ewan McColl's First Time Ever (on Appendix Out's Warm and Yeasty Corner).
You get personal service from Maureen herself when you enquire about CDs. She doesn't check her email very frequently, and, bless her, she sent me the CD before I sent her the cheque (because I didn't have an address to post it to).
"This recording includes ten unaccompanied songs, and two songs accompanied by Nigel Jelks on English Concertina," it says on the back. I'm not sure whether that's intended as a selling point or a warning, or just a public information message. (Aside: if you're just recording a single voice, does it make any difference if you record in stereo or mono?)
Even though I'm trying to wean myself off buying CDs, it's examples like this that will be the last ones I give up on. Home-made and hand-made, not available in stores, and only rarely heard on niche radio programmes (if at all), CDs like this one are the only way of making a connection with the performers concerned, the only way of showing support.
Since the turn of the year, and the demise of Mark Lamarr's Radio 2 show, I've been listening to a lot of Radio Scotland online. Their coverage of folk and world music — through Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering, Travelling Folk, The Music Café and the Celtic Zone — is better than any of the UK-wide networks'. I particularly loved this episode, which was a series of "interviews", many of which were like eavesdropping on a pub chat between a couple of one-time rabble-rousers reminiscing over some of the firewater. As they mentioned Dougie MacLean, you could hear the soft chuckle in their voices as they recalled experiences they'd shared with him that were unsuitable for broadcast.
| Buy direct from Maureen Jelks | Some metadata about Maureen at Last.fm |
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